Burham Springs design document

The Burham Springs design document for the Van Buren project (Black Isle's canceled Fallout 3) was leaked to No Mutants Allowed. It was written by J.E. Sawyer and is a complete description of all places, characters and quests in the location "Burham Springs".

=Transcript=



Burham Springs is a horrible wreck of a pre-war mining community that has been burning for decades. Only a tiny handful of people continue to linger in the dreadful place. The constant threat of death by fire, smoke, radiation, and horrible monstrosities keep the rest of the world away. The smoldering coal mines contain a wealth of technology, but the risk is too great for most people to bother.

The area consists of three maps: AR0001 Burham Springs (simple), AR000101 Burham Mines (complex), and AR000102 Toxic Caves (complex).

AR0001 is the exterior town map for Burham Springs. It is fairly small, consisting of only three standing buildings and six other burned down building foundations. The ground is cracked and/or blackened almost everywhere. Smoke issues forth in several places and small flames continue to burst forth at haphazard locations across the map. All three of the building interiors are single story. The west and south edges of the map take the player to the World Map (party required). At the northeast corner of the town in a cliff face is the entrance to AR000101 Burham Mines (party required).

AR0000101 is a maze of mining tunnels with collapsed dead ends, lingering fires, and a constant haze of smoke. Horrible creatures called gehennas roam the corridors in search of prey and flammable items. A number of ladders lead down to the toxic caves (party required) and an exit in the west leads back to AR0001 Burham Springs.

AR0000102 contains fewer mine corridors and more open caverns. Unfortunately, it is chock-full of radioactive material and even more gehennas. The southeast section of the map contains a lowered basin that can be drained for access to a robot laboratory (same map, no transition required). Several ladders lead up to AR000101 Burham Mines (party required), but there are no other exits from the map.

Though the geometry on these maps does not necessarily change, the dynamic "water" in the Toxic Caves will need to be lowered so the player can access the AGRICOLA lab. If/when the fires at Burham Springs are extinguished, the flames and smoke will mostly disappear from the exterior maps. This may change overall lighting of several levels, but dynamic lights and/or fakey sprite lighting could simply be removed to achieve the same overall effect.

The overall goals in the area include: exploration of the mines, the destruction of all gehenna mutations, and either the destruction of all AGRICOLA robots or their employment in the extinguishing of Burham Springs. Unless the player chooses to engage the three squatters "living" in town, the only foes he or she faces here are gehenna mutants and AGRICOLA robots.

Between exploring the mines, dealing with the NPCs on the surface, and figuring out the AGRICOLA lab, the player should spend between 2 and 4 hours at this location.



Area Background
The town of Burham Springs was established fifteen years ago by Trent Burham, a wealthy NCR mine merchant. The community was given a charter by Lt. Gov. Dodge to excavate the existing mines in the region for the production of valuable coal resources. Burham's men and women struck black gold, NCR tea. A small community quickly grew up around the mines in the shells of the old mining town. With the NCR railroad project moving through the area, everything was safe and secure. The NCR ignored the lower caves, as pre-war toxic waste had been dumped here by the government. Everything went well at Burham Springs until the NCR presence pulled out. The railways were completed, and civil discontent was brewing back west. NCR recommended that the citizens of Burham Springs pack up their things and return with them. Many of the stubborn miners refused to give up what had become a very profitable and familiar way of life. Several were ex-criminals, or "integrated" tribals with no future in the rest of NCR. With no one to protect the community, it became vulnerable to attack by the powder gangs of the wasteland (the powder gangs were old railway workers left jobless and helpless by NCR). Everything went well at Burham Springs until the NCR presence pulled out. The railways were completed, and civil disgame was brewing back west. NCR recommended that the citizens of Burham Springs pack up their things and return with them. Many of the stubborn miners refused to give up what had become a very profitable and familiar way of life. Several were ex-criminals, or "integrated" tribals with no future in the rest of NCR. With no one to protect the community, it became vulnerable to attack by the powder gangs of the wasteland (the powder gangs were old railway workers left jobless and helpless by NCR).

After a powder gang attack between Burham Springs and Hoover Dam left several important NCR political figures dead, the 5th Engineering Company was deployed to track down the responsible gang. The gang, finally afraid of NCR's focused might, retreated to Burham Springs. The NCR's firepower forced the gang to retreat into the mines. The commanding NCR officer, Maj. Robert "Border" Briggs, hastily ordered his men to plant explosives around the mine and detonate them. The massive explosions reached all the way down the mineshafts and hit the powder stockpiles of the gang. A chain reaction occurred. Flames erupted from every mineshaft that didn't collapse. The oil and coal dust on top of the local creek and pond were lit ablaze. A number of partially-tapped veins of coal also ignited, starting an unstoppable blaze that burns and smolders to this day.

To make matters worse, the explosion didn't kill everyone. At least a few dozen townsfolk and power gang members were horribly burned and exposed to the radiation leaking from the ruptured containment barrels in the lower caverns. Through mysterious 50s sci-fi-esque pseudo-science, the anthracite coal, fire, and radioactive elements combined to create a bizarre mutated monstrosity that the nearby Canaanites call "gehennas".

Though a few extraordinarily hardy miners still pluck small amounts of coal and gang-stolen technology from the caverns, everyone else has abandoned the area out of fear. NCR doesn't even bother posting warnings or trying to keep people out. As far as they're concerned, if you walk into a city that's been burning for over a decade, you're on your own.

