Fallout world map research

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Fallout world map research

Postby Cheb » Mon May 11, 2015 3:02 pm

Note: I prepared this post for spacebattles forum but I am unsure where exactly to post it :( There are many sections there but none are marked clearly as fic research.
Any recommendations would be appreciated.



I need feedback for my research for a Ranma/Fallout crossover fanfic. The fraction of lore used: FO1, FO2, FO:NV. I squint and pretend there are no such things as FO3 and Tactics.

As far as I know, no one has made a believable world map of Fallout-verse, the Internetz are full of reposting the same old stuff.

What I researched so far:

1. Created a random encounter visualizator http://fallout.chebmaster.ru/ Unfortunately, I can't find worldmap.txt for the first Fallout. I even unpacked DAT files from where I have it installed in the Steam folder, but no luck :( I have a sinking suspicion this is hard-coded in FO1.

2. Preliminary mapping of game locations to a RL map (full size 8558x7911, 12Mb: http://fallout.chebmaster.ru/FO2_map_ch ... 3_huge.png )

2a. I found that maps at http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Fallout_world are full of BS, their makers twisted the graph of locations into a pretzel trying to blindly follow the Fallout Bible. Also, attempts to fit Mariposa military base into a known RL location of the same name are worthy of a face-palm. Let's just say that the military could have used this name for a completely different place, to confuse spies (a known Soviet practice). With the level of paranoia in that world, no surprise.

2b. The Fallout Bible is full of BS as well. For example, Necropolis *cannot* be Bakersfield, but Barstow fits nicely. I rationalize this as spy-fobia too.

3. I am not sure why it was so hard for NCR to reach Vegas, which is *much* closer to Shady Sands than many other locations. I rationalize it like this:
- The area north-west of Vegas is *heavily* irradiated, route 95 is impassable (supported in canon by a radioactive ditch across 95 serving as map boundary). There are: proving grounds (much more numerous than IRL), Area 55, nuked military bases, leaky nuclear reactors poisoning ground waters, chasms due to geology stirred up by bombings (BS IRL but fits Fallout-verse n icely) and so on.
- Big Empty is located a bit East from Necropolis/Barstow, in the narrow sector between routes 15 and 40, effectively blocking both. The whole talk about "big mountain" that was there but was blown up, is again a BS story to mislead spies.
- Thus, NCR *cannot* use the most logical route south - then-east via routes 395 & 15, their scouting parties and caravans vanish. They have to go a twisting route using secondary roads 266 - 95 - 267 - 190 - 127 - bypass through wilderness - 161 south - 15 east and back north. That's why their lines are so strained in FO:NV.
There's a problem, though: the railroad (as far as I know) follows 15 closely, and NCR had it repaired and running before Powder Gangers blew it up. I'll probably have to employ an AU excuse and say that the railorad goes south bypassing both 15 and Necropolis and (more importantly) Big Empty.

4. I forgot to put Maxson on the map and have no idea where to put Sierra Madre :(

P.S. The fanfic itself *won't* be posted here because I love to use tons of gratuitous and meaningless fanservice in my works. Does not comply with site rules.

Image

Backstory for the fanfic:

Note: *#* is a placeholder meant to fill with the use of my brand new automated parser of Fallout 2 world map script, to determine random encounter types (rats, raiders, deathclaws and so on). See http://fallout.chebmaster.ru

