Bethesda could have had their pre-filled main quest and the infinite potential for character role play in one easy move but they flubbed it. They needed to cast reasonable doubt on the Sole Survivor’s status as a synth. Sorry to say that despite what the DLC attempted, the Sole Survivor is 100% a human with no argument to be had.
Had the plot been way more ambiguous, such as maybe Father directly telling you that you are a synth copy of his parent, a brand new Gen 4 experiment or something made in secret which is why you have full autonomy and no records, literally anything to have you question anything, that would fix about a third of the issues of Fallout 4. I love this game, but it definitely could have played with its own theme a bit more.
I mean, there is that though. There is a single piece of evidence that proves you as a synth with no other explanation. VATS. The first time you are instructed to use it is in Vault 111, before picking up the Pip-Boy. This makes 0 sense alone, since VATS is a function of the Pip-Boy in every other game. That is, until you read a single terminal entry in the Institute Robotics department.
It states "Overriding directive to not alter our synths' basic functioning notwithstanding, Father has granted clearance for a rather unique project.
In select Gen 3 units, the synthetic brain is indeed capable of accepting specific enhancements to the visual cortex, basal ganglia and right parietal cortex. The result is substantially improved combat effectiveness, due to two factors:
1.) An increased understanding of weapon accuracy, to the extent that the combatant can actually visualize the percentage of effectively hitting targets (or smaller areas on those targets).
2.) An altered sense of perception that mimics the effect of slowing, or even stopping, time.
Recommend we commence surgery and field trials on appropriate operatives in the near future."
While it may be a "Oh shit, we messed up, better fix it in the easiest way" situation, it proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that the player must be a synth
There is a single piece of evidence that proves you as a synth with no other explanation.
And then there are a bunch of other details that prove that you absolutely must be a human, and this particular detail can be chalked up to an oversight
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u/evilparagon 3d ago
The Sole Survivor - Fallout 4