Bethesda gets Fallout

[Venkman]

Cool. I hit Rock Creek Canyon at some point too which is where i assume present day Rock Creek Park is.

How far into the future did the war happen? I think they mentioned it in the beginning but I can't remember. Something like 2050 or '60? There's some future-tech things in there but nothing omg that I've come across so far.

[schild]

There's some future-tech things in there but nothing omg that I've come across so far.

I thought the Fat Boy was pretty "omg" even though I knew about it because they totally ruined it in a trailer and shouldn't have.

Some of the unique weapons are pretty insane. You're only going to get some of them if you're evil though, also, you can still get the good ones. My whole angle is to finish quests, and then fry a motherfucker.

[Signe]

So, I defragged and all that stuff and it ran pretty well for a couple of hours or so and then got stuck and frozen and pissed me off again.  I'm saving often though so I didn't get so irate and break things this time.  I'm happy my speakers still work.  My character is cute, which is strange given that Bethesda seems to embrace the ugly.  If I can figure out how to get my character to stay faced to the camera, I'll post a pic to show you how cute I am. 

[NiX]

Stand idle and the camera will pan around your character.. just like in Oblivion

[Venkman]

There's some future-tech things in there but nothing omg that I've come across so far.

I thought the Fat Boy was pretty "omg"

Ah cool. Yea, playing good side I'm only armed with whatever aggressors bring at me.

Incidentally, someone earlier mentioned that the VATS/stall thing can be solved by a nVidia driver upgrade. That solved the problem for me as well. No stall at all now. And this is on Vista. I'm still surprised when some new game works on Vista...

[trias_e]

Maybe after six hours you could take a break and reboot the computer 

    Actually, I should have done the opposite.  Problems never started until after I restarted the game after the first marathon catass session. 

It's good now though!  The game still pisses me off in many various facets, but I sure as hell can't stop playing it.  So I can't complain.

[Signe]

Thanks, Nix.  I was so ugly in Oblivion that I never wanted to take a pic!   

[Hindenburg]

Also, I'm shocked they didn't put University of Maryland or, AHEM, Bethesda in the game.

I believe that would be Bethesda Ruins, near Minefield.

There's also some other University i found, but can't remember the name of the place, might even be maryland.

[schild]

Also, I'm shocked they didn't put University of Maryland or, AHEM, Bethesda in the game.

I believe that would be Bethesda Ruins, near Minefield.

There's also some other University i found, but can't remember the name of the place, might even be maryland.

Hmmm, geographically, Bethesda should be a little further north I think, maybe. It's all wonk. In between Bethesda and Olney Farm should be Rockville I presume. I haven't read the names on my Explorer-Revealed map, I've just been looking at the map and going to it.

[NiX]

So, once you beat it, can you start over with the same character?

[Hindenburg]

Hmmm, geographically, Bethesda should be a little further north I think, maybe. It's all wonk. In between Bethesda and Olney Farm should be Rockville I presume. I haven't read the names on my Explorer-Revealed map, I've just been looking at the map and going to it.

Welp, Bethesda is straight south from Minefield, past the scrapyard.
The Uni was actually Roosevelt Academy, west (actually WWS) of Paradise Falls, a bit south of Faded Poop Stains Pomp Estate.

[Falconeer]

How big is the game world? Is it all freely explorable?

[Big Gulp]

If I can figure out how to get my character to stay faced to the camera, I'll post a pic to show you how cute I am. 

Push in your scroll wheel, and you can pan the camera around your character.

[Mazakiel]

Also, make normal save files often, and quick save like you have OCD.  For me at least, the game can lock up a few times a session. 

[LK]

How big is the game world? Is it all freely explorable?

It is satisfying large without being excessive. You can explore most areas though certain things are blocked off by keys and the such. The DC area is an exception: it's a cleverly walled off maze that you have to use subways or other passages to get to certain sections.

I am starting to feel fatigue after 40 hours. I'm Lv. 15 but I'm still hella enjoying the game. But scavenging every little thing is starting to get tiresome when I have excessive ammo and credits without having sold stuff like my mini-nukes.

[Signe]

If I can figure out how to get my character to stay faced to the camera, I'll post a pic to show you how cute I am. 

Push in your scroll wheel, and you can pan the camera around your character.

I broke my scroll wheel last week being angry at a different game.   

[lesion]

I broke my scroll wheel last week being angry at a different game.   

You can hold the 'F' key too.

