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For the AI overseer of Tibbets' Prison from Van Buren, see ODYSSEUS. For the historical 18th president of the United States, see Ulysses S. Grant. |
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Ulysses is a courier and former frumentarius of Caesar's Legion. He serves as the main antagonist of the Fallout: New Vegas add-on Lonesome Road as well as an unseen secondary antagonist in the add-ons Dead Money, Honest Hearts, and Old World Blues.
Background[]
The Twisted Hairs[]
Ulysses was once a member of the Twisted Hairs, a powerful tribe residing in the former state of Arizona known for their signature dreadlock hairstyles. They were sought out by the fledgling Caesar's Legion in 2247, where they became its main scouting force during the conquest of the other tribes inhabiting Arizona. Ulysses, going by an unknown tribal name then, was one of the most successful scouts in the Twisted Hairs, traveling vast distances in search of the enemies of both his and Caesar's tribes. His scouting ability was supplemented by his ability to live off the land, having acute knowledge of herbal remedies and medicines.[1] However, after Arizona's tribes had been conquered or destroyed by the Legion, Caesar "rewarded" the Twisted Hairs for their help by breaking the alliance and betraying them; the tribe were conquered and enslaved just as had been done to all the others. Their tribal identity was erased and those who resisted were crucified along the sides of Interstate 40 as a warning to the rest.
Vulpes Inculta's pacification of the tribe at Dry Wells, even though it was not their homeland, was a particularly painful moment for Ulysses, though his dedication to Caesar and the flag of the Bull prevented his desertion then.[2] With the loss of his tribe, the man abandoned his former name and instead took the moniker of "Ulysses," alluding to Ulysses S. Grant, "the man who fought during a time of two flags, and he had to make them one."[3] Thanks to his survival skills and his forceful personality, he quickly became an important, indispensable frumentarius in service to the Legion, walking the wastes as a nondescript and unnoticeable courier. Meanwhile, he obeyed Caesar's rule to never kill any courier since, in fact, many couriers were spies for the Legion as well.
In 2274, after the New California Republic reached Hoover Dam coming west from New California, Ulysses himself crossed the Colorado River from the east and was the first among the Legion to see the Dam and furthermore, the flag of the two-headed Bear - a powerful nation to rival Caesar's own. Returning back to his lord, Ulysses spoke with Caesar about Hoover Dam and the might of the NCR. The Old-World symbol of the Dam became an object of obsession for Caesar, a symbol of a future for his Legion. Ulysses however, believed Hoover Dam was an omen of Caesar's downfall, regardless of whether he won or lost against the NCR.
His prediction nearly came true at the First Battle of Hoover Dam, when the Malpais Legate, Joshua Graham was defeated by the decisive action of the NCR Rangers led by Chief Hanlon. For his failure, Caesar had Graham covered in pitch by his praetorian guards, lit on fire, and thrown into the Grand Canyon, which Ulysses witnessed firsthand and cemented to him that Caesar would pursue his conquest of the Dam and the Mojave Wasteland at any cost.[4][5]
The Divide[]
After the Legion's disastrous defeat at Hoover Dam, Ulysses continued to travel as a courier, exploring the wastelands for Caesar. It was during this time that he first learned of the travels made by another courier, particularly their many ventures into the remote region known as the Divide.[6] Between 2274 and 2277, Ulysses tracked the Courier on another trek to the Divide and there, he discovered a community, itself also called "the Divide" which was, in his own words, "a nation taking its first breath," surrounded and shaped by the symbols of the Old World. In that community, the former tribal saw potential for himself, to find a place that he could again call a homeland, beyond the lies and everything else, and a second chance, a new way of thinking out of the Legion.[7][8][9] To Ulysses' dismay, the interactions with New California through the Courier's work resulted in the prosperous community being discovered and put in the process of annexation by the NCR, which in turn drew the attention of Caesar, who sent in the limited strength of the Legion to claim it instead. Fearing for the future of his new home, Ulysses planned to drive away both nations' armies from the Divide, but before he could act, the Courier made a final delivery from NCR territory, unintentionally bringing a package from Navarro[10] that contained launch codes for the ICBM stockpile in the Divide's old nuclear missile silos.[Non-game 1][11]
Also unaware of its contents, Ulysses was fascinated by the package, which bore the sigil of pre-War America as well as one he had never seen before. The device turned out to be a messenger of destruction: somehow, it was activated in the Divide and began "speaking." This, in turn, armed several of the still-active nuclear warheads left in their underground silos since the Great War.[12][13] The results were immediate and devastating; buried deep beneath Hopeville and Ashton, the warheads answered the call to launch, only to collide with the sealed-up silo walls. The subsequent mass detonations caused the surrounding land to tremble, splitting the earth, killing the settlers and burying both the NCR companies holding the area and Legionnaires sent to cut off the West's supply line.
