Which ending do you usually go for and why?

[MarchUntoTorment]

I tend to trust in my abilities (and my character's) to make those decisions in the right way.

 

But you're correct - no form of government is perfect, and having the player character as the leader of New Vegas doesn't make it perfect either. For starters, even assuming that the protagonist is flawless (mine isn't), they're still surrounded by two major factions, both of whom are now - while severely weakened - almost certainly permanently hostile.

 

That's the beauty of New Vegas - there's no 'right' answer. It's all about calculating choices.

[Danny159]

But you're correct - no form of government is perfect, and having the player character as the leader of New Vegas doesn't make it perfect either. For starters, even assuming that the protagonist is flawless (mine isn't), they're still surrounded by two major factions, both of whom are now - while severely weakened - almost certainly permanently hostile.

 

If you killed both Caesar, Lanius and the other major named Legion members, the Legion would be crippled and would probably destroy itself in deciding who should lead.

So it would be quite easy to finish them off... ^^

 

The NCR doesn't have to be hostile, just bitter.

And with a giant robot army and potencially some other major factions like the Brotherhood and the Boomers on your side, the NCR can't do jack s#*! against you... ^^

[charwo]

Vegas is brittle. NCR has it's logistics and society aimed up right. All the Courier has is a bunch of fancy toys that can't be easily replaced. The Mohave doesn't begin to have the organization to battle a state, much less an industrialized, capitalistic one like NCR. It's Somalia versus the US, only the US is right next door, needs the power under its control and I'm willing to bet dollars to doughnuts there's a load of American Reunionists who see NCR as the successor to the US and demand all pre-war territory be reunited.

 

In all likelihood the American nation is in it's seven kingdom stage. Like China, the hegemony of a dominant ethnic group and old glories compel a logic of inevitable reunion.

[MarchUntoTorment]

Aside from the fact that the Courier has, if they played the game with any sense -

 

1) The Brotherhood of Steel (who, under McNamara's leadership and with some influence from the new Emperor of the Mojave, might well start recruiting) to act as a heavy assault force.

 

2) The Enclave Remnants to act as a highly mobile airborne special operations group, who I would probably ask to give training to a new generation of recruits hand-picked by yours truly to act as replacements once they die.

 

3) An army of Securitrons that numbers in the thousands or maybe even tens of thousands, each of which carries a full squad's worth of armament and a great deal of armour.

 

4) A facility which is implied to be able to make more Securitrons from just raw materials (the Securitron Vault).

 

5) Access to the only operational piece of air support in the entire Wasteland - that is, so to speak, the Boomers' heavy bomber. A few bombing runs over Shady Sands with that thing might well open the NCR up to some negotiations, no?

 

6) Access to all the goodies of the Big MT, along with access to the Big MT's production facilities to make more of the aforementioned goodies - even if the Courier isn't science-focused, they could feasibly send in some Brotherhood scribes and tell them to upgrade the Brotherhood's gear (maybe even make a deal with the Brotherhood - you give them access to the Big MT in exchange for them recruiting more members).

 

7) Access to the Divide, and all the super-high-tech military gear located there, as well as a goddamned arsenal of nukes if the Courier should decide to engage in some gunboat diplomacy.

 

8) Depending on the player's moral choice with the nukes at the end of Lonesome Road, may well have require the NCR and Legion to walk through an irradiated hellhole to even get to the Mojave in the first place - even though radiation appears to return to comfortably habitable levels (based on information from the Survivalist's Logs in Honest Hearts) within a few years, that's still a few years for the Courier to turn the Mojave, and particularly Vegas, into an utter fortress.

 

Basically, if the Courier played things right, the NCR don't have the first chance of winning a conflict. They could probably destroy the Courier's empire, but they'd basically utterly ruin their economy doing so and be forced to sacrifice literally millions of soldiers trying (assuming that the Courier doesn't just take the nuclear option with the Divide and blow Shady Sands to hell, although I'm a ruthless bastard and even I wouldn't do that). The Courier doesn't have to beat the NCR, they just have to persuade them not to fight anymore.

