Vault 88 : The Lone Overseer

Hello! :wave:

This is a project I started working on recently. Being unsatisfied with the current Vault homes, I wanted to create one myself. But I didn't want it to be completely empty aside from myself, or filled with random filler NPCs. In this mod the player hears about a small group of wastelanders who discovered an abandoned but surprisingly well maintained vault, previously inaccessible due to caveins. This group, lead by the ambitious Brandon Orey, intends to get the vault up and running again and as the player you can perform tasks for them to accomplish this.

Fast forwarding a bit, at some point Brandon is unable to fulfil the position of Overseer any longer, and chooses the Lone Wanderer as the next overseer. Then things get interesting.

For this mod I'm using the excellent modder's resource http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=9906, a very large and well designed vault by Cambragol. I had to make some changes in order to make it possible for NPCs to walk around without killing performance, but most of the vault resource is intact.

In order to keep the vault running The Lone Overseer (TLO) needs to look at a couple of simplified variables that influence how things are going and what can be done. These are Resources, Primary Supplies, Security/Safety and Happiness.

Resources can be used by TLO to give orders that influence the variables or are otherwise benificial. This can be anything from upgrading security with extra guards or cameras, increasing happiness by organizing a special event, or optimizing existing elements that consume Resources/Primary Supplies in order to reduce their consumption.

Another thing that can be done with resources is funding exploration. Certain passages in the vault have collapsed and clearing those can lead to new areas, such as an extra storage room with Primary Supplies or something that makes people happier.

By increasing Happiness the number of Vault Dwellers living in Vault 88 will increase, so through your actions you'll be able to see the Vault growing.

Then there'll be quests to advance the main storyline of the mod, which is mostly about discovering the history of the vault or dealing with special issues that arise. There is a broken elevator leading to an area deeper underground, far away from the rest of the vault. Where does it go? What is it for? That's up to you to find out!

The next post will go in more detail as to how the variables will influence each other, and the penalties involved. Suggestions and feedback about those in particular are very much appreciated!

Screenshots from the Vault 88 download:

http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/images/9906-3-1257680496.jpg
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/images/9906-1-1257681945.jpg
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/images/9906-1-1257680495.jpg
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/images/9906-4-1257681545.jpg
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/images/9906-1-1257681545.jpg
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/images/9906-5-1257680108.jpg
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/images/9906-2-1257681545.jpg
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/images/9906-4-1257680787.jpg
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/images/9906-5-1257680787.jpg
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/images/9906-2-1257678955.jpg

This post will go in more detail as to how the variables will influence each other. Variables are updated every 24 hours. It may all sound a bit complicated, but most of it happens in the background so for the player it's pretty simple.

Resources


Primary Supplies


Security/Safety


Happiness


Suggestions and feedback about these are very much appreciated! Especially with regards to penalties. But all comments are welcome!

You should add a purpose for Vault 88 and have that explain why it's empty. It is clean, which indicates that it was abandoned recently. Its inhabitants could've been captured by the Enclave (like in Fallout 2), they could have just left the vault and established a settlement on the ground, or they could simply have just died due to issues related to the vault experiment. (For example, the Vault had only 500 inhabitants there, causing inbreeding and extinction by 2277).

What an excellent idea, and I couldn't envision a better modder to do it. If you need any help with dialogue, scripting, plotting or quest-making (the grunt work) then I'd be happy to help out - if not, that's also fine.

Yes there should definitely be a purpose for the vault like with the others. I have a few ideas but most of that still needs to be done.

Thanks I'll consider it.

Sounds great! Will we be able to indulge on certain variables? E.G. Invest heavily in security, so the vault becomes a dictatorship with you at the head, or invest heavily in happiness, so the vault becomes a 24/7 party?

Sounds great, and is getting more interesting as I hear more about it. Reminds me of some of the 'house' management in Baldurs Gate 2.

What kind of interface will you have to effect/control these variables? Will be run through a terminal? Pop up dialogues? Or perhaps even as dialogues with NPC's/Quests? It seems to me that a combo of terminals and NPC interaction would be the most logical/believable for a vault, and for the style of play inherent in Fallout 3.

Why not let the vault be inhabited with vault dwellers to start with? The player could be 'employed' as a vault overseer, thanks to the fact that he is actually from a vault (thus, one of their 'own') and is additionally very skilled and schooled in the ways of the wastes. Perhaps the vault just opened up (after the old overseer was 'overthrown', not unlike vault 101's) and needs the Player's expertise. This way a lot of the management mission could be easily tailored to the Player, such as mission to acquire trading deals, resources, supplies etc.

Anyway, I expect you already have your plan fairly set. Just tossing some ideas out there. Love the sound and look of things so far!

The variables are going to be controlled and displayed (only approximately with words, they won't say "Happiness is at 358!") mostly through dialogue. There'll be one advisor character who can tell you what the state of the vault is in terms of what needs attention, what is going well and what can be done, and another one who can be given the orders. I'd like to use terminals too because there's a big one in the overseer's office but I don't know what exactly I'll use it for yet.


That's more or less the idea already. There are already some people living in the vault, because when the player arrives the vault has already been back up for 2 months or so. The vault dwellers are actually not originally from the vault themselves, but are actually wastelanders who found it abandoned a few months before. The player's experience with the wasteland and vaults makes him a suitable candidate to replace the current overseer, who is forced to step down after a couple of missions have been done by the player due to events.

