Agent Idea Thread

[Halstrom]

That's the thing' date=' I can indeed cram a lot of information into one post.[/quote']

Perhaps create a new Sexout Agent threead and reserve a heap of posts after the OP then rename them

[KainsChylde]

Are you willing to mess with vanilla companions? Because I had a Tier 6 or 7 idea. Its kinda vague, but I thought I'd throw it out there.

 

 

The Agency has obtained intel that Rex is actually a prototype cyberdog with some very dangerous combat tech concealed inside. The way the tech is integrated into his programming, it can only be unlocked by a hostile brain. So the Agency would either want the tech unlocked and delivered to them (Fiend/Legion dog brain, bring Rex to the bunker) or permanently locked down (old Lady Gibson's dog brain, keep Rex as a companion).

You could obtain the brains in the vanilla fashion, or seduce, steal or slaughter your way into getting them. Maybe add an option of bringing the brains to an Agency surgeon for replacement instead of going to Dr. Henry.

 

This idea probably screws with too many vanilla assets to be feasible, but you say in th OP all ideas welcome.

 

 

[zippy57]

Hi Zizppy

Who's Zizppy?

 

Regarding your Tier 1 idea: At first glance I thought it would be a bit out-of-character. And then I realized it's perfect semi-foreshadowing for future story arcs. Will use this to replace the cancelled Hot Pursuit quest in Tier 1.

 

Regarding your Tier 2 idea: If you take what you're suggesting as the actual premise' date=' then it's actually totally out-of-character. But with a few intentionally misleading statements from Bryce and it will work... Main change I'll make is to allow the player to seduce the guard as well, because 1) it allows players with a character not attracted to women to complete the quest via Seduction and 2) because Bryce wouldn't want you to kill anyone if at all possible. Will have him authorize it if absolutely necessary.

 

Are you willing to mess with vanilla companions?

I've been going back and forth with the concept of setting the RS up as a fifth major faction choice, to go along with Legion/NCR/House/Independent. There are three main reasons I keep saying no, 1) entirely too much meddling with major vanilla stuff, 2) would break Lonesome Road, and 3) the RS isn't interested in owning the Strip or the Dam, so they wouldn't be as much of a fifth faction choice as they would be a way to not side with anyone at all, even yourself.

 

Which is all really only tangentially related to your concept. The real problem isn't interaction with vanilla stuff. I haven't taken a look at it yet, but it'll probably be as simple as checking vanilla quest variables and just having the player go to Bryce first. The problem with it is that it won't work as a Tier quest because I can't have any Tier quests with the possibility of the player screwing themselves over before they get to it. You can make the Kings hostile to you, which means you won't get the quest regarding Rex nor Rex at all. It would make any Tier this mission was in literally impossible to complete.

 

It will, however, work as a non-Tier mission that triggers if the Player starts Rex's quest while in good enough standing with Bryce.

[ChancellorKremlin]

Who's Zizppy?

 

I knew that was going to come back and bite me in the ass. Grammar nazi!

 

Regarding your Tier 1 idea: At first glance I thought it would be a bit out-of-character. And then I realized it's perfect semi-foreshadowing for future story arcs. Will use this to replace the cancelled Hot Pursuit quest in Tier 1.

 

Regarding your Tier 2 idea: If you take what you're suggesting as the actual premise' date=' then it's actually totally out-of-character. But with a few intentionally misleading statements from Bryce and it will work... Main change I'll make is to allow the player to seduce the guard as well, because 1) it allows players with a character not attracted to women to complete the quest via Seduction and 2) because Bryce wouldn't want you to kill anyone if at all possible. Will have him authorize it if absolutely necessary.[/quote']

 

What do you mean with "out of character?"

 

I mentioned before I wrote the ideas that they would only really hold if Tier 1/2 missions were more along the lines of "training" missions. In that contenxt, it doesn't really matter WHY you're doing it, so long as you're doing it RIGHT. Having caused some minor setbacks in the Mojave and proven him/herself capable, the player would then be given "real" missions, which I assume are tier 3 upwards.

 

Again, what exactly would "in-character" be here?

 

In regards to Amy, she is bisexual, so options are open for players of either sex.

 

Glad you liked the ideas though. I'll pitch a few more later.

[zippy57]

What do you mean with "out of character?"

The RS' date=' and Bryce especially, would be very happy to see even the most minor advancement back towards technological civilization in the Mojave, so Bryce would actually want her to succeed. But if they were removing the engine to protect her for some reason, then that would not only be "in-character" but would also open the door for Amy to become a recurring character.

 

Oh, and every mission has a reason. Even these early "training" missions are important. The Player isn't collectng MacGuffins so much as they are collecting Chekov's Guns.

 

In regards to Amy, she is bisexual, so options are open for players of either sex.

Yes, but what if the player isn't bisexual? I'm not going to totally eliminate a completion method for straight female characters.

 

EDIT: Clarifying a bit. With the exception of The Key to Success, all the missions are "real". They merely become more difficult as the Tiers progress.

