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Fun Stuff => CLIKC => Topic started by: KvP on 04 Jan 2010, 11:13

Title: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 04 Jan 2010, 11:13
Probably got your hopes up when you saw the thread title, didn't you? Nothing concrete as of yet. There are some "details" about New Vegas that have "leaked" today.

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First details of "Fallout: New Vegas" or an exciting hoax?

This may very well be a hoax, but it's pretty well written and convincing. From the Halife2.net Forums:

Fallout New Vegas information is coming "very soon." It's going to be Gameinformer's next cover. This is the information in the magazine:

Already it sounds pretty legit. GI's next cover is yet to be shown, I know for a fact that NV is being shown for the first time very soon (http://twitter.com/loonyboi/status/7366855987) and GI looooooooooves a big reveal.


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- Similar to Dragon Age: Origins, at character creation the player can select from different background stories. The first few hours of the game are different depending on which background you choose, and you get some unique perks based on your background when the main game begins.

- One background story is shown, Chinese Agent. The background story takes place before the bombs fell. The player is part of a team of Crimson Dragoons infilitrating Hoover Dam. You manage to sneak through the Americans' defenses, set explosives, and head to an extraction point, but your escape is cut off by American soldiers in Power Armor. The player and other survivors of the Crimson Dragoons take refuge in a cave in the canyons, where they commit hari kari with cyanide capsules. The player about to do the same when the bombs fall. The background story ends an indeterminate time later, when the player exits the cave, removes his helmet, and sees his ghoulish reflection in the waters of the Colorado River.

- By default, the Chinese Agent has the skills Sneak, Small Arms, and Explosives tagged and SPECIAL stats set, although the player can modify their tagged skills and stats if they don't like the template.
If this is a hoax, it's from someone who really likes Van Buren because this is almost straight out of Van Buren (when entering the lower levels of the Hoover Dam, you run into Chinese Spy ghouls).

One thing, though - if Obsidz is going to include backgrounds they're doing it much more extensively than DA did. I'm assuming it'll be more like Arcanum or Vampire: Bloodlines, where your background is a significant part of how people can react to you. At least, they'd make things different for ghouls or slavers. That's their style.

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- One character background option is Lone Wanderer. This selection has no background story or template and is a complete blank slate for players.
Sounds about right.

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- The SPECIAL system used will be similar to Fallout 3, but skills will be harder to cap and one character will not be able to become a master of all skills. The article is not very specific because apparently it's something the developers are still tweaking.
At this point that's probably a given. Josh Sawyer (the lead on the project) is a massive systems nerd. What I know is only that the guns / armor system is being overhauled to DT (Damage Threshold) over DR (Damage Resistance) much like how the original Fallouts worked, but hopefully better (that system wasn't too balanced). I know he doesn't like a lot of things about the innards of F3, chief among them being the very Bethsoft-ish tendency to be great at everything from the start of the game, and the first aid systems.

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- Gambling will return, but not as a skill. Your Luck stat will effect gambling results. You can attempt to cheat at cards using your Sneak skill or hack slot machines using your Science skill.
Natch.

Here's where I get skeptical:
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- There will be vehicles. The desert of New Vegas dwarfs the Capital Wasteland and you will need transportation to get around and explore it. You will acquire a vehicle several hours into the main quest. You can customize your vehicle with parts bought at shops or won through racing circuits and quests. Vehicles will not be common, but you will encounter road gangs, merchant caravans, and other vehicles in the wastes. The open desert is home to some very large mutant creatures, like giant radscorpions and sandworms, that will attack your vehicle.
There are a number of issues. One, as Borderlands and many other games have shown (ahem Mass Effect), vehicular portions of a game are more or less their own game and they need lots of attention. The sheer number of bugs that would need to be weeded out with physics and the like would be staggering. Also you'd need an exceptionally flat wasteland.

The other thing is that when I was talking to Josh some years ago about his ideas and involvement in Van Buren he had this to say about the Fallout setting:
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I think the Fallout feel comes from the physical setting (I keep things in the American southwest), the continual presence of Fallout organizations and new organizations that blend into previous Fallout styles, and by keeping super mutants, ghouls, centaurs, and other really freakish critters at the fringes of areas.

I also try to downplay obsession with fuel and vehicles, as most people have simply adapted to traveling by foot and brahmin -- or through the generation of alternate fuel like ethanol. SECs and MFCs are usually used for weapons, not transportation. Rare vehicles are usually motorcycles, but there are no gangs of roving vehicle guys. There just aren't enough intact vehicles and fuel sources going around for that. Long distance travel is often done by rail, sometimes with the aid of the Iron Lines tribe.
But he could have changed his mind, or vehicles could've been an integral part of the pitch to Bethsoft, who knows. I'll believe it when I read it.

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- New Vegas has a coliseum run by a slaver gang called the Caesar's Legion. You can gamble on and participate in arena fights.
Prepare your bodies for the thunderdome. It is the new law. Caesar's Legion is also from Van Buren - they were supposed to be a massive organization and the main focus of the sequel to Van Buren. Maybe Obsidz decided to make Black Isle's Fallout 4?

We'll see how much of this turns out to be true! Maybe all of it!
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 04 Jan 2010, 11:34
To be fair, it makes sense for a desert environment to be flat. But that just means that they're going to need to populate it with that many more man-made objects if the geographical features can't capture player attention on their own. The origin stories thing seems logical, but if Obsidian can push it further than Dragon Age did then that would be cool. I especially like the Chinese Agent backstory and how you actually start before the apocalypse but because you're ghoul-ified, you can still live until the events of the game start. One point I found interesting is that they want to make SPECIAL and skills harder to max out. Even in the first two Fallout games, obsessive players would have meticulous knowledge of where to get all the permanent stat boosts. Fallout 3 was easier on that front, but if Obsidian sticks to their guns in that regard then I imagine it'll drive a lot of those guys a little crazy.

I've read some of Sawyer's thoughts in various places on the Internet (interviews, of course, plus he posts in a pretty limited capacity on Something Awful) and he seems like a smart guy. I'm definitely interested to see what Obsidian does with the Bethesda tech and so forth. Hopefully we'll get more substantial details soon.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 04 Jan 2010, 13:02
Apparently Pete Hines (that's the Bethsoft honcho, in case you didn't know) said in response to the rumors "like usual, people made a surprising good job of amplifying everything". I'm going to go ahead and discount vehicular combat, as that's kind of ridiculous. I'd figure train travel would be in, if VB is canon.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 04 Jan 2010, 13:23
Haha, the odds are tipping against all of this. Some of the Obsidz guys I occasionally hear from are pretty incredulous.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Alex C on 04 Jan 2010, 13:41
Yeah, I was always under the impression that most vehicles worth mentioning would be inoperable and/or horded by guys like the Brotherhood of Steel, the Enclave or a few units of the NCR. The way I figure it, a couple of guys in power armor and an old humvee might as well be a main battle tank as far as your average settlement is concerned; you're not going to be taking them out very easy with your li'l molotovs and half dozen guys with shotguns. Most tribals would just be completely boned. If such things were likely, they'd have been a much bigger part of the setting by now.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: a pack of wolves on 04 Jan 2010, 13:51
What I know is only that the guns / armor system is being overhauled to DT (Damage Threshold) over DR (Damage Resistance)

What's the difference between the two?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 04 Jan 2010, 14:07
Fallouts 1 and 2 used a system with armor having both resistance and threshold, with many different kinds of damage (normal, fire, plasma, explosive etc.) so that armors had certain strengths and weaknesses (for example, metal armor protected well against laser weapons, but not against fire). Fallout 3 scrapped different sorts of damage and the threshold system in favor of a flat resistance system, which made armor explicitly linear in progression (there was no advantage to wearing leather armor when you had a metal suit, aside from weight concerns)

In the original games, damage threshold is a certain amount of damage that is soaked up outright by armor, and it tends to be a low number, generally in the 1-3 range, depending. Damage resistance then deflected a percentage of remaining damage. Basically it works in sequence. Say you hit somebody with a spear and it does 10 HP of raw damage. Their armor has a DR/DT of 25/2. Damage Threshold protects against 2 hit points, so damage is reduced to 8. Then Damage Resistance removes 25% of that 8 points, so instead of taking 10 damage you take 6. I'm pretty sure that's how it works, anyway. I've thrown the question to Josh, he might elaborate. He loves talking about this stuff.

The problem with this was that the variable benefits of different armors was largely imperceptible to the player, up until the point where you got Power Armor, which had such high DR/DT it effectively broke the system. Combat in the later parts of the original Fallouts was almost completely made up of "who can get a massive critical first".
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Alex C on 04 Jan 2010, 14:20
Yeah, damage threshold also had the unfortunate side effect of making AP ammo rather useless, which was both hilarious and stupidly unintuitive. Armor Penetrating ammo generally had a lower damage multiplier than other types of ammo you could acquire, but it would ignore a chunk of your target's damage resistance. Unfortunately, AP ammo had no effect on Damage Threshold, so it was a classic catch-22. If they had enough armor to make their Damage Resistance worth worrying about, they also likely had enough Damage Threshold that the AP ammo would just get your attack absorbed almost entirely. So, like KVP said, you were often just better off using normal ammo and hoping you get a crit.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: a pack of wolves on 04 Jan 2010, 14:41
Ah, I see. Thanks. It'd be rather nice to see different armours having weaknesses to particular weapons so long as it was balanced, by the end of Fallout 3 my tactics were basically the same for everything I encountered and that would force a bit more variety. What do you guys reckon the chances of that returning are?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 04 Jan 2010, 14:56
Not much, really. I have yet to see an RPG in which your late-game character is not overpowered to the point where it interferes with the spirit of the game. Fallout has that problem, D&D has that problem. I doubt even someone like Josh, whose job it is to think about functional systems design, could do much against it. Especially in something like Fallout, where Power Armor is so iconic. The best loot in the game is right there on the cover.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: a pack of wolves on 04 Jan 2010, 19:50
Huh, you're right now I think about it, even given my very limited RPG experience that's what's always happened. Although in the case of Morrowind it got to that point when there was still a long way to go in the game, and I gave up because trudging around hacking up creatures that had no hope of denting my stupid amount of HP got very dull. At least with Mass Effect it wasn't until the return to the citadel I noticed I wasn't even thinking any more because anything that appeared got dropped so fast I didn't even need to take cover.

Why is that though? I mean, I realise for Fallout games power armour is going to be there and it has to be great armour, but it's also not like you're the only person wearing it.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Chesire Cat on 04 Jan 2010, 20:04
Ragnarok online had a very similar system to what you described as the DR/DT. They have Defense and Vitality.

Defense was a stat gained by armor and other equipment and removed X% of the damager, 10 Defense was 10% of the damage, 50 defense was 50% of the damage. Vitality was a stat given by items and supplemented by items, it gave HP, HP Regen and a flat number of damage reduction. It was written Def + Vit. So 10+50 was 10 defense and 50 vit, a hit of 100 would be reduced to 90 by defense and to 40 by the Vit.

Crits were handled different as well. Hits were undodgeable by normal means and ignored the defense but not the vit. But featured no standard damage boost.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: look out! Ninjas! on 04 Jan 2010, 20:07
On vehicles, it makes sense that Obsidian would be able to do something because the game is running off roughly the same tech as Oblivion, which had horses. I guess (completely unqualified, I have no experience with programming or anything) a motorbike could be made on the same platform kinda. Only issue is that if you go too fast you might beat the streaming world.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: a pack of wolves on 04 Jan 2010, 20:14
Those horses were terrible though. They looked awful, were annoying to control and really frustrating if you got in a fight because for some daft reason you couldn't attack when riding. The advantage with Oblivion is that you could just ignore the stupid thing, a comparable vehicle that you actually had to use would be incredibly annoying.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Dimmukane on 04 Jan 2010, 21:44
You guys never played Two Worlds or you'd know how bad riding horses in video games can be.

There is non-Euclidean geometry involved.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 05 Jan 2010, 15:05
that would actually be really cool
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Dimmukane on 05 Jan 2010, 15:39
It wasn't.  To go up a hill you had to direct the horse 150 degrees or so from where you wanted it to, have it run around in a circle a couple times, click your heels and hope that when you stopped spinning you were pointed in the right direction.  If you were trying to attack something whilst gallivanting about on your dizzy mount, 99 times out of 100 you would end up carving a 'I <3 the Taint' sign on a nearby tree, small shrub or rock.  Or possibly the horse itself.  The game didn't actually have a whole lot in the way of decals, so we'll never know.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: satsugaikaze on 05 Jan 2010, 18:17
I think extreme Brahmin jousting would make my day. Or any sort of violent sport involving Brahmin.

And more giant robots spouting cheesy anti-Communist propaganda like a motherfucker please

As a side-note, Power Armor was great to a point. The effectiveness of it was limited to the sort of character you were playing. That said, the only real challenge you had in something like Tesla Armor in Fallout 3 was if you got caught in a Mini-nuke or multiple missiles, which in itself was pretty staggering. Keeping in mind that by the time you got Tesla Armor, people in Power Armor was a pretty common occurrence.

As another side-note I was always intrigued as to why they made the old Power Armor look so menacing when generally it was a protagonist on the cover.   :laugh:
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Alex C on 05 Jan 2010, 18:36
Because it's Fallout. Sometimes the "Protagonist" puts his points into skills that let him plant explosives on tiny children.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 05 Jan 2010, 23:15
The effectiveness of it was limited to the sort of character you were playing.
Sure, if you didn't take the perk that lets you wear power armor.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 06 Jan 2010, 12:45
In the "total bullshit" department, Gamestop is listing NV as coming out in June.

this, however, is legit (http://www.oxm.co.uk/article.php?id=16320). We've got another month or so, probably, before real deets leak.

(http://medialib.oxm.co.uk/screens/screenshot_12563.jpg)
Nice job with the photoshop, OXM.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 06 Jan 2010, 19:38
Kind of weird how they call it Bethesda's latest game rather than Obsidian's. I mean, Bethesda is publishing it, and they've probably got more name recognition among mainstream Xbox gamers, but it seems slightly deceptive.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 06 Jan 2010, 21:02
What, you expect the gaming press to get details correct?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 07 Jan 2010, 00:51
You guys never played Two Worlds or you'd know how bad riding horses in video games can be.

And if you've tried Mount and Blade, you know horses can work pretty greatly. Mounted and saddle-fastened lances against peasants works just as it should.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 22 Jan 2010, 07:18
Okay, a little new info on people working on the game, from a blogger guy I know who doesn't make shit up - One, Mark Morgan is being commissioned to compose music for the game. Morgan wrote all the music for the original 2 games, and it's an awesome ambient soundtrack. He's also a vocal detractor of the bombastic Fallout 3 soundtrack. Two, Plast Wax Animation is on board for cinematics. They made cinematics for Bioshock and Borderlands, among other games. It remains to be seen whether they'll just be making trailers or in-game cinematics as well.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Spluff on 22 Jan 2010, 17:43
Wouldn't it make more sense to just hire Aphex Twin?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 22 Jan 2010, 17:59
Don't think I haven't suggested it.

He also scored Planescape: Torment, which was fairly world music-y. He's got a pretty good gig for a guy who used to be in Jefferson Starship.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Spluff on 22 Jan 2010, 18:14
I didn't know he did PS:T - I really liked that soundtrack. It's a pity it was so sparsely used.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 23 Jan 2010, 14:15
He's got a pretty good gig for a guy who used to be in Jefferson Starship.

ahahahahahaha
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 23 Jan 2010, 18:11
False alarm! Improbably, the project that Morgan is working on for Obsidz is not New Vegas.

It would've been weird to have an Alexander Brandon soundtrack for a Fallout game, but sadly he's no longer with the company.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 25 Jan 2010, 10:58
http://twitter.com/OXMUK/status/8193775867 (http://twitter.com/OXMUK/status/8193775867)
"We're interviewing Bethesda's Pete Hines about Fallout New Vegas for our upcoming podcast. Tweet us any questions."

 http://twitter.com/loonyboi/status/8200348668 (http://twitter.com/loonyboi/status/8200348668)
"Today is milestone day! Was just going through and came across something super awesome. Head explode. http://is.gd/70WXq "
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 29 Jan 2010, 11:01
Another random news snippet - The modder who made Oscuro's Oblivion Overhaul, aka the mod that made Oblivion playable, joined Obsidian around the end of last year. So they have at least one guy who knows the engine very very well.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: look out! Ninjas! on 29 Jan 2010, 18:32
That's just excellent. Completely great.

(which reminds me, must get around to using FCOM now that I've got a machine that can run it)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 02 Feb 2010, 08:20
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is gonna spend time today playing FNV when a constant string of meetings isn't interrupting. (http://twitter.com/DCDeacon/status/8541990811)

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I just walked over and told the lead tester that his LARPing performance has been down lately. This is going to have a major affect on FNV. (http://twitter.com/loonyboi/status/8516349269)

Obsidz certainly hammered out a working build very quickly.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 03 Feb 2010, 15:24
Via the Bethblog, the first official info on F:NV arrives tomorrow.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 04 Feb 2010, 07:17
Here she is (http://fallout.bethsoft.com/eng/home/teaser.php).

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Experience all the sights and sounds of fabulous New Vegas, brought to you by Vault-Tec, America's First Choice in Post Nuclear Simulation. Explore the treacherous wastes of the Great Southwest from the safety and comfort of your very own vault: Meet new people, confront terrifying creatures, and arm yourself with the latest high-tech weaponry as you make a name for yourself on a thrilling new journey across the Mojave wasteland. A word of warning, however - while Vault-Tec engineers have prepared for every contingency,* in Vegas, fortunes can change in an instant. Enjoy your stay.

* Should not be construed as a legally-binding claim.

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Fallout: New Vegas is scheduled for a Fall 2010 release on the Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3, and Games for Windows in North America and Europe.

Who is developing the game?
In conjunction with Bethesda Softworks, Fallout: New Vegas is being developed by Obsidian Entertainment, the creator of award winning RPGs such as Neverwinter Nights 2. Obsidian is also led by the founders of Black Isle Studios - the developers of the original Fallout and Fallout 2.

Where does Fallout: New Vegas take place?
In and around New Vegas in Nevada.

What is Fallout New Vegas’ rating?
Currently the rating is pending, but is planned as a Mature-rated title.

What are the PC system requirements?
Closer to the release of Fallout: New Vegas, we’ll share the minimum and recommended system requirements.

Is Fallout New Vegas a Games for Windows title? Will it require Windows?
Fallout: New Vegas is a Games for Windows title. As such, you’ll be able to use an Xbox 360 controller if you choose. New Vegas will run with Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7.

Will Fallout New Vegas include multiplayer?
No, Fallout: New Vegas is a single-player game only.

I have lots of ideas and questions, where do I send them?
We encourage you to register on our official forums and post your ideas and questions in the Fallout: New Vegas section, where our fans and developers share and discuss ideas and answer questions.

Where can I get more information on the game?
Check out our official site, fallout.bethsoft.com, where we continually update our sections for art, reviews, previews, interviews, and more. You can also visit Bethesda Blog, our Fallout Facebook page, and our company Twitter page.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 04 Feb 2010, 07:53
(http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/6824/21an1gk.jpg)

So maybe the number 7 will be relevant. Maybe it's just a random detail. Also NCR looks like maybe they're the bad guys, which would jibe with up-to-now unofficial lore regarding NCR post-Fallout 2. I assume he's carrying the flag, which means NCR is going to try and claim Vegas.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 04 Feb 2010, 10:13
you know what would rule is if we saw what the game fuckin looked like at all
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Ozymandias on 04 Feb 2010, 10:42
Yeah uh Fall 2010 is a pretty big claim for a game with no actual screenshots yet.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 04 Feb 2010, 10:50
you know what would rule is if we saw what the game fuckin looked like at all
That comes next week.

And it's gonna look like Fallout 3 in Las Vegas.

The game's been in development for almost a year now, so given a November release or thereabouts it's got almost as much production time as Fallout 3 had, believe it or not. Principal development of the game (beyond engine work and the like) started after Oblivion was completed in April of 2007. Release was October of 2008. Obsidz probably has a smaller team to some degree but also the benefit of a more stable and established toolset.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 04 Feb 2010, 11:55
Kotaku is claiming that the trailer is "live" and they have a bunch of screenshots but I don't see a trailer anywhere.

is it a secret trailer?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 04 Feb 2010, 12:00
Uhhhh, no? (http://www.youtube.com/user/BethesdaSoftworks#p/f)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 04 Feb 2010, 12:56
Quote from: Chris Avellone
Yep, I did area design and encounter design for F2 (worked on Vault City's third and final iteration, companions: Cassidy and Myron, special encounters, New Reno, Raider Camp, and the EPA, which got canned - and good thing, too, we already had too many locations) and some perk designs. Brian Menze, Feargus, Chris Jones, Scotty Everts, and Dan Spitzley are all here, all worked on Fallout 2, not all of them are on New Vegas, though.

The trailer is the only thing I can point to to answer your question, can't say much more than that. Josh and John Gonzalez (our creative lead and master of all things plot-related) put together a great story with some fun new mechanics, and they know their Fallout. I think we're using all the stuff we've been kicking around for the past ten+ years with RPGs and seeing how they can be applied to New Vegas on both the plot and system side.

Also, Blabby Bethsoft developer go!

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Hey Obsidian devs!

- Love your old games!
- Love love your current game! I especially dig the new, more "Western" art direction.
- I'm sorry I didn't comment my code more, but I spent entirely too much time on the forums during Fallout 3. ((IMG:style_emoticons/default/stare.gif) )

:Programmer VANISH!:
So we know the art direction is more "Western".
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Ozymandias on 04 Feb 2010, 21:16
Okay, that trailer was pretty cool.

Also, seeing an actual living city in the Fallout universe is gonna be weird.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 04 Feb 2010, 21:30
Also it's worth pointing out that the figure in the Teaser is about as close as you get to the text description of Cassidy in Fallout 2, so it's almost definitely an NCR Ranger. The Rangers supposedly originated from Vegas according to Cassidy, but that was in all likelihood just a Wasteland (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasteland_%28computer_game%29) reference. Wasteland took place in a post-apocalyptic Vegas ruled by a mobster named Fat Freddy.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Ikrik on 05 Feb 2010, 02:18
That teaser was horrible to me.  I am looking so forward to this game and I want to see what the gameplay and everything else looks like.  Considering the hours and hours I've wasted in Fallout 3 I really want to see how amazing this new one is going to be. 
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Spluff on 05 Feb 2010, 05:19
Also it's worth pointing out that the figure in the Teaser is about as close as you get to the text description of Cassidy in Fallout 2, so it's almost definitely an NCR Ranger. The Rangers supposedly originated from Vegas according to Cassidy, but that was in all likelihood just a Wasteland (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasteland_%28computer_game%29) reference. Wasteland took place in a post-apocalyptic Vegas ruled by a mobster named Fat Freddy.

It's probably the player character - he's wearing a pip boy.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 05 Feb 2010, 10:38
Perhaps. I think NCR manufactured pipboys at some point, at least there were several characters with them in Van Buren so who knows. Nobody's really clear on what parts if any of VB are canon at this point. I guess we'll find out next week.

It just seemed a bit ominous. Plus, the red glow. Red glows don't usually indicate good dudes.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 05 Feb 2010, 14:11
Isn't there supposed to be several possible starting stories? As in one where you start as ghoul, and many others? I think I heard something like that, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

But if that's the case, then that could be one start - NCR Ranger trying to conquer Vegas. Or kill some doods.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 05 Feb 2010, 14:12
ooh that could be really cool.

experience Fallout's particular brand of dystopia from the widley varying persepctives it has to offer. I could dig it.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Emaline on 05 Feb 2010, 14:28
Yeah, I'm wondering about that as well.The first post says that this is a possibility but no one has said anything about it since.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 05 Feb 2010, 16:02
Nah it was definitely a hoax. If there's anything from the first post that's actually in the game it will be coincidental (or possibly not, as the hoax largely drew from Van Buren, and New Vegas may or may not contain elements of VB)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 06 Feb 2010, 11:34
OKAY FIRST DETAILS. People gotst a magazine leak. Here's the skinny, more if I find some.

