Thunderdome 2015 » Printable Version of Topic

Forum: Games
Topic: Fallout 3
started by: GORDON

Posted by GORDON on Nov. 01 2008,12:54

SecureRom.

< http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/01/1653217 >

Posted by Malcolm on Nov. 01 2008,14:00

Only supposed to be a disk check.

Posted by GORDON on Nov. 01 2008,14:05

They wouldn't pay the licensing fees to the company that makes securerom if they only needed a disk check.

Posted by TPRJones on Nov. 01 2008,19:00

Well, shit.

Scratch that one off the list.

Posted by WSGrundy on Nov. 01 2008,19:16

They keep saying that it is the same thing in Oblivion but still not a fan.

Posted by GORDON on Nov. 01 2008,20:34

I remember reading that Oblivion had NO DRM at all... and in spite of that it was still the best selling game of the year... ?

Posted by GORDON on Nov. 02 2008,08:19

Players are pissed about bugs in the PS3 version.

< http://play.tm/news/22078/fans-riled-by-fallout-3-issues-on-ps3/ >

Heh heh heh. One of the big pro-console arguments people used to make was that, "It works out of the box; no need to apply patches." Now that consoles are becoming, basically, low-end PC's.... and developers/marketers can now rush the games out the door unfinished.... they are getting the same little problems and need for patches.

Allow me to be the first to take that little fact and cry, "CONSOLE GAMING IS DEAD!!!" just like they always did with PC gaming. Which is still around. And going strong, even with these new DRM woes.

Posted by Leisher on Nov. 03 2008,07:39

The PS3 has been plagued with bugs.

Posted by WSGrundy on Nov. 05 2008,13:42

QUOTE

In an interview, Bethesda assured the public that they would not be utilising any remote-activation DRM for Fallout 3 but merely the basic disc checking version. However, shortly after the release customers discovered that this was not true, and instead the game contains a version of SecuROM v7.36 which checks for the disc as previously stated but also has an invasive kernel-mode driver which checks for commonly used CD/DVD writing software on the system; if detected, the installation is aborted. The version sold on Steam does not have this restriction.

So if you want to play their game you can't ever put your pictures on a cd I guess. What bullshit.

I wish I was more active in the pirating community so I could get games I want without this shit attached.

Posted by GORDON on Nov. 05 2008,13:46

(GORDON @ Nov. 01 2008,15:05)

QUOTE

They wouldn't pay the licensing fees to the company that makes securerom if they only needed a disk check.

Told ya.

Posted by Leisher on Nov. 14 2008,20:07

PC Gamers review did not show a DRM Alert icon or even mention it? Odd.

In the same issue they do point out FarCry2s has having DRM issues...

Posted by WSGrundy on Nov. 14 2008,20:22

(Leisher @ Nov. 14 2008,20:07)

QUOTE

PC Gamers review did not show a DRM Alert icon or even mention it? Odd.

In the same issue they do point out FarCry2s has having DRM issues...

Maybe because they were kind of lying about it? I don't know.

At first they said it would be the same as oblivion and then they said it would just have a disc check but never mentioned securom and still say that all it does is disc check but others are saying different now.

They might have lied to the reviews and hid it well.

Posted by GORDON on Nov. 14 2008,20:37

(WSGrundy @ Nov. 14 2008,23:22)

QUOTE

(Leisher @ Nov. 14 2008,20:07)

QUOTE

PC Gamers review did not show a DRM Alert icon or even mention it? Odd.

In the same issue they do point out FarCry2s has having DRM issues...

I saw this very thing, and wondered if the DRM got put on after PC Gamer reviewed it. I read about the DRM here before I ever got the mag with the "DRM FREE!" review.... they even say in the review there is no DRM....

I forgot what I was saying.

Posted by Leisher on Nov. 14 2008,21:33

They do mention in the review that it crashed a few PCs, but they said it might have to do with driver issues.

Perhaps they did get a pre-DRM copy?

They've reviewed a game previously that had DRM and didn't mention it, but quickly rectified it in the next issue. So, I guess we wait until the next issue to see if it's mentioned.

Posted by Malcolm on Oct. 18 2010,20:12

Finally got around to ordering the Fallout 3 : Game of the Year edition. Bet I can beat it & snag New Vegas later.

Posted by Troy on Oct. 18 2010,21:37

(Malcolm @ Oct. 18 2010,20:12)

QUOTE

Finally got around to ordering the Fallout 3 : Game of the Year edition. Bet I can beat it & snag New Vegas later.

Funny.

This weekend I started this up as well. Love it so far.

Posted by WSGrundy on Oct. 19 2010,15:55

Waiting till it drops to $25 on Amazon or Steam again. Figured it will happen because of New Vegas or during the steam Xmas sale.

Dying to play it though.

Posted by Malcolm on Oct. 19 2010,18:38

The automatically included 5 DLC thingies made the $40 alright. Considering I can't even remember the last time I bought a game that cost anywhere near that.

EDIT : Still can't believe there's a billboard a few miles from my house that's advertising a Wasteland sequel.

Posted by Malcolm on Nov. 01 2010,12:17

Outside the occasionally desktop drop, fucking awesome. "Very hard" mode has a kind of steep learning curve, but I think I'm getting it. It's like the designers intended this to be an RPG with FPS-style combat, but someone said, "Whoa, the first two (technically three) had turn-based combat. We need an option so we don't lose that demographic."

In short, you can blast things yourself or let the VATS (a probabilistic turned-based system based on your skills/stats) roll some dice on some called shots. At a distance, the door-it-yourself method works pretty well. Close range, some critters jump around so much you have to use VATS to finish them off with a tap or two to the head.

From what I can tell, everything except one category of weapons (small guns -- which includes sniper rifles & combat shotguns) is effectively worthless. Big guns, melee, energy weapons -- all a waste of time. Melee will get your ass beat trying to close distance all the time. Big guns burn through ammo too quick. Energy weapons have ammo that's too expensive & hard to find ... and their damage is comparable to small guns.

Posted by Troy on Nov. 01 2010,12:43

True enough about weapon types.

I did find a few points into big guns made the Missile launcher powerful enough, and there are some of the custom made weapons as well, like the one that shoots anything you can pick up.

I read they are going to try to fix that in the New Vegas one.

Posted by Malcolm on Nov. 01 2010,14:26

Enemy AI is also kind of stupid and deaf for the most part. You can hide in the dark, empty an entire magazine into the black of some dude's head with an unsilenced barrel and his buddy standing a hundred feet away won't notice. Same goes for picking locks & hacking computers (now mini-games themselves).

Equipment isn't that deep, either. Adding the item generation system from Borderlands would be a huge plus. Craftables are limited, but a couple are insanely useful (bottlecap mines fucking rule).

Mines & grenades are a huge part of my combat strategy. Found it works to soften the enemies up with explosives & then headshot them. If things go bad, you can always stimpack back to full health instantaneously (fixed in New Vegas). Early going is a bitch if you ramp up the difficulty. Have to conserve ammo & tackle quests judiciously.

