video game: Fallout 3 (Win/PS3/Xbox 360)

[TheLoveBandit]

I was hoping that I could find the special rifle you mentioned above, wizekrak, but it's apparently not in the game. Hopefully there'll be an update or an expansion pack as with 'Oblivion' that adds more features and items.
...
Problems: These things never live up to fantasy. Developers are put on tight schedules and are forced to choose what to include and what can be given up; many fans aren't going to be satisfied with the game after waiting around a decade for it, but it isn't Bethesda's fault that they had so much to live up to. Plus, the game is fantastic on its own and independant of the other games.

I'd agree with most of what you said (but I've onlyh got about 6 hrs playing time into my first go). The push to get the product out would have limited the content. Well, that and the need to leavce an open door for expansions (more territory, more weapons, more quests, etc)...so while some things are noticably missing, and some things would be tough to incorporate into an expansion (revised SPECIAL or character developement....though there could always be new 'perks' ) there is a lot of fertile ground for expansions and add-ons.

The other thing to consider when viewing this as a disappointment from the earlier versions...think how long ago those were This release, while hoping to build on the concept of that franchise, also has to aim at a new generation of gamers, many of whom haven't played the old games but will have played Halo, WOW, etc (especially think of the non-PC platforms like XBox and PS3). This game has to be attractive to those gamers as well...so it would be interesting to hear their take on it, having not been biased by our love of the earlier versions.

Btw, thanks for your well written response - didn't really reveal much in the way of spoilers for those of us not thru it, but a good reflection on the game overall from the perspective of a fan of the earlier games.

 

[StarOceanHouse]

Hey for those of you guys who have the game I have a question related to one of the side missions:

NSFW:

This one is about the mission in Megaton where you're supposed to fix all 3 water leaks. So, I found all 3 leaks in the town but Walter is no where to be found. I've been sitting in the water processing plant for hours and he does not come out. Has anyone had this problem? Is it possible he's hiding somewhere?

 

[Rated E]

Spoiler: Fallout 3

Did you fix the leaks? You don't just find them, you're supposed to fix them all. Walter should be in the water processing plant most of the time during daylight hours. If he's not, try using the wait function, which allows you to skip hours at a time. I would think that day time would be the best time to find him there. Once you've fixed the water leaks, he'll pay you for any scrap metal you have, and from that point on you can return to him and get much more for scrap metal than it is worth elsewhere (except for other people who also specifically ask for scrap metal).

 

[StarOceanHouse]

Side mission:

NSFW:

Yes, I fixed all the leaks already. I looked this problem up and it seems that I'm not the only person this has happened to. I hope Bethsda comes out with an update to fix the glitch.

 

[phan]

I fixed all the leaks and now when i go to walter to give him scrap metal, he is no where to be found. I've been playing for days now and still have not seen him..ive looked high and low all over megaton and havent' found him.

Great game, but lots of little bugs like this^ turn me off a bit

 

[Rated E]

SOH, ah ok I see.

There does seem to be a few glitches in the game. A couple of times while exploring buildings I've become wedged between rubble and the ceiling, and had to return to my last save point. And there was a time that I became trapped in the Chryslus Building 6 hours into my first game, and had to restart the game as a result.

 

[Kerrigan]

The more complex the game, the more likely there'll be bugs. As I mentioned in another post, there's pressure to complete the game for its launch date, some things aren't 100% tested; in a game like that, the number of possible scenarios is practically endless and it simply isn't possible to test these things within a reasonable amount of time. Certainly, if it's a major issue with the way the game runs, then it can likely be fixed. But the smaller the bug, the harder it is to find, I'd say. Of course, errors in the script--there are spelling errors--should be fixed with simple patches and such. The most amusing potential glitch is at the very end of the game!

The source for something of that size and complexity would likely be far too much for me to read. Even a simple 3D game will use up many, many pages. Bleh.

Perhaps this game could've been twice as good were it released in 2009. I've been curious as to what the PS3 version of 'Bioshock' has that the 360 and PC versions don't. They're similarly themed as well, with regards to the timeline. Not the same, but certainly similar. Nice music, interesting classical weapons and modern-weapons combined with superhuman powers. Plus, I loved the plot.

So, if you've yet to actually play 'Bioshock', would you kindly go out and buy it for your preferred gaming platform as soon as you can?

At the moment, after pulling my thumb out of my arse, I'm trying to juggle work with a simple few 2D demonstrations in XNA. I'd love to actually code a working demo of something like 'Fallout' or 'XCOM': I recently noticed a post on the 'Creator's Club' forums that said a 2D Isometric game engine was "impossible" in XNA, so I'm trying to find the time (the artwork to code ratio is about 1000:1, argh) to rub something impressive in their face. But, well, it'll likely be unimpressive or I'll get bored of it as I don't really have a game in mind and 3D is more of a challenge. But a tile-based, isometric engine that would involve height (unlike 'Fallout') with hexagons... could be fun? If I can be bothered, I'll finish it and post a link, but I'm pretty lazy.

 

[junglist15]

i just reached level 20 with bad karma. i also have the cannibal and sandman perk, so i'm pretty sick with it lol. next playthrough i'll be good or neutral at least...

great game, even better that i grew up in the DC area so everything is very familiar. names and locations are pretty much correct.

 

[eDDe9]

Thinking about getting this game, but reading through everyone's posts has put me off a little bit.

Surely its far too easy if you can just pause the game to kill someone?
Seems like a slowed down version of Mass Effect..

 

[Rated E]

Surely its far too easy if you can just pause the game to kill someone?
Seems like a slowed down version of Mass Effect..

It's not that simple.

I often use a combination of V.A.T.S (pause and slow motion semi-turn based combat) and real time combat.

