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freakish light
butterdick jonesand his heavenly asshole machineRegistered User regular
butterdick jonesand his heavenly asshole machineRegistered User regular
Brand new shiny OP! Oooh! Ahhh!
So Fallout 3 is out now. People have a lot of questions about it. In fact, people keep asking the same questions over and over again. I figure I might as well answer them here, and direct people to this post.
But this thread isn't just about Fallout 3, even though it's the greatest thing since sliced bread. We also cater to the retro crowd of Fallout and Fallout 2. I'll split this into two parts, then.
Fallout Classic!
Fallout 3: The New Fallout. Same great Fallout taste, brand new formula!
So Fallout 3 is out now. People have a lot of questions about it. In fact, people keep asking the same questions over and over again. I figure I might as well answer them here, and direct people to this post.
But this thread isn't just about Fallout 3, even though it's the greatest thing since sliced bread. We also cater to the retro crowd of Fallout and Fallout 2. I'll split this into two parts, then.
Fallout Classic!
What is a Fallout, you ask? Only the best turn-based post-apocalyptic RPG released in the 1990s!
Fallout 1 follows the exploits of the Vault Dweller as he journeys through the wastes in search of a water chip for his Vault. Without it, everyone in the Vault will surely die. On the way, he encounters radscorpions, deathclaws, gigantic rats, hideously mutated mutants, ghouls, super mutants and, arguably the most horrible of all, the dreaded Iguana on a Stick. Hint: It's not made out of Iguana.
Fallout 2 begins 80 years after the end of the original Fallout, and a direct descendant of the original Vault Dweller heads out into the wastes to save his village once again.
"But how do I get this wonderful game?" you ask.
There are a couple of ways. First, you can probably find a box verson on Amazon or eBay or something. Second, www.gog.com has 1 & 2 for the low, low price of $6 each. GameTap has Fallout 1 on its free list, and Fallout 2 is on the paid subscription plan. Fallout Tactics is also coming soon. The caveat with GameTap is that you can't install mods, no matter how hard you might want to. If you prefer to play an unmodded experience, then by all means go get it today. *Note: only in North America. Sorry Euroguys.
The Fallout Tutorial!
If you're brand new to Fallout, check here first. This will get you on your feet.
Fallout Patches
Even though a lot of us might not like the NMA guys, they know their Fallout mods and their patches fix bugs and things that should have been in the game in the first place. Some people like their games buggy, I like my game fixed. If you prefer the classic experience, you can skip these. I recommend it, personally.
Here's all of the mods in a single, easy pack: Fallout Patches Download *Note, this pack doesn't include the children patch. Installing all of these together shouldn't cause issues, but if you have some, I'll investigate a fix and put a warning in here.
Fallout 2 list:
Fallout 1 follows the exploits of the Vault Dweller as he journeys through the wastes in search of a water chip for his Vault. Without it, everyone in the Vault will surely die. On the way, he encounters radscorpions, deathclaws, gigantic rats, hideously mutated mutants, ghouls, super mutants and, arguably the most horrible of all, the dreaded Iguana on a Stick. Hint: It's not made out of Iguana.
Fallout 2 begins 80 years after the end of the original Fallout, and a direct descendant of the original Vault Dweller heads out into the wastes to save his village once again.
"But how do I get this wonderful game?" you ask.
There are a couple of ways. First, you can probably find a box verson on Amazon or eBay or something. Second, www.gog.com has 1 & 2 for the low, low price of $6 each. GameTap has Fallout 1 on its free list, and Fallout 2 is on the paid subscription plan. Fallout Tactics is also coming soon. The caveat with GameTap is that you can't install mods, no matter how hard you might want to. If you prefer to play an unmodded experience, then by all means go get it today. *Note: only in North America. Sorry Euroguys.
The Fallout Tutorial!
If you're brand new to Fallout, check here first. This will get you on your feet.
First, you can right-click on your "weapon" button to change modes. The one with a little target on it means you are now in "called shot" mode. You can aim for specific body parts, and if you knock them hard enough it'll cripple the enemy. Aim for the eyes, and their PE goes down as well as their chance of hitting you. The arms, they'll drop their weapons. Legs, they can't move as fast (like, one or two tiles per turn). If you make a critical shot to the groin, they'll fall over and lie prone for a turn, giving you a 95% hit chance on the entire body (except maybe eyes, depending on your skill). If you nail them in the head, human enemies will get knocked unconscious, but creatures (such as radscorpions) just get mad. Burst mode, available on some weapon models, means you fire a bunch of ammo at once. Use it at close range and it will decimate enemies. Longer range means more bullets will miss and it's not as effective. Also, your NPCs can and will do this while you're close and kill you or your friends, so be wary of giving NPCs SMGs. Third mode is reload, pretty self-explanatory.
