Ideas for new Fallout threats

Ausir said:
I'd rather have new high tech factions than the Brotherhood and the Enclave ad nauseum.
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I think whats missing isn't high tech factions, but rather the 'medium player' kind of factions, like NCR, VC and the like. Which is why I like the idea of a remnant US military faction, helping people re-establish their lives with just some power armour, mostly combat armour and assault rifles, but a military discipline and some bases here and there.

Nothing too fancy, but perhaps the seeds of the future, a new state, or even the beggining of reunification.

At the momment we have too many ''uber cool awesome'' enemies like muties, enclave and all that. We need to get back to basics...
 
Vampires. Kinda...

Mexican half-human, half-bats. Unlike super mutants or ghouls these guys can and do breed. Also they feed on human blood, so they could remain humanoid.

Biology:
The creatures are originally human that have some bat DNA inside. Their DNA is unstable for reasons unknown, and after a certain age they must gather new human DNA once a month or two. The longer the creatures lack Human DNA samples, the more feral and animalistic they turn. They could breed, though they often choose not to due to lack of food. Some look human (though extremely rare), some look bat, but most are somewhere in between.

Origin:
The whole thing started pre-war in South America. A scientist from unknown origin, experimented with bats. He found a species that was more resistant to radiation than most animals. He then made a experimental vaccine, that would alter human DNA, making humans almost immune to high levels of radiation. Side effects were minor -mostly changes in skin pigmentation and improved sound perseption.
What exactly happend is not known. Did the scientist release the drug? How many people were vaccinised? Those things are a mistery, since around the time the drug was ready, the bombs start falling. we can be sure about one thing - something survived.

Culture:
Well, they live in small deserted towns, slowly moving north year after year, decade after decade in search for humans. They are mostly nocturnal. Their DNA is f**ked up, to they are not very nice. Some can talk, most are inteligent. Children are rather rare. Some use guns, some don't - depending on the level of Mutation.
They are not evil, but they almost always need human blood to survive, making them very dangerous. Every year they selebrate the Calavera Carnival, a vicious ritural with human sacrifices and live music.

The Feminists:

Female fanatics that believe men are evil and blame them for all the wars. They kill men, save their women from slavery and steal little girls at night.

The Farseers

They can see the future. They always know what their enemies would do and every action they make is flawless and right. They know something you don't and their motives are unknown to most. Highly unpredictable, always one step ahead. Due to their gift they are considered godlike.
 
Ausir said:
I'd rather have new high tech factions than the Brotherhood and the Enclave ad nauseum.
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Of course new technology factions would be cool, but I would like them to be something original rather than be the Brotherhood or Enclave redressed.

Currently I am trying to work out a faction idea that is inspired by Asimov's Foundation books.
 
Of course new technology factions would be cool, but I would like them to be something original rather than be the Brotherhood or Enclave redressed.
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Well, I'm not very fond of the notion of androids in the Fallout setting in itself, but the Institute as a faction and Commonwealth as a location could be promising, at least it doesn't sound like a BoS or Enclave rehash.

In fact, they'd be a much better anemy in FO3 too. Imagine them replacing Dad with an android copy mid-game, without your knowledge.
 
Ausir said:
Well, I'm not very fond of the notion of androids in the Fallout setting in itself, but the Institute as a faction and Commonwealth as a location could be promising, at least it doesn't sound like a BoS or Enclave rehash.
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I definitely agree on that, it would be nice to see if it works out like that too.

Edit:

You mean some sort of sinister scheme in which the Institute replaces key people with androids?
 
I think that Fallout games, non-linear by nature, should have not one, but many "threats" and factions scheming for control. Instead of a single eeeeevil threat everyone hates, what about a power struggle between multiple factions? It would't be just "Brotherhood guy hate mutants, so he shoots mutants on sight", but something akin to intrigue and scheming between multiple factions who are co-dependent on each other, with a complex set of alliances and allies and plans and plans within plans and factions inside factions. Something less like the warzone DC has became, and something alike to the Vault City - New Reno - NCR political struggle. It was a great plot thread that also involved the other minor surrounding communities.

So instead of a warzone were the opposing factions shoot on sight, it would be a place covered in intrigue and scheming with the common misterious assassination thrown in and proxy fighting between smaller groups controlled by the greater ones. And there is no "villain" set in stone, but multiple factions that can turn into your allies or enemies according to your actions, which will also determine who will opose, hinder, exploit or help you in the end.
 
That would be fun.

The robot caveat for me is that they are pretty boring, but if they act like people, well, that's negated.

What would their motive be? Why do they want to replace humans?

