If the Institute was Truly Evil...

[DocClox]

On 6/3/2026 at 3:21 PM, Operand said:

If the Institute can control the very DNA, why do they keep producing "defective" synths with propensity to independent thinking?

 

To be fair to Bethesda, I think Patriot mentions something about how he's been sabotaging Type 3 programming to make them prone to such thoughts.

 

On 6/3/2026 at 3:21 PM, Operand said:

we all know how would a "synth wife" look if the scientist is able to control her appearance. It's pretty much the same how AI "waifus" would look if we ever get to the point of advanced robotics IRL: they all will be bombshells with perfect appearance

 

Ah, but then we never get to tour the Institute HR division! Turns out it's populated entirely by instances of the fat, googley-eyed chicks from Starfield who stare at you all the time. And they have an absolute veto any time they think a scientist is trying to make a synth that's more attractive than they are.

[Count Chocula]

On 5/9/2026 at 3:50 PM, xsixkillerx said:

Well they are mercs, so maybe someone not so bright hired them to wipe it out instead of take it over for more money, there is also a lot of dead gunners in odd situations spread throughout the lands, so its easy to see why they wouldn't necessarily be smart enough to think too far ahead and take it over themselves. Gotta keep head cannons simple and stupid sometimes namsaiyan

"Plot advance by stupidity" is ubiquitous in horror movies but never works anywhere. And there are many things that happen in computer games that can only be explained by "it's for the game," which means it won't fit into anyone's head canon no matter how much they bend over backwards to try to make it make sense in-universe.

[FauxFurry]

12 hours ago, Count Chocula said:

"Plot advance by stupidity" is ubiquitous in horror movies but never works anywhere. And there are many things that happen in computer games that can only be explained by "it's for the game," which means it won't fit into anyone's head canon no matter how much they bend over backwards to try to make it make sense in-universe.

This phenomenon which Roger Ebert dubbed the Idiot Plot  had been an epidemic in all of mainstream media for generations now.

 

One of the things which influenced Game of Throne's hyperbolic positive reception is the fact that the plots were driven by character who behaved in ways which could be perceived as rational for people in their situations and when they did not, they were met with logical consequences for their actions or lack thereof.

 

That was until Seasons 5-8 where GoT contracted a terminal case of Idiot Plot then died in a puddle of its own wasted potential.

[Wandering_Mania]

The entire vanilla story of FO4 is just a great example of bad writing.

They (BGS) toss you into a 'Family unit', and expect you to care about a kid that they give you no incentive to care about. Making Shaun a 'macguffin', when 5 minutes later the spouse is killed, and the kid taken. Then send you into a pack of idiots to try and hunt down the 'macguffin', just to find out that the macguffin is the one who set you on the path in the first place. With most people choosing to casually shoot the macguffin while walking by, as they chose other factions to join.

 

There's a video I saw a while back that could easily fix the story. But give it up to Emil Pagliarulo to rely on his 'K.I.S.S.' (Keep It Simple Stupid) writing to botch it all. He simplified it so much, that it became stupid, and lost any kind of meaning.

 

But if the Institute was truly the 'evil entity' that they are said to be; The original design would have needed to stay. Maybe not that form, but all DC guards could have been Gen 2(?) (The T-800 looking ones) synths. Same with the ones in Bunker Hill. You'd see a lot more synth patrols, and a lot less raiders. You'd see random spots where the RR was using guerrilla tactics to strike at them here and there. And The Minute men would be non-existent. Stuff like that.

 

Suffice to say the main story of FO4 is complete tripe. And could have been done better by anyone else.

[FauxFurry]

14 hours ago, Wandering_Mania said:

The entire vanilla story of FO4 is just a great example of bad writing.

They (BGS) toss you into a 'Family unit', and expect you to care about a kid that they give you no incentive to care about. Making Shaun a 'macguffin', when 5 minutes later the spouse is killed, and the kid taken. Then send you into a pack of idiots to try and hunt down the 'macguffin', just to find out that the macguffin is the one who set you on the path in the first place. With most people choosing to casually shoot the macguffin while walking by, as they chose other factions to join.

 

There's a video I saw a while back that could easily fix the story. But give it up to Emil Pagliarulo to rely on his 'K.I.S.S.' (Keep It Simple Stupid) writing to botch it all. He simplified it so much, that it became stupid, and lost any kind of meaning.

