Nursery design document / 1 This is part 1 of the Nursery design document for " Van Buren " , the canceled " Fallout 3 " by Black Isle Studios . Overview . The Nursery is a miracle of pre - war engineering . It is a self - contained balanced ecological system set within a deep canyon . The valley floor of the canyon is rife with the flora and fauna of times past . At the head of the valley is a lake of crystal blue water that feeds a river . The river flows from one end of the valley to the other , disappearing into the canyon wall . Bordering the lake are several buildings that house the maintenance equipment that keeps the Nursery functioning . The Nursery is located southwest of Denver Colorado near the Black Canyon National Park . The rim of the canyon is approximately a mile above sea level and the canyon itself is approximately a half mile deep . This area was chosen as the home for the Nursery because of its isolated location , its protected status as a national park , and it was deemed least likely to be effected by a war ( or most capable of recovering from such effects ) . The Nursery will be composed of the following maps : The goal of the area is the following : Area History . In the early days before the bomb , scientists around the country were pondering how to save mankind from the ravages of war . Eventually their musings gave birth to a company named Vault - Tek , and the vault s . Over the next decade some of the most ambitious underground construction took place throughout the United States as hundreds of vaults were built . Into these shelters , the people and the hopes , of a nation could retreat in times of war . The Environmental Protection Agency viewed the vaults as only half the solution . Their concern was not only the salvation of mankind , but nature as well . With this in mind , they proposed yet another type of vault , but on a much grander scale . This vault would be used by Mother Nature herself , where she would patiently await the re - emergence of man . When the survivors of the war came forth to reclaim the earth , the Garden of Eden would await them . Thus the Nursery was conceived . The construction of the Nursery posed quite a problem , however . It was agreed that it could not be built underground like the vaults . Nature needed the sun , the wind , and the rain to flourish . And yet , if exposed and open , how could it possibly survive ? The only conceivable answer was that it must be located in an isolated area , free from influence man , and the ravages of war . A search for such a location began . Computer s were fed massive amounts of data detailing the effects of war , where the bombs were likely to strike , and how the devastation would spread . Information about air currents , weather patterns , and the conditions that the Nursery would need to survive were then added to the equation . Finally , topographical maps of the nation input , and the machines were asked to choose . It took years , but a choice was made . A single canyon was found to house the Nursery , deep in the mountains , shielded from the influence of both man and war . Soon afterward the most ambitious project conceived by the minds of men was devised : a self contained , self sustaining ecological system , with the capacity to reproduce itself . Of course , the expense of such an enterprise could not be footed by the government alone . The project was put up for bid in the private sector . Derek Greenway was a scientist working under the employ of Poseidon Energy . When it became apparent that Poseidon was more interested in the development of weapons of destruction , and less in the saving of mankind , Derek resigned and started his own company . Greenway Hydroponics , with its turnip headed stick man logo Mr . Green , was the result . Over the years Derek ' s company prospered due to their state of the art innovations in farming technology . When the Nursery project was put up for bid it was only natural that Greenway Hydroponics won and construction was began . Area Composition . The Spillway : The Nursery : The Valley : The Gardens : The Factory : The Repository : The Power Plant : The Control Tower : The Helipad : Locations . The Spillway . Entry to the Nursery is through a small cave in a mountainside . The cave meanders a short distance before it dead ends at a spillway for the river . Water under pressure flows from a manmade nozzle in the cave wall and arcs toward an opening in the cave floor . Water striking the wall is aerated and then falls into the hole below , much like a heavy rain . Within the hole is a fine grate that captures debris from the river . A set of stairs surrounding the hole leads down to yet another secure door . The hole contains the filtration plant for the river . Debris captured by the grate is collected by crab - like scurry robots . The debris is then separated into organic and non - organic piles and taken to grinders where it is recycled . The water falls into a natural underground cavern where it is filtered through the water table . Finally , the water empties into yet another reservoir where it is pumped to the surface to replenish the river at its source . The filtration plant is powered by the geothermal power plant beneath the Nursery . However , in case of emergencies , the plant has a trio of hydro - electric generators for back up . The filtration plant is overseen from a nearby control center . Here small contingents of robot wardens carefully