Old World Blues

"There is an expression in the Wasteland: "Old World Blues." It refers to those so obsessed with the past they can't see the present, much less the future, for what it is."

- Doctor Mobius and Doctor Klein

Old World Blues is the third add-on for Fallout: New Vegas, developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Bethesda Softworks. It was released simultaneously on all platforms on July 19th, 2011.

In Old World Blues, the Courier discovers how some of the Mojave’s mutated monsters (Cazadores and Nightstalkers) came into being whilst he or she unwittingly becomes a lab rat in a science experiment gone awry. The Courier must scour the pre-War research centers of the Big Empty in search of technology to turn the tables on his or her kidnappers, or join forces with them against an even greater threat.

Plot
"The residents of the Mojave have long assumed the trackless wastes of the ‘Big Empty’ are a no-mans-land, a desolate stretch where no living thing can survive. In Old World Blues, you discover that it is anything but..."

After being transported to the Big MT research crater, you find you're the only hope of saving the "Think Tank" – a strange group of post-human researchers who inhabit the facility. They enlist your aid to save them from their own experiments - experiments that have gone horribly out of control. As you explore the Big Empty crater and its many underground labs, you’ll confront strange mutated animals, battle terrifying new atomic robots, and discover a new home base to call your own. Recover all the weapons, armor, and tech of the Pre-War era and use them to help save all of Science!

Overview

 * Like all New Vegas add-ons, Old World Blues raises the level cap by 5. (some thought it added 10 but actually the latest patch added 5 plus OWB. Also, the add-on offers new traits (and gives you the opportunity to change your own traits if you've already chosen them) including one called Logan's Loophole that will allow you to cap your level at 30, but there are some downsides.
 * In addition to providing free basic healing services (restore HP, repair limb damage, and remove radiation and drug dependency), the auto-doc in The Sink allows the player to alter their looks, hairstyle, and, for one time only, their traits.
 * Equipment will not be stripped from the player at the beginning of this add-on, and it features an open-world setting. There is no limit to the amount of equipment you can take in to the add-on, as well.
 * Like all New Vegas add-ons, companions cannot accompany the Courier to the new land.
 * In Old World Blues, some robotic appliances have personalities, all with different voices.
 * There is an upgradeable base (via completing quests), The Sink, in this add-on.
 * There is a new radio added, to both the Big Empty and the Mojave. It plays 3 new jazz songs, along with 2 songs from Radio New Vegas. Among the songs is Begin Again by Vera Keyes.
 * The 'Big Empty' gained its name through the phonetic contracted name of the test site, 'Big MT' (MT meaning Mountain). The name can be seen across the many crates found in the add-on.
 * Completion of the add-on does not close off side quests that are as yet uncompleted, even if these quests have not yet begun.
 * Once you complete the add-on, you may return to the Big Empty via the Big Mountain Transportalponder!. Note you cannot use the item while in the interior of a building, cave, tunnels, etc., in a combat situation, or in Freeside, The Fort, Camp McCarran, or The Strip.
 * Food in Old World Blues is limited by the lack of food and drink crafting items and traders. There is a considerable quantity of bloatfly meat in the Mysterious cave, and dog meat from the numerous Cyberdogs. You'd be advised to bring food and drink (and crafting items) items with you as, apart from broc flowers and xander root, and only one trader (Sink Central Intelligence Unit) in The Sink, until the Biological research station is online and seeds are collected as part of the Field Research quest, your options will be quite limited.

Quests
The XP that is rewarded for quests is variable based upon your level when the quest is completed. The total XP split between the main storyline quests is approximately 3000 XP at levels 1-4 and 22000 XP at levels 45-50, the secondary quest XP ranges from 75 XP per quest to 550 XP per quest.

