James
From The Vault
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James (2226-2277) is 51 years old and a resident of the ruins of Washington, DC in the Capital Wasteland. He is a widower and father of the child later known to the Capital Wasteland's residents as the Lone Wanderer. James is the project leader and chief scientist of Project Purity and also the vault physician of Vault 101.
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[edit] Background
James was the chief scientist and project leader of Project Purity, an ambitious private project intended to cleanse all of the radioactivity from the water of the Potomac River that fed the entire Capital Wasteland. However, when his wife, Catherine, died during giving birth to the Lone Wanderer he gave up on the project over the grief of losing his wife. He then later asked for entry for himself and his child into Vault 101 in return for becoming the Vault's new physician, and the Vault Overseer granted his request.
[edit] Interactions with the player character
James is the player character's father in the game and gives most of the quests in Vault 101, except Escape!. James then leaves the Vault and the Lone Wanderer has to find him. The player ultimately finds him and works with him on Project Purity until his death in the activation room of Project Purity at the hands of Colonel Augustus Autumn and the forces of the Enclave.
[edit] Inventory
| Apparel | Weapon | Other item | On death |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dad's Wasteland Outfit Vault Lab Uniform* |
.32 Pistol |
* Only while in Vault 101.
[edit] Appearances
James appears only in Fallout 3. As your father, his facial features and race will vary based on the ones you choose for your character.
[edit] Notes
- James was born in the year 2226, which makes him around 51 years old by the events of the game in 2277.
- He was able to enter Vault 101 because they needed a doctor, this is shown during the "One Year Later" scene. The Overseer states "Remember this: we need a doctor, not a deadbeat- fail to meet my expectations and there will be repercussions."
- You can find a holotape "Better Days" of him making advances on your character's mother underneath the Jefferson Memorial.
- In the Tranquility Lane simulator James' dog model is that of Dogmeat's. Should you see him in dog form without the sepia tone filter he shares the same heterochromia
- When the player is doing tasks to make Project Purity work, at one point James will say that he heard of the player's actions. His reaction will change depending on how you resolved the quest Power of the Atom. If you disarmed the bomb, he will ask you if you truly did it, and will be proud of you if you say that you did. If you caused Megaton's destruction and admit it to James he will be disappointed (however you can lie to him, but he won't really believe you).
- If you did not resolve the Power of the Atom quest at all, or if you talk to him again after he comments on the aforementioned quest, he will instead comment on your current karma level. If you have good karma, he will say "You're a good person, and it shows". If you have bad karma, he will instead comment on how you seem troubled, like there is a cloud hanging over you. If the player has neutral karma he just greets you in the default manner.
- If you choose to travel on foot to Rivet City with him, he will often be attacked along the way. Fortunately he is an essential character and thus can only be knocked unconscious. He does not have unlimited ammo for his .32 Pistol, so when he runs out he will resort to using his knife. He can pick up weapons along the way from enemies but he will only use them if he also gets ammo for it. It is impossible to reverse-pickpocket his items, as he will always run to stay ahead of you.
- James can equip Power Armor through reverse pickpocketing, however you must exit and then re-enter the room (i.e. when he is talking to Dr.Li in Rivet City.)
- In the "Six Years Later" scene he can he heard giving the "talk" to his son, saying: "Ah. Well... Umm. You'd think being a doctor would make this easy... Boys and girls have different parts. Right? And when a boy and a girl love each other…"
- There actually is a way of getting your father's outfit. You can get this item is to reverse-pickpocket an outfit with more protection onto your dad either when he is talking with Doctor Li, or while he is standing in the Jefferson Memorial Rotunda. After that leave the room and return, your father should be wearing whatever you put on him, as long as it has more protection. After that pickpocket it off of him, if you don't mind the slight Karma loss. Another way of obtaining his items is to loot him by adjusting the camera and standing close to the purifier glass (or crouching).
- *While the above picture depicts a Caucasian James, depending on the player's selections when creating the Lone Wanderer, James may also appear as African American, Hispanic, or Asian.
- For PC users, James can even take the appearance of races added by mods (i.e. the Golden Saint or Dark Seducer races of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion) or otherwise unplayable races (such as Ghouls or child races) unlocked by mods if the player chooses them.
- Regardless of race and facial structure that the player chooses, his hair and eye colors do not change, as well as hair and beard style (though his facial hair changes with his age). This indicates that the player character's mother is the hereditary source for the Lone Wanderer's hair and eye color (which is easily explained by James being a recessive gene carrier in those regards since he has hair and eye colors typically associated with dominant genes).
[edit] Behind the scenes
James' voice is provided by actor Liam Neeson, after whom the character is also physically modeled.
"This role was written with Liam in mind, and provides the dramatic tone for the entire game," said Todd Howard, Executive Producer of Fallout 3. "Liam is absolutely amazing to work with". "It’s been a pleasure bringing the father to life and working with the wonderfully talented people at Bethesda on Fallout 3", said Neeson. “I hope the fans of the franchise and the game will be excited by the results."
[edit] Related quests
- Baby Steps
- Growing Up Fast
- Future Imperfect
- Following in His Footsteps
- Scientific Pursuits
- The Waters of Life
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