The three residents of the town's surface, Phil, Sparky, and Frank, collect bits of coal and small pieces of technology to trade with various merchants and roving packs of tribals. To date, only three tribal groups have tried to attack the strange trio. They were not successful. The two men and one ghoul are tough bastards, and clever enough to see trouble coming. They typically trade for food, weapons, and ammunition to defend themselves,

When entering the area, the first area the player will see is the burning village itself. He will most likely encounter Phil, Sparky, and Frank as soon as he or she walks down the central street in town. The PC can trade with these characters and learn about the background of Burham Springs as well as the horrible dangers that lie just inside the cave mouth. Phil and Frank will more than adequately warn the PC that the mine is extremely dangerous—dangerous enough that NCR didn't think it was worth saving. Phil has a map of the traps on the first floor of the mine and Frank has a map of the extra toxic areas in the lower caves. Neither is willing to part with either unless the payoff is significant. Near the mine entrance, they will pass a water pump on the surface that will prove important in the toxic caves.

Inside the mines, the player will find roving packs of gehennas, fire and smoke hazards and bits of technology stashed here and there. There are six ladders going down into the caves below. Though the player will encounter two a short distance into the mines, they could explore the whole level before descending.

The toxic caves are uneven caverns with barrels and small pools of radioactive waste. The player will encounter more gehennas and more badly mutated gehennas in this area. The worst of the gehennas are huge abominations called molechs. In addition to these monstrosities and more tech, the player will encounter the end of a hose for a radioactive pool. The system is broken, but can be fixed on the surface and in the mines with a replacement part from Hoover Dam or through use of the Mechanics skill. When the pool is drained, a door is revealed and opens. Inside, the PC will find the AGRICOLA lab and the waiting AGRICOLA robots. The player will deal with the robots, search through the holodiscs in the archives, and learn about the hazard suppression system that the robots are set up to perform. The player can then help organize the robots and set them on their way, effectively extinguishing the Burham Springs flames and removing a great deal of the toxic waste. The day is saved and dogs and cats live together in harmony.

Inspirational movies for this film: High Plains Drifter, Warning Sign

Inspirational books for this film: Graveyard Shift (short story, part of Stephen King's Night Shift)

Emotional Porn
This section sets up all the emotional role-playing opportunities present in the location – as well as whatever feelings you're trying to spark in the player playing the game (fear, foreshadowing, survival, sympathy for the location or NPCs there, or whatever).

Drama
All three of the salvagers are wary of the PC, but not afraid. Upon first entering town, they will encounter a population sign that reads: EAGLE ROCK, POP. 160. Of course, EAGLE ROCK has been crossed out and replaced with BURHAM SPRINGS, and the 160 has been crossed out and replaced a number of times. The bottom number reads "3". Under the sign is a makeshift painted board that reads KEEP OUT! Around the sides and backs of the houses are more makeshift signs that say WARNING: KEEP OUT OF MARKED AREAS.

The player is supposed to get the impression that Burham Springs is a fucked up place, and they should tread lightly to avoid being blown up by traps and/or shot in the face by its three dangerous residents.

The presentation of the gehenna and their history could also make the player feel a little sad, since they were once humans, and are now just messed up abominations without any higher thought processes.

NPC Ally Drama

 * Kurisu might comment that the land at Burham Springs is cursed. Messed up for all natural lifeforms, and only fit for crazy people.
 * Ashley might comment that the entrance to the AGRICOLA Lab looks like a pre-war vault.
 * Arcade might comment on the presence of Poseidon Energy logos, since PE and the Enclave were closely related.
 * Upon entering Burham Springs, the Hanged Man might quote 2 Chronicles 28, "... and he burned incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burned his sons as an offering..." or something similar.
 * The Hanged Man will laughingly refuse to drop his weapons if commanded to by Phil, and it may be very difficult for the Protagonist to defuse the situation.

Moral Dilemmas

 * Extinguishing the fires of Burham Springs helps NCR gain back some valuable energy resources, but it effectively ends the salvaging of Phil, Sparky, and Frank. It also kills all of the gehennas, which could be considered good or bad.
 * Recovering shitloads of technology from the mines and caves is useful to the player, but can piss off the Brotherhood of Steel.
 * Blowing up the rest of the Burham Mines and/or turning over a bunch of tech to the BoS makes them happy, but ultimately screws Phil, Sparky, and Frank. Blowing the mines definitely hurts NCR, as well.

Other Role-Playing Tests and Epithets
If the player kills Phil, Sparky, and Frank, he will get the title Desolator.

Ties to Overall Game Themes

 * Civilization vs. Anarchy - Phil, Sparky, and Frank make a living doing horrible work, but harm no one. They govern themselves and don't need anyone to tell them what to do or when they should do it. If NCR comes back into the picture, their livelihood disappears.
 * Optimism vs. Pessimism vs. Pragmatism - The trio are ultimately very pragmatic. They can't do much else, so living in hell on earth is better than trying to eek out a living in the big cities.
 * Means Justify the Ends vs. Ends Justify the Means - Briggs and the 5th Engineering Company blew up Burham Springs to decisively deal with a powerful powder gangs. They're dead, but the town is wrecked.

NPC Companion Uses

 * A high Science character like Arcade can finish the fire suppression software in the Agricola Lab.
 * A high Mechanics character like Arcade, Ashley, or Battery can fix the Water Pump, the Pump Hose, or perform the fire suppression manual override on the Agricola MRs.
 * A high Traps character like Battery can prevent the character from being blown up by all the mines in Burham Springs.

