Plot-Spoilerless Fallout Gameplay Discussion

[Engels]

Protip - The Lincoln Repeater is the best "sniper" rifle in the game.

I don't suppose there's any way to restore it to pristine, is there? I started using it, and noticed that it started to degrade, and by gum, I don't want to be stuck with a craped up museum piece.

[shiznitz]

Does it degrade with use or only when you take a hit?

[rattran]

It repairs with hunting rifles

[Yoru]

I got a named laser rifle. It is sweet, sweet candy.

Does anyone know how the game's autobalancing works? I've started to run into a lot more of the top-tier enemies now (level 18), whereas they were pretty rare 6 levels ago. Thing is, my gun and repair skills have been maxed or near-maxed the entire time, so I'm getting that very MMO-like feeling of becoming less powerful in relation to my enemies despite nominally getting better.

If the game bases its autobalancing strictly off of level, I'd've been better off freezing my level around 14-15, where I was mostly facing mid-tier enemies that I could take out in 2-3 shots for the most part.

[Ingmar]

I got a named laser rifle. It is sweet, sweet candy.

Does anyone know how the game's autobalancing works? I've started to run into a lot more of the top-tier enemies now (level 18), whereas they were pretty rare 6 levels ago. Thing is, my gun and repair skills have been maxed or near-maxed the entire time, so I'm getting that very MMO-like feeling of becoming less powerful in relation to my enemies despite nominally getting better.

If the game bases its autobalancing strictly off of level, I'd've been better off freezing my level around 14-15, where I was mostly facing mid-tier enemies that I could take out in 2-3 shots for the most part.

I still run into mole rats at level 20; all leveling up has seemed to do is increase the variety of things I run into. (Advancing the plot does this also.) It seems to me that what part of the map you're in also has a big influence; I haven't been running into deathclaws and giant radscorpions around Megaton. I am not sure but what level you where when you first went into a particular region may have an effect.

That said, what at level 18 are you having trouble with? Do you have an NPC helper? They help a lot in my experience.

[Yoru]

Oh, I'm not having trouble, but that's because I'm strutting around in advanced super armor with a named laser rifle, several forms of high explosive, and an entire ammo dump strapped to my back. I still encounter (and utterly destroy) mole rats, roaches and worker ants on occasion. However, I'm also finding far fewer regular super mutants, regular protectrons, and regular radscorpions compared to their more advanced compatriots.

It's just that things are taking six shots or so to kill, whereas they were taking 2-3 before, which has the logical effect of making you feel less powerful relative to prior levels - I've more or less hit a power ceiling while my enemies haven't.

[taolurker]

Yoru, if you really want an item you can cheat

PLAYER.PLACEATME [ID Number],1,1,1



Item codes Hexcodes & Other codes.. The first number determines quantity.

I was pleasantly surprised (because I have no self control sometimes with cheats) that one cannot cheat unlock some things. I actually have to put points in locklpicking.

But you can... Open console, target locked thing, and type UNLOCK
You also can increase skills by cheating, MODPCS "SkillName" "Number"

TGM is to turn on/off God Mode

[Yoru]

Cheating on a first playthrough ruins the game. Now, for a second, Cheating Game, well... let's just say there's a certain Blaster I wouldn't mind having as a toddler.

[shiznitz]

But you can... Open console, target locked thing, and type UNLOCK

That does not unlock Mr Burke's or Lucas Simms' door, for two examples.

[rk47]

If there is a mod for science auto hack success (NO MORE WORD GUESSES PLEASE) I'd download it in a heartbeat.

Overall what someone mentioned is right, Weapons should have different types of damage.

It is ridiculous to have projectile weapons having no difficulty penetrating Power armor. At least make power armour has high resistance from frontal attack yet have a weak point at the back, giving bullets a chance.
Energy weapons would have no difficulty with penetration yet have slower rate of fire & more scarce ammo.
Melee has targetted attack please. Hitting VATS with my unarmed char didn't give me any option. What a fucking waste. I wanted to make a ninja guy that stealth up to people's face and knock out their guns but I couldn't.

