Getting the FEV

[SmithWesen]

Before posting this I did do a few searches pertaining to it, but if this has already been posted I apologize.

In Fallout 1(the unpatched version), when you go to the glow. If you got yourself nice and irradiated (about 900 I believe). It would increase all of your stats but luck by roughly 5 points a piece. You had to have a 5 END to be able to handle the radiation exposure without dying of course.

Anyway. Has it even been said whether this was supposed to be some form of the FEV, radioactive mutation, or simply just a bizarre and coincidental game glitch?
I say coincidental because you are going into the previous FEV labs so it would stand to reason the virus would be around in vast quantities.

As another note, I think if nothing else this fact should be added to the "Cheats" subsection of the "Fallout section" on the mainpage.

 

[Sander]

For as far as I know, it's either a game glitch or a game feature.
It isnt't, however, FEV. Quite simply because your exposure to FEV is very minimal before you visit either the labs or the military base. And it can still happen then.
For FEV to have such an effect, you'd need a much greater exposure to it.

 

[Morpoggel]

I thought it was the combination of radiation and FEV that made you strong... or that made you a Ghoul... or a Harold...

 

[Kan-Kerai]

Off-the-original topic, in response to Morpoggel:

Harold's kind of like Richard Grey, he was transformed into... something else. In the words of someone important (can't remember who), "Harold's special". IIRC, they're both FEV mutations, Grey from full exposure and Harold from indirect.

Grey was dumped in the FEV and was thus exposed directly (and indirectly after he crawled out) for an incredibly long time. Super Mutants were dipped for a short time in lieu of being injected.

Radiation actually has detrimental effects on the process, Grey says this in his audio log. People who had higher radiation counts ended up reacting poorly to the dipping process. So it's just the FEV that makes Super mutants and the Master.

Harold I believe had a higher radiation count than Grey due to being from one of the earliest Vaults to open, and this combined with the indirect FEV exposure slowly changed him into... whatever he is. Since Super Mutants are directly exposed, radiation may have negative effects on the accelerated mutation process.

Ghoul mutations are solely from the incredible radioactivity during and shortly after the war (I think).

 

[Signeon]

I thought The Glow just had tons of radiation, due to a bomb dropping there. Can FEV get into your system from the air? I haven't beaten the game, but from what I know of the vats, I thought you had to be dipped into FEV to mutate into a super mutant.

 

[Ratty Sr.]

Ghoul mutations are solely from the incredible radioactivity during and shortly after the war (I think).

No. There is no way radiation would cause so many stable mutations in such a short time period. Ghouls were exposed to small doses of FEV that was present in the atmosphere. Namely, Mariposa wasn't properly quarantined (I don't remember why) and virus leaked and mutated into a degenerate strain that inflicted mutations throughout the wasteland. It was this strain of FEV that created ghouls, radscoprions, brahmin and other commonly encountered creatures.

 

[Brother None]

No. There is no way radiation would cause so many stable mutations in such a short time period. Ghouls were exposed to small doses of FEV that was present in the atmosphere. Namely, Mariposa wasn't properly quarantined (I don't remember why) and virus leaked and mutated into a degenerate strain that inflicted mutations throughout the wasteland. It was this strain of FEV that created ghouls, radscoprions, brahmin and other commonly encountered creatures.

No.

The "FEV explains everything" theory, first introduced by MCA, has been discarded again, even by himself in later issues of the Bible (check Bible #8 or #9, not sure).

The known FEV mutants are
Types; supermutants, floaters, centaurs, the second two only presumeably
Specials; the Master, Harold, Talius and Frank Horrigan. The first created by little radiation (he was from Vault 8) and prolonged direct exposure (floating in the Vats), Harold was created through indirect exposure even though he'd gotten a lot of radiation exposure by that point. Talius, from Vault 13, was tortured and dipped. A bit of an unclear story. Frank was exposed to FEV during the mining at Mariposa and turned into what he was by prolonged experimentation.

Ghouls, radscorpions, spore plants, mantises, deathclaws and the rest are NOT directly related to FEV.

Remember, Fallout is a retro-50's future. This is the time period of Them! Giant ants haunting the world. Giant ants caused by radiation. Or the Incredible Shrinking Man, constantly shrinking thanks to, yep, radiation exposure.