Quote
Okay so my subscriber copy of PC Gamer UK arrived, and they have an eight-page article on New Vegas. Salient points:

- First-person action RPG with the same engine as Fallout 3 (sorry, Van Buren fans).
- Set in the Mojave wastelands. Vegas didn't get many nukes. More intact buildings, as well as desert vegetation. Vegas itself is mostly intact.
- You don't play a Vault Dweller (or descendant of one) but a courier, left for dead and saved by a friendly robot.
- The overarching story is a struggle between the locals, Caesar's Legion (a faction of slavers from the east) and the New Californian Republic. Vegas itself is mostly intact.
- Both karma and reputation are tracked. If I'm reading it right there's separate reputations for each of the settlements, as in 1 and 2.
- All dialogue options are shown to all players, regardless of whether you have the stats to succeed or not, though there's no punishment for failure.
- Bartering is not just lower prices but negotiating for better rewards.
- VATS returns, and melee weapons have special moves in it. The golf club has "Fore!", which is a shot to the golf balls (so to speak) that knocks the opponent down. Weapons also now have knock-back upon death, with shotguns sending mans flying.
- Super Mutants return, but in two varieties - the smarter ones from Fallout 1, and the idiot ones from Fallout 2. On at least one occasion you can convince them to fight amongst themselves.
- New weapons include what appears to be an M4 and a grenade machinegun.
- Followers can be managed through a context-sensitive menu, with orders like "follow", "stay" or "attack".
- Hardcore Mode! In this mode, Stimpacks heal over time (as opposed to instantly), combat is tougher, ammo has weight and you can suffer dehydration, so keep some water on you!

One of the screenshots has a Super Mutant with a blonde wig and pink heart-shaped glasses.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 06 Feb 2010, 11:36
Quote
You're a courier, wounded and left for dead in a shallow grave. A friendly robot, Victor, digs you out, and his doctor owner Mitchell patches you up. You take a "vigour test", which is some sort of electric parlour game. This decides who you are and sets up SPECIAL. You can also take some Rorschach tests, but the mag says this is for fun. The Doc then gives you a Pipboy as he was once a Vault dweller.

"Hoover Dam", and "Helios" (a solar plant, confirmed by the mag to have been built by Poseidon) are fought into and then you can direct the power to wherever you choose. In the case of Helios you can also keep the plant for your self use the energy to call down a powerful laser, or even try to distribute to all equally, however there is a risk of overloading the reactors.

There is a "reputation system", in which all three factions (NCR, Ceasar's Legion and the locals) will either see you as good or bad toward them individually.

There is a screenshot of three Capital Wasteland mutants running toward the player, who is wielding what *looks* to be a heavy incinerator, but has a TV screen and no flamer fuel tanks. He's also wearing NCR combat armour, which is in gold/mustard colours.

There are two separate screens of supermutants that look to be more local, grey skin, and the two are wearing very different clothes. One is Tabitha, who is hearing a blonde wig and love heart glasses. The mag implies she's "not all there".

One that quest, you rescue Raul, a ghoul who Tabitha kept alive to fix her favourite robot. He appears to be a follower, as the mag says you can give him items, and also commands, such as "stay, follow or attack", and also tell him to switch to melee, in which case he'll mutter "sure, I'll put away my rather effective gun, and switch to this piece of um, metal tubing here".

From what I read, the "all dialog" thing seems to imply there will be failures for skill checks as well as speech checks, though, as the mag states, there is no penalty for failing a skill check. In fact, the mag gives an example: A woman who the player tried a Sneak skill attempt on in conversation failed when convincing her an ambush would help the town be rid of a gang of raiders. She simply says ""Good luck with your, uh, ambush"
Teaser trailer = demystified!
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 06 Feb 2010, 11:39
Quote from: J.E. Sawyer
I also do want to clarify what is meant by "no penalty for failure". All it means is that you won't wind up in a worse position than you were before selecting it. If a dude bursts in and is intent on killing you, he's still going to want to kill you if you fail the Speech check to talk him out of it.

...

For each skill-based dialogue check, there is a high-skill (will succeed) and low-skill (will fail) option. Naturally, the NPC has different responses for each one.

Game apparently takes place 3 years post-F3.

Bethsoft producer "will not confirm or deny" presence of Area 51.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 06 Feb 2010, 13:44
(http://img.waffleimages.com/cbbadcb5e3b5e9d132c4166ee005cb8962102792/newvegas001resized.jpg)
That's Tabitha.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 06 Feb 2010, 14:30
Quote
* The Hoover Dam is in the game and is supplying electricity to the city.
* There is a quest to rescue a ghoul from some super mutants. The ghoul can then become your companion
* The Geckos are back.
* There are both dumb and intelligent super mutants, including the elite Nightkin.
* Some super mutants look similar to the ones in Fallout 3, while others are new. There is e.g. a female super mutant with a 1950s hairstyle who apparently is one of their leaders.
* Screenshots include a guy with a beard and straw hat, a ghoul an NCR Ranger
* The only picture of New Vegas itself is concept art and not a screenshot
* Some location screenshots include a huge model dinosaur advertising a hotel, some satellite dishes, an array of solar panels
* A character generation shot showing a "vigour machine" instead of the skill book
* NCR base is the McCarran Airport, Caesar's Legion is based in the Vegas Strip, while super mutants are based in a place called Black Mountain. There is also a town called Fremont and another called Primm. A topless reuve is mentioned as being in the latter. Area 51 also appears.
* NCR Ranger armor is similar to a brown combat armor with sleeves, there are concept arts of a Ranger
* Skils have a bigger effect on conversation choices. E.g. someone with a high Explosives skill may be able to have a coversation about explosives where appropriate.
* There is a Reputation system in addition to Karma.
I'm not entirely sure about the Area 51 claim, yet.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 06 Feb 2010, 16:18
Scanz!

Scanz 1 (http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/2066/77205074.jpg)

Scanz 2 (http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/6965/fnv2.jpg)

Scanz 3 (http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/9264/fnv3.jpg)

"Powder Gangers" are the Powder Gangs from Van Buren, and you had the option in VB to destroy Hoover Dam (one of a few ways of deliberately ending the game early) and I would be surprised if we didn't get that option again.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Cire27 on 06 Feb 2010, 18:24
The only thing I got from those magazines is that Normal Mode equals Easy Mode.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 06 Feb 2010, 18:31
No one ever accused vanilla Bethsoft games of being hard.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Cire27 on 06 Feb 2010, 18:38
Yea, but, unlimited ammo?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 06 Feb 2010, 18:55
No no, it's referring to Fallout 3's system, where you can carry around 15 missiles and 4,000 10mm pistol rounds without it affecting your carry weight.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: look out! Ninjas! on 06 Feb 2010, 20:43
The only thing I got from those magazines is that Normal Mode equals Easy Mode.

Or it might me that there's still that difficulty slider, and hardcore just kicks it up a notch further.
Weighted ammo sounds good, should make playing a heavy weapons guy more interesting and demanding, that's for sure. What it won't help with is selling a billion missiles for huge profit after carrying them around half the wasteland.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Spluff on 06 Feb 2010, 20:46
Sounds to me like they've taken the concept of Redding and expanded it.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 06 Feb 2010, 21:33
Sorta. What I'm getting from the article is that they're rolling up a lot of Van Buren concepts into a couple of core ones. For example, Caesar's Legion was out-and-out nasty in VB but in New Vegas they're "not all bad", which sounds like maybe they got rolled up into the Blackfoot Tribe.

But yeah, "factions fighting over an old west town" is a pretty old concept. Could work though. The NCR was about as close as you came to a benevolent organization in F2 but MCA is probably going to make them a less appetizing prospect this time around.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 07 Feb 2010, 00:13
Hey this sounds pretty darn good.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 09 Feb 2010, 21:53
Stuffs from new magazine:
Quote
* It shows the command wheel for followers, with 8 commands: toggle melee/ranged, open inventory, toggle stay close/keep distance, back up, toggle aggressive/passive AI, use stimpack, toggle wait here/follow me, return to normal dialogue.
* Scripting is wittier, characters more distinct. Example from vigour test word association: mother-human shield.
* Opening inventory consists of a kit from the doc, adapted to your starting stats (like Fallout 1).
* The Nevada area is less affected by the nuclear war, so it has plant life, relatively unspoiled houses, and in visual presentation has saturated colours and a bright sky.
* There's a tutorial (led by a character named Sunny who looks a lot like Moira Brown), but unlike Fallout 3, it's optional, so you can hit the open game in 5 minutes from starting.
* NCR and Caesar's Legion are the confirmed faction, article assumes Brotherhood of Steel will be in but they weren't mentioned in the presentation.
* "In New Vegas it's all about the player examining the ideologies of the various groups that are controlling the area and supporting one over the others," explains Sawyer. "Each of the ideologies will have something good that you can relate to, but will also have massive flaws."
* When asked about PS3's Fallout 3 being inferior to the others and if New Vegas will do better, Obsidian devs make no promises but indicate it was a learning process and they're working with all 3 platforms and all have problems.
* The New Vegas strip is still in construction but will have gambling, variety shows and concerts.
* Electrical power is key in the faction struggle.
* Radiation is still a problem, there's a nuclear test site to explore north of New Vegas.
* The soundtrack will blend "Rat Pack style tunes with more Western numbers".
* New Vegas doesn't tell a single-player story, but weaves decision into the gameworld and gives you greater power to influence things than Fallout 3 did.
* On top of adding back in geckos, New Vegas has a whole new type of animal: mutated mountain rams called Big Horners.
* Sawyer says that FNV is to Fallout 3 what Vice City is to GTA3
Some clarification on the "doesn't tell a single-player story" - basically what it sounds like is that it's going to be more Icewind Dale than Baldur's Gate, which is to say that the "character's story" isn't as important as what goes on in the gameworld. You don't seem to have a central reason for going through the game ala Fallout 3's deadbeat dad. The implication seems to be that the core path may be a big macguffin.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 11 Feb 2010, 05:22
Is gonna be greeeeat!
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 13 Feb 2010, 14:18
New info from OXM
Quote
- The Brotherhood of Steel will make an appearance, but won't be one of the main factions, unlike the New California Republic and the Caesar's Legion
 - Special attacks in VATS are performed by pressing Y (For 360)
 - The Pip-Boy in the game is the Pip-Boy 3000 from Fallout 3
 - Your quest in the wasteland involves finding out who tried to murder you and what was in the package you were carrying
 - In Goodsprings, there is the option of joining with the Powder Gangers and ruining the town.
 - Customization - Scopes on pistols is one example. It also affects the guns performance, add a large magazine to a weapon, and you'll notice longer, but fewer reloading times.
 - The reputation will be important to the ending
 - Nightkin have been turned schizophrenic through prolonged use of Stealth Boys, they deactivate their camo before attacking you, with a club. You can only target them in VATS when they're visible.
 - You can covince Tabitha that the dumb mutants are planning a revolt against the smart ones, and that causes a battle between the two factions, leaving you to go and grab up Raul.
 - Poseidon Energy was developing a solar weapon called Archimedes II. The plant is currently controlled by NCR, and they've placed a guy named Fantastic in charge of the plant, he hasn't figured out how to activate the plant or the weapon yet. But, if you're good enough, then you can. You can divert power to the wastes, or use the weapon for your own ends.
 - SPECIAL descriptions are back: If you have 1 Endurance, your Endurance description is 'Basically Dead' and with 10 Charisma you are 'Cult Leader'.

Descriptions for Strength:
Quote
Oh yeah, i have a list of SPECIAL Descriptions for Strength


10 - Hercules Bigger Cousin

9 - Doomsday Pecs

8 - Circus Strongman

7 - Beach Bully

6 - Barrel Chested

5 - Average Joe

4 - Lightweight

3 - Doughy Baby

2 - Beached Jellyfish

1 - Wet Noodle
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: JD on 13 Feb 2010, 19:38
This looks great.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 14 Feb 2010, 13:38
OXM Scanz:
1 (http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/2118/2b5pg4.jpg)
2 (http://img715.imageshack.us/img715/9233/313q5g3.jpg)
3 (http://img715.imageshack.us/img715/7560/14xjxps.jpg)
4 (http://img715.imageshack.us/img715/7519/14jb252.jpg)
5 (http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/4753/9knytl.jpg)
6 (http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/658/358789i.jpg)
7 (http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/6921/51y2xv.jpg)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Felrender on 14 Feb 2010, 13:51
Good to see that they have a solid working build already.  The game looks and sounds pretty good.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 15 Feb 2010, 09:15
THEY FUCKED UP THAT ONE PULL QUOTE
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 15 Feb 2010, 11:16
goddamn, this just sounds more awesome every day.

Coincidentally, I finally picked up the F3 GOTYE last week, so I've been playing that pretty much constantly lately and it's making me want this to come out even sooner (but not too soon, I still have shit to do in DC)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 15 Feb 2010, 11:34
New info from Pete Hines interview:
 - Inon Zur is returning to compose (booooooo)
 - Level cap is 30.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 17 Feb 2010, 02:23
Why is there a level cap?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: look out! Ninjas! on 17 Feb 2010, 05:20
I assume it's a bitch to balance if there isn't.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: glyphic on 17 Feb 2010, 07:49
Even in F3 Vanilla, once you hit the cap, all the challenge went away.
Hell, you could become near-unstoppable at half the level cap with the right choices.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 17 Feb 2010, 11:37
No one ever accused vanilla Bethsoft games of being hard.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Alex C on 17 Feb 2010, 12:06
- Inon Zur is returning to compose (booooooo)

Bleh, that does kinda bum me out. I don't have a problem with Jeremy Soule and Inon Zur in general like some people do, but if you're going to hire guys like that it better damn well fit the setting. For example, I was perfectly fine with Zur's bombast when it was applied to Dawn of War. Not exactly a subtle setting. But Fallout is about desolation, dammit.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 17 Feb 2010, 22:19
Not really New Vegas related (although Pete Hines told USA Today that F:NV will be as large as Fallout 3 and take as long to explore as F3 did) but I'm hearing a lot of whispers of an Obsidz team-up with Squeenix. We'll see...
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: look out! Ninjas! on 18 Feb 2010, 03:50
- Inon Zur is returning to compose (booooooo)

Bleh, that does kinda bum me out. I don't have a problem with Jeremy Soule and Inon Zur in general like some people do, but if you're going to hire guys like that it better damn well fit the setting. For example, I was perfectly fine with Zur's bombast when it was applied to Dawn of War. Not exactly a subtle setting. But Fallout is about desolation, dammit.

And yet all I did while wander the wasteland was listen to GNR. I considered downloading a mod that added a hundred or so songs from the same period because I was hearing the sam e songs over and over (although I'll never get sick of Anything Goes, and especially not when I'm killing mutants in the most graphic fashion), but didn't because the game was struggling on my old PC as it was.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 18 Feb 2010, 09:10
I don't want to set the (flamethrower sound) woooorld on fiiiiiireeeee!
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Alex C on 18 Feb 2010, 10:54
And yet all I did while wander the wasteland was listen to GNR. I considered downloading a mod that added a hundred or so songs from the same period because I was hearing the sam e songs over and over (although I'll never get sick of Anything Goes, and especially not when I'm killing mutants in the most graphic fashion), but didn't because the game was struggling on my old PC as it was.

Not sure what your point here is. Saying that you chose to fire up your mp3s instead of listening to the game's music isn't exactly a ringing endorsement of Inon Zur, that's for damn sure. If it doesn't quite match the setting* AND fails to be catchy enough to discourage you from just firing up your mp3s, then that's a lose-lose. I accept that people can and will listen to other music while gaming, particularly during second play throughs or when playing games where atmosphere isn't that important (sports/racing games and pure multiplayer FPS games come to mind), but I would hope a single player RPG would at least have the musical chops to make you think twice about it on your first play through. Ambient sounds and carefully selected music can add a lot, after all.

*I don't really think the Fallout 3 soundtrack was bad, per se, I just thought it was a bit meh.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Emaline on 18 Feb 2010, 12:53
I think you misread his post. I'm pretty sure he was saying he thought the soundtrack was great, the only problem being that it didn't have enough songs on it, so he contemplated adding more songs from the same era as the songs on the soundtrack to it.


I loved Fallout 3's soundtrack. Without a doubt hands down loved it. I listen to the GNR online radio station. I think it fits in well with the crazy distopian setting, or I guess provides an interesting contrast. The music is upbeat and cheerful and sort of rubs in the fact that you are so fucking and will never see another blade of grass ever again growing in the barren wasteland you call home. Also, I mean, songs like Butcher Pete are just insane. It's an upbeat song about someone who likes to chop people up. Plus the music is mostly 40's and 50's music, which fits in perfectly with the games sort of space age retro-futuristic setting.


So in all, I found the soundtrack perfect.

But this is coming from a girl who wish the Ink Spots could sing at her wedding.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 18 Feb 2010, 13:07
I'm pretty sure Butcher Pete is about a guy who likes to eat out other guys' ladies.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Emaline on 18 Feb 2010, 13:17
Uh......

Quote
The police put Pete in jail
Yes, he finally met his faith
But when they came to pay his bail
They found him choppin' up his cell mate


I mean, I guess dude could be giving him a beejs, or eating his ass. Nonetheless, interesting to hear other perspectives.



Which isn't to say you are wrong. It totally makes sense. It's the first time that anyone has ever brought it up to me, and even my boyfriend and I have tried to figure out what that song really meant on a number of occasions. It's just really interesting.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Alex C on 18 Feb 2010, 13:34
I think you misread his post. I'm pretty sure he was saying he thought the soundtrack was great, the only problem being that it didn't have enough songs on it, so he contemplated adding more songs from the same era as the songs on the soundtrack to it.


I loved Fallout 3's soundtrack. Without a doubt hands down loved it. I listen to the GNR online radio station. I think it fits in well with the crazy distopian setting, or I guess provides an interesting contrast. The music is upbeat and cheerful and sort of rubs in the fact that you are so fucking and will never see another blade of grass ever again growing in the barren wasteland you call home. Also, I mean, songs like Butcher Pete are just insane. It's an upbeat song about someone who likes to chop people up. Plus the music is mostly 40's and 50's music, which fits in perfectly with the games sort of space age retro-futuristic setting.


So in all, I found the soundtrack perfect.

But this is coming from a girl who wish the Ink Spots could sing at her wedding.

That's fine, but I wonder how much credit you can give Inon Zur for that, considering that he composed original music for the game while someone else wore the hat of Sound Designer. I mean, hey, I'm sure Zur had input or was at least aware of what other stuff would go in and what wouldn't, but his own orchestral shtick is easily the most forgettable stuff on the disc and the whole thing ends up basically relying on licensed music. I like the Inkspots too, but the Fallout games have been using that era of music since before Inon Zur ever got on board. Even the choice of "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire" was pre-ordained: it would have been used in Fallout 1 but they ran into licensing issues.

Basically, I'm criticizing stuff like this, (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5APshEyS68&feature=related) not the Ink Spots. It is competent enough, but it could have been plugged in from any of Zur's other projects. I've played damn near every game the guy has composed for. He's by no means a hack, but man, could he ever afford to mix it up a li'l.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Cire27 on 18 Feb 2010, 14:36
That song you linked sounds like music inside of Orgrimmar.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Alex C on 18 Feb 2010, 14:39
Yeah, I should have really just stressed I meant the original music composed by Inon Zur as opposed to the whole soundtrack. Would have probably saved a lot of confusion.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Spluff on 18 Feb 2010, 18:14
Quote from: OXM
Clearly, you have a responsibility to push the series forward, but there's also nothing worse than a misguided attempt to differentiate a folow-up that only ruins what everyone loved about the original. Throw in a new developer - New Vegas is being developed by Obsidian rather than Bethesda's in-house team - and there is no doubt that a fair few Fallout fans will be more than a little concerned that this could be a recipe for nuclear disaster.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 18 Feb 2010, 18:26
Yeah, I LOL'd.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Felrender on 18 Feb 2010, 18:43
Hey KvP, do you know (and are you allowed to tak about) how the economy in New Vegas works?  One of my biggest problems was that, other than the travelling merchants, the economy in FO3 seemed to static. (And even then, sometimes the wandering merchants had this too.)  If I sold Moira enough rockets/conducters/Pre-War Dollars that I ran her out of caps, she woudl stay run out of caps until I came and bought stuff from her, even if it had been an on-game day since I had seen her.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 18 Feb 2010, 18:50
Don't know at this point. Bethsoft's keeping a pretty tight lid on things right now. I've just been privy to magazine leaks and the like fairly early, what with being part of the Obsidz community. There are a couple of guys who seem to have real access, but I'm not one of them. I just canoodled about with the Project Director and the PR Director years prior to the game's announcement, so I know a lot about Obsidz' sensibilities, and about their design process.

I imagine it's mainly a design choice - You don't want to sell something and then decide you really needed it, only to find out it had been phased out of existence half an hour later. Hopefully they can strike a happy medium.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Emaline on 18 Feb 2010, 19:22
With Moira, if you just waited outside her door a few days, or slept in your Megaton house, she usually got her money back.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 18 Feb 2010, 20:25
Quote from: OXM
Clearly, you have a responsibility to push the series forward, but there's also nothing worse than a misguided attempt to differentiate a folow-up that only ruins what everyone loved about the original. Throw in a new developer - New Vegas is being developed by Obsidian rather than Bethesda's in-house team - and there is no doubt that a fair few Fallout fans will be more than a little concerned that this could be a recipe for nuclear disaster.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Cire27 on 18 Feb 2010, 21:39
If you go to the next scan they explain what they mean in their "History Lesson" but it still seems like kind of a blunder.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 28 Feb 2010, 15:03
Newish info from PC Gamer:
Quote
# New California Rangers wear modified LAPD riot armor. The trenchcoat guy from the teaser is identified as one in the article.
# Gun modifications will increase damage, ammo capacity, accuracy, rate of fire and more
# The player will be able to have two or three companions in their party
# With Raul the ghoul in your party, you'll start to pick up clues that he's more than just a simple mechanic
# Unsurprisingly, deathclaws and radscorpions are mentioned
# From the screenshot, Fore! indeed looks like an attack on the head, not groin, as mentioned in an earlier preview
# The dinosaur casino is identified as Dinky the Dinosaur
# NCR is described as large and powerful but bureaucratic.
# Chris Avellone: "It's a very amusing location design-wise. Vegas is like a whole city-wide amusement park. We can play on different themes, different styles. It's fun for the artists, it's fun for the designers... I don't know how much fun it's going to be for the programmers"
# J.E. Sawyer: "The Karma system is mostly the same as in Fallout 3, but checked less often. Mostly we rely on reputation, because that's what people know. Karma is just a general indicator of how much of a sonofabitch you are. If you murder people in secret, your reputation doesn't go down because no on knows you did anything, so you can maintain a good reputation but your karma has tanked really heavily. Karma does influence some things, but reputation is usually what most people in the world base their opinions of you on."
# Avellone: "We recognized that one of the strengths of Fallout 3 was that so much of the game revolved everything around Washington, D.C. That's your signature city. And to be honest, adventuring in post-apocalyptic D.C. is interesting. You're like, OK, I get it. I know what D.C. is like in the real world, I'd like to see what it's like in the real world when mutants are running around in the streets.
Also Obsidz head Feargus Urquheart mentions offhand that Obsidz and Bethsoft had been in talks to collaborate for years prior to the New Vegas deal, which is interesting.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 04 Mar 2010, 11:36
Some new info from Finland, don't know how reliable it is:
Quote
- Weapons have unique/individual qualities. Some cause critical hits to head, others will damage your limbs severely for example circular saw will eat fingers.

- Death animations vary depending which weapon you are using.

- Different gangs and villages might evolve during your gameplay while you are not around. For example random Raider gang might find a hidden weapons cache and rise to power.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 05 Mar 2010, 17:01
OXM stuff
Quote
* Character creation is virtually identical to Fallout 3, with cosmetic changes like the Gene Projector being replaced by ReflectionTM, "You're SPECIAL!" by Vit-o-Matic machine and GOAT by a psychological test
* The local super mutants are pretty tough and will keep you from wandering aimlessly in the early portions of the game - they tend to be tougher even than deathclaws
* Sunny Smiles' dog is named Cheyenne. They'll assist you with the Powder Gangers in the Ghost Town Firefight quest if you help her kill some geckos.
* The Varmint Rifle is a low-power .22 that does significant damage to limbs and has a high critical bonus
* If your Barter skill is high enough, Chet the shopkeeper give you the 9-Iron golf club and some weapon mods
* Every skill will have use in conversations at various points
* Each firearm has a maximum of three modification slots. Once you affix a mod to a gun, it's permanent. Hunting Rifle modification examples given are scope, custom action and extended clip.
* Temporary followers, like the Goodsprings folks that can help you defeat the Powder Gangers, will also be controlled through the companion wheel
* Concept art of Hoover Dam and screenshots of the Black Mountain radio tower and the character standing inside the mouth of Dinky the Dinosaur shown
* With high local reputation at Goodsprings, you'll get a free bed to sleep in and a discount at the store
* Neil, a super mutant who hates Tabitha, can help you storm the mountain
* Tabitha is actually a male super mutant gone completely insane
* "Skill magazines" you find in New Vegas will only temporarily boost your skills
* There's a rollercoaster in Primm
* The combat gameplay was tweaked to be more first-person-shootery
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: ArcAirbender on 08 Mar 2010, 03:44
I do not wish to hijack the thread, I know this is about NV; however I rather ask three quick questions here than to revive an old thread somewhere deep beneath the forum.