 

Also, you'd have to be crazy (citing Ulysses as an example - I love him to death as a character, but the guy was off his gourd, no doubt about it) to want to see the US back. I hate to break it to all you US patriots here, but in the Fallout universe, the US were completely and utterly evil by any conventional definition, rounding up and either horrifically experimenting on or exterminating every single person of Asian heritage (remind you of anything? Say, from the 1940s or so?). I consider the NCR the second-best option for the Mojave behind an Independent solution, and I hope to god that they're not like the pre-war US and don't make the same mistakes.

[peadar1987]

And as I have said before, even without Securitrons, the nukes, the Brotherhood as your personal attack dogs, and Big MT technology, it would still be very easy for even a small force to make occupying the Mojave completely untenable for the NCR. Supply lines are stretched, distances are large, and what the NCR really want is power and water.

 

If you even had a hundred people living off the land, they could blow up pylons and rupture water pipelines almost constantly so not a single drop of water or watt of power reaches where the NCR want it to. They can't guard every metre of cable or pipeline. All the commandos need to do is be patient, wait for a section to be vacant, and attack unopposed. So long as the NCR can be made to see that they will get more water and power through negotiations than force, the Mojave will be fine.

 

The Legion, on the other hand, would burn crops so the commandos couldn't use them, massacre any village suspected of sheltering them, and generally do things the NCR would never do.

 

That would make for an interesting scenario for a future game though. The NCR are stretched thin, they're under attack from guerilla forces, and there's a difference of opinion at the top about whether it's okay to use scorched earth policies, or whether they should stick to whatever equivalent of Geneva convention they have in the face of that sort of threat.

[Whatswrongwithmyusername]

I belive that NCR is the best ending,they are the closest to the Pre War world that Mojave will ever come,yes there is corruption but that won't last forever,Kimball ain't going to last long as a president,even if NCR wins (nobody likes him),and the new president may be the fairest guy around,plus they have the biggest army (maybe except the Legion but they are doomed force to begin with),what thousands of securitrons there isn't even half a thousand (around 200) and where does it say it can produce more securitrons,all that tecnology is gone with the Great War.New Vegas needs the NCR (as NCR citizents are only customers),you think NCR is going to pretend like nothing happened after you kick them out,no they will forbid any tradings and going to New Vegas witch would mean nobody would gamble there and it would run dry,plus its either them or some tribals trying to recreate a lost empire,a dictator that only cares for himself and the rich elite of Mojave,or anarchy (just look at the Yes Man ending,the securitrons can't keep peace in the Mojave,only New Vegas),and what happens when Courier dies,Yes Man can't run an empire,thats why he is called an Yes Man,he can only lisen and obey orders,not give them

[peadar1987]

Good points, but the NCR won't just be able to ban its citizens from going to Vegas, not if they want the Mojave to play nice and let them have water and power from Hoover Dam. There would have to be a treaty drawn up, and people would forget their animosity in time. If France and Germany can be friendly trading partners, the NCR and Vegas surely can be too.

[scissorhands]

Like most people here, I agree that an Independent New Vegas is the 'best' ending.

 

However, If I was asked a slightly different question 'Which ending would you go for if it was for real?' I would side with Mr House. While Independence might be best morally, ruling New Vegas and beyond is a lot of responsibility. NCR might be second best, but I doubt you'd get much of a reward; you're just a pawn of Kimball/Oliver after all. Under Mr House however, its stated in the ending cutscene that the courier spends the rest of his/her life in luxury, while not having the enormous task of keeping Vegas going. Given that, I'd side with House.

 

Of course, this is just my opinion. If other people are up to the task of ruling New Vegas, then Independence makes more sense for them.

Edited June 18, 2014 by scissorhands

[blaze1514]

Ok, After reading most of the posts in this thread I can say that I have a handle on some of the things that I need to address.

 

- First note, I do not see the world the same way as it is presented in vanilla. I see the people as real, I believe that there would me more mass crowds and the cities would me muck bigger and etc........ If that bothers you then disregard what I am saying.

 

The main problem I had with Obsidians Endings are that they are so f***ing vague. Therefor I have made notes at the end of every ending about what is wrong with being so vague. I prefer the FO3 style of story, The ending is a lot more clear. I know a lot of you hated FO3's inconsistencies I will talk about that after listing my endings

 

These are ordered in rank from my favorite to my least.

