Would you rather be a Vault Dweller or a Wastelander?

Sn1p3r187

Carolinian Shaolin Monk
Ehhh. I think I'm leaning towards Wastelander. You were born there and you know it like the back of your hand. I don't like being caged in which is what a Vault does. And the experimentation is far more deadlier than living in the wastes. They all failed in the end. Hell, I don't think a Vault could last more than a century before everything falls apart. Though being from a Vault would add to shock value knowing the Wasteland was not what you thought it was. Which would you prefer and why?
 
What kind of Vault is it? The deathtrap Bethesda one or a regular social experiment? Usually I'd go for Vault dweller, as you are given a better education and if it is something like V34 then you get extensive weapons training when the Wastelander may have the experience, but they are also usually malnourished and weak. They will also do anything for money and can stab you in the back. I like to have my own morals instead of just focusing on survival.
 
I like to think of the experimentation ordeal as something the government cooked up at the last minute (as the same way the Fallout 2 devs threw it in at the last minute), and only made a few of the Vaults hold "deadly experiments" (experiments not counting Vault 13, Vault 15, or Vault 101, as these aren't deadly experiments). I like to tell myself that only about 20 - 30 of the 120 or so commissioned Vaults actually held deadly experiments, based on what I just said, and on the fact that even if there was a group of evil government officials behind it, its not really possible, even in a fictional world, there would be more vaults with horrid experiments that control vaults. So I tell myself that the majority of the Vaults were control vaults or simply just had very low-intensity experiments (like Vault 13 and 15), and the government simply set aside a few vaults from the majority to use for their experiments.

With that in mind, I would rather be a Vault Dweller. The Vaults were big enough to house about a thousand people (Vault 13 held about this many people). Thus its not like your going to be "cramped in a dark underground shelter" or anything. From what we've seen of the vaults, they held some of the best technology of the Pre-War. So these people aren't just safe from the outside dangers of the Wasteland, they are able to live in a Pre-War utopia of sorts (without the food riots and power outages of the late Pre-War). They had entertainment in the form of music, and from what I've read, movies on holodiscs, they had a computer network which held its own version of the "internet" and a messaging system. They had food extruders which could create many types of food. The vault was extremely high-tech. They had entertainment centers (aside from the television monitors and computers they held in their own personal apartment), pools and gyms, and many other things. So its not like you were sitting in some kind of cramped Vault with nothing to do and having to ration food.

Its much like living the life of a middle-class citizen of today with Fallout technology at your disposal, and never having to worry about food or water (so long as you were willing to work, or some crap happened like your only water chip breaking).

So yeah, I'd much rather live in a Vault. People say they'd rather live in the Wasteland but once they encounter their first Raider gang, ghoul, or even Rad-Scorpion in reality they would probably be wishing they had a nice, comfortable high-tech Vault to live in.

EDIT: I would also like to note that the "Deathtrap" vaults were most likely added for gameplay reasons in Fallout 3 and New Vegas. Otherwise in the world where the Fallout universe was a reality (especially according to the original Fallout universe), You would probably only had a maximum of two "deathtrap vaults" in each commonwealth (each one consists of about 4 states).
 
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I like to think of the experimentation ordeal as something the government cooked up at the last minute (as the same way the Fallout 2 devs threw it in at the last minute), and only made a few of the Vaults hold "deadly experiments" (experiments not counting Vault 13, Vault 15, or Vault 101, as these aren't deadly experiments). I like to tell myself that only about 20 - 30 of the 120 or so commissioned Vaults actually held deadly experiments, based on what I just said, and on the fact that even if there was a group of evil government officials behind it, its not really possible, even in a fictional world, there would be more vaults with horrid experiments that control vaults. So I tell myself that the majority of the Vaults were control vaults or simply just had very low-intensity experiments (like Vault 13 and 15), and the government simply set aside a few vaults from the majority to use for their experiments.

With that in mind, I would rather be a Vault Dweller. The Vaults were big enough to house about a thousand people (Vault 13 held about this many people). Thus its not like your going to be "cramped in a dark underground shelter" or anything. From what we've seen of the vaults, they held some of the best technology of the Pre-War. So these people aren't just safe from the outside dangers of the Wasteland, they are able to live in a Pre-War utopia of sorts (without the food riots and power outages of the late Pre-War). They had entertainment in the form of music, and from what I've read, movies on holodiscs, they had a computer network which held its own version of the "internet" and a messaging system. They had food extruders which could create many types of food. The vault was extremely high-tech. They had entertainment centers (aside from the television monitors and computers they held in their own personal apartment), pools and gyms, and many other things. So its not like you were sitting in some kind of cramped Vault with nothing to do and having to ration food.