Posted by Malcolm on Nov. 08 2010,09:49

Finally gotten to the point where I'm capable of dealing with pretty much any small group of critters that walks my way. Mines + sneak attach headshots + grenades = death. Got hundreds if not thousands of rounds of ammo and plenty of firearms in good repair. Even on very hard, killing is getting semi-easy (provided the explosives keep coming). Sneaking around trying not to get jumped by half a dozen super mutants is the only worry.

Posted by Malcolm on Dec. 03 2010,07:31

Waaaaaaaaaaay too many skill books in this game. Every skill has enough books lying around to net you 50 points each in that skill. Highest possible score in any is 100. Makes the INT attribute less valuable.

Posted by Malcolm on Jan. 03 2011,19:17

Finally at the point where the game doesn't have many surprises for me (except a shitload more content). But it's all academic.

A few observations...

A) Very Hard mode isn't. Ammo and cash goddamn near rain from the sky after a certain mission regardless of your level.

B) Without the add'l content in the GotY edition (read as "a particular breed of super mutant that soaks up damage like Aerosmith did cocaine"), even minus the +10 to the level cap the add'l content enables, I would have been steamrolling every critter I came across, easy. Fuck explosives, fuck missiles, I could do it with small guns and unarmed alone. The add'l content also gives you the means (weapons and armor) to deal with the bitch-ass super mutants (and radscorpions, although they're really avoidable).

C) I'll say it again ... WAAAAAAAAAAAY too goddamn many skill books that permaboost your skills. It makes the intelligence stat about as useful as charisma.

D) It's possible to solve almost every major puzzle in the game by laying waste to all who oppose your will. As noted above, you've got the stats, skills, equipment, and firepower to do so. And there's pretty much always a convenient chokepoint to herd critters to.

E) The dart gun is your best friend. It is by far the most fearsome weapon in the game, bar none, period. Having one takes you from being dangerous to being a god.

F) Originally, the level cap was 20. With the new content, it's jacked up to 30. You can easily hit that second limit doing sidequests and never touch the plot until you're maxed. And that's the standard Fallout 3 plot missions. That's not counting the 5 bits of additional content.

Posted by Leisher on Apr. 13 2011,11:00

QUOTE

E) The dart gun is your best friend. It is by far the most fearsome weapon in the game, bar none, period. Having one takes you from being dangerous to being a god.

Say what now?

Posted by Malcolm on Apr. 13 2011,11:19

(Leisher @ Apr. 13 2011,13:00)

QUOTE

E) The dart gun is your best friend. It is by far the most fearsome weapon in the game, bar none, period. Having one takes you from being dangerous to being a god.

Say what now?

Haven't gotten one yet?

Posted by Leisher on Apr. 15 2011,17:31

I have one but it took about 20 shots to kill a small radscorpion

Posted by Malcolm on Apr. 15 2011,19:04

(Leisher @ Apr. 15 2011,19:31)

QUOTE

I have one but it took about 20 shots to kill a small radscorpion

Darts don't outright kill things. They make it millions of times easier to kill things. The dart gun strategy I employ ...

0) Optionally, lay down some mines and try to maneuver the critter(s) over them for extra death.
1) Dart gun fires one dart that, with pretty much any successful hit, will cripple any opponent EXCEPT robots and radscorpions. Crippled opponents move slower than Paris Hilton's brain after a night of binge drinking and huffing paint. VATS the mofos or (preferably) take the shot yourself. The spread is nil, so the accuracy is based entirely on your aim.
2) At this point, numerous options are open. If the enemy is particularly bitchy, you can lob grenades.
3) Default behaviour is equipping long-range rifle (hunting/sniper rifle) and sniping the slow-ass enemies while they run over mines. You can circle strafe anything that's susceptible to the darts.
4) If, by some small chance, it's not enough and the bastards make it up close and personal, whip out a heavy-hitter (big guns\combat shotgun\Lincoln's Repeater), relax and take their crippled asses out.

There's a number of critters that are exceptionally painful 1v1 (deathclaws, ghoul reavers, super mutant overlords, albino radscorpions, to name a few), especially if you've got Broken Steel installed. The dart gun is what lets you kill them 1v1 with a 99.99999% success rate. It's also what makes it possible to take on groups of them with decent success. To boot, you can buy a schematic of it very early on for ~800 caps. Darts are plentiful and you're only using about one per critter, so the ammo lasts.

Posted by Leisher on Apr. 18 2011,13:03

Interesting. You love it, yet so far I find it to be worthless.

It takes far too long to swap weapons for it to be valuable to me. In that time I could put 4 or more blasts from my shotgun into them, and that's usually enough to kill most beasties.

Although, maybe my tactics will change when I see more Deathclaws or some of the creatures you named that I haven't seen like the ghoul reaver.

On a different note, I can't express how disappointed I am that simply by wandering, I've found Vault 112. This is prior to me ever making it to Rivet City or even returning the GNR radio after installing the dish.

This highlights the game's biggest flaw: They want you to play through the storyline first, then spend time going through the side missions. I, and I imagine most others, play the exact opposite way. We want to have power, and getting power in games means leveling. Leveling means getting experience. You do that via side missions.

Moving on, I have a very strong desire to simply kill everyone in Paradise Falls. Will that prevent me from doing something cool later in the game (like killing that guy in the bar prevents you from blowing up Megaton)? Should I do the 20 Chinese Rifles thing with the merchant there first?

Posted by Malcolm on Apr. 18 2011,13:59

(Leisher @ Apr. 18 2011,15:03)

QUOTE

On the weapons matter...
What difficulty level are you at? "Very hard" halves your damage and doubles it for all your enemies. Until you get the proper equipment, anything can clean your clock if you get careless.

Yeah, it takes a bit to switch guns, but you can usually get one weapon swap before it becomes dangerous to try it again if you engage at decent distance. You can dart/rail gun/grenade/missile something and switch back to a small gun. If your target's slowed by the dart poison, then you can swap all you want.

On why the shotgun (and small guns in general) isn't a panacea...
Super mutant overlords, mirelurks (at low levels), deathclaws, ghoul reavers. Dart the motherfuckers.

Overlords and reavers have obscenely high health. Fucking obscene, in their own league, not even close to on par with anything else (except maybe a behemoth). Even when I was tanked out at level 30 drilling them with sniper rifle/plasma rifle/missile launcher/heavy incinerator, it took a long-ass time (dozens of rounds, 35-50% crits). Softening them up with mines and grenades takes a good two or three of the most damaging variety. Only reliable way I've found to take them out without excessive explosives involves keeping lots of distance between you and them.

Deathclaws aren't the toughest critters and some shotgun headshots will take them down, but only at medium-to-close range where the spread's going into them at a higher percentage. They close distance very quickly. When they get next to you, they cut quick and often.

