Sierra Madre Vending Machine

Sierra Madre vending machines are pre-War devices developed at the Big MT, which dispense and redeem numerous items in exchange for Sierra Madre chips. They can be found throughout the Sierra Madre, and one is found in Elijah's quarters in the abandoned Brotherhood of Steel bunker.

Background
Created at Big MT at the Y-0 research center, the development of the Sierra Madre vending machines was bankrolled by Frederick Sinclair after witnessing them at a World's Fair exhibit. Willing to bankrupt himself for these devices, Sinclair also struck a deal with the company's executives to use the Villa as a proving ground for various Big MT experimental technologies. The devices he commissioned were intended not just as vending machines, but as emergency dispensers supplying food and resources to ration out in the event of a nuclear holocaust. The machines were also capable of outputting special supplies, such as chems and security and maintenance equipment, restricted with dispenser codes issued only to trained professionals and doctors.

Although Sinclair described them as the means for self-sufficiency for the Madre, others felt that they were a means to ensure that any money spent at the casino would line Sinclair's pockets, especially with the ban on all other vending machines. To his employees, the vending machines felt like a company store, as they could barely afford anything with the modest amount of chips they received along with their paycheck.

The Great War and the isolation of the Madre resulted in the vending machines becoming the only known surviving examples of the underlying technology. They remained in the ruins of the Sierra Madre. Around 2281, they attracted the attention of a rogue elder of the Brotherhood of Steel, Elijah. As potentially unlimited sources of "food, supplies, medical assistance, ammo... even currency," Elijah saw that the Sierra Madre "can kill nations and build them" if its Cloud, holograms and vending machines were applied in the correct manner. While the Cloud wipes the slate clean, collars ensure cooperation, holograms provide defense and the vending machines provide everything else.

Principle of operation
At the heart of the machine is a revolutionary pre-War technology that never achieved much commercial success outside the occasional World Fair or the Sierra Madre: The vending machine is a self-contained matter transformation device. It can recreate any item (limited by the templates stored in its memory; emergency codes could be used to unlock additional templates, for medical supplies and other restricted items)   by using Sierra Madre chips and the alloy they are made from as a battery and source of raw material for the created goods. It can also take certain items and transform them back into Sierra Madre chips. Selection is made through a holographic interface that displays the item being purchased.

As the chips are not some form of nanotech feedstock, but simple alloys of common and fissionable elements (which can be easily manufactured out of common junk, see Coin Operator), the machines use nuclear fission/fusion to process this material not only into tools, but edible food and even prescription chems. The machines demonstrate that civilization was on the cusp of unimaginable prosperity when the bombs fell; a truly great height from which to fall.

Characteristics
Sierra Madre vending machines initially only offer food, cigarettes, doctor's bags and redeem cigarettes for chips. However, scattered throughout the Sierra Madre are holotapes that enable the vending machines to dispense additional items in quantities only limited by the Courier's supply of chips.

Locations

 * Villa - East of Elijah's fountain.
 * Villa - West of Father Elijah's fountain.
 * Villa - Southwest of the entrance to Salida del Sol south.
 * Salida del Sol south - South end of the area.
 * Residential District - Turn right (or west) upon entering.
 * Residential District - Go up the staircase in front (or south), climb down the stairs on the other side, and climb another staircase adjacent to it. Walk around the wooden balcony overlooking the cloudy area. The vending machine is left (or east) of the staircase on the other side of the building.
 * Puesta del Sol north - Turn right (or head north) immediately after entering from Villa.
 * Puesta del Sol south - Entering from the eastern entrance (near ruined store), go southwest and turn north after the arch. Or, entering from the western entrance (near the ruined cafe), head south, and turn east after the arch.
 * Sierra Madre lobby - East of the entrance, on the second floor.
 * Sierra Madre Casino & Resort - Entering from the double door entrance of the Sierra Madre lobby, walk around the stairs.
 * The Tampico - North of the inaccessible double doors.
 * Sierra Madre executive suites - Two at either end of the hall outside Vera's room.
 * In the abandoned Brotherhood of Steel bunker, in Father Elijah's room.
 * Sierra Madre vault - To left of the table with the gold bars and pre-War money.

Appearances
The Sierra Madre vending machine appears only in the Fallout: New Vegas add-on Dead Money.

Behind the scenes
The Old World Blues add-on includes an unused, unscripted, partially implemented version of the Sierra Madre vending machine, likely meant to be placed around the Y-0 research center. Called the "Holo-Vending Machine," the object uses the same shape as the vending machines which appear in Dead Money. Though both the mesh (shape) and textures are included for the object, the mesh file references textures as though they are in the "nvdlc01" folder used by Dead Money, rather than the "nvdlc03" folder used by Old World Blues, making it appear incorrectly if viewed without the Dead Money add-on loaded.

Bugs

 * The "Return Outfit Item" vending machine code includes an option to return fedoras for chips. The fedora is a "non-playable" article of clothing, meaning it cannot normally be obtained, and furthermore does not appear anywhere within Dead Money.
 * Returning any pre-War outfit while wearing it will give a permanent Agility bonus. The bonus can be stacked far beyond 10 Agility and though it stops increasing related skills and AP, weapon draw/holster and reload speed will continue to increase. While running some guns may glitch during the holster animation due to the speed of the animation causing the gun to glitch inside the player character, usually leaving the gun sticking out of the Courier's shoulder. The gun will return to normal if drawing and then holstering again while staying still, or if reequipping the weapon.
 * Even though the glitch will increase Agility past 10, the base Agility stat will remain the same in the Pip-Boy due to clothes acting as a temporary increase to SPECIAL, not a permanent increase like an implant.
 * Equipping and unequipping a copy of each returned outfit will remove the stacked agility bonus respective to each outfit return code; e.g. If you have a +4 Agility boost from returning a parkstroller outfit and pre-War casualwear, if you equip and unequip a copy of the pre-War casualwear it will remove the +2 agility provided by that particular outfit, but leave the +2 provided by the parkstroller outfit.