I haven't played games in a pc for a while now, most of my gaming is done in the 360. The most recent system I own is a macbook, so I got Fallout 1 & 2 for mac a few days ago; I've never played any fallout at all, so I figured the best place to start was F1 (duh!).
And so it happens apple stopped giving 256 colour support; now I have a very nicelooking doorstop.

My question for any of you here is: Is Fallout 3 a good place to start playing the franchise? Am I missing a lot (history-wise) by starting in the 3rd series of the game?
I'm about to get F3 game of the year edition from ebgames. Is 60 bucks a fair price for it, or are the various DLC included not worth it?

My main concern is if I should make the effort and try to play the first 2 titles... "somehow", or just blew it and go with the 3rd.

Thanks in advance.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Spluff on 08 Mar 2010, 05:52
It's perfectly fine to start with Fallout 3, because it's pretty much unrelated to the first two (it's not really a sequel - it just shares a setting and a name). I infinitely prefer the first two as games but you won't be missing out on anything in Fallout 3 if you haven't played them.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: kemon on 08 Mar 2010, 06:16
the first 2 games are definitely worth any reasonable effort to get them running.  but it doesn't preclude you from getting into fallout 3 if you don't.

60 is high. steam (http://store.steampowered.com/app/22370/) has it for 50, but i'm sure you can find it for less than that somewhere.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Ozymandias on 08 Mar 2010, 07:39
The DLC, with the exception of Anchorage maybe, is definitely worth it, though. Lots of added content.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 08 Mar 2010, 09:46
I do not wish to hijack the thread, I know this is about NV; however I rather ask three quick questions here than to revive an old thread somewhere deep beneath the forum.

I haven't played games in a pc for a while now, most of my gaming is done in the 360. The most recent system I own is a macbook, so I got Fallout 1 & 2 for mac a few days ago; I've never played any fallout at all, so I figured the best place to start was F1 (duh!).
And so it happens apple stopped giving 256 colour support; now I have a very nicelooking doorstop.

My question for any of you here is: Is Fallout 3 a good place to start playing the franchise? Am I missing a lot (history-wise) by starting in the 3rd series of the game?
I'm about to get F3 game of the year edition from ebgames. Is 60 bucks a fair price for it, or are the various DLC included not worth it?

My main concern is if I should make the effort and try to play the first 2 titles... "somehow", or just blew it and go with the 3rd.

Thanks in advance.
I don't think there's anything in Fallout 3 that's dropped in without explanation. Given the distance between the settings (Cali and DC) it's actually something of a reboot. There are probably things you won't notice or things you'll find strange, but nothing that's going to ruin the game.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 08 Mar 2010, 12:01
You can get the GOTYE edition at Best Buy for $39.99, probably other places as well.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Emaline on 08 Mar 2010, 12:14
I have a somewhat odd question. I have the GOTY edition one, that came with the expansions, for the 360. I let my family borrow it so they could have the expansions, and play and see if they like it, and then just get the regular edition one, if they do. My boyfriend is telling me that he doesn't think the regular game disc is going to let them play any of the expansions, which I find hard to believe. Any idea if that's true or not?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: glyphic on 08 Mar 2010, 12:23
The expansions should have just installed onto your hard drive. The two I picked up did, so I can't imagine it being any different on the GOTY version.

Might check up on it, though. I have been wrong so many times before.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Emaline on 08 Mar 2010, 12:38
See, that's what I thought. You only ever use the expansion disc once, and that's to download the expansions onto your hard drive. I think they will be totally fine to buy the cheaper version on this.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: ArcAirbender on 08 Mar 2010, 17:41
Thank you all for the quick response.

Hey Scandanavian, are you sure about the $39.99 price tag? I mean if that's so, to keep on looking because the BB near my collage in Tx is giving the GOTY ed. for xbox 360 for $60, the pc version for $50, and the one that is $39.99 is the platinum hits edition, which I'm pretty sure doesn't have the DLC.

Just double checking, because I obviously want to get the best price possible.

http://anonym.to/http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Fallout+3%3A+Game+of+the+Year+Edition+-+Xbox+360/9554207.p?id=1218123464451&skuId=9554207&st=fallout%203&lp=7&cp=1 <-- $60 for the x360 GOTY ed

http://anonym.to/http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Fallout+3+Platinum+Hits+-+Xbox+360/8813313.p?id=1206749191125&skuId=8813313&st=fallout%203&lp=5&cp=1 <-- $40 for the platinum hits in x360

http://anonym.to/http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Fallout+3%3A+Game+of+the+Year+Edition+-+Windows/9554154.p?id=1218123464257&skuId=9554154&st=fallout%203&lp=9&cp=1 <-- GOTY for pc, $50
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 08 Mar 2010, 17:47
All I know is that I bought it used for $49.99 at Gamestop and regretted it the next day when I saw Best Buy had it for $39.99.

Maybe it was a sale, or temporary promotion but it was like that for at least a week (haven't gone in recently, maybe I'll check it out after work).
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: ArcAirbender on 01 Apr 2010, 23:01
I want to give you guys a quick update about my purchase.

Yesterday I finally had some time to myself; went to a few different stores to see what is new and found out that ebgames/gamestop was having a sale. I found Fallout 3 for 20 dollars, which I presume is a great deal. I asked different people if the additional content for the GotY edition was worth the extra 40 bucks, they said it was about 6 more hours of gameplay, which made me drop it instantaneously. I rather have another 20 dll title plus add 20 dollars to my xbox live account. I'm considering buying shadow complex, I've heard great things about it.

So, if you have the time and the money, there are a couple titles that might interest you in the "sale of the year" bin. To me the best ones were fallout 3 and IL2-Sturmovik (world war 2 flight simulator). I remember seeing odd titles like Quake 4 for 5 dlls (I rather keep the 5 dlls) and Assasin's Creed 2 for 30 dlls.

I'm going to take it slow with Fallout. I'm already out the vault, but have been having trouble with the open spaces of the wasteland (I don't understand what am I supposed to do most of the time). After playing games like Mass Effect 2, I have to say: I've been spoiled rotten in the graphics dept. Fallout 3 is not a game that has aged well in that respect. And what's with the silent protagonist? Its Half Life all over again.
These are really minor complaints of what otherwise has been a really pleasant experience. (lovin' the V.A.T.S. system)

Thanks, all of you, for the help.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Emaline on 02 Apr 2010, 10:02
What are dlls?


Also, if you check your "Quests" screen on Fallout, it should tell you what you need to do, and set markers, I think.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Dimmukane on 02 Apr 2010, 10:27
Wait wait wait...they said that all of the DLC was 6 hours?  It's more like 6 hours for each piece of content, and more like 15 for Point Lookout and Broken Steel
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Ozymandias on 02 Apr 2010, 12:49
Seriously? They said 6 hours of content on the DLC?

That's absurd. I spent way way way more than that on Point Lookout alone. That said, GOTY edition probably isn't worth an extra $40, but Broken Steel and Point Lookout are worth the $20 they cost on their own.

Also, Shadow Complex is fucking great. Go get it.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LTK on 02 Apr 2010, 13:52
Mind you, a silent protagonist is one that does not speak. That means no dialogue.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 02 Apr 2010, 13:55
I'm probably gonna buy GOTY from Steam for $50. Should I invest in a wired controller/wireless receiver or just play mouse and keys?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LTK on 02 Apr 2010, 14:01
I imagine the controls in Fallout 3 work best with mouse and keys. I haven't had any issues with them personally. Then again, my experience with this only covers PC ports.

Why this thread, anyway? The Fallout 3 thread is not ancient, it's right there on page two!
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Emaline on 02 Apr 2010, 14:37
Also, if you are anal retentive like me, than you can easily spend weeks on most of the DLC. It was like we got a whole other game when we got those.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 24 Apr 2010, 12:38
There's a rumor going around that there will be a turn-based tactical combat "prequel" to F:NV coming out for the iphone around June.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Emaline on 27 Apr 2010, 00:04
Bullshit.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 27 Apr 2010, 00:24
Worked for Dragon Age!
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 27 Apr 2010, 01:08
I can't imagine why that would be bullshit?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 27 Apr 2010, 01:28
The DA flash prequel was brilliant, was the one for the Iphone the same thing?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Ptommydski on 27 Apr 2010, 11:08
They released a Mass Effect (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_Effect_Galaxy) game on the iPhone between the two console games.

I can't think of any reason why they couldn't do a Fallout one. They are cheap to make and usually do good business.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 27 Apr 2010, 12:54
Yeah. It's a pretty savvy business move all told.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Ptommydski on 27 Apr 2010, 13:52
Some publishers actually give the Apps away for free because they are such effective promotional tools.

Every time Volkswagen releases a new car, they put a new driving game in the Apps Store for free where you can race it around different tracks. I usually shop for Apps whilst on the toilet. They found a way to advertise their product towards me whilst I am taking a shit, it's a marketing dream.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: glyphic on 27 Apr 2010, 17:03
Marketing execs are now hunched in darkened stalls wiping the sweat off their touch screens as they try to think up the next big thing.

Because of you.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 27 Apr 2010, 22:37
"He takes it with him to shit, man! To fucking shit! HOW ARE WE GOING TO WOW THIS GUY"
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Inlander on 27 Apr 2010, 21:26
He'll be amazed when he looks into the bowl and sees advertising on his turds.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Inlander on 27 Apr 2010, 21:27
The anti-corporatist in him will laugh and say "Yeah, advertising and turds, seems about right", and too late he'll realise they've got him.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Inlander on 27 Apr 2010, 21:28
He'll never even find out which food he ate contained the nanobots and the biodegradable paint microcapsules.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Inlander on 27 Apr 2010, 21:29
It could be the food you're eating right now.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: David_Dovey on 27 Apr 2010, 23:23
Actually that is real marketing genius because that means you'll probably buy all of those foods at least one more time
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Emaline on 30 Apr 2010, 12:34
I can't imagine why that would be bullshit?



I guess I should have clarified that.

I don't think it's bullshit(as in not true), I think it's bullshit as in why the iphone. I hate it. rar rar rar abloo bloo bloo.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 30 Apr 2010, 13:24
First actual gameplay preview I've seen is now up at IGN (http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/108/1086462p1.html). Most of the features we've heard about, but some of the landmarks are new and interesting.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 01 May 2010, 18:21
Quote from: JE Sawyer
Hey so it's red shield discussion tyme.

*~

Imagine that there is an amount of damage that armor directly subtracts from damage... a "threshold" of damage, if you will. While a small percentage of damage may get through even the thickest armor, damage threshold can effectively neutralize a lot of small arms. Fallout 1 and 2 used numerical feedback to let the player know when their weapons weren't doing any damage. In F3 and F:NV, the player only sees enemy health meters that represent a percentage of total health rather than an exact value. This makes it difficult to tell how effective an enemy's armor is (as opposed to the target simply having a ton of health). In F:NV, the red shield appears next to a target's health meter when you hit it for damage that is equal to or less than the target's damage threshold. A HUD-colored shield appears next to the player's health meter when the player is hit for damage equal to or less than the player's damage threshold.

High RoF weapons typically have a low DAM, high DPS. E.g. 10mm SMG. Low RoF weapons are the opposite. E.g. Hunting Rifle. F:NV's Pip-Boy Weapons tab now cross-fades between DAM and DPS so the player can make more tactical choices about what weapon to use in any given circumstance. Having both of these values visible has also allowed us to revise the calculation of DAM/DPS values to be less abstract and more accurate. Using the weapons previously listed, a 10mm SMG would be best against unarmored/lightly armored targets at close range. The Hunting Rifle is ideal against armored targets at long range. But if the player wants to get fiddly with numbers, the Cowboy Repeater (mentioned in the Escapist preview) is better than either weapon against unarmored/lightly armored targets at long range since it is accurate, has a decent DAM and a better DPS than the Hunting Rifle. Add ammo subtypes and mods into the mix and there are a lot of ways to optimize the gear you carry and use.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 01 May 2010, 20:39
Interview w/ Josh (http://ve3d.ign.com/videos/play/72097/PC/Fallout-New-Vegas/Trailer/Josh-Eric-Sawyer-IGN-Video-Interview/Flash-Video).
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: satsugaikaze on 01 May 2010, 23:12
In summary, more interface and smarter damage types = cool spreadsheets to work on

Also, that Fallout is cool.

[needs thumbs up smiley]
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 01 May 2010, 23:38
Are you trying to tell me I can't do the New Vegas equivalent of just getting the Rivet City dude's magic plasma cannon and coasting for the rest of the game with it?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 02 May 2010, 00:45
There probably will be a way. If not, the modding community will be all over it.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 02 May 2010, 01:27
Also more design talk from Josh
Quote
At work, we have a lot of rules for how to write. These range from punctuation (single-spacing after terminal punctuation) to spelling ("all right" vs. "alright") to structural (where a "goodbye" response should be relative to a "start combat" response and where that should be relative to a "friendly" response). Every project has a document (or documents) on the specific guidelines for that project. In spite of all the details, there are certain high-level principles that tend to be common. Okay, maybe it's just in my mind, but here are principles that I believe are important for writing player-driven dialogue in choice-heavy RPGs.

* Dialogue should inform and entertain players -- inform them about the world and quests, entertain them with interesting characters and prose. If you aren't informing or entertaining, think hard about what you're trying to accomplish.
* Write an outline. Really. Just do it. You should have an idea of where you are going before you set out. If you don't know where you're going when you write your conversation, chances are the player is going to get lost at some point.
* Always give at least two options. At a bare minimum, you should always have an option that says, "Let's talk about something else," that leads back to a node where you can say, "Goodbye." You may think that your dialogue is riveting and no one could possibly want to stop reading/hearing it, but believe me -- someone out there does.
* Never give false options. Do not create multiple options that lead to the same result. It insults players' intelligence and does not reward them for the choices they make.
* Don't put words in the player's mouth. With the exception of conditional replies (gender, skills, stats, etc.), phrase things in a straightforward manner that does not mix a request for information with an emotionally loaded bias ("I'd like to know what's going on here, jackass.").
* Keep skills, stats, gender, and previous story resolutions in mind and reward the player's choices. If it doesn't feel like a reward, it isn't; it's just a false option with a tag in front of it. Note: entertainment value can be a valid reward.
* The writing style and structure are the project's; the character belongs to you and the world. As long as the dialogue follows project standards and feels like it is grounded in the world, it is your challenge and responsibility to make the character enjoyable and distinct.

All of these principles exist to support this basic idea: your audience is playing a game and they want to be rewarded for spending time involving themselves with conversation. If it is a chore, is non-reactive, is confusing, or is downright boring, it is the author's failing, not the player's.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Felrender on 02 May 2010, 13:41
Quote
Don't put words in the player's mouth. With the exception of conditional replies (gender, skills, stats, etc.), phrase things in a straightforward manner that does not mix a request for information with an emotionally loaded bias ("I'd like to know what's going on here, jackass.").

Oh thank god. 
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 03 May 2010, 00:17
This is legitimately the first time I have ever been genuinely excited about a video game.

Someone tell me they have a new cast for the voice-overs though. Assure me of that much, please!

I dunno whether Bethesda or Obsidian handles that end of it, to be honest. Mask of the Betrayer had some pretty good voiceover, and what I've heard of Alpha Protocol's from various trailers seems pretty good as well. But if it's in Bethesda's hands, we can expect the usual pattern of two Hollywood people eating up 95% of the budget and the other 200 characters in the game being divided up among the same dozen shitty people they always use.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 03 May 2010, 00:29
I'm not sure who does it either, to be honest. Could depend on the publisher. From what I understand the VA contracts hammered out for Alpha Protocol came from Obsidian's end - MCA had mentioned that one of the original designers on the project had worked with Womb Music (http://www.wombmusic.net/) before on Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines and that was how they decided who to go to. But given that the publisher is the one that signs the checks I'm sure it's up to them, ultimately. Womb employs a lot of veteran VAs but they I don't think they've gotten Names in the past. Hopefully they vary it a bit.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 03 May 2010, 00:38
The cast list on IMDB for Alpha Protocol definitely doesn't have any 'names' on it, although there are definitely a few I recognize from being a huge nerd who plays too many video games.

Also, Josh Sawyer seems like a cool dude from what I've seen of him posting on forums and in interviews, although I've never interacted with him directly. I was really weirded out listening to that interview though because his voice sounds a lot like Avellone's. Maybe I'm just imagining that.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 03 May 2010, 00:47
They do have similar cadences, now that you mention it. Now that Matthew Rorie's gone (back to Giant Bomb, most likely, though it's not entirely apparent at present) Sawyer's the only designer with an active role in the community, regularly interacting with people who try really hard not to appreciate him and his work. I relied upon him pretty extensively to fill in gaps in the Van Buren documentation a few years ago, but it's a lot harder to get direct messages to him these days - all the NMA types have filled his PM inbox and he's left it full, so PMs sent to him don't go anywhere. Very smart, very systems-oriented, as you can see from the quotes. Before this he was lead on the Aliens game that got canceled, he did what amounted to custodial duties on Neverwinter Nights 2 (the original lead left for Bioware and he came in at the tail end of the project's development) and he was the lead on the Icewind Dale games for Black Isle.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 03 May 2010, 03:25
Rorie left Obsidian? That's news to me, I was still reading previews and interviews with him as recently as a couple weeks ago. I wonder what happened. I can't imagine Obsidian going through layoffs, and you don't usually see people who jump from game journalism to actual development hop the fence in the other direction.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 03 May 2010, 04:04
Well I'm only guessing it's Giant Bomb. It's something around San Fran way. And yeah, it wasn't that he got canned or anything, he was doing a good job (and the PR campaign for AP is kicking off pretty well now) but he got an offer and he took it. It's too bad, he was very accommodating, a good community liaison.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 03 May 2010, 04:36
Well there are roughly a billion publishers and developers located in the Bay Area, so it could be he got offered a full-on producer job rather than community management, which is a pretty thankless job in the grand scheme of things. It would be nice to hear him back with the old crew at Giant Bomb, though.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 03 May 2010, 11:33
I think he said he wasn't taking a job in the game development industry, so that narrows it down a bit. Could still be a publisher I suppose.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 04 May 2010, 19:23
More Josh interviews:
Giant Bomb (http://www.giantbomb.com/josh-sawyer-on-fallout-new-vegas/17-2425/)
Gamespot (http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/rpg/falloutnewvegas/video/6261040?hd=1&tag=topslot;watchlink;2)

Giant Bomb preview (http://www.giantbomb.com/news/a-sinful-first-look-at-fallout-new-vegas/1979/)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Felrender on 04 May 2010, 21:30
Josh Sawyer seems to be a pretty cool guy.

Also, I don't want to be a dick, but he has an emoticon on his cheek.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 04 May 2010, 23:55
Eurogamer preview (http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/fallout-new-vegas-may-2010-preview)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 05 May 2010, 22:32
Text interview with Josh (http://www.joystiq.com/2010/05/05/interview-josh-sawyer-on-fallout-new-vegas/), little bit longer, goes a little deeper into what the mechanical changes are looking like.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 06 May 2010, 00:24
All I want to know now is if there'll be DLC for NV. This is like the only thing that factors into my decision when buying this game for a console or for PC.
I actually wish more games made the most of existing engines and developed interesting games instead of spending time, money and effort on graphics design. Gamebryo is still really, really good and I expect NV will be great because of the time they haven't had to spend on developing a new engine.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 06 May 2010, 00:27
I disagree, generally, about the quality of Gamebryo.

And if it's a viable choice between PC and console, get PC. It's just the best choice. Forget DLC, the mod community will be at least as fruitful.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 06 May 2010, 01:56
Yeah, I don't own a PC capable of playing modern games but if I did you'd better believe I'd buy NV for it before I bought it for a console.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 07 May 2010, 12:17
Based on early estimates, Bethsoft is expecting F:NV to outsell F3. (http://www.mcvuk.com/news/38860/New-Vegas-to-top-Fallout-3-sales?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+mcvuk%2FoXMK+%28MCV%3A+games+industry+news%29&utm_content=Google+Reader)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Ptommydski on 07 May 2010, 12:43
Doubt it.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 07 May 2010, 12:57
Hm, I could see it going either way, to be honest. Fallout 3, for all its faults, brought back the series in a very big way. 95% of the audience will have no idea that New Vegas is made from different people than 3 was, and for the majority of people who care, Obsidian is a step up. If Bethesda markets it as heavily as they did for F3 (or maybe more, they've been flush with cash lately and it makes a lot more sense to put a big push behind New Vegas than it did for, say, WET), then I would not be surprised at all if it sold as well or better. The thing that works against it, and it certainly is significant, is that the tech behind New Vegas will be 2 years old when it comes out and it shows. I could see some of the more fickle consumers being put off by the lack of shiny, but who knows how many of the people who bought Fallout 3 think like that?

If nothing else, New Vegas will almost certainly be a commercial hit much larger than anything Obsidian's ever made before and should secure their short-term financial future even if Alpha Protocol bombs, and that's enough for me to be happy. I'd be more than satisfied if Bethesda licensed Obsidian to make the West Coast Fallouts in perpetuity, and then they could safely put out their more high-concept RPGs on the side.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 10 May 2010, 03:50
Game Informer is running a preview with a lot of new info.

- One of the new followers is an ex-NCR soldier named Craig Boone whose wife has been kidnapped. All followers will have sidequests, take a guess as to Boone's.

- New weapons are shown: a machete, a pair of boxing gloves, razors, a SMG-looking gun, C4 with an included detonator.

- The Mad Max-looking leather jacket of Fallout 1/2 apparently makes a return, with a host of other outfits that the poster of Beth's forum didn't describe.

- Some new animations, like a new reload animation that show the bullets you're putting into the gun have been included.

- Combat is apparently much more enjoyable now outside VATS and the previewer found himself purposely not using it. Enemies will react to hits, etc.

- First look at the Strip. Apparently it looks a lot like 50's Vegas, with neon-lit Casinos and everything.

- The Casinos will have their very own gambling mini-games. Luck (the SPECIAL stat) will of course play a big role in them. Blackjack, Poker, Roulette and Slot Machine are some of the games you can play.

- The city of New Vegas was not hit by nukes in the war, and is being run by a figure calling himself "Howard Hughes". It's strongly implied that he is not human - no one has ever gone into the building in which he resides, The Lucky 38, and it's apparent that he's responsible in some way for the lack of destruction during the war. He's probably either a ghoul or a supercomputer. I'm going to guess he's a ghoul, since there was a very similar character in Van Buren.

- Hughes takes care of business in the city via his police robots (similar to the sort in the teaser, I'm guessing, but with a policeman face on the monitor instead of a cowboy). Thus, no mob families in Vegas. It will disappoint some and make a lot of hardcore fans who complained about New Reno happy.

- New Vegas will have 4 types of currency : Caps, paper NCR money, casino chips and Caesar's Legion money (apparently mentioned as 'coins' in some parts of the preview). There will be an exchange rate between currencies and using the right currency with the right vendor will bring price benefits.

 - There is one confirmed Vault in the game, Vault 21, whose Vault-Tec sanctioned experiment had something to do with gambling. It has been refitted to be an underground casino in the game.

More if / when I get it.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 10 May 2010, 11:40
That all sounds very promising, although I have to admit managing 4 types of currency sounds like it could get annoying. It seems like making Howard Hughes into a computer would be a bad idea since it would be very similar to the twist in Fallout 3. It might fit with their story idea but it would undoubtedly lead to accusations of being unoriginal.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 10 May 2010, 12:44
Remastered Mark Morgan soundtrack to Fallouts 1/2 for download. (http://auralnetwork.com/releases) Very highly recommended for fans of ambient musics.

That's another perk of owning a PC version of the game - you can replace Inon Zur's soundtrack with Mark Morgan's.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 10 May 2010, 21:30
What happened to Mark Morgan anyway? Does he even do game soundtracks anymore?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 11 May 2010, 02:10
More apparent deets:

- It's unclear now as to whether the Big Man in Vegas is called Hughes or House.

- Big Man doesn't deal personally with the Casinos. There are apparently various faction that control the different Casinos and one of them is named the Chairman, a dude you don't want to mess with apparently. I wonder what color his eyes will be...

- All factions respect Big Man's rule. They still have their own purviews though. There are some casinos that you cannot enter armed unless you hide your guns with a very high sneak skill.

- There is allegedly a place called Gomorrah. Not clear whether it's a town or a casino, but it's sure to be debauched.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: evilbobthebob on 11 May 2010, 02:31
So the Big Man could be voice acted by Hugh Laurie then? Awesome.

As for the 4 different currencies...as long as the exchange rates are reasonably static and simple (as in, simple decimals and not 3.44758838 caps to the chip) it should be OK. The only problem will be that these currencies will probably be difficult to find without killing people who already have some. At least, they SHOULD be difficult to find, unless the Big Man has a large mint and printing press.

