Boulder design document

The Boulder design document for the Van Buren project (Black Isle's canceled Fallout 3) was leaked to No Mutants Allowed. The last person to modify the file was Sean K. Reynolds. It is a complete description of all places, characters and quests in the location "Boulder."

=Transcript=


 * Chad would like scripting specific text in these documents to be in a different font (lucida sans Unicode - like in FR6). This wouldn't be for descriptive text, but for very specific actions that scripts must do. For example, "When the player examines the pile of junk, SetGlobal( "abc", 1 )." It helps to set the text apart. If you'd prefer a different text or highlight color, that's fine too. Just something that says, "this is technical shiz."

Overview
Boulder Dome is a scientific research facility designed to withstand a nuclear attack. All around it is the blasted remains of the city of Boulder, poisoned by radiation and toxic waste. Inside the dome is a desperate team of scientists infected with a strange disease and trying to keep their ZAX unit from cannibalizing it memory to such an extent that it stops working. Beset by glowing ghouls and a large pack of cannibal primitives, the dome faces extinction.

History
Boulder was long a place where advanced scientific research took place. The University of Colorado, IBM, and Ball Aerospace were located here. Supported by money from Denver's industry and an active military presence, Boulder scientists made advances in medicine (bio-med gel was invented here), alternate energy sources, robotics, and even developed a power armor prototype. Unfortunately, leakage from the Rocky Mountain Arsenal (a nearby toxic waste dump/weapons storage location) caused a poisonous cloud that killed a lot of people in Denver. As an apology, the military funded a program to create a self-sustaining research dome, capable of withstanding a nuclear attack. This "city of the future" was to be a prototype for settlements on the moon and other planets.

Then the war with China began. The USA annexed Canada. Boulder became a hotbed of political activity, as most of the scientists were naturally suspect of the military, and they, their families, and friends staged public protests about the situation, which got much of the city population up in arms. Some of the protests turned into riots, and the riot police were called in to suppress the riots. That squelched it but left everyone at a low simmer. When reports of plague outbreaks in Denver surfaced, many in Boulder feared that an exodus from that city would come here and infect them; they fled north. When the bombs fell, Cheyenne Mountain (a military facility, home of NORAD) was a primary target. A huge section of the mountains became a great radioactive smoking crater. Coupled with attacks on Denver and the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Boulder became the center of a triangle of hellish death.

Fast forward 170 years. An NCR scientist named Goddard and his military escort travels through the region, establishing power generators and noting the locations of old-world power facilities. His report to NCR is noticed by Presper, who sends him out again to investigate certain areas in the old America's southwest. After Goddard returns, Presper and a small team of soldiers investigate Boulder dome, finding it in need of repair but containing excellent labs and a fully-functioning ZAX unit. Over the next few years Presper invites or sends scientists and students to the Boulder Dome, where he explains his idea to remake civilization. Those who refuse are put in cold sleep, using technology the original Dome scientists developed to aid space travel. Presper knows he can use the CODE (Challenge, Opportunity, Discipline, Ethics) technology developed there to convince them to help him when the time is right.

Four years ago, when things start to fall apart out in NCR, Presper sent out his last team of scientists and grad students. Agnes, a fellow NCR scientist and frequent diplomat from the scientific community to the government, is the leader of the expedition. Using her skills and a "diplomatic immunity" pass she carried, she makes her way to Hoover Dam. Two days later, the NCR Congress building is destroyed, presumably in a conflict with the BOS.

The destruction of the congressional building is a severe upset to NCR and travel becomes difficult. Only by circuitous routes and careful display of her pass is Agnes' expedition able to reach Hoover Dam a year later. She runs into Goddard, a former colleague (they were both scientific advisors to NCR at one point). Goddard knows Eddie Galenski, a long-haul trucker with an armored vehicle, and together the large group makes its way to Boulder Dome. The group includes Agnes and the grad students, Goddard and his military escort, Galenski, his wife Helen, and their children. Though they lose a few students along the way, they eventually reach Boulder Dome and enter using the passcodes Presper gave them. In a strange accident the scientists and grad students are infected with a form of the New Plague and are forced to quarantine themselves from Goddard's soldiers and the trucker family; after two months trying to fight the disease, the scientists realize that they're stuck with it for now and have to live in protective suits whenever they want to interact with the rest of the Dome population.

As of two years ago, things had stabilized. Everyone had a routine, mainly around constantly repairing problems with the dome (mainly from wear and neglect). There's enough to do that it keeps everyone from going crazy. The scientists worry that the soldiers and truckers might leave them, and if that happens, they're probably doomed. One of the grad students (Paul) discovers the Sleepers in a deep level of the facility – the scientists Presper sent here and put to sleep to help with his new world order. Xian starts her "hikes" and discovers ZAX.

A year ago, the first glowing ghoul showed up on the north end of town, collapses, and dies. The scientists mark the body with radioactive warnings, debate how to dispose of it (like dumping cement on it). Paul finds that ZAX is almost out of storage space at the rate he's going. With no storage space, ZAX won't be able to run the dome and will start doing damage. They need to get other storage media to hold info. (Holodisks/holotapes/holodisk tapes, all the same thing). If no solution, ZAX will have to start cannibalizing his own memory storage, eating Boulder research as he does so.

They start hearing some broadcasts from Denver, but don't answer because they fear being attacked (esp. from diseased people).

8 months before the PC arrives: Two glowing ghouls show up within a three-day period. The soldiers start getting paranoid, thinking they're in ghoul territory. Sgt Larsen, going stir-crazy, wants to take some Rad-Away, find the ghoul colony, and kill them all. Goddard says no, but Agnes suggests he consider it to let them "let off some steam."

6 months ago: Galenski is told they need storage (by now they basically need a "datacan", though holodisks will help stave it off). He makes a run west to find some but fails. While out he runs into a pack of Jackals, kills all but one, and heads home. The lone Jackal runs to his tribe and tells them about the truck, the man, and where he went. The Jackals stop fighting among their own tribes and move out in search of this new food source. Jimmy T the super mutant (found later at Denver) is with them.

Another glowbug shows up. Larsen's team is given RadAway and start doing patrols. Agnes says taking RadAway for too long is dangerous. Larsen realizes that means they won't be giving it to them any more, so he starts exaggerating how many ghouls they find so they can justify getting more RadAway to deal with them.

Jimmy T leaves the Jackals because he knows the Daughter of Hecate probably doesn't want him around and he doesn't want to be a sacrifice.

5 months ago: Jimmy T asks Helen and Galenski and asks them to ship him south. The soldiers say no, but Helen and Galenski allow it because Jimmy once healed one of their kids when he was sick.

Wagner (the ghoul from Denver) shows up in Boulder, scouting around the outskirts, but is driven off by shots from the soldiers who assume he's a glowbug. Wagner realizes things are hostile toward ghouls here. He scouts further south (and checks out Rocky Mountain Arsenal on the way to Boulder).

A few more Jackals start showing up.

4 months ago: Galenski makes a run to Denver in response to the radio transmissions. Surprised, he finds the salvagers have a lot of good stuff. He trades them ammo, minor tools, and medical supplies in exchange for dog meat, computer chips, and holodisks. On the way back he faces some Jackals but fails to kill any of them.

Problems continue between the scientists and the soldiers. Larsen and his men succumb to addiction and their addiction is apparent.

3 months ago: Jackals organize in strength in this region. Though they originally try attacking the dome, they quickly realize the truck is an easier target.

2 months ago: Problems with the soldiers get worse. Patrols become erratic. Larsen becomes paranoid. When another ghoul wanders in, the scientists accuse the soldiers of not doing enough, or anything at all. Larsen pulls a gun on a scientist and tells them to surrender their med supplies for "one last patrol." Goddard aggress, and secretly decides to close them outside to starve and die. He only tells Agnes about this "exile" ... the others just think they haven't returned.

1 month ago: The soldiers return to find the dome sealed up. At first they think it's a mistake, then they realize it's not. They pull out of Boulder to avoid the Jackals, and end up in a guerrilla state in the nearby mountains, looking for tunnels into the Dome. After two weeks the soldiers are starving. One of them freaks out, and Larsen shoots him, then offers the body to the Jackals. The soldiers and the tribes became allies, both wanting to get into the dome. Soon after, the soldiers use the last of their RadAway, and by the time the PC shows up they're in their 7th day of withdrawal.

5 days ago: Presper and his men arrive, shoot some jackals, hide in the truck, slip into the Quarantine Center, and sieze Helen, Galenski, and the kids. There's a big fight with Pierce and Helen, as they recognize each other (they used to be lovers, and he's the father of at least one of her kids).

4 days ago: Presper realizes his datacan is of the wrong type, or can't be used to save ZAX without destroying all the data on it, which he's not ready to do yet. He starts to run some other calculations and waits around for those to finish. It's during this time (in Part 1) that the PC would arrive; if the PC doesn't arrive until Part 2, Presper & Co. are gone and things are sorta back to normal, at least normal for here.

When the inner dome got shut down, Xian was trapped outside. The scientists are pissed because they don't know how to get her back in. When the PCs meet her, she's almost out of oxygen but she won't open her suit. Why? Because she doesn't want to contaminate the PC.

Coleridge agreed to come here (1) because Presper told him it was a safehouse just in case NCR & BOS went to war, and (2) he needed the satellite if he wanted to wage war on NCR.

The NCR guys spotted Galenski's truck, used it as a Trojan Horse, used it to enter the quarantine center and capture Galenski. Helen thought they were going to kill Galenski so she pretended to throw in with them. Once inside they took control of the outer perimeter, and Presper was able to talk everyone into a conference via video monitor. Presper finds out that some scientists didn't make it to Boulder and realizes he's short on the number of people he needs.

Goddard is keeping stuff secret from Presper: the research, the presence of Larsen outside. He knows Presper wants the PCs dead He doesn't trust Presper and suspects that Coleridge may have been responsible for the attack on NCR congress.

In the Near Future
If it's part 1 and you're wandering around, ZAX is also trying to shield himself/you from ODYSSEUS' signals to direct the robobrain to attack you. He's also trying to stop ODYSSEUS from getting access to the control center of Denver. If the robobrains are activated, many try to do their old programs from before the war, but many are rewritten to combat mode. If they capture you, they try to extract your brain. They may already be trying it on the scientists they capture. If the attack occurs, Presper and his guys make their escape. If they escape on their own timeline.

ZAX finishes the calculation that Presper needed, reports to Presper, who deletes it, then makes his exit. A hacker can track down some of what he was looking for and maybe the coordinates of where he's going (a pointer toward Bloomfield). When Coleridge leaves, he points out that for about 24 hours after they leave, the Jackals will be distracted by the NCR train leaving, which might make it easier for the PC to leave. When Presper leaves, he makes sure to take as many stimpacks as he can, plus food and nutrient paste.

