An independent New Vegas mod.

[sgtKraigO]

The problem I had with Fable 3, and all of my friends who played it, is that it honestly seemed like you bought out the darkness. I think you should keep that in mind and try not to make it feel like if you save up enough money you will win the day, of course you will need caps to win but through in some events or something so the player doesn't get the same feeling I got while playing the ending of Fable 3.

[devinpatterson]

Hey Devin, it's been a while. Hope you're doing well.

Yeah, we still have a funeral service to plan but things are somewhat back to normal. Although because of some employment changes I'll have less time to mod until I can get some cash coming in. But I'll keep plugging away at this mod and a few others when I have time.

 

I've got some ideas for Viva New Vegas I wanted to type out before I forget them if it's okay. I'll try not to clutter up the forum as I did with the Honest Hearts post. :smile:

Yep always interested in new ideas

 

I thought that the Zapps Neon Signs factory would make a perfect repair shop for Raul

Yeah that sounds good.

 

I also thought that Veronica could do with a new home regardless of her choice to remain with the Brotherhood or not. I was thinking that she could have something similar to the player's Megaton home in Fallout 3 situated next to the 188 Trading Post. This would allow her to continue gathering supplies for her chapter or be able to keep in touch with Brotherhood patrols if convinced to leave.

Yeah could be a good location if she's still on relatively friendly terms with the brotherhood. Another location that might be a candidate (if she's on less friendly terms with the BOS) could be that abandoned Gibson's shack. It doesn't have much except the Comm Station terminal she used to communicate with Elijah with, but it's near the gibson scrap yard if she needs pieces and parts for research. A third would be any followers location if she's chooses that affiliation.

 

If we're planning to give Veronica her happy ending where she reunites with Christine it would make a good home for them.

I could see that. Although if she's on poor terms with the BOS, she may end up staying with Christine at teh Sierria Madre. I guess we'll have to map out her ending (faction affiliation) and factor in any changes via the PC (like a quest to re-unite the two) and see what multiple endings could result.

 

Vault 3

 

Assuming if we go with the idea of using it for a temporary base for the Brotherhood while they clean outer Vegas of Fiends, I thought that it could end up in the Followers of the Apocalypse control afterwards. My idea for it would be to turn it into a lab for the Followers to develop medical supplies which would address their supply problems.

Sounds reasonable. Although I'd like to continue the friction between the NCR and BOS in re: to the vaults. Obviously taht will depend on both factions being active (ie BOS wasn't blown up and NCR hasn't been ejected due to a declaration of war by the player), but I'd like to see them competitive in acquiring the vaults (BOS for their namesake guardian of technology stance and NCR for the military application, ie base of operations) so the player has some interaction in the scenario. Putting out fires that could ignite into small conflicts between the two (or pouring more gas on it for the malignant player). It can be diplomacy to settle differences between the two factions, or dividing up one vault for BOS, another for NCR (so you have to clear at least another one out). Or some other way that influences the power dynamics, but essentially I'm trying to get the player involved in the mess and the clean up.

 

The Boomers

 

Now that the Boomers have a bomber in their possession there is an inaccessible building in Nellis which could be used for air traffic control. I would assume that the Boomers would also want to make Nellis a no fly zone for any other faction that has access to vertibirds.

makes sense to me

 

The Thorn

 

I found it frustrating not being able to do anything with most of the eggs found on dead creatures after the quest to find eggs for the Thorn. I thought that it would be interesting if this was a repeatable quest and would allow the player to make some extra money. I don't think that the NCR or House would have any problem in allowing the Thorn to remain in Westside and I'm sure that the philosophy behind the Thorn would appeal to the Legion.

Sure sounds good too. Just for kicks though I'd also liek the player to be able to hatch some eggs and have some critters in his/her residence. I think that'd be kind of cool. Little critter pets.

 

New Vegas Steel

 

If the player manages to occupy the steel plant as part a restoration quest it would be a good opportunity to remove some of the ruined cars that are found in some settlements. I wouldn't suggest removing every single car husk in the Mojave as it would take away part of the apocalyptic feel of the game.

I'm not sure we'd get much milage out of it unless we can show some of the cars being towed to the plant or something. Like I wonder if I could rig a car to a scene root for a creature like a bramin. I don't know if that' possible, don't know if critters even have one, maybe just statics. But if it can be done than it could pull a car behind it without the crazy swaying I get when I rig it to a bramin's bones. We'll see.......

[Devilman1975]

Sorry to hear about the funeral, bro. You have my condolences.

