First time in NV 9 years later suggestion

Post by **Risewild** » Sat Nov 17, 2012 4:41 am

I went to NV for the first time without companions, but I read here on the forum posts about how the companions would appear on top of the lone wanderer or next to him/her or something.

So my suggestion is that we would lose the companions the first time we reach NV, doesn't make sense that after 9 years they would still be with you after you wake up from a bullet in your head. And if they were still with you how come they didn't help you when you needed?

So that is my suggestion, lose the companions the first time we reach NV.

Post by **JaxFirehart** » Sat Nov 17, 2012 5:56 am

You know, thats perfectly logical. Should be implemented in the next patch!

Post by **tizerist** » Sat Nov 17, 2012 10:30 pm

Yes I agree. Also in last version the NV companions were with me in Zeta captivity.

Post by **JaxFirehart** » Sun Nov 18, 2012 4:54 am

Thanks for that, I will take a second look at the Zeta script to make sure it properly fires ALL followers.

Post by **WizardOfAtlantis** » Tue Nov 20, 2012 1:15 am

How would that work, then? Removing them kind of defeats the purpose of having them to begin with in D.C. since you can't bring them with you. Why wouldn't they follow you? They're your companion, after all.

Also, realistically speaking, a companion is a person with their own life, not some robotic slave that is forever attached to you every minute of the day. I would think that in 9 years' time, maybe your companion from D.C. might have been having a night on the town by themselves when Benny and the Jets attacked you. Even more so, maybe Benny and the Jets waited for the night when you didn't have your companion to attack you, maybe even they were the reason your companion wasn't there (slipped a mickey in their drinks, lofted some tail on the strip in their direction for a night, etc etc, could be a million things).

It only makes sense, then, that your companion is there when you wake up. It's what friends are for, after all. I mean, you might have come to Nevada with your companion, and then 8 years ago, your companion split to do some of his or her own things, and then hearing that you were shot, he or she came to find you again, so once again, you would still wake up with your old friend there.

That's how I see it, at least. I, for one, would be very annoyed that my companion(s) aren't there when I wake up. What the hell kind of companions are they, then?

Post by **JaxFirehart** » Tue Nov 20, 2012 4:31 am

Okay, now I'm inclined to agree with you.

Hmmmmm....

Post by **Risewild** » Tue Nov 20, 2012 8:48 am

Yes, but how would they know you were shot in the head and you end up in Goodsprings? No one knows your name before you wake up and tell it to the Doc and by the reaction of the people in the town they don't know you (or recognize you) before you wake up and start talking to them.

Also as a way of not have to go back the CW to get them, the companions we take to NV the first time could still be in NV somewhere relevant to their background, maybe Jericho could be found in the NCR prison , maybe Dogmeat got adopted by the dog lady Gibson, maybe Star Paladin Cross could be trying to help with the escaped convicts thing in Primm we could find her in the Vickie and Vance casino getting ready to deal with the crisis, maybe Butch would be in the Freeside checking out the kings (or even being a barber and fixing their hairstyle), Fawkes maybe heard the Black mountain radio transmission and went to check it out if there was more super mutants that wouldn't be bloodthirsty but got intercepted by Neil so it stayed there with him, Charon could probably be found in the Goodsprings saloon itself maybe heard that someone that resembled the LW was being escorted by some dubious guys and decided to look for him/her (after all there is his contract thing) so it makes sense that he would definitely be looking for the LW if he suspected the LW to be in danger, I can't think of anywhere to put Clover or Sergeant RL-3 at the moment. I am thinking of places that aren't that far from Goodsprings so it wouldn't take that long to get them back but Butch and Dogmeat would be a bit far (specially Butch).

So what do you guys think of this way of making the companions not be there when you wake up but still be around and some quite easy to get after you get out of the Doc house?

PS: Maybe the LW (or Courier) could get a note after the Doc give the stuff back saying where his (I keep referring to the LW as male, no offense intended ) companions were seen last time and he was going to meet them before he got shot in the head (like a piece of paper that was in his pocket or something).

Post by **WizardOfAtlantis** » Tue Nov 20, 2012 2:34 pm

If you and your companion were still keeping in touch (not even necessarily adventuring together, but maybe still talking through the Mojave Express dropboxes), he or she might know that you had a job to do in Goodsprings. Maybe something smelled fishy about the job to them and they secretly followed you but arrived too late...

I think the idea of the companions being around the Mojave in various locales is another very good idea. The "Note in the Pocket" is a great tie-in that works perfectly well with the Mojave Express dropboxes lying around.

So here's a theoretical solution, a kind of companion pop-up window like an Alternate Start mod but for companions: one choice, let's say the "Minding My Own Business" (or whatever) option puts your D.C. companion somewhere that makes sense out in the Mojave; another option, let's say the "Devoted Follower" choice, puts them with you when you wake up in Doc Mitchell's house...or even waiting for you in the Goodsprings Saloon if that''s easier to code in (out getting a drink while waiting for you to come to since you've stabilized by that point).

Of course, in that first option, there would have to be a general option for all companions that aren't listed in the mod with their own specific locales, like ones that come from mods, unless you covered them all (Amy Wong, Jessi, et al).

Post by **Risewild** » Tue Nov 20, 2012 9:37 pm

I like that option idea, and having them waiting in the goodsprings saloon would be quite good if we choose the "devoted follower" option my main point was to have them not appearing on top of you in Doc Mitchell house and I also think that having the player (that will probably be higher level than FNV intended it to be) start with better equipment and followers would make the game even more unbalanced in the beginning of NV so having them in nearby locations so we would have to walk a bit to get them would give us an extra incentive to go straight there (because I bet most players just skip most locations to go straight to NV or any other particular place as soon as possible this days). And to be honest I am a scavenger (or should I say prospector) so I like going to specific unimportant places just to get something there (kinda like a treasure hunt) but that's just me .

Post by **Computerrock1** » Thu Nov 22, 2012 2:51 pm

^ I really like this idea :)