User:GarouxBloodline/Shaka's Critiques

No. Since I'm both a chemist and a moderator of /r/falloutlore on reddit, my perspective on some things is different to many people, so please don't take anything I say as offensive; Nothing is meant to offend anybody! I suppose the main thing is that I prefer theories to be deeply rooted in lore, and I certainly tend to enjoy these theories more than others. That's an attitude I picked up over time in /r/falloutlore.

---

1) MURDER MOUNTAIN - CHINA KNEW ABOUT THE ENCLAVE

Rating: 5/5

- Absolutely love the overall theory. I always personally believed that China started the Great War rather than it being a pre-emptive strike by the U.S., and this theory lends credence to the idea that it was a series of strategic strikes rather than an act of desperation. - The tie-ins that refer to “corralling” the Enclave, cutting their supply of alien tech to reverse-engineer, and preventing them from creating more biological weapons along the lines of deathclaws all really lend weight to the theory and their are no apparent holes that I can see. - The careful analysis of the distribution of known ground strike sites was methodical and accurate. - Very well sourced with unambiguous sources and pretty hard to dispute many aspects of the theory. - I like the idea that the presence of the Chinese in the US wasn’t just to generically spy on their citizens but was orchestrated by the upper echelons of the Chinese government to learn about the most valuable targets that they should focus on. - The one thing I can think of that might (slightly) detract from the theory is that the Chinese may have had a short supply of bunker busters. I know little of the actual mechanics of nuclear missiles (only the chemistry) so I can’t say which would be more difficult to mass produce, if either, but it may be the case that they had fewer bunker busters than airburst missile so had to use them more sparingly. This could however be flipped on its head and used to defend against any “but then why wasn’t [location relevant to the Enclave] targeted with a bunker buster?” criticisms.

---

2) NITTY’S CONTEST ENTRY - THE 80S

Rating: 3/5

- Good analysis of relevant high/freeways to determine logical territory distribution, especially interpretation of Jed Masterson’s dialogue and detemination of exclusivity between White Legs and 80s territory. - Overall, many aspects are very speculatory and not deeply rooted in fact, which I don’t like. This is evidenced by the relative lack of sources. - I appreciate the effort that went into describing the strategic value (or in many cases, lack thereof) of a large number of locations in the areas where the 80s might be active, as a non-American I didn’t appreciate having to google every single one of them. At least including them on the map would have been nice and given a more well-defined reasoning for the exact size of the red shaded area, and made it easier to visualise where they are *actually* active. - I would’ve liked to see some mention of, or discussion about, the source of fuel for their motorcycles. Oil is obviously sparse, but are all of their motorcycles petrol-powered? Nuclear?

---

3) SGTKRAIGO - FUTURE AFTER NCR VICTORY

Rating: 4/5

- I wholeheartedly agree with the “the Legion follows Caesar, not his ideals” attitude, and agree that human nature (greed etc.) would eventually overtake Legion training after Caesar’s death. - I like the explanation as to why the legionaries wouldn’t follow Lanius following his linguistic defeat at Hoover Dam. - The description of how the Legion would struggle to replenish their numbers if Salt-Upon-Wounds is dead is very accurate, especially given the first-hand knowledge of the Legion’s battle tactics that Graham has. He really drove home here just how unsustainable the Legion really is. - I think that he’s right in saying that the deaths of Vulpes, Gaius, Lucius et. al. would cause irreperable damage to the Legion, as it would likely be destroyed before anybody of similar caliber could replace them. - The very nature of the Legion (advance, plunder, pillage, kill) makes me lean towards his shorter estimates of survival time for the Legion. It also makes me wonder if the coups that may result might cause old tribes to re-form or amalgamate into a relatively massive anti-Legion entity.

---

4) KASTERA1000 - RAIDERS WITH MORE FIREPOWER THAN THE BOS

Rating: 4/5

- I love this theory. It’s concise yet well-backed. - The logic as to why the Khans might hand off their energy weapons to the Fiends is perfectly sound, and such an act of good faith would surely bolster the relationship between the two groups. - One might wonder how the Fiends obtain these weapons if the Courier doesn’t provide the Legion with the weapons in the related quest, but as Kastera1000 says it’s very likely that the Van Graffs have had prior business dealings with the Legion. - The reasoning behind Hardin’s adamancy that the VGs must be destroyed almost seems a little out of character for him in my eyes if there *wasn’t* such a background plot underway, so I think it stands up very well. - My main issue is supply: If the Legion’s envoy to the Khans feels the way he does (that they’re barbaric, etc.), then surely there would only be an initial gifting of such weapons/technology, just to set the alliance off on a good note. That said, the Legion likely knew that the Khans wouldn’t use the weapons due to their inherent nature and values, and had knowledge of their alliance with the Fiends (which as far as I can see is much older than that with the Legion), so planned to keep gifting them energy weapons in order to supply the the Fiends and enable them to keep terrorising the west side of Vegas in order to weaken the NCR. I would argue that since this wasn’t discussed in the actual theory post and is (in my opinion) reasonably obvious, that’s a small negative about the post.

