Fallout 3

[Dark_Raven]

Those centaur things freak me out. Especially when they surprise you.

[Starwars]

Well, my Fallout 3 playing is coming to an end I think. My enjoyment started out pretty neutral, then soared quite high for the most part of the game and now it is slowly going downwards. It most certainly won't have the same strong replayability for me as the older games do, mostly because of the fact that the combat turns into a bit of a slog and many, many quests have combat as a fairly integral part of them (where you have to go through a dungeon and retrieve something etc). I'd like to see how some things could turn out differently though but I'm not sure whether the options would be worth it for me to replay the game at once though.

 

I will say this though, the exploration in this game is a lot of fun the first time around. Much more enjoyable than Morrowind or Oblivion. On the other hand, the main quest is awful.

 

In closing, I think the game was pretty much as I expected in its overall direction (not very reminiscant of Fallout at all, or stuffing up the Fallout stuff so to speak). But the actual quality of the gameplay and exploration was quite a bit higher than I expected.

 

Most definetely worth a try at least for any RPG fan.

[Aram]

The biggest problem I have is

THE FALLOUT ENDING SCREENS ARE GONE. One of Fallout's most innovative features, left out for no reason. What is the point of giving us choices, like in the Harold quest, if we don't see the future impact of those choices? Also most of the fun in the game was exploring the environment, so why not let us continue the game after the main quest is done, especially considering that both Fallout 2 and Oblivion allowed this? My last major gripe about endings is very few of the locations you could visit offered a sense of finality once you'd explored them. Each time I explored a cave or factory or vault I'd loot the last room, look around, and wonder if I'd missed something. Where's the big stash of loot with the unique item guarded by the miniboss? Some locations had one, but most didn't even though they were otherwise highly detailed and even had hints of their own storylines. Another game that could have been a classic but left me angry because of tiny, almost inconsequential details.

[wesley2]

Those centaur things freak me out. Especially when they surprise you.

Ya man, there are some creepy parts to the game. Although I think that's mostly because I get so sucked into the atmosphere and I'm not paying attention to anything else.

[GreasyDogMeat]

As you may have assumed from my absence, I've been absolutely enthralled by this game. I cannot really give it enough praise, with some non-critical but minor niggles:

 

1. A bit more sense to the decor, please. People in a permanent dwelling don't leave corpses in the bathtub. They also arrange for the basics, like toilets and brothels as a priority.

2. Bullet physics felt all screwy. Can it really be so hard, after so many years of shooters?

3. Some of the kit felt needlessly glamourised, a la Bioshock, rather than low-tech. Why in the name of christ are there bottle cap mines, but not simple black powder booby traps etc? Why a steam powered awesomeness funcannon (Rock-it launcher) but no thrown spears?

 

In every other respect a truly great game, with bags of potential, and real proper conversations and missions!!!!

 

1. I noticed this too. I can understand living in an old war torn dwelling for shelter, but I'd personally move the nasty skeleton out of the place before settling in.

2. I actually love gun accuracy in this game. Remember how I railed against brothers in arms for its lack of accuracy? Well, in this game you can actually see your gun sway in your hand and the bullet roughly goes where the gun is swaying unlike BiA where the gun doesn't sway in the hand and the bullets fly all across the screen. I love how you can get critical hits on a body part without going into vats and even shoot guns out of enemies hands. Can even shoot grenades just as they toss them and have them blow in the enemies face.

3. Didn't really mind the kits... at least the ones I've found so far. They've done a great job of bringing back almost every weapon from Fallout 1 with the exception of spears and throw-able rocks. I do prefer a few F1's versions of weapons. For instance, the sleek black combat shotgun has been replaced with a WWII PPsH combat shotgun (PPsH was a SMG, but someone liked the design of the weapon and made a combat shotgun version in the F3 universe I guess) and I also preferred the original tube rocket launcher to the more futuristic looking one in F3. Personally, I would loved to have seen a plethora of the 'real' guns from Fallout 2 & Tactics like the M3 Grease Gun and Tommy Gun from Reno as well as some of the numerous real world weapons from Fallout Tactics. See no reason why the 'fake' guns and the real guns couldn't coexist. It seems like Beth actually went out of its way to avoid real weapon names. The Mauser Pistol you could get from Gizmo in F1 has been renamed the 'Chinese Pistol' for instance.