MCA once grabbed the argument that the bombing of the Glow facility, which did contain FEV, spread FEV throughout the Wastes facilitating the mutations we see now. That can't be considered Fallout-canon and not just because he took it back. All those mutations logically being caused by radiation are a typical part of the Fallout feel

 

[Roshambo]

Kharn is quite correct.

In addition to what he has answered, I have to add the following. Many of the non-FEV mutations happened away from The Glow and Mariposa. Then there are the large bugs, the rats, so much more that the "FEV spread by the bombing of The Glow" theory really doesn't explain, since so many critters are mutated, the people aren't. That means that the people are avoiding and have some way of countering the effects of radiation.

Yes, we really chewed on MCA for turning the FEV into the Umbrella Corp's T-virus.

 

[Ratty Sr.]

The "FEV explains everything" theory, first introduced by MCA, has been discarded again, even by himself in later issues of the Bible (check Bible #8 or #9, not sure).

I wasn't aware it got disowned even by Avellone. Too bad, even though I'm aware that '50s science fiction isn't exactly hallmarked with realism and scientific plausibility, I find it a bit difficult to swallow that radiation affects various species in such an unvarying and consistently positive manner. But then again, it was never my favorite setting.

 

[Ashmo]

I wouldn't call the effects of radiation in Fallout consistently positive.

Ghouls are infertile and pretty much like the Walking Dead, for example.

The concept of Bug + Radiation = Bigger Bug is probably based on reality, because expeditions to islands that served as nuclear test sites found spiders and (IIRC) rats that were significantly bigger than normal (although obviously not as big as in Fallout).
Regardless, radiation induced superpowers and growth have been typical for fiction of the 50s era -- just take a look at various comic superheroes of that time (wasn't Spiderman bitten by a irradiated spider originally, too?).

Also note that those species that weren't affected in a "positive manner" probably became extinct at some point between 2077 and Fallout 1 (which would patch the plothole of the limited ingame flora and fauna).

 

[Roshambo]

I wouldn't call the effects of radiation in Fallout consistently positive.

Ghouls are infertile and pretty much like the Walking Dead, for example.


The concept of Bug + Radiation = Bigger Bug is probably based on reality, because expeditions to islands that served as nuclear test sites found spiders and (IIRC) rats that were significantly bigger than normal (although obviously not as big as in Fallout).

A la THEM! Really, anyone who doesn't get this point by now should look up the imdb.com entry and find a copy of the movie. Guess what? There are literally hundreds of such movies from that time, they were a Saturday matinee reel regular. The sci-fi from that time was just wild with speculation.

Regardless, radiation induced superpowers and growth have been typical for fiction of the 50s era -- just take a look at various comic superheroes of that time (wasn't Spiderman bitten by a irradiated spider originally, too?).

Radiation and the after-effects of WWII were a HUGE topic of the Silver Age of comics. In fact, to see a recent nod to the style and the subject matter used perfectly, check out Freedom Force.

Also note that those species that weren't affected in a "positive manner" probably became extinct at some point between 2077 and Fallout 1 (which would patch the plothole of the limited ingame flora and fauna).

I rather thought it could be explained by the use of the world map, and the game only showed the few critters mankind has since befriended and employed since the Great War. That was one good explanation, and usually is used for these kinds of games, like Geneforge. Introduction of new critters, and "they have always been there" instance, should be handled with care. A sudden surge of small insects suddenly becoming large around a batch of toxic waste, say ants as in THEM!, would be fully plausible. Or that could have been used to write in the Wanamawhathefucks a bit better.

 

[Kahgan]

The concept of Bug + Radiation = Bigger Bug is probably based on reality, because expeditions to islands that served as nuclear test sites found spiders and (IIRC) rats that were significantly bigger than normal (although obviously not as big as in Fallout).

