Regarding Assaultrons

[PaxVenire]

I've been scouring the forums recently for posts around the time Fallout 4 came out, out of boredom and curiosity. I noticed a lot of people had/have problems with the inclusion of Assaultrons into the lore, and I was genuinely curious as to why. What exactly do they break within the lore aside from not being in any of the previous entries?

And before you say the AI is too human-like, I mean specifically for the Assaultron, because Fallout 4 Star Wars-ifies all the robots, I mean just look at Codsworth. It's a valid criticism and is in fact a retcon, but what specifically about the Assaultron brings up contention?

 

[Hardboiled Android]

As I recall people felt their robotics were too sleek, too advanced. Why are RoboBrains, Sentry Bots, and Floating Eyes so clunky by comparison if America had the ability to make robotics this effective and mobile? Same applies to Fo3's Protectrons (which I think are almost universally regarded as a good contribution to the setting), and New Vegas's Securitrons. Assaultrons are most comparable to the androids we see in Fallout Tactics.

I do like the visual design of Assaultrons, but I wish they were not quite so fast and were a bit clunkier in their movement, and their laser cannon should probably be toned down. But lowering their power level would have made for less interesting gameplay, and Bethesda really worked hard in Fallout 4 to create a large variety of dynamic, fast-moving, hard-hitting enemies with various strategies to keep gameplay interesting and move away from the dull Fo3 combat.

Also, it just now occurs to me (though surely it's been pointed out before) - If you want to have a quite fast-moving and advanced humanoid robot, and if you're introducing it in the game where the main antagonist is a bunch of android-makers, it's a little odd the two are not connected at all. Maybe if Assaultrons had been some cutting-edge model developed at CIT, and served as the template from which the CIT basement-dwellers created their Gen 1 Synths after the War, people wouldn't have had quite as big a problem.

 

[PaxVenire]

As I recall people felt their robotics were too sleek, too advanced. Why are RoboBrains, Sentry Bots, and Floating Eyes so clunky by comparison if America had the ability to make robotics this effective and mobile? Same applies to Fo3's Protectrons (which I think are almost universally regarded as a good contribution to the setting), and New Vegas's Securitrons. Assaultrons are most comparable to the androids we see in Fallout Tactics.

Okay this is a fair point. I suppose you could explain it as the Assaultron was created specifically for militaristic combat purposes and so needed a more agile and sleek design compared to say -- Protectrons who are kinda there as dime and quarter services to help bolster the public responders (like the medical Protectrons with built-in defibrillators or fire Protectrons who could be deployed while the actual Fire Brigade is en route). Mr. Gutsy units, while pretty agile in their own regard, are basically modified robot butlers (unless I'm mistaken and the Gutsy came before the Handy) so them not being agile makes sense. Sentry Bots are pretty agile for their hulking size with their spherical wheels that allow them to maneuver quickly. House's Securitrons are a good comparison though, because while designed pre-war, they are an impressive post-war army with their software upgrades, yet you'd think if Assaultrons were a thing House would opt to make an army of those instead. That genuinely opens up a problem that needs to be reconciled. I'm gonna play mental gymnastics though and say that since they were designed as a private security force for H&H and RobCo, perhaps it was more inconspicuous and less costly to manufacture the clunker Securitrons over state of the art combat-ready armybots.

Also, it just now occurs to me (though surely it's been pointed out before) - If you want to have a quite fast-moving and advanced humanoid robot, and if you're introducing it in the game where the main antagonist is a bunch of android-makers, it's a little odd the two are not connected at all. Maybe if Assaultrons had been some cutting-edge model developed at CIT, and served as the template from which the CIT basement-dwellers created their Gen 1 Synths after the War, people wouldn't have had quite as big a problem.

This is a good point, and could also explain their sentience in units like KL-E-0, perhaps they were a template for robot sentience before proceeding with more human-looking models. Of course this simply boils down to another missed opportunity for Bethesda to include post-war inventions same as T-60 Power Armor, the Vertibird, and even APA being retconned into the Pre-War X-01.

 

[Mr Fish]

I've been scouring the forums recently for posts around the time Fallout 4 came out, out of boredom and curiosity. I noticed a lot of people had/have problems with the inclusion of Assaultrons into the lore, and I was genuinely curious as to why. What exactly do they break within the lore aside from not being in any of the previous entries?