 

1- House ending,

pros--- I believe this is the best for me. House is a genus, Vegas is only standing today because of his foresight. People are saying that it is bad that he is looking to restore humanity based off of the past. I disagree, It wasn't visionaries like house that caused the war, I do not think that siding with house would by any means cause a second disaster. I feel it is the best way for humanity to move forward, with a visionary that may live another hundred years at the helm.

cons--- He is cold and calculating, that means that anyone that gets in his way are dead were they stand A good example of this would be what happens with the vanilla Hose/Brotherhood quest. I however believing that the people are real have added Hose/BoS Alliance, as no real person would say kill them all or leave. Especially Hose who is a genus visionary, He would have been used to making compromises in the old world system.

Notes--- [if you do not care about my complaints go ahead to the next on the list] Now because of Obsidian's vague writing there are some things I have to address. Fist Vegas will be ruled by Hose (that is a given), but you (the courier) will be there too. That means even if house is cold and calculating, you can be the humanity in his rule. You could convince him to share is knowledge so that you can do some good things with it more humanitarian things with his knowledge. Maybe you think that the Securatrons are a good army bot not a good police force.... fine you could make one to your liking. I do not think that hose would care that you are doing basically what he feels is to time consuming for himself. He would (in my opinion) think of them as another tool he can use and probably be for it rather than against it (he just feels that there are more pressing maters for him to attempt to do it himself).

 

 

2- NCR Ending (I picked this next again because of the vague way Free Vegas ends)

pros--- The Strip and surrounding areas are incorporated into a large government. This means protection. Especially when the war with the Legion dies down or ends. Then the troops can refocus on policing and exploring again. Plus as stated in an earlier post: The NCR is stretched thin and Vegas in sucking them dry; but once thy have the strip and the dam they will have more taxes, more people to conscript, and better moral after everything settles down. Plus if the you allied the Mojave BoS chapter with the NCR then the security on the highways is gained. That means that not only will the towns be secure but so will the major roads.

cons--- They evict the FoA from Old Mormon so that they can use it. That means that the main and most stable source of humanitarian aid is gone. They also focus so much on there own towns that Goodsprings basically becomes a ghost town. Doing this ending also just justifies the NCR's corruption and military incompetence. It doesn't fix the problem with the NCR. It is also mentioned somewhere that there law is harsh and overbearing.

Notes--- This ending is a lot less vague than some. The problem with it is it doesn't really tell you what the courier does next. It says he gets a high honor award, but that's it. Now do you believe that someone who just singlehandedly steered the NCR to winning the decisive battle for the dam would just stop doing things after that? I don't, for all we know the courier could become a person of large importance in the NCR controlled wasteland. He could steer the NCR away form its corrupted path, and be the competent figure the NCR needs even after the dam. The vagueness of these ending do not do them justice. Also remember that Helios One would become a major factor after you get it running. who knows what that would lead to in the future. The NCR has a very open mind about ghouls and mutants, this would be good for areas like Jacobstown.

 

 

3 Free Vegas Ending (get ready for a rant at the notes section of this)

pros--- The ending is the best ending for Vegas at the immediate time. It lacks foresight however. I love the idea of you being indirectly in charge of the future of Vegas.

cons--- It would be my favorite ending if not for...... That's right its vagueness, But not only that I fell that it didn't get its full potential put in. If there were a few more dialog options and a more in-depth Wildcard section (not just kill or don't, but a what do you want these groups for in your Vegas). I feel that this would be my favorite. Now the problem other than the vagueness is that it basically leaves the other areas around the strip to fend for themselves. I cannot except that.

notes- Seriously all that was needed for this to be a perfect ending would have been more options towards the end. Instead of the brotherhood not noticing or caring that you take the dam, you should be like "Hey I am about to take over the dam, you guys want in. One catch though you need your help with running the tech In the dam and keeping the roads clear. Look at the bright side now you all can stay in Vegas and not this bunker that is falling apart".