Bugs

 * Items placed in the three lockers at the Sink may disappear randomly with no way to get them back other than reloading a previous save.
 * Entering the Big Empty then saving your game, waiting, or entering doors may cause the game to freeze. A way to work around this is to never save or wait in Big MT itself,but indoors and to prevent freezing when in the sink enter Big MT from the Think tank entrance.(confirmed PS3)
 * After initiating the Institutional Data Retrieval Test (Basic) after releasing the "Unusual Specimen", the door to the X-8 Institutional Test Facility disappears. (Confirmed 360)
 * After initiating the "Institutional Data Retrieval Test (Basic)" from the X-8 Data Retrieval Test quest and choosing the "Unusual Specimen" option from Kennel Terminal, do not continue initiating "Release Cyberdogs". This will make "Unusual Specimen" from the list quest to be completed by turning the "Institutional Data Retrieval Test" & "Unusual Specimen" both uncompleted with the quest unfinished. The bug appears to come from the map-marker that it doesn't move from Kennel Terminal to the X-8 Test Terminal after "Unusual Specimen" is chosen confusing the player by the map-marker. Initiating only "Unusual Specimen" option, go to the X-8 Test Terminal to start the Basic Test and Advanced Test as well, then the quest will be finished. This bug does not make the quest fail, but it can go to an infinite loop of finished/unfinished quests from the quest list.
 * You may not be able to leave after completing the main quests.
 * After completing the quest, "Old World Blues", you are told to retrieve your brain. You may be glitched in the dialogue with your brain, repeating two lines over, and over again.
 * It is possible for the Sink Central Intelligence Unit to take some of your items from you. This bug occurs when the player sell things to it and, in return, you receive no money, but the items that you were selling are, in fact, now in the possession of the Sink Central Intelligence Unit. This is similar to the glitch with Quartermaster Bardon in Hoover Dam and other locations in the main game. It can be resolved by making smaller transactions (under 10,000 caps seems to work) at a time. Waiting until the stock of items recycles occasionally fixes this problem (confirmed on PC and PS3). (note: workaround tested on XBOX360 but did not work. No caps added to inventory no matter the amount. Restarting game, restarting system, uninstalling and reinstalling DLC still does not fix problem. Going back to an old save before terminal became bugged may be only option)i found a work round fix on Xbox the Central units cap data must be messed up if it says it has 65535 [maximum value of a short integer - 16 bits] it will not give you caps so treat this a zero caps the work round is simply sell something to it or repair items so its cap amount goes over the bugged number. Then it will give out caps for your transactions. It works for me but feel free to test yourselves.
 * Oftentimes, players can fall through the train tracks or pipes throughout the crater.
 * Opening a storage container, taking all of its contents, and leaving, the container may not say it is empty.
 * When in the Sink, if an item is dropped it will disappear. However you can still pick it up.
 * Higgs Village fountain has a bug where you can swim up it, then float out 'swimming' around the houses until you touch ground or jump
 * If you have more than one humanoid follower in your party(See Veronica Santangelo or Fallout New Vegas companions section in order to learn how to have more than one follower) and you enter the Big Empty, up to 2,3, or 4 companions will come with you and will accompany you to the Big Empty but its completely random. Also note if go to the Big Empty Craig Boone can never go, Lily will rarely go if she does it limits the party to one or two people,ED-E will rarely as well, also of all followers Arcade Gannon will almost always accompany. But It is completely random who and how many will come with you so its recommended you save if you get the wrong group. Also sending followers out of your party before interacting with crashed satellite seems to affect who comes if any at all if you want to make sure a follower accompanies then make sure you have all humanoid companions and either ED-E or Rex. (still being tested)
 * Similar to a bug in Honest Hearts, while playing through the main quest, the tick marks of undiscovered locations can disappear from the compass. It's still possible to discover them afterward though.
 * Some armors may degrade very quickly while playing
 * If you bought all three add-ons your max level still might be 40 but you can get rid of it if you go on the Dashboard and reload the game.
 * With this add on, the max level has been raised to level 50, the max level with all four add-ons. This has not been patched yet.
 * Various Casino playing cards successfully moved into a Sink storage locker disappear from both locker and pipboy when retrieval attempted.
 * When talking to your brain when it reflects on the sights you two have seen together, it may get suck in a loop talking about Jason Bright and his followers and Helios One coming back online, then just loop between the two lines of dialog indefinitely.
 * When you return to the Mojave, you may find your ratings with factions have diminished (ex. NCR Idolized-To-just below Neutral) when you return. Brotherhood of steel went from Idolized to neutral as well.
 * When loading an autosave with Hardcore Mode turned on, your starvation and thirst meters will jump up over 200, despite those levels being low when the autosave was created.
 * After collecting the dried packages of seeds, it is possible that after leaving the Sink after the White Horsenettle has grown and returning, the two White Horsenettle plants will fall through the map and keep respawning and repeating.
 * In-game time may pass abnormally fast, the calendar registering up to an entire year passing with what seems to only have been a few in game days in some cases
 * After completing Old World Blues you may find yourself attacked on sight by the Brotherhood of Steel upon re-entering the bunker, or by the caretaker of the Brotherhood of Steel Safe house, even though your standing with them is unchanged.
 * While wearing Docter Mobius' science outfit and entering the forbidden zone (Where the giant robo scorpion is) your character will spawn through the metal walk way and you can't move forcing you to load a game before.
 * The game may slow down to the point of freezing when going on the Sink Balcony.
 * It's possible to buy almost infinite amount of primer and powder at the Sink AI. Simply buy the 3 Primer and Powder Packs, confirm the trade by pressing/clicking 'A', then scroll down your own inventory and sell the 3 Primer and Powder Packs back to the Sink AI, confirm the trade by pressing/clicking 'A', and start all over buying the 3 packs from the Sink AI. Do not exit the trader screen as this makes the Primer and Powder Pack unavailable until the next time it is respawned.
 * Sometimes when exiting the Y-17 Medical facility then fast traveling may cause the game to crash.

Behind the scenes

 * In Dead Money, Father Elijah describes the Big Empty as "a treasure box, a scientific graveyard of Old World misery". Additionally, mentions of the Big Empty act as a trigger for the Things to Come! challenge. *
 * The Big Empty was a location that was scrapped from Black Isle's canceled Fallout 3.
 * At some point, Chris Avellone set his location on his Twitter profile to Big MT, Mojave, placing the Big Empty as a location within the Mojave Wasteland and thus teasing its possible appearance in a future Fallout: New Vegas add-on. Since then, Avellone has also changed his Twitter avatar.
 * J.E. Sawyer has suggested that Old World Blues will be the most humorous of the New Vegas add-ons.
 * "Mean Old World Blues" is the title of T-Bone Walker's 1945 remake of his 1942 opus, "Mean Old World".
 * Dr. Mobius is most likely a reference to the 1976 Doctor Who story "The Brain of Morbius", in which all that remains of the titular character is his brain, in a tank. This would tie in with the brain-removal/lobotomy aspect of "Old World Blues".

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