fenrir1536
First time out of the vault
I know that Fallout 3 and Fallout 4 have really muddied this but is their any official stance on this?
I know that the BATFL is a joke but from an in-universe perspective either laser weapons had been around for a while before the bombs fell or they were so significant on the civilian market that the ATF was adjusted to account for them in a significant way.
On top of that what were civilian energy weapons? Is the wattz series of pistols and rifles basically the civilian market guns while the AERXX series are the military pistols and rifles?
Plasma is just a mess from a lore perspective, here is my understanding.
-Plasma Casters have origins as re-purposed industrial equipment near the end of the war
-Compact and purpose built P-94 from Tactics looks like an plausable military weapon
-Urban Plasma Rifles/Pistols (Fo3/NV) look post-war manfactured
-Urban Plasma Rifles/Pistols (Fo4) manufactured weapons and seen on trade magazines
This is my headcannon reconciliation for the real reason of differing art teams and emphasis of design because fuck it why not.
Lasers are not that complicated, the wattz 1000/2000 series is a civilian market laser rifle and pistol which is either old decommissioned military pattern (think M1A/AR-15 etc.) or straight to civilian market firearm. The AERXX series are the current military combat troop equipment and side arm, most rear units and home defense are still using conventional firearms because of existing pre-resource war era stocks and existing logistical supply chains. (explains conventional gun prevalence post-war while lasers still supplanting)
Plasma is way more difficult to reconcile but here is how I see it. Plasma casters although powerful have significant drawbacks on the battlefield being hugely heavy and bulty, only seen with early power armor units before a crash program to produce a real weapon is introduced. The P-94 Rifle was that crash programs' result in scaled down version of the caster, less powerful but more portable with limited service before the great war.
The Urban variant is a completely independent design that accomplished the same task. The design seen in Fallout 4 is the actually pre-war manufactured version of the urban plasma rifle, with its own ammunition and much more solidly constructed design. (not sure why they are in the commonwealth...proximity Canada to put down possible rebellion I guess) The version we see in Fallout3/NV is the Enclave post-war attempt at the same design, similar but more hodgepodge construction and reliant on much more common MFC to power the weapon. its as if they had the real designs and specifications but had to adapt them to fit what they could power/build.
Thinking on it now the nature of plasma weapon development and how much of a cluster fuck it is reflects how desperate the pre war united states would be for any significant military advantage. As the resources dried up and the world went to hell they would scramble for any "miracle weapon" which works in this lore mess of different developers' visions. lol
Pulse guns are a wholly post-war Enclave developed weapon system. I always found their absence in Fallout 3 to be really baffling, they even fit in really well ascetically with Bethesda doubling down on the 50's scifi-future ascetic and the technological superiority of the faction...just odd they weren't there.
I haven't played every fallout game to completion so if I have any gaps or if you have your own ideas let me know. IDK why but this has always both bothered me and fascinated me about these games.
I know that the BATFL is a joke but from an in-universe perspective either laser weapons had been around for a while before the bombs fell or they were so significant on the civilian market that the ATF was adjusted to account for them in a significant way.
On top of that what were civilian energy weapons? Is the wattz series of pistols and rifles basically the civilian market guns while the AERXX series are the military pistols and rifles?
Plasma is just a mess from a lore perspective, here is my understanding.
-Plasma Casters have origins as re-purposed industrial equipment near the end of the war
-Compact and purpose built P-94 from Tactics looks like an plausable military weapon
-Urban Plasma Rifles/Pistols (Fo3/NV) look post-war manfactured
-Urban Plasma Rifles/Pistols (Fo4) manufactured weapons and seen on trade magazines
This is my headcannon reconciliation for the real reason of differing art teams and emphasis of design because fuck it why not.
Lasers are not that complicated, the wattz 1000/2000 series is a civilian market laser rifle and pistol which is either old decommissioned military pattern (think M1A/AR-15 etc.) or straight to civilian market firearm. The AERXX series are the current military combat troop equipment and side arm, most rear units and home defense are still using conventional firearms because of existing pre-resource war era stocks and existing logistical supply chains. (explains conventional gun prevalence post-war while lasers still supplanting)
Plasma is way more difficult to reconcile but here is how I see it. Plasma casters although powerful have significant drawbacks on the battlefield being hugely heavy and bulty, only seen with early power armor units before a crash program to produce a real weapon is introduced. The P-94 Rifle was that crash programs' result in scaled down version of the caster, less powerful but more portable with limited service before the great war.
The Urban variant is a completely independent design that accomplished the same task. The design seen in Fallout 4 is the actually pre-war manufactured version of the urban plasma rifle, with its own ammunition and much more solidly constructed design. (not sure why they are in the commonwealth...proximity Canada to put down possible rebellion I guess) The version we see in Fallout3/NV is the Enclave post-war attempt at the same design, similar but more hodgepodge construction and reliant on much more common MFC to power the weapon. its as if they had the real designs and specifications but had to adapt them to fit what they could power/build.
Thinking on it now the nature of plasma weapon development and how much of a cluster fuck it is reflects how desperate the pre war united states would be for any significant military advantage. As the resources dried up and the world went to hell they would scramble for any "miracle weapon" which works in this lore mess of different developers' visions. lol
Pulse guns are a wholly post-war Enclave developed weapon system. I always found their absence in Fallout 3 to be really baffling, they even fit in really well ascetically with Bethesda doubling down on the 50's scifi-future ascetic and the technological superiority of the faction...just odd they weren't there.
I haven't played every fallout game to completion so if I have any gaps or if you have your own ideas let me know. IDK why but this has always both bothered me and fascinated me about these games.