I hope killing the Big Man and taking over is an option.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 11 May 2010, 04:23
I've thought of that possibility in a lot of RPGs, but it's not easy to implement - see Morrowind/Oblivion, where you could do this with pretty much any faction, but the result was only that you could go by once a week and pick up cash.

It could be fun, but if NV is anything like Fallout 3, the roaming part is what you want to do, and you don't want to go back to town every day to give orders. Maybe if you could do something like setting up a middle man who ran the day to day business, and then be able to pop by and make the big decisions. Think the Solstheim colony in Morrowind, just with more choices and more fun.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: satsugaikaze on 11 May 2010, 05:03
That's another perk of owning a PC version of the game - you can replace Inon Zur's soundtrack with Mark Morgan's.

But there was nothing wrong with Inon Zur's work, what (I mean I know there were people who said it was too dramatic all of the time but seriously the ambient music was fantastic and perfect and stands up on its own)

So the Big Man could be voice acted by Hugh Laurie then? Awesome.

The best part is that I could imagine him doing this.

Quote
I hope killing the Big Man and taking over is an option.

Knowing what quests and sidequests are in Fallout, this could most definitely happen. Most likely they'd do multiple outcomes with multiple different awards.

Which brings me to the karma system - are they going to just recycle that from the previous games, or have they mentioned any sign of change?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Spluff on 11 May 2010, 06:07
But there was nothing wrong with Inon Zur's work, what (I mean I know there were people who said it was too dramatic all of the time but seriously the ambient music was fantastic and perfect and stands up on its own)

There may not have been anything 'wrong' with it, but there wasn't a whole lot right either. Replacing it with the original soundtracks was a huge improvement in most cases.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: satsugaikaze on 11 May 2010, 06:10
You'll need to be more specific, because I thought some of the tracks were absolute gold.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 11 May 2010, 12:20
Collector's Edition announced:

(http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/5599/fnvcollectoreditiongenex.jpg)

Quote
The Top Men working on the Fallout: New Vegas Collector’s Edition have been hard at work on a pack that will trump your expectations, and today we can finally share the first details with you guys.

As you can tell from the above image, every extra has been crafted to resemble items from the world of New Vegas, from the distressed deluxe box to the poker chip recreations. On top of that, this stuff won’t just look great on your shelf — it’s also surprisingly functional. Did we mention the hardcover Fallout comic, and the full deck of New Vegas-themed playing cards?

The Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC versions of the CE will all include the following:

♠ Seven “Lucky 7” poker chips, each designed to represent chips from the major casinos found on the New Vegas strip and throughout the Mojave Wasteland.

♠ A fully customized Fallout: New Vegas deck of cards. Each card in the pack has been uniquely illustrated to depict characters and factions found within the game. Use the cards to play poker, blackjack or Caravan, an original card game that was created by Obsidian especially for New Vegas.

♠ A recreation of the game’s highly coveted “Lucky 38” platinum chip.

♠ A hardcover graphic novel “All Roads” that tells the story of some of the characters and events that lead up to Fallout: New Vegas. “All Roads” was written by Chris Avellone, the game’s creative director, and created in conjunction with Dark Horse Comics.

♠ ‘The Making of Fallout: New Vegas’ DVD. This documentary DVD will contain exclusive video content, including interviews with the developers in which they take you from concept to creation and discuss topics such as story, setting, legacy of the Fallout franchise and more.

North Americans can pre-order at any participating retailer — like GameStop — starting today. European pre-orders will be available throughout Europe in the weeks to come.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 11 May 2010, 12:29
Comprehensive, accurate stuff from the Game Informer article:
Quote
Here's a more thorough summary of the Fallout: New Vegas article in Game Informer, with lots of new information:

    * There's a monorail station in the Strip.
    * Mr. House is a mysterious man in control of the Strip, who lives in the Lucky 38. Nobody has been inside there as long as anyone can remember. House was inspired by Howard Hughes/ He is a laissez faire dictator, where it's "Everyone can do whatever they want as long as they follow my rules".
    * J.E. Sawyer says: "Mr. House has families - tribes he brought out of the wastes. He's actualy a pre-war person who specialized in robotics and research into extending human life. So he was in stasis for several hundred years, and then woke up. He has minions who control the Strip, and they help control what goes on there. (...) Mr. House is also the guy who engineered the fact that Vegas was not destroyed. The way he did that comes out through the course of the game, but because he is this sort of prodigy, he has a talent with machines and probability, he used that to his advantage to prevent New Vegas during the Great War from being destroyed."
    * In front of the Tops casino, a shady fellow known as Mr. Holdout offers the player concealed weapons, such as a razor or brass knuckles. The casino doorman asks the player to hand over all of his weapons before he can enter the casino, but with a high sneak skill, the player can keep one.
    * The Tops is where you can experience Rat Pack-style Vegas, and listen to Frank Sinatra tunes. If you look hard enough, you might notice some familiar faces.
    * The Aces nigthclub is home to the Rad Pack Revue and its manager resembles Sammy Davis Jr. He gives the player a sidequest to round up any musicians he can find in the wasteland and bring them to the club.
    * The Gomorrah casino is the biggest den of sex and depravity in town.
    * The Ultra-Luxe is the most luxurious casino in the Strip.
    * Vault 21 is also a casino. As part of the Vault Experiment, all conflicts in it were resolved through gambling. "House decided he wanted to have it and he bet them for it, and House always wins." says Jason Bergman.
    * Gambling is done through minigames, such as blackjack, roulette, slots. There is another game that they're not talking about yet. Each of the casinos has its home rules for e.g. the frequency that dealers shuffle the deck, etc. The Luck stat is the key to successful gambling.
    * There are three currencies in the game - NCR dollars, Caesar's Legion money and bottlecaps.
    * Novac, home to Dinky the Dinosaur, makes its money by salvaging stuff out of a nearby rocket base. A pair of former NCR snipers use Dinkey's mouth as their nest.
    * One of the two snipers is Craig Boone, a potential companion, whose pregnant wife was recently kidnapped by a bunch of slavers. Nobody else was captured, so he suspects it was an inside job. Boone says he wants to avenge Carla's death, not wanting to say how he knows she's dead.
    * Boone's plan is to talk to the residents of Novac, find the person responsible and lure them in front of Dinky. He gives you his red beret and tells you to wear it when you're with that person, so that Boone can shoot them.
    * The Dino Bite gift shop is run by Cliff, who did not go along well with Carla. If you want to be evil, you can send anyone out there to be shot by Boone. As it turns out, nobody in town really liked Carla.
    * In the hotel office, you can notice a safe in the floor behind the manager, Jeannie May Crawford. There you can find a document proving that she sold Carla to slavers for 1000 caps. After this quest is finished, Boone will join you as a companion.
    * Each companion has his own storyline, they evolve and they unlock special features, becoming stronger, having lots of dialogue, and giving you bonuses.
    * Caesar's Legion was defeated by the New California Republic at Hoover Dam and since that battle they retreated east. However, they are now starting to bleed back into Nevada. The Legion kills whom it can't capture, often by crucifixion.
    * J.E. Sawyer says: "You start out sort of thinking 'Oh, the NCR is opposing Caesar's Legion, and Caesar's Legion are slavers, they absorb tribes they find in the wasteland, turn them into slaves, counquer other groups and crucify other people, and do all this nasty stuff. Clearly NCR must be the good guys. But then you start interacting with NCR and it's like, 'well, they're kind of strung really thing, they kind of abuse their power sometimes, they're really brutal in dealing with some of the locals. They do control the water supply kind of unfairly, and they don't allow the power to be distributed outside the Strip or McCarran.' So a lot of it is the practical realities of this very large bureaucratic military that's occupied the territory. And there are things you learn about Caesar's Legion, where Caesar's Legion are brutal and they are nasty and all that stuff, but they also conquered and civilized all these tribes that were just sort of killing each other. So they turned them into a cohesive fighting force and stopped all of this murdering out in the wastes."
    * The NCR forces have retreated to Camp Forlorn Hope after their former camp, Camp Nelson, was overrun by Caesar's Legion, who killed the ones who did not manage to escape.
    * A chat with Private Stone reveals that morale is pretty low. The camp commander reveals that people who were supposed to deliver a crate of supplies disappeared and he asks you to find them or the goods.
    * As it turns out, they were killed by a bunch of fire geckos. You can take the crate and return to the camp.
    * Sawyer says: "Skills can be shortcuts to completing a thing, but it would be nice if there was another way to do it. There are places in the game where if you have an 80 science, you can flip a switch and be done with no problem. IF you don't, thoigh, you can go and do it and it's going to take you a little more effort or it's going to cost you something".
    * After delivering the crate, you are asked to help Doctor Richards in the medical tent. With high Medicine skill, you can diagnose and treat patients, but there are also other ways of completing this mission - you can lie about being a doctor or find a selection of supplies, such as surgical tubing and medical braces. Otherwise, a player can simply say that they don't have any experience and complete the mission.
    * Then it is time to take back Camp Nelson with a bunch of soldiers. You have a choice of either attacking from the north or the eastern ridge.
    * Instead of attacking Nelson, you can also go there for an audience with its new leader, called Dead Sea. He will then ask you to kill the officers at Forlorn Hope. You can either go postal or use C4 charges.
    * Low intelligence dialogue options are back. However, instead of speaking gibberish, dumb characters now simply miss the point of things. "When there's a line that shows a bit of higher intelligence, your character just botches it and says something realy dumb and doesn't get it. That way we can tailor it a little ore, so we're not simply rewriting every single line of dialogue with a dumb version. When it's called for, the player says something extra dumb and the character responds to it. Sometimes it affects you negatively, sometimes it's funny. Sometimes it actually has a positive outcome."
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Emaline on 11 May 2010, 13:26
!!!!!
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 11 May 2010, 13:52
!!!!!!!!!!

November cannot come soon enough.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Emaline on 11 May 2010, 14:09
After this, I walked to game stop and preordered
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 11 May 2010, 14:41
DUDE THANKS FOR ALL THOSE FUCKING SPOILERS
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 11 May 2010, 14:43
i'm excited to make a doofus named Punchworth though. he's going to specialize in Punch
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 11 May 2010, 19:06
I love the naming convetions. Rad Pack and Gomorrah especially are standouts. I also didn't get the association between 'Mr. House' and gambling until they used the phrase 'House always wins'.

Where did the November date come from? Was that part of the GI article?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 11 May 2010, 19:36
All Obsidz / Bethsoft is saying is "Fall". So November's probably a good guess.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Felrender on 11 May 2010, 22:56
Argh all my monies
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Emaline on 12 May 2010, 00:05
The guy at Gamestop said October first, and thats not the first time I've heard that.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 12 May 2010, 00:11
Hmm, Amazon sez November 16th (http://www.amazon.com/Fallout-New-Vegas-Xbox-360/dp/B0028IBTL6). It has the same date fr all 3 versions.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 12 May 2010, 00:25
I also didn't get the association between 'Mr. House' and gambling until they used the phrase 'House always wins'.

i groaned when i read that, it's some b-level batman villain shit (but also very clever and funny)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: satsugaikaze on 12 May 2010, 02:01
I made my personal convention of naming my first Fallout character a woman called Lord McGuy

And then my second character Mister McGuy

And then my third character in Fallout 3 Dude McGuy

I dunno I just thought it was a great exercise in stupid

(Also Amazon has a heck of a lot of games coming out in yonks that are already available to preorder, it's absolutely insane)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 12 May 2010, 02:19
I also didn't get the association between 'Mr. House' and gambling until they used the phrase 'House always wins'.

i groaned when i read that, it's some b-level batman villain shit (but also very clever and funny)

Fallout 2 especially was loaded with that kind of clever but campy humor, so this definitely seems in line with the old Black Isle vision for Fallout. John probably has more intimate knowledge of the leaked design docs than I do, but from what I read of them Van Buren seemed a lot darker and closer to the original Fallout in tone. New Vegas seems like it's kind of striking a balance between the two.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Alex C on 12 May 2010, 02:45
I'm fine either way. The original Fallout was pitch perfect and dark, but it didn't really seem to be screaming for a sequel; my initial experience with the Vault Dweller felt too definitive for me to even get much mileage out of replays. So unlike some of the NMA grognards, I was pleasantly surprised and somewhat grateful when it turned out Fallout 2 was kind of like a vast and Easter egg filled victory lap/bookend to the first game rather than a return to the grim wastelands played straight. What it lacked in heft it made up for with maximum fuckin' around and giving sass potential.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 12 May 2010, 03:39
Fallout 2 especially was loaded with that kind of clever but campy humor, so this definitely seems in line with the old Black Isle vision for Fallout. John probably has more intimate knowledge of the leaked design docs than I do, but from what I read of them Van Buren seemed a lot darker and closer to the original Fallout in tone. New Vegas seems like it's kind of striking a balance between the two.
Van Buren was really dark. It took out a lot of the satirical Fallout winking towards the Science! of 50's sci-fi and replaced it with a lot of existential dread and paranoia, taking on the tone and sensibility of the actual sci-fi that expressed the fears of the Cold War era. There were a lot of nods to classic films / stories of the time - The Andromeda Strain in the Boulder Dome, The Island of Dr. Moreau in The Reservation, The Omega Man in Boulder / Denver, The Manchurian Candidate in the C.O.D.E. system, a lot of Philip K. Dick in the main antagonist and the rogue BoS guys, etc. Josh Sawyer / Ferg have both said that in terms of tone at least, New Vegas has very little to do with Van Buren. The tone seems much lighter. The story seems less personal (in that your character is less unique and important in the story, he/she is just some person that gets roped into the saga via bad luck) VB was going to be the most epic of Fallout games, and New Vegas definitely continues the new trend of there being one gigantic central location that most of the game seems to revolve around.

So yeah, as I always say, I'd give a lot to see Van Buren, but it'll probably never happen (best case scenario is that Obsidian gets to switch off on the license ala Call of Duty pre-ModernWarfaregate and we get all-new stuff continually). Given what we do know about New Vegas there are a couple of things that do seem to have crossed over from Van Buren. Not whole, but piecemeal. For example, in New Vegas the nightkin mutants are schizophrenic through prolonged Stealth Boy use. In Van Buren, the main conflict at the Hoover Dam was caused by a rogue group of Brotherhood of Steel knights who were waging a guerrilla war on their own, as they were driven to insanity via prolonged Stealth Boy use. In New Vegas, Mr. House is (allegedly) a pre-war scientist frozen in stasis and unfrozen post-war, never interacting with other people. In Van Buren, the original idea for Big Bad Dr. Presper was that he was a pre-war scientist frozen in stasis and unfrozen post-war. Additionally there is a pre-war scientist at Los Alamos who became a ghoul when the bombs fell and turned the facility into the Reservation, and he didn't interact with people except via a video monitor outside his compound. Caesar's Legion and the Powder Gangers are from Van Buren as well - Caesar's Legion is more or less taken wholesale from VB, but they were infrequently encountered. Their base of operations was in Texas beyond the dustbowl and they were to be the antagonists of a proposed Black Isle Fallout 4. Their leader was originally a Follower of the Apocalypse. Powder Gangers were NCR convicts given clemency in exchange for paid labor building railroads east from California. In VB, Dr. Presper blows up the NCR Congress while in session and blames it on the Brotherhood, starting a war, and thus the money and orders stop coming from NCR and the Powder Gangers become outlaws. In New Vegas none of the NCR / Brotherhood conflict or expansion via railroad happened, and the Powder Gangers are just dynamite-happy escaped cons.

That's about all I can think of. Hoover Dam was in both games, but it was less pivotal in VB. It was actually a secret bio-weapon test facility where aliens were experimented on, and the water it dammed was full of horrible monsters. You could venture into the waterlogged ruins of the complex and find the stealth armor released as part of the Anchorage DLC for Fallout 3. There was also an NCR city built at the base of the Dam. You could prematurely end the game by blowing up the Dam and flooding the city (with you in it). You might still be able to do something similar.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 12 May 2010, 12:19
i basically spent a day reading through the vault's files on van buren and i gotta admit that while i still have an aversion to turn based isometric anything the game itself would have been absolutely stunning, and if nv does well and obsidian get the opportunity to tell more stories in the fallout universe again i'll be extremely pumped
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 12 May 2010, 12:24
Yeah, it seemed like Chris and Josh had a lot of really good ideas that we'll probably only see traces of in New Vegas and any other Fallout-related properties Obsidian gets to make.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 12 May 2010, 12:37
see, they're idea dudes and if fallout's gonna now be a Monetizable IP or whatever then i get the feeling that we're gonna get to see more and more great stories out of them, and with any luck that'll push bethesda to do more interesting things in the universe as well. when you get down to it i actually liked fallout 3's main quest, and if obsidian's storytelling causes them to step their game up further that can only be a good thing.

still a shame vb got cancelled though. wonder if we'll ever see a fan-based project.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 12 May 2010, 17:56
That's the thing, I saw a theory online that since Bethsoft approached Obsidian with 'pitch us an idea for a Fallout game set in the Western US, and if we like it then we'll contract you to make it', that the overarching plan for Bethesda might be to contract Obsidian (or potentially acquire them outright) for a Call of Duty style arrangement (pre-IW's meltdown, of course) where the teams trade off every 12 or 18 months with Howard's team making the 'numbered' Fallout games on the East Coast and Obsidian making the western spinoffs. On the one hand, that it would be kind of a shame to see Fallout made into a relentlessly sequelized product, and to a certain degree I'd like to see the creative talent at Obsidian chasing whatever crazy whim strikes them. On the other, I think Obsidian's continued involvement will only make the Fallout series better, and since it's effectively a multi-million dollar property now that will give them long-term financial security if they do decide to remain independent so they can do their more offbeat stuff in the time when it's not their turn. Plus, the Western US is where Fallout started, so having the ex-Black Isle guys in control of that part of the Fallout universe seems like the best way to keep that connection alive, however tenuous it might be at this point.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: look out! Ninjas! on 12 May 2010, 19:41
I wouldn't have a problem with the series being turned into a franchise of sorts because the setting is interesting enough and you can do a fiar bit with it.

Inevitably the games will just become bad or at least uninteresting because they offer nothing new though. But if Obsidian are able to fund more interesting projects because of it, then it's still a win.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 12 May 2010, 20:02
Bethsoft has an MMO division but it seems like they'll be tackling Elder Scrolls first. That's the common wisdom, anyhow.

One thing that Bethsoft has mandated has been that no iteration of Fallout from 3 onward can go back in time - that is, if Obsidz wanted to make a game set 5 years after Fallout 2, that would be off-limits as Fallout 3 takes place some 20 years past Fallout 2 (I think), so it's ever-forward. Bethsoft has two more numbered iterations of the game planned, as far as I know.

Speaking of Fallout 2, it will be interesting to see who shows up in New Vegas from that game. The obvious prediction is Marcus, though I don't know how they'll make him look with the new Super Mutant design. Maybe Lenny the Ghoul, though he was hardly a presence in the first game. Sulik's a possibility, since Caesar's Legion are slavers and officially his sister was never recovered (she was to be the leader of a slaving tribal group in Van Buren). Vic will probably be too old, Myron's dead, and they probably want to forget about talking deathclaws so Goris is likely out of the picture. Bethsoft kind of screwed the pooch by  turning Harold into a tree. Who else could show up?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Emaline on 12 May 2010, 21:47
Yeah, but how do trees reproduce? I can see Harold coming back as a seedling. ...kinda
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Dimmukane on 12 May 2010, 22:23
Bethsoft has an MMO division but it seems like they'll be tackling Elder Scrolls first. That's the common wisdom, anyhow.

It's not Bethsoft, it's Zenimax.  Just sayin'.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 12 May 2010, 22:42
Bethesda doesn't have the MMO rights to Fallout, or at least they're currently legally disputed. Interplay was trying to make a Fallout MMO themselves, but I think Bethesda filed suit to block it. I don't know enough about that specific situation to say much, except that if a Fallout MMO will happen at all, it's not happening anytime soon. Personally, I'm really averse to the MMO model, so I'd rather play Fallout by myself in 50-100 hour increments every two years. I think there are interesting ways they could interpret Fallout in an MMO context, but I think it would also be really easy to screw up.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 13 May 2010, 01:23
Bethesda's court injunction against the development of the Interplay MMO was lifted so they're still developing it. Publishing, maybe not.

Also Bethesda screwed the pooch for Harold insofar as his involvement in Van Buren went but on the other hand his arc in F3 was beyond cool and probably one of the best parts of the game, hands down.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 13 May 2010, 02:50
I hate MMO's as much as I hate sport/MoH games. I'd personally be really disappointed if Bethesda/Obsidian waste their time developing an Elder Scrolls/Fallout MMO.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 13 May 2010, 03:03
Quote
Also Bethesda screwed the pooch for Harold insofar as his involvement in Van Buren went but on the other hand his arc in F3 was beyond cool and probably one of the best parts of the game, hands down.
Kind of a Pyrrhic victory, if you ask me. Harold was always special - he looked like a ghoul but he wasn't one, really. Most ghouls are just kind of freaks of radiation exposure, but Harold was a unique creation of FEV, same as the Master (they were both created in the same incident). He was effectively immortal and was going to show up as a side player in every Fallout game. His arc in Fallout 3 is logical given Bob the Head Tree, sure, but I don't think that choice was worth killing off probably the most compelling Fallout character that isn't a dog. Whether or not you kill him off (and I'm pretty sure the canonical choice will be killing him, seeing as how he asks you to do it) he's not showing up again.

Yeah, but how do trees reproduce? I can see Harold coming back as a seedling. ...kinda
The ending of Fallout 2 indicates that the fruit from Harold's head tree spawned a number of supertrees throughout the Wasteland, so we might see one. The fruit was also supposed to be an integral part of the cure for the sterility superbug in Van Buren. We might see a variation on that quest in New Vegas, but I kind of doubt it.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 13 May 2010, 03:44
My favorite part of Fallout 3 was actually probably President Eden, now that I think about it. Malcolm McDowell had the perfect voice for a bombastic statesman, his broadcasts on the Enclave Radio station were great, and the reveal in Raven Rock was a really neat twist. I also liked the Tranquility Lane quest, because it created a new context for Fallout's idealized version of the 50s so they could take it in some interesting directions. Those are certainly the most standout parts in my memory, from the main plot at least. Liberty Prime was also pretty cool, but just in a 'I'm walking beside a giant fucking robot that's tossing nuclear missiles' way.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Emaline on 13 May 2010, 12:23
Tossing them like footballs. That was the best part
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 13 May 2010, 14:15
I've seriously played through F3 like two or three times and I still don't think I've even seen this giant robot.

I mean, I think I might have seen him briefly during the story (you have to escort him somewhere at some point, right?) but I cannot for the life of me remember what he looks like. I guess he was in Operation Anchorage too but I didn't see him once then either.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: evilbobthebob on 13 May 2010, 14:21
No, he wasn't in Anchorage. Liberty Prime never worked until the power requirements were sorted by the Brotherhood. You might vaguely remember it as the big thing in the middle of the Citadel lab.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 13 May 2010, 14:23
ah, yes, I do remember a big robot in a lab.


somehow i thought he'd be...bigger.  :wink:
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 13 May 2010, 21:46
Well there are roughly a billion publishers and developers located in the Bay Area, so it could be he got offered a full-on producer job rather than community management, which is a pretty thankless job in the grand scheme of things. It would be nice to hear him back with the old crew at Giant Bomb, though.
Rorie did in fact go back to Giant Bomb, but tangentially - he's writing and appearing for Screened (http://www.screened.com), which is Giant Bomb's new TV / Movie division. Diversification!
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 15 May 2010, 15:00
New Screenz:

(http://img243.imageshack.us/img243/3743/800pxfnvscreenshotncrvs.jpg)

(http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/2221/800pxfnvscreenshotdinky.jpg)

(http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/3189/800pxfnvscreenshotprimm.jpg)

Notice the detail on the Super Mutant head. I'm assuming that's to allow SMs to communicate with the same stiff fidelity that humans and ghouls can.

Quote from: J.E. Sawyer
The Super Mutant heads were remodeled and the body texture was mirrored so the artist could devote more space to the head texture.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 15 May 2010, 17:52
Plus they look a little more like the Fallout 1 & 2 mutants this way.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: satsugaikaze on 15 May 2010, 18:01
The graphics really are starting to age quite a bit, but ohwell it doesn't matter because it still looks fucking sweet


Wait so what was the issue with the Super Mutant Heads from the first game?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 15 May 2010, 21:33
(http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/4646/2cndyfa.jpg)

A lot of the model textures weren't of the highest quality.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 15 May 2010, 21:50
i started playin F3 on an HDTV really recently and that shitty phone camera shot doesn't really do the game justice - the graphics have held up alright, except for the movements of their stupid mouths but who cares cause if you're watching them talk it means you aren't doing the right thing and shooting them in their ugly faces
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: look out! Ninjas! on 15 May 2010, 22:14
You never took Fawkes as a companion, did you?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 16 May 2010, 00:55
haha of course i did he had a huge minigun i just don't give a shit about texture quality
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 16 May 2010, 03:05
I'd loved the guy even more if he occasionally ran out of ammo and started using the minigun as a melee weapon. The super sledge is awesome, but doesn't have as much comedic value.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 16 May 2010, 03:14
Those who get F:NV for the PC can hack their companions into being invincible and give them boxing gloves. That will be fun.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LTK on 16 May 2010, 07:21
(http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/2221/800pxfnvscreenshotdinky.jpg)

I'd love to hear the context for this screenshot.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 16 May 2010, 08:11
Isn't that the dinosaur with snipers in it's jaws from some of the previews?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 16 May 2010, 11:46
That's Dinky the Dinosaur. Based on some kitschy toursit attraction in California, from what I understand. I posted a list of details from Game Informer a bit earlier which outlines the quest associated with it.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 18 May 2010, 14:08
alright, put $20 bucks down on the CE while I was picking up Red Dead Redemption.

