Novac

Novac is an independent town in the Mojave Wasteland in 2281. It is located south of the Gibson scrap yard and north of the Viper's encampment along Highway 95.

Background
Established alongside Highway 95 before the Great War, the town of Novac was once just a small stopover point for travelers looking for a restroom, a motel, or a coolant refill on the way to the REPCONN test site. Dinky the Dinosaur and the "World's 2nd Largest Thermometer" served as novelty roadside attractions to help attract customers. After the war, the settlement was abandoned for the better part of two centuries, until it gained a new lease on life in the first half of the 23rd century, around the 2230s-2240s. Settlers gradually cleaned up and restored the area. The fledgling town was named after the neon sign advertising the motel. Of the name, arrow, and the "no vacancies sign," only the arrow and "no vac" remained.

Though it lacked access to natural resources, its proximity to the REPCONN test site and the sizable supply of salvage allowed the town to generate a stable stream of pre-War technology, scrap, and other goods to caravans passing up and down the highway. The arrival of the Bright Brotherhood around 2281 and the feral ghouls that blocked the road to REPCONN facilities have caused concern that this might threaten the town's livelihood. Recently, due to the shut down of the parallel I-15, caravan traffic on the highway has increased and subsequently provided the town with additional income, raising the citizens' spirits.

However prosperous it might be in the future, Novac's denizens aren't trusting of transients and non-residents in the present. This is due to the proximity to the front lines along the Colorado River and violent skirmishes between Caesar's Legion, the New California Republic, and raiders skulking in the southeastern Mojave, particularly after Legion victories at Nelson and Camp Searchlight. Although not a territory of the Republic, the NCR Army extends its protection to the town as a vital stopover point for caravans.

Permanent protection is provided by two NCR Army veterans, Craig Boone and Manny Vargas, who use the giant Tyrannosaurus Rex statue as a watchtower to eliminate any would-be troublemakers at long range. The only other potential law in the town, Ranger Andy, is another NCR veteran who recently exacerbated his career-ending leg injury by falling down the stairs in front of the motel.

Layout
Novac consists of a residential area with several houses, including Jeannie May Crawford's house, the McBride house, No-bark's shack, and a house where Novac settlers reside. There are three bungalows inside the motel compound as well. The middle house belongs to Ranger Andy and the southernmost house is owned by Cliff Briscoe, the third being inaccessible. The landmark dinosaur, Dinky the T-Rex, containing the Dino Bite gift shop is to the south of the bungalows.

The main part of Novac is the Dino Dee-lite Motel area, consisting of seven accessible motel rooms and the front desk, where a room can be rented from Jeannie May Crawford for 100 caps. Alternatively, she will give the Courier a room free of charge once they attain "Accepted" status in the town. Cliff Briscoe will rent out rooms in Jeanie May Crawford's place if she were to die.

The motel room the Courier can rent is located up the stairs on the immediate left after entering the motel compound. There are two vacant rooms and the others are inhabited by Manny Vargas, Boone, Daisy Whitman, and Bruce Isaac.

Across the street from the motel is a gas station with a workbench and a reloading bench, one of two places where Dr. Ada Straus serves as a merchant, the other being down the road near the McBride's. In and around the gas station are several REPCONN rockets, including the V29-321G, R77-293A, and Z43-521P models.

The closest campfire is located to the northwest, in a cave past a water tower and radio tower. There are two graves accessible with a shovel beside one of the residences that run parallel to the motel's main building, as well as a kitchen tent that traveling merchants rest in front of. As with all graves, walking near them will trigger faint, ghostly whispering. Near the gravesite is a shanty that contains a usable workbench and some crafting materials on a shelf.

Notable loot

 * D.C. Journal of Internal Medicine - Can be stolen from the bed in Ranger Andy's bungalow.
 * That Gun - Inside the Dino Bite gift shop, within a locked closet behind the rocket souvenirs on a metal shelf. Alternatively, it can be bought from Cliff Briscoe.
 * Two Sunset Sarsaparilla star bottle caps - One in the kitchen of a house northeast of Jeannie May Crawford's house. The bottle cap is in the kitchen, on the table to the left of the entrance. The second can be stolen from Daisy Whitman's room, on the table with the television set.
 * Bill of sale - In the safe behind the Dino Dee-lite front desk.
 * 1st Recon beret - Acquired from Boone at the end of the quest One for My Baby.
 * Paciencia - Sold by Cliff Briscoe.
 * MF Hyperbreeder Alpha - Sold by Cliff Briscoe.
 * A bottlecap mine inside of the crafting shanty.

Appearances
Novac appears only in Fallout: New Vegas.

Behind the scenes

 * Novac's thermometer is similar in appearance to the "World's Tallest Thermometer" in Baker, California, marking the real world's record for the hottest recorded temperature of 134 F (57 C) measured there in 1913. Novac's thermometer is described as "World's 2nd Largest Thermometer" in comparison.
 * The Dinky the T-Rex closely resembles the real world Tex the T-Rex, located at the Shan-Gri-La Prehistoric Park and Museum in Henderson, Nevada.
 * The dinosaur landmark also closely resembles the real world Mr. Rex, one of two large biomorphic buildings designed and constructed by sculptor Claude K. Bell in Cabazon, California. The name Dinky refers to Mr. Rex's counterpart "Dinny," although the real world Dinny (pronounced Diney) is a Brontosaurus as opposed to a Tyrannosaurus rex.
 * Novac was the first cell developers constructed, stating that it is better to build tutorials around areas that are not able to be destroyed in-game.

Bugs

 * If you push Manny Vargas or Boone onto the teeth of the dinosaur and then do a Ranger Takedown on him, he will fall off of the dinosaur, and then fly back up.
 * After the 1.6 patch, sections of the motel will not load properly, leaving working doors hanging in empty space.
 * Items stored in the player character's hotel room, in the wardrobe and footlocker, etc., can be lost with the original junk contents replacing them.
 * The road to the REPCONN test site (if traveling from Novac) seems to have poor textures. Only on a small amount of the road, and there appears to be no way to fix this.