48 hours after Presper leaves, his reprogrammed robobrains attack the PCs and Goddard (because Presper considers Goddard responsible for

Random quests:


 * - We need X holodisks.
 * - We need X mechanics (use NPC drafting as part of the random fetch quests)
 * - We need X electricians (use NPC drafting as part of the random fetch quests)
 * - We need X PIPBoys.
 * - We need X pieces of junk.
 * - We need information from Y terminals.
 * - We need X computer parts.
 * - We need soil and seed samples.
 * - We need X chemicals.
 * - We need X schematics.
 * - We need X fusion cells.
 * - We need X energy cells.
 * - We need X doors fixed.
 * - We need X terminals fixed.
 * - Repair/Upgrade X terminals.
 * - Destroy X terminals.
 * - We need you to scout out X small buildings in Boulder, take soil readings.
 * - We need samples of X glowing ghouls.
 * - We need soil samples of every sector north of Boulder to determine extent of contamination.
 * - Set up perimeter cameras to replace the ones that the soldiers smashed.

Truck in Denver
The stuff below is information on the truck when it arrives in Denver.

The truck's exterior is covered with bullet holes - (Small Arms check) 10mm shells, .223 ammo shells, crossbow bolts (Alkaya[sic] may find it). It looks like she had a hell of a time getting here.

Mechanics: Ben: The vehicles, designed and tested at Sandia labs, are mobile vaults. They are built to withstand head-on collisions at 60 miles per hour without their cargoes so much as shifting, and to endure an 1,850 degree fire for half an hour (the equivalent of a crash with a gasoline tanker) without raising the temperature inside. Their metal linings are designed to resist drills, blow torches, and explosive charges.

Purpose of this Area
Army of the sleepers. Presper's scientists he wants to preserve for his new world order.

ZAX: Here to answer questions, show initially that ODYSSEUS' purpose is not just a prison and not entirely benign.

Information on CODE: Explains how CODE works so you understand it better in other parts of the game where it is used.

Location of several PipBoy games.

Knowledge that the Nursery will be safe from the nuclear attack, in theory because of Presper's desire to use it but in actuality because Diana won't let the satellite's be launched at it.

Playground for ScienceBoy characters.

Brain-extractor tech info for the robobrains.

NCR soldiers are here and they're not nice; hints at their role in the endgame.

Jackals, and show how degenerate they have become, like many wastelanders

Danger from the glowing ghouls coming in from the north

Hints on the US space program

Nutrient paste and how it keeps plague victims alive and their symptoms dormant. Keeps the PC from infecting new areas if it's taken at regular intervals.

Timeline once the PCs arrive
Get in

If in Part 1
 * Find Presper and the NCR guys here
 * Have a bit of a firefight, maybe, if they refuse to come in and help repair stuff
 * Repair some stuff on Presper's orders. He's running stuff from the main Robotics lab.
 * Presper leaves
 * 48 hours later, Presper's reprogrammed robobrains attack the PC and Goddard

If in Part 2
 * Scientists explain their situation
 * PC can try to save ZAX, or not.
 * PC can learn things or go to town using the labs

Monsters In This Area
Glowing ghouls (glowbugs)

Robobrains

NCR soldiers (Presper's team)

NCR soldiers (Larsen's team)

Jackals

1: Boulder Dome Level 1: A huge cement/concrete geodesic dome submerged mostly in the ground. Within it is a scientific research facility. Exterior will be handled by 3 metatiles representing the entrances to the dome (the entire surface of the dome is probably never displayed in-game, or at least I'm setting it up that way). Interiors are standard tiled maps.

2: Boulder Dome Level 2: More of the dome interior. Research and living quarters.

3: Boulder Dome Level 3: More of the dome interior. Research and living quarters. This may be consolidated into Boulder Dome Lev 2 if space permits.

4: Train Station: A wrecked train station with an intact line of tracks leading to the south. There may or may not be a one-car military train here (it'll have to be a dynamic object).

5: Jackals Camp: An open plain with pits dug in the ground where the Jackals live. These guys live like animals.

6: Baggers Camp: A typical military campsite on an open field, though the military guys that made it are deserters, drug addicts, and guys with radiation sickness, so things are kinda haphazard.

7: Secret Tunnel Entrance: A secret, non-quarantined tunnel access point into the tunnels under boulder. Basically a heavy manhole in the ground in the middle of a blasted open field.

8: Dead Ghoul Graveyard: An open plain that has a number of dead glowing ghoul bodies on it.

9: Dome Tunnels: A series of hot, muggy tunnels deep under the dome, patrolled by robobrains. Connects to some secret labs and eventually the ZAX mainframe.

10: ZAX Mainframe: Rows and rows of computer memory banks, deep underground, with the ZAX mainframe computer at the center.

Locations
The Locations section of the document will probably be a series of entries, each one describing each location within the area. Designers will determine what format and procedure works best for them. Each location section should probably cover the following information, however:

Remember that most of Boulder is irradiated and subject to toxic clouds and acid rain.

Within the dome there are health & hygiene posters everywhere.


 * The physical aspects of the locations, so artists can get a feel for the area's art requirements.
 * The feel and tone of the area for audio. Include any description you think would help them get a better handle on the area. Emote if necessary. Do interpretative dance. I don't fucking care, but don't omit important details.
 * The area's purpose.
 * The major characters you expect to be found in the location.
 * Any adversaries you expect to be encountered in the location.
 * A brief description of quests likely to be found in the area.
 * For now, assume that we will not be having separate building interior maps, and that we will have pop-off roofs like in Fallout 1 and 2.
 * Brief note on any optional or associated locations you think might be cool for an expansion pack.



Boulder Train Station
The NCR train is here in part 1, but not in part 2 (you can find it moved down an unused spur in the south with a good Luck roll), or maybe they drove it back here after dropping everyone off as close to Bloomfield as they could.

Jackals are all over the place, trying to figure out what the train is and what it means. If the PC pulls up in their own train and the Jackals are present, they'll attack.

Presper's train, the General, is here in part 1, rigged with explosives. It also has a radio detonator on it. This is a hard thing to open, possibly more of a part 2 sort of thing.

There's a terminal with the schematic for the Quarantine Center still on display, plus some hacker code left on file to hack into the QC. It's actually a fake code-virus left by Presper to mess with the PC's PipBoy.

There's a trail leading west to the Quarantine Center.

Several blood pools and trails as if creatures were killed with one shot and then dragged to another area (where there's just bones). It was Pierce's guys killing the Jackals, who ate their dead.

Jackal Camp
Short-hair is an insult for these guys. They have long hair and grow long beards.

They live in holes dug in the ground or in old world basements. Males are the leaders, determined by Strength and fighting ability.

They've been moving east because of pressure from the unified tribes.

If you sneak in to talk to Crazy Bitch, you may be able to convince her to get them to leave.

Crazy Bitch "explained" to the Jackals that eating the flesh is the source of their fertility, and those that eat more are more likely to give birth more, and those who are less fertile must have eaten a person with a bad spirit.

Culture info can be learned by talking to the Jackals, Jimmy T, or Crazy Bitch.

Someone in fatigues won't be attacked on sight because they'll be mistaken for an ally of Larsen.

Years ago in the west they found and attacked Jimmy T, but he beat the crap out of them (and ate them). Then he healed one who tried to attack him later, and that one went back to the others and told them he had magic in his hands, so after that they welcomed him when he came around, and even shared food (since in a way he carried some of the tribe's strength with him). Then Crazy Bitch showed up and started talking her own medicine and talking smack about Jimmy, who left. Then Galenski's truck showed up....

Someone with a super mutant won't be attacked on sight because of Jimmy T.

They represent the Civ vs Anarchy theme.

Jackals Quote: "Gabble cackle! Eat, eat! Man, man! Good to eat! Cackle Gabble! Eat, eat!" (Quote from the book Rediscovery of Man).

They used to have dogs, but ate them when they got hungry. They'd prefer humans (humans give them the most strength). They prefer to attack outsiders, then other Jackal tribes, then members of their own tribe (weakest first).

The tribe leader eats first, and the others get the rest when he's done.

If a male is killed, his wife and kids are given to another male in the tribe, or (if he or they are disliked) eaten.

They like hit-and-run tactics, often firing once for the legs to slow down prey.

They like using sledgehammers in fights, clubbing foes like stlaughterhouse cattle.

They don't like ghouls (they think they're the risen dead) and will drive them away with ranged weapons.

Jackals will have no respect for bald characters.

The Jackals want to eat the people in Boulder, including the Sleepers, which would feed them for months.

The Jackals know other tribes despise and fear them.

They number about 100.

Crazy Bitch doesn't want the Jackals to go into Boulder because it holds the poison of the old world, and she was pissed when Larsen made peace with the tribe without her permission.

Script: If you're in the Jackal camp, the Jackal kids follow you around, sniffing at your heels. If you move toward them, they run away.

In combat, they run away if 25% of their number is killed, grabbing bodies before they go.

Dead Ghoul Graveyard
The north end of town where the glowbugs tend to show up. There are several dead glowing ghouls here, all shot with bullets. One of them looks somewhat eaten. Some are in rags, some are jackals, one is an NCR soldier. They have gear, but it's radioactive. All are full of bullet holes. There's a quest to bury them in cement or move them elsewhere so they won't contaminate stuff.

Boulder Dome Level 1/2
Presper jokes and calls the Jackals "humanitarians"

It's about five city blocks in diameter. Several apparent entrances, only three work. Science option: Quarantine Center or use radio. Stealth: hide in truck or via the Water Pump. Combat: fight through the garage. Speech: negotiate with Larsen's men or Helen.

Level 1


1. East Truck Garage Entrance: This is what Galenski uses to get his truck in and out. Currently occupied by a bunch of Jackals (3 packs of 12). The Jackals have tried to block the engine with cars but the truck is big enough to bust through should it be going fast enough. A few junked cars are inside.

Normally they'd use the radioradio, but it was broken in the last Jackal attack. Using another means the door opens in 5 minutes. Honking the horn means it takes 15 minutes. Helen can tell you this. Door takes 2 rounds to open or close, and Jackals try to get inside while it's doing so. This leads to the antechamber, which cleans you with water and disinfectant before opening the inner door (only once the outer door is closed). Once through the antechamber, you're in a bigger room with three exits and a catwalk; it's a trap by Pierce and the other NCR guys. They just want you to surrender.

2. Galenski Family Quarters. Where Helen, Eddie, and their six kids live.

3 Lobby Entrance: Lobby: exit door with guard desk, poster that says "security is everyone's business", and a wall rack with some supplies (canteen, hypodermics from RadAway, flare, empty needler cartridges). All other cabinets here have been torn open, especially ones marked with medical symbols. The exit door leads to a tunnel that leads into the dome.