watch the entire process . Most of these robots are simple maintenance droids capable of making the necessary decisions to keep the plant functional . However , the plant supervisor is a more sophisticated model capable of making command decisions independent of the main computer of the Nursery . He also has a small contingent of security bots armed with stun weapons at his disposal . To gain entry to the Nursery the player must get by the locked security door in the spillway . This can be accomplished several ways ( regardless of the method used , the door will be repaired within an hour of its use ) : Once opened , the door reveals a long hallway that slopes upwards and rises through several switchbacks . This hallway is patrolled by more security robots ; however , their weaponry is of the deadly variety . At the opposite end of the corridor is another secure door . It can be opened using the same methods as the previous door ( regardless of the method used , these doors will be repaired within an hour of their use ) . The robot workers in the filtration plant pose a small threat to the player . Anyone attempting to tamper with any equipment will be asked to stop . Failure to do so will result in the workers trying to gently remove the player . If combat ensues , the supervisor will order the workers to retreat and initiate a lockdown of the plant . The workers will then flee to recharges stations located throughout the area and seal themselves in . At this point the supervisor will try to deal with the player diplomatically . If this fails , he will call upon security robots to deal with the player . The robot supervisor can be spoken to and possibly reasoned with . The following can be revealed to the player : Finally , the cave that houses the spillway can be a small combat area . Wasteland animals could use the area as a lair because of the abundant water supply and organic matter that can be used as food . Scripting : The Valley . This area is to be used for exposition purposes . It is intended to show the earth as it was in the golden era of the 50 ' s , and instill hope that at some point it could return to such a state . The valley is lush with vegetation and wildlife . Grass , flowers , and trees are abundant here . Wolves , mountain lion s , badgers , and raccoons ( to name a few ) flourish here and show no fear of man . However , there are some telltale signs that all is not as it should be . The water level along the river banks appears to be receding as well as that of the lake . Patches of grass are beginning to turn brown in some areas . Trees further away from the river are starting to show signs of dehydration . In most areas lamps are not lit , computer equipment does not work , and door locks have failed . For the most part , the player can wander the valley at leisure and explore . There are no dangers here with the exception of the greenhouses . This area is terrorized by wandering bands of carnivorous plant life that will attack animal life on sight . Examination of the greenhouse will show that these creatures escaped through small cracks in the glass that seem to have been formed very recently . The greenhouse itself is in lockdown mode and cannot be entered . The carnivorous plants will ignore the player but attack indigenous animal life . If the player intervenes he will be marked as a target for attack from that point forward . The plants can be eradicated but they will return unless they are halted at their source . This can only be accomplished by gaining access to the greenhouses . It should begin to be obvious to the player that the Nursery has undergone some recent catastrophe that has damaged its systems . The most apparent damage is to the power systems and the greenhouse . He can continue to explore the area or begin to search for the cause of the failures and how to deal with them . Game play at this point moves to the Control Facility . While exploring this area the player can become involved in the following : Scripting : The Control Facility . This area is to be used for exposition purposes . It is intended to show the stark reality of the damage that has occurred here in contrast to the beauty of the surrounding valley . It is here that the player will see the true nature of the catastrophe that has befallen the Nursery . The control facility has been wracked by an earthquake that has literally shattered the area . The buildings are in various stages of ruin , fissures have opened in the ground in several places , and the area appears to be powerless . It should be obvious to the player that , unless power is restored , this area is dead . Finding the power source for the many facilities should be the player ' s first goal . The control facility can be explored freely ; there is little danger here except for random encounters . Two minor parts of the control facility are the helipad and the hedge maze . The helipad was originally used to gain access to the Nursery during its construction . It now lies in ruin because of the earthquake that ravaged the area . Sitting on the pad is the remains of a helicopter that was destroyed in the quake . There is nothing else of interest here . The hedge maze is a simple manor house garden maze . The plants are well trimmed and the path clear of debris and weeds . However , it is home to some of the carnivorous plant s that are plaguing the Nursery . Creeping vine s , thorn sprayer s , and tangle weed s have taken root