DangerAardvark
Diamond Member
- Oct 22, 2004
- 7,559
- 0
- 0
Originally posted by: DannyLove
Originally posted by: smackguy
....Continues the adventure past the main quest.DROOL....
here here!
How can I view how many hours I have logged?
It's right on your save files when you load a game.
Finished this morning at something like 35 hours. I didn't feel like I did nearly as much exploring as I could have so I am going back in.
You can just start at a save before the final quest. I am going back to get vengeance on those bitches in download with my Plasma Rifle and Tesla armor.
ConstipatedVigilante
Diamond Member
- Feb 22, 2006
- 7,670
- 1
- 0
"Operation Anchorage" sounds a little odd. This isn't an FPS, after all. But I'm open to new, well-done content!
OK, this post is to try and appease the gaming GODS... Earlier in this thread, I mentioned something about not dying a lot (once in fact thru level 3 or 4)
I AM SOOOOO SORRY. Game is OWNING MY ARSE. I am felling pretty good about myself, come out of a transit station, 3 Mercs surround me and mention something about me thinking I can do all this do gooder stuff and not get noticed.
PWNED....
Now trying to clear out an ant issue... PWNED..
Dear Fallout 3 Gods. Your game is well done and NOT too easy.
PLEASE back off, please...........
OH, BTW, if you feel kind, send ammo.
I AM SOOOOO SORRY. Game is OWNING MY ARSE. I am felling pretty good about myself, come out of a transit station, 3 Mercs surround me and mention something about me thinking I can do all this do gooder stuff and not get noticed.
PWNED....
Now trying to clear out an ant issue... PWNED..
Dear Fallout 3 Gods. Your game is well done and NOT too easy.
PLEASE back off, please...........
OH, BTW, if you feel kind, send ammo.
StinkyPinky
Diamond Member
- Jul 6, 2002
- 6,956
- 1,268
- 126
I'm hoping that it will focus more on political stuff (like spying, going undercover etc) rather than just a big blast fest.
So after 1 month of playing and 1 restart, I just finished. Son of a bitch, that was good.
Total hours clocked in, according to saves: 37h 10m (first run that I quit) + 72h 36m = 110h -ish. This is less than the 150h I put into Oblivion, but I had so much more fun. Most of the map was explored, including most enterable buildings in both the Wasteland and DC. One major thing I missed was Capitol Hill/Congress because I thought that would be main quest related.
The main story was indeed too short. I think I spent less than 10 hours doing it. However, the main quest was amazing while it lasted, introducing some of the most unique/best parts of the game. The quality of sidequests were also excellent relative to Oblivion and other RPG 'filler' quests. There weren't too many, but they were all involving, with little to no Fed-Exing.
Equipment and weapons were a pretty good mix. Like others though, the need to repair is a bit too high. For the most part, I always had at least one weapon in good repair (never armor...). Otherwise, I used what everyone else was dropping. The heavy weapons were definately the 'funnest', and as the ammo/money horder that I am, ammunition was never an issue. I finished with around 15k 5mm and ECP rounds each, and 3k+ of most other types.
Skills were a bit too casual. At level 20, and having explored the waste;and. I have at least half my skills capped at 100. Everything else was over 60 with most at least 80+. This kind of killed the uniqueness of a 'build', which plays to the power gamer in us. PERKs could have been more though out. With the aforementioned abundance of skill points, half of the PERKs became useless or a plain waste.
Gameplay was great. The first 10 hours as I was discovering the gib-ability of enemies was the best. It's been so long since I've played any game with so much blood, and being able to take off chunks in slow motion made my jaw drop. It got old after a while, but never unwelcome. Shooting and VATS was well implemented. It's more like bullet-time, slow-mo of FEAR and Max Payne than an RPG-like element. I'll admit that I usually just aimed for the head though. For enemies with huge guns, I did take out their arms, up until I found that they had no trouble picking their gun right up again. This feature could have been done so much better.
And there we have it, best game of the year for me so far. It's been a slow year for the PC, but I'm prettty sure it'd still be my favourite otherwise.
Total hours clocked in, according to saves: 37h 10m (first run that I quit) + 72h 36m = 110h -ish. This is less than the 150h I put into Oblivion, but I had so much more fun. Most of the map was explored, including most enterable buildings in both the Wasteland and DC. One major thing I missed was Capitol Hill/Congress because I thought that would be main quest related.
The main story was indeed too short. I think I spent less than 10 hours doing it. However, the main quest was amazing while it lasted, introducing some of the most unique/best parts of the game. The quality of sidequests were also excellent relative to Oblivion and other RPG 'filler' quests. There weren't too many, but they were all involving, with little to no Fed-Exing.