The Divide's devastation nearly killed Ulysses too, but he was saved by several medical eyebots, who had also been activated when the package was turned on; Ulysses believed it was because they had recognized the flag of America he'd put on the back of his jacket, erroneously identifying him as a pre-War US soldier. Ulysses' life was changed that day, and he viewed the traumatic event as a lesson: that a single person could have the power to change history, to raise nations... or destroy them. Seeing himself as the lone survivor of the destroyed community he loved, he came to hold the Courier responsible for the destruction of the place that he believed could have been his true home, "larger than the Bear, greater than the Bull."[14] Believing that the Courier had perished as well, Ulysses turned his back on the Divide and returned east, where he learned that though the Legion's strength was depleted with the Divide's destruction, Caesar still lived and they would rise again.
Meeting the White Legs[]
In the same year, Caesar sent Ulysses to the Great Salt Lake as his emissary to rally the White Legs against the settlement of New Canaan and its people as a test of their loyalty to Caesar and promises of being assimilated into the Legion. Ulysses knew the real reason to attack New Canaan was to further cripple the NCR's supply lines through the former state of Utah and, while Caesar would never openly admit it, to finally kill Joshua Graham once and for all as he was believed to have survived his fiery descent into the Grand Canyon and become a mythical figure called "the Burned Man".[15][16] In his capacity as the White Legs' mentor, the tribe in turn came to revere Ulysses, calling him the "Flag-Bearer" for the Old-World flag staff he carried as a weapon.[17] To hone the White Legs' savagery, he taught them the values of the Legion, showed them numerous supply caches and bunkers hidden across Utah, including one near Spanish Fork that they pilfered to acquire .45 Auto submachine guns, becoming known as "storm drums" and the signature weapon of the White Legs, all the while knowing every word he spoke about Caesar's pride in using such weapons was a lie.[18] Acting in this deceitful manner posed some problems in Ulysses' mind; he negatively compared himself to Vulpes Inculta, the man who had orchestrated the betrayal of his former tribe to Caesar.[19] His training of the White Legs brought on a sense of reverence, but not in the way he wanted to be; the White Legs began to honor him personally instead of the Legion. After the sacking of New Canaan, Ulysses was shown that the White Legs had begun to braid their hair into dreadlocks to imitate his. For them, it was a sign of respect for their mentor; for Ulysses, it was a deep insult, a hollow mockery of the ways of the Twisted Hairs because to him, their imitation "spoke" like complete gibberish. In this, Ulysses realized the significance of the braids, as they were to the Twisted Hairs, was completely unknown to the White Legs.[20] The incident caused Ulysses to reflect on who he once was and forced him to realize what he had become, how his service to Caesar had changed him.[21]
After this revelation, Ulysses finished his duties to Caesar and left the White Legs sometime before they migrated to Zion Canyon to hunt down the rest of the New Canaanites. In his directionless traveling, Ulysses came back to the same lesson he learned from the Courier: one person could change history if they had the power to do so. He reflected on the Old-World nation of America, seeing it as having peaceful yet strong places like the Divide before its destruction, and he determined that the NCR and the Legion had no long-term answer for the future of humanity. For a time, Ulysses settled down, making a homestead at Wolfhorn ranch in the Mojave, collecting his thoughts and even achieving a measure of success as a bighorner rancher[Non-game 2] while still roaming, sometimes as a courier.