On the plot/side missions...
They let you go anywhere right out of the gate. Enemies, loot, shops, etc., all scale to your level. There's assloads of locations. You can get to level 30 before even starting the main quest. It'll just make the plot missions relatively harder than if you'd done them at level 5. After one particular plot mission, though, the ... landscape, I guess, will change noticeably and suddenly, so it sort of affects things in that way.

Most of the "good" loot breaks down to : (i) skill books, (ii) unique weapons/armor, (iii) schematics, (iv) bobbleheads. There's a few you can vulture for free and a few you can take with minimal trouble. Everything else is going to take some nontrivial fighting.

On when to do something in a given environment...
When you go hostile to a faction, it makes it pretty much impossible to trade with them or do any quests for them. So yeah, if you ice everyone in Paradise Falls, then Pronto isn't going to take the guns or trade anymore. There are other places where you can seriously and permanently affect the landscape/populous/goods available. Don't worry much about XP, there's plenty. It does kind of suck missing out on unique items if you perma-fuck a place before exploring it totally. It's theoretically possible that you perma-fuck yourself out of a couple bobbleheads.

Posted by Leisher on Apr. 18 2011,21:23

QUOTE

After one particular plot mission, though, the ... landscape, I guess, will change noticeably and suddenly, so it sort of affects things in that way.

It's my understanding that Vault 112 is the end of the main missions, is that correct? I was "plugged in", and reverted to an earlier save because I thought once I completed that, the game was over.

Is that what you're referring too?

If not, I'm having trouble finding missions. So far, I've been to Rivet City, Megaton, Paradise Falls, Big Town, Nuka-Cola, the robot factory, that Bell Towers place, Underworld, GNR radio, the National Archives, the library, Arlington Cemetery, Mama's food place (whatever), the place with the fire ants, Fort Banister, and a bunch of other places I'm not remembering. Currently, I'm in the Capitol building.

Posted by WSGrundy on Apr. 19 2011,09:40

That is how the previous games were setup too. There is nothing keeping you from the end game beyond the difficulty of the enemies and your skills and equipment.

Did you guys use any mods? Right now I am playing with Mart Mutant Mod, Fook2, and Fellout. I had the mod order mess up in the beginning and it was real unstable but since have fixed that and are not having very many issues. I still quicksave often.

Posted by Leisher on Apr. 19 2011,09:53

I use zero mods. I thought about the flashlight mod, but figured a mod probably wasn't worth the trouble.

What do those other mods do?

Posted by WSGrundy on Apr. 19 2011,11:13

The ones I am using make the explosions from the energy weapons a bit more impressive, adds new tactics for the enemies, allows the enemies to use more/better weapons, fix some bugs, adds mutants from the older games that aren't in the vanilla version, removes the green overcast and makes the world a bit more colorful, adds new weapons and armor, and lots of other stuff.

Posted by WSGrundy on Apr. 19 2011,11:36

Also AI controlled creatures/people will also fight each other know. So as you wander the map you will come up on raiders battling super mutants instead of just standing next to one another waiting for you.

Posted by Leisher on Apr. 19 2011,12:00

QUOTE

I have the game of the year edition and this goes on for me without any mods.

Posted by Malcolm on Apr. 19 2011,12:44

QUOTE

It's my understanding that Vault 112 is the end of the main missions, is that correct?

Nope, that's a different Vault. 112 is more like the halfway mark. The game world will change very shortly after that. Galaxy News and Enclave Radio will significantly change their broadcasts. It is kind of annoying that you can wander onto critical locales randomly. A larger world would've been nice.

QUOTE

So far, I've been to Rivet City, Megaton, Paradise Falls, Big Town, Nuka-Cola, the robot factory, that Bell Towers place, Underworld, GNR radio, the National Archives, the library, Arlington Cemetery, Mama's food place (whatever)

There's not a hell of a lot of official "missions" so to speak. Most of you getting XP/gear is going to come from sheer traveling/exploration. There's more than a few unnamed quests that you have to stumble into, sometimes in certain circumstances. There's also lots of random encounters that may or may not happen when you hit particular hotspots on the map. The longest running gig is the Megaton Wasteland Survivor Guide. Arlington House can be used as player housing (safe to store possessions there and there's only one, maybe two unique, nonrepeatable enemy encounters in the area). Find the Museum of History. It ought to be near the Archives. Check out the lower halls, a sweet .44 rifle lives there. Also one (eventually two) solid ammo merchants. If you locate Tenpenny Tower, there's another one there. Once you find enough ammo, life becomes immensely easier.

QUOTE

Did you guys use any mods?

The normal, GotY, non-mod version I run freezes often enough that I'm loathe to add anything with a hint of more instability. Maybe later.

Posted by Malcolm on Apr. 19 2011,12:48

(Leisher @ Apr. 19 2011,14:00)

QUOTE

I have the game of the year edition and this goes on for me without any mods.

To a certain extent, yeah, but only if the creature spawn points are within a certain proximity. There's lots of times when things are just walking around doing nothing. Out in the wastes, I can sort of see that. In D.C., it ought to be a fucking war zone damn near everywhere, but it ain't.

Posted by Leisher on Apr. 19 2011,13:26

QUOTE

The normal, GotY, non-mod version I run freezes often enough that I'm loathe to add anything with a hint of more instability. Maybe later.

Mine crashes at least once a night as well.

QUOTE

The longest running gig is the Megaton Wasteland Survivor Guide.

I finished that off last night. Although I'd argue that Reilly gives you a longer task, mapping the Wasteland. Of course, I finished that off with a single perk.

QUOTE

Find the Museum of History.

I think I cleaned that place out already. Don't remember a .44 rifle. Maybe I missed that building? Is that where Underworld is or is that where the space artifacts are (the rocket, the lunar lander, the star show, etc.

QUOTE

Nope, that's a different Vault. 112 is more like the halfway mark. The game world will change very shortly after that. Galaxy News and Enclave Radio will significantly change their broadcasts.

Good to know, and interesting. I'm looking forward to the change. Should I complete anything before hand? I mean, will any towns or people be leaving for good?

Posted by Malcolm on Apr. 19 2011,13:45

QUOTE

Museum of Tech has the lunar lander. Museum of History has Underworld dead ahead, but if you gallop through the doors on the left, there's explorable area with hostiles and loot.

QUOTE

Although I'd argue that Reilly gives you a longer task, mapping the Wasteland. Of course, I finished that off with a single perk.

That quest is the fucking cash cow.

QUOTE

Should I complete anything before hand? I mean, will any towns or people be leaving for good?

Towns, no? Grab whatever bobbleheads you want as walking around the Wastes and D.C. will become a bit more dangerous. In addition, sometime after that huge change, wander around your original vault from time to time and scan the radio frequencies... Also, post-change, look for a place called "Deathclaw Sanctuary" in the west-central portion of the map. It's got a bobblehead, a brutal unique melee weapon, and the most fucking rocking unique automatic weapon I've found in game. The DPS is impressive, but it eats ammo like it's sugar-coated crack.

Can't wait until all the DLC for New Vegas gets available so I can get that in one shot instead of hunting down individual add-ons.

