Fallout 3

[saphalline]

Fallout 3, pre-ordered, Collector's Edition, PC. Picked it up last night/this morning (midnight release to public) along with "Ye Olde Guide of Strategies" (since Oblivion was the gaming equivalent of a black box without its guide!). Installed by 12:45 am; played until 4:40 am. Quick perusal of the manual and extra goodies during the install process. Haven't broken the seal on the guide yet since that kind of defeats the purpose of a new game! :p

Technically, the game is a masterful achievement. Great graphics without the feelings of hardware inadequacy - so a bit off from Crysis already! ;) 8800 GTS 640MB G80 handles the game well (so far) even outdoors. (The FX-60 and 4GB of RAM probably help as well, but CPU power and tons of RAM are relatively cheap these days.) No graphical glitches encountered yet, no noticeable bugs, no random crashes. Played on Vista Ultimate 64-bit, recently updated (due to that emergency M$ update). Drivers last updated a month or two ago - I should check those again. One funny aside here, though, is that the fact that - once again! - the game crashed on exit!! :p Ahahahahaaa!! :D Oblivion's ghost lives on... (but at least it will be fixed with the patch! Haha!)

Ambiance is also very excellent. It's like Oblivion with an added artistic shine. The entire beginning sequence (inside Vault 101, until you get out) is - once again - like a training ground for gameplay mechanics and open-ended exploration (yes, even in a Vault!). But even more than that, there's a story to develop, and Fallout 3 lays it at your feet with elegance and flair, trying to (and succeeding in) NOT interrupting your game every 2 feet or 2 seconds. There are some forced interactions, of course, but no more so than that which is necessary in real life as well. You are accosted by NPC's, not trapped in a story dialogue movie! In short, the game treats the player with respect, something that I have not been able to say about a game in a long time...

I won't ruin anything for those of you who might buy it or already have. But, I will say that it looks like it was worth the wait! Even though I'm still a big fan of the isometric-view turn-based combat/gameplay of the first two games. Of all the developers I would have entrusted with the fate of making a post-Black Isle Studios Fallout 3 title, Bethesda and Blizzard are the only two on the list.

I made my decision with my pocketbook. Collector's Edition PC version w/guide. $100+ USD. After playing it for over 3 hours, I would have paid twice as much! Long live Bethesda, long live Fallout!...

[saphalline]

Day 3:

Ran into my first Mole Rat! :eek: Kind of freaked me out. I hadn't considered how creepy it would be to encounter all the usual Fallout monsters in first-person viewing mode. The Super Mutants are huge, of course, but humanoid shapes are less unnerving for some reason. The big Mole Rats that are as tall as a human are going to be fearsome to behold!

Tested out the Karma system by essentially killing off a town. Hehe. I didn't save that game, but it was fun to mess around in the sandbox gameplay that all gamers have come to expect now. In "Very Easy" difficulty, there's no pizazz to the killing sprees. I'm going to have to turn that up now that I know how insanely easy it is. Even the unarmored Super Mutants are about as dangerous as a normal rat in this mode! "Normal" difficulty should be fine for a Fallout & Oblivion veteran...

Projectile weapons are faithfully reproduced in this "shooter" - accuracy diminishes with range according to the weapon's specs. The 10mm pistol sucks for range! The assault rifles are only slightly better. The hunting rifle, on the other hand, is awesome for beginning-game sniping! :D Slow to fire (bolt action) and aiming between shots is laughable(!) but the accuracy and stopping power can't be beat.

Survivability in early game is difficult. Your character's skills suck!! This is the biggest barrier to traveling the wastes. Early playing suggests that there are two extremely useful skills, and you only need one of them to really make a difference: Barter or Repair. Repair is a preferred tag skill for non-melee combatants (read: anyone who uses a ranged weapon!) because all the weapons and armor you find are generally below 50% durability. And unlike Oblivion where getting equipment repaired simply meant paying the price, the repair skill of the vendor plays a HUGE role here! If you have Repair tagged and you put some skill points into it, you'll be better at it by level 3 than the vendor in the first town! Repair = equipment survival. On the other hand, having a high Barter skill means more money for what you DO drag back to town, which means paying for the measly 41% repair skill of the first town's vendor is infinitely easier. And really, extreme equipment degradation (as in, stats) doesn't seem to be a problem until an item drops below 20% durability. So either way, tagging Barter or Repair seems to be important.

Orion has already begun cheating. :p I told him I would be playing the game at least once before I started doing that, but I have gone over the cheats and experimented with them. They're awesome, just like you'd expect. But there's a bit more potential to the game than even the cheats reveal... I already have several ideas for a mod! :D After my success in modding Oblivion, and finding out that equipment trumps cheats for gameplay stability, modding Fallout 3 will be grand fun! Let's see how far I get in the game before the creation tool set is released...

[saphalline]

Day 4:

Radscorpions are tough! The dynamic of armor has changed slightly with this sequel. Admittedly, it's now more realistic. The chitinous shell of the Radscorpion is resilient to most forms of brute force that you find early in the game. The puny 10mm pistol is no match for these large insects! I unloaded an entire clip into the first one I met and it was still coming! :eek: Melee attacks also do very little damage. Orion has cheated, so he uses laser weapons. :p It does the job nicely - one hit kills for most creatures. In the mean time, I am now in the habit of buying all the ammo I can whenever I'm in a town or meet a traveling trader. Ammo weighs nothing in Fallout 3, so it does no harm to carry it all with you. That's a nice trade off in the game and really helps when you're out in the wastes with a deteriorating weapon and you loot a new weapon that uses different ammo.

I've been reading the first part of the guide book that talks about character creation. I'm not ruining anything for myself since there are no spoilers in that section (for which I am grateful!). Apparently, I made some mistakes with my character as far as Fallout 3 goes. No big surprise there, but the penalties are greater because the max level is only 20! :eek: I'm sure level 20 will be enough to easily beat the game, but considering level 20 was "just getting started" in Fallout 1/2, it's a bit of a shock. You do get perks every level now, but it's not the same if you want to keep increasing your skills. My mod will have to address this issue... Anyway, here's what I did with my first character:

Strength : 5
Perception : 6
Endurance : 5
Charisma : 6
Intelligence : 6
Agility : 7
Luck : 5

Tagged : Repair, Small Guns, Sneak

Playing as a sniper class character, my SPECIAL points are not allocated ideally. The Charisma is an old idea from Fallout 1/2 where it impacted how many teammates you could bring with you, and it also affects Barter/Speech. But since teammates are of very little issue in this game, and since I'm not putting any points into Barter or Speech anytime soon, a Charisma of 6 is a complete waste! What I should have done is:

Strength : 5
Perception : 6
Endurance : 6
Charisma : 4
Intelligence : 7
Agility : 7
Luck : 5

Or:

Strength : 6
Perception : 5
Endurance : 6
Charisma : 4
Intelligence : 7
Agility : 7
Luck : 5

Endurance is far more important for a combatant, and Perception seems to have taken a bit of a back seat. 7 for Perception is somewhat of a waste now, whereas in Fallout 1/2 that was your minimum for a decent sniper! Of course, Fallout 1/2 also had the Gifted trait, so maintaining higher SPECIAL points was infinitely easier. Not so in Fallout 3, although one of the Perks is adding a point to your stats, and you now get a Perk every level, so this is somewhat mitigated. The level limit of 20 does hamper meaningful progress in morphing your character, however, regardless of the potential. Therefore, Perception for a good sniper in Fallout 3 can be 5 or 6 without any penalties. Agility has been chosen as the primary stat for projectile weapons. No Agility, no shooting!

The Strength of 5 or 6 is really a minimum sort of thing now. Carry weight, and all that. A rare commodity in Oblivion, as well. 5 is fine for snipers & sneakers, but anyone wanting to go the route of Unarmed and/or Melee should consider a Strength of 6 as a minimum. Using the second build, it would be quite easy to go Melee & Energy Weapons for the combat skills. Sneak and Repair are important secondary skills that are fluid in their ROI - ie, you can see results by putting just 3 skill points into them per level. Medicine is somewhat fluid, but still bound by The Rule of 25's for the purpose of quest options. Science and Lockpick are the most extreme example of The Rule of 25's.