Equipment and weapons were a pretty good mix. Like others though, the need to repair is a bit too high. For the most part, I always had at least one weapon in good repair (never armor...). Otherwise, I used what everyone else was dropping. The heavy weapons were definately the 'funnest', and as the ammo/money horder that I am, ammunition was never an issue. I finished with around 15k 5mm and ECP rounds each, and 3k+ of most other types.
Skills were a bit too casual. At level 20, and having explored the waste;and. I have at least half my skills capped at 100. Everything else was over 60 with most at least 80+. This kind of killed the uniqueness of a 'build', which plays to the power gamer in us. PERKs could have been more though out. With the aforementioned abundance of skill points, half of the PERKs became useless or a plain waste.
Gameplay was great. The first 10 hours as I was discovering the gib-ability of enemies was the best. It's been so long since I've played any game with so much blood, and being able to take off chunks in slow motion made my jaw drop. It got old after a while, but never unwelcome. Shooting and VATS was well implemented. It's more like bullet-time, slow-mo of FEAR and Max Payne than an RPG-like element. I'll admit that I usually just aimed for the head though. For enemies with huge guns, I did take out their arms, up until I found that they had no trouble picking their gun right up again. This feature could have been done so much better.
And there we have it, best game of the year for me so far. It's been a slow year for the PC, but I'm prettty sure it'd still be my favourite otherwise.
I just finished it last night. 75 hours of gameplay according to my last save. I was really sad to see it end, I really enjoyed it. I did every side quest, killed all the behemoths, and collected every bobblehead, so I saw most of the game world. My only beef was the shortness of the main quest and the crappy ending. Other than that, I wish I could forget I ever played it so I could play it again for the first time. Overall though I prefer Oblivion to Fallout 3, but it's really really close.
Was the ending really that bad? What would be the prefered ending? Or are we talking about the last level?
The last level could have been longer and much harder since I barely had to do anything.
SPOILERS
From the time I joined up with BoS with the robot, I fired 2 batteries (?) of microfusion cells to 'help' it along (not really necessary). When I reached the purification place, 2 mini-nukes, and a mix of my other guns took care of the horde. After getting inside, one mini-nuke that fortunately missed a head, went long and took out not only the guy I was aiming for, but the group behind him as well. 'Eugene' did the rest.
Anyways, I can't wait for the expansions.
The last level could have been longer and much harder since I barely had to do anything.
SPOILERS
From the time I joined up with BoS with the robot, I fired 2 batteries (?) of microfusion cells to 'help' it along (not really necessary). When I reached the purification place, 2 mini-nukes, and a mix of my other guns took care of the horde. After getting inside, one mini-nuke that fortunately missed a head, went long and took out not only the guy I was aiming for, but the group behind him as well. 'Eugene' did the rest.
Anyways, I can't wait for the expansions.
SPOILERS
After such an epic game, it was a letdown. Like you said, the last level could have been longer and more of a challenge, it was cool seeing the Prime robot rampaging through the Enclave, but all I did was walk behind it. Then the "boss" Autumn was ridiculously easy, one headshot with the terrible shotgun and he was toast.
What peeved me though was the forced choice at the end. I had Fawkes with me who is immune to radiation, yet when I asked him he said it was my destiny to enter the code. WTF? All he had to do was walk in, punch 3 numbers, hit enter and walk out. I had to die. Also if you have Charon in your party, who is HEALED by radiation, even he refuses. Even that robot follower you can get refuses. It makes no sense. The radiation levels weren't even that high in there. With Tesla armor and some Rad-X I was able to walk in and barely take any radiation. Also the keypad is two feet from the frigging exit, you're telling me I couldn't just enter the code, then walk out?
Also, after it was done, all you got was a slideshow. No long wrap-up like previous Fallout games. For such an epic game that was super cool all the way through, the ending just fell flat.
I too can't wait for the expansions, although the ending was disappointing, the journey there was awesome and I can't wait for more.
IIRC, the main quest is leveled so you don't have to grind to complete it, and it is the only set of areas that do the level locking of enemies the first time you enter(so if you do find an area too hard with your build it won't stay that way if you gain a level or two). Other areas are not leveled. Your SPECIAL(attribute) scores are somewhat fixed at the start of the game, though their are a few items and quests that can permanently increase them a little. Skills are improved at each level up by allocating new skillpoints, and do not increase by usage as with TES games.
When you start to encounter fast enemies like Yao Gaui and Deathclaws, crippling their legs in VATS make more sense. Some non-human enemies also don't drop with headshots particularly easy.
