Fallout 3 Impressions

DCL · Post by **DCL** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 7:58 pm

Bad Demographic wrote:Instead of the woman from the Brotherhood of Steel, I bought Charon's contract. He was a pretty good companion.
I left the dog in my apartment in Megaton

The thing I don't like about the dog is that he limits the weapons I can use. No concussion weapons like frag grenades or missiles or I hurt poor fido. It also annoys me when he goes tearing off after enemies and I lose where he is. The BoS gal also has this annoying tendency but at least I can set her combat options to non-melee. Too bad dogmeat doesn't have laser fangs or something...

Rawrkan · Post by **Rawrkan** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 8:09 pm

Spoiler:

Bad Demographic · Post by **Bad Demographic** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 9:04 pm

Is that the Wazer Wifle?

Pretty cool, whatever it is. Still, I left Dogmeat at home because my game style is to sneak everywhere, another reason why I like Charon.

Grifman · Post by **Grifman** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 10:45 pm

There's a good mod that lets you have more control over Dogmeat so that he doesn't charge off. You can also use the console and make him "essential" so that he won't die but will be rendered unconscious when he takes too much damage.

Skinypupy · Post by **Skinypupy** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 8:16 am

JonathanStrange wrote:I did get a bit bored by the landscapes and I did find the fighting aspects of FO3 not ultimately thrilling - which is a shock to me 'cause it's initially cool.

I'm hitting that point somewhat right now. FO3 is suffering a bit from Oblivion-itis with the "go to same-y place (metro, town, bunker) and kill same-y enemy (ghoul, raider, mutant) over and over and over again" style of gameplay. I'm also irritated as hell at spending over an hour wandering through the Metro and not being able to find the one passage that leads to Rivet City.

Grifman · Post by **Grifman** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 1:02 pm

Skinypupy wrote:I'm also irritated as hell at spending over an hour wandering through the Metro and not being able to find the one passage that leads to Rivet City.

You can walk on the surface to get there, just pretty much follow the river.

Doomboy · Post by **Doomboy** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 3:00 am

The Better Living Through Chems mod has really changed Fallout 3 for me. I use a lot more drugs now that there is less worry over addictions (there is a drug you can acquire that cures addiction in the field), and since there are so many new chams, the chance of finding Stimpaks has gone down. I don't think I have ever had more than about 20 Stimpaks in my current run through. And I am up to level 8. Using a slower leveling mod. I'd probably be level 12 without it.

Also, you have a lot of different effects now, so you can tailor your chem use to what you need to have your stats at. Plus the whacky new graphic effects for the hallucinogenic chems are pretty cool. I haven't seen anything too outrageous, just color changes mostly. But they are still cool.

What I thought was a bug at first is actually NPCs using chems on me. There are paralytics, that cause the affected to go stiff as a board and fall over for a while. The first time it happened to me in combat I had no idea what was going on. I reloaded an earlier save, thinking it was a bug. But later I took a paralyzing chem accidentally and the same thing happened, so I guess the NPCs know to use them as weapons.

The main thing different this time is that it is a bit harder with the reduced Stimpaks. I find myself scrounging a lot more than I did pre-mod for healing. Eating things I never considered eating before health was a precious commodity. Sleeping on beds that look like I probably shouldn't. Life is tougher in the wasteland. And groovier.

Skinypupy · Post by **Skinypupy** » Sun Apr 05, 2009 1:26 pm

Could you guys tell me percentage-wise about how far along on the main quest I am? I just:

Spoiler:

I've put in close to 30 hours and just hit level 12, but don't think I've done much on the main quest yet. Then again, I've heard it's pretty short so maybe I'm further than I think.

Sarkus · Post by **Sarkus** » Sun Apr 05, 2009 3:24 pm

Skinypupy wrote:Could you guys tell me percentage-wise about how far along on the main quest I am? I just:

Spoiler:
Picked up Dad's holotape from Jefferson memorial that directs me to find Vault 112.
I've put in close to 30 hours and just hit level 12, but don't think I've done much on the main quest yet. Then again, I've heard it's pretty short so maybe I'm further than I think.