The Rule of 25's states that skills give you advantages in multiples of 25 only. You need to get most skills up to 25, or 50, or 75, or 100 to do you any good. If you can't get a certain skill up to 25 without sacrificing your character's progress, then you shouldn't even bother with it! Science needs to be at 25 to even attempt to hack most early-game computer terminals. Likewise, Lockpick needs to be at 25 for most early-game mechanical locks. More options open up at 50, then 75. The law of diminishing returns hits you at 75, so that's a good place to stop for non-tagged skills (if you even get that far). 75 in both Science and Lockpick gets you into just about everything.

With that in mind, if you are of the notion that being successful out in the wastes is more important than being successful in town (ie, interacting with the few friendly people in the world) then the build would be more like this:

Strength : 7
Perception : 5
Endurance : 6
Charisma : 2
Intelligence : 7
Agility : 8
Luck : 5

Or some variation on this theme. I'm always a bit reticent about taking a stat below 4 in the SPECIAL system, but Fallout 3 makes this quite possible. Obviously your bartering ability will be hampered, but this was NOT an impassable barrier in Oblivion and the same holds true for Fallout 3. The Speech skill is of no importance for a combat build such as this. The only reason I kept Charisma at 2 is for Barter! Not Speech! Being gruff and short with people in this game matters not if your actions speak for yourself.


More strategies to come soon! I just wish I had more time to play this game... :(

[saphalline]

Day 7:

The guidebook lists these S.P.E.C.I.A.L. builds as being the best:

"SNIPER"

S : 6
P : 7
E : 5
C : 1
I : 7
A : 7
L : 7

---------

"THUG"

S : 7
P : 7
E : 7
C : 3
I : 6
A : 5
L : 5

---------

"BOXER"

S : 7
P : 4
E : 7
C : 3
I : 7
A : 5
L : 7

I don't think I would necessarily like to have a Charisma of only 1 as any character, personally, but Bethesda ran the numbers game a little differently this time and it makes a bit of sense. Even so, raw Charisma still affects the disposition of others towards you. And the guidebook offers no such "LAWYER" build as a possible option despite the fact that talking your way into and out of certain situations has so far seemed to me to be the very best way to maintain the elusive Neutral Mediator type of character. For instance, Orion's cheated character has managed to bypass a great deal of questing effort simply by lying or talking through several barriers. Bethesda's efforts to maintain the balance of power in the Fallout universe are quite successful! I don't understand why the guidebook, which fully admits the power of persuasion, does not have the standard lawyer-type build so prominent in Fallout 1/2. :confused:

Of far more importance for previous Fallout fans is exactly HOW the numbers game has changed with the move to Fallout 3! So let's take a look at that first, in order.

Strength

Strength is still your raw physical power that affects carry weight and melee damage, but only affects the Melee Weapons skill now.

1 = 160 lbs carry weight, 0.5 melee damage, Melee Weapons +2
2 = 170 lbs carry weight, 1.0 melee damage, Melee Weapons +4
3 = 180 lbs carry weight, 1.5 melee damage, Melee Weapons +6
4 = 190 lbs carry weight, 2.0 melee damage, Melee Weapons +8
5 = 200 lbs carry weight, 2.5 melee damage, Melee Weapons +10
6 = 210 lbs carry weight, 3.0 melee damage, Melee Weapons +12
7 = 220 lbs carry weight, 3.5 melee damage, Melee Weapons +14
8 = 230 lbs carry weight, 4.0 melee damage, Melee Weapons +16
9 = 240 lbs carry weight, 4.5 melee damage, Melee Weapons +18
10 = 250 lbs carry weight, 5.0 melee damage, Melee Weapons +20

This means that carry weight and melee damage are the primary reasons for adjusting your strength. Being able to carry a lot of stuff is good! So it's best to keep this at 5 or higher. The melee damage given by Strength is important for both Melee Weapons and Unarmed, but clearly this stat is intended for clubbing baby seals (or baby Radscorpions, depending on your Karma factor :p).

Perception

Because of the first-person design of Fallout 3, Perception has taken a rather interesting turn. It primarily determines the distance at which you can identify other creatures and NPC's, both in terms of compass tracking and friend-or-foe identification. A green line on your compass means there's a friendly in that direction, red means foe (ie, attack!!), and blue means that someone or something is there but you don't know which. A higher Perception equates to less "blue confusion". It also directly affects the Energy Weapons, Explosives, and Lockpick skills. This implies that snipers who primarily use Small Guns weapons, like the Sniper Rifle, need not have a high Perception! :eek: Definitely a change over Fallout 1/2, n'est pas?

1 = Energy Weapons +2, Explosives +2, Lockpick +2
2 = Energy Weapons +4, Explosives +4, Lockpick +4
3 = Energy Weapons +6, Explosives +6, Lockpick +6
4 = Energy Weapons +8, Explosives +8, Lockpick +8
5 = Energy Weapons +10, Explosives +10, Lockpick +10
6 = Energy Weapons +12, Explosives +12, Lockpick +12
7 = Energy Weapons +14, Explosives +14, Lockpick +14
8 = Energy Weapons +16, Explosives +16, Lockpick +16
9 = Energy Weapons +18, Explosives +18, Lockpick +18
10 = Energy Weapons +20, Explosives +20, Lockpick +20

Endurance

Endurance is another tricky one. Contrary to my previous understanding of this stat, it does NOT affect the number of hit points you gain per level! This is rather disappointing as it seems to water down the prospect of character development. Everyone now gains 10 hit points per level, regardless of your stats. The only way Endurance affects this is by adjusting your starting hit points! This stat also directly affects the Big Guns and Unarmed skills. Very strange how Bethesda changed the skill affectations this time around...

1 = 120 starting hit points, Big Guns +2, Unarmed +2
2 = 140 starting hit points, Big Guns +4, Unarmed +4
3 = 160 starting hit points, Big Guns +6, Unarmed +6
4 = 180 starting hit points, Big Guns +8, Unarmed +8
5 = 200 starting hit points, Big Guns +10, Unarmed +10
6 = 220 starting hit points, Big Guns +12, Unarmed +12
7 = 240 starting hit points, Big Guns +14, Unarmed +14
8 = 260 starting hit points, Big Guns +16, Unarmed +16
9 = 280 starting hit points, Big Guns +18, Unarmed +18
10 = 300 starting hit points, Big Guns +20, Unarmed +20

Now, it's worth noting that the starting hit point disparity is large enough to make a measurable difference throughout the game. The level cap is 20 and you start at level 1, which means you have 19 level-ups at +10 hit point a piece. So a level 20 character with an Endurance of 1 would top off at 310 hit points, whereas a level 20 character with an Endurance of 10 would top off at 490 hit points. (Standard Endurance of 5 gets you 390 hit points at level 20.) So you do get big swings in hit points at the extreme ends, but adjusting Endurance up or down by a point or two should not significantly affect your character's survivability. It's really only important for those characters seeking to go with Big Guns or Melee Weapons & Unarmed. You'll want as many hit points as you can get when charging in with melee class weapons! Other than that, nothing too impressive with this stat...

Charisma

Why would anyone need Charisma? Well, in Fallout 1/2, it made a significant difference in your gameplay. In Fallout 3, it's more of a "take it or leave it" kind of thing. In other words, you either need Charisma or you don't! Charisma affects the Barter and Speech skills as well as people's disposition towards yourself. However, the game's documents warn that a high Charisma is intended to supplement your character's Karma, not replace it! And since the number of followers you can attain is of absolutely no concern in Fallout 3, a high Charisma is only needed for Barter, Speech, and lawyer-type character builds - which implies an all-in-one approach! Lawyer-type builds will necessarily need Barter and Speech to survive, so that puts Charisma in its place!

1 = Barter +2, Speech +2
2 = Barter +4, Speech +4
3 = Barter +6, Speech +6
4 = Barter +8, Speech +8
5 = Barter +10, Speech +10
6 = Barter +12, Speech +12
7 = Barter +14, Speech +14
8 = Barter +16, Speech +16
9 = Barter +18, Speech +18
10 = Barter +20, Speech +20

Just as in Oblivion, the Barter skill is not entirely useless for ANY character! While you certainly don't want to invest 40 skill points in Barter for a pure combat character, you also don't want it hanging out around 7. Remember, this is a post-apocolyptic wasteland, not the wealthy countryside of Cyrodiil! There is a limit to the wealth and resources available to you.


