Fallout 3

[Harrison]

Yes, you can buy what look like good spec pre-built PCs these days for about the same money as you could build them yourself. However the majority of the time they have cut corners. Often the motherboards are limited in some way, or other things like the ram, PSU, case or HDD are a budget make. They have to make a profit somewhere within the PC they are selling.

I still prefer to build a PC myself as I then know all of the components are qualiity known brands and also that the system has been put together correctly and how I wish.

[Demon Cleaner]

That's true, I also still buy my components and build them in, but if some guy who uses Word and Paint and asks me if I could build him a good PC, I advise him to buy one in the discounter around the corner.

And which mobo is really a bad mobo?? You could easily change that one with a new one.

I have to admit that their cases often look very ugly, and are not meant to upgrade your machine with several disks f.ex.

[Harrison]

There are bad motherboards from many of the manufacturers. It's not just one or two makes. Some of the budget makes like ASRock actually make pretty good boards. But even a good cheap motherboard is going to be at least £40 so you would still be throwing away more money on one of these pre-built systems to improve it by replacing the motherboard.

Many of the budget pre-built systems use special OEM versions of motherboards specifically for the pre-built market. These often have things removed to reduce cost. Integrated graphics and the AGP/PCI-E slot removed, reduced number of SATA/PATA ports, less PCI slots, lower FSB, less ram slots, reduced features in te BIOS... the list can go on.

Companies that often do this are the big ones like Dell, Compaq/HP, Medion etc... Smaller companies that make proper powerful PCs are normally less guilty of this practice and actually do put the motherboards and parts in their systems that are the same as consumer versions.

[Demon Cleaner]

Played Fallout 3 now for 3-4 hours, and honestly I found it a bit boring. Perhaps it's only in the beginning in the first hours, but most of the time I spend with conversations with other characters rather than have any fights.

Fighting also acts weird, if not using the V.A.T.S. system, and also with that, I had my concerns. Why not full turn based or full real time, why can you only use the V.A.T.S. system when you have enough AP?

And right at the moment I have 5 quests to do and don't even know how that happened and what I'm supposed to do next.

And why the heck do my weapons wear off?? I can easily understand when hitting some guys with a bat, that it will break sooner or later, but a gun? Come on, just imagine in the real world you had guns that don't work anymore after firing 30 shots.

So until now I'm a bit disappointed, but that will hopefully change when I get further into the game. Let's hope so

[Harrison]

There are quite a few older RPGs that use similar systems. A few on the original Playstation first used weapon degradation and repair, and some more recent ones have too, plus some of the current MMOs do this too.

The idea really is to force you not to rely and use just one single weapon throughout the whole game. And it does work because you could be in the middle of a fight against a large group of raiders and suddenly find your favourite weapon breaks, so you then have to switch to another and change your tactics slightly. I does add to the game play in combat and makes you think instead if just relying on one weapon and blasting everything easily.

Oblivion also used this system, and I suppose it made more sense when you are using hand to hand melee weapons at close range because armour and swords will degenerate during physical combat. However firearms do degrade in real life. They also overheat if you fire a machine gun for too long in a single burst for example, or a shotgun barrel can become damaged if it isn't cleaned often enough because the residue left in the barrel will start to pit and scratch the bore threading when you fire additional shots.

The VATS system is also similar to those used in a few others games too. Some RPGs like Dungeon Siege for example let you pause the action, select your next series of actions, and then unpause to play them out. And others do have count down timers or points systems to only allow you to use the system a set number of times before needed to wait for it to regenerate.

In Fallout 3 I think this works quite well. In a big fight you can enter VATS to give yourself a slight tactical advantage and some nice head shots, but if the game allowed you to use just the VATS system all of the time it wouldn't convey the true energy and addrenaline of the fight. Only being able to queue up a few shots before knowing you will then have to duck for cover, move to a more secure location, or fight in real time really adds to the experience of the combat. Well, it does for me anyway.

Obviously if you are a fan of just stratigic tuen based RPGs then it is all a bit of a shock having to suddenly fight in real time. No time to consider your moves and think things through in the same way. And while I like both styles of combat, I remember not liking or getting on with the real-time combat system of FFXII to begin with as I love the older turn based combat system in FF games.

As for the game being a bit boring. I agree that the beginning can be a bit tedious if the first thing you do is visit Metaton and then take on some of the quests you get in there. Some quests are automatically added just by talking to people, and there is the main quest which will keep adding more parts as you complete or discover things about it as you play.

To get some excitement I recommend you venture straight into the main city. You will soon encounter to raider snipers that the VATS system will be very useful against, and you will come up against a load of Super mutants to fight. There are also loads of places to visit and explore in the city, as well as buildings to enter.

The super duper mart on the edge of the city which is given to you as a quest from one of the inhabitants of Megaton is worth a visit as you get to fight a whole gang of raiders in there, and you can fire up a security bot to help you in the fight. Another place that is quite fun to visit early on is the school right near the vault. It has loads of raiders too, and lots of places to explore.

