Sierra Madre vending machines are pre-War devices created by the Big MT Research and Development Center that are capable of manufacturing goods out of raw materials in exchange for Sierra Madre chips. They are found almost exclusively at the Sierra Madre, with the exception of one salvaged Elder Elijah in the abandoned Brotherhood of Steel bunker in the Mojave.
Though named a vending machine, it is a tremendously versatile crafting device capable of providing necessary survival amenities. The vending machines are fully self-contained assembly stations, tied into the systems of the Villa and the Casino. They can construct items from templates loaded into their data banks (some restricted by security codes, only to be use in case of emergencies). Sierra Madre chips are used both as batteries and resources: Alloys and raw material embedded in the shell are recombined into the desired item. The vending machine is also capable of taking certain items and breaking them down into Sierra Madre chips. Selection is made through a holographic interface that displays the item being purchased, with the machine rapidly assembling it on the spot.[1]
History
The vending machines are a revolutionary piece of technology, originating from the Y-0 research center of Big MT. A generous research grant from Frederick Sinclair enabled their development, as the pre-War tycoon wanted to provide the Madre with total self-sufficiency, relying only on its own tech, with no outside interference.[2] Sinclair was quite explicit in his instructions: Only the revolutionary Sierra Madre vending machines could be installed; all other devices, no matter how common or popular, were banned.[3] All conveniences and necessary supplies were to be supplied by machines tied to the casino.[4] Redundant engineering and meticulous attention to detail ensured that the system would continue to function even in the event of an apocalyptic event, providing a stable food supply and all the necessary supplies in the case of a national catastrophe.[5] A secondary benefit was that this self-sufficient business model gave him total control over the economy of the Madre, such as it were.[6] To maintain control and keep a stock of the chips available, Villa employees only received a modest amount of chips with each paycheck.[7]
The vending machine's ability to take common and fissionable elements,[8] and use them to construct not just conveniences, but also tools,[9] perfectly edible foodstuffs and drink,[10] and even medicinal products in the case of an emergency indicates that the United States was on the verge of achieving a sustainable economy and resolving the resources crisis once and for all.[11][12] However, the technology never really gained traction outside the occasional Worlds Fair, most likely due to the power requirements and cost.[13] and, of course, the Sierra Madre. In fact, Sinclair very nearly bankrupted himself bankrolling the development of the technologies necessary to build the casino.[14]
Nonetheless, it was this prospective prosperity that, in part, drew Elijah to the Sierra Madre centuries after the Great War froze it in time. As potentially unlimited sources of "food, supplies, medical assistance, ammo... even currency," Elijah saw that the Sierra Madre "can kill nations and build them" if its Cloud, holograms and vending machines were applied in the correct manner. While the Cloud wipes the slate clean, collars ensure cooperation, holograms provide defense and the vending machines provide everything else.[15]
Characteristics
At the beginning, the vending machines only offer the standard array of items available to every Sierra Madre guest: Snacks, drinks, cigarettes and doctor's bags. However, with the right emergency codes, their offer expands significantly and allows for manufacturing ammunition, drugs, medical supplies and even weapon upgrades.[16]
Food
| Item | Chip Cost | Holotape Location |
|---|---|---|
| BlamCo Mac & Cheese | -5 | |
| Dandy Boy Apples | -5 | |
| Fancy Lads Snack Cakes | -5 | |
| InstaMash | -5 | |
| Junk food | -5 | |
| Pork n' Beans | -5 | |
| Potato Crisps | -5 | |
| Salisbury Steak | -5 | |
| Scotch (note) | -10 | Sierra Madre Casino security office on a metal shelf |
| Sugar Bombs | -5 | |
| Vodka (note) | -10 | Sierra Madre Casino floor countertop behind a Very Easy locked door |
| Wine (note) | -10 | Sierra Madre Casino floor behind the bar on top of a shelf |
| YumYum Deviled Eggs | -5 |
Note: Scotch, vodka and wine can only be redeemed from the vending machine located on the Sierra Madre Casino floor.