... con't ...

[saphalline]

... con't ...


Intelligence

Here's where we get into the real meat of a character's progress potential. Above all, don't skimp on Intelligence! This is true of any Fallout game, and even more essential in Fallout 3 where your level-ups are limited. Intelligence affects the Medicine, Repair, and Science skills. But far more importantly, it affects the number of skill points you receive per level!

1 = 11 skill points per level, Medicine +2, Repair +2, Science +2
2 = 12 skill points per level, Medicine +4, Repair +4, Science +4
3 = 13 skill points per level, Medicine +6, Repair +6, Science +6
4 = 14 skill points per level, Medicine +8, Repair +8, Science +8
5 = 15 skill points per level, Medicine +10, Repair +10, Science +10
6 = 16 skill points per level, Medicine +12, Repair +12, Science +12
7 = 17 skill points per level, Medicine +14, Repair +14, Science +14
8 = 18 skill points per level, Medicine +16, Repair +16, Science +16
9 = 19 skill points per level, Medicine +18, Repair +18, Science +18
10 = 20 skill points per level, Medicine +20, Repair +20, Science +20

Run the numbers. What do you see? Start at level 1, go up to level 20. 19 level-ups, right? So without any modifiers or Perks, an Intelligence of 1 at level 20 gives you a total of 209 skill points to distribute. Intelligence at 10 and level 20 gives you a total of 380 skill points! :eek: Quite the disparity, isn't it? That's a difference of 171 skill points over the lifespan of a character, assuming you get to level 20. (If you're reading this, I assume you intend to do so!) Even with an Intelligence of 5 (standard) you're looking at 285 skill points from level 1 to 20. For each point you put into Intelligence when first spec'ing your character, you receive an additional 19 skill points at level 20. This is why pure combat characters (or even mostly combat characters) need not have a high Charisma. Dropping one point in Charisma only loses you 2 skill points in Barter, but that can easily be made up by the extra 19 skill points you receive by adding that point into Intelligence! Pays for itself by level 3 (2 level-ups); any additional level-ups after that are pure skill point profit! Factor into this The Rule of 25's and you can see that even one or two additional points in Intelligence can have a tremendous impact on your character's end-game effectiveness! Which is why, this time around the Fallout universe, even the "THUG" build from the guidebook has an Intelligence higher than five! The level cap of 20 necessitates being able to build up your skills faster than ever. No character build should have an Intelligence lower than five! Seven or higher is preferred.

Agility

This stat also has a very interesting usage in Fallout 3. Agility affects the Small Guns and Sneak skills, as well as adjusting the number of action points available to your character. But here's the rub: action points got a whole lot stranger! Contrary to the previous Fallout games, Fallout: Tactics included, Fallout 3 gives you an inordinately large number of action points (which are only consumed in V.A.T.S.) with a very narrow spread. See for yourself.

1 = 67 action points, Small Guns +2, Sneak +2
2 = 69 action points, Small Guns +4, Sneak +4
3 = 71 action points, Small Guns +6, Sneak +6
4 = 73 action points, Small Guns +8, Sneak +8
5 = 75 action points, Small Guns +10, Sneak +10
6 = 77 action points, Small Guns +12, Sneak +12
7 = 79 action points, Small Guns +14, Sneak +14
8 = 81 action points, Small Guns +16, Sneak +16
9 = 83 action points, Small Guns +18, Sneak +18
10 = 85 action points, Small Guns +20, Sneak +20

The arithmetic mean number of action points is 76, meaning the minimum (67) and maximum (85) are within 12% of the centre of the spread. Contrast this to the previous Fallout games - arithmetic mean is 7.5, minimum is 5, maximum is 10, min & max are within 33% of the centre of the spread. As far as the numbers go, Fallout 3 has essentially multiplied the average number of action points by ten and then narrowed the range. But why?...

V.A.T.S. That's the only reason. Action points in Fallout 3 are only consumed in V.A.T.S. which means that free-form fighting should be augmented by your character's abilities in this mode. And of course all combat takes place in real-time now, it's just paused while in V.A.T.S. to allow you to queue up attacks. Once activated, the action in V.A.T.S. is in "slow-mo". Similar to "bullet time" in that it's a tactical combat advantage, but the pausing is an RPG element.

The consumption of action points is also worth noting, since it leads into weapon damage. Since V.A.T.S. is now so important for a real-time combat RPG, you can do more with your action points. (They take a long time to recharge while your enemies are barreling down on you!) Take the 10mm Pistol - standard beginner's weapon, classified as Small Guns. It takes 17 action points to use. Do the math. You need an Agility of two in order to fire this weapon four times with maximum action points available. You need an Agility of ten in order to fire this weapon five times with maximum action points available. See why the spread is so narrow? This effectively means that large variances in Agility are required to get one more weapon swing/fire out of your "turn" in V.A.T.S., which has been the spirit of all the Fallout games. Fallout 3 simply adds a couple swings/fires to the mix for balance. So instead of firing a 10mm Pistol one or two times in a turn, you are now looking at four or five times in V.A.T.S. with max AP. Make sense? Ok, take another example. The Super Sledge takes 38 AP's to swing. That means you need an Agility of six in order to swing this weapon twice with maximum AP's available. So now the min Agility for effective combat is increased! Two vs ten with the 10mm Pistol is one thing, but now the bar has been raised to six! A higher Agility is still required in Fallout 3.

Weapon damage = think Oblivion. Remember in Oblivion how a Blades skill of 50 effectively meant your character could inflict half the max damage of a sword upon an enemy? Yeah, same thing here. Skills go from 0 to 100, and each skill point buys you a +1 to a skill. Nice and even, from min to max. It's a nice change of pace, especially given how many skill points you receive over the lifespan of your character's level-ups, but it is still quite different for veterans of Fallout! This is why getting any skill up to 75 is a big deal - that's equivalent to 225% (out of 300%) using the old rules! Quite respectable by any account, and Fallout 3 is no different. Even 40 in a skill is decent this time around; again, taken from Oblivion rather than from previous Fallout games. (Or just divide/multiply by 3 if you want a direct comparison between the two.)

Luck

Last but not least, the leader of the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. pack! Luck is the one stat that affects all the skills, but the claim to fame here is the greatest derived statistic of all time! Critical chance...

1 = critical chance 1%, all skills +1
2 = critical chance 2%, all skills +1
3 = critical chance 3%, all skills +2
4 = critical chance 4%, all skills +2
5 = critical chance 5%, all skills +3
6 = critical chance 6%, all skills +3
7 = critical chance 7%, all skills +4
8 = critical chance 8%, all skills +4
9 = critical chance 9%, all skills +5
10 = critical chance 10%, all skills +5

Interesting, isn't it? So here's how it plays out - with all your S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats at 5, all your skills are at 15. Work the math backwards for yourself, but remember all the modifiers! This is why the "SNIPER" build from the guidebook has a Luck of 7. Gives you a 7% critical chance AND an extra skill point for every skill (vs a Luck of 5). That's an extra 13 skill points, although the impact isn't that great. Mostly, Luck is for the critical chance. Reduce this stat at your own peril...


Next time, Perks!

[saphalline]

Day 10:

Mole Rats can fly!! :p

Seriously, they can. I was attacked by a Mole Rat the other night. Or rather, a Mole Rat attempted to attack me. In its exuberance to bite me (or whatever it is that Mole Rats dream of doing to humanoids) the Mole Rat got some air over a hill! That was funny in itself. :p But what happened next was even better! I saw it coming, hit V.A.T.S. while it was in midair, then unleashed a bunch of head shots with my 10mm Pistol. It may not sound like much, but a 10mm Pistol with critical shots to the head of a Mole Rat is very effective! Especially if your Small Guns skill is 60+! Hehe. Anyway, Mr. Mole Rat took the first shot to the head with some bloody stains, but the next head shot killed him dead and spun his body around so high and so long that he landed 20 feet away from me a full 4 seconds later!!

