3581

Diablo (or at least D2) is a terrible example of obvious game mechanics or a non-complex game. The mystic calculations behind the character damage display are debated to this day.

The interaction between skills and multiple items is arcane and the D2 wikis are some of the most info-packed that I’ve ever seen.

3582

Indeed, so lets all agree to replace diablo with oblivion as an example of a game too simple too need a wiki.

3583

But I heard that Fallout 3 is just Oblivion with guns, so obviously it doesn’t need a wiki either. ;-)

3584

And people often love super-complicated underdocumented games. Most 4x games, for example, have all sorts of bullshit going on under the hood. JRPGs, especially those of the SRPG variety, also suffer from this problem.

I mean, New Vegas does more than most games at displaying this information to the player. Even relatively simple games like the Call of Duty games literally lie to the player with their weapon statistics.

3585

Good thing this is a fallout: New Vegas thread then ;)

3586

This is correct. I think I had maybe 2 clips worth (so, what, 500?) of AP rounds by the end, and I hadn’t used them at all until that point.

3587

Yeah, this. When 5 of the 13 skills are combat skills, it seems like maybe you should pump at least one of them.

3588

I didn’t realize for a long time that pumping a combat stat did anything other than make the accuracy in VATS better. I could manually aim and save a lot of points for things like speech, repair, lockpick, and science.

3589

Hey, what works for you with those leet shooter skillz is fine :) But I can’t control my aim well enough at close range with foes running around, and I’m way too lazy to plink all day at long range at cazadores and things like that. So I’ll snipe random static or slow moving foes, but when they go all red and DANGER-like and a bunch start to charge, I switch to VATS when they get close – and that’s where the high skill levels come in handy…

3590

Oh. Heh. In the olde times, most rpgs had 90% of the stats/skills related to combat and only one or two were non-combat skills. Fallout is more the exception to the rule (one of the reasons people like me like the Fallout series so much), but we forget it so fast.

Only 5 of 13 is a good ratio.

3591

Fallout was my first RPG so I’m not that olde, heh.

3592

So how are people liking Dead Money? It’s definitely not what I expected so far.

3593

I’m not liking it at all, since I play New Vegas on the PC and cannot experience the danged thing as a result. I’m sure it’s just a matter of time, though.

3594

How is it?
What were you expecting?

I read it’s hard, it’s mostly about assaulting a derelict haunted casino, and the companions are good (written by C. Avellone).

3595

It’s pretty good, but it’s kind of combat-oriented and I would have liked more chattin’–as it stands, there’s basically nobody to interact with except the companions, who have to help you whether they want to or not. Also, it is a little hard to find your way around sometimes, which does get a bit tiresome.

What were you expecting?

I was expecting Ocean’s 11, and I got, I dunno… HauntedCasinoShock? Kind of. I only read the very first blurb about it, which basically just said “casino heist,” hence my confusion.

I read it’s hard,

It’s hard at the beginning, because (of course) they take away all of your stuff. There are a couple of decent-ish weapons to be had, including an unarmed one that doesn’t really need any skill or strength to be used effectively, so the enemies aren’t really all that hard once you’re set up. The rest of the challenge comes from traps, of which there are many, but you just kind of need to get the hang of keeping an eye out for them.

Also: the game tells you that it’s designed for characters level twenty or higher, and I’d take that seriously. I originally intended to play this with my level fourteen second character, but after being warned off I loaded an earlier save of the one I beat the game with, level twenty-six, and it was still very challenging at the beginning.

it’s mostly about assaulting a derelict haunted casino, and the

So far, it’s entirely about that.

companions are good (written by C. Avellone).

Yes, they are quite good.

3596

I didn’t want to post this in the spoiler thread cause I am just beginning the game and didn’t want to accidentally see something that would ruin the ending for me. So, I apologize if this is a slight spoiler.

Concerning shortly after the first town:
I helped the town fight off the Powder Gangers so they hate me now. However, I stumbled across some on the walk to Primm and they were neutral to me. I was able to gain access to the prison without any of them attacking me. Is that a bug? I am wearing leather armor. Is that considered one of their uniforms?

3597

You may have done somethings to improve your standing with the Powder Gangers. Or maybe you didn’t kill enough in the fight. You can check on your standing with any of the factions by looking in the status section on your Pip Boy. I found that siding with the town in the fight is enough to get vilified status, but YMMV.

Faction armor is pretty easy to identify. It is <Faction Name> <Armor Type> so Legion Recruit Armor, Powder Ganger Soldier Outfit etc. Leather, Metal, Combat Armor etc. are neutral. The exception maybe Raider Armor may not be considered faction armor, but I am not 100% positive cause I’ve never worn it.

Oh have fun.

3598

I’d say it’s a conceptual or design bug, but it’s certainly intentional, no doubt meant specifically to give you access to the prison after Goodsprings, Jean area, and Primm, where it is unlikely that you won’t kill a lot of them. Similarly there are a few quest-area fiends that are neutral even though you’ve probably slaughtered dozens of them before you find it.

3599

Why are the reachable map edges so far from the displayed ones? This can lead to a lot of frustrated exploration trying to get closer to the map edge. But no, there’s always a mountain or a chasm or a chain link fence in your way.

Fallout 3 trained you to expect being able to get closer to the Pipboy map edge. The hard edge should at least be highlighted on the map. It’s not a spoiler, it’s being considerate to your players.

3600

Why do you want to go to the edge, if there is nothing there? There is a bit more of terrain beyond the displayed edge… for aesthetics considerations, to not have a world which end just in a silly, artificial edge, there is a bit of montains and valleys and plains. But it just empty terrain, i believe.