---

5) PSYCHO-TIC - SIMULATION THEORY

Rating: 1/5

- I really, really dislike this idea. I am all for trying to justify in-game actions/themes/limitations in a lore sense rather than dismissing them as “lol bethesda/obsidian fucked up”, but this is just ridiculous in my opinion. - The blinding light has better lore-basis in each game (photosensitivity due to Vault life/brain injury). - The theme of “people getting by” is actually pretty prevalent in FO3 too, even if it isn’t actively thrown in your face at the start. Places such as Rivet City, Tenpenney Tower, and Canterbury Commons spring to mind. - I find the comparison to OP:Anchorage inaccurate as that simulation clearly labels itself as a simulation at the end, with the soldiers freezing in place and the dialogue explicitly stating that you’ve completed the sim. Even ignoring that, comparing a supposed sim to a sim which exists within that sim is inherently flawed in my eyes.

---

6) THE DUTCH GHOST - THE ENCLAVE IS AN EXPERIMENT?

Rating: 4/5

- I kind of like the core idea of this post, and certainly don't think it's completely impossible that there was some greater organisation secretly controlling the Enclave themselves. I certainly wouldn't say that it's likely, however. - The idea of literal and subliminal propaganda to propagate the “Americanism” is pretty well thought-out and explained, in my opinion, especially with regard to the rigged elections. - I was fond of the descriptive timeline and background to the post, but it could have been a bit more concise; I'm not sure everything there was needed, but by no means did any of it detract from the overall message. - The part about the starship being built in the asteroid belt, or even just in space in general, seems way too farfetched in my opinion. Fallout technilogy, whilst advanced in many ways, just doesn't seem reliable or accurate enough in many ways to be able to pull something like this off. Maybe the Think Tank or some similar group could, but I doubt it otherwise.

---

7) BARONVONCHATEAU – FRONTAL LOBE DAMAGE

Rating: 4/5

- I love this post! I was very concerned as I read along that it would be baseless, but the inclusion of an actual source (not the best, but very layman-accessible compared to scientific literature, so that stands to it) greatly strengthens the post in my eyes. - I find the “let's justify every game mechanic with lore” attitude can be tiresome or forced at times, but this post actually made me laugh because it's SO off-kilter and yet factually accurate. - Some aspects of this, however, seem forced. The first that I think of is the comparison of loss of muscle coordination to starting off with low skill points. Somebody with such severe brain damage would likely never improve nearly as much as the game's skill tree would imply. You could argue that '100' is 'as good as the brain-damaged courier can get', but if we're explaining game mechanics with lore I'd counter that with the logic that no fancy armour can net any skill improvement beyond 100 points, implying that 100 in a skill is the peak of human capability, and thus that the Courier shouldn't be able to attain 100 in any physical-based skill if we take this aspect as lore-fact. - I don't mean to knock the post, I love it overall. It just isn't perfect is all! To finish on a better note, the UBP and short attention span hit so close to home in terms of my game habits that they're pretty much my headcanon now. :)

---

8) JOKERINE - FOOD THEORY

Rating: 5/5

- The core logic concerning electricity-free food preservation is sound and makes a lot of sense. I’m surprised I hadn’t thought of it before myself! - The use of boxes to store pre-War food makes sense, notably milk bottles that can easily be used for water purification as described in the post, which is something I’ve actually done myself in the past! - Desiccation of meats by smoking them would prove especially useful for small families/tribes where the meat provided from a single brahmin exceeds the amount that the family unit/tribe can consume before it would spoil. - The use of vacuum sealing is a bit more practical than is implied in the post, as simply hand cranks can be prepared to generate the required electricity. - Overall, it’s an excellently sourced and highly accurate post that answers one of the most burning questions people often have about the games.

---

9) SHADOWRUNNER56 – GHOUL GENETICS THEORY

Rating: 5/5

- As a popular scientist with a flair for random genetic experimentation once said, WUBALUBADUBDUB! Science lore is best lore. - This theory really holds ground. I've always personally believed that genetics were to blame for ghoulification (rather than the incessant FEV/radiation battle), and this post has the numbers to prove it! As far as I'm concerned, this is headcanon and a solid candidate for actual canon. - The numbers just speak for themselves here. The 8.6% and 1.6% figures line up so well that I'm inclined to think it was actually entirely deliberate on Bethesda's part come Fallout 3. - As for the concept of Pre-War ghouls, it would be interesting to see if the gene in question actually was known, and if so, if there were attempts to induce it to prolong human life/allow humans to survive a post-nuclear wasteland more easily. I could see there being a bunch of forced-ghouls in a lab somewhere who've fruitlessly dedicated centuries to reverting their condition! - I'm not 100% on bringing Marked Men into this because they aren't really ghouls at all, but I don't think it's implausible that the same genetic link is involved since it is stated that the Divide's unique radiation is what keeps them alive. - Finally, +1E6 points for extensive and well-formatted sourcing ;)

---

10) ZERGINFESTOR – WHAT MAKES A DEATHCLAW A DEATHCLAW?