That was so cool. :cool: I'm really liking 3D first-person gameplay with V.A.T.S.! You just couldn't do something like that in Fallout 2 with 1998 technology. Gaming has changed. For the better in this case. Purists may disagree, but I argue that every purist will unerringly be disappointed. So why should the rest of us worry? :D Haha!


Today, I'd like to talk about Perks, and the unique role they play in Fallout 3. Here's a link to the entire list of Perks (http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Fallout_3_perks) (as far as I can tell - none of them seem to be missing).

You now get to pick one Perk per level. With 19 level-ups, that's 19 Perks per character. The Perks themselves are released to you in batches - you can pick from a few Perks at level 2, then the next group opens up at level 4, and so on, until level 20. New Perks available to you on every even level number. The other major difference here, too, is the fact that you now pick your Perk after you distribute your skill points, not before, like in previous Fallout games. This makes a difference for those Perks which add skill points to certain skills, and most especially to Educated(!) which is now a single-rank only Perk. As in, if you pick Educated for your Perk at level 4, the extra 3 skill points per level granted to you are not given until level 5! Grrr!

Ok, ok, time to stop beating around the bush. Which Perks are good and which are as useful as a Small Burned Book? From what I've seen with my ill-conceived first character, the most useless Perk by far is Swift Learner.

Yeah... Let me say that again. The most useless Perk by far is Swift Learner.

But how can it be so!? Swift Learner was a staple Perk in Fallout 1/2, and was even sort of useful in Fallout: Tactics! How could it be useless in Fallout 3??

Well, when it really comes down to it, what good does it do to get to level 20 faster than normal!? I mean, the whole point behind Swift Learner in Fallout 1/2 was to level just a bit faster to give you an edge. More levels, more skill points, better character effectiveness. But in Fallout 3, you've got a built-in timer here! Max level is 20 (which, as I've said, was only just getting started in Fallout 1/2!) and max number of Perks is 19. If you choose all 3 ranks of Swift Learner, you've just eaten up 15% of your total Perks! :eek: What's more is that you've done so just to get to level 20 faster! What's the point?? If you're gonna get to level 20, you'll do so anyway. XP is plentiful in Fallout 3 if you just go out there and get it! There's no point in rushing something that is so limited.

Likewise, the Here and Now Perk is similarly silly. Except for one thing: for those who are interested in racing to the finish line, so to speak, of the main story itself, there's something alluring about Here and Now. Swift Learner may indeed be almost entirely useless (except for perhaps a single rank for storyline rushers) but Here and Now grants you the opportunity to steal an edge in the race. Rush headlong into the fray, and all that good stuff. With limited level-ups in Fallout 3, Here and Now has etched itself a tiny niche.

Other than these two, which only seem to quicken the pace of inevitability, all the other Perks are moderately to insanely useful. Not too bad, I must say!

One of the best Perks in the game that should be taken by nearly ever character as soon as it's available is Educated!! +3 skill points PER LEVEL!! Much more profound than adding a point or two to Intelligence! Not that you should skimp on Intelligence anyway, but Educated helps relieve the strain. You can choose Educated at level 4, but like I said before, you won't see the extra 3 skill points per level until you get to level 5. Sneaksie Bethesda! So, start from level 5, go up to level 20, you lose 3 level-ups' worth of extra skill points. Not too bad. Over the lifespan of your character, that's an extra 48 skill points! Since Fallout 3 steals an entire level from that +3 per level deal, Educated is best taken at level 4 or 5. If you wait any longer than that, it becomes merely a mediocre Perk, at best. Too many other good Perks open up at level 6 and 8 to bother with it.

A few of the old Traits from Fallout 1/2 also make appearances in Fallout 3 as Perks, such as Bloody Mess, Chem Resistant, Fast Metabolism, Finesse, Gunslinger (poser of One Hander/Fast Shot), and Night Person (moved to a Perk in Fallout 2). For the most part, these Perks are mediocre. Bloody Mess certainly has entertainment value in V.A.T.S. but falls short with its mere 5% boost to weapon damage. Granted, that is +5% for all weapons, but the idea of an RPG is to play a role! How often are you going to cycle through every weapon type in a fight? (You may feel the urge to do that in first-person mode, but remember that this isn't Call of Duty!) The counterpart to Gunslinger is Commando - picking one of these two may be a decent idea if you're trying to create a jack-of-all-trades character, but by level 6, you should have at least one combat skill at 60+! Unless you're a storyline rusher, there are better Perks that directly add skill points to your skills. All in all, these Traits-turned-Perks are not necessarily the best way to spend your 19 total Perks for your character. But choosing one or two of these certainly can't hurt.

The best way to maximize your skill points, and thus your character's end-game effectiveness, is to pick complementary or supporting Perks for your skills. For instance, Gun Nut is a great early-game boost for Small Guns and Repair, so it naturally complements any gun-toting, trigger-happy characters. Likewise, Daddy's Boy/Girl can help your character reach 25 in Science and Medicine. Little Leaguer is a big step up for Melee Weapons and Explosives, which can help with all the early-game grenades that you'll find. Thief is the same thing, for Sneak and Lockpick. Even Intense Training can help out here and there when used judiciously. Comprehension is a Perk you'll have to plan for (ie, keep all your books for later!) but makes every rare book find that much more enjoyable! (The guidebook lists every single book, so Comprehension lends itself well to the guidebook or other "cheating resource". ;))

Toughness is a single rank Perk now that is unique in giving your character some extra DR from armor. Consider this one carefully, because although Fallout 3 doesn't penalize your armor value through a skill (like Oblivion) you will still find armor in constant need of repair! And since repairing any item now requires a similar item with which to combine it, well... This can be a useful Perk to get early, especially if your Repair skill sucks!

Towards the middle, Rad Resistance and Scrounger are nice little Perks that can tip the scales in your favor. Size Matters is a truly excellent Perk with 3 ranks that each give +15 in Big Guns! Consider this the de facto standard for characters drooling over the Missile Launcher, Gattling Laser, and Fat Man! Strong Back can be a nice boost for carry weight, but the advent of fast travel makes this one a bit less useful in Fallout 3. Not exactly mediocre, but not great, either.

Level 10 introduces you to most of the mediocre Perks, period. There's not a whole lot that will appeal to everyone. Consider levels 10 and 11 "freebies"; use these levels to flesh out a few ranks of previous Perks, or to pick up those from 6 and 8 that you passed on temporarily. Mysterious Stranger is about the only Perk from this round that adds any flair to combat, but you have to wonder how effective the occasional .44 Magnum will be against Power Armor in downtown D.C. :rolleyes:

Highlights of level 12 include Cannibal (useful for evil type characters, or if you just want to mess around), Life Giver (can't think of a reason why 30 extra hit points would make or break your combat effectiveness), Pyromaniac ("Yeah, baby!"), Robotics Expert (robots take 50% less damage to most of their body - think about that!), Silent Running (important precursor to Ninja at level 20!), and Sniper (the best #^&%ing Perk ever!!! If you have to ask why, then you've probably only played Fallout: Tactics! :p).

Level 14 gives you Adamantium Skeleton (if you don't shoot guns, take this!), Chemist (seriously? you're running out of chems!?), Contract Killer & Lawbringer (I'd like to try these the second time around), Cyborg (a sweet array of bonuses!), Light Step (OMGZ!! This one is frickin' awesome!!), and Master Trader (you don't need a biometric analyzer to figure out what type of character should take this Perk!).

... con't ...

[saphalline]

... con't ...

By level 16, you should have your character's strengths chosen, maxed-out, and moving on to secondary skills according to The Rule of 25's. In other words, your path through the game is now set! Action Boy/Girl gives you a boost in V.A.T.S., but only if you need it! Better Criticals is very very good, as long as you're scoring criticals regularly! Sneaking gives automatic criticals, by the way. Choose carefully! You don't have many more level-ups to go.

Late in the game, Computer Whiz and Infiltrator are incredibly useful Perks for hackers and rogues, respectively. And Paralyzing Palm is a no-brainer for those on the path to Ninja! You did pick up Silent Running, right?

20! The end-all and be-all of your character! Last chance here. Pick one and you're done! All of the level 20 Perks are incredible, just as I'd expect them to be. Admittedly, Explorer is definitely the weaker one, but a shoe-in for a second time character. Grim Reaper's Spirit is my favorite and first time elect Perk. Ninja is the path of the warrior and an obvious choice for the Silent Running + Paralyzing Palm crowd. Solar Powered is the wild card here. No idea how effective this really is. I'll have to ask Orion about that...

