What's the Point of Synths?

[TomJ]

This is one thing that has racked my head since playing Fallout 4. The synths exist to drive the plot, I know that. But why? The synths only really do simple tasks like being janitors and doing general maintenance. Why do you need robots that can approximate human behavior to the point of questioning their existence? They don't need to exist and serve no purpose except for being alluded to in 3.

I have some ideas as to how this could have been fixed. The synths should have been humans grown in incubators rather than androids. This would make the issues more clear. Racism between natural humans and the ones that were created by Institute scientists.

So how would this be done? Well, Vault 75 had people in it that were being bred to be the best humans around. Instead of just having it collapse because of the experiment, but because the Institute makes contact with them right as things are going south. The Institute takes genetic material and starts creating new people that are pure of defects caused by radiation. Why this could be due to the Institute not having enough people and not being able to recruit from anywhere and they can't reproduce due to radiation.

The humans are grown in incubators and are linked to VR just so they are educated and what not before they are released into the Institute. The test tube humans eventually question their existence and escape. They become "the Railroad" because they'd have a bone to pick since they were created and treated as test subjects instead of humans that they are. Vault 75/Malden would be a settlement that would be a sentry for the Institute, leaving it as more elusive than it is in the actual game.

 

[Irwin John Finster]

This is one thing that has racked my head since playing Fallout 4. The synths exist to drive the plot, I know that. But why?

"Why" is not a question Bethesda writers asked when making Fallout 4. It's a hodgepodge of various cringe-inducing childish characters and MMO quests. Why synths? Because "writers are allowed to have fun." That was the response to "why Kid in the Fridge?"

So "why" anything in Fallout 4? Because they don't give a crap about the lore or good writing or Fallout. The laziness of Fallout 4 is pervasive - it is evident everywhere and the synths are no different. Ancient Aliens also exist in Fallout 4. Why? Because fun!

My guess is synths exist to give the player yet another enemy model for its repetitive MMO grind quests.

 

[Brivoo]

Someone else and I discussed this on another thread; they'd suggested that cyborgs would have been a better addition to the game than Synths and I offered some ideas on how they could have been implemented.

I think "grown" humans are still too futuristic and out-of-setting for Fallout, which was one of the issues I had with synths; it would also highlight the fact that there's no reason for the racism to exist even further, as it goes from theoretically the same to literally just more humans.

"Making it more clear" was arguably what made synths such a mishandled group in the first place; instead of exploring the nuances and ethical conundrums of artificial sentience and machines of war disguised as people, Bethesda decided to streamline the whole thing for a more casual audience and took the subtlety out of the whole shebang.

On a side note, I don't know how much of Vault 75 you've explored, but the story of the place is utter garbage.

 

[Ragemage]

All this talk about "growing synths" makes me think of synthetic human meat, which just reminds me of:



Actually that is a point, considering these Gen 3 synths have to breathe, eat, use the bathroom, and drink or they shut down, would that also mean their meat is edible? Can any cannibal players confirm this? I would but I've uninstalled FO4 and don't plan to reinstall it until Nuka World just to see how bad/mediocre it is.

 

[TomJ]

Someone else and I discussed this on another thread; they'd suggested that cyborgs would have been a better addition to the game than Synths and I offered some ideas on how they could have been implemented.

I think "grown" humans are still too futuristic and out-of-setting for Fallout, which was one of the issues I had with synths; it would also highlight the fact that there's no reason for the racism to exist even further, as it goes from theoretically the same to literally just more humans.

"Making it more clear" was arguably what made synths such a mishandled group in the first place; instead of exploring the nuances and ethical conundrums of artificial sentience and machines of war disguised as people, Bethesda decided to streamline the whole thing for a more casual audience and took the subtlety out of the whole shebang.

On a side note, I don't know how much of Vault 75 you've explored, but the story of the place is utter garbage.

I don't think growing people in incubators that are raised by VR tech isn't too far outside of Fallout lore. VR tech exists and gowing something isn't far fetched since the Institute makes and preserves Super Mutants.

The grown humans would face racism, the human synths are treated as test subjects. Why wouldn't they treat test tube humans the same way? There isn't it is simplistic enough that Bethesda would write it.

Yeah, I was never a fan of the Vaults in the Bethesda games. The ones in 3 had no reason for the experiments to continue. There was no enforcement mechanism and people just blindly followed orders to their own demise. That doesn't mean I liked the ones in New Vegas, but that's because you don't see to much of the Vault Dwellers in the Wasteland, except the Boomers. I dislike this because their isn't a time frame given as to when the Vaults failed, at least 11 and 19.

I really hated Vault 95. As a person who has a family with substance abuse, people don't just relapse because of temptation. That is simplistic and insulting and its also a stereotype that isn't true for the most part.

 

[Brivoo]

I don't think growing people in incubators that are raised by VR tech isn't too far outside of Fallout lore. VR tech exists and gowing something isn't far fetched since the Institute makes and preserves Super Mutants.

Justifying a correction by pointing at the lore from the very same game makes for a poor argument. Either way, my issue isn't with the VR, it's the test tube goons.

The grown humans would face racism, the human synths are treated as test subjects. Why wouldn't they treat test tube humans the same way? There isn't it is simplistic enough that Bethesda would write it.

