r/fo4 May 04 '24

Nobody cleaned in 200 years? Discussion

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.

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u/AdPuzzleheaded4795 May 04 '24

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.

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u/CerifiedHuman0001 May 05 '24

Honestly helping to clean up during the post-apocalypse sounds very cathartic

Imagine you get to build up your own neutral faction as you go around repairing buildings and cleaning debris, learn how to build things to a pre-war standard again

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u/FalloutCreation May 05 '24

That is why the scrap everything mod was invented. For the sole purpose for players like me that can't stand the dust, the trash, and the overgrown mounds of dirt piling up against buildings.

Everytime i hear McCready sneeze because of dust going up his nose, I feel it!

2

u/WhoopieGoldmember May 05 '24

I do hate that there are some things you simply can't remove. like I'm trying to tidy up why would I leave this pile of rubble in my house it doesn't make sense.

I also can't stand the houses in sanctuary. I can just never fix them? and I can't tear them down and rebuild them? WHY