FO: NV (General Discussion)

[TheHarlequin]

On a random note, has anyone else wondered how those pre war planes in McCarran could have taken off without a runway?

 

Over a century since the war.. nearly 2 now.. the runways would have long ago disintegrated and gone back to a natural state. Technically speaking, thats my biggest issue with FO at this point. So much time has passed since the great war none of these buildings would still be standing that are, even in their mostly crumbling condition. The setting looks more like the war happened 50 or so yrs ago not nearly 200. If you watch 'life after humans' tv show their simulations show after 200+ yrs most all man made things would have crumbled and been returned to a natural state. No still standing capitol building or towers in vegas.

[Tigranes]

I won't say how, but you can sneak and rob the BOS armoury without triggering any alarms... the only question is, how to carry all the power armour out?

 

Harlequin, there's a nice in-game explanation for why Vegas structures (which would be the most fragile) are so well kept. As for other buildings, well, it is indeed a stretch, but if you want to tell the story of people who are still tied to pre-war stuff, then you have to assume that some things are still standing. But there are some nice touches; vegetation coming back in a couple of areas

Jacobstown

, ingame NPCs researching medicine as they realise prewar caches of stimpack are running out

Followers

, etc.

[TheHarlequin]

I won't say how, but you can sneak and rob the BOS armoury without triggering any alarms... the only question is, how to carry all the power armour out?

 

Harlequin, there's a nice in-game explanation for why Vegas structures (which would be the most fragile) are so well kept. As for other buildings, well, it is indeed a stretch, but if you want to tell the story of people who are still tied to pre-war stuff, then you have to assume that some things are still standing. But there are some nice touches; vegetation coming back in a couple of areas

Jacobstown

, ingame NPCs researching medicine as they realise prewar caches of stimpack are running out

Followers

, etc.

 

Seems your missing my point. Look at it this way the first 50 yrs after the war ppl were more about surviving then doing building maint to those surviving buildings. Granted vegas didnt get hit by nukes. However unless for some reason that will be explained later in the game, the buildings were upkept shortly after the war, but also those with engineering exp were available to do so. And those that did cared enough to. Find food to live or upkeep some towers. And even if you had the skills/knowledge you still need the materials and equipment to preform the proper maint on these buildings plus a work force of skilled labor. My point is by the time the human race was getting back on its feet to actually do anything like this all the buildings would have already crumbled and collapsed due to 50 to 100+ yrs of neglect. Or at the very least be beyond the point of saving. Again if you look at buildings that are neglected for even just a few decades they start to look closer to what we see in FO then what would be really depicted. (great example look at the towns abandoned after the nuke plant disaster in russa. After just a few decades the buildings are about 1/2 way to the fallout look of ruins). I simply don't see any way how buildings like those depicted in DC or the outskirts of vegas (like the factories and farmhouses) could still be standings after 200 yrs of neglect. Its a minor quip in fairness but I like to consider myself a armchair scientist and little rule bending like this does stick out like a sore thumb to me.

[Tigranes]

I know. This has been a long debated topic in the FO community, esp. regarding FO3. My point is that they still wanted to tell a story where the pre-war, both in memory and in such physical ways, still looms over wasteland life, and they seem to have made a conscious decision to 'freeze' the wasteland, if you like, for a bit longer for that sake.

 

You can argue they should have set it earlier, for FO3 or FNV, and I'd agree. But clearly they wanted to show a more advanced form of postwar civilisation whilst the prewar is still dominant physically, and decided the value of such a setting is worth a little time fudging. I think it's a good idea, I'm not sure it would still feel Fallouty otherwise.

[Guest Slinky]

So, when Obsidian has fixed at least the cowboy repeater and hopefully the constant crashing, I'll start my second run with the game probably with HC mode. Couple questions:

 

1. How fast H2O and food meters go down to zero from full? I usually can't stand anything that even resembles time limits.

 

2. Companions die permanently + their AI = Mental breakdown? Passive mode didn't even work in my first walkthrough, so they went often rampage and got themselves killed.