Burham Springs Map Key

 * 1) Phil and Sparky's Place: This is where Phil and Sparky, two of the three scavengers in Burham Springs, live. It is a single-story building with two rooms. The front room is where the pair live and sleep. The side room is where they store most of their recovered loot.
 * 2) Frank's Place: This is where Frank LaFrancis, a ghoul scavenger, lives. Frank has armed radio-detonated bombs near the entrance, and is generally on the defense with visitors. He has a small bed in the corner, and his goods are on tables around the room.
 * 3) Burned Out Building: These buildings are standing and have all of their walls, but are pretty badly damaged and are generally filled with junk.
 * 4) Building Foundations: These buildings have burned to the ground. Only the remnants of walls and foundations remain.
 * 5) Water Pump: This water pump is used to draw water out of the mines and into the pool.
 * 6) Mine Entrance: Entrance to the Burham Springs Mines. Also the location of the two support pillars that can collapse the mine if destroyed.
 * 7) Pool: A pool of awful standing water that is blackish-green with an oily film on the surface. Flames burn on the surface in various points. Gehennas can be found here.
 * 8) Desert Ground: Most of the ground on the map is simply desert.
 * 9) Desert Road: The remnants of the roads leading into Burham Springs. This specific location is also where the PC's car is parked.
 * 10) Cliff Face: This is a sheer cliff face rising up from the floor of Burham Springs.
 * 11) Blasted Ground: These areas look like they have been blasted by explosions. They often contain landmines.
 * 12) Sign: This is a sign that has the population of Burham Springs written on it.

Mines Map Key

 * 1) Mine Entrance: This is the entrance to the mine. It leads back to the Burham Springs exterior.
 * 2) Water Pump Hose: This is the hose for the water pump that leads down into the Toxic Caves. At the section towards the east side of the map, the hose is ruptured and must be repaired.
 * 3) Cart Tracks: These tracks were once used to carry ore out of the mines. They are broken in places and generally scattered.
 * 4) Lift: Used for moving things up and down between the levels of the mine. Does not work. Cannot work. It is busted.
 * 5) Ladders Down: These ladders all lead down to the Toxic Caves.

Toxic Caves Map Key

 * 1) Mine Ladders: These are ladders from the mines down to the Toxic Caves. Each ladder has a corresponding ladder down from the level above.
 * 2) Lift: This lift used to carry carts from the second floor to the top. It is non-functional.
 * 3) Shallow Toxic Waste: This is a thigh-deep pool of toxic waste leaked out of barrels. This pool disappears if the water pump is fixed.
 * 4) Deep Toxic Waste: This is an extremely deep pool of toxic waste that becomes "only" head-deep after the water pump is fixed. After the water pump and the hose are fixed, this drains away completely and reveals the entrance to the Agricola Lab.
 * 5) Robot Recharging Bays: This is the room/hallway where the Agricola MRs sit in their recharging bays.
 * 6) Computer Room: This is where all of the computer and maintenance equipment for the Agricola MR scientists is kept. One of these computers (the biggest) is the central computer. It can be used for a wide variety of informational and robot control purposes. The room also contains a hard copy of instructions for activating the Agricola MRs' fire suppression routine.
 * 7) Scientist's Bedroom: This is a small bedroom with bunk beds, a shower, and a bathroom. There is also a hatch for an incinerator on one wall. The skeleton of a man in a decomposed lab coat lies up against one wall with a knife next to him.
 * 8) Storage Room: This room was used for food storage. It contains dozens of cans of powdered liquids and otherwise preserved food. Many shelves, however, are empty. All of the food expired several decades ago.

Art Requirements

 * Tilesets - Burham Springs will use the Junktown and Blasted City tilesets. The Mines will use the Mines tileset. The Toxic Caves will use the Caves tileset. The Agricola Lab will use the Vault tileset.
 * Meta-Tiles/Props - The Agricola Lab entrance will have to be a custom piece that bridges the Cave tileset with the Vault tileset. The Blasted Ground on the desert floor around Burham Springs may need to be created specifically for this location. The Pump Hose winding from Burham Springs, through the Mines, and into the Toxic Caves, needs to be made.
 * Dynamics - The Water Pump will require its own art, possibly with moving parts when it is running. The Pool may need a special water texture with effects. The Pump Hose will need a damaged section that can be replaced/repaired with another dynamic piece. The Toxic Goo in the caves will need to be able to exist at multiple (changing) heights as things get fixed. The Robot Recharging Bays (possibly used elsewhere) are needed for the Agricola Lab.

Phil


Phil is a tall, lanky white man in his late 30s. He wears a safety helmet and metal armor. Under his helmet, he has short, salt-and-pepper gray and black hair. He carries a pump-action shotgun and has absolutely no reservations about using it. Phil has a very terse attitude, and tends to be short with people. The first time he sees the Protagonist, he will fire a "warning shot" near them and tell them to "PUT YOUR FUCKING WEAPONS AWAY AND DON'T TRY ANYTHING STUPID, ASSHOLE!" Phil will respond without much hostility if people do as he asks. The Hanged Man, however, might incite Phil to open fire on the party.

Phil used to be a railway worker until NCR shut the operation down. He never spent time in a powder gang, but he spent plenty of time as a bounty hunter tracking down his old comrades (a not-too-endearing aspect of his history). Sparky, his companion, was one of those he tracked down. Sparky was one of the few survivors of the explosions in the Burham Springs mine, and a former railway worker with Phil.

Sparky


Sparky is a short man with an average build in his mid-30s. He wears a ballistic vest and a safety helmet. He carries an arc welder, a fire axe, three grenades and six sticks of dynamite. He is a twitchy guy, but usually only responds to Phil or to extremely loud noises (which cause him to attack, erratically). Sparky can't talk well, and stutters a lot. He also mis-hears things a lot. His hearing range is dramatically reduced from what it should be, given his PE. He more than a little frazzled, often unable to think about what he's saying.

