Talk:The Velvet Curtain

im got the password from the locker but the voice verification doesnt work for me --Use a holotape, it has the code and the correct voice

Use the voice holo on your pip-boy.

Spy Satellites
After you blow up the sub, the computer mentions that their spy satellites received confirmation that the sub was destroyed. Does anyone else think this could mean that some major computer systems are still working in the Fallout world? Possibly not all countries are as bad as the US is. On an unrelated note, does anyone else find it interesting that there's a secret bunker right next to Calvert Mansion and yet Desmond actually has no idea about it despite the fact that he seems to know every other secret about the house?


 * It mentions that the spy satellite confirmed completion of the objective and automatically downloaded new instructions to Jiang's terminal. That says, to me, it's just a very old system that was monitoring the situation and waiting for a 0 to be a 1. It's possible, but I doubt China did any better than the US did in the Great War; we know US satellites survived the war, and still respond to commands (both the enclave and the ghoul scientist have access to working orbital strike platforms). I also don't read much in to the fact that Desmond doesn't know the bunker's there... it's pretty well hidden, isn't it? I find it more interesting that the Calvert family was collaborating with the Chinese prior to the bombs falling. 99.6.39.6 20:17, September 13, 2009 (UTC)

Power armor?
any one else wondering why there is power armor in the chinese sub? I found two sets of it.

maybe a way for one of the chinese soldiers to go undercover if they had to.--87.211.193.250 14:15, December 13, 2009 (UTC)

don't know, you might as well take it.

This mission can also be triggered in the Detention Centre main building by looking at information at one of the terminals if you haven't been to the motel yet.

yea i am stuck on the vase part and i see no rings. were does it say what number it is

put the glasses on that you get from the toilet cistern in the hotel room WouldYouKindly 01:28, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

I got the power armour from the footlocker in the sewer from the internment camp. I didn't see any on the sub. Shame you had to blow up the sub. PJ

entrance to the chinese bunker
the vases are on the four cardinal points. N is 1. E is 2. S is 3. and W is 4.

That's what the Cryptochromatic Spectacles are for. They display a colored number of rings on each pedastel, one ring on vase one, two on vase two, etc. Nitpicker of the Wastes 16:46, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

Glitches?
Is anyone else unable to open the bunker, even after imputting the correct code sequence? Yes, I am wearing the Cryptochromatic Spectacles to confirm the rings on the vases, and I have my console's code from blowing up the sub. I enter in the sequence, but nothing triggers. I can hit the '2' as many times as I want after it's been entered, but any other vase resets it. Suggestions?

--Tracker4502 21:29, 25 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Yes, me too, it won't open no matter how many times I try the code. :( Definitely a bug.

--78.105.241.24 02:28, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Yup have exactly the same problem its quite annoying

I found out how to fix this. All you have to do is put the code in two times in a row. It will still make the sound that it does when your doing it wrong but it works.

Yep, entered the code a second time and it worked. Glad to be able to finish the quest. Thank you. Edited the page to include this tip now.--Tracker4502 20:42, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

Actually the noise that is "wrong" is the noise confirming its right. If the vase makes a higher pitch sound that means its right. 98.71.182.199 01:55, 25 July 2009 (UTC)

It all depends on if you are selecting the right one. You may think you have selected vase number 1 when you might actually be selecting vase number 3. I think number 1 points west, 2 is north, 3 is east, and 4 is south. Pretty simple, if you ask me. I got confused the first time as well but it didn't take me long to figure it out. And hey, if you can't get the code right just enter the bunker from the pipe in the ocean. --206.75.130.250 03:19, October 23, 2009 (UTC)

I currently have an irritating problem. I have the cryptochromatic glasses, and am standing by the 4 vases, but the 'activate' pedestal option isnt there! —Preceding comment was unsigned. Please sign your posts with ~ !
 * The glasses don't actually have any effect on whether or not the pedestals are able to be interacted with. Complete the quest up to that point and you'll be able to interact with them glasses or not. My first playthrough I wasn't wearing the glasses and was able to access the bunker fine. -- 11:53, September 14, 2010 (UTC)

EXP Reward?
The page says that for completing the quest, you get 350XP, but I just got 455XP. Is there something that affects it?