Misc
| Item | Chip Cost | Holotape Location |
|---|---|---|
| Pack of cigarettes | -10 | |
| (Return) pack of cigarettes | +5 | |
| (Return) carton of cigarettes | +20 | |
| (Return) pre-War casualwear | +4 | can be found in multiple cash registers scattered around the villa and casino |
| (Return) dirty pre-War casualwear | +2 | |
| (Return) Fedora | +3 | |
| (Return) pre-War parkstroller outfit | +4 | |
| (Return) dirty pre-War parkstroller outfit | +2 | |
| (Return) pre-War relaxedwear | +4 | |
| (Return) dirty pre-War relaxedwear | +2 | |
| (Return) pre-War spring outfit | +4 | |
| (Return) dirty pre-War spring outfit | +2 | |
| Free Chips | +1,000, -1 complimentary voucher | Win 7,500 chips in the Sierra Madre Casino. |
Weapons
| Item | Chip Cost | Holotape Location |
|---|---|---|
| Demolition charge | -75 | Puesta Del Sol North Service Tunnel by accessing the terminal in the corner or Puesta del Sol South 2F near the two lounge chairs. |
| Auto. rifle upgr. internals | -250 | Puesta Del Sol South (On the roof where the Courier leaves Dean Domino before activating the Gala Event) |
| Bear trap fist HD springs | -250 | Salida del Sol South (In switch room where the Courier leaves Dog/God, near some pipes on the right) |
| Holorifle adv. calibration | -125 | Puesta Del Sol South (Atop the central building, among a pile of drained microfusion cells) |
| Holorifle focus optics | -175 | Salida del Sol North (Bell tower, along with super stimpak code) |
| Holorifle reinf. components | -100 | Puesta del Sol Switching Station (Near the elevator and "remote maintenance terminal") |
Aid
| Item | Chip Cost | Holotape Location |
|---|---|---|
| Doctor's bag | -55 | |
| Med-X | -20 | Villa clinic (2nd floor doctors computer terminal) the area nearby will have a hologram patrol. |
| Rad-X | -20 | Salida del Sol North, leading to the bell tower on the third floor of the only building in the area with three stories. on bookshelf near the "Casino lights carry me home" graffiti in a room with a computer terminal used in the history side quest |
| RadAway | -20 | Salida del Sol North, bell tower district, southeast area, behind a counter in room with pool-table that the Courier enters from a staircase or the nearby hole in the wall. It's the only way of access to and from the bell tower half of salida sol north. |
| Stimpak | -25 | Villa clinic, on the lower floor in the check-in area on the main desk |
| Super stimpak | -100 | Salida del Sol North, inside the Bell tower on a ledge near to the light controls. |
| Weapon repair kit | -20 | Villa police station, on top of a file cabinet at the end of a corridor of prison cells, in the same area where Dog is kept, or access the terminal in the accessed in Puesta del Sol south foreman's service tunnels. |
Ammunition
| Item | Chip Cost | Holotape Location |
|---|---|---|
| .357 Magnum round (12) | -24 | Villa police station - When entering the station, located on the desk to the left with the police chief's terminal on it, next to a locked door (unlocked via the terminal) |
| .308 round (20) | -60 | Villa police station male restroom |
Chems
| Item | Chip Cost | Holotape Location |
|---|---|---|
| Buffout | -20 | Puesta del Sol South through a ground level hole in the wall east of the ruined cafe entrance next to cash register |
| Mentats | -20 | Villa clinic right across from the chief physician's office on the bottom shelf with a TV and typewriter on top of it. |
| Steady | -20 | Police station entryway on the coffee table right when the Courier walks in |
Locations
- Villa - East of Elijah's fountain.
- Villa - West of Father Elijah's fountain.
- Villa - Southwest of the entrance to Salida del Sol south.
- Salida del Sol south: South end of the area.
- Residential District - Turn right (or west) upon entering.
- Residential District - Go up the staircase in front (or south), climb down the stairs on the other side, and climb another staircase adjacent to it. Walk around the wooden balcony overlooking the cloudy area. The vending machine is left (or east) of the staircase on the other side of the building.
- Puesta del Sol north - Turn right (or head north) immediately after entering from Villa.
- Puesta del Sol south - Entering from eastern entrance (near ruined store), go southwest and turn north after the arch. Or, entering from western entrance (near the ruined cafe), head south, and turn east after the arch.