Spoiler:

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Wed Jul 01, 2009 1:28 pm

This game has it's hooks back in me. I thought I could just fire it up and play casually, but I'm playing it again like it's my job -- and I've previously finished the main story quest. I'm running around with Spiked Knuckles pummeling the HELL out of anyone that wants some. I am rather impressed over how well fighting unarmed seems to work. It requires some strategy in open environments, but my previous fear of underground quarters and buildings (using a character that favored pistols) has disappeared.

Haven't even purchased the optional DLC and feel the base game is still an amazing experience. I'm mostly impressed with all of the new stuff I'm seeing for the first time -- all the stuff I missed when I simply decided to focus on the main quest line for my first run through the game.

Sarkus · Post by **Sarkus** » Wed Jul 01, 2009 3:04 pm

Smoove_B wrote:This game has it's hooks back in me. I thought I could just fire it up and play casually, but I'm playing it again like it's my job -- and I've previously finished the main story quest. I'm running around with Spiked Knuckles pummeling the HELL out of anyone that wants some. I am rather impressed over how well fighting unarmed seems to work. It requires some strategy in open environments, but my previous fear of underground quarters and buildings (using a character that favored pistols) has disappeared.

Haven't even purchased the optional DLC and feel the base game is still an amazing experience. I'm mostly impressed with all of the new stuff I'm seeing for the first time -- all the stuff I missed when I simply decided to focus on the main quest line for my first run through the game.

Yeah, there's at least two playthroughs worth of optional stuff in Fallout 3, and that's not factoring in the different combat approaches. And then the DLC's add another bunch of cool stuff. The package they will be releasing this fall with the base game and all the DLCs will be a serious value for someone who hasn't already played the game.

Two Sheds · Post by **Two Sheds** » Wed Jul 01, 2009 3:30 pm

Smoove_B wrote:I am rather impressed over how well fighting unarmed seems to work. It requires some strategy in open environments, but my previous fear of underground quarters and buildings (using a character that favored pistols) has disappeared.

Aren't you getting tore up closing the distance between you and assault-rifle-wielding raiders? That's the problem I'm having with my pistols-and-melee character. It's fun, but man, one high-ish level goon with a chinese assault rifle can just about end me if I'm not lucky. Or if I don't have grenades.

I'm loving my second playthrough as well. I'm running a handful of mods as well as the DLCs, so a little bit different. Still, I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of stuff I never saw the first time around. And I didn't rush through, either--I hit the level cap and took my sweet time with the main quest. I was worried I would get bored covering the same ground again, but my first time wandering out of Megaton I was running into places I'd never seen before. There is a lot to this game.

Sepiche · Post by **Sepiche** » Wed Jul 01, 2009 3:38 pm

I generally use rifles, but using stealth you can get pretty close to most enemies before attacking, and if you can get your hands on a Chinese stealth suit you'll be almost unstoppable.

I've taken one character to level 20 and another to level 30, and there are still quite a few locations I've never even visited.

Two Sheds · Post by **Two Sheds** » Wed Jul 01, 2009 3:44 pm

I've got the stealth suit and I've been using it exclusively for a while, and it's pretty great. I can skulk around sewers and cap raiders with one .44 from the shadows, so that's cool. But out in the open? If I can't get close enough to hit with my pistols or go to town with my ripper, I'm toast.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Wed Jul 01, 2009 6:14 pm

Two Sheds wrote: Aren't you getting tore up closing the distance between you and assault-rifle-wielding raiders? That's the problem I'm having with my pistols-and-melee character. It's fun, but man, one high-ish level goon with a chinese assault rifle can just about end me if I'm not lucky. Or if I don't have grenades.

Nope, not at all. Granted, I've been favoring underground / interior and D.C. exploration this round, so it hasn't been a problem. If I run into Raiders in the Wastelands I have to run for cover somewhere and let them come to me. I think I've only died twice and I'm now level 14, so it can work. Missiles and Mirelurk Kings are my current troubles. Haven't tried a Behemoth yet, so I have no idea what to expect. What usually happens though is after the first or second punch the enemy is disarmed, so any initial gunfire is quickly rendered moot.