 

I've probably mentioned this before but I love some of the little touches with animation. If you get a crippled leg you will see your character limping along in 3rd person camera. Also, the reload animations are very good in third person. You can actually see your character pulling clips out and then putting a new one in then charging/****ing/priming the gun and it matches with the First Person animations.

[Arkan]

As you may have assumed from my absence, I've been absolutely enthralled by this game. I cannot really give it enough praise, with some non-critical but minor niggles:

 

1. A bit more sense to the decor, please. People in a permanent dwelling don't leave corpses in the bathtub. They also arrange for the basics, like toilets and brothels as a priority.

2. Bullet physics felt all screwy. Can it really be so hard, after so many years of shooters?

3. Some of the kit felt needlessly glamourised, a la Bioshock, rather than low-tech. Why in the name of christ are there bottle cap mines, but not simple black powder booby traps etc? Why a steam powered awesomeness funcannon (Rock-it launcher) but no thrown spears?

 

In every other respect a truly great game, with bags of potential, and real proper conversations and missions!!!!

 

1. I noticed this too. I can understand living in an old war torn dwelling for shelter, but I'd personally move the nasty skeleton out of the place before settling in.

2. I actually love gun accuracy in this game. Remember how I railed against brothers in arms for its lack of accuracy? Well, in this game you can actually see your gun sway in your hand and the bullet roughly goes where the gun is swaying unlike BiA where the gun doesn't sway in the hand and the bullets fly all across the screen. I love how you can get critical hits on a body part without going into vats and even shoot guns out of enemies hands. Can even shoot grenades just as they toss them and have them blow in the enemies face.

3. Didn't really mind the kits... at least the ones I've found so far. They've done a great job of bringing back almost every weapon from Fallout 1 with the exception of spears and throw-able rocks. I do prefer a few F1's versions of weapons. For instance, the sleek black combat shotgun has been replaced with a WWII PPsH combat shotgun (PPsH was a SMG, but someone liked the design of the weapon and made a combat shotgun version in the F3 universe I guess) and I also preferred the original tube rocket launcher to the more futuristic looking one in F3. Personally, I would loved to have seen a plethora of the 'real' guns from Fallout 2 & Tactics like the M3 Grease Gun and Tommy Gun from Reno as well as some of the numerous real world weapons from Fallout Tactics. See no reason why the 'fake' guns and the real guns couldn't coexist. It seems like Beth actually went out of its way to avoid real weapon names. The Mauser Pistol you could get from Gizmo in F1 has been renamed the 'Chinese Pistol' for instance.

 

I've probably mentioned this before but I love some of the little touches with animation. If you get a crippled leg you will see your character limping along in 3rd person camera. Also, the reload animations are very good in third person. You can actually see your character pulling clips out and then putting a new one in then charging/****ing/priming the gun and it matches with the First Person animations.

 

GAH! That killsl me, when you reload any weapon, and you have to "knock it" to get the new reload to "take." Realistic, though.

 

 

I'm sorry, but people who say this game is not Fallout are weird. It's pretty much what I imagined a FOFPS would be like....with a few inconsistencies, of course. Such as the the game taking place 200 years after the war but people still referring to pre-war times and the existence of food, cigarettes, and ammo that lasted 200 years in the wastes. Perhaps Bethesda should have made the timeline similar to FO1, or FO2 at most.

 

This game is just plain fun.

f

Edited November 4, 2008 by Arkan

[thepixiesrock]

So what's the deal with the whole radiation per second thing? What does Radiation actually do to you?

[Gorgon]

Reduces stats.

 

 

I'm done with this game for now, exploring was fun, I put way too many hours into it over the last few days. Like every Bethesda game, the main quest is mostly an unwelcome distraction. The combat was fun mostly, but the AI isn't exactly stellar.

[Dark_Raven]

I could continue on to the main quest, I have to go to Vault 10 whatever, but I am yoo busy exploring the wastes.

[GreasyDogMeat]

GAH! That killsl me, when you reload any weapon, and you have to "knock it" to get the new reload to "take." Realistic, though.

 

 

I'm sorry, but people who say this game is not Fallout are weird. It's pretty much what I imagined a FOFPS would be like....with a few inconsistencies, of course. Such as the the game taking place 200 years after the war but people still referring to pre-war times and the existence of food, cigarettes, and ammo that lasted 200 years in the wastes. Perhaps Bethesda should have made the timeline similar to FO1, or FO2 at most.