When you start to encounter fast enemies like Yao Gaui and Deathclaws, crippling their legs in VATS make more sense. Some non-human enemies also don't drop with headshots particularly easy.
Starbuck1975
Lifer
- Jan 6, 2005
- 14,698
- 1,909
- 126
What happens if you never trigger the main quest, and just keep exploring...I am currently just wandering the Wasteland, leveling up, finding gear, and taking side quests...kind of like I did in Oblivion...I read game guides to learn the trigger for opening the Oblivion Gates, and just never advanced the main quest beyond that point so I was free to explore.
Will Fallout 3 arbitrarily force me into the main quest at some point? Granted, I will pursue the main quest at some point, as I am sure the best quests and gear await me along that path...but I am having too much fun clearing Raider lairs, exploring ruins, scavenging and having random encounters in the Wasteland...of course, every time I wander too close to DC, some NPC with a chain gun suddenly emerges and chases me off.
Will Fallout 3 arbitrarily force me into the main quest at some point? Granted, I will pursue the main quest at some point, as I am sure the best quests and gear await me along that path...but I am having too much fun clearing Raider lairs, exploring ruins, scavenging and having random encounters in the Wasteland...of course, every time I wander too close to DC, some NPC with a chain gun suddenly emerges and chases me off.
Slew Foot
Lifer
- Sep 22, 2005
- 12,379
- 96
- 86
There are a few triggers for the main quest scattered throughout the wasteland. If you find them, youll cut off parts of the main story and it may not make much sense. However, Ive spent about 50 hours or so just walking around and stuff, and only 20% of the way through the main quest.
Starbuck1975
Lifer
- Jan 6, 2005
- 14,698
- 1,909
- 126
What are the main quest triggers in the wasteland? So far I have done the Arefu/Family quest, stumbled upon the Fire Ants quest near the Super Duper Mart, cleared the Super Duper Mart of Raiders and encountered a few well armed Raiders near the DC outskirts.
Still debating whether or not to nuke Megaton.
Still debating whether or not to nuke Megaton.
Darklife
Member
- Mar 11, 2008
- 196
- 0
- 0
So far I completed the Waters of Life quest and I am utterly terrified how bad the writing is.
SPOILERS
Why did my oh so brave dad decide to kill himself with the radiation? Why didn't he just let the Enclave have the plant? I played the last 2 fallouts so I know why they're bad, but the game doesn't really explain it to this point. It would have made sense if my papa actually had some sort of backstory as an Enclave deserter or whatever. The game can immerse, but the characters and writing are so shallow it hurts.
SPOILERS
Why did my oh so brave dad decide to kill himself with the radiation? Why didn't he just let the Enclave have the plant? I played the last 2 fallouts so I know why they're bad, but the game doesn't really explain it to this point. It would have made sense if my papa actually had some sort of backstory as an Enclave deserter or whatever. The game can immerse, but the characters and writing are so shallow it hurts.
SpunkyJones
Diamond Member
- Apr 1, 2004
- 5,090
- 1
- 81
This is all I'm doing too, just wandering around enjoying myself. I'm at level 18 and I just got to the Jefferson Memorial for the main quest. I'm having too much fun just looking at the map, and walking in a direction I haven't been yet.
Spoilers
I really have to agree. I was yelling, "no, what the f*** are you doing man, you stupid asshole, why did you do that!!!" when he decided to kill himself. It was completely unnecessary, and there was not enough build-up to it with the way it played through. The story really could have been so much deeper. I don't get why they could spend so much time on all the other quests, detailing the wasteland and DC, but not in making the story longer/more engrossing.
Yep, this is really what bugged me about the game. It's a fantastic game for running around and exploring; the world is huge and there's a fantastic amount of detail and well thought-out encounters. The world looks great and a lot of the random characters you bump into are pretty interesting.
But as far as the plot and cohesiveness of the story, it's just embarrassing at a few points, and this was the real letdown from the original Fallouts. There's so little time spent on the actual characters that there's no sense of sacrifice or any real pathos at all during what are supposed to be major plot points. Dad's supposed to be committing this great act of sacrifice but my first thought was the Monty Python cannibal restaurant sketch:
Terry Jones: "I'm committing suicide"
Eric Idle (in drag): "Oh dear!"
Terry Jones: "Oh, don't worry. It's not because of anything serious."
SPOILER FOLLOWS
Tranquility Lane was really what did it for me and is, I think, the best example of what's both great and wrong with the game. The quest point itself is really very cool and straight out of a Twilight Zone episode. You've got the very creepy black-and-white world, the evil little girl ordering you to torment people, and one person who knows what's going on but everyone thinks is crazy. Very cool.