 

 

Sounds reasonable. Although I'd like to continue the friction between the NCR and BOS in re: to the vaults. Obviously taht will depend on both factions being active (ie BOS wasn't blown up and NCR hasn't been ejected due to a declaration of war by the player), but I'd like to see them competitive in acquiring the vaults (BOS for their namesake guardian of technology stance and NCR for the military application, ie base of operations) so the player has some interaction in the scenario. Putting out fires that could ignite into small conflicts between the two (or pouring more gas on it for the malignant player). It can be diplomacy to settle differences between the two factions, or dividing up one vault for BOS, another for NCR (so you have to clear at least another one out). Or some other way that influences the power dynamics, but essentially I'm trying to get the player involved in the mess and the clean up.

 

To be honest I thought that most of the vaults in New Vegas were beyond being restored especially 19, 22 and 34 but I thought that vault 11 could possibly be restored but would require the steel plant for replacing the rusted interiors. Only problem with this though is it's proximity to the El Dorado substation and Helios One which would make the NCR reluctant to hand the Brotherhood this particular vault.

 

As for the technological rewards of the vaults I would have to say that the Brotherhood are far more interested in acquiring weapons technology than anything they may find in a vault which was demonstrated by McNamara's response when Veronica offered vault 22's farming technology data.

 

I also have doubts that the Mojave chapter has the numbers to hold on to a second base as they had lost half their members to the war with the NCR. However saying that I always found the vaults in all Fallout games to be pretty small for the numbers they are supposed to hold. I would assume that the real reason behind House filling vault 21 with concrete was so that the developers had an excuse not to create additional levels.

 

 

Just for kicks though I'd also liek the player to be able to hatch some eggs and have some critters in his/her residence. I think that'd be kind of cool. Little critter pets.

 

Since you mentioned raising critters I thought I would share a link to the Egg Hatchery mod http://newvegas.nexusmods.com/mods/42006//? which allows you do just that.

 

 

I'm not sure we'd get much milage out of it unless we can show some of the cars being towed to the plant or something. Like I wonder if I could rig a car to a scene root for a creature like a bramin. I don't know if that' possible, don't know if critters even have one, maybe just statics. But if it can be done than it could pull a car behind it without the crazy swaying I get when I rig it to a bramin's bones. We'll see.......

 

I seem to think that a car husk may be too much for a brahmin to cart around. Maybe you could put some workers on site taking apart some of the car husks near a working flatbed truck. Another solution could be to use robots to take apart the cars and transport them to the steel plant similar to what Loyal had done with the bomber when the Courier raised it from Lake Mead. The road leading to the Mojave Outpost with all the destroyed cars would make a good spot for a salvage operation but the only problem is that it's a hotspot for Legion attacks in addition to the Jackal members and radscorpions that are hanging around.

[kingwilfre16]

General Oliver is really hated among the troops, so when you kill him, you should gain ncr fame, more so if you throw him off the damn dam.

 

soldier(Oliver killed): Man, Im glad Oliver's dead, wait and see was incompetent.

soldier(Oliver thrown off the dam):I wish I was there to see Oliver's expression when you threw him off the dam

[ToxicWhiteout]

General Oliver is really hated among the troops, so when you kill him, you should gain ncr fame, more so if you throw him off the damn dam. soldier(Oliver killed): Man, Im glad Oliver's dead, wait and see was incompetent. soldier(Oliver thrown off the dam):I wish I was there to see Oliver's expression when you threw him off the dam

If you kill General Oliver, doesn't the NCR pull back from the Mojave?

 

And if you don't, that's still their leader. It's like killing a president. A lot of citizens might not like him, but the killer would be hated for it anyways.

[devinpatterson]

General Oliver is really hated among the troops,

No, I wouldn't say that blanket statement is accurate. I think it's safe to say there are certainly elements that have a real problem with Oliver (Chief Hanlon, vetern rangers, etc),

 

 

so when you kill him, you should gain ncr fame, more so if you throw him off the damn dam. soldier(Oliver killed): Man, Im glad Oliver's dead, wait and see was incompetent. soldier(Oliver thrown off the dam):I wish I was there to see Oliver's expression when you threw him off the dam

Killing him will earn you NCR infamy on par with killing any major NCR figure (Like Kimball, Moore etc).

 

OK trying to get back into the swing of things here, but having some motivational problems and also tying up a *lot* of loose ends. Hoping this weekend will be a chance to fire up the trusty geck and get some work done.

[devinpatterson]

If you kill General Oliver, doesn't the NCR pull back from the Mojave?

 

And if you don't, that's still their leader. It's like killing a president. A lot of citizens might not like him, but the killer would be hated for it anyways.

Yeah that's basically the way I see it as well Scout201

[devinpatterson]

Maybe you could put some workers on site taking apart some of the car husks near a working flatbed truck.

