The Vault™[1] series of survival shelters[2] is a type of hardened subterranean installation designed by Vault-Tec Corporation on contract with the U.S. government to protect a selected fragment of the United States population from nuclear holocaust so that America could be repopulated. Installations built as part of the Vault-Tec Societal Preservation Program commonly claimed to have a chance to fail equal to 1,763,497 to 1; however, the reality was a far cry from this bold claim.[3]

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History Edit

The origins of the Vault network date back to the early 2050s, when the Euro-Middle Eastern War, the New Plague, and the collapse of the United Nations resulted in a nation-wide scare. In response, the government set Project Safehouse in motion in 2054. This massive national defense endeavor was intended to create shelters that would protect the population in the event of a nuclear war or plague. Breakthroughs in construction techniques allow for these gargantuan bunkers to be constructed at a rapid pace.[4] The impoverished government is forced to finance the project with junk bonds and even then, only commissions 122 of these shelters nationwide, allowing less than 0.1% of the population to save their life in the event of the holocaust.[5] The sheer costs of a single vault are staggering. The intended budget for Vault 13 was $400 billion dollars, and by the end of its construction the total costs reached $645 billion, well over 150% of the initial figure.[6] As a crucial element of national defense, much of the project was classified and protected under the New Amended Espionage Act, encouraging embezzlement and corruption.[7]

Following the success of Vault-Tec Corporation's demonstration vault built near their headquarters in Los Angeles at the time,[8] the company won the bid for constructing the shelters. The building of the shelters proceeded rapidly and most were completed by 2063. The construction of several vaults was delayed, particularly Vault 13 (which only started construction in August 2063) and the network surrounding Washington, D.C..[9] Some were delayed due to work stoppage.[10] Ongoing drills in completed shelters slowly created a "cry wolf" effect. Turnouts for the drills fell as the years went on, further limiting the vaults' role in ensuring the survival of humanity.[9]

Additional problems were caused by consistent mismanagement, corruption, and embezzlement that seemed to define Project Safehouse before the war. Yet for all these problems, Vault-Tec was able to create a number of miracle technologies and develop shelters that really protected the inhabitants, as long as they worked properly.[11] Vault-Tec even advertised vaults in newly annexed Canada, though these were in the early stages of completion.[12] Of course, it was also a tremendous success for the company, allowing it to relocate its headquarters to Washington, D.C.[8][13] and even sponsor a large exposition at the Museum of Technology in the capital, designed to promote their shelters and explain their functionality.[14] Promotional tours and awarding of prizes like the Pressed Vault Suit Award were also used to promote a positive image of the company, regardless of the numerous problems associated with it.[15]

True purpose Edit

The real problem with the vaults was that the conspiracy never intended for them to be shelters for preserving humanity.[16] After it established control over Project Safehouse, it subverted it for its own ends. Rather than act to save humanity, vaults were built to test their population as part of the Societal Preservation Program.[17][18] Of the 122 known public vaults, only 17 of the vaults were designed to work properly as control vaults.[19] The 105 other vaults were presented with a variety of scenarios, ranging from annoying to downright lethal, to gauge how humans acted in these scenarios for their own, nefarious purposes.[20] Some were not provided with enough food synthesizers for their population, others had only men in them, or were designed to open prematurely. The purpose of this experiment was to gather data for the Enclave's projects, the exact purpose of which is unknown.[21]

Additionally, Vault-Tec had its own plans for vaults, using them as test environments to create technologies that could be used to redefine society. For this purpose, an entire vault was set aside to act as proving grounds intended to test a variety of prototype devices with the aim of rolling them out through the rest of the vaults. Once Vault 88 was fully operational, the company expected to roll out new devices every fiscal quarter. Unlike other vaults, Vault-Tec would send test subjects before any disaster scenario, starting in early 2078. Human lives were considered irrelevant, with quick iteration time given a priority.[22] The prototypes were meant to convert "useless" exercise into a socially-useful activity, manipulate the moods of the dwellers, or even develop crude forms of mind control.[23] Ethical concerns were dismissed as counter-productive and close-minded.[24]

Van Buren and has not been confirmed by The following is based onand has not been confirmed by canon sources.

The Enclave, responsible for the experiment (officially known as the "Societal Preservation Program"), considered themselves prime candidates for recolonizing the world after a nuclear holocaust and to this end commissioned the construction of their own shelters, isolated from the vault network. The purpose of the vault experiments was to help prepare the Enclave for either re-colonizing Earth or colonizing another planet if Earth turned out to be uninhabitable.