Sparky is a former railway worker who blasted away rocks with powerful explosives. He earned his name from the arc welder he carried around to light fuses. Sparky joined a powder gang after the railway operations shut down. He did well in the group, making plenty of raw explosive traps for their use. However, that all ended when the 5th Engineering Company blew the Burham Springs mines. Sparky survived, but only barely. His hearing was almost entirely destroyed, and his mind was shaken pretty badly. He's clear-headed enough to work with Phil and to recognize Frank, but not much else. He doesn't look like he'd be much of a threat in combat, but he is pretty handy with his arc welder and with his thrown explosives. He also has two Bonus Move perks, allowing him to close on opponents startlingly fast.

Frank LaFrancis


Frank is a ghoul of average shape and size, wearing leather armor ( and a motorcycle helmet. He carries the most accurate weapon of the trio: a laser rifle. He also has a .45 submachinegun just in case people get too close. Most importantly, however, Frank carries the detonators for a large number of explosives all around the surface of Burham Springs. Frank is the smartest person in Burham Springs, and the other two are well aware of that fact.

Frank was quiet about his background with Phil and Sparky, and he has no intention of telling the PC where he came from. Frank does, however, like to do business in his highly trapped shop. When he's not in his shop, he can be found salvaging in the mines. He usually salvages during the day, when Phil and Sparky are on the surface. If trouble starts, though, he will emerge to deal with troublemakers.

Companions!
There are no CNPCs available in Burham Springs.

Monster Roster
The majority of monsters found in Burham Springs are found inside the mines and caves. There are a finite number of monsters, so the PC can clear out an area and feel satisfied that it is no longer a problem.

Geckos (16) - The ever-lovable geckos make an appearance near the front of the mine and around the edges of the surface of Burham Springs. They go towards creatures with food before others.

Gehennas (18) - These horrible monsters are slightly larger than humans and appear to be made of black tar and shiny oil. They are vaguely human-shaped, but their features are hard to analyze through the flames that constantly sputter across their bodies. Their eyes are bulbous glowing orange spheres that seem stuck into their ovoid heads. The Gehennas are dangerous both for their fiery melee attacks and the toxic fumes they breathe onto enemies. When they die, they collapse into a disgusting pile of smoking black goo. Gehennas are fairly mindless monsters, usually attacking anyone they see who moves too quickly. They have very poor senses, and can sometimes overlook creatures that stand still.

Molechs (6) - These are huge, hulking, heavily irradiated Gehennas that exist primarily in the toxic caves. They are similar in appearance to the Gehennas, but less humanoid and more monstrous. They do not have identifiable eyes, but small glowing green spheres of various sizes poke out from the skin all over their bodies. Their long, serpentine necks have a head that is essentially a huge, fanged mouth. Molechs spray streams of toxic bile from their green spheres and bite with their disgusting mouths. Molechs are more likely to spot immobile creatures than their Gehenna cousins.

Agricola MRs (12) - Manufactured to handle toxic waste in uranium mines and near blast sites, the Agricola MRs use vacuum-tubes only, no integrated circuits. As such, they are impervious to EMPs but are rather bulky and slow. Agricolas are motivator (jet) driven, like Floating Eye Bots, a necessity considering their operational environment. The Agricola robots are found inside of the AGRICOLA Lab adjacent to the toxic caves. The robots respond to the presence of intruders with hostility. However, this can be avoided if a sneaky character makes his or her way to the central computer of the AGRICOLA Lab.

Random Encounters Surrounding the Area
Encounter 1: New Canaanites (Unique) - The player encounters a group of New Canaanite merchant-missionaries. There are only four of them: one man, one woman, and two children. They are walking with two brahmin. They are friendly folks, and are willing to trade with people who don't have a horrible reputation. The player can trade with them, escort them to their destination (randomly chosen between Hoover Dam, Fort Abandon, and the Ciphers) for Karma, bully them into turning over all of their goods, or outright murder them (big Karma loss).

Encounter 2: NCR/Powder Gang Standoff (Unique) - Somewhere in the wilderness of Utah, members of the 5th Engineering Company spotted power gang members prowling for caravans. They followed the group to this ramshackle gang hideout, where a shootout began. By the time the player arrives, they are having a standoff. Dead brahmin, rangers, dogs, gangers, and overturned carts are everywhere. The powder gangers are up against a cliff wall and the NCR soldiers are trying, in vain, to flank them. Unfortunately, since this actually is a gang hideout, traps are everywhere and snipers are just waiting to pop brave NCR heroes. The PC can talk to the powder gang, sneak around and disarm the majority of the traps, fix a bunch of damaged NCR 9mm submachineguns (the guy carrying them was blown up by a mine), or storm in and kill the gangers. If the player wants to support the gangers, he or she can rally the powder gangers to attack the soldiers, sneak up to the NCR munitions wagon and blow it up (causing huge damage to the soldiers), volunteer to heal up the gangers, or just attack the soldiers outright.

Encounter 3: Geckos (5 times, maximum) - Your average, everyday encounter with a group of hostile geckos. PCs with good Outdoorsman will be able to avoid the encounter entirely or set up favorable conditions. Geckos are a good source of skins for crafting leather armor and a few other items.

Encounter 4: Radscorpions (5 times, maximum) - Your average, everyday encounter with a group of hostile radscorpions. PCs with good Outdoorsman will be able to avoid the encounter entirely or set up favorable conditions. Radscorpions are a good source of poison for drugs and antidotes.

Encounter 5: Electro-beetles (4 times, maximum) - Your average, everyday encounter with a group of hostile electro-beetles. PCs with good Outdoorsman will be able to avoid the encounter entirely or set up favorable conditions. Electro-beetles are a good source of bio-cells for small energy cells.