I also have a few of the perks that make me tough (Barkskin, Toughness, Adamantium Limbs) which help. And the Quick Metabolism perk gives me a big bang for my near-constant use of Stimpacks. I really thought it was going to be way harder than it turned out to be. I was using Talon Scout armor for a while but I just upgraded to the Ranger Armor courtesy of my new buds. I did wimp out a bit and just use some grenades to clear a cluster of Super Mutants that was giving me grief in a building hallway. That is another good side effect of only doing unarmed -- you load up on ammo, mines and grenades. Thousands of rounds and I nearly had 75 frags when I decided to just start using them. Good times.

I'm loving my second playthrough as well. I'm running a handful of mods as well as the DLCs, so a little bit different. Still, I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of stuff I never saw the first time around. And I didn't rush through, either--I hit the level cap and took my sweet time with the main quest. I was worried I would get bored covering the same ground again, but my first time wandering out of Megaton I was running into places I'd never seen before. There is a lot to this game.

Still playing the base-install version of the game -- no mods and zero DLC. I think it's a testament to the value of the game when you consider I just passed the 50 hour mark on my second play through (the first took me about 30).

Kyosho · Post by **Kyosho** » Thu Jul 02, 2009 2:40 am

I really need to get back to this game. Between the two characters I was playing previously, I had played about 80 hours. And yet I really don't feel like I've really done a lot yet. There's so much more to do.

On the subject of unarmed characters.. Well, my secondary character uses melee so it's similar in that you have to get to the enemy first before you can kill them. She only uses knives though. I roleplayed a lot with her, to some crazy extremes. Anyways, my fighting methods against enemies with rifles far away from me was to quickly dodge from cover to cover to get to them. There were definitely times when I got shot to hell but my character is a rage-consumed psycho and prefers that rather than waiting for them to come to her.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Thu Jul 02, 2009 10:32 am

I did get chewed up a bit at the Lincoln Memorial, though I was smart enough not to try a frontal assault. I think that those situations are probably my biggest weakness (entrenched enemies in a line) as I can't move quickly enough between them all to disable / disarm them.

Fortunately, Jesse Ventura taught me what to do when the enemy is "dug in tighter than an Albama tick", and I'm more than happy to toss some fun their way.

So far the the monsters that gave me trouble with guns are still giving me trouble with unarmed (Yao guai, Mirelurk Kings, Glowing One) and the turrets cannot be targeted at all by melee or unarmed attacks.

Mr Bismarck · Post by **Mr Bismarck** » Thu Jul 02, 2009 4:35 pm

Fallout 3 just dipped to $24.99 on Steam for this weekend, if anyone had been holding off.

Madmarcus · Post by **Madmarcus** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 4:02 pm

Thanks for addicting me Mr. Bismark! I'm having a blast but I decided I'd have to use at least a few of the retexturing mods. Should these show up in FOMM? Owned and one or two others show up in the load order list. Purely graphics mods, like retextured Megaton, don't.

Two Sheds · Post by **Two Sheds** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 4:20 pm

Texture replacers generally don't show up in FOMM, since there's no .esp file.

As long as you're using ArchiveInvalidation Invalidated, they will work automatically. The game looks for the default textures in its .bsa files, and adding new texture files into your fallout3/data/textures/ directories overrides the defaults. Which means you can always "uninstall" a texture replacer by simply deleting the added textures, and Fallout 3 will revert back to the default textures.

More info than you needed, but there you go. Short version: they don't show up in FOMM, but they're still working.

Madmarcus · Post by **Madmarcus** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 4:24 pm

Great. Since I never made it to Megaton without the retexturing I wasn't sure. Thanks Two Sheds.

Stuie · Post by **Stuie** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 8:46 am

I finally decided to do the DLC thing, and purchased Broken Steel and Point Lookout last month, and Mothership Zeta on Monday. I skipped Anchorage and Pitt because they both sounded mostly like run-and-gun type missions. In fact, I would have skipped Broken Steel as well if it weren't for the raised level cap and letting you continue the game after fixing the purifier. Anyway, I would rate the three DLCs I have in this order:

1. Point Lookout
2. Broken Steel
3. Mothership Zeta

Point Lookout was great - lots of open land to explore and some interesting quests. Definitely worth the $10 (sorry - 800 points).

