I wound up being vilified by the Powder Gangers long before I met the NCR Correctional Facility, simply because the members of the Powder gangers running around outside the facility are always trying to kill you. I went through the facility, killing every last bastard in there. I killed some guy named Eddie and was told I failed a quest. I looked around, and found out I am supposed to talk to Eddie to start the quest. WTF?

These guys try to destroy the first town in the game at the start of the game. They randomly attack innocent people. It is almost impossible to avoid being in bad rep with them by the time you find them, yet I am supposed to talk to Eddie to get this mission? On top of this, it creates *negative* karma to steal from them, when they are murderers and thieves? What the hell.

I saved right before I killed Eddie. I can reload and try again. Any ideas on how I can get this quest now?

If you're going to be good you're going to miss out on evil quests.

The problem with this argument is that betraying Eddie and helping the NCR take over the town is a possible quest end. So why can't I initiate the quest by talking to the NCR as well? And if killing Eddie is what finishes the quest for the NCR, why am I told the quest is failed when I kill him? Why am I not told I have completed the quest and to go talk to the NCR for a reward?

The problem is, I am doing what the quest ultimately wants me to do, but failing the quest anyways simply because I didn't do things in the hyper specific order a programmer wanted me to. That hurts immersion.

yeah i hate powder gangers too, i feel your pain

That quest actually has an "optional" solve...which is where the problem is occurring for you. The quest was originally given by Eddie, so technically you failed his being the initiator of the quest line. Just a guess.

The sequence is what makes it a quest and not just you, a crazed gunman, running around killing people.

No, the act of killing a specific menace, clearing out a specific area, and bringing law to the territory makes it a quest. Talking to some guy just makes it a quest with dialogue. Defining "quest" by a specific conversation with a specific guy rather than intent or effect doesn't make sense, unless you see yourself as a person playing a videogame instead of seeing yourself as a hero of wastes, punishing evil and helping people. It also doesn't make sense by the standards of Fallout 3, as many quests were initiated without dialogue in fallout 3.

Oh, and killing criminals who shoot me on sight is not being a "crazed gunman." It's self defense. The Powder gangers shot me before I shot them at Goodsprings, and they shot me first at every point after that. Quite literally every time I have killed them it is in self defense.

I would get used to it.