The buttons that control turn-based combat are on the right side of the interface. "Turn" ends your turn, and "CMBT" ends combat. Pretty simple, right? You can speed this up by using hotkeys, spacebar for Turn and Enter for combat.
There are a couple of different cursor modes you can cycle through by right-clicking. The red hexagon moves your character to that location. In combat, the number inside the red shape is how many AP you spend moving there. The crosshair is to attack enemies, and the number is your hit chance %. The arrow lets you interact with things and people, and if you click on something and hold the button and then move your mouse, you get additional options. The Pip-Boy icon lets you use skills, like Steal or Repair. The bag lets you use an inventory item on or with the selected item. I think there's an eye icon to examine the person or thing. There might be one or two more that are self-explanatory. In Fallout 2, there's a hand icon when you're next to an NPC to push them out of the way. Additionally, if you get stuck by a non-moving member of your party in Fallout 1, try talking to them about changing tactics and then change the follow distance to close and move around a little.
After you get an NPC, you're going to want to manage their inventory, changing weapons and giving them ammo. This is easy in Fallout 2, but not in Fallout 1. To put stuff in, just barter with them, but to take stuff out you have to steal it. Don't worry about your steal skill, they won't catch you no matter how bad you are at it and there's no other way to get equipment out. You can also plant stuff on them from this screen, but it's not as good as barter because I don't think they take weight into consideration when you barter things to them. Some of these problems might be addressed by the Fallout companion mod, but I haven't used it so I can't comment.
There are two little red buttons on your interface. One of them opens the Skilldex, where you can use your various skills like sneak, first aid, doctor, etc., and the other one is less obvious. This switches between your active hands. There are two places in your inventory where you can equip items, your left and your right hand. Put a weapon in one and a tool or something harmless in the other, and when someone asks you to holster your weapon (in town, for example), just hit that little red button and nobody's angry anymore. What's useful about this feature is that you can use it in battle without using AP, so if you want to use a sniper rifle for long range and a shotgun for close range, just put them in different hands and switch back and forth as needed.
Every action in battle per turn takes a certain number of Action Points (referenced above). Moving, firing, accessing your inventory, only so much can be done per turn, and this is determined by your AP. Certain perks and traits can change the amount used, but the number you start with is determined by your AGI. The number of action points remaining in your turn is denoted by the green lights above your weapon button. Ten lights, ten AP left. Note that it is possible to go over 10 AP, the lights just won't decrease until you're under 10.
If you find yourself stuck somewhere and everything is closed, it's dark and you just need time to pass, hit Z. It'll bring up your alarm clock and you can rest for however long you want.
That's all I can think of. If anybody has any more questions I'll answer them and put them in here for future reference. Hope it helps.
The buttons that control turn-based combat are on the right side of the interface. "Turn" ends your turn, and "CMBT" ends combat. Pretty simple, right? You can speed this up by using hotkeys, spacebar for Turn and Enter for combat.
There are a couple of different cursor modes you can cycle through by right-clicking. The red hexagon moves your character to that location. In combat, the number inside the red shape is how many AP you spend moving there. The crosshair is to attack enemies, and the number is your hit chance %. The arrow lets you interact with things and people, and if you click on something and hold the button and then move your mouse, you get additional options. The Pip-Boy icon lets you use skills, like Steal or Repair. The bag lets you use an inventory item on or with the selected item. I think there's an eye icon to examine the person or thing. There might be one or two more that are self-explanatory. In Fallout 2, there's a hand icon when you're next to an NPC to push them out of the way. Additionally, if you get stuck by a non-moving member of your party in Fallout 1, try talking to them about changing tactics and then change the follow distance to close and move around a little.
After you get an NPC, you're going to want to manage their inventory, changing weapons and giving them ammo. This is easy in Fallout 2, but not in Fallout 1. To put stuff in, just barter with them, but to take stuff out you have to steal it. Don't worry about your steal skill, they won't catch you no matter how bad you are at it and there's no other way to get equipment out. You can also plant stuff on them from this screen, but it's not as good as barter because I don't think they take weight into consideration when you barter things to them. Some of these problems might be addressed by the Fallout companion mod, but I haven't used it so I can't comment.
There are two little red buttons on your interface. One of them opens the Skilldex, where you can use your various skills like sneak, first aid, doctor, etc., and the other one is less obvious. This switches between your active hands. There are two places in your inventory where you can equip items, your left and your right hand. Put a weapon in one and a tool or something harmless in the other, and when someone asks you to holster your weapon (in town, for example), just hit that little red button and nobody's angry anymore. What's useful about this feature is that you can use it in battle without using AP, so if you want to use a sniper rifle for long range and a shotgun for close range, just put them in different hands and switch back and forth as needed.