Repair the Water Pump

 * Initiator: Frank LaFrancis, Burham Springs
 * Importance: Medium
 * Brief: The PC has the ability to repair a water pump at two points: the pump itself in Burham Springs and a section of broken hose inside the first level of the mines. This lowers the liquid level in the toxic caves. Repairing the pump lowers it significantly. Fixing the hose lowers it even more. After the pump is fixed, almost all of the water is gone except for the water covering the AGRICOLA lab. Once the hose is fixed, the water covering the AGRICOLA lab is also removed.
 * Combat Boy, Diplomacy Boy, Stealth Boy: The PC can purchase or steal replacement parts (Water Pump Impeller, Water Pump Hose) from the Jericho Water Plant and simply use the items on the pump and the damaged hose. This is an automatic success.
 * Science Boy: The PC can use Mechanics (Hard) to repair the pump and Mechanics (Easy) to fix the hose.


 * Quest Flags:


 * "11_Repair_Pump_Hose"
 * 0 = Unaware of quest
 * 1 = Frank told PC about quest
 * 2 = Frank rewarded PC for fixing pump and hose


 * "11_Pump_Fixed"
 * 0 = Pump is not fixed
 * 1 = Pump is fixed


 * "11_Hose_Fixed"
 * 0 = Hose is not fixed
 * 1 = Hose is fixed


 * Rewards: .45 revolver, .45 HP Ammo (42), Stimpak


 * Normal Journal: Frank LaFrancis told me that the water pump in Burham Springs used to pump water out of the lower caves. Since the impeller broke and the lower hose were damaged, it hasn't worked very well. If the pump were fixed, it would make exploration of the lower caves much safer.
 * Dumb Journal: Frank is ghoul. He told me pump broken and pump makes water go away from caves. If water go away we can walk around cave no get wet and sick.


 * Normal Journal: Frank LaFrancis was pleased that I fixed the water pump and the lower hose. He gave me some items for my trouble and wished me well.
 * Dumb Journal: Frank happy about pump. Gave me nice things.


 * Normal Journal: I fixed the impeller on the water pump, and it started running much better.
 * Dumb Journal: Pump fix. Quiet now. Like wind.


 * Normal Journal: I fixed the hose for the water pump inside the mine. It should be able to actually carry water now.
 * Dumb Journal: Hose fix. Suck good.

Get Rid of Lingering Geckos

 * Initiator: Phil
 * Importance: Small
 * Brief: Phil and Sparky are damned tired of all the geckos creeping around the edges of Burham Springs. They don't want to waste time and ammo going after the creeps, but they're afraid the small beasts will eventually attack them en masse. Phil and Sparky want them dead or gone.
 * Combat Boy: The PC can simply attack the geckos and lay waste to every last one of the bastards. This is a pretty simple option, but effective.
 * Diplomacy Boy: No method to solve, but can use Persuasion to convince Phil to let him or her use Phil's traps on the geckos.
 * Science Boy: At the Outdoorsman Camp at Phil and Sparky's place, characters with high Medic, Science, or a good Outdoorsman can create Poisoned Sowat Fruit (using Radscorpion Poison and Sowat Fruit from the Nursery or elsewhere). Dropping this anywhere near the geckos will draw them. One fruit will easily kill a gecko in less than a minute.
 * Stealth Boy: Phil has a bunch of heavy bear traps that can be placed in the midst of the gecko prowling grounds. Walking over a bear trap causes serious damage and usually breaks the creature's leg. Geckos with broken legs are much easier to deal with than healthy geckos, since speed is their one great advantage.


 * Quest Flags:


 * "11_Rid_Geckos"
 * 0 = Unaware of quest
 * 1 = Phil told PC about quest
 * 2 = Phil rewarded the PC for the quest


 * "11_Gecko_Body_Count"
 * Number indicates how many Geckos have been killed in Burham Springs.


 * "11_Phil_Traps"
 * 0 = PC hasn't asked Phil about traps
 * 1 = Phil said it was okay to use the traps
 * 2 = Phil said that the PC couldn't use the traps


 * Rewards: Nitroglycerin (20), Nitrocellulose (20), Dynamite Stick (3)


 * Normal Journal: Phil complained to me about the geckos wandering around near Burham Springs. He says he'd go out with Sparky to kill them himself, but he doesn't want to waste the time or the ammo. If I can do it, he promised me nitroglycerine, nitrocellulose, and some dynamite.
 * Dumb Journal: Phil wants me kill geckos. He promise booms!


 * Normal Journal: Phil was glad I got rid of the geckos, so he handed over some explosives for a job well done.
 * Dumb Journal: Phil happy about geckos. Gave me booms.


 * Normal Journal: I talked to Phil about using the big bear traps for taking out the geckos. He had no problem with it.
 * Dumb Journal: I ask Phil to use traps for geckos. He say okay.


 * Normal Journal: I talked to Phil about using the big bear traps for taking out the geckos. I must have rubbed him the wrong way, because he said I couldn't use them.
 * Dumb Journal: Phil no let me use traps for geckos. He hate me.

Extinguish the Fires of Burham Springs

 * Initiator: Lt. Gov. Dodge (Hoover Dam)
 * Importance: Large
 * Brief: Burham Springs has been on fire for years, with no sign of going out. Unknown to pretty much anyone, the Agricola Robots actually do possess fire suppression capabilities. Lt. Gov. Dodge tells the PC that the only way he'd ever consider making an alliance with New Canaan that didn't involve their annexation is if Burham Springs stopped burning. He means this both figuratively and literally. He needs an outpost in the northeast, and Burham Springs is currently unsuitable, as is Salt Lake City. If Burham Springs were "fixed", mining operations could resume and the small town could rebuild.
 * Combat, Diplomacy, Stealth: The PC needs to install the Agricola Fire Suppression Module on the central computer in the AGRICOLA Lab. The Agricola Fire Suppression Module can be recovered from the Grand Canyon.
 * Science Boy: The PC needs to either manually modify the Agricola MRs by using the Agricola Fire Suppression Manual Override Instructions (Mechanics/Average), or hack the unfinished Agricola Fire Suppression Program located in the central computer (Science/Hard).


