Earth Protection Agency

	The following is based on Fallout 2 cut content.

Earth Protection Agency was an early version of the EPA location, drafted by Jason Suinn. The draft was rejected and the location reworked by Chris Avellone, though neither location was ultimately implemented in the game. The EPA design document with both drafts was later published in Fallout Bible 6.

Background[]

The Earth Protection Agency (a pun on the Environmental Protection Agency) was an old industrial site operated before the Great War by an industrial waste management company handling the highly toxic waste byproducts of American industry giants. Although the waste was safely stored over the years, lack of maintenance and general deterioration in the wake of the nuclear holocaust caused the storage containers to leak, forming a huge lake of toxic sludge. Combined with radiation and FEV released into the environment due to the War, the lake became a catalyst for unique and unpleasant mutations. However, it is also repulsive to living creatures, making it safe if left alone.^{[Non-game 1]}

Problems started when a self-proclaimed "Doctor" discovered the lake and its unique properties. Combining scientific curiosity with a mean sadistic streak, he resolved to use the lake to experiment on living creatures and release them upon the world.^{[Non-game 1]}

Layout[]

The area was divided into two areas, the toxic lake and the workshop. The lake was a large glowing lake surrounded by extreme amounts of barrels containing toxic waste, with a lot of radiation. The area was slated to recycle existing art, with options for some custom scenery.^{[Non-game 1]}

The workshop itself was a converted warehouse with cells holding the Doctor's experiments (including centaurs, floaters, deathclaws, and human beings), examination tables, and of course the Doctor himself. The player would have been able to talk to the Doctor without him becoming hostile, learning that he's responsible for the aforementioned horrors in the area.^{[Non-game 1]}

As the area was only drafted, it was not determined how it would tie in with the overarching story or the world. Some of the seeds suggested by Suinn included:

• Tying him to New Reno, as a source of experimental drugs made using chemicals found in the toxic waste barrels. The idea was for the player to be able to experiment with the drugs on their character, causing various addictions (eg. to iguana-on-a-stick), altering stats, Easter Eggs, and more. The player would have also been able to buy drugs at competitive rates, though risking them being tainted.^{[Non-game 1]}
• Tricking the player character into finding an item for the Doctor, which leads to a gauntlet through a maze where his creations roam free.^{[Non-game 1]}
• Unleashing the victims of the Doctor on him by opening the cells.^{[Non-game 1]} Alternatively, trick the player into opening cages full of humans. One would release grateful villagers, the other the Doctor's troops, looking exactly the same, though exceptionally strong, fast, and aggressive. Suinn likened them to "temple crazies" from the 1982 The Beastmaster.^{[Non-game 1]}

Appearances[]

EPA was cut from Fallout 2.

References[]

Non-game