Every action in battle per turn takes a certain number of Action Points (referenced above). Moving, firing, accessing your inventory, only so much can be done per turn, and this is determined by your AP. Certain perks and traits can change the amount used, but the number you start with is determined by your AGI. The number of action points remaining in your turn is denoted by the green lights above your weapon button. Ten lights, ten AP left. Note that it is possible to go over 10 AP, the lights just won't decrease until you're under 10.
If you find yourself stuck somewhere and everything is closed, it's dark and you just need time to pass, hit Z. It'll bring up your alarm clock and you can rest for however long you want.
That's all I can think of. If anybody has any more questions I'll answer them and put them in here for future reference. Hope it helps.
Fallout Patches
Even though a lot of us might not like the NMA guys, they know their Fallout mods and their patches fix bugs and things that should have been in the game in the first place. Some people like their games buggy, I like my game fixed. If you prefer the classic experience, you can skip these. I recommend it, personally.
- Fallout Children Patch (for GOG users / 1.2 European version)
- Fallout 1.2 Patch (optional if you have GOG, I think)
- Fallout 1.3.4 Patch
- Fallout Resolution Patch
- Fallout companion patch
- Fallout engine tweaks
Here's all of the mods in a single, easy pack: Fallout Patches Download *Note, this pack doesn't include the children patch. Installing all of these together shouldn't cause issues, but if you have some, I'll investigate a fix and put a warning in here.
Fallout 2 list:
Fallout 3: The New Fallout. Same great Fallout taste, brand new formula!
Hacking!
When you enter the Hacking minigame, you'll get a screen filled with words and random characters. The goal is to guess the correct word, and it plays out like a game of Mastermind. Pick a word, and the system will tell you how many letters in that word are in the same place as the target word. For instance, if you pick "Meaning" and the word is "Fucking" (for example), you would get 3/7 correct for the "ing" part. There are hidden character sets, delinated by {} <> () on a single line in that order, but there may be characters in between them like {$#$#&%}. Click on one of these when the whole sequence is highlighted and you'll get more password guesses or a dud will be removed from the screen. If you get down to one attempt left and there are no hidden character sequences, and you're not sure you can guess correctly, just cancel out with B and try again. You get a fresh puzzle, but you also get all your guesses back.
Holstering and the Pip-Boy Light!
To holster your weapon, hold down reload (X on 360, R on PC, probably [] on PS3). To turn on the light on your Pip-Boy 3000, hold down the Pip-Boy button (B on 360, Tab (?) on PC, probably O on PS3).
Hotkeys and You!
To set a hotkey for an item in your inventory, on PC press a number key and then click on the item. On 360, hold down the right bumper and hit a direction on your d-pad while the item is selected. On PS3, I think you hold down R1 and hit a direction, but I'm not 100% on that one. (who uses ps3 anyway lolol)
In-Game frequently asked questions
Housing
I'll update this with other questions I see getting asked a whole lot, at least the ones I know the answers to.
Also, I'll put some more information on the actual game in here later.
When you enter the Hacking minigame, you'll get a screen filled with words and random characters. The goal is to guess the correct word, and it plays out like a game of Mastermind. Pick a word, and the system will tell you how many letters in that word are in the same place as the target word. For instance, if you pick "Meaning" and the word is "Fucking" (for example), you would get 3/7 correct for the "ing" part. There are hidden character sets, delinated by {} <> () on a single line in that order, but there may be characters in between them like {$#$#&%}. Click on one of these when the whole sequence is highlighted and you'll get more password guesses or a dud will be removed from the screen. If you get down to one attempt left and there are no hidden character sequences, and you're not sure you can guess correctly, just cancel out with B and try again. You get a fresh puzzle, but you also get all your guesses back.
Holstering and the Pip-Boy Light!
To holster your weapon, hold down reload (X on 360, R on PC, probably [] on PS3). To turn on the light on your Pip-Boy 3000, hold down the Pip-Boy button (B on 360, Tab (?) on PC, probably O on PS3).
Hotkeys and You!
To set a hotkey for an item in your inventory, on PC press a number key and then click on the item. On 360, hold down the right bumper and hit a direction on your d-pad while the item is selected. On PS3, I think you hold down R1 and hit a direction, but I'm not 100% on that one. (who uses ps3 anyway lolol)
In-Game frequently asked questions
Housing
There is a very easy way to get a house early in the game. Just go to Megaton, and either defuse or detonate the bomb. You'll need an Explosives skill of at least 25 to disarm the bomb, and you don't need anything (I think) to blow it up. The Sheriff in Megaton will give you a key and a deed to a house there, or Burke will give you an apartment in Tenpenny Tower. If the Sheriff is dead, his son will give you the key and deed. If Burke is dead, there's no way to get a reward for blowing up Megaton. The game tells you this with a pop-up dialog box.
Where the Fuck is the Family?!
