Cars in the Fallout universe

Sn1p3r187

Sn1p3r187

Carolinian Shaolin Monk
Okay since we all know there was a mass shortage of petroleum in the Fallout universe by the later half of the 21st century; that's to say that cars after the Great War would've been useless since there's no gas or oil. But, with the Brotherhood of Steel becoming a major research and development powerhouse after the fall of the Master and the NCR expanding and becoming the largest post-war American government. Do you think there would've ever been a chance that either the NCR or the Brotherhood would've researched into how to get those ghostly automobiles running and functioning again? Better yet, research alternate means into powering them so that way they wouldn't have to rely on pack brahmin to travel to say- between The Hub and The Strip? I would like to think that they would've done such a thing. I mean if Fallout went in some areas of development as with our timeline with alternative fuel usage such as solar power, biodegradable fuels, and even electric powered vehicles; I would like to think it would've been done and the NCR would've been way more stronger and everyone could avoid more dangerous routes on backroads that would be too fast for raiders to stop.
I mean if the Chosen One in Fallout 2 was able to use Fusion power cells to have a car running again, I would've thought maybe the Brotherhood or NCR saw the use and used mass production to make automobiles available to the average citizen. And the NCR would've had way strength and would've been able to quickly reinforce troop movements between the NCR and the Mojave with motor vehicles. Especially in the area power is concerned, they would've had the means to make and likely power Tanks, battle vehicles, APCs', Jeeps, a whole lot on their hands. So, do you think that any of the powers put thought into developing motor vehicles after the war?
 
Sn1p3r187 said:
I mean if the Chosen One in Fallout 2 was able to use Fusion power cells to have a car running again
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It's not that the Chosen One was able to use fusion cells to get the car running

It's that the Highwayman model of car was literally designed to run off of fusion cells.

If the NCR and Brotherhood were to get cars working again, they could literally just repair nuclear powered cars instead of finding there own new power sources.
 
Jogre said:
It's not that the Chosen One was able to use fusion cells to get the car running

It's that the Highwayman model of car was literally designed to run off of fusion cells.

If the NCR and Brotherhood were to get cars working again, they could literally just repair nuclear powered cars instead of finding there own new power sources.
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But the bigger would be- Why haven't they? I imagine the Highwayman isn't the first of its kind, and if what you say is true and there's quite a few nuclear powered cars out there. Then why haven't taken the time and effort to do so? they have plenty of time, money, and resources to do it. And in the long run they would benefit off it heavy if they were to take some of ideas and schematics built around car for nuclear power. They could easily apply it to making new vehicles in mass production and make them readily available to the public. The war I'd imagine would be a lot less heinous as the supplies would be a bit more steady. And trade routes can be altered and adjusted for caravans and well trade would be definitely faster. Though Raiders would have to think ahead and start attacking caravans with stolen vehicles of their own or laying down traps.
 
Because the Fallout 2 Highwayman was uniquely preserved and had a real mechanic spending his life fixing it up by using parts of other Highwayman cars he had in his junkyard and still he couldn't fully repair it.
Most Highwayman would be totally destroyed by then, also Highwayman was not a mass produced car yet, IIRC the Fallout Bible or something says that the USA had only just started to research and produce the first electric cars right before the bombs fell.

But this is not to say that they can't get vehicles, NCR has Vertibirds seized from the Enclave, they have to fuel those ones, the Shi were researching bio fuels and believed that in a few decades they could make and fuel a spaceship, the boomers make Biofuel for their bomber using maize IIRC. In Fallout Tactics we can use a few vehicles too, so the Midwest BoS also has some way of producing fuel, The east coast BoS fuels their Vertibirds they took from the Enclave, etc.

Using metagame thinking, I can imagine that the reason why NCR isn't developing motorized vehicles might be because they are corrupt and get bribes by the Brahmin Barons. Brahmin are valuable and prized by all the caravan merchant groups because of their strength and endurance to carry big loads through the wastes. If those merchants start using motorized vehicles it will devalue the brahimn and the barons would lose fortunes.
 
Sn1p3r187 said:
But the bigger would be- Why haven't they?
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Well, for starters. The BoS were getting pushed back by the NCR, so it's no question that their scientific and technological progress was halted. Meanwhile, the NCR was too busy expanding eastward, instead of concerning itself with such tier of technological advancement. Not to mention they have famine problem back west that they have to send farmers to farm lands in the east like in the Mojave NCR Sharecropper Farm, so their scientists concern themselves with finding a solution to this more urgent problem.
 
Wow, this old discussion again. Didn't MCA mentioned in the bible that the NCR *does* have cars, and even a full regiment for the army, etc?

The reason why we don't see more cars in Fo2 is simply because it's an abstract game world. Same reason for why the NCR is the population heaviest area and yet we see but a few houses that fit in two (game) maps.
 
Lexx said:
Wow, this old discussion again. Didn't MCA mentioned in the bible that the NCR *does* have cars, and even a full regiment for the army, etc?/QUOTE]

The Fallout Bible, despite what we'd all like to believe, is non-canon.
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If you consider the Fallout bible as non-canon, then you can forget about all these discussions anyway.

Other than that:
- NCR has a dude who says he takes care of cars. If the player had the only known working car, this dude sure would have a useless job.
- New Reno has a garage / workshop where dudes pimp up cars. If the player had the only known working car, then I doubt this location would exist.
That's the two main points supporting the "there are more than just 1 vehicle in the fallout world"-thing I can think of right now.
 