[Tal-Rasha]

Thnx for assictance buddy...i really fan with the Fallout 3(or 1/2):D..
I havent play it much(only to lvl 4:( ) but i will...So a problem i have here...can u help me? How i barter with the characters??? is there any barter button on the dialague screen that i had missed?
I ll continue it at 26th November..Pleasee help me till that time..

[pave_spectre]

Bought this game yesterday. Didn't mean to but I saw it there and it looked interesting.
Tried to install it on my laptop, but it just made my laptop cry :D

Started playing it this afternoon, and next thing I know 4 hours have gone by :eek: :D

Some unusual little side missions, little deliberately getting radiation sickness :confused:

How often are you going to cycle through every weapon type in a fight? (You may feel the urge to do that in first-person mode, but remember that this isn't Call of Duty!)

I don't know, I've managed to chew through quite a bit of ammo so far :D

[saphalline]

How i barter with the characters??? is there any barter button on the dialague screen that i had missed?Bartering in Fallout 3 is automatically calculated according to your Barter skill level. This is exactly how it worked in Fallout 1/2. It is rather archaic compared to Oblivion's approach to bartering, which was active bartering on the part of the player, but perhaps Bethesda decided to leave this be as per the Fallout universe so as not to change too much at once. (I have to admit that playing the "barter mini-game" in Oblivion, while much more realistic, was not exactly a fun time! That and the "NPC disposition mini-game" were real time suckers!)

I don't know, I've managed to chew through quite a bit of ammo so farAh, but ammo implies ranged weapons, does it not? Are you bludgeoning your foes as often as shooting? Chances are good that you aren't swapping between every type of weapon in a fight, including unarmed & melee & big guns, right? ;)


Day 11:

Moira is one weird chick!! :eek:

That "wasteland guide" that she's writing gets you into serious trouble! On the other hand, the minefield town to which she sent me had a seriously useful weapon nearby! The one and only Sniper Rifle!! :cool: Less than 20% condition, and it still nets me 24 damage!! #^&%ing awesome!!

My favorite line from the game so far: "Those poor little Mole Ratties!" - Moira. :D


Anyway, time to talk items!!

There's so much cr@p in the wasteland that you never know what to keep and what to sell! Right? Well, the handy-dandy guidebook pulls through once again! First of all, if you ever plan on making the custom weapons, here's what you'll need to keep around:

Bottlecap Mine = Lunch Box, Sensor Module, Cherry Bomb, 10 bottlecaps - Explosives

Dart Gun = Paint Gun, Toy Car, Radscorpion Poison Gland, Surgical Tubing - Small Guns (fires Darts)

Deathclaw Gauntlet = Wonderglue, Medical Brace, Leather Belt, Deathclaw Hand - Unarmed

Nuka-Grenade = Nuka-Cola Quantum, Turpentine, Tin Can (aha!), Abraxo Cleaner - Explosives

Railway Rifle = Crutch, Fission Battery, Steam Gauge Assembly, Pressure Cooker - Small Guns (fires Railway Spikes)

Rock-It Launcher = Vacuum Cleaner, Firehose Nozzle, Leaf Blower, Conductor - Big Guns (fires "junk")

Shishkebab = Motorcycle Gas Tank, Lawnmower Blade, Pilot Light, Motorcycle Handbrake - Melee Weapons

In addition to these 27 useful items, you may also want to keep these items as you come across them in the wastes:

Scrap Metal
Blood Packs
Fire Ant Nectars
Holotags & Holotapes (as if you'd throw these away!)
Pre-War Books
Sheet Music Books
Sugar Bombs

These items are useful to someone or something involved in a "collect them all!" mini-quest. (These quests don't show up in your notes on your Pip-Boy, so you'll have to keep track of them manually.) I won't spoil anyone's fun if you'd rather find the use for these items yourself and simply have this FYI. If you do want to know, I'm certain that a search of the internet will answer all your questions! ;)

Other than that, grab everything you can and run to your nearest vendor for some caps! Even if your Barter skill is atrociously low and that cup you find is only worth half a bottlecap when you sell it, don't two halves make a whole? Fast-travel makes carrying junk back and forth actually worth it! That and the fact that vendors seem to be willing to pay for every single item that isn't bolted down! :rolleyes: Whatever. More caps for me!


Last little item of note: patch 1.0.0.15 for the PC version is available for download (http://fallout.bethsoft.com/eng/downloads/patches.html)!

[Tal-Rasha]

[QUOTE=saphalline;412003]Bartering in Fallout 3 is automatically calculated according to your Barter skill level. This is exactly how it worked in Fallout 1/2. It is rather archaic compared to Oblivion's approach to bartering, which was active bartering on the part of the player, but perhaps Bethesda decided to leave this be as per the Fallout universe so as not to change too much at once.

Sorry man, i dont understand...What do u mean with "active bartering"? I know, i am disturbing u too much, sorry about that...but i have to learn it:D
Can u "fully" explain how i barter with characters in fallout 3?...(Sshh, i feel like idiot:p )
Best regards...

[saphalline]

Can u "fully" explain how i barter with characters in fallout 3?Oh, duh! I know to what you are referring now! :rolleyes:

Yes, in Fallout 1/2, any time you spoke with ANY NPC, you had a little "Barter" button so you could trade with him/her, even if that NPC didn't have anything. In Fallout 3, there are designated vendors. You can no longer just barter with anyone you find. (You can pickpocket and/or kill just about anyone you find, however. ;)) You can only barter with actual vendors.

The first major vendor is Moira, in Megaton. Good luck finding your second one! :p

[Tal-Rasha]

Thanks buddy...I ll respect u forever.If u need anything about any subject, i ll be glad to help...

[George Hallam]

I have just got my paws on the game will be installing in a while after home work :(

[jlreich]

Picked it up last night. Got into Megaton and had to quit.

I like that it looks great but seems to be slightly less hardware hungry than Oblivion. I think it is because of the fact there really isn't any greenery to speak of. Not a bunch of trees blowing in the breeze.

[pave_spectre]

Can't play the game again till friday, as I am at Tindal, so i'm stuck playing need for speed most wanted which I never finished, or Halo which I have.

[saphalline]

Can't play the game again till friday, as I am at TindalTindal? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tindal)


Day 14:

Ran into my first big disappointment with Fallout 3. :(

The quest is called The Superhuman Gambit, and it starts in the small town of Canterbury Commons. The way the quest is introduced to the player is extremely smooth and elegant, and reeks of immersion. Which makes the quest itself all the more of a let-down. Sadness...

In an effort to not give too much away in spoilers, I'll simply sum up my overall experience with this quest. It is overcomplicated in its options, which serves only to restrict players to pre-conceived pidgeon-holed outcomes based on "class" abilities a là ancient fantasy-based RPG's. It's a severe disappointment in an otherwise stellar game (so far). The guidebook exposes the full set of lies connected to this quest, including the loss of Karma for seemingly benign decisions. In fact, for my combat-oriented character, there was only one single path through this quest that didn't lower my Karma!! :eek: WTF!? And in fact, the ultimate satisfactory "boy scout" ending to this quest requires the LAWYER prototype character with a very high Speech skill!! :mad:

While it is true that Fallout 1 & 2 each had a dissatisfying quest peppered here and there, they were by and far tiny little infractions that took at most 20 minutes to complete. Not a rampaging 3-hour epic quest like this with optional objectives! And what's with the void of moral choice here? Why is it so heavily disposed to the evil side of the coin? Fallout is about making difficult moral choices in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, not trudging through a farce whose outcome is based on class-specific skills! It's about the "big four": help (good), hinder (evil), judge (neutral), and walk away (pass!). With this quest - with my character - I only had access to three of them! And if you want XP, you must complete the quest, which cuts my options down to two! And if I'm going to spend more than an hour doing a quest, two of the four is unacceptable! Especially since the only two were hinder and judge! This isn't Fallout. This is more like Halo. Punish the player for not being able to do something.

That hurt. That hurt a lot. :(


Still playing. Still enthusiastic. A bit more cautious.