And before you say the AI is too human-like, I mean specifically for the Assaultron, because Fallout 4 Star Wars-ifies all the robots, I mean just look at Codsworth. It's a valid criticism and is in fact a retcon, but what specifically about the Assaultron brings up contention?

Tim Cain basically said something in one of his videos that a humanoid robot like a Terminator kind of robot doesn't have the right "feel" for Fallout. It clashes with the environment, and I agree. Robots were meant to be big, clunky and bulky (and not have personalities) Assaultrons don't fit into that feel at all.
Not like it matters since the rest of Fallout 4 is non canon in my eyes anyway.

There's a surprising amount of smut of Assaultrons tho'.

 

[PaxVenire]

Tim Cain basically said something in one of his videos that a humanoid robot like a Terminator kind of robot doesn't have the right "feel" for Fallout. It clashes with the environment, and I agree. Robots were meant to be big, clunky and bulky (and not have personalities) Assaultrons don't fit into that feel at all.
Not like it matters since the rest of Fallout 4 is non canon in my eyes anyway.

I do remember seeing this, but I forgot the video. I'm not entirely in disagreement, but I do think there's enough room to experiment in pocket regions here and there, if anything to give us something new. I'm not at all opposed to the idea of Androids in Fallout for example, and that arguably is the most egregious case of clashing with the setting. I think Fallout 4 handled them horrifically, but they could have worked if written well.

There's a surprising amount of smut of Assaultrons tho'.

Doesn't surprise me, the robot is feminine.

 

[Yossarrion]

Tim Cain basically said something in one of his videos that a humanoid robot like a Terminator kind of robot doesn't have the right "feel" for Fallout. It clashes with the environment, and I agree. Robots were meant to be big, clunky and bulky (and not have personalities) Assaultrons don't fit into that feel at all.
Not like it matters since the rest of Fallout 4 is non canon in my eyes anyway.

There's a surprising amount of smut of Assaultrons tho'.

Assaultrons walked so atomic hearts twins could run

 

[eissa]

NGL I prefer Liberty Prime looks over Assaultron. I love those piston legs.

In the end, the only urban combat robot that impress me and might be practical IRL battlefield is the Roboscorpion. Especially for CQB role.

 

[YeeCop]

As I recall people felt their robotics were too sleek, too advanced. Why are RoboBrains, Sentry Bots, and Floating Eyes so clunky by comparison if America had the ability to make robotics this effective and mobile?

Tbh Assaultrons come across as Bethesda wanting to finalize the design for Sentry Bots. They look like a Mk2 Sentry Bot to me, at least.

 

[Traeger91]

There's a surprising amount of smut of Assaultrons tho'.

You would know that.

 

[cruddas]

Also, it just now occurs to me (though surely it's been pointed out before) - If you want to have a quite fast-moving and advanced humanoid robot, and if you're introducing it in the game where the main antagonist is a bunch of android-makers, it's a little odd the two are not connected at all. Maybe if Assaultrons had been some cutting-edge model developed at CIT, and served as the template from which the CIT basement-dwellers created their Gen 1 Synths after the War, people wouldn't have had quite as big a problem.

This makes the most sense to me as a lore fix, another reason assaultrons are odd is boston is the ONLY area they are found, i don't believe there are any terminal entries or documents ingame about other locations with them being deployed or used.

With how dangerous they are, sending those after the chinese with your soldiers during pre war would have been very effective.

 

[Hardboiled Android]

This makes the most sense to me as a lore fix, another reason assaultrons are odd is boston is the ONLY area they are found, i don't believe there are any terminal entries or documents ingame about other locations with them being deployed or used.

With how dangerous they are, sending those after the chinese with your soldiers during pre war would have been very effective.

well of course any time you add anything new to a setting it raises the question, "Hey, why didn't we see this in previous entries?" You can cope till the cows come home and try to draw some explanation but at the end of the day, the answer is just "Because the writers hadn't invented it yet."

Also pretty sure Assaultrons are used in Fallout 76, ~190 years before Fallout 4 and half way down the east coast.

 

[cruddas]

Unfortunate they had to rectify this in their next game, they could have thought to put some kind of explanation for their presence using terminal entries at the very least.

 

[Hardboiled Android]

Unfortunate they had to rectify this in their next game, they could have thought to put some kind of explanation for their presence using terminal entries at the very least.