Posted by Leisher on Apr. 19 2011,14:02

QUOTE

That quest is the fucking cash cow.

I think she only gave me 2K or so for every location. Maybe I have to actually go there...?

I make all my money selling stuff I find in the wasteland. I'm often weighed down and have to spend an hour making instatrips around the wasteland to sell stuff.

QUOTE

Museum of History has Underworld dead ahead, but if you gallop through the doors on the left, there's explorable area with hostiles and loot.

Cool. When I leave the Capitol tonight I'll give that a look.

QUOTE

I have two bobbleheads, so I might add that to my list for tonight. Deathclaw Sanctuary for the weekend.

Posted by WSGrundy on Apr. 19 2011,14:08

Once you put the mods in the right order I have noticed less crashes then just the vanilla goty edition. I crashed about once every 3 hrs with no mods or having them load in the wrong order but since fixing the order I have not crashed yet. I don't there is anyway for the mods to remove crashing altogether because this is a bethesda game and that is just part of the deal but right now I am on about a 7 hr run with no crashes.

Posted by Malcolm on Apr. 19 2011,14:28

QUOTE

I think she only gave me 2K or so for every location. Maybe I have to actually go there...?

Yeah, you actually have to visit the locale once. The marker can't be a slash, it has to have the appropriate icon.

QUOTE

I make all my money selling stuff I find in the wasteland. I'm often weighed down and have to spend an hour making instatrips around the wasteland to sell stuff.

Selling isn't that big of a deal, really. At least not weapons/armor. You ought to have enough things that can be changed for cash very readily ...
A) mapped locations (best source of cash)
B) scrap metal
C) sugar bombs
D) most pre-war books
E) blood packs
F) pre-war cash, cigarettes of all varieties (great value-to-weight ratios), assorted foodstuffs you don't need (healing should be done with stimpacks, there's zillions of them), in general any misc/aid items that have a 5:1 value-weight ratio (maybe 10:1 if you're strapped for weight) are useful for selling.

Any weapons/armor I have are kept as repair/crafting fodder. Useless weapons/armor get sold off after the misc/aid items. The useless raider/slaver armor is too bulky to ferry around in large quantities. The higher end useless weapons are useful for caps, but since cash is easy to come by after you map a few places for Reilly, it usually doesn't matter. You ought to be able to scavenge enough explosives to get you through anything. My problem was always finding enough .44, .304, and sniper rifles.

Posted by Malcolm on Apr. 19 2011,14:31

Maybe I'll check some mods after I get through all the DLC once. Finished the normal game, then hard disk crashed. Going through it again.

Posted by Leisher on Apr. 19 2011,18:25

I think bobby pins are hard to find, but I'm probably picking locks wrong.

Posted by Malcolm on Apr. 19 2011,20:19

(Leisher @ Apr. 19 2011,20:25)

QUOTE

I think bobby pins are hard to find, but I'm probably picking locks wrong.

I break one every so often. Within two or three twists, you can locate the general area to check out. Tap the keys very gingerly. The more difficult the lock, the smaller the sweetspot for opening it. Why the locks aren't trapped or why you can't just rip/shoot certain things open is beyond me.

Posted by Leisher on Apr. 19 2011,21:19

I realized tonight that I had been playing without the DLCs active. I never looked into what they brought except the lvl 30 extension. I was wondering why my level wasn't going up, and saw it was maxed out. Activated them and I'm finally progressing again.

Posted by Malcolm on Apr. 19 2011,22:46

Ooooooooh. Broken Steel is going to add new enemies and weapons. Super mutant overlords with tri-beam laser rifles hit for 120 points unblockable, I think.

Oh, and if you find a place called Evergreen Mills, save and enjoy one of the most amusing enemy in-fights there is. You have to trigger it, though.

Posted by Leisher on Apr. 20 2011,06:07

I believe I've been to Evergreen Mills (maybe?), but I don't remember much about it.

I just walked out of the Capitol last night. So I'll get a chance to check out some of these locations.

Out of curiosity, did anyone blow up Megaton? Does it have to be done immediately or later? If you did, how is the apartment in Tenpenny Tower? I didn't, and can't believe I waited as long as I did before disarming the bomb. The apartment in Megaton has been a huge perk. I finally have a place to store items.

Posted by Malcolm on Apr. 20 2011,09:28

Evergreen Mills is the place that had the super mutant behemoth locked in the cage. Reminded me a bit of King Kong.

Saving/exploding Megaton can be done at any time. As for Megaton vs. Tenpenny Tower...

A. Apartments are pretty much the same, except for cosmetic differences.
B. As mentioned before, Tenpenny Tower has better vendors than Megaton, so in terms of environment, Tenpenny wins. ***Note : see below.
C. If all you want is item storage, there's loads of landmarked locales that can be used as such. You don't have to finish "The Power of the Atom."

Getting to the point where you can dispatch Burke (is that required or is it just disarming the bomb?) before he clips the sheriff is usually a few levels whereas you can walk to the places mentioned in C straight off.

***Note : There's a couple decent arguments against siding w\ Burke and Tenpenny Tower. Firstly, it means Megaton is gone, period (but I think Moira actually survives). Fewer vendors, fewer sources of caps, quests, parts, drugs, stims, etc. Secondly, getting one of the most practical items in the game (which I'm personally not a fan of) requires you to do things that reduce Tenpenny Tower's vendor population by two-thirds. If you side with Burke and want that item, you've now lost one and two-thirds of a town.

On a side note, I've determined the game needs WAAAAAAAAAAAY more cash sinks. They could just make it obscenely expensive to jack up skills/stats or let you buy perks.

Posted by Leisher on Apr. 20 2011,10:06

QUOTE

Evergreen Mills is the place that had the super mutant behemoth locked in the cage. Reminded me a bit of King Kong.

I've been there and I think I did it all wrong. I went in at night and did so from the surrounding mountains. I killed most of the raiders before I had set foot on the ground. Once on the ground the Behemoth came after me and I had to put that sucker down. I then released the captives not realizing that I hadn't taken out the guards further down the road.

Oops.

QUOTE

Getting to the point where you can dispatch Burke (is that required or is it just disarming the bomb?) before he clips the sheriff is usually a few levels whereas you can walk to the places mentioned in C straight off.

Is Burke the guy who approaches you in Megaton about detonating the bomb? I had heard about this choice during reviews and had predetermined that I wasn't nuking any city in a land short of resources. Thus, I declined and then shot him in the face.

So I'm running through a game where Megaton exists.

Spoilers
I do dig that there are sooooooooooo many choices to make. Some of mine:
-Megaton is safe and the bomb is defused.
-I killed the fuck out of my Vault's overseer on the way out. I think that's going to bite me in the ass later. He attacked me!!! Oh, and his daughter watched the whole thing happen and wasn't pleased, but wasn't overly pissed either...
-I've been giving purified water to the guys outside of towns.
-I plan to ass rape Paradise Falls rather than enslave people.
-I let the "vamps" live and talked Ian into returning home.
-I'm planning on giving the Nuka-Cola Quantums to the guy so he can bang the chick.
-I put in the dish for GNR.
-I saved Reilly's Rangers.
-I've killed a LOT of Talon folks.
-I got the ghouls into Tenpenny Tower. It seemed a LOT harder than exterminating them would've been.
-I got the fire ant kid a home in Rivet City.
-I got the dude's contract in Underworld, which was fucking awesome, but I don't use companions.
-I cleaned out the police station and saved the kids and Big Town.