- Sierra Madre lobby - East of the entrance, on the second floor.
- Sierra Madre Casino - Entering from the double door entrance of the Sierra Madre lobby, walk around the stairs.
- The Tampico - North of the inaccessible double doors.
- Sierra Madre executive suites - Two at either end of the hall outside Vera's room.
- In the abandoned Brotherhood of Steel bunker, in Father Elijah's room.
- Sierra Madre vault - To left of the table with the gold bars and pre-War money.
Notes
- The codes for scotch, vodka and wine do not work on vending machines outside of the casino area. This includes the vending machine in the Abandoned Brotherhood of Steel bunker.
- For every item returned, the Courier will receive +1 in the "Crafted Items" counter.
- The Sierra Madre vending machines will not accept returns of sexy sleepwear, pre-War bonnets and baseball caps or pre-War businesswear, despite these items being commonly found alongside other, returnable articles of clothing.
- Although the researchers in Big MT created these machines, they are nowhere to be found in Old World Blues. They are, however, mentioned on a terminal outside the destroyed Y-0 facility.
- According to Dean Domino, the Sierra Madre vending machine technology was not uncommon before the war.
- New production codes can be created post-War, as evidenced by weapon mods for the Holorifle being produced by the vending machines.
Appearances
The Sierra Madre vending machine appears only in the Fallout: New Vegas add-on, Dead Money.
Behind the scenes
 | The following is based on Fallout: New Vegas cut content. |
|---|
The Old World Blues add-on includes an unused, unscripted, partially implemented version of the Sierra Madre vending machine, likely meant to be placed around the Y-0 research center. Called the "Holo-Vending Machine," the object uses the same shape as the vending machines which appear in Dead Money. Though both the mesh (shape) and textures are included for the object, the mesh file references textures as though they are in the "nvdlc01" folder used by Dead Money, rather than the "nvdlc03" folder used by Old World Blues, making it appear incorrectly if viewed without the Dead Money add-on loaded.
| End of information based on Fallout: New Vegas cut content |
|---|
Bugs
The "Return Outfit Item" vending machine code includes an option to return fedoras for chips. The fedora is a "non-playable" article of clothing, meaning it cannot normally be obtained, and furthermore does not appear anywhere within Dead Money. [verified]- Returning any pre-War outfit while wearing it will give a permanent Agility bonus. The bonus can be stacked far beyond 10 Agility and though it stops increasing related skills and AP, weapon draw/holster and reload speed will continue to increase. While running some guns may glitch during the holster animation due to the speed of the animation causing the gun to glitch inside the player character, usually leaving the gun sticking out of the Courier's shoulder. The gun will return to normal if drawing and then holstering again while staying still, or if reequiping the weapon. [verified]
- Even though the glitch will increase Agility past 10, the base Agility stat will remain the same in the Pip-Boy due to clothes acting as a temporary increase to SPECIAL, not a permanent increase like an implant.
- Equiping and unequiping a copy of each returned outfit will remove the stacked agility bonus respective to each outfits return code; e.g. If you have a +4 Agility boost from returning a parkstroller outfit and pre-War casualwear, if you equip and unequip a copy of the pre-War casualwear it will remove the +2 agility provided by that particular outfit, but leave the +2 provided by the parkstroller outfit.[verification overdue]
- ↑ The Courier: "What are the Vending Machines in the Villa?"
Elijah: "Assembly stations. Schematics are stored within... dispensers with unlock codes. They use the Chips scattered around as batteries... alloys and raw material embedded in the shell. They resemble the vending machines of the Mojave, but they are crafting devices of tremendous versatility. Once an Old World convenience, now... ...now, they are a means of survival. Use the Chips to power them. Select from the holographic display, the device will assemble it."
(Elijah's dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "I don't believe you."
Elijah: "You think I wanted to send you here without weapons, healing? No, the Sierra Madre lays you bare, strips and stores all your worldly possessions... It's automated to move things as the builder saw fit, Sinclair - even the guests. It's what divided your team, me, assigned us to "our floors." No contraband, nothing foreign in his paradise - even common Pre-War vending machines were banned from the Villa."
