Government Where Art' Thou?

[WHavoc]

The world was shaken, ripped off of its axis. Its continents were strewn about the seas, its skies thick with a deadly nuclear fog. Some found refuge in vaults, others were not so lucky. This you know, as you are one of the survivors. Every day is a living hell, filled with nightmarish creatures, and things looking to snack on your innards, but somewhere amongst this barren inferno, there is a perfect asylum… There is a beacon of old world organization, perhaps a long lost city of gold… So you packed your bags, grabbed your weapons, and set off on a lone journey to find paradise.

 

The clues have led you here. Drops of dew seep off of the ceiling of the cave system. You fear you have followed a cold trail, carved out a path that may lead to your own demise. By the weight of your supply pack, you judge that you have maybe a day more of rations. Feet are swollen, back aching, mind half asleep, you press onward. After walking for what seems like miles through this maze of underground tunnels, you approach a bridge made of steel. Your curiosity peaks, you continue across. It is not long before you find yourself standing under the shadow of a massive wall of concrete; an ominous door hiding its contents. You fail to resist your human urges, and unseal the door. Its rusty and heavy unused gears clank as it rolls open. Moments later, you find yourself walking through the halls of a vault. Only after you are stripped of your clothes, your gear, and cleansed of all outer-worldly contaminants, are you allowed to proceed. You dress in the vault apparel, take a wad of old world money, and step into the elevator at the end of the large hall. The mechanism takes you down, lower than you have ever been before. Windows in the shaft provide a glimpse into what you have stumbled upon—a domain that is quite unknown to you—for better or for worse, you have discovered a forbidden secret of the old world…

 

 

I am considering this mod a community created dlc, which means anyone can get involved. Have a good idea? Post it here, and you might see it in the mod, along with your name in the credits. Please leave comments with your opinions, or things you would like to see, and please excuse/point out any mistakes in my post. I have already begun massive work on the project, some photos have been added. The area (vault) in this mod does not use the typical vault layout, kits, sounds, or lights. Thank you for reading this.

 

WHavoc

Edited September 30, 2012 by WHavoc

[WHavoc]

Perhaps I should have named the topic differently? Lol... Anyway, here is a picture to tickle your taste-buds... Note: This is a nearly texture-less image.

Some of the work I have done so far. (A newer one has been linked in a post below this one... 9/20/12)

 

 

http://imageshack.us/a/img801/9480/falloutvaulta1.png (Outdated - 9/19/12)

 

 

Let me know if it doesn't work...

Edited September 21, 2012 by WHavoc

[Quetzlsacatanango]

Post more of that.

There are lots of posts from new users that have grand plans and 99% of them never go anywhere, so no one wants to get involved based on a forum post.

Do what you can do yourself, show that you are willing to invest your own time and effort, and ask specific users for help with specific things you think they might be willing and able to do.

[devinpatterson]

There are of course other factors involved in the storyline, but that is the essential foundation of it. So, now the question is, do you think it is worth it?...................

 

Well, if you read all of that, I am surprised... Please leave comments with your opinions, and excuse/point out any mistakes in my post. Also, while I expect criticism, please have mercy on my hopeless modding soul. :)

 

I think the story/plot line is just a little bit too generic, there isn't a "hook" to grab people. I suspect that might be why you haven't received any responses as of yet. Part of that is probably the story line currently lacks detail, but you need something that will attract attention and get people excited about the mod. If the majority of the mod is simply a enclave vault system it probably isn't going to generate much excitement.

 

What is the atmosphere like, the characters, the purpose/motivation (they must be doing something down there), does it look like a standard vault etc.

 

I was pondering a somewhat similar idea in this post 626. My "hook" is a culture much like the vault in a dog and his boy, mixed with hyper patriotism, hereditary titles handed down from senators, chairmans etc. And an actual gargauntuan size vault containing neighborhoods (which they've expanded to include above ground). You can read more about it in the post, but what I'm trying (admittedly clumsily) to get at is you need one or more aspects to make this vault different/original etc so it stands out and makes people want to work with your concept.

 

Sorry for the long rambling monologue, but hit me up on this thread if you like what I wrote in that post and maybe we can work together on some ideas/story lines.

[WHavoc]

 

I was pondering a somewhat similar idea in this post 626. My "hook" is a culture much like the vault in a dog and his boy, mixed with hyper patriotism, hereditary titles handed down from senators, chairmans etc. And an actual gargauntuan size vault containing neighborhoods (which they've expanded to include above ground). You can read more about it in the post, but what I'm trying (admittedly clumsily) to get at is you need one or more aspects to make this vault different/original etc so it stands out and makes people want to work with your concept.

 

Sorry for the long rambling monologue, but hit me up on this thread if you like what I wrote in that post and maybe we can work together on some ideas/story lines.