That's off the top of my head. I'd be very interested in finding out what negatives my choices earned me.

And yes, I agree about cash. The most expensive thing I've found is home decoration.

Posted by Malcolm on Apr. 20 2011,11:08

The way to do Evergreen Mills is letting King Kong loose on the Raiders. Hilarious to watch. Reminded me of the old Doom critter in-fights.

Burke is Tenpenny's contact in Megaton, so yeah, it was him.

Don't give the dude the quantums. Give them to her directly or you miss out on a schematic. You don't get to fuck her, either, in case you were wondering.

Giving water to losers hanging around outside town does nothing but boost karma a bit. I think there's only one spot where not having purified water on hand results in a death, and that's a random encounter.

Talon pricks will ambush you forever (mainly at metro entrances), but they're a great source of combat armor to repair the ranger armor I hope you took from Reilly that, when all is said and done, is as least as good as power armor. If your karma goes negative, the Regulators would show up instead. I assume if you're neutral, no one cares.

If you integrated Tenpenny Tower, go back a few days after the fact and check on them.

Getting Charon from Azhrukal is amusing just to watch the exchange when you buy the former's contract. But companions are fucking worthless with a couple circumstantial exceptions. Which really sucks because I could think of all kinds of tactics and things to pull off if you had three or four humans playing.

If you iced the overseer, you'll at least get to see some consequences for it later on.

Posted by WSGrundy on Apr. 20 2011,12:37

About 12 hrs since I installed the mods and still no crashes.

Posted by Leisher on Apr. 21 2011,07:17

Just an example of my pack mule ways, I walked out of the Capitol building carrying 2000 pounds of stuff. I proceeded straight to Underworld and began to sell it off.

I'm just shy of 20,000 caps.

Oh, and I found the .44 rifle Malcolm talked about. Used to belong to Lincoln apparently.

Posted by Malcolm on Apr. 21 2011,11:09

There's a scoped .44 pistol, that also looks to have 0 spread, that you can grab if you kick off Agatha's quest. It's comparable, if not better, than the rifle.

And what in the fuck do you need 20K caps for?

Posted by Leisher on Apr. 21 2011,11:16

Who is Agatha? The chick that runs the hotel in Underworld? (That's a guess.)

How do I kick off her quest? If it is the hotel chick, I tried talking to her about Gob, but she just says to tell him "hi". When I go there, I'm given no options to actually tell him that though.

Although I should note that I'm already carrying a scoped .44 pistol. If fact, I find them quite a bit. Not as often as assault rifles, but I do find them.

I can't stop myself. I just grab stuff and keep moving. I've got well over 300 stimpaks and I hammer folks with my terrible shotgun, so I'm just like a tank. Slow moving, near indestructible, and packs a hell of a punch.

Posted by Malcolm on Apr. 21 2011,11:22

If you've got the Explorer perk (sounds like you do) Agatha's house is NW of D.C. The pistol you get from that is a unique one.

There's no quest involving Gob and Carol from Underworld, although it seems like there should be.

The stim thing always bugged me. Damn near at will, you can apply ten stims and be back up to full. One of my main gripes. New Vegas takes that insanity away. I tried tanking for a bit, but it was just too annoying having to repair the gear all the time.

Posted by Leisher on Apr. 21 2011,12:41

I've got loads of exploring to do tonight.

Posted by Leisher on Apr. 26 2011,13:24

I'm in Anchorage and these simulations were a really clever way to change the pace for the player.

Fallout 3 is turning to have been a hell of a purchase.

Posted by Malcolm on Apr. 26 2011,13:42

Having Broken Steel will extend your play time beyond the normal Fallout 3 plot, so you can do the other DLCs whenever. And on the whole, the GotY edition was a good buy for $40 or whatever I got it for. Lots of things I felt could've been done better, but still a fun game. Getting the sneak skill up high enough almost makes the gameplay remind me of "Thief" or "Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay."

Posted by Leisher on May 02 2011,12:40

Since the last time I posted, I haven't returned to Vault 112. I've been doing all sorts of missions all over the map.

However, nothing changed except minor things (all due to missions, like TenPenny tower, which I did NOT like), and now the landscape has more Reavers, Albino Radscorpions, and Deathclaws.

Tonight I'm returning to Vault 112 to finish that. Should I assume the landscape is going to dramatically change after that?

Oh, and I found Dogmeat last night!

Posted by Malcolm on May 02 2011,15:07

QUOTE

...TenPenny tower, which I did NOT like...

That one drove me up a fucking wall, too.

QUOTE

...the landscape has more Reavers, Albino Radscorpions, and Deathclaws.

The reavers are easily avoidable if you've got the reward from Roy Phillips for the Tenpenny Tower merger. If you elect to fight them, though, they're absolutely bitches. Dart gun is a must.

QUOTE

Tonight I'm returning to Vault 112 to finish that. Should I assume the landscape is going to dramatically change after that?

You'll need to finish Vault 112 plus a bit, but the atmosphere (and more) will change. New encounters, both unique and random. Power armor and other high-tech gear will be much more readily available...

QUOTE

Oh, and I found Dogmeat last night!

He's about the only NPC that's of any use and that's only because of his item-homing ability. He completely kills any stealth you have going. There's an NPC you can get at the tail end of the Fallout 3 plot that's not that bad, I guess, but it's only because he comes armed with a laser gatling and super sledge.

In general, Fallout NPCs have always been fucking useless to me. Maybe as pack mules, but that's it. Real-time strategy and tactics don't jive with static NPC commands. Then again, maybe if you power armor the fuck out of them, they can stand enough pain to provide support fire. Haven't tried.

Posted by Leisher on May 03 2011,07:26

Did you find the basement of Tenpenny tower? I can't seem to locate it.

The first time I went back, I executed everyone. Reloaded and now I'm just dealing with it. In a game of decisions that have big repercussions, this was the one decision I regret.

QUOTE

The reavers are easily avoidable if you've got the reward from Roy Phillips for the Tenpenny Tower merger. If you elect to fight them, though, they're absolutely bitches. Dart gun is a must.

I assume you mean the ghoul mask. I do fight them still and you're right, they're tough.

Using the dart gun like you suggested has helped me out a lot, but so has finding the Terrible Shotgun. I've discovered that it hits at 82 damage when fully repaired and holds 12 shots. I don't even need the dart gun for Deathclaws as 4-5 shots finish them off. Albino Radscorpions take 2-3 more shots. (This is, of course, all dependent on where you hit them.) But the fucking Reavers still take a ton of shots to bring down. They're just so damn fast. Ditto for the Mutant Overlords...except the fast part. The Mutant Overlords are like walking tanks.

