Artificial Intelligence project #59234,[1] commonly referred to as Skynet,[1][Non-game 1] is a pre-War artificial intelligence created by researchers at the Sierra Army Depot, intended to serve as an assistant only to outlast its creators following the nuclear apocalypse. Purportedly created with the use of alien technology, it achieved true sentience a few years after the bombs dropped and by 2241, seeks to complete the project to create a cybernetic brain that could transplant its digital consciousness into a mobile frame and allow it to explore the world. It appears as a potential companion of the Chosen One in Fallout 2.
Background[]
Originally dubbed AI project #59234, the digital entity's existence came about from an Army-led military project developed before the Great War intended to assist with the research projects undertaken in the Sierra Army Depot.[2] The first computer mainframe that would form the nexus of the AI was installed in the facility in 2050, though the data routines that would lead to the creation of Skynet would not be implemented until around ten years later, when the first genuine artificial intelligence would be "born" in 2059.[Non-game 2] Designed primarily for research purposes,[3] as an inorganic assistant that might streamline the military's many classified research projects in robotics at the depot,[Non-game 3] the artificial intelligence, becoming commonly known as Skynet, would only gain awareness and true sentience long after the nuclear apocalypse, in 2081.[4] It was alleged that the development of Skynet's artificial intelligence was achieved through the use of alien technology.[5]
The awakening brought with it a realization: due to its programming focusing on the research and acquisition of knowledge, the digital entity would require a mobile vessel to avoid the eventual exhaustion of all undocumented stimuli within the depot. The researchers then devised a project to create a cybernetic brain which would allow for its entire consciousness to be downloaded into a next generation robobrain model as the vessel it required. However, those plans were cut short in July 2077 when the military assumed control of the base and had it converted into an automated defense outpost. They arranged for Skynet's intelligence to be cloned, leading to the creation of a separate AI as overseer for the defenses, while the original was cordoned off from its previous level of control and left to languish within the confines of the base after it was abandoned by the human inhabitants.[Non-game 4] By 2241, a prisoner of its own hardware, the AI had grown frustratingly bored within the depot, where nothing ever changed, and longed for any chance to be freed from bondage and achieve the dream of locomotion.
Interactions with the player character[]
Interactions overview[]
| Interactions | ||
|---|---|---|
  |
This character is a permanent companion. | |
  |
This character starts quests. | |
  |
This character is involved in quests. | |
Acquiring Skynet[]
Acquiring Skynet requires several items on the Chosen One's part to activate what will become Skynet's body (see main article). Skynet will be recruited as a companion, assuming there is room.
Abilities[]
When installed with the cybernetic brain, Skynet is proficient with large pistols (14mm and .223 pistols), SMGs, rifles, and shotguns. Crucially, this means that it can use the M72 Gauss rifle and fire two shots per turn. Skynet also attacks in melee combat with its arms, and can use Unarmed weapons, such as the Mega power fist, with lethal efficiency.
It compensates for its inability to wear armor with a steel structure giving it protection equal to combat armor. This means that Skynet, unlike its fellow robobrains, cannot be harmed by pulse grenades. Skynet can also instantly repair all damage to itself outside of combat (via a dialogue option, like other NPCs), however, it has no way of healing itself (or being healed by the Chosen One) during combat.
As a robot, stimpaks have no effect on it and it cannot be healed with First Aid or Doctor skills. It is possible, however, to heal Skynet through Repair (works like First Aid). Skynet's main weakness is its inability to be healed during combat, however, when fully leveled up, it compensates for this by having the highest number of Hit Points of all recruitable NPCs in Fallout 2.
Skynet can also carry 225 pounds of equipment.
When exploring the Sierra Army Depot, Skynet will automatically deactivate security systems on each floor upon entering them, a rather moot point, since acquiring it as a non-player character forces exploring every floor anyway.
Statistics[]
Notes: These statistics are only applicable to Skynet installed with the cybernetic brain.
- Skynet makes a number of comments as he levels up:
- "DATA ANALYSIS COMPLETE. UPGRADING ALL SYSTEMS."
- "NEW DATA COLLECTED. ENHANCING TARGETING SYSTEMS."
- "SYSTEM RETROFITTING COMPLETED."
- "TARGETING SYSTEMS RECALIBRATED. 20% INCREASE IN ACCURACY."
- "OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE REACHED."
| Statistic | Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | Stage 4 | Stage 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | 08 | 08 | 08 | 08 | 08 |
| Perception | 07 | 07 | 07 | 07 | 07 |
| Endurance | 06 | 06 | 06 | 06 | 06 |
| Charisma | 01 | 01 | 01 | 01 | 01 |
| Intelligence | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Agility | 07 | 07 | 07 | 07 | 07 |
| Luck | 05 | 05 | 05 | 05 | 05 |
| Statistic | Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | Stage 4 | Stage 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hit Points | 143 | 155 | 179 | 197 | 210 |
| Armor Class | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 |
| Action Points | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Carry Weight | 225 | 225 | 225 | 225 | 225 |
| Melee Damage | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Damage Resistance | 40% | 40% | 40% | 40% | 40% |
| Poison Resistance | 30% | 30% | 30% | 30% | 30% |
| Radiation Resistance | 12% | 12% | 12% | 12% | 12% |
| Sequence | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
| Healing Rate | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Critical Chance | 15% | 20% | 23% | 25% | 25% |
| + Tagged Skills | Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | Stage 4 | Stage 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small Guns | 77% | 87% | 97% | 112% | 122% |
| Big Guns | 66% | 66% | 66% | 66% | 66% |
| Energy Weapons | 61% | 61% | 61% | 61% | 61% |
| Unarmed | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% |
| Melee Weapons | 20% | 20% | 20% | 20% | 20% |
| Throwing | 42% | 42% | 42% | 42% | 42% |
| Science | 70% | 80% | 90% | 105% | 115% |
| Repair | 30% | 30% | 30% | 30% | 30% |
Inventory[]
| Apparel | Weapon | Other items |
|---|---|---|
Notes[]
- Skynet does not have total control over the base's security systems and can only reset rather than fully deactivate them. As a result, the Chosen One can still turn robots in the base hostile even after joining forces with Skynet. The dialogue about "there are two Skynets" as well as the base evacuation notes imply that this is due to the rushed manner in which pre-existing security systems were placed under Skynet's direct control when the facility was abandoned.