Arroyo: Narg is chosen as the Chosen One: 9 ST, 6 PE, 10 EN, 4 CH, 5 IN, 8 AG, 5 LK. This is the “Hulk Smash” preset for the Player Character, not too smart. In the canon he is Melee Weap.: 66% Small Guns: 55% Throwing: 38%, but I have him Melee & Unarmed 80%, Outdoorsman 80% and Throwing 60%. He's a frakking *tribal*, they have nothing even remotely resembling firearms!
The Vault suit he receives is more a memento of his Great Grandmother, as Vault Dweller was a girl in this universe.
Klamath: Learning that Sulik was also pursuing Vic, Narg decides that traveling together would be better -- and bro-wesome. He does the quest of saving Smiley the trapper. Getting many golden gecko hides richer in the process, as Narg is a trapper, not just a warrior.
Sulik joined the party! (8 ST, 7 PE, 9 EN, 8 CH, 7 IN, 7 AG, 8 LK, Melee Weap.: 95% Small Guns: 70% Sneak: 75% Throwing: 80% Unarmed: 90%). He is smarter and wiser than Narg, but not by much. He is also well-traveled.
Leaving the rats unmolested, the двое из ларца неодинаковых с лица set for Den, both now equipped with leather armor and sharpened spears.
Den: Learning about Vic being held by the slavers, they decide to bust him out as they think Sulik's sister is in there. Following grampy-bone's advice, Narg and Sulik buy some drugs and attack the slavers in the dead of the night. The slaver guild ceases to be, but Sulik's sister is nowhere in sight. Thinking back, they realize that the spirit's advice hinted at road to her starting there, not her being actually there. Vic joined the party! Learning about the Vault City, Narg decides to check it. The adventurers sign up as caravan guards, with Vic toting the Metzger's shotgun. While waiting for the caravan to depart and weathering the after-effects of Psycho, the two tribals find Smitty's car. They think it impractical but *so cool*. They decide they'd get the fuel cell controller if they can.
Caravan to Vault City: Beating some raiders, with a couple of close calls, Sulik acquires a SMG. He starts teaching Narg the way of firearms.
Vault City: This is clearly the wrong vault, but Narg hopes to get the location of the holy 13th here. Wary, he tells Lynnette that he needs V13 for a *piligrimage*. Vic leaves the party to stay here.
Raider camp: going by the back entrance, Narg persuades Shadow-Who-Walks to leave, thus finding a peaceful (!) solution. Though, honestly, he and Sulik were planning of sneaking in and poisoning the water, then cutting some throats. Both have Outdoorsman over 100, yo!
Gecko: Narg learns about Lenny, but the latter doesn't join them. Talking to a lot of ghouls, Narg realizes the true depth of Lynette's assholery. He meets Pinky (Note: non-canon here, though similar. In canon it was Brain here ang King Rat in Klamath. But this peace stuff suits Pinky more, so here he is and I put Brain in Klamath instead of King Rat) Acquires the fuel cell controller in return for getting rid of some raiders and motivates Festus to fix the reactor, even as his CHA and Speech are too low for this quest (he and Sulik use some tribal wisdom).
Vault City: Lynette is not amused. Narg persuades McClure to search info on other vaults for him. Alas, it's only 12, 15 and 22. A clue! Narg knows that 13th is to the West of 15th, with Shady Sands in between! The duo sets for the south.
Caravan from Gecko to Broken Hills: *#*
Broken Hills: Just a short stop. Narg learns the route to NCR. The party goes without any caravans this time.
on the way to NCR: some traders, some highwaymen, some hunting. Narg acquires an automatic shotgun. Sulik runs out of ammo for SMG, but gets the Black Handgun (a 5.45 revolver as per FO:NV) as a gift from a saved merchant.
Some farm out of many surrounding Shady Sands: Narg helps the farmer fight off some raiders. First time meeting one with a flamer. Clusterfuck ensues, some stupid kid gets burned. The farmer goes apeshit, Narg has to flee. Then to persuade NCR rangers that no, it wasn't his fault.
NCR capital: Slavers! Here! Too damn well armed, though. ***(See the rangers quest). And again there are two tribals sneaking in the night. The base is too well defended and the heroes' Sneak isn't that high, so after cutting some throats, a firefight ensues. Too bad it's close quarters: meet Narg's Combat Shotgun. Sulik is fast with his revolver, too. Five shots later it's knife time. Yyyysuzu! The surviving slavers flee, demoralized. The locks on slave cages are electronic, though. So what? Narg takes a sledgehammer while Sulik is patching himself up. Bash, smash, open Sesame.
The next day they are talking to Tandy. She is fascinated by the story. Cue the the old jumpsuit Narg was dragging around as a talisman: Great-grandmother was a slight woman, so it would only fit if Chitsa was chosen as Chosen One. Banish the thought! Tandy even recognizes a particular tear she stitched herself.
But madame President cannot help them. The Vault Dweller had never told her the location of the 13th, only that it was to the West. Maybe try15th for info? It was reported as repaired somehow, but there are squatters blocking entrance.