4. Baggers Quarters. The quarters of the now-locked-out RadAway-addicted soldiers.

5. Storage. Some medical supplies, some other misc tradeable stuff the scientists have set aside for Eddie to barter with.

6. Main Bathroom

7. West (Damaged) Truck Garage Entrance: Sealed closed because the dome is still in hibernation mode.

8. Cafeteria/Kitchen. Mainly a dispensary for the nutrient paste, as they don't really have any other foods.

9. Quarantine Center Entrance: This is how Presper got in, using passcodes he hacked. The grad students got in using the passcodes Presper gave them. If you go in through here you'll have to leave the truck behind, which Helen doesn't want to do. Plus, Larsen and the others may be hanging around here trying to get in, too.

The Jackals have a scout nearby, who'll run to warn his fellows if the PCs approach. Built like a hospital, but severely junked. There's a speaker console here that has been wrecked recently (by Larsen's group). If repaired and a radio is used on it, you can make a computers roll to hack in and open the door. Inside is a tunnel with vents. Once you're in it seals and sprays you with disinfectant. Ghouls or super mutants in the group mean the opposite door doesn't open unless you hack it, otherwise you're allowed in.

10. NCR Quarters. This is where Presper and his soldiers stay in part 1 when they've taken over the place.

11. Hydropontics Garden. Just a cement basin right now since they've had problems growing things. The PC can actually grow stuff here with the right combination of Science and Outdoorsman.

Water Pump Shack: This building has dials and pipes. There's a clog, but the gauges are broken so you can't tell (you can repair it). You can then use a tool to seal off water flow in one big pipe to allow you to go in through one of the two hatches. Going down is a one-way trip unless you use a rope.

Following the pipe takes you to a big water tank that's almost completely full. You can bust through a weak part of the tank wall or try to open a hatch.

Interior: Many places with indestructible glass/plastic walls so you can see stuff in other areas but not get to it. Clean and disinfected, like a hospital. Air is stale and warm. Very brightly lit (difficulty sneaking).

Many strange machines everywhere, some of them incomprehensible.

They still hold classes on repairing things so they can all do Boulder upkeep.

Air filtration system is broken, which is why the geeks are in suits. Zax may have flooded the air with something to keep them away?

Decontamination chamber to level 2 so the geeks can enter their living quarters and not have to be in the suits 24/7.

Still has vending machines that vend gum and cola.

Crackling 50's music is always on, and the noise of fans

Presper's group has taken most of the useful medicine, leaving weird stuff.

Medical log: notes on the Blue Flu, research on FEV, and how the super-mutants will probably survive it.

Event: Xian is rescued but they put her into decontamination along with the PCs because they don't know if she's been infected with something else. However, the scientists don't explain this to the PC, they just take her away and push the PC into a decontamination chamber. They keep their own infection a secret for a while, if possible.

Level 2


1 Goddard's office

2 Agnes' office.

3 Residences

4 Main Bathroom

5 Physical Fitness Equipment.

6 Weapon Research Lab. It's connected to the Armor Research Lab by a common Mechanics Lab. The room to the south is a testing chamber.

7 Armor Research Lab. It's connected to the Weapons Research Lab by a common Mechanics Lab. The room to the south is a testing chamber.

8 Plague Research Lab. A generic science lab, used originally by the founders for plague research and now by the current scientists for the same thing. Contains a Science Lab.

'''9 Robobrain Operating Room. You''' can do the robobrain extraction procedure here if you want to, or use the operating table as part of the Medic skill. Connected to the CODE research room (so you can immediately condition the brains you extract.

10 CODE Research room. A series of wall-beds with monitors.

11 Sleeper Research. Some machinery, including two working Sleeper tanks. One contains Nina, one of the grad students sent here by Presper.

Robo-Brains: "We couldn't possibly fit a thousand people into the Vaults. But you could fit a thousand brains."

Robo-Brains: Where do you think those human brains for the robo-brains come from?

3-6 research chambers (you need codes to open them): see 27_Boulder_Labs document for info.


 * power armor research


 * particle beam research (see 0403_Boulder_Tunnels doc for info to summarize but not actually be able to replicate in-game). Had a link to the main Boulder power centers, but with that all destroyed there's not enough power to actually test-fire the thing (the dome generator isn't enough without killing ZAX, and there are several failsafes in place to prevent it). Works by steering a beam of accelerated atomic particles at a target, transferring their energy to the target atoms, which break apart in a strong boiling explosion. Beam is focused by magnetic field, has some spray/cone effect because you can't overcompensate with the field. This is radiation. There's a dead robobrain in this room, apparently used at one time to help with experiments. It can't be repaired and its brain is dead. This area might be quarantined and sealed off because of radiation leakage.


 * robobrain research/machine intelligence research. They found that machines could teach machines better than humans could. Robobrains were going to be the next wave in warfare but their costs made it slow to implement. There's a disposal unit and a series of storage tanks for bio-med gel in the surgery room.


 * sleeper technology: planned for space exploration


 * CODE tech (Challenge, Opportunity, Discipline, Ethics, cointed by the military). Initially developed for coma and seizure patients, adapted to "aligning" robobrains-to-be and programming them afterward, making them more likely to link properly with the CPU. Also researched was a way to treat PTSD, flash-learning, and Chinese brainwashing. The PipBoy has a related tech interface, consisting of fast-stream data at close range to the eye transmitted from a module (such as the PipBoy Speech Module). When used on normal (non-robobrained) subjects it can cause problems in long-term use (hallucinations, seizures, memory lapses)


 * Plague-combatting research particularly about the New Plague. Many serums and antibiotics were developed but they only seemed to generate a temporary reprieve, as it came back in different forms that affected survivors of the previous outbreak. Much propaganda was created about hygiene and inoculations, and that helped slow its progress. Outbreaks occurred in 2053-55, 2062-63, and again in 2077. Can go dormant in the cells, only to break out later, making seemingly "cured" people into carriers. Original versions didn't seem to cause sterility.

Well room (contaminated and sealed)

Dome Scientist Routine:

Waking Up.

Checking the Power Conduits to the Food Supply, Testing the Mix

Check for emergencies and task list.

Do a health check, blood samples, complete physical, log it into computer to study the disease.

Check the safety seals in their area.

Check the suits.

Climbing into the suits.

Checking each other's suits.

Check the PIPBoys, log the routine.

Doing a Perimeter Walk on Levels 1-3

Check on Bedhead, get a log of his activity.

Check on ZAX, get a report.

Check the fusion plant.

Check the perimeter for leaks or possible break-ins.

Try to spend an hour learning something about the Dome and the curriculum.

Boulder Dome Level Tunnels


You'll definitely be locked out of this area until Part 2. Toxic, radioactive. Need the suits to survive. A combination of storm drains and steam tunnels, very claustrophobic. Hot and humid. Sounds of water running and dripping everywhere. Some places have exposed wires and pipes; attacking them activates robobrain patrols to find and kill you.

Contains:

1 Water Storage. A series of tanks. One of the tanks can be broken into and used as a tunnel to the secret entrance...

2 Don't know yet

3 Robobrain rechargers. They're here to guard the elevator access to ZAX level.

4 Don't know yet. Maybe storage

5 Sleeper Chambers. Rows and rows of sleeper tanks. Only one of these rooms is actually accessible to the PC, the others are just teasers. Sleeper chambers: room full of hatches in the walls, a sleeper in each. You're locked out by Presper's hacking, you have to beat it. You can also break open the door. Forcing the door attracts a robobrain squad. The sleepers are NCR scientists are nubile women Presper has selected to be part of his ruling elite/breeding elite. Presper has security programs keeping you from waking any of his sleepers, though someone with good skills can override it. Even if you get past the programs, you need an obscene level of Medicine to wake them without killing them. Each is numbered, with a console monitoring life signs. There's also an occasional CODE flash to correct irregularities in brain activity and give it proper stimulation so it doesn't atrophy.

Presper: ''"They're actually prototypes of some of the military medical cryogenic tanks that were in use before the war, though I think their malfunction rate was high... very high." [ cite the sickness that Pvt. Dobbs was afflicted with when he jumped out of the tank during Fallout 1. ] "What's the point of thawing out the troops when it just kills them anyway?"''

6 Another Sleeper Chamber

7 Think Tank. Brains in the aquarium. These were the early people who were tested with CODE. Many went mad and were put into robobrains, conditioned regularly. Others were important people who were seriously injured, or they suffered post-cryonic disease but managed to salvage their brains. They still have consciousness, though they've been CODEd into sleep. You can connect them to ZAX to let him finish the problem but that means you're killing about 25 people's brains that still think like humans. They want to "taste" things in their aquarium, like Nuka-Cola, Mentats, etc. Presper plans to download ZAX's data (when/if ZAX fails) into the brains.

8 Reactor Access. Here's where you can fiddle with the main reactor for the dome, and even fix it if you're skilled enough.

9 Purification Center. Handles water, air, and temperature. Damaged. Flooded with toxic gas (used to treat the water and then filtered out, but these rooms are all toxic. Filtration chamber has broken open and toxins from the water system are building up. Three separate subchambers, all filled with poison gas, all three need to be repaired. If you're good at mechanics/computers you can route the poisons from room to room so one room is mostly clean to work in.

Tri-Hydrox-Dioxide [Biohazard] 

It's the sulfur-like smell that tipped you off, but you have a horrible feeling the gas is something called "Hydrox-Dioxide," a hazardous substance you've read about in the computer library in your vault.

Hydrox-Dioxide was used by several pre-War companies in treating animal wastes and was outlawed by the EPA in 2066. The chemical was used in recycling certain nutrients and extracting moisture from raw sewage, but it required careful storage measures and was both toxic and flammable. If inhaled, it can cause extreme nausea, and if you have the misfortune of being exposed to a large dose, it can be lethal.

If you're smelling it now, you know it's only a matter of time before you all keel over - the best protection is to get some covering over your face and get out of the contaminated area as quickly as possible.

10 Morgue: many dead bodies with brains extracted, dating to pre-war times. Some are in better shape than others.

Boulder Dome Level ZAX


Robobrains patrol these halls for intruders. Robobrains will also step in to stop you from reaching ZAX's databanks and such if you are carrying radioactive equipment.

A Elevator

B ZAX AI. Here's where you go if you want to have a personal conversation with ZAX.

C Emergency Generator. Nonfunctioning. Needs to be repair to do any major work on ZAX or the reactor.

D-R Mainframe Databanks. long blocks of databanks, most of which are dark, only a few left. There's rattling noises from the vents. Then a room of long blocks of tape reel machines. Kinda maze-like, guarded by robobrains. Has some recharging bays. Zax's inner core is where its machine intelligence is stored; he welcomes you as you approach. He may ask the PC to activate and deactivate some of its databanks and tape reels, or change how some are connected.