(Elijah's dialogue) - ↑ Dead Money loading screen hints: "Sinclair forbade any other food or vending machines in the Villa beyond the ones he'd installed there."
- ↑ Dead Money loading screen hints: "All of the Madre's and Villa's conveniences were supplied by machines tied to the casino."
- ↑ Y-0 research center terminals; Terminal, Requisition Order: Dispensers: "We finished up the design for the dispensers for the Sierra Madre villa as requested. That big-wig Sinclair went to the Big MT execs; he wanted emergency dispensers for his sheltered Villa in case war broke out and they needed to care for the survivors there. He's done everything he can to isolate the community and tighten security, now he just needs to guarantee a food supply and be able to ration out resources in the event of nuclear holocaust. I hear he even narrowed the streets so cars couldn't come inside town, let alone come up to the Villa."
- ↑ The Courier: "I've never seen machines like those before."
Dean Domino: "Yeah, well, machines like those weren't unusual before the Bomb. Maybe to you, they're amazing, to me, they're grifters without the personality."
The Courier: "Grifters?"
Dean Domino: "Sinclair made sure if you spent money here, it went one direction - although that's not how he described it."
The Courier: "How did he describe it?"
Dean Domino: "Called it "self-sufficient." Like he was doing the residents a favor. Right."
(NVDLC01Dean.txt) - ↑ Villa police station terminals; Terminal, Vending Machine Installation: "Oversaw the streetside Vending Machines installation today, all working, mostly because the casino crew was running the show.
Finally complained to the Chief about the machines. They feel like a "company store." We only get a few casino chips with the paycheck, so we can barely buy anything. Chief says he's not sure the chips were Sinclair's idea, only if we had any problems with the machines, let him know immediately." - ↑ The Courier: "You need a battery... a Fission Battery... and Scrap Metal? And you can counterfeit the chips?"
Christine Royce: [She nods, impressed. Then she points at you, then her and makes a circle.]
(NVDLC01Christine.txt) - ↑ Puesta del Sol terminals; Terminal, Special Orders
- ↑ The Courier: "What are the Vending Machines all over town?"
Dean Domino: "Those little company stores? Sinclair's toy boxes, put in a casino chip, get a treat, like you're some dog doing tricks. Take any of the casino chips, put 'em into the machine, and you'll get something out - a snack, a cola, something to mend a tear in your shirt. Sometimes you have to know exactly what to ask for, other times, there's codes for... eh, unconventional items. For emergencies."
(NVDLC01Dean.txt) - ↑ Villa Clinic terminal entries#Download Dispenser Code: Med-X
- ↑ Dead Money loading screen hints: "Where the Vending Machine technology came from is unknown. While they take Sierra Madre Chips, they seem to supply a number of non-commercial services."
- ↑ Villa police station terminals; Terminal, Dispenser Report
- ↑ Y-0 research center terminals; Terminal, Dispenser Funding Update: "Got the funding from Sinclair. Near as I can tell, he's willing to not only bankrupt himself for these devices, he's struck a deal with the Big MT executives, letting the Villa become a lab for the supposedly-harmless prototype tech here. I've seen the Big MT execs do this with other isolated towns (Hopeville Meteorological research up north), and the whole process, it's not what I signed up for."
- ↑ The Courier: "If you secure that, that's all you want?"
Elijah: "No, there is one last thing I want from the Sierra Madre. Its bounty. The machines that fill its streets, its corridors. They provide, provide almost anything. Perhaps in the Pre-War era, they were commonplace, things to dismiss. Now, they are far more valuable. You know it. They helped keep you alive."
The Courier: "I can't argue that."
Elijah: "Sources of food, supplies... medical assistance, ammo... make more collars, even print currency. Make a nation. The Cloud allows me to wipe the slate clean. Collars ensure cooperation. Holograms - defense. The Vending Machines provide... everything else. The Sierra Madre can kill nations and build them, using its technology with the right applications."
(Elijah's dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "What other items can you get out of the machines?"
Dean Domino: "If it's an emergency, you can get chems for any... uh... condition. Sinclair left that for doctors and trained professionals, not the common folk. Even security and maintenance could get special supplies out of them. Staff had codes on little cards they could use to unlock them."
(NVDLC01Dean.txt)