Van Buren. End of information based on

The Great War Edit

On October 23, 2077, the Great War came. The Vault-Tec air raid sirens blared, but the "cry wolf" effect results in few people going into the shelters. They were sealed and the experiments entered their decisive phase. The control vaults functioned as intended and protected their populations. Others were not so lucky.[25][26]

Within the next few decades, many shelters would fail as a result of their experiments. The few that did survive would often prosper. In 2091, after receiving the all-clear signal, Vault 8 opened and Vault City was founded.[27] A year later, the demonstration vault in the ruins of Los Angeles opened. The inhabitants founded Adytum in what became known as the Boneyard.[28] Years later, Vault 15 opened.[29][30] While a large portion of the vault inhabitants that left the overcrowded vault would band into raider tribes as the winter of 2121 came (marking the beginning of the Khans, Vipers, and Jackals),[31] the remaining vault dwellers would found Shady Sands in the spring of 2122. The town used its G.E.C.K. well.[32] No one expected that these humble beginning would eventually culminate in the formation of the mighty New California Republic.[33]

There was a darker side to the vaults. As protective as they were, they would also ensure that the population within would be kept put for whatever purpose someone with less-than-ethical intentions might have for them. Such was the case in 2155, when the Master's forces captured a caravan of vault dwellers from the L.A. vault. He learned the location of the vault and moved his base of operations there. Learning of other vaults in the area, he realized their occupants were perfect subjects for his project. The super mutants began to scour the region for the vaults, boosting the output of the Mariposa vats tremendously.[34][35]

Eighty years later, vaults would serve another nefarious purpose, as the Enclave, the architects of the original experimentation program, raided Vault 13 on March 16, 2242; the inhabitants were taken to the oil rig, so that the inoculation rendering humans immune to the FEV-based toxin could be tested.[36][37]

By 2287, almost no functional vault-series shelters remain. The only known vault that continues to function in its intended capacity (at least, as far as the dwellers are concerned) is Vault 81. After two centuries of use, it is in a state of advanced disrepair in spite of the maintenance efforts by its inhabitants.[38]

Construction Edit

A typical vault is built deep underground in a geologically stable area (typical choices include mountain ranges[39] and remote areas away from population centers),[40] but such shelters have also been built below the foundations of modern cities[41] in order to survive the effects of a nuclear blast.[42] Vault-Tec's method was patented as the Triple-S Technology (Safety, Survivability and Sanitation),[43] to provide a maximum of comfort to the inhabitants without compromising their safety. Vaults were typically built using reinforced concrete and solid metal sheeting to ensure durability and longevity of the shelter construction.[44] The primary protection came in the sheer amount of earth covering: Vault 13 was shielded by 3 200 000 tons of soil, at 200 feet (60m) of thickness,[6] while Vault 88 was sheltered by granite deposits common to Quincy.[45]

The entrance was controlled by a vault blast door and an airlock.[46] The vault doors had a projected 2% failure rate in case of a direct hit by a nuclear missile.[47] The only shelter hit by a nuclear weapon is Vault 87 and the blast damaged the door beyond repair.[48] Some featured additional protective measures, such as an additional external blast door and reinforced access corridor, like Vault 8, or were accessed vertically through an elevator inside a protective dome that caused to blast wave to sweep over the dome and leave the vault door intact, as is the case with Vault 111. Regardless of the presence of these measures, all entry points into a shelter were overpressurized to keep contaminants out.[49]

The precise method of constructing vaults evolved greatly as Vault-Tec accumulated experience in constructing these vast underground shelters. The first shelters were built using contemporary technologies, combining prefabricated elements with poured concrete and modular machines and electronics.[50] The demonstration vault built in Los Angeles set the standard for this first generation of vaults built in California, which used the same kind of technology used for military and industrial construction, such as nuclear reactors, military bunkers, or corporate research facilities.[51] Vault-Tec quickly started implementing its own, purpose-built technologies. Vaults started becoming more and more modular, using entire prefabricated sections built to spec on the factory floor and assembled on site. Many second-generation shelters exhibited a combination of both old and new technologies, with the only fully next-generation vaults built on the East Coast, in Boston and Appalachia.[52] These were built entirely using prefabricated sections complete with all the necessary infrastructure, fixtures, and fittings, greatly reducing construction times.[53]