The Big Empty[]
Ulysses eventually abandoned the quiet life as a rancher and resumed his mission to reawaken America. His roaming eventually resulted in the former frumentarius finding his way to Big MT by tracking the irregular weather patterns, remembering that the Divide's storms were caused by man and not nature. Along the way, he left behind color-coded markers in the shape of the Old-World flag, knowing that someone with the know-how and grit to survive would understand them, someone like the Courier. When he eventually entered the bounds of the crater, Ulysses discovered the Old-World research facilities and the X-17 meteorological station in particular, still active.[22] His investigation of the facility involved utilizing the geographical imaging technology in the station to create a map of the Divide and specifically, to locate the largest missile silo still left intact in the region.
While looking for answers on his quest, Ulysses was caught up in the conflict between the Circle of Steel assassin Christine Royce and her target, the rogue Brotherhood elder, Father Elijah. At some point after Elijah spoke with the Think Tank, he and Ulysses made contact. Hearing of Elijah's plans to get revenge against the NCR for the Mojave Brotherhood's loss at HELIOS One, Ulysses chose to point the rogue elder in the direction of the Sierra Madre, considering it a place he would never go himself while knowing that it would in all likelihood end up as Elijah's grave.[23] Once Elijah escaped the crater, Ulysses located and rescued Christine from the Y-17 medical facility and nursed her back to health in a nearby cave.[24] From Christine, he learned more about the Brotherhood of Steel, enough to decide they were not the ones with the power to reawaken America as he envisioned. In payment for his aid, Christine gave him an old recorder she had managed to repair, which he used to record personal logs detailing his philosophies and important views.
In the middle of Christine's recovery, Ulysses entered the Dome at the heart of Big MT and spoke with the Think Tank himself, specifically Doctor Klein, who remembers him as "a melancholy fellow who asked a lot about history" and had "an interesting name". He also at some point spoke with Doctor Mobius.[25] When he failed to get the answers that he sought from the Think Tank, Ulysses, out of anger, asked the question "Who are you, that do not know your history?" In that moment, he managed to awaken their memories of the Old World and they briefly remembered America and its flag on his back – not just a flag, but a place, an idea they had cared for once upon a time. After this awakening, the Think Tank told him what "still carries America's voice," deep in the heart of the Divide: "sleeping giants", the remainder of the nuclear missile silos scattered across the ravaged landscape that were not yet detonated, and the device to activate them that remained intact.[26][27] Whether by their own hand or Mobius', the Think Tank's memory of Ulysses' question was later erased to maintain the recursion loop keeping them trapped in the Big Empty, but it had the effect of preventing them from mind-scrubbing the visitor who now carried their secrets. Ulysses departed, deciding to reshape the post-apocalyptic world single-handedly, much like the Courier reshaped the Divide.
