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IthilanorStPete
2013-10-03, 09:50 AM
Speaking as a KotOR II fan, just because someone is an obvious Chris Avellone insert doesn't mean they're not a hypocritical jackass.

Hah! Good point. (On my phone, will post more later)

BladeofObliviom
2013-10-03, 10:02 AM
Speaking as a KotOR II fan, just because someone is an obvious Chris Avellone insert doesn't mean they're not a hypocritical jackass.

Hehehe.

Yeah, can't really deny this one. :smallwink:

Triaxx
2013-10-03, 12:33 PM
I don't know. I found him rather pleasant and agreeable.

Of course, most of the characters are after they've taken an AMR round to the back of the head. Plus I got to lay the nuclear smackdown on the legion. What's not to love?

druid91
2013-10-03, 03:01 PM
I have a question... are all the quests this baroque to find and get involved in?

Or am I just doing something wrong?

The only quests I've had so far that sorta logically followed were the BoS quests. So far, everything else has been this sorta oddball mishmash all over the place-ness.

I haven't seen the legion since nipton, and I thought the head honcho of the NCR would be in, you know, the NCR headquarters, and not on the new vegas strip which I had to grind science to get into because I spent all my money on power armour and gatling lasers....

BladeofObliviom
2013-10-03, 03:04 PM
I have a question... are all the quests this baroque to find and get involved in?

Or am I just doing something wrong?

The only quests I've had so far that sorta logically followed were the BoS quests. So far, everything else has been this sorta oddball mishmash all over the place-ness.

I haven't seen the legion since nipton, and I thought the head honcho of the NCR would be in, you know, the NCR headquarters, and not on the new vegas strip which I had to grind science to get into because I spent all my money on power armour and gatling lasers....

He's not actually the Head Honcho, just a high-ranking contact. The real head man is actually at Hoover Dam. And if you're already on the Strip, you'll be seeing the Legion again fairly soon. Trust me on that one.

I'll grant that some quests seem a little bit odd in that they can be hard to find without doing certain things exactly right, though.

Looking right at you, most Companion Quests...

IthilanorStPete
2013-10-03, 03:07 PM
I have a question... are all the quests this baroque to find and get involved in?

Or am I just doing something wrong?

The only quests I've had so far that sorta logically followed were the BoS quests. So far, everything else has been this sorta oddball mishmash all over the place-ness.

I haven't seen the legion since nipton, and I thought the head honcho of the NCR would be in, you know, the NCR headquarters, and not on the new vegas strip which I had to grind science to get into because I spent all my money on power armour and gatling lasers....

Let's see...the Primm and Mojave Outpost quests are fairly straightforward, and most of the Camp McCarran quests aren't too bad. Which quests in particular have felt odd to you?

druid91
2013-10-03, 03:51 PM
Let's see...the Primm and Mojave Outpost quests are fairly straightforward, and most of the Camp McCarran quests aren't too bad. Which quests in particular have felt odd to you?

Primm was pretty odd. I mean all my information said that everyone in town was dead, then all of a sudden, nope they're just all at the casino that I didn't realize was there. No arrow guiding me to it or anything. It just felt like blundering around.

I walked in on Camp McCarran and was thrown into interrogating some guy like I was the NCR's best buddy, I suppose helping them out at Helios 1 made them think I was part of their faction?

I dunno. Maybe I'm just a bit used to Skyrim's faction system so it just seems backwards to me that I'm doing the faction quests and then joining the faction.

Mando Knight
2013-10-03, 04:17 PM
Looking right at you, most Companion Quests...

Particularly For Auld Lang Syne... it doesn't even start until the endgame!

BladeofObliviom
2013-10-03, 04:26 PM
Particularly For Auld Lang Syne... it doesn't even start until the endgame!

Ooh, yeah. That one's bad. Worse yet, it might not EVER appear for you unless you happen to be Working with Yes Man, or said exactly the right things to Arcade earlier in the game. Who requires 75 speech to recruit on a normal run, which means you probably aren't picking him up immediately.

Another particularly nasty example is Old School Ghoul, which requires you to Talk to specific people in specific places with Raul in the party. Of course, most of these individuals are located in places you tend to visit early in the game, while Raul himself is located in a mid-level dungeon with dangerous enemies nearby.

Which means that you're probably backtracking if you're completing the quest, not to mention that you won't know who these people are in advance unless you look them up.

Triaxx
2013-10-03, 07:28 PM
I sort of wandered around a lot so I ran into them all over the place. I think I mowed down more Legion on the first run than the rest of the time I played.

Nerd-o-rama
2013-10-03, 09:34 PM
Primm was pretty odd. I mean all my information said that everyone in town was dead, then all of a sudden, nope they're just all at the casino that I didn't realize was there. No arrow guiding me to it or anything. It just felt like blundering around.

I walked in on Camp McCarran and was thrown into interrogating some guy like I was the NCR's best buddy, I suppose helping them out at Helios 1 made them think I was part of their faction?

I dunno. Maybe I'm just a bit used to Skyrim's faction system so it just seems backwards to me that I'm doing the faction quests and then joining the faction.

Getting quests started is a little odd in this game, yeah.

And the thing with the faction quests is that you do all their optional stuff to get enough points to join, then after you've more or less picked one you do their version of the late-game plot (although you can play all sides for a mission or three, until you have to start assassinating leaders or otherwise get labeled as a terrorist.)

IthilanorStPete
2013-10-07, 09:22 PM
Finished Lonesome Road a few days ago. Ulysses ended up feeling a bit...disappointing, honestly. All sound and fury, signifying nothing.

On the plus side, the gameplay was solid, the level design was very good - I liked the increased use of verticality, climbing around collapsed skyscrapers and highways. ED-E was absolutely fantastic. The ending was interesting; while I like the idea of having such a large impact on the world, and the DLC seems to show as much of the consequences as it can, the limited impact on the main game makes it feel odd. I'm playing Legion, so it felt rather odd to go to the Long 15 and have no one at the Mojave Outpost notice the nuclear wasteland just to the southwest. Ah well.


I don't know. I found him rather pleasant and agreeable.

Of course, most of the characters are after they've taken an AMR round to the back of the head. Plus I got to lay the nuclear smackdown on the legion. What's not to love?

Agreed! Though in my case, it was a .45 cal round. A Light Shining in Darkness is ridiculously good, especially with Grunt.


Primm was pretty odd. I mean all my information said that everyone in town was dead, then all of a sudden, nope they're just all at the casino that I didn't realize was there. No arrow guiding me to it or anything. It just felt like blundering around.

I walked in on Camp McCarran and was thrown into interrogating some guy like I was the NCR's best buddy, I suppose helping them out at Helios 1 made them think I was part of their faction?

I dunno. Maybe I'm just a bit used to Skyrim's faction system so it just seems backwards to me that I'm doing the faction quests and then joining the faction.

The setup for Primm is pretty odd, yeah, but once you talk to the townspeople you should have a good idea what to do. With McCarran...there's quite a few quest hooks around other than Silus Treatment.

druid91
2013-10-07, 09:34 PM
In any case, now that I've gotten the hang of things, I'm greatly enjoying red-misting people with the gatling laser.

If only I could keep enough ammo to use it all the time.

IthilanorStPete
2013-10-07, 09:35 PM
In any case, now that I've gotten the hang of things, I'm greatly enjoying red-misting people with the gatling laser.

If only I could keep enough ammo to use it all the time.

If you've got some caps, go talk to the NCR quartermaster at Hoover Dam. He has a massive amount of ammo for sale.

Mando Knight
2013-10-07, 09:44 PM
In any case, now that I've gotten the hang of things, I'm greatly enjoying red-misting people with the gatling laser.

If only I could keep enough ammo to use it all the time.

Get your Science up to 70 and take Vigilant Recycler. It's a must for Energy Weapon fans, giving you better recycling recipes, better recovery rate for drained cells (used for said recycling recipes), and the recipe for Optimized energy cells, which are equal or superior to Overcharged cells in every way, and with good Repair and a decent source of Weapon Repair Kits, can even completely replace standard cells without much of a hassle.

Don't forget that you can also convert energy cell types freely at a workbench: 6 ECP = 3 SEC = 2 MFC.

Also, playing through Old World Blues with Vigilant Recycler should end your energy cell shortages forever. I usually end up with a couple thousand of each type of Optimized cell by the time I'm done.

Balmas
2013-10-07, 10:21 PM
Don't forget that you can also convert energy cell types freely at a workbench: 6 ECP = 3 SEC = 2 MFC.

Also, playing through Old World Blues with Vigilant Recycler should end your energy cell shortages forever. I usually end up with a couple thousand of each type of Optimized cell by the time I'm done.

Let's not forget that if you can find enough fission batteries, you can recharge Small Energy Cells at a rate of 25 energy cells per fission battery and 5 empty cells used. These can then be used to switch to other kind of ammo.

As for me, I'm perfectly happy to have my fully upgraded Holorifle and Stealth suit. Old World Blues and Dead Money make the rest of the wasteland a joke full of disintegrating enemies.

Triaxx
2013-10-10, 07:01 AM
Get Gone Fission, and you'll be over your carry weight forever.

Balmas
2013-10-10, 07:21 AM
Get Gone Fission, and you'll be over your carry weight forever.

I'm afraid I don't understand this. Is this a mod that I just can't find, or a reference to something else?

BladeofObliviom
2013-10-10, 09:38 AM
Get Gone Fission, and you'll be over your carry weight forever.


I'm afraid I don't understand this. Is this a mod that I just can't find, or a reference to something else?

IIRC, it's a perk from RobCo Certified.

Dhavaer
2013-10-10, 03:31 PM
I've recently started New Vegas again and man, I'd forgotten how unstable it is. I get a crash to desktop roughly every ten minutes, sometimes less. Any advice for ways to stabilize it? I'm sure it didn't used to be quite this bad.

Balmas
2013-10-10, 04:41 PM
I've recently started New Vegas again and man, I'd forgotten how unstable it is. I get a crash to desktop roughly every ten minutes, sometimes less. Any advice for ways to stabilize it? I'm sure it didn't used to be quite this bad.

Does your computer have more than two cores? It's possible that this is part of the instability. This game wasn't designed to run on PCs with more than two cores.

Bryn
2013-10-10, 05:23 PM
I doubt that's it. New Vegas has always run stably* on my 4-core processor (though I've always used the available bugfix mods).

What mods, if any, are you running? If you are running mods, does it still crash if you turn them all off? (Script-heavy mods in particular).

Have you been using autosaves? It might be the problem has been fixed, but they used to introduce instability - better to use a system like CASM.

You may be better off asking on the Bethesda or Nexus forums than here (and searching them to see if people have similar problems, although there can be lots of causes of CTDs so it can be hard to find appropriate advice)

*except for problems which can be directly attributed to mods

Balmas
2013-10-10, 07:17 PM
So, I ran into an interesting problem today. While playing, my screen just went black when I tried to toggle Project Nevada's enhanced helmet vision. The HUD is still there, as is the helmet overlay and all of the markers. When I toggle the Pipbuck menu, I can see the screen. Otherwise, everything is black.

My current mod order:

GameMode=FalloutNV

FalloutNV.esm=1
DeadMoney.esm=1
HonestHearts.esm=1
OldWorldBlues.esm=1
LonesomeRoad.esm=1
GunRunnersArsenal.esm=1
Fallout3.esm=1
Anchorage.esm=1
ThePitt.esm=1
BrokenSteel.esm=1
PointLookout.esm=1
Zeta.esm=1
TaleOfTwoWastelands.esm=1
Project Nevada - Core.esm=1
Project Nevada - Cyberware.esp=1
Project Nevada - Equipment.esm=1
Project Nevada - Rebalance.esp=1
Project Nevada - Dead Money.esp=1
Project Nevada - Honest Hearts.esp=1
Project Nevada - Old World Blues.esp=1
Project Nevada - Lonesome Road.esp=1
Project Nevada - Gun Runners' Arsenal.esp=1
TTW_Bobbleheads.esp=1
X-1_Tales_of_Wonder!.esp=1
BadLuckDustRadio.esp=1
LilMac.esp=1
HorsemansPowerArmor.esp=1
HJLCompanionsv103.esp=1
Spitfire's Thunder.esp=1
NewVegasBounties.esp=1
NewVegasBountiesII.esp=1
Automated Reloading Bench.esp=1

Mando Knight
2013-10-10, 07:30 PM
Are you using ENB? Most are incompatible with PN's enhanced vision modes.

Triaxx
2013-10-11, 04:45 AM
Sorry, I thought that one was from OWB. It seems like the sort of perk that would come with it, and the icon looks sufficiently high quality to be from there.

But yeah, it's from RobCo Certified. It basically boosts the chance to get Fission Batteries from destroyed robots.

Dhavaer
2013-10-11, 05:37 AM
Looks like the problem was my Better Game Performance mod. I updated it and played 90 minutes straight before it froze (it's still New Vegas).

Balmas
2013-10-11, 06:32 AM
:smalleek:
Are you using ENB? Most are incompatible with PN's enhanced vision modes.

Nope, no visual mods at all. It's really weird, as if someone turned off the world, but left everything else. The compass spins as I turn, enemies are still there and attack me, and if I'm lucky enough to stumble to their corpse, I can still interact with the world. It's just that everything that's not HUD or pipboy display is black.

EDIT: This also happened in my Fallout 3 game, but only since I got my new laptop. I suspect it might be a hardware issue. Either way, restoring to an earlier save still works and restores graphics.

Mando Knight
2013-10-11, 09:05 AM
Yeah, your new computer might not be properly equipped to handle the post-processing and/or HDR effects in the game. Double-check that your drivers are up to date... and you did get a computer with a dedicated graphics card, right?

Balmas
2013-10-11, 11:18 AM
Yeah, your new computer might not be properly equipped to handle the post-processing and/or HDR effects in the game. Double-check that your drivers are up to date... and you did get a computer with a dedicated graphics card, right?

Of course. Two of them. NVIDIA GeForce 7950 GTX SLI.

They aren't DirectX 10 compatible. Really, I would have been better served shelling out $80 more for an Alienware m17x r2. Oh well.

Mando Knight
2013-10-11, 11:20 AM
As a final check, if you have any doses of Cateye, could you consume one and see if you get the same issue? (You should, if it's a card/driver issue)

Balmas
2013-10-11, 09:02 PM
It's apparently become a non-issue, since the save with the problem got nuked, and I've seen nothing to indicate a problem since.

Also, I just started a new game of Fallout 3.

Man, that introduction is amazing. It's like an orgasm coated with chocolate for your ears. Love it so much.

Mando Knight
2013-10-11, 09:40 PM
Also, I just started a new game of Fallout 3.

Man, that introduction is amazing. It's like an orgasm coated with chocolate for your ears. Love it so much.

What? The part where you get born in a dirty makeshift clinic? :smalltongue:

Triaxx
2013-10-12, 07:01 AM
Presumably Ron Perlman's incredibly well done introduction.

Guancyto
2013-10-12, 03:48 PM
considering how much Ulysses seems to be representing the voice of the writers here, I feel like I'm being criticized for playing the game they wrote.

I really enjoy Avellone's writing, but he does have this annoying habit of tweaking your nose for playing the game. No, mister Jedi Master, I did not wonder why I levelled up by killing enemies (and also completing quests, unlocking doors, disarming mines and talking with teammates) because the people who did this were:

1) Me, who is apparently a freak of nature because of it?
2) The trained force users in my party
3) The untrained force adepts in my party
4) The non-force sensitive people in my party
5) The absolutely force-dead but nonetheless fully sapient robots
6) Everyone in the previous game

IthilanorStPete
2013-10-12, 05:38 PM
I really enjoy Avellone's writing, but he does have this annoying habit of tweaking your nose for playing the game. No, mister Jedi Master, I did not wonder why I levelled up by killing enemies (and also completing quests, unlocking doors, disarming mines and talking with teammates) because the people who did this were:

1) Me, who is apparently a freak of nature because of it?
2) The trained force users in my party
3) The untrained force adepts in my party
4) The non-force sensitive people in my party
5) The absolutely force-dead but nonetheless fully sapient robots
6) Everyone in the previous game

Arg, don't remind me of that bit of KotOR 2...clumsy and ham-fisted, to say the least.

What I was really referring to originally was launching the missile at Ashton. I knew, out-of-character, that it was going to happen - the set-up's plenty ominous even before you know the quest name is "The Launch." It doesn't feel like a decision my character is making, or a consequence of carelessness or anything; it feels like the writer's set up a situation where the only way to proceed is to launch the missile, and I'm forced to do that if I want to keep playing and exploring.

Guancyto
2013-10-12, 06:45 PM
Oh. That. Yeah. *sigh*

I wonder how many people tried to find a different way around to get inside for exactly that reason. Man, if you're going to railroad me, don't bother me with how poor my choices are!

At least I only nuked a meaningless stretch of ruin.

Balmas
2013-10-12, 09:26 PM
"So, let me get this straight. I came here, followed your directions, did exactly what you told me to do. Now you're going to rag on me for doing what you say?

"Can't wait to shoot you."