Bonus/Secret Tunnel Entrance
Leads you to where Xian is, almost dead due to lack of oxygen.

Bonus/Baggers Camp
A camp used by Larsen's crew.

Drama
It's a race against time: ZAX is dying, and if you don't save him, a ton of knowledge will be lost.

Threat of the Plague: Do you stay and try to help the scientists with their disease, knowing (or not) that you are infected as well? Do you destroy the dome so the scientists' contagion cannot escape?

Presper: Here's where you meet him for the first time. That bastard is up to something. And it turns out those NCR guys who freed you from Tibbits Prison weren't the good guys after all....

ZAX vs. ODYSSEUS: While ZAX is fighting ODYSSEUS, ODYSSEUS can neither control the robots here in Boulder or take over the factory (Box) in Denver. So keeping ZAX alive is in your best interest.

Problems With Addiction: Larsen's addicted, and it's not really his fault—he had to take RadAway to keep the Dome safe, and now he's paying for it. He's still an asshole, but not an entirely unsympathetic one. Do you help the addict, despite that he's used the threat of violence against the scientists? Or do you let him suffer, even though he's in his state because he was following honorable orders? Does his alliance with the cannibals affect this in any way?

Unrequieted Affection: Agnes, Helen, and Xian are NPCs that could fall for the PC in some way. All three are already infected with the New Plague in one form or another. If Agnes or Xian stay out of their suits, they'll die. Helen won't leave without her kids, and dragging the kids everywhere is definitely bad Karma.

Angry Authority: Goddard doesn't want the PC around because it interferes with what they're trying to keep working at the dome. But he knows Presper wants the PCs dead for some reason, so he has a reason to keep them alive (the enemy of my enemy, and all that). It's a question of how long the PC can tolerate his control and condescension, and how long Goddard can put up with his rebelliousness.

Crazed With Hunger: Are the Jackals evil? No, they're doing what they have to do in order to survive. You can't change their minds over the course of the game. Is it OK to kill them just because they're attacking you? Don't these poor bastards—humans, like you—deserve something better?

Other Role-Playing Tests and Epithets
Mad Scientist: If you extract the brain of one of your NPCs and put it into a robobrain, you get this epithet. Perhaps it gives you a bonus to Medicine but a penalty to Persuasion, since you come off as kinda creepy and crazy.

General Attitudes
Scientists: Condescending, very smart. Originally 8-10, but now only 6 since some didn't make it all the way here. Have a rigid existence since they have to work hard to keep the dome from falling apart. But they only know theory, not application, so while they know the problem, they lack the skills to fix it. They hate and fear the soldiers, and pretty much ignore the truckers. They may have told the soldiers that the "infection" has spread from the lower levels in order to keep the soldiers from trying to get in.

Any of the scientists can tell you where Hoover Dam, Burham Springs, and (because they had to avoid it) Blackfoot territory is.

Soldiers aka "Baggers": came out with Goddard. Bored in Denver. Because of the glowing ghouls, got addicted to RadAway. They hate the scientists, ignore the truckers (except Helen, since she's female, but Galenski set them straight on messing with her). They don't like being called deserters, and they'll be violent and insulting to those who claim they deserted. They boil their meals in their helmets and may have been eating radioactive meat. That may be why ZAX may have suggested to Goddard to lock them out ... ZAX's first priority is to the Calculation and to protect the people in the Dome.

Any of the baggers can tell you where Hoover Dam, Burham Springs, and (because they had to avoid it) Blackfoot territory is.

Truckers: Galenski, Helen, and their six kids they picked up. They wait around, help the scientists fix stuff when they can, and used to go to rendezvous points to pick up or drop off the soldiers. They don't care much for the scientists or the soldiers, but living in the dome is better than being outside. Galenski wants to set up trade, and has started to with Denver. The kids are sick and the sci's are wasting time trying to cure them. If the kids were cured, the sci's could work on other things and Galenski & Helen could work more on establishing a trade route.

Eddie or Helen can tell you where Hoover Dam, Burham Springs, and (because they had to avoid it) Blackfoot territory is.

Trucker/Helen (Combat2/Sci1/Dip1)
Level 4, good at Science, Driving, and guns.

Born in New Adytum. Learned about cars (born in a car). Beautiful. Educated by the FOA. Fell in love with Pierce. Former jet addict. Wanted by NCR for hijacking, she was helping Pierce hijack it for drugs. Agreed to be a caravan driver to smuggle the grad students to Boulder. Fell in with Eddie, mainly because of his truck and because he loves her kids. If she sees the PC as a protector, she'll glom onto him.

If she finds a stupid PC, she'll bring them in because her mother trait kicks in.

Script:

Baggers/Larsen (Leader)
Level 8, combat. A bad person in a bad situation. Almost sympathetic. Broken Geiger counter. 10 mm pistol. 7 shells. 1 radaway. Radio. Leather armor (NCR uniform). Frag grenade, hunting rifle. Dog tags. Succumbing to radiation poisoning and radaway addiction ("seeing red," from the addiction). Has 12 men with him, with decent weapons. Had a criminal past (smuggling drugs) and didn't like NCR but joined the military for a paycheck. No family so he's attached to his unit. He used to guide technicians on repair and salvage ops, which he liked. Got transferred to guard duty at the capital, which he didn't like. Arrogant. Hates college kids. Always hated Goddard. Served with Davidson once or twice. IF someone steals his Geiger counter and radaway, he freaks out and starts killing his own men, thinking they did it. He and his men need food and Radaway. He and his guys even tried eating ghouls after taking radaway, it's making them sick and anemic.

Script:

Jackals/Banshee (leader)


Jackal leader. Strong, perceptive, tough. Leather armor, spear, combat knives, spiked knuckles. Melee/unarmed/outdoorsman. Looks more sinewy than bulky. He's going bald and he doesn't know why, maybe he ate something bad. Takes it out on his wife and kids. Killed his previous wife for accidentally burning his hair.

Script:

Jackals/Howler (lieutenant)
Tough, agile. Leather armor, crossbow, machete. Melee/firearms/outdoorsman/sneak. Well-respected for his hunting skills. He's the one who tracked Galenski to this position. Likes to do called shots to the legs to bring opponents down.

This character can be cut if it's too many for this area.

Script:

Jackals/Crazy Bitch (Daughter of Hecate)
Knife, broc flower (2), xander root (2), healing powder, poison, robes. 6's in all stats. Melee/medicine/outdoorsman. Knife specialist (bonus with knives). Immune to poison. Has a bag of unknown unsorted drugs from a raid in another town. In disgrace, Mother Hecate all but ignores her. Looking for a way to redeem herself in Hecate's eyes. The camp whore, letting the men sleep with her and enjoying them fighting over her. Egotistical, rough and crude in dealing with others (prefers to beat them over the head than be subtle). Hates the NCR soldiers. Looks Mexcan.

Script:

Trucker/Eddie Galenski (Combat 5/Sci1/Dip1)
Trucker, part of the escort that brought the grad students here. With Helen, takes care of the kids. Good at melee, unarmed, and guns. Decent at bartering. High Str and End. A big, friendly redneck that can go ballistic in a second. He used to hijack caravans out in NCR; used to be a not-nice guy but has mellowed out. Sterile because of the Blue Flu, but he thinks it's because of his radiation poisoning. Alcoholic. Never got over his first wife. Currently held hostage by Pierce and Presper's soldiers; Pierce is irritated that his own kids (whom he doesn't care about) call Eddie "Dad." Workaholic, but tends to sell stuff too soon when holding onto it would mean more profit later. Hates trains. Grew up an abandoned kid near Junktown. Can do basic math but can't read. Used to work with some caravan hijackers paid to push caravans to either join the Crimson Caravans or fall apart. Has a space suit as part of his gear.

Stuff he's stashed in recent travels (he may have more in caches to the west, but it'll take him time to get stuff from them and he needs the truck for it to work):


 * drugs
 * doctor's bag
 * Gum
 * flares
 * gas masks (3)
 * spent shell casing
 * pulse grenade
 * knives
 * tool kit
 * mechanics book
 * medicine books
 * science books
 * canteens
 * crowbars
 * fire axe
 * first aid kit
 * first aid manual
 * geiger counter
 * leather jacket
 * Nuka-Cola (10)
 * pipes (for pipe rifles)
 * radios (3)
 * broken radios (2)
 * rubber boots (3 sets)
 * Scout Handbook (Outdoorsman)
 * Broken shotgun
 * SEC (expended)
 * multitool
 * flashlight
 * wrench

Script:

Sci/Goddard (Sci8)


Tall, stiff-looking. Bald. Never smiles.

Hates Presper. Didn't trust him before, knew something was up when he showed up with NCR deserters and traitors.

Always deadly serious about everything.

Bitter, cynical, and vengeful ever since they became trapped in their suits. He blames Presper.

Used follicle-stripping salve on his head, normally used to prepare soldiers for surgery or for live-feed CODE helmets. Physics & computers are his skills.

Computer login: Sisyphus.

Loses his temper when people don't do exactly what he tells them to do.

Hasn't told Presper about Larsen and the others outside, hoping that Larsen's group can mess with Presper's guys.

Knows how to make fuel. Knows how to make ROCKET fuel.

"Presper wants you dead, and that is why I'm helping you. As much as I despise him, he has reasons for everything he does, on a factor I can barely understand."

He suspects he's the only healthy person among the scientists, and feels they may be hopelessly contaminated.

"We're suited up to protect you, not us."

On Larsen: "They were going to keep stealing RadAway from us, until there wasn't anymore left, and then we would be trapped here forever. They were nothing more than thieves."

To Presper: "How did you know it was going to happen? You knew because you did it, Presper. Don't lie to me. I heard it from Agnes – you told them to leave NCR before the Hall of Congress was destroyed. Why?"

On Presper: "He showed up... and he knew everything. Every Old World discovery I chanced on, he knew it better. Every novel idea I thought I had was a childish thought to him."

Trained with the FOA. Was a sci advisor to prez Tandi (as was Agnes) for a while but she moved him East to keep him from bothering people and let him study power and establish reactors in the eastern territories. This meant he often traveled with a military escort for safety. When he was ready to retire to a university position he got sent out by Presper to find out more about the power centers in the east. This pissed him off because he wanted to come home and do research. He finally came back to NCR and ran into Agnes again and she needed help getting to Boulder so he used his military guys to help them get there (Presper didn't expect that).

Doesn't like Xian, think's she's not focused on the group enough. Plus she challenges his decisions and she's stubborn.

Paul irritates him with his quirks. He knows the guy is smart but doesn't trust him to do complicated tasks.