A reunion[]
In 2281, Ulysses was one of six couriers hired by Victor on behalf of Mr. House, and was himself chosen to carry the package containing the platinum chip to the entrance of the Strip while the rest carried decoys to throw off potential pursuers. While on the job, Ulysses walked the route along the Long 15 to Primm and the Mojave Express office[28] to receive the delivery order from Johnson Nash. He had been about to accept the route to Vegas when he saw the Courier's name was next on the list and asked Nash if the Courier really was alive, contrary to his belief that they had died in the Divide when it was destroyed years ago. When Nash confirmed the Courier's name, Ulysses, in his renewed desire to hold the Courier responsible for their past atrocity but choosing to hold to Caesar's old rule to kill no courier, declined the job and insisted that Courier Six take it instead, anticipating that the dangers of the wasteland and the bad omen of the chip would claim the Courier's life without him ever having to intervene[29] before leaving without another word.[30][31]
At some point after leaving Primm, though, he realized that waiting for the Mojave to be the one to claim his enemy's life didn't and/or wouldn't work. Knowing nothing of the Courier's current direction since he'd long thought them dead and spent years trying to find them, Ulysses determined that this time, they would have to come to him.[32] In 2282, Ulysses broadcasted a simple message, intended as a lure and a challenge all in one: the coordinates for the canyon wreckage and the pass beyond it, ending with the words "Courier Six. -Ulysses." He anticipated the moment when they would heed his call, wanting the Courier to come and witness the destruction of their new home in his reshaping of America, just as they did for him with reshaping the Divide. He wanted to host the Courier's revelation personally; the message itself is not importable, but the meaning is, and so it had to be delivered in a manner that would not dilute its significance by any means.[33] Completely steadfast in his resolve that the Courier would walk roads no other courier would, Ulysses implored them to once more walk the lonesome road ahead and see what they truly brought to the Divide and to him.[34]
Philosophies[]
When he returned to the Mojave from Big MT, he recorded several entries on his philosophies, including his stances on Big MT, Caesar's Legion, the White Legs and history itself. He never intended for the Courier to find them, casting them out into the Divide, letting the storms spread them; he needed to get his thoughts together in one place so history might be able to hear what he thought.[35] He was also quite vocal about his ideas and shares them with the Courier without invitation.
Ulysses does not hold as much respect for Caesar's Legion as one would expect him to. He understands that Caesar is the only thing holding the Legion together; once he is gone, the Legion will regress and fall back into warring tribes.[36][37] However, he still respects the Legion more than the New California Republic: In his opinion, the Legion is far better than the NCR at maintaining an empire and is not at war in itself.[38]
Ulysses harbors a lot of hate for the New California Republic. He implies that their spirit is similar to their flag: they are split like a two-headed bear, trying to go in different directions but getting nowhere. He feels the NCR is too busy carving up the Mojave with how civilization should be to see how things truly are. They rely too heavily on laws that do not hold water in the Mojave and are stretched too thin to protect their borders. In the sharpest of irony, the NCR kills people by trying to protect them,[39] and are too blind to see what it is they are creating.[40][41] All things considered, the NCR and the Legion both carry Old World ideals into a new world that cannot foster them and does not need them.[37]
Being in between Caesar's Legion and the New California Republic, New Vegas is also of importance to Ulysses. Despite his disloyalty to the Bull and the Bear, he does not think an independent New Vegas is the solution either; there is no future allying with Mr. House or Yes-Man, and by extension, the Courier ruling New Vegas themselves.[42] The insides of New Vegas' walls could be considered one of the safest places in the Mojave, but it is what is inside the walls of Vegas that worries Ulysses. Mr. House selfishly let the entire world burn while he protected his Las Vegas from the Great War, and given another chance, he would do it again.[43] If anything, New Vegas is proof enough that House cannot let go of the Old World; he propped up what was and what should have been left behind and Ulysses does not want to be a part of that world.[44] Should House remain independent of foreign influence, it is only a matter of time before his walls spread and the Mojave becomes New Vegas entirely.[45] The lights of Vegas blind House and anyone who comes to the city, making them forget themselves and what they sought to do, but Ulysses is not going to be bothered to make the blind see.[46]
Relationships[]
Ulysses' dual obsessions with the Courier and the Divide are motivated by several factors. He is the only unmutated survivor of the disaster at the Divide, and because he believed it was the Courier who caused the destruction of the community. Ulysses understands the impact a single person can have on history, even if the Courier is unaware of their involvement in the event.