 * Quest Flags:


 * "12_Extinguish_Burham"
 * 0 = Unaware of quest
 * 1 = Lt. Gov. Dodge told PC about quest
 * 2 = Lt. Gov. Dodge knows that the quest was completed, and has rewarded the PC.


 * "11_Fire_Module_Installed"
 * 0 = Module has not been installed
 * 1 = Module has been installed


 * "11_Fire_Manual_Override"
 * 0 = None of the Agricola MRs have had the manual override activated
 * 1 = All of the Agricola MRs have had their manual overrides activated (once one robot is modified, they all become modified)


 * "11_Fire_Program_Hacked"
 * 0 = PC has not hacked the planet
 * 1 = PC has hacked the Agricola Fire Suppression Program


 * "11_Fire_Extinguished"
 * 0 = The fires of Burham Springs have not been extinguished
 * 1 = The fires of Burham Springs have been extinguished


 * Rewards: 2,500 XP, $1,000 from Lt. Gov. Dodge, +10 Rep in Hoover Dam, +5 Rep in New Canaan.


 * Normal Journal: Lt. Gov. Dodge told me that the only way he would ever make a treaty with New Canaan is if Burham Springs stopped burning.
 * Dumb Journal: Dodge make treaty with New Canaans if Burham Springs get cold again.


 * Normal Journal: The Agricola Lab computer apparently has an unfinished program that will make the Agricola MRs put out the mine fires. The program also references a guide somewhere in the lab for manually putting the Agricola MRs into fire suppression mode.
 * Dumb Journal: Computer make robots put out fire... but broken! How to fix is mystery. Computer say man-u-al can make robots put out fire, too.


 * Normal Journal: I installed the Agricola Fire Suppression Module in the Agricola Lab computer and the robots started to move around the mines, extinguishing the fires.
 * Dumb Journal: Put fancy computer thingy on other computer. Robots start moving around. They put out fires.


 * Normal Journal: I used the override guide to manually activate the Agricola MRs' fire suppression mode. They immediately started to move around the mines, extinguishing the fires.
 * Dumb Journal: Use book to make robots put out fires. They are good robots. They listen to me and go put out fires.


 * Normal Journal: I completed the prototype fire suppression program that was floating around in the Agricola lab computer. Once it was finished, the computer transmitted the program to the robots and they started to extinguish fires all over the mines.
 * Dumb Journal: Computer think it smarter than me. I show computer. Ha, ha, computer program! Now make robots put out fires! Stupid computer program.


 * Normal Journal: Lt. Gov. Dodge was surprised but pleased that the fires at Burham Springs were extinguished. He rewarded me for my efforts and told me that I would be a household name in Hoover Dam.
 * Dumb Journal: Dodge happy that Burham fires go out. He give me moneys and say everyone like me now! I big hero.

Blow Up the Mines for CoS

 * Initiator: Traci Niels
 * Importance: Medium
 * Brief: The Brotherhood of Steel is aware that there's a bunch of good technology lying around in the Burham Springs mines. They want to prevent it from being distributed throughout the wastes by Phil, Sparky, and Frank. The core BoS does not want anything done to those three, but they do want to reclaim as much of the old tech as they can. However, the CoS has different plans. Even if you recover all tech from BoS, the CoS wants Phil, Sparky, and Frank dead. They also want to see the mines blown up via the placement of charges at specific locations in the mines.
 * Combat, Stealth: This is a fairly straightforward quest. The PC simply has to kill Phil, Sparky, and Frank, then set two charges at the entrance to the mines (next to two clearly marked supports). Destroying the supports causes the cave complex to collapse. If the PC is inside, it's game over. Otherwise, the screen shakes and a huge cloud of smoke emerges from the mine. After the smoke clears, there's only rubble in the entrance (any quest items inside are at the edge of the rubble).
 * Diplomacy, Science: There is no completion path specifically for these character types.
 * Quest Flags:


 * "09_Blow_Up_Mines_CoS"
 * 0 = Unaware of quest
 * 1 = Tracy Neils told PC about quest
 * 2 = PC accepted quest, was given radio bombs
 * 3 = Tracy Neils has rewarded the PC, quest over


 * "11_Phil_Dead", "11_Sparky_Dead", "11_Frank_Dead"
 * 0 = Alive
 * 1 = Dead


 * "11_Support_1_Blown", "11_Support_2_Blown"
 * 0 = Not destroyed
 * 1 = Destroyed


 * "11_Mines_Blown"
 * 0 = Mines have not been blown
 * 1 = Mines have been blown


 * Rewards: 2,000 XP, HERMES Light Armor component, HERMES Light Helmet component


 * Normal Journal: Tracy Neils indicated that she wanted Burham Springs taken care of. And by taken care of, she meant that its three squatter residents should be killed and the mines should be destroyed by taking out the supports at the mineshaft entrance.
 * Dumb Journal: Tracy tell me blow up Burham Springs kill all people in it.


 * Normal Journal: The Burham Springs Mines are now officially out of business. I destroyed the supports and a rockslide sealed the tunnel.
 * Dumb Journal: Me blow up Burham Springs Mines. CRASH! Support-thingy fall down, mines collapse.


 * Normal Journal: Tracy was satisfied at the news of Burham Spring's collapse and zero population. She gave me a few items and thanked me for protecting the Circle of Steel.
 * Dumb Journal: Tracy so happy that Burham Springs dead. She gave me nice things and said thank you.