Broken Steel was pretty good - some interesting new locations and lots more interaction with the Brotherhood. Some of the weapons got crazy strong by the end.

Mothership Zeta was interesting, but I got through it in one sitting. Sure, it was three hours of sitting, but I spent way more time on the other two DLCs. Also, I went in with a newish character, and came away loaded down with super crazy (which is even better than just crazy strong) powerful weapons. Now I'm level six and can kill just about anything in the wasteland with a couple shots. Sure, the ammo won't last forever, but it still kind of ruins this playthrough. It was also more of a run-and-gun situation, with most of what passed for puzzles having the answers spoon-fed to you. Not worth the money (sorry - points) in my opinion. There were some pretty cool visuals along the way, and the NPCs were pretty good.

Back to the wasteland...

Two Sheds · Post by **Two Sheds** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 9:19 am

You know, I thought The Pitt was rather good. Anchorage is very run-and-gun, but the Pitt is not. There's combat, sure, but it's more in line with the original game in the sense that there are people to talk to, side quests, loot to be won/collected, etc. And Morally Ambiguous Choices, to boot!

Stuie · Post by **Stuie** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 11:28 am

Two Sheds wrote:You know, I thought The Pitt was rather good. Anchorage is very run-and-gun, but the Pitt is not. There's combat, sure, but it's more in line with the original game in the sense that there are people to talk to, side quests, loot to be won/collected, etc. And Morally Ambiguous Choices, to boot!

Hmm... maybe I'll give it a go then.

NickAragua · Post by **NickAragua** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 12:26 pm

Stuie wrote:I skipped Anchorage and Pitt because they both sounded mostly like run-and-gun type missions.

Operation Anchorage is pretty boring by itself - completely linear and it's just not terribly interesting to fight the same Chinese dudes for three hours straight. The one thing that probably made it worth the ten bucks for me is the Chinese Stealth Suit. Remember those "Stealth Boy" things you find every once in a while? Now, imagine always having one of those on. Really made stealth a viable (and enjoyable) option for me - I finally got a chance to put all those frag mines and grenades to use.

The Pitt wasn't quite as linear, but it is pretty combat-heavy. You do get quite a few role-playing choices, and no matter what path you take, you'll probably wind up feeling like a jerk. Just a heads up, if you come in there during your later levels, you will significantly outclass your enemies, they don't scale up very much. So the combat will be kind of boring.

I didn't really dig "Broken Steel" too much, the level cap increase was nice, but all the new feats were kinda crappy, to the point where I was considering taking "Action Boy" or "Animal Friend" for my level 30 perk. Still, being able to take ten extra perks means you get to play around with perks you wouldn't have considered taking before. For me, this meant taking stuff like Entomologist, Robotics Expert and Animal Friend. I'm also not a big fact of every random encounter in the wasteland containing Albino Radscorpions or Mutant Overlords - mostly since I can't pants-explode them on a regular basis. Maybe if they'd raise the skill cap?

I'll try out Point Lookout and Mothership Zeta once I finish Dawn of War II.

Tscott · Post by **Tscott** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 8:17 pm

I ran into something funny while playing last night. My character just did the Big Trouble in Big Town quest, and at the end you have the option to help out the town members in various ways. My explosives was high enough that I could teach them how to kill the super mutants with land mines- so I opted for that. After a quick lesson, the super mutants come to town- but unfortunately Lucky Harith was walking by and the mutants attacked him first. I watch as the whole town runs out and plants mines for the super mutants. Lucky, his bodyguard and the townies kill off the super mutants, but not before Lucky takes a lot of collateral damage from the mines. He turns hostile on the town and, along with his bodyguard, wipes them all out in ten seconds flat. Heh.

ali3nSXaddict · Post by **ali3nSXaddict** » Wed Aug 26, 2009 4:16 pm

Just clocked 100 hours and begun the main quest after having spoken to the Irish guy at Megaton (sorry I forgot his name...)

I still sneak around the wasteland and travel mostly after dark due to still finding beasts something of a challenge (like two or three rad scorpions at the same time). Most human ememies I can take care of without issue.