By 2077, Vault-Tec could rapidly construct vaults, especially in areas where natural or artificial features such as stable cave networks or underground tunnels permitted it. For example, the stability of Quincy's granite quarries and the ground allowed extensive excavation operations, creating a network of natural and artificial caves. After reinforcement, these caves were connected to a temporary railroad that rapidly delivered all the necessary prefabricates, construction equipment, and other necessities.[54]

Infrastructure Edit

In order to power the entire installation, vaults were provided with a variety of power sources, depending on local geology and the actual size of the vault (with the average being approximately 220 dwellers).[55] The largest of them, like Vault 13, required nearly 3.98 MWh/day for continued operations for its 1000 occupants (housed in a hot-bunking system). In order to meet the demand, the shelter used a geothermal power plant as a primary source, with General Atomics nuclear power as backup.[6] Infrastructure is designed for durability, but also for convenience. Critical elements are usually hidden behind wall panels so as to keep them out of harm's way.

The usual go-to solution was geothermal power, in areas where it was practical. If not, the usual fallback option was the aforementioned General Atomics nuclear power plant, often used as the primary power source due to its reliability and scalability. Concrete, steel reinforcements, and SimuSun lighting were also utilized. Vaults can hold double the number of occupants under a hot bunking system. Vaults are known to use the systems listed below.

All of that power was necessary to power the facilities necessary to sustain the people living within. Apart from air filtration systems required to keep the air breathable, vaults also included hydro-agricultural farms and food synthesizers to provide sustenance,[69] water purification systems (able to take even sewer waste and convert it into up to 15,000 gallons of drinkable water each day with no loss of output for 250,000 hours of operation),[70] and other necessary amenities, like a vault-wide intranet allowing instant access to any entertainment, social, and educational files from any terminal in the vault.[71] Vaults were also equipped with incinerators for disposal of the dead and likely other waste products.[72] Security was provided by heavy duty doors (which could be sealed by security in case of disturbances) and an extensive network of Eye-On-You surveillance cameras.[73] The entire vault was typically managed by a single, centralized computer system, the most advanced of which is the ZAX series of supercomputers, currently known to have only been used in Vault 51.[74] The most common brands were Brainpower and Think Machine.[75][6]

All of the systems were reported to function without failure for nearly 900 years, though the uneven quality of components would prove this claim untrue.[76] For example, the water chips were manufactured by a low-bid contractor, resulting in poor quality and a high failure rate. Such was the case with Vault 13 in 2161, exacerbated by the fact that the process was too complicated for a workaround system.[77] For the resettlement of the surface, the shelters were provided with complete construction equipment[6] and preselected installations received one or two G.E.C.K.s, intended to help the inhabitants create a viable civilization in the post-nuclear world after the "all clear" signal is sent.[78][79]

Vault dwellers Edit

The total number of inhabitants could be as high as 500 (1000 with hot bunking)[80] in installations like Vault 13[6] and Vault 76[19] and as low as 100.[66] As the government only commissioned 122 vaults as part of Project Safehouse, only a fraction of the 400 million U.S. citizens would actually be accepted into the vaults.[5] The duration of stay varied. Some shelters were only intended to stay sealed for ten years (Vault 13, though this directive was overridden),[81] while others were designed for 38 years and more, like Vault 108.[10]

It is important to reiterate that the Enclave never intended for the vaults to save anyone. They used Project Safehouse and the Vault-Tec Corporation's network of shelters for a grand social experiment, to test the occupants in unique circumstances.[69] The Enclave eventually abandoned their goal of settling on another planet and decided to resettle the one they already had. Vault monitoring and research continued as the Vault Behavioral Project. In order to monitor the populations being experimented upon, the Enclave's oil rig possessed a great deal of equipment that allowed them to observe and control the vaults. For example, the Enclave sent the all clear signal to Vault 8 shortly after the war, prompting them to leave the shelter and build their city. These monitoring tools also let the Enclave see that the population of Vault 13 was largely intact, although this wouldn't become important until much later.[82][83]

Pre-selected segments of the population accepted into Vault-Tec's shelters would enjoy a very high quality of life, though it would be completely different from the free market capitalist consumerism experienced on the surface - a planned socialist utopia underground (giving China the last laugh). As a closed system, the vaults were designed to recycle and reuse[84][85] as much as possible and implement a completely planned economy that would maintain the system for the planned duration of the vault. Every inhabitant would be registered with a unique 11 digit vault identification number (or VID)[86] and provided with clothing, bedding, and other accommodations necessary for their life within the vault.[87]

