Ideas for Re-Visiting Shady Sands (In New Vegas)

Plautus

Angry Preacher
I posted this as a blog on "The Vault" and thought I'd share it here as well.

Well, I love DLC as much as the next man, and I've been thinking about what I would like to see in a content pack. Here's an idea I've been throwing around in my head for a while.

Premise: You have been sent to the glistening capital city of the New California Republic for reasons based on which faction you've supported in the game. During your visit, a conspiracy arises to sabotage the city and kill it's entire massive population of over 3,000 people. Depending on your own choices you can attempt to stop this sinister plot or help carry it out. The stakes are high, but then, aren't they always?

This content package would begin in one of four ways.

1. Mr. House decides that he needs to establish firm diplomatic relations with NCR and has deigned you, his most trusted employee, to travel to their capital city and establish an embassy. While there, you are to gather data on the NCR and send it back to him while building trust and confidence in New Vegas amongst the most important players of NCR. Mr. House's route requires diplomatic finesse and if you are playing as an INT>4 character, then the quest line will become much more challenging. Accepting to work for House grants an additional perk, "Corporate Officer", which grants a +10 Bonus to Speech and Barter, as well as a +2 Charisma bonus for purposes of Charisma-based dialogue only (e.g. conversations with the Mini-boomers in vanilla New Vegas).

2. Caesar is pleased with your work in favor of his Legion and he has graciously bestowed upon you an opportunity of a lifetime. You are to travel to the capital of NCR and assassinate a Senator and former Ranger chief named "Elise" whose massive donations to the NCR army have kept it alive and strong in the Mojave Wasteland. In exchange for this service, he will grant you a reward of the highest quality, though he has not yet disclosed the nature of that reward to you. Accepting to work for Caesar will grant you the "Master Frumentarius" perk, which the ability to fool ANYBODY in a faction with a disguise (e.g. NCR fatigues can fool rangers and even Kimball) as well as a +5% Critical chance bonus and a bonus of +10 to sneak.

3. If you have Idolized status with the New California Republic, Col. James Hsu will call you to Camp McCarran and inform you that the NCR Senate has deigned to grant you a piece of expensive property in their capital city as a reward for your services to the Republic. Additionally, the NCR Congress wishes to present you personally with a decoration for distinguished service to the Republic. You will have to go there to reap the benefits of your labors. Accepting to travel to NCR and receive your rich spoils will confer the "True Patriot" perk, which grants a 25% discount when dealing with NCR-based companies (e.g Gunrunners) as well as a +20 Speech bonus for purposes of dialogue with NCR non player characters only.

4. Yes Man advises you that you need to gather information on your enemies, and the NCR will likely accept an envoy of Vegas. You must travel there and establish an embassy (this questline is VERY similar to the House questline, but no reporting in: all information is for your own purposes). Accepting to go to NCR as an independent agent will grant the "Rogue Element" perk, which grants a +30 Bonus to Sneak, as well as the same Improved Disguises concept as Legion players will receive.

Next, players will need to acquire a means of rapid transportation from the Mojave to California. This transportation is made manifest in the form of a Vertibird. To get the Vertibird, one must raid an Abandoned Enclave Bunker and find the vehicle in an old, out-of-commission condition. To repair the vehicle, they must either pass a science/repair check, obtain the needed components from the Brotherhood of Steel obtain the parts from the 'bird in the Remnants' bunker, or pay a mechanic a good sum of money to fix it for you. Then you must return to the person for whom you are working, and they will provide a pilot for you. Return to the vertibird with the pilot and take off. Then, sleep through a rather long flight. When you wake up, you are just outside the city. Your pilot tells you that it isn't safe to fly any closer, and that you'll have to walk the rest of the distance. Before you, a vast walled city sprawls out for miles. Unlike the faded, pre-war glory of Vegas, this city is new, the clear product of advanced technology. The buildings, though mostly one or two stories, are clean and the streets are freshly paved. Clearly, NCR is like no city you've seen before. Then again, with the help of the Vault Dweller and the Chosen One, NCR had every reason to succeed. The screen blacks out for a moment, then comes back into focus in front of a military checkpoint, with a large force-field separating the city from the outlying land and farms. You are in a line of people seeking access to the city. As you near the NCR Military Policeman at the gate, your breathing becomes faster...