Ammo is often an issue for me. Mines run out fast since I'm a sniping/explosives type.

I started this character (the first time I've created a female protagonist) on the 28th November last year. I've done alot of exploring and yet even this afternoon came across a raider hideout I'd never found before - but didn't have the balls to enter the Yao Gao lair.

Just DL Broken Steel, too. Don't have too high expectations for it but figured I should get a little more from the game whilst I'm still immersed in it.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Fri Aug 28, 2009 10:51 pm

I played the core game right after release, then put it up for a while until the mod scene was well established. I just finished my second play-through, this time including all of the official DLC. I played Anchorage, The Pitt and Point Lookout as I leveled up, then finished the main quest, then did Broken Steel followed by Mothership Zeta.

My thoughts:

Operation Anchorage - A lot of people didn't like this one because of its linearity. Personally, I enjoyed it. I liked the change of pace after XX levels of sandbox mode. It changed things up a bit for a few hours, before letting me continue in the sandbox. I also liked the change of setting, hitting tall peaks and frozen cliffs after countless hours in the brown wasteland. It wasn't amazing by any means, but played in the middle of the core game, it made for a short break when things started to feel tedious.

The Pitt - Good story on this one. It was fun, and I liked being reduced to whatever weapons and gear I could scavenge. It made me a little less powerful, and brought back some of the challenge.

Point Lookout - I'll admit that I didn't entirely care for this one. I loved the atmosphere, but for whatever reason, neither the gameplay nor the story caught my attention. After finishing the quests, I didn't even bother to explore that much, as I just wasn't drawn to do so.

Broken Steel - Good and bad. I loved the additions to the core game. The new creatures, the new weapons, the new levels. All of that made it worth it. The main Broken Steel quest, however, bored the crap out of me. I'd just finished the main quest. You aren't going to entice me by having me wander around yet another complex killing off Enclave troopers. I'd also become quite powerful by the time I did BS. They did balance it to make it somewhat more challenging, but they did it by throwing wave after wave of the same enemies at me. Mowing down squads of Enclave while tapping my Stimpack hotkey and trying to aim while my screen was completely obscured with fire effects got really, really tedious after the first hour.

Mothership Zeta - I wish I'd done this quest earlier such that having the reward

Spoiler:

would have been meaningful. Getting that at the end of the game felt kind of pointless. A big new toy I wouldn't get to play with. If I were to play again, I'd probably play MZ fairly early. That said, I have the same praise for MZ that I had for Operation Anchorage - it was a nice change of pace. It was linear, and not terribly challenging, but the art direction was great. It managed to give you high tech while keeping that 50s aesthetic, which I really enjoyed after the wasteland. I'd have played it before Broken Steel had I know, just for the change of pace. Again, it wasn't great, but it was a nice diversion.

I think the biggest problem that I had was that sometime in the early 20s, the game quit being meaningful. I used an XP slowdown mod, set at 75% XP, and hit level 30 in the middle of Zeta, just before I finished the game, which is good. I played fairly thoroughly, collecting every Bobblehead, for instance. By the time I got through the main quest, I could equip a full set of each type power weapons, melee weapons, big guns, and ballistic weapons, every one of them a 'unique', and could choose between several awesome sets of armor for taking damage, sneaking, whatever. Every skill with the exception of two (melee and unarmed) was either at 100 or 90.

When you reach that state, finding a new weapon doesn't thrill you. Getting a new perk just has you shrugging and picking by whim rather than plan. A new level and a few skill points don't mean much. A complete lack of 'wow' led me to some ugly burnout. Don't take this as a criticism of Fallout 3's core game. I loved it, and will play it again at some point in the future. I just don't think it scaled well into the higher levels. You just had too much, and it never reached the thrill you got at level 3, fresh out of the vault, when you found that first set of leather armor and a good shotgun.

In fact, if I were to play it again right now, I'd do two things: Leave off Broken Steel, and make myself a mod that removes all of the unique weapons and armors from the game. I had more fun with my Scoped Hunting Rifle than with my Tesla Cannon.