Guancyto
2013-10-13, 12:25 AM
Would you kindly use a melee weapon instead?


Arg, don't remind me of that bit of KotOR 2...clumsy and ham-fisted, to say the least.

It is clumsy.

Thinking on it, there are games and systems that could have actually pulled off that kind of reveal. The adapted NWN-D&D 3.5e was... not one.

You'd need the mechanics for the main character to be different from the companion characters. (frex Jade Empire or heck, even Fallout 3/NV where the companions level with you but don't get skills or perks.) Only killing gives XP. Sparing or saving enemies gets you nothing (or possibly perks a la Alpha Protocol to somewhat make up the difference).

Killing force-users gets you lots. Killing random mooks gets you not much. Killing droids and turrets gets you nothing. Dark Side gets more than Light Side because Jedi Masters are an XP bonanza.

If you want me to question the XP system, make it weird.

Heck, I think there was a game that did something like this, where the PC's progression system explicitly made them a freak of nature. Kingdoms of Amalur?

Triaxx
2013-10-13, 05:44 AM
What got me was I got nagged for that one missile, while I'd been Fat Manning my way through the divide since I got there. I guess he just hadn't noticed the thousand or so mushroom clouds I'd left already.

Nerd-o-rama
2013-10-13, 06:12 PM
Would you kindly use a melee weapon instead?

I was drinking coffee, dammit. *golf clubs*

Regarding the KOTOR 2 bit, it always seemed to me that that XP "reveal" was more like an extra layer of in-joke added to the greater thematic point of "you kill a lot of people in a typical RPG and never question why, do you?" which also has the bonus of being pointed out in more than that one monologue.

A lot of the "themes" in KOTOR 2 are pointing out the problems with the RPG genre and Star Wars as a setting without doing anything to address those problems. It's effective, but it's a bit like whining when you think about it.

Also, everything about KOTOR 2 is weird and clumsy. It needed like six more months of development, to say nothing of testing.

BladeofObliviom
2013-10-13, 06:22 PM
Regarding the KOTOR 2 bit, it always seemed to me that that XP "reveal" was more like an extra layer of in-joke added to the greater thematic point of "you kill a lot of people in a typical RPG and never question why, do you?" which also has the bonus of being pointed out in more than that one monologue.

To be fair, this can be done really, really well without seeming especially clumsy. (See: Iji, Spec Ops: The Line)

Nerd-o-rama
2013-10-13, 08:49 PM
To be fair, this can be done really, really well without seeming especially clumsy. (See: Iji, Spec Ops: The Line)

The day a commercially-released game has writing as good as Iji I will declare video games a perfected art form.

Balmas
2013-10-13, 10:40 PM
What got me was I got nagged for that one missile, while I'd been Fat Manning my way through the divide since I got there. I guess he just hadn't noticed the thousand or so mushroom clouds I'd left already.

Christine's COS sniper rifle and Ratslayer all the way, with a bit of Holorifle+Meltdown for all the goons in the final battle.

So, I'm planning on doing a semi speed-run in my next playthrough, to get the achievement for doing the entire game on Hardcore mode. Any suggestions on build, weaponry, etc? I'd planned to dump Strength and Luck, pump Intelligence and Charisma, and Speech my way through.

IthilanorStPete
2013-10-13, 11:42 PM
Christine's COS sniper rifle and Ratslayer all the way, with a bit of Holorifle+Meltdown for all the goons in the final battle.

So, I'm planning on doing a semi speed-run in my next playthrough, to get the achievement for doing the entire game on Hardcore mode. Any suggestions on build, weaponry, etc? I'd planned to dump Strength and Luck, pump Intelligence and Charisma, and Speech my way through.

Might be worth getting Black Widow, since that lets you go through some things pretty quickly (Benny in particular). Which faction are you planning to go with, Yes Man?

Avilan the Grey
2013-10-14, 01:14 AM
Might be worth getting Black Widow, since that lets you go through some things pretty quickly (Benny in particular). Which faction are you planning to go with, Yes Man?

I lost my save, but if I ever going to replay this (and I probably will), I will recreate my plucky lucky girl. Max Luck, Black widow, guns... Breaking every bank in every casino, crit-ing herself through every battle... Charming her way through every encounter.

Ailurus
2013-10-14, 07:38 AM
Might be worth getting Black Widow, since that lets you go through some things pretty quickly (Benny in particular). Which faction are you planning to go with, Yes Man?

Honestly, even with NV only having one perk every two levels, I still think Black Widow (or Confirmed Bachelor) is a solid early pick, especially if you plan on going against Caesar. +10% damage on over half (well over half if you hunt Legionnaires) of the human NPCs? Yes please.

Topus
2013-10-14, 08:13 AM
How can it be I never noticed this thread?
Fallout 3 is my best gaming experience ever, and it's all about the setting and its atmosphere, more than gameplay. I'd like to reset a portion of my memory to relive the moment i first exited the vault. The blinding light slowly fading to reveal a shocking wasteland, i slowly walked down the hill, toward the ruins of a settlement. The wind was blowing, sometimes making ephemeral dust devils, and i kept on walking hypnotized by a haunting music. As i reached an abandoned destroyed house i searched through the rubble, i found a letter in a mailbox, i read it, i felt sorry about the long gone recipients. I found a gun. Useful. I took it.
Then a fanfare music alerted me. My first encounter with an eyebot, i was on the verge of firing it, but the tension slowly disappeared. I was moving in a ridiculously slow steps. I noticed a large building. As i approached it, two hostile dots appeared on my pipboy radar. I thought it was a good idea to take shelter inside the building.
It was the Springvale Elementary School.

Balmas
2013-10-14, 09:19 AM
I'm sure that must have been a wonderful first experience with the wasteland.

Nerd-o-rama
2013-10-14, 10:00 AM
I lost my save, but if I ever going to replay this (and I probably will), I will recreate my plucky lucky girl. Max Luck, Black widow, guns... Breaking every bank in every casino, crit-ing herself through every battle... Charming her way through every encounter.

That's how I played through NV and I enjoyed every minute of it...at least after I looked up where to find Ratslayer and LOSed the cave rats to death. Sniping with a silenced .22 is hard.

Topus
2013-10-14, 02:51 PM
I lost my save, but if I ever going to replay this (and I probably will), I will recreate my plucky lucky girl. Max Luck, Black widow, guns... Breaking every bank in every casino, crit-ing herself through every battle... Charming her way through every encounter.
That's what i'm doing! :D
I'm replaying the game using a female character that's as much similar as possible to my wife. Besides the appearance (very similar) i tried to match even her attitude and her habits. So in her inventory i always have:
- 2 packs of cigarettes
- 1 whiskey
- 1 nuka cola
- 1 potato crisps
- 1 teddy bear (for nap time)
and took the almost useless night person perk just for the sake of roleplaying :smallbiggrin:

Triaxx
2013-10-14, 07:29 PM
The one mod that makes Night Person completely worth it? The Darker Nights .esp from Electro-city. Even if you don't use the rest of the mod. That one makes it worth it.

IthilanorStPete
2013-10-14, 08:08 PM
The one mod that makes Night Person completely worth it? The Darker Nights .esp from Electro-city. Even if you don't use the rest of the mod. That one makes it worth it.

What's that mod do, exactly?

Mando Knight
2013-10-14, 08:17 PM
The one mod that makes Night Person completely worth it? The Darker Nights .esp from Electro-city. Even if you don't use the rest of the mod. That one makes it worth it.

You're thinking Friend of the Night. Night Person boosts INT and PER at night, Friend of the Night is what makes it (almost) possible to play the darker night mods without the Pip-Boy light or nightvision items.

Cristo Meyers
2013-10-14, 08:18 PM
What's that mod do, exactly?

If it's the one I think it is, it makes night almost pitch black. It's been a long time, but I'm pretty sure I had something similar.

All of a sudden having night vision wasn't such a waste.

Triaxx
2013-10-15, 01:08 AM
You're right, I am. I never actually found Night Person to be that bad, but I tend to play stealthy sniper types so the boost was beneficial because it's easier to sneak around in the dark already.

And Darker Nights only really gets bad when combined with a weather mod, because those almost always make the game darker already. Of course you don't usually see that kind of dark outside of caves or certain nights away from city lights.

Balmas
2013-10-20, 04:27 PM
Okay, enough about that. New topic-- Do you tend to help Mr House take over, or take over yourself? Tough choice. House is a mild-mannered tyrant who can ultimately lead humanity back to it's former glory, but you can make everyone happy. Decisions, decisions...

I plan to help Mr. House. Sure, he's a gutless ball of smarm that works through robots and agents like the courier, but he knows the area and has vision. NCR would only run it into the ground, and my Gang of companions have already swept through the Fort, killing any and all.

Incidentally, I'm now getting Legion attack squads sent after me, and all I have to say is this: Man, if I knew the Legion had such great loot, I would have ticked them off earlier. It's like randomly stepping out of a building and getting a present full of bullets, chems, and caps.

Mando Knight
2013-10-20, 06:01 PM
He's also a jerk. The only way I can buy him being "Very Good" is that it's the same Karma scale that lets the Courier assassinate an entire Neutral town and get away with it. It's a scale where in stealth kills are not Evil while picking pockets is. If you want to get revenge in New Vegas without sullying your reputation, it's best done by sneaking around with Christine's Rifle, Sleepytyme, or one of the many inexplicably-silent melee weapons.

druid91
2013-10-20, 06:12 PM
See? I liked Mr. House, up until the point where he asked me to murder my pals in the brotherhood of steel.

At that point I decided I was going to back the NCR and smash that smug computers monitor in. Or better yet, deliver it to the brotherhood for safekeeping.

I hope there's an option to do that.

Guancyto
2013-10-20, 06:28 PM
Ah, the Brotherhood of Steel.

My Couriers have had two introductions to them.

The first is bringing Veronica to do her personal quest. This provides a good impression of the BoS because, well, never underestimate the value of first impressions and cute/perky/smart girls to make them.

Also, it lets you get around the first part of the BoS quest because you've got Veronica with you so you're at least somewhat legit. Doing her personal quest gives them a more tragic edge as well as you see that they're falling apart.

In these games, the BoS gets to live and I don't side with House for obvious reasons.

Without Veronica, it doesn't go so well. I get a message via ED-E that they'd like to look at this advanced techthingy of mine. When I get there, they stick me in a bomb collar and make me do stuff for them on pain of headsplosions.

In these games, the BoS get blown to bits and House... well he's an option at least. He's a jerkwad who thinks far too highly of himself for a guy that's hidden in a hole for hundreds of years and has ruled Vegas for all of seven years, mostly by force. On the other hand, he's done an awful lot in those seven years (even if his subordinates are barely-uplifted cannibals) and he is not just boasting when he talks about colonizing space.

It is interesting to see that with sufficient diplomacy and the right decisions the BoS will support the NCR, who have been their enemies for a long time and killed a lot of them. But they'll never support the Courier, who may well be one of their Paladins at that point.

IthilanorStPete
2013-10-21, 12:32 AM
I really wish there was more flexibility for dealing with the BoS; as it is, all their content only really gets used if you side with NCR. While it makes sense that House and the Brotherhood aren't really going to coexist, absolutely having to eliminate them leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It's not even that they don't arguably deserve it; without Veronica, they are massive jerks to you at first. The Boomers are the only main faction that annoys me more.

factotum
2013-10-21, 01:35 AM
At that point I decided I was going to back the NCR and smash that smug computers monitor in.

Oh, you can do better than that...won't spoil it for you, but if you really want to get back at House, you need to find his secret.

ufo
2013-10-21, 02:38 AM
Oh, you can do better than that...won't spoil it for you, but if you really want to get back at House, you need to find his secret.

Only at the very end did I realise that the quest is called "No Gods, No Masters". I was like :smallbiggrin:

Triaxx
2013-10-21, 06:00 AM
How can you not love the boomers? A closed community of high explosive nuts? Who help you out with Artillery and AIR SUPPORT? What's not to like?

Ailurus
2013-10-21, 06:45 AM
See? I liked Mr. House, up until the point where he asked me to murder my pals in the brotherhood of steel.

At that point I decided I was going to back the NCR and smash that smug computers monitor in. Or better yet, deliver it to the brotherhood for safekeeping.

I hope there's an option to do that.

If I'm going through RPing, that usually where I give up on House as well. Wiping out the entire bunker just because House doesn't trust them is something I just can't do most of the time (especially since most of my couriers are friendly with them by that point.) Of course, by the time House asks you to wipe them out, its too late to help the NCR or Legion, which just leaves No Gods, No Masters as an option.

Edit:
That being said, I really think House is the best long-term option for the Mojave.

Even if Caesar succeeds with his plan of conquering his way all the way to the Pacific, there's multiple people familiar with the Legion hierarchy who say its only Caesar holding it together, and even without his secret he's probably not going to live too much longer.

As for Yes Man, as soon as the courier leaves/dies/goes missing/gets distracted, everything's going to fall apart badly, especially if it happens while Yes Man is still in his upgrade phase.

NCR wouldn't necessarily be a bad option, but the problem with them is that they're badly overextended before the war. Granted, with the Legion thoroughly crushed they'll (hopefully) have time to consolidate the territory, but given the political issues they're having, the in-fighting between their caravan companies, and the fact that they're having issues safeguarding roads from bandits and giant bugs before their casualties at the dam suggests it will be a long and painful process. Not to mention that when the NCR tries to assimilate groups like the Boomers things will probably go badly.

House, yes he's a jerk with an ego problem. But, unlike the other groups he has a long-term plan. While I do think there's a good chance he's overambitious, in both the past and present he's made some pretty crazy claims and been able to make good on them.

Nerd-o-rama
2013-10-21, 08:22 AM
Personally, while I think House would certainly be far better at day-to-day management than the NCR or Legion, leaving him in charge basically requires you to believe his own insanely inflated opinion of his abilities and his moral righteousness. Now, he can back a lot of his ego up, but benevolent or not, putting House in charge is putting the Mojave under the thumb of an immortal egomaniacal tyrant who will never step down or truly share power, whereas the Independent ending is at least giving them a mortal egomaniacal tyrant. It basically comes down to whether you choose to trust him and his my-way-or-the-highway ways.

Balmas
2013-10-21, 08:59 AM
From a roleplaying point of view, it wouldn't make sense to blow up the Brotherhood of Steel. I'm towards the tail end of a run through Tale of Two Wastelands, so Ferguson has already worked out his aggression on the Enclave, and has good ties to the East coast Brotherhood.

Oh hey, don't the scientists of the Big MT have some way of living forever? They've got to have some sort of way to perpetuate human life, if their brain casings are any indicator.

Guancyto
2013-10-21, 09:41 AM
Hrm, I think...
If you leave your brain behind, your ending has it outlive your body. Given that that's the same tech the Think Tank used, it will probably last centuries at least.

It doesn't leave the Big Empty, though, what with being a brain and all.

Yeah, there's basically no reason to pick Legion unless you're roleplaying a Legion Frumentarius. Caesar would have a nice idea about assimilating the NCR changing both into something new and different... if his Legion didn't make a point of destroying the cultures of those they conquered.

A lot of NCR's problems in the Mojave stem from Oliver, who is halfway between incompetent and just monomaniacally focused on Hoover Dam. All the troops go there, to the point where everywhere else has massive supply shortages and can't protect the people from giant ants.

I don't want to say that blowing up the Legion will solve all the problems... just most of them.

But yeah, one of the reasons to go independent is to look at House, Oliver/Munroe and Caesar and go "you're all ****ing idiots, screw you guys" and be pretty much bang-on.

IthilanorStPete
2013-10-21, 10:10 AM
How can you not love the boomers? A closed community of high explosive nuts? Who help you out with Artillery and AIR SUPPORT? What's not to like?

They're a bunch of arrogant, xenophobic snobs who make you run through an artillery barrage, then send you on low-level quests. They really get on my nerves.

Triaxx
2013-10-21, 11:24 AM
Be honest. You'd protect your house with artillery barrages if you could.

Yes, you're sent on low level quests to earn their trust. Just like every single other faction. But then again, since the central plot of the game revolves around completing a fetch quest, I'm not sure where the problem is.

Honestly, yes, they're sending you on low-level quests and that might seem grating, but when they do it, you haven't proven trustworthy yet. Why would they trust you with anything important before you've gained their trust?

Besides, I like the answer given when I ask if they're going to confiscate my weapons, unlike everyone else who seems to sit and drool for the chance to steal my guns. (Seriously, the Strip Casinos, Caesar, the BoS if you didn't bring Veronica, and two of the DLC's. Though HH only restricts what you can bring, rather than letting you bring nothing at all.) Even NVB does it at least once.

Balmas
2013-11-26, 04:09 PM
So, Fallout 4 may be set near the Institute. Boston Fallout 4 confirmed?

Relevant Link (http://www.incgamers.com/2013/11/fallout-4-site-teases-nuclear-winter-coming-new-codes)

Let the hype train be assembled.

Farix
2013-11-26, 04:17 PM
So, Fallout 4 may be set near the Institute. Boston Fallout 4 confirmed?

