Chris Haversam wikia info:

Chris grew up in Vault 34 and was a vault engineer. He was often sent to work on the reactor, which he believed would turn him into a ghoul. Eventually his hair began falling out due to natural reasons, but Chris insisted he was becoming a ghoul and subsequently left the Vault. This could have caused the reactor in Vault 34 to become unstable and leak the dangerous radiation, turning all the residents into ghouls.



Boomers wikia info:

In 2231, the group of dissidents from Vault 34 struck out on their own and began using Nellis as a temporary base.



Vault 34 overseer fragments:

... riots begin soon after; during the peak of the violence the group calling for free access to the armory stormed the Vault's exit and left. The door was sealed after them and additional guards were stationed at the exit; this proved to be a grave mistake. With the additional guards at the exit there were fewer to patrol the halls, none of them were prepared for the group that ambushed the armory. The guards were able to defend their position, but not before the damage was done, during the fight one of the reactors cooling vents was damaged.

...fighting settled slightly following the announcement of the damage to the reactor before panic overtook the vault's residents. The technicians struggled to repair the damage to the reactor and main computer systems. We learned too late that as part of an automatic safety protocol the reactor had been reconfigured to use alternative pipe lines for its cooling systems, unfortunately with the damage to the mainframe the system was unable to detect the structural damage to the vault. Radioactive gasses pumped through the broken pipes and irradiated the vault. On top of it all, we cannot open the vault's main door. All systems appear to be on autopilot and manual override functions have been disabled. We'll just have to hope we can survive long enough for the door to open automatically...


So... Haversam is either a mutant with a really really slow aging process, lying or inconsistency?

This Vault is definitely a blemish on an otherwise beautifully written game. I think it's inconsistent enough to make anyone go "wait a minute..."
I'd actually be willing to buy that Chris ages slower, by those numbers he would be... ~60-70 years old? I'd be willing to bite that he ages SLIGHTLY slower than others due to some side effect of radiation, but I think the real question is: is this the intended explanation of the writers or did they just goof?

I say we just ask Josh Sawyer and Chris Avellone what's up with Vault 34. I think they're both confident in New Vegas enough as a whole that they'd be willing to admit to a goof.

Perhaps he has the same speculated mutation that Cass n' Cass has?

(I dunno the specifics but Boradam mentioned to me that Rose is 40 but looks like 20 and was born or conceived when Cassidy was 80)
((So who knows, perhaps there is a mutant breed out there that are exactly like normal humans, except their age cells breaks down slower.))

(I want new mutants! Cass, Chris and Cass are mutants I tells ya!)

Or he got out of the Vault another way. Vault 19 had another way out. People managed to escape Vault 34 with your help, they don't get out through the main door.

So yeah its possible he managed to get out through another way. That Vault was irratiated/damaged by the riot of 2231, but we don't know how badly it was irratiated. Possibly bad enough for some to become ghouls, seeing as how he feared he was becoming a ghoul. But it is possible that those left in the Vault managed to get things under control for a couple of decades before their patch up finally failed.

Edit: In fact it's right there "On top of it all, we cannot open the vault's main door."

And since the entries aren't dated, its possible that the events talked about in the journal are from the Overseer at the time, and not the one that was running the Vault when Chris left.

So I don't see any inconsistencies with Vault 34. Since the people we save from the Vault are also normal humans that aren't really old, the events that turned Vault 34 into what it was in New Vegas must have been resent.

When has a vault ever had two entrances?
And if it had, wouldn't the other survivors have found it too if Chris could?
Despite a lot of corridors being crashed in (like usual) can we find any other way into the Vault?

Nitpicking on that line, "the MAIN door", doesn't save it from not being an inconsistency.
The journal entries also imply that the events where set close together, despite there not being a date on them. As they're called "fragments" and they all end or start with "..." like it's a continuing entry.

Now, add to this that the reactor was pumping out radiation into the vault along with how highly irradiated it is to this day, how could they have survived for decades down there?
And what people do we save exactly? Is there something I've missed? Cause all I've seen in V34 is feral's.
Cause my character can barely survive down there 1 full day without using radaway and rad-x, so how could they survive for even a week?
There is no journal entries that hint towards the radiation flow being reduced or them fixing the problem temporarily, all we know is that we're left with a cliffhanger and a vault filled with ferals.
I don't see anything to correct this inconsistency. :/


[edit]

http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Horowitz

I'm confused now, how exactly did they survive? At all? What so ever?