I'm not really all about collector's editions but I want that graphic novel, and more money going to the people who made it is okay in my book.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 19 May 2010, 03:40
That's Dinky the Dinosaur. Based on some kitschy toursit attraction in California, from what I understand. I posted a list of details from Game Informer a bit earlier which outlines the quest associated with it.

I actually think the Dinky the Dinosaur town is in Nevada, not California, although it's near the border between the two states. Also, the box art was posted a while ago but I forgot to mention that I think the look of the NCR Ranger makes for a really striking cover design. They just look sinister as hell, even though NCR was pretty benevolent in the old Fallout game and are supposed to be morally ambiguous this time around.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: satsugaikaze on 19 May 2010, 07:36
Yeah that was a screenshot of Fawkes, practically the only super mutant you don't really have the liberty to shoot into a bloody mess


Yes I remember seeing a screenshot once of a guy inside this strange room with sort of mouth/teeth-like opening as a window. I suspect this is the exact same room/guy being blown up.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 23 May 2010, 16:31
New info from German preview. Some spoilers vis a vis setting follow!

Quote
    - Vault 21 is an underground vault and lies under New Vegas.
    - The NCR has lost contact to the west and is demoralized and underequipped due to the war with Caesar’s Legion.
    - Caesar’s Legion dominates New Vegas.
    - The NCR was fighting hard against the Brotherhood of Steel for Hoover Dam. The NCR has won this battle, barely.
    - The NCR troops at McCarren Airport lost the contact to Hoover Dam as well.
    - The main task of the courier has been to deliver a package to Primm. Then he got ambushed…
    - The small and big weapons skills are merged into one weapon skill.
    - Every weapon that made some asplozions before (like the rocket launcher or FatMan), are now in the skill category Explosives.
    - Repcon, a former rocket factory, is supposedly inhabited by ghouls. As of late, explosions can be heard from there all the time.
    - Craig Boon, one of the possible companions, will attack the player, if he sides with the Caesar’s Legion.
    - The orbital laser Archimedes 2 can only be used once a day.
    - New monster: Cacadores, they look like bloatflies with shiny / colourful wings.
    - Something like Bobbleheads will be in New Vegas as well and it will boost players stats. What it will be exactly isn’t known yet.

If this info is correct, the NCR looks to be also lifted almost wholesale from Van Buren. At first glance, at least.

I'm also surprised that Bethsoft would allow Josh to fiddle with the skills like that. It jibes with the uncompleted SIMPLE (http://falloutpnp.wikia.com/wiki/Simple:_Main_Page) system that he made for VB.

Also, screenies from The Strip -

(http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/1314/fallout01481x300.png)
(http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/7223/fallout02485x300.png)
(http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/3084/fallout03480x300.png)
(http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/2594/fallout04483x300.png)
(http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/3743/fallout05461x300.png)
(http://img709.imageshack.us/img709/7449/fallout06463x300.png)
(http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/8176/fallout07463x300.png)
(http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/3420/fallout08469x300.png)
(http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/1518/fallout09468x300.png)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 23 May 2010, 18:00
want
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: look out! Ninjas! on 24 May 2010, 05:25
want
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: David_Dovey on 24 May 2010, 08:43
Haha what is going on with that Californian flag in the third shot?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 24 May 2010, 11:12
NCR's flag has always had the two-headed bear, although the design was a lot less like the actual California flag in Fallouts 1 and 2, if I recall correctly.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 24 May 2010, 14:34
Skill alteration is confirmed by Josh, and there's gonna be some confusion as to what the dissolution of the Big Guns skill means for the others. Basically big machine guns / miniguns -> omnibus guns skill, rocket / grenade launchers -> explosives skill, and flamethrowers -> energy weapons.

Also if you try and build an energy weapon without the requisite skill requirements, they don't come out degraded as in F3, they look fine until you actually try and use them, in which case they have a random chance of exploding.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 24 May 2010, 23:08
Quote from: Josh
Gun chat.

In 1997, I played the original Fallout. Like the games that followed it, Fallout had Small Guns, Big Guns, and Energy Weapons. In F1, the gun skills were designed for phased obsolescence. If you tagged Big Guns or Energy Weapons early on, you would not be able to gain much, if any, benefit from it for a long time. Even back then, I thought this was problematic. Before playing the game, players could not know how content would limit the applicability of weapons. Ultimately, it came down to three weapons: the minigun, rocket launcher, and flamer. Large, with heavy ammo, and either burst or AoE only. In Fallout 3, the list of Big Guns was expanded to include the fat man, rock-it launcher, and gatling laser. In most situations, these weapons were all still at least mid-power at their weakest. In talking to people in person and online, and in reading online commentary, I found that people were also still unclear on what marked the clear division between Small Guns and Big Guns (and even Energy Weapons, in the case of the Gatling Laser). Certainly the UI could be improved to help with this (something we have already done for F:NV), but it conceptually was a sticking point.

When I was looking at Big Guns for F:NV, I considered that the list of weapons was small compared to any other weapon category and several of the weapons arguably belonged (or at least could be easily categorized) elsewhere. Moving the Big Guns to different weapon skills and dissolving the Big Guns skill would allow weapons like the minigun to remain as a powerful top tier weapon without needing to invent low-tier "Big Guns" that might further confuse the dividing line. Coming up with a wide power spectrum of Guns, Energy Weapons, and Explosives would not be hard at all. Since our skill point economy is more frugal (I'll delve into this another time) and since we do have Strength requirements on weapons (resulting in increased sway for firearms and a decreased rate of fire for melee/unarmed), where you invest your skill points and SPECIAL points is still pretty important. A fully upgraded minigun wielded by a character with high Guns and high Strength cuts down rooms of people like a scythe, even at relatively long range. In the hands of an unskilled, low Strength character, it sprays a lot of bullets all over the place.

The exact categorization of weapons in F:NV isn't rooted in the logic of transferable skills from real life, but it's arguable they never were previously, either (missile launcher/flamer/minigun, for example). The categorizations have more to do with being clear and consistent with definitions. It follows this basic pattern:

* Does it explode? It's an Explosive.
* Does it use Small Energy Cells, Microfusion Cells, or other energy ammo? It's an Energy Weapon.
* Does it use conventional bullets of some flavor as ammo? It's a Gun.

So while it's accurate to say that Big Guns no longer exists as a category, it's not accurate to say that Big Guns and Small Guns were combined. The weapons in Big Guns were divided among the other weapon skills.

I know not everyone will be happy with this re-organization, but those are the reasons for the change. I hope the reasons are clear, even if you disagree with the decision. Thanks.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 26 May 2010, 05:18
That makes a lot of sense. It was a big hassle in Fallout 1&2 to change from small guns to heavy/energy midway through the game, and in the endgame, you probably had 60-90 in small arms that was doing no good whatsoever. Fallout 3 had similar problems, although you could pretty easily max almost all skills. Now you can invest points in explosives early on for the grenades, and then start using it for the rocket launcher later, which is a pretty awesome way to make explosives a skill you use all through the game. I'm just wondering if they are going to have a early game energy weapon that makes it worthwhile to invest in that skill early on as well.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Felrender on 26 May 2010, 06:13
So, they're turning Endurance into just health, then?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 26 May 2010, 07:26
Where did you read that?

The only things I remember EN affecting in F3 were health and rad resistance (possibly the Outdoorsman skill as well), and radiation was pretty much a joke in that game, so if that is true, It won't be a huge deal.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Felrender on 26 May 2010, 07:43
Endurance was the Unarmed and Big Guns skills.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 26 May 2010, 08:04
Riiight. Outdoorsman wasn't even in F3 either.

Oh well. EN still retains its most important attributes.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Felrender on 26 May 2010, 13:23
Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining.  Although it was nice that making an unarmed-centric character turned you into an unassailable walking fortress.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 26 May 2010, 20:46
First confirmed VA! it's THIS GUY (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0041281/)!

(http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/8572/rene08tiny.jpg)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: David_Dovey on 26 May 2010, 23:41
FUCKING ODO
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: David_Dovey on 26 May 2010, 23:41
(and Paul from Boston Legal but mostly FUCKING ODO)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 27 May 2010, 00:55
I have no idea who that guy is. Where was it 'confirmed', and does it say who he's playing?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 27 May 2010, 01:05
His Twitter account confirmed says he's currently working VA on Fallout: New Vegas. No word on who he plays.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: David_Dovey on 27 May 2010, 01:49
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a55/ddovey/odo.jpg)

!
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 27 May 2010, 02:25
Did you just make that yourself, or what?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: David_Dovey on 27 May 2010, 04:21
Nah it's been sitting in my Photobucket account for years. Originally based on a pretty complex chain of memes from another forum I post on. Pretty stoked I got to use it again.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 28 May 2010, 13:29
EBGames preorder in Oz:

(http://blogfile.paran.com/BLOG_205498/201005/1275023204_preorder.jpg)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 28 May 2010, 13:43
HAH
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Felrender on 29 May 2010, 01:02
It's from Australia.  Be thankful it's understandable.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: johnny5 on 01 Jun 2010, 21:19
yeahso im still playing F3, im going to play this so long since it has gambling in it

im also a poker champ in RDR
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Emaline on 02 Jun 2010, 13:31
Yeah, I still play f3 just about everyday. There is so much to explore and do, and its fun, and I love it.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 04 Jun 2010, 13:48
First video, apparently (http://xbox360.ign.com/dor/objects/14341976/fallout-new-vegas/videos/falloutnv_vdp_060310_v3.html).

There might also be some Wayne Newton VA. That would be fun.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 04 Jun 2010, 14:25
New stuff from interviews.

Quote
We created a new crafting interface for the game that is quite extensive. Initially it was only going to apply to the Survival skill, but we expanded it to use a variety of skills at different locations. Crafting ranges from cooking raw meat into steak at a campfire to hand loading custom ammunition from spent shell casings at a reloading bench. I think people will really enjoy it.

Quote
We've tried to avoid wacky contraptions for the most part. In the Fallout universe, the western portion of the United States is a lot more industrialized and generally "with it" than the east. As a result, most of the mods are of the traditional variety.

We have a large number of traditional firearms in the game and there are a lot of mods for those weapons: extended magazines for pistols, larger ammunition drums for submachine guns, custom high-speed actions for lever action rifles, silencers, suppressors, and so on. We also have mods for energy weapons and explosives, like focus optics for the laser rifle (increases damage), and the "Little Boy" kit for the Fat Man, which drastically reduces its weight.

From what we’ve seen so far, the engine looks untouched from a visual standpoint. Is there anything you’re trying to do to make New Vegas a better visual package from Fallout 3 or is it more of the “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it” mantra? I see we have blue skies now!

We did not want to delve too deeply into the rendering technology because of the relatively short development cycle. One element that we have changed is how the level of detail system works for distant objects. Specifically, they can now support material shaders, including emissives. We also implemented an "imposter" system that allows us to more convincingly represent distant buildings and effects. This was important for us because light pollution from casinos is such an important element of seeing Vegas from the desert.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: satsugaikaze on 05 Jun 2010, 23:45
Good to see they're putting in new things into the Fallout mechanics in the right direction. It's nice to see a new survival dimension.

It's from Australia.  Be thankful it's understandable.

What are you insinuating I do not like what you are insinuating
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Emaline on 06 Jun 2010, 00:13
I'm pretty much counting down the days until I can go pick up my collector's edition. I want it now :(
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 06 Jun 2010, 00:52
Quote
Places:

- The Lucky 38 has a restaurant that circles around its own axis.

- Another Vegas Building mentioned: "Ultra Deluxe Resort", a grey monolith with a big fountain in front of it. There are half-naked drunken girls playing in the water and a security robot as well as human "military cops" try to get them out.

- The "Tops" Building has its own band called "The RAD Pack" ahahahhaha oh boy.

- Vault 21 is also a hotel.

- "The game isn't set directy at the pacific coast, but veterans may recognize some connection-points, the NCR for example." (!!!)

- The Primm casino is called "Bison Steves Casino".

- A rocket-factory called "Repcon" is mentioned, and it is rumored to be home to a colony of ghouls. Explosions can be heard frequently.

- A place for poor people called "Freemont" is mentioned.


[Quest Spoilers]

- There are NCR and Legion camps in a constant firefight northeast of Novac. The NCR camp is called "Forlorn Hope", the Legion camp "Nelson". As usual, the NCR camp has no connection to other NCR posts or backup supplies. You have to find a missing NCR troop who was supposed to get some supplies. (If you side with them) The missing troop visited the Helios One NCR outpost and got lost on the way back. You'll eventually find out they were killed by Cacadores (Bloatflies with butterfly wings) and retrieve the supplies. Later on you can help the NCR camps doctor if you have a high medicine skill. You'll need to amputate legs and arms. If your medicine skill isn't very high you can still gather some materials like Med-X, bandaged and bone-saws. Soon the camp will be ready to attack the Caesars Legion camp and you get to decide from what direction the NCR troops will attack (and if you are on the front or watch the fun from behind as a marksman)

[/Spoilers]

Weapons:

- A "claw-glove" is mentioned. Its special VATS attack is a "cross-chop". (Thats either a deathclaw gaunlet or something new.)

- The Varmint Rifle has a better chance to score critial hits when fired at limbs. - The "Cowboy-Repeater" can penetrate light armor.

- Flamethrower moved to energy weapons.

- Some mods are mentioned: Laser-pointer and Stabilizer(for lesser Minigun spread) - Standard-modifications don't need any talent, but advanced ones have a requirement. (What exactly isn't mentioned)

Skills:

- The new Survival skill influences how effective food and heal items are. You can also create consumable items like stimpacks with the right plans and material.

Enemies:

- Golden- and firegeckos are considerably stronger than normal geckos as usual.

- There will be wild Big Horns who can be easily provoked. (Not initially hostile creatures?)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 08 Jun 2010, 15:24
Quote from: Jason Bergman, Bethsoft Producer Guy
Fallout: New Vegas uses Steamworks for achievements and other features (such as friends lists, cloud storage of user preferences and so on). Use of Steam will be mandatory at retail. So what does that mean? We’ve implemented Steamworks in as light and unobtrusive a way as possible. Yes, you will have to install Steam when you install Fallout: New Vegas if you don’t already have it. And yes, you will have to be online at the time of that initial install. However you can install the game on as many systems as you want (with no restrictions!), and you do not have to be online to play the game after your initial activation. Not only that, but once the game has activated on Steam, you can throw out the game DVD entirely and just download the game over Steam. If you don’t even have a DVD drive, you can just take the CD-Key from the box, enter it into Steam, and download it without ever using the disc at all.

For those concerned, this will have no affect on mod development whatsoever. Modders will still be able to create and distribute their plugins the same way they have in the past.

We made the decision to use Steam after looking at all the various options out there and decided that it provided the best, least intrusive experience for PC gamers. We think you’ll agree.

Quote
About a month ago, we asked all of you to start submitting your Fallout: New Vegas questions to be answered by the team at Obsidian. Today we're kicking it off with 12 answers. We'll be posting more questions next week.

You guys submitted tons of great questions. The following questions were answered by Obsidian Entertainment's Josh Sawyer -- Project Director on New Vegas.

And away we go!

Will perks be available every level, every other level, every third level, etc.?
From OakTable via Bethesda Blog

Josh Sawyer: We have shifted the perk rate to a game setting within the GECK. We currently have it set to one perk every two levels. Internal feedback to it has been mixed, so it's too early to say if we will keep it at this setting.

Will we be able to level past 20? Or 30?
From Justin via Facebook

JS: Our level cap is 30.

Will the PC retail game be able to be activated via Steam?
From @litrock via Twitter

Jason Bergman, Senior Producer at Bethesda Softworks: Yes. Fallout: New Vegas will fully utilize the Steamworks SDK. This means that retail PC copies will activate via Steam. We are also using Steam for achievements and other features (but not multiplayer, of course. FNV remains a single player only game).

I’m assuming that you are reusing some of the animations from Fallout 3. Have you done anything to improve these or are they going to stay the same way that they did in Fallout 3?
From Zearox via Bethesda Blog

Josh Sawyer: We started our animation work by determining what new animations we needed, what existing animations we thought needed revision, and what else we could revise. We have already changed some of the core combat animations (for example, all first-person firearm aim animations have been revised) as well as creature animations (our "West Coast" Super Mutants have new idles, walk, and run cycles).

Can you confirm 'Dogmeat' will be a companion?
From Barry via Facebook

JS: The Mojave Wasteland is full of dogs. Who knows who will want to be your pal this time around?

You hinted at multiple ammo choices being available. How deep are you going with that? Will that only be regular and AP ammo?
From DanishMIKI via Bethesda Blog

JS: What ammunition sub-types are available to the player depends on the base type. Not all ammunition types have standard, hollow point, and armor piercing variants. For example, there is no armor piercing .22 ammunition. In addition to "standard" ammunition, hollow point and armor piercing are the two most common variants. 20 gauge and 12 gauge shotguns have slug variants in addition to the standard (buckshot). Some calibers also have +P (overpressure) rounds, military surplus rounds (bought in bulk, increased power, increased wear on the weapon), or hand loads. Hand loads are always built at reloading benches in the world and can take a number of different forms. For example, you can craft .308 Jacketed Soft Points or .45-70 Gov't Semi-Wadcutters with very "hot" loads.

Energy Weapons and Explosives can also use ammunition subtypes. Some energy ammunition has "over charge" or "bulk" variants, the former being high-powered but damaging to the weapon and the latter being cheap but under-powered. 25mm grenades (used in the grenade machinegun) have a high explosive variant and 40mm grenades have an incendiary variant.

Are the Super Mutants in the screen shots graphical stand ins? Will they eventually have the unique appearance of the Mariposa Super Mutants from FO1 & FO2 (as seen in talking head dialogues), or will they appear as they do in the screen shots, almost identical to FO3 Vault 87 mutants?
From Chadious Maximus via Bethesda Blog

JS: Our early Super Mutant and Nightkin models were placeholders. All of them have been re-textured, slightly remodeled, and re-animated to more closely resemble the Mariposa Super Mutants.

Will the ending slides for all of the settlements return in New Vegas?
From @B3nt0k via Twitter

JS: We may not hit every single group or location, but our ending is pretty comprehensive in what it covers.

What other creatures are in New Vegas, and is it possible to see concept art of a new creature?
From Richard via Facebook

JS: One of my favorites is the Cazador. Cazadores are mutated tarantula hawk wasps that have found their way north from the Sonoran Desert. They aren't very durable, but their poison is deadly and they are very creepy looking.
Cazador Concept Art

Will each faction have a radio station?
From @hawker101 via Twitter

JS: Not every faction has a radio station, but I hope people are happy with the radio stations, DJs, and music selection we have.

Will there be any sort of party involved? A few companions to tag along?
From Rui via Facebook

JS: Yes. The player may have one humanoid and one non-humanoid companion at any given time.

Will you get to meet that badass from the teaser trailer?
From @Xenoliath via Twitter

JS: Eventually. :)

(http://static.bethsoft.com/blog/cazador%20(2).jpg)
Dev Diary from Feargus (http://fallout.bethsoft.com/eng/vault/diaries_diary12-06.08.10.html).

 
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 08 Jun 2010, 15:58
So much more awesome than bloatflies.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 08 Jun 2010, 16:04
they really should include more bugs in the Fallout games.

I mean, if you think about it, bugs are way more prevalent than mammals or reptiles so it seems logical that there would be a shitload of mutated bugs scurrying around, and not nearly as many mutated..other things.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 08 Jun 2010, 16:11
they really should include more bugs in the Fallout games.

Obsidian should be way ahead of you

whaBAM
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 08 Jun 2010, 16:37
It'd be awesome if I could get xbox and steam versions without having to drop any extra cash.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 08 Jun 2010, 17:09
they really should include more bugs in the Fallout games.

Obsidian should be way ahead of you

whaBAM

Boom. I'd expect that sort of snarky comment to come from me, not you.

For the record, I have no idea if there's any truth to it whatsoever but New Vegas's Giant Bomb wiki page now has a release date of November 16th. Dunno if somebody has insider info or if they're just pulling it out of their ass, but I suspect the game will be getting a definite date at E3 either way so we should find out soon.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 08 Jun 2010, 18:29
(http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/9720/fnvcaravanpack.jpg)

Preorder bonus from Ozn game retailer GAME
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Emaline on 08 Jun 2010, 18:44
For the record, I have no idea if there's any truth to it whatsoever but New Vegas's Giant Bomb wiki page now has a release date of November 16th. Dunno if somebody has insider info or if they're just pulling it out of their ass, but I suspect the game will be getting a definite date at E3 either way so we should find out soon.


I swear somewhere said October 1st. Now, I could be mixing this up with Fable 3, but I think thats November something, and Fallout New Vegas is October 1st.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 08 Jun 2010, 19:24
Preorder bonus from Ozn game retailer GAME

Game is the best: free postage, approx. $20 pre-order discount and the most understandable bonus packs.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 08 Jun 2010, 21:13
they really should include more bugs in the Fallout games.

Obsidian should be way ahead of you

whaBAM

*softshoes to stage left, exits*
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Dimmukane on 08 Jun 2010, 21:30
looks like there are gonna be some friggin cool weapons in this game
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 09 Jun 2010, 02:26
Maybe Obiz could teach Valve a lesson on making a new game with the same engine in a short amount of time?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 09 Jun 2010, 03:03
For the record, I have no idea if there's any truth to it whatsoever but New Vegas's Giant Bomb wiki page now has a release date of November 16th. Dunno if somebody has insider info or if they're just pulling it out of their ass, but I suspect the game will be getting a definite date at E3 either way so we should find out soon.


I swear somewhere said October 1st. Now, I could be mixing this up with Fable 3, but I think thats November something, and Fallout New Vegas is October 1st.

That sounds like a placeholder date to me, frankly. October 1st isn't even a Tuesday, which is when 95% of games are released for whatever reason.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LTK on 09 Jun 2010, 07:57
This game is really shaping up to be one of the few I'm genuinely looking forward to, and what's more important, one that's almost definitely not going to suck.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 09 Jun 2010, 10:28
That sounds like a placeholder date to me, frankly. October 1st isn't even a Tuesday, which is when 95% of games are released for whatever reason.

it's because that's when albums have been traditionally released! the more you know.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 09 Jun 2010, 11:02
Is there a reason for albums being released on Tuesdays?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Emaline on 09 Jun 2010, 11:25
Because the gods willed it that way.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Cire27 on 09 Jun 2010, 15:14
http://ask.yahoo.com/20040217.html
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 09 Jun 2010, 15:19
Quote from: Jason Bergman, Bethsoft PR Guy (http://twitter.com/loonyboi/status/15784695894)
The FNV E3 trailer is *awesome*. Look for it on Friday on @GameTrailers. http://is.gd/cIRhh
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Dimmukane on 09 Jun 2010, 15:40
hehehe

he ain't kiddin
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 10 Jun 2010, 10:33
The Ozn pre-orders have been expanded to the rest of the world (http://bethblog.com/index.php/2010/06/10/fallout-new-vegas-digital-pre-sell-packs-now-available/).

Quote
(http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/1433/fnvclassicpackblog1.jpg)

We’re pleased to announce Fallout: New Vegas  digital pre-order packs are now available in North America through participating retailers and will be available worldwide soon. The Classic, Tribal, Caravan, and Mercenary packs each contain in-game items offered exclusively through GameStop, Amazon, Steam, Walmart  and Best Buy.

More details after the break…

The Classic Pack (pictured above), available when you pre-order through GameStop, contains:

    * Armored Vault 13 Suit – Extensively patched up and dotted with piecemeal armor, this outfit is an homage to the classic ending of the original Fallout.
    * Vault 13 Canteen – This handy device is useful for staving off dehydration and providing a small amount of healing in the Mojave Wasteland.
    * Weathered 10mm Pistol – A well-worn 10mm pistol that packs an extra punch despite its modest size.
    * 5 Stimpaks – Food and water are good for long-term healing, but when the fighting is fierce, Stimpaks help keep Wastelanders upright.

