Has anyone else found this place? It is the best thing Bethesda has ever done. I don't wanna overplay it, but it actually felt like some other (better) game company had designed it. I was grinning the whole time I went through it. It's also the first time I've felt really stumped because my Charisma was too low (although it's amazing what you can do with Day Tripper, a clean suit and some booze). Good times, and surprisingly good fun just as the game was starting to feel a bit bland.
(Incidentally, I've discovered that when you skip dialogue while having a high Charisma, your character will say things like "Sing it, brother!" or "I concur" instead of just "Hm-hm". Neat.)
I'll post some spoilery details below, don't read it if you want to enjoy the place for yourself.
The place is a rundown galleria mall populated by loads of my favorite characters in the whole game, Mr. Handy. If you have Codsworth with you he will remark upon General Atomics' excellence when you go here.
The Greeter will foreshadow what's going on in the place with a remark about an ongoing litigation, and suggest that you head up to see the Director. Do so, but first make sure to visit all the various shops - although you will want to quicksave before entering each one, and reload when things go awry. The robots here are some of the most Kafkaesque examples of dark humor I've ever seen. I particularly like the waiter in the diner, and his unwavering dedication to good service. Be sure to read his computer terminal.
Fight The Champ for a good laugh (Don't attack him before he actually goes hostile, or everyone will attack you. You can kill him during the "boxing match" with no negative consequences), and try your Persuasion skills against Tenpin in the bowling alley, and then go see the Director. Remind you of a certain Navarro sergeant? With a very good Charisma you can persuade him that you are the supervisor (go for the "manual activation" path), and he will re-open the galleria and upgrade the robots' firmware!
If you haven't got the good looks or the drugs to charm him, there is a difficult terminal in the bowling alley basement that I haven't been able to crack. If you can open it, I suspect you can re-open the Galleria from there. Tenpin will let you have a look around in the alley if you pass a Charisma check, and his is easier than the Director's, so I suppose this is another way to do it. Sneaking might also work.
Now things are much more welcoming here. The Champ and the dangerous Mr. Gutsy display robot will both be dead, and the robots will let you raffle through their items and locked safes with impunity (although the Champ's duffle bag is still off limits). They will also sell stuff to you, most of which is useless, but Danny in the boxing arena has some drugs. He overcharges you horribly, but with Advanced lockpicking you can open the door behind him, which lets you access a computer terminal you'll need to hack (Novice will do). Read about promotions, then activate the "Manager's Sale", and Danny's prices will now be much lower. Check out the basement in the bowling alley for some good armor in a trunk, and also pick the safe behind Tenpin if you can.
Some random notes:
If you actually for some fucked up reason have 5000 Pre-War Money, you can pay to enter the bowling alley! I would go smooth talk the Director instead.
The Mr. Gutsy mall guards actually do have dialogue, but due to a bug (imagine that!) their voice lines don't play. Turn on the General Subtitles in the options if you want to see them. They change for the better after you re-open the Galleria.
If you have Codsworth with you, he will occasionally do a little "recharging" animation in the display robot recharge bays! I suspect this is actually the same AI that made Serana from Dawnguard start praying with the Greybeards in High Hrothgar if you hung around there.
(Incidentally, I've discovered that when you skip dialogue while having a high Charisma, your character will say things like "Sing it, brother!" or "I concur" instead of just "Hm-hm". Neat.)
I'll post some spoilery details below, don't read it if you want to enjoy the place for yourself.
The place is a rundown galleria mall populated by loads of my favorite characters in the whole game, Mr. Handy. If you have Codsworth with you he will remark upon General Atomics' excellence when you go here.
The Greeter will foreshadow what's going on in the place with a remark about an ongoing litigation, and suggest that you head up to see the Director. Do so, but first make sure to visit all the various shops - although you will want to quicksave before entering each one, and reload when things go awry. The robots here are some of the most Kafkaesque examples of dark humor I've ever seen. I particularly like the waiter in the diner, and his unwavering dedication to good service. Be sure to read his computer terminal.
Fight The Champ for a good laugh (Don't attack him before he actually goes hostile, or everyone will attack you. You can kill him during the "boxing match" with no negative consequences), and try your Persuasion skills against Tenpin in the bowling alley, and then go see the Director. Remind you of a certain Navarro sergeant? With a very good Charisma you can persuade him that you are the supervisor (go for the "manual activation" path), and he will re-open the galleria and upgrade the robots' firmware!
If you haven't got the good looks or the drugs to charm him, there is a difficult terminal in the bowling alley basement that I haven't been able to crack. If you can open it, I suspect you can re-open the Galleria from there. Tenpin will let you have a look around in the alley if you pass a Charisma check, and his is easier than the Director's, so I suppose this is another way to do it. Sneaking might also work.
Now things are much more welcoming here. The Champ and the dangerous Mr. Gutsy display robot will both be dead, and the robots will let you raffle through their items and locked safes with impunity (although the Champ's duffle bag is still off limits). They will also sell stuff to you, most of which is useless, but Danny in the boxing arena has some drugs. He overcharges you horribly, but with Advanced lockpicking you can open the door behind him, which lets you access a computer terminal you'll need to hack (Novice will do). Read about promotions, then activate the "Manager's Sale", and Danny's prices will now be much lower. Check out the basement in the bowling alley for some good armor in a trunk, and also pick the safe behind Tenpin if you can.
Some random notes:
If you actually for some fucked up reason have 5000 Pre-War Money, you can pay to enter the bowling alley! I would go smooth talk the Director instead.
The Mr. Gutsy mall guards actually do have dialogue, but due to a bug (imagine that!) their voice lines don't play. Turn on the General Subtitles in the options if you want to see them. They change for the better after you re-open the Galleria.
If you have Codsworth with you, he will occasionally do a little "recharging" animation in the display robot recharge bays! I suspect this is actually the same AI that made Serana from Dawnguard start praying with the Greybeards in High Hrothgar if you hung around there.
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