Relevant Link (http://www.incgamers.com/2013/11/fallout-4-site-teases-nuclear-winter-coming-new-codes)

Let the hype train be assembled.

All Aboard the Korean Fallout Hype Train! Choo Choo!

Mando Knight
2013-11-26, 04:33 PM
Kotaku doesn't buy it. (http://kotaku.com/why-were-not-buying-those-fallout-4-rumors-1471939984)

Maxios
2013-11-26, 11:20 PM
Then again, Kotaku didn't realize the beeping was morse code...

Wookieetank
2013-11-27, 09:40 AM
Between this and the upcoming Star Wars movie(s), I'm finding my ability to avoid hype greatly reduced. Just take my money already and let me be in peace XD

Logic
2013-11-27, 06:36 PM
Then again, Kotaku didn't realize the beeping was morse code...

I've found that when Kotaku goes against the grain, they are more often wrong than right.

Togath
2013-12-10, 04:53 PM
So I've been considering getting New Vegas.. But I keep hearing about it being unstable..
Is that only if you have a bunch of mods installed? And if not, are there any ways to fix the buggy-ness/instability?

IthilanorStPete
2013-12-10, 04:57 PM
So I've been considering getting New Vegas.. But I keep hearing about it being unstable..
Is that only if you have a bunch of mods installed? And if not, are there any ways to fix the buggy-ness/instability?

It's pretty good on its own; I've had the occasional CTD, but not very often. It's much better than it was when it came out.

BladeofObliviom
2013-12-10, 04:57 PM
So I've been considering getting New Vegas.. But I keep hearing about it being unstable..
Is that only if you have a bunch of mods installed? And if not, are there any ways to fix the buggy-ness/instability?

Well, we in this thread are biased as heck. :smalltongue:

The game itself is a lot more stable than it was at release thanks to patches, though it can become unstable again if you aren't careful with mods. For those nasty little bugs and glitches that slip by the patches, there's MMUE (http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/45104/?). :smallsmile:

EDIT: Aaaaand Ninja'd. But I provided additional useful information, so there. :smallcool::smalltongue:

Mando Knight
2013-12-10, 05:01 PM
So I've been considering getting New Vegas.. But I keep hearing about it being unstable..
Is that only if you have a bunch of mods installed? And if not, are there any ways to fix the buggy-ness/instability?

Vanilla New Vegas is hyper-buggy and about as stable as a top. As in, it'll run nice and well if it spins up right, but expect for it to wobble and then crash when you least expect it. Mods won't make it more unstable unless you forget components (like uninstall WMX when you have its mods on your guns, or forget NVSE for mods that require it, or pull out an .esm file without removing all the .esp files that depend on it...).

This mod (http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/53635/?) should help some with the innate instability.

Togath
2013-12-10, 05:06 PM
I may grab it then:smallsmile:
It looks fun, and if there's ways around the buggy-ness it definitely sounds good.

wiimanclassic
2013-12-10, 06:46 PM
Well, we in this thread are biased as heck. :smalltongue:

The game itself is a lot more stable than it was at release thanks to patches, though it can become unstable again if you aren't careful with mods. For those nasty little bugs and glitches that slip by the patches, there's MMUE (http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/45104/?). :smallsmile:

EDIT: Aaaaand Ninja'd. But I provided additional useful information, so there. :smallcool::smalltongue:

Word of warning. Mission Mojave does weird crap like change the gender on trauma harness enemies in Old World Blues. When asked why his response was essentially that women can't be soldiers, completely ignoring that the suits didn't have soldiers but scientists AND being a sexist prick.

Do not get the "patch", Mission Mojave is in no way a patch. It is a guy adjusting the game to fit his flawed world view and passing it off as an unofficial patch.

As mentioned in the modding thread I follow on another site


http://fi.somethingawful.com/images/smilies/emot-siren.gifCommunity patches are not necessary (unlike other Bethesda games.) These patches touch a lot of entries, which can cause the game to bug out as much as running without the patches installed. Some people seem to use them without any problems; other people report issues with them installed. Additionally, users have reported that uninstalling MMUE/MMUE+ can corrupt your Fallout: New Vegas install. You have been warned!http://fi.somethingawful.com/images/smilies/emot-siren.gif

Alternatives listed if you NEED an unofficial patch are YUP and the bugfix portion of New Vegas Enhanced Content.

http://newvegas.nexusmods.com/mods/51664/
http://newvegas.nexusmods.com/mods/44204

BladeofObliviom
2013-12-10, 06:49 PM
Word of warning. Mission Mojave does weird crap like change the gender on trauma harness enemies in Old World Blues. When asked why his response was essentially that women can't be soldiers, completely ignoring that the suits didn't have soldiers but scientists AND being a sexist prick.

Do not get the "patch", Mission Mojave is in no way a patch. It is a guy adjusting the game to fit his flawed world view and passing it off as an unofficial patch.

Does it really? I've noticed no such thing while using it. :smallconfused:

I suppose it merits some further investigation, though.

wiimanclassic
2013-12-10, 06:53 PM
Does it really? I've noticed no such thing while using it. :smallconfused:

I suppose it merits some further investigation, though.

http://forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?/topic/517637-mission-mojave/page-63

Found the thread.


Y-17 trauma override harness were set female in vanilla despite them being trained soldiers. Set all of them to male.

Dude changes things he knows nothing about for stupid reasons when even basic research into what the enemy was would show he is completely wrong. Also the part where it is sexist as hell.

BladeofObliviom
2013-12-10, 07:10 PM
Hmm.

'Tis worth noting that we're talking about the Fallout Setting, an alternate universe where the gender role stereotypes of the 1950s persisted well into the 21st century, basically until nuclear war caused society to crumble and most of its baggage along with it, so I wouldn't necessarily call it sexist to assume that the prewar soldiers were indeed male.

Of course, thinking there are soldiers (rather than scientists) in those suits is a rather silly oversight.

wiimanclassic
2013-12-10, 07:21 PM
Hmm.

'Tis worth noting that we're talking about the Fallout Setting, an alternate universe where the gender role stereotypes of the 1950s persisted well into the 21st century, basically until nuclear war caused society to crumble and most of its baggage along with it, so I wouldn't necessarily call it sexist to assume that the prewar soldiers were indeed male.

Of course, thinking there are soldiers (rather than scientists) in those suits is a rather silly oversight.

Yeah but we never see any sign that they kept the same gender roles in the army up until the bombs dropped AND women had been in the army in the 50s also making the idea that they can't be women just because they were uncommon in the time period society retained a lot of the trappings of even stupider. He had no reason to make the change beyond horribly flawed speculation, always a HORRIBLE reason to change things in an unofficial patch.

Ailurus
2013-12-10, 08:11 PM
Yeah but we never see any sign that they kept the same gender roles in the army up until the bombs dropped AND women had been in the army in the 50s also making the idea that they can't be women just because they were uncommon in the time period society retained a lot of the trappings of even stupider. He had no reason to make the change beyond horribly flawed speculation, always a HORRIBLE reason to change things in an unofficial patch.

Plus, even if his reasoning was accurate, there's absolutely no reason to make the changes. The only possible gameplay based effect (that I can think of) is allowing trauma harnesses to be impacted by the different pair of black-widow-esque perks. So, spending the time making the change is just changing something for the sake of changing it.

Bryn
2013-12-10, 10:14 PM
Yeah, I used to think of the MMUE guy as being a decent alternative to NVEC's 'sexualised images of exaggeratedly normatively attractive women sure are the best way to advertise my bugfix mod' before I learned about this. It's kind of grimly typical for the Nexus :smallannoyed:

I guess you could make a MMUE misogynyfix in FNVEdit to restore the trauma-harness characters and anything similar, it should only take a few records to fix. I'm not sure how that guy can reconcile 'no trained soldier can be a WO-MAN' with the many NCR characters in the game.

(I'm not much a fan of how Gamebyro games encodes binary + cisnormative sex and gender into the game, and heavily limits the kinds of body shapes available, with all people of a given gender having the same character model and animation set (up to face + size). Admittedly, it seems like it would be an implausibly huge amount of work to introduce a character model with enough parameters to represent human bodies in all their variety (especially folding in the current 'four race' system), and to have a dynamic animation system which produces varied walks and so on for different characters, and have all equipment dynamically shape itself to fit a given character.)

Mando Knight
2013-12-10, 11:58 PM
I guess you could make a MMUE misogynyfix in FNVEdit to restore the trauma-harness characters and anything similar, it should only take a few records to fix. I'm not sure how that guy can reconcile 'no trained soldier can be a WO-MAN' with the many NCR characters in the game.
If anything, an edit to the trauma harness file should relabel it as a robot, since that's what's left doing the motions. Whatever gender of soldier inside testing the prototypes doesn't matter since all that's left is a robotic bag full of bones...

(I'm not much a fan of how Gamebyro games encodes binary + cisnormative sex and gender into the game, and heavily limits the kinds of body shapes available, with all people of a given gender having the same character model and animation set (up to face + size). Admittedly, it seems like it would be an implausibly huge amount of work to introduce a character model with enough parameters to represent human bodies in all their variety (especially folding in the current 'four race' system), and to have a dynamic animation system which produces varied walks and so on for different characters, and have all equipment dynamically shape itself to fit a given character.)
It's possible, but the more scaling options you have on a character model, the harder it is to make varied outfits that fit all options without major errors.

Cryptic, for example, has a lot of sliders for character sizing in Champions and Star Trek Online (and fewer for Neverwinter), but the scaling still doesn't deviate too much from the standard body shapes.

I saw that Elder Scrolls Online was going to have some more body resizing options than NV had, so we'll see what happens next...

Togath
2013-12-11, 05:43 PM
Been playing for a little whiel now.. Any tips for starting out?
I'm currently using a machete and some spears.. But I do have a pistol, shotgun, and rifle if those would be better to use in the early game.

Mando Knight
2013-12-11, 07:07 PM
Been playing for a little whiel now.. Any tips for starting out?
I'm currently using a machete and some spears.. But I do have a pistol, shotgun, and rifle if those would be better to use in the early game.

Unless you're going full-out melee, yes, firearms are better in general. Throwing spears are strong, but are extremely rare (Legion is basically the only source besides the tribal pack, and higher-tier Legion troops don't carry spears), while firearms have better range, more perks, and extremely abundant ammunition.

Melee weapons are useful, though, since they get a larger Sneak Attack Critical multiplier than ranged weapons and are almost all silent (meaning that you don't attract attention from the kill unless someone sees you do it, or you're trying to murder the Brotherhood). Even an unskilled, low-Strength character can slip behind most early NPCs and kill them easily... I've had some uncanny luck with Nevada Skies queuing a sandstorm just in time for me to sneak into NCRCF and assassinate all the Powder Gangers in the courtyard...

Togath
2013-12-11, 07:20 PM
I'll probably move to using firearms then.
Should I invest in Agility over Strength in that case?

Balmas
2013-12-11, 07:32 PM
I'll probably move to using firearms then.
Should I invest in Agility over Strength in that case?

It all depends on what you want to do with your build. If you want to be a sneaky sniper, then Agility is what you want, since it gives bonuses to move speed, your Sneak skill, and your Guns skill. I generally keep it at least at a seven, since that's the prereq for the Sniper perk.

For reference, this is my usual Fallout stat array, since Sneaky Sniper is my default playstyle. During low levels, when there aren't many good perks, I buy up Intense Training, usually in Perception or Intelligence.

S: 5
P: 6
E: 5
C: 1
I: 9
A: 7
L: 7

Partof1
2013-12-11, 09:17 PM
Guns probably are more effective, but I'm in the last stages of a primarily melee/thrown weapons playthrough, and I've enjoyed myself plenty.

Only issues have been deathclaws, mainly. A sniper or something woulda been nice against those.

Throwing spears and grenades were mostly saved for such special occasions. Or times I desperately needed to free up some carry weight, because it was really easy to forget they weigh something.

Togath
2013-12-11, 10:08 PM
It all depends on what you want to do with your build. If you want to be a sneaky sniper, then Agility is what you want, since it gives bonuses to move speed, your Sneak skill, and your Guns skill. I generally keep it at least at a seven, since that's the prereq for the Sniper perk.

For reference, this is my usual Fallout stat array, since Sneaky Sniper is my default playstyle. During low levels, when there aren't many good perks, I buy up Intense Training, usually in Perception or Intelligence.

S: 5
P: 6
E: 5
C: 1
I: 9
A: 7
L: 7

I might try it then, since I do tend to like sneaking around in open world games. It also looks like I was right that Charisma wasn't especially useful stat =3

Mando Knight
2013-12-11, 10:16 PM
I might try it then, since I do tend to like sneaking around in open world games. It also looks like I was right that Charisma wasn't especially useful stat =3

Charisma gets you a handful of special lines of dialogue (Cpl. Betsy hits on female Couriers of 7+ Charisma), but the only thing (and it isn't much at that) it really gives you is a boost to companion effectiveness (wiki says +5% per point of your Charisma to their damage/armor).

Wookieetank
2013-12-12, 09:18 AM
Charisma gets you a handful of special lines of dialogue (Cpl. Betsy hits on female Couriers of 7+ Charisma), but the only thing (and it isn't much at that) it really gives you is a boost to companion effectiveness (wiki says +5% per point of your Charisma to their damage/armor).

That'd be +50% dmg/armor at 10 Charisma. That doesn't seem like a small ammount. :smallconfused:

Triaxx
2013-12-12, 09:28 AM
I picked up New and Improved Perks, which gives back Gifted. Makes for a slightly stronger starting character, but forces you to balance the character out later by having fewer points to spend. Then again, the perks it adds are pretty awesome in exchange.

If you're going against Deathclaws as a melee character, Boone is the best follower to have along. He's the consummate sniper, and he'll provide the support you want. Don't forget to bring your Ripper/Chainsaw/Thermic Lance. Or Boxing Tape.

I use Craft Pack/Master/CASE, so I can make throwing knives out of Knife weapons or just the steel from broken down guns. A stealthy melee character can mow through anything not a deathclaw just by sneaking up and throwing a knife into it's skull. That said, Adamantium Skeleton and Toughness are almost required. Project Nevada's Sprint makes it alot easier to deal with enemies.

Mando Knight
2013-12-12, 10:20 AM
That'd be +50% dmg/armor at 10 Charisma. That doesn't seem like a small ammount. :smallconfused:

I don't know when it inserts that +50% (developers are hardly ever so clear on how they think math works), and most companions have only one or two other means of improving their combat effectiveness.

Companions are also in general less effective than players, and too aggressive to understand "sit here and do nothing while I quietly feed the Deathclaw a couple .308s."

ufo
2013-12-12, 10:25 AM
Heads up! Fallout 1, 2 and Tactics is free fright now on GoG

http://www.gog.com/promo/fallout_series_giveaway_winter_promo_2013

Togath
2013-12-12, 04:23 PM
Any tips for starting perks?
At the moment I'm using 4-Eyes(because I can't see a disadvantage to it yet, unless higher level glasses/goggles don't work for it) and Wild Wasteland(because I have no idea what it does).
I've also been wondering if Survival would be good to invest in?
My current skill layout is everything into laser weapons, science, and stealth(with a minor investment into lock picking.. though it doesn't seem much different than lock picking in Skyrim, so, as long as bobby pins aren't too rare, I shouldn't need too high of a skill..)

Ailurus
2013-12-12, 04:44 PM
Any tips for starting perks?
At the moment I'm using 4-Eyes(because I can't see a disadvantage to it yet, unless higher level glasses/goggles don't work for it) and Wild Wasteland(because I have no idea what it does).
I've also been wondering if Survival would be good to invest in?
My current skill layout is everything into laser weapons, science, and stealth(with a minor investment into lock picking.. though it doesn't seem much different than lock picking in Skyrim, so, as long as bobby pins aren't too rare, I shouldn't need too high of a skill..)

Four eyes is nice, but keep in mind that for perk qualification it uses your BASE perception - so, for a couple perks (better criticals mostly, sniper if you like VATS), it will be harder to get them. Wild Wasteland can be fun, it mostly adds or modifies a few random encounters. For the traits, though, my favorite is Skilled. With the DLC, experience isn't an issue and 65 extra skill points is wonderful, even if you only actively use half the skills or so.

Survival, I find it depends on if you're in hardcore mode or not. On regular mode, its nice but not really that important. But on hardcore mode I usually try to get it to 50 fairly early, both to unlock more recipes and to make the food and drink you need to keep using to stay alive anyway serve as better healing (a brahmin steak at 100 survival will restore 90 hp over 15 sec, versus a stimpack's 90 hp over 6 sec at 100 medicine).

If nothing else, unlocking mass water purification at survival 50 makes hardcore mode a lot simpler (since all that irradiated water becomes much more useful). And Survival 50 also unlocks Bighorner and Coyote steaks which can give you a nearly unlimited supply of food.

Thomas Cardew
2013-12-12, 04:54 PM
Any tips for starting perks?
At the moment I'm using 4-Eyes(because I can't see a disadvantage to it yet, unless higher level glasses/goggles don't work for it) and Wild Wasteland(because I have no idea what it does).
I've also been wondering if Survival would be good to invest in?
My current skill layout is everything into laser weapons, science, and stealth(with a minor investment into lock picking.. though it doesn't seem much different than lock picking in Skyrim, so, as long as bobby pins aren't too rare, I shouldn't need too high of a skill..)

