FO4 Alt Start - Live a Alternate Vault Life (Idea's thoughts etc).

[BringtheNoise]

From the E3 show my best guess would be that vault 101 is set to do a cryo storage of the PC and family and that the vault was completed just prior to the bombs falling (or your character just signed up for the vault prior to the bombs falling, either way)....

 

Live an Alternate vault life.

 

Vault Tec in there infinite wisdom decided to cryostasis only the brain and brain stem of the residents of vault 101. Placing all the brains into an induced coma. This allowed them to shut down the consciousness of each brain and connect them to a hive style Quantum computer system to process technology (what better way to do R&D then to use the brains of a vaults inhabitants).

 

R&D has been done in many files including:

Synthetic organic systems (Synthetic humans aka SYNC's)

Augmented Abilities (Think X-men mutations)

Enhanced Endoskeletons using Ceramic, Titanium, Carbon Nano Tubing, and/or Graphine (think top end would be similar to Wolverine's Adantium skeleton)

Advanced Synaptic systems for Synthetic and Augmented Humans (faster reflexes)

Semi Organic Nano machines (repair tools for the brains, used extended storage in the vault)

Optical Enhancements (better vision thru R&D)

Genetic Augmentation (better humans thru R&D, stronger, smarter, radiation resistant, possibly a similar road to the super mutants)

Advances in Stealth systems (take the stealth boy mark I and throw 200 years of R&D improvements at it).

Optimized Skill training thru Neural Subconscious Implanting (think "I know Kung Fu" from the Matrix, but apply it to anything from building homes and farms, to combat styles and weapon creation).

Etc etc...

 

The Problem is your Vault has a lot of R&D material available (200 years of quantum computing can do that), but the vault has very limited resources.

---- Tie into the back story as the vault was filled to capacity at the start of the bombings, but space and resources were limited due to the facility not being fully stocked for a 200 to 300 year extended period ---

 

 

To solve this resource problem one of the vault brains is awoken and charged with going forth and acquiring resources (thru scrap material, and what not).... This is where the Player Character comes in.

 

At the start your brain (and brain stem) are incased in a Ceramic/Titanium encasing (to ensure your survival) and then placed into a basic model Sync (Synthetic human) shell (you get to choose the basic features, but can upgrade it or replace it at a later date).

 

One of the first tasks you are given is to go and retrieve enough material to create a better sync for your adventures (so you don't just get mauled to death by even the smallest creature/s of the wasteland).

 

Optional task - bring back enough material to build a stealth retrieval droid (SRD).

 - The SRD unit (or units) job is to go pick up your brain casing and bring it back once your Sync is mutilated by something, or someone (IE you get eaten by a death claw... a day later your SRD picks thru the pile of poo and retrieves your brain casing and bring you back, then the vault's automated system cleans you up and throws you into a new sync.

Sub category for the SRD would be to retrieve excess material you have scavenged (so maybe if you are eaten by a death claw the new Sync you get with have some improvements). Note you would need to place the material in a certain location and send a signal to the vault for pickup...

 

 

Motivation for the player (as some people need that to roleplay something like this):

1: your family is at stake along with all the other inhabitants of vault 101 (low resources means the automated system may need to shut down some of the brain casings, and your family members are on the list to motivate you to go get the shit the vault needs to keep on running).

2. you want to rebuild your old city, but first you need to rebuild your citizens (be it in Sync's or in augmented replacement bodies).

3. you can, at any time, say fuck it and take the sync you were given and go live in the wasteland (may screw your family and other vault dwellers in the process though).

 

Options:

Once you have enough scrap/salvage acquired you can create a new and more powerful sync.

 - Use some of the higher end R&D and get a radiation proof Sync with a stronger endoskelton and muscle setup.

 - Better eyes for your existing Sync (low light capability etc).

 - or Lose the Sync and have the Vaults automated system create you a new body to implant your brain into (Note this would remove your brain from the sturdy encasing and kick in the games default you die you need to reload your previous save).