And the subway in the main city is quite good to explore. Loads of baddies to fight and things to find down there. It also gets you to many locations within the city much faster, or sometimes the only way when rubble blocks your progress above.

And if you want to do a few more things then try to locate and seek out many of the other vaults scattered around the fallout 3 world. Each contains different things to discover, puzzles to solve, or people to meet.

And there are loads of different places to discover. Different settlements and camps.

Finally if you want to find out something about the game I recommend you have a look at the Fallout 3 wiki. http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Fallout_Wiki

Or a two different nice interactive map at http://www.nma-fallout.com/content.p...ps-interactive and http://planetfallout.gamespy.com/map...ital-Wasteland The second map is quite cool, using google map technology.

[Demon Cleaner]

I played for 7 hours now and still there's no real fun coming up Travelling through the Wasteland is just boring, why don't I get a car in the beginning?

However the V.A.T.S. system turned out to be nicer than I thought, but on the other side, when you can't use it, aiming and shooting is just painful. And using the V.A.T.S. system all the time, which is crucial, also gets boring, how many heads have I already seen be blown of, come on, let me play, no need to replay slow motion over and over again (or can you skip that??).

And then there's the problem with the side quests. I cannot disarm the bomb because my explosion skill is not high enough. I cannot repair something because my repairing skills are not high enough. I simply can't do nothing at the moment.

Then I begin one quest, the Lucy's letter f.ex. and I have to go from place to place to talk with people, and if I encounter a fight, they're so tough, that I'm instantly dead. So I pick up another quest and now have several unfinished quests, which I don't like, I want to have my job/work done!

Then I thought, let's explore the Wasteland, which in the beginning is fun, but after a couple of minutes I thought, man, this one is a waste land. If there are some creatures, whether they are blown away easily, or they are just a pain in the ass, like the mutants with their big guns or flame throwers, or the ones I met coming out of the water, gladly I could run away from them.

I think the whole criple system is also needless and tedious. The idea might be good, but the conversion is more annoying than funny.

Although the Pipboy is a great idea, I sometimes find it confusing, as I have to browse several times to find what I need, it looks nice, but again, it's not very helpful.

I also have problems spotting enemies, I often get shot at, then look around who's shooting at me, and when I finally manage to see him, half of my health is already lost. I can just imagine how it is when you encounter hordes of enemies.

Sometimes I just run around and feel lost, don't know what to do next and sacrify a lot of time doing absolutely nothing.

I don't know if I'm gonna give it another last chance, to see if it finally gets better, or if I just play another game and sell it. Sadly I bought the special edition of the guide, which was a waste of money if I don't play it.

Last word: I don't want to say that this game is bad, not at all, otherwise a lot of people out there would be wrong, but I guess it's just simply not made for ME.

[Harrison]

I played for 7 hours now and still there's no real fun coming up Travelling through the Wasteland is just boring, why don't I get a car in the beginning?

Yes, that is a downside to begin with, but once you have locations marked on your map you can then instantly jump to any location without needed to manually travel there. Once you can do this it makes the game much nicer because you can cut out a large chunk of time wasted for quests.

However the V.A.T.S. system turned out to be nicer than I thought, but on the other side, when you can't use it, aiming and shooting is just painful. And using the V.A.T.S. system all the time, which is crucial, also gets boring, how many heads have I already seen be blown of, come on, let me play, no need to replay slow motion over and over again (or can you skip that??).

That is true. The slow motion replays every time can get a bit annoying, and the VATS system isn't actually as accurate at long range compared to manually aiming and firing. Specially if you have a gun with a scope. Close up though the VATS system is definitely needed. Just need to keep picking skills and putting more points into giving you more uses of VATS each time you level up.

And then there's the problem with the side quests. I cannot disarm the bomb because my explosion skill is not high enough. I cannot repair something because my repairing skills are not high enough. I simply can't do nothing at the moment.

The reason for this is so you don't wipe out a large number of quests and useful locations early on in the game. If you could detonate the bomb and wipe out the town at the beginning then you would definitely be without much to do early on in the game. Skill restrictions is really a way to introduce a learning curve and difficulty level into the game. It is annoying sometimes though I have to agree.

[quote[Then I begin one quest, the Lucy's letter f.ex. and I have to go from place to place to talk with people, and if I encounter a fight, they're so tough, that I'm instantly dead. So I pick up another quest and now have several unfinished quests, which I don't like, I want to have my job/work done![/quote]

I don't mind lots of queued up quests. Many RPGs are like this. And all MMOs are definitely like this. The advantage of having lots of quests on the go is that you always have something to do. And when in an area there might be some unfinished quests near you to continue. I think that is quite good as it stops the game getting boring.

Then I thought, let's explore the Wasteland, which in the beginning is fun, but after a couple of minutes I thought, man, this one is a waste land. If there are some creatures, whether they are blown away easily, or they are just a pain in the ass, like the mutants with their big guns or flame throwers, or the ones I met coming out of the water, gladly I could run away from them.