Furthermore, Ulysses demonstrates this notion to the Courier several times, and can be seen as the tertiary antagonist of Fallout: New Vegas. By turning down making the platinum chip delivery himself, Ulysses inadvertently caused the Courier's brush with Benny and nearly ended their life; he was the one who told Father Elijah of the Sierra Madre, and is therefore technically responsible for many including the Courier being kidnapped and kept hostage in Elijah's scheme to unlock the Madre; he was the frumentarius Caesar sent to teach the White Legs how to be stronger and helped equip them with more effective weapons, leading directly to the sacking of New Canaan and the war for Zion against Joshua Graham, the Dead Horses, and the Sorrows; his encounter with the Think Tank in Big MT and the question he inadvertently posed to them nearly caused them to break free from the recursion loop keeping them contained in the facility.
Interactions with the player character[]
Interactions overview[]
| Interactions | ||
|---|---|---|
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This character is a temporary companion. | |
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This character starts quests. | |
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This character is involved in quests. | |
Quests[]
- The Job: When first exiting the Hopeville missile silo bunker and completing The Silo, Ulysses will contact the Courier through ED-E and tell them to come to find him. Ulysses will talk to them several times intermittently on the way to the final silo, remarking on the player character's faction allegiance based on one's reputation score (the highest positive reputation determines the one Ulysses will speak of).
- The game checks for faction reputation at multiple points, rather than locking the player into a particular one when beginning the add-on, so it's possible to, for example, get the NCR reputation interaction at the first point, leave the Divide and raise one's Strip reputation above their NCR reputation, then return to get the Vegas interaction from Ulysses at the next point.
- The Courier: Ulysses is finally confronted by the Courier inside his Temple at the end of the Divide, beneath the flag of the Old World, as he is about to trigger a second nuclear apocalypse. Ulysses can either be fought by the Courier or convinced to stand down and fight by their side against the marked men that invade the temple.
- If Ulysses is killed by the Courier, the ending mentions that the Courier tears down his Old World flag and uses it as a burial shroud.
- If Ulysses is convinced not to fight the Courier, he can be found sitting vigil above the Hopeville ruins, just after the entrance to the Divide. This can be done by means of two Speech checks of 90 and 100 (the latter of which can be skipped if an earlier reputation check reflecting the player character's highest faction reputation was passed), listening to all his logs and countering his logic, or by obtaining all ED-E upgrades in the Divide and talking to him about ED-E's logs.
Other interactions[]
- Ulysses' red, white and blue spray-painted flags can be found in many locations in Big MT and the Divide and were left by Ulysses. Within the Divide, the red color indicates hostile areas, white marks the proper pathways, and blue denotes hidden caches.
- Ulysses can be seen in various places in Lonesome Road, observing the Courier from afar and then walking away. This can be seen on the top floor of the still-standing base of The Crow's Nest and in the building south of the Sunstone Tower roof.
- If Ulysses lives, after the add-on's end, he can be found near the pass to canyon wreckage, just outisde the door to the Hopeville missile silo bunker, where he will help the Courier make campfire recipes. Ulysses will also present new dialogue options, such as giving hints at how to deal with Legate Lanius and commenting on possible previous in-game actions in the Mojave (e.g. killing Mr. House) as well as point out the accessible area of the Courier's Mile.
- Ulysses will also supply the Courier with miscellaneous items he found in Hopeville, including rockets, Rad-X, RadAway, MREs, and pre-War books.
- If he is alive at the conclusion of Lonesome Road, he will offer both the history and recipe of the bitter drink.
Fighting Ulysses[]
- Ulysses is 15% faster than a normal human character and the game's only human character with more than 1000 health points.
- Ulysses is one of four non-player characters in the Fallout series to have the maximum 10 for all SPECIAL attributes, the other three being Colonel Royez and Gaius Magnus, also from Lonesome Road, and Frank Horrigan from Fallout 2.
- In his temple, Ulysses is escorted by a Medical eyebot and a Repair eyebot. The former will regenerate Ulysses's health throughout the fight, more quickly than a stimpak would.
- Like Colonel Royez and Gaius Magnus, Ulysses is impervious to knockdown attacks, such as the Ranger Takedown move or the special attack of the bumper sword. Because he cannot be knocked down, he simply freezes in place when he suffers a critical hit from the Compliance Regulator.