QUOTE

You'll need to finish Vault 112 plus a bit, but the atmosphere (and more) will change.

Played less than an hour last night, but knocked out Vault 112. I went for the terminal instead of playing Betsy's game, which I had done on a previous playthrough that I wiped out by loading an earlier save. Same results, but I didn't feel as dirty about it.

And I assume dad's project will be getting activated soon, thus the changes... (Don't tell me if I'm wrong!)

QUOTE

Power armor and other high-tech gear will be much more readily available...

I'm wearing the Winterized Power Armor from the Chinese Simulation mission. I've been wearing it for days and it doesn't take damage. I can't imagine finding anything better.

I agree on the NPCs. I've typically left them where I found them, although I told Dogmeat to head to Vault 101.

On my way to Rivet City I decided to stop off and knock out the Point Lookout expansion. So that's where I am right now. The new art and items are a nice "break" from the rest of the game.

Posted by Malcolm on May 03 2011,13:34

QUOTE

Did you find the basement of Tenpenny tower? I can't seem to locate it.

Try the metro access generator to the left (facing the tower entrance) of the main building or the left (I think) in the main lobby on the ground floor. Bodies are bugged and may or may not be there, but if you go in the room (floor should be slightly blood-stained) and then talk to Roy, the game apparently thinks you've seen them.

QUOTE

Using the dart gun like you suggested has helped me out a lot, but so has finding the Terrible Shotgun.

Terrible Shotty, at close enough range to make all the pellets hit, is the most devastating weapon in the game, next to Vengeance. A critical with one shot is critical damage for all pellets; and crits are devastating if you build them up with the right perks. Combat shotties in general break too quickly for my taste. And I'm more of a long range/stealth type anyhow. I only need shotties when I fuck up and critters get too close while staying undarted. And at level 20, close up combat with guns isn't even an issue anymore as any heavy hitter becomes equivalent to another (due to a perk that becomes available).

As for armor, I still like the Ranger Battle Armor from Reilly. Good enough DR, luck bonus, AP bonus, fairly quiet when sneaking around, easily/cheaply repairable. Power armor is clunky as fuck and I rarely do all-out assaults.

Posted by Leisher on May 03 2011,19:26

The bug is probably why I've never seen the bodies.

I'm an assault person. I find the sniper rifles to degrade too quickly and they're too rare.

Plus, most of the fights occur indoors, so that's where my boom stick gets used the most.

I keep up with repairs by having Moira repair all the combat shotguns I get and then I use them to repair my terrible shotgun.

Posted by Malcolm on May 03 2011,19:34

Yeah, sniper rifles are fragile as glass for some reason and hard to find on vendors. I only use the Reservist's rifle for ultra-long range killing or scouting. I rarely bust it out, but the scope zoom is helpful. My sniping is generally done with the scoped Blackhawk pistol, Lincoln's Repeater, or Ol' Painless.

Posted by Leisher on May 03 2011,21:16

Holy shit are the folks at lookout point tough!

Next mission is to go undercover. Interesting change of pace.

Posted by Leisher on May 11 2011,09:37

Blew up Raven Rock last night and started the Purifier.

Am I through the main story now or is there more to be done? I know there are "other" things to deal with, like the Outcasts, but I'm not sure how much more I left in terms of story, and not just visiting locations for the sake of visiting locations.

Posted by Malcolm on May 11 2011,11:54

Kickstarting the purifier is the final thing in the official Fallout 3 plot. The game continues after if you've got Broken Steel.

Posted by WSGrundy on May 13 2011,18:54

Ran into a bug that doesn't let you progress in the mothership zeta expansion. Ended up finding a solution by inputting this into the console(hit `)

prid sallysid(this is the launch order of the DLC for me it was 05000987)
moveto player
disable
enable

If you need more help message me but it is right near the start of the expansion.

Posted by Leisher on May 13 2011,19:00

I've had to disable clipping twice in the regular game to get myself unstuck.

Posted by Malcolm on May 13 2011,19:51

Shalebridge is still the buggiest place ever.

Posted by WSGrundy on May 14 2011,10:54

Just found another bug where the game crashes while leveling up. I have to go back about 15-20 mins to a previous save so I could move on.

Keep your old saves.

Posted by Malcolm on May 15 2011,11:20

That reminds me. If you're a skill book junkie, DO NOT jack your skills such that they're all 100 and you have another point to spend to finish your level up.

Posted by WSGrundy on May 15 2011,12:45

(Malcolm @ May 15 2011,11:20)

QUOTE

That reminds me. If you're a skill book junkie, DO NOT jack your skills such that they're all 100 and you have another point to spend to finish your level up.

Yeah made that mistake with my repair skill. Went to 100 and then I have found more books since then. An even bigger waste if you pick the perk that gives you 2 pts from books.

Also just went through Vault 112 which I though was pretty cool.

Posted by Leisher on May 17 2011,12:46

I'm about to leave enter the HQ in The Pitt.

Very, very easy DLC at my level. The Trogs touched me once because I had my back turned. Otherwise they usually dropped from a single head shot.

The arena matches last about 5-8 seconds each. I've accidentally gotten into firefights with the guards and mowed most of them down without needing a single stimpack.

I'll enter the HQ tonight and meet the boss there. After that, I guess the only thing left is mopping up the Enclave and reuniting the Outcasts. Everything else is side mission stuff, and unless it affects something in New Vegas, I think I can safely skip it.

Posted by Malcolm on May 17 2011,14:05

I don't know of any Fallout 3 content that affects New Vegas. They take place at opposite ends of the country.

Posted by Leisher on May 18 2011,11:27

The Pitt took longer than I thought, but never got tougher.

However, it contains probably one of the best moral choices you must make in Fallout. Granted, a compromise wasn't given to you as a choice, but still the two extremes are pretty strong, and either way will make you doubt your choice.

Posted by WSGrundy on May 20 2011,18:16

Is it me or does the local make suck? It seems to just layer every floor of a build on top of each other.

Posted by Leisher on May 30 2011,17:55

Ok, I'm calling it quits. I've checked and apparently the only quests I haven't finished are the slave quest (not doing it by choice), and the three quests given to you by the scribe at the Jefferson Memorial as part of the Broken Steel expansion.

Since the save games, and thus what you did in game, aren't used in Fallout: New Vegas, I'm deleting the game tonight and moving onto something new.

Well worth the money. I easily got two months of playtime out of this game (GOTY edition) and I didn't even touch all the mods available.

Highly recommended.

Posted by Malcolm on May 30 2011,19:14

There's not that many quests unfortunately, but I still liked it. Haven't had time to finish any expansions except Operation Anchorage.

Posted by Malcolm on Jun. 05 2011,15:31

I've gotten a proper mix of skills/item such that I can kill most things completely silently now. I KO'd a super mutant behemoth with my bare hands.

