[RELz] Marked for Termination 1.3 - A Terminator-Inspired Manhunt in the Commonwealth

[ToroMontana]

Marked for Termination - A Terminator-Inspired Manhunt in the Commonwealth
Version: 1.3
by Toro Montana & MarcusGarlick™

In the future the Sole Survivor of Vault 111 will lead mankind in a war against a malicious computer AI programmed to enslave the world. From this dark future two machines have been sent back, one to kill him, the other to protect him. The battle will soon commence but the war... war never changes.

Basic Mod Information

This mod is inspired by the Terminator series and adds two cyborgs from the future into the game world of Fallout 4. They arrive when you reach level 10+. What began as a minor tweak is now a fully fledged action packed mod. One cyborg is the bad guy, it will attempt to track you down no matter where you go in the Commonwealth and attempt to kill you. It is nearly indestructible (apart from direct hits from mini nuke launchers) your goal is to escape/incapacitate it rather than kill it. When not in combat, the cyborg travels the map at walk speed to make evading it feasible.

The other cyborg is a permanent 100% loyal companion and protector. It will act as a secondary companion so you don't need to dismiss the companion you had before. You can trade gear with it (give it better weapons, make it carry junk) but you can't give it specific instructions or dismiss it, at least not while the bad guy lives. This cyborg also cannot be killed.

This isn't a very long quest mod, it's mostly for fun, mayhem and putting you on constant alert while giving you a cool companion. There will be a couple of quest logs to guide you, but don't expect a very long quest chain. There is no new map nor a final showdown with the evil AI that sent the assassin after you. In future updates? Nobody knows. I may one day decide to expand upon the story, but definitely don't expect something on the scale of a total conversion with a landmass.

What's New in 1.3?

Many things have been improved in 1.3. Here is why you should update or download if you never played it before:

1. All Dialog Voiced: There is even a selection of two quality voice actors to choose from for the male player and cyborg companion as well as quality text-to-speech for the female player. The audio is professionally edited, you won't hear random noise in the background.
A brief explanation of the different versions of patch 1.3:
1.3a - Voiced by HadToRegister, both male player + companion
1.3b - Male player voiced by Garlikk, companion by HadToRegister
1.3c - Male player voiced by HadToRegister, companion by Garlikk
1.3d - Voiced by Garlikk, both male player + companion
Try them out and see which one you prefer best, all 4 changed be switched between each other at any time.
Female player is voiced by text-to-speech in all 4 versions.
2. More Credible Cyborg Damage: Though the cyborgs imitate humans well and even bleed due to their living tissue, they are nonetheless robotic underneath. As they take more and more damage, you start to hear metal sounds and see sparks coming out of them when shot and not just blood. Bits and pieces of synth cogs and other robot parts may also fall off them (the damage is not permanent though and doesn't change their appearance... yet), at low health when incapacitated they start to show visible signs of critical malfunction in a bright blue spark before repairing themselves to full HP
3. Overhauled Enemy Arsenal: By popular demand, the enemy cyborg is even more menacing now and gets even stronger weapons as you level and will usually discard weaker weapons previously used. Though he doesn't technically have unlimited mini nukes anymore, he is resourceful enough and will frequently replenish his mini nuke inventory. (Try not to lure him into a crowded city.) I've also removed the Flamer which was an utter joke. Expect modded legendary weapons to be used against you at higher levels. Yes, you can loot them if you kill it.
4. Fixed Exploits:
a. the cyborgs can no longer be pacified, cyborgs fear nobody
b. if you somehow manage the insane task of pickpocketing the weapons off the enemy cyborg, he will acquire new but weaker weapons soon, you can no longer fully disarm him, he also frequently replenishes any ammunition lost or stolen
c. your companion can no longer fire unlimited mini nukes if given the custom Fatman the enemy had and one mini nuke, that was just too powerful
5. AI Fix: Your companion should now attack absolutely anyone attacking you for any reason, there should no longer be any circumstances in which he hesitates to act, his loyalty is now entirely and exclusively to you
6. Other Tweaks:
a. added a few new cool one-liners for the companion including a warning when the player is exposed to radiation
b. when destroyed, the enemy will drop a synth component now
7. Support for Previous Versions: If you are upgrading from a previous version there is no need to start a new game.

What's New in 1.2?

1. The enemy cyborg now gets more weapons as you level and will even get mini nukes when you're level 50, making him more dangerous than before. As before, he will continue to steal powerful weapons he finds too so watch out what you drop or leave behind.
2. The cyborgs should no longer stay in cover, better simulating how a fearless merciless killer juggernaut should act.
3. The friendly cyborg should now prefer his default shotgun over his default knife.
4. Added a few more dialog lines in preparation for a voice acting update, hopefully in 1.3.
5. No need to start a new game. Overwrite 1.1 and play.

What's New in 1.1?

As of Version 1.1, the bad cyborg can be permanently killed with a direct hit from a standard mini nuke. Splash damage from a mini nuke is not enough to kill him and all other weapons only slow him down at best. You can use any device capable of launching mini nukes, but only the vanilla Fallout 4 mini nuke ammo will work. Fully custom nuclear-based ammo added through another mod will not work.