Go to the metro station that Evan sends you to. Talk to the ghoul, and he tells you they're somewhere east, or you can take the tunnel to get farther into their compound. If you go overland, you can save a hostage and fight some super mutants near a burned-out church. If you go underground, there are two Mirelurks (crab people) waiting for you. I prefer the Mirelurks, as you can just drop a bottlecap mine in front of each one and they go down in one hit. There are a couple sitting around in the Super-Duper Mart. After you get through the underground tunnels, you'll come up in another part of the subway. This place is FULL of traps, proximity mines and pressure plates and tripwires galore. Take it slow, save before you attempt it, and you'll be OK. Just pay attention.
Where's Dogmeat?
First, talk to one of the caravans that passes through Megaton, and get them to talk about the Canterbury Commons. Head up to the Meresti train station, directly east of the Metro station with the ghouls that want Sugar Bombs, and put your marker on Canterbury Commons. Go there in a straight line, and you'll stumble across the Scrapyard. Dogmeat is here, defending himself against three raiders. Kill them and he's yours.
I'll update this with other questions I see getting asked a whole lot, at least the ones I know the answers to.
Also, I'll put some more information on the actual game in here later.
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This fix for slow Steam downloads should probably go in the OP. It works like a charm.
I have to, otherwise I would fail out.
How much is plasma going for these days?
I am a freaking nerd.
Sitting at home, next to my PS3, waiting to be installed/played. And for my kids to go to bed. And the wife.
I leave work in half an hour.
This game has been sitting on my desk all day.
I am getting so antsey... feels like its christmas.
Yes, I get that they're separate storylines, but still...
2008, 2012, 2014 D&D "Rare With No Sauce" League Fantasy Football Champion!
Why must you taunt me so?
Would you like to kick me in the balls whilst you're at it?
---
I've got a spare copy of Portal, if anyone wants it message me.
Mine is taunting me from a UPS box being cheap-ass free shipped from Amazon.com. So the taunting is kinda muffled.
When this game gets here, I am making it my bitch.
Can anyone with the PS3 version comment on its performance?
Can anyone with the PC version comment on the game's performance? Relative to oblivion would be a good gauge. For instance, I can run Oblivion pretty well somewhere between medium/high, what kind of performance can I expect from Fallout?
Maybe I'll get it this weekend
[tiny] maybe [/tiny]
I approve of this message.
I have to say I have just about the best wife ever. We needed to have some car work done and get it smogged for new tags. I told her I was going to hold off until next payday. She knew I had some money and asked why. I told her I had to have fallout 3 day 1 and had even passed on Fable 2 last week to make sure I would have the money for it. She said nothing just patted me on the back and paid for us to get the car smogged. So I have a copy of Fallout in my hands right now and shortly I will be at home playing it. After reading this thread I suppose I should send her some flowers or something.
Mr. Flibble is VERY cross.
What a wonderful feeling.
Twitter
Did you check out the system specs? It says it requires:
Core 2 Duo.
1 GB RAM (2 for vista)
512 MB graphics card
So it is a pretty intense game. I would say you could run it around low. Of course, that depends on your specs.
Yeah. Mine just says "Pending".
it doesn't say "requires" for a core 2 duo.. more like "recommends" and its a 256 requirement for graphics card, 512 is the recommended.
anywho im set at recommended for everything but my cpu, which is a amd64 3000+. yeah.. but if it can run fucking crysis pretty damn well at visually pleasing settings then im sure it can handle fallout 3.
i will let you know next tuesday when i get it
Steam Name: Dr.Oblivious
If you can't live for the now, at least live for the future.
FYI: It worked for me! Went from 25KB/s to 400KB/s. I did have to pimp-smack it like a little whiny bitch a few times before it hit a decent speed.
SSBB: 5370-1223-4258
add something to the discussion next time.
Jesus Christ I can't believe that I still have to finish far cry 2, finish fable 2, get to 21 or so on my WE in WAR before I can even consider buying this
Minimum System Requirements
Operating System : XP/Vista
Processor : 2.4ghz processor/ X6800 or x850
RAM : 1GB RAM for XP, 2GB for Vista
Recommended System Requirements
Operating System : XP/Vista
Processor : Intel Core 2 Duo processor
RAM : 2 GB System RAM
Video Card : Direct X 9.0c compliant video card with 512MB RAM (NVIDIA 8800 series, ATI 3800 series)
I have 2 GB of memory, 3.2 ghz P4, and a 7000 series nvidia (either 7800 or 7900 I can't recall). Oh and I am running XP.
I rented this from Blockbuster. $9 for five days! I need to find a new video store. Then again this was the cheapest way to play on launch day since can't really buy this game right now.
That's also a pretty rockin' hat. I have the welder hat, too.
In the long run you'll probably be happier with it on PC in case of mods. If you can handle the wait, that is.