I'll continue the story later, but you get the beginning's overall feel. Next time, I'll discuss some of the locations within the city, like the Vault City/Shi Empire Embassies and the NCR Governmental District. Also, I'll include in this post some of the new equipment I was considering would be included.

1. NCR Civilian Clothes: The NCR is a stable society, and its citizens (the ones fortunate enough to live in the city) can afford new clothes made by NCR clothiers. Clean suits and new casual attire will be included. These things exist by the rationale that the NCR is well established, safe, and has the benefit of technology from the Brotherhood of Steel, as well as ongoing partnerships with the Shi in San Francisco and the people of Vault City.
2. NCR Police Uniforms
3. NCR Police Armor (Think LAPD-style SWAT uniforms)
4. US Army Combat Armor (Armor just like Combat Armor from Fallout 1/Fallout 2)
5. Children of the Cathedral Robes (hard-to-find)
6. M72 Gauss Rifle (and Gauss Pistol): I missed these babies from Fallout 2!
7. Covert Submachine Gun (Silenced MP5)
8. Wattz Laser Weapons (Fallout 1 style laser pistols/rifles)
9. Bowie Knife (More Equipment add-on ideas forthcoming!)

I'll try to keep up on this! I would appreciate any and all feedback!
 
I would appreciate a DLC like this more than one like Dead Money, I like the covert operations ideas as well, really well done. There is one bit I don't get though...why does Shady Sands have force-fields?
 
I'm not sure it's the proper term, but in Fallout 2, there were "Force-Field" type gates to NCR, and those were what I was describing.
 
All this sounds nice and thought out, but please.. Leave the original locations as they are. I potray FO1/2 places in a certain view and seeing them rehashed in this abomination of a game engine would not even destroy my imagination, moreover I'd always have this in mind replaying the classics..

Shady Sands btw has way more than 3000 inhabitants IIRC.
 
I agree with Surf. Visiting the old locations would really be a no-go for me, because of the clear image of them I have in my head. A "reconstruction" into 3d with the FNV engine just can't work out good with a very high chance.

But beside this, I also see problems in your written down stuff:

1. The capital city will really look post post apocalyptic. Much more than Vegas looks like and I somehow think it would take away even more "Fallout feeling".

2. "During your visit, a conspiracy arises to sabotage the city and kill it's entire massive population of over 3,000 people." That sounds really cliche and somehow unbelievable, imo. :>

3. The various reasons for factions to send you into the capital sound a bit unreasonable to me as well. Except the legion part with assassinating someone... Like House wanting to have an embassey in Shady, even though in Vegas he doesn't even want to do shit with them (except getting their money and keeping them out of Vegas) or Hsu sending you *away* from the Mojave because someone wants to give you something, etc.

The screen blacks out for a moment, then comes back into focus in front of a military checkpoint, with a large force-field separating the city from the outlying land and farms. You are in a line of people seeking access to the city. As you near the NCR Military Policeman at the gate, your breathing becomes faster...

This part sounds too hard-scripted for a Fallout game. The player should find his way into this position on his own and not via black screen and teleport. :>

With the rest, I don't see anything bad right now.
 
Lexx said:
I agree with Surf. Visiting the old locations would really be a no-go for me, because of the clear image of them I have in my head. A "reconstruction" into 3d with the FNV engine just can't work out good with a very high chance.

But beside this, I also see problems in your written down stuff:

1. The capital city will really look post post apocalyptic. Much more than Vegas looks like and I somehow think it would take away even more "Fallout feeling".

2. "During your visit, a conspiracy arises to sabotage the city and kill it's entire massive population of over 3,000 people." That sounds really cliche and somehow unbelievable, imo. :>

3. The various reasons for factions to send you into the capital sound a bit unreasonable to me as well. Except the legion part with assassinating someone... Like House wanting to have an embassey in Shady, even though in Vegas he doesn't even want to do shit with them (except getting their money and keeping them out of Vegas) or Hsu sending you *away* from the Mojave because someone wants to give you something, etc.