(http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/5210/fnvtribalpackblog1.jpg)

The Tribal Pack, available when you pre-order through Amazon, contains:

    * Tribal Raiding Armor – Pieced together from scraps of armor, this outfit provides protection without impacting mobility.
    * Broad Machete – This heavy-bladed melee weapon does high damage against limbs and can quickly deal out a flurry of attacks.
    * 5 Bleak Venom doses – Useful on any Melee Weapon, Bleak Venom makes short of work of most living targets.
    * 10 Throwing Spears – If you would like to silently pin an enemy’s head to a wall, Throwing Spears are the way to do it.

(http://img295.imageshack.us/img295/7480/fnvcaravanpackblog1.jpg)

The Caravan Pack, available when you pre-order through Steam and Walmart, contains:

    * Lightweight Leather Armor – This hand-modified suit of leather armor reduces its overall weight without impacting its ability to protect.
    * Sturdy Caravan Shotgun – Despite its rough appearance, this Caravan Shotgun will reliably fire 20 gauge shells until the Brahmin come home.
    * 4 Repair Kits – Useful for repairing any outfit or weapon, Repair Kits are a valuable tool for any caravaner.
    * Binoculars – The Mojave Wasteland is a dangerous place, but with these trusty Binoculars you’ll be able to spot trouble coming.

(http://static.bethsoft.com/blog/fnv-mercenarypackblog1.jpg)

The Mercenary Pack, available when you pre-order through Best Buy, contains:

    * Lightweight Metal Armor – Modified for long-range travel, this Metal Armor sacrifices some protection for mobility and overall weight.
    * Mercenary’s Grenade Rifle – Though similar to other 40mm Grenade Rifles in the Mojave Wasteland, this model has a faster reload cycle.
    * 3 Super Stimpaks – When you absolutely, positively, need to keep your blood inside your body, Super Stimpaks fix you up in no time.
    * 3 Doctors Bags – Mercenaries and broken limbs go together like Iguana-on-a-Stick and Nuka Cola.  Thankfully, these Doctors Bags take a bit of sting out of the inevitable crushed skull.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Felrender on 10 Jun 2010, 10:34
oh god I want all of them
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Emaline on 10 Jun 2010, 12:36
I'm actually pretty pleased with what I've getting. I have a feeling that canteen will come in handy.

Also, did anybody read the comments? What a bunch of whiners.

Quote
I’m not a big fan of pre-order exclusives, but having 5 different packs? I’m not really liking this, nor other news about Fallout:NV
    Left by Thorgal on June 10th, 2010

Ok.....so why keep following it? If you haven't liked it yet, why continue to torture yourself? Hey guys, I made a pie out of shit and grass, and I gotta say, it's pretty awful. But I'm gonna keep eating it. Maybe if I add more shit it'll be better.

Quote
i have already pre-ordered a copy of new-vegas though Gamestop! will i B getting this ??? :S PLZ ! i hope so
    Left by Bjarni on June 10th, 2010

I know you said you preordered through gamestop, and I know they just posted that gamestop will have an exclusive pack for preoders, but, no. You didn't pass the intelligence test so you don't get to have any of the preorder stuff.

Quote
I’ll be honest, Im still not that wowed by FNV. It just looks like more Fallout 3, which I have had my fill of. Unless it can blow me away before release I will probably give it a miss.
    Left by Jack on June 10th, 2010

Look, I understand what you are saying, but maybe you should post it elsewhere? Like where people are actually talking about the game, and not stuff they are getting for preordering the game. Here you just look like a whiner.  :roll:



(sorry, maybe I'm just bitchy today)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LTK on 10 Jun 2010, 13:46
No pre-order discount on Steam? They must really expect big sales for this one, especially with the huge front-page-filling ad. Still, €50 is a good price.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Ozymandias on 10 Jun 2010, 13:57
The Caravan pack is for Steam as well as Walmart.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 10 Jun 2010, 14:33
F3 runs perfectly well on late 2009 model 15" Mac Book Pro and I also have an Xbox. I don't know which to get :|
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LTK on 10 Jun 2010, 14:41
The Caravan pack is for Steam as well as Walmart.

I know. I said discount. There's usually 5 or 10% off for people who pre-order on the newest titles on Steam. RUSE has got one right now, but clearly they're counting on more enough people pre-ordering F:NV for full price.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 10 Jun 2010, 15:23
F3 runs perfectly well on late 2009 model 15" Mac Book Pro and I also have an Xbox. I don't know which to get :|

And if it's a viable choice between PC and console, get PC. It's just the best choice. Forget DLC, the mod community will be at least as fruitful.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 11 Jun 2010, 22:29
E3 gameplay trailer (http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2010-fallout-new/101172).
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 11 Jun 2010, 23:14
Yep, that sure does look like Fallout 3. Some of the new weapons look cool, but I'm pretty much sold on this game already and the only thing I really want to know more details about are the story and characters.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Emaline on 12 Jun 2010, 08:37
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I want to go buy it now! I am so excited!!!
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 12 Jun 2010, 15:43
There's bethsoft sale on steam to celebrate the pre-release, I got Morrowind and Oblivion for a song (75 and 66% off repectively).
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: satsugaikaze on 13 Jun 2010, 02:25
Having most of my experience of Fallout 3 based on just the original unexpanded game, binoculars would have been such a vital tool in a Wanderer's equipment in Fallout 3. I only thought of it now when I saw "Binoculars" as part of one of them bonus packs.

Come to think of it it would have been such a better alternative to having to stare down a sniper scope to survey everything. Ah well, you can't have everything.

Needless to say, though, I am excite.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 13 Jun 2010, 15:35
There's bethsoft sale on steam to celebrate the pre-release, I got Morrowind and Oblivion for a song (75 and 66% off repectively).

Can you mod them as easily when they're on steam?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 13 Jun 2010, 15:41
Yes. Steam still gives you the launcher app, so if you put .esm's and .esp's and .bat's in the data folder the game can launch with them.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 14 Jun 2010, 12:01
October 19 in the US, 22 in the EU (http://www.joystiq.com/2010/06/14/fallout-new-vegas-vaporizing-mutants-on-oct-19-in-us-oct-22-in/).
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 14 Jun 2010, 21:44
That's a good date for it. Well within the holiday buying season, but before the real heavy hitters like Call of Duty where it could potentially get lost.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 15 Jun 2010, 12:10
Quote
Here's the second half of answers for our New Vegas fan interview.

Thanks for submitting the questions, and special thanks to Josh Sawyer for taking the time to answer them.

How many new perks are there planned to be included in Fallout: New Vegas?
From Oerjeke via Bethesda Blog

Project Director Josh Sawyer: A lot. We've removed some old perks, modified some existing perks, and added a bunch of new ones. We believe that New Vegas' selection of perks will make the selection process difficult but rewarding for the player.

Will the Fallout: New Vegas Version of the GECK ship with the game, or be downloadable on release?
From @The3rdType via Twitter

JS: Yes. In addition to the normal GECK functionality F3 modders have come to expect, the F:NV GECK will allow modification of ammo lists, ammo subtypes, the hardcore "basic needs" rates, and a lot of the other new bits of data we have added. It will also contain the F:NV dialogue editor, which can be used with or without the standard F3 dialogue editor.

Will Area 51 be in the game?
From Daniel via Facebook

JS: Area 51 is a bit too far outside of our Mojave Wasteland to include.

What type of graphics options will there be? DX 9/10/11?
From @Z999z3mystorys via Twitter

JS: F:NV's renderer still uses DX9.

Will there be character "traits" as in the classic Fallout games?
From @TheBearPaw via Twitter

JS: Yes. During character creation, you will have the option to select one or two traits. Traits include some of the classics, like Small Frame (in F:NV it gives a bonus to AG but you break limbs more easily), and new ones, like Four Eyes (bonus to PE while wearing glasses, penalty while not).

What kinds of Companions will we see this time round.
From @Neo_Wolf via Twitter

JS: We have a varied cast of companions ranging from Raul the ghoul mechanic to Boone the ex-NCR sniper to some more unusual fellows. Each of the companions has their own personal conflict the player can help resolve. These conflicts can be relatively simple to address or they can involve major quests that span the Mojave Wasteland.

Will there be anything like Fallout 3's bobbleheads in New Vegas to collect?
From @Neon0x via Twitter

JS: Yes, there will be something similar to bobbleheads in the game, and you'll receive an in-game reward for finding them. That said, they do not give you SPECIAL or skill bonuses when found.

In Fallout 3, it was easy to max out most, if not all, of your skills. Is anything being done to prevent this?
From Ryan via Facebook

JS: We have done several things to adjust the skill point economy. First and foremost, the formula for calculating skill points per level has changed. We are still experimenting with what formula to use, but a 10 IN will likely not boost a character's skills as much as it did in F3.

Most of the skill boosting perks have been removed, which means that method of advancing skills no longer exists. Skill books now give +3 skill points, +4 with Comprehension, but there are far fewer skill books in the world. This both reduces how much of a boost skill books will give overall and reduces the impact of Comprehension on that value (don't worry, Comprehension also gives a bonus to skill magazines, so it has more broad applicability). Our "Bobblehead equivalent" does not give SPECIAL or skill bonuses, so those are also removed from the skill point economy.

Are Bottlecaps the source of currency or will it be poker chips?
From Rob via Facebook

JS: Bottlecaps are the main currency in the Mojave Wasteland. Bottlecaps are a water-backed currency controlled and regulated by NCR merchant caravans. The caravan houses conspired to re-introduce the currency when traders lost faith in NCR money. This loss of faith was the result of the NCR moving from a gold-backed currency to fiat currency due to repeated attacks on NCR gold reserves by the Brotherhood of Steel. Though the transition helped stabilize NCR's economy, NCR dollars are devalued compared to bottlecaps and even more devauled when compared with the third form of currency: Legion coins. Caesar's Legion mints silver and gold coins from captured pre-war material. Despite the NCR's running conflict with the Legion, merchants and citizens throughout the Mojave Wasteland accept all three forms of currency.

Poker chips are used by all functional casinos. Each casino has its own chips that must be used for gambling. Players can exchange any form of currency for chips and can receive their payout in any form of currency. Mr. House doesn't let the ongoing war get in the way of potential profits.

Will you be able to marry or even bettter marry a super mutant?
From Josh via Facebook

JS: Only in your dreams.

Will we be able to keep playing once we beat the game with this one?
From Sean via Facebook

JS: This is something we really wanted to do, but ultimately we realized that supporting post-endgame content would jeopardize the quality of the ending, which we wanted to tell the definitive stories for all of our major factions, locations and characters. Instead, after the credits roll the game will prompt you to reload a save created just before the endgame sequence, allowing players to go back and complete any quests they may have missed. Additionally, we make it very clear when you're about to reach the end of the main plot, so it shouldn't come across as a surprise.

Demo anytime soon?
From Gavin via Facebook

JS: We have no plans for a demo.

Will I be able to play, and complete, F:NV without killing anyone or anything, except perhaps in self-defense?
From Billy Ocean via Bethesda Blog

JS: Yes. There are ways to win the main plot by killing no one and by killing everyone. It was one of our initial design tenets. You will find it difficult to get by as a pacifist, and you will miss a great deal of content by killing everyone you meet, but it can be done.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 15 Jun 2010, 16:03
IGN Preview (http://pc.ign.com/articles/109/1096098p1.html)

1up Preview (http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3179874)

(http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100615201052/fallout/images/thumb/6/62/1111BoS_Bunker.jpg/750px-1111BoS_Bunker.jpg)

(http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100615201053/fallout/images/thumb/4/44/1114FalloutNVBeta_2010-04-01_17-05-33-63.jpg/800px-1114FalloutNVBeta_2010-04-01_17-05-33-63.jpg)

(http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100615201053/fallout/images/thumb/f/f7/1115FalloutNVBeta_2010-06-04_12-50-42-52.jpg/800px-1115FalloutNVBeta_2010-06-04_12-50-42-52.jpg)

(http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100615201054/fallout/images/0/0b/1117wnoble-lucky38%2Brobot.jpg)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 16 Jun 2010, 05:47
G4TV video (http://e3.g4tv.com/videos/46535/E3-2010-Live-Fallout-New-Vegas-Demo/)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 16 Jun 2010, 06:46
1up video preview (http://gamevideos.1up.com/video/id/29981).
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 19 Jun 2010, 01:57
New Vegas Developer Walkthrough @ Gametrailers

1 (http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2010-fallout-new/700687)
2 (http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2010-fallout-new/700685)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Emaline on 09 Jul 2010, 18:18
Just in case anyone hasn't played the originals, Target has the Fallout Trilogy(1,2, and tactics) on sale for $10.48. Pretty good deal I thought.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: glyphic on 10 Jul 2010, 07:23
I actually enjoyed tactics. However, it was entirely possible to just focus on one character to the point where you could beat every mission just by juggernauting one beefy dickbag right through the resistance.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 12 Jul 2010, 02:09
Just a little aside thing, Fallout creator Tim Caine talks a little bit about Fallout 3, New Vegas, Troika, and the Carbine MMO that he's made (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4XVW6qcuzM&feature=player_embedded).
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 16 Jul 2010, 11:49
Sneak peek thing at the F:NV graphic novel thing (http://bethblog.com/index.php/2010/07/16/sneak-peek-at-the-fallout-new-vegas-graphic-novel/). In general these things turn out to be terrible, but MCA has a bit of experience with comics. Used to write a lot of the Star Wars comic books, for what it's worth.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Felrender on 16 Jul 2010, 14:55
Oh fuck yes, A Geof Darrow cover.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 16 Jul 2010, 22:35
Some dude I've never heard of from Lost is doing voice work too. (http://williammapother.blogspot.com/2010/07/fallout-new-vegas.html) Seems like this time Bethesda (or Obsidian, I don't know who calls the shots for VA to be honest) is getting more affordable TV actors for voice work rather than just chucking 90% of the budget at Liam Neeson and Malcolm McDowell. Hopefully this means the hundreds of other characters will be better and more distinctive.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 20 Jul 2010, 16:23
(http://comicsmedia.ign.com/comics/image/article/110/1107292/sdcc10-fallout-new-vegas-origins-20100720021525064_640w.jpg)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Caleb on 03 Aug 2010, 14:06
(http://i516.photobucket.com/albums/u330/Dreamcastguy/jrpg2.jpg)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 03 Aug 2010, 14:21
That doesn't make any sense without context.

Here's the context: Bethsoft released this ad in Japan to drum up potential sales there. The signs are mocking things generally associated with JRPGs. "I want to play games not watch cutscenes", etc.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 05 Aug 2010, 11:37
New Vegas pre-orders are far more numerous than Fallout 3's were (http://www.videogamer.com/news/fallout_new_vegas_pre-orders_outstripping_fallout_3s.html). I expected it... If F3 were right on the heels of a Fallout game as popular as it was it probably would have done better with that metric as well.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Alex C on 05 Aug 2010, 11:46
That doesn't make any sense without context.

Here's the context: Bethsoft released this ad in Japan to drum up potential sales there. The signs are mocking things generally associated with JRPGs. "I want to play games not watch cutscenes", etc.

I'm not really sure this is the right tact to be taking in a country that spawned the "It is illegal to release a Dragon Quest game on a weekday," urban legend. DQ3 pushed like a hojillion units.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Alex C on 05 Aug 2010, 11:53
Plus, you know, we kinda nuked 'em that one time. Passive aggressive advertising for a post-nuclear holocaust game that pokes fun at what is practically the national gaming genre. Just feels like a (hilarious) miscalculation to me.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: David_Dovey on 05 Aug 2010, 21:26
Plus, you know, we kinda nuked 'em that one time.

twice
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 05 Aug 2010, 21:38
twice but pretty much at the same time
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Felrender on 05 Aug 2010, 22:45
Twice, the last one even more un-needed than the first.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Alex C on 06 Aug 2010, 02:13
Ya'll know what I meant. When they talk about Dresden they say "fire bombing" not fire bombings.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: satsugaikaze on 06 Aug 2010, 04:55
Just noticed the "not going to continue the story after the end cutscene" thing.

I like that. A lot.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 09 Aug 2010, 03:04
When asked about how much Obsidz stands to make off of New Vegas profits:
Quote from: Chris Avellone
The contract structure is private, and it always depends on the contract. We just want to make a great game, so we're focused on that, although the pre-order units were a bit of a surprise and definitely is causing pressure here. I'll say that FNV is a little more time-consuming than the original because you can take different routes through the critical path, so get ready for 3 to 4x the amount of replayability, which is pretty cool.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 09 Aug 2010, 14:27
I'm totally unable to play Fallout 3 again, I did everything last time. I've already put 160 hrs into it.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 09 Aug 2010, 21:59
Confirmed VA (http://www.usatoday.com/tech/gaming/2010-08-10-fallout10_ST_N.htm): Matthew Perry (?), Zach Levi, Michael Dorn, Felicia Day (!), Kris Kristofferson (!!!)

If Michael Dorn returns as Marcus I am going to flip my shit.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 10 Aug 2010, 08:35
(http://static.zenimax.com/bethblog/upload/2010/08/FalloutNVBeta%202010-08-10%2010-34-44-28.jpg)
Yaaaay

Quote
-- Perry's character, Benny (pictured here), is the head of the Geckos family. A smooth-talking criminal but also a bit of a weasel, Benny may sound dangerous, but isn't that tough. Ultimately he's more of a ruthless pragmatist than a villain.

-- Zachary Levi's playable character Arcade (pictured here) is a member of the Followers of the Apocalypse who hides a mysterious past. He's described as quiet, analytical, and cautious. Highly ethical and moral, he understands the post-apocalyptic world is one in which sometimes, people just have to be shot in the head. HE is more concerned with large-scale issues than the needs of individuals. He may appreciate what individual people go through, but firmly believes that it's more important to affect large-scale societal change than to fix problems little by little.

-- Another newcomer who will be familiar to video gamers is Felicia Day (The Guild), who voices the playable character Veronica, a sarcastic Brotherhood of Steel scribe.

-- A third playable companion is Raul the Ghoul, a mechanic and former gunslinger voiced by Danny Trejo (From Dusk Till Dawn).

-- Ron Perlman (Hellboy) returns to voice the narrator in Fallout: New Vegas, a role he has played in every major Fallout game to date.

-- Actor and singer/songwriter Kris Kristofferson (The Blade Trilogy) plays Chief Hanlon, a grizzled solider at the end of his career.

-- Rene Auberjonois (Boston Legal, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) is the enigmatic and reclusive Mr. House.

-- Michael Dorn (Star Trek:The Next Generation) returns as Marcus, an intelligent super-mutant, last seen in 1998's Fallout 2.

-- John Doman (Mystic River, The Wire) plays Caesar, the charismatic and powerful dictator at the head of Caesar's Legion.

-- William Sadler (The Shawshank Redemption) is Victor, a friendly robot with the personality of an old fashioned cowboy.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Felrender on 10 Aug 2010, 10:12
Holy shit.

I mean....Holy shit.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 10 Aug 2010, 14:05
Matthew Perry was apparently a huge fan of Fallout 3, so I'm sure Bethesda sought him out after hearing that. Danny Trejo and Felicia Day are pretty cool though, and of course having Marcus back is pretty sweet. I think him being in Vegas fits with his status at the end of Fallout 2, doesn't it?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 11 Aug 2010, 02:25
It does. He wasn't going to be in Van Buren... I wonder if he's there because Bethsoft killed off Harold like the dicks that they are.

Also, keep on your toes because the Bethsoft community manager apparently let slip the identity of the person who shot you in the head prior to the beginning of the game. Be cagey when reading previews and the like... we'll see if Bethsoft corrects the mistake officially.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 11 Aug 2010, 17:51
Bethblogge on the VA (http://bethblog.com/index.php/2010/08/11/behind-the-scenes-the-many-voices-of-new-vegas/). Lots of Deep Space Nine actors, apparently.

Also, Josh Sawyer on the Bethfora.
Quote
First, ammo subtypes are purely optional for the player. The base weapon system has been designed so that if you want to stick to standard ammunition types, there is always a tactical choice available to you. A hunting rifle has a high DAM and low DPS. A 10mm SMG has a low DAM, high DPS. If you're up against armored targets, the hunting rifle will usually be a better choice, especially if the targets are at range. If you want to push things, you can use AP or HP ammo to nudge the tactical applications a bit more. In some cases, the use of a particular ammo type can venture into "overkill" territory, but because variant ammo types are not as common as standard ammo, you're using a high cost consumable for that effect.

Also, there's always a tactical drawback to using certain ammo subtypes. Using HP (hollow point) ammo on even light armor will almost always be worse than using standard ammo. AP (armor piercing) ammo does a little less damage than standard ammo, so using it against lightly armored or unarmored targets is counterproductive. +P (overpressure) ammunition does more damage but wears down the weapon more quickly.

The exceptions to this are hand loads. Because hand loads require skill/perk investment and have to be built at reloading benches, they are pretty much "just better" than standard ammo. I've given two examples before: .308 JSP (jacketed soft point) and .45-70 Gov't SWC (semi-wadcutter). Both of these ammo types offer a bit of DT negation and increased DAM. This isn't necessarily due to the inherent properties of those bullet types (JSP would likely penetrate less than FMJ) but because you are hand loading the case and are just that good.

EDIT: Oh yeah, and you can cycle through ammo types in real-time or you can equip them directly from the Pip-Boy.

Quote
Neutral/Unknown is not a reputation you can maintain in F:NV unless you avoid doing contentious things. There are actually two separate reputation axes for each group/area: Fame and Infamy. If you do things that help the group, you get Fame. If you harm the group, you get Infamy. The relationship of these two scores determines your overall reputation. So if you do a bunch of good and bad things, you aren't unknown; you have a mixed reputation.

This was done specifically to avoid the feeling that your actions "wash out".
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 11 Aug 2010, 20:28
Also, Bill Rawls as Ceasar is almost too perfect. I like this new approach of getting a bunch of smaller but more recognizable actors to spread throughout the cast rather than the Oblivion/F3 approach of getting two big names and blowing all of your budget on them. I wonder if that was Obsidian's call or Bethesda's, I don't know who calls the shots on that kind of decision-making but I hope they use that method going forward.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 11 Aug 2010, 23:45
maybe they'll hire Bruce Campbell someday...

assuming dreams do come true, that is. His voice is just so awesome.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 12 Aug 2010, 21:02
IGN's got a new preview (http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/111/1112099p1.html). It hints at the possibility that Victor the Robot could be a JNPC.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 13 Aug 2010, 12:21
Joystiq Screenz (http://www.joystiq.com/screenshots/fallout-new-vegas-quakecon/#/0)

Joystiq preview (http://www.joystiq.com/2010/08/13/preview-fallout-new-vegas/)

Gamespot preview (http://www.gamespot.com/events/quakecon2010/story.html?sid=6273403&tag=top_stories%3Btitle%3B1)

1up preview (http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3180855)

Kotaku preview (http://kotaku.com/5610615/my-first-30-minutes-with-fallout-new-vegas) ("weird wasteland" sounds interesting)

Eurogamer preview (http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2010-08-13-fallout-new-vegas-hands-on)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 13 Aug 2010, 14:18
Listen to a lo-fi recording of Ron Perlman's intro to New Vegas. (http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2010/08/13/listen-to-ron-perlmans-intro-to-fallout-new-vegas/)

Quote
War. War never changes. When atomic fire consumed the earth, those who survived did so in great, underground vaults. When they opened, their inhabitants set out across ruins of the old world to build new societies, establish new villages, form new tribes. As decades passed, what had been the American southwest united beneath the flag of the New California Republic, dedicated to old world values, democracy and the rule of law.

As the Republic grew, so did its needs. Scouts spread east, seeking territory and wealth, in the dry and merciless expanse of the Mojave Desert. They returned with tales of a city untouched by the warheads that had scorched the rest of the world and a great wall spanning the Colorado River. The NCR mobilized its army and set it east to occupy the Hoover Dam and restore it to working condition. But across the Colorado, another society had arisen under a different flag. A vast army of slaves, forged in the conquest of 86 tribes: Caesar's Legion.

Four years have passed since the Republic held the Dam, just barely, against the Legion's onslaught. The Legion did not retreat. Across the River, they gathered strength. Campfires burned, training drums beat.

Through it all, the New Vegas Strip has stayed open for business under the control of its mysterious overseer, Mr. House and his army of rehabilitated Tribals and police robots.