[Sky]

I got my first helper last night, and once again I found myself upset with the state of game AI. I heard a robot around the corner, so I loaded up some pulse mines and laid a nice trap along a corridor. She tore around the corner and got liquified  I quickloaded four times before I finally just backtracked and parked her in a quiet spot while I went ahead and cleared out the level. At least you can park them, I guess.

At one point she aggroed on the robot that was several rooms away and threw a grenade that bounced against a door....into my face. Bitch, you marked for evil playthrough nastiness.

I like that the enemies in this portion are much tougher than robots I'd previously faced. Two new varieties, one fairly simple, one muthatough.

Also wish melee had a target, the Chinese Officer's Sword screams for lopping off limbs/heads selectively.

[Lantyssa]

Yeah.  I don't understand why VATS doesn't let you target with melee weapons.  I loved gouging people's eyes out with a ripper in the first games.

[rk47]

They're begging for a chain saw, but ripper was close enough. 

[shiznitz]

If there is a mod for science auto hack success (NO MORE WORD GUESSES PLEASE) I'd download it in a heartbeat.

The unlock cheat works on terminals.

[Rasix]

They're begging for a chain saw, but ripper was close enough. 

Ripper is cannon.  Where's the damn cattle prod though? I liked that one.

Still, no way I'm touching melee in this one.  It just seems damn gimped.

[Jade Falcon]

I got my first helper last night, and once again I found myself upset with the state of game AI. I heard a robot around the corner, so I loaded up some pulse mines and laid a nice trap along a corridor. She tore around the corner and got liquified  I quickloaded four times before I finally just backtracked and parked her in a quiet spot while I went ahead and cleared out the level. At least you can park them, I guess.

At one point she aggroed on the robot that was several rooms away and threw a grenade that bounced against a door....into my face. Bitch, you marked for evil playthrough nastiness.

Was having the same grief with Dogmeat until I found the cheat to make him not die,now if he does something stupid he just drops out cold and I can happily go about clearing the area.

[Jade Falcon]

Yeah.  I don't understand why VATS doesn't let you target with melee weapons.  I loved gouging people's eyes out with a ripper in the first games.

I could of sworn I was using Vats with a baseball bat early on with the rad roaches were you close enough to them? I'm going to have to try again now and see for sure.

[Bunk]

You can use VATS, but there is only one target with melee. You can't specifically hack off an arm for example.

I'm expecting that this is something modders will look at, but it could be tough to change.

[Tebonas]

I hate cheating with a passion, but making Dogmeat unconscious instead of letting him stay at home all the time would be something I could get behind.

[Sky]

Agreed. Cheat for the lazy, kthx 

[Jade Falcon]

I'll throw the codes up on the spoiler thread.

I'm the same way I don't generally use cheat codes but having to reload every time dogmeat got stuck somewhere,trained half the wasteland pathing to me or died was getting really old.

[Rasix]

I let the stupid dog die.  Just like in the other Fallouts.

[Yegolev]

I let the stupid dog die.  Just like in the other Fallouts.

Dogmeat doesn't throw grenades at me, and at this point he seems nearly unkilllable.  Also, the first time I sent him looking for something, he brought back a beer.  GOOD DOGGIE!

I still sent him back to the vault when I went to Minefield.

[Ingmar]

I've only had to reload for Dogmeat death a couple times, and one of those was a weird zone-out-of-a-building-and-for-some-reason-he's-half-a-mile-away-fighting-laser-robots situation. He's pretty tough.

[Kitsune]

Those fucking radscorpions are follower assassins.  I'll be wandering around somewhere, and my follower will up and charge off into the sunset with a "humper-dumper-doo!" to promptly be ganked by like three giant radscorpions.  I wound up accidentally ditching that follower, though, and wound up with a much cooler follower who doesn't die like a retard every ten minutes, so good trade.