Lockpicking is NOT like Skyrim. Locks are gated by skill then the minigame. You need at least 25 to pick an easy lock, 50 for an average, 75 for hard, 100 for very hard. If you have enough skill then you get to play the minigame.

If you're playing hardcore and have old world blues, hoarder can be nice to increase the amount you can carry.

Small frame can be nice for free extra point but can irritating if you play hardcore since limb damage is harder to heal. The Adamantium skeleton perk can offset this a little.

Mando Knight
2013-12-12, 05:00 PM
Your lockpick skill also makes the minigame easier... a medium lock might be a bit tricky at 50, but easy at 100. Similarly, higher Science makes it easier to guess the password when terminal cracking, eliminating or regrouping wrong choices right off the bat so that it's faster to narrow down your options.

Blackdrop
2013-12-12, 05:00 PM
I usually combo Skilled with Good Natured(boosts Science, Medicine, Repair, Speech, and Barter and penalizes Guns, Energy Weapons, Melee, Explosives, and Unarmed by 5 Each). So, most of the useful, non-combat skills get a nice +10 and Skilled allows you to mostly ignore the penalty from Good Natured.

Balmas
2013-12-12, 08:58 PM
Companions are also in general less effective than players, and too aggressive to understand "sit here and do nothing while I quietly feed the Deathclaw a couple .308s."

And that's really the reason why I usually don't bother with companions, apart from having them haul the loot. "Sit there, and do nothing. I'll just sni-- Where's he going? That's... Ooh. Oh, and don't -- Well, that's one companion dead."


Any tips for starting perks?
At the moment I'm using 4-Eyes(because I can't see a disadvantage to it yet, unless higher level glasses/goggles don't work for it) and Wild Wasteland(because I have no idea what it does).
I've also been wondering if Survival would be good to invest in?

Survival is good, especially in Hardcore mode, but I'd invest in Repair first. That way, you get better guns and better bullets.



My current skill layout is everything into laser weapons, science, and stealth(with a minor investment into lock picking.. though it doesn't seem much different than lock picking in Skyrim, so, as long as bobby pins aren't too rare, I shouldn't need too high of a skill..)

The only difference between Skyrim and Fallout is that there are prerequisites to even attempt to pick a lock. If a lock is of Very Difficult quality, you can't even try to pick it unless you have 100 skill in Lockpicking. Same for Science and hacking.

Triaxx
2013-12-13, 07:53 AM
The lockpicking mini-game itself is actually essentially identical to Skyrim and Fallout 3. There's a mod for Skyrim called Lockpick Pro. It's considered a cheat even by the mod author, but it essentially gives you a bar showing where the lock can be opened, including the sweet spot. I know of nothing like it for the Fallouts, but it might help visualizing where to put the pin.

Four Eyes is a trap, since Power Helmets and Reinforced Combat Helmets don't let you wear glasses. I believe the rebreather also takes the Glasses slot.

Also a trap, is the energy weapons Perk Meltdown. It's both incredibly awesome, catching a group of enemies in the explosion, and insanely annoying trying to fight up close.

Companions are awesome if you use them right. That said, you might want to try JIP's Companion Command And Control. It gives you a True Passive mode so they'll NEVER engage. Plus the ability to access inventory or swap melee/range, aggressive/passive mode on the fly, even in combat. Plus it gives 'Attack this target' orders.

If you're playing High Tech, you might want to check out Robco Certified. House isn't the only one who can have his own robot army.

As for Traits, I'm a big fan of Built to Destroy, plus Trigger Discipline. Especially with Laser Weapons, you'll be getting Criticals all over the place. I went with a high luck character as well. It's... kind of necessary, because energy weapons... well, they suck. Especially in comparison to comparable conventional weapons. There's also a lot less choice.

Excession
2013-12-14, 11:04 PM
As for Traits, I'm a big fan of Built to Destroy, plus Trigger Discipline. Especially with Laser Weapons, you'll be getting Criticals all over the place. I went with a high luck character as well. It's... kind of necessary, because energy weapons... well, they suck. Especially in comparison to comparable conventional weapons. There's also a lot less choice.

Yeah, the armour maths in New Vegas is not kind to high fire rate, low damage-per-shot weapons like lasers, especially as it makes the triple shot add-ons a trap. By the end-game everything important is heavily armoured, and stuff like lasers, flamers, SMGs, and most pistols are really gimped.

With conventional rifles you upgrade to AP rounds, and even Brotherhood of Steel Knights go down like a sack of meat when you're packing an assault carbine full of AP rounds. Shotguns have the Shotgun Surgeon perk that helps some, and pistol users have That Gun with can fire 5.56 AP rounds.

I'm really not a fan of the DR and DT armour maths in New Vegas. The magical homing legion death squads are another pet peeve. Hint: if you plink them with the varmint rifle it seems to end their homing script and you can actually hide from them.

Partof1
2013-12-14, 11:53 PM
After reading up on it, I decided to switch to light armor from medium for my melee character.

I loved the aesthetics of the Riot Gear, but I'm digging the sneak boost from Tunnel Runner way more. Between that and the speed boost from the Big Empty perk, sneak running is almost as quick as normal.

Not to mention my DT is still about 32ish from assorted other perks and implants.

Balmas
2013-12-15, 12:02 AM
After reading up on it, I decided to switch to light armor from medium for my melee character.

I loved the aesthetics of the Riot Gear, but I'm digging the sneak boost from Tunnel Runner way more. Between that and the speed boost from the Big Empty perk, sneak running is almost as quick as normal.

Not to mention my DT is still about 32ish from assorted other perks and implants.

If you use Project Nevada, there's a cybernetic leg implant that allows you to sneak faster than you normally run.

Triaxx
2013-12-15, 08:15 AM
Yeah, my solution to the energy weapon issue, as usual was a mod, which adds an ammo type that that cuts through a large portion of the DT, in exchange for damage to the weapon. It's kind of expensive, requiring you break down high tech toys that give up electronics parts, but it's worth the expense.

Another favored trick is to buy up the GRA 40mm Plasma Grenades and counter ambush with a grenade rifle shot. They tend to react... explosively to it. And the survivors are in no condition to do anything to me.

Also, new favorite companion. Delilah (http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/50641). No singing, fantastic with a Cowboy repeater, pleasant personality. Good voice acting. Plus she can learn to be a mobile medical station. Forget Radaway, just bring her along.

Ailurus
2013-12-15, 08:37 AM
Yeah, the armour maths in New Vegas is not kind to high fire rate, low damage-per-shot weapons like lasers, especially as it makes the triple shot add-ons a trap. By the end-game everything important is heavily armoured, and stuff like lasers, flamers, SMGs, and most pistols are really gimped.

With conventional rifles you upgrade to AP rounds, and even Brotherhood of Steel Knights go down like a sack of meat when you're packing an assault carbine full of AP rounds. Shotguns have the Shotgun Surgeon perk that helps some, and pistol users have That Gun with can fire 5.56 AP rounds.


Flamers do become pretty useless late-game, I agree. But Lasers can still do fine, just need to make optimized or max charge energy cells. Not quite as good as AP rounds (max charge is -10 DT instead of -15), but they still let a laser weapons get the job done on anyone who isn't in full power armor, and plasma does enough damage to chew through just about anything even without the DT reducing rounds (and can still use them for even more havoc). And getting those cells is a LOT easier than finding and stockpiling AP rounds since you can make them whenever you want.

Excession
2013-12-15, 04:24 PM
Flamers do become pretty useless late-game, I agree. But Lasers can still do fine, just need to make optimized or max charge energy cells. Not quite as good as AP rounds (max charge is -10 DT instead of -15), but they still let a laser weapons get the job done on anyone who isn't in full power armor, and plasma does enough damage to chew through just about anything even without the DT reducing rounds (and can still use them for even more havoc). And getting those cells is a LOT easier than finding and stockpiling AP rounds since you can make them whenever you want.

The 5mm AP rounds used by the assault carbine are -25 DT. The standard 5mm round is -10 DT. Even in the AP variety, I didn't have trouble finding heaps of them, because they come in boxes big enough to feed the minigun. Being friends with the Khans helped too IIRC; their armoury is worryingly well stocked.

Partly I think I just prefer high fire rate assault rifle type weapons in FPS games, and the assault carbine makes the laser RCW cry itself to sleep. I did find the recharger rifle really cool in the early game, especially when exploring away from any resupply.

Mando Knight
2013-12-15, 04:41 PM
Partly I think I just prefer high fire rate assault rifle type weapons in FPS games, and the assault carbine makes the laser RCW cry itself to sleep. I did find the recharger rifle really cool in the early game, especially when exploring away from any resupply.

Yeah, the Laser RCW and Rifle are really more comparable to low-level weapons... the 10mm SMG and the Service Rifle, respectively. They mostly trade straight-up DPS for ammo that both increases damage and pierces armor, as well as the crazy crit rates from perks. The Sprtel-Wood doesn't have the piercing advantage over the 5mm-based miniguns, but it is the most crit-crazy rapid fire weapon in game, particularly once it's boosted with all the related perks.

Ailurus
2013-12-15, 10:36 PM
The 5mm AP rounds used by the assault carbine are -25 DT. The standard 5mm round is -10 DT. Even in the AP variety, I didn't have trouble finding heaps of them, because they come in boxes big enough to feed the minigun. Being friends with the Khans helped too IIRC; their armoury is worryingly well stocked.

Partly I think I just prefer high fire rate assault rifle type weapons in FPS games, and the assault carbine makes the laser RCW cry itself to sleep. I did find the recharger rifle really cool in the early game, especially when exploring away from any resupply.

Yeah, all 5mm rounds have extra armor penetration, but that's because the base damage on them is, frankly, terrible. Basic combat armor could completely shrug off fire from the assault carbine or a minigun without that bonus.

Also, not only is the -25 DT is thoroughly unnecessary for 99% of the game, but even with it the carbine's damage isn't that great. The highest DT that the Legion gets is 23 (on Centurions). Veteran Rangers get up to 24. Your assault carbine with AP rounds will do full damage to them, but that's still only (without perks/mods/etc.) 12 dmg/shot, 12 shots/sec or 144 DPS (assuming no reloading). The 370 hp end-of-game veteran ranger dies in 2.6 seconds, assuming 100% accuracy.

Using the laser RCW for comparison (since you mentioned it) with max-charge cells its 23 dmg/shot with -10 DT, so 10 dmg/shot vs. the centurion and 9 dmg/shot vs. the veteran ranger at 9 shots/sec. So the ranger dies in 4.6 seconds. I fail to see how its crying in its sleep, considering that's the tankiest non-boss enemy in the game unless you hunt the brotherhood.

On a more common encounter, take a deathclaw. 500 HP, 15 DT. Carbine is still the same, 12 dmg/shot (non-AP rounds at 8 dmg/shot), so 3.5 sec. RCW upgrades to 18 dmg/shot, deathclaw down in 3.09 seconds. Again, where are the tears?

If you want full auto fire, the CZ57 shoots almost 3x faster than the assault carbine. Or grab an Automatic Rifle from Dead Money - only half the RoF of the Carbine (and a larger spread), but its launching 40 dmg .308 bullets (38 dmg with AP rounds).

Balmas
2013-12-15, 10:41 PM
I'm going through a hardcore playthrough with Energy weapons. It's hard, but once you get the Holorifle... Well, look out.

Excession
2013-12-15, 11:24 PM
Yeah, all 5mm rounds have extra armor penetration, but that's because the base damage on them is, frankly, terrible. Basic combat armor could completely shrug off fire from the assault carbine or a minigun without that bonus.

Also, not only is the -25 DT is thoroughly unnecessary for 99% of the game, but even with it the carbine's damage isn't that great. The highest DT that the Legion gets is 23 (on Centurions). Veteran Rangers get up to 24. Your assault carbine with AP rounds will do full damage to them, but that's still only (without perks/mods/etc.) 12 dmg/shot, 12 shots/sec or 144 DPS (assuming no reloading). The 370 hp end-of-game veteran ranger dies in 2.6 seconds, assuming 100% accuracy.

Using the laser RCW for comparison (since you mentioned it) with max-charge cells its 23 dmg/shot with -10 DT, so 10 dmg/shot vs. the centurion and 9 dmg/shot vs. the veteran ranger at 9 shots/sec. So the ranger dies in 4.6 seconds. I fail to see how its crying in its sleep, considering that's the tankiest non-boss enemy in the game unless you hunt the brotherhood.

On a more common encounter, take a deathclaw. 500 HP, 15 DT. Carbine is still the same, 12 dmg/shot (non-AP rounds at 8 dmg/shot), so 3.5 sec. RCW upgrades to 18 dmg/shot, deathclaw down in 3.09 seconds. Again, where are the tears?

If you want full auto fire, the CZ57 shoots almost 3x faster than the assault carbine. Or grab an Automatic Rifle from Dead Money - only half the RoF of the Carbine (and a larger spread), but its launching 40 dmg .308 bullets (38 dmg with AP rounds).

I feel that 2.6 seconds versus 4.6 isn't exactly an insignificant difference. I also realise now that on my energy weapons playthrough I wouldn't have had the science required to make the max. charge ECPs, which would have contributed to me finding them weak against the end-game enemies. Also exaggerated in my experience because I was hunting the BoS with the carbine, and in the close confines of their base, where dart out, kill one, and get back behind cover tactics seemed to work best.

Personally I avoided using either weapon against deathclaws, preferring the heavy sniper rifles. The higher spread on the carbine would also make it a bad deathclaw hunting weapon. I never found it healthy to be that close those things. Gauss rifle vs. anti-materiel rifle (and maybe even the missile launcher) for 'claw hunting would be fun debate too though :smallwink:

Tychris1
2013-12-15, 11:28 PM
Feh.

"Math", "Energy Weapons", "Optimal", "Calculations". Who needs any of those! Give me my Ranger Sequoia, Medicine Stick, and Big Iron on the radio. That's all I need to kill anything. No math or DPS, just sheer awesome.

IthilanorStPete
2013-12-15, 11:40 PM
Feh.

"Math", "Energy Weapons", "Optimal", "Calculations". Who needs any of those! Give me my Ranger Sequoia, Medicine Stick, and Big Iron on the radio. That's all I need to kill anything. No math or DPS, just sheer awesome.

You're not the only one. :smallbiggrin:

EDIT: I like having a hunting shotgun for up close, though. It's just so satisfying to use.

BladeofObliviom
2013-12-15, 11:47 PM
(and maybe even the missile launcher)

Your average Deathclaw has 500 HP. With Demolitions Expert, Bloody Mess, and Annabelle, you'll deal more damage than that on one direct hit, basically guaranteed. It doesn't even have to be a headshot. :smallcool:

Plus the thing's hilariously accurate as missile launchers go. As in, it has the same spread as the Sniper Rifle. Even if you decide to use Hive missiles with their insane x20 spread modifier, you're still more accurate than a majority of the pistols in the game. So, um, yeah. Plus, on the off chance that you screw up, miss your shot, or the Deathclaw just gets lucky and survives, there's a rather high chance that you'll cripple its limbs to make the killshot easy. :smallamused:

Triaxx
2013-12-16, 07:17 AM
I find that I'm entirely unimpressed by the Hive Missile. It's the sort of weapon I'd want to use on things like Cazadores, but it just doesn't do well against them. Even with that spread, they're still all in one small cluster. I find it hard to hit one Cazadore, much less the groups I was expecting to hit.

Speaking of Cazadores, flamers do have one late game advantage. They're the best weapons for Cazadore hunting available.

Guancyto
2013-12-16, 08:31 AM
Yeah, if you want to make a more apples-to-apples comparison for lasers vs. ballistics at the high end, you want to look more at the CZ57 Avenger with 5mm AP rounds vs the Gatling Laser with Max Charge Electron Packs.

Deathclaws are basically the break-even point, a Gatling Laser will do superior DPS against anything less well-armored.

Well, until you get ED-E's Divide upgrades, at which point the Gatling Laser is hilariously superior against anything shy of Rangers and Centurions. (Another bonus is how much easier Max Charge Electron Packs are to make compared to acquiring 5mm AP rounds...)

Alabenson
2013-12-16, 04:42 PM
I find that I'm entirely unimpressed by the Hive Missile. It's the sort of weapon I'd want to use on things like Cazadores, but it just doesn't do well against them. Even with that spread, they're still all in one small cluster. I find it hard to hit one Cazadore, much less the groups I was expecting to hit.

Speaking of Cazadores, flamers do have one late game advantage. They're the best weapons for Cazadore hunting available.

Meh, odds are by the time flamers are really a viable weapon choice you already have the poison-immunity perk from Old World Blues, at which point cazadores are a joke.