 

But if the Institute was truly the 'evil entity' that they are said to be; The original design would have needed to stay. Maybe not that form, but all DC guards could have been Gen 2(?) (The T-800 looking ones) synths. Same with the ones in Bunker Hill. You'd see a lot more synth patrols, and a lot less raiders. You'd see random spots where the RR was using guerrilla tactics to strike at them here and there. And The Minute men would be non-existent. Stuff like that.

 

Suffice to say the main story of FO4 is complete tripe. And could have been done better by anyone else.

The Institute does not even take advantage of their Gen 3 Synths to undermine their enemies. Paladin Danse is the only Gen-3 among the enemy's ranks yet he never takes any steps to lead them astray or to replace Elder Maxon so that the Institute would have direct control over the BoS.

 

What is the point of having perfect infiltration units if they do nothing with the ability to mimic the enemy perfectly and to transmit data back to homebase wirelessly through their optic sensors (as their synth crows do)? Glory should have lead the Institute to the Railroad simply by traveling to the base without wearing a blindfold.

[Samhsay]

16 hours ago, Wandering_Mania said:

The entire vanilla story of FO4 is just a great example of bad writing.

 

The protagonist immediately understands which side to join in Concord. How is the hero supposed to realize that these aren't kindly farmers trying to get rid of a gang of rampaging bandits holed up in the museum? It makes me suffer every time.

[Wandering_Mania]

5 hours ago, Samhsay said:

The protagonist immediately understands which side to join in Concord. How is the hero supposed to realize that these aren't kindly farmers trying to get rid of a gang of rampaging bandits holed up in the museum? It makes me suffer every time.

Which is exactly why I just run past the area every time I play a 'normal' game. It ain't my fight.

 

7 hours ago, FauxFurry said:

The Institute does not even take advantage of their Gen 3 Synths to undermine their enemies. Paladin Danse is the only Gen-3 among the enemy's ranks yet he never takes any steps to lead them astray or to replace Elder Maxon so that the Institute would have direct control over the BoS.

 

What is the point of having perfect infiltration units if they do nothing with the ability to mimic the enemy perfectly and to transmit data back to homebase wirelessly through their optic sensors (as their synth crows do)? Glory should have lead the Institute to the Railroad simply by traveling to the base without wearing a blindfold.

And then there's Magnolia in The Third Rail. And Sturges with the last of the minutemen. And so on. As there are a lot more Gen3's out in the 'working world' than the other ones. Even though the other ones, have taken over that 1 settlement (can't remember it name); You rarely ever see them outside of story missions popping in on you.

 

Again; If the institute was suppose to be truly 'evil'; The Minutemen would have been finished off. And Good Neighbor would not exist. 

[pinky6225]

On 8/20/2026 at 5:52 PM, FauxFurry said:

What is the point of having perfect infiltration units if they do nothing with the ability to mimic the enemy perfectly and to transmit data back to homebase wirelessly through their optic sensors (as their synth crows do)? Glory should have lead the Institute to the Railroad simply by traveling to the base without wearing a blindfold.

 

That any synth manages to escape would kinda imply they don't have direct access otherwise a courser would just get teleported to the escaping synths location as soon as they passed any sort of land mark

 

Not having direct control of a synth would also kinda be implied by any escaping as they'd just take control back and make them walk home

 

Activating an agent sounds like it would need to be done via blackmail (i.e. do this for us or we'll ruin your life by exposing you as a synth) which would limit the actions you could make an agent do as that black mail wouldn't work if the action itself will ruin their life

[FauxFurry]

3 hours ago, pinky6225 said:

 

That any synth manages to escape would kinda imply they don't have direct access otherwise a courser would just get teleported to the escaping synths location as soon as they passed any sort of land mark

 

Not having direct control of a synth would also kinda be implied by any escaping as they'd just take control back and make them walk home

 

Activating an agent sounds like it would need to be done via blackmail (i.e. do this for us or we'll ruin your life by exposing you as a synth) which would limit the actions you could make an agent do as that black mail wouldn't work if the action itself will ruin their life

I know. I am stating that is a flaw both in-setting and in world building consistency.