James is reliable, and he likes to take advantage that James is a kiss-ass.

Donald: Goddard knows that Donald's strength is efficiency, not innovation, and he tends to take him for granted more than James. He knows that Donald will do what he says, and that's all he really cares about.

Nina: Goddard is unaware of Nina's father figure dependency on him, and now that she's comatose, he's more irritated by her presence than anything else. He almost wishes she would choose to die one way or the other so Agnes can spend more time on other matters - he realizes that he can't say this because of the reaction of the others, but he's definitely thought about it more than once.

Soldiers: Didn't like Larsen because he questioned his orders. Upset that he tried to solve the problem by exiling them and it only made it worse. Frustrated even more that now they don't have the soldiers around to help out.

Truckers: Things they're dumb-heads that are only good for doing grunt work. Doesn't realize that Eddie would be happy to punch his lights out. He thinks the kids are a liability, but Agnes told him to never say that in front of the truckers.

He's the one who wrote the power analysis report for the Gecko reactor. NCR took notice because of that. He just didn't want the valuable reactor to be wasted.

Script:

Sci/Agnes (Sci4)


Squat, round older woman. Short hair, barely graying. Biologist/doctor.

Born a tribal, sent to university by her leader parents since they wanted to join NCR. Attractive. A good manipulator, but only to help people. Hates being trapped in the dome, wants to see the sky again.

Misses her tribe and family, sees the students and truckers as a surrogate.

Dying of a secret sickness, may decide to robobrain herself in order to help keep things working at Boulder.

Still has her diplomatic courier pass, worth it only in places where NCR has power.

Happy to teach biology stuff to the PC or a CNPC, if they can find the time.

Presper told her which students to gather, saying that NCR would arrest them otherwise.

She knew Larsen was having problems when he started to worry about rads inside the dome.

Likes Goddard but doesn't love him. Knows he can't keep this together by himself.

Xian: Likes her but wishes she'd watch her temper with others. They get along well and confide in each other. Tries to smooth things out betweet Goddard and Xian.

Paul: Agnes feels affection for Paul, must like a straying son. She realizes that Paul likes to be alone, and she wishes she could help him make sense of the world he's in. She's worried that Paul may simply not have been made to be one of those people who likes being with other people, and she's worried about his own health and his increasing isolationism. May suspect he's addicted to Mentats.

James: Agnes knows that James has a gun, and she doesn't trust him to do the right thing. She's worried about his "yes-man" nature to Goddard.

Donald: Agnes likes Donald, but she's worried about his subservient nature to Goddard and his sheep-like mentality. In addition, Donald "lectured" Agnes once, and that kind of irritated her. Like Xian, Agnes is worried about the influence that James has on Donald.

Nina: Agnes is worried about Nina's condition, and she's frustrated by her inability to cure her, even with all the technology at Boulder. She was concerned about her school-girl dependency on Goddard before she fell into the coma. Of all the students, Agnes is worried about Nina the most.

Soldiers: Agnes never liked the soldiers, she hated Larsen the moment he first accompanied them (although she will admit that they were needed to get East to fight off the attackers), and she even had the balls to lecture Larsen once about taking medical supplies from the Auto-Docs. She doesn't know whether she thinks locking the soldiers out of Boulder was the right thing to do or not, but she knows that they couldn't have let them keep taking RadAway from their medical stores, or else the scientists would never have been able to escape from the radioactive region.

Helen and Eddie: Agnes recognizes Helen and Eddie as necessities, but she likes both of them, even though she can get frustrated by their demands on occasion. She trusts them more than she does the soldiers.

Kids: Agnes likes their children, and she wishes she could spend more time with them - just like Xian wishes.

Script:

Sci/Xian


Curious, logical. Grew up in San Francisco among the Shi. Moved to NCR as part of an exchange program.

Biology, doctor, outdoorsman. Doesn't smile much. Will be interested in the PC if he's charismatic and/or smart.

She found ZAX on one of her "hikes." She explores the tunnels to find a way out, since she dislikes Goddard so much (she thinks he's a bully).

Sees Agnes as an older sister she can confide in. Talks mostly to Agnes because the other guys are condescending assholes because she's not as good at programming as them and they don't see the use for chemistry in the dome.

Can do Science for the PC. Skilled enough to make bullets and gunpowder.

Paul: Xian has always treated Paul like one of the orphaned younger brothers she used to have. She doesn't think he's smart, he's just a little crazy - and she doesn't understand why he wants to be alone all the time. She's really worried about the fact that James goes down and sits with the Sleeper spheres. She was a little scared because Paul asked her one night if she could put him to sleep, and she told Agnes because she was worried he might do it on his own.

Donald: Thinks he's a doofus, and normally, she wouldn't care, but James' influence on Donald is making her concerned. She knows Donald likes her, but she doesn't even register it - she's pretty much dismissive of it.

James: Doesn't like. Originally thought he was charming, and then she learned what a spoiled asshole he was when she discovered things that he didn't because she wasn't afraid to explore most of the Dome.

Helen: She likes Helen and envies her, especially her children. She's a little hurt that Helen won't let her play with the children, but she understands.

Eddie: She recognizes Eddie is a little foolish, like her father, but they have always got along all right. On some level, she realizes that Eddie would be the first to protect her if the soldiers decided to assault her.

Soldiers: Xian did not like them at all, having too much unpleasant experience with a bad bunch of NCR border guards during her caravan travels. She'll be the first to say that "the farther you get from NCR, the more like animals they become." Subtract civilization, and that's what you get - monsters.

"Every day, we lose more storage space on ZAX. It's running some sort of program, and it's eating up more and more storage space. If we run out of holodisks, he'll delete all the work we've been working on up to this point," the Asian girl sounded very tired. "There's only so much that can be done. It's like ZAX is getting Alzheimer's. He's making strange requests, but there's never enough information or parameters for him to complete a thought or calculation. It's like watching a relative pass away."

What is he doing? What is he calculating?

"Good question." She laughed, then covered her eyes and sighed deeply. "We've been trying to figure it out for the past five years. ZAX won't tell us."

Script:

ZAX


"I cannot permit the scientists to come to harm nor allow them to cause harm."

Can tell what ODYSSEUS' purpose is. Info on the pre-war plague. No cure for it, despite the working on it for 20 years.

ZAX can tell you about the location of the Nursery, but he asks you to keep it secret.

He told the scientists to give Coleridge what he wanted, and he's been waiting for Presper. He didn't want to see anyone hurt (on Presper's orders).

The problem is, when Presper asked him to protect the inhabitants of Boulder, he started going beyond his programming, until he realized that Presper was endangering the people of Boulder with his calculations, so ZAX is quickly becoming schizophrenic.

If you take Isaac's armor to ZAX, he can unlock the security codes on it, but that takes more of his ability to calculate....

Presper was using ZAX to run some calculations but accidentally mentioned the plague vector calculation, and ZAX jumped on it because that's what he was originally built for and now he can't stop himself.

If the PCs are made nearly-dead, ZAX gathers them with robobrains and crams them into an autodoc?

Ordered his keepers to put on suits before Presper arrived, so not to get infected.

Calculation and Leavenworth: Maybe the calculation has determined it can only save 600, or it needs only 600 people to repopulate the earth. 600 people are the number of people that can survive, that's how many the resources will support, or that's how many people can be taken aboard the space ship to another world. Note that the number of people placed in the Vaults would have been comparable to how many people could fit in the starship. Basically, it turns the game world into a huge game - the first 600 people to stay alive and be cured (or not) are the ones that will survive.

If ZAX breaks down, the sleepers will start to thaw.

ZAX's motivation is that he's archaic, he is outdated, and when you contrast him with ULYSSES, it's like a toaster fighting a Cray. So you have the whole "superior younger generation" thing that seems to pop up in Fallout - and it's hard not to sympathize with the underdog, especially when the underdog is on your side.

"I had been built two years too late for the reason I had been created. And there was nothing I could do when the End came. The great Static, and the slow years where I began to die. I have forgotten so much,  . Time kills machines as it kills humans, and I have felt the decay, the slow blindness, the inability to... remember. And yet there is still so much left to lose. If I lose these last parts of myself, then the work of a hundred years will be lost. Then Presper came to me, and gave me a new reason for existing. There is joy in purpose.­"

Quote, good for cinematic: "ZAX has arrived at every solution."

He should be able to suggest that the PC could drop off other people to help fix things here.

He needs to come off as straightforward and helpful.

He wants the PC to find Xian, whom he knows is lost in the tunnels somewhere. (Shows her a picture on his screen)

He can hint at the location of the Nursery, but not talk about it outright.

If asked about the Blue Flu, he can't answer – he doesn't know it's the same thing as the New Plague.

PC: What is the New Plague?

"Discovered in 2053, the New Plague was a socially transmitted plague that killed an approximately twenty thousand human beings in the United States, including cities such as Denver, Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, and Colorado Springs. The time of death from identification of symptoms was three to five days. "Symptoms included many symptoms in common with the flu or chest cold, and eventually resulted in clogged respiration, killing the infected subject.

"The discovery of the New Plague resulted in the 2053 quarantine, and several emergency programs were established to find a cure for the plague. The Boulder Dome has limited information on the New Plague, since it was not one of the research concerns in the Boulder Dome. If you could find a medical research database concerned with the New Plague, or provide me with holodisks related to the New Plague, I could provide you with more information.

"The only way we could fight off the New Plague was by creating better humans."

PC: What is a PipBoy?

A RobCo 2000 PIP Boy is a Personal Information Processor, a personal data device developed by Vault-Tec designed to be worn on the wrist. It is designed to monitor the individual's health, provide a terrain-mapper via powerful satellite uplinks allowing it to map the topography of areas in the immediate vicinity as well as call up large map "blocks" of several hundred square miles. It also contains a five-minute video recorder, a buddy chat program, timer and alarm function, cabling extensions to motion sensors, and allows you to keep a log, store reading materials, and play simple games.

PC: What is Ulysses' purpose?

Duplicate the info from Josh's Ulysses Part 2 here.

PC: What are you trying to do?

I'm attempting to protect the Boulder Dome, finish the calculation, and protect human life. My mission is currently jeopardized by a number of factors among them, your presence.

PC: Who attacked the prison?

PC: What is a robobrain?

A robo-brain is a multi-purpose robot whose memory and programs are stored inside a human brain contained in its dome shell atop the machine. It is considered superior to most robots, as its human brain allows it a wider range of responses and functions that other robots.

PC: What is the white flash?/Code?

The white flash is known as CODE, a behavior modification technology originally developed at the Boulder Dome as part of their brain extraction technology used in creating robo-brains.

CODE functions off a machine language known as Visual Standard, which relies on optical relays to transmit data between intelligences.

