 | The following is based on Van Buren design documents and is not canon. |
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This is part 3 of the Mesa Verde design document for Van Buren, the canceled Fallout 3 by Black Isle Studios.
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The following is the original document or a transcript thereof. |
Scripting
General
If the PC poisons the Viper food supply, most of them will be dead a day later. The leader and a couple of other guys will survive.
If there is a Brotherhood-Cipher alliance, then a few Brotherhood soldiers will show up and hang around the Cipher village. They're not necessarily Power Armor guys – just regular soldiers.
There will need to be a script where the Viper leader becomes aware that not all is right when the PC kills a certain number of Vipers without being caught.
Once the PC completes the "Restock the Molerat Caves" quest, there should be a bunch of molerats running around in the caves.
Town-Specific
Cool Shit
Cool Epithets
The Nemonik, using some obscure formula and any number of factors, has determined that the number 13 is your personal number - what a coincidence. In any case, you can have your face and body painted accordingly for luck and protection. PC gets a new, Cipher skin-texture for his avatar if he chooses.
Cool Hooks
New Electronics
If the PC isn't skilled in Mechanics, he can bring Trig uncommon parts he finds in the wasteland to see if she can do anything with it. With the parts (and Isaac's help), Trig can put together some rare stuff which she'll trade to the PC once she's done building it.
Brotherhood Equipment
If an alliance is forged between the Ciphers and Brotherhood, Trig will eventually have a lot of Brotherhood equipment lying around her shop. A larcenous PC could swipe some of the stuff, or a persuasive PC could convince Trig to declare some of the fixed items "irreparable".
Task List
Sound Requirements
| Area | Sound requirements |
|---|---|
| Village | MUSIC DESCRIPTION |
| Something reflective the mix of primitive tribal tools with the sophisticated knowledge the tribals have in their heads. Perhaps something like "Metallic Monks" from FO1 with a more tribal beat to it. | |
| BASIC SFX | |
| Creaking of the rope suspension bridges as they sway in the breeze. | |
| WALLA SFX | |
| Occasional murmured conversations between small groups of Ciphers. Laughter of children if they're running around playing. (If the food supply has been poisoned, or if it's night, then this walla stops) | |
| Mesa Top | MUSIC DESCRIPTION |
| Something reflective the mix of primitive tribal tools with the sophisticated knowledge the tribals have in their heads. Perhaps something like "Metallic Monks" from FO1 with a more tribal beat to it. | |
| BASIC SFX | |
| Tattered plastic from the greenhouses flapping in the occasional breeze.
The steady whoosh-whoosh-whoosh from the propeller of the wind turbine. (This stops if the PC breaks the turbine) Quiet whirring of the turbine's gears. (Stops if the turbine is broken). Scrapping and clicking of gardening tools as the Ciphers work the crops. (Stops at night when no one's around) | |
| WALLA SFX | |
| Ciphers calling to each other as they work the field. They also hum short tunes and bits of songs. (Stops at night, or if the food has been poisoned) | |
| Canyon | MUSIC DESCRIPTION |
| Lonely wilderness music. | |
| BASIC SFX | |
| Small rocks falling from above, cracking and tumbling down the sides of the cliffs | |
| WALLA SFX | |
| Chuckling and guffawing when the Viper camp is onscreen. The bits of chatter should sound something like a platoon of roughnecks grumbling and muttering. | |
| Caves | MUSIC DESCRIPTION |
| Gloomy underground music. | |
| BASIC SFX | |
| Occasional hissing of a rattlesnake (stops when they're all dead)
The rattling of a rattlesnake tail (stops when they're all dead) | |
| WALLA SFX | |
| None |
Location Checklist
| Attribute | Challenge | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| CHARACTER SPECIFIC | ||
| Evil Karma Character | none | none |
| Good Karma Character | none | none |
| Stupid Character | The Vipers, seeing your mental inferiority, will let you pass through their camp | Can just walk through the Viper camp to enter and leave the Cipher village |
| Low Reputation Character | none | none |
| High Reputation Character | none | none |
| Male Character | Pose as a Viper | Fool the Vipers into leaving |
| Female Character | Pose as a Daughter of Hecate | Fool the Vipers into leaving |
| Strength | none | none |
| Perception | Notice that Blackjack's "minigun" is nothing more than a bundle of sticks and pipes Notice Denom's reaction when you tell him that the greenhouses are contaminated |
Call his bluff Can ask him about his odd reaction |
| Endurance | none | none |
| Charisma | Deceive the Vipers by posing as a Daughter of Hecate | A high Charisma female can promise Drake a special "reward" back at Ouroborus |