Its much like living the life of a middle-class citizen of today with Fallout technology at your disposal, and never having to worry about food or water (so long as you were willing to work, or some crap happened like your only water chip breaking).

So yeah, I'd much rather live in a Vault. People say they'd rather live in the Wasteland but once they encounter their first Raider gang, ghoul, or even Rad-Scorpion in reality they would probably be wishing they had a nice, comfortable high-tech Vault to live in.
I see your point there. But the Vaults won't last forever. They'd at least have to do trade with the outside world or let people who want to leave, leave. It helps keeps things settled enough to where there won't be an uprising or rebellion against the overseer and ends in chaos. But if it were say underground cities like Zion in the Matrix or that upcoming game After Reset. Then it might just last very long. longer than the vault lifespan. And eventually if they wanted to truly rebuild civilization, they'd leave the vault. But then there's a reason why i liked the first Fallout rather than the second. Chaos and instability in the Wasteland to show how bad people suffer.
 
That's the whole point of the food synthesizers, they don't NEED to trade. Also unless you have an insane or overprotective Overseer, then everyone who is crazy enough to want to leave the vault even after listening to all the "The Outside is Death" propaganda, then they will be free to do so.
 
If anything I feel the Vaults were for those who didn't want to face the reality of the world around them and accept it that everything is ruined. But they can be the ones to rebuild it all and start over again. Besides that, they're having a curtain pulled over their eyes to live and die in the Vault and over dramatize the harm of the world around them. Sorry I referenced Fallout 3, but it might apply to Fallout 1 as well.
 
Well good point there man. Point taken. But as I said. It won't last forever. While the world is rebuilding they'll be left to wander what's really going on up there.
 
And as soon as they meet the dangers of the wasteland head on, they will realize their mistake and the survivors will run back to the vaults telling them of their mistakes and begging to be let in. The whole rebuilding of civilization concept is the primary objective of the vaults and the Overseers are supposed to order the use of the GECK when they feel that the outside is safe enough. But look at what Vault City turned into, I suspect that unfortunately most vaults will have a similar mindset on that topic and consider themselves above any "Outsiders".
 
Unless you consider the inhabitants of Shady Sands (Vault 15) and those of Arroyo (Vault 13) who aren't xenophobic and are more tolerant to outsiders. But your point being "If they rush to quickly into recolonizing the wasteland after 10 years, they'll end up like Vault City?" But the dangers of the Wasteland were meant to be met. They'd have to teach people how to survive out there firsthand. Maybe through simulations and knowledge of their ancestors in survival books. They also might want to be well stocked on weapons. And they'd have to know that there's places out there whos level of tech maybe higher than the vaults and so is their knowledge.
 
Not really, the vaults were supposed to allow people to survive inside them indefinitely until the surface radiation is lowered. Most vaults are not prepared at all to face the other dangers (mutants, raiders, wildlife) and are there are possibly a few people who are given any combat training (apart from 34) are just guards and scouts, most of the new city's defenses will be built using the GECK. What I meant was exactly that, if they rush in to re-civilize (?) the wasteland, then the first people they will likely meet would be tribals, raiders or just dirty and almost animalistic survivors. They will then assume that everyone else is like that, and consider it alright to enslave them, ironically repeating historical events, this would be where the scouts should come in, they will be the people who relay the news, so if there are any miscommunication between them, the whole point of the vault fails. This is probably the reason why it would be best for the vaults to take their time with recolonizing/populating the wasteland and at first send out small armed groups. Or if they are constantly taught about equality and stuff. By the way, you are not given much information about V13's views of the outside apart from the overseers fear of it.
 
Unless you consider the inhabitants of Shady Sands (Vault 15) and those of Arroyo (Vault 13) who aren't xenophobic and are more tolerant to outsiders. But your point being "If they rush to quickly into recolonizing the wasteland after 10 years, they'll end up like Vault City?" But the dangers of the Wasteland were meant to be met. They'd have to teach people how to survive out there firsthand. Maybe through simulations and knowledge of their ancestors in survival books. They also might want to be well stocked on weapons. And they'd have to know that there's places out there whos level of tech maybe higher than the vaults and so is their knowledge.

No survival book or lessons can teach you how to handle things like a first-hand encounter with a Super Mutant or Centaur/Floater. Only experience can help here, but most wastelanders don't survive their first encounter with mutants, thus aren't able to gain the needed experience. Not to mention the possible trauma and stress one would most likely receive after surviving one of the encounters, especially if they were born and raised in a Vault. Anyone who did survive might have a good chance of suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).
 
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Unless you consider the inhabitants of Shady Sands (Vault 15) and those of Arroyo (Vault 13) who aren't xenophobic and are more tolerant to outsiders. But your point being "If they rush to quickly into recolonizing the wasteland after 10 years, they'll end up like Vault City?" But the dangers of the Wasteland were meant to be met. They'd have to teach people how to survive out there firsthand. Maybe through simulations and knowledge of their ancestors in survival books. They also might want to be well stocked on weapons. And they'd have to know that there's places out there whos level of tech maybe higher than the vaults and so is their knowledge.

