Did anybody see any named scientists when they stormed the Institute, I cannot recall seeing any of the named Institute members (including 'Father') when I stormed the place, which could mean that even if you destroy the institute the production of Gen-3 Synths might still continue from a secondary location.....or that they were all in the same room and I missed them.

We can agree to disagree then.

This time around the player gets to decide who/what they consider to be the antagonist. Where in previous Bethesda games the antagonist was pre-determined.

With your reasoning you could even argue that it should be hypothetically possible for any game with an antagonist to get a peaceful solution. If you were hypothetically able to join the antagonist's side.

As for the four factions involved here:

- It would take an impossible amount of work for the player to permanently and unquestionably change the Institute (the people in it) to be an organisation that's not a co-existential threat to anyone outside it. They are too pragmatic to undoubtedly adhere to some moralism or ideology. They set goals and anything goes to further those goals.

- It would take a lot of work for the player to permanently and unquestionably change the BoS. For them to accept the existence of Synths, and for them to not consider the mere co-existence of the Institute as a threat, everything they stand for needs to be overthrown. Their codex, and their deepest traditions and beliefs. Besides that, as with the institute to a certain degree, the BoS cares mainly about the furthermore of it's own goals. There's enough material there to warrant a whole new game if the BoS were ever to take the path you propose them to take.

- The Railroad's main cares are the freedom of Synths and the right of Synths to co-exist. There is decades of bad blood, even vendetta, with the people of the Institute and everything it (can) stand for. For them to suddenly trust the Institute, because of one somewhat shady vault dweller, is a massive leap. With regards to the BoS, as long as the BoS is what it is, if the Institute were no longer a factor against their freedom, they would be in conflict with the BoS because they consider them abominations with no rights to existence.

- The Minutemen are no real pre-determined threat to any of the above, although that's only valid for as long as the player character stays alive, and it depends on what the player intends them to be.

So no, I disagree. These factions are blueprint antagonists for each other. These are not factions that will adhere to some political solution to co-exist. I stand by my opinion that peace between them would be a weak-sauce solution.

By no means does the Brotherhood need to win for the entire East Coast organization to survive. They're still based in the Capital Wasteland, and in any case, it'd be lazy as balls to reuse Maxson and the Pridwyn as major assets in the next game. Also, the Institute isn't necessarily wholly bad.

Logically, that'd make it easier to change. They just need to be shown a different and more effective way of accomplishing their goals, if they don't care about how those goals are achieved. In any case, if it really comes down to it, my own Sole Survivor is a ghoul and can just outlive the current Directorate.

Another interesting thread... How about your actions having more impact after the ending? There seem to many different thoughts on this board as to what actions and attitudes are moral and/or justified.

- As the Director of the Institute, you can determine the fate of the synths. (There's already one quest for this.)

- Ability to overthrow Maxson (this may have been a possibility at one point in the development)

- Improved settlement management and development that leads to meaningful results

- Ability for the RR to upgrade their headquarters

I personally would rather have the DLC continue this story than have an underwater world or go into outer-space.

the Brotherhood has a history of being on the winning side in the Fallout games, so for that alone I'd say they are the most likely to be canon and the institute are the obvious 'bad guys' of the game and so far the 'bad guys' winning has never been canon.

To repeat my earlier query does anybody know if any of the named scientists are shown in the assault on the Institute, I've this thought that perhaps the Institute may be destroyed but the men and women behind it may have escaped, if so really the three main factions (BOS, Institute and Railroad) can be 'destroyed' without it really affecting them appearing in later games.

The Brotherhood can be destroyed in the Commonwealth and continue to exist through its holdings in the Capital Wasteland

The Railroad is made up of semi-autonomous cells, logically the can reform even if they have to switch to a more human centric ideology and if...

The Institute named Scientists (with Synth guards and servants) may have teleported (Father at least has the capability of teleporting) to a back up location or simply to a fall back position on the surface.

So.......aside from the Minutemen who are unlikely to ever again since they are firmly Commonwealth based (although its not impossible that the militia system could spread), all of the other factions could appear in future games, whoever is 'destroyed' in the canon ending.

Logically Maxson and probably the Prydwen wouldn't be staying in the Commonwealth long term even if they decide to add it to the CW Kingdom, so the Sentinel may end up the 'governor' of the Commonwealth region and running the Commonwealth Brotherhood part of the EC Brotherhood.

If they wanted to reuse Maxson (either in the DLC or in subsequent releases), there's plenty of foreshadowing about a challenge to his authority.

Whoa hit the post count.

New thread if you want to keep this going: http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1582554-needs-a-peaceful-ending-part-2/