Fallout 3 Impressions and Opinions

[K. A. Pital]

Me and my wife like the new game. It certainly has the necessary level of cinematic violence with the VATS, and that's what matters

[The Yosemite Bear]

grr, lack of money

[K. A. Pital]

I think sex and violence against children mods will come soon enough. Beth' decision to remove them is sure yielding sales, but F1&2 should have their spirit venerated, by modders in case the makers refuse to do so.

[charlemagne]

I think sex and violence against children mods will come soon enough. Beth' decision to remove them is sure yielding sales, but F1&2 should have their spirit venerated, by modders in case the makers refuse to do so.

Yeah, I was pretty disappointed when the hooker in Moriarty's didn't come visit me in my room when I rented one, although she said she would

[charlemagne]

So, I just finished the game, too. I was reluctant to do the main quest line, but once I hit level 20 I just went for it, because I got kinda bored by exploring. I'll still go back to the satellite installations and stuff later, though.

Some thoughts after seeing propably 80% of the game:

- Bethesda either needs to drop the full voice over or hire considerably more voice actors. It was bad in Oblivion already, and somehow hearing the same 5 or 6 people talk to me all the time was even more unnerving in Fallout 3. And no one needs full voice acting anyways, since reading is faster and you click away most of the dialogue anyways. Also, dropping full voice acting would free up money to invest in more important things, like quality control ( ) or more content. And while you're at it, drop the silly celebrity voice actors, the game wouldn't suffer from having no Liam Neeson voice in it.

- The locations are fine, and the hidden stuff attached to them - like dead mercs carrying notes - is cool, but I wished for more of that. And more quests overall.

- The skill system sucks. The only skills you really need to max out are science and lockpicking, because you can't touch very hard locks without a skill of 100. There's enough skill points and - even more important - 25 skill books for every skill, so with the perk that doubles points you get from books that's 50 skill points just waiting to be picked up, and then there's the bobbleheads which means 10 more skill points. You only need to get every skill to 40, then you can max them out with just picking up skill books and bobbleheads. That's kinda silly.

- The perk system is nice, but overpowered in the end. Now that I realised how many skill points you get I'll drop perks like "Gun Nut" on the next playthrough, and get even more powerful with picking only the really usefull stuff.

- And yes, the main quest sucks big fat trucker cocks. I hate being railroaded, but that wasn't the worst part. The ending is terrible stupid stuff, the radiation in the chamber is not too extreme for you to not just turn around after punching in the numbers. Also, Fawkes going "Oh no it's your destiny" is terrible writing. Either don't give us a companion who is immune to radiation, or don't have him object to going three steps and punching a button. Stupid bullshit.

[Andrew_Fireborn]

- And yes, the main quest sucks big fat trucker cocks. I hate being railroaded, but that wasn't the worst part. The ending is terrible stupid stuff, the radiation in the chamber is not too extreme for you to not just turn around after punching in the numbers. Also, Fawkes going "Oh no it's your destiny" is terrible writing. Either don't give us a companion who is immune to radiation, or don't have him object to going three steps and punching a button. Stupid bullshit.

I'm less annoyed by the "Can't touch unless you're X skill" as I am by the "Can't open period, without key" locks. I can pick bloody locked down elevators into working, but I can't jimmy a shop's inventory or a story line door open...

I'm also kinda annoyed about the fate of the father... I kept looking for a way to pop that airlock, but no... It was TWO Enclave Soldiers and a story Douche (WHO SURVIVES!) I could have taken them down in my sleep... *sigh* As usual, the main story is the less interesting and interactive of a game...

[Stark]

Anyone who's played Morrowind and Oblivion shouldn't be surprised by those issues with F3; it turns out Beth can't make decent game mechanics or balance jack shit. They're more 'enthusiast' than 'designer'.

[Zixinus]

I'm currently dealing with the Family. What and who the fuck are these? Vampires?

EDIT: Yes, I've listened to the dialog and it sounds more like that these guys are genuine vampires. What? I am really confused now. Are these people genuine vampires or just really, really sick cannibals?

[Stark]

The answer is 'bad writing'.

[charlemagne]

Anyone who's played Morrowind and Oblivion shouldn't be surprised by those issues with F3; it turns out Beth can't make decent game mechanics or balance jack shit. They're more 'enthusiast' than 'designer'.

Well yeah, but both Morrowind and Oblivion had more redeeming qualities in my opinion... they don't fling you back to the start screen when you finish the main quest, for one. This just clashes so hard with the whole "go where you want" aspect of the game up to that point.

Well, just turns out that I should install Oblivion again and get updated on the mod front, because it seems that I wished for Fallout 3 to be like Oblivion after all

[Zixinus]

The answer is 'bad writing'.

Ermm, I see what you mean, but can you be more specific?

Like, please tell me that these are just really, really fucked cannibals that only think they are vampires rather than genuine vampires.

[White Haven]

I'm currently dealing with the Family. What and who the fuck are these? Vampires?

EDIT: Yes, I've listened to the dialog and it sounds more like that these guys are genuine vampires. What? I am really confused now. Are these people genuine vampires or just really, really sick cannibals?

They're cannibals who have built up a vampire mythos around themselves to make themselves feared, rather than just loathed. A rather interesting angle, I thought.

[charlemagne]

They're cannibals who have built up a vampire mythos around themselves to make themselves feared, rather than just loathed. A rather interesting angle, I thought.