So I was thinking we could have the workers chopping/cutting etc (I think there are a few different animations from "The Pitt" in the NV BSA's we can use) and brahmin traveling back and forth with a cart of some type. I experimented with the rigging the cart to the scene root and it did take out the crazy swaying I get when it was rigged to a bone. First one is normal walking speed in geck, 2nd is brahin running in game. Video;

 

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8O4VAhw58w&feature=youtu.be

 

Link in case the media tag fails

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBqkBXnMBJY&feature=youtu.be

Link

 

 

 

 

These will also be great in bazaars in NV and Hoover town. They do rotate though when the creature does so the patrols (not as in guard patrols, but the way we set up a path for a NPC via X markers) have to be fairly straight so that it doesn't break immersion. I would also like to use these on caravans but it is a little trickier. When a actor or the player attacks the caravan the brahmin will swing/rotate around to face the threat and that won't look realistic.

 

Another solution could be to use robots to take apart the cars and transport them to the steel plant similar to what Loyal had done with the bomber when the Courier raised it from Lake Mead.

This one I can implement pretty easy. So we have our little partrol setup and a few special models. It's no problem to rig junk (statics) to a protectron. Here is a pic of one I did with a generator;

 

 

http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/u404/devinlpatterson/FONV%20Mods-works%20in%20progress/ProtectronGenerator_zpse05698c6.jpg

 

 

 

It's a little dark but you get the idea. Put some ropes or chains wrapped around it, to the illusion the junk is tied down and we should be good to go. We can have them heading back to the plant loaded up and then the normal protectron model when heading back out into the field.

 

The road leading to the Mojave Outpost with all the destroyed cars would make a good spot for a salvage operation but the only problem is that it's a hotspot for Legion attacks in addition to the Jackal members and radscorpions that are hanging around.

No problem we can remove those critters. I can also take some cars apart in blender so it looks like a portion of them have been disassembled.

 

On a somewhat related note, do we want to throw in some factions (for instance this foundry) that could later provide opportunities for roleplaying (whether political or otherwise) later down the road. Some factions like the gunrunners & crimson caravan, are very powerful and have undue sway in NCR politics. I wonder if a faction, for instance the foundry, might gain some influence over time in teh business community of a independent new vegas and become the equivalent of a merchant house. Selling a lot of ingots, acquiring influence and caps, they may be someone the player has to appease, cajole, threaten or exterminate. Some possible quest opportunities?

 

Also sorry for the late responses on your other points, I'll try to get to them soon. Starting to get back into the swing of things, but time is still in short supply.

[bruse]

I'd sort of love this.

 

But I wouldn't go overboard with X and Y feature.

 

I mean, logically:

(1) Cleanup of post-battle areas.

 

(2) From ending, NCR is defacto marched out of the Mojave and the Legion is on the east side of the Colorado. The "old" NCR NPCs need to go, and Mojave Outpost becomes effectively the border (or Primm, if it is sided with the NCR). Aside from agreeing with the ending, that saves you the trouble of writing dialogue for a whole host of characters talking about what happened. And them not acknowledging what happened would be very immersion breaking.

 

Basically, immediate world-wide changes:

- Redo Mojave Outpost with new NPCs and fortifications acknowledging this is now effectively the border of the NCR

- Repopulate Fort with new NPCs acknowledging this is now effectively the border camp of the Legion. Repopulate Nelson and Cottonwood Cove IF not purged by player.

- Remove clutter (blockades) on the dam itself, with Securitrons patroling and holding the dam.

 

- IF Fiends were purged from Vault 3 & Fiend leaders killed (Motor-runner / Nephi / Violet / Cook-Cook), remove Fiends and Fiend spawns from the area

- IF Powder Gangers have been purged, remove Powder Ganger spawns / etc from the game.

- IF Sloan Deathclaws were purged and highway cleared of deatclaws, remove their respawns from the game..

 

- IF all three were achieved (before or after ending), the highway is open again, so now merchants and travelers use it - optionally talk to the Brotherhood to patrol the highway in return for being able to inspect for "dangerous" tech (as is canon ending).

 

So, what is the new game setting:

(a) The NCR is now holding onto the Mojave Outpost (it's border) and optionally Primm if player has chosen NCR in "my kind of town".

 

(b) There is a large vacuum regarding places like Camp Golf, McCarran, etc. These can be later populated once the basics are worked out... However the idea that after being cheated out of the Dam and Vegas the NCR would STILL be willing to spend huge sums on defending the Mojave is controary to the ending (they are "marched out") and common sense. They might be planning on coming back with a vengeance.

 

© The Legion, even defeated, with the retreat of the NCR, has free reign to strenghten it's presence in places like Nelson (now unoccupied), Nipton (being the new "forward position" of the Legion), Cottonwood cove and outskirts of Searchlight/etc. The NCR after all has zero interest in holding these areas for you "for free". Essentially, south and east of Novac and east of the highway is all up for grabs by the Legion, because nobody is defending this anymore, and Novac is in danger itself being half-surrounded.

 

In short, good job breaking it, Hero.