[saphalline]

Day 25:

Sneaking is awesome!! :D

I've steered my character's skills towards a heavy reliance on Small Guns and Sneak for a nice one-two punch in combat, and a healthy helping of Repair for good measure. Equipped with a nearly fully repaired Hunting Rifle, I can generally do one-hit-kills on raiders continuously. A sneak attack is an automatic critical. And a critical head-shot on a humanoid with a 20+ damage weapon usually means death. And if you are good enough to remain stealthed while you pick off the raiders, well! You can sneak your way to continuous critical head-shots! :cool:

This means I don't use V.A.T.S. as often - only for open fire fights, in fact - but it also means I can perform long range shots that are impossible in V.A.T.S. mode. To augment my sneaking abilities, I equip the Shady Hat (Sneak +5) and Recon Armor (Sneak +5) and switch over to heavier armor for open fire fights. The durability of the Recon Armor that I possess matters not if I never get hit while wearing it! :p In the mean time, judicious use of saving and reloading means I never get into open fire fights unless I approve of the conditions! Hehe. It also saves on ammo, but that's less of an issue for certain types. The good ol' 10mm is quickly outpaced by the heavier weapons with higher damage capabilities. 10mm weapons just can't cut it past level 6, except for those rare times when you need to deal with lesser creatures like Radroaches. It helps to carry around a 10mm Pistol when exploring, but the extra weight (measly though it is) is better spent on other things when assaulting a raider location or other humanoid encampment.

Dogmeat. Remember Dogmeat? I'm sure everyone is aware by now that Dogmeat reprises his role in Fallout 3! And I found him!! Yippee!! :D Dogmeat is an interesting "follower" in Fallout 3. He is one tough dog! I've found him incredibly handy while traveling through creature-infested areas. Radscorpions are his strong point, and my character's weak point, so it works out nicely. (Radscorpions have tough carapace armor that is most efficiently penetrated with energy weapons or explosives, so they're a bit of a hassle when equipped with guns.) The downside to Dogmeat is that he can't sneak!! I'm still trying to figure out what to do with him. For my sneaking/sniping character, it seems that the best way to deal with Dogmeat is to continually send him out to find stuff for me! But he returns at random moments and drags a bunch of nearby enemies with him! WTF?? I could just tell him to stay put, but what if I lose him or fast travel without him? I wish he was more like a Pokemon - I could summon and dismiss him at my leisure. :)


There are three useful Perks for end-game V.A.T.S. effectiveness: Gunslinger, Commando, and Sniper. I did some experimenting with these Perks because their descriptions are so vague. They simply refer to "significant" increases in chances to hit while in V.A.T.S. mode - nothing about what "significant" means. So I used the add/remove Perk cheats to find out. Turns out that "significant" equates to an extra 10-12% in V.A.T.S., which is significant enough to warrant some desireability. Mostly because of Super Mutants. For some odd reason, Super Mutants are tough to hit in V.A.T.S.! It makes no realistic or direct sense since they're so much bigger than a human, and when you do manage to hit them they don't seem to be any less injured. It is my belief that the greatly reduced chance to hit them in V.A.T.S. is related to the removal of AC in Fallout 3. All the previous Fallout games had AC. Number 3 does not. DR is the only defense that anyone or anything can have, and an unarmored Super Mutant doesn't have much of that! To compensate for the loss of AC, it seems Bethesda decided to use reduced percentages in V.A.T.S. for those creatures and humanoids that are "special" in some way. Super Mutants would certainly qualify for that! They were feared opponents in all previous Fallout games! This new method of dealing with Super Mutants in Fallout 3 is consistent with the fiction of the previous games. Super Mutants were always infamous for being nigh unstoppable! I guess a reduced chance to hit them in the first place effectively meets the ends of that fiction, even if the means is a bit off. Thus, if only for Super Mutants, any ranged killer in Fallout 3 needs to consider one or more of Gunslinger, Commando, and Sniper.


I have yet to enter downtown D.C. in earnest. Haven't touched the main quest yet. Still exploring the open-ended world. The sheer number of locations to explore outside downtown D.C. is enough to make your head swim! And the variation from Oblivion makes each one all the more enjoyable and rewarding. If anything can be said to be a downside to the environment, I think it should be quoted from XPlay's review of the game: "kind of depressing to play for long periods of time". ;)

Happy rads!

[pave_spectre]

Don't get me started on Super mutants. At the moment, it seems like every time I turn round there's a super mutant, and every third one seems to have a minigun.

And now I have a price on my head, any time I come out of a subway, there's 3 or 4 raiders waiting in ambush.

[saphalline]

Five days ago, Bethesda made this announcement (http://fallout.bethsoft.com/eng/home/pr-112508.php).

:eek:

You know what this means! I gotta cruise through the main quest now! December starts tomorrow!

Woah, the things I could do with an editor...

:cool:

[Wandrille]

I can't wait to get this game from a friend during christmas. It seems really fun from what saphalline has been saying. Has everyone that has played this game enjoyed it? and compared to other games is it better, worse in both graphics and gameplay

[jlreich]

I have been enjoying it. Unfortunately this is the busy time of the year for me so I haven't had much time to play it yet. :( I have already worked 300 hours of overtime this year and still have another week of being on-call to go yet. :eek:

Graphics and game play are great.

[pave_spectre]

One of the most absorbing games I've played in a while. Can't play it at the moment cause I just moved and my computer is in various different boxes.

I found it amusing that you can set diferent enemies on each other. Was being chased by a pack of feral ghouls, and ran into some talon company mercs. Mercs got wasted and left me with just two ghouls to deal with. :D

[saphalline]

I have already worked 300 hours of overtime this year and still have another week of being on-call to go yet.Wait, you don't take vacation time for new games!? :eek: Fallout 3 took 10 years to be released! Show some respect!!

Or at least, that's what I told my boss... ;)

Was being chased by a pack of feral ghouls, and ran into some talon company mercs. Mercs got wasted and left me with just two ghouls to deal with.Yes, that is quite odd. But mostly it's funny! :D Do all of the enemies have some sort of priority chart that they carry with them at all times?

- Kill player character first, if alone.
- Kill creatures first, if encountered.
- Attack "Bent Tin Cans" when bored.

:p


Been hitting the main quest lately. I don't even remember what day number it is anymore. :rolleyes: Too lazy to do the math. I must admit that the main quest lends some urgency and vitality to the game. Wandering aimlessly through the wastes doing odds and ends for the first month made my play style very languid and desolate. Eating away at the main quest gets the heart pumping again! The moral undertones are outstanding! You just don't get a sense of the big picture if you whittle away your time with Radscorpions and Raiders. They seem so insignificant to the larger picture.

This has also affected how I deal with these old threats. I used to take the Raiders seriously! Slow, deliberate stalking with tremendous effort in combat. Now? I almost just keep running past them! :p They've become nearly meaningless in my mad quest to... finish the main quest. If they had emotions, they'd probably be pissed at me for ignoring their presence! :D Hahahaa!


Also been brainstorming ideas for my mod. But when it really comes down to it, balance testing needs to be done first. And that's the fun part! :D What happens if you give a 10mm Pistol 5000 damage? Sneak +150 on a helmet? DR of 100 on a Vault 101 Jumpsuit? These are questions that need to be answered! Otherwise, how do we know if too much is really over-the-top? :confused:

:D

[Tal-Rasha]

Attention to all fallout Hunters:

I give u, best performance of gun types against creature types:

Radroach =Laser Pistol:)
Mole Rat =Repellent Stick or Assault Rifle
Radscorpion= Yes, they are tough but not against flamer,hehe:)
Ants =Any.(my advise is Hunting Rifle)
Bloat Fly =Any.
Yao Guai =Chinese Assault Rifle or Plasma Rifle.
Raider =Any.(my advise is Hunting Rifle again:) from distance:)
Feral Ghoul=With skill of unarmed at 20-30, with Fisto! (i guarantee the fun and the certain kill.)
Robots =Pulse Grenades first,Combat Shotgun or Chinese Assult Rifle as secondary.
Super Mutant = Head shots will be enough with Railway Rifle, for tough ones use Missile Launcher, (Fatman if there are much)
Talon Mercs = Plasma Rifle(at ease), or any.
Dogs =What am i, your PC Guide??!
BEHEMOT =Conventional Nuclear Missile(i wish it exists:))

NOTE-Alpha: Combat shotgun sucks, Sniper Rifle kills simply at criticals but its durability sucks, Laser Rifle is fast and durable but ineffective sometimes, fisto! is the BEST, Minigun's best performance is out of VATS...and finally, nuka-grenades can kill anything include behemots with one or two shots.