Or another possibility is that the Boomers weren't the first to leave the Vault.

Journal Page 64: "population continues to grow unhindered. With the overcrowding came violence"

So this could be a case of history repeating itself but with a violent twist. Maybe the new overseer didn't want a repeat of last time people left and clamped down hard. This caused the riots which lead to the Vault being what it is now.

First Vault 19 also has another way in and out of the Vault. Vault 87 has another way into the Vault. So I am not nitpicking about "Main Door." Clearly there are backdoors into some Vaults, if not all of them.

The Others might not have been as lucky as Chris. They were trapped when someone set off a bomb and the swimming pool flooded the area and trapped them.

As for the radiation flooding the Vault. The people and the auto systems could have "fixed" the Vault well enough for it to last longer, until it just finally fell apart and the reactor finally melted down.

It could also be as I said in my other post. The Boomers leaving and what caused the Riots which lead to the Vault being what it is in New Vegas could very well be two different events. Still Chris could have got out of the Vault by a backdoor.

How has no one taken the possibility Chris really IS a ghoul? We don't know how old he is, but perhaps he was exposed to the point he's still slowly 'dehumanizing'?

That'd be kinda silly considering all the dialogue we have to convince him he is a human and that Jason doesn't want him on the trip.
If designed differently and we did find out only 'after' the rockets launch that Chris is a ghoul and we get hard evidence for that then I'd love it.
The irony would be too delicious.

That would be pretty cool, I think mutants like that who some people are paranoid about (thinking there some immortal creatures) would make for some interesting quests.

Well, I mean, Ghouls are what? Over irradiated humans. Chris could still be in the very early stages of ghoulification. I dunno, I'm trying hard to believe Obsidian didnt pull a Bethesda 'Stop bringing logic into this!' moment >_>

I am going with this:

The Boomers leaving the Vault in 2231 and what happened to the Vault to make it what it is in New Vegas (what happened to Chris and Horowitz) are two completely different events.

Chris escaped through a backdoor, and yes some Vaults do have backdoors like Vault 19 and Vault 87. The Overseer's notes support a backdoor for Vault 34 "Main Door." Which implies there is another door. Horowitz escaped through a backdoor. He and the others weren't as lucky as Chris because they were blocked by flooding.

I am sorry Gabriel but I don't see any inconsistency in the history of Vault 34. Chris isn't some new type of mutant.

Would it be too redundant to recognize the fact that Chris had been with the Bright Brotherhood for no more than a few years?

"... riots begin soon after; during the peak of the violence the group calling for free access to the armory stormed the Vault's exit and left. The door was sealed after them and additional guards were stationed at the exit; this proved to be a grave mistake. With the additional guards at the exit there were fewer to patrol the halls, none of them were prepared for the group that ambushed the armory. The guards were able to defend their position, but not before the damage was done, during the fight one of the reactors cooling vents was damaged."

I counter that Sir Styles with that nowhere does it mention an additional door or a plural of doors, it's always mentioned as one singular exit.
If there were two then the overseer would have mentioned it correctly in plural. He is after all a schooled man and not a savage.
The texts also mentions a "main computer", perhaps the writer of said Overseer Fragments mistyped or didn't think about how (s)he typed the text.

And yes, Vault 87 had a backdoor, but I'd argue that it was flawed design on Bethesda's part. They wanted a cool "overly irradiated entrance" and then [censored] themselves over when the player had to go inside it and so instead chose to create a simple backdoor into the place which wasn't even a backdoor.

And Vault 19 had two entrances? I thought the other entrance just led out into a sulfur cave?

Vault 101 had an escape door under the Overseers desk, one of the Vaults had a sacrife chamber under it - Whats the possibility that 34 had an escape hatch as well

The escape door in Vault 101 led to the exit door, it did not have two ways in.
And the sacrificial chamber did not have two ways in either, it was just designed differently in it's corridor layout.
And don't you think the overseer would have mentioned the escape hatch in his personal journal if there was one? Why would he write "We'll just have to hope we can survive long enough for the door to open automatically..." if there was another one?

You can exit the sulfur cave. So having a way into the sulfur cave and then a way out from the sulfur cave is another way out. So yes Vault 19 had a backdoor. Vault 87 had a backdoor and I am sorry Gabriel, your argument doesn't counter the fact that he said "The Main Door" which means there is a backdoor. Horowitz escaped through another means, not the main door. He and the others were trapped by flooding.