The only exception was food and water, as these could only be procured with the proper ration coupons (at least in some vaults).[88] Luxury, non-essential goods were available for purchase in exchange for work credits, a form of currency earned through performing work for the vault. The aforementioned ration coupons would sometimes also be used as a form of currency.[89] Nourishment would be provided by a combination of food grown in hydroponic farms, like in Vault 13, or food synthesizers, capable of creating a variety of foodstuffs. Water would be provided by purifying liquid drawn from the local water table.[6]

It is important to note that vault dwellers would be unable to use their own clothing in the long term. While dwellers could arrange to have their belongings sent to their quarters in advance, there was a strict policy disallowing bringing baggage along in case of an emergency entrance.[87] The uniform vault jumpsuit would replace regular clothes. Manufactured inside the vault, it was designed for utility and comfort. Enterprising dwellers could, however, customize theirs to add a bit of individuality to the generally conformist design.[90] Planning and conformity also extended to other areas. For example, trash disposal would only be permitted in designated receptacles on pre-set trash burning days. These receptacles would also be used for the disposal of corpses, as there was no space for proper burial in the confined environment of the vault.[91] Children would also be assigned their first work duties starting with the day after their tenth birthday [92]

In exchange for these sacrifices in lifestyle, dwellers would receive private quarters provided with the latest in home appliances, including Floorsuck Autocleaner Systems to minimize sweeping,[93] Culinator 3000 Kitchen Systems for cooking,[94] and access to complete libraries of social and entertainment files[6] together with the public Entertainotron room.[95] A standardized education would be received by all vault dwellers, including schooling in arithmetic, chemistry, biology, history, and other sciences.[96] Tertiary education would also be provided and vault-trained specialists would be highly sought after the apocalypse and count on a stable career in their chosen field, like Doc Mitchell from Vault 21, who opened a practice in Goodsprings after the vault was opened.[97]

Their health would be assured by well-educated doctors with access to the latest in medical technologies. Auto-Docs capable of performing a broad variety of procedures and manufacturing medical drugs[98] were the standard issue of the Emergency Medical Labs (which were equipped well enough to rival clinics).[99] Some vaults were also equipped with facilities for cloning replacement tissue and organs.[100] To avoid the development of medical problems, shelters were lit using a Simu-Sun lighting system simulating natural sunlight.[101] It was estimated that living in a properly maintained vault would result in an average lifespan of 92.3 years.[102] Of course, prolonged isolation, even in generations born after entry, took its toll. Vault depressive syndrome was a common problem, manifesting as intense depression that could be debilitating. The usual recourse was to prescribe and treat it with anti-anxiety medication.[103] Furthermore, those who exited successful vaults seem to have a heightened chance of suffering from xenophobia (fear of strangers) and/or agoraphobia (fear of open places).[104]

Security inside the vault was provided by its dedicated security force, usually hand-picked by the overseer. A typical vault was provided with enough firearms and armor to arm ten men.[6] Surface monitors and communications systems were designed to facilitate connecting with other vaults,[6] though this functionality was either never implemented or failed soon afterwards.[81][105]

Layout Edit

Due to the nature of the project, vaults were provided with standardized facilities and layouts. Some vaults were built according to a uniform design plan (like Vaults 8, 12, 13, and 15), while others had to be adapted to local geological features. The following section attempts to summarize the most common design features.

Common schematic of Vault design used in mountainous areas.

1 - Natural bedrock

2 - Reinforced concrete that creates the outer shell of a Vault

3 - Entrance area

4 - Living quarters

5 - Command center

Entrance Edit

A vault was designed to provide the best possible protection from nuclear fallout, indirect blast effects, and any unrest that might occur following a global thermonuclear war. Protected by a massive vault blast door available in several different variants, from the basic Seal-N-Safe Model No. 343,[106] through fortified doors, all the way to the high tech fortified vault entrances, the entrance area would double as an overpressurized airlock. There future dwellers would undergo decontamination and processing by Vault-Tec personnel, then change into vault jumpsuits provided in sealed packages before entering the vault.[107] Vault doors would be operated either remotely[108] or from control pods located near the door (both outside and inside the vault). Specific access codes would be necessary to operate the door.[109] Some vaults were provided with an external blast door, providing additional protection against the blast.[110]

Several layouts were developed for entrance areas. The earliest designs, derived from the demonstration vault,[111] had a simple airlock, terminating in a security door fitted with additional armored plating to deter attackers and protect against radiation. This airlock would typically contain a status terminal and a locker for emergency supplies.[112]

