B.O.M.B.-001 design document/1

This is part 1 of the B.O.M.B.-001 design document for Van Buren, the cancelled Fallout 3 by Black Isle Studios.

Overview
B.O.M.B.-001 is the final destination of the game. It is a large, doughnut shaped space station capable of firing twenty-four nuclear missiles, though it is currently only loaded with eight. It is capable of housing six people, with an area designated for living, recreation, and medical treatment, and a separate area for the true meat of the station; missile control and launch. From here the player may set targets to nuke, or try to avert targets from being nuked. However, either way, something is going to be nuked before the player leaves B.O.M.B.-001 – if he leaves...

Over the course of its two-hundred year wait, the B.O.M.B.-001 sustained a bit of damage. Its circular outer hull remained intact, except for damage to the (what could be called) northern section. A stray communications satellite impacted this part of the hull, resulting in severe damage to the interior door mechanism that linked the Living Quarters to the Command Center. Because of this, the living section and the command section are completely shut off from each other - not that anyone is currently living on the satellite. Should anyone visit B.O.M.B.-001, they would have to perform a space walk with magnetic boots in order to gain access from one section to the other. However, magnetic boots are not needed inside the station since its rotation creates enough artificial gravity for normal, Earth-like movement.

Inside, in the Living Quarters section, the environment is very sterile, with plenty of silver and white paneling all around. Beds fold out from the rounded halls when needed, and fold back into the wall when not in use. The kitchen is small and utilitarian, providing the bare essentials for two people to maneuver and fix meals. There is one bathroom facility, able to accommodate two to three people at a time, complete with suction tubes and wash towels. Entertainment is provided by a now static filled monitor which was originally designed to show movies and television shows. From the looks of the dimly lit, rounded corridors, a half a dozen or so people could have lived on the satellite for an extended period of time. However, the only thing in the frigid living section that vaguely resembles life are the three little brain-bots that scurry about. Their only contact with the Earth below is the array of thick windows that adorn the curved walls along the equally curved corridors.

On the other end of B.O.M.B.-001 is the Command Center. Here lies all the computers and technology necessary to maintain, target, and launch the nuclear missiles. There are several dormant computer stations, and a cut-away map of the earth on the central wall. From this point, someone could calculate targeting solutions and launch the missiles, provided they had the proper launch codes.

When the player arrives at B.O.M.B.-001, he will dock on the Living Quarters side of the station. Upon entering, he will find that power has been fully activated on the station. Some of the fold away beds look like they have been used recently and there is evidence of use in the kitchen and bathrooms as well, not to mention the loud, audible computer voice announcing the current time until missile launch – "T-minus 120 minutes until missiles launch." If the player accesses a computer terminal, he will discover that Dr. Presper and some of his cronies have come aboard the station and taken control. Several information systems have been unlocked by Presper and the player may freely navigate through some of the information. Some higher level information may need some hacking to obtain. While in the living quarters, the player will meet S.O.R.-1000 Alpha, the brain-bot in charge of the living quarters, provided the player reactivates him. Since Alpha is not hostile, the player may freely converse with it.

Once the player figures out that he needs to do a space walk in order to get to the Command Center, he will put on one of the half-dozen or so remaining space suits and magnetic boots, and venture out into space via the air-lock. Outside, the player's magnetic boots kick in and he can walk on the station's inner hull to get to the Command Center air-lock. The only things that block his passage are two magnetized security robots stationed at the satellite's central hub. They start off looking like turrets, but they can detach, seek and destroy an exterior mobile threat (like the player). Once the robots lock onto the player, they will indeed detach and pursue.

Once past the robots and into the Command Center, the player might be greeted by Coleridge and some NCR guards (this all depends on whether the player Rambo'd his way through the security bots, or snuck past). On this side of the station, the player will interact with Presper and his merry band of bad-guys (if the player encountered and killed Pierce, Briggs, and Davidson at the Grand Canyon, they will not be on BOMB-001), as well as the computer systems that set targeting solutions and launch the missiles. Several possibilities may arise in this area, which will be covered in detail later in this document. But suffice it to say, this is the place that allows the player to rain down nuclear death.