And as TheNoodler96 pointed out, Chris was only with the Bright Brotherhood for a couple years. This also supports what I am saying. That the Boomers Leaving and the Vault reactor meltdown were two different events.

I would also like to point out that the Boomers don't mention any violent riot to leave the Vault. They just left.


It only does that if you don't sit down to think about it. There is clearly enough evidence to support the idea that it was two different events. Vault 34 is not a blemish on the beauty that is New Vegas.

Here is the proof that you can leave and enter Vault 19 without going through the main Vault door ==> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fmqnoNm-N0&list=UUg2D1zReyIvlUb3nxHtWe3g&index=1&feature=plcp

We already know there is another way in and out of Vault 87 besides the main door Vault Door. The Overseer's notes says "main door." Horowitz and the others escaped the Vault by another means other than the Vault door. So this is proof that some Vaults do have backdoors and Vault 34 was one of them.

Here is the Boomer Historian talking about the Boomers History and their leaving the Vault ==> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uolTg27k7dc&list=UUg2D1zReyIvlUb3nxHtWe3g&index=3&feature=plcp
Note that he doesn't mention a riot or violence at all. He simply says they left because the Overseer wouldn't let them blow things up, not even a hand grenade, so they simply left.

Here is Jason Bright talking about how Chris isn't a ghoul and is human and I am sure Jason and his people know the difference between humans and mutant. ===> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGuJONOEetE&list=UUg2D1zReyIvlUb3nxHtWe3g&index=2&feature=plcp

Also note that Chris realises that he is in fact human and more importantly he confirms he was only with Jason and his people for two years. He also talks about how he left the Vault before it went to hell.

So this means that the Vault reactor meltdown happened no more than two years before New Vegas. This means that the Boomers leaving Vault 34 in 2231 and the Meltdown are two completely different events.

The Boomers neved mentioned the riots, sure, but remember that a kid had to take on the job of the original storyteller cause of an unforseen death.
It's very possible that some things have been lost in translation or that the kid doesn't remember everything or that the Boomers never thought that the riot was worth mentioning as the important part of their reason to leave was that they weren't allowed to play around with weapons.

Hm, never noticed that ladder in V19, then again I haven't been there that often.
So yeah, okay, fine Styles, V87 and V19 had two entrances.
But V8, V13, V15, V21, V22, V101, et cetera, did not. So just cause there are two exceptions doesn't prove that V34 had an additional exit, especially when the overseer notes to the reactor and riot events but makes no mention of an additional way out or use "the exit's" as in plural. If anything the fragments are more concrete proof than pure speculation is based on two vaults out of two dozens(??).

As to Chris being a mutant, it was a joke dude. (But still a possibility)

And even though it is a joke, Jason does not make any proof that he isn't a mutant of his own kind, one who's cells breaks down slower than others.
The joke I meant about him being a mutant is that he is a hidden mutant, one who's identical to a human but oh so different underneath.
How would Jason or even Chris know about this unless a medical exam is performed on him? Or perhaps an autopsy? Celluar research?
That he realizes that he is a human might just be the PC persuading him into it, who knows? Maybe he "is" a mutant, but who's ever gonna know if the right research isn't performed?
The Courier doesn't know about this mutation, Jason doesn't know about this mutation, Chris certainly doesn't know about this mutation, so since he'd be a hidden mutant, human on the outside, mutant on the inside, no one is ever gonna truly know.
But again, it was meant as a joke in case he did follow the Boomers out before the vault exit shut down.

Of course the meltdown and Boomers leaving are two separate events, but the question is, how close together is it?
And why would we be able to read only the fragments from 50 years ago while no new ones exist?
What? The overseer stopped writing in it all of the sudden?
Don't you think it's a bit fishy if the reactor did take 45 something years to finally meltdown and the exit opened and the overseer made not a single mention of it?

Fact is, we don't have enough proof for either side.

On one hand, we have survivors, who can't have survived in that space for close to 50 years and we have Chris, who can't be 70+ years old (unless he is a mutant like I joked about).

On the other hand, we have overseer journal fragments which suggest that the events happened close together to the Boomers leaving.

But we have no proof that there is a 2nd way out of there, we have no additonal journals that provide information beyond the reactor damage that 'pumped' radiation out into the vault and we have no dialogue from Chris or the survivors (as far as I know) that suggest that the meltdown happened just a couple of years ago.