[pave_spectre]

Found dogmeat. Then had him vanish for a long time wen I sent him for ammo.

So long, that I was able to explore a length of subway, and complete a side quest complete with side trip back to megaton.

Then once I had finished the side quest and returned to megaton to sell stuff, waiting for the store to open, hey presto he returns. :confused:

[saphalline]

Radroach =Laser Pistol:):eek: Geez! You don't have to disintegrate them into a pile of dust to get past them! Heck, Sneak at 80+ allows you to practically walk on by them. 10mm Pistol, dude! Sprays their guts all over. Can't get much more dead than that!

Radscorpion= Yes, they are tough but not against flamer,hehe:)Ooh, I hadn't thought of that. My character sucks at Big Guns so I haven't been using them. Combat Shotgun is what I use against Radscorpions. I'll have to try the Flamer...

Yao Guai =Chinese Assault Rifle or Plasma Rifle.Headshot, sneaking, out of VATS, Hunting Rifle, 80%+ durability, 70+ Small Guns. Takes their head right off! :D

Raider =Any.(my advise is Hunting Rifle again:) from distance:)Same as the Yao Guai. Their armor sucks! Doesn't make any sense to waste the "good stuff" on mere raiders!

Super Mutant = Head shots will be enough with Railway Rifle, for tough ones use Missile Launcher, (Fatman if there are much)Headshot, sneaking, out of VATS, Scoped .44 Magnum - close the distance with Chinese Assault Rifle. DONE!

Dogs =What am i, your PC Guide??!Same as Yao Guai. Headshots while sneaking are instant criticals, and if you can hit the head... no irradiated animal will stand in your way! (Except Deathclaws. Always gotta exclude them. Nasty things!)

BEHEMOT =Conventional Nuclear Missile(i wish it exists:))I find that crying and wetting my pants is very effective therapy while getting killed by these guys. :p (I did manage to kill one once using a 65% Chinese Assualt Rifle, 600 bullets, and 20 Stimpacks, but I decided that was too much so I reloaded the game. :rolleyes:) When you get to the GNR in the main quest, however, you're given the opportunity to kill a Behemoth with a 10% Fat Man and two Mini Nukes, which gets the job done, but...

Then once I had finished the side quest and returned to megaton to sell stuff, waiting for the store to open, hey presto he returns.Yeah, what is up with Dogmeat's inclusion in the game? If you primarily enter messy fights, Dogmeat is great! But if you like to sneak around, he sucks! Always grabbing enemies and starting fights while traveling... He's just not a good exploration companion. :( He's not very good at finding things, either. I don't know, when you make Fallout a lot like Morrowind/Oblivion, having companions just kills a lot of your options. This is one Fallout game in which Dogmeat should have stayed on the west coast!


The mod is starting to come together. Conceptually, anyway. Should be fun to put together.

[pave_spectre]

Lost dogmeat again.

He turned up, barked at me, I said, hey let's go, he vanished and hasn't returned. Did a bit of looking and seems dogmeat vanishing for no apparent reason is a bit of a common bug.

He hasn't really affected my sneaking because he vanishes for such long periods of time.

[jlreich]

F3 has taken a backseat for now. Picked up COD5 the other day and into that at the moment. :cool:

F3 is a great game but it's one of those that you have to spend a lot of time in to really enjoy it, and I really don't have that time right now unfortunately. :( I tried telling my boss I would need to take a couple weeks off to play F3 but he wouldn't go for it. :p :D

COD5 on the other hand is one I enjoy playing at the drop of a hat, leave and come back whenever I have a time without issue.

[saphalline]

Dogmeat is broken. :( Maybe an upcoming patch will fix him. I mean, fix his problem...

You're cheating on Fallout 3 with COD5!? :eek: That's OK, I'm doing that with WotLK. :D


Glowing Ones = :eek:!! Tough as a Super Mutant but thrice as creepy! They remind me of a glow-in-the-dark Gollum. Irradiated and they JUST NEVER DIE!!

I need to create myself some better weapons...

[saphalline]

... *drum roll* ...


And the G.E.C.K. is born!! Well, over here -> G.E.C.K. (http://fallout.bethsoft.com/eng/downloads/geck.html)

Mwahahahaaa!!

It's late, though, and I'm tired. I'll mess with it tomorrow night.

[saphalline]

Heh heh...

They gave us WAAAAAAY too much power with the G.E.C.K.! :eek:

Hahahahahaaaa! :D

Heh heh...

[pave_spectre]

Once again I am away from my desktop so can't play F3 for a while. This time till 4 weeks til I get back to darwin.

Maybe now I will finish need for speed:most wanted.

[saphalline]

You can do some really creative stuff with the G.E.C.K.! :D Some really bad stuff, too. :( If you're not careful, your creations can crash the game! Yikes! :eek:


Found an old friend in Fallout 3 last night. I won't spoil it for anyone so I can't really say anything about the old friend in question. Suffice to say, however, WOW! They did a good job with that one! And apparently, how you deal with this old friend can also affect the ending. Interesting...

[Lord Vader]

Saph, my hats off to you bro. What an amazing review, obviously, you're passionate about this game.

I need to give it more of a chance. I popped it in a few weeks back, never got far, just have too much ADD perhaps, hah.

[saphalline]

Not a fan of RPG's? And not a fan of FPS's anymore? So what the heck do you like!? :D


Mod'ing FO3 is fun. So many things you can do and change and cheat... :cool: Mwahahahahaaaa! Now I'm getting into some of the more complicated aspects, however. Need to learn scripts... And how to apply them to objects...

[saphalline]

I've beaten the game several times now. :p Still going through all the permutations. With a high Karma character, that is. Negative Karma will be next, and then the difficult neutral Karma variation.

The ending is very well done, all things considered. Maybe not the best ever in gaming history, due to the nature of the content, but certainly on par with previous Fallout games. The mood for the series has always had a limited end to the gaming with a good deal of exposition and a lot of that feeling of the end itself being a journey. As in, it is not how the game ends, but rather what you, the player, get to do during the end. The morbid humor in the dialogue, the last minute choices, the theatrical crescendo, the sense of urgency, and then the sudden stop at the end that leaves you wanting more. As if the Fallout universe itself is saying to you, "What, not what you expected? This is the nuclear wasteland, idiot! Deal with it!".

Anyone looking for the shiny, happy, butterflies & tulips ending in Oblivion had better wake up to reality! If you've played a Fallout game to completion before, welcome home. If not, have your "blankey" handy when you push that last button. You'll need it when you cry yourself to sleep dwelling on your own insignificance.


Welcome to the wasteland, boys and girls. Enjoy your stay. Or not.

[jlreich]

I actually started playing it again the other day. Went for evil this time. It was so much fun throwing the switch standing on the balcony of Tenpenny Tower. :D :D :cool: I saved it and have watched it several times. :p

[Stoney]

I just "discovered" this thread and now I've got to get this game! :eek: I was holding off but after saph's very helpful thread I'll be getting in a week or two.

[saphalline]

I'll be getting in a week or two.You should get it now. Like, right now.

What are you waiting for!? GO!!!

[Stoney]

You should get it now. Like, right now.

What are you waiting for!? GO!!!

LOL!

But...but... I'm afraid! The wasteland, the radiation, mutants and mutations... its going to kill me! :eek:

[saphalline]

The wasteland, the radiation, mutants and mutations... its going to kill me! :eek:Not with my heavily cheated mods it won't! :p

Raven Rock was truly awe-inspiring. Anyone who has been there in the main quest knows what I'm talking about! I want to try my hand at making a mod with those tiles!

Oh, by the way, anyone want my current mods? A warning that they are intended for really heavy cheating, however.

[jlreich]

Oh, by the way, anyone want my current mods? A warning that they are intended for really heavy cheating, however.
Sure, I would love to check them out. :)

[saphalline]

Ok, I'll see about uploading them this weekend.