The Area is composed of three maps


 * 1) Living Quarters: (Small Map) By some strange twist of fate (read: design convenience), there is no one actually in the Living Quarters when the player arrives at the station. This is due to the fact that all of Dr. Presper's lackeys are in the Command Control Center having just started the countdown to missile launch. A very audible countdown can be heard every minute, so the player will know that doomsday is near. The Living Quarters is the first place the player will enter. After leaving Airlock 1, the player will go into the main Medical Facility of the station. It is a large room, comparatively to the others, with four hospital beds, a few medical cabinets, and an Auto-Doc. The Auto-Doc can be used anytime by the player. There is also a storage room that can be accessed in the medical facility. Inside, the player will find all kinds of Fallout medical stuff, including the various drugs and stimpacks. Outside of the Medical Facility is the main living quarters' hall. Along the east side of the hall's wall are a half-dozen foldout beds and footlockers. Four out of five beds are folded out and look like they have been used recently (which they have). On the west wall are three computer terminals, but only one is currently active. Any player, despite their skill, can discover from the computer that a launch countdown has begun. It seems that eight nuclear missiles have been given a targeting solution and will launch in 2 hours. The targets are Hoover Dam, New Canaan, Shady Sands, New Reno, Vault City, Denver, Brotherhood Main Bunker, and Maxson's Bunker. The player will also discover that there is only time to manually disable five of the eight launches (if that is what he chooses to do) – two launches will happen no matter what the player does (for neat end-game stuff). However, the player may program different targeting solutions for the missiles, but he will need to do that from the Command Control Room. Even if the player sabotaged the station's reactor core (via programming or setting off an explosion), the resulting blast would set off the emergency launch protocols, drastically accelerating the missile launch countdown. Either way, reactor meltdown would be in two to five minutes – BOOM! The Maintenance Room, Rec. Room, Bathroom, Kitchen, and Mini-Med Room all go along the western side of the living quarters' hall, and each room is open and accessible. The Maintenance Room holds a mini-mechanic's lab, as well as several tools, parts for (fill-in-the-blank), a deactivated brain bot, and a couple of work benches. The Rec. Room holds a ping-pong table, two computers used for gaming, a dining table for four, and a large projection TV. The Bathroom has two showers and three toilet stalls. The kitchen comes complete with a packaged-food processor, cutting table, and a freezer. And lastly, the Mini-Med is a simplified version of the Medical Facility, with med kits, drugs, and a few stimpacks. There is a doorway on the north wall that leads to one of two Missile Rooms. These rooms are locked out unless the player can hack the security codes in the computer(s). If he is able to do that, then he will find a room full of missile silos similar to what can be found in a ballistic nuclear missile submarine, like an Ohio Class Trident submarine (or the Typhoon mock-up in the movie The Hunt for Red October). The silos resemble red pillars that come out from the ground and enter into the ceiling. Each pillar is ten feet across and houses one nuclear missile (each missile holds six nuclear warheads). Next to the Missile Room door, and to the east, is Airlock 2. Inside, the player will find a half-dozen or so space suits that he can use. This airlock leads to Map 2, the Space Walk. In order to get to Map 3, the Command Center, the player will need to space walk the inner stabilizing hull using magnetic boots (provided).
 * 2) Space Walk: (Small Map) Using magnetic boots and a space suit, the player can walk across the inner stabilizing hull to get to the Command Center. The center of the inner stabilizing hull is home to two mobile security robots that, at first, resemble turrets. Once these turrets have sight of the player, they will detach from the center hull and pursue the player. These robots use low caliber firearms so as not to penetrate the station's hull. Since it does not take much to penetrate a space suit, the robots are more than a match for the player. Once the player gets past the robots, he may enter Airlock 3. This will transition the player to Map 3, the Command Center.
 * 3) Command Center: (Small Map) This is the pinnacle of the area. When the player first exits Airlock 3, one of two things will happen. If the player is an effective Stealth Boy and managed to sneak by the security bots on map 2, then he will not have to encounter some NCR guards just outside of the airlock (but, he will be treated to a cut scene which will reveal Dr. Presper's diabolical plan). It's the same outcome for Science Boy if he used the central computer to disable the two security bots. However, if the player just did battle with the security bots on map 2, then Coleridge and the NCR guards will be waiting for him. Coleridge will "politely" request that the player holster his weapon (if drawn) and come with him to meet their commander, Dr. Presper in the Command Control Room. Here, the player will find a large monitor on the wall showing a close-up view of the Earth's surface. There are eight red targeting reticules on the map indicating the missiles' targets. Below this monitor is a computer terminal. This terminal handles all targeting solutions, and the countdown for eight missile launches can be clearly seen not only on the small computer monitor hooked up to the targeting terminal, but also on the large monitor overhead. Directly north of the Command Control Room is another missile silo room. It's exactly like the one that can be accessed from the Living Quarters. Directly south is Engineering. There are a bunch of monitors, computers, and generator looking things humming and whizzing along. Here the player will find a lone engineer fiddling with things. A good science boy could use the engineering computers to figure out a way to disable (read: lock missile doors to keep them from launching) five of the eight missiles (the whole time thing, again), since this is really the heart of station operations. Lastly, directly south of engineering, is the Reactor Room. This is the main power generator for the station. The player may sabotage this reactor using either explosives or computer skills (Mechanics). Detonating an explosive will cause an instant radiation leak, so the player better have his space suit completely on. Unfortunately, reactor core meltdown will kick in the emergency launch protocols, drastically accelerating the launch countdown of the missiles.

