San Francisco#

There is now a whole new step that needs to be done before you can set off with the tanker and go to the Oil Rig. The old, wrecked submarine that the Shi came with to San Francisco has had its automatic defense mechanism reactivated. That means that any ship moving in the area will be fired upon. Naturally that needs to be taken care of before you set sail with the tanker. If you haven't talked to anyone about this before, you will hear about the sub when you have made the tanker ready and choose the 'go' option on the Poseidon Network computer. It will warn you and won't let you continue.

None of this applies to dumb characters. I assume Matt from the brotherhood takes care of things together with the fuel and other stuff.

To reach the sub you need to use the small boat moored on the opposite side of the tanker, but unfortunately it's guarded. There are three ways of getting on the boat, besides killing the guard.

The Emperor: Log on to the emperor and check history on the submarine to learn more about it. Find out about maintenance crew and add yourself to the roster. Download passwords to your pipboy (1000 XP). It's hidden under; Database, History, Submarine status, Stationary Defense structures.

Lao Chou in Flying Dragon 8: He deals in information, but for him to answer, you need to know what questions to ask. The first one to ask is about your villagers (need to know of your tribes fate from Hakunin or the Emperor, or if you know you need to fix the tanker from the Captain, or if you checked the status on the Poseidon Network computer). To get him to actually talk about the submarine you need to do one of the following: Pass a speech check (91%) or have sex with him (female with CH 7 or the sex appeal trait). You can also pay $2000 or $1500 if you pass a barter roll (65% barter = 50% chance), or if you fail or say that is too much, you can offer some quality time with Miria (if you are married of course). To get the password you will have to pay. $10000 or $5000 with a successful barter roll (75% barter = 50 % chance). There is no way around this. If you already have the password from elsewhere you can no longer talk to him about the sub.

The boat guard at the docks: If your speech is 96% then you can convince the boat guard to let you use the boat. He'll pretend you give him the password (1000 XP). Again, you need to know of the fate of your tribe or that you need to fix the tanker to get this line. If you already have a password, you can't get him to let you have it without one.

Next to the boat is a depressed dockworker, Meng. You can listen to his sad tale and convince him to move on with his life (speech 81%) for 500 XP. Before he goes you can learn a little about the submarine from him, but he can't get you to it.

There is a way to get the password from all three at the same time, though I'm sure it's a bug. First get it from the boat guard, then Lao Chou, and finally from the Emperor.

Submarine#

Once you've got the password from the Emperor or Lao Chou, you can talk to the boat guard and go to the sub as a technician (together with the maintenance crew). If you instead convinced the boat guard to let you go without having a password you'll be going there alone (sub is empty). If you kill the boat guard and steal the boat, your NPCs will come with you (this is the only time they do). Myron or Vic can be useful to bring. You get 500 XP for reaching the sub.

When you get there alone or with your NPCs, the hatch will be locked. You can unlock it (lockpick around 50%, keep trying until you are successful) or blow it off with an explosive. Electronic lockpicks does help here.

Once inside you need to figure out how to disable the defense mechanism. There's several ways, but you can only pick one per game (there's no XP so there would be no point anyway). Oh, and tools, a crowbar or explosives can come in handy here.

First room: In the upper left corner is an old power console that is in bad shape. It can be destroyed with a crowbar or by using the repair skill (roll, 90% repair = 50 % chance). If you came here with the maintenance crew a technician will be blocking your way. Either kill him or find another way to disable the sub.

Second room: In the lower right corner you can find the old torpedo target control console. It can be disabled using science (101%). If you came with the crew there is a technician here. Talking to him with speech 81% or science 81% lets you try to trick him into disabling the submarine. You get one try with each skill.

Torpedo room: You can disable the torpedo propulsion system (repair roll, 100% repair = 50 % chance). You can also use an explosive on it, but don't arm it first. Also you can only use it from your backpack (easy science roll). Watch out for subtech3 if not alone.

There's also a torpedo arming and loading console here that can be disabled (repair roll, 100% repair = 50 % chance).

If there is a technician in here, he will talk to you the minute you set foot inside the door. You will need to pass a speech or repair check for him to accept you, depending on what response you give. 70% repair or 70-75% speech should give you a 50% chance. If you fail he won't let you touch anything and will turn hostile if you try a few times. If he accepted you and you want to put explosives on a torpedo, you will have to pass a traps roll. Sneaking while doing it significantly increase your chances.

Once you have disabled the sub you can leave the sub by using the ladder on the side of the submarine. Back on the docks you gain 1000 XP.

A locker in the torpedo room contains a Command Chart that you can use on the Emperor. Go to Chinese Intelligence Network and you can read some personal logs. This is just for flavor, no experience gained.

New quests#

1. Investigate the whereabouts of Dr. Sheng#

Doctor Sheng is a scientist who has studied sentient plants and done some strange experiments. He is thought to have gone crazy and has left on a sabbatical some time ago. To find him, log onto a Biology station terminal in the northern part of the Steele Palace, and read the recent personnel notes. After that you can ask Dr. Wong about Dr. Sheng and his whereabouts. He will mark the last known location on your pipboy.