The idea of getting rid of humans because we are too dangerous might work. After all, when we eventually rebuild society, the androids reason, we will just destroy it again. Their primary directive could be self-preservation, and they rationalize that it would be easiest to eradicate the human threat now, or as soon as possible.

How would they do that? By cleansing the wastes with FEV, of course! No, just kidding. We can do better than that. A massive android army would be more fun. There is the question of how they acquire the colossal amount of resources.

They have been working towards the goal for many years by the point of the game. Why are the wastes not better developed? Maybe because the androids want to keep it that way. They accomplish it by infiltrating high levels of human society.

We could also use this to answer the burning questions, why is there wood in Springvale, and no farmers in DC. The androids kill anyone who attempts to scavange wood or start a farm! Too easy.
 
The Institute is governed by humans, not by androids. They might want to replace key people with android "clones" in order to gain control of certain factions or places. Androids are used as slaves and most of them do not see anything wrong with being ones.
 
I've never been there in the game, actually. I was just thinking of androids in general. Sorry about that.

But it did lead me the following thought...an android with FEV. It radically alters the AI.

It would be interesting if the player could only manage a small victory in the best case scenario. As in, surviving. Or saving a town, or escaping with some people.
 
I've never been there in the game, actually. I was just thinking of androids in general. Sorry about that.
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The Institute doesn't appear in the game itself, since it's actually the MIT in Massachusetts (Commonwealth). However, one runaway android from the Commonwealth is the focus of one of the quests.
 
It would be an interesting twist. You spend the game pursuing some incredible threat that turns out to be you.
 
Ravager69 said:
What about your character being the main threat?
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Very interesting. You would have to drop hints so the players feel they have a chance of figuring this out before the big reveal, but you can get around that by playing a game of telephone.
 
In one of my ideas the player was part of the 'threat to the wasteland', not the threat itself but definitely part of it.

I have been hearing suggestions of how the decay and anarchy in the wasteland or the political struggles in the wasteland should be the threat.

While those aren't always bad, to me that always felt sort of like background stuff, things you get to deal with during a Fallout game but not the main focus.

As problems take place in the wasteland people fail to notice or are only limited aware of something bigger arising in the background that could undo all the solutions in game if given the chance.

I really liked Van Buren's Doctor Presper as this was a different villain than in the previous game, a mad scientist and his followers and not a giant army of mutants or robots planning to take everything over.
 
My problem with VB's plot is that it's just another cleansing the wastes thing. With a virus, no less. I'm sure in execution it would have fine on on paper it's a bit underwhelming.

How do people feel about aliens?

I don't really care for the idea, as little green men don't fit despite being pop culture mainstays. That's the cool thing about Fallout, the pop art is just that, art. The reality is gritty and realistic.

But, the idea of an alien virus is moderately interesting. Think Andromeda Strain. Perhaps it infects AI. Perhaps it gets modified by FEV. It could just be your average body snatcher type deal. Oft-used but still fun.
 
Actually releasing Limit 115 was only to make ODYSSEUS send the weapons release codes to BOMB001 and any other still running nuclear launch sites.

Do remember that Van Buren's plot came way before FO3, if anything, Fallout 3 overused it.
 
This was something someone pmed me about, so here's my idea for a new threat!

Lets start off with setting: West Coast, post-Fallout 2. In Fallout 2 you saw bitter tensions and more talked about in the Van Buren concept. The world is much more developed here, but still reconstructing itself. Cities are expanding and the classic problems of today's world are settling back into their original niches of society.

Now, Enter a new threat: The anti-Chosen One, if you will.

I'd like to see a new threat that is small, unorthadoxed compared to previous games, and easily underestimated by the world in general. Something that's out there not with a large army, a new virus, or higher tech and the like, but someone that has...wits, abilities of manipulation, and so forth. I'd like to see a threat that can cause the world to tear itself apart rather than tries to openly strike upon it. A Joker from the Dark Knight, if you will, or that benefactor who says "It would be in your city's best interest to attack the NCR and take over whatever resources they have. You can afford it, it won't cause your state too much harm. Trust me" and so forth. It's a very undeveloped idea, but it's...different and something I think would be interesting.

Overall I just would like to see something that causes a global change in the world provided rather than just "The enclave attacked your village! ohnoz...nobody else is effected, btw." I'd like to see something that very well threatens to turn all that was built up since Fallout 1 and bring it back to wastes and rubble. You're job, whoever your character would be, is to either join this threat, prevent this threat from continuing, or using the mayhem to your advantage and so forth. After all, war is profit and war never changes :) We haven't actually seen a way in-game either to prove that it hasn't changed post-apocalypse, after all.
 
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