[ChancellorKremlin]

The RS' date=' and Bryce especially, would be very happy to see even the most minor advancement back towards technological civilization in the Mojave, so Bryce would actually want her to succeed. But if they were removing the engine to protect her for some reason, then that would not only be "in-character" but would also open the door for Amy to become a recurring character.[/quote']

 

Oh I see. It was hard to think of anything not really knowing what RS is about. All I know is that they are a secretive organisation of some sort. I agree though, it wouldn't be hard to change his dialogue to make it so the mission, while counter-intuitive, was actually for a good reason.

 

Oh' date=' and every mission has a reason. Even these early "training" missions are important. The Player isn't collectng MacGuffins so much as they are collection Chekov's Guns.[/quote']

 

I see. So you want each mission to fit in with a large themer or plot, as opposed to each being its own, self contained episode? I'll bear that in mind when I come up with my next ones then.

 

Yes' date=' but what if the [i']player[/i] isn't bisexual? I'm not going to totally eliminate a completion method for straight female characters.

 

Ah, of course, I hadn't thought of that.

[zippy57]

It was hard to think of anything not really knowing what RS is about.

The general concept of the RS is a spoiler in and of itself. I'll add something in the spoiler section of the OP at some point. Here's something I can tell you: The RS needs the Courier to do work in the Mojave because Bryce doesn't have authorization to send his own Field Agents out there yet. Thus the RS isn't actually in the Mojave.

 

Epic spoiler ahead. It'll give you a lot of backstory on RS' date=' but will ruin a lot of stuff you were supposed to find out over time. It won't spoil the main storyline of the mod, though. If you're interested in designing quests for SexoutAgent you should probably read this, since it gives you a much better idea of what they are doing in the region. But again, spoilers. Epic spoilers. Can't stress that enough.

[spoiler=Seriously, this will ruin a LOT"]While the general idea is set, the specific details are in a state of flux as in some cases I haven't actually bothered to check my ideas against the Lore yet. But in the cases I have, I love how general the Lore can get sometimes.

 

Pre-Drop (this is the term the RS uses to refer to the Pre-War era), Vault-Tec had to compete with other companies to initially receive its status as a military contractor. One of those competitors was a company based in the Las Vegas area known as Radiant Security. They were founded to provide private security to casinos in the area, but with the introduction of the ultimately cheaper Protectrons, the demand for their services waned. The company, which had always constructed their own security centers for casinos, eventually branched out into creating a form of pre-fabricated secure structure. When the general call from the government went out looking for contractors to build vaults, RS was one of the applicants. They were not chosen, officially because of the price they put on it. This was only partially true; it's true the price was high (because they weren't willing to skimp on materials) but the government ultimately found them to be "too honest". In other words, the chance that they would be willing to work on the SPP program was non-existent.

 

But RS had built a demonstration Vault, one designed to be an actually working one, accessible from a large elevator in the basement levels of their headquarters just outside Las Vegas. It was designed to be self-sufficient, much like Vault-Tec Vaults, and could theoretically last on under its own power for at least three hundred years. It also had never been totally finished. The lower levels eventually led into a cavern that had been excavated but never built in. The construction equipment and building materials were still present.

 

When the bombs dropped, the employees working in RS HQ at the time fled into the vault and survived. (Here's where I start having less idea as to what exactly happened.) Eventually, they started using the construction equipment to expand, and were able to engineer (based on the food synthesizers, yes I know it's Star Trek-y but Vault 101 had cake, where did they get it after so long? Until someone finds out I say they had replicators, and if Vault-Tec had them RS had them) equipment to transform the rock they removed into more building materials.

 

Jump forward two centuries. The RS has expanded (the 48-star US flag was chosen because it's accurate) and thanks to the fact that their vault contained computer mainframes they held on to the scientific knowledge held by Pre-Drop society. Not only that, but they did something Pre-Drop society could never do: They developed miniaturized electronics. The result is that at the time of FNV, RS is a society designed to directly oppose that of the standard Fallout setting; where-as Fallout is Star Trek TOS, RS is the new Star Trek movie (why yes, a lot of stuff was inspired by Star Trek). Streamlining, holographic displays, etc.. Purposely set up that way to provide a nice contrast. The culture is a lot more complex, and at this point I'm not prepared to even begin to put things in writing.

 

Bryce is the Administrator of Special Operations. He is the head of the Intelligence Division of SO and is technically in charge. Jane Valenti is the Commanding Officer of Special Operations. She is the head of the Surface Division of SO and is subordinate to Bryce. However, with the exception of Bryce/Valenti, the Surface Division is a totally separate chain of command, meaning Valenti has to take orders from Bryce but Bryce isn't involved in the majority of the day-to-day SO operating procedure.

 

Bryce's current mission is simply to gather information. The RS eventually wants to move back onto the surface but is not willing to do so if the situation on the surface is not ideal. Bryce's job is essentially to tell them "No, and here's a gazillion reasons why." Since he's just there to gather information, he can only use Monitors (Intelligence operatives who go out and blend into the culture to send back information) and not Field Agents (Intelligence operatives who act, and not observe). He is not allowed to interfere with the balance of power of the region in any way, but he is authorized to acquire assets that would be of interest to RS. Due to the way these orders are written, Bryce has a tendency to stretch them ever so slightly and try to influence events through the removal of key items. He accomplishes this by hiring the Courier. His orders state he couldn't use any RS Agents, but never said anything about outside individuals.