[Pope]

Food and H20 meters have never posed a problem to me. Just stock up on maize and purified water and you'll do fine.

 

That's one thing I could never stand about companions either. Mostly it was me chasing them rather than the other way around, making sure they didn't get themselves killed. At least when I took Boone he could handle himself well enough, but it still would've been better if he wouldn't open doors on his own accord.

[Guest Slinky]

Ok, thanks. I guess I could just not use companions but I found the perk from ED-E really useful and Cass is just cool otherwise.

 

It would be nice if you could buy a self preservation instinct implant for companions though. I once saw a deathclaw far away and was about to go around it when ED-E went berserk and went after the deathclaw with that heroic attack music echoing in the wasteland. Guess who won?

[MrBrown]

2. Companions die permanently + their AI

 

= "Wait for me here."

 

 

For the whole game, I bet.

[Labadal]

I told Arcade only to attack enemies if I am fighting them. So far so good. He sticks close to me and I have had no problems so far.

[sorophx]

I won't say how, but you can sneak and rob the BOS armoury without triggering any alarms... the only question is, how to carry all the power armour out?

apparently you steal the key to the door on the lower deck. I never bothered to look for the key. by that time I already had close to 30000 caps

[Tigranes]

food/water/sleep meters are very, very, very relaxed.

[Monte Carlo]

OK, I'm playing slowly.

 

I'm level 5 and thinking of travelling to NV after doing the Mojave Outpost / Primm quests. However, the best weapon I've found is a freaking Cowboy Repeater rifle (I've tagged guns, sneak and repair) and these strange winged insects, giant radscorpions and other critters keep slaying me when I try to move north of the Goodsprings graveyard.

 

Should I be cutting about in the south a bit more to level up and where on earth can I find a decent rifle? Rather annoyingly there is no shortage of energy weapons, but I'm not very good with them.

[Humanoid]

I'm still using the Repeater at 16. I don't even meet the STR requirement to use it properly....

 

 

And yeah. the initial people to talk to suggest that the area between Goodsprings and Vegas is very much "here be dragons" territory and funnel you counterclockwise.

[Guest Slinky]

I'm still using the Repeater at 16. I don't even meet the STR requirement to use it properly....

Yep, Cowboy Repeater was very likely the most used weapon in my playthrough.

 

And yeah. the initial people to talk to suggest that the area between Goodsprings and Vegas is very much "here be dragons" territory and funnel you counterclockwise.

The Tunnel Fighter does not talk to people! MC probably ran to the nearest tunnel the second the game started

[Monte Carlo]

Not too many tunnels I'm afraid, but I tend to let my sawn-off 12 gauge do the talking.

[sorophx]

go south from Primm and then east along the road, you'll get to NV in no time

[Gorgon]

The cowboy repeater is the only weapon worth having that shoots .38

[LadyCrimson]

Ok, thanks. I guess I could just not use companions but I found the perk from ED-E really useful and Cass is just cool otherwise.

If you only want a perk, you can tell one to wait in a hotel room and leave them there forever. The perk remains. However, of course, this means you can't hire anyone else until you go back and 'fire' the original one. The only companion I found to be useless in Passive mode was the cyberdog (Rex?). The others would usually be more sedate...but I do think Passive mode is buggy, because sometimes they would go off (especially indoors) anyway.

 

where on earth can I find a decent rifle? Rather annoyingly there is no shortage of energy weapons, but I'm not very good with them.

There are not a ton of different base types of weapons in this game. eg, a few variations of each for each bullet size, more or less, plus unique versions. The cowboy repeater is one of the best rifles until you get some .308 ones. Either from stores/enemies or a few in lockers/special spots. Also, Sniper Rifles will have a lot of sway if your gun skill isn't very high or you have lower str, so not a good early weapon.

 

There really aren't that many types of energy weapons...and they tend to drop less often for most people. I guess you're having some reverse luck in that regard.