Later, more advanced layouts greatly expanded the airlock into a fully-featured processing and decontamination station. Advanced vault doors and airlocks would funnel prospective vault dwellers into a decontamination shower and then to a separate area for disrobing and changing into jumpsuits (which would later double as a staging area for excursions), before allowing them to enter the shelter. A separate room to the side would be used for monitoring purposes.[113]

The latest, fortified airlocks seen only in high-tech areas such as the Commonwealth further iterate on the system. The entry door connects to a retractable catwalk leading into the vault, monitored by security officers and staff during processing. The entrance area, painted in warm colors with a reassuring corporate slogan prominently displayed (Welcome Home), would typically include a security station and an array of radiation scanners that would analyze people entering the vault proper.[114]

Advanced vault door

Fortified vault door and airlock

Living quarters Edit

Living quarters were typically located deeper into the vault and their design varied by the installation. A standard level had 20,000 square feet of usable area.[115][116] The standard approach was to provide discrete apartments to vault couples, provided with a private sanitary compartment, terminal, and a bed, on top of any additional amenities they may require.[117]

Different philosophies were implemented depending on the designer and the intended purpose. Some did away with apartments in favor of separate dormitories for genders,[118] where multiple dwellers would occupy the same room, or for apartment blocks composed of a bedroom (with one or two beds, the former typically utilized under hot bunking) and living space, with common lavatories accessible in the corridors.[119] Other facilities typically located in living quarters include diners, classrooms, and even cigar lounges.[119]

Emergency medical lab Edit

Typically found on the entrance level, the EML is one of the most important places in the shelter. Despite its name, a typical EML is a fully-featured medical clinic allowing dwellers to undergo medical procedures in a safe and sterile environment. A medic is expected to be present on site 24 hours a day, to respond to any emergencies immediately.[120] The EML typically varies in size between vaults. Some installations abandon the moniker entirely and simply refer to it as the clinic.

Command center Edit

The command center is the nexus of vault activity, where all the computers necessary to maintain the vault's various functions. Centered around the overseer's office, it typically incorporates the security station, armory, computer core, meeting room, and library, although many variations of the layout have been developed.[121]

The oldest vault designs usually dedicated an entire floor of the vault for these purposes, owing to the multiple functions it was supposed to fulfill. One wing of the level would incorporate the overseer's office, a vaulted chamber with a command post equipped with a pair of CZ-53 5mm miniguns designed to defend the overseer, connected to the main processing computers (including the water purification controls)[122] and the security post with the vault's main armory. A vault security guard would be posted in the area on watch around the clock.[123]

Later designs would forgo the inclusion of a discrete command post and hall, in favor of a more modest office. The workplace of the overseer would typically be located in an area overlooking the atrium - the center of activity within the vault, where dwellers would spend their leisure time, socialize, and even engage in sports.[124] The office would typically connect to necessary administrative and security facilities, such as the computer core, security station and armory, laboratories and the personal quarters of the overseer and their family.[125]

Differences Edit

Appearances Edit

Behind the scenes Edit

“ We (Jason, Tim and I) were the ones who came up with that idea when we were designing the story for FO2, and we liked how they added another layer to the dichotomy between the reality the government was selling the people through propaganda and reality itself. So we obviously approved of it as an idea. The ones we designed all had a dark edge to them, as if they could conceivably be twisted psychological experiments. The wacky ones came after we had left...​ ” Leonard Boyarsky, RPG Codex interview

The vault experiment was an idea created by Tim Cain and Leonard Boyarsky during the initial stages of Fallout 2 development. [20] [126]

development. The developers intended for the player to first encounter information about the vault experiment as they read the Vault 8 records in Fallout 2 . They could discover a classified file (opened with a successful Science skill roll) explaining the purpose of Vault 8 was to be a "control Vault," designed to hold 1000 people and open at a designated time. This file was intended to foreshadow the discovery of the true and sinister purpose of the vaults.

. They could discover a classified file (opened with a successful Science skill roll) explaining the purpose of Vault 8 was to be a "control Vault," designed to hold 1000 people and open at a designated time. This file was intended to foreshadow the discovery of the true and sinister purpose of the vaults. In Fallout, the player character was intended to apply their Science skill to the central computer in Vault 13 to obtain a history of Vault 13, the overseer's involvement in the Vault Dweller's expulsion, and even worse, the true purposes of the vaults. The overseer was conscious of the true purpose of the vaults as social experiments on a grand scale, and consequently drove out the Vault Dweller because of fear they would ruin the experiment or uncover it.[127]

Gallery Edit

References Edit