So at some point in the MQ I believe everyone goes to Bunker Hill to find the four runaways. You either save them, or shut them down, or destroy them.

My last character I really wanted to find a reason to let them live, so I gave each one the option to tell me why I should let them go or let them live. To be honest, their reasons where pretty lame. None gave any effort to explain to me that they knew they were alive, or tell me how the Institute was mistreating them. In fact it sounded very much like the 'reasons' where planted in them and not their own. Like they were saying what they were told to say even if they don't believe it or understand it themselves. Nothing they said even came close to convincing me they thought they were alive or should live.

Has anyone else tried talking to all of them and what did you think of their responses? I think it was a perfect opportunity for Bethesda to give us some kind of Blade Runner twist to their right to live, but it really fell flat IMO.

Here's an example of what I'm talking about.

https://youtu.be/ar-14mD0tDk?t=9m46s

Apparently if you go through the Railroad quest line, you find out that the reason that the Synths want to get away from the Institute is because the Railroad's contact on the inside is programming the desire into them. They can't give you a reason because they don't have one; just an inexplicable desire to get away.

intriguing. That certainly explains a lot. Here I was expecting them to have something interesting to say as to WHY they wanted to get away, but, none of them really had any depth at all to their 'reason'..... So, back they went.

This is really interesting. I am playing the Railroad quests for the first time (replay), although I still don't know who I'll side with. Father also mentioned that the rogue Synth at Libertalia may be "reprogrammed" by the Railroad.

This also makes me wonder about post-BOS Danse lines. I still think it just wasn't mopped up correctly, but perhaps Danse is incapable of the same sort of emotional development a human might be.

I couldn't even do that without the courser. They just flatout ignored me, but stayed active as quest markers.

Yeah I'm not sure each faction even gives the option. For the RR of course you're going to save them so I think they just thank you. The BoS might have the option, I don't recall. With the Institute you can question them. Have no idea what happens if you let them go though. Does Father get mad?

Well the game sort of fails to show the player this unbearable, cruel life that the synths are supposed to be enduring under the institute. We see some wanting to escape just to escape. We hear some synth npcs who seem afraid of having their memories and such wiped if they step out of line..and yet many request to have their memories wiped when they leave the institute anyway. Their "plight" so to speak isn't really explored too in depth for me to care anyway, not sure about other folks. All the player is told is they want out, just to be out.

I'll have to redo the institute stuff since I can't remember if the agent inside was basically instilling the desire to leave the institute into the synths or not. I don't believe he was, but it would make a lot of sense given the nebulous motivations we see.

I honestly The Railroad would have been better as a side faction, not a main one. Ie. - You're at the Institute, you meet their agent, and then you decide whether to assist freeing synths or not.

Their characters are cool, but they're basically squatters with a bit of tech, and their cause will diminish once the Institute has been destroyed.

They're the faction with the least sustainability. If their job is ever viewed as 'complete', they'll never be able to maintain meaningful numbers as people start going back to their lives.

Agree 100%. They could have added a big impact to becoming the Institute's director, though...

I have seen this tossed out before, but there is the problem uhh the railroad happens to be older than this contact (seemingly I actually have yet to get the lines myself, He may indeed be doing it (was this a his whole family has always done this)..... But there are many that I doubt he touched.

Yup. He sure does. So mad, that he meets you OUTSIDE, and gives you a good tongue lashing, and basically boots you out of the institute for a while. (depending on your responses of course. )