The super mutants are quite tough to begin with, but after a bit of leveling up and a good arsnal of weapons it gets easier and more fun. I've managed to take on 6 super mutants within the capital and kill them all. It just takes some tactics, finding ways to split them up and then work out the best way to disable them. I find shooting their weapons is a good tactic because it quickly degrades it and they are then defenseless other than a bat they are often carrying, so running backwards so they can't engage you in melee combat is a good move.

And the limited uses of the VATS system is actually there for a reason when you think of fights like this. If you could engage loads of powerful enemies, activate the VATS system, and then stay in it queuing up actions, it would make fights too easy. The fact you can gain a small initial advantage with the VATS system at the start of a fight is what the VATS system is all about, then you have to think on your feet and fight for real. It adds to the sense of danger and panic, which you would feel in a real life combat situation.

But as I mentioned before, if you prefer srpg and turn based combat then FPS style real time combat isn't going to be fun. For me, taking on a few super mutants feels like playing Quake 2 again. It's great fun!

Although the Pipboy is a great idea, I sometimes find it confusing, as I have to browse several times to find what I need, it looks nice, but again, it's not very helpful.

Many people had said the same thing about the Pipboy and I have to agree. It is fiddly to navigate and find the right page of information that you need. Ane the map isn't accurate or clear enough to navigate locations within quests. I've often got stuck trying to locate a destination and have been travelling parallel to where I should be. However this might be part of the design because I think you would be a bit disprientated in the wasteland. The first time I tried to navigate the main city I kept getting lost or reaching dead ends and blocked routes. But that was because the game was designed to force you to navigate though the metro system to bypass the blocked areas.

I also have problems spotting enemies, I often get shot at, then look around who's shooting at me, and when I finally manage to see him, half of my health is already lost. I can just imagine how it is when you encounter hordes of enemies.

Being a fan of FPS games and WWII games especially, with Return to Castle Wolfenstein being my all time favourite, this is something that is very common in such games. In real life you wouldn't be able to easily locate a sniper or entrenched enemy, and I think the game does this really well. Walking between some building and bullets suddenly coming at you from some unknown location is great. It makes you jumps and run for cover, just like real life.

It is however fairly easy to locate the hidden enemies. Just activate the VATS system and skip though the possible targets. The hidden enemy will soon be highlights as a target and their location given away.

Sometimes I just run around and feel lost, don't know what to do next and sacrify a lot of time doing absolutely nothing.

I had a few moments like that early in the game. I think if you just go out into the wasteland to explore, without a quest or goal then this can easily happen in the game. However I di this after playing for a couple of hours, and decided to explore the main city and had great fun running from Super Mutants, shooting raiders, finding underground metro entrances, collecting loads of weapons and getting lots of locations logged on my map.

I don't know if I'm gonna give it another last chance, to see if it finally gets better, or if I just play another game and sell it. Sadly I bought the special edition of the guide, which was a waste of money if I don't play it.

I suppose it all depends if you like the style pf gameplay Fallout 3 is offering. It is definitely for fans of First Person Shooters and RPGs, rather than one or the other. And I don't think anyone who doesn't play FPSers will enjoy it if they prefer turn based combat and time for stategy.

Personally, from about an hour into the game, when I went into the school and had loads of fights with raiders inside I knew I was going to like the game.

[Demon Cleaner]

I suppose it all depends if you like the style pf gameplay Fallout 3 is offering. It is definitely for fans of First Person Shooters and RPGs, rather than one or the other. And I don't think anyone who doesn't play FPSers will enjoy it if they prefer turn based combat and time for stategy.

That is the problem which I can't understand. I love RPGs and lately I also like FPS a lot, but the combination of both doesn't seem to fit my expectations.

Personally, from about an hour into the game, when I went into the school and had loads of fights with raiders inside I knew I was going to like the game.

I also did the school part and killed the raiders, which was quite fun, although they act like 5 year old children, running directly into my crossfire.

Then I got the keys, went into the basement and killed all the giant ants, but after every single ant was killed, there just happened nothing, there's no other way out of the tunnel system, so I just went back and out of the school. Does this belong to any of the side quests?

[Puni/Void]

I also did the school part and killed the raiders, which was quite fun, although they act like 5 year old children, running directly into my crossfire.

Then I got the keys, went into the basement and killed all the giant ants, but after every single ant was killed, there just happened nothing, there's no other way out of the tunnel system, so I just went back and out of the school. Does this belong to any of the side quests?

Hi there Demon,

Sadly I don't think it belongs to a quest at all. The tunnel is basically a dead-end, and there is, as far as I know, no way to blast your way through.

[Harrison]

I was also a bit confused by the tunnels I have to admit. I know the whole point of the tunnels was because the raiders were trying to get into Vault 101, and there are some items to collect down there, but I was expecting something special once you have managed to clear the area. Instead nothing. I even tried to blast the dead end corridor with a nuke but all that did was kill me! The only thing I wonder is that there is that high up ledge at the end of the tunnels near the final giant ant nest and you can't get up into the tunnel above. Maybe there is a way up there and something else to find? Not sure though.