Tscott · Post by **Tscott** » Fri Aug 28, 2009 11:42 pm

Blackhawk wrote:The Pitt - Good story on this one. It was fun, and I liked being reduced to whatever weapons and gear I could scavenge. It made me a little less powerful, and brought back some of the challenge.

Point Lookout - I'll admit that I didn't entirely care for this one. I loved the atmosphere, but for whatever reason, neither the gameplay nor the story caught my attention. After finishing the quests, I didn't even bother to explore that much, as I just wasn't drawn to do so.

I just reached level 22 on my playthrough with the DLC. I liked The Pitt, but found it too short with too little to explore. Searching for all 100 Steel Ingots was fun, but after that not much happened. Of course, I took a route in the quest that left me with little to no fighting to do. I did like some of the gear you get though.

I just arrived at Point Lookout and I'm having a blast. I loved the shootout in the mansion- it was a good challenge at a time in the game where I hadn't had any tough spots in a while. I like that it's big and looks like there's quite a bit to explore. In fact, that's what I plan to do for a bit, before I continue on with the main quest for that area. Loving the setting too.

I did Op: Anchorage and Mothership Zeta earlier and thought they both were "ok". Worth playing through, especially if you want to use the loot- but overall nothing too special.

I haven't done Broken Steel yet, but I'm not seeing many perks that make me say 'WOW, I need that' on leveling up. Of course, I am happy that I'm continuing to level and able to try out some other perks and finding tougher fights though.

Only found 4 bobbleheads so far - Strength, Intelligence, Medicine and Big Guns (I happened across that one while doing the You Gotta Shoot Them In the Head quest)- and apart from the Survival Guide quests and a few other quests, I haven't done much of the main game yet.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Sat Aug 29, 2009 8:57 am

I can't disagree with what's been said. I only downloaded The Pitt and Broken Steel, so I didn't have nearly as much extra stuff to do. That being said, I didn't start either one until after I'd finished the base game and quite a few side quests. IIRC, my character was level 20 or 21 when I started The Pitt and after I finished Broken Steel I hit the level cap.

I enjoyed the Pitt, but for my unarmed fighting character it was rather easy. The Broken Steel quests didn't impress me that much, but I was compelled to finish. The problem I did have with that expansion was the higher level monsters they added to the game. There was one subway tunnel connection I had to use that should have been filled with Mirelurks. Instead there were 8 Mirelurk Kings. I think my character was around level 27 or 28 (wearing the power armor you find in the military base), and those things were routinely kicking my ass.

So I think your overall experience with the DLC depends on when you do it. At least, that's my take.

kentcol · Post by **kentcol** » Sat Aug 29, 2009 1:58 pm

If you install the DLC, can you still just play the base game first or are they all incorporated into one?

Tscott · Post by **Tscott** » Sat Aug 29, 2009 2:18 pm

You can play the DLC at any time after they are installed, except Broken Steel which takes place after the main quest. For most of the DLC, you'll get a message about a radio signal found or something, then you can go and discover the location at your own pace. If you want to wait until after the main quest, you can. Or you may just find yourself in the area anyway and decide that you want to take a detour. That's something the game is great at even without the DLC. You'll know you want to get going to Rivet City, for example, but you think "Let's just see what's in this building/sewer/railway station, and I'll get there eventually."

kentcol · Post by **kentcol** » Sat Aug 29, 2009 5:51 pm

Thanks, Tscott! That's what I hoped to hear.

Warfran · Post by **Warfran** » Sun Aug 30, 2009 11:16 am

Having just had knee surgery thats going to keep me doing very little for the next four or five months(and finally having a computer with enough muscle to play it right) I now couldn't wait till october for the FO3 game of the year edition with all the DLC stuff included.
So I picked up FO3 yesterday and am now reading everything here to get a good hands on of the game and what DLC's I should get and when I should get them to best add to the overall experence.

This thread has been a huge help in sorting things out, well off to the wastelands now

Tscott · Post by **Tscott** » Sun Aug 30, 2009 1:34 pm

I just finished the Point Lookout main quest and loved it. And there's still a bunch to explore and do in this area that I haven't discovered yet. This is by far my favorite DLC (I should say "so far" since haven't played the Broken Steel quests yet).

