Just to be self-indulgent, here's an edited mesh of a couple previous posts. This is a Fallout 4 game that would appeal to me.


Setting:
As hinted in F3, eastern Massachusetts. Boston & Cambridge (the Commonwealth). Ruins in the east, misty hills & forest in the west. Near Cambridge, an immense energy force field that lights the night sky. The tower that produces it can be seen from all but the westernmost points of the map. Inside, the clean, safe Commonwealth - a facade of pre-war life. Boston is a blasted ruin overrun with monsters, gangs, scavengers and militarized zones manned by British invaders. Hugging the edge of the force field, the fiefdoms of the Commonwealth struggle to survive daily life while producing enough (farms, mines, etc) to pay tribute in exchange for 'protection'.

The fiefdoms are relatively recent; much of the surrounding area was, until recently, too radioactive to loot. Much of the area has not been explored to any great extent. A new tribe has just moved into the area.

The wild hills of the west harbor monstrosities, horrors and great riches for the bold.

Main Theme:
Revolution! Androids conspire against their makers. Peasants conspire against their masters. The British, revealed as the masters of Talon Company, attempt to retake America. Gangs conspire against everyone. Some will live, some will lose.
It's the birthplace of the American revolution and the setting, art direction and theme reflects this. Think small towns, Lovecraftian weirdness (NO supernatural!), darkness, mist, rain.

Factions:
The Commonwealth:
A scientific think tank far ahead of the prewar era in some areas of technology (robotics, weaponry, physics) but lacking in others (agriculture, animal husbandry, etc). It exists by using fear of it's android slaves against the locals. Actual population: old and dwindling.
Some bright lights in nearby settlements are culled to provide new talent but the requirements are tough.
Certain individuals plot to end the tyranny; others will do anything to preserve the status quo.
Some of the newer androids have begun to question the way things are, as well.

The Invaders:
Tenpenny was an advance scout for an invasion. Talon were native mercenaries hired to maintain unrest. Now the architects have arrived: An invasion fleet led by the King of England. They are well armed and equipped, but are now trapped on the coast.

Raider Gangs:
Three or four raider gangs vie for territory. Some have redeeming features; others are crazed berserkers. One gang, comprised of all sorts of renegade robots, is led by escaped androids. One models itself after the colonial minutemen. All are potential enemies or allies.

Peasants:
Many are sick and tired of Commonwealth rule. Some want freedom; others just want what the Commonwealth has. Others convincingly argue that they are relatively well off.

The ???:
Something is occurring, has been for years. The peasants call them ghosts, the Commonwealth has no public opinion. But invisible invaders prey upon all the inhabitants of the area. They seem to come from the western hills.

The Player Character:
For maximum replay value, I'd like to see multiple beginnings.

You can choose a character who:
1) Is woken from cryogenic sleep, after experiencing the war firsthand
2) Is a shipwrecked British sailor, cut off from the remnants of the British invasion fleet
3) Is a member of a tribe who has just moved into the area and begun scavenging the virgin wasteland, or
4) Is a disaffected member of the Commonwealth, escaping a forced brain transplant

The four strands would converge, more or less, but the player must choose his true allegiance through the course of the game. There's also the tricky question of whether he is actually human or android (which would be determined by the player's actions, adding more variety as certain perks and skills will open according to the player's choices.)

Retaining multiple outcomes; the player can seize control for himself, overthrow the Commonwealth Institute, preserve the Institute, etc.

At least 2 radio stations; a classical station from the Commonwealth, with periodic propaganda & a 50's rock and roll station broadcasting from somewhere off the coast.

A racetrack you can race on, with a fleet of vehicles that may have an impact on the ending.

This is all daydreaming, of course.

and what role does Talon Company play in this? I'd assume the "revolution" theme would suggest them getting shafted out of payment and engaging in conflict with the invaders?

Talon Company should be a major player in FO4, like NCR, Legion, House and Yes Man were in FONV.
But I do think they should have a greater agenda than just mercenary jobs.
Like, their mercenary business is only a front for what they actually are and what their real goal is.