New Canaan Connection

 * Initiator: Jeremiah Rigdon
 * Importance: Medium
 * Brief: Jeremiah Rigdon, the living prophet of New Canaan, wishes to enter into a trade agreement with Phil, Sparky, and Frank at Burham Springs. In exchange for a regular supply of coal, Jeremiah will trade corn, brahmin milk, brahmin beef, and water. However, he is concerned that the trio at Burham Springs may fire at will on the New Canaanites if they approach. He would like the PC to go negotiate with them and establish a trade caravan.
 * Diplomacy: The PC needs to do one of the following a) Use Persuasion to convince Phil to trade with the New Canaanites, then return to Jeremiah and tell him or b) Get the quest, wait two weeks, then lie to Jeremiah about how much the trio are looking forward to trading with the New Canaanites. The latter will later have repercussions with Jeremiah, but the trio won't actually attack the New Canaanites if they come down (though it will cause an initial confrontation). c) Use Barter to explain to Frank that this is a good trade relationship that they will be unable to reproduce with any surrounding communities.
 * Combat, Science, Stealth: There is no completion path specifically for these character types.
 * Quest Flags:


 * "10_New_Canaan_Connection"
 * 0 = Unaware of quest
 * 1 = Jeremiah Rigdon told the PC about the quest
 * 2 = Jeremiah Rigdon has rewarded the PC for completing the quest
 * 3 = Jeremiah Rigdon has chastised the PC for lying to him


 * "11_Phil_Convinced_Persuasion"
 * 0 = Phil has not been convinced
 * 1 = Phil has been convinced to trade with New Canaan


 * "11_Frank_Convinced_Barter"
 * 0 = Frank has not been convinced
 * 1 = Frank has been convinced to trade with New Canaan


 * "10_Lied_Jeremiah"
 * 0 = PC has not lied to Jeremiah about trading
 * 1 = PC has lied to Jeremiah about trading


 * "10_Started_BS_Trading"
 * 0 = New Canaan has not started trading with Burham Springs
 * 1 = New Canaan has started trading with Burham Springs


 * Rewards: 1,500 XP, $500, Healing Kit


 * Normal Journal: Jeremiah Rigdon asked me to negotiate a trade agreement with the three salvagers at Burham Springs. He wants to make sure that the trio have no hostility towards the residents of New Canaan.
 * Dumb Journal: Jeremiah ask me go talk to guys at Burham Springs. Want to trade but is afraid. HA HA I MADE POEM!


 * Normal Journal: I appealed to Phil's good side and convinced him to trade with the New Canaanites. Now I just have to tell Jeremiah.
 * Dumb Journal: Talk to Phil. Tell him New Canaanananananites are good. He okay with trade now. Must tell Jeremiah.


 * Normal Journal: I talked to Frank and explained to him how he simply wasn't going to get a better trade deal from any other community around Burham Springs. That convinced him to trade with New Canaan. Now I just have to tell Jeremiah.
 * Dumb Journal: Talk to Frank. Tell him trade is only good with New Canaan. Frank understand. He okay with trade now. Must tell Jeremiah.


 * Normal Journal: Jeremiah wanted to know about the progress I've made with Burham Springs. I fed him a line about how the guys at Burham Springs had no problem with trading, and the chump bought it.
 * Dumb Journal: Jeremiah ask me about Burham Spring talking. Lie to him, ha ha. Tell him Burham Spring guys like New Canaan. Jeremiah so gulli... gulilblelel.. Jeremiah so dumb.


 * Normal Journal: I guess Jeremiah doesn't like people lying to him. He kicked me out of town because one of their merchants got wounded when they went down and surprised the guys at Burham Springs.
 * Dumb Journal: Jeremiah kick me out of town because I lie to him about Burham Springs. Merchant went down there got shot by Frank. Uh oh. Bye bye Mormons.

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?

Note that quests should reinforce the "feel" of a location. As an example, Redding in Fallout 2 was set up to be a frontier, rough-and-tumble Western mining town, with a "Gold Rush" kind of ambiance about it. Quests in the town involved becoming the sheriff (a career move that, in classic Western style, no one wants), dealing with drunken brawls in the local saloon, dealing with dirty infighting between the two mining companies, trying to help out the local country doctor, cleaning out an infested mine, dealing with a band of robbers, and so on – the nature of the quests made you feel like you were in a Old West movie.

Also, if there is a companion in town, make sure you indicate how to get him in your party, and set up the conditions as a quest. ("To get Cassidy in your party, you need to find him in his tavern, ask him about his recent rash of troubles, then invite him to come with you. You will gain +500 XP, +1 Reputation, and Cassidy comes with a Shotgun, leather armor, several shells, and a lot of whiskey.")

General

 * There are many smoke plumes and clusters of flame at specific locations in Burham Springs, the Mines, and the Toxic Caves. They will all be extinguished when 11_Fire_Extinguished = 1. Also, related sounds stop then, too (see Sound Requirements section).

Town-Specific

 * Phil, Sparky, and Frank are buddies, even though it might not seem like it. If anyone starts shit in New Canaan (attacking or stealing from one of the three), they are all on the same team and will go after the PC and his or her companions, full bore.
 * Sparky can become extremely agitated by very loud noises (like shouting right next to him, a shotgun blast near him, etc.), and will attack the source.
 * If/when the entrance to the mine is blasted (see the Blow Up the Mines for CoS quest), the screen shakes and it is loud. It is loud enough that it can be heard at Phil and Sparky's place as well as Frank's place. The trio will investigate and attack the PC and company.