- He is one of the very few characters that cannot be pickpocketed. Attempting to do when he is at the pass to canyon wreckage will simply initiate conversation instead.
Inventory[]
| Apparel | Weapon | Other items |
|---|---|---|
| Ulysses' duster Ulysses' mask |
Old Glory 12.7mm submachine gun Anti-materiel rifle Frag grenade x6 Flash bang |
Stimpak x6 Stealth Boy x2 Med-X x3 |
Notes[]
- Even though Ulysses is no longer a member of Caesar's Legion, and thinks the Legion has taken the wrong path, he still considers Legion members to be "brothers," and says "Caesar" in the classical Latin pronunciation favored by the Legion, unlike Joshua Graham, who uses the Anglicized pronunciation.[47]
- Ulysses has a positive view on Joshua Graham and seems to respect his ability to survive. Ulysses remarks that "Graham earned his life," and although he could try to track Graham down, no real good would come of killing him.[48]
- Ulysses, along with Colonel Royez, Frank Horrigan and Gaius Magnus, are the only characters in the series that have 10 points in all of the SPECIAL stats. Rawr is close behind, with all stats at 10 except for Charisma at 7 and Intelligence at 5.
- Ulysses has a negative opinion of Mr. House, believing his attempts to rebuild his symbol, Vegas, the same way it was before the Great War is a dangerous idea that will ultimately end in failure. If Ulysses is informed of Mr. House's death, he will sound his approval, simply commenting that House was an "Old World spirit" and killing him was "mercy, not cruelty."[49]
- Based on his tone, Ulysses shows a rare instance of humor when discussing the death of Mr. House. He recognizes the irony of Mr. House being killed by the Courier, when it was Mr. House himself who gave them the opportunity to do so after he tried to use them as part of his plans.[50]
- His face is a unique model linked to his unique breathing mask and differing greatly from other human character models (i.e. he doesn't blink, he has a unique hairstyle, and his texture is more detailed).
- It is explained that the unique face is actually a mask worn by Ulysses which is unobtainable. See gallery.[Non-game 4]
- After taking the duster and mask from his corpse, his dead body will still be wearing them.
- Since his face is fully textured beneath his breathing mask, it can only be viewed in-game via external manipulation. His lips don't move when he speaks, and no part of his face is animated.
- The Ulysses that stalks the Courier has a separate ref ID and cannot take damage or be killed via console commands.[Non-game 5]
Notable quotes[]
- "They only take what parts they find in the Divide, never roam beyond it - can't even leave the silos without a human to shadow, like hounds. Maybe they saw the flag on my jacket, thought I was of America. If so, history saved me. A sign. "- Monologue about medical eyebots.
- "You came all this way for answers. Only currency I have."
- "You got lives in you, hard to kill. Storm, bullets, sand and wind, yet still you walk. For now."
- "Missile silos exploded from beneath the ground, cracked the landscape. Sand, ash... the dead... the Divide skies became a graveyard."
- "No need to destroy the bear. Just cut its throat."
- "America sleeps ahead of you, its nightmares filled with quakes, storms. You'll need to find your own path."
- "Who are you, that do not know your history?"
- "To the Divide they came... in the Divide, they rest."
- "Burn away the flags. Begin again."
- "No need for bombs, when hate will do."
- "My history isn't revenge, or hate. The road that brought us both here - isn't about that."
- "The Divide... this place is a slice of it. Old military. Can still smell the pride. And the fear. Hope of the old world, wrapped in fencing, covered in storm."
- "Road gets rougher from here, Courier. Left marks for you - colors'll tell the way - if you're smart. They'll lead you to your home one more time, lead to the ending of it - maybe remind you why you wander."
- "Home isn't where you're born into this world."
- "Don't need Old World medicine to kill you."
- "You have forgotten all you were, traded glory for savagery. Fitting."
