Maybe, I missed something, but I was impressed with the improvement in writing in this game over Fallout 3, right up until I visited the Institute. Then it fell flat. I was excited to hear that we can now choose the faction to support (unlike Fallout 3 where "Brotherhood of Steel good, Enclave evil" was rammed down our throats). I was all geared up to hear the big revelation about what the Institute's grand plans for mankind were, given the rumors and mystery surrounding them.

Father kept saying "Let me convince you". All I got was a tour of a slick-looking futuristic facility with each scientist telling me what their job is. Then, Father gave some vague line about 'redefining' humanity, with no further explanation. Then he sent me off to hunt down a rogue synth. I was like, "That's it?"

Perhaps I got spoiled by New Vegas, where I had been wholeheartedly siding with the NCR only to have Caesar explain his point of view and ALMOST convince me that he was right, showing the power of well-written characters.

I was expecting Father to sell me on why it was necessary to 'replace' people with synths on the surface. No one even explained whether the people were killed or imprisoned somewhere and there was no option to ask about it. I also thought he'd get into why mankind couldn't thrive in the Wasteland without the Institute's knowledge and technology.

It was also never explained why the Institute needed to be so secretive. Why not continue their work on the surface while spreading their influence to gain more and more supporters and resources?

So, that was disappointing, unless more exposition comes later in the game, I hope? (I've just finished my first visit to the Institute) Anyone else feel the same way?

The lack of real exposition and explanation put me off. Is it an impressive facility? Yes. Is the progress of synth technology amazing? I think so.
But...it is not dissuading me from continuing my work with the Railroad.

More comes later.

It's not really touched upon, at all. Fahter basically says, “Let me show you...” then before you know it, you're off doing his bidding (!!) without any real reason for why you should care about serving the Institute aside from knowing who the leader really is. I did an Institute run and I was a tad let down on the whole thing. I didn't feel like I accomplished much, more like I just kept the status quo from tipping in any direction. Sure the BoS is, well, limping back home shall we say, but to me it's now more or less like it was BEFORE the BoS arrived. Sure the Railroad will be...late, shall we say but we didn't see them do anything outside their own quests that they're doing anything.

The Institute was claimed to have humanity's best interst in heart, according to Father, but we're not really shown that. We're not really shown WHY they're the best, why we must ensure they succeed.

Well, they don't have a good explanation for all of what they do and it would be cheap if they did. They should have SOME explanation, though.

1. Why the Super Mutants?

To slow down the Brotherhood of Steel.

2. Why the replacing people?

Because we don't trust anyone upstairs.

This is where the story had a giant disconnect for me too. Why do they do horrible things to The Commonwealth's people? Why release super mutants? Because science. No plans for the future, no "try to take over the world" speech. Nothing. For as "smart" as they allegedly are they completely lack in vision, direction, and ambition. The Institute simply is, or rather was, because I chose a different path.

Just because they have power, doesn't mean they have to wield it. Do you think just because they have the ability to use force to take over the commonwealth that they should plans to do it?

They are all descendants of scientists, they are all scientists now, all they want to do is be left in peace and continue doing their research. They don't care about the people on the surface anymore, but then again the people on the surface do not care about them either. They do not owe anything to the people on the surface any more than anyone else owes them.

Yes, but at what cost? Joining any of the other two factions all but guarantees this never happens.

I concur with the OP's assessment. It's asinine so much was left off and we need to chase synths before we get the whole story.

I kicked my game yesterday by finally visiting the Prydwen. I'm actually impressed with the BoS, only because Maxson seems to understand what needs to be done.

He may not have the full scoop on synths (nor does anyone, including us), but it's clear he knows there's something when mechanized "AI" are killing without compromise.

Even the loading screen text says discussions broke down, but fails to inform us how and who was involved.

If I had to choose, right now, I'd pick the BoS (to complete the game). I'm still Minutemen at heart.

They want to be left in peace but wantonly have their synths murder people for supplies and experiments. Right. See the circle in the logic here? If you want to be left alone then leave others alone. Once you involve someone else with your actions reactions will happen. The Institute only survived as long as it did because of it's teleportation tech. Without that they would've been wiped out long ago. A vengeful mom and some friends is all it took in my game.

I would be surprised if we don't get a DLC that will further expand the synths and whole Institute.

I have played both the BoS quest line as well as the Institute and while I enjoyed certain parts of the Institute from a story perspective (the father son talks mostly)... it really fell flat for me and wasn't fleshed out at all. The FEV lab was never mentioned or touched upon, there was really no explanation for the two synth prototypes in the cage, and it almost felt like you couldn't do much beyond getting called Director.

That's not true. They wiped out the entirety of University Point solely because they wanted the technology buried underneath it. Whole-sale massacre - killed every single person, then leveled the town and damaged it so heavily buildings began to slide into the water.

Also, they abduct people, kill them/turn them into Super Mutants, then send synth replacements to resume the lives of the people they murdered so they exert active influence and control over the surface. They additionally work to undermine any organization that could actually pose a threat to them. They clearly do not regard outsiders as human beings worthy of compassion or understanding. They may not slaughter everyone, even though they can, because that would be a waste of resources. But they're still just plain evil. They certainly feel justified in their cause, but many villains do. And arguably you can do the most good for the wasteland by taking over and guiding the Institute in a new direction, but when you encounter them they're happy to commit atrocities casually and without hesitation.

