Novac

Novac is a town in the Mojave Wasteland in Fallout: New Vegas.

Background
Established alongside Highway 95 before the Great War, the town of Novac was once just a small, nameless stopover point for travelers looking for a restroom, a motel, or a coolant refill, particularly on the way to the REPCONN test site. Dinky the Dinosaur and the "World's 2nd Largest Thermometer" were novelty roadside attractions, to help attract customers. After the war wiped the slate clean, the settlement was abandoned for the better part of two centuries, until it gained a new lease on life in the first half of the 23rd century, around the 2230s-2240s.

The settlers gradually cleaned up and restored the area. The fledgling town was named after the neon sign advertising the motel. Of the name, arrow, and the No Vacancies sign, only the arrow and No Vac remained. Though it lacked access to natural resources, its proximity to the REPCONN test site and the seemingly inexhaustible supply of salvage allowed the town to generate a stable supply of pre-War technology, scrap, and other goods to caravans passing up and down the highway. The arrival of the Bright Brotherhood around 2281 and the feral ghouls that blocked the road to REPCONN facilities have caused concern that this might threaten the town's livelihood. However, the recent increase in caravan traffic up Highway 95 has given the town an additional source of income, due to the virtual shutdown of I-15. In fact, some denizens expect Novac to become Nevada's next boom town.

However prosperous it might be in the future, Novac's denizens aren't too trusting of transients and non-residents in the present. This is due to the proximity to the front lines along the Colorado and Legion and other raiders skulking in the south-eastern Mojave, particularly after the loss of Nelson and Camp Searchlight. Although not a territory of the Republic, the NCR Army extends its protection to the town as a vital stopover point for caravans. Permanent protection is provided by two NCR Army veterans, Craig Boone and Manny Vargas, who use the giant Tyrannosaurus Rex statue as a watchtower to eliminate any would-be troublemakers at range. The only other potential law in the town, Ranger Andy, is a retiree who recently hurt his leg falling down the stairs in the motel.

Layout


Novac occupies a crossroads on the western side of a major Highway 95 interchange, leading east towards Nelson and west towards the REPCONN test site. The west side contains the residential houses, including Jeannie May Crawford's house, the McBride house, and two more Novac house s. There's also a small water tower with a swampy, irradiated area to the northwest, No-bark's shack by the road exiting north, and a mess tent set up just across the street from the Poseidon Energy station by the motel.

The Dino Dee-lite Motel is the centerpiece of the area, featuring three accessible bungalows (Ranger Andy's bungalow and Cliff Briscoe's bungalow) and seven accessible rooms, including Boone's room and Manny Vargas' room. One can be purchased from Jeannie May Crawford at the Dino Dee-lite front desk for 100 caps or received for free as a reward for reaching the Accepted reputation in the town. Of course, there's also Dinky the T-Rex, which contains the Dino-Bite Gift Shop, ran by Cliff Briscoe, and the town's watchtower up the stairs.

The town has good infrastructure, with a workbench and a reloading bench in the garage of the Poseidon Energy gas station, and another in the makeshift shack near the water tower. There are also three lootable graves, two by the boarded-up home north from Crawford's house, and another one near the water tower. Two campfires are located in walking distance, one in a cave west of the water tower on the hillside and another at Gibson's shack, north and a little west behind Gibson scrap yard.

Notable loot

 * D.C. Journal of Internal Medicine: On the bed in Ranger Andy's bungalow, must be stolen.
 * That Gun: Dino Bite Gift Shop, can be purchased from Cliff Briscoe or stolen from the store room. It's located on a metal shelf behind all the rocket souvenirs.
 * Two Sunset Sarsaparilla star bottle cap s:
 * In the kitchen on the table on the left inside the Novac house to the northeast of Jeannie May Crawford's house.
 * In Daisy Whitman's room, right-most motel room on the upper floor. Must be stolen.

Behind the scenes

 * A dead generic raider can be found dead on the eastern side of Novac, one of the only raiders in the entire game with no faction allegiance.
 * Perhaps tied to the above is the fact that Novac was the first cell developers constructed because it's more advantageous to not build tutorials around areas that you're going to end up scrapping in the end, and due to game engine fluctuations. Notably, Novac has no equivalent in the real-world, as the interchange between routes 96 and NV 165 is empty. The roadside attraction is inspired by Baker, California, which holds the world's largest thermometer, and clearly takes some inspiration from Claude Bell's Dinosaurs.
 * Novac's script was written by Eric Fenstermaker.

Bugs

 * A tumbleweed may appear and freeze in the middle of the road near the motel, remaining fixed in place.

Appearances
Novac appears only in Fallout: New Vegas.