Fallout 3 review/impressions/rambling...
I've played Fallout 3 through as a thoroughly evil bastard, and I'm mildly disappointed with the scripted main quests handling of it. (See below)
I'm abusing the system now, my goody-goody character still makes some shockingly evil moves, like selling raiders into slavery (they deserve it) and killing random Rivet City guards to sell their ears, and keep my armor fresh (they don't necessarily deserve it :)).
I'm amused that I was able to take both the Lawgiver AND Contract Killer perk. I kill so many raiders that the good karma far outweighs the bad and keeps people praising me. *chuckle*
All in all, any complaints I have with the game are minor. It's definitely a more actiony RPG, rather than a shooter with RPG elements. (one of my initial fears)
There's some grumbling amongst the grognards (whom like myself played Fallout 1 and 2) that are fans of the original games - I don't agree with some of the complaints, and won't give them a voice here, I will simply say the spirit of the first two games is intact: quirky gallows humor and horror of the post apocalyptic setting.
My love of the setting (or at least the genre) goes back to Wasteland on the Commodore 64 - back in the early 80s if memory serves me correctly.
The game is over-the-top gory, has foul-mouthed NPCs of every age (I did blink alot when some of the little kids dropped the f-bomb), and has some overtly sexual comments/connotations, but the sex portion is implied or talked about, you'll see worse on prime time.
[RANT]
THIS IS NOT A GAME FOR KIDS, be responsible and pay attention to what your kids are taking in.
[/RANT]
Spoilers below
[SPOILERS]
[EVIL GAME SPECIFIC GRIPES]
It's awesome, but its scriptI the so the Brotherhood of Steel basically turns a blind eye to your nastiness thanks to your father's rep, or so it seems.
Also, the game ENDS. I was slightly annoyed I had to go back to a prior save to continue to play my character. Leave Miss Lyons and her team cooling their jets before the final assault and get your affairs in order.
YOU'RE S.P.E.C.I.A.L.
...so treat yourself that way; think carefully and choose your stats carefully. Each stat has certain skills associated with it, so if you really want the most bang for your buck, and are positive you're making a _____ skill specialist, by all means, crank up the controlling stat. Keep in mind, your stats don't put a cap or any kind of limit on your skills - with perks or just skill points, you can easily get a 100 in a skill even WITH a 1 in its controlling/affecting stat.
BOBBLEHEADS/GEAR/DRUGS: There's a bobblehead for each stat... you may have to lie, cheat, steal, and risk death and dismemberment (or a lot of reloads as appropriate) but its definately possible to get all seven of them, AND there are other stat enhancing items, some of which are pretty easy to get, so I would recommend starting your stats at an 8 or 9 maximum.
Strength: You're character is always going to be rather slim, and having played a beast with a 10 Strength and a more modest 6 Strength, it seems the weapons base damage and you're skill are the important factors, and muscles are less so.
I've got to say this stat can left alone - with one caveat - if you're a loot whore like I am, more strength=more loot... and the Strong Back perk is too little too late. I prefer to bump it to a 6.
Perception: Even with a Mentat-enhanced Perception of 10, I *still* get snuck up on. Get a decent companion to watch your back, and leave it alone. 5
Endurance: As much as I'd like more hit points early on, suffer through if you think you can and leave it at a 5, maybe even be a bit masochistic and go with a 4.
Charisma: Actions speak louder than words... particularly with a combat shotgun ''Listen up you primative screwheads....'' I've been happily making lots of friends, and have a nice, high Barter skill with this dumped to 1. You'll miss on some Speech opportunities early on, but you can easily still become a smooth talker with some effort (and a bunch of skill points naturally) this is still the most painless 'dump' stat.
Intelligence: IF you're going to start with a 10 in any stat, this is the one. Skills are king and this controls the skill points you earn at level up.
Otherwise, Mentats are easy to get for the on-the-spot skill boost, and as far as longterm goes, the Bobblehead for this is quite reachable, I'd still go no higher than 9, probably start with an 8 now that I know where to get the Bobblehead.
Agility: Affects two of my favorite skills Small Guns and Sneak... making it another stat I'd never mind more of, but can safely be left at 5.
Luck: I'm not sure, but as I've raised my luck, I'd swear I have to 'fiddle' with my weapons less (the odd 'jam' etc. that sometimes occurs after you reload a weapon) and it affects your crit chance. I'd recommend leaving it at 5 or bumping it up a point or two.
I played it pretty conservative.
Skill Tips
Weapon Skills: Small Guns viable into late game IF you take the right perks AND crank the skill up; but see below.
Energy Weapons: become common as you follow the main quest - they're a fine replacement for Small Guns if you plan ahead, and slide a few points into them as you go.
Heavy Weapons: They're nice.. but I never seem to find enough ammo for the real high damage weapons, and inventory/weight issues mean I HATE carrying a weapon I don't use. The Flamer is probably my favorite for utilitiy, The Missile Launcher is ok - it feels like it should do a hella lot more damage :P Much love for the Fat Man in principle (which is that its a crazy-ass weapon) and raw damage potential, but ammo is fairly scarce going back to my first heavy weapons comlpaint...
Perk Tips
Be picky about the skill enhancing perks; make sure its a skill that's useful to the way you play throughout the game, don't bother bumping up a skill you won't use, obviously, for example:
Gun Nut: *SEEMS* nice... IF you're sure you're going to go all out Small Guns - each level of the perk is 10 skill points. (5 in Small Guns, 5 in Repair) BUT if you end up switching to Energy Weapons you might regret it.
IF you love combat: you owe it to yourself to get:
Finesse
Better Criticals
VATS users will want:
Action Boy/Action Girl
Everyone should get:
Comprehension: Without even trying too hard, I've found 30+ skill enhancing books. Take the Comprehension perk as soon as you can and save the books till you do, you'll regret it otherwise. Lockpicking and Science - I'd raise both of these to a fairly high level to avoid late game frustration - keep in mind there are skill books for both, I personally seem to find more science books than lockpicking though...
Scrounger: Is there such a thing as too much ammo? Not in my book, since they were kind enough to make ammo weightless. My ammo supply is the main determiner of what weapons I use.
Sounded Cool but now I wish I hadn't grabbed...
Mysterious Stranger: Yeah, its cool when he does show up, but the lazy bastard never comes when I REALLY need help.
Bloody Mess: I find the default blowing off of limbs etc. over the top as it is... I do like the 5% damage bonus; my main compaint though is lets say the 'cool factor' of exploding bodies doesn't grow old for your sick little mind... its easier to loot an intact corpse than the stray body parts.
I have other thoughts on perks, but this is a good starting point.
[SPOILER END] |