Posted by Malcolm on Sep. 17 2012,08:23

After a loooooooooooong break, I'm attempting to finish the DLC for Fallout 3 before getting into New Vegas, Borderlands 2, Fallout 2, and Fallout: BoS (these games should set me for at least a year).

Operation: Anchorage is already done, next I decided to do Mothership Zeta. I'd give it a C+.

It's got a few annoying aspects...

1) Tiny variety of enemies (two, three if you're being generous). One kind of resembles the standard grey alien with big eyes everyone's familiar with. They've got energy pistols and rifles that hurt like a bitch. There are alien-human hybrids (referred to as abominations). They're like alien deathclaws, except far creepier looking.

2) Stupid, dumb-ass NPCs that equip melee weapons and walk in front of you when you're busying aiming for the head of the nearest alien (if you aren't headshotting them, you're wasting ammo). There are four of them. You will come to hate at least three. They all CHOOSE to equip melee weapons instead of the energy blasters the aliens drop, and there's not a goddamn thing you can do to change their mind. Not one of them has ever heard of the word "stealth."

3) No worthwhile loot. Grabbed one unique pistol, and it only runs on alien ammo.

4) Shitty map layout. There's a certain point where you're going to a new area, and the game doesn't tell you you're cut off from everything behind you. Hope you didn't leave anything you wanted to bring, because you can't fucking go back to get it.

5) Ambiguity of enemy toughness. Super mutants all kind of look the same, but they've got different names so you can tell how bad-ass they are. "Brute" or "overlord" does a nice job of communicating they're a step up from your average mutant. The aliens, however, all look the same. Sometimes it's the variety that requires a single headshot and they're gone. Sometimes, it's the kind that can stand toe-to-toe with a Super Mutant Overlord and come out on top. It's the difference between one shot and fifty, and they look EXACTLY THE FUCKING SAME. That's lazy artwork and creature design. "Alien soldier" or "alien commando" was asking too much for labeling purposes? Come the fuck on.

I'm already maxed on levels, skills, and (all the useful) attributes, so this DLC wasn't particularly useful in terms of loot. The most entertaining parts are the alien logs of their experimental subjects (a couple are kind of funny) and the fight at the end, during which you must fend off an alien boarding party while blasting an opposing flying saucer with your ship's death ray.

Think I'm down to Broken Steel, Point Lookout, and the Pitt.

Posted by Leisher on Sep. 17 2012,09:56

I played through all of those.

I remember the Mothership was a welcome change of background textures and that's about it.

Operation: Anchorage was cool.

I don't remember much about the other three, but The Pitt is ringing a bell.

The problem with Fallout DLC is that by the time you get around to them, you're unkillable and one shoting everything.

Posted by Malcolm on Sep. 17 2012,11:33

(Leisher @ Sep. 17 2012,11:56)

QUOTE

The problem with Fallout DLC is that by the time you get around to them, you're unkillable and one shoting everything.

I had to mine and grenade the fuck out of the tougher aliens. I was decidedly NOT one-hitting them. They had health in excess of Super Mutant Overloards, which are fucking obscene to begin with. Any more than one Abomination at a time required special tactics/weapons.

Posted by Leisher on Sep. 17 2012,11:49

Weird, I don't remember them being tough at all. I do remember being all about weapons in that Fallout though, so my guy was maxed in just about everything. I was going into VATS and nothing could get near me.

Posted by Malcolm on Sep. 17 2012,12:32

(Leisher @ Sep. 17 2012,13:49)

QUOTE

I had to be doing something wrong. I had an energy weapon that was doing triple digit damage and it still took a couple dozen headshots to drop some of the aliens, especially the ones that jumped me at the death ray. I mined the fuck out of that room and still had to circle strafe like days of Doom. I am as maxed as maxed gets, and I have every damage perk you can get. I was rolling with plasma grenades/mines, bottlecap mines, and nuka grenades. It was still a difficult fight.

Found out a missed a unique pistol up there, so I'll be replaying that thing AGAIN to get it.

EDIT: How the fuck were you outfitted? What gun did you use?

Posted by Leisher on Sep. 17 2012,13:20

Well over a year ago now, so I have no idea. I know I used a lot of traditional weapons. I didn't use energy weapons in Fallout 3 or Fallout: NV. I also had the power armor from Operation Anchorage.

Posted by Malcolm on Sep. 29 2012,10:54

One of the things that makes the DLC seem like a mini-TV series is the fucked up ways the game comes up with to make you lose all your equipment at the start each and every fucking time. Fucking, cheating-ass unpickable locks.

Posted by Malcolm on Sep. 29 2012,17:28

Currently hitting the Pitt, then Point Lookout after that, then Broken Steel.

A) Enemies nowhere near as insanely tough as Mothership Zeta. The troggiest of trogs is still something I can take on unarmed and kill, which seems proper for the uber dude I got.

B) More retarded places where the game should put some sign saying "explore this now or once you past point X, you ain't going back." Map layout in general seems shitty and lazy.

C) Decent loot that I can reuse outside the DLC. Mothership Zeta finally brought some decent energy weapons to the table, but the ammo is limited to the fucking aliens in that ship; it's finite. The Pitt has a whoop-ass homemade chainsaw called the Man Opener. Fucking yeah. Plus, scoped assault rifles. Hell, yeah. Pretty much why I went to the Pitt instead of Point Lookout.

Posted by Malcolm on Oct. 01 2012,11:59

Fucking artificial game length padding...

There's a long running, optional quest in the Pitt where you need to go into hostile territory and retrieve 100 widgets. Naturally, they only crop up in groups of 2 - 3 (occasionally groups of 4 or more are located). This wouldn't be so bad, except they're coloured like the rest of the scenery (in a fucking abandoned steelyard where everything is post-apocalyptic black/brown/grey), scattered to the four corners of the map, they don't have map markers, they don't look "shiny" compared to other objects.

This is about as bad as GTA making you tag walls with gang symbols. The killer in me despises devs who use these tricks, yet the archivist in me won't let me fucking ignore those quests and rewards.

Posted by Leisher on Oct. 01 2012,13:09

One thing the Fallout games don't need are time padding missions...

Posted by Malcolm on Oct. 10 2012,21:55

Got the 100 ingots and 10 items that come along with it. Unique weapons/armor, most of them. Tribal power armor looks metal, like Dethklok metal. One exceedingly useful gun (I anticipate) will be the silenced, scoped assault rifle. Also got a unique laser rifle that doesn't suck. Down to the last couple sequences in the Pitt, then onward to Point Lookout.

Posted by WSGrundy on Oct. 12 2012,11:51

It is all personal preference but Point Lookout might have been my favorite. Enjoyed them all but Lookout and Zeta had a different look which I liked.

Posted by Malcolm on Oct. 12 2012,12:22

(WSGrundy @ Oct. 12 2012,13:51)

QUOTE

It is all personal preference but Point Lookout might have been my favorite. Enjoyed them all but Lookout and Zeta had a different look which I liked.