Because there's no way of telling the two apart, neither in appearance nor behaviour. Synths were clearly sentient and it made you wonder how the Institute could even justify themselves if they clearly knew this and why they would even program sentience in the first place; making them entirely human takes away the rationalization that "they're just machines, they only seem sentient".

I really hated Vault 95. As a person who has a family with substance abuse, people don't just relapse because of temptation. That is simplistic and insulting and its also a stereotype that isn't true for the most part.

I was actually bemused with how insulting the Vault's entire story was and I'm surprised Bethesda didn't get any backlash for it. I wonder if it's worth going to a con to bring it up to Toddy boy.

 

[Crni Vuk]

"Why are there Synths?

 

[Deeves]

Because it was Todd Howard's will to do something with Synths in Boston for Fallout 4 back when they were making Fallout 3. And because the benevolent dictator cannot be questioned, instead of admitting that Todd's synth vision has nothing to add to Fallout and should be revised, they slammed that square peg into a round hole with a hammer until it kinda fit as much as it possibly could.

He probably still thought it was rad as balls right up until his various amazing different visions got stitched into a playable state about a year or less before release when it was far too late to change anything about it. And then instead of owning up to it he deluded himself that they were simply 'bold' and 'innovative' decisions that'll get smoothed out during bugfixing and stamped it for print.

 

[kraag]

They have to promote their Tranhumanist agenda somehow, what better way to indoctrinate kids than to stuff their favorite games with propaganda? My 2c.

 

[Deeves]

Also, sorry for double posting but having the synths as the central plot of Fo4 is so stupid I still can't even.

It's like if the sequel of Force Awakens took seven years to make, and the film is like, "Oh Luke and Ray? Forget them. No, no the questions you'd really like to be answered is 'how did Kanata the cantina owner get ahold of Luke's Lightsaber?' Yeah, remember that minor plot point from the last one? That's what this trilogy is now about!"

 

[TomJ]

Justifying a correction by pointing at the lore from the very same game makes for a poor argument. Either way, my issue isn't with the VR, it's the test tube goons.



Because there's no way of telling the two apart, neither in appearance nor behaviour. Synths were clearly sentient and it made you wonder how the Institute could even justify themselves if they clearly knew this and why they would even program sentience in the first place; making them entirely human takes away the rationalization that "they're just machines, they only seem sentient".



I was actually bemused with how insulting the Vault's entire story was and I'm surprised Bethesda didn't get any backlash for it. I wonder if it's worth going to a con to bring it up to Toddy boy.

There could be behavioral ticks due to growing up in a virtual reality. Something to the extent that their personalities are basically just computer programs put into human brains. Just because it isn't shown doesn't mean slightly more thought out writing could change things. Granted thought and writing shouldn't go in the same sentence with Bethesda at this point, but its a thought. And literally anyone is a better writer than the hacks at Bethesda at this point.

Still Vault 95. CBS makes a show about addiction. Tries to humanize recovering addicts, but Bethesda just perpetuates a stereotype in a game for lolz. They really need to get some shit for this.

 

[Black Angel]

Maybe my memory were messed up, that I thought this is an old-thread revived from the depths of the Abyss, but whatever. This has been discussed widely in this thread, also this.

 

[SpecialHands]

Plot device, that's literally all they are.

 

[Goon]

They have to promote their Tranhumanist agenda somehow, what better way to indoctrinate kids than to stuff their favorite games with propaganda? My 2c.

Nothing wrong with transhumanism.

 

[Deeves]

Nothing wrong with transhumanism.

The reptilian shadow cabal has already gotten you. <_<



""

 

[SpecialHands]

EVERYONE is illuminate now

 

[Earth]

They have to promote their Tranhumanist agenda somehow, what better way to indoctrinate kids than to stuff their favorite games with propaganda? My 2c.

 

[RangerBoo]

They exist because Bethesda wanted to make the game seem deeper then what it was by copying their biggest inspirations for Fallout 4, the Blade Runner movie and game. While the Blade Runner movie and game handled the themes of trans-humanism and "what makes a man" well, Bethesda on the other hand did not. In fact it was laughable. It was like something written by a 16 year old fan fiction writer.

 

[Izak]

Nothing wrong with transhumanism.

If you had it your way we'd all be in think tanks by now, Commie.

They exist because Bethesda wanted to make the game seem deeper then what it was by copying their biggest inspirations for Fallout 4, the Blade Runner movie and game. While the Blade Runner movie and game handled the themes of trans-humanism and "what makes a man" well, Bethesda on the other hand did not. In fact it was laughable. It was like something written by a 16 year old fan fiction writer.

Fallout 4 tests your moral compass by challenging you to define the meaning of life.

 

[Black Angel]

They exist because Bethesda wanted to make the game seem deeper then what it was by copying their biggest inspirations for Fallout 4, the Blade Runner movie and game. While the Blade Runner movie and game handled the themes of trans-humanism and "what makes a man" well, Bethesda on the other hand did not. In fact it was laughable. It was like something written by a 16 year old fan fiction writer.

Fallout 4 tests your moral compass by challenging you to define the meaning of life.

Good God, it's like Fallout 3 winning Best Writer Award all over again *shivers*

More on topic, I haven't played Fallout 4, but if I can give my two cents, I guess I kinda like the way synths was handled back in The Replicated Man quest of Fallout 3. Zimmerman was so desperate to look for Harkness because without him the Institute would be set back so far back in their progress. And then Fallout 4 came out and ruined everything...