Vault-Tec Corporation

Vault-Tec Corporation, also referred to as Vault-Tec Industries and Vault-Tec, was a pre-War defense corporation that designed and implemented a network of bunkers known as vaults. These bunkers were designed to protect the population of the United States in case of a nuclear event.

Background
The company operated as early as 2031, when it acquired and re-branded Morgantown's local college as Vault-Tec University. Top executives and scientists either taught or graduated from there. The government referred to the effort to engage with Vault-Tec on post-War preparations as "Project Safehouse." The project was classified and protected under the New Amended Espionage Act.

Vaults
Before the war, the company constructed vaults, sold spaces to citizens, and prepared for their use in research test environments. Equipment in the vaults, such as water chips, were faulty and prone to failure. Shipping errors switched water chips and GECK deliveries. Vault-Tec advertised vaults in newly annexed Canada. The company also developed alternatives, such as the Series 1000 Shelter, allowing access for those too far from a full vault. Employees received the Vault-Tec employee handbook, a publication that outlined everything about the company and its procedures, down to 2.25 minutes (135 seconds) time limit on bathroom breaks. Their mascots were Vault Boy and Vault Girl.

A small contingent of vaults were designed to work properly as controls. The other vaults featured a variety of scenarios, focused on researching how inhabitants would react and behave. The Enclave were involved in the planning stages of vaults, describing it as "a social experiment on a grand scale" using "a unique set of circumstances designed to test the occupants." Dick Richardson: "{222}{prs35}{We had a number of sanctuaries that would enable the glorious American civilization to endure. These facilities - the Vaults - were part of the great plan.}" Chosen One: "{223}{}{Those damn Vaults didn't work the way they were supposed to. A lot of people in them died.}" Dick Richardson: "{224}{prs36}{Actually, they worked almost exactly the way they were supposed to. You might call it a social experiment on a grand scale. }" Chosen One: "{225}{}{An experiment?}" Dick Richardson: "{226}{prs36a}{The Vaults were set up to test humanity. Some had not enough food synthesizers, others had only men in them, yet others were designed to open after only 6 months. They each had a unique set of circumstances designed to test the occupants.}" Chosen One: "{227}{}{What about Vault 13? What was it's purpose?}" Dick Richardson: "{228}{prs37}{Ahh. Vault 13 was a special case. It was supposed to remain closed until the subjects were needed. Vault 13 was, in scientific parlance, a control group.}" Chosen One: "{229}{}{But they would all have died if my ancestor didn't get them a replacement water chip. That doesn't seem to fit in with your plan.}" Dick Richardson: "{230}{prs38}{An unfortunate, and unforeseen, accident. However, as it turns out, a rather fortuitous one.}" Chosen One: "{231}{}{What do you mean?}" Dick Richardson: "{232}{prs39}{As it turns out we needed test subjects from untainted, pre-war, human stock - your ancestors in Vault 13 - and some freshly mutated stock - the villagers from Arroyo.}" Chosen One: "{233}{}{Why?}" Dick Richardson: "{234}{prs39a}{For the Project. It's almost ready. Humanity's salvation is almost at hand and the United States will be the progenitor of that rebirth.}" (Qhprzrch.msg)

Construction
Vaults featured super reactors, the Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System, medical devices such as the organ extractor, motion sensors, and SimTek 5000 virtual reality pods. New features were implemented, designed to improve the quality of life of a vault dweller, including SimuSun Lighting, Floorsuck Autocleaner Systems, Culinator 3000 Kitchen Systems, Entertainotron Rooms and Eye-On-You cameras. Locations such as Vault 13 far exceeded its original budget.

Preparation
A large exposition at the Museum of Technology in the capital was designed to promote their shelters and explain their functionality, while prizes like the Pressed Vault Suit Award were also used to promote a positive image of the company. The Vault-Tec: Among the Stars attraction at Nuka-World was funded and Vault-Tec bobbleheads were given as gifts to executives.

Vault-Tec was authorized to carry out drills for citizens selected for inclusion in the vaults and operated its alert system. Alert drills were carried out at regular intervals to test admission protocols and members of the experimentation staff were expected to participate in the drills. Compliance and secrecy were accomplished by way of threats and payments. Vault-Tec authorized its private security to use lethal force during admission protocols.

Structures

 * Vaults
 * Series 1000 Shelter
 * Vault-Tec Shelters

Initiatives
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 * Shop-Tec vending machine
 * Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System (VATS)
 * ZAX AI units
 * ARIC-4 AI
 * Tranquility Lane simulation
 * Nutritional Alternative Paste Program food paste
 * Vault-Tec Population Management System
 * Vault-Tec Agricultural Research Center

Publications
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 * Vault Dweller's Survival Guide
 * Vault-Tec Employee Handbook
 * Vault Boy's Big Book of Laughs for Kids
 * Pipfall
 * Red Menace

Locations

 * Vaults
 * Vault-Tec headquarters, located in Vernon Square, Washington, D.C.
 * Vault-Tec Regional HQ, located in Beacon Hill, Boston
 * Vault-Tec: Among the Stars, an attraction at Nuka-World
 * Vault-Tec University, located in Morgantown, West Virginia

Appearances
Vault-Tec appears in all Fallout games.

Behind the scenes

 * The vault experiment was an idea created by Tim Cain during the initial stages of Fallout 2 development.
 * The Vault-Tec building seen in the Fallout 2 intro is a still from the film Dick Tracy.
 * Outside of the Fallout series, the Vault-Tec logo also appeared in the 2016 reboot of Doom (published by Bethesda Softworks) on certain doors in the UAC facility on Mars. Vault-Tec is also mentioned in RAGE.
 * A location referred to as Vault-Tec headquarters is mentioned in the Fallout Bible 3 and rulebook to Fallout: The Roleplaying Game.
 * Vault-Tec Labs were mentioned in a cut terminal entry