You are a courier, hired by the Mojave Express, to deliver a package to the New Vegas Strip. What seemed like a simple delivery job has taken a turn…for the worst.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 13 Aug 2010, 16:15
Oh and in case you were wondering, Bethsoft is sticking with Gamebryo for whatever project they've got lined up internally. They specifically denied using idtech.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Dimmukane on 13 Aug 2010, 16:48
Well, damn...I was asking around about that and no one had a straight answer for me.  Still fuggin' excited, though.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: johnny5 on 13 Aug 2010, 18:20
Plus, you know, we kinda nuked 'em that one time. Passive aggressive advertising for a post-nuclear holocaust game that pokes fun at what is practically the national gaming genre. Just feels like a (hilarious) miscalculation to me.

and i hope they never fuckin forget it

plus, it's about a nuked USA. it's cool man. i'm sure they're actually tired of playing shitty final fantasy xiii by the time this comes out
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 13 Aug 2010, 22:18
Oh and in case you were wondering, Bethsoft is sticking with Gamebryo for whatever project they've got lined up internally. They specifically denied using idtech.

Fuuuuuuck, why won't they ever ditch that shitty fucking engine for something they own themselves and looks roughly a billion times better? Goddamn it, Bethsoft.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Felrender on 14 Aug 2010, 00:36
Maybe if/when Rage takes off (Rage is using idtech, right)?, they'll switch engines?

A man can hope.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 14 Aug 2010, 02:37
Certainly a possibility. Carmack's a fuckin' beast. Rage is a year off, though. At that point the engine will probably be ready to branch out.

MCA talks Van Buren (http://www.gametrailers.com/video/mining-the-fallout-new/702865)

MCA talks new features (http://www.gametrailers.com/video/new-features-fallout-new/702867) (Terminator 2 shotgun yaaaay)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 17 Aug 2010, 22:35
More MCA, on the game in general (http://g4tv.com/videos/48105/Fallout-New-Vegas-Senior-Designer-Interview/?quality=hd).
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 19 Aug 2010, 12:49
Quote from: A German interview with Josh Sawyer
iamgamer.de talked with Sawyer on the GamesCom. While most of the stuff in the interview is already known, there are some interesting little infoparts to get: Sawyer says, you hear in New Vegas about Redding, Gecko and Klamath. Also Crimson Caravan are named once again and the army of the master.

In a later question, Sawyer talks about how he is working for Caesar's Legion in the moment or at least the legion thinks that he is working for them. Instead, he just wants to earn reputation points with them.

Another example: He was liked by the NCR, then one of his companions asked him to cause damage to some group that is related close to the NCR. He has done it and then the NCR rangers wanted to get him down. When the NCR rangers got him, he got the choice to either "make good" again with the NCR or to get beaten up like never before.

He also said that it's hard to reach the level cap 30. Right now, he played approx 60 hours, made 30 quests and is level 23. He still has a lot quests possible to do, to level up though.

/Edit: And he talked about difficult setting in various areas. He explains, that they have areas with fixed difficult and areas, where it is a bit variable. There are areas, where you get beaten up very fast, even if you are level 20 and have good gear. As example for the difficult rate, he names the Sierra Army Depot from Fallout 2: If you go there right in the beginning of the game, you have no chance. If you level up a bit first, you will have at least a little chance and if you are level 20, you simply roll over it. Some areas in New Vegas will feel like that.

Also, Ausir, a guy I collaborated with a lot (along with Sawyer) to shore up inconsistencies and gaps in the Van Buren documentation, got to play the demo at Gamescom and promptly did things that all the other Gamescom previewers didn't, finding out a lot of new tidbits in the process. You can read his article here (http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:Ausir/My_Fallout:_New_Vegas_preview_-_part_1).
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 21 Aug 2010, 01:59
G4 vid (http://g4tv.com/videos/48176/Fallout-New-Vegas-All-Access-Preview/) with some of the finished VA in it (a bit of Victor the Friendly Robot, an NCR soldier and a Caesar's Legionnare).

Also:
(http://img831.imageshack.us/img831/6646/albumpic.jpg)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 22 Aug 2010, 13:00
Quote from: Sawyer
Especially as you start using the better weapons, you should feel that the weapon skills you specialize in feel much better than the ones you neglect.

I'm 23rd level with a 6 or 7 INT on my current playthrough and I think my three tags are at 100 and one other skill is close to 90. In any case, I'm nowhere near maxing out my skills.

High INT has a smaller effect on skill points per level than it did in F3. Additionally, we have made tweaks to other stats to raise their value. E.g. all weapons have soft STR requirements that affect weapon sway or (for melee weapons) attack speed. CHR affects a stat called Nerve that grants bonuses to your companion(s).
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 22 Aug 2010, 19:30
Moar

Quote
While Fallout: New Vegas is pretty much done (at the moment, the development team at Obsidian is focused purely on bugfixing, since all the content is complete), some recent news has come out about its definitive ending. Much like the original version of Fallout 3 (pre-Broken Steel DLC), New Vegas simply ends — the player won`t be able to go on to play the game some more after the ending. Destructoid has heard one reason from New Vegas senior producer Jason Bergman, and we got an additional explanation from project director Josh Sawyer reproduced below:

“We put a lot of effort into the ending slides — we know those slides are really popular with people so we want to make sure there`s a huge amount of variety and reactivity with that stuff. We weren`t really focused on new features so much as to add a really rich sense of reactivity to the players and the choices they make.”

We want to make it a definitive ending. Initially, we talked about trying to support post-game play, but because the changes that can happen at the end of the game are pretty major, this is what it basically came down to: either have the changes feel really major in the end slides and then have them not be very major after the end of the game, or make them really minor and not that impactful. And we feel it`s better to say, `you know what, we`re just going to end the game, and the changes you made can be minor or really really big, but because we can`t script all the changes to the Wasteland to let you keep playing, we`re just going to stop it there.` But we do let the player know when that`s about to happen– a sort of, `the end of the game is coming, so we`re saving your game right now, so if you want to keep your game going, you can, otherwise, it`s about to be over.`”
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: ackblom12 on 23 Aug 2010, 04:37
I don't recall seeing in any of the updates if this was addressed, but any idea if there will be an option to turn off the bullet time? That was fun for the first few times and then made me want to actually murder things.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Boro_Bandito on 23 Aug 2010, 09:53
Do you mean the whole VATS system, or just the slow-mo reactions that came from using it? Because I know that apparently its going to be much easier to play the game without relying on VATS now in general, or so gamestop TV says in my ear every 10 minutes, so you can play it like a more traditional FPS. I think there's actually a different mode you can switch on, forget what its called, if I start paying attention to the TV at work my world starts to grow dark around me.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: ackblom12 on 23 Aug 2010, 14:59
Just the slow mo that comes from using VATS. I actually quite like the inclusion of VATS. It was just having it do the bullet cam every goddamn time I crit once I hit the mid teens that it made me want murders.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Boro_Bandito on 23 Aug 2010, 15:37
Same here, especially since I tended to always go for small guns and the corresponding perks, would basically crit every other fucking shot after a while. Well no word on that then, would be so nice to just have an option to switch it off...
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 23 Aug 2010, 15:38
never got sick of watching a dude's entire body detonate
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 23 Aug 2010, 17:11
I don't recall seeing in any of the updates if this was addressed, but any idea if there will be an option to turn off the bullet time? That was fun for the first few times and then made me want to actually murder things.
Looks like it!
Quote
Looking through gameplay options, I also noticed that the kill cam now has three modes – player view, cinematic and off. Guess which one I chose?
(from the second part of Ausir's New Vegas preview (http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:Ausir/My_Fallout:_New_Vegas_preview_-_part_2))

That preview also mentions that instead of having both Damage Threshold and Damage Resistance, F:NV now just has threshold (whereas F3 just had resistance). Sawyer says including both variables was too hard to balance. But they've left the initial work they did with DR/DT in the GECK, so intrepid modders can program it in if they want to.

Also from the sound of it there's a toggle vis a vis the kill cam which enables it for non-VATS kills as well, for those who want to fight in straight-up FPS mode but still like the bells and whistles of VATS.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 23 Aug 2010, 21:27
So wait, if DR has been removed entirely in favor of DT, doesn't that create the same problem of just picking the armor with highest number that the DR/DT system was devised to combat in the first place? I'm not fully sure why they would do that.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 24 Aug 2010, 14:24
I punted your question to Sawyer and he said this:

Quote
Given how armor works in practice in F1/F2, I am extremely skeptical that the DR/DT system was designed to "combat" picking the armor with the highest DR/DT. A system is nothing without content, and the content of F1 and F2 featured a form of power armor as the end-all-be-all endgame armor. I mean, you could finish F1 in standard combat armor or Brotherhood armor, but power armor/APA is so much better that it's mostly an aesthetic choice.

Armor does follow linear DT progressions upward, but outfits are now divided into Light/Medium/Heavy classes. Light moves without any movement penalty, Medium with some, and Heavy with more. Of course, some armor types come with their own built-in bonuses and penalties. I think there are compelling reasons to use different armor types, even toward the high end.
I would assume the armor classification affects certain skills as well (sneak, etc.) but I'm waiting to hear on a clarification from Sawyer on that point.


When asked about enemies and DR / DT he said this:
Quote
No creatures have DR. Bullet sponge enemies have a lot of HP and typically don't have DT. High HP characters with no armor are begging the player to use low DAM, high DPS weapons on them.

In my current playthrough, I definitely make specific tactical choices about when to use certain weapons/ammo based on enemy armor/health/range. The anti-materiel rifle has a very low DPS for when you get it in the game. There are some weapons you can get very early in the game that easily eclipse its DPS by a healthy margin. But the sheer amount of damage it does in a single shot can bypass pretty much any DT, making its effective DPS much higher against certain targets.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Alex C on 24 Aug 2010, 15:17
Quote
Given how armor works in practice in F1/F2, I am extremely skeptical that the DR/DT system was designed to "combat" picking the armor with the highest DR/DT.

Exactly. DT/DR was there to force you to make decisions about what weapons and ammo you use against various types of opponents, not what armor you wore. Each iteration of Power Armor was objectively better across the board than all previous armors, with only Tesla Armor being even close to competitive. Heavier armors even gave you better Evade/Armor Class than lighter armors did, so there wasn't even a trade off as far as evasion vs. sheer toughness went. In Fallout 1&2  best practices meant wearing the heaviest gear you could strap on while still having an inventory-- And Power Armor boosted your strength, so there went THAT concern.

To be honest, I'm glad they're ditching Damage Resistance since it is less intuitive than Damage Threshold even if in theory a DR type system scales better.  Besides, trying to make armor piercing ammo that neutralized damage resistance while having a lower base damage just didn't work very well once you factored in that such ammunition did nothing vs. Damage Threshold. Even a -100% damage resistance modifier on your ammo will be useless if it comes with a damage modifier so low you that you almost never beat their Damage Threshold, which is why by mid-game putting AP ammo in an full auto weapon was usually a useless gesture. For that many different modifiers to really work out you'd need to make a game that is a lot mathier than most players (and hell, even devs) want to deal with.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Dimmukane on 24 Aug 2010, 16:08
So much for pre-ordering...I get this for free.  My job has awesome Perks. 

/I am so punny
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 25 Aug 2010, 12:59
Sawyer sez cert coming soon, final bugfixing / framerate stabilizing undergoing (http://www.strategyinformer.com/news/9042/obsidian-entertainment-fallout-new-vegas-is-done-getting-ready-for-release).
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 25 Aug 2010, 13:02
Makes sense, the game would have to be content complete by now if it's coming out in October. This would be more news if they were still keeping the vague 'Fall 2010' window around.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 25 Aug 2010, 13:08
They were apparently content complete around E3 time. I imagine with that much gameworld to cover 3-4 months optimization would be necessary.

I still fully expect Obsidz to be criticized for engine shortcomings nobody complained about in Fallout 3. It's already happening - lots of talk about how dated the engine is in the same space as how great F3 was.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Alex C on 25 Aug 2010, 14:18
I like how the first comment below that article is some douche whining that the digital version should just be released right now, optimizing be damned. You know, because Obsidian doesn't get crucified for releasing unpolished games often enough.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 27 Aug 2010, 10:32
They were apparently content complete around E3 time. I imagine with that much gameworld to cover 3-4 months optimization would be necessary.

I still fully expect Obsidz to be criticized for engine shortcomings nobody complained about in Fallout 3. It's already happening - lots of talk about how dated the engine is in the same space as how great F3 was.

it's so weird. in a lot of ways, f3 still looks really great and behaves pretty nicely (except the occasional bug that spawns someone forty feet too high and they fall to their death) but i've seen so many previews that say like "the engine is starting to show its seams." like, fuck off.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 27 Aug 2010, 13:50
I dunno, there are still a lot of things about Fallout 3 that look pretty goofy, like wonky pathfinding and the general stiffness of NPCs during dialogue. That being said, it makes no sense for Obsidian to be criticized for those things now when Bethesda wasn't originally, excepting of course the general sliding of standards over time. It probably won't have as high of a Metacritic as F3 through no fault of Obsidian's, but what are you gonna do.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Ozymandias on 27 Aug 2010, 14:06
Ahahahaha

Bugfixing in an Obsidian game built on Bethesda technology. That's like shooting fish in an ocean of fish where you have to shoot all the fish but the fish keep breeding.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 27 Aug 2010, 14:17
Open world games in general are nearly impossible to polish to the same standard as people expect in other game genres. It certainly didn't hurt Red Dead Redemption's Metacritic at all, but that's got Rockstar's name on it so it automatically has review scores about 20 points higher than it should #yeahisaidit.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 27 Aug 2010, 20:05
Can you really call Donkey Woman and Cougar Man "bugs"?

Sawyer would call those "emergent gameplay elements" (invariably with any game there are apparently bugs that are intentionally left in).
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Boro_Bandito on 27 Aug 2010, 22:05
They might also have been placeholders that they were using until they had the proper models in place, I figured that was the case with the flying people since they actually flapped there arms, that had to have been programmed in, I'm assuming most of the animal models/animations were made later in the development.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 28 Aug 2010, 01:49
Achievement list has popped up in MS's system, (http://www.xbox360achievements.org/game/fallout-new-vegas/achievements/) no spoilers beyond quest titles as far as I can tell. Most are pretty standard 'do ______ X times' fare, but oh well. The one for getting kicked out of every casino's kind of funny, and of course they made the Hardcore achievement 100 points.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Dimmukane on 28 Aug 2010, 11:51
Speaking from a QA standpoint, I'm honestly impressed with how few bugs there are in F3/Oblivion, given the scope of those games.  Although I find it hilarious that Morrowind will still lock up on me if I turn on god mode.  But seriously, the sheer amount of variables in this kind of game, the background processes that are going on...it's pretty amazing that it's not a horrible buggy mess *cough* Two Worlds *cough*.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 28 Aug 2010, 14:55
Be glad it's not Gothic 3, upon release that game was literally unplayable.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 28 Aug 2010, 16:06
I've never had Morrowind lock up on me during god mode. And I've used god mode a lot to fuck around. You are using "tgm", right?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Alex C on 28 Aug 2010, 16:21
Sawyer would call those "emergent gameplay elements" (invariably with any game there are apparently bugs that are intentionally left in).

Starsiege: Tribes was a fucking shrine to that concept. People found out that if you dicked around with your jetpack just right, you could basically "ski" down a slope and then crest the upcoming hill, thus hurtling yourself across the maps at high speed via sheer momentum. The whole thing was technically an exploit that abused some wonky handling of inertia, but it survived all the way through to the sequel because it developed into one of the game's most distinctive tactics and led to some really inventive maps that never would have existed had it been "fixed."
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Dimmukane on 28 Aug 2010, 16:45
I've never had Morrowind lock up on me during god mode. And I've used god mode a lot to fuck around. You are using "tgm", right?

Yep.  When I had Windows XP installed on this machine, it would actually cause a blue screen.  It works on this one now (Windows 7), but it also locked up on another Win7 computer I was using.  I think it may be some weird hardware thing where tgm disables the frame cap? Not really sure, I just decided it was a really effective anti-cheating mechanism.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 28 Aug 2010, 18:35
Quote from: Josh
This is the very straightforward explanation of Damage Threshold: DT is subtracted from a weapon's listed DAM, but a weapon will never do less than MinDam (in our case, 20%) of its listed damage.

The shield appears when more than half of the damage that should be inflicted has been absorbed by Damage Threshold. E.g. you shoot a target with 15 DT using a weapon that does 25 DAM. 15 points are absorbed, which is more than 50% of the initial DAM, so a red shield appears. 10 points get through. Second example: you shoot a target with 15 DT using a weapon that does 10 DAM. All 10 points are absorbed. However, the MinDam GECK setting (0.2) raises the damage to 20% its initial value (10), so 2 points get through. A red shield appears.

The broken shield appears when the target's DT is reduced to 0. E.g. you shoot a target with 5 DT using .308, Armor Piercing that reduces DT by 15. 5-15 = -10. A broken red shield appears.

If less than 50% of the weapon's damage is absorbed by DT, no shield of any kind is visible. E.g. you shoot a target with 25 DT using a weapon that does 70 DAM. 45 damage gets through. No shield appears.

Why not let DT completely negate an attack?
Quote
Because it makes the game boring against certain enemy types once you get heavy enough armor. With MinDam set to 0.0, eventually you can literally just walk around a horde of guys pounding you with low-end weapons and never take any damage. It doesn't really produce good long-term game play. Similarly, I don't think it produced good results in F1 and F2, where near the end game people would go round after round taking 0 damage until an armor-bypassing triple damage critical forced a reload.

0.2 MinDam feels pretty good to me. When a weapon's hitting MinDam, that's the equivalent of 80% DR, which is nothing to sneeze at. If some dude pops out with an SMG and starts blasting you in good armor, chances are pretty good that his (for example's sake only) 9 DAM is going to be reduced to 1.8 DAM. A weapon that maybe did 90 (for example's sake only) DPS now does 18. Sure, it doesn't make you invulnerable, but that's a huge reduction.

If you disagree and are playing on the PC, you are certainly free to tune MinDam, armor DT, or even armor DR if you are absolutely in love with the old F1/F2 armor systems.

Also apparently enemies will switch weapons and use cover more readily than in F3. Allegedly.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 29 Aug 2010, 00:43
the second they pop their idiot heads out from behind cover i'm gonna trigger vats and disassemble their skull with whatever the mojave equivalent of lincoln's repeater is anyways
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: satsugaikaze on 29 Aug 2010, 04:09
how few bugs there are in F3/Oblivion, given the scope of those games.

huh
Fair enough the games were massive, but honestly the fact that it was noticeable compared to other games was just one of those small downers for me.
I mean, if you're making a giant statue out of pure gold you can't just let go of the fact that the tiny bits of turd in the cracks are more noticeable


Although I definitely think Obsidian copping more flak for bugs in New Vegas compared to Bethesda's bugs in 3 would be a bit absurd.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Dimmukane on 29 Aug 2010, 08:25
I'm not giving them a free pass for it, nothing like that.  I just would have expected a LOT more bugs than there were.  Moreso in F3, because that had much of the same framework, but they also threw in VATS, a morality system, followers, and a bunch of other stuff.


Come to think of it, I did play Gothic 3 like a year after release, and that was way worse even after the patching.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Felrender on 30 Aug 2010, 20:25
Quote from: J.E Sawyer
"I have recently forbidden Obsidian designers from implementing anything resembling Towers of Hanoi or someone crossing a river with chickens, etc. as a puzzle anywhere ever. "
22:19   BugFights   Oh thank fuck


"NPCs in New Vegas do not comment on you looking at owned/locked objects, nor do they comment on you knocking over objects in the environment."

PRAISE GOD
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 30 Aug 2010, 21:33
Huh, well none of the Fallouts were particularly puzzle-heavy. Where the puzzles would go in most games, Fallout put it alternate skill-based solutions to single problems. The ones that did make it in turned out to be pretty maddening (getting into the Master's lair in F1, the electrified Enclave floor in F2).
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Felrender on 31 Aug 2010, 15:44
Yeah.  the first one is just nice to hear from any dev.

The second one is the best news I have heard all day.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: satsugaikaze on 01 Sep 2010, 03:52
Well, I dunno man. It was a little overdone, but if you were running a store and some guy ran in and started running over everything, jumping on your tables and knocking over all the loose objects in your place you'd have something to say about it, right?

Not to mention that you had the freedom to open and close basically every container in existence that wasn't locked whether or not it was owned by anyone, with no repercussions.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LTK on 01 Sep 2010, 07:23
Well, I dunno man. It was a little overdone, but if you were running a store and some guy ran in and started running over everything, jumping on your tables and knocking over all the loose objects in your place you'd have something to say about it, right?

Not to mention that you had the freedom to open and close basically every container in existence that wasn't locked whether or not it was owned by anyone, with no repercussions.

Yeah, this was way too easily exploited in F3. You could search everything and everyone to see if it was worth stealing (or killing), and only when actually taking it you need to worry about getting caught.

Actually, thieving in RPGs in general needs to be harder. Even if an NPC doesn't see you steal, someone's bound to notice that their stuff is disappearing every time the protagonist comes to town. A system that increases NPC alertness and/or hostility to you when you rob everyone blind would be good for keeping thieves in check. And if you're an absolute kleptomaniac, high Stealth and Speech might keep people from suspecting you.

Damn, I should have pitched this when they were starting work on New Vegas.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 01 Sep 2010, 11:31
Got an iPhone or iPad?

Read 12 pages of the All Roads comic! (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id388309548?mt=8)*

*disclaimer: Reading All Roads will make you homosexual.

Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 02 Sep 2010, 18:18
Quote from: Josh Sawyer
In the most general sense, you learn/know who tried to kill you and what was taken by the end of the intro, but you don't actually know the significance of that person or what he took.

Quote from: Josh Sawyer
This guy is the head of the Rangers in the game (owns).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJ62sr4iI_Y#t=6m20s (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJ62sr4iI_Y#t=6m20s)

Quote from: MCA
Minor addition to the writing question list.

Also how is it like to write without having any idea how the character will sound?

When writing, most designers envision how the character sounds as they're writing - when the time comes for auditions, they provide a series of sample lines, a picture of the character in-game, breakdowns of the age, brief history, etc., and then the casting agency will run through auditions looking for someone who can deliver the lines as envisioned. I was happy with the auditions Blindlight delivered for New Vegas, and I thought the companion actors they brought into the studio for the characters I wrote, while not big names, did a great job - a lot of it is in how Blindlight handles the auditions, and so much of a character is in the delivery, that if you can get the casting right, it just makes the process go more smoothly.

If you're fortunate and the schedule works in your favor, you can also request a specific voice actor. This depends on timing and cost, and as a general rule, the more famous an actor is, the less flexible the time in the studio and less availability for pick-ups (the equivalent of Voice-Over bugfixing if a level quest changes, a character's line is missing, or we need to add a line to fix a missing sequence).

Other times, you're told who the voice actor is first, which is rare for me. When that happens, you watch everything you can featuring that actor and try to write to the actor's strengths. As an example, for Fallout: New Vegas, John Gonzalez studied John Doman's acting when writing and Eric Fenstermaker did research on Felicia Day to get the tone of the characters that played to the strength of the actors.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 03 Sep 2010, 21:27
Off-screen gameplay vid 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMQPWDqGlY0)
Off-screen gameplay vid 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFy3B0-OiKM)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 06 Sep 2010, 01:45
Pics from PAX.

(http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/6474/fnv027.jpg)
(http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/4812/fnv032.jpg)
(http://i766.photobucket.com/albums/xx303/IntactGardenGnome/FNV041.jpg)
(http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/4315/fnv020.jpg)
(http://img831.imageshack.us/img831/8315/fnv017.jpg)
(http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/108/fnv007.jpg)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 07 Sep 2010, 01:09
F:NV snippet on a 3-panel monitor (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsLdx4O8fPs). Notice the improved running animation, although there is still the issue of "sliding".
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Cire27 on 07 Sep 2010, 01:14
How do they fix that really, though?  I mean, people don't usually face their upper body one way and walk in diagonal direction, twisting their lower body, so if they do it in a video game it looks really unnatural.  Just as unnatural as the gliding thing.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 09 Sep 2010, 00:16
Opening Cinematic (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8j2IiaPMO5o&hd=1). Reveals who shot you and what you were carrying, but given that it's in the opening cinematic, it's not really a spoiler. The video looks like it's been doctored a bit, even if the content is almost certainly legit. It seems not a little odd that the PC would survive with several bullets in the head in a shallow grave for one month.

If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say the poker chip is some sort of vitally important factor in who comes out on top in New Vegas, and that Benny is stealing it to put himself in a position of power. You get the chip, then you decide who gets its benefits.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 09 Sep 2010, 01:19
Mysterious Stranger is back!? YES
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 10 Sep 2010, 00:09
Caravan Card game... revealed! (http://ps3.ign.com/articles/111/1119483p1.html)

Quote from: 'J.E. Sawyer'
Quote
Still a whole lot of ambiguities in those rules.  Which cards can be "played against"-- all cards in a caravan, or only the one most recently played?  Does "continuing the numerical direction" mean just the next number up or down, or can we skip numbers and play a 6 as the second card after a 4?
Numbered cards/aces can only be played at the end of one of your caravans.  Face cards/jokers can be played on any card in your caravans OR your opponent's caravans.