That... doesn't make sense though considering the BOS wasn't really active in the area until GOD EMPARAH MAXON suddenly decided to show up, and the super mutants predated any meaningful activity by the BOS in the commonwealth by at least a decade or so.

It would make sense if we assumed Father knew they were coming and was prepping for their arrival. It would make him look prescient rather than caught with his pants down.

You could even have Father have started the project as soon as he saw the Capital Wasteland become the BoS' territory.

Were the super mutants for the Brotherhood? The FEV program was going on for years and this implies they knew the Brotherhood was coming years and years ago. If this is what they were thinking, it seems like Mass Effect Cerberus logic to think they can control something like FEV in a few short years to employ as a weapon or that they even really need it given their amazing tech in synth production and conventional development.

So I'm not the only one who got an Illusive Man vibe from Shaun? Instead of "Humanity!" It was "Technology!" Yeah sorry, don't buy it. Blew up The Institute. Less satisfying than blowing up the Collector base and Cerberus HQ though.

To me the Institute practically was Cerberus. They were just marginally more polite and didn't have Cerberus' alarming tendency for every other risky project to blow up in their face.

*Edit* They both have strong "transhumanism at any cost!" vibes which is dodgy at best.

Moving my post to different thread

Spoilers – so do not read unless you want-

If you hack/read all the terminals at the institute and follow quest into Virgils locked lab and help Dr Li to go back to the BOS you realize Father is lying. You find some people you know turn out to be synths. Is Father a human or a Synth, why were you left in the vault, why are Mutants, Gorillas, Mirelurks, mole rats, people, etc being made into synths? What happened to the real people after making synths of them? (I find it interesting that an imposter posing as Miniteman Preston running around. Is he a synth. As well as others.) Why is Father making child synths? You eventually, after this, realize you must have also been lied to. You are only there because you broke out of cryo and were left alive there in the first place because they might yet need your DNA and also need someone to replace Kellogg. What other lies is Father keeping from you?

No they will happily murder a farmer to replace it with a synth so they can have the farmer run experiments on the surface for them with plans to wipe out the ENTIRE settlement once said experiments are finished. That is not the actions of people that just want to be left alone to do their experiments. That is the actions of a dangerous and murderous organization that takes extreme measures when there is zero need to do so.

I got the impression that Doctor Zimmer found out that Super Mutants in the Capital wastes where capturing human's and exposing them to FEV to make more super mutants and he ordered experiments to find out if there was any value to this and after a decade of experiments it was clear there wasn't any if Virgil's notes are to be believed. I always figured the super mutants were released to the surface as part of the experiment. What do they do? How do they impact the environment? Are they completely dependant on mutating humans for population growth? So on and so forth, all Questions that can't be answered without releasing them.

This was at least MY take on the project.

This is the spoilers board. No need for that here.

Step 1: Save game
Step 2: Shoot him
Step 3: Look for Synth Parts. There are none.
Step 4: Conclude he is not a synth.
Step 5: Reload Game.

OR if you want the "immersive" way:
Step 1: Target him in VATS with awareness park
Step 2: Note Energy resistance. If it's unusually high, then he's a synth.
Step 3: Note lack of energy resistance. He is not a synth.

I honestly don't know where people are getting this really stupid idea that Father is a synth, but it really has to stop.

https://springframework.guru/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/wat-gigantic-duck.jpg

Of all of those, only people and Gorillas are being made into synths, and of those only the former is of any importance. The latter is just a pet hobby project. Where the hell are you getting synth mirelurks or synth mole rats from?

No. He's just a Con Artist. Not everything that goes wrong in the Commonwealth has the Institute's stamp on it.

He made one for you, and that's it.

What happens to people the Institute kidnaps?

STRONG HAPPENS!

STRONG FIND MILK OF HUMAN KINDNESS IN INSTITUTE!

I know it is not needed but anyway-spoilers:)

I think Father let you out of the vault because you were what Kellog said - a DNA backup and because he is dying, the backup was needed to be released. I think that is also the reason why he doesn't explain a lot - he has no need to. I don't think he likes anyone, except his project.

Btw I really enjoyed this part of the main quests - it was interesting to observe myself, what it does with my psychic - the feeling of proundness of my son's work, at the same time realising it was never meant to be done out of love - it is just an impressive project.

Also to see all the thoughts about humanity x synths

But anyway I had desire to have my father as a companion for some time, to show to my son/father my own work, what I have done on surface, the same way he was working underground and find a way to convince him.

Supermutants - I had the feeling they were just experiment what a certain serum would do with humen, left after nothing interesting happened.

Replacing people - I think they are just taking DNA samples, replacing people was meant to cover that, so nobody would notice anybody is missing and also I think Father simply trusted synths more.

And I think they are secretive because they are scientists, used to synths only. They lived their whole life underground, so they have no desire to come out. so I think as Father said, they don't like surface, they are afraid of going out, they don't trust people and they think synths can be better than people. And synths are their way of redefining humanity.