here . They have inadvertently turned the maze into a trap for unwary animals that wander in . Note : The maze is not meant to be difficult to navigate . It was simply a fanciful addition to the Nursery during its construction . " Scripting : " The Factory . This is the production center for the GECK s . A conveyor belt winds its way around a variety of robotic arms that assemble the kits . At the end of the line is another conveyor belt that delivers the finished product to the distribution center below . Next to the assembly area is a huge chasm that has split the building in twain . The ruins of the testing center for the GECKs can be found here . On the opposite side of the chasm is the control center for the factory . A pair of lift tubes here leads to the distribution center below and the control tower access above . Central to the distribution center is a small train station with a side rail . Currently the side rail holds a flatbed car with a semi - truck upon it . The main rail holds a locomotive with a boxcar attached . The distribution center also acts as a warehouse for finished products and the parts required for their manufacture . Next to the warehouse are a series of robot charging stations and two lift tubes . The first lift connects to the upper level of the factory and the second to the power plant . When the player enters the factory he will find that it has been overrun by creeping vine s . These plants have wound themselves throughout the machinery and are clogging up just about everything . The plants seem to be living off the seed packets intended for the GECKs . Inspection of the conveyor belts shows that the plants are currently winding their way along the belt toward the level below . Lodged among the plants is an unusual robo - brain shell . Instead of the usual housing that contains a human brain , this shell contains a sophisticated remote control apparatus . Careful inspection reveals that the remote control is removable and that a ' brain ' module can then be inserted . Unfortunately , this shell has been severely damaged . Before the factory can be made operational the player will need to clear out the vines as well as restore power . One possible way to do this would be to use an herbicide ( which can be obtained in the Garden ) . Another choice would be to burn them out . A controlled blaze ( or maybe a flame thrower ) would not damage most of the equipment here . However , just setting fire to the place would . The robo - shell is used by the main computer for inspection of the Nursery . It can be used remotely or , by having her ' brain ' transferred into it , directly . The damage to the shell is severe and will require replacement of the motivational units . Also , the radio receiver will need to be replaced . Once this is accomplished the power cell can be replaced ( or recharged ) and the shell will function . As for the lower level , the main thing here will be to get the train system functional . Once power is restored to the factory the trains will start to recharge their power sources . However , the sealed doors will not open due to damage . The player will need to patch power to the door locks to get them to open . Scripting : The Repository . The Repository is a sight to behold . The walls are lined floor to ceiling with pairs of vials set into small niches . Each niche has a plaque beneath it with cryptic inscriptions such as Felis Libyca or Canis Lupus . At the rear of the building is a complex looking piece of machinery with a glass dome . The dome has been cracked due to debris falling from the roof . A series of flashing red lights along a side panel indicates that the machine is functional , but a fault has occurred . At the front of the building is a hologram showing the Nursery valley . The Repository contains sperm and egg samples from a variety of wildlife throughout the United States . The samples are kept frozen until artificial insemination is ready to begin . The building also contains a computerized ' womb ' in which samples can gestate to maturity , at which point they are released into the valley . The computer carefully controls which species are released and in what numbers . The ratio of predator to prey is finely balanced . Two service - bots run the entire process . The building is also patrolled by two battle - bots . These sentries will not take kindly to anyone tampering with anything within these walls . However , if the player can convince the bots that he is there to repair malfunctioning equipment he will be allowed to do so . This is the only building within the area that currently has power . When the power plant went off - line , the main computer diverted all available backup power to the Repository to keep it functional . However , the system is currently in standby mode and will remain so until the main power is restored . Also , the ' womb ' has been damaged by falling debris . It can be repaired by replacing the glass dome . Once the player enters this building he will have to deal with the battle bots in one form or another . Once the Repository is fully functional an option opens for the player . He can program the ' womb ' to produce and animal companion . There are several choices available : a grizzly bear , a large panther , a wolf , or a badger ( I don ' t want to get into the DnD ' dire ' animals here but these critters should be above average so that they can hold their own ) . In any case the computer will need