[saphalline]

Voila!

http://www.sheaiden.com/downloads/cheat2.esp

http://www.sheaiden.com/downloads/doors1.esp

The "doors1" mod is still in development. It's still a kind of cheating mod, but mostly it's just for gits and shiggles. And some of the lockers are set to respawn, so have fun!

The "cheat2" mod is hard-core! Watch out! It's the refined cheating mod for extreme testing, so use it sparingly. The gear is so outrageously overpowered that even Behemoths are merely annoying! NOTHING will pose a threat to you, which can get very boring very quickly. Believe me.

Oh, ummm... watch out for the nuke launchers in "cheat2". In inexperienced hands, they're just as likely to kill your player character as your enemies! And your friends. And innocents. And the town nearby. Etc. And yes, a few of the weapons WILL affect your framerate! No getting around that sometimes...


To access "doors1", head to the nearest town (or Vault 101's entrance) and go through the door. You'll see what I mean. To access "cheat2", go into the Vault 101 tunnel (between the main Vault door and the door to the Capital Wasteland) - there's a footlocker on the ground. Take everything. ;)


To anyone who doesn't know how to work mod files, put these files into your game directory. Ie, C:\Program Files\Bethesda Softworks\Fallout 3\Data (Program Files (x86) on Vista/Windows 7 64-bit). Should be the same directory as the Fallout3.esm master file. Then run the Fallout 3 launcher, click on Data Files, and put checkmarks next to the mod files. Good to go!

[jlreich]

Sweet! I am off for the weekend and will give them a try tomorrow. :cool:

[jlreich]

Using cheat2 I can't level up. When the level up screen comes on you can't assign any points and the continue button is grayed out, so you are kind of stuck and have to exit the game. :confused:

[saphalline]

Ah, you must not have the latest patch. In which case, you cannot yet access Operation: Anchorage (http://fallout.bethsoft.com/eng/home/home.php?fbid=RmjlmdAzjTX)!

You best get a move on with patch 1.1.0.35!! :eek:

[spiral08]

hi im new here

ive been waiting for the expansion pack. is it out yet? also does the new patch solve the crash issue?

[jlreich]

The patch took care of the problem. Thanks. :)

ive been waiting for the expansion pack. is it out yet?
I guess Operation: Anchorage! that Saph spoke of is an expansion. I haven't checked it out yet though.

[saphalline]

hi im new hereHello. :)

ive been waiting for the expansion pack. is it out yet?There are no expansion packs for FO3, per se. There is only the promised DLC from Bethesda - downloadable content. The first of which is "Operation: Anchorage!"!

You need a Games for Windows LIVE! account, though. And 800 "G" points to purchase it. There are also 2 more promised DLC packs for FO3, as per Bethesda's original plan - release the game in late October, release the G.E.C.K. in December, then release 3 DLC's in January, February, and March. So far so good! :D

also does the new patch solve the crash issue?The patches have greatly reduced the number of crashes that I receive, although lately I have been picking up the slack with outrageous modding! :p Makes the game unstable when you stack up a dozen explodable cars, apparently. Haha!

If you are experiencing numerous crashes, the main fix is to update your drivers - and your DirectX if using WinXP. That solves nearly all gaming problems, in my experience. Actually, most problems with computers in general...

[mjc]

I've never found Bethesda games to be incredibly stable anyway...crashes, especially the frustrating I-was-right-in-the-middle-of-a-very-important-(fill in blank) CTD where you have to go back to you last save, which you realize was a couple of hours and a whole lot of work ago...are part and parcel with Bethesda games, no matter how up to date drivers/patches are. Yeah, you can cut down with keeping everything up to date, but I've never seen any way to totally eliminate them (correct me if I'm wrong, Saph).

It's almost like Bethesda games have a built in meter...play too long/too intense and it says 'Hey, I'm going on a coffee break. Why don't you take one too?'

[jlreich]

I have had very few problems with Fallout 3. Most that I have had are when the game first starts before it gets to the main menu. Oblivion was a little more of a problem, but after the first patch things improved.

Now the latest Need for Speed: Undercover I picked up the other day is a different story. I have never had a game that was in need of a patch as much as this one. Mouse cursor simply does not show up in the game, so you have to do the options setup after you are in game with the controller. Which I believe leaves you without the ability to get into some options, but I am not certain because I can't get into the options menu on the main screen. :( And the worst thing is you will be driving and the sudden your car just takes a hard right turn. Sometimes it won't do it for a long time, then suddenly it crashes into the wall. :eek: And no, it isn't my controller, it happens to my daughter as well on her machine and it is reported at the NFS forums.

It is a good game, been playing it quite a bit this weekend, but they really really need to patch it. ;)

[spiral08]

hey saphalline! :)

thanks for the heads up, i may be able to get the patch. For Operation Anchorage, maybe ill just get it next time.

yeah i agree with you, ill be getting updated drivers and patch so that itll improve my gaming experience

though im not sure how long my pc will last, its just a p4 with a 7300gt agp card so maybe end of this year ill have it upgraded.

[saphalline]

but I've never seen any way to totally eliminate them (correct me if I'm wrong, Saph).Nope, no way to get rid of them entirely. Although Fallout 3 with the latest patch is already head and shoulders above the final Oblivion experience!

though im not sure how long my pc will last, its just a p4 with a 7300gt agp card so maybe end of this year ill have it upgraded.:eek: Ummm... holy cow!! :eek:

How can you stand that? Wow!

You need a core upgrade! Probably a completely new system at this point! AGP has been dead for years! Get over it!

[spiral08]

Nope, no way to get rid of them entirely. Although Fallout 3 with the latest patch is already head and shoulders above the final Oblivion experience!

:eek: Ummm... holy cow!! :eek:

How can you stand that? Wow!

You need a core upgrade! Probably a completely new system at this point! AGP has been dead for years! Get over it!

im waiting for the price of the i7 to drop, maybe end of this year ill get an upgrade. the game still runs on my pc fairly good on low settings, but my pc met its match already. i cannot play nfs undercover anymore. anyway, im still exploring other builds of the character but it seems the one i have beats everything.

[saphalline]

im waiting for the price of the i7 to dropYeah...

You do know that Intel has no plans to change the LGA1366 platform until 2010 at the earliest, right? Core i7 is not really going to come down in price. It is what it is; and LGA 1156 is another thing.

[spiral08]

Yeah...

You do know that Intel has no plans to change the LGA1366 platform until 2010 at the earliest, right? Core i7 is not really going to come down in price. It is what it is; and LGA 1156 is another thing.

is there a proper forum to discuss this since we're going a bit off to the thread...

anyway, any other FO3 players out there :)

[jermy565]

This game is so amazing! My three favorite games (very close) are Fallout 3, Mass Effect, and Dead Space. Right now, I am doing with Fallout 3 exactly what I did with Mass Effect:
When I first got Mass Effect, I played around and had fun, then put the game down for a few months, picked it up and beat it. And loved it! A year later, I picked it up and beat it um... I think the count was 8 and 4 halfs... I played it on Xbox 360 and got every achievement for it!
Back to the topic at hand (I'm going to have to start a Mass Effect thread :), everything I just said about Mass Effect is happening exactly with Fallout 3! I have it on the 360, which is great cause Xbox Live treats us good when it comes to dlc :D, and I am in the stage of getting all of the achievements!
I was a bit disappointed with the ending, but it was a very appropriate ending (whichever ending you end up with). It was also a very uneasy ending, much like wandering through the wastelands. One thing that is awesome though, is the Broken Steel (I believe is the name) expansion announced, that is supposed to add an alternate ending to expand the gameplay beyond the main quest.
Oh yeah, and when I played as a low kharma... who am I kidding, a vile, evil, and desperate excuse for a human being... I felt sorry for all the people I murdered. I decided to ransack megaton before I completed my evil objectives for Tenpenny tower. My follower, Jericho, killed everybody that we came into contact with, even people I did not want to kill. Eventually, I ended up shooting the lady at the craterside supply so I could get her key and take back everything I sold her and all of her bottle caps.
What a deep and complex game, I thought choosing the fates of select team mates and a particular political ship in Mass Effect was of deep moral complexity for a game, that was baby stuff.
Ok, I'll stop lol