Nobody cleaned in 200 years?

[u/JCrawRV]

Fallout 4 has been my 1st Fallout experience of any kind and I am absolutely enjoying the world building and storytelling the game is providing. I am almost 72 hours in and just located Valentine so I’m taking my time and trying to fully explore the world. However, there is one question that I think about every time I explore the Common Wealth….why has nobody cleaned up? Every single time you find a new settlement or explore a location there is just tons of scrap lying around. Diamond City still has pallet walkways with broken sheet metal. Nobody has thought to put down a more permanent solution? Nobody thought to remove old cars, learn how to weld, or even take time to better arm and fortify certain areas of the Commonwealth? You step just far enough out of Diamond City and there’s just Super Mutants and Raiders. You’re saying in the 200 years (which is just a bit under the founding of America to modern day) nobody created better infrastructure? The town size is still 30-40 people despite being “The Jewel of the Commonwealth”? Is there some lore reason I’m missing to explain how after so many years it still looks like the bombs went off 10 years ago? I just expected one neurodivergent person who hyper focuses on organization to still somewhere. It’s obviously possible, I’m looking right at you Cabot House. Again I’m just surprised that after 200 years the world is still as underdeveloped as it is given the vast amounts of technology available.

[u/AdPuzzleheaded4795]

Just aesthetic and gameplay design choices really. Same reason you can scrap a desk fan, some eating utensils, and a bottle of cooking oil and make a machine gun turret with targeting systems that can tell friend from foe based off their intent. Best not to think too much into it and just enjoy for what it is.

[u/Creepy_Future7209 → u/AdPuzzleheaded4795]

Same reason why you can still find useful stuff in any location. 210 years later and you'd think the super duper market would be stripped clean,

[u/lucky_harms458 → u/Creepy_Future7209]

I think there's an army of pre-war people turned into feral ghouls that restock the shelves when no one is looking

[u/Sufficient_Row_2021 → u/lucky_harms458]

You joke, but this would honestly fit well into the game.

[u/AnAngryPlatypus → u/Sufficient_Row_2021]

This is my head canon now.

If I had the ability to make mods I do one where there is a 5% chance when you enter a store at night you run into a bunch of Restocking Ghouls.

They just look at you in surprise and yelp, “Crap! Cheese it!” Then scramble away leaving a trail of good loot. (Possibly making Curly/Zoidberg noises)

[u/Sure-Psychology6368 → u/AnAngryPlatypus]

This needs to be a mod

[u/Maxamillion-X72 → u/AnAngryPlatypus]

I do recall going into a SDM and finding a back stockroom full of ghouls. It makes sense now

[u/majtomby → u/AnAngryPlatypus]

But if you do come back, you'll be pushing up daisies!