Lexx said:
If you consider the Fallout bible as non-canon, then you can forget about all these discussions anyway.

Other than that:
- NCR has a dude who says he takes care of cars. If the player had the only known working car, this dude sure would have a useless job.
- New Reno has a garage / workshop where dudes pimp up cars. If the player had the only known working car, then I doubt this location would exist.
That's the two main points supporting the "there are more than just 1 vehicle in the fallout world"-thing I can think of right now.
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But why don't we see or hear more about them?
 
Yeah, exactly what I wrote above:

Lexx said:
The reason why we don't see more cars in Fo2 is simply because it's an abstract game world. Same reason for why the NCR is the population heaviest area and yet we see but a few houses that fit in two (game) maps.
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Lexx said:
That's the two main points supporting the "there are more than just 1 vehicle in the fallout world"-thing I can think of right now.
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I didn't say that there is only one car in the fallout world, I said reasons why nuclear powered cars wouldn't be common enough for people do drive them around. I also mentioned that one of the reason why cars aren't common (using metagame thinking of course) might be because the cattle barons bribe the NCR government so they don't research means of easily mass produce vehicles. The NCR is said to have vehicles for their army, but civilians don't seem to have easy access to motorized vehicles (also, why would they want a car, most citizens don't dare to travel outside the safety of their settlements).
Like I said, NCR and BoS have Vertibirds so they have to fuel them, the Shi were developing bio-fuels that could potentially fuel a spaceship/rocket, the Boomers can fuel a Bomber plane... If they can produce fuel they can fuel cars too.

Then we have the concept art for the Legion Chariot and the known thing about drivable vehicles in Van Buren (there was quite a few from Buggies to Police cars IIRC), Fallout Tactics is semi-canon and has drivable vehicles too, etc.

I have no doubt that in the world of Fallout there are people with motorized vehicles, they are just not as common as to be accessible to the "plebs". Maybe powerful/rich people have them, maybe leaders of factions/gangs, maybe successful adventurers. But not poor farmer bob or barmaid Jessie for example.
 
I agree with Risewild.

Although, wth happened to bicycles?! I think that could have been a fairly interesting addition to the few modes of transportation.

While you can't exactly haul too much with a bike, you can with a wagon attached or a basket. And I can see it being an easily better idea than you know walking around everywhere.
 
Ben Soto said:
The Fallout Bible, despite what we'd all like to believe, is non-canon.
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Only by Bethesda's standards, and it really shouldn't be their choice to begin with, given that there only claim to the franchise is having lots of money.

The Fallout Bible is far truer to the Fallout World that was envisioned by 1 than anything Bethesda has made, and thus can be used as a source of canon for the classic Fallout games.
 
Think of Brahmin Barons having access to vehicles is not out of the question, similar to the Barons from Into the Badlands. I was also a fan to the Van Buren era Legion chariots made out of hallowed out /gutted vehicles.
 
Ben Soto said:
The Fallout Bible, despite what we'd all like to believe, is non-canon.
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Except Bethesda has mentioned 'usage' on the Bible so technically, the Bible is non-canon until it is referenced or utilized. Like elements of Van Buren.

So, I'd describe the Bible as being in a state of Schrodinger's canon.

Einhanderc7 said:
Although, wth happened to bicycles?! I think that could have been a fairly interesting addition to the few modes of transportation.
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Phil.jpg

Sure it's a special encounter but I imagine that bicycles are still utilized in the setting (though probably limited due to a lack of protection for the rider). Though I'm not too sure if that is a bicycle.
 
Lexx said:
Wow, this old discussion again. Didn't MCA mentioned in the bible that the NCR *does* have cars, and even a full regiment for the army, etc?

The reason why we don't see more cars in Fo2 is simply because it's an abstract game world. Same reason for why the NCR is the population heaviest area and yet we see but a few houses that fit in two (game) maps.
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Exactly. Same reason why "You see the sun for the first time in your life" is way more powerful as a cold text than as a 3D cinematic (even if the tanker depature cinematic in Fallout 2 is sweet). In twenty years, I've never forgotten how this single line made me stop and consider what it means for my character and his adventure, while I've seen plenty of beautiful cinematics and graphics I keep forgetting in a matter of months.
Abstract game design forces you to use imagination. Which is not only a boost of immersion and personal branding of the story, it's even... healthy, I think. Good for the mind.

By the way, there's now a mod for New Vegas that adds NCR truck convoys. Sure, the animation is clunky, but it actually fits the world well. I'd recommend using it. You can trade with them, they are followed by NCR soldiers and can get ambushed, both by yourself and by fiends or legionaries.
 
mithrap said:
Exactly. Same reason why "You see the sun for the first time in your life" is way more powerful as a cold text than as a 3D cinematic (even if the tanker depature cinematic in Fallout 2 is sweet). In twenty years, I've never forgotten how this single line made me stop and consider what it means for my character and his adventure, while I've seen plenty of beautiful cinematics and graphics I keep forgetting in a matter of months.
Abstract game design forces you to use imagination. Which is not only a boost of immersion and personal branding of the story, it's even... healthy, I think. Good for the mind.

By the way, there's now a mod for New Vegas that adds NCR truck convoys. Sure, the animation is clunky, but it actually fits the world well. I'd recommend using it. You can trade with them, they are followed by NCR soldiers and can get ambushed, both by yourself and by fiends or legionaries.
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Sounds sweet as hell. Got a link?
 
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