1. I can understand your disapproval of the recreation of original Fallout environments; however, I feel that NCR was already post-post apocalyptic to some extent in Fallout 2.

2. I am not sure yet of exactly what the conspiracy would be, if anything that is just a placeholder for a greater problem for the NCR. Perhaps, it could have to do with the bombing of the NCR congress building instead (since that was supposed to be in Van Buren). Also, maybe it could be related to the remnants of Children of the Cathedral?

3. As for Mr. House, I'll change the embassy's nature a bit. Really, the idea of diplomacy is more of a facade for his spying on NCR and advertising the glamor of New Vegas to its people. On the one hand, it makes the NCR let down their guard because it seems like House is willing to cooperate, on the other hand, the Three Families Representatives that staff the embassy are meant to communicate constantly via radio/computer with New Vegas (but not to House directly).

As for NCR, I was thinking of another beginning. You're right that it doesn't make much sense for them to remove one of their greatest assets in the Mojave to reward him. Perhaps, instead, there is a notorious outlaw from the Mojave that escaped justice and came to NCR to wreak havoc, an outlaw so illusive that they need a special mercenary (i.e. the player-character) to catch him?
 
This could work if executed properly. I like how you can find clssic weapons. Sort of like how you could find a classic plasma rifle in the silver rush (Albiet it being titled the "Plasma Caster.") Although, I didn't really like how in New Vegas Yes Man's quest line was too simular to House's. And Yes Man's was the one I chose for my "main" character. Do we really need another overlooked "just rehash Mr. House's questline" thing? I'd like to think that something that would require less development time would allow them to put more variety into Yes Man's plot.
 
WelcomeToNewReno said:
This could work if executed properly. I like how you can find clssic weapons. Sort of like how you could find a classic plasma rifle in the silver rush (Albiet it being titled the "Plasma Caster.") Although, I didn't really like how in New Vegas Yes Man's quest line was too simular to House's. And Yes Man's was the one I chose for my "main" character. Do we really need another overlooked "just rehash Mr. House's questline" thing? I'd like to think that something that would require less development time would allow them to put more variety into Yes Man's plot.

Yes Man quest is somewhat similar to Mr. House in the beginning, but is the most lengthy one: you have to stabilish contact with every faction in the game and decide what to do with them. No other quest line require this.
Also, you have the liberty to choose the fate of these factions, even if in the future they will be your enemy, like the BoS.

There are similarities with House because the two of them need the Securitrons army and for that you need to go to the Fort and deal with Caesar.
But this ends here.

I don't think Yes Man is a rehash of Mr. House questline. In fact it includes things of NCR and Legion quest line too, like dealing with Khans, White Glove Society and the Followers (altought the NCR portion of this quest is bugged in For the Republic).

[ ]'s
 
It isn't ridiculous. Remember, the average life expectancy in the wasteland isn't going to be high and the infant mortality rate, even in the NCR, is going to be very high, considering that medical care isn't available to everyone and even when it is, it's far cry from pre-War standards. Proper medicine is very rare and there are only so many drugs you can get from processing plants and animals. Stimpaks are fine and dandy, but they don't treat diseases, they only affect symptoms.
 
Yes, that's an argument for having less than millions of citizens, but ancient cities managed to have far higher populations than just 3,000 with worse medicine and lower life expectancies.

Even Paris at the height of constant war and disease under the Merovingians had more than 20,000 (and the NCR actually has a government structure, law enforcement and access to relatively advanced technology, unlike the Merovingians :P).
 
The Inquisitor said:
Yes, that's an argument for having less than millions of citizens, but ancient cities managed to have far higher populations than just 3,000 with worse medicine and lower life expectancies.

Even Paris at the height of constant war and disease under the Merovingians had more than 20,000 (and the NCR actually has a government structure, law enforcement and access to relatively advanced technology, unlike the Merovingians :P).
I think that you both have a point.
I mean we cannot expect SS to have population around 1 million but 3K is just too low even for post-apocalyptia.
What about lets say ... 30k?
That's reasonable isn't it?
 
Yes, I was thinking around that number, or perhaps slightly higher at 50,000. Of course it won't be very high because this is post-apocalyptia rather than a thousand-year-old tabula rasa.
 
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