Excession
2013-12-16, 05:36 PM
Your average Deathclaw has 500 HP. With Demolitions Expert, Bloody Mess, and Annabelle, you'll deal more damage than that on one direct hit, basically guaranteed. It doesn't even have to be a headshot. :smallcool:

I really need to play through again as psychopathic stealth/explosives nut. A grenade for every pocket. And if it doesn't have pockets, well that's what Annabelle is for :smalleek:

Partof1
2013-12-16, 09:55 PM
I'm thinking I shouldn't have put Dead Money off so long.

Between Light Step and my nearly maxed sneak, the only things that've really been a threat thus far are the speakers every so often.

I guess if Ghost People end up getting more common, that could be an issue, but in the early stages, with Bloody Mess, they're mainly a source of free spears.

ArlEammon
2014-01-06, 02:59 PM
I am constantly getting my game crashed. . .

:(

Farix
2014-01-06, 03:11 PM
Head over to the Nexus (http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/?) if you're continuing to have CTD problems and poke around for some bug fixes, there are a number of unofficial patches which should hopefully help.

ArlEammon
2014-01-06, 05:46 PM
It just demands my money whenever I want to jioin

Kesnit
2014-01-06, 07:36 PM
It just demands my money whenever I want to join

Nexus? It shouldn't. You can join for free, and download any of the files. (Downloads are supposedly faster for premium members, but I have no idea since I'm a free member.)

Valley
2014-06-05, 06:06 PM
Hello folks! Having played Skyrim (slightly modded) I found myself going over to Fallout 3 (slightly modded).

I enjoy sci-fi more than fantasy, so this game is really cool. But I noticed that when it comes to combat, like in Skyrim, I prefer traps and long range weapons. Though I do use the combat shotgun in a pinch - stupid Talon Company always attacking me before I can set up a kill-zone.

I am wondering - while I now have a lot of different pieces of armor (powered and non-powered) I am starting to think it messed up my style. I try to sneak but sometimes I feel I get found out because of the heavy suit (and my idiot followers don't know how to sneak unlike my less-idiot followers in Skyrim).

Any advice on a well-balanced set up? Something to protect me, allow me to sneak and not weigh TOO much. The power armor cuts into the carrying-weight I need for my looting. LOOTING!

Also, I have finished both the Main Quest and Broken Steel Quests and from what I can tell from other players, if I like open ended games, like to explore, and don't like railroading, I would very likely like Point Lookout but not The Pitt, Operation : Anchorage, or Mothership Zeta.

Any feedback on the Add-on's or examples of your outfit of choice when entering out on into the Wasteland would be welcome.

BladeofObliviom
2014-06-05, 06:40 PM
Any advice on a well-balanced set up? Something to protect me, allow me to sneak and not weigh TOO much. The power armor cuts into the carrying-weight I need for my looting. LOOTING!

If you're looking for something protective and relatively light, it's hard to go wrong with the Ranger Battle Armor (http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Ranger_battle_armor), a possible quest reward from the Reilly's Rangers quest in the vanilla game. It weighs a little more than half as much as Power Armor does, provides only slightly less DR, and doesn't impact your agility score. It also has free boosts to Small Guns and Luck, which are always nice.

Ailurus
2014-06-05, 08:17 PM
Well, it depends. Do you want cheese or not?

If not, then I'll second the Ranger Battle Armor.

If you don't mind opening a cheddar shop, then play through Operation Anchorage and get the Chinese Stealth armor at the end. A little lighter and a little weaker than generic combat armor, but comes with a +15 sneak bonus. Oh, and it has the equivalent of a built-in stealth boy that automatically turns on every time you crouch.

Mando Knight
2014-06-05, 11:16 PM
Operation Anchorage's Winterized T-51b reward is also bugged: it's the indestructible "simulation" version, with effectively infinite item HP. Never carry spares for repair around again!

Another thing that helps is just boosting your Strength.

Also, Silent Running makes the ninja-tank possible: it removes ALL movement-based Sneak penalties, including armor weight. Effectively, the perk allows you to Sneak in T-51b armor at a full (crouch-) run just as effectively as someone without the perk (but the same base Sneak) would while sitting still.

Triaxx
2014-06-06, 06:18 AM
Silent Running leads to the hilarious image of a set of Winterized Power Armor running around with a Ripper, silently backstabbing people. Have to love game mechanics.

You said your game is slightly modded. How so?

Valley
2014-06-06, 07:24 AM
Silent Running leads to the hilarious image of a set of Winterized Power Armor running around with a Ripper, silently backstabbing people. Have to love game mechanics.

You said your game is slightly modded. How so?


I use a few mods, like a Weapons Repair Kit mod (which allows you to repair weapons up to 50% no matter what your perks or skills but you need to make them first - which means looking for certain items), Triage (Medical) Mode (which means crippled or heavy wounded limbs and body parts need medical supplies and certain perks to properly treat - makes being wounded in battle ten times as dangerous and REALLY makes tactics, mines, and sneaking a must when dealing with Super Mutants), a backpack mod (because I prefer Dogmeat as a follower and he can't carry anything), a fanny-pack mod (by the same creator), and a few others for color (one that allows you to smoke and another that renames some of the drugs to their real-world equivalent).

Triaxx
2014-06-06, 11:45 AM
Cool. Which Backpack mod? I never found one I liked.

The repair kits and triage got bundled into FWE. I use that, tweaked to my liking. IE Primary Needs goes straight out the window. Love it in NV's hardcore mode, can't stand FWE's.

If you'd like crippling to mean a little more still, I recommend ACE (Advanced Crippling Effects). It really overhauls the downsides to crippling. Such as losing 30lbs of carry weight if you have a crippled chest. On the other side, there's no Headshots are instant death, effect, but it's still super nasty, which I like.

BladeofObliviom
2014-06-06, 12:05 PM
I have a nice array of mods. Excluding quest and armor/weapon/miscellaneous-type mods, I run:

Enhanced Tactics (Raiders are a lot more dangerous when they take cover and actually use grenades and synergistic tactics. So are the Enclave. They're still pretty dumb, but at least they aren't as hilariously, suicidally dumb as they are in vanilla.)

Mart's Mutant Mod (Because Feral Ghouls needed a buff, along with other random wasteland enemies and stuff. At any rate it greatly expands the enemy types that show up without breaking lore too hard.)

Survival of the Fittest (I don't like FWE very much for personal reasons, but this one makes weaponry actually hurt like you'd expect it to, and also increases the compexity and difficulty of wound repair more than Triage does. Also has a needs module that isn't too demanding but still feels relevant.)

Savage Wasteland (Which just increases the odds of enemies spawning with melee weapons. It makes the game playable again after Survival of the Fittest, because raiders using Guns at the same rates as they do in vanilla is murder when the bullets actually hurt you. Has the side effect of making ammo much more scarce, since it no longer spawns so much on enemies.)

Nailed to Death (A Super Mutant rebalance, to make fighting them actually feel different from slightly bigger Raiders. They now use exclusively big guns and melee weapons, and are significantly tougher against damage [and better in melee] than they were in vanilla.)

ACE (As above. I set it to Pain Incarnate, because I don't know.)

ASIMOV melee mod (Adds considerable sway to ranged weapons when there is somebody swinging a sledgehammer into your face, and also applies to enemies. It makes melee much more threatening, since in addition to its high damage potential it's a hard situation to get out of. And there's that little touch of realism, too: Have you ever tried aiming with a guy bearing down on you?)

Fire Rebalance (Forget what it's actually called, but it's a matter of taste. It decreases the DPS of most fire weapons, but increases the potency of the damage over time and adds a chance of enemies dropping everything and trying to find a body of water. Combines well with the Burnification texture mod, and also makes fire weapons generally more useful and entertaining.)

There are probably more that I'm forgetting about, but that's what I remember offhand. The game gets rather harsh with all of this up, though. It might not be to everyone's taste.

Valley
2014-06-06, 07:48 PM
Cool. Which Backpack mod? I never found one I liked.



The V-Tec Backpack and Fannypack Mod. You have to find them but they have a interesting system. You decide how much they both carry, you wear them and can open them. Also, and this is what I have not figured out yet, there seems to be a way so they automatically grab certain items you pick up, so that you don't have to go through the whole process of opening the pack. It only works with the heavy items. They look simple, not too big, and even have a tiny logo of V-Tec on them.

There are four files. One for each pack, with unlimited carrying ability, and one for each pack with limited carrying ability. So you want to load one backpack or one fannypack (as they go in different areas of your body). Pretty easy to use. I picked limited weight capacity, so I still have to decide (and with mods that now require items I normally dismiss it now makes weight management even harder - at least in Skyrim I use a mod to give me more mules..er..I mean meat shields...oops...I mean followers).

http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/14060/?

PS - Did not wish to double post so I edited this. Two questions. First, the set up:

Was in the train tunnels, come upon a ghoul, tried to use the sniper rifle with VATS. He was facing the other way, I was sneaking, nothing was in the way, I aimed for the main body. Missed all five times. As I switched to a 10 mm and cussed the God Armok, he charged me. I fired point blank into him and then I realized after a few seconds that my gun was not reloading. I had become so use to it automatically reloading I have failed to notice it ran out of bullets. So I switched to combat shotgun (which I should have used in the first place) and blew a limb off.

So, the questions. I have noticed that VATS seems great at close range but when using sniper or hunting rifles I seem to do better at hitting the target. Even when a raider was running down hill at a angle I got a head shot that dropped him. Is VATS better at closer range because the longer the shots are more likely the miss or am I just getting better are aiming? In other words, my first question is, are there times when VATS should NOT be used?

Question number two. Many a time I have run out of ammo without noticing or the character tries to reload right when I push one of my # keys to switch weapons. There is a mod that turns off automatic reload. Now, that seems like it would make things harder BUT it would force me to keep track of my ammo and how many rounds are in the weapon, forcing me, if cover is available, to take cover and not act like a tank (because of all your suggestions I have gone from powered armor to combat or Ranger armor and a combat helmet or my storm chaser hat both of which allows me to use night vision goggles). Now, I do look over my ammo before going into a tunnel or starting a quest and always buy as many rounds as I can from anybody I can, but I really do fail when it comes to keeping track DURING combat.

Nerd-o-rama
2014-06-08, 08:49 AM
On the first question, I never used VATS with any kind of sniper weapon when I was playing New Vegas, at least not past the tutorial. The penalties for range are too high. Hell, I used the iron sights on a pistol to snipe people in the early game rather than trying to use VATS at a decent range. VATS, for me, is more for close-quarters gunfighting where it takes over for my lack of twitch skills and general composure in video game shootouts.

Your second question isn't actually a question, just a series of declarative statements.

Valley
2014-06-08, 11:52 AM
Your second question isn't actually a question, just a series of declarative statements.


Oops, sorry. Let me put it into a question - are there pros and con to loading your own weapons?
:smallbiggrin:

Mando Knight
2014-06-08, 01:42 PM
Oops, sorry. Let me put it into a question - are there pros and con to loading your own weapons?
:smallbiggrin:

The only benefit is perceived realism. The auto-reload system in FO3 and New Vegas automatically shuffles your ammo around, so if you have an automatic weapon and a precision weapon using the same ammo (for example), you don't limit your access to ammo in one by leaving half a magazine in the other. You can cancel the reload animation by switching weapons.

Fallouts 1 and 2 do track ammo for each gun individually, though, meaning that you should always unload a firearm when you pick it up.

Triaxx
2014-06-08, 05:10 PM
Interestingly, in F1/2 only identically loaded guns or empty ones stack, which makes it easier to tell which ones are loaded.

New Vegas VATS doesn't engage at ranges beyond where enemies are likely to have spotted you. So if you're sniping, you're better off shooting free hand. I'm never sure if it misses more with a mod to correct the snipers, or without one.

Valley
2014-06-08, 07:06 PM
I just had a interesting visit to the Republic if Dave. You know the 'You Gotta Shoot 'Em in the Head Quest'.

Because it was Quest Related and I am not sure how many people have done this I will put it into spoiler code.


I was kind of having a bad day. First, ambushed by Talon thugs, then I freed a slave and killed three slavers who didn't like it. Lots of stimpacks were used up and ammo wasted.

I was trying to decide how to handle it, shoot Dave, try to talk him into giving the key to me, so on, so forth, when Dogmeat started to growl. I peeked about and, wow, two Security Bots. After exchanging some fire I ran for it (the Triage mod plus the fact I had no heavy weapons and was out in the open made standing to fight a very stupid idea). So I ran to Dave's compound and did a complete run around it, figuring they would try to chase me around it and I could drop mines and such. I heard mini-guns and missiles being launched but I thought it was the Bot trying to shoot over the compound or something.

By the time I circled back to the front there had been heavy fighting. The Bots were gone, the gates open, the cattle all blasted to pieces, Bob was dead just inside gate, and one of the kids were running about. On my HUD he showed up as hostile and Dogmeat growled at him but he just fled. I entered all the buildings, only one kid was not 'hostile' to me and all the adults attacked me on sight. In the end the kids all fled into the Wasteland, me and Dogmeat had to defend ourselves from all the adults, and I only lost Karma for opening the safe and getting Old Painless and the 'Key'

I feel kind of bad about this. I killed Dukov, and his girls, before I found out you could get the keys without murdering people. Paid Ted for his. Really was leaning towards a peaceful way of doing it and....this happened.

I feel sorry for the kids. I know it is just a game but without adults those kids are going to end up dead or enslaved.

Mando Knight
2014-06-08, 10:18 PM
Interestingly, in F1/2 only identically loaded guns or empty ones stack, which makes it easier to tell which ones are loaded.

New Vegas VATS doesn't engage at ranges beyond where enemies are likely to have spotted you. So if you're sniping, you're better off shooting free hand. I'm never sure if it misses more with a mod to correct the snipers, or without one.

I read somewhere that VATS is particularly difficult to mod. Don't remember where, though.

The Gauss rifle aim is also off in VATS, so you'll miss 95% shots much more frequently than you should. Don't remember about any other rifle, though. In Fallout 3, I personally like to snipe from a distance, then if something closes in, switch to VATS and let off Plasma Rifle headshots for quick kills. In New Vegas, I generally keep everything on manual since you aren't practically immune to fire in NV's version of VATS (take 75% damage instead of 3's 10%).

Wookieetank
2014-06-10, 11:14 AM
I just had a interesting visit to the Republic if Dave. You know the 'You Gotta Shoot 'Em in the Head Quest'.

Because it was Quest Related and I am not sure how many people have done this I will put it into spoiler code.


I was kind of having a bad day. First, ambushed by Talon thugs, then I freed a slave and killed three slavers who didn't like it. Lots of stimpacks were used up and ammo wasted.

I was trying to decide how to handle it, shoot Dave, try to talk him into giving the key to me, so on, so forth, when Dogmeat started to growl. I peeked about and, wow, two Security Bots. After exchanging some fire I ran for it (the Triage mod plus the fact I had no heavy weapons and was out in the open made standing to fight a very stupid idea). So I ran to Dave's compound and did a complete run around it, figuring they would try to chase me around it and I could drop mines and such. I heard mini-guns and missiles being launched but I thought it was the Bot trying to shoot over the compound or something.

By the time I circled back to the front there had been heavy fighting. The Bots were gone, the gates open, the cattle all blasted to pieces, Bob was dead just inside gate, and one of the kids were running about. On my HUD he showed up as hostile and Dogmeat growled at him but he just fled. I entered all the buildings, only one kid was not 'hostile' to me and all the adults attacked me on sight. In the end the kids all fled into the Wasteland, me and Dogmeat had to defend ourselves from all the adults, and I only lost Karma for opening the safe and getting Old Painless and the 'Key'

I feel kind of bad about this. I killed Dukov, and his girls, before I found out you could get the keys without murdering people. Paid Ted for his. Really was leaning towards a peaceful way of doing it and....this happened.

I feel sorry for the kids. I know it is just a game but without adults those kids are going to end up dead or enslaved.



You won't feel so sorry for the kids once you find Little Lamplight. Many a gamer modded the imortality out thanks to that place.

Valley
2014-06-11, 07:33 PM
What I found most interesting about Fallout 3 (and Skyrim and Dwarf Fortress) is the seemingly random interaction that happens that you have nothing to do with.

For example, just today, I was near Big Town and a Brahmin showed up with water barrels on its back. But no escort. I was slightly confused but as I was going across the river to check out something I kind of figured some bandits or raiders or super mutants took out the guards. On my way back I saw two slavers, weapons out, just standing on a hill near Big Town. I figured they were after me or something. Either way I hit them with the hunting rifle and moved in to loot and take their fingers. And found, at their feet, another dead slaver and two Rivet City Guards. At that point 2 + 2 = 4 and I realized who had ambushed the water caravan. But it seemed so random. Did the slavers attack them or did the Rivet City Guards just react to the 'bad' guys and start shooting? The Slavers had combat shotguns and the Guards had 10mm submachine guns, so it was kind of one-sided, and I almost felt sorry for the Guards.

When I first started playing the game I was leaving Megaton, heard a explosion on the other side of a hill I was climbing, and ran into a Raider armed with a pipe who was about to attack me. I had a gun, so that was one-sided also. On the other side of the hill I found the remains of a battle between Raiders and Wastelanders(sp?). About 3 or 4 of each. I was happy to have missed the battle and, of course, looted them happily but it made me think about how the game worked and how, a lot of the time, I find the remains of something that happened and it makes me feel like I am in a wider world but also sometimes it confuses me no end.