As you enter the abandoned building, you will be greeted by some strange humanoid creatures that wants to bring you to their master, Dr Sheng. He wants you to clear out his laboratory from aggressive plant-creatures for 200 XP and $1000. You also get the location of the EPA if you didn't already have it and a second quest. Note that his creatures are pretty tough.

If you refuse to do any of his quests (or meet with him in the first place), his creatures will attack you. And once you are done with all his quests you will have to fight him anyway. Also, you get negative karma for doing his last 2 quests.

2. Bring Dr. Sheng some plant seeds#

He wants you to go to the EPA and get some unique seeds and then he will give you something to deliver to the Shi. It's the experimental seeds that can be found in the Green Level of the EPA. Just use the terminal to get it from the seed bank. You get 1000 XP for giving them to Dr. Sheng.

3. Deliver the plant seed sample to Dr. Wong#

He wants you to deliver a not so nice gift to the Shi. Be sure to ask "why the change of heart", as that lets you warn Dr. Wong about the plant seed later, if you so wish. You get 200 XP plus a superstim if you ask for a reward from Dr Wong (You don't get the superstim if you warn about the seed, xp is the same).

4. Eliminate Dr. Wong without alerting the Shi#

Dr. Sheng also wants you to get rid of Dr. Wong in a non-suspicious manner. If you ask to get something upfront he will give you some poison that you can use to kill Wong with. 1000 XP for the assassination and a triple reward is promised, but Dr. Sheng will not honor that. Instead he will send his creatures after you.

5. Eliminate Dr. Sheng#

When you tell Dr. Wong about Dr. Sheng, he realizes Sheng must be stopped and offers you a reward (CAWS, sniper rifle and a minigun, or ammo and meds, or $5000). 1000 XP when you get back to him.

Other activities (not in Pip-Boy)#

1. Torn pieces of paper with password in the Steel palace#

There has been a slight change in how you access the computer terminals in the Steel Palace. Or rather, it has been changed to how it was initially planned. If you have over 110% science you have a chance to hack the terminal without anyone noticing. If you fail or if you "only" have 100%, you still have a chance to hack it, but the Shi will notice someone has been tampering with their systems (you will notice it by their floats changing a bit, nothing else happens). If you fail both science checks, the terminal you tried to hack will be locked down. It can still be hacked again, but can't be accessed with a password, so you will have to find another one for that.

For a less scientific approach, there are three torn papers, that put together will form the three passwords you need for the consoles. They have been scattered around the place. There's one in the small kitchen area to the west, another one in the small bathroom behind it (just to the right of the toilet), and the last is in the upper corner of the sleeping area (where the beds are, duh).

2. Find the missing biology corpse#

When looking through one of the Shi Biology workstations, read about the Xeno program. You'll find out about a missing body, and that the Hubologists are suspected to have stolen it. The corpse can be found in an icebox in the far SE of the Hubologist map. Return it to Dr.Wong for 800 XP or 500 in cash.

3. Find the location of the Hubologist stash#

If you can get in and search the files of the Hubologist mainframe computer, this location will be added to your map. You need science over 80% to have a chance to access the computer, and you can try as many times as you want. You really should have at least 100% though, as that's what is needed to access the finance information, where the location of the hub stash is given.

When you arrive, a guard will ask you a question to prove you are a Hubologist. If you kill him, you can blow out the door with some dynamite (everyone inside will be hostile).

There are three different questions he might ask:

1. Who was the founder? = Dick Hubbel.
2. The church believes everything is symbolized by? = A turning wheel.
3. What is meant by Enlightenment? = A state achieved when the seeker has gained so much knowledge he becomes an integral part of the universe and leaves this earthly existence behind.

After that he wants to know why you are here. To convince him everything is in order you have to pass a fairly hard speech roll (100% speech = 50 % chance), failing that you get a slightly easier speech roll (80% speech = 50 % chance). Pass and he will let you in, fail and he attacks.

The treasure is all on the 1st and 3rd floors. On the third floor there is a guard, but you can tell him you are there to take over his shift and he will leave (speech roll, 70-80% should do it). (Talk to the robed guy on floor one so you have his name to bluff the guard with.) You can then loot the room in peace if you want. To open the three safes on the 3rd floor you need lockpick over 100% to have any kind of chance. Electronic lockpicks will reduce the requirement somewhat. Apparently they are explosion proof.

(I never join the Hubologists, and since you don't receive any experience for finding this place, killing the guards is good for 350 XP each.)

Hubologist Stash Loot:

4. A couple of more things to do with the Hubologist computer#

When you access the Hubologist mainframe, you now have two more options. First, if you got fuel to the Hubologist space ship earlier, instead of getting Dave Handy to redirect it to the tanker, you can now do it yourself from here (5000 XP). Very useful in case Dave Handy or Badger won't cooperate with you or if you have killed them etc.

The second thing you can do is to reformat the whole system for 100 XP. You will have to hack it first, 100% is needed for that. Of course this is not wise to do before you are absolutely sure you have done everything you want with the Hubologists. They will go hostile.