 

This game is just plain fun.

f

 

I love that feature! If you keep your weapon repaired it will never have the jamming, but if you let the condition fall to about 25% or less it will start jamming during a reload and you will have to mess with it after every reload. First time I experienced these 'extended reloads' I didn't understand why my character kept pulling out a clip he had just put in or messing with the gun after every reload. Eventually noticed it only happened when I was using a gun in poor condition.

[Arkan]

GAH! That killsl me, when you reload any weapon, and you have to "knock it" to get the new reload to "take." Realistic, though.

 

 

I'm sorry, but people who say this game is not Fallout are weird. It's pretty much what I imagined a FOFPS would be like....with a few inconsistencies, of course. Such as the the game taking place 200 years after the war but people still referring to pre-war times and the existence of food, cigarettes, and ammo that lasted 200 years in the wastes. Perhaps Bethesda should have made the timeline similar to FO1, or FO2 at most.

 

This game is just plain fun.

f

 

I love that feature! If you keep your weapon repaired it will never have the jamming, but if you let the condition fall to about 25% or less it will start jamming during a reload and you will have to mess with it after every reload. First time I experienced these 'extended reloads' I didn't understand why my character kept pulling out a clip he had just put in or messing with the gun after every reload. Eventually noticed it only happened when I was using a gun in poor condition.

 

 

No crap? That's why it does that? Talk about one of those little things that add to the overall game.

 

When I would empty a clip into a mutie and the duck behind a sand barrier, only to have my character "fumble" with reloading was maddening. To find out that it's due to the condition of the weapon is pretty cool. I thought it was random.

 

RE: Repairing. Do you HAVE to have an extra weapon of the same type to repair the one you're using? Any way to repair with parts, scrap metal, etc? Or do you have to find a replica of your weapon to repair it? How does that work for unique weapons?

[GreasyDogMeat]

For repairing, yeah you have to have a duplicate weapon.

 

You can repair special weapons like the Wazer Wifle with Laser Rifle parts and the upgraded Xuangsomething Chinese Assault Rifle with standard Chinese Assault Rifle parts.

 

For extra specials that you make from blueprints, the only way I know of repairing them is to find a shop keep and pay for repairs or make a whole new weapon and combine the parts.

 

By the way, I found a second set of blueprints for the Rock-It Launcher and picking them up gave me the Rock-It Launcher version 2 which seems to pack more of a punch. Anyone know more about upgrading the specials? Simply buy or find the same document again and you will get an upgraded version?

Edited November 5, 2008 by GreasyDogMeat

[thepixiesrock]

I couldn't find that X-Chinese assault rifle. what the heck. I went to Dot's Diner, I didn't find any deas bodies.

[GreasyDogMeat]

I couldn't find that X-Chinese assault rifle. what the heck. I went to Dot's Diner, I didn't find any deas bodies.

 

I found the special X-Chinese Assault Rifle on the mutilated corpse of somebody called Prime. Its possible his death in my game was bad luck and that the character was supposed to be alive. For all I know he wanders around and got in some fire fight or battle and ended up dying in the diner. Hopefully he wasn't quest related.

 

I also found a special Combat Knife called Occum's Razor, but I'm embarrassed to say I can't recall where I found it.

[thepixiesrock]

No like, I checked online and it said it would be on Prime's body in the diner, but like, I've been to the diner a few times, and one time I was attacked by some Mercenaries or something, but no Prime body and no assault rifle.

[Hell Kitty]

The biggest problem I have is

THE FALLOUT ENDING SCREENS ARE GONE. One of Fallout's most innovative features, left out for no reason. What is the point of giving us choices, like in the Harold quest, if we don't see the future impact of those choices?

 

 

I got a few slides of the restored Lincoln Memorial, not much more than that.

Disappointing.

 

 

Also most of the fun in the game was exploring the environment, so why not let us continue the game after the main quest is done, especially considering that both Fallout 2 and Oblivion allowed this?

 

 

I take it you let Lyons input the code? I did it myself and died, which explains why I couldn't possibly continue.

 

[~Di]

Just started playing, and must say I'm impressed! What hasn't impressed me is the loud music that drowns out dialog. I've set my menu audio "music" and "radio" down to zero, and it's still blaring. I can't find a configuration menu that allows me to do anything else... am I missing something here? Would appreciate any help.

[Maria Caliban]

Anyone figured out how to add music to GNR?