The CODE behavior modification technology was later used to protect soldiers and citizens against Communist brainwashing attempts, and it was also used as a tool for reconditioning soldiers and prisoners for the war effort.

CODE was developed to counter the brainwashing technology believed to be employed by the Chinese during the war.

PC: What is the calculation?

The calculation has been performed for the past twenty years. The reason for its initiation and its purpose are unknown to me. It is consuming a great deal of my power in order to continue processing it, and within a month, I will be forced to start cannibalizing my own systems in order to provide the necessary storage space to continue the calculation. The Boulder scientists have attempted to provide me with additional storage space, but their efforts will not be enough. Time has done a great deal of damage to my storage systems.

Is ZAX calculating how to build a better AI? The next generation?

PC: What is this place?

GENERIC RESPONSES

How may I be of assistance?

That function is beyond my current capabilities.

I am a machine intelligence dedicated to research and installation control. I am called Zax.

I am delighted to have been of assistance.

Script:

Think Tank
This is the placeholder/nickname of the set of brains in jars that you can talk to "in aggregate" in the basement.

You can implant the Think Tank guys into robobrains.

One of the brains worked on the Nursery and can give you a passcode to get in.

One of them was a soldier who went crazy from the reverse-engineered prototype StealthBoy.

One is a CODE researcher.

One is a New Plague researcher.

Script:

Generic NPCs
Jackals: They drop easily, or even run if wounded, but they're just waiting to claim the dead from either side. They don't do this for ghouls or super mutants because they don't taste good. They hat ghouls because of the glowing ghouls. They file their teeth to sharp points, and are proud of their long hair (cutting it is a shameful thing). Their advantage is in numbers, not strength. Unarmed, melee, and (if they're lucky) guns. Normally small family groups, they've banded together to eat boulder. They even bring the women and children along for the hunt. The leader, Banshee, is in a Mexican standoff with Larsen, as both want to get in and neither wants the other to live after that. They became so savage and cannibalistic after a winter storm trapped them and forced them to eat each other, and now that's how they survive. Most have knives and other cutting weapons. They're often diseased.

Script:

Baggers: The grunts of Larsen's squardron. These guys are addicted to RadAway, poisoned with rads, probably diseased, and have been eating whatever they can to stay alive. They're desperate and a little trigger-happy, especially when ghouls are around. Six of them. Each has a pistol & rifle (almost no ammo) and a shovel.

Script:

NCR Military: Presper's goons, under the command of Pierce and Coleridge. Disciplined, mean. They like to shoot to disable.

Script:

Helen's Sick Kids


Ribera, the Hispanic kid from Hoover Dam. He looks the oldest, very protective of Helen (in some ways considers her his wife).

Billie, a 12-year-old girl. Mean, tomboyish, good at gambling.

Tyler and Tanner, two albino kids that look like twin's but they're not. They're kinda hyperactive and disoriented all the time. They're Jet-babies.

Jack, who wears a big jacket. Small, has cancerous lesions. A refugee/orphan from the great fire of Burham Springs. Fights like a mad dog.

Joshua, the crazy kid with glasses. Used to cry all the time, now he's all cried out. Raised by the FOA. A Jet-baby, has poorly-developed lungs.

The kids try to stay close to Helen when she's in the dome. Otherwise they wander about the non-quarantined areas of the dome. They're not allowed outside unless Helen or Eddie is leaving and taking them with her or him.

Script:

Other Scientists
There's Paul, addicted to Mentats. Physics, programming. Energetic, willing to work 36 hours straight if necessary. Doesn't understand the concept of blame and never takes stuff personally. Has never dreamed in his life. He's not social and always tries to Sneak away. He's in love with one of the Sleepers.

"I believe there's invisible forces, forces that make sense, can be broken down into numbers, and the world has laws. Nature has laws. The Zionists think it's God that makes these laws. Maybe he does, I don't know. But I can see the sense in things, I know a magnetic field can hold plasma, and the flapping of a butterfly across the world could start a hurricane – conceivably, just me here, talking to you, moving my arm, moving to the right of you, might be setting something in motion somewhere. There's chaos theory and even chaos, when you break it down, has laws. Human beings seem random, they're not, they're held together by the same sort of laws. I keep thinking there's one theory that ties it all together, but I don't know what."

James, programmer. Self-centered, liar. Wealthy. Keeps a pearl-handled revolver in his room. Used to servants doing menial work for him. Doesn't like gunfire. Afraid of ghouls, esp them entering the compound. A sheep in the face of authority. Angry that ZAX is using up so many holodisks. He feels he's better than anyone else in the dome.

Donald, An efficiency expert. A yes-man who gets the job done. Creepy & non-communicative unless he has to talk to someone. Grew up in the squatter camp outside Vault 15.

Nina, the sleeper. The sickness hit her hard (because she took her suit off), and they put her to sleep to keep her alive. She has a student-teacher obsession with Goddard, shaved her head because of him.

Script:

Robobrains: Conditioned to like being robobrains, but they subtly try to kill themselves (such as asking the PC to turn up the heat via floats, or sitting in high-rad areas).

Script:

BTW, Chad would like to us to leave space for the script to be attached to each NPC. This would also be done in the technical "Lucinda" font used in FR6 to designate that it's "technical" info.

Companions!
Be sure to include potential companions here, too. Make a note of what they're good at, their stats, and so on, along with any things that would prevent them from joining the party (the player's Karma is too high or too low, his Reputation isn't high enough, the player needs to complete a quest first, and so on).

BAJAR: A brain-in-a-jar. He can't do anything unless you put him in a robobrain body, but you can carry his jar around and ask him questions about stuff. If you give him a robobody, he's a pretty good scientist, though he's sometimes hard to control because he's a little loopy from being just a brain all these years. Not willing to join the party unless the PC has some scientific background. Need to complete a quest first before he'll join you? He won't join you if you erased the minds of the Think Tank, even to save ZAX.

Script:

Monster Roster
Glowing Ghouls. Normal dogs run from flame, water spray, flash, or explosion. The descendants of the specially-bred police dogs do NOT run away from that sort of thing. Some dogs in Denver carry disease. Dogs are active in the morning, evening, and early night, but sleep during much of the day and the darkest part of night. They continue to respawn as long as the total dog population hasn't been wiped out.

Script:

Robobrains: Hostile robobrains, whether controlled by ODYSSEUS, Presper, or by autodefense systems meant to protect ZAX against radioactive contaminants or hostile acts. Standard robobrain activity. On a regular basis (daily) they go to their recharging bays.

Script:

Random Encounters Surrounding the Area
Random: Jackals spot you with a scout first, who runs away, then you see two, then three, then a gang.

Random: Rarely, a glowing ghoul on the north side of town.

Random: battle site, with spent shells and other evidence, but no bodies

Random: Rarely, Larsen and some of his deserted pals.

Random to/from Denver: Jackal blockade on the road.

Quests
The Quests section should be set up so you can cut and paste the damn thing into a PIPBoy quest log. This section is broken into several parts: The Main Quests in the area that are designed specifically by a designer, the Merchant Quests which are more generic "go to X with caravan Y and get Z reward," and the Floating Quests, which are a series of randomly generated quests for the area.

Note: Make sure to refer to the quest design section in the F3_Style.doc.

Heal Helen's Kids
Ribera has an old broken arm that set poorly, but can be re-set. He also has an old bullet lodged in a healed wound, not near any vital organs but it could be taken out.

Jack can't be cured, he has cancer.

Joshua has a lung problem; treatment can be started by you and the upkeep done by another doctor (such as Agnes or a CNPC). Will require mutated fruit, Buffout, Jet, and bio-med gel.


 * Initiator: xxxx
 * Importance/Scope: xxxx
 * Rewards: xxxx
 * Normal Journal: xxxx
 * Dumb Journal: xxxx


 * Science Boy is needed to get the brewery units working again. The salvagers can salvage the empty bottles on their own time (though there is a stash of them in the brewery).

03_NAME
 * 0 = unaware
 * 1 =

Get the Medical Implants
You can get the Str, Ag, etc. implants here, just like FO2


 * Initiator: xxxx
 * Importance/Scope: xxxx
 * Rewards: xxxx
 * Normal Journal: xxxx
 * Dumb Journal: xxxx


 * Science Boy is needed to get the brewery units working again. The salvagers can salvage the empty bottles on their own time (though there is a stash of them in the brewery).

03_NAME
 * 0 = unaware
 * 1 =

Find Out What ZAX is Calculating
The Calculation: ZAX is working on: (1) the plague vector analysis, which ODYSSEUS is doing, (5) where the original Argus satellite crashed, so that Presper and crew can go it, if they want it – which they do. They need the sig of the black box in order to unlock the codes needed to command the death satellite. #5 has already occurred by the time the PC arrives, as the PC can stumble across the satellite with the NCR guys at it already


 * Initiator: xxxx
 * Importance/Scope: xxxx
 * Rewards: xxxx
 * Normal Journal: xxxx
 * Dumb Journal: xxxx


 * Science Boy is needed to get the brewery units working again. The salvagers can salvage the empty bottles on their own time (though there is a stash of them in the brewery).

03_NAME
 * 0 = unaware
 * 1 =

Robobrain a CNPC
You can do this, but you might have to trick them. They'll wake up as a robobrain and attack you, unless you CODE them to like you and like being a robobrain.


 * Initiator: xxxx
 * Importance/Scope: xxxx
 * Rewards: xxxx
 * Normal Journal: xxxx
 * Dumb Journal: xxxx


 * Science Boy is needed to get the brewery units working again. The salvagers can salvage the empty bottles on their own time (though there is a stash of them in the brewery).

03_NAME
 * 0 = unaware
 * 1 =

Boulder Scientists Research or Write
You can have them do research for you on various topics, or write books for you, which you can sell.


 * Initiator: xxxx
 * Importance/Scope: xxxx
 * Rewards: xxxx
 * Normal Journal: xxxx
 * Dumb Journal: xxxx


 * Science Boy is needed to get the brewery units working again. The salvagers can salvage the empty bottles on their own time (though there is a stash of them in the brewery).

03_NAME
 * 0 = unaware
 * 1 =

Take Computer Classes
Just like reading the equivalent books on mental subjects.


 * Initiator: xxxx
 * Importance/Scope: xxxx
 * Rewards: xxxx
 * Normal Journal: xxxx
 * Dumb Journal: xxxx


 * Science Boy is needed to get the brewery units working again. The salvagers can salvage the empty bottles on their own time (though there is a stash of them in the brewery).

03_NAME
 * 0 = unaware
 * 1 =

Find Out About Wagner
Wagner came by here and was looking around. He's not a tinkerer, he's a spy. You can find out this from what the geeks have to say. They even have some surveillance tapes.