Well, the Swift Learner perks, and the well rested thing. Nitpicker of the Wastes 01:10, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Safe Storage?
Is the bunker a safe storage area? More specifically, the stacks of Ammunition boxes and the Tool Cabinet and lockers? I've disarmed the radiation vent and I want to use the bunker as a storage area.

 λ T 01:40, 27 June 2009 (UTC)


 * You should be okay with the ammo boxes since most ammo boxes in FO3 dont respawn. The tool cabinet and lockers though I'm not sure about. You might want to test all of them by putting 1 pre-war money or something else of low value in each container, then waiting a week and seeing what's still there afterward. WouldYouKindly 02:00, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

F2 Reference
Could the spy-sub be a reference to the cut sub in F2? The game originally had you disable the sub in order to get to the oil rig. Ok? To obscure? Big McLargeHuge 05:14, 27 June 2009 (UTC)
 * I doubt it --DragonJTSLeave me a message 05:31, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

What is my motivation?
Halfway through this quest, I asked myself "Why blow up the sub?" There seems no purpose other than to finish the quest. Why would I help the Chinese? Granted, they are beyond caring about the sub, so it really isn't particularly important to them in a practical sense. It also occurred to me that the Brotherhood of Steel or the Enclave would want to try to recover tech from it so it seems illogical that my character would destroy the sub. MDD
 * Then dont do it, and don't post.--Atlas Lied! 16:22, 3 July 2009 (UTC)
 * You are being most unhelpful. Nominally, destroying the sub should have been a choice, either way the quest should be completable. Just another example of why Fallout 3 needed a quality editor. MDD
 * Yeah the only quests worth doing are ones where we get super guns with infinite ammo and billions of caps and exp screw flavor and fun!!!!--Atlas Lied! 21:19, 3 July 2009 (UTC)
 * This doesn't even make sense.... Wunengzi 08:42, December 11, 2010 (UTC)

The motivation is to get an unknown reward. You have to destroy the sub to get to the reward. You do have a choice to not destroy the sub, but then you get no reward. Why are you so fetishistic about having all of the boxes ticked on the quest list. A quest is over when I say it is. If I don't want to blow up the sub - quest over. If I want to put the Krivbeknih on my bookshelf and not give it to the owner, or burn it, I will - quest over... What real allegiance does your character owe to the BoS or Enclave? As far as the game allows you have a common interest at some point, that's about all. You can always extend the "what faction I could interact with", over many items, including "why can't I sleep with NPC x". They can't program in every conceivable possibility.


 * Whoever posted the first comment thank you. Now I love this DLC but that was the issue i had with this quest. they throw you into it for unknown reasons. with no purpose that you are aware of from the beginning in fact the entire DLC was like that, You pretty much had to follow what Beth wanted you to without any real say in it. Not the true fallout gaming experience i wanted from this DLC.--Spartanac911 21:42, 24 July 2009 (UTC)


 * I actually think its a real cool side quest. A Chinese spy! But I did think the 'leap of faith' from finding the molar to actually blowing up the sub was bit far. I'm thinking along the lines of making the molar usable by the PC so we had a choice to keep hold of it/hand it in to authorities/blow up sub. Bear with me - thats a Neutral/Good/Evil karma choice with a stat boost for Neutral. Awesome quest tho overall - 9/10.

The motivation is simple curiosity and/or learning more about the pre-war world. Also, why would blowing up the sub be evil? What authorities do you speak of? 89.229.150.228 16:19, 27 July 2009 (UTC)