He wanted Dad to do the same, but Dad refused to cooperate and got turned into a dog. Fair enough. But unless I'm missing something (very possible), the only way to save Dad is by killing about a dozen people with the Chinese invasion. And Dad's response? "Sweet! Thanks, kid!". There's no recognition of what you had to do or that the deaths were necessary for the greater good, or anything like that.
Having written that, I guess it clicks with what I feel like is wrong with the game; they capture the atmosphere and the moral ambiguity of the original games, but they don't really do anything with it. It's like each NPC lives in a vacuum and nothing really affects any of the others.
I'll go back and probably start from scratch at some point when I get bored with my recently re-activated WoW account, but stuff like that just killed the wonderful immersion you got from exploring the world.
Edit: Just remembered something else that bugged me about Tranquility Lane. You lose karma for making the boy cry, but you don't lose any karma for mass murdering people with the Chinese army. When I found the panel, I wasted about an hour running around trying to find another way to free everyone, assuming from the in-game info that killing everyone was the "evil" option and there had to be another way. If there is, I'd be very interested to know about it.
Darklife
Member
- Mar 11, 2008
- 196
- 0
- 0
A while ago someone on NMA voiced the opinion that Bethesda's mistake was to try to please the fanbase too much, adding in all the classic factions, in settings that don't really make sense. I think they would have been better off creating some new universe instead of just copying the Brotherhood, Enclave and Supermutants.
I'm not sure I'd agree with that. Honestly, they actually did a great job of capturing the world and the atmosphere. The landscape, the minor encounters and mini plotlines were all quite good and very entertaining.
The real problem, I think, runs a bit deeper. Bethesda has always been fantastic at sandbox games, but I just don't think they have the quality of writing to support what they're trying to do at the highest level. The dialogue is downright painful at times, and while they have some great ideas (Tranquility Lane, for example), they just don't quite have the ear that the writers for some of the best games have.
As a point of comparison, two games in the past few years stand out for me: VTM: Bloodlines and Bioshock. Bioshock is just well-done all around, but even the random snippets of idle dialog from some of the splicers are great. The spider splicers in particular are great; I love the religious babbling from the males.
Bloodlines is an especially good comparison because Troika is a good chunk of the original Fallout design team and it's very much the same genre. The plot itself is fairly straight-forward, but the writing is fantastic both in terms of genuine pathos and in general wittiness. The storyline for the Haunted Hotel is excellent, as is the plotline for the Voerman, er, twins. But on top of that, some of the conversations with minor characters are just hilarious, like the two old Chinese hit men in Chinatown, Romero in the Hollywood graveyard, or the bartender/owner of Club Confession.
This is just the dialogue, but the same holds true for the execution of the larger story. Bethesda did a fantastic job capturing the trees of the first two games, but they missed the forest just a bit too much.
Darklife
Member
- Mar 11, 2008
- 196
- 0
- 0
It is strange however, I mean look back on the Dark Brotherhood's questline in Oblivion, it was great and leaps and bounds above the main quest. Hell even the main quest in Morrowind had some shades of gray, we never knew whether Dagoth Ur was a traitor or the betrayed. This shows that Bethesda is capable of creating engrossing plots, it seems that they choose not to for reasons that escape me,\.
Yeah, I'd agree. Maybe they just need a better director running the show to tie things together more and make sure the best ideas get to the top. Could be a case where the dev team isn't communicating enough internally, so it ends up being more like a bunch of different people doing their own thing before it gets combined. Would explain a lot of the incoherency and inconsistency.
That said, I'm really, really looking forward to what the mod community ends up doing with the game. I'd love to see a remake of the original games on the Fallout 3 engine; could be amazing and they've got all the dialogue from the first games to use for voiceovers. Now *that* would make me a happy camper.
Spoilers
I think I got lazy the day I played through Tranquility Lane, so I missed out on the 'panel' or whatever is in the abandoned house. Was there anyway to hack the program and shut it down from in there? I briefly went into that house, activating those devices in the living room, but got nowhere. I remember that the old lady says something about the controls being in there. Or is it just a way to program the system to kill everyone more 'funtastically'?
As for karma, I seem to recall losing quite a bit of karma while killing everyone. It had no effect on me though, since I was already 50 hours into the game and essentially Jesus Christ re-rereborn.
The worst part of the main story line for me was getting captured. When I got knocked out in the Vault, I just went 'damn, another classic knockout/capture scenario in another FPS'. Also, the Enclave base was very very meh. The architecture was completely different than anyhting in the game up to that moment, yet it appeared so stale. With my heavy-weapon loadout, I just raped and pillaged the entire place. For all that, I found 1 bobblehead.
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