Sometimes things to make sense and other times I just shake my head and wonder how the game is deciding on what the NPCs are going to do next. I know some random encounters are programmed to happen, but sometimes it seems so...random. :smallsmile:

Anything happen, or happen before you arrived, that made you go, "huh?"

Tychris1
2014-06-11, 11:16 PM
I was heading off to go become best pals with the Brotherhood of Steel outcasts in F3, when along the way to their HQ lo and behold, 3 deathclaw corpses, a dead brahmin, dead traders and guards, a dead securitron, 5 dead slavers, 3 dead Brotherhood Outcasts. It was good looting but I have zero clue as to what started it and why.

JustPlayItLoud
2014-06-12, 02:13 AM
I was heading off to go become best pals with the Brotherhood of Steel outcasts in F3, when along the way to their HQ lo and behold, 3 deathclaw corpses, a dead brahmin, dead traders and guards, a dead securitron, 5 dead slavers, 3 dead Brotherhood Outcasts. It was good looting but I have zero clue as to what started it and why.

Were you by chance near Farragut station? That's the one kind of near the Super Duper Mart right? That place seems to be a hotbed of powerful random encounters. I seem to regularly encounter the Outcasts vs. Deathclaws scenario there, and occasionally other random encounters spawn and get shredded too.

Wookieetank
2014-06-12, 09:05 AM
I was heading off to go become best pals with the Brotherhood of Steel outcasts in F3, when along the way to their HQ lo and behold, 3 deathclaw corpses, a dead brahmin, dead traders and guards, a dead securitron, 5 dead slavers, 3 dead Brotherhood Outcasts. It was good looting but I have zero clue as to what started it and why.

Clearly someone forgot to bring the mole rat sausages to the picnic.:smallwink:

Valley
2014-06-12, 10:29 AM
Lately, when being attacked by the Talon Company idiots, they seem to be suffering from a lot of bad luck. I have been traveling a lot in the DC ruins and when ever they attack me Super-Mutants pop up and attack THEM from behind. So here they are, guys who don't even wear helmets and are sometimes armed with batons trapped between a heavily armed target in powered armor and two (or three) Super Mutants with assault rifles and mini-guns. :smallbiggrin:

Oh, and Dogmeat who seems to be able to kill these guys with a few bites.

I am starting to feel sorry for them. Or I would but they carry crap and looting them is a waste of time. :smallmad:

Of course it does not help them that I added the Jackal mod. :smallwink:

Triaxx
2014-06-12, 07:07 PM
Jackal mod?

Valley
2014-06-12, 07:27 PM
Jackal mod?


A mod that adds Alucard's Jackal to the game. 13 mm, 6 round clip, and looks just like it.
For fans of the Hellsing manga. Available for both Fallout 3 and Fallout NV.

http://static-4.nexusmods.com/15/mods/130/images/37438-1-1289853945.jpg

Kind of cheating really. If I ever did a Let's Play/Role Play on YouTube I would not use it. Also, you only get so much ammo....but if aimed properly it seems to take out most Raiders, Slavers, and Ghouls with one shot. All the others mod I have are either balanced or make things harder (like the darker interiors mod - if I didn't have a pair of night vision goggles I would refuse to enter the sewers completely).

Triaxx
2014-06-12, 08:57 PM
Ah. I feel the same about the ACR I use. Fantastic gun, but not really the same power as the rest of the game.

Wookieetank
2014-06-13, 08:02 AM
It was a few years back, but one of my favorite mods I found for amusement purposes was a super MIRV that shot 8 salvos of 8 mini-nukes. Sooooo shiny! :smallbiggrin:

Nilehus
2014-07-01, 04:46 PM
Just started a new game in New Vegas! Fun times.

Unfortunately, my character has a bit of a temper problem, so the 6th time within 2 minutes he heard "Patrolling the Mojave almost makes you wish for a nuclear winter!"... Well, I'm going Wild Card this play through, I guess.

Winthur
2014-07-01, 05:04 PM
unfortunately, my character has a bit of a temper problem, so the 6th time within 2 minutes he heard "patrolling the mojave almost makes you wish for a nuclear winter!"... Well, i'm going wild card this play through, i guess.

Women often call asking whether there's a MISSUS New Vegas, well OF COURSE there is - you're her, and you're as beautiful as the day we've met

my spurs no longer go jingle jangle jingle

Nilehus
2014-07-01, 05:14 PM
I once tried measuring my Charisma on a vitomatic vigor tester... The machine burst into flames.

Much like my Pip-Boy would, if it were an option.

Love this game. But when I get home, I'm finding a mod that shuts everyone up.

ESPECIALLY YOU, ED-E. Breaking my stealth with your music and 'sneaky beeping'.

Triaxx
2014-07-01, 05:19 PM
Fun thing that's not at all fun to do with Project Nevada: True Wild Card. Slaughter your way through the NCR and the Legion. It makes the end of the game harder, but that's the fun. Bonus points for wiping out the optional groups that you get asked about.

Nilehus
2014-07-01, 05:26 PM
Fun thing that's not at all fun to do with Project Nevada: True Wild Card. Slaughter your way through the NCR and the Legion. It makes the end of the game harder, but that's the fun. Bonus points for wiping out the optional groups that you get asked about.

"That's... That's not aiding the enemy! Now when YOU do it!" I love Yes Man so much. You can tell he wants to yell at you, or at least ask what the hell you're thinking, but the best he can do is spin it really passive-aggressively.

IthilanorStPete
2014-07-01, 07:54 PM
Women often call asking whether there's a MISSUS New Vegas, well OF COURSE there is - you're her, and you're as beautiful as the day we've met

my spurs no longer go jingle jangle jingle

I don't mind Mr. New Vegas doing it; at least he has a great voice.


"That's... That's not aiding the enemy! Now when YOU do it!" I love Yes Man so much. You can tell he wants to yell at you, or at least ask what the hell you're thinking, but the best he can do is spin it really passive-aggressively.

And given who/what he is, I don't even thing he's trying to be passive-aggressive! :smalltongue: Favorite character in the game.

Winthur
2014-07-01, 08:29 PM
I don't mind Mr. New Vegas doing it; at least he has a great voice.
Mr. New Vegas is the only person that ever told me "I love you", and yet I can't listen to his radio for long in the early game, it loops too hard.

Nilehus
2014-07-01, 08:59 PM
And given who/what he is, I don't even thing he's trying to be passive-aggressive! :smalltongue: Favorite character in the game.

One of my favorites, from any game. Period. He realizes that what you're doing is a terrible idea, but he's programmed to never criticize. Just hearing him nearly short-circuit if you consistently sabotage yourself is fantastic.

I'm glad the creator flat out said that the whole "assertiveness" he talks about at the end of the game wasn't him plotting to overthrow you. I would've hated to have to kill him.

Anyone got amazing mods they recommend? I tried Project Nevada, but it did not agree with my system for whatever reason.

Nerd-o-rama
2014-07-01, 09:16 PM
Ave, true to Caesar.

thethird
2014-07-02, 06:48 AM
I just recently restarted new vegas too.

Among the amazing mods I recommend and which I am using right now is tale of two wastelands (http://taleoftwowastelands.com/). Of course that might as well mean I'm not really playing new vegas yet. :smalltongue:

Triaxx
2014-07-02, 02:18 PM
If you like a lot of additional challenge, and more places to explore, A World of Pain is awesome.

Project Nevada is a bit of a pain to get working the first time. Are you installing with NMM, or FOMM? Or something else? A merged or bashed patch?

Nilehus
2014-07-02, 08:06 PM
If you like a lot of additional challenge, and more places to explore, A World of Pain is awesome.

Project Nevada is a bit of a pain to get working the first time. Are you installing with NMM, or FOMM? Or something else? A merged or bashed patch?

I'll check it out. Thanks! I put in a mod that allows you to have more followers, and between me, Boone, ED-E, Veronica, and Gannon... Nothing even reaches us, and when it does, Veronica curbpunches it. So extra difficulty is very welcome.

I honestly can't remember. I tried installing it a year, year and a half ago, I think. Some features worked, most didn't, and it was just a mess. Still, maybe I'll give it another try. Backup my files this time too, just in case... Do not feel like redownloading it again.

Beleriphon
2014-07-03, 06:15 AM
New Vegas VATS doesn't engage at ranges beyond where enemies are likely to have spotted you. So if you're sniping, you're better off shooting free hand. I'm never sure if it misses more with a mod to correct the snipers, or without one.

This is true, mind you using an anti-material rifle loaded with explosive rounds against the Legion seems kind of unfair. :smallbiggrin: I used one loaded out like that in Cottonwood Cove and it was funny to see them run around through the scope having no idea what was going on.

Jayngfet
2014-07-04, 01:43 PM
So I'm messing around with the mod manager for New Vegas for the first time and something's gone wrong, and the game won't start up. I haven't even loaded up any mods yet, just the manager. I'm using the steam version if it helps.

Is there some super obvious problem I'm missing, because one would assume with no mods the base game would just up and go normally.

BladeofObliviom
2014-07-04, 01:51 PM
So I'm messing around with the mod manager for New Vegas for the first time and something's gone wrong, and the game won't start up. I haven't even loaded up any mods yet, just the manager. I'm using the steam version if it helps.

Is there some super obvious problem I'm missing, because one would assume with no mods the base game would just up and go normally.

It's worth noting that there are two mod managers in common use: The older New Vegas Mod Manager and the Nexus Mod Manager, which works for several games. I'm assuming that you're using New Vegas Mod Manager, because that's what I use. (For New Vegas, anyway. NMM works well for Skyrim and such.)

Also, what precisely do you mean by "the game doesn't start up"? Does it go black and then CTD? Does an error message appear? Does nothing happen at all?

(Note that any advice I offer should be taken with a grain of salt. My copy of New Vegas currently causes my desktop to wrap around the display with the edges in the center and the center at the edges, and doesn't go back until I manually fix my screen settings in the control panel. I think I need a fresh install, because I've tried turning mods off. :smalleek:)

Jayngfet
2014-07-04, 01:56 PM
I mean it won't start up. I'll hit the button, the icon appears at the taskbar, and when I click on it, it goes black for a second before disappearing. Then I close the program from the taskbar and try again, no dice.

I've tried deleting the mod manager but it still isn't helping.

BladeofObliviom
2014-07-04, 02:04 PM
Huh. Well, if you're using no mods and no mod manager and it's still not working, then there's something funky going on with the game itself or with your computer. Maybe try backing up your saves and verifying file integrity? (On a disc installation you'd have to reinstall, but Steam has an easy button for it that can be accessed by right-clicking the game in your steam library --> Properties --> Local Files --> Verify file integrity.)

And then run a virus scan if that doesn't work, because it never hurts to do so and there's always the possibility that there's something messing around down there.

Jayngfet
2014-07-04, 02:06 PM
Managed to pinpoint the issue: Steam's stupid appcache was causing the game to crash, as it does for a few of my other games. It's an annoyance, but I can at least get it to work.

Nilehus
2014-07-09, 07:01 PM
Finally bothering to play Lonesome Road.

Where the heck is my option to smack Ulysses with how much he's unintentionally caused? He's threatening to destroy the two best chances at any sort of civilization in the Fallout series so far to 'prove a point' about how awful the Courier is, but Ulysses is the one who told Elijah where the Sierra Madre is. He's the one who taught the White Legs to use guns. He's the one that broke the Think Tank out of their loop.

For being so obsessed over the Courier delivering what was a completely ordinary package, he's a MASSIVE hypocrite. Yet the game treats him as if he's the Voice of God. Where's my option to brutally deconstruct him?

Oh well. I'll just settle for shooting him a thousand times with the K-9000 gun.

Other than that, I love the atmosphere and setting of this DLC. Dead Money was cramped and overly red, Honest Hearts looked like Oblivion, and Old World Blues... I have absolutely nothing bad to say about Old World Blues except how many enemies there are, all the time. Can't go outside to fast travel without getting jumped by 6 lobotomites, 4 cyberdogs, and a few roboscorpions. Anyways, Lonesome Road definitely has the most distinctive, unique feel to it. Hell on Earth.

IthilanorStPete
2014-07-09, 07:06 PM
Finally bothering to play Lonesome Road.

Where the heck is my option to smack Ulysses with how much he's unintentionally caused? He's threatening to destroy the two best chances at any sort of civilization in the Fallout series so far to 'prove a point' about how awful the Courier is, but Ulysses is the one who told Elijah where the Sierra Madre is. He's the one who taught the White Legs to use guns. He's the one that broke the Think Tank out of their loop.

For being so obsessed over the Courier delivering what was a completely ordinary package, he's a MASSIVE hypocrite. Yet the game treats him as if he's the Voice of God. Where's my option to brutally deconstruct him?

Oh well. I'll just settle for shooting him a thousand times with the K-9000 gun.

Other than that, I love the atmosphere and setting of this DLC. Dead Money was cramped and overly red, Honest Hearts looked like Oblivion, and Old World Blues... I have absolutely nothing bad to say about Old World Blues except how many enemies there are, all the time. Can't go outside to fast travel without getting jumped by 6 lobotomites, 4 cyberdogs, and a few roboscorpions. Anyways, Lonesome Road definitely has the most distinctive, unique feel to it. Hell on Earth.

That was the same sort of reaction I had. Loved the atmosphere of the DLC, but Ulysses...could have been better.

Mando Knight
2014-07-09, 07:29 PM
Lonesome Road is the KotOR 2 of New Vegas: characters berate you for playing the game the way it's presented to be played.

...Only this time it wasn't even you that was at fault, it was your backstory that appeared out of nowhere.

Nilehus
2014-07-09, 08:04 PM
Yeah. I liked KOTOR 2, because that was the entire point of the story, and depending on how you did things, Kreia would actually talk to you differently.

Here, it's "NCR sucks, Chris Avellone wants to kill the NCR and have it be chaos again." Which I can understand, but I play the Fallout series because I like the idea of helping to rebuild civilization. If after 4 games, they just burn all the progress that's been made, I'd be a little ticked off.

Nerd-o-rama
2014-07-10, 10:04 AM
Lonesome Road is the KotOR 2 of New Vegas: characters berate you for playing the game the way it's presented to be played.

...Only this time it wasn't even you that was at fault, it was your backstory that appeared out of nowhere.

And at least Kreia gives the Jedi Council an epic verbal smackdown for you after they call you out for playing an RPG, and you can give her one right back once you catch up to her for being a myopic old hypocrite. (Light side, anyway. It's the other way around for Dark Side.)

Nilehus
2014-07-10, 10:40 PM
Yep. With Ulysses, the best you can get is "You're right about everything else, but there's this one thing that gives me hope!" "Oh, you're right. Let us fight together, the two greatest Couriers ever!"

*****, I EARNED that title.

Apparently he's Chris Avellone's voicebox in the game. That explains a lot.

Triaxx
2014-07-11, 06:06 AM
Here's the cute thing. Ulysses is as vulnerable as anyone else to an AMR to the head. I play through for ED-E and the Red Glare. The 'story' is awkward at best, and Anvilicious at worst. I feel no sympathy for him, and no interest in talking to him.

I have no interest in playing Dead Money, simply because it strikes me too much as a Horror survival game, and I just don't like that.

Honest Hearts, I love the atmosphere of. It's just flat out amazing. Not least of which because it adds Healing Poultice which is a god send in Hardcore with Project Nevada.

And Old World Blues? Man, I could have played a complete game on that premise. It not only reminded me of the movies like that that were awesome, but of the humor from Fallout 2. So it was a nostalgia trip along with everything else. I agree about the enemies, but nothing really bothered me, except for the Nighstalkers. Those things... urgh. Also, I played through with RobCo Certified, meaning I eventually had my own robo-scorpion army. Nothing like hoisting the foes by their own petards.

Nerd-o-rama
2014-07-11, 06:44 AM
Yep. With Ulysses, the best you can get is "You're right about everything else, but there's this one thing that gives me hope!" "Oh, you're right. Let us fight together, the two greatest Couriers ever!"

*****, I EARNED that title.

Apparently he's Chris Avellone's voicebox in the game. That explains a lot.

I've said it before (in this thread, I think), relating to Ulysses and Kreia, and I'll say it again: being the author avatar doesn't make you not a hypocritical jackass.

RadagastTheBrow
2014-07-11, 04:27 PM
I have no interest in playing Dead Money, simply because it strikes me too much as a Horror survival game, and I just don't like that.


Here's the funny thing about Dead Money- It tries to be survival horror. Tries. Were you playing a melee build at all? Are you decently leveled? If so, it'll fail hilariously.

"Oh, the horror, you have to cut their heads off! Also, GREEEEEEEED."

"Uh, my fists kinda already did that. Thanks for the heads up, though."

"They'll get back up if you don't dismember them! And look at the horror brought on by GREEEEEEEEEEED." "Good thing I have a leg up on the competition, then. And what's with the greed thing? Hey, look, an anvil!"