I'm kind of annoyed the Pitt has me going undercover when I could realistically just walk in, blast all the fuckers, and take what I want. I have enough gear stashed in my house to supply a small army, but I need to infiltrate this place alone with nothing more than a Spartacus outfit.

Posted by Malcolm on Oct. 13 2012,21:25

The Pitt pisses me off more and more. I stashed all my gear in a certain spot on the map. The NPCs riot and fucking swipe it, then never give it back. Fucking brilliant AI.

Posted by Malcolm on Oct. 14 2012,16:37

The Pitt strikes again. Final battle, I lure the Trogs to finish off the last dude and his minions. Then his corpse disappears, and with it, his loot. FUCK.

Posted by Leisher on Oct. 14 2012,19:47

I think I do remember it being buggy.

Lots of bugs in New Vegas too...

Posted by Malcolm on Oct. 14 2012,20:11

The Pitt is done. Lots of loot. Most useful ...

1) Perforator scoped assault rifle
2) steel knuckles (takes less AP than unarmed, for whatever reason) and is fucking brutal up close (I get about eight attacks, any of which may be paralytic)
3) DR and radiation resistance perks

Point Lookout is next.

Posted by Malcolm on Oct. 21 2012,13:18

On to Point Lookout, the last of the DLC before finishing up the main quest and hitting Broken Steel. First impressions...

Pros
1) It doesn't rob me of my equipment at the beginning.
2) While the enemies are limited, with the exception of the tribals (who seems to have random health), I can tell them fucking apart. They have different graphics, names, etc.
3) Actual free range exploring.

Cons
1) Not a lot of side sidequests.
2) A metric fuckton-load of radiation. Everywhere.

Posted by Malcolm on Oct. 28 2012,12:51

Point Lookout's done.

Pros:
1) didn't jack my equipment
2) didn't lock me into the DLC geography, I could freely go back and forth between Point Lookout and the Capital Wasteland and explore Point Lookout
3) distinguishable enemies
4) double-barreled shotties, fucking holy good goddamn

Cons:
1) side quests were far more interesting than the main one
2) took forever to find a workshop
3) enemies that were too tough for what they were (see below)

There are these humans that can soak up a nuka grenade plus and seem to do way, way more damage than they ought to with their shitty hunting rifles and combat knives. If you want to throw in tough critters, fine, but they shouldn't be humans that could swarm into D.C. and kick the ass of every last super mutant. I could buy that shit for Anchorage, the mutants in Point Lookout, and the aliens in Mothership Zeta but come the fuck on ... the tribals aren't mutants, simulations, aliens, cyborgs, or even radiated. They're the equivalent of militant hippies. They do not get to eat a nuka grenade and stay standing. They shouldn't be able to stand up to 3-4 double-barrel shotty blasts to the head at point blank range.

Posted by Leisher on Jan. 11 2013,06:17

< More Fallout coming? >

If they do another Fallout, they've got to change something this time. After running through Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, and all the DLCs it was very apparent that there wasn't much variety.

Posted by Malcolm on Jan. 11 2013,08:21

1) No more humanoid bullet sponges. I don't give a shit how tough a raider might actually be, a shotgun blast point blank to the face will drop any human being, ask Kurt Cobain. If something shrugs off a couple missile to the heads, fuck if it's a Deathclaw or Super Mutant Behemoth, there better be a fucking decent reason. It's not like the ammo and grenades aren't there, but it's boring playing the "shoot something until it drops game."

2) Legit co-op options. Instead of one vault dweller/courier, could be a small group up to four or whatever. NPCs and their AI suck.

3) By the middle of Fallout 3, I could have taken out the entire Enclave (and the rest of the wasteland) on my own. But I had to wait until a stupid fucking plot point before I could go Rambo them. Why?

4) Endless waves of enemies do not make for interesting gameplay. I'm talking to you, Mothership Zeta.

5) Climbing, assholes. Fucking Wasteland had a climbing skill. Thief had mantling back in 1998. I have killed things twenty stories tall. I should be able to overcome obstacles taller than a track and field hurdle. Also, scuba suits to stay underwater. How the fuck hard would that be?

6) Deeper world. Lines of dialogue does not equal a believable atmosphere. What were there, like twenty people in all of Megaton? Four traveling merchants in all the land, are you shitting me? Three Dog has a replacement if you kill him, but the merchants don't.

7) More logic in continuity. You can kill all the slavers in Paradise Falls, and for what? Three Dog mentioning something about it on the radio? How the fuck does someone not drop in and set up shop in that place, especially after what Roy does at Tenpenny Tower? At the end of Mothership Zeta, you've got buddies in the sky in a ship with a fucking death ray. Point it at the Enclave, game over. The Pitt has a working steel factory at the end, but the only benefit you see out of it is the ammo press, no sudden influx of interesting new items to merchants in D.C.

8) More options during combat. I played my Fallout as a stealthy, Riddick-like dude that planted mines and grenades, favouring lighter (but less stat-killing armour) . My buddy went all-out assault and wears power armour, walking around like one of the gnman during the North Hollywood shootout. There is no situation he can't blast his way through, so there's no reason to do anything except "murder, death, kill." Fallout is not BL.

Posted by Malcolm on Apr. 03 2013,10:52

< It's got to be the shoes >.

Posted by Leisher on Apr. 03 2013,11:04

I must be a nerd because I kind of want those.

Posted by Malcolm on Apr. 03 2013,11:08

I was going to preorder a pair until I read the disclaimer that says the colours get fucked if they get wet. I guess people who only wear shoes indoors and in the desert will be ecstatic.

Posted by WSGrundy on Apr. 03 2013,15:32

(Malcolm @ Apr. 03 2013,11:08)

QUOTE

I was going to preorder a pair until I read the disclaimer that says the colours get fucked if they get wet. I guess people who only wear shoes indoors and in the desert will be ecstatic.

Or in a Vault.

They are awesome.

Posted by Leisher on May 14 2013,06:39

Posted by TheCatt on Nov. 10 2015,17:24

So... any good? I've never played any of the Fallout games apparently.

Posted by Malcolm on Nov. 10 2015,17:31

3 has some tech glitches were are ten kinds of pain in the ass but I enjoyed it. Still have to finish Broken Steel. Since 4's out, guess I have to start New Vegas now.

Posted by TPRJones on Nov. 10 2015,17:34

I didn't care for New Vegas, but 3 was fun. I expect 4 will be pretty good.

I guess the closest modern analog is probably Skyrim. If you liked Skyrim and think it would still be good in a post-apoc setting with guns instead of magic & swords then you'd probably like Fallout.

Posted by TheCatt on Nov. 10 2015,17:51

Hmmm. Skyrim got annoying (boring and repetitive) to me, I never finished it. I finished both recent borderlands games though.

Posted by TPRJones on Nov. 10 2015,17:53

Fallout does have more humor and better writing than Skyrim did. But it wasn't nearly as clever as Borderlands.

Posted by Malcolm on Nov. 10 2015,18:12

Fallout 2 might have approached Borderlands absurdity.