I wondered the exact thing, but then I realized that there might be a huge-ass reward for me. So why question it?
 * Uh, because the quests are supposed to make sense? http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/fallout/images/thumb/5/5c/Scribe.jpg/15px-Scribe.jpg Tagaziel (call!) 21:07, 30 July 2009 (UTC)
 * But it does make sense, grasshoppa. You're looking at it from the wrong point of view. There is no allegiance to the US or Chinese governments involved in this, for you; you're a wastelander. Whether you do it cause you're bored, or to learn about the pre-war spy game (and maybe why Desmond hates Calvert so much), for the possible money/reward, or just because you want to see what happens next, *that's* your motivation. Not to aid the Chinese or to stick it to the US government. I briefly thought of not blowing up the sub, but then, what kind of tech do you think is salvageable from a 200+ year old wreck that's sitting in corrosive salt water? Certainly nothing, in my estimation, that would make up for *not* seeing a submarine explode.
 * I think it makes perfect sense. You are not looking at this quest from a scavanger's point of view.  No matter how much loot you have in Megaton, or caps; essentially 99% of the people in the wasteland are scavangers, including you.  To the extent of roleplaying with some patriotic pride? How could someone feel associated with a long dead nation(U.S)? Or equally hate another long dead nation(China)?  I think every quest makes perfect sense simply on the basis that your character must scrounge, collect, and loot everything he can in the wastes to survive.
 * I think it makes perfect sense. You are not looking at this quest from a scavanger's point of view.  No matter how much loot you have in Megaton, or caps; essentially 99% of the people in the wasteland are scavangers, including you.  To the extent of roleplaying with some patriotic pride? How could someone feel associated with a long dead nation(U.S)? Or equally hate another long dead nation(China)?  I think every quest makes perfect sense simply on the basis that your character must scrounge, collect, and loot everything he can in the wastes to survive.


 * "what kind of tech do you think is salvageable from a 200+ year old wreck that's sitting in corrosive salt water?" Assuming a real scenario and not one in a videogame ... the satellite uplink equipment, nautical charts and it's design schematics (either onboard for engineer reference, or through reverse engineering). However with FEV mutations, etc I would be a bit worried about heading out under the oceans of a post apocalyptic future. Whose to say a giant squid, etc hasn't mutated into a leviathan or theres some crazy mutation of a shark roaming around that dwarves the megalodon. Mictlantecuhtli 11:31, September 10, 2010 (UTC)
 * Scavengers wouldn't last long if they just vandalized anything useful they discovered. If a sub had remained watertight with breathable air for two centuries, I sure as hell would want to get a look at how it was built. The original poster was right. The mission is interesting and fun, but it doesn't make a damn bit of sense for the Lone Wanderer to suddenly obsess over carrying out an assignment from a long-gone Chinese secret service. And the part at the end, where the successful agent is gassed as a way of saying thank you? B-movie rubbish. Intelligence services depend on the absolute loyalty of those who serve them. Burning your own assets is not a good way to ensure loyalty. Why gas an agent when there were persons available -- the crew of the sub, for one -- who were willing to kill themselves rather than be arrested, and who didn't talk anyway no matter what was done to them? Wunengzi 08:42, December 11, 2010 (UTC)

Weird bug
When I was in the Chinese submarine, two strange images flashed on the screen. The second one seems to be some kind of chart. Has anyone also seen them? Screenshot 1 Screenshot 2 --90.191.143.242 17:58, 30 July 2009 (UTC)

Massive Glitch
On PS3, I completed the quest up to the point where you retrieve the glasses and are to go to the bunker. However, approaching within a certain (very large) distance of the designated area, including through fast travel causes the console to lock up. Traveling to other regions does not help this issue, nor does leaving Point Lookout and returning. This has happened about 7 or 8 times now, each requiring a manual reboot of the console. Has anyone else experienced this issue? I suspect not because it's pretty non-ignorable, but still...

Not being able to initiate submarine self-destruction
This is mentioned in the Bugs section, but is there any way around it to proceed with the quest? I have the submarine self-destruction codes in my inventory, but when I try to use the self-destruct switch, it says it won't work without a code.

To the unsigned poster above.

On the Xbox 360, clear the system cache. This will remove any conflicting data from prior to the DLC installation. See xbox.com/support for how to do so.76.180.112.25 21:27, March 8, 2010 (UTC)

Videos
Video:Fallout 3 Point Lookout - The Velvet Curtain part1|thumb|leftVideo:Fallout 3 Point Lookout - The Velvet Curtain part2|thumb|right

Spartan Gold
I am listening to a mediocre book on tape called Spartan Gold in which a small submarine is found up a river in Maryland. Sounds awfully coincidental. 64.255.180.200 19:30, March 18, 2011 (UTC)Struggle Bear64.255.180.200 19:30, March 18, 2011 (UTC)