 

Thank you very much for your comments and critiques, I appreciate it. Indeed I did leave out details, I didn’t want to lose the idea, but since I am obviously not the first one to think of it, I revised my first post, and gave most of the details I have as of now. Hopefully these are a bit more to your liking…

 

Now for business :P -- You beat me to the idea… ;)

 

I really like the idea you have presented, and I would love to work together on something like this. However, we do have some differences in our storylines… Your vault-dweller society lives above ground, mine is locked in. Your story involves a somewhat corrupt old world society trapped in the 50’s (am I right?), while mine is a quiet, peaceful, evolved (changed from the 50’s, but not affected by the outside) society, that sparks into chaos only when the player arrives. Despite these differences, our ideas do share some aspects as well… Perhaps we could collaborate? I have already begun expansive work on the vault, and up-front I will say that I do like the idea of it being locked down. In the same breath, I very much like your idea of their “superiority” and living aboveground in a secluded zone. Maybe we can find a middle ground? If not, I would be happy to follow your ideas (I am just looking for something to design...), as long as we can put at least part of my vault to use. It is far different from any enclave or regular vault-tec vault. ….Phew, and you said you wrote a lot…

[WHavoc]

Here is a photo of my current version of the entrance to the vault. Aside from some minor tweaks on the placement of the rocks/cliffs and some improvement on the lighting,

I think this will be essentially the final look of the Vault main entrance (unless if I make the door itself bigger, which I might. I am moving next to the caverns that lead to the vault entrance, and the interior of the entrance itself...

I am hoping to incorporate something that actually looks like a miniature strip inside the vault city entrance. Nothing too expansive, but to give you an idea, the inside of the entrance dwarfs the size of the doorway.

This whole structure is actually only the pre-entrance. The vault itself is "miles" below. Speaking of the core of the Earth, I would really appreciate it if someone could walk me through how to create a functional elevator... I know it has to do with

translation of an object upon the player pressing an activator... I am not a script writer, obviously. Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

 

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/803/vaulta1entrancev1.jpg/ (Current 9/20/12)

Edited September 21, 2012 by WHavoc

[devinpatterson]

I really like the idea you have presented, and I would love to work together on something like this. However, we do have some differences in our storylines… Your vault-dweller society lives above ground, mine is locked in.

 

My vault dwellers are below ground. I wanted to follow the concept of a vault presented in "A Boy and his Dog" (partly as a homage to Ellison), involving *vast* subterranean spaces, illuminated via artificial lighting, as opposed to the relatively claustrophobic corridors and rooms typical of Vault-tec's blueprints. A little more detail here;

 

 

I fused the idea of salt mines which can contain *very* large caverns with teh fact that NV has some of the largest gold mines in teh world (ignoring the fact that the gold mines would be most likely strip mines). By utilizing existing mines it provided a financial justification for a "vault system" orders of magnitude bigger than your standard vault.

 

It opened up the concept of a pre-war time capsule existing in the present. Parks and neighborhoods, 4th of july's and ice cream socials, alongside armed guards and executions etc. A chance to really immerse the character in a lost time era that is always alluded to in our game, but never personally experienced. In many ways, pre-war fallout was far more interesting and rich than the post apocalyptic present. I'd like to give the player a chance to experience that hyper patriotism, the elitist view of American superiority above all others, the view that might makes right, the repressive sexual nature, and on and on.

 

The only way that could exist (other than a VR sim) would be the enclave vault system as detailed in the wiki. But it would imply some aspects of the community and leadership simply by virtue of being the shadow gov. For instance the hereditary titles that allow a stasis of the culture and power structure as well as a unchanging culture over two hundred years.

 

 

 

I had played with teh idea of above ground constructions in addition to a ginormous vault, but it wasn't integral to the story, completely optional.

 

But as you mention there is a fundamental difference between our two concepts. Your vault dwellers are physically sealed within their vault system. Mine are not......they are in a prison of their own design. Being highly xenophobic and secretive, they are secluded from the wasteland by their own ideology and fear.

 

Your story involves a somewhat corrupt old world society trapped in the 50’s (am I right?), while mine is a quiet, peaceful, evolved (changed from the 50’s, but not affected by the outside) society, that sparks into chaos only when the player arrives.

 

Yes I would say they were corrupt and the years of isolation has only made them more so. Any story involving conflict requires a antagonist, and the surviving shadow gov/enclave described here, fits the part well. The player is facing, racism (of any non enclave), elitism, xenophobia and a culture in which life (at least of outsiders and the underclass) has almost no value.

 

If I understand your post correctly, the antagonist of your story involves change in the form of disruption to a closed society? If I understood correctly, I'm worried that the conflict may be too subtle for some players expectations of an adventure mod.

 

Despite these differences, our ideas do share some aspects as well… Perhaps we could collaborate?

 

Absolutely, if we merge the mods we have a richer mixture. But even if we don't collaborate on a single mod, each of our separate works would benefit from the brainstorming.

 

 

Hook:

Having earned entrance to the vault city, the player can climb the hierarchy of the government........becoming an engineer or a doctor in the vault. The player must see life from the perspective of an "uneducated" outcast, and must work his or her way up.

 

Since your going for a more subtle adventure and your challenges involve positions of power and/or occupation, I think you need to consider what that implies in terms of the actual construction of the mod. Do you see it more as a setting for an adventure or do you see the setting as the adventure? Ie. is it like Rust Town v1 where the focus is the town or is it a back drop to a larger conflict/adventure.