No survival book or lessons can teach you how to handle things like a first-hand encounter with a Super Mutant or Centaur/Floater. Only experience can help here, but most wastelanders don't survive their first encounter with mutants, thus aren't able to gain the needed experience. Not to mention the possible trauma and stress one would most likely receive after surviving one of the encounters, especially if they were born and raised in a Vault. Anyone who did survive might have a good chance of suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).
Well yeah. No one would really survive an encounter unless the knew firsthand like the Brotherhood of Steel or the NCR. hell maybe even the Desert Rangers if they lived in the Fallout canon (they kinda do).
 
I see your point there. But wouldn't the later generations that grew up outside of the Vault with the help of the GECK be wastelanders themselves? I'm not sure if you'd consider the inhabitants of Vault City wastelanders or not. But when they do leave they'd be nothing more than decedents of Vault Dwellers after several generations living there. Like the Chosen One who descends from the Vault Dweller himself. Oh btw. What's your source that says that the Vaults can survive indefinitely? Just curious to make sure I haven't overlooked anything.
 
But weren't the Vaults main was to re-colonize the world after the war. It's understandable knowing that as long as the generators work and resources don't run out then everything will be ship shape. But wouldn't the control Vaults would eventually meet their purpose sooner or later? Especially if the orders came from Vault tec telling them that after 20 or 50 years come out and recolonize with the GECK?
 
The main purpose of the Vault Program as far as I can remember was an attempt to protect people from the nuclear bombs and their aftermath of the [not yet arrived] Great War.
 
The main purpose of the Vault Program as far as I can remember was an attempt to protect people from the nuclear bombs and their aftermath of the [not yet arrived] Great War.

The "Advertised" purpose of the vaults were to house people and protect them, but a lot of them were used to experiment on people of various backgrounds and talents. I don't think you can definitively state what single purpose the vaults had, they were abused almost as quickly as they were created by the powers that be.

As far as the OP, I'd definitely rather be a vault dweller. If I do get out of the vault I'll still have my pipboy to work with and better health than the rest of the wastes had any chance of getting.
 
I guess I see what everyone means then. Best health and development around. So yeah. I guess being a Vault Dweller would be better. Would you also count people like the Chosen One as a Vault Dweller considering he's descended from one. Would he be in the best health?
 
Born in the wasteland, from parents that were born in the wasteland, from a grand-father that visited the glow before having any children, exposed all his life with an average level of radiation, fed from radiated wildlife, in a society with minimal medical knowledge, no access to stimpack, radaway & Rad-X.

Also, his village suffers a shortage in food and water, for a while before the elders ever think of a mission that would involve a potential chosen one. (the situation had to became slowly worse and worse for them to conclude that it won't go back to normal on itself, that if they do nothing, they will slowly all die, then they had to figure out what solution they could come up with, then they would have to choose a (chosen) one, and test his skills. So, the way i see it, the crisis that start you mission could have lasted 1-3 years before you leave Arroyo for the first time)

His health is nowhere near the health of a vault dweller.
At best, he as the same health than the average wastelander. At worst, it he is in a far worse shape.
(most wastelanders have ancestors who lived in vault anyway, as stated in both Fo1-Fo2 introduction and in several discussions. The chosen has no special status to begin with)
 
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Born in the wasteland, from parents that were born in the wasteland, from a grand-father that visited the glow before having any children, exposed all his life with an average level of radiation, fed from radiated wildlife, in a society with minimal medical knowledge, no access to stimpack, radaway & Rad-X.

Also, his village suffers a shortage in food and water, for a while before the elders ever think of a mission that would involve a potential chosen one. (the situation had to became slowly worse and worse for them to conclude that it won't go back to normal on itself, that if they do nothing, they will slowly all die, then they had to figure out what solution they could come up with, then they would have to choose a (chosen) one, and test his skills. So, the way i see it, the crisis that start you mission could have lasted 1-3 years before you leave Arroyo for the first time)

His health is nowhere near the health of a vault dweller.
At best, he as the same health than the average wastelander. At worst, it he is in a far worse shape.
(most wastelanders have ancestors who lived in vault anyway, as stated in both Fo1-Fo2 introduction and in several discussions. The chosen has no special status to begin with)
Unless after several generations people's bodies adapt to radiation and have a better chance of surviving poisoning from rad exposure. But that takes a very long time. And a Vault dweller wouldn't live long under those conditions. But I see what you mean about health though. Would the citizens of Vault City count as Wastelanders or Vault Dwellers?
 
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