Continuing the numerical direction means up/down.  If your cards go 8 6 5, your next card can be 4, 3, 2, A of any suit.  Alternately, you could play a higher card of the same suit.  For example, if the 5 were the 5 of spades, you could play a 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 as long as it were a spade.  You can reverse the direction of a caravan by playing a queen on the last card in the caravan.  That caravan also then takes the suit of the queen.

Quote
It's an interesting idea that it doesn't use a complete card deck, though.  Possibly explained by post-War scarcity?  (Not that there would be a shortage of complete decks of cards in Vegas, of course, but by the name the game probably originated with the traders out on the Waste.)
Caravan is a non-casino (some might say anti-casino) game that was invented by caravan guards who lacked complete/matching decks.  They turned that fact of life into a core element of the game (deck building).
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 15 Sep 2010, 12:30
Meet the companions (http://blog.us.playstation.com/2010/09/15/fallout-new-vegas-for-ps3-meet-the-companions/#more-35908). Each gives a certain unique bonus to the player when in the party, ala KOTOR2, which is nice.

One of these companions is the descendant of a Fallout 2 companion, but I won't spoil it (if it's not obvious).
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Avec on 15 Sep 2010, 16:07
Oh man I feel like only two or three of those will really come in handy. But I guess that really depends on your playing style.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 15 Sep 2010, 21:42
Actually, I think most of those bonuses look pretty good, although some (like Lily's) depend highly on your build. Arcade's and Raul's especially seem like they'd be helpful to have around pretty much all the time, and Veronica's too if you like making stuff at the toolbench.. The only ones that seem more for convenience than utility are Boone's and Rex's.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Alex C on 16 Sep 2010, 11:21
And for all we know that could very well bet offset by their raw combat prowess. They both sound rather militant, after all.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 17 Sep 2010, 17:15
Dev Diary 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oOoHflywhw&feature=player_embedded).
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 22 Sep 2010, 20:12
There are indications that the game has gone gold, or will go gold in the next few days.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 24 Sep 2010, 09:48
TV spot (http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/falloutnewvegas/video/6279220). Almost definitely gold.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 24 Sep 2010, 12:39
Put down and fully paid off my preorder yesterday. I haven't been this excited for a game since Mass Effect 2, and you all remember how I was right before that game came out.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 01 Oct 2010, 12:36
Tracklist for a few of the radio stations (http://www.gamersdailynews.com/story-20037-Fallout-New-Vegas-Music-Tracks-Revealed.html).
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 01 Oct 2010, 17:36
Also the game is confirmed Gold.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 06 Oct 2010, 22:55
MCA on coming back to Fallout (http://fallout.bethsoft.com/eng/vault/diaries_diary13-10.06.10.html).
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 07 Oct 2010, 17:31
Dev Diary 4: On Factions (http://www.youtube.com/v/dkALhh82JdI).
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Boro_Bandito on 07 Oct 2010, 21:47
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y110/Wildkyn/Snapshot_20101008_5.jpg)

Came in our store's launch kit.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 08 Oct 2010, 01:51
You son of a bitch. Bethesda better fucking sell those because I want one so badly.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Caleb on 08 Oct 2010, 09:07
So I just ordered a 360.  I think I am going to have to get this game on that rather than the PC because my PC doesn't seem to measure up to the specs at all.  No dual processor not enough RAM, ect.

I mean they said that if you could run Fallout 3 you can run New Vegas but I dunno.   Mass Effect 2 works great but I can't run Bioshock 2 at all.  So I dunno if I want to gamble.

Do any of you think that I might be missing out on anything by getting the 360 version?

Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 08 Oct 2010, 11:23
Lots and lots and lots of stuff, given that the 360 has no mod community.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LTK on 08 Oct 2010, 12:47
Consider if you want to install mods on your game or not. I didn't get any modifications until I played Fallout 3 a second time, and a lot of them didn't do much for me, so it comes down to personal preference.

Anyway, I pre-ordered the thing today, so hopefully it'll arrive when the 22nd comes around. Got it at (what I think is) a low-profile entertainment webshop where every game is 30% cheaper, so no pre-order bonuses there, I guess.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 08 Oct 2010, 14:41
Yeah it depends on how much you utilize mods, really. I can count the number of mods I've installed on one hand, so my transition to console gaming was pretty painless. Nearly all games are designed primarily for consoles at this point, so if it doesn't run well for the 360 then they've got a problem. Then again, with open world RPGs like F:NV some degree of bugs are inevitable, although hopefully New Vegas will help redeem, at least in part, Obsidian's reputation for releasing unfinished games.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 08 Oct 2010, 15:27
In America your average console game is what, 60 USD? That's the equivalent of 61 AUD at the moment (apart from that abysmal point this year we've been chasing you guys for parity) yet we pay 110 AUD for a new release game.

The best option available is to purchase through web only stores like 356games and cdwow where you can get each for 60-75 AUD. With those kind of discounts around you just can't rationalise pre-order bonuses. The big game stores can kid themselves all they want that this encourages sales but it's prices like these that kill their business.


Besides, the money you save on each game can go towards getting another game or DLC for the same game. Either of which would be more fulfilling than a special hat and a shotgun or whatever.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 08 Oct 2010, 15:30
personally, I'd never trade my comfy couch and obscenely big tv for some mods.

Yes, I look longingly at cool mods on the internet and wish I could use them, but when I think about hunching over in front of my computer for over 100 hours versus reclining in my living room...well, the choice is obvious.

Also, I work on a computer all day so the last thing I wanna do after work is sit down in front of another PC in some horrible torture device that some company thinks is called a chair. I've never sat in a comfortable computer chair...this may or may not be entirely my own fault though.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Caleb on 08 Oct 2010, 17:02
Thanks.

I think I will go with the 360 version.  I didn't mod fallout 3 at all and I was really happy with the vanilla game.  (Though I did mod Oblivion a bunch).

It would just really suck to pay for the PC version and not have it work properly.  Bottom line my PC doesn't have the minimum specs.  I don't want to gamble again like I did on Bioshock 2 and not have it work at all.  It's probably a fluke that Mass Effect 2 works so well on my PC.

It's not like I can't get the PC version later down the line when it's much cheaper.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 08 Oct 2010, 18:10
The way I see it, if I bought one version then I don't need to buy the other in order to play it...
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: ackblom12 on 08 Oct 2010, 18:25
Oh piracy, a great excuse for rationalization.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Ozymandias on 08 Oct 2010, 22:12
This is why the PC can't have nice things.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 09 Oct 2010, 01:16
funny, though, pcs do have nice things. Like here, where they've lowered the retail price in some stores to fight piracy. I wasn't planning on buying CIV, but at 350NOK (compared to the standard 500NOK for console games), buying it becomes so much more feasable.

Also, if the same game was available for download for both consoles and pcs like 10-15 years ago, you probably would've been able to buy the game once, and get one code for each console. See Blizzard's spawn installs and the like - it seems like the companies cared more about enabeling their consumers to play in different ways earlier. I don't think it would hurt sales if they went back to that model. Or started using it if it was never really a thing.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: ackblom12 on 09 Oct 2010, 05:19
Different days, different developmental costs and there were shit loads of ways they fought piracy in those days. They just had to do it through other almost more irritating methods like requiring a password on line 12 of page 63 of this bullshit instruction manual.

Just because they didn't have the DRM capabilities they do now, doesn't mean they were all hunky dory with you making multiple copies for friends of the game you bought. Blizzard and Westwood were rather extreme exceptions and even Blizzard got sick of dealing with it once the internet made it even easier.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LTK on 09 Oct 2010, 06:34
In America your average console game is what, 60 USD? That's the equivalent of 61 AUD at the moment (apart from that abysmal point this year we've been chasing you guys for parity) yet we pay 110 AUD for a new release game.

The best option available is to purchase through web only stores like 356games and cdwow where you can get each for 60-75 AUD. With those kind of discounts around you just can't rationalise pre-order bonuses. The big game stores can kid themselves all they want that this encourages sales but it's prices like these that kill their business.


Besides, the money you save on each game can go towards getting another game or DLC for the same game. Either of which would be more fulfilling than a special hat and a shotgun or whatever.

CDWOW was the one where I bought. The company is based in Australia, isn't it? Anyway, someone recently pointed it out to me as a place to buy games for cheap. Before this I looked for whichever currency cost me the least, which included Direct2Drive, Amazon and Play.com, all of which charge me in GBP which is still very profitable when exchanged for euros. Actually, now that I look at some of these prices, I'm paying the same at CDWOW as I am at Play.com, even though Play.com gives a pre-order bonus. 365games, however, is only a few pounds cheaper. I'll need to take another look at this...
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 11 Oct 2010, 18:46
6 minute G4 segment detailing the "White Glove Society" quest (http://g4tv.com/videos/49184/Fallout-New-Vegas---Beyond-the-Beef-Quest-Exclusive/?quality=hd). Featuring a levitation bug people are already shitting their pants over!
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 11 Oct 2010, 20:12
And all the rest of the G4TV things:

Characters (http://g4tv.com/videos/49210/Fallout-New-Vegas-Special---The-Characters-Of/)
 Weapons (http://g4tv.com/videos/49211/Fallout-New-Vegas-Special---The-Weapons-of-Destruction/)
Art (http://g4tv.com/videos/49212/Fallout-New-Vegas-Special---The-Art-of-the-Apocalypse/)
New Features (http://g4tv.com/videos/49213/Fallout-New-Vegas-Special---New-Features/)
Story (http://g4tv.com/videos/49209/Fallout-New-Vegas-Special---The-Story-Of/)
The City (http://g4tv.com/videos/49214/Fallout-New-Vegas-Special---Sin-City-Destroyed/)


Also, new perks (http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/falloutnewvegas/news.html?sid=6281442&mode=previews).
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 11 Oct 2010, 21:14
Have they given a list of the Traits yet? I'm definitely taking Wild Wasteland but I'm curious as to what the others are.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 11 Oct 2010, 22:33
They go through all the traits onscreen during the "New Features" segment. Here's what I could see:

Built to Destroy - +3% global crit chance, +15% deterioration speed on all equipment.
Fast Shot - Rate of Fire increased by 20% with guns and energy weapons, accuracy reduced by 20%.
Four Eyes - +1 PE while wearing glasses, -1 PE when not.
Good Natured - +5 to Barter / Speech / Medicine / Repair / Science, -5 to Energy Weapons (description cuts off there but presumably will include) / Guns / Explosives / Unarmed / Melee.
Heavy Handed - Non-critical melee and unarmed attacks do more damage, but critical bonuses are smaller.
Kamikaze - +10 AP, -2 Damage Threshold
Loose Cannon - +30% Thrown weapon RoF, -15% Thrown weapon distance
Small Frame - +1 AG, increased susceptibility to crippled limbs
Trigger Discipline - Converse of Fast Shot. Energy Weapons / Guns +20% accuracy, -20% RoF.
+ Weird Wasteland.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 12 Oct 2010, 01:37
Hmmm, maybe I will take Good Natured after all then. That +5 bonus to all those skills seems like it'll more than make up for the combat deficiency if you specialize in one or even two weapon types. I doubt I'll invest in Unarmed or Melee at all. According to Sawyer there are supposed to be viable weapons for all 3 categories at all stages of the game, so it won't be like the earlier games where it's pointless to invest in anything but Small Guns for the first half of the game. If they really make good on that, I might just run with Energy Weapons the whole game.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 12 Oct 2010, 01:40
They've done some VATS tweaking such that combat shouldn't be as easy as it was before, though we'll have to see how effective those tweaks are.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 12 Oct 2010, 06:45
Sure, but the point I was making is if you specialize in one or even two weapon types out of the 5, you come out ahead by taking Good Natured because it boosts the 5 non-combat skills which regardless of build you will be using in at least some capacity. Especially in Fallout 1/2, and to a lesser extent in 3, there was no point in investing in any firearm skill except for Small Guns until over halfway through the game, if at all, unless you wanted to make combat a huge hassle. So if Sawyer is correct in his claim that all 3 firearm types have useful weapons available at all stages of the game, then that will be a big improvement over past games in the series.

Basically, what it comes down to is that I want to use Energy Weapons from the start without having to dump points into Guns because I like making things go pew-pew.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: ackblom12 on 12 Oct 2010, 07:01
Well, actually, specializing in Hand to Hand early on with a small bit in Small Arms just to make the first few levels more manageable, was insanely powerful fairly quickly in. If you could manage to get a hold of a power fist it just got silly.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Caleb on 12 Oct 2010, 07:37
Loose Cannon sounds interesting.  Normal grenades were a bit weak in FO3 though.  Maybe they will bring back white phosphorous.  I wonder if they are going to having throwing knives?

Has any website posted anything about the thirst/water collecting aspect of the game?

For some reason having to scrounge for water seems like a really interesting game mechanic.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 12 Oct 2010, 09:07
Well, actually, specializing in Hand to Hand early on with a small bit in Small Arms just to make the first few levels more manageable, was insanely powerful fairly quickly in. If you could manage to get a hold of a power fist it just got silly.

Yeah, I meant firearm skills specifically. Believe me, you don't need to tell me how good melee builds are in the first two games. But putting any significant amounts of skill points in Big Guns or Energy Weapons early was just gimping yourself. That's what I'm hoping they've fixed in NV.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: ackblom12 on 12 Oct 2010, 09:44
Oh yeah, Big Guns were dog shit.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 13 Oct 2010, 14:39
Energy weapons actually worked out pretty well as a sole weapon skill in F3, if you didn't mind using a laser pistol for a good chunk of your running time.

Anyway, combined pre-order numbers for F:NV have nearly exceeded the total sales for Alpha Protocol (http://www.vgchartz.com/preorders.php?date=40461), as if that eventuality was ever in doubt.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 13 Oct 2010, 17:08
The strategy guide, at 525,000 words, is longer than War and Peace (http://news.bigdownload.com/2010/10/12/fallout-new-vegas-printed-strategy-guide-is-this-big/).
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 13 Oct 2010, 17:36
does the CE come with the guide? I preorder the CE months ago but have completely forgotten what came with it.

I'd be stoked to have a huge guide for NV. You know...for emergencies only.  :wink:
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Dimmukane on 13 Oct 2010, 18:01
Should be getting this in a coupla days...but I ain't gonna have time to play it for a good week or two.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 13 Oct 2010, 18:48
does the CE come with the guide?
Negative.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Caleb on 13 Oct 2010, 20:25
Well the drawback to getting the Xbox version is that I won't be getting my Xbox until the end of the month.

So there is gonna be some delay in playing this! 

Still gonna preorder for the $10 in Best Buy points and the mercenary in game stuff.

Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 14 Oct 2010, 12:19
More perks (http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/6173/the_music_of_the_mojave_wasteland.php)

Gamasutra article on the game's music (http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/6173/the_music_of_the_mojave_wasteland.php)

Quote
As the player starts to see a house on the horizon, the first layer (of three) starts to play. The player hears the tension change. As he nears the house, a second layer comes in, and once he is in the center of town, the whole music track plays.

The same thing happens in reverse as the player leaves the area. This gives a very natural flow to the experience of exploring the wasteland. And to this, we also make sure the music has night and day variations.

Fallout is a game that allows for its players to choose their own role, and their own morality. Some players play the good guy, and others play the bad guy. We decided that the music system should reflect that.

If the player runs through the town of Goodsprings and kills everything in sight, the music will reflect that with a dark, foreboding tone. If the player is helpful to the townsfolk and doesn't cause too much trouble, the there is a much lighter, rural tone to the music.
Sounds promising!

Quote from: Some guy who got the strategy guide
As far as new featuresattributed to theSPECIAL stats go, I've found some stuff. With CHARISMA you get something called "Companion Nerve" witch gives your companions buffs to damage and armor. With INTELLIGENCE, if you have INT lower than 4 you will get the "dumb" conversation options. With AGILITY that will affect how fast you draw your weapon, how fast you reload, and how fast your run speed is (also you do not have a penalty for running with a one handed weapon, only two handed ones). LUCK will affect "Enemy Mishaps" i.e. enemy shooting wide, grenades blowing up early, etc.

Also
BLAST FROM THE PAST (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdl7pl3e7zY)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: ackblom12 on 14 Oct 2010, 13:14
Dumb dialogue! Fuck yeah!

Also the music system sounds fantastic. Now If only the pre load would start on steam so I can lounge about Tuesday for as long as I possibly can.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Mynah on 14 Oct 2010, 16:52
This game looks so sexy, I can hardly wait until it comes in the mail.  I'm going to be glued to my playstation for weeks :D
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 14 Oct 2010, 17:26
Best Buy is doing a live stream of a presentation / interview / probably gameplay... stuff (http://www.liveatbestbuy.com/fallout). Features a lot of new stuff.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 14 Oct 2010, 17:33
Not a whole lot of new info out of that stream but the incendiary grenades look like a ton of fun, and the unique sniper rifle they found looks pretty nice. Apparently Caesar's Legion prefers light armor and melee weapons, so they sound like enemies that you could tear apart with shotguns.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Caleb on 14 Oct 2010, 21:17
Oh shit!  I saw the .223 pistol!

The crafting system in this game could be really cool.

Recycle your batteries from your energy weapons?  Cool.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 15 Oct 2010, 00:03
(http://angryhosting-east.mirror.waffleimages.com/files/18/18d360e0b5ae500b100419a522223c35f22fc5b0.png)
Aradesh from Shady Sands on NCR money.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 15 Oct 2010, 11:31
360 version has leaked, keeping up with recent trends. I think pirates go for the 360 first to counter the assertion that consoles are more secure.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 15 Oct 2010, 13:29
Hey, I'm playing hacked playstation games right now, so it's not like it's completely unreasonable. I still wonder why they bother with copyright protection - has it ever had any effect at all on pirating?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 15 Oct 2010, 14:32
I still wonder why they bother with copyright protection - has it ever had any effect at all on pirating?

Yes. It made people crack it and pirate even harder, just to prove they can.

Brilliant, I know.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 15 Oct 2010, 14:47
Hey, I'm playing hacked playstation games right now, so it's not like it's completely unreasonable. I still wonder why they bother with copyright protection - has it ever had any effect at all on pirating?
Pirating on consoles is harder because the consumer of infringed goods has to put in some legwork on the hardware side of the equation before he can use them.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 15 Oct 2010, 14:57
Last dev diary, on voice acting (http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/fallout-new-vegas-videos/fallout-new-vegas-videos/1413991?asid=cb452af1).

Full info on perks / traits / skills/ etc. (http://www.gamebanshee.com/news/100111-gb-feature-fallout-new-vegas-perks-traits-skills-and-more.html) Get to building your character!

Full voice cast (http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:Ausir/Fallout:_New_Vegas_cast_revealed). Lots of cameos from people we (probably?) didn't know about before - Wil Wheaton, Rob Corddry, Zoe Bell, Crocodile Dundee, etc.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 15 Oct 2010, 15:20
FYI, Steam pre-loading has apparently started.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 15 Oct 2010, 19:29
Full info on perks / traits / skills/ etc. (http://www.gamebanshee.com/news/100111-gb-feature-fallout-new-vegas-perks-traits-skills-and-more.html) Get to building your character!

Still doesn't include the level 30 perks (unless there are none?) and any perks you get from missions, but it's still the most comprehensive list we've seen so far by a long shot.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 15 Oct 2010, 22:48
Pirate streamin' (http://www.justin.tv/jerleminara#/w/469582288).
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 16 Oct 2010, 02:17
PS, when you take the Wild Wasteland trait you can encounter a Zybourne Clock easter egg. That's meaningless to you unless you're well-versed in Something Awful lore (Josh Sawyer is a longtime goon).

Naturally SA has declared F:NV as GOTY 2010 four days prior to release.

Awesome (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7hElo-fSj0).
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 16 Oct 2010, 03:04
PS, when you take the Wild Wasteland trait you can encounter a Zybourne Clock easter egg.

youve got to be fucking kidding
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 16 Oct 2010, 03:15
And you get a unique Gauss rifle with a YCS-186 ID tag, no less. It's kind of amazing.

The wait is kind of killing me at this point, I have my first character sketched out until level 26, I just can't figure out the last two perks I want.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 16 Oct 2010, 14:41
PS, when you take the Wild Wasteland trait you can encounter a Zybourne Clock easter egg.

youve got to be fucking kidding
(http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/2392/8ea4b9f4a2698eb5ea33b88.jpg)
Notice the faithful rendering of Johnny Fiveaces' enormous bulge.

I've heard that you can get the gauss rifle without actually toggling the Weird Wasteland perk, which makes sense.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 16 Oct 2010, 15:50
Hey, I'm playing hacked playstation games right now, so it's not like it's completely unreasonable. I still wonder why they bother with copyright protection - has it ever had any effect at all on pirating?
Pirating on consoles is harder because the consumer of infringed goods has to put in some legwork on the hardware side of the equation before he can use them.
But, that's not really a problem is it? Where the big companies are trying to make it harder to pirate their stuff, all they do is making pirating more fun for the nerds who actually do this stuff. The guys who developed, released and patched ePSXe (the ps1 emulator I'm using) probably had the blast of their lives doing just that - it was a challenging and interesting problem, and they got more back from it in feeling of achievement and positive response from tens of thousands of users than they'll probably get from most of the jobs they'll ever have. the harder you protect something, the more intent you make pirates. It's like adding a new, super-hard boss to WOW, the players will be scrambling to figure out strats, stats, glitches, drops and everything. Pirating can't be fought without surveillance of private computer use, and that's so much of a Orwellian scenario that it won't happen before people are getting shot in the streets for making fun of the leaders of the state anyways. Copyright-protection is completely meaningless for anyone else than the people getting paid to make it, and the pirates who gets a blast from working around it.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 16 Oct 2010, 15:59
The point wasn't that it was harder for pirates to crack a game, but that with PCs there generally isn't a lot of effort a consumer of pirated goods has to put in to enjoy them - he just torrents an .iso and runs a crack, and for the most part he's good. Consoles have proprietary, uniform hardware specs, and as such it's really not a huge problem to build DRM schemes into hardware in ways that are nearly impossible to do in the PC realm, considering the diversity of choice. A hacker might look at the 360 or PS3 and see a healthy challenge, but the vast majority of actual consoles players are going to be extremely intimidated by the idea of fucking with their systems in ways that are necessary for playing burned leaks of console games. You have to be willing to risk your console being bricked out of warranty. You kind of have to know someone who's pulled it off.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Caleb on 16 Oct 2010, 21:33
I wonder if there are any negatives to taking Weird Wasteland?

It seems like it would be just more stuff and more stuff is always better.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 16 Oct 2010, 21:41
It doesn't really add much of substance to the game - as far as I know there are no items or quests or characters that are added by Wild Wasteland. It mostly just adds 4th wall breaking / pop culture riffing to the environment.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 16 Oct 2010, 21:59
According to the strategy guide, there are a couple of unique weapons that cannot be obtained without Wild Wasteland. The Holy Hand Grenade is one, the Gauss rifle is apparently not.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Ozymandias on 16 Oct 2010, 23:19
Alright.

Obsidian wins this round solely on the strength of Zybourne Clock.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 17 Oct 2010, 08:51
According to the wiki, the Alien Blaster is only available with Wild Wasteland, there are no references to aliens without the trait selected.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Alex C on 17 Oct 2010, 09:57
That's meaningless to you unless you're well-versed in Something Awful lore (Josh Sawyer is a longtime goon).

Even if you're not really well-versed in the whole thing (which I'm not), it's pretty hard not to like the Johnny fan art.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 17 Oct 2010, 12:56
The first review is out and, just as I predicted, it gets an equivalent of a 5.0 (http://attackofthefanboy.com/news/fallout-vegas-review/) because Fallout 3 was better and the graphix are the same. Fallout 3 was awesome but NV "feels like Oblivion with guns". Funny, that.

Couple of things though: The embargo goes until either tomorrow or launch day (it's unclear but most recent mentions point to the latter) and the reviewer references "other people on the forum" who have played NV, so it's pretty obviously a Fallout 3 fan who pirated the game. So take this as your harbinger of the Bethtard reaction to NV.

Andrew Reiner from Game Informer said (through his twitter) that he's had his review copy of F:NV for a month. When he writes his review he will be on his third playthrough. Jim Sterling of Destructoid finessed around the embargo to say all this:
Quote
- First Jimpressions of New Vegas: As far as I am concerned, Alpha Protocol never happened now. Slate's clean.
- Played New Vegas for two days and have only officially completed two quests. [censored] hell!
- I in no way mean to imply that that's a BAD thing, either.
- @snoopypup248 If it is, it's an expansion that's worth $60
- New Vegas has officially overwhelmed me. I have so many quests going on and don't know where to start. This is terrifying and awesome.

Also according to some gossip blog, the F:NV launch party happened last night and Vampire Weekend performed for some reason. Various television actors