Fallout 3

[Jake]

So is everyone agreeing now that I should buy this...?

If so, PC or XBox?

If you have to ask, even ironically, after this thread, maybe you shouldn't buy it.

PC.

[Chris]

So is everyone agreeing now that I should buy this...?

If so, PC or XBox?

I don't know if everyone can agree on the correct course of action for you specifically, but it's a great game that I recommend generally. If you can go for either platform, I would recommend PC.

[ThunderPeel2001]

If you have to ask, even ironically, after this thread, maybe you shouldn't buy it.

Why, exactly? Sure, I've been skipping posts that might reveal too much, but AFAIK Wrestlevania is playing on an XBOX, Miffy on a PS3. When has anyone mentioned PC?

[DanJW]

If you have a decent PC then get it for that. It runs surprisingly well on my Radeon X800 XT, which isn't even officially supported - but I've also seen it on a Crysis-capable kit, and on that it is jaw-dropping.

[Erkki]

Damn, the game crashes for me after every couple of hours. Only reset helps. Highly annoying. Also, I'm finding more and more bugs/holes, for example:

I was following a very unrelated lead into a corner of the world, when I unexpectedly found a vault where the "Tranquility Street" quest takes place. So I stumbled upon my dad while I wasn't actually looking for him. Which is kind of cool, but the dialogue assumed I had taken another path and the "gain access to rivet city" or some such objective suddenly got completed, while Rivet City is in a fucking entirely different corner of the world.

I have also seen several other dialogue options which are out of context and seem to assume a path I haven't taken.

[Cigol]

I've not experienced any crashing myself, but that's the problem with PC games. It's like a box of chocolates, never know what you're gonna get. That said, ThunderPeel, unless you want to end up paying for dog armour I suggest that's the version you get. Even if they don't release the mod tools, people are already busy doing stuff to the game.

Cigol, not that I'm disagreeing with you, but what would you expect from a true Fallout sequal? Is it just the combat system? Or something about the storytelling? I'm interested in the specifics of what you started to say.

I can't really answer that to be honest, people might steal my ideas. Okay, but seriously it's just too difficult to qualify in words. I only know my perfect Fallout sequel isn't an improved Oblivion - no matter how good it is in that respect. More than that I find difficult to write.

If you have a decent PC then get it for that. It runs surprisingly well on my Radeon X800 XT, which isn't even officially supported - but I've also seen it on a Crysis-capable kit, and on that it is jaw-dropping.

I actually had a 512MB X850 XT, you'll see a massive improvement with a 7/8/9 series NVIDIA.

I have also seen several other dialogue options which are out of context and seem to assume a path I haven't taken.

You can cure someone's drug addiction one minute and ask them literally the next how they have been holding up. It's a small thing to point out, but it would have been nice to have those options appear anew as it feels cheap seeing them and then compulsively clicking.

[DanJW]

I can't really answer that to be honest, people might steal my ideas. Okay, but seriously it's just too difficult to qualify in words. I only know my perfect Fallout sequel isn't an improved Oblivion - no matter how good it is in that respect. More than that I find difficult to write.

Oh

Well do post again if something occurs to you.

Idle Thumbs: We're all about exposition!

[ThunderPeel2001]

Good stuff! I've got a fairly decent PC (8800GTS) so it should be good enough!

[Wrestlevania]

So I started again last night, with a brand new character. I changed my SPECIAL choices slightly this time and also picked much better skills for the long term too.

I got through the escape sequence having to kill only two guards this time. I went much more for the pacifist role this time, letting Amata keep the gun, and noticed a lot fewer radroaches around.

The guard outside my room wasn't killed by the roaches, so I had to kill him with my baseball bat. Then I managed to dodge the others and talk to the friendlies. After that, the only obstacle was the Overseer's body guard, who was easy to dispatch--again, with my baseball bat (kills roaches in one swing!).

I simply talked to the Overseer this time, though he wouldn't give me his password and key, so I got to try hacking which was nifty. Love the interface for this, just like Dan mentioned.

I do have one major gripe, however: after escaping vault 101 I spent about 20 minutes rummaging through the ruined town immediately outside the vault entrance. And the fucking game froze on my after a good round of scavenging. I hadn't saved since immediately exiting the vault either.

It's also extremely frustrating that this is only the second time I've switched my (brand new) 360 on since it came back from Microsoft on Monday, and the bastard thing locked up. No lights, but it's a "failure" (in the form of a software crash) anyway.

[Erkki]

Considering how often the PC version crashes on me, I'd say it's probably Fallout's problem, not the XBox's

[DanJW]

Yeah it has ocasionally been crashing for me too, but I assumed it was because

I'm playing on review code.

It happens less now that I turned off scene reflections on the water.

Also, somebody expressed a certain hope earlier, so I hope you forgive this minor spoiler... but some way into the game now, I have just picked up a distress signal from Vault 101! Can't wait to head back and see what's been going on

edit: just wait 'til the guys back home check out my goggles and fedora, and the way it sets off my recon armour! Hmm, or maybe I should wear the pyjamas and the powdered wig...