 

Upgrade your knowledge of different things with the R&D systems neural upgrade tool...

 - Learn how to build aqua ducts, how to clear the top soil to make a non irradiated field (so you can grow crops in mass)

 - Learn how to be a better scout, scavenger, or if need be assassin ( combat, sneak, load bearing etc).

 

Wake up a loved one, or just someone else from the vault to assist in collecting salvage and rebuilding your old world....  with enough salvage wake up more and more of the vaults residents (note this will reduce the amount of quantum computing the automated system has available for future R&D.

 

Also bring back knowledge of what works and what does not to the automated system. So the automated system can figure out what new material to run R&D on and what old R&D to trash (IE some shit was researched and was a fucking wasted effort)...

 

 

 

 

Off shoots that could come from this type of system:

 - resetting factions stances thru a new sync that looks completely different.

As the humans you deal with on the outside of the vault would have no clue you were who you were cause you are in a new Sync.

 

You could even take this to another level by having multiple Sync's created and stored in the vault (allowing you to take up a different identity to do different tasks).

Karma's a bitch sometimes - use one sync to kill off certain people (collects bad karma to the sync and not to the player character). Then go to the vault and switch back into a different sync that has good standings in that same community.

 

Note: It would be STRONGLY ADVISED TO NOT CREATE A SETTLEMENT NEAR THE VAULT.... as that could make the discovery of the vault and your Sync's known to the different people of the wasteland (word of mouth killing your ability to switch sync's and go about doing naughty things in one and having a good nature in another).

 

 

Completely side twist to this system

Your character is not the first person the vault has woken up and the Sync that was available IS known by some of the wasteland residents (be it for good or bad karma) as that Sync was used by the previous vault asset to do retrieval jobs.

This could give you a side mission of going and finding the previous individual and trying to get them to come back, or report back what happened to the previous individual... there is no telling if the brain encasing can take extend energy blasts (or if they just fucked off and left the rest of the vault dwellers Shit out a luck).

 

 

Just some thoughts for an Alternative start for FO4 (I thought it would be kinda cool to throw in the whole R&D quantum computing bit with no resources to test out the R&D data so you end up being a Guinea pig as well as a worker for the system)...

 

And yes: IT could use some tweaking here or there and would probably completely break Bethesda's Perk, Skill, and what not system... but who gives a fuck about the defaults any way???

[BringtheNoise]

Hmmm thought about how to resupply the Quantum Computer system....

A fate worse then death for your enemies -

Neurotoxin coated ammo and body shots... As you wake up more of the inhabitants of vault 101 you will need to resupply the brains for the supper computer.

What better way then to use the brains of wasteland renegades and criminals... only they don't have there minds placed in a coma like the regular vault dwellers. No instead there minds are wiped.

This would call for a brain retrieval kit and upgrading the SRD's to be able to carry more then one unit at a time.

The vault automated system would review what the brain had stored then do a full wipe.

Note: Not all brains would be allowed to be used, and brains there were collected from innocent people would get you penalized by the automated system (gotta figure out a penalty for hurting good people).

 

Breakdown:

 - Criminals (killers, rapists, extortionists, etc): full mind wipe and installed into the hive system (as long as the brain is not broken via physical or radiological)

 - Innocents (good people that were hit in a cross fire and died): may or may not be wiped and added to the hive system.

 - Gouls (good or bad): would not be used by the system as they have radiation damage that slowly destroys there brains (not good for the hive system).

 

This system could also be tied into NPC's that you want to keep around, but are killed off in some way shape or form (as long as you get to there bodies in a specific period of time).

Useful NPC's could have there brains retrieved and placed into low end Sync's made to mimic there old bodies.

Now you could have the system wipe there mind of the bad things that happened to them as they died and give them a cover story of they were injured in a fight and it took them time to recover.

Or you could bring them into the fold of rebuilding the world and make them part of the system (and have them work with vault 101 dwellers in the future)....

 

Still has some kinks here and there but the idea is working its way out of my head.