Sink Auto-Doc is an automated personality residing in the Sink in Big MT in the Fallout: New Vegas add-on Old World Blues.
Background[]
A prototype model of an Auto-Doc with a personality module installed, it was built by Dr. Mobius before he left the Think Tank and all of The Sink's systems were disabled by Dr. Klein followed by their modules getting thrown off the balcony. The Doc's module ended up in the Y-17 medical facility.
After being transported to Big MT, the Auto-Doc performed surgery on the Courier and extracted their brain, a procedure that would normally result in its subject becoming a feral, mindless lobotomite due to an error in its programming. However, due to the unique scarring on the brain caused by a non-fatal gunshot to the head, the Auto-Doc was forced to adjust the operation routine and was successfully able to perform the intended operation and replace it with a functioning array of Tesla coils to mimic the brain's connection to the nervous system. Subsequently, however, the extracted brain was stolen by Mobius and brought to the Forbidden Zone to keep it away from the Think Tank.[1]
Unfortunately, even without the physical brain, the data from the Auto-Doc's successful procedure remained within the Think Tank's reach, potentially able to put them one step closer to figuring out how to do a reversal of the extraction and put their own brains into waiting host bodies, allowing them to escape Big MT and terrorize the Mojave Wasteland should they figure out how to access it.[2]
Interactions with the player character[]
Interactions overview[]
| Interactions | ||
|---|---|---|
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This character is involved in quests. | |
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This character is a doctor. |
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This character installs implants. |
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This character has other interactions. |
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Quests[]
- All My Friends Have Off Switches: One must retrieve the personality matrix for the Sink Auto-Doc.
- Influencing People: One must locate and install various upgrades to the Sink Auto-Doc.
- Old World Blues: After getting the brain back, the Doc can optionally be used to restore the heart and spine as well.
Other interactions[]
- The Sink Auto-Doc, when reactivated and fully upgraded can:
- Heal all hit points and limbs and remove all rads and addictions for free.
- Offer a one-time option of swapping the player character's traits as part of a "psychological evaluation" (an exploit relating to the Skilled trait exists, see below).
- Give a haircut.
- Provide facial reconstruction.
- Install 4 different implants of varying price (requires requisite holotapes):
| Name | Unlock conditions | Ranks | Benefit | Form ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Implant C-13 | Surgery purchased through dialogue with the Sink Auto-Doc in The Sink for 8,000 caps. | 1 | Plus 10% damage to cazadores | xx009616 |
| Implant M-5 | Surgery purchased through dialogue with the Sink Auto-Doc in The Sink for 10,000 caps. | 1 | Your crouched movement speed is increased by 20%. | xx009614 |
| Implant Y-3 | Surgery purchased through dialogue with the Sink Auto-Doc in The Sink for 12,000 caps. | 1 | Removes any radiation taken from drinking an irradiated water source. | xx009615 |
| Implant Y-7 | Surgery purchased through dialogue with the Sink Auto-Doc in The Sink for 20,000 caps. | 1 | +5 health and +2 restored action points through the consumption of food. | xx00961A |
Notes[]
- When reactivated, the Auto-Doc speaks in a stereotypical 1940s military drawl. When idle and not in use, the unit may snore loudly, ramble on about patient injuries such as 'shoe lung' while 'asleep,' or make passing comments on the Courier's general health.
- The Sink Auto-Doc heals only base level HP. Bonus HP from the Thought You Died perk is not restored.
- The Sink's Auto-Doc is one of the only two non-player characters able to change the Courier's appearance in-game after leaving Doc Mitchell's house, the other being Sergio in the King's School of Impersonation (which requires using the favor granted by The King after G.I. Blues to join the Kings).
- All interactions take no in-game time to complete.
- The Sink Auto-Doc is apparently aware of the existence of deathclaws and ghouls despite neither of them being present in Big MT.
Notable quotes[]
- "You are, without a doubt, the healthiest son of a bitch I've ever seen wandering the Big MT. Ain't got no use for an old digital sawbones like me."
- "Zzz... Forceps nurse! This man's got a severe case of shoe-lung!"
- "Zzz... Three angry deathclaws make for a lot of reconstructive surgery."
- "Zzz... Not that scalpel, the fish scalpel!"
- "Zzz... The foot bone's connected to the... leg bone.. The leg bone's connected to the... purple bone."
Appearances[]
Sink Auto-Doc appears only in the Fallout: New Vegas add-on Old World Blues.
Behind the scenes[]
- The symbol depicted on the Sink Auto-Doc is the Caduceus, which actually symbolizes commerce, but is commonly erroneously used as a symbol of medicine instead of the correct Rod of Asclepius. However, the symbol of the US Army Medical Corps in real life today is the Caduceus and has been so since 1902. With the Sink Auto-Doc portrayed with the personality of a 1940s military doctor and coupled with the fact that Big MT receives a lot of work from the pre-War Army, it is possible the Sink Auto-Doc was designed for eventual military use and thus sported the symbol of the Army Medical Corps.
- One of the Sink Auto-Doc's sleep talking lines is a reference to James Weldon Johnson's well-known spiritual, "Dem Bones."
Bugs[]
- Even with all the holotapes located & installed, the only options available while interacting with the Sink Auto-Doc are heal yourself & respec your traits. This bug only affects the Spanish version of the game. The 3rd option in the menu is left blank due to an error in language translation, so only two options are displayed. [verified]
- It may be worked around by temporarily switching the game's language to any different language than Spanish, or mod the game and add the missing translation.
- If the Sink Auto-Doc is used to remove the Skilled trait, the trait's bonus remains (the penalty does not) or if the player re-selects it, they gain an extra 5 more skill points on top of the original 5 point bonus (giving 10 points per skill). In the latter case, you will receive the penalty as normal. [verified]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ Events of Old World Blues
- ↑ The Courier: "A cranial injury. From the attack outside Goodsprings."
Mobius: "[SUCCEEDED] Yes. Very good. I should have Mentats ingest you instead of the other way around. Mmm. Mentats. In any event, you showed up at the Think Tank, and because you had suffered a cranial injury in just the right place... Bullets in the head are usually much more fatal, and yours was a light case of bullet-head-itis. But... it was enough for the Auto-Doc in the Sink to change its programming to fix the problem. And the brain extraction technology for once, worked. That gave the Think Tank the knowledge its brains shouldn't... couldn't... sh'couldn't possess. With that knowledge, the procedure can be reversed. If they obtain that procedural data, they can use it to mush and modify their cranial selves into hosts to slip past the Radar Fence, I'm sure of it. And once they're off the reservation..."
(Mobius' dialogue)