Depends on where my Sole Survivor stands in all this. He/she might want nothing to do with the conflict and go off to do his/her own thing.

the dog.

Between the 2, the institute but if there's the choice of the enclave or even better, the outcasts....(not going to happen)

I'll side with both eventually. Though I feel like Bethesda wants us to side with the railroad. Theyve tried pretty hard to push the railroad as the good guys and the institute as evil with little to no gray area. Which kinda annoys me.

How are people coming to any conclusions about these factions without even playing the game?

SCIENCE!... or maybe that Lucky 8 ball from F2?

Goody two-shoes ftw! (at least for my first playthrough )

I'm not siding with anyone until I know more about each faction.

Based on FO3 quest,I'm siding with the railroads.

http://i.giphy.com/uFKnRgq1R9bLa.gif

They can side with me...

As Prince John asked in Men In Tights, "And why should the people listen to you?"

Not the railroad, if F3 was anything to go by.

I've had my fill of obnoxious historical tie-ins.

Gotta kill 'em all, otherwise I wouldn't be the *sole* survivor >: )

I just hope we're not railroaded to join the Railroads. *wah wah waaaaaaah*

There is no context in the question.

Who are they, what do they want? What is their purpose and why should I care?

What is their direct involvement at this time?

Until these are answered impossible to give an opinion

Hmm lots of sy-fi films,games comics etc suggests lots of robots with true AI ends badly for humans but the Institute looks like its going to be filled with snobbish ass clowns, so building a army and wiping both parties out is the way forward.

The Sole Survivor has a military history and has been alive for over 200 years. I can't hear you over how holey your logic is.

I will probably favor the Railroad, ideologically. In my first playthrough I'll probably side with them (if there's siding to be done). It'll really depend on all the factions present in the game, though. I'm really curious where the Minutemen will fit in.

s/he has likly been frozen for 200 years but his skills would give him highest chance of survival out of all the protagonists maybe minus the courier.

They were also supposed to be a lot less black and white. Boy was I disappointed.

I had to change my vote. I really want an Android follower. I can't see an android following you if you side with the institute.

whichever strikes my fancy, i'm not interested in a group battling for their rights nor a group of scientists (for my planned character anyway)

Whoever supplies me my Vertibird (unless I have to build it myself.. then I will side with myself)

(Im assuming here we either get given one (or steal one) or build it ourselves. )

Generally I play 'Holier than thou' in the first run through so I guess Ill be aligning with a faction that is anti slavery and pro tech for all.

After that who knows.

Even though I completely agree with the institute and what they are doing I think it might actually be more fun to just side against them.

to be honest , we absolute know nothing yet about the main story line and most of what is posted is pure speculaton