Other changes include extra dialog with your companion. Your companion now also displays his weapon, he doesn't hide it anymore out of combat.

You can overwrite 1.0 and continue playing. No need to restart your game. No need to load an older save.

Features

1. Lip-synched and subtitled dialog (no audio, you must have subtitles enabled) Voiced and lip-synched dialog since 1.3
2. Verified against a host of bugs and exploits typically associated with NPC creation
3. Protection against your companion getting lost or going rogue, even if you shoot it, it will never shoot back. In 1.3 his loyalty is even closer to perfection.
4. The mod uses its own IDs for the highest possible compatibility with other mods.
5. The mod is designed to bypass attempts to make essential NPCs killable. If essential NPCs are made killable by a mod or tweak, the cyborgs simply repair themselves shortly. This doesn't work as smoothly as having essential tags active though so it's recommended not to disable essential tags. (As of 1.1 the bad guy can be permanently killed with a mini nuke. All other methods will fail.)
6. Catch-up mechanic for your new cyborg companion. If you get separated in combat, it should quickly find you soon after.
7. Support for both male and female player characters.

FAQ

Q: I'm level 10 and the cyborg isn't coming to kill me, what to do?
A: It takes time to travel around, sleep a while to skip time and it will come. Note: You must also change your location from where you hit level 10. Continue playing, it will come when you least expect it. It doesn't come instantly.

Q: How will I know which cyborg is the good guy and which his the bad guy? How will I recognize them say in a crowded settlement?
A: You'll know when you first encounter them soon enough. :wink:

Q: If I spot and shoot the bad cyborg first, will guards attack me?
A: No. If you're certain it's him, shoot away. Just don't shoot civilians thinking it's him. :wink:

Q: My companion is stuck, what to do?
A: Traveling to a new location should unstuck him and make him catch up to you.

Q: Can I dismiss my cyborg companion?
A: Only once the enemy cyborg is permanently dead. You also need to talk a little with your companion first before that option opens up. No Charisma is required.

Q: Why does my companion have such lousy weapons?
A: Feel free to trade him better ones.

Q: I keep hitting the bad guy with mini nukes but he isn't dying. What's wrong?
A: Only a direct hit is powerful enough to kill it. Aim better.

Q: My companion is hitting him with mini nukes but he isn't dying. What's wrong?
A: NPCs in general are terrible at aiming. You have to do it yourself.

Q: Is there no other way to kill him besides the mini nuke?
A: More options may be available in future patches.

Q: Will a mini nuke kill my companion?
A: For gameplay mechanic reasons I have decided to keep the companion invulnerable, even to mini nukes. That may change in future patches though based on feedback posted in the comments section.

Q: Can I romance my companion?
A: No. He is not THAT loyal.

Q: Can I lose reputation with my companion?
A: There is essentially nothing you can do in-game that will make the cyborg companion hate you. Good guy? Bad guy? Neutral guy? He doesn't care, he has no morals or values, he's there to protect you by any means necessary and that's it. He won't even care if you shoot him.

Q: Who voices the female player (Nora)?
A: Nobody, it's a text-to-speech program.

Q: Will the mod come out for the PS4?
A: Working on it but expect to see a far more limited version. Due to how mods works on PS4, a lot of the features will be cut. Sadly, it won't even be 50% as cool as this one.

Known Issues

An issue that's kinda spoilery to mention here, but yes I am aware of it. Probably. Feedback is appreciated. And use cheats at your own risk. See a real bug? Report it.

How To Install

There is a very fine article here detailing how mods are installed for Fallout 4:
http://wiki.tesnexus.com/index.php/Fallout_4_Mod_Installation

Beyond that, have subtitles on too or nothing will make sense.

Versions 1.3a to d are interchangeable, feel free to switch between them as you like since the only real difference is who voice acts what. The ESP file is identical and so are the scripts.

Upgrades are supported without starting a new game. Downgrades are not. Downgrade at your own risk.

Credits

Toro Montana - mod creator
MarcusGarlick™ - Arnold Schwarzenegger face model, see his channel and video for a demonstration:

HadToRegister - voice actor for both the male player (Nate) and the companion
Garlikk - the other voice actor for both the male player (Nate) and the companion
(Try them both and see who you prefer the best for which roles.)

Contact

If something is bugged and it's not caused by another mod, send me a detailed message and I'll patch it up. You need to be very specific or send me a saved game otherwise I won't be able to replicate the bug and therefore won't be able to fix it.
[email protected]

RECRUITMENT INFORMATION

If you want to join this project and believe you can improve it, send me an e-mail. I plan to release more updates.

I'm no longer accepting any auditions for male player (Nate) or for the companion and two people have already contributed to the project. I am however accepting auditions for the female player (Nora) to replace the text-to-speech dialog.

Modders who can help improve synth damage are also welcome.

I'm also looking for serious testers, especially for Survival difficulty. So if you want to make video or whatever with your adventures in the Commonwealth, or write in detail about your experiences with the mod (good or bad, doesn't matter), I'd be glad to credit you.