I mean like I said, it's a problem for every fictional setting. We didn't we see any of the guns from Fallout 2 in Fallout 1? Quite simply because they hadn't been added to the series yet, we don't need any more explanation than that.

Sometimes a diegetic explanation can be nice. Assaultrons are distinctive enough, and close enough to the boundaries of what's aesthetically appropriate to the setting, that I think some explanation would have been in order, especially given the main plot. But it's not an absolute necessity.

 

[Mr Fish]

I do remember seeing this, but I forgot the video. I'm not entirely in disagreement, but I do think there's enough room to experiment in pocket regions here and there, if anything to give us something new. I'm not at all opposed to the idea of Androids in Fallout for example, and that arguably is the most egregious case of clashing with the setting. I think Fallout 4 handled them horrifically, but they could have worked if written well.

I mean, if we go with FNV then it's been 204 years since the nukes dropped. If we had some secluded research heavy place continue to work on technology I'm sure they could eventually make super computers fit inside of a cranium but it requires a lot of writing to make sense of it all as in Fallout an AI is literally the size of a room. I'm not necessarily opposed to it either but it needs to be handled so delicately that I personally would never want to undertake that challenge as I just know I'd fuck it up.

Assaultrons walked so atomic hearts twins could run

Fisto was the primordial goo.

You would know that.

That's my field of specialty.
Someone's gotta do the 'hard research'.

 

[Yossarrion]

Fisto was the primordial goo.

Apparently in 76 theres a fuckable assaultron. food for thought

 

[Mr Fish]

 

[Baron of Arizona]

As I recall people felt their robotics were too sleek, too advanced. Why are RoboBrains, Sentry Bots, and Floating Eyes so clunky by comparison if America had the ability to make robotics this effective and mobile? Same applies to Fo3's Protectrons (which I think are almost universally regarded as a good contribution to the setting), and New Vegas's Securitrons. Assaultrons are most comparable to the androids we see in Fallout Tactics.

What about Mr. Handy from Bethesda titles? I can't remember anyone talking about it, but I would say it's design is more detached from original robot designs then protectrons, securitrons or assaultrons.

 

[PaxVenire]

I mean, if we go with FNV then it's been 204 years since the nukes dropped. If we had some secluded research heavy place continue to work on technology I'm sure they could eventually make super computers fit inside of a cranium but it requires a lot of writing to make sense of it all as in Fallout an AI is literally the size of a room. I'm not necessarily opposed to it either but it needs to be handled so delicately that I personally would never want to undertake that challenge as I just know I'd fuck it up.

I argue that you don't even need it to fit it with the Fallout universe in order for it to work. The Institute was presented as 1970s sci-fi, which is obviously a complete and total departure from Fallout's 1950s association, and what Fallout 3's Institute hinted at. I loved the juxtaposition of the wasteland above and a facility so advanced it breaks that 1950s aesthetic barrier and feels just as foreign to the player. It just wasn't written and executed well.

 

[Hardboiled Android]

What about Mr. Handy from Bethesda titles? I can't remember anyone talking about it, but I would say it's design is more detached from original robot designs then protectrons, securitrons or assaultrons.

A lot of people did have problems with the Bethesda Mr. Handies, especially given that Mr. Handy wasn't a new design, it was a complete redesign of one of the classic bots. Indeed, I think a lot of people still do have a problem with Mr. Handies. For my part, I don't really mind the Bethesda Mr. Handy, but wish it hadn't completely supplanted the classic Handy design.

The best would be of the classic Handy was an older, cheaper model, widely used in menial tasks and industrial activities, and also the basis of the Mr. Gutsy, whereas the Bethesda Mr. Handy is the top-of-the-line recent luxury model.

 

[Yossarrion]

A lot of people did have problems with the Bethesda Mr. Handies, especially given that Mr. Handy wasn't a new design, it was a complete redesign of one of the classic bots. Indeed, I think a lot of people still do have a problem with Mr. Handies. For my part, I don't really mind the Bethesda Mr. Handy, but wish it hadn't completely supplanted the classic Handy design.

The best would be of the classic Handy was an older, cheaper model, widely used in menial tasks and industrial activities, and also the basis of the Mr. Gutsy, whereas the Bethesda Mr. Handy is the top-of-the-line recent luxury model.

I feel the same way about that. I also happen to be someone who likes assaultrons, but what do you think of the sentry bot redesign from the classics to 3d