- I like the acknowledgement that other animals demonstrate pack-like behaviours (wolves came to my mind immediately...) but then back up your choice of humans with lore. Even if their speech isn't shown in FO3/FNV, it stands that they biologically have the capacity, which strongly suggests a primate component as stated in the post. I also acknowledge the possible avian connection but think that a human component is much more likely. - I agree that they're highly intelligent but I'm not sure if the ability to detect/appreciate threats is really canon; we've never seen deathclaws running in fear to my knowledge. - I agree that human DNA may be the cause of their bipedal stance, but whilst thumbs aren't THAT common, pentadactyl limbs are extremely prevalent, so it's not a ridiculous idea that it came from some other species. - As for avian bones, even human bones are pretty light. I'd wager it's more likely pure muscle mass similar to a cheetah than specialised bone structures like a bird to be honest, but I'm a chemist, not a biologist. :P - Ì agree with the croc/gator idea and really like it! It would explain their more “stalker”-like behaviour in FO4, hiding underground until the fight is over and there are lots of dead people to eat, with anybody still alive presumably heavily wounded. - Yes, the claws. I like this idea, especially the part about permanent growth – a deathclaw without claws is waaaay easier to kill and a much lesser threat, with “only” pure force on their side. - Finally, it's possible that only their claws are extremely dense – many animals have differing bone densities based on on the location of that bone!

---

11) ANT2242 – CONTINUITY OF GOVERNMENT

Rating: 4/5

- I like this post. It's nice and concise but accurately describes the potential the Enclave have to reconstruct the American government. - Bases such as Raven Rock would indeed be basically impenetrable; it survived the nuclear war with all interior structures intact and was only eventually destroyed from the inside. I can also see how these places' manufacturing capabilities would be invaluable in producing material for radiation cleanup. In fact, the power armour would help a lot too! These soldiers could even use their artificial strength to physically aid in this process. - Re-establishment of the rail network is a fantastic thing to think about and certainly possible if the NCR can manage to do it. I imagine that their facilities could easily produce nuclear-powered trains to transport materials and goods across the country. - I LOVE the part about the oil rig's radioactivity, and adore the inherent irony. The folks in Cali had NO chance of staying mutation free because of these guys. Whether deliberate or not, that's pretty evil.

---

12) FIREBURN121 – MR HOUSE THEORY

Rating: 2/5

- I'm honestly not a fan of this theory because it seems to lack cohesion. It starts off by asking if House was involved in causing the Great War but never mentions it again. I'll go through each point in order. - (1) I can see the logic behind House looking into the possibility of nuclear war given his intention of living forever, and it makes perfect sense that both the Chinese and American governments would lack the foresight to do so, but I don't see how this correlates in any way with him being involved in causing it. - (2) I get the explanation about how he was so wasteful with money, but that doesn't actually explain why LP was stored in D.C. The other examples had clear end-goals attached to them, but this doesn't. Again, I fail to see how this implies he helped cause the War. - (3) 100% right, and I cannot but completely agree. However, this explanation is just repitition of what was mentioned initially. Again, this doesn't explain how he helped start the War. - (4) It's clear how he obtained those weapons: He founded RobCo, whose military contracts made him as rich as he was. I agree with the reasoning behind why it was specifically located where it was, though I'd wager that the Lucky38's ability to house (heh) his body was also a major factor. - I like the idea that he did this to escape any potential backlash by outliving his potential competitors/opposition. - If I'm being honest I thought that closer was a tad forced. It would fit if there was any evidence that House did actually play a role in causing the Great War, because then it would be the rich explicitly killing the (relatively) poor so that he could live forever (see previous point), but what he actually did doesn't fit in with the “war never changes” moniker because he was far from a normal human and didn't really represent humanity.

---

13) REVOLVER POOKIE – LEGION TERRITORY

Rating: 3/5

- I like the well-backed speculation in this post, but much of it seems to be just reiterating known lore. - The note about the Legion effectively having “dibs” on towns, but leaving them alone until/unless needed, stacks up well with what Dale Barton had to say about trading in Legion territory. - I liked the note about the Frumentarii blatantly lying to recruit new members; it shows just how vicious the Legion can be, even without a blade.

---