 

If it's the former (as I believe your portraying), it may be a little nuanced for some. I'd suggest you mix in some more direct challenges and allow the rise of power/occupation to increase organically from how the player deals with those more direct tasks.

 

One major conflict that would arise from any secluded society is unrest/sedition from those wanting more than the life they have now, whether out of curiosity, adventure, fortune or simply dissatisfaction with their current life. Another common conflict would be the cultural clash between your rich well off sequestered society and the barbaric, war ravaged, resource starved outside world. Which usually ends in the vault dwellers being killed or enslaved.

 

Both of the above are natural consequences of the vault being unsealed and would provide ample opportunity for action for the player as well as proving the characters worth to the vault dwellers.

 

 

Setting:

A secret branch of vault-tec was responsible for creating the vault cities that would house the allied governments of the old world.

 

There is actually some info on a enclave vault system on the wiki, if you want me to dredge it up for you. It was short but had some interesting aspects.

[WHavoc]

 

My vault dwellers are below ground. I wanted to follow the concept of a vault presented in "A Boy and his Dog" (partly as a homage to Ellison), involving *vast* subterranean spaces, illuminated via artificial lighting, as opposed to the relatively claustrophobic corridors and rooms typical of Vault-tec's blueprints.

 

This is also something that I would like to see in a mod, and was hoping to accomplish. So perhaps our ideas are not that different after all.

 

 

If I understand your post correctly, the antagonist of your story involves change in the form of disruption to a closed society? If I understood correctly, I'm worried that the conflict may be too subtle for some players expectations of an adventure mod.

 

 

Since your going for a more subtle adventure and your challenges involve positions of power and/or occupation, I think you need to consider what that implies in terms of the actual construction of the mod. Do you see it more as a setting for an adventure or do you see the setting as the adventure? Ie. is it like Rust Town v1 where the focus is the town or is it a back drop to a larger conflict/adventure.

 

 

On the contrary, the idea is to be anything but subtle. I was thinking of doing the calm side of the story after chaos breaks loose. The vault dwellers are finally free, but have no idea what to do with this freedom. At first the player is an outcast that only brings disease, and disruption to the vault. Then it is followed by the chaos and lies among the vault dwellers themselves, leading to sabotage (in the form of explosives ruining the vault walls), murder, torture, and such. Due to the explosion, an intrusion of ghouls ravage the outer sanctum of the city. A mad scientist destroys the rec-sector with a invasive, man eating plant system... All kinds of crazy things... I don't like subtle and quiet beginnings... Oh no. :) In addition, the entire idea circles around the vault. The player is looking for the perfect asylum, a giant snowglobe if you will, that contains the past. And he/she stands, watching its own owners blow it apart.

 

 

 

Absolutely, if we merge the mods we have a richer mixture. But even if we don't collaborate on a single mod, each of our separate works would benefit from the brainstorming.

 

 

Where shall we begin?..........

 

I would prefer to work on a single mod if possible (assuming we can find some middle ground) as it would take less time and could be more a expansive fit to our ideas, but I am not opposed to just doing two separate mods. (Although, then there are two of the "relatively" same ideas floating around in the nexus.) We would definitely benefit from brainstorming together either way. If we have to end up doing two mods, I suggest we make sure our mods are quite dissimilar, to be better for the community. I will be gone most of the day today, but I will continue to add nuances and great unexpected turns in the story. Have faith in my ability to make this a full and interesting storyline... This will be nuts.

Edited September 20, 2012 by WHavoc

[devinpatterson]

Where shall we begin?..........

 

For me personally I will be focusing most of my actual modding work on two primary projects (sunset and mars) and story/plot lines for secondary projects (caravan, ghost warriors, Emrald city shopping center, gamma world, dark tower etc), and will also be slowing down on requests.

 

So my interest at this point is only brainstorming and developing the story itself, I don't plan on starting work on my vault until a ways down the line.

 

I would prefer to work on a single mod if possible (assuming we can find some middle ground) as it would take less time and could be more a expansive fit to our ideas, but I am not opposed to just doing two separate mods.

 

I think two separate mods are the way to go, for two reasons. I believe from the small amount of info in your previous message that our writing styles are plot lines are very different. And second I won't be working on mine right away. I might do some posters, or play around with large interior spaces to check performance, but I won't be devoting any significant effort to the actual modding for while.

 

(I suggest we make sure our mods are quite dissimilar, to be better for the community.

 

No worries, I think we will find our styles are very different.

 

Catch you later Whavoc

Edited September 20, 2012 by devinpatterson

[TrooperScooperMKII]

Couple things I'd like to throw out.

 

First there's a nifty decontamination door model set (also the ever-present Speedy's resource pack, it's a gold mine) to possibly use.

 

Second, more thematically, perhaps one could look into Bioshock infinite? It's fifty years early (turn of the century steampunk) but there's still plenty of wiggle room, and, frankly, a lot of the issues in the early 1900s (sexism, imperialism, excessive capitalism, racism, american exceptionalism etc.) echoed down later, especially if you have a McCarthy-ist xenophobic fallout society...