Edited November 6, 2008 by DanJW

[Erkki]

Also, somebody expressed a certain hope earlier, so I hope you forgive this minor spoiler... but some way into the game now, I have just picked up a distress signal from Vault 101! Can't wait to head back and see what's been going on

I just got that far as well last night. Then the game crashed and I went to bed

I was quite frustrated with the story issues that kept popping up due to the accidental alternative route I took (described in a spoiler in an earlier post), but now that that part of the quest is done with, the story is looking better again. I'm still quite disappointed that alternative routes are not implemented properly. Won't be surprised if there will be a fan mod to fix that.

[Tanukitsune]

I've finally gotten a copy of it and...

I'm surpised you can get achievements on a PC game, is this the first game to do this?

I agree with the whole it's Oblivion with guns thing, except I wish it was more like Oblivion since you lack magic to heal you or make you carry more stuff... I'm fed up of going back to a town after each battle to sell all the stuff I have because I can't carry more, just to see I have to wait three days for the money to regenerate!

The game is also very harsh and much harder than Oblivion!

[Chris]

I'm surpised you can get achievements on a PC game, is this the first game to do this?

No, other Games for Windows Live games do it as well, there just aren't tons of them. The program is gaining more support; Dawn of War II will be a good addition.

[Erkki]

Damn, I didn't know that and never activated the Windows Live thing. Can I get achievements retroactively if I do it now?

[Tanukitsune]

Damn, I didn't know that and never activated the Windows Live thing. Can I get achievements retroactively if I do it now?

Nope, I had played a little before discovering that and when I logged in it didn't let me access my saved games..

[DanJW]

I've finally gotten a copy of it and...

I agree with the whole it's Oblivion with guns thing, except I wish it was more like Oblivion since you lack magic to heal you or make you carry more stuff... I'm fed up of going back to a town after each battle to sell all the stuff I have because I can't carry more, just to see I have to wait three days for the money to regenerate!

(

Become a 'buffout' junky! Or an alchaholic, that will boost your carry capacity slightly as well. Stimpacks and food and drink will heal you. So in a way all those potions still exist.

I still often run out of capacity even with buffout though. You are only meant to carry a couple of weapons and a couple of outfits - but screw that! Instead I have taken to hiding cachés of collectable goods around the map, in an easy to access container. Every so often I will do a round of me cachés and collect all the, say, scrap metal, and take it where it needs to go. It's a fun emergent strategy that feels like something you might actually do in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

One thing that is missing is disease. I guess the radiation kills all the microbes?

Some other observations:

Companions are stupid. Especially if you like to ambush guys (and really, what with the damage bonus, it's silly not to at least try, even if you don't have a good sneak skill). But a companion will rush in and get in the way, even if you have given instructions to stay back and flank. The only way to stop them spoiling an ambush is to tell them to 'wait here' several yards back. The other reason to do this is so that your companion does not die instantly. Seriously, it was the same in Oblivion; companions are pretty useless in a fight. Give them a minigun so they do some damage and don't run about everywhere like a loon.

Obviously this is down to Bethesda's lacklustre AI, but at least enemies won't use explosives at close range and will run away if badly hurt.

Good thing about companion: I gave mine a suit of advanced power armour, straight off a enclave goon , to try and improve her life expectancy. It was all shiny and black and threatening (you can tell because of the charisma decrease it carries). After a few days in the wasteland though it is now a big pile of rust. It was great to see it visibly, gradually, degrade. Still works though.

Also the companion's inventory interface is nice and simple, making them useful as a mule - see above!

Related to the degrading armour - I really like the repair system in this game. It makes total sense that you can only repair an item if you have a similar item to sacrifice for parts. None of that "magically improve the quality out of thin air" from other games. The repair quality of items also adds a nice natural level scaling to the game - a crappy hunting rifle is useful right at the start, but as your access to better repair improves, that hunting remains useful for quite some time. and you end up with a 'favourite' hunting rifle that you have been keeping in good(ish) condition for ages.

Enemies also don't suddenly start carrying new types of weapons when you level up (OK they do, but not all of them); instead the quality of their weapons just improves a bit.

And I have still only explored half the map! So much left to find.

[Tanukitsune]

Become a 'buffout' junky! Or an alchaholic, that will boost your carry capacity slightly as well. Stimpacks and food and drink will heal you. So in a way all those potions still exist.

How does the alcoholic thing work? Do I lose health if I don't drink every once in a while? And how much do I gain anyway?

I generally sell armor and weapons I don't need and keep the "junk" in my house to build weapons... I've yet to build one yet, but I just got to Rivet city!

Are Stimpack the best healing items out there? It would be nice to have something that heals more HP!

[DanJW]

How does the alcoholic thing work? Do I lose health if I don't drink every once in a while? And how much do I gain anyway?

I generally sell armor and weapons I don't need and keep the "junk" in my house to build weapons... I've yet to build one yet, but I just got to Rivet city!

Are Stimpack the best healing items out there? It would be nice to have something that heals more HP!

You can see the stat bonuses from drugs etc when you highlight them (+1 strangth = +10 carry cpacity I think). When you are suffering from an addiction, you will get -1 to the stats affected by the drug if you haven't taken it for a while. Getting your addictons cured by a doctor only costs 50 caps though, and it will get rid of them all.

I normally use unwanted armour and weapons to repair the ones I do use. But if you find something valuable then it is definately worth selling. After a while you will learn which is the more valuable bric-a-brac too - cartons of cigarettes are a good moneymaker early on.

But yeah I also have a pile of parts to use for building weapons later... although I'm easing off on that now, as some parts are incredibly common, like pilot lights, whereas others are very rare. I only collect the rare ones now as I know I can easily find the others when I need them.

Stimpacks are potentially the best healing item - they improve with your medical skill I think. Even so there are a lot of them about.

I always forget to take Med-X before a battle though, but that helps avoid damage. Liquids are generally better than solid food for healing - purified water is great, but dirty water and nuka-cola are handy too, and there is a way to make blood-packs more benificial as well. Remember to take a Rad-X before every meal!

The best way to regain health is sleep. If you find a bed out in the wasteland, say in a raider camp that you have just 'liberated', then use it. Even 1 hour restores full health.

[Tanukitsune]

You can see the stat bonuses from drugs etc when you highlight them (+1 strangth = +10 carry cpacity I think). When you are suffering from an addiction, you will get -1 to the stats affected by the drug if you haven't taken it for a while. Getting your addictons cured by a doctor only costs 50 caps though, and it will get rid of them all.

I normally use unwanted armour and weapons to repair the ones I do use. But if you find something valuable then it is definately worth selling. After a while you will learn which is the more valuable bric-a-brac too - cartons of cigarettes are a good moneymaker early on.

But yeah I also have a pile of parts to use for building weapons later... although I'm easing off on that now, as some parts are incredibly common, like pilot lights, whereas others are very rare. I only collect the rare ones now as I know I can easily find the others when I need them.

Stimpacks are potentially the best healing item - they improve with your medical skill I think. Even so there are a lot of them about.

I always forget to take Med-X before a battle though, but that helps avoid damage. Liquids are generally better than solid food for healing - purified water is great, but dirty water and nuka-cola are handy too, and there is a way to make blood-packs more benificial as well. Remember to take a Rad-X before every meal!

The best way to regain health is sleep. If you find a bed out in the wasteland, say in a raider camp that you have just 'liberated', then use it. Even 1 hour restores full health.

Since I have to go back to Megatown to sell my stuff often, I just rest at my home while I'm there..

I've yet to repair something myself, I just pay the gal at the store in Megaton for that!

I guess I'm not even halfway through so I guess I'll have time for all this?

[DanJW]

Buying repairs is pretty expensive. If you have a half-decent repair skill then it probably works out the same to sacrifice the weapon and do the repairs yourself. That way you have more carry capacity for trade goods, since weapons are heavy.

Money seems tight early on, but later in the game you should become pretty wealthy. It's that normal RPG "gotta get rich" compulsion, where you never need as much money as you think you do.

But yes you have plenty of time left.

[Tanukitsune]

Buying repairs is pretty expensive. If you have a half-decent repair skill then it probably works out the same to sacrifice the weapon and do the repairs yourself. That way you have more carry capacity for trade goods, since weapons are heavy.

Money seems tight early on, but later in the game you should become pretty wealthy. It's that normal RPG "gotta get rich" compulsion, where you never need as much money as you think you do.

But yes you have plenty of time left.

Well now for some strange reason Steam won't let me play anything that isn't a demo, if I try to play anything else it says my Steam ticket expired or that the servers are busy...

[DanJW]

That old chestnut! Close steam and restart. Might have to reboot your whole system

Either that or it really is the steam servers. What with the Left 4 Dead demo it is highly possible.

[Tanukitsune]

That old chestnut! Close steam and restart. Might have to reboot your whole system

Either that or it really is the steam servers. What with the Left 4 Dead demo it is highly possible.

I think it might be the later rebooting and closing Steam didn't work...

I wanted to try the demo after listening to the podcast but apparently you have to buy the game to get the demo early!

[Erkki]

Well, I just finished it. The ending disappointed, although the

robot

preceding it was cool. What I hated most about the ending (WARNING: ENDING SPOILER):

You have to go into lethal radiation to turn on the purifier. Have to choose who gets to be the sacrifice: Sarah Lyons or yourself. Sarah says there is no other way. Hellooooo! There's a fucking 8 foot tall mutant standing right next to you, highly radiation resistant. Yeah, except you pretend he doesn't exist, you fucking BOS racist. And now one of us will have to die for that!