If others are looking for just a couple of DLC to play and don't want to mess with Game for Windows LIVE, by all means get the second add-on pack just released to the stores. It's got Point Lookout and Broken Steel- so you get the level cap raised, options to finish the core quest and continue playing that should have been there from the start, and a largeish new area to explore with lots to discover and interesting quests. The DLC in the first add-on pack are nice, but you'd get 10 times the content in the second pack.

Octavious · Post by **Octavious** » Sun Aug 30, 2009 3:30 pm

This thread gave me the itch to start the game up again. I already beat it before Broken Steel came out. I have Pitt, Broken Steel and Point Lookout. The others don't interest me all that much so I'll probably never grab them. I checked out PL with a level 3 guy and it seemed like I was way overmatched so I think I'll come back later when I get a bit stronger. I think I'm going to hit The Pitt early on and then go from there. I was just wandering around today and found a bunch of stuff that I didn't in the first play already! It's really amazing all the stuff they crammed into this game.

Mr Bismarck · Post by **Mr Bismarck** » Sun Aug 30, 2009 4:10 pm

I've been deliberately avoiding the main quest - I got the pointer to the radio station from Moriarty, but after that I hadn't touched the quest because I'd heard it's very short.

Then today....

Spoiler:

Is it a treadmill from here on or can I still just sandbox? If I run through the quest do I get to continue afterwards or does the game end too?

Tscott · Post by **Tscott** » Sun Aug 30, 2009 4:28 pm

Mr Bismarck wrote:I've been deliberately avoiding the main quest - I got the pointer to the radio station from Moriarty, but after that I hadn't touched the quest because I'd heard it's very short.

Then today....

Spoiler:
I accidentally found my dad and released him from the simulation.

Not too big a deal. You skipped a couple steps in the main quest line, but you can feel free to ignore that fact. There's still a bit to do of the main quest, even after finding him. Just send him off on his own, he'll be waiting for you in Rivet City whenever you're ready for him.

Is it a treadmill from here on or can I still just sandbox? If I run through the quest do I get to continue afterwards or does the game end too?

If you have Broken Steel, you can do the main quest and continue on. If you don't, then avoid the main quest until you've done all you want to- because the game will end if you finish the main quest.

Creepy_Smell · Post by **Creepy_Smell** » Sun Aug 30, 2009 4:49 pm

I had finished the main quest and had a save game from before you enter the end place. Recently returned to playing my lvl18 guy just wandering to see the sites and hit places I hadn't been. Went and nabbed the Broken Steel/Point Lookout since I had a BB$5 coupon. Redid the end quest just so I can get it off my pip. Now to journey forth.

Kyosho · Post by **Kyosho** » Sun Aug 30, 2009 4:53 pm

So yeah, I decided to play this again last night for the first time in months. I recently listened to a post-mortem interview with Pete Hines from Bethesda that was recorded back in January or so. Anyways, one of the things he mentioned is that you can get away without firing a single shot throughout the entire game (except the BB gun in the intro). I wasn't sure if he was just referring to playing a melee/unarmed character, or a complete passivist character. Well, I'd already done the melee-exclusive route, so I decided to try a passive character. The concept has always intrigued me. I've been able to successfully pull it off in the Elder Scrolls series, but it might be impossible here. In the ES games, there's lots of passive spells and things you can use to escape from and/or distract your enemies. You can, with some difficulty, play without killing anything. However, in Fallout, the only methods of non-killing involve constantly running from things. Every method available to you to distract or slow them down is lethal. Yes you can still sneak and stuff, but anyone who has played this game knows there are nearly always times when sneaking isn't really going to help. I understand there's a sneaking suit out there somewhere, but I never found it (and don't tell me where it is). There's those Stealth Boy things too (i think that's what they were called) but of course I don't have any yet.

I'm not sure this character is going to work unless I'm constantly hauling ass and using tons of stimpaks. And yeah, sure, I could do that. And in some ways that would seem "realistic" to me. But the way the game does things, well, it wasn't built for that kind of play. I haven't given up on it yet. But, well, we'll see.