Dungeon-Specific

 * Neither the geckos nor the gehennas are on teams, but they will investigate sounds of combat if they hear it, and will attack humanoid opponents over each other.
 * The entirety of the mines is filled with smoke and a lot of fires while 11_Fire_Exinguished = 0. Without 90% Bio Resistance, the PC will take increasing amounts of Bio damage for every fifteen seconds spent inside. It starts at 1 point, then 2, then 4, then 8, then 16 (forever). If the player leaves and returns, the amount resets.
 * In the Toxic Caves, radiation poisoning is really, really bad. If 11_Pump_Fixed = 0, simply standing at the bottom of the ladder will result in accumulating 1 rad every second. Standing in the shallow toxic waste results in gaining 5 rads every second. Standing in the deep toxic waste results in gaining 15 rads every second. After 11_Pump_Fixed = 1, the danger areas recede according to the dropping toxic water level. The 1 rad/second rate is in the front (lowered) area, and the 5 rads/second is in the area around the Agricola Lab entrance. After 11_Pump_Fixed = 1 && 11_Hose_Fixed = 1, all areas are at the 1 rad/second rate.
 * The PC will be able to interact with the pump hose in the Mines to patch it up using either Mechanics or an inventory item. This sets 11_Hose_Fixed = 1.
 * When 11_Pump_Fixed = 1, the toxic waste in the Toxic Caves drops/recedes to only the area around the Agricola Lab entrance. When 11_Pump_Fixed = 1 && 11_Hose_Fixed = 1, the toxic waste disappears completely.
 * After 11_Pump_Fixed = 1 && 11_Hose_Fixed = 1, the player can walk down into the area marked in red outlines on the Toxic Caves map. This gives access to a functioning vault door that opens to the Agricola Lab.
 * While in the lab, using any sort of weapon that causes Ballistic, Heat, Electrical, or EMP damage will cause the Agricola MR robots to activate and attack in the lab.
 * In the computer room (Agricola Lab), the player will be able to find an Agricola Fire Suppression Manual Override book. A character with a 75+ Mechanics and this item in his or her inventory can either use Mechanics or use the item on an Agricola MR to activate its Fire Suppression routine. Once it is done for one robot, it should display a message that says, "You have activated the Agricola Mining Robot's fire suppression manual override. You proceed to perform this operation on the other Agricola MRs." It should then, fade out and fade in to a cutscene of the Agricola MRs tooling around the mines, drilling into the walls and putting out the fires. After this is completed, the Agricola MRs return to their stations and it fades back in on the player. Also, 11_Fire_Exinguished = 1.
 * The same scene can occur if the PC interacts with the central computer in the lab using a 115+ Science. This is started through dialogue, but essentially arrives at the same end result. After fiddling around, the player gets an in-dialogue message indicating that he or she has completed the beta fire suppression software and transmitted it to the Agricola MRs. The same suppression scene as before plays out, and the robots return to their stations.

Cool Shit
This area is cool because is a combat-heavy romper room with a few badass NPCs, a lot of cool shit to buy and salvage, and a messed up environment.


 * The Combat Boys will get to lay waste to a lot of really tough geckos, gehennas, and molechs while striding through smoke and flames.
 * Phil, Sparky, and Frank are weird, quirky guys who don't take shit from anyone, and can dish out plenty of pain on those who cross them.
 * Phil and Frank sell a lot of really cool equipment and pieces of equipment. Also, the player can recover even more stuff in the bowels of the mines and caves.
 * The environment is extremely dramatic—an Old West mining town burned to a ground—but still burning and fucked up and full of mutants.

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.

Location Checklist
I'd like these categories to be balanced out among random encounters as well, when possible (obviously, not all categories will apply).

Ending: A brief, one-sentence explanation of the possible endings for this location. These are described in more detail in End Movies, below.

Economics: This is just an entry to make sure that you have given some information in the location that gives clues on how it manages to stay afloat financially in the wasteland; you don't have to beat the player over the head with it, but just make sure it's communicated in some fashion in the location.

Power/Infrastructure: How does the community get power, if necessary? (Tribal communities and farming towns don't need much beyond the ability to make fire.) Again, someone in the town should make mention of this, or there should be scenery to support it (campfires, generators, atomic reactor, and so on).

Food: What do the inhabitants of this area eat? Someone in town (maybe the flophouse owner or farmer) should mention it.

Tie to Another Area 1: I'd like to see the areas tied together more – either with inter-dependent quests, or family members spread out across locations, or something that gives the player the feeling that each location in the game is not an isolated location all into itself.

Basically, ask yourself how does the location interact with other locations and groups in the world? Includes neighboring settlements (for Denver, it's Boulder and Circle Junction) and ones far away (what information or consequences may be given/occur in Black Canyon or when speaking with Lt. Gov. Dodge once you find the Denver salvagers allied and well? And would the ghouls like to know that Denver is occupied… and that it could easily be taken? Sure they would!)

This should probably consist of most of the major players in Fallout, including:


 * NCR
 * BOS
 * Ghouls
 * Super Mutants
 * Tribals

Just some things to consider.

Anyway, that's the bare bones checklist, and it's subject to revisions. Here's an example of how the list could be filled out:

Room for Improvement
Store: If a deal is made with New Canaan (see New Canaan Connection quest), Phil and Frank can start to offer more items (traded from New Canaan, but not taking away from New Canaan's store supplies)

Store Frequency: As above.

End Movies
WHERE TO GO CONDITIONS

'''1. DESTROYED MINES! (WTG)'''

'''2. SUPPRESSED FIRE! (WTG)'''

'''3. NEW CANAAN DEAL, FIRES BURN! (WTG)'''

'''4. NEW CANAAN DEAL, FIRES OUT! (WTG)'''

'''5. NEW CANAAN DEAL, FIRES OUT, TREATY MADE! (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.

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.