[Venkman]

After the most recent session I realized there is one thing bothering me: the mutant guys. Everything in the game works for me, from unhealthy rabid dogs, two-headed mutant cows, raiders, debris, etc. But these minigun/Nailboard mutants look like Duke Nukem extras. They feel like a force-fit. I'm hoping (though I don't want to know for sure) there's a backstory that justifies them. The one thing about them working for me is their iridescent skin color which really pops against an otherwise monotone world (that I've seen to level 6 anyway).

[schild]

There's an achievement that references their weirdness. I'm fairly sure there's a backstory there and I'm fairly sure I know what it is, but that's the sort of thing I wouldn't ruin in a spoiler thread.

[Murgos]

After the most recent session I realized there is one thing bothering me: the mutant guys. Everything in the game works for me, from unhealthy rabid dogs, two-headed mutant cows, raiders, debris, etc. But these minigun/Nailboard mutants look like Duke Nukem extras. They feel like a force-fit. I'm hoping (though I don't want to know for sure) there's a backstory that justifies them. The one thing about them working for me is their iridescent skin color which really pops against an otherwise monotone world (that I've seen to level 6 anyway).

The super mutants?  Yeah, their back story is filled in pretty solidly in the previous two titles.

[Venkman]

Ok, just read up about them. Makes a lot more sense. There's also some stuff about Fallout I wish I knew before starting this one.

[schild]

Ok, just read up about them. Makes a lot more sense. There's also some stuff about Fallout I wish I knew before starting this one.

Almost everything you want to know is revealed SOMEWHERE in Fallout 3. They did a pretty good job tying up things for new people.

[Ragnoros]

Quick question, minor spoiler.


Edit: Thank You.

[Hindenburg]

Hamilton's Hideaway.

Near that settlement that exists on the express highway. WNW from the center of the map.

[Signe]

Shouldn't all these spoiler thingys go in the spoiler thread?  I'm sure Schildy worked VERY hard starting that thread.  Ingrates.  Anyway, here I am lounging around my love shack:



Hamming it up for the camera:



I wish there was an option for a CLEAN shack.  It makes my OCD skin crawl. 

[Lantyssa]

I went with Love Machine, too!  Doesn't seem to be a lot of people interested in it letting me use it though.  I've only even found three people to use Black Widow on, too, and most of them I didn't want to.  Well, besides all the raiders I've shot.

For now I've just told my dog to stay there so I at least have a warm bed to come home to.

[schild]

Hahah, wow, being "good" sucks. That shack is a piece of shit. I was hoping someone would post screenshots.

I have Chinese Rugs and old typewriters and other kickass shit in my pad.

I don't know what Bethsoft was thinking.

[Tebonas]

Thats the way its supposed to be. Evil people get nice shit, good people get the appreciation of the common people. I get handed all kinds of useless crap, but people pooled their hard earned resources to get me that crap. So it gives me a warm fuzzy feeling!

[Engels]

I've taken the 'good' path with my first toon. If you take the 'bad' path, are you still expected to give a crap about your dad, or just wander the wastes being a dick?

[schild]

I've taken the 'good' path with my first toon. If you take the 'bad' path, are you still expected to give a crap about your dad, or just wander the wastes being a dick?

[Venkman]

I like that this thread adds to the profiles of our inner selves 

[Mazakiel]

The main quest/story really is one of the biggest weaknesses in the game.  It tends to railroad you along, and the way it's set up to have every step (so far, at least) seem extremely urgent, it discourages you to just go explore the wastes.  Add in that once you finish it, that's it, game over, and I'm left wishing they'd done something completely different. 

[Venkman]

Hamilton's Hideaway.

Near that settlement that exists on the express highway. WNW from the center of the map.

Quickest way to get there is probably Arefu. But I think the safest is from Minefield.

I found the weapons cache. But I only knew what it was because of the above question about a quest I have yet to get 

[Hindenburg]

The main quest/story really is one of the biggest weaknesses in the game.  It tends to railroad you along, and the way it's set up to have every step (so far, at least) seem extremely urgent, it discourages you to just go explore the wastes.  Add in that once you finish it, that's it, game over, and I'm left wishing they'd done something completely different. 

They could've just gone Fallout 2's route, and have a drunken priest give you a book that, when used, gets all of your skills to max rank and gives you some levels, after you beat the game. It was pretty much a "hey, there you go, god mode, now go kill New Reno".

What's outside of the main quest can last some good 60 hours, though

The game will punish you a bit if you happen to find you dad by accident, too. If you've never met 3Dawg, they'll just skip quests and jump you to that point in the story line.

[schild]

I've explored all but the last area and DC. I need to rip through the capitol before finishing, but for the most part, after you hit 20, you might as well have gotten a book, I'm an unstoppable force at this point. I wouldn't call it 60 hours if you take the exploration perk. Probably somewhere between 30 and 40.