| Intelligence | Make the connection between the contaminated greenhouse and the radiation sickness in the Ciphers | |
| Agility | none | none |
| Luck | Use explosives in an attempt to drop a cliff on the Vipers | If your Traps skill isn't sufficient to "aim" the cliff at the Vipers, a high Luck will miraculously drop the cliff on them anyway |
| COMBAT BOY | ||
| Firearms | Help or kill the Ciphers | Acquire a crude laser pistol/laser rifle |
| Melee | Help or kill the Ciphers | Acquire a cattle prod which can be set to various power levels |
| Unarmed | Help or kill the Ciphers | Acquire the Electro-Gauntlet |
| CHARISMA BOY | ||
| Barter | Offer to pay Alexandra if she'll give up Blackjack Offer to buy Blackjack from Alexandra Negotiate with one of the Hoover Dam caravans to bring food to Mesa Verde Purchase the uranium from the Ciphers |
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| Deception | Pose as a Daughter of Hecate and trick the Vipers into leaving (female) Pose as a Viper and trick the Vipers into leaving (male) Deceive Isaasc by making him believe that the CoS is no longer in charge of the Brotherhood Recognize that Denom isn't telling you the whole truth |
The Vipers leave peacefully. The Vipers leave peacefully. Discover that it was he who contaminated the greenhouses. |
| Persuasion | Intimidate the Vipers into leaving Persuade/intimidate Denom into confessing once you realize he's not telling you everything Convince Azkee to let you take some Ciphers along when hunting rattlesnakes Convince Azkee to let you take some Ciphers for backup when you attack the Vipers |
No need for fighting. Learn how the crop contamination happened; bonus XP for being thorough Support during the fighting. Support during the fighting. |
| SCIENCE BOY | ||
| Medic | Diagnose Radian's nerve condition Concoct a permanent cure for Radian Concoct a temporary cure for Radian Diagnose the radiation sickness in the Ciphers Teach a refresher course in medicine to the Nemonik and his assistants |
XP, and the knowledge to formulate a cure XP and a Cipher rep boost Can force Radian to do your bidding to complete other quests XP, and a clue to the source of the problem XP based on your skill level |
| Mechanics | Complete the construction of the Laser Cannon Repair the computer Sabotage the wind turbine so that the Ciphers go thirsty |
Zap the Vipers from above Enable the Ciphers to store their schematics electronically Weaken the Ciphers with thirst and enable the Vipers to conquer them |
| Science | Determine that the radiation poisoning is coming from the fruits and vegetables at the greenhouses Develop a molerat pheromone to attract molerats to traps |
Alert Azkee and the Ciphers will stop eating the contaminated food Bait for characters not skilled in Outdoorsman |
| Outdoorsman | Track and trap live molerats Track the slavers who kidnapped the Ciphers Teach the Ciphers to be more effective hunters |
Restock the caves so the Ciphers have a meat supply Find out where the kidnapped Ciphers are so you can rescue them XP based on your skill level |
| STEALTH BOY | ||
| Lockpick | Pick the lock on the uranium storage door | Access to the uranium. |
| Sneak | Sneak into the Viper camp to poison their food and water Sneak into the village |
Destroy most of the Vipers without having to fight them Get in if you pissed off the Ciphers. |
| Steal | Steal food and water from the Vipers Steal the storage shed key Steal the uranium storage key from the Nemonik |
Bring back some of the Viper supplies for the hungry Ciphers for bonus XP Get into the shed and find proof of Denom's goof Access to the box of uranium. |
| Traps | Rig the unstable cliff near the Vipers with explosives so that it will crush them when it falls Build non-lethal molerat traps Disarm the alarm on the uranium storage door. |
Crush most of the Vipers without having to fight them Trap molerats and restock the caves Access to the box of uranium. |
| GENERIC SKILLS | ||
| Easter Egg, Easy 1 | ||
| Easter Egg, Medium 1 | ||
| Easter Egg, Hard 1 | ||
| PERKS + TRAITS | ||
| Perks | ||
| Traits | ||
| ENVIRONMENT | ||
| Economics | Limited trading with passing caravans | |
| Power/Infrastructure | Electricity generated by the wind turbine powers the water makers | |
| Food | Vegetables grown in the crop fields; meat from game animals | |
| Tie to Another Area 1 | Denver | A potential supplier for Trig can be found there, and the slavers take the captured Ciphers there |
| Tie to Another Area 2 | Hoover Dam | Food shipments from Hoover Dam |
| Tie to Another Area 3 | Ouroborus | The Ciphers know the location of the Vipers, and they believe Hecate may be there as well. |
| Tie to Another Area 4 | ||
| MULTIPLAYER GAMING | ||
| Multiplayer Elements? |
Room for Improvement
Prosperity: The Ciphers are pretty poor in general. Nobody has more than a few caps on them, and most of their equipment is cheap, primitive stuff. The electronics are the most valuable items in the village, but there's currently only a few of those available.