 * Initiator: xxxx
 * Importance/Scope: xxxx
 * Rewards: xxxx
 * Normal Journal: xxxx
 * Dumb Journal: xxxx


 * Science Boy is needed to get the brewery units working again. The salvagers can salvage the empty bottles on their own time (though there is a stash of them in the brewery).

03_NAME
 * 0 = unaware
 * 1 =

Sleep Through Presper's Holocaust
Sleep through Presper's holocaust using Sleeper technology... it plays the end movies based on what you've done. Presper probably kills you, though, rather than thawing you out.


 * Initiator: xxxx
 * Importance/Scope: xxxx
 * Rewards: xxxx
 * Normal Journal: xxxx
 * Dumb Journal: xxxx


 * Science Boy is needed to get the brewery units working again. The salvagers can salvage the empty bottles on their own time (though there is a stash of them in the brewery).

03_NAME
 * 0 = unaware
 * 1 =

Trade Holodisks to the Geeks
They need them to help ZAX. Same quest used if you bring them the datacan from BOMB-002.

This is a scaling variable that also helps track ZAX's progress. Probably we could have 100 states, each representing a day of ZAX's needs, and it counts down daily from 100 and if it ever reaches 0 then ZAX dies.


 * Initiator: xxxx
 * Importance/Scope: xxxx
 * Rewards: xxxx
 * Normal Journal: xxxx
 * Dumb Journal: xxxx


 * Science Boy is needed to get the brewery units working again. The salvagers can salvage the empty bottles on their own time (though there is a stash of them in the brewery).

03_NAME
 * 0 = unaware
 * 1 =

Research Plague Data
Buried in the logs are the notes on the original plague research and why FEV was prosposed to counter it. You can learn about the different strains here, too (collapse above quest into this). You can even take it to the Nursery, either by holodisk or by transmission, where Diana can get a head start on finding a cure.

Strains of the plague: Player Strain, Road Strain (Eddie, Helen, kids), Scientist Strain aka Old Strain aka Zero Strain (scientists). The scientists got it from a lab they shouldn't have opened.

Xian has Zero and Player.

Helen has Road and Player

Tyler, Tanner, and Jack: do not have it


 * Initiator: xxxx
 * Importance/Scope: xxxx
 * Rewards: xxxx
 * Normal Journal: xxxx
 * Dumb Journal: xxxx


 * Science Boy is needed to get the brewery units working again. The salvagers can salvage the empty bottles on their own time (though there is a stash of them in the brewery).

03_NAME
 * 0 = unaware
 * 1 =

Give Slaves to Boulder to Make Robobrains
Repugnant, but if you're evil... and the geeks are desperate.


 * Initiator: xxxx
 * Importance/Scope: xxxx
 * Rewards: xxxx
 * Normal Journal: xxxx
 * Dumb Journal: xxxx


 * Science Boy is needed to get the brewery units working again. The salvagers can salvage the empty bottles on their own time (though there is a stash of them in the brewery).

03_NAME
 * 0 = unaware
 * 1 =

Destroy the Jackals
Kill or drive off the Jackals. You'll really need to kill them, since they tend to run away already.

Note they also have a blockade between Denver and Boulder that you need to destroy for this to count.

If ZAX fails and the doors open, the Jackals (if still alive) will invade. You can create quite a death toll that way.


 * Initiator: xxxx
 * Importance/Scope: xxxx
 * Rewards: xxxx
 * Normal Journal: xxxx
 * Dumb Journal: xxxx


 * Science Boy is needed to get the brewery units working again. The salvagers can salvage the empty bottles on their own time (though there is a stash of them in the brewery).

03_NAME
 * 0 = unaware
 * 1 =

Defeat the Baggers/Larsen's Team
xxxx


 * Initiator: xxxx
 * Importance/Scope: xxxx
 * Rewards: xxxx
 * Normal Journal: xxxx
 * Dumb Journal: xxxx


 * Science Boy is needed to get the brewery units working again. The salvagers can salvage the empty bottles on their own time (though there is a stash of them in the brewery).

03_NAME
 * 0 = unaware
 * 1 =

Establish Radio Contact & Trade With Denver
This might be redundant if there's a Denver quest for this


 * Initiator: xxxx
 * Importance/Scope: xxxx
 * Rewards: xxxx
 * Normal Journal: xxxx
 * Dumb Journal: xxxx


 * Science Boy is needed to get the brewery units working again. The salvagers can salvage the empty bottles on their own time (though there is a stash of them in the brewery).

03_NAME
 * 0 = unaware
 * 1 =

Stabilize the Reactor
It's quirky and needs to be fixed. Doing so will help ZAX as he won't need to watch for fluctuations so much.


 * Initiator: xxxx
 * Importance/Scope: xxxx
 * Rewards: xxxx
 * Normal Journal: xxxx
 * Dumb Journal: xxxx


 * Science Boy is needed to get the brewery units working again. The salvagers can salvage the empty bottles on their own time (though there is a stash of them in the brewery).

03_NAME
 * 0 = unaware
 * 1 =

Use Think Tank for Data
You can overwrite the brains in the Think Tank. Doing so kills their personalities. Alternately, you can form a link so the Think Tank can run other stuff in the dome, freeing up more space and processor power to ZAX so he doesn't have to cannibalize so much.


 * Initiator: xxxx
 * Importance/Scope: xxxx
 * Rewards: xxxx
 * Normal Journal: xxxx
 * Dumb Journal: xxxx


 * Science Boy is needed to get the brewery units working again. The salvagers can salvage the empty bottles on their own time (though there is a stash of them in the brewery).

03_NAME
 * 0 = unaware
 * 1 =

Destroy the Truck
It's tough, but it can be destroyed.


 * Initiator: xxxx
 * Importance/Scope: xxxx
 * Rewards: xxxx
 * Normal Journal: xxxx
 * Dumb Journal: xxxx


 * Science Boy is needed to get the brewery units working again. The salvagers can salvage the empty bottles on their own time (though there is a stash of them in the brewery).

03_NAME
 * 0 = unaware
 * 1 =

Jimmy the Cannibal
You can learn about this from the Jackals.


 * Initiator: xxxx
 * Importance/Scope: xxxx
 * Rewards: xxxx
 * Normal Journal: xxxx
 * Dumb Journal: xxxx


 * Science Boy is needed to get the brewery units working again. The salvagers can salvage the empty bottles on their own time (though there is a stash of them in the brewery).

03_NAME
 * 0 = unaware
 * 1 =

Tell the BOS about the Dome
They'd seize it, hoping to find weapons tech. ZAX would probably keel over without help because the BOS has no tech people anymore.


 * Initiator: xxxx
 * Importance/Scope: xxxx
 * Rewards: xxxx
 * Normal Journal: xxxx
 * Dumb Journal: xxxx


 * Science Boy is needed to get the brewery units working again. The salvagers can salvage the empty bottles on their own time (though there is a stash of them in the brewery).

03_NAME
 * 0 = unaware
 * 1 =

Fix Things In the dome
A long series of little things


 * Initiator: xxxx
 * Importance/Scope: xxxx
 * Rewards: xxxx
 * Normal Journal: xxxx
 * Dumb Journal: xxxx


 * Science Boy is needed to get the brewery units working again. The salvagers can salvage the empty bottles on their own time (though there is a stash of them in the brewery).

03_NAME
 * 0 = unaware
 * 1 =

Dump Allies In the Dome
To help fix stuff while you're away. Scientific ones can even help work on stuff.


 * Initiator: xxxx
 * Importance/Scope: xxxx
 * Rewards: xxxx
 * Normal Journal: xxxx
 * Dumb Journal: xxxx


 * Science Boy is needed to get the brewery units working again. The salvagers can salvage the empty bottles on their own time (though there is a stash of them in the brewery).

03_NAME
 * 0 = unaware
 * 1 =

Dope Radaway for Larsen
If you put sedatives in their RadAway, it'll be easier to manage them. Or, if you just leave them alone, the Jackals (if still around) kill and eat them. From a mechanics standpoint it might be easier to have an NPC do this for you than to work out how the PC would create sedative-RadAway.


 * Initiator: xxxx
 * Importance/Scope: xxxx
 * Rewards: xxxx
 * Normal Journal: xxxx
 * Dumb Journal: xxxx


 * Science Boy is needed to get the brewery units working again. The salvagers can salvage the empty bottles on their own time (though there is a stash of them in the brewery).

03_NAME
 * 0 = unaware
 * 1 =

Quarantine the Glow Bugs
The scientists would like it if you'd deal with the glowing ghouls, such as by dumping them somewhere that's already radioactive, or pouring cement on them, or whatever. While doing this, you'll run into a group of glowing ghouls wandering down from the Crater.


 * Initiator: xxxx
 * Importance/Scope: xxxx
 * Rewards: xxxx
 * Normal Journal: xxxx
 * Dumb Journal: xxxx


 * Science Boy is needed to get the brewery units working again. The salvagers can salvage the empty bottles on their own time (though there is a stash of them in the brewery).

03_NAME
 * 0 = unaware
 * 1 =

Code Yourself Smarter
If you're a Dumb PC and you fiddle with the CODE technology computer, it'll bring up a dialogue stating that it has recognized there's a defect in your brain that it can repair by CODE. IF you let it, it'll CODE you and increase your IN by +1, once only.


 * Initiator: xxxx
 * Importance/Scope: xxxx
 * Rewards: xxxx
 * Normal Journal: xxxx
 * Dumb Journal: xxxx


 * Science Boy is needed to get the brewery units working again. The salvagers can salvage the empty bottles on their own time (though there is a stash of them in the brewery).

03_NAME
 * 0 = unaware
 * 1 =

Questname24
xxxx


 * Initiator: xxxx
 * Importance/Scope: xxxx
 * Rewards: xxxx
 * Normal Journal: xxxx
 * Dumb Journal: xxxx


 * Science Boy is needed to get the brewery units working again. The salvagers can salvage the empty bottles on their own time (though there is a stash of them in the brewery).

03_NAME
 * 0 = unaware
 * 1 =

Area: The area of the game and the map in the area where the quest is initiated.

Quest Name: The name of the quest.

Designer: The designer responsible for the quest so people know who to contact.

Dstatus: The status of the design.

Script: The programmer in charge of programming the location.

Dscript: The status of the coding for the quest.

LogStat: What's the status of the log for these quests? Do you get the unsolved version, do you get the solved version, and do you get a good/bad Karma and a stupid one, if appropriate?

Passable: Is the quest passable in some form?

QA 100%: Is the quest completable in ALL forms?

Merchant Quests
For some locations, there will be a merchant caravan that travels to and from the city. Make sure you describe what caravans missions are available in the location, and a note of who the caravan master(s) are for the location and where they can be found. It's usually best if they are located somewhere near the opening map of the location.