to be programmed to allow this , part of the animals creation will involve imprinting it will the desire to follow and obey the player . If he just has the machine pop out an animal ' as is ' he will find that it wants to put him on the lunch menu . Some thoughts on the animals are listed below . Scripting : The Power Plant . This cavern serves two purposes . First , it is the final stage of the natural purification process of river water . The water cascades down several waterfalls until it comes to rest in a reservoir . From there it is pumped up to the lake above . Second , a part of the river water is diverted to the geothermal power plant . Here the water is converted to steam to power a trio of turbines . Upon investigating this area the player will discover three faults . First , the pipe that carries river water to the heat exchanger in the power plant has broken . The water now flows freely into the thermal vent and is converted to steam . Second , the floor of the reservoir appears to have cracked . A whirlpool has formed and is slowly draining away the water . It will be necessary to repair both faults to bring the power plant online . Finally , the reservoir has been infested with hag - snake s like the lake above . These creatures wander freely down here and attack anything on sight . Repairing the power plant will not be an easy task for the player . First , a way must be found to repair the pipe that delivers water to the heat exchanger . There are a few ways that this could be done : In any case , once the part is found / made then it will need to be installed . This can be done by using one of the scurry - bot s from the spillway . The robots are made to crawl around on unstable sections of grating in the hole and carry away debris . This would be a simple matter for one of them to complete . Some thoughts on how to do this : The second task involved in this area is the repairing of the reservoir floor . Unless this is done quickly the water in the closed system will drain away and everything will shut down again . In order to accomplish this , the player will need to have the water pumps in the spillway shut down . Once the water in the reservoir is empty a patch can be made to seal the crack . The first task will be to shut down the water pumps . Some ways this can be done are : The second task is to patch the hole . Some ways this can be done are : The hag - snake infestation will give this area the needed combat opportunities to round it out . These creatures have formed a nest near the steam outlet in the condensation area of the cavern . They really like that humid sultry heat for their eggs ( since they lack ' hosts ' ) . The player will need to find their nest and destroy it . Note : The replacement for the damaged pipe can be made at the Blackfoot town foundry . Scripting : The Control Tower . The Control Tower is accessed via a lift in the factory . The lift exits on the force - bridge landing stage . Activating the bridge will span the gap between the landings with a force field . A secure door gives access to the main computer room in the tower . Neither the lift nor the force - bridge is functional until power is restored . The tower contains the main computer room that controls all Nursery functions . The computer is composed of two Zax units operating in tandem with a central brain ( a human volunteer was chosen to donate her brain ) core between them . Next to the computer are two empty recharging bays . On either side of the door are two massive memory cores . None of this equipment is currently functional , even if power has been restored to the Nursery . Upon reaching the control tower the player will find that the secure door has been opened . A thick power cable runs from inside the tower , out the door , and over the landing to the ground below . From there the cable runs to the Repository . Once inside , the player will find that several floor panels in front of the computer core have been removed to give access to the main power line . The main line has been severed and a new cable , the one that leads out the door , has been attached . When the power for the Nursery went offline the auxiliary system , solar charged batteries , kicked in . The central computer immediately tried to determine the damage to the facility and how best to correct it . Unfortunately the damage was much more severe than the facility was meant to sustain . Repairs were possible , but not within the time needed to save the most critical of the Nursery ' s systems , the Repository . Fortunately , the Nursery had a visitor at the time of the disaster , a Follower of the Apocalypse named Akeisha Moon . Following instructions given her by the computer she was able to rig power from the auxiliary system to the Repository to keep it functional . However , this created a few problems on its own . First of all , she had to disconnect power from the central computer . Second , she had to put the Repository into standby mode indefinitely . There was simply no way for the solar backup system to support such a drain on its resources . There are two ways for the player to get to the computer room . First , he could restore power to the Nursery and simply use the force - bridge . Second , he can climb the power cable draped over the landing . In either case , he will find Akeisha waiting for him . Akeisha is provided for informational purposes ( she is also one of the missing prisoners ) . She will gladly