 

Wow. That was a lot more on that then I really intended to write...

 

So you want each mission to fit in with a large themer or plot' date=' as opposed to each being its own, self contained episode? I'll bear that in mind when I come up with my next ones then.[/quote']

Hmm... Not quite. They all will fit in, but ideally they all will fit it with the main story which is mostly told via the Story Tiers. Of course, that doesn't mean there won't be sub-plots and that you can't make them or hook into them. It just means that since you don't know what the main story is it'll be hard for you to hook into it. I've been using the concepts given to me and adding the hook myself.

 

Remember, ask me questions if there's anything you're unsure about. If it helps (which I suppose it might in some specific cases) you can ask "the characters" themselves. Since I tend to struggle to encapsulate an entire character's personality in a short paragraph, if you want to know what a character thinks about something you could always ask them. It may seem a tad silly, but that's actually how I work. I only "write" dialogue until the character "exists". Then I just ask them what they'd say.

[zippy57]

Quick update: The Cap counterfeiting shack is way too far from the Bunker for a Tier 1 quest. I'll have to find an alternate location for it.

[KainsChylde]

What about Harper's Shack? Novac end of Primm Pass.

[ChancellorKremlin]

There's also an abandoned quanson hut next to the Cross by Goodsprings.

[KainsChylde]

A lot of mods use the abandoned shack near the Yangtze Memorial. Harpers Shack is less used. Only mod I know of that messes with Harpers is New Vegas Bounties.

[astymma]

A lot of mods use the abandoned shack near the Yangtze Memorial. Harpers Shack is less used. Only mod I know of that messes with Harpers is New Vegas Bounties.

And Loveshacks.

[zippy57]

I'm probably only going to ensure compatibility with other Sexout mods, mods I personally use (one of which happens to be New Vegas Bounties), and mods that are popular enough to request compatibility from multiple people (the definition of "multiple" changing at my discretion, of course). I'd just add a new shack for it, but I'm already doing that for Road Stop Blues.

 

I have time to think about it, though. At the moment I'm working on balancing Bryce's approval values so the length of time you've been playing the game isn't quite as important as your actual actions.

[astymma]

I'm probably only going to ensure compatibility with other Sexout mods' date=' mods I personally use (one of which happens to be New Vegas Bounties), and mods that are popular enough to request compatibility from multiple people (the definition of "multiple" changing at my discretion, of course). I'd just add a new shack for it, but I'm already doing that for [i']Road Stop Blues[/i].

 

I have time to think about it, though. At the moment I'm working on balancing Bryce's approval values so the length of time you've been playing the game isn't quite as important as your actual actions.

 

Adding a new shack is trivial so it's usually the best solution.

[zippy57]

I know, it just seems lazy to have two out of three of the quests take place in Generic New Shack.

[KainsChylde]

Just throwing an idea out. There's a rather cool new mod over on nexus, The ARES Project. From what I've seen so far this mod has the potential to be as big as stuff like Project Nevada or Willow. And a sex bot repurposed by the prewar military to do flight training seems like the kind of tech Bryce's people might be interested in.

[zippy57]

Already have that (downloaded it as soon as the thread was posted ) but I got it less for the companion and more for the clean fighter jet textures. It might make for an interesting extra quest plugin, but I don't want to require it so it wouldn't be happening any time soon. Might be something to put on the list of things to do while waiting for bug reports...

[zippy57]

First, an update. There are a few things still holding back the mod but the major one might be resolved soon.

 

Second, a question. Working on texture assets. Can anyone look at the image I've attached and see if the same filename appears twice?

[janoorn]

BTR.VID appears three times

thats all i found on the first look

[zippy57]

Wow, and in three columns in a row, too. Ouch. Thanks for taking a look.

[zippy57]

Blog?

[ChancellorKremlin]

Just got around to re-reading that Zippy. Just wanted to say I'm working on a few ideas after the dev docs you sent me a while back, I haven't forgotten about it, I've just been strapped for time. I definitely like the direction you've taken with it though, and the plethora of possibilities it presents for players, both regarding sex and action in general.

[zippy57]

I'm looking forward to whatever you can come up with, no matter how long it takes. I've got a major problem that I don't know how to solve but is going to delay Tier 1 until I figure out what to do. There is an early story sequence that the player is not involved in but is supposed to overhear. I can't have the player just overhear something without voice-acting, but I don't have access to the good recording equipment I thought I would. I could theoretically just drop the sequence, but 1) most of the story sequences won't work with the player just staring at the NPC, they need to be able to be looking other directions and speaking with other NPCs at the same time, so that would only solve the problem temporarily, and 2) the sequence is important and can't really be dropped. So I'm not really sure what to do here.

[MikiDs2012]

Any idea when this will be back in SO?

[zippy57]

There's not much of anything to put "back" at the moment.