Edited November 14, 2010 by LadyCrimson

[Monte Carlo]

I've sold 3 laser pistols, 2 plasma rifles, a laser rifle and two flamethrowers. I have more energy cells / fusion batteries than you can shake a stick at.

 

I also have a LUCk score of 9, but yes it is working in reverse although every other round I shoot is a slo-mo insta-death critical.

[LadyCrimson]

There's that one early place that has tons of fusion batteries & conductors in it. After that I tended to just sell them off because I have no use for them.

 

Side note: All of these little items you can pick up in the game, and not a single toothbrush near a sink. Between that & all the radiation, I'm surprised anyone in the game still has teeth.

[WDeranged]

From the guy who made Galaxy News Radio - More Where That Came From, now we've got Radio New Vegas - The Secret Stash

[Tale]

From the guy who made Galaxy News Radio - More Where That Came From, now we've got Radio New Vegas - The Secret Stash

Just how badly is the RIAA going to sue him?

[Gromnir]

what does surprises us is how devoted some fo fans is to new vegas considering how little it actually improves 'pon the previous game.

 

HA! Good Fun!

Not to intrude on what seems to be a private conversation, but I'll probably respond to this affirmation where I see it. New Vegas takes something I enjoyed (Fallout 3) and increases that enjoyment. You have given no compelling reason to prefer the DC wasteland other than your personal tastes. I don't know if that's arbitrary or not. Frankly, most things in life are arbitrary. Regardless, no matter how often you affirm it, there is no objective reason to prefer the DC wasteland. I respect that you prefer it. I just don't accept that it's because of some golden standard. The best you could affirm is that the majority of players agree with your assertion, which is probably hard to prove. You enjoy the DC wasteland. Fine. But your tastes are not inherently better in any quantifiable way. That's why I don't argue that the New Vegas wasteland is better. I argue that I like it more.

 

no objective reasons why dc is better? perhaps not... but is pretty tough to maintain an argument that recreating largely unknown hills and mines and burgs is gonna create as compelling and an intriguing a setting as would the replication o' dc landmarks. is a matter o' taste? sure, but is still a tough sell. in fallout 3 they combines well known with lesser known... got iconic landmarks AND insider knowledge AND additional gameplay made possible by developer/player knowledge o' setting. in fallout:nv you gets loads o' geography, but little else... 1/3 the job o' fo3. sure, fo:nv is maybe kewl for locales, but w/o the insider knowledge it could be anywhere USA. heck, the most recognizable vegas landmarks is absent from the game. the tops, gomorrah and other actual vegas locations coulda' been set anywhere in the fo universe. the old mormon fort... is that it?

 

am understanding cant's love o' fo:nv setting, but that is 'cause his opinion is colored by familiarity. otherwise, nv is disappointingly generic and stale. is fo:nv a return to the old wasteland settings o' fo1 and 2? perhaps... perhaps that is why the purists enjoy it, but that also contributes to its seeming generic staleness... 'cause you got a decades old setting being recycled. fo3 went original. fo:nv went reactionary.

 

'course again, lost in the setting debate is our observation that the game itself does not play much different than fo3. am guessing that maybe factions change gameplay for those people who slaughtered their way through previous fallout games, killing every targetable creature in sight, but it didn't change anything for Gromnir... save to make us wonder how we were instantly recognizable to legionaries and powder gangers at distances that defy imagination... did somebody tag us while we were sleeping, got a radio device pinned in our ear likes some capture-and-released endangered species? and the reset for reputation once entering vegas and beginning the house quests were cheeeeeeze. got a well-deserved audible groan when we were told that all past crimes were forgiven.

 

*snort*

 

HA! Good Fun!

[WILL THE ALMIGHTY]

C'mon Obsidian, you have an entire faction dedicated to Elvis, but none of his songs?

[sorophx]

speaking of songs, anyone know if any of the FO games uses "We'll Meet Again" by Vera Lynn?

Edited November 15, 2010 by sorophx