 

Cause I have American Songbook: 6 CDs of 1940/50s music.

Edited November 5, 2008 by Maria Caliban

[GreasyDogMeat]

Nope, but if I do I plan on adding Rockin' Robbin to the tunes.

[Maria Caliban]

Nope, but if I do I plan on adding Rockin' Robbin to the tunes.

 

I want to critical hit a ghoul's head while Cliff Edwards croons 'When You Wish Upon a Star.'

 

Okay, the game does one thing I hate: the lower the difficulty, the lower the XP. I understand that some people want to be rewarded for playing on hard, but I've played for 20+ hours now and haven't reached level 10.

 

Maybe they should do something like if you play the game on hard without ever changing the difficulty, your next game you unlock different stuff for your house.

Edited November 5, 2008 by Maria Caliban

[mkreku]

I couldn't find that X-Chinese assault rifle. what the heck. I went to Dot's Diner, I didn't find any deas bodies.

I found the special X-Chinese Assault Rifle on the mutilated corpse of somebody called

Prime

. Its possible his death in my game was bad luck and that the character was supposed to be alive.

Ok, this you should put spoiler tags on. Having an entirely open landscape is both a blessing and a curse. In this case it's a curse, because the character you mention is actually part of a really cool quest that starts miles away (and you can find if you explore thoroughly when doing stuff for the main quest). But as with everything else in Fallout 3, you can accidentally wander and find him there beforehand. The X-assault rifle is one of the best weapons I've found in the game.

 

I actually found my father while exploring the wasteland! I had to reload because up until that point I hadn't done a single thing on the main quest and that would have meant I'd missed the entire story!

 

Anyhow, number 12 and it's finally the Agility bobblehead:

 

 

Directions:

It's in a place called Greener Pastures Disposal Site, north of Minefield and Scrapyard. It's in an office there, sitting on a desk.

 

[Nightshape]

I've probably mentioned this before but I love some of the little touches with animation. If you get a crippled leg you will see your character limping along in 3rd person camera. Also, the reload animations are very good in third person. You can actually see your character pulling clips out and then putting a new one in then charging/****ing/priming the gun and it matches with the First Person animations.

 

Let me just say this straight up, I like FO3... right.

 

The Animations in FO3 are down right bloody ****! They're absolutely CACK! That's not just a matter of opinion, it's all really poor animation, the only time anything begins to look good is when the physics takes over for a corpse... Walk cycles, reloads, the whole lot, absolute amatur tripe.

 

I still think the game is awesome mind, but the idea anyone could actually comment on the animation scares me... And don't get me started on the rendering, and artwork.

 

Basically the game is "Technically" an absolute turd.

[CoM_Solaufein]

I bought it when it was released, even got the collectors edition. I am enjoying so far.

[Gorgon]

Just started playing, and must say I'm impressed! What hasn't impressed me is the loud music that drowns out dialog. I've set my menu audio "music" and "radio" down to zero, and it's still blaring. I can't find a configuration menu that allows me to do anything else... am I missing something here? Would appreciate any help.

The game benefits from a proper sound card. These days many people make do with on board sound chips, but they usually don't handle directional audio on multiple channels that well.

 

First thing to do is to run directx setup and update sound drivers.

Edited November 5, 2008 by Gorgon

[Gorgon]

I've probably mentioned this before but I love some of the little touches with animation. If you get a crippled leg you will see your character limping along in 3rd person camera. Also, the reload animations are very good in third person. You can actually see your character pulling clips out and then putting a new one in then charging/****ing/priming the gun and it matches with the First Person animations.

 

Let me just say this straight up, I like FO3... right.

 

The Animations in FO3 are down right bloody ****! They're absolutely CACK! That's not just a matter of opinion, it's all really poor animation, the only time anything begins to look good is when the physics takes over for a corpse... Walk cycles, reloads, the whole lot, absolute amatur tripe.

 

I still think the game is awesome mind, but the idea anyone could actually comment on the animation scares me... And don't get me started on the rendering, and artwork.

 

Basically the game is "Technically" an absolute turd.

I don't think it has head tracking, and you do look very mannequin-ish when you observe you character doing something from head on. Same as every Bethesta Game though, it's certainly not worse than Oblivion, and it looks quite fine in the usual over the shoulder mode. You don't notice the lack of variety so much. There are no idle animations either, well some of the NPCs smoke cigarettes or hold cups, but that's about it.