Fallout 3 Quest Mods Review #83 by TrickyTrack00
Mod Name: The Coalition
Mod Type: Quest/Location/Faction
Original Creator: omegaspectre (Omegaspectre and Jamo12)
Original Links: The Coalition
The Coalition should be considered as another quest mod in unofficial subgroup of "faction type" projects for Fallout 3 like Mothership Zeta Crew, MERC 2, Rebuild The Capital and etc.
But in case of this mod, main chunk of the available content can be described as unfinished slice of what could've been another amazing additional experience in Fallout universe.
From the get go, I want to mention that the biggest difference between The Coalition and already mentioned "faction" mods is that primary plot of this project starts a bit "unmotivational". By this statement I need to compare three different "starting points" of MZC, MERC 2 and The Coalition.
In the Mothership Zeta Crew you begin as a commander of new organization, launching a new age of advancement and building upon ruined worlds with the help of perfect alien technology.
In MERC 2 you start your new chapter of "life-journey" by helping former Enclave lieutenant discovering and preserving weapons of great power which shouldn't be obtained by remnants of the US government.
And in The Coalition your "career path" starts with...capturing you (after your failed attempt to enter their base of operations) and using you as a cannon fodder in order to do some dirty work.
It's understandable that many players won't find any internal conflict in this situation of "proving your worth" to some unknown organization. But for me it was a deal breaker from the beginning. How can I work for the faction which use the same methods of "gaining trust" as some uneducated wasteland raiders?
Also the main goal and agendas of this group are way too similar to original BoS intentions of "preserving technology and knowledge at any cost". Working with another group of technological fanatics is a bit boring for my taste.
So even after finishing all of the available quests for this group and earning my freedom and "respect", the only reasonable decision that I made is to deploy some TSC troopers to wipe out the entire Coalition base. Roleplaying reasons, you know :)
But if we forget for a second about "proving your worth" start, all other aspects of this mod worked pretty well. You can expect some scripted combat sequences, some well-known elements of "establishing" connections with traiders, escorting missions and etc.
Also you can get new armor and weapon types from the Coalition which will become especially useful for "combat armor/energy weapons" character.
To finish all available quests you will need at least 2-3 hours and it's enough to not get bored by the same routine of jumping from one FT point to another. Also you can do some optional repeatable fetch quests for CST staff.
As for the dialogues and main plot, some parts of it could be improved a lot and some parts are decently written.
In technical aspects, as I already mentioned, this mod worked well without any annoying CtDs, bugged quest stages or incorrect quest markers. The most obvious bug for me was floating "MQ08Vault87Overseers-TerminalDossier01" holotape which you can find in the sub-level area of the Coalition base.
But, again, the main problem (or should I say "disappointment"?) of The Coalition is that mostly unfinished story (even if compared to unfinished states of MZC and MERC 2). And it's a shame because the main core of this mod could be improved and advanced on the same level as already mentioned "faction" type mods. All of the necessary elements are already available in this alpha version, but, of course, aside from the "capturing" beginning (which I would really love to re-write to a more decent and motivational start).
Also, as a major plus I want to mention optional document with detailed description of all The Coalition units and classes which you will eventually meet while playing this mod.
So, should you try this mod in 2024? Yes, if you really want to experience and start to expand new organization in the Capital Wasteland. But don't expect much, especially if you have already played the biggest quest mods in subgroup of "factions".
Endorsement from me.
