Talk:Tunneler

I'm going to be really dissapointed should this be a creature originally planned for van buren. Like Gehennas/Molechs or something. Speculations? Rootmars 01:56, August 26, 2011 (UTC)
 * The concept art for those looked more like creatures composed of melting goo.--OvaltinePatrol 13:29, August 26, 2011 (UTC)

Name
From what I've just encountered the species name is Tunneler, with different types like the Ghouls for example Venomous Tunneler or Hulking Tunneler. Their inventory appears to involve crafting items, misc items and an aid item. I would add to the page but I'm still new at this wiki, the layout is different to wiki's I'm part of.--Alpha Lycos 11:53, September 20, 2011 (UTC)

Mole People reference
I had always thought the Tunnelers were a reference to the 50's Sci fi film "The Mole People". The look very similar and their was a quote from MCA about various Sci fi films they(Dev's) were watching before they began work on Old World Blues which seems to confirm my suspicion.

"Designing Old World Blues was an adventure in itself. It involved taking a trip down memory lane, both in terms of past games and also in terms of 1950s sci-fi cinema to get the exaggerated “Science!” feel, where a great many inventions were atomic and anything nuclear promised amazing things for the future. Usually with an exclamation mark. Over the course of Old World Blues, we watched and paid respect to some of the 50s science fiction films from Brain from the Planet Arous, Things to Come!, Forbidden Planet, When Worlds Collide, the Deadly Mantis, Tarantula, the Mole People (although we pushed some of that out for the next DLC), the Monolith Monsters, and more." -MCA (reprinted from Gamebanshee interview) http://www.gamebanshee.com/news/103952-fallout-new-vegas-old-world-blues-dlc-dev-diary-and-concept-art.html

I thought maybe it deserves a mention on the behind the scenes section of the article.

[User:Monster of The East|Monster of The East] 21:58, September 21, 2011 (UTC)

Be that as it may, they still remind me more of Sleestak. Alister Poe 22:17, September 23, 2011 (UTC)

Quote from Dev > Your opinion Monster of The East

Possible Origin
From playing Lonesome Road, I have speculated that the Tunnelers were another pre-war experiment gone wrong (or the goal was completed but fell out of control). Ulysses does describe them from being just before the Great War. The teddy bears found in most of their inventories leads me to believe that these things were once children. In the area of the first encounter with the Tunnelers, there is a position fortified by sand bags. Found behind the sand bags is a bin with a teddy bear in plain sight. The Tunnelers were probably attracted to the thought of another teddy bear so I assume they charged the position but were killed before they could get to it. The NCR troopers in the area probably used this tactic in an attempt to hunt the Tunnelers. 99.124.225.137 01:14, September 22, 2011 (UTC) random person


 * I think the tunnelers are the result of experiment(s) on the protesters before the war. Outside of Third Street Municipal Building is a terminal and one of the entries says that they (the military base) have something "planned" for the protesters. The next entry says the Chief liaison of Big MT bought a team with him to collect the "guests". Also in Sunflower Summers' Diary, she states, after talking to the base commander, that he has something special for them (the protesters). He is the same commander who wrote the previous entries I describe. --Oc ca m's Ra  zor  04:54, September 22, 2011 (UTC)

Teleportation/Underground tunnels?
Noticed during a fight in the Cave of the Abaddon that some of the tunnelers seemed to use the steaming mounds of rubble to move to closer locations around the area to my position. They'd show up as a friendly/neutral mark on the compass and turn red as they were getting ready to attack also. Message 18:45, September 22, 2011 (UTC)

I've run into a similar problem with one individual tunneler in particular in the one Sunset Tower or what ever its called, it dug into the floor, which I found rather humorous, and it now appears to be stuck there. Always friendly, invincible to my attempts to attack. Richie9999 08:04, October 1, 2011 (UTC)

Mutated Cave Fungus
Most of the Tunnelers i looted had 2 units Mutated Cave Fungus with them. Looking at the biolumenescens of their antenas, might it be that they live in symbiosis with them or carry them for the light? Its just speculation, i know ;) --Loonix 15:50, September 25, 2011 (UTC)

Appearing in the Mojave?
Has anyone checked to see if they'll occasionally spawn in the Mojave after finishing LR, especially in the nuked areas if you decide to do that? I was hoping we'd see some more of these fun little monsters after Ulysses' rather ominous dialog. 65.186.83.127 18:16, September 25, 2011 (UTC)

Invisible tunnelers?
In the collapsed overpass section of Lonesome Roads, I was attacked by one tunneler (I presume) that actually seemed to be invisible. It was also extremely difficult to target even if you fired in the direction of the red compass mark. The only thing that would touch it seemed to be the flamer, but even then, it did not catch fire, its health bars only went down a bit. I eventually just got the hell out of there. I'm wondering if it was glitched or whether Tunnelers can use Stealth Boys. Wunengzi 07:41, October 1, 2011 (UTC)
 * I think it was just a glitch, because I never heard a Stealth Boy activating. and it always seems to be a Venomous Tunneler doing it. It will turn visible after several seconds of hitting it though when i kill them. UserGreatMara.pngge 07:57, October 1, 2011 (UTC)