Until we have solid proof then I'd say it is an inconsistency.

Maybe the other journals were destroyed, but then why would these journal fragments survive? Why isn't there a single other journal fragment post-lockdown?

I am sure everyone of the Boomers would know the History well. Yeah a sudden death made a kid become the historian, but I am sure the other guy before him went on and on to every boomer about the history. The kids only reason for being was to be the historian. I am sure the first thing he learned was "leaving Vault 34."

I am not saying all Vaults had backdoors. I am saying some did have backdoors. Dispite what you say, it is proven that Vault 34 has one as well. The note says "main door" and Horowitz and the others managed to escape but not through the main Vault Door. This means there was another door!

Good to know you where joking about Chris being a mutant.

I am glad to see you agree that the Boomers leaving and the Meltdown are two different events. You want to know how far apart? Well lets do that math. The Date 2231 (where that comes from I am not sure) the Boomers left the Vault. Chris left the Vault two years before New Vegas which takes place in 2281. So basic math would tell us the events are at least 48 years apart. So this would mean people at Nellis would have been born in the Vault and were among those that left like Pearl. I am sure she would know the history well.

1. No, it doesn't. Everywhere else in the note the Overseer mentions the exit as a singular term, not a plural. The note also said "main computer", so it might be how the writer likes to type the "important thing", a writer's touch, like how I in long posts use a lot of "so", "but" and one or two "The point is". But it doesn't mean that there was a "non-main door", if there was then the Overseer wouldn't have written the exit as a singular term, so the "main" isn't solid proof as the singular term for the 'exit' is proof against it.

2. Perhaps I should go talk to Pearl and Loyal, though I doubt they'll have much dialogue for the vault history.

1) That is your interpretation. Saying "main computer" implies there is another computer that isn't important as the main one. But there is still another computer. It is plural, he is making refrence to another computer just a lesser one or a backup one. Same with main door. The big Vault door is the main door, but a secret backdoor would be the lesser door. Horowitz got out of the Vault but not through the main door, so how did he get out. Through another yet unknown door.

2. I don't think they have much info, I am not sure where the date 2231 comes from, maybe the game guide. Still does this mean you agree that there isn't an inconsistancy with Vault 34 now? Chris left the Vault in 2279 given the math and the Boomers left the Vault in 2231. So what is the inconsistancy?

1. No idea, I still think the V34 lore is flimsy.

2. The fragments.

1. I don't so I guess we have to agree to disagree.

2. What fragments? We know that the Boomers leaving and Chris leaving are two different events at least 48 years apart. The only "fragment" would be how Horowitz got out of the Vault and we are in disagreement on the meaning of "main door." But I already proved some Vault had backdoors.

The Journal Fragments.
But yeah, we have to agree to disagree.

One last thing though, exclude all other things for this one and focus just on this one thing (which is why I consider it inconsistnant), why would the Overseer write about the exit as a singular term and then all of the sudden mention it in a plural term?
Why aren't there more journals after that final one`?
If the rest were destroyed then how comes these entries were conventiently saved for us to find?
Wouldn't there be dialogue with Horowitz or Chris about a 2nd door? (Actually, couldn't it be possible that Horowitz and the others made it out of the vault exit that the player came from? I mean, you're at the very bottom of the vault when you save them, so couldn't they have had the chance to escape from the vault before you got to see them?)
Why doesn't the overseer mention that there are two exits? Like, "I placed guards at both exits" or something like that?

That's what I'm caught up about.
The Journal Fragments doesn't make sense to me with the rest of the design.

Sure, the rest of the journals could have been lost or destroyed, but why were these ones conveniently saved?
Sure, there could have been an additonal entry to the vault, but why did the overseer continuously mention the exit in a singular term 4 times?
Sure, the vault could have survived without a meltdown or massive ghoulification process for 48 years prior to completely breaking hell loose, but why would the journal fragments in that case leave us with a cliffhanger that suggest that all hell broke loose shortly after the Boomers leaving? (With radiation "pumping" out into the vault)

Forget Chris, forget Horowitz, forget the time lines, why aren't there more journals? Why did the overseer refer to the exit in singular term 4 times? Why are we left with a cliffhanger in the journals when it doesn't match Chris and Horowitz?

It's the journals that I consider inconsistent with the rest of the design.