Trading deals are exactly one of the missions the player would get in the early days of being the Overseer.

I have thought about the consequences for lacking certain variables like happiness or security, but I hadn't thought of what should happen if you'd get way too much of one of them. That's a nice idea. I'll see what I can come up with.

If anyone has any other ideas I'd love to hear them!

Some ideas:

The player could have a number of missions which simply revolve around getting vault facilities to function normally. Being a former vault dweller he is the best equipped to fix them. The vault is also large enough that some facilities could be 'discovered' by exploration. New areas could be closed off by something as simply as a secured door that no one has noticed and or bothered to open yet.

One of my original plans for Vault 88 included a 'lost', barricaded off zone that had been abandoned by the rest of the vault. It was to be inhabited by 'rebels', mutants and other inbred freaks that had spurned the rule of the original overseer, or had been cast out, or some such. In essence a kind of interior/underground wasteland area. Anyway...something like this could later open up to represent a challenge to a player that seems to have everything running smoothly.

An option could be given for the player to invest in slaves. These slaves could do menial chores for the dwellers or hard labor, and could give some benefit, but at a possible cost (moral, rebellion, etc.)

Flooding as a problem to be dealt with. Or areas can be opened by having water pumped out.

Whole sections could be enshrouded in darkness until there is enough power to get the lights working. Something could live in the pitch black areas.

Mushroom farms.

Cannibalism. The vaults food 'processors' could reduce humans to a soylent like substance that could be fed to Vault dwellers and sold across the whole of D.C. (another idea from my original conception) (also another reason to buy slaves)

I've messed around with the vault layout a bit, so the elevator no longer leads to the Atrium. Instead, the atrium is directly accessible through a door at the same height, and the lift isn't working. When the lift is reactivated it'll lead to some sort of lost zone. Exactly what it contains I'm not sure yet but it would be something like that.

Very good idea, I hadn't thought of that. It's a good thing to have some options available for 'evil' characters.

Cheap renewable source of food, might need some negotiating with Little Lamp Light first to obtain some samples to start it with? Or someone has to go there to find out how they grow. Good good.

All trader/slaver/whatever negotiations will probably be held in the cigar lounge in the vault, if those people are able to come to the vault. Little Lamp Light would have to be visited by the player because the kids never leave.

The player's speech/barter skill and possibly karma level would influence how good the deal that is made can be. Possibly someone else can assist if the player is no good at this.


Exploration and making blocked areas accessible again is definitely going to be in.

That would be good.


Yeah. I intend to have random incidents happen sometimes, one of them could be the flooding of an area in the vault. But as you said, it could also be used as a way to make areas inaccessible initially.


Possibly.


Thanks for the suggestions, they're going to be of much use.



I think the computer in the Overseer's Office is going to gather up all information about the history of the vault as it is discovered, as well as contain some logs from the previous overseer (from before the vault was rediscovered). This information could be partially unavailable at the beginning due to data corruption or something like that, and be restored over time.

Hoi :wave:
:)

I can help with dialogue, just PM me what you need.

Geen probleem




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Acky vindt da povu holle guy good guy from nether-lands place -which me Acky knows is far, far away, cuz it's 'nether'
an' he keeps da same avatar picture thingy which is good for the remembering..

Bedankt, if I need something I'll let you know. Us Dutchies have to stick together!



I know both english and dutch, but that's a confusing sentence. :blink:

Nether does sound pretty cool doesn't it? The Lands of Nether... Could be a good name for a fantasy game location!

I'll be returning to this project when I finish Kragenir's Death Quest, so hopefully at the end of the month. In the mean while, if anyone else has ideas I'd like to hear them. Best to have as much as possible for this planned in advance! :foodndrink:

A little bump to save this thread from getting eaten by forum monsters.

Okay so Kragenir's Death Quest took a bit longer than expected, but it's pretty much done now so I have time to work on this again. New ideas, feedback and anything else is appreciated! :twirl:

Hallo, en inderdaad. Us Dutchies need to stick together

This sounds really awesome How about alliances with certain cities or factions? Maybe trade vault technology for security from the BOS. Or if you have killed the ghouls in Tenpenny Tower, you could get water supplies every month. Megaton if you have defused the bomb could supply Brahmin meat. Rivet City could supply fresh vegetables and maybe new trees.

Tons of awesome ideas in this thread

Prettige dag verder.

Harmy52

I definitely want to do some interaction with other factions, even better if quest outcomes influence it.

You could use the underwater reservoir as a resource to be traded with other factions. Everybody needs clean water.
Trade with Paradise Falls for slaves for use as labour or food.

Not sure what, if anything, the other communities actually produce. Maybe 'technology' from Rivet City? Seems unlikely if the player is sitting on a treasure trove of Vault technology. The Brotherhood of Steel could be trading tech too. They have a huge base, with no obvious source of water or food. They must be trading or acquiring it somewhere. The same goes for the Enclave.

Perhaps brahmin from Canterbury or Arefu? I believe they both have brahmin pens.

Lots of ideas still kicking around in my head.




However, I'm more curious about how progress on this mod is faring.

I haven't made a lot of progress yet because I wanted to finish Kragenir's Death Quest, which really needs to get done. But now I'm getting back to it. I have two small quests in place and I plan to write all the scripts that deal with the different variables, which come into play once the player becomes the overseer, next. I'd say around 80% of the Vault is navmeshed now.