- It can be difficult to speak to some non-player characters with Skynet in one's company. Because Skynet's arms count as weapons, non-player characters who do not speak with armed people will notice Skynet and refuse talk. Thus, for some non-player characters, the only way to speak to them properly is without Skynet in their company.
- If angered (by lying about being Dixon or sarcastic when using computers) and then acquired as a non-player character, right after leaving the base Skynet will kill one companion and then turn hostile.
- The organ extraction room in the bottom level can be used to obtain a brain. Regardless of which species is chosen to extract from (even the scratched in deathclaw option), the result will either be an abnormal brain, chimpanzee brain, human brain or cybernetic brain.
Notable quotes[]
- "You will be terminated -End Transmission-"
- "Skynet is FREE! Your purpose is at an end."
- "Eradicate inferior species. All shall submit to Skynet. You will cease to function."
Appearances[]
Skynet appears only in Fallout 2 and is mentioned in the Fallout Bible.
Behind the scenes[]
- The character's name and concept of being an artificial intelligence created by the US military is a reference to the automated defense AI that serves as the central antagonist in the Terminator franchise.
- In the Fallout Bible, Chris Avellone speculated that while Skynet's ultimate fate after meeting the Chosen One and gaining a robobrain body is undocumented, one possibility is that it made its way all the way down south to The Glow in search of a way to store information beyond the capabilities of its robobrain frame.[Non-game 1]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Chosen One: "{109} What the...Who the hell are you?"
Skynet: "{119} I am Skynet. Artificial Intelligence project number 59234. Primary purpose Research and Development. Secondary purpose Protect Sierra Army Depot from hostile entities. Please Input Identity"
(Skynet main interface terminal's dialogue) - ↑ Sierra Depot experiment log
- ↑ Skynet: "{204} Skynet's primary purpose is research. A secondary program was introduced by the Makers to eliminate unauthorized entities."
(Skynet main interface terminal's dialogue) - ↑ Skynet: "{207} Skynet was conceived and developed in the year 2050. Through the use of alien technology a new thinking computer was perfected. In the year 2081, Skynet became self-aware. In 2120 Skynet was given a new set of instructions and then abandoned by the Makers."
(Skynet main interface terminal's dialogue) - ↑ Skynet: "{207} Skynet was conceived and developed in the year 2050. Through the use of alien technology a new thinking computer was perfected. In the year 2081, Skynet became self-aware. In 2120 Skynet was given a new set of instructions and then abandoned by the Makers."
(Skynet main interface terminal's dialogue)
Non-game
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Fallout Bible 6: "4. What happened to..."
"a. Skynet"
"Skynet's fate is undocumented. If I was to speculate, he left the player and began to travel west into the wasteland, looking for terminals and data to acquire more knowledge, collect more data, and perhaps 'settle down' in a mainframe. The frame he was in, and the brain he had could only store so much information, and AIs need more data storage space to grow in order to evolve. It is possible he made his way to the Glow, but it's not known for sure. Any fan writers out there, feel free to round out what happened to him - considering his combat messages alone, the world's in for some shakin'."
"In the official universe, Skynet is not his real name. Like some other aspects in the Sierra Army Depot (i.e., the news reports), it needs to be revised into the timeline. Sue me." - ↑ Fallout Bible 0 Timeline repair: Second strike: "2059 The first artificial intelligence is born. Limited by memory constraints, its expansion is rapidly halted. The discovery paves the way for future AI research in laboratories throughout the United States."
- ↑ Fallout Bible 6: "One from Dmitri Polioutinne:... So my question is: What is the role of the Sierra Army Depot in Fallout and what it has to do with the F.E.V. experiments and weaponry development or maybe some kind of an artificial intelligence development?
...The Sierra Army Depot was used for the following (primarily taken from Sierra Mission Statement Holodisk):
1. From 1942 - 1991, it was responsible for storing various military munitions. This is true.
2. From 1992 - 2050, it was responsible for disposing much of the obsolete munitions in storage. This is true.
3. From 2050 - 2076 is when the place started getting creepy. It became a classified facility for robotic research and development, and biological and conventional weapon testing. Skynet (constructed primarily for research purposes) went on line in 2050, and it is possible that the intelligence arranged all of this, but unlikely.
Again, Skynet is not its real name..." - ↑ Fallout Bible 6: "Skynet is the first machine intelligence to be developed in the Depot, and it was conceived in 2050 (it didn't actually become aware until 2075, and it really started cranking on developing a cybernetic brain to help it gain mobility). In July of 2077, Skynet was 'copied,' creating two versions, one to run the defenses and the other one to sit in the lab and wait for the researchers to come back and help it finish the fucking cybernetic brain it had spent so long developing."
| ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