Yeah, and he tells you exactly that IIRC. He found some old books about vampires and was intrigued that vampires, although they also feed on humans, were feared and not seen as just an abonimation like cannibals.

It also fits with their attempts to control their cannibalistic nature, because they shun eating human flesh and ressort to drinking blood.

They'll also teach you to get more HP out of drinking blood packs if you're nice

[PeZook]

They're a reference to one of the "I Am Legend" movies, actually.

[Stark]

I thought they were a reference to how bizarrely static the factional displacements in the wasteland are - just like Little Lamer Lamplight, which nobody has conquered in an orgy of violence to seize their strategic resource... for some reason. It's pretty sad that in F3 you can't even use the 'oh PC is a super-uber lord of disaster' because he's a 19 year old; anyone could do what you do (like find 106 in 10 minutes lol). It really did make me sad that if you butcher the Riveteers and leave the gate open, the super mutants never decide to move in and seize such a strategic point.

But hey, Pinkerton is 'a myth' and he's 'totally not' in the bow, even though THERE'S A GODAMN PONTOON BRIDGE to the DOOR behind which HE LIVES that's PLAINLY VISIBLE. When he says 'oh you penetrated by defences you must be clever' I felt like slapping him, and when he said 'you haven't killed me yet' I wanted to say 'I fucking can't you dickshit you're shielded by plot'.

[charlemagne]

But hey, Pinkerton is 'a myth' and he's 'totally not' in the bow, even though THERE'S A GODAMN PONTOON BRIDGE to the DOOR behind which HE LIVES that's PLAINLY VISIBLE. When he says 'oh you penetrated by defences you must be clever' I felt like slapping him, and when he said 'you haven't killed me yet' I wanted to say 'I fucking can't you dickshit you're shielded by plot'.

Yeah, I wonder why the built the bridge thingy there when someone in Rivet City tells you that you have to swim there.

BTW, is there any follow-up to the android stuff when you're playing so good that you convince certain people that the android's dead? I just got a luke-warm "kkthxbye".

[Stark]

The quest is too simplistic; when I returned the android's memories, he gave me his gun and the quest ended, even though it would clearly be better for me to ALSO convince the Zimmer guy that the android is dead. Since the quest is closed I never bothered going back and trying the dialog options.

I totally spent like half an hour going splat against invisible walls trying to jump into the bow from the flight deck (some of the pylons are really close together). Good ole Beth and their level design!

[charlemagne]

The quest is too simplistic; when I returned the android's memories, he gave me his gun and the quest ended, even though it would clearly be better for me to ALSO convince the Zimmer guy that the android is dead. Since the quest is closed I never bothered going back and trying the dialog options.

I didn't even get that far, I just convinced Zimmer and then the lady who told me to do so said "thanks a bunch" and it was over.

[Vendetta]

I'm currently dealing with the Family. What and who the fuck are these? Vampires?

EDIT: Yes, I've listened to the dialog and it sounds more like that these guys are genuine vampires. What? I am really confused now. Are these people genuine vampires or just really, really sick cannibals?

They're very pretentious cannibals.

[TC Pilot]

I totally spent like half an hour going splat against invisible walls trying to jump into the bow from the flight deck (some of the pylons are really close together). Good ole Beth and their level design!

I did the same thing. There are two beams on the south side that are within jumping distance of one another, so I jumped.... and fell right through a steel beam to my death. I even tried twice to make sure it just wasn't a glitch. Actually, most of the stuff on the Rivet City side will just cause you to fall right through.

One also has to wonder why he bothered setting all those traps to protect the UNDERWATER entrance, yet nothing for the FRONT DOOR.

[Mr Bean]

Yeah... beat it about twenty minutes ago

Hey Fawks you and radiation get along just fine, mind running over there and putting in the code? No? Bugger.... Well fuck.. off to die, thanks you big green bastard.

Also while the Minigun looks impressive and sounds impressive and the fact you can walk around doing your best impression TF2 Heavy impression... it does jack all for damage, despite supposedly doing 70 "damage". In fact my large green friend does jack all despite toting around the laser version.

Time to pick this up in a year once there are realism(heh) mods out there so I can wander through Downtown DC screaming "I am bulletproof!" while mowing down everything... before running out of bullets(AGAIN, You'd think I learn the first time I munched through 2000 rounds in the space of five minutes and killed less than I did with thirty rounds of .44 fire)

[Stark]

All this talk of an underwater entrance scares the shit out of me; after I gave up jumping, I figured maybe I could get through a hole in the front of the bow, where it's all fucked up. So I walk west along the coast... and lo, a giant fucking door with a pontoon going to it! I WONDER HOW YOU COULD GET IN? The only even remotely diffciult thing about getting to Pinkerton is getting Mirelurks to step on mines and detonate the petrol fumes, and you don't even have to do that because they're downstairs!

Remember, this is a giant wasteland mystery. Where could he be? Maybe it's a ghost story? Super secret Pinkerton disappearanc! Maybe the bow is haunted, even though it's alleged to be full of technology? With all this, nobody could be fucked walking 100m to find out.

[Pulp Hero]

Hey, there is gunfire in that city! The guards said it went on for over an hour last night!

[Anarchist Bunny]

Thank god the water section of the Broken Bow is COMPLETELY avoidable.

You go from full health to drowned in half the time I can hold my breath.

[Stark]

Good point - on my way out I dicked around on the lower area of the door-entrance, and if your head goes under water you lose 25% of your o2 in the time it takes to notice.