 

The setting: Now your independent New Vegas and outlying communities are essentially surrounded by a sea of NCR to the west/southwest and Legion to the east - the only reason the Legion doesn't overrun you right now is because by killing the immediate leaders and a few thousand solidiers in the field you've given them pause, but that pause won't be for very long. The NCR won't protect you for free and will only protect it's border - if and when they come back, they will come back in force. Having an army of killer Robots is nice, but you are surrounded by Empires which number in millions and which don't like you, or in case of Legion, are openly hostile.

 

Your securitrons are limited in number and can't be everywhere. Perhaps a limited number (since you can use "yes man" to deploy them in quests) available in total, tracked by the yes-man.

 

 

Perhaps place the player at the Strip at the end of the game - with the first order of the day re-establishing order, or letting it clear to the families and interested parties who is the new boss. This would require some more dialogue / scripting. In fact, it would make sense that they are all invited (by the courier) to the lucky 38 for a meeting. If and how many options you would have here is open to debate. In the meantime, game world gets cleaned up and updated as described.

 

The Yes-Man now serves as your advisor/minister and the way to institute "global" changes, and track global variables like food supply, number of available securitrons, troops, power, etcetera, other resources.

 

What would expected / logical quests be?

 

In the immediate timeframe (what needs to be done post haste, you could get these quests automatically):

(1) Reopening the highway in case you haven't done this before / optionally ask the Brotherhood to patrol it (and search travelers for tech, however). This could be a prerequisite for a number of other quests.

 

(2) Dealing with the immediate issue of Novac being firmly surrounded by Legion territory now and practically defenseless on top; what options you have are subject to imagination, but for instance, logical options include:

 

a) Abandoning it to the Legion (sic) which means Novac residents are killed/enslaved/gone from the game world (token few might become refugees but someone would have to write dialogue etc) and Novac, the El Dorado gas station are now held by the Legion.

 

b) Posting some Securitrons (but it won't be enough) as immediate defense and going there to "sort it out" one way or another, fortify the place and such, appoint perhaps a mayor or someone to command it (perhaps add a band of NCR "renmants" with an officer who are bitterly disillusioned with the NCR after the battle and would be willing to live and protect it, in exchange for something, it fits with the lore).

 

(3) Dealing with the issue of refugee camp at Bitter Springs being basically out of supplies and with nobody to protect it. Again, options:

(a) Abandon it to the Legion (sic) which means, well, you get the idea.

(b) Evacuate it to somewhere (McCarran or Aerotech or whatnot), which means a quest to get them (escort them) out of there, after which they are replaced by "new" NPCs with new interactions at McCarran (or whatever other place, Freeside would be ok too, Aerotech park, whatnot), and Bitter Springs and the area become minor Legion camps.

© ... whatever lore and logic friendly option you can think of ...

 

(4) Dealing with the issue of refugee camp at AeroTech Offices - without anyone to protect them and anyone to supply them, they are starving and vulnerable to slavers / bandits / whatnot. Again, options:

(a) I don't care (bad karma), which means - well, I guess they starve / leave / get deleted.

(b) Relocate them (eg. McCarran).

© Leave them where they are, but allocate defenses (securitrons).

 

(5) Wherever you've relocated various refugees from (3) and (4) to, you need to get food for the people. They have to eat, today.

(a) Let them fend for themselves / starve (horrible karma), just so you have the evil options, in which case they are starving and some die.

(b) Allocate food for them.

- Food sources (tracked via Yes-Man) can be obtained in limited quantity by working out deals with various settlements which might have some extra, like GoodSprings (prerequisite: highway open) for a very minor amount, perhaps Jacobstown (prerequisite can be quests for them) for a minor amount, Crimson Caravan (will want money / whatnot, and probably favours, etc), Boomers (minor amount, might want something), Westside (will definitely want something in return), etc.

 

Basically, good job breaking it, Hero. Now you have to provide for your people, you don't have a whole damn lot of resources to trade with and have to manage simultaneously feeding and defending your people. Making a revolution is almost easy; but after the celebration wears off, there are two large empires breathing down your neck and people have to eat in the morning. And if they starve, it is now your fault - you got the NCR out of the picture.

[bruse]

The crux of the matter is, the NCR is out, the supplies the NCR brings is out, the protection they provide is also out, and your "great victory" has become a great headache as people need to eat, tommorow, and you're responsible for feeding these people - or letting them starve.

 

Vegas clearly isn't a self-sufficient place. You have more to worry about then high politics or assasination attempts, and your securitron army isn't going to be enough in the long run, but the basics you have to immediately provide are order, defense, and food. Else your newborn "nation" won't last very long.

 

You've liberated a lot of people, but now you have to do something with them, all of them. And only after you've put out all the "fires", which have to be dealt with right now, you get to deal with the Legion and the NCR somehow, and the fact that in the vacuum left by the retreat of the NCR the Legion has taken a lot of space.