explain everything that has befallen the Nursery since the earthquake . If the player has not already done so , she will ask him to make the necessary repairs to all Nursery equipment . If the player attempts to bring the main computer online before power is restored ( by disconnecting the backup power from the Repository ) she will try to talk him out of it , explaining to him the importance of the Repository . If the player refuses to listen she will not interfere . If the main computer comes online and the Repository is at risk , the computer will ask the player to undo what he has done . She will use any means at her disposal , including begging and bribes . If the player refuses she will then send out an SOS signal to Ulysses alerting him of the player ' s presence and the clear danger to the Nursery . This will result in a tactical death squad arriving and trying to take the player out . Regardless of what happens here , Akeisha tries to stay in the background out of harms way until she can reconnect power to the Repository . If , however , the player has restored full power then the computer will be most grateful and all is well and good . She can then ask the player to perform certain quests for her : The main computer is named Diana . She is the same Diana who poses as the goddess of the Twin Mothers tribe . Once she is activated , she will once again assume her divine role for the tribe . This will include re - activating the robots in vault 29 and insuring the isolation / protection of the tribe ( for more information , see the area overview for the Twin Mothers ) . Of course , this is all dependent upon actions taken by the player while he was with the Twin Mothers . If the player has caused irreversible harm to the Twin Mothers , Diana will take great exception to the fact . After the player leaves the control tower she will seal the door , collapse the force bridge ( even if the player is on it ) , and turn all the security robot s against the player . If this is ineffective in dealing with him she will send an emergency signal to Ulysses so that a tactical hit squad can be sent after the player . If the player has done well by the Twin Mothers , Diana will be indebted to the player . She will offer him technical / medical help or even an animal companion from the repository . Another possible boon is to restock the dying Brahmin herds of the wasteland with Brahmin that are resistant / immune to the plague . When she discovers that the player is carrying the new plague , she will begin work on finding a possible vaccine , but ask him to leave before he infects the entire Nursery . Scripting : The Gardens . The garden is a huge greenhouse that straddles the valley river . It is divided into four sections , each detailing a different environment . The four sections are : mountains , plains , forests , and deserts . Each section is rife with plant life indigenous to that type of environment . The garden is monitored and controlled by the central computer . However , in case of emergencies , each section has a central hub that acts as a backup unit should communication be lost . When the earthquake struck , communication was lost with the central computer . The hubs in each greenhouse section immediately activated and began to monitor activity and issue commands to stabilize the area under its care . One of the hubs , the one in the plains section , was severely damaged by falling debris . The hub sent out a burst of scrambled commands that were interpreted by the greenhouse as instructions for altering the plant life and environment in that section . As a result , a variety of carnivorous plant life that was created . The damaged hub then shut down and no longer monitors the area . The rogue plants pose a threat to the greenhouse and the Nursery both . Although they are non - intelligent , they are inimical to plant life that they do not recognize as their own species . They are very aggressive in their growth and are insinuating themselves throughout the Nursery . If they run unchecked they will take over as the dominant form of life . These plants also have a rudimentary form of locomotion , much like creeping vines , and are capable of traveling about the Nursery . Having been mistaken for food by some of the herbivorous life in the Nursery , the plants now attack animal life . They player can deal with this threat by simply eliminating the plants and their nests . The hub of the greenhouse will also need to be repaired so that it can issue the proper commands to restart proper plant growth . Harold the ghoul has made himself a home in the gardens , specifically the forest area . It seems that the Nursery took a liking to his tree and wanted a sample of it for its records . Meanwhile , Harold is trying to decide if he wants to exchange ' Fred ' for another type of vegetation . In any case , Harold is here just to talk to the player and offer advice / suggestions for dealing with various problems in the area . One thing that Harold would like is a nice little hut in the forest that he can call his own . Maybe the player can program the hub to provide him with one ? If not could he find the materials and build him one ? In return Harold can reveal information to the player that would be of great benefit to him : " Notes " : Each of the garden areas needs to be set up as small self contained worlds . I want them very detailed , as if they are an entire theme park in themselves . Scripting :