If it helps you, I'll rephrase. I'm fairly confident that people would have complained if any of the factions from the previous games not been included.

I've played Fallout 3 and I enjoy it quite a bit. I think that Bethesda made a great game and they did an excellent job of paying homage to the Fallout continuity while bringing some fresh, new ideas to the table. I think that what I would like to see in a future Fallout is the same as addressing my only real issue with the game: All of the old familiar elements of the Fallout world migrated to the east coast, so we have the Enclave, the super mutants, the Brotherhood of Steel; I'd like to see more new groups, more power factions and societies that have sprung up in a big way. I get the feeling from Fo3 that there's a sort of "power vacuum" in the east and that these groups moved out there to fill that hole, but this is probably not the way things are going everywhere. I bet there are other big groups out and about making their mark on the wastelands, some of whom may have crossed swords with the existing power blocs, others who have never heard of 'em. (See Caesar's Legions in the design docs for Van Buren - a large, organized power group that runs the show in a particular area of territory.) I'm glad to see the BoS and the super mutants and the centaurs and whatnot, but I don't have to see all of the old groups to know that it's Fallout. I guess we don't have Followers of the Apocalypse in Fo3, though. Most of the new power groups in Fo3 are relatively local in the game, such as Rivet City (which is a thriving metropolis, but it does not try to project its power across the Capital Wasteland) or the Temple of the Union (which is an awesome idea but I get the sense that they're very "new" and not super influential). Anyway, for future Fallout games, I hope that Bethesda (and Interplay, on V13 - assuming it is in fact Fallout Online, 'cause I'm not in a position to confirm anything) continues to look at the franchise with a critical eye and say "How can we tell interesting stories in the same vein established previously for Fallout?" I'm really looking forward to the downloadable content. I really want to see the Pitt.

We're never going to agree on this, but its not canon breaking for an organisation in a completely different location to independently come up with a different name. If you want to make the lazyness argument, then you have a point, but its not canon breaking. To break canon, it would have to be a contradiction of what has gone on before. This isnt, its a group that independently came up with a name for themselves that just happened to be used a hundred years or so previously in a part of the country they have absolutely no communication with.

Now if they were the same group - that would break canon as that area is under the control of the NCR.

It doesnt have to be explained - just like it doesnt have to be explained how Butch survived 100 years, regressed into a child, and found himself in Vault 101.

I was thinking your 2 were more like less fanatical 1s. Thats where I would put myself. I'm not "rabid" about it, but my interest certainly goes beyond "Wow, the brotherhood of steel were kewl", I've read the bibles and so forth.

Nah, like I said...I was just simplifying. I'm sure I too would be somewhere in-between 1 and 2 but my point on that subject remains valid.

Well not quite.

Your basic premise seems sound, but you're not factoring in relative population of the four groups. I think probably more people fall in group 2 than group 1, for example, which means it makes more sense to cater to them.

I'd say the largest majority of people who bought this game fall into 4. Then 3. Then 2. Then 1.

I agree about 3, 2, 1... Not sure where I'd place 4, to be honest, but it's irrelevant. The only relevant two are 2 and 1.

Relevant in what way? (truly curious, not being antagonistic)

Well you originally broke people down into those four classes to determine who would complain if old factions weren't represented, verses those who would complain if they were.

Groups 3 and 4 don't count - as you say, they wouldn't have complained either way. The only two relevant groups are 1 and 2 - people who have a vested interested in the series. You might as well have lumped them into one group, the "easy to please" group.

To go with your point, of all the people who have a history with the game group #1 would not have complained and maybe half (being neutral here) of #2 would have complained. So either way, #1 + 50% of #2 is still larger.

But neither of us have hard data on our side.