I dont think, and this is may surprise you coming from me, they are major faction material, any ulterior motives they could have are to become stronger, and they are not large enough to fight on such a scale, they have no infrastructure to support military actions, they are a paramilitary organization and represent no government, i assume they could feed a war machine with resources taken as "protection money" from settlements, but i think this is a stretch, what is more likely is a major faction using them as a tool for warmaking, Talon Company benefitting from it, and perhaps even taking installations from the losing side to capture weapons and tech, like i imagine they did with the Enclave, but no, i dont think they are major faction material. That sounds like just another reason to make them more "evil" than neutral, which i believe them to be.

Due to their size in CW and the gear and tech that they have and considering that wasn't even their main base I think that they are major faction material.
Might not be as large as NCR or Legion but I think they are more than capable of handling most enemies they face.
And I don't really want them to be evil.
I just want them to have something more than just being mercenaries, a greater agenda, a personal goal which they are trying to accomplish through their mercenary jobs.
Sort of like a darker shade of gray but not pitch black.
But it all depends on how they are written.
At first glance Legion might seem like some skirt wearing slavers and murderers but if one gives them a chance they might surprise you.
Could be the same with Talon Company, at first glance you would categorize them as a stereotype merc group but after learning more about them you're surprised of their noble goal they're trying to accomplish.

But that's just my opinion of them.

I approve of your opinion

Well, the shaving and cutting your hair short is to not let it get in the way. You're an inch away from escaping the clutch of a deathclaw, but your superfluous hair gets caught in its claws. Also, if it's in a desert, heat.

Nah, it provides shade and you can put it up in a pony tail?

I just think it's kind of a wasteland thing to not shave and cut one's hair too often

Even in a ponytail it can mean life and death with a deathclaw

I prefer cutting my hair short so it doesn't get in the way, and I am not even in a post-nuclear world.


But seriously, I think both are pretty practical.

Short hair is best for apocolypse situation, nuclear, zombie, toxic, all dat, short hair stays out of the way, but still helps to maintain your body heat at night (that's what hair is for), 'swhy all Talon Mercs have short hair or shaved heads.

Ian begs to differ.

http://images.wikia.com/fallout/images/1/1f/FO01_NPC_Ian.png

Ian got killed by mole rats. his hair got stuck in a door.

He also shoots you so much on accident you wonder if the hair gets in his eyes.

:foodndrink: exactly my point.

just asking but why do I have to post my companion ideas here when I clearly stated its for any future fallout not just 4.
So instead of actually reading it you lock it and go on what the title says. pluss it so people with companion ideas for other future fallouts besides 4 can post. Its unfair it was locked just for being an idea.
I will not post the companion idea here because its for any future fallout not just 4. But I will post this

Bring back talking death claws.

Honestly, I think New Vegas got most things right. The only real reacuring problem I have with the game is the fact that there is no cue on the map giving you list of known locations as to easily pick out a specific place. I couldn't tell you how much time I've spent in the game scouring the map for that one location I needed to go to. It's kind of annoying.

That would work. They were advance men (though it's doubtful the rank & file knew), intended to soften up the opposition. With the invasion fleet in tatters, it's possible no payment would be forthcoming. It's feasible that there was some treachery intended by the British; many of the mercs would doubtless be angry to find they'd been used by invaders. A possible beginning path could be a survivor of a massacre, maybe.

My biggest hope for Fallout 4 is a flashback opening sequence, you control a random citizen and watch the nuclear fire rain down first hand. then later in the game you can come across the same place you flashbacked too. Think of it as the simulation in FO3, just a flashback to October 23, 2077!

Keep Obsidian away from the game and I'll be happy

Why?

Weird! That's one of the multiple openings in the dream game I described above. Great minds, I guess.
I didn't detail it above, but the charcater is actually in line to enter a vault (family is already inside) when the warheads start to hit. Pip-boy has not been furnished yet. A scientist saves the PC, putting him/her in cryo -- the scientist doesn't want to live so he sacrifices his spot. He becomes a ghoul, of course. He'll furnish the player with a prototype pip boy, but the player needs to visit the vault to recover his own, fully functioning version. Plus see what's up with his familiy's descendants, of course.

I would soil my pants if they did this.

So killing your friends is a good idea too?

He killed them while looking good.

bliviongate: :intergalactic: I wont the Enclave but thats no sapprise :cookie: