"Echoes of the Past"(New Game or Mod)

Mission Title: "Echoes of the Past"

Character: Dr. Evelyn Hargrove

• Background:
  • Dr. Evelyn Hargrove is a pre-war scientist who specialized in advanced AI and robotics. After surviving the Great War in a secret underground lab, she emerges with a mission to find her missing family and continue her work to help rebuild society.
  • She is in her mid-50s, with a mix of pre-war knowledge and post-apocalyptic survival skills. Her robotic assistant, "Archie," a modified Assaultron with a witty personality, accompanies her.

Mission Start:

• The player encounters Dr. Hargrove in an abandoned factory turned into her makeshift lab. She is trying to repair a terminal but lacks certain rare components.
• Upon approaching, she asks the player for help retrieving these components from a nearby, heavily-guarded military bunker.

Objectives:

1. Fetch Quest: "Parts and Pieces"

   • Objective: Retrieve rare components from the military bunker.
   • Gameplay: The player must navigate the bunker, facing automated defenses, and hostile scavengers. They find the required components and also discover a holotape revealing the location of Dr. Hargrove’s old family home.

2. Exploration: "Memories Unburied"

   • Objective: Investigate Dr. Hargrove’s old family home.
   • Gameplay: The player explores the house, uncovering clues about her family's fate through personal notes, photographs, and a damaged but partially functional Mr. Handy robot, which provides cryptic hints about a secret vault beneath the house.

3. Dungeon Crawl: "Vault of Secrets"

   • Objective: Enter the secret vault and discover its secrets.
   • Gameplay: The player finds a hidden entrance to a pre-war vault beneath the house. Inside, they encounter advanced security systems and experimental robots. They eventually reach a chamber containing Dr. Hargrove’s family in cryogenic pods, but the pods’ life support systems are failing.

4. Moral Choice: "A Heart’s Dilemma"

   • Objective: Decide the fate of Dr. Hargrove’s family.
   • Gameplay: The player must choose between three options:
     • Repair the cryo-pods, preserving the family until a future solution is found.
     • Wake the family, risking their health in the harsh post-apocalyptic world.
     • Shut down the pods, ending their lives to prevent further suffering.

5. Finale: "Legacy and Redemption"

   • Objective: Return to Dr. Hargrove with the outcome.
   • Gameplay: The player informs Dr. Hargrove of the outcome. Her reaction varies based on the player’s choice, leading to different rewards and potential alliances. If the player repaired the pods, Dr. Hargrove provides advanced robotic schematics. If the family was awakened, she joins the player as a temporary companion. If the pods were shut down, she gives a heartfelt thank you and a unique weapon.

Additional Elements:

• Dialogue:

  • Deep and branching dialogues with Dr. Hargrove and her assistant Archie, providing backstory and character development.
  • Player choices affect the dialogue and Dr. Hargrove’s trust in the player.

• Environmental Storytelling:

  • The abandoned factory and family home are filled with environmental clues that tell the story of Dr. Hargrove’s life before and after the war.

• Combat and Stealth:

  • The military bunker and vault offer opportunities for both combat and stealth approaches, catering to different playstyles.

• Unique Rewards:

  • Advanced robotic schematics for settlement defense, a unique weapon with a backstory tied to Dr. Hargrove’s work, and the possibility of having Dr. Hargrove as an ally or companion for a limited time.

Impact on the Game World:

• Reputation:

  • Completing the mission positively affects the player’s reputation with certain factions, especially those valuing scientific knowledge and technological advancement.

• Settlement Benefits:

  • Implementing the advanced schematics can significantly boost the defense and efficiency of the player’s settlements.

• Narrative Closure:

  • Dr. Hargrove’s storyline provides emotional depth and a sense of closure, enriching the overall narrative experience of the game.

This side mission combines exploration, moral choices, and character development, making it a memorable and impactful part of the Fallout game world.