- "If war doesn't change, men must change, and so must their symbols. Even if it is nothing at all, know what you follow, Courier..."
- "If you feel its loss... remember you could have turned away at any time. Gone back home, and none of this would have happened. But you had to make one last delivery, and that's why I knew you'd come, Courier. Couldn't stay away, it's who you are."- Monologue about ED-E
- "The day I set my flag down, it'll be over my body or over a nation I believe in."
- "There is a shadow of a nation behind you, the hope of a people... yet it may not matter. The Divide still stands against us. [...] Our enemies gather outside... shadows of the Bear and Bull... they will have found their way in, just as you did. It was always my intention - in case I could not kill you, the Marked Men would flood this place, cut off your escape. If we cannot prevent what comes, then let us make our stand here. Two Couriers, together, at the Divide."
- "Before you... this is the edge of the Divide. Ahead lies your work, the history you burned in the earth. What you brought to the people here."
- "You gave it a name. What was it to you? Companion? Slave... weapon? All of that, nothing compared to its primary function. It's a messenger. Like us... and it shares our history."
- "My family? My tribe lives... its history? Died long ago, fell under the shadow of the Bull... consumed by another symbol. No, this isn't about family - or any common blood. It's blood shared by acts, not by chance."
- "There's a lesson here, in the Divide. Old World history about paving and intentions could teach the Republic a thing or two - if they listened. They have an idea of trying to do what's right, never quite getting there. [...] They're stretched thin, can't protect their frontlines, their towns. Think paper's power, radio means control. All of it? Useless."
- "Not if you believe in what you follow. Kill no Courier, Caesar's words. I honored them. Other Couriers could have been Legion - like me. The truth is, you serve nothing, believe nothing. Killing you... meaningless."
- "All these roads, you walked. These packages you carried. Think it wasn't your choice? Of course it was your choice. You could have stayed in the Mojave. But you chose to come, couldn't let be - not in you to let go. Came for no other reason than you were curious, restless - always have been. Had to know the why of it - now, I'll show you."
- "You don't see, listen - even when it's all around you, no matter if I nailed it into your head like a gift from Caesar."
- "Even if it is nothing at all, know what you follow, courier... Just as I followed you to the end."
Appearances[]
Ulysses is mentioned indirectly in Fallout: New Vegas, Dead Money, and Honest Hearts, appears in voice in Old World Blues and makes a full appearance in Lonesome Road.
Behind the scenes[]
- During the first dialogue with the duplicated ED-E, Ulysses states that he gave himself the name "Ulysses" later in life, intending it as a reference to Ulysses S. Grant, an American general on the side of the Union during the American Civil War who, as Ulysses says, "fought to unite two tribes under one flag." The Courier can even comment that Ulysses' namesake was the historical general as opposed to the figure of Greco-Roman mythology.[51]
- If siding with NCR (or killing Caesar and having not failed Don't Tread on the Bear!), when talking to Ulysses through ED-E the first time, he'll refer to the two-headed bear not being the first historic American symbol. He explains that the "Old World" symbol had one head. This is a reference to the current real-world flag of California, from the Bear Flag Revolt in 1846, which is the same as the NCR flag except that the bear has one head and the inscription is "CALIFORNIA REPUBLIC" instead of "NEW CALIFORNIA REPUBLIC."