Often I will take a few shots in V.A.T.S when first spotting an enemy. Then use real time to either strafe around the enemie while firing, or to duck behind some cover while I reload and wait for action points to regenerate.

Even when considered completely in terms of turn based battle (which it isn't anyhow), there is much strategy in weapon choice, target choice (which can be specified down to the limbs of particular enemies) and choice of terrain.

When you start facing multiple super mutants wielding mini guns and missile launchers in open terrain, you'll see how complex it can get.

 

[Fabric 22]

The first pack will hit in January, and will be called Operation: Anchorage. It'll let you enter a military simulation and re-enact the battle between the US and the Chinese--this is one of the key pre-vault struggles in the Fallout universe, which is kind of cool.

The Pitt will be released in February and will have players travel to Pittsburgh, which is now a town full of raiders.

March will bring the Broken Steel pack, which picks up after the completion of the game's main quest and has you join up with the Brotherhood of Steel to eradicate the Enclave forces from the Capital Wasteland.

Continuing the story seems interesting. But if you want to continue the story yourself, you'll also be able to build your own content in the PC version via mod tools to be released in December. That should really jump start the Fallout 3 mod scene, which has been limited to pretty basic changes so far.

DLC^

Oh yes. Oh yes. Oh Yes.

 

[wizekrak]

I've found that once you pick up a plasma rifle you can make short work out of just about anything in the game (except the sentrybots, those guys are tough). I've found laser pistol ammo to be the most plentiful, but it's a pretty weak gun compared to the plasma rifle, or even the combat shotgun. I like how there's a unique weapon for just about every weapon type in the game.

 

[Beochslapper]

Did anyone who got Fallout for the 360 use the new install function? If so, did it have any noticeable results in terms of loading time/pop-in/frame rate slowdown?

 

[TheLoveBandit]

I cannot explain how much I am loving the shish-ka-bob

Now saving all kinds of ammo, and enjoying the carnage. Just wish I could pop out a few marshmallows to roast over the bodies

 

[treezy z]

in the first two fallouts (favorite games of all times) i used to always quicksave, steal, if i got caught load, if i was succesful quicksave, resulting in me getting massively wealthy with tons of drugs, ammo, and bottle caps. are you able to do this in fallout 3?

 

[StarOceanHouse]

yeah, you can do that in fallout 3 but you'll lose karma whether or not you get caught.

 

[rickolasnice]

Will any of the expansion packs be available for xbox?

 

[deroxor]

Will any of the expansion packs be available for xbox?

i believe the expansions are exclusive to the xbox 360.....

but that was when i first heard about the expansions on gamespot... correct me if im wrong pls

 

[tnargus]

Nope, you are correct. All expansions are 360 exclusive (bar the G.E.C.K expansion, which is basically a map/world editor, and is for PC only).

So who else has finished it 100%? Did it all myself, main quest, side quests, all other achievements, found all the weapons, etc. Glad i did, but now i realise it has little replay value. Unlike Oblivion which i went back through about 3 times.

Waiting with baited breath for the DLC.

 

[Kerrigan]

I've noticed that.
'Oblivion' was a title that I could play so very many times.

However, look at 'Fallout 3' and 'Oblivion' together and you might see why:

• Several large and varied cities in comparison to two cities: Rivet City and Megaton.
  
• Huge side quests (Dark brotherhood, Fighters' Guild, Mage's Guild, Thieves Guild) as opposed to the single 'Wasteland Survival Guide' in Megaton.
  
• Ranged and varied uses of magic as well as close combat. Guns don't have as much variety; they just shoot. Plasma, laser or lead. Melee weapons don't have that same edge for some reason; your opponents have shotguns?
  
• Fairly repetitive landscapes in comparison to a varied and beautifully rendered wasteland world that somewhat accurately depicts real locations.

I could go on. But what gets me the most is the lack of unique dialogue choices; there're simply three generic sorts of responses that affect your karma positively, negatively or not at all. The 'right' answers are all there for you.

What about friendly super-mutants? They no longer speak to you, but attack immediately. In the first two 'Fallout' games, you could speak with at least one super-mutant and learn about where they were from and what they were doing. Here, they repeat dull sets of dialogue over and over when you're hiding nearby.

All ghouls sound like their voice actors were forced to smoke a thousand cigarettes per day whilst simultaneously being choked. And their voice actors are all identical.

There's so little comedy and no amount of graphics or gameplay can make up for that; it's one of the main reasons I replay 'Fallout 2'; the characters are varied and hilarious, their lines and actions are filled with humour and it isn't the same in 'Fallout 3'.

Everyone wants to kill you. There aren't enough wandering wastelanders to balance out good karma and bad karma! Unless you'd kill characters necessary to certain quests or the plot as a whole, which would in turn have people in each and every city shooting at you whenever they can, you have to butcher the raiders.

You can disarm a nuclear warhead with relative ease, but can't disable an exploding collar around someone's neck, or release a cluster of grenades hanging from a string? The entire Megaton quest is so simple: in the previous games, you'd be sent all over the bloody place to find a detonation code or a micro-chip just to get started.

There is no magically disappearing car to hold your items for you.

Even at level one, you can kill members of the Brotherhood of Steel. Why is that? In earlier games, you'd fire your pistol and they'd butcher you in one burst of minigun fire...

Quest characters disappear after you complete their quests. What if you'd like to somehow sneakily get both of the perks they offer, like you can in the other games, rather than just one?

The game is great. It's amazing. I am playing it for the second time whilst assuming my own persona and agenda, instead of bothering with the real storyline. But it's going to require a huge amount of modification to live up to what I'd hoped it would be. I have the time, though.