Mutant Invasion Timers

[DwayneGAnd]

In the original unpatched game, you had 500 days to stop the mutant threat before the Vault was invaded, 400 if you commissioned the Water Merchants to deliver water to the vault. The other settlements were supposed to be invaded and overrun by the mutants as well. Somehow, with the exception of Necropolis, they never do. At least not during the game. Even after the deadline for that settlement passes, everyone is still standing around as if nothing happened, alive and well. It's not until the ending slides when it is revealed that the settlement was overrun. In the ending slides, only Adytum, Necropolis, Hub, and Shady Sands are invaded. Yet Necropolis is the only town that actually gets invaded by the mutants. To me, it makes no sense when a mutant invasion deadline passes and everyone in the settlement is still going about their business.

In the patched game, the vault doesn't get invaded for 13 years, or according to an online date calculator, 4648 days, 4568 if the Water Merchants were hired to deliver water to the Vault.

There is a mod called the Restoration Mod which re-enables the mutant invasions. Which makes sense since now when you enter a town after the invasion, everyone is dead, and mutants are patrolling the area. Yet, I don't think the mod was ever finished as dialogue with some post invasion npcs crashes the game, such as the leader of the CoC after the Followers are wiped out. And apparently, the invasions still occur even if you don't reenter a settlement after the invasion passes, such as Necropolis 30 days after you kill the mutants at the Watershed.

The Vault Dweller's memoirs in the Fallout 2 manual reveals that the Master was destroyed before any of the settlements could be invaded. Judging from the way that the producers made the game and set up the invasion timers, it's as if they expected you to speed through the game, forcing you to miss out on much of what the game has to offer to get the best ending, some of which was only possible to see with the Restored Endings mod.

Currently, I'm using patch 1.3.6, which includes the unofficial patches and some other fixes and mods, including the Restored Endings Mod. With it is the Restoration Mod. Though now I'm conflicted on whether or not it is essential if it is now inactive and isn't being maintained. Since I'm the type of player who gets the implants, finds the special encounters, does all the quests, and reads enough skill books on Hard to get First Aid, Science, Repair, and Outdoorsmanship to 91%, I've had to modify the number of days until the mutants invade each settlement so I'll have plenty of time to do what I need and still get the good endings. Without the Restoration Mod installed, I'd only have to modify the number of days till Adytum and the Hub are invaded.

Can someone tell me why the mutant invasions were disabled in the final game? Who came up with this idea for the towns to be invaded? Why did the game producers have such a timer in the game? How come the majority of the invasions happen thirty days between each, except for Adytum and the Hub which there is only twenty days between?

 

[Iprovidelittlepianos]

I assume the mutant invasions were disabled for the reasons you’ve mentioned. It’s very difficult to speed through the game and beat the Master before any invasions start, and whenever I’ve tried that I’m never at a high enough level to beat him because of all the xp I’ve missed out on. Add to that is the fact that the first area to be invaded also happens to be home to the endgame weapons merchants, and once they’re wiped out the game gets even harder to complete. It seems like the devs must have realized that the invasions made the game too difficult, and they didn’t have time to rebalance things.

On the other hand, I seem to recall reading that the invasions weren’t actually removed, but were so bugged that they simply never occurred. I’m not sure if that’s accurate, but it would make sense.

As far as who’s idea the invasions were in the first place, I don’t know but it seemed to have been the plan from the beginning, based on the Fallout design document. They wanted the main villain of the game to actually take action and not just sit on his ass waiting for the hero to kick it.

 

[DwayneGAnd]

Well at least you can postpone the invasions by modifying the vault13.gam file.

I remember playing the FIXT mod years ago and managed to get the good ending even after much more than 90 days had passed. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that I chose the option to disable the mutant invasions, except for Necropolis. I wonder if there is a way to do this outside of FIXT?

Speaking of Necropolis, even if you hadn't killed the mutants at the Watershed yet, when the ghoul refugee is spoken to, he says they invaded cause they were pissed some human killed their men here, which makes no sense since I had never entered Necropolis before then.

I get the feeling that the game itself is unfinished and unbalanced.