- Ulysses was originally supposed to be a Legion-aligned companion in the base game of Fallout: New Vegas but was cut from the final version of the game. However, the playing cards that came with the Collector's Edition included Ulysses, despite him not appearing in the base game. According to Chris Avellone, Ulysses "was a complicated character in terms of some of the hooks into the storyline." Avellone teased Ulysses' eventual return to the game's story in an interview with Lightspeed Magazine in November 2010, saying "maybe he'll come back at some point."[Non-game 6]
- The reason for Ulysses being cut from the base game was because his recorded dialogue was so large that it would not fit on the disk. Even when compared to the second-biggest companion in terms of dialogue and memory, Cass, Ulysses took up much more space. It was too late into development for the team to selectively cut down dialogue, so they decided to scrap Ulysses from the base game altogether. Had the size issue been recognized earlier in development, Joshua Sawyer stated that they likely would have found a way to keep Ulysses in the game. The loss of Ulysses from the base game was a difficult one, as Sawyer and Avellone both felt that the game needed a companion that was more sympathetic to the Legion.[Non-game 7][Non-game 8]
- Ulysses was the only character intended to be a companion that ended up not being one.[Non-game 9]
- In the original version of Fallout: New Vegas, the companion Ulysses was designed with a number of goals in mind:[Non-game 10]
- He had to reinforce the faction reputation mechanic, which Avellone thought was one of the key mechanics in the game.
- He had to react strongly to NCR/Legion conflict and the Courier's role in it, acting as a sounding board when possible.
- He had to be a Legion sympathetic character and explain Legion back story elements since none of the other companions were supportive of the Legion.
- He had to continually remind the player of Hoover Dam as the focus, and his backstory as the frumentarius who discovered the Dam and the NCR for the Legion incorporated this.
- He had to showcase myth elements. Ulysses was big about symbols, and his take on the flags of the NCR and Legion were also reflected in their champions (he viewed Legate Lanius as an Eastern myth in the making, and he felt the Courier could achieve that same mythological status for the West or for the Mojave).
- He was to complement the cool visual design changes that Joshua Sawyer had included for other companions (similar to Raul Tejada and Arcade Gannon, Ulysses would have the vest/flag changes, except it would depend on Courier's end faction allegiance when they completed Ulysses' vision quest).
Gallery[]
References[]
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- Non-game
- ↑ Chris Avellone on Twitter
- ↑ Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition p.420: "What was once a profitable Bighorner ranch has recently been abandoned, and its owner-a man named Ulysses-is nowhere to be found. Scour the place, especially the farmhouse itself (which has most of the items you want). Down at the bottom of the garden is a well and a tank with irradiated water (only sip if you're desperate). and an allotment with a few plants to pick."
- ↑ Will Ooi » Blog Archive » Unmasking the Gamers: Chris Avellone – game designer, writer, and former ‘unlucky schlep’ – Part 1
- ↑ Unique face information
- ↑ Console commands
- ↑ Feature Interview: Chris Avellone, Game Designer, Fallout: New Vegas by Matt London | Lightspeed Magazine
- ↑ Fallout: New Vegas 10th Anniversary Charity Stream (reference starts at 2:19:16)
Joshua Sawyer: "'What was the issue with Ulysses as a companion?' His dialogue was... his recorded dialogue was so big it literally wouldn't fit on the disk. [laughter] I don't remember how many lines it was, it was like... Cass was our second-biggest companion after Ulysses, and then Ulysses, was like, much, much, much more than her and literally just wouldn't fit. He was too big - too powerful. [...] 'Couldn't you cut a lot of his dialogue?' It happened so late in development that that didn't seem practical. Yes, if we had realized that earlier in development then probably, yes." - ↑ Joshua Sawyer on Something Awful forums: "Ulysses was cut because his character VO literally would not fit on the disc. His dialogue node count was something like 2x or 3x higher than any other companion, including Cass, who had the second highest (hers was ~615 IIRC and I think Ulysses was... ~1500??). I genuinely consider "original" Ulysses being cut as a big loss for F:NV overall because Avellone's original critique was right: we needed a Legion-sympathetic companion."
- ↑ Fallout: New Vegas 10th Anniversary Charity Stream (reference starts at 3:40:51)
Joshua Sawyer: "Basically the only character that was meant to be a companion that didn't become a companion was Ulysses. That's it. Any other character that you can think of was never meant to be a companion. [laughter]" - ↑ Gamasutra: Will Ooi's Blog - An Interview with Chris Avellone - game designer, writer, and former 'unlucky schlep' - Part 3
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