Area Background
2073 was a turbulent year. Nuclear proliferation reached an all time high. As a reaction to possible nuclear threats, the U.S. government completed a space station/satellite that was supposed to house two-dozen nuclear missiles. Named the Ballistic Orbital Missile Base, or the B.O.M.B., it was considered the ultimate offensive weapon. From orbit, B.O.M.B.-001 could launch missiles to reach any target in the world within minutes. However, as a safety net from accidentally launching nuclear missiles, B.O.M.B.-001 required an onboard crew to launch the missiles. The station was capable of housing eight crew members, but only required one onboard individual to effectively calculate targeting solutions and launch the missiles, as long as that individual had the proper launch codes. Without the proper codes manually entered, the missiles could not be launched, even by accident.

The first two B.O.M.B. missile stations were nearly completed in 2073. Orbiting high above the Earth, all the two B.O.M.B. stations needed were main power reactors to replace the temporary generators that were put in place to maintain the bare, onboard necessities. Unfortunately, the reactors never came. The vessels that were commissioned to take the reactors to the B.O.M.B. stations never left the launch pad at Bloomfield Space Center. By the time the Hermes rockets were complete and loaded with the reactors, nuclear war broke out across the globe. The B.O.M.B. satellites became deadly, yet dormant artifacts of a paranoid age long past.

Over the course of two-hundred years or so, B.O.M.B.-001 remained in Earth's orbit relatively unscathed, except for some minor hull damage at the north end of the station, a result of a communications satellite collision and micro-meteorite impacts. The only thing this affected was the hatch in the missile silo room that linked the living quarters to the Command Center. The impacts permanently damaged the opening mechanism, and any attempt at repairing the door could result in a failure in the structural integrity of the station. Other than this minor foible, B.O.M.B.-001 was still fully functional; well, as functional as can be with just a temporary generator.

B.O.M.B.-002 did not fair as well. Sometime during the two-hundred years of silent orbit, perhaps ten to fifty years before 2253, something big hit B.O.M.B.-002 and sent it crashing down to earth. Pieces can be found in the Grand Canyon, but how big the pieces are, and if there is anything salvageable, remains to be seen.

Drama

 * Making Dr. Presper's lackeys aware of the Doctor's deception:
 * S.O.R.-1000 Alpha wants B.O.M.B.-001 to be destroyed, even if that means he goes up with it.
 * Audible and visual cues that immediately let the PC know the missiles will launch in two hours.

Moral Dilemmas

 * Determine the fate of the people eking out an existence on the Earth's surface:

Other Role-Playing Tests and Epithets

 * Player may reveal Dr. Presper's deception to General Coleridge and his men, thus causing strife within the ranks (Instigator).
 * Player chooses largely populated targets to hit with the nuclear missiles (Armageddon's Hand)

Ties to Overall Game Themes

 * War... War never changes: Discovering Dr. Presper's evil intent on "cleansing" the Earth's surface with a new barrage of nuclear missiles, thus reinforcing the adage that the more things change, the more they stay the same. This is amplified by the fact that at least two nuclear missiles will launch no matter what the player does.
 * Does anyone ever really win: This is the wasteland – a land of hardship, backstabbing, and death. No matter how well the player does in Fallout 3, someone's going to lose and the player never really "wins." Lives will be ruined, communities will fall, and death will reap its crop.