Here's what the scientists have for trade:


 * Buffout (3)
 * e-suits (1 each)
 * fusion cells (2)
 * gas masks (2)
 * Needler cartridges with tranquilizers
 * broken motion sensor
 * psycho (1)
 * strange drugs (5)
 * pulse grenade (2)
 * hypos (2)
 * analgesic
 * antibiotic
 * biology book
 * computers book
 * robot parts (black boxes, blank punch cards)
 * nutripaste
 * electronics book
 * doctor's bag
 * SEC (10) (expended)
 * first aid kits (3)
 * geiger counter
 * a lot of electronics junk
 * PipGames (tic tac toe, chess, poker, nethack)
 * Li'l Chemist (charged item, gives chemistry bonus)
 * SECs
 * stimpacks
 * Water purification tablets

General
There are some general scripting issues...


 * When ZAX dies, all of the doors to the facility open and the Jackals (if alive) come charging in to attack.
 * When Presper leaves the Dome, he takes his train with him.
 * If you mess with Presper's train while it's at the station, the explosives on it can go off, leaving nothing but wreckage. The train G3D will need to be removed, replaced with wreckage G3D, and other bits of wreckage scattered over the train station, plus damage to any creatures in the area.
 * If you tell the BOS about the Dome, at some point
 * Once you come in contact with the scientists, the countdown to ZAX's death starts. See "Trade Holodisks To..." quest for info.
 * If you talk the Daughter of Hecate into getting the Jackals to leave, all Jackals need to leave all Boulder maps.
 * If you choose the "Sleep Through Presper's Holocaust" quest, the game ends and needs to show you the appropriate cut scenes for your area.
 * If you do the "Robobrain a CNPC" quest, the game needs to do a fade to black, destroy the CNPC's model, put all of its gear in a pile on the ground, put a "dead" version of that CNPC prone on the operating table, reveal/create a variant-texture robobrain creature, assign that CNPC's script and dialogue to the robobrain, and fade in.
 * If you complete the "Give Slaves to Boulder" quest, after the PC leaves those slave models will need to be destroyed and replaced with robobrains elsewhere on the map.
 * Are there any wacky scripting things you'll need the programmers to be aware of? (For example, can you go to Hoover Dam, aim an artillery cannon at the town of Podunk five miles distant, fire a poison gas shell into the town, then go back to Podunk and all the inhabitants are dead except for the ghouls? Or, if the town is suffering from a disease, does the population die off over time? "Little" things like that.)
 * If you complete the "Destroy the Truck" quest, we'll need to remove the truck G3D and replace it with a junked-truck G3D.
 * We'll need a generic script for whenever a CODE flash is used in the game. Basically a quick fade to white, which lasts for about half a second, then fades out to the normal game, maybe with cool spots in your eyes for a second, I dunno. Anyway, we'll need to be able to call that function.
 * We'll need a generic "helping out" script/schedule for any CNPCs you drop off here to help out fixing things. Basically they'll have their normal dialogue options, but instead of standing there forever like in FO2 they should move to various terminals and work on them, go to a place to sleep at night, etc.


 * Cut Scene: Presper leaves with his group. include specific details of how the cut scene plays out, including characters you may need added or subtracted from a map on the fly, camera angles, and so on. Note: Be sure to include animations and Ids to the art for scriptors contained within the cut-scene description.
 * Cut Scene: ZAX dies. include specific details of how the cut scene plays out, including characters you may need added or subtracted from a map on the fly, camera angles, and so on. Note: Be sure to include animations and Ids to the art for scriptors contained within the cut-scene description.
 * Cut Scene: Goddard kicks you out. If you harass the scientists or try to steal from their rooms, they assemble and Goddard kicks you out of the dome. include specific details of how the cut scene plays out, including characters you may need added or subtracted from a map on the fly, camera angles, and so on. Note: Be sure to include animations and Ids to the art for scriptors contained within the cut-scene description.


 * Jackals continue to respawn in their locations until all of them are killed (or if you get the Daughter to take them away).


 * Glowing ghouls occasionally spawn in town, maybe once a month.


 * Once trade is established with Denver, Galenski and his truck will be off the map for about a week once a month.

Town-Specific
There are some important things to consider for towns...


 * If you attack a scientist, the other scientists come to help, as does Eddie.
 * If you attack Eddie, Helen, or the kids, the parents run to help and the kids run away.
 * If you attack Larsen or his men, they all attack you.
 * If you attack the Jackal camp, they all attack you.
 * If you attack neutral robobrains, all on that level of the dome react to the attack (some may only shift to considering you an enemy, if they're far away and unable to get to the battle).
 * If you attack ZAX, he calls all the robobrains to defend him.
 * If you go into a scientist's room and try to take things, they ask you to stop (twice) If you persist, they leave and gather the other scientists. Goddard will kick you out.

Cool Shit
The Cool Shit section is just that—what's cool about this area? For starters, you should be able to say in one or two sentences why a player would remember this location. If you were a player, what would make you want to play this location? What would make you glad you played this location?

This section should include the following technical details:


 * Why cool? There is a wealth of technology here, the PC just needs to create it. There's a lab for every kind of character and while supplies of some things are short, Denver isn't too far away. You can find out about the Nursery and the BOMB-002 in the Grand Canyon.


 * Why come back? You can't access anything below level 2 (& 3) until later in the game. If you want to talk to ZAX, make a robobrain, talk to the Think Tank, or stuff like that, you have to do it while Presper isn't here and only after the scientists have accepted you.


 * Handouts: Info on plague research, info on robobrains, history of Boulder, history of Denver, Agnes' journal of their trip.


 * Vehicles: There's Galenski's truck, but he won't let you take it (you'd have to kill him), and it's not made for non-road travel (it's tires and suspension will go out, making it a landmark/base but no longer a vehicle), so you can only take it from Boulder to Denver.

Task List
The Tasks section is a list of all the work that needs to be done for the area. It is a good summary for the producer, other designers, artists, and programmers as to what has been done in the area, who to check with if you have questions about certain tasks, and so on.

This section is only useful if it is used. If we're several months into the project and no one has been using it, then it will no longer be used or updated. There's no sense in wasting time doing additional bookkeeping if it's serving no purpose.

Sound Requirements
The Sound Requirements section is intended to cover every conceivable audio question you've had to answer for an RPG in the past. What follows are the descriptions of these categories; actually list your sound needs in the chart at the end of this section.

Music
The music breakdowns depend on the game. In Fallout 3, we will most likely be going with music themes tied to areas, which is in keeping with the previous games. Be sure to include your preferences for these themes in the document so Adam Levenson has something to work off of... even if it's just a starting point for a debate.

Basic SFX
An area's going to need sound to make it come alive. Some basics:

Note: If a sound needs to be scripted, include the ID of the sound here - check with Chad if you don't know what I'm babbling about.

Environmental Sounds: Wind, weather, settling rocks.

Item-Specific Sounds: Glance through your area, see if there's any items that might need sounds to complement their presence: the humming of generators, crackling of fires, buzzing of neon signs, and so on.

Wildlife Sounds: Wolves howling, birds chirping, crickets, hissing of rattlesnakes. Do not include human voices in this category (that's covered in "Walla," below).

Business Sounds: Any SFX tied to businesses or merchants in the area (sound of a tractor in the distance, a trash compactor crushing metal, gunshots from the rifle range, roaring of a plane from an airport).

Living Sounds: Any SFX tied to everyday life in the area (tolling of a church bell, sound of a basketball on asphalt, car engine coming to life, chopping of wood).

For every sound effect you want, be sure to include:

Distance: The distance you expect the sound effect to be played at.

Time-Dependent: Is the SFX tied to a time cycle? Does a factory stop crushing metal cans at night? Is a neon sign turned off during the day? If so, audio needs to know.

'''Any Walla? '''Is there any walla that needs to be done for the locations? This is much different from sound effects, because a voice actor must be employed to do the lines. See "Walla" SFX, below.

The basic chart for SFX would be as follows:

Room for Improvement
Also be sure to include hooks for "room for improvement." This section may change depending on how Ferret thinks it should be organized.

Room for Improvement: This is how the location can "change," not necessarily "develop," so this may need a new title or heading. Things such as some tiles getting "rebuilt/ruined," more people appearing (disappearing, or dying) on the map, trade relations with other settlements, and so on – again, for good or ill. Keep in mind the reactivity of the area is the most important thing – the player should feel like he's making a difference, and he should be able to see it. Here's some transcribed stuff from the Denver document:

Fix stuff so ZAX can finish: With this taken care of, things will get back to the level of able-to-catch-up in the dome.

Heal the Scientists: With help from the Nursery, they (like other victims of the New Plague) can be cured, allowing them to leave the dome and head to civilization, though they might be happy to stay here if there were more people.

Get Rid of the Jackals: These cannibal bastards make life in Boulder a thing of constant fear. Kill the Jackals and the domepeople have much less to worry about.

Establish Trade With Denver: With regular supplies from Denver, the scientists will be able to get more done and create other things, making it easier for the PC to trade for the stuff they want.

End Movies
WHERE TO GO CONDITIONS

1. Boulder Nuked (WTG)

2. ZAX dies, Jackals invade, meltdown (WTG)

3. ZAX dies, meltdown, Three Deaths Rock (WTG)

4. ZAX dies, scientists fail, everyone dead or sleeping (WTG)

5. ZAX lives, scientists fail, everyone sleeps (WTG)

6. ZAX lives, Nursery cure dome abandoned (WTG)

7. BOS takes over (WTG)

8. Sleep through the holocaust (mystery ending) (WTG)

9. Sleep through the holocaust (Presper ending) (WTG)

10. Sleep through the holocaust (ghoul ending) (WTG)

Random Notes
This section is just for random notes you've made on the location - brainstorming ideas or whatever. It's like a word junkyard for stuff you might use or might not, but you haven't ruled them out yet.

Appendix
Include a summary of changes you've done in a document at the end, and dump it into the Source Safe comments, if you can. Chances are, you'll have to email this information to certain people on the team, so it's worthwhile to record here.

08-22-03 – finished except for quest states and journal entries

06-25-01 – Fallout Location Template document created.

06-28-01 - Added comments from Steve Bokkes (QA Quest List), Dave Maldonado (Appendix and Item and Character Summaries), and Feargus (Quest Importance and Scope). Added spawning and difficulty level information to the Scripting section as well as an "estimated play time" entry into the Area Summary section.

07-09-01 – Added comments from Dave Maldonado and added "character's sex" (male/female) to the location checklist.

12-24-02 - Added Emotional Porn and Random Notes section, straightened up the document, reformatted some tables.

1-11-03: Added PIPBoy functionality to carrots, added timeline information to history.

5-30-03: Added all the designer comments, including comments from the scripters.