I say do it anyways. Using Fallout 3's formula, the extra content'll probably be in its own worldspace anyways, so if there's conflict it won't be much of one. And even if it is stuff like that gets patched insanely fast.

I'd like to see a long, long stretch of road with old gas stations converted to NCR owned/privately owned trade supply stops, where you could get water and food. Just a thought. If people were to expand upon it and add places like the Hub and Shady Sands that would be up to them. I think it would be neat to just have the road, and a "quest" to follow the caravans back and forth as protection (and you get food and water each time the caravan camps, on top of your final pay) .

At least if we expand backwards west, we know what's there and can stay true to lore with it. Eastwards is kind of iffy in my book, since the Courier is kind of following in the wake of NCR (or so it seems to me) and they really don't know what's over the next ridge.


But just populating the areas that way with flora and fauna is perfectly fine in my book. Ain't no need to over complicate something, just for the sake of a mod.

This will probably be the case. Any unused areas on the current map can probably be used no problem. Now, there might be DLC that unlocks access to areas such as the gate at Mojave Outpost but I'm guessing that just like in Fallout 3, they'll make you run to talk to someone or investigate/interact with something, etc, and you'll be transported to a new worldspace (with the exception of Broken Steel) This means that anything in the current worldspace is fair game for placing in new content by modders.

Also, I love the OP's idea of modders dividing up the land but really that's not feasible since people are going to like some mods and not like others. The only way that would work is if when a few of the addon mods started getting very popular and were conflicting due to location, then those authors got together to divide up where would best for things to go so that it would help compatibility of the mods.

Yep...So really all this debate is kinda frivolous, because I agree nothing should be planned on until the DLC is done...
I like the idea of a long trading highway, that could be a cool questing place.
So, basicially yes, the mod would work like this:
1: people choose specific areas to fill in.
2: they add natural elements, such as rocks, trees, etc
3:they add new locations, whatever their vision is, anything from abandoned buildings to raider outposts, towns, bases, caves, etc.
4:the different areas are brought together into one larger ESM file, which can be added on and updated as development continues...

facepalm, yea basicially repeating above post

Don't you mean the opposite, by and large, until we hit the Mississippi, at least? The West Coast and Pacific Northwest are rather well developed for the intents and purposes of backfilling if anyone was so inclined. Heading eastward, generally speaking, is an issue until we get into the Rust Belt and then the East Coast, of course, and even in those cases it's still rather hit-or-miss given how little we know about the East compared to the West.

I meant to say West, now that I think about it. My apologies.

It may seem odd, but I've always got east and west mixed up. I try to remember West is California, and East is Virginia (relative to my position, anyways) but it still slips me up from time to time.

I'll go edit that, now. xD