Though this wouldn't work for bugs because they have a habit of tolerating a lot more radiation than other organisms, plus they often have very short lives, meaning the radiation quickly gets "worn off" so to say...But yeah, it's the Science!-thingie

 

[Jarno Mikkola]

The radiation doesn't get worn off 'cause the shorter the life span(from few days to a few years), the more generations get to be mutated by it, the more mutations will be as a result of it, but yes, the longer the time goes on, more of the bad mutations will disappear, those are the basic rules of evolution. And remember that there are many insect, their combined mass is (was it?) 3-10 times bigger than all the mammal species put together, though they their individual mass is about 5-10 000 000 times smaller. And to that note, the "habit of tolerating a lot more radiation than other organisms", is in some of them, not in all.

And about FEV, what's the worst thing a virus(not a computer virus/at least whit out help) can do?
To mutate!!
And with radiation, anything should be possible, so why couldn't a radiated stream of FEV mutate the rats, or the ghouls?
I realise that they had to have protected the virus from by kind of protection of mutation(of the virus), but that's not Science!, it's just science. And it wouldn't have caused them all, but just some of them.

 

[Lazarus Plus]

Was there ever an explanation given for the disappearance of FEV in the wasteland between F1 and F2? Sorry if I'm out of the loop.

 

[Ashmo]

Though this wouldn't work for bugs because they have a habit of tolerating a lot more radiation than other organisms, plus they often have very short lives, meaning the radiation quickly gets "worn off" so to say...But yeah, it's the Science!-thingie

That doesn't make sense.

Radiation affects not only your DNA but also the genes of your sperm (or eggs). That means the mutations mostly occur in the next generations.

If the mutation is "stable" (that is to say, the offspring doesn't die from it and is capable of reproducing), it may be persistent in the further generations. Otherwise there are no further generations. Simple as that.

If the offspring is born while the radiation is still strong enough to have an effect on the DNA, the offspring's offspring may show even further mutations.

Mutations are a common part of reproduction (think of it as manually copying a written document and then letting someone else copy the copy and so on -- a little spelling mistake can have dire consequences: just think of what resulted from translating the Hebrew word for "young woman" into the Greek word for "virgin" while copying the Bible), but radiation strongly amplifies that phenomenon, usually so much the result is mangled DNA that cannot result in living organisms (if the reproductive organs aren't already mangled enough to be unable to create "working" sperm or egg cells).

Mutation through radiation is possible, but it is usually so unorganized it results in mangled DNA, i.e. "negative" mutations, which are usually incapable of living or reproducing (thus just dying out -- that's how natural selection works).

 

[SmithWesen]

Actually I'm not sure if there was. Mind because you have to have direct contact with the stuff to get infected. I suppose you probably just didn't run into it in Fallout 2 as you were North of all the FEV from the first game.

 

[Hotel California]

FEV didn't disapear at all in FO2;

In Marposia military base the holotape story told of men who were so mutated by the residual virus (from the vats) that they changed into the supermutants that overran the mines - and its possible that they weren't even directly related to the orignals (at least by birth).

Also on the enclave rig the scientist that you can charm into releasing the virus says that it is a mutated and changed form of the original virus that kills any radiation infected humans - leaving the pure bloods alive.

 

[Kahgan]

Though this wouldn't work for bugs because they have a habit of tolerating a lot more radiation than other organisms, plus they often have very short lives, meaning the radiation quickly gets "worn off" so to say...But yeah, it's the Science!-thingie

That doesn't make sense.

well at least it made sense the way it was explained in the magazine I read it in
hell I dunno, the magazine is well respected in scandinavia, so I believe most of what I read in it...

 

[Lazarus Plus]

FEV didn't disapear at all in FO2;

In Marposia military base the holotape story told of men who were so mutated by the residual virus (from the vats) that they changed into the supermutants that overran the mines - and its possible that they weren't even directly related to the orignals (at least by birth).

Also on the enclave rig the scientist that you can charm into releasing the virus says that it is a mutated and changed form of the original virus that kills any radiation infected humans - leaving the pure bloods alive.

But it does, because you can't get infected with it in the wild. Only at certain locations does it exist, and you can't actually get infected with it at any of those places.

 

[SmithWesen]

This is all great info, thanks guys! I feel like a shmuck because before I signed onto this forum I didn't know about a bunch of sites that pertain to the Fallout World exclusively. Now I am educated!


In something that really has no bearing on anything. But hey! It's fun.