Vending Machine (Fallout 3)

Nuka-Cola vending machines are large containers that dispense Nuka-Cola.

They appear in Fallout and Fallout 2 as a world object and in Fallout 3 as a container. It would have also appeared in Van Buren.

Fallout and Fallout 2
Nuka-Cola machines are commonly found throughout the wasteland, and in Fallout 2 they're usable. Just right click on the machine and use money into it. This will initiate a luck and a agility test which will see if:
 * Your character catches the bottle.
 * If you can't catch it, he/she will be able to dodge it with the bottle flying a few yards away. If you aren't able to catch it, the PC will get hit by the bottle in the groin area. (With the PC saying Uff! and a small HP loss)

Fallout 3
In Fallout 3, there are 152 of them located throughout the Capital Wasteland, in Metro stations and various buildings. The contents of a vending machine is randomly set the first time the PC enters a map cell and remain that way for the rest of the game. In all other respects, it is a standard container and can be used for long term storage throughout the game (tested PS3).

A fully stocked vending machine contains 9 bottle caps, 3 Nuka-Colas and a Nuka-Cola Quantum but is an extremely rare occurance. The minimum a vending machine will contain is a single Nuka-Cola with the rest being random. There are two chances (75%) for an additional Nuka-Cola. There is a chance (10%) for bottle caps (probably 11% for 9) and a chance (10%) for a Nuka-Cola Quantum. The odds (based on the above figures) for a fully stocked machine are 1 in 1600 or 0.0625%. That works out to 1 fully stocked machine in 10 1/2 complete games (visiting every machine on the map).

Since the contents of a vending machine are set the first time the PC enters a map cell, it is possible to "roll for Quantums (save, enter cell, check for Quantums, reload)" but it can quickly become a tedious and frustrating endeavour. In a map cell containing 2 vending machines, the odds are 1 in 100. For 3 it is 1 in 1000 and so on. The current record holder for most machines is Seward Square with a whopping 6, the odds of getting all 6 Quantums is a staggering 1 in 1,000,000!! If you have the patience and tenacity to reload a million (or more) times, build the tower to get onto the Ranger Compound 4th floor, come up with 6 Quantums (obviously without using console commands) and post the video to YouTube, you would most certainly deserve the accolades that would follow!

A pristine Nuka-Cola machine can be bought for your house in Megaton from Moira Brown or suite in Tenpenny Tower from Lydia Montenegro. Putting a regular Nuka-Cola into the pristine vending machine converts it into an ice cold Nuka-Cola, improving the health benefits (+20HP/+1RAD vs. +10HP/+2RAD). Once converted, they are no longer available for the Quantum Chemist perk. As with all other vending machines, the one in the house/suite is a regular container and can be used to store anything else in the game.

Van Buren
It would have also appeared in the canceled Van Buren, but whether it would have been usable to the player is unknown.