Hell, even the annoying beeping collar of death is utterly negated if you got the Turbo-implant perk that lets you slow down time periodically.

All in all, the DLC ended up more tedious than anything. "You can never come back! GREEEEEEED!" "Great, why would I?"

Nilehus
2014-07-11, 06:22 PM
"They'll get back up if you don't dismember them! And look at the horror brought on by GREEEEEEEEEEED." "Good thing I have a leg up on the competition, then. And what's with the greed thing? Hey, look, an anvil!"

I liked Dead Money, but that was hilarious. :smallbiggrin:

Triaxx
2014-07-13, 10:22 AM
Melee eh? I guess I'll try that. I've wanted to try a Melee Build, though most of the wasteland having guns has caused some minor hiccups in that plan.

Mando Knight
2014-07-13, 12:40 PM
All you need for Dead Money is to get your Unarmed up to about 75, and kill Rawr in Lonesome Road. Craft the Fist of (the North) Rawr inside the Sierra Madre (since Rawr's talon is a Quest item, the Sierra Madre can't steal it from you), and proceed to one- or two-shot every one of the Ghost People you come across.

If you run Project Nevada, implanting max-level Razor Nails in your hands beforehand will bring your critical damage up to super-hax levels of damage, so basically any investment in critical hit chance at all will make your deathclaw hand rip everything to shreds.

Jayngfet
2014-07-13, 06:26 PM
In other news, I'm getting a whole lot more use out of the Bright Brotherhood robes than I usually do. They don't offer a huge amount of protection, but they're super lightweight and allow you to carry a whole lot more than you'd otherwise be able to.

Mando Knight
2014-07-13, 06:51 PM
Lonesome Road dusters offer even more ridiculous efficiency (the NCR and Legion variants effectively have negative weight when worn). Bright Brotherhood robes really aren't all that special: several of the wasteland and settler outfits have the same or similar stats (Caravaneer and Field Hand weigh less).

Kesnit
2014-07-13, 07:02 PM
Here's the funny thing about Dead Money- It tries to be survival horror. Tries. Were you playing a melee build at all? Are you decently leveled? If so, it'll fail hilariously.

The key word there is "if." The only time I played Dead Money, I was playing a Guns build, of which there aren't a lot in DM. I had almost no skill in melee or energy weapons, of which there's a lot. I also hated the annoying radio-explosive collars because the transmitters were sometimes hard to find. Getting lost is easy, even if the only effect of being lost is having to wander aimlessly, trying to figure out how to get where you need to go. (Honestly, that was my biggest complaint - the horrible maps.)

I swore I'd never play DM again. Then I bought FONV for the PC (I'd played on the 360 before) and am trying to convince myself to play it again to get the achievements on Steam.

Nilehus
2014-07-15, 02:12 AM
New Vegas inspired me to go back and play Fallout 2 again. I forgot just how much there is to DO in this game. I've been playing for the past few days, and I just got out of Klamath.

Did not know about the Restoration Mod before this, either. Adds a ton of new life into the game.

Avilan the Grey
2014-07-15, 08:21 AM
Watching damo2986's let's play of New Vegas again. I will definitely play this again. I am thinking about following through with my lucky b.... character.

Gunslinger with high AGL, LCK, and CHA. Majoring in guns, speech and something else.

Avilan the Grey
2014-07-16, 06:00 AM
So... recommended stats for a LCK based gun talker?

I will pick GUNS, REPAIR and SPEECH, that is already decided.

Dhavaer
2014-07-16, 07:57 AM
Skilled and either Good Natured or Small Frame.

Nerd-o-rama
2014-07-16, 09:13 AM
Investing in Stealth early is helpful even if you don't tag it; why simply Critical when you can Sneak Attack Critical?

IthilanorStPete
2014-07-16, 11:07 AM
Not build advice, but for your gameplan: if you're raising Luck, start hitting the casinos as soon as they're available and you've got at least 8 luck. That'll give you a bankroll for everything you could want. Primm and the Atomic Wrangler are open early, then there's the Strip, but the real goldmine (:smalltongue:) is the Sierra Madre.

Nilehus
2014-07-16, 11:56 AM
Well, Skilled is by far the best trait to pick up at the beginning, so do that. If you're not against abusing a glitch, if you reset your traits as you leave Goodsprings and choose Skilled again, you get an extra 5 in every skill. Considering the vast majority of enemies level with you, you aren't really losing out at all by leveling slower.

S: 4, implant and Power Armor will put that up to 7 or so, more than enough for most guns.
P: 1. Dump stat. The only time you'll ever use it is in Dead Money with Christine, and that's not worth spending 6 points on it.
E: 7-8. Definitely need this for the implants. +1 to every SPECIAL stat.
C: 4-5 (really not as important as you'd think) I: 9. Skills and such.
A: Whatever's left
L: 8. With a luck boosting item and an implant, you'll have a 10 in luck by the time you hit the Strip, most likely.

Just a rough idea of what I'd do. Feel free to switch it up a bit. :smallsmile:

Avilan the Grey
2014-07-16, 12:58 PM
Oh I plan to break the bank on every casino. This is why I dismissed my plan of going to 118 quickly (because I wanted to play with Veronica this time) and instead do the Primm questline so I can get my hand on 5000 caps early.

Malek
2014-07-16, 03:26 PM
Well I dug out FNV again (maybe this time I'll manage to finish it rather than stall mid-ways distracted by other things), and this being oblivion-engine game I felt obliged to throw a truckload of mods at it. I think I managed to get everything set up properly - at the very least the game didn't crash straight away on me :P - but if some kind soul with too much free time and good mod knowledge felt like looking over my load order (http://pastebin.com/3hq7bZ46) to check if I didn't mess up anything there or missed some critical compatibility patch it'd be great. Never hurts to have a second set of eyes when it comes to modding these games.

Anteros
2014-07-16, 06:29 PM
So... recommended stats for a LCK based gun talker?

I will pick GUNS, REPAIR and SPEECH, that is already decided.

This is the character type I usually play. I also have a rule against using Vats, so I ignore those skills. I tend to pick up lock-smithing and science just because I don't like missing things, but stealth is also a priority for me. You can actually afford to delay repair as it doesn't really make a huge difference compared to the other skills except for picking up a few perks. Definitely get it eventually, but I don't think it's a huge priority.

Avilan the Grey
2014-07-17, 04:29 AM
I LOVE VATS. I ALWAYS use it, basically.

I will pick up Lockpick and Sneak, primarely, among the non-tagged skills.

Settled with Good Natured and Skilled.

So:
Harley Quinn, as she walks into the Saloon for the first time:

STR 3
PER 5
END 3
CHA 6
INT 7
AGL 7
LCK 9

Will try to resist the urge to go gun crazy and only focus on handguns, no rifle skills except what Gun Skill gives by itself.

JBPuffin
2014-07-17, 10:15 AM
So, started up Fallout 3 on my PS3 the other day...no, it wasn't because of this thread (:smallwink:), but I finished Mass Effect and figured, "Why not?" Started with Science, Repair and Lockpick tagged, Level 3 1/2 now after clearing Springvale Elementary and some other stuff. Had to use some skill points on Explosives, but worth it to be a good citizen. I'll be playing some more today, if anything happens I'll let y'all know. Peace.

Oh, and I'VE GOT A HOUSE!!

Avilan the Grey
2014-07-17, 11:44 AM
Good Springs, you mean?
I lost Trudy (the bartender). Damn. That's what you get for refusing to put on that fancy leather armor, I guess. When I found her body it started raining, too. Very dramatic.

Nilehus
2014-07-17, 11:47 AM
They're playing 3, not New Vegas.

Avilan the Grey
2014-07-17, 11:53 AM
They're playing 3, not New Vegas.

Ah. That's what I get for being all in NV mood.

JBPuffin
2014-07-17, 03:09 PM
Okay, a bunch of crap happened. Suffice to say, I murdered the fire ants, got some caps, got a missile launcher (:smallsmile:), became a vampire, and next time will be saving the ass of a Brotherhood of Steel initiate. All according to plan...sort of.

Anteros
2014-07-17, 09:36 PM
I LOVE VATS. I ALWAYS use it, basically.

I will pick up Lockpick and Sneak, primarely, among the non-tagged skills.

Settled with Good Natured and Skilled.

So:
Harley Quinn, as she walks into the Saloon for the first time:

STR 3
PER 5
END 3
CHA 6
INT 7
AGL 7
LCK 9

Will try to resist the urge to go gun crazy and only focus on handguns, no rifle skills except what Gun Skill gives by itself.

I don't dislike Vats, I just feel it makes the game too easy. I perfectly understand that other people love to use it.

I don't think I could play the game without rifles though. Playing as a Sniper, with Boone at your side is basically the only way to play New Vegas for me.

Nilehus
2014-07-17, 09:48 PM
I don't dislike Vats, I just feel it makes the game too easy. I perfectly understand that other people love to use it.

I don't think I could play the game without rifles though. Playing as a Sniper, with Boone at your side is basically the only way to play New Vegas for me.

Rifle, Boone, and ED-E are basically Easy Mode. The first hint you'll get that there's an enemy nearby is when it cuts to a slow-mo of their head exploding/being set on fire. And I kill all Legion on sight anyways, so it works out pretty well.

Anteros
2014-07-17, 11:01 PM
Rifle, Boone, and ED-E are basically Easy Mode. The first hint you'll get that there's an enemy nearby is when it cuts to a slow-mo of their head exploding/being set on fire. And I kill all Legion on sight anyways, so it works out pretty well.

I don't use Ed-E and I play with difficulty mods. :smallbiggrin:

Avilan the Grey
2014-07-18, 01:26 AM
I don't dislike Vats, I just feel it makes the game too easy. I perfectly understand that other people love to use it.

I don't think I could play the game without rifles though. Playing as a Sniper, with Boone at your side is basically the only way to play New Vegas for me.

...And now I got Beagle killed. Well he was a moron. Heh, this is becoming my pattern, it seems... leaving one person dead in every settlement :smallbiggrin:. Not someting I aim for, but...
As for rifles. Maybe it's my insane LUCK score, but I am cleaning out the Primm baddies right now and I have no problem sniping them with my handguns. Of course I have a 1/10 crit chance, for starters.

Right now I am over-encumbering my way around the hotel. Beagle got his arm shot off, but he would just stand in the middle of the corridor taking bullets. Blocking my aim, too.

Nilehus
2014-07-18, 01:31 AM
...And now I got Beagle killed. Well he was a moron. Heh, this is becoming my pattern, it seems... leaving one person dead in every settlement :smallbiggrin:. Not someting I aim for, but...
As for rifles. Maybe it's my insane LUCK score, but I am cleaning out the Primm baddies right now and I have no problem sniping them with my handguns. Of course I have a 1/10 crit chance, for starters.

Don't worry. Literally no one cares about Beagle dying beyond "Oh, he's dead. Well, -next topic-"

Pistols work fine and all now, but later on, you'll either have to invest heavily in AP ammo or start packing a rifle. Against high-end armor, most handguns just plink off.

Avilan the Grey
2014-07-18, 01:35 AM
Don't worry. Literally no one cares about Beagle dying beyond "Oh, he's dead. Well, -next topic-"

Pistols work fine and all now, but later on, you'll either have to invest heavily in AP ammo or start packing a rifle. Against high-end armor, most handguns just plink off.

I get a 12mm handgun ASAP. Eats Deathclaws for breakfast.

...I am trying to roleplay Harley just a wee bit crazy. (Hence the name). Not sure how much, yet, though. I have a feeling she would occasionally murder some lone wanderer for stuff, but I don't think she wasn't sad when Trudy died... Trying to work out a balance in my head.

Edit: I am also toying with making her a drunk. Because.

Edit again: I can't see anything about it in the Wiki or anything, but I seem to be far less likely to be crippled when stumbling on mines with my crazy-high luck score?

Anteros
2014-07-18, 02:04 AM
I've never noticed any interaction like that before. Then again, I always play characters with an endurance of 1...so if I step on a mine it's almost always a game over.

Hand guns are fine as far as difficulty goes...it's just a flavor thing that makes me prefer rifles.

If you're roleplaying Harley Quinn, she's one of the few characters I could imagine actually joining the legion. Sure, they're abusive towards women...but apparently Harley likes that. I've personally never been able to bring myself to join them.

Avilan the Grey
2014-07-18, 02:18 AM
I've never noticed any interaction like that before. Then again, I always play characters with an endurance of 1...so if I step on a mine it's almost always a game over.

Hand guns are fine as far as difficulty goes...it's just a flavor thing that makes me prefer rifles.

If you're roleplaying Harley Quinn, she's one of the few characters I could imagine actually joining the legion. Sure, they're abusive towards women...but apparently Harley likes that. I've personally never been able to bring myself to join them.

Nah. Never the Legion. I don't think my character would take abuse to any woman lightly. It might trigger a murder spree, actually, now when I think about it.
So the Powder Gangers killed Trudy... that means Harley is not dedicated to eradicate them from the land. :smalltongue::smallbiggrin:

(I'm not really roleplaying THAT Harley Quinn anyway, I just like the name. Besides she is too weak (my character) to carry around a giant mallet).

Nerd-o-rama
2014-07-18, 09:03 AM
Don't worry. Literally no one cares about Beagle dying beyond "Oh, he's dead. Well, -next topic-"

Pistols work fine and all now, but later on, you'll either have to invest heavily in AP ammo or start packing a rifle. Against high-end armor, most handguns just plink off.

That Gun is almost certainly the best bet for this character right now, and for hitting mooks for most of the game; not only is it pretty easy to get AP ammo for it, but it's got a great crit multiplier. Combine with The Professional, VATS, and sneak attacks for maximum funtimes.

Late-game, a Ranger Sequoia and the Cowboy perk (and the custom .45-70 ammo) will drop just about anything, although an SMG for swarms of things is probably a good idea.

IthilanorStPete
2014-07-18, 09:37 AM
That Gun is almost certainly the best bet for this character right now, and for hitting mooks for most of the game; not only is it pretty easy to get AP ammo for it, but it's got a great crit multiplier. Combine with The Professional, VATS, and sneak attacks for maximum funtimes.

Late-game, a Ranger Sequoia and the Cowboy perk (and the custom .45-70 ammo) will drop just about anything, although an SMG for swarms of things is probably a good idea.

There's also A Light Shining In Darkness with Grunt and .45 Super ammo.

Ailurus
2014-07-18, 10:50 AM
That Gun is almost certainly the best bet for this character right now, and for hitting mooks for most of the game; not only is it pretty easy to get AP ammo for it, but it's got a great crit multiplier. Combine with The Professional, VATS, and sneak attacks for maximum funtimes.


I'll wholeheartedly second this. Not only is That Gun easy virtually free to get (even if you don't want to steal it, you can easily buy it and then get all your money back by cleaning the guy's wallet out in Caravan), but you can get a a nice pile of AP ammo for it for free early in the game. Even if I'm focusing on other weapons, almost all my characters carry That Gun and several reloads of AP rounds with them most of the game for dealing with the Legion Assassin squads who always insist on popping up out of nowhere.

Avilan the Grey
2014-07-18, 11:15 AM
I'm not that far yet. But yes. That Gun will be my main weapon for a while.

In the meantime, I took the Light Touch perk. Seems to really help. My STR is too low for heavy armor anyway.

Triaxx
2014-07-18, 12:22 PM
Before you get to That Gun, Lucky is a nice mid-step.

In New Vegas, the only situations I use VATS for are close range against melee, or for shooting explosives out of hands. Because splattering Powder Gangers with their own Dynamite never gets old.

Also, 12.7 with HP makes Vault 34 a lot less horrible.

Anyone else use CraftPack/Master/CASE?

Jayngfet
2014-07-18, 04:20 PM
Wait, I'm confused. There are people that don't immediatley grab That Gun?

I mean by the time I make it to NoVac I'm usually dripping with excess gear and caps anyway(the fifty million sets of legion armor nonwithstanding). Getting it is almost mandatory to getting my equipment under manageable weight really.

Avilan the Grey
2014-07-18, 05:18 PM
Wait, I'm confused. There are people that don't immediatley grab That Gun?

I mean by the time I make it to NoVac I'm usually dripping with excess gear and caps anyway(the fifty million sets of legion armor nonwithstanding). Getting it is almost mandatory to getting my equipment under manageable weight really.

Yeah, the biggest drive to get to Novac after your first playthrough is that you get a place to store crap.

Btw this time I don't play the character as if she has amnesia, so I skip a lot of dialogue about "who the Brotherhood of Steel are" etc. This also means she already knows about the trading post up on 118 and who the Gun Runners are, for example

IthilanorStPete
2014-07-18, 05:57 PM
Yeah, the biggest drive to get to Novac after your first playthrough is that you get a place to store crap.

Btw this time I don't play the character as if she has amnesia, so I skip a lot of dialogue about "who the Brotherhood of Steel are" etc. This also means she already knows about the trading post up on 118 and who the Gun Runners are, for example

For stashing stuff you know you'll want later, there's always the Mojave Express dropboxes. Use the ones in Goodsprings and Primm, then unload stuff from the dropbox in Freeside for selling.