[ashrik]

I left both of my characters in the house. Charon and Dogmeat are strong as all hell, but I'm tried of jumping into a place and having them path 5 minutes around just to reach me.

Nothing like clearing out a room of muties only to turn around and see no one, then be greeted a few minutes later with the 'XYZ has died' screen.

Really needs some sort of squad interface or hotkey system, even if it is as bare as "everyone stay here" and "everyone follow me".

Here's something weird, as soon as I started the escort quest from Vault XX to Rivet City, Charon disappeared. At the end of the run from Rivet to PP to the Citadel, I went back into the Taft tunnel to scavenge some more power armor and there he was. Just sitting pretty. Where the hell did you go Charon?

[Sky]

Good point, even a (shudder) EQ-style pet command system would be nice. Pet stay, follow and three levels of hostility: passive, defensive and aggressive.

[Velorath]

Mod tools and DLC packs announced (for PC and 360):

Bethesda Softworks Announces Creation Kit and
First Downloadable Content for Fallout 3

Editor to be Available in December; Downloadable Content coming for January, February, and March

November 25, 2008 (ROCKVILLE, MD) – Bethesda Softworks®, a ZeniMax Media company, today announced plans to make both its editor and downloadable content available for its award-winning game, Fallout® 3 in the coming weeks. The official editor for Fallout 3, called the G.E.C.K. (Garden of Eden Creation Kit), will be available for free download in December and will allow Games for Windows® users to create and add their own content to the game. In addition, the first official downloadable content, Operation: Anchorage, will be available exclusively for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Games for Windows® in January, and more downloadable content coming in February and March.

"We've always seen the original world of Fallout 3 as a foundation for even more content. Some created by us, and a lot more created by users," said Todd Howard, game director for Fallout 3. "It's fun to create your own character, but it can be equally fun to create your own adventures. We can't wait to see what the community does with the G.E.C.K."

The release of the G.E.C.K. provides the community with tools that will allow players to expand the game any way they wish. Users can create, modify, and edit any data for use with Fallout 3, from building landscapes, towns, and locations to writing dialogue, creating characters, weapons, creatures, and more.

Three downloadable content packs will be coming to Xbox 360 and Games for Windows Live starting in January that will add new quests, items, and content to Fallout 3.

Operation: Anchorage. Enter a military simulation and fight in one of the greatest battles of the Fallout universe – the liberation of Anchorage, Alaska from its Chinese Communist invaders. An action-packed battle scheduled for release in January.

The Pitt. Journey to the industrial raider town called The Pitt, located in the remains of Pittsburgh. Choose your side. Scheduled for release in February.

Broken Steel. Join the ranks of the Brotherhood of Steel and rid the Capital Wasteland of the Enclave remnants once and for all. Continues the adventure past the main quest. Scheduled for release in March.

[Lantyssa]

 

[Ard]

Mod tools and DLC packs announced (for PC and 360):

Bethesda Softworks Announces Creation Kit and
Broken Steel. Join the ranks of the Brotherhood of Steel and rid the Capital Wasteland of the Enclave remnants once and for all. Continues the adventure past the main quest. Scheduled for release in March.

Since this is the wrong thread, without spoilers, I think the best I can do with this one is a "lol wut?"

[Bunk]

 

[schild]

Huh, interesting. I'd already cleared the wastes of both the enclave and the brotherhood. And anyone else that dared to greet me.

[Nazrat]

I guess I know what I will be playing through March now.   

[Murgos]

Nude mod incoming in 3, 2, 1...

[rk47]

Nude mod incoming in 3, 2, 1...

someone's already working on it. Google 'Tessera'
He reviewed the game and said 'there's no prostitute ,wtf? This isn't fallout! I can't sleep with prostitute!' and proceed to show a screenshot of his work in progress...what else? Fallout 3 skins with nipples.