Fallout - which game to play and what mods to install

[digitaldurandal]

I have started both Fallout 3 and New Vegas a few times but never stuck with it for more than an hour or two.

I want to go ahead and try to finish one of them prior to 4's release.

Which one do you recommend I play and what mods would you recommend I use?

2500k@4Ghz - 16GB DDR3 - 2xR9 290's in crossfire

 

[shortylickens]

I recommend doing a search on the forum. This question gets asked once a month and the answers are usually the same:


1- Darnified UI. You cant find it on NexusMods.com, so dont go looking there.

2- F3 and NV script extender. You CAN find those on NexusMods.

3- Some sort of mod manager. The Nexus Mod Manager is decent.

 

[futurefields]

First playthrough?

Vanilly.

 

[DaveSimmons]

FO3 - Oblivion with guns. More open world sandboxy, main quest is usual Bethesda writing level.

FONV - much better writing from ex Black Isle / Interplay staff (Obsidian). Less open world. Better crafting and guns.

Mods: FO3 nothing needed except the quad-core-CPU fix if you have a quad. FONV I'd add Mission Mojave Ultimate Edition for all the quest bug fixes. Go to Nexus.

There are gameplay, story and companion mods but I'd wait until you replay the game (if that ever happens) to use them.

 

[Scooby Doo]

Tale of Two Wastelands... use both FO3 and NV all in one

 

[DefDC]

Start with FO1, then FO2. Then FO3, then FO:NV.

And I'm not being a wiseass. I love these games and they still hold up. The engine is a little painful on 1 & 2, but the turn-based combat is second to none. The writing and combat keep bringing me back every year or so...

Chances are you'll be able to get FO4 at a discount, with plenty of patches, once you're done!

 

[DefDC]

Also, I prefer FO:NV for the crafting, and lack of subway tunnels. But, that only makes a difference between a 9.5 and a 9.4 to me.

 

[werepossum]

If I HAD to choose only one, that would be tough. I like New Vegas better by far, but I think the nod here goes to Fallout 3 because it has some overlap with Fallout 4 such as Three Dog/GNR and the Institute/androids story arcs. But honestly, if you are at all interested in Fallout 4 then I can't see not playing both, even if you play New Vegas after Fallout 4.

I still recommend searching out Gopher's modding videos on Youtube for both games. If you are only going to play through once, why not make it as stable, bug free, and beautiful as possible? You're talking probably over a hundred hours to finish the main game, the DLC, and the side quests, and visit all the little nooks and crannies, so spending a few hours optimizing the game just makes sense. The mods I recommend include FWE (Fallout 3 Wanderer's Edition), Mart's Mutant Mod, Fallout Interoperability Program, the User Interface Organizer with Darnified UI/aHUD/iHUD, Fellout or Project Reality with Enhanced Weather for weather, the Large Address Enabler, Stutter Remover, and Fake Fullscreen for stability and performance, NMC's texture pack for beautifying everything, Weapon Mod Kits and CALIBR and EVE for more enjoyable weapons and weapon effects, Project Beauty and Fallout Re-Animated for prettier and more natural people, and of course FOIP, FOEdit, the Nexus Mod Manager, and the Fallout Script Extender to make it all work together. Here's the start:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SAeXsA6Nt8

One caveat here - for Fallout New Vegas I recommend playing through the early levels to get the story, then starting a new game using Project Brazil and kicking back into Goodsprings after Brazil's conclusion to start the Ain't that a kick in the head main quest. I found Goodsprings to be weak compared to the writing in the rest of the game, Brazil leaves you with some back story rather than starting life getting shot in the head, and you start out in Goodsprings much better equipped which gives you a lot more freedom of movement in the early levels. (Assuming you are playing with difficulty-enhancing mods; vanilla Fallout New Vegas, like Fallout 3, is too easy even on the hardest difficulty.)

 

[Markbnj]

FONV - much better writing from ex Black Isle / Interplay staff (Obsidian). Less open world. Better crafting and guns.

How was FONV less open world than FO3? Wasn't DC carved into zones in FO3?

 

[PrincessFrosty]

Honestly I'd recommend playing them through the way they were meant to be played with as little modding as possible. The main mods I'd look for are graphical ones which allow you to increase the fidelity if you have the horse power to do so.

*EDIT*

Ah damnit, I've been playing fallout Shelter on my iPad and now I really want to play through either Fallout3 or Fallout New Vegas while I'm waiting for Fallout 4. Unf how do I choose?

 

[shortylickens]

How was FONV less open world than FO3? Wasn't DC carved into zones in FO3?

There was only one cutoff zone in FO3 and that was some of the downtown area.

But yes, New Vegas is definitely more open. The only cutoff area was the Strip and that was actually quite easy to access. Caesars camp could easily be accessed with a quick murder of the raft man.