Avilan the Grey
2014-07-18, 06:01 PM
For stashing stuff you know you'll want later, there's always the Mojave Express dropboxes. Use the ones in Goodsprings and Primm, then unload stuff from the dropbox in Freeside for selling.

Good point, I had forgotten about those. Thanks.:smallbiggrin:

Mando Knight
2014-07-18, 09:14 PM
There's also one in Novac, in the office.

Avilan the Grey
2014-07-19, 03:50 AM
...This was... easy. Cleaning out the NCRCF, dressed as a convict, was... easy. I brought EDI along for the ride. Also, I love the scoped 9mm. With my wicked Crit chance it works very well against humans, Rad-scorpions, and Powder-Gangers.

So. I killed whatshisface, the guy that tells you about the star caps. Harley's reasoning was "Okay, I'm going to take his advice and not trust people that just run up to you. Also, fun!"
Only time she used a rifle so far, she had a mint condition shotgun she just needed to test out.

Togath
2014-07-19, 04:21 AM
Returning to this game after a long break(and having only played a few hours before).
Any advice for a newbie? :smallsmile:
I was thinking of going with either a firearms or energy weapons focused character, but I'm drawing a blank on what sort of skills to pick up after that.

Jayngfet
2014-07-19, 04:28 AM
So, what's the best bet for assassinating Caesar?

He doesn't sleep until after loyalty missions, he's constantly surrounded by guards, and you're forced into close quarters where everyone has a power fist.

My first attempt was some C4, but he and his guards are well armored enough that it takes a few just to kill some of them, and armed with only holdouts and whatever I could scrounge from camp(single shotguns and a service rifle) the raw numbers alone can overwhelm. I've grabbed some more of the stuff to try again, but I worry that too much will just make me go Wile. E. Coyote and blow myself up with him, or worse, kill me and have him survive like a totalitarian roadrunner.

I've got about six bricks of the stuff and a stealth boy, so I SHOULD be good with a disguise to slip out though.

I've got the service rifle set up in a footlocker inside the base, though I'm wondering if the silenced SMG might not be a better choice. Or is there an even better weapon choice I'm missing?

Ailurus
2014-07-19, 05:01 AM
So, what's the best bet for assassinating Caesar?

He doesn't sleep until after loyalty missions, he's constantly surrounded by guards, and you're forced into close quarters where everyone has a power fist.

My first attempt was some C4, but he and his guards are well armored enough that it takes a few just to kill some of them, and armed with only holdouts and whatever I could scrounge from camp(single shotguns and a service rifle) the raw numbers alone can overwhelm. I've grabbed some more of the stuff to try again, but I worry that too much will just make me go Wile. E. Coyote and blow myself up with him, or worse, kill me and have him survive like a totalitarian roadrunner.

I've got about six bricks of the stuff and a stealth boy, so I SHOULD be good with a disguise to slip out though.

I've got the service rifle set up in a footlocker inside the base, though I'm wondering if the silenced SMG might not be a better choice. Or is there an even better weapon choice I'm missing?

Well, probably the 'easiest' is to just show up with Boone at your side, and then just annihilate the entire fort the old fashioned way.

If you just want to assassinate, c4 probably is the best option in my experience. Reverse pickpocket the bricks onto as many of the inhabitants as possible (with 6 bricks, I'd probably say one brick on each named guy, one brick on one of the guys near the main entrance and 2-3 on other guards in the main area), and just like a grenade its an auto-kill only it still waits for you to flip the switch. Then retreat behind Benny and start the fireworks. I usually aim to bring about 10 bricks to ensure as close to a clean sweep as possible, so 6 might leave 1-2 survivors, but the explosions should still clean out most of them. Then just pop the stealth boy and get out of town.

Triaxx
2014-07-19, 05:35 AM
The Lil' Devil, the GRA version of the 12.7mm pistol is a holdout weapon. That'd be my choice, particularly since I can silence it with WMX.

My usual method though is grenade launcher, but it's not a holdout weapon. Don't forget though, they don't seem to search companions, so you should be able to use anything you can stash on ED-E.

Also, I've stopped using That Gun except for my pistol users, because getting it negates the need for any other gun until I have to have an AMR. Just the way I play, being a one shot one kill type. Besides, it's more fun to mow through my enemies with a 9mm pistol, or a .357.

Avilan the Grey
2014-07-19, 05:42 AM
Returning to this game after a long break(and having only played a few hours before).
Any advice for a newbie? :smallsmile:
I was thinking of going with either a firearms or energy weapons focused character, but I'm drawing a blank on what sort of skills to pick up after that.

Well standard advice for "noobs" is always focus on one weapon skill (Guns / Energy Weapons / Unarmed or Melee) and then depending on character type focus either on Stealth or being tough. The benefit of focusing on stealth is obvious, but if you don't, you have an extra skill "left over".

So either <Weapon Skill>, Stealth, Lockpick or <Weapon Skill>, Lockpick and something else, probably Speech or Science. Repair is good, and I focused on it this time instead of lockpick just because, but unlike FO3 you can repair up to 100% of quality of an item even without focusing on it.

Nerd-o-rama
2014-07-19, 09:16 AM
Science is a good tagged skill for an Energy Weapon user because it's a prereq for some useful Energy Weapon perks, including whatever the one is that lets you make custom ammo.

As for assassinating Caesar, if you don't just storm the gates with Boone (or Veronica if you're less concerned with revenge and more concerned with giving the finger to their doctrine), I do like planting C4 myself. One time I did that and couldn't find Caesar's corpse afterward, though, so an alternative method is stealth-killing the guard at the boat landing who takes your weapons, picking the lock on the chest where he keeps them, and heading in there with the large-caliber automatic of your choice.

Or if you're that good at stealth kills, crouch in a shady corner of Caesar's room and blow his head off with a silenced .45 or something, then just leave.

Mando Knight
2014-07-19, 09:54 AM
The point of Repair in NV isn't to allow you to repair to 100%, it's to unlock Jury Rigging, so you can patch the Courier Duster with Raider armor or suits, or tape a bunch of pool cues to your Super Sledge to keep it working. Weapon repair kits are great for a lot of weapons (and Repair helps with making it more efficient as well as giving you a ridiculously huge source of them even without the Sierra Madre), but armor repair (and 2-handed melee weapons) is where Jury Rigging shines.

Avilan the Grey
2014-07-19, 02:08 PM
The point of Repair in NV isn't to allow you to repair to 100%, it's to unlock Jury Rigging

Also, if you can repair ED-E by the time you see "him", the rest of the early game is easy mode. I just took out Mr Dog Head and his gang in 10 seconds with the help of hand grenades and ED-E.

Anteros
2014-07-19, 04:44 PM
Why would you want the game to be easy mode though??

As for Caesar, I always storm the gates with Boone. When you get to the tent itself you can lead the guards outside into a more favorable matchup if you're playing a character that prefers range.

Jayngfet
2014-07-19, 10:35 PM
Why would you want the game to be easy mode though??


Speaking of, is there a mod to artificially lower the level cap a bit? I haven't even hit the vanilla cap and everything is piss easy. I'm ignoring all my skill magazines and just pumping every poor bastard in the wasteland with All-American bullets without thinking twice. I'm genuinely wondering where I'm going to allocate my points next because by the time I'm done with DLC I'll wind up having to slot points into some other dump stat.



As for Caesar, I always storm the gates with Boone. When you get to the tent itself you can lead the guards outside into a more favorable matchup if you're playing a character that prefers range.

I know a storming can be done, it's less that and more a desire to get it done with one quick motion and minimal actual shooting. I took out the powder ganger boss and one of his guys with one quick explosive, Motor-Runner with a shotgun to the back of the head, and his subordinates mostly through sniping.

My ideal situation here is to just press a button, decapitate the legion, then go home. Whenever I play an Assassin in a game, I really don't like the idea of snappy one liners or last words.


EDIT: Also, I finally "got the joke" about Bitter Springs. I'm kicking myself for not realizing it sooner.

Mando Knight
2014-07-19, 11:01 PM
Project Nevada offers a level cap adjuster, IIRC, but I don't know the lower limit of it. Logan's Loophole (trait) locks you in at the vanilla L30 cap.

Anteros
2014-07-20, 12:42 AM
Speaking of, is there a mod to artificially lower the level cap a bit? I haven't even hit the vanilla cap and everything is piss easy. I'm ignoring all my skill magazines and just pumping every poor bastard in the wasteland with All-American bullets without thinking twice. I'm genuinely wondering where I'm going to allocate my points next because by the time I'm done with DLC I'll wind up having to slot points into some other dump stat.



I know a storming can be done, it's less that and more a desire to get it done with one quick motion and minimal actual shooting. I took out the powder ganger boss and one of his guys with one quick explosive, Motor-Runner with a shotgun to the back of the head, and his subordinates mostly through sniping.

My ideal situation here is to just press a button, decapitate the legion, then go home. Whenever I play an Assassin in a game, I really don't like the idea of snappy one liners or last words.


EDIT: Also, I finally "got the joke" about Bitter Springs. I'm kicking myself for not realizing it sooner.

I just feel bad about not bringing Boone to kill Caesaer.

Jayngfet
2014-07-20, 02:14 AM
I just feel bad about not bringing Boone to kill Caesaer.

Hey, he could come, it's just that he can't control himself around the legion and winds up screwing everything up whenever you need to deal with the legion in a way that's not guns blazing from the first moment.

Finding my preferred 5.56mm rounds can be hard sometimes. Way I see it this uses a few explosives and maybe one clip of ammo. As opposed to no explosives, running out of that ammo, and being forced to swap to a weapon I don't like nearly so much.

Anteros
2014-07-20, 04:28 PM
Hey, he could come, it's just that he can't control himself around the legion and winds up screwing everything up whenever you need to deal with the legion in a way that's not guns blazing from the first moment.

Finding my preferred 5.56mm rounds can be hard sometimes. Way I see it this uses a few explosives and maybe one clip of ammo. As opposed to no explosives, running out of that ammo, and being forced to swap to a weapon I don't like nearly so much.

I don't understand. Are you implying that there are other ways to deal with the Legion besides simply murdering them all?

I have a question. What happens if you storm the gates and destroy the Legion base before you activate the quest line where they capture Benny? Does it simply repopulate?

BladeofObliviom
2014-07-20, 04:34 PM
I don't understand. Are you implying that there are other ways to deal with the Legion besides simply murdering them all?

I have a question. What happens if you storm the gates and destroy the Legion base before you activate the quest line where they capture Benny? Does it simply repopulate?

Um, how? You can't reach the fort without the mark of Caesar, as far as I know. Maybe you could get there with the console, but that sounds like a good way to break the main quest.

Nilehus
2014-07-20, 04:34 PM
I don't understand. Are you implying that there are other ways to deal with the Legion besides simply murdering them all?

I have a question. What happens if you storm the gates and destroy the Legion base before you activate the quest line where they capture Benny? Does it simply repopulate?

You don't get the Mark of Caesar before then, so you can't take the boat to the Fort, I believe.

Not sure what happens if you warp there via console commands or something.

My routine destruction of the Fort is always one of my favorite bits. "Thumbs DOWN, you son of a *****."

Anteros
2014-07-20, 04:42 PM
Do you really need the mark? I've never tried, but it seems to me you could just kill that town where the boat is and take it. Why do you need the mark if you're planning on killing everyone anyway?

That said, it may be coded so that you can't take the raft until you get the mark. I've never tried.

Nilehus
2014-07-20, 04:46 PM
I don't think the raft shows up period until the quest. I may be remembering it wrong, though.

Anteros
2014-07-20, 06:01 PM
You're probably right. That would make the most sense, and I'm too lazy to go check.

Mando Knight
2014-07-20, 06:44 PM
Just checked (since it happened that I had a save file at that point that was Legion-neutral): the raft is there, Cursor Lucullus (the ferryman) isn't. You aren't able to use the raft yourself until he dies.

Avilan the Grey
2014-07-21, 01:03 AM
So, this was a fun weekend. :smallannoyed:

Realized that my character was almost Simpson-yellow in daylight. Needed to start over.
Spent the entire sunday trying to make a semi-good looking (but realistic) woman.

Ended up installing a mod that gives popular characters as presets and redesigned Cass a bit to become my character. Looks real good.

Also, since I have New Vegas Redesigned II* installed, Cass do no longer look like that. So my face is still unique (I had only done small adjustments to it, so they would still look like sisters otherwise).

I installed New Vegas Redesigned III at first, but discovered after a while that despite it being awesome in so many ways, the author has gone overboard with the facial redesigns on some characters (Cass and Veronica for example) that they really clash with both the other characters and the player character, because they look SO good and above all SO realistic compared to the other characters that I, for one, found it annoying.

I also uninstalled Nevada Skies, because it gave an unnatural yellow tint to everything. Plus, after uninstalling it, I realized that mod was making my $8000 gaming laptop lag (while the weather mods for Skyrim doesn't).

I also INstalled the WMX mod. At first I didn't, feeling both that it might make some unique guns too powerful, and the mods for melee weapons odd in general. Then I realized two of my character's primary traits are Intelligence and Repair. Of COURSE she would jury-rig anything to anything. :smalltongue::smallbiggrin:


Speaking of, is there a mod to artificially lower the level cap a bit? I haven't even hit the vanilla cap and everything is piss easy. I'm ignoring all my skill magazines and just pumping every poor bastard in the wasteland with All-American bullets without thinking twice. I'm genuinely wondering where I'm going to allocate my points next because by the time I'm done with DLC I'll wind up having to slot points into some other dump stat.

I know that in FO3 there was several mods that didn't lower the cap, but cut the XP you get for things by half, or even two thirds.
It was really needed in FO3, since you got more skill points per level than you do in FO:NV (in FO3 it's 10+INT. in FO3 it's 10+INT/2 that is default).

Triaxx
2014-07-21, 05:34 AM
If you're playing with Project Nevada, you can go into the options and lower the XP recieved.

Did you have the latest Nevada Skies? I know the older ones used to lag me, but the later ones didn't. For removing Tints, there's a mod called... Custom Lighting Overlay. I use that, in conjunction with the Imaginator.

Avilan the Grey
2014-07-21, 06:02 AM
Did you have the latest Nevada Skies? I know the older ones used to lag me, but the later ones didn't. For removing Tints, there's a mod called... Custom Lighting Overlay. I use that, in conjunction with the Imaginator.

Yeah, I have the latest.
The default light in FO:NV is actually better than the default in Skyrim btw, I noticed after removing it.

Triaxx
2014-07-22, 05:41 AM
No, it's not bad, but I like a much darker night than vanilla. And either no orange tint, or a darker one. By default it's kind of like playing through a glass of watered down orange juice.

Avilan the Grey
2014-07-22, 08:26 AM
No, it's not bad, but I like a much darker night than vanilla. And either no orange tint, or a darker one. By default it's kind of like playing through a glass of watered down orange juice.

See, this was my other problem with Nevada Skies... most days were far more orange than default.

Avilan the Grey
2014-07-23, 01:09 AM
Huh. For the first time this morning I actually shot Joe Cobb directly as I saw him in the saloon*. The game actually has a barely changed dialogue after that, which isn't much, but for being a "That Generation" Bethesda game it is amazing.

Besides, Trudy's auto-response was hillarious: "Not my problem." as I shot his head off right in front of her.

*Harley Quinn is a diplomat, but above all she is a very direct problem solver. She has taken a liking to the people in Goodsprings, hence she solves their problems. Directly.

Jayngfet
2014-07-23, 02:23 AM
Huh. For the first time this morning I actually shot Joe Cobb directly as I saw him in the saloon*. The game actually has a barely changed dialogue after that, which isn't much, but for being a "That Generation" Bethesda game it is amazing.

Besides, Trudy's auto-response was hillarious: "Not my problem." as I shot his head off right in front of her.

*Harley Quinn is a diplomat, but above all she is a very direct problem solver. She has taken a liking to the people in Goodsprings, hence she solves their problems. Directly.

Meh, personally I try to be a bit more subtle about it. By which I mean a silenced .22 to the back of the head once he leaves town. It's less disruptive to goodsprings that way.

I mean a courier is a mass murdering, dog eating, ghoul humping son of a gun, but we're not savages here, after all.

Nilehus
2014-07-23, 02:27 AM
I tend to sneak Joe Cobb a stick of dynamite, as soon as I found one. Seemed... Fitting. :smallbiggrin:

Avilan the Grey
2014-07-23, 02:32 AM
Meh, personally I try to be a bit more subtle about it. By which I mean a silenced .22 to the back of the head once he leaves town. It's less disruptive to goodsprings that way.

I mean a courier is a mass murdering, dog eating, ghoul humping son of a gun, but we're not savages here, after all.

Of course the Courier isn't a son of a gun. She is a daughter of a gun.
BIG difference.

Anway, in this version of the gun fight I am sure I will do better. Not only is Joe Cobb already dead, but I'll remember to use my damn grenade rifle this time!


I tend to sneak Joe Cobb a stick of dynamite, as soon as I found one. Seemed... Fitting. :smallbiggrin:

Irony is volatile? :smalltongue: