Novac is a location in the Mojave Wasteland in Fallout: New Vegas. It also appears in season 2 of the Fallout TV series, as well as Fallout Shelter.
Background
Before the Great War, this town was once just a small stopover point along Highway 95 for travelers looking for a restroom, a refueling station, or an overnight stay (courtesy of the Dino Dee-lite Motel). Dinky the T-Rex and the "World's 2nd Largest Thermometer" served as a novelty roadside attraction, with a gift shop inside the dinosaur statue for any tourists attracted to the site.[Non-game 2][Non-game 3]
After the Great War, the motel and surrounding area was resettled and Novac was founded, taking its name from the broken sign by the motel entrance.[3][Non-game 2] The Ghoul claims to have passed through the town in or around 2271 and bought a soda from a woman named Darla, remembering it as a "pleasant" place.[4] By 2281, the town is protected by two First Recon veteran sharpshooters, Craig Boone and Manny Vargas; working in shifts day and night, they utilize the Dinky the T-Rex statue, specifically a balcony situated inside its mouth, as a sniper's nest to eliminate any threats at long range.[Non-game 2] Andy, a former member of the New California Republic Rangers has stationed himself in the town to aid in its protection, following injuries he sustained that have forced his early retirement.[Non-game 2]
2281 traffic and commerce
In terms of commerce, Novac's proximity to the REPCONN test site and the sizable supply of salvage found there allows the town to maintain a stable trading outfit.[5] Recent developments in 2281, such as the growing threat of Caesar's Legion from Nelson to the east as well as the arrival of the Bright Brotherhood and increased activity from feral ghouls that block the road to REPCONN, have caused concern that this might threaten the town's livelihood.[5][6]
By late October of that year, the shutdown of the parallel-running Interstate 15 due to threats of deathclaws and Powder Gangers resulted in caravan traffic being diverted along Highway 95, providing the town with additional traffic, including traders, threats, and allies alike.[7] In terms of allies, the residents of Novac, though appreciative of the extra protection afforded by the New California Republic moving into the region, remain distrusting of outsiders.[Non-game 2]
Khan occupation
Sometime after the Second Battle of Hoover Dam, the town was taken over by a group of Great Khans led by a man named Nick the Prick, who fully occupied the motel as of 2296. What is shown of Novac indicates it fell into a worse state compared to 2281, with buildings, including the Dino Dee-lite Motel, appearing dilapidated; the Great Khans also plastered their graffiti and flags with their symbol throughout the area. No explanation is given of the original inhabitants' fate nor whether the Great Khans were the ones ultimately responsible.
In 2296, as Lucy MacLean and the Ghoul trekked across the Mojave, they discovered the town and its new occupants. Needing supplies to continue their journey, the Ghoul devised a plan to have Lucy hand him over to the Great Khans and collect the long-standing bounty of caps on his head, then rescue him and deal with the raiders. Once they captured the bounty hunter, the Great Khans tried to execute him via hanging on a makeshift gallows in the motel swimming pool, saying it was revenge for the Ghoul "tormenting" them for years.[8] Though the Ghoul gave his partner the signal to free him, Lucy tried to avoid killing them and instead negotiate the situation peacefully but failed to secure his release. She shot off the Ghoul's noose and together, they slaughtered the Khans one by one despite Lucy's attempts to deal non-fatal shots and the Ghoul going for the lethal option at every chance. After collecting the supplies, they departed from the now-abandoned Novac with Dogmeat.[9]
Layout
Fallout: New Vegas
Situated south of the Gibson scrap yard and north of the Viper's encampment along Highway 95, Novac consists of a residential area with several houses, including Jeannie May Crawford's house, the McBride house, No-Bark Noonen's shack, and a generic house where Novac settlers reside. There are three bungalows inside the motel compound as well, with the middle one belonging to Ranger Andy and the southernmmost one to Cliff Briscoe, while the third is inaccessible. The landmark that Novac is famous for, Dinky the T-Rex, contains the Dino Bite gift shop and sits to the south of the bungalows.
The main fixture of Novac is the Dino Dee-lite Motel, consisting of seven accessible motel rooms and the front desk, where the proprietor, Jeannie May Crawford spends the majority of the day. The Courier can rent one of the motel rooms from her for 100 caps; alternatively, if they have an Accepted or higher reputation with Novac, she will give it to them for free. If Jeannie May is killed (either independently or as part of One for My Baby), then Cliff Briscoe will give them the room key.
The motel room given to the player character is located up the stairs on the immediate left after entering the motel compound. The room selection consists of two inaccessible rooms as well as Manny Vargas' room, Boone's room, Daisy Whitman's room and Bruce Isaac's room.
Across the street from the motel is a gas station with a workbench and a reloading bench, one of two places where Dr. Ada Strauss serves as a merchant, the other being down the road near the McBride's. In and around the gas station are several REPCONN rockets, including the V29-321G, R77-293A and Z43-521P models.
The closest campfire to the town is located to the northwest, in a cave past a water tower and radio tower. There are two graves accessible with a shovel beside one of the residences that run parallel to the motel's main building, as well as a kitchen tent that traveling merchants rest in front of. As with all graves, walking near them will trigger faint, ghostly whispering. Near the gravesite is a shanty that contains a usable workbench and some crafting materials on a shelf.
Fallout (TV series)
The layout of the town is different, with Dinky the T-Rex facing towards the motel instead of away from it. The motel itself is slightly larger, with a pool near the front, and without the bungalows. The gas station adjacent to the motel is absent, replaced by a house. The surrounding area also appears more flat and open, with a few houses not far away behind the motel
Buildings
Inhabitants
Notable loot
- D.C. Journal of Internal Medicine - Can be stolen from the bed in Ranger Andy's bungalow.
- That Gun - Inside the Dino Bite gift shop, within a locked closet behind the rocket souvenirs on a metal shelf. The closet key can also be bought from Cliff Briscoe.
- Two Sunset Sarsaparilla star bottle caps - One in the kitchen of a house northeast of Jeannie May Crawford's house. The bottle cap is in the kitchen, on the table to the left of the entrance. The second can be stolen from Daisy Whitman's room, on the table with the television set.
- Bill of sale - In the Easy-locked safe behind the Dino Dee-lite front desk. Can be picked or opened with a key held by Jeannie May Crawford.
- 1st Recon beret - Given by Boone after completing One for My Baby by finding the correct culprit.
- A bottlecap mine - Inside of the crafting shanty.
Paciencia - Sold by Cliff Briscoe.- MF Hyperbreeder Alpha - Sold by Cliff Briscoe.
Related quests
Fallout: New Vegas
Fallout Shelter
Endings
Narrated by Jeannie May Crawford
|
# |
Slide | Voice-over narration | In-game condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Despite their vigilance against potential attacks by the Legion, the citizens of Novac were no match for the Courier. The motel and Dinky the Dinosaur were left vacant, a rare stop at best for travelers along Highway 95. |
Kill the People of Novac. |
| 2 |  |
Though Novac was a low-priority target for the Legion, many of Novac's citizens died in its defense. In the weeks that followed, feral ghouls, overflowing from the REPCONN test site, ravaged the weakened town. |
Do not complete Come Fly With Me. |
| 3 |  |
Though Novac was a low-priority target for the Legion, many of Novac's citizens died in its defense. With no other communities coming to its defense, Novac would eventually fall to the Legion's persistent attacks. |
Fail Come Fly With Me by killing Jason Bright and all of the Bright Followers. |
| 4 | |
Though Novac was a low-priority target for the Legion, many of Novac's citizens died in its defense. In the weeks that followed, several Bright Followers returned to Novac to help restore its defenses, allowing it to remain independent of the NCR. |
Complete Come Fly With Me, complete any endgame quest except Veni, Vidi, Vici. |
| 5 | |
During the Legion's attack on Novac, Bright Followers, returning from their long pilgrimage, assisted in its evacuation. Though Novac eventually fell to the Legion, many citizens of Novac were able to escape, alive and intact. |
Complete Come Fly With Me by improving the navigation of the rockets, complete the endgame quest Veni, Vidi, Vici for Caesar's Legion. |
| 6 | |
While the destruction of the REPCONN rockets appeared to be a boon to the salvagers of Novac, the benefit would never be realized. Radioactive fuel from the wrecked ships seeped out and contaminated the area. Salvagers were forced to move on, and the town was abandoned. |
Complete Come Fly With Me by sabotaging the rockets. |
Notes
- There is a poster for the Museum of Technology in Bruce Isaac's room.
- The crafting supplies at the gas station are marked as "owned" and will incur Karma loss.
- If one heads east of Novac, an unnamed raider can be found dead near a destroyed car by the toxic dump site. This is a random spawn and may not always occur. This is the only character simply named "raider" in-game. A pair of dead recruit legionaires may also be found in the vicinity.
- If brought to the town, Cass states that when she first saw Novac from a distance, she thought Dinky the T-Rex was a giant gecko.[10][11]
- The body of whoever is chosen to be killed by Boone during One for My Baby will take several days to disappear.
- The soundtrack played while on the premises is "What Remains" by Inon Zur, reused from Fallout 3.
- The empty fenced-in area next to the mess tent is in a world cell labeled
NovacDiner.
Appearances
Novac appears in Fallout: New Vegas, the Fallout TV series, and Fallout Shelter.
Behind the scenes
- The thermometer included as part of the Dinky the T-Rex statue in-game is similar in appearance to the "World's Tallest Thermometer" in Baker, California, marking the real-world record for the hottest recorded temperature of 134 F (57 C) measured there in 1913. The in-game thermometer is described as "World's 2nd Largest Thermometer" in comparison.[Non-game 4] Baker, CA would later be used by the TV show as a filming location for scenes set in Novac.[Non-game 5][Non-game 6]
- The in-game Dinky the T-Rex closely resembles the real-world Tex the T-Rex, located at the Shan-Gri-La Prehistoric Park and Museum in Henderson, Nevada.[Non-game 7] It also closely resembles the real-world Mr. Rex, one of two large biomorphic buildings designed and constructed by sculptor Claude K. Bell in Cabazon, California. The name Dinky refers to Mr. Rex's counterpart "Dinny," although the real-world Dinny (pronounced Diney) is a Brontosaurus as opposed to a Tyrannosaurus rex. The Cabazon dinosaurs were famously featured in the 1985 film Pee-wee's Big Adventure.
- Joshua Sawyer confirmed that the Cabazon dinosaurs were one of the inspirations (although not the only) for Dinky, as he had previously stopped and stayed in Cabazon.[Non-game 8]
- According to Joshua Sawyer, Novac was the first location that the team developed for the game, believing it was better to build tutorials around areas that were not able to be destroyed in-game.[Non-game 9][Non-game 10]
- At one point during development, the entire town of Novac, including all of its male and female characters, had temporary voiceover provided by developer Jason Fader.[Non-game 11]
Bugs
If you push Manny Vargas or Boone onto the teeth of the dinosaur and then do a Ranger Takedown on him, he will fall off of the dinosaur, and then fly back up.[verified]- After the 1.6 patch, sections of the motel will not load properly, leaving working doors hanging in empty space.[Non-game 12][verified]
- Items stored in the player character's hotel room, in the wardrobe and footlocker, etc., can be lost with the original junk contents replacing them.[verified]
- The road to the REPCONN test site (if traveling from Novac) seems to have poor textures. Only on a small amount of the road, and there appears to be no way to fix this. [verified]
Gallery
Fallout: New Vegas
Fallout TV series
Fallout Shelter
Magic: The Gathering
References
- ↑ Fallout: New Vegas endings, Novac: "Though Novac was a low-priority target for the Legion, many of Novac's citizens died in its defense. In the weeks that followed, several Bright Followers returned to Novac to help restore its defenses, allowing it to remain independent of the NCR."
- ↑ Fallout: New Vegas endings, Novac: "During the Legion's attack on Novac, Bright Followers, returning from their long pilgrimage, assisted in its evacuation. Though Novac eventually fell to the Legion, many citizens of Novac were able to escape, alive and intact."
- ↑ Cass: "Named this place after the hotel. NoVac's the hotel, not the lizard."
(Cass' dialogue) - ↑ Fallout TV series, Season 2, Episode 1: "The Innovator"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 The Courier: "What do you need?"
Manny Vargas: "Novac, it's home for me now. I want that to be for good. I like it here, and I've left too many homes behind. But the only resource we got here is junk. Without that, people wouldn't have anything to trade. They'd all have to leave. We get most of it up the road from the old rocket test site. But a bunch of ghouls showed up one day and took it over. We can't get in there now."
(Manny Vargas' dialogue) - ↑ Fallout: New Vegas endings, Novac: "While the destruction of the REPCONN rockets appeared to be a boon to the salvagers of Novac, the benefit would never be realized. Radioactive fuel from the wrecked ships seeped out and contaminated the area. Salvagers were forced to move on, and the town was abandoned." Complete Come Fly With Me by sabotaging the rockets.
- ↑ The Courier: "I just wanted to meet you."
Alice McBride: "Oh! Well I'm Alice and that handsome stranger yonder is my husband Dusty. Going on fifty years, now. I keep waiting for him to leave me for some young thing with platinum blonde hair and hoop earrings, but he still sticks around. Says it's my cooking. I think it's because I know which Brahmin udder you can milk without getting kicked in the noggin. We set up this ranch years back when Novac was just getting settled. But now with all the danger on I-15, folks are starting to come through here from all over. Novac might just be the next Nevada boom town."
(Alice McBride's dialogue) - ↑ Fallout TV series, Season 2, Episode 1: "The Innovator"
Nick the Prick: "Khans! I got something real exciting for you today. This asshole has been tormentin' us Khans since before your granddaddies were born. And today! Some little bounty hunter put him right in our fuckin' laps. So, now we settle the score! How do you feel about that?" - ↑ Fallout TV series, Season 2, Episode 1: "The Innovator"
- ↑ Cass: "Can see Dinky for miles, good landmark."
(Cass' dialogue) - ↑ Cass: "First saw this place, thought the giant gecko was real. Read a book that giant lizards walked the earth like this one - might be a gecko this size."
(Cass' dialogue)
Non-game
- ↑ Royal Flush p. 199
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide Collector's Edition pp. 410-412: "[5.18] Novac
Before the war, this community was a small hamlet built as a refueling and restroom break along Highway 95, with extra tourists coaxed in to gaze at the settlement's main attraction: Dinky, a huge metal dinosaur biting 'The World's (2nd) Largest Thermometer!' Some of the locals are friendly folk, though most are distrusting of outsiders. They appreciate the protection of the NCR, but are afraid of what's going on at the REPCONN Test Site to the west. The local law, Ranger Andy, is unable to investigate due to an injury, and periodic intrusions by Ghouls and the odd Viper from the hideout down the road."
(Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide Collector's Edition Tour of the Mojave Wasteland) - ↑ Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide Collector's Edition p.43: "Novac
The faded and cracked concrete and peeling buildings give the impression of depression: indeed, Novac is little more than a lonely desert highway motel with multiple buildings that have been fortified for the post-apocalyptic protection of its inhabitable. Watching over them is the landmark of the area: a giant fabricated tyrannosaurus rex biting off the top of 'The World's 2nd Largest Thermometer'. The interior of 'Dinky' also serves as the city center (a converted gift shop from pre-war times, with a sniper's nest in Dinky's mouth). Dinky is the 'attraction' that drew in tourists. Some of the locals are friendly folk, though most aren't trusting of outsiders. They appreciate the protection of NCR, but are afraid of what's going on at the REPCONN Test Site rocket plant up the road. The local law, Ranger Andy, is unable to investigate due to an injury."
(Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide faction profiles) - ↑ Baker, California's World's Tallest Thermometer
- ↑ @FilmsFallout on Twitter: "Possible (very likely) Fallout season 2 filming location!
"i was driving by baker omw to vegas and saw this in a abandoned motel in the town, im very very certain this is some fallout season 2 filming, especially with the very clearly novac sign"
From DMs
Thanks for the info and photos!" - ↑ Dinky The T-Rex Head prop
- ↑ Henderson, Nevada's Shan-Gri-La Prehistoric Park and Museum
- ↑ Fallout: New Vegas 10th Anniversary Charity Stream Part 2 (reference starts at 20:11)
Joshua Sawyer: "This is my Cabazon shirt for the Wheel Inn. Rest in peace. Cabazon is the home of the dinosaurs and was one of the inspirations for Dinky in Novac, which is where we stopped. It is the place from Pee-wee."
(Transcript) - ↑ Question: "For the planned Legion territories, why were they cut from the main game?"
Joshua Sawyer: "Time. Re-scoping the size of worldspaces can be very problematic, so we developed areas essentially in a loose radial pattern, working out from Novac (the first area we developed). Because the Legion camps were on the other side of the Colorado River, they were scheduled for late development because the natural barrier presented by the river meant that cutting off access would be relatively easy. Unfortunately, that's what we wound up doing."
(Joshua Sawyer Formspring posts/2011) - ↑ Process for Developing Locations and Characters in Fallout: New Vegas (4:50)
- ↑ Interview w/Chris Avellone, Jason Fader, and other Fallout: New Vegas devs (6:27)
- ↑ Motel load section bug
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