Vault 15 / Squatters: A sad story. The girl is saved, the Khans are slain. That was a tough fight. After licking their wounds, our heroes realize that maybe, just maybe, they should have left alive someone who knows shit about computers. Maybe some of the squatters can? Nope. Well, shit. With the gang gone and the Vault dead, who is going to feed these people? Learn hunting, Sulik says. Learn farming, Narg says. Ask NCR for help, both say. With a ton of loot, back to Tandy.
NCR capital: Sorry, ma-am, we fucked the quest up. Well, maybe not completely. Going just by themselves wasn't the brightest idea in hindsight. Tandy promises to send a caravan to squatters, with someone more diplomatic. Also, there's a computer tech who needs a measure of RL. If he finds something, she will notify them.
Narg remembers the history and repeats the Vault Dweller's trick with supply caravans as a stop-gap measure. Consulting the local specialists in medicine and agriculture, the Arroyo problems are tentatively recognized as avitaminosis and poor farming decisions. There are no vitamins in post-nuclear world, though. Doctors recommend eating more fish. What a novelty idea. With reward money and all the loot from the Khans and slavers, it's just about enough to found a small caravan of mineral fertilizer and food supplies. Narg and Sulik serving as guards, off they go. It's a long route, NCR -- New Reno -- Redding -- Den -- Klamath -- Arroyo.
supply caravan to New Reno: *#*
New Reno: Renesco's Pharmacy *does* have a small amount of vitamins imported from Vault City.
supply caravan to Redding: *#*
Redding: Nothing to do here, passing by.
supply caravan to Den: *#*
Den: Highwayman joined the party! Hell yeah! Smitty mentions the fuel cell regulator.
supply caravan to Klamath: trying to substitute brahmins with the car to go faster. Well, it works, but the fuel cell is discharging way too fast.
Klamath: what were spirits talking about that rusty Highwayman on the other side of the fence? Attempting to smash the fence. The locals are not amused. Take two, the party goes through the abandoned mine. Rats, rats, rats-rats-rats. Meet Brain the talking molerat. Punch, pow, owie. Narg and Sulik talk sense into the heavily bruised Brain. Almost stuffing Pinky's Ankh symbol down his throat. Brain agrees on the merits of peaceful coexistence. In truth, he decides to take over the world from somewhere else. Victory! Loot: dynamite, fuel cell regulator, several pairs of rubber boots.
Arroyo: Met with mixed feelings, Narg is still recognized as following in his ancestor's footsteps. The supply caravan helps some, the mineral fertilizer is used reluctantly, the vitamins fed to sick kids, however little there is. Hakunin commends the Chosen One on a clever stop-gap measure. Still, it seems there is no alternative to finding G.E.C.K. Or several highly skilled professionals of medicine and agriculture to work for the village. Yeah, as if.
Den: Have Smitty install the fuel cell regulator.
Vault City: No, there is no easily usable information on agriculture. They were too reliant on G.E.C.K. You have to find the 13th and use its G.E.C.K. Selling loot to buy a microfusion cell and recharge the car.
Broken Hills: Passing by.
New Reno: There are rumors of SAD, remembered but ignored for now as location is only known to Wrights (or to those they hired to penetrate it, but the dead do not talk)
NCR capital: Well? Well, crap. No result. The elderly Khan had supposedly fried his computer's data storage. Tandy suggests checking Mariposa military base. It's out of NCR territory, but it is the place grandmother was involved with. She updates their map with details on Route 120/Tioga pass.
Mariposa military base: FFFUUuuuuu-- (translation: who was the s.o.b. that blew up the entrance? Recently, too)
San Francisco: The BOS member suggests bringing Vertibird plans from Navarro. Spirits say it's a *bad* idea. Politely decline.

(going over the edge of the FO2 world map heading south. The following locations aren't in the FO2 game, their state is inferred from lore and the FO1 world map)

Maxson: No luck. The damn hypocrites of BOS refuse contact. Tensions are high in the air, leave in a hurry
Boneyard: No, the Followers can't help. The locations of control Vaults including 13th were classified, so probably only the military had them.
Hub: Selling loot to buy a microfusion cell and recharge the car.
Necropolis: Narg and Sulik are going to explore Vault 12 for what it's worth but meet dimensionally displaced Ranma, Akane, Usagi and Ami. The fanfic begins.


Narg's initial plan: after 12th, go to New Reno and try to get involved, hoping to investigate SAD for some mafia family in exchange for a hired specialist to do computer digging for them.

Updated plan, Chapter 3 and onward: the same, but visit Mariposa first, to check if it could be accessed with the help of Bakusai Tenketsu.
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