Quests: None?
Store: Trig – in addition to electronic goodies, she's got things like stimpaks or other basic adventuring supplies acquired from passing traders.
Store Frequency: No restocking occurs while the Vipers are still around. Minimal restocking if the PC clears out the molerat caves (small items get smuggled in). Good restocking every few weeks if the Vipers are gone.
Morale: High morale. The Ciphers will defend their home to the death.
Armament: Mostly melee – spears, knives, and pipes. A few zip guns. Leather armor.
General Health: Poor, and growing worse. Not only have the Ciphers been subsisting on a dwindling supply of fruits and vegetables, but they're becoming more and more radiated from those same vegetables.
Community: Strong defense. There's only one way into the village, and that way lies up a narrow path and long ladder. It's very easy for the Ciphers to repel attacks on the village.
Services: Trig has several electronic items to trade, and her workshop functions as a Mechanics Lab.
Communication: None. No radios.
Technology Level: Low-Medium. The Ciphers have lots of low-tech gear like knives, zip guns, and leather armor, but they also have the occasional tech device, like infrared goggles.
End Movies
WHERE TO GO CONDITIONS
| The player never entered Mesa Verde. | Skip Cinematic |
| The player didn't deal with the Viper siege. | Goto 1 |
| Alliance with BoS, CoS in charge | Goto 2 |
| Alliance with BoS, CoS not in charge | Goto 3 |
| Ciphers all dead | Goto 4 |
| Mesa Verde got nuked. | Goto 5 |
| Vipers dealt with, Ciphers left alone | Goto 6 |
1. Vipers not dealt with (WTG)
| The Vipers eventually crush the village of Mesa Verde for defying Hecate. The surviving Ciphers are scattered into the wasteland, taking their secrets from the Old World with them. | The village at Mesa Verde in ruins, with corpses lying everywhere and black smoke pouring out of the dwellings. |
2. Alliance with BoS, CoS in charge (WTG)
| The Circle of Steel's paranoia eventually causes them to withdraw all troops to Maxson's bunker. The NCR, learning of the Ciphers' collaboration with the Brotherhood, launch a massive assault on the village. Every Cipher man, woman, and child dies in the siege. | The village at Mesa Verde in ruins, with corpses lying everywhere and black smoke pouring out of the dwellings. |
3. Alliance with BoS, CoS not in charge (WTG)
| The Brotherhood-Cipher alliance allows both groups to prosper. The Ciphers welcome the opportunity to put their skills and knowledge to the test, and in exchange the Brotherhood uses its firepower to shield Mesa Verde from its enemies. | A group of Ciphers working on a suit of Power Armor while a Brotherhood soldier looks on. |
4. Ciphers defeated/all dead (WTG)
| With the Ciphers gone, the carvings and paintings of Old World knowledge on the walls at Mesa Verde fade away, lost forever to the ravages of time. | The village at Mesa Verde, crumbling and empty. |
5. Mesa Verde got nuked (WTG)
| In a flash of nuclear fire, Mesa Verde disappears from the face of the earth, as does all Old World knowledge contained in the village. | Big mushroom cloud rising over the place Mesa Verde used to be. |
6. Vipers gone, Ciphers alive with no allies (WTG)
| With the Vipers gone, life at Mesa Verde returns to the normal routine of surviving from day to day. Most Ciphers remain nomadic, repairing whatever electronics they find and bringing a small measure of civilization back to the wasteland. | A snapshot of the village during the day, with children running in the background and an old man with a pile of partially-repaired electronics surrounding him. |
Random Notes
Possible schematics:
- Ultrasonic Generator: Great against animals. Really great against dogs.
- Laser Pistol ("Light Gun")
- Geiger Counter ("Invisible Fire Detector")
- Infrared Goggles ("Night Helmets")
- Motion Sensor
- SEC-Powered Lamps
- Rail Gun
- Cattle Prod ("Lightning Rod")
- Gauss Guns
BECOME A CIPHER ... SOMETHING
Cipher Language Idiosyncracies
"His numbers are not sound. [He's wrong.]
"Convincing Azkee that he is wrong is quantifying infinity." [It's impossible/It can't be done.]
"We cannot leave this place. The sum of all numbers is here; to move away is to wither and die."
"There is invisible fire in that place. There, men have the flesh cooked from their bones without seeing why."
"We trust in the numbers because they do not lie."
Meditation Ritual: Mathematical formulas are chanted, mathematical problems are posed.
Refer to NCR as the "Bear Soldiers" and the Brotherhood as the "Metal Soldiers"
Appendix
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