Then there are the Khans (if you do not murder the weaklings in their camp), You should be able to force them to make chems for the followers (making there supply of medicine and chems even better)

That brings me to the Followers, once the dam falls to you, could do what house wouldn't... let them into the strip, They could even form a legitimate hospital.

The boomers could be eventually persuaded to aid you as a munitions supplier or reserve force (I know this one is more me wishing and probably wouldn't happen, but its a nice thought)

There are many more possibilities, so many that its unreal. That is the problem however, because there are just as many bad possibilities that could happen. It makes the lack of choice in what a Vegas becomes a real problem. If you go with anyone else then you know that things will turn out in a certain way, but the uncertain ending of Free Vegas is a detriment when you realize that it all could have been fixed with about 20 lines of dialogue and less than a hours worth of more gameplay. I feel that this is where the shoty and vague writing of Obsidian shows the worse. The ending is obviously what was meant to go for but I cannot in good consciousness say it is ok to use with such a vague and uncertain ending. This would have been solved by a short Broken Steel style DLC.

 

 

4 Legion

I personally wish that the legion were more like original Rome (Not enslaving and assimilating everyone, but ruling as an empire). The way Rome ruled was way less ruthless. They had a few major rules that everyone they controlled had to follow (learn their language, be subject to there drafts, etc...) even if they were just territory and not in the empire itself. Then they had a set of rules for The actual official Empire. They also were leaders of tech in that time. Witch is something that the Legion is the opposite of. I think if the Legion didn't enslave EVERYONE, actually had public facilities and a fair code of law, I would have picked them over anything. I do not care if Caesar Was ruthless and ordered the deaths of "profligates" If they were executed in a more...... "Roman" way (but still kept the mercilessness and mistreatment of people), then the ending wouldn't have been so black and white. I cannot tell if they wanted the black and white ending or if Obsidian just isn't good at making you have hard choices. Oh and I do not do the legion ending as it is in the vanilla game as it is retarded

 

 

Now you have heard me gripe about Obsidian a lot, Let me tell you why more in depth before you start hating on me. Obsidian took the RPG style Be good or evil and put it almost in the forefront of the game, They made it too blatantly obvious who the bad people were. I think they did this so that anyone that wanted to roleplay as a complete Ahole you could (but it is still a shame). Then the endings are so vague that its almost criminal. I know that most of you seem to hate the FO3 story for all the little things that add up to me a massive... "hey something isn't right" feeling, but the story is told in a way were their is almost no room for speculation oh what happens after the game ends. Now I am not saying that I hate that there are multiple endings on NV or anything, I just think they were executed very poorly and in way to vague of a manner. There really is no reason for the vagueness either. The only reason games usually have vague endings is to make it so they can all be considered cannon. This is not how FNV is though, There is no official way the game ends, but you can tell that the Free-Vegas is the favored ending (by the people and Obsidian). It would have been better if they would have just officially accepted it as cannon and then had a Broken Steel style after the dam DLC on the Free Vegas ending. This way most of the reasons I have the Free Vegas ending so low would then be rectified. In short I think that Obsidian has good ideas but just implements them in horrible ways. I prefer the F03 style of ending, that way we know what our actions bring about. We don't have to read between the lines of a slideshow, a slideshow that sometimes has many inconsistences and is too vague.

Edited June 20, 2014 by blaze1514

[scissorhands]

 

The NCR has a very open mind about ghouls and mutants, this would be good for areas like Jacobstown.

This couldn't be further from the truth. Its the NCR who sends the mercenaries to harass Jacobstown during 'Unfriendly Persuasion'. You also have to bend over backwards to convince Sergeant Astor to let the ghoulified Private Edwards remain in the NCR during 'We Will All Go Together'.

 

By contrast, I feel as if Mr House would be the most accepting of mutants & non-feral ghouls. While its never explicitly stated, House clearly doesn't care for petty hate; when you ask him if he cares about what happened to Benny he'll say "Benny ceased to be of any importance as soon as you retrieved the platinum chip. Revenge doesn't interest me, progress does." Not to mention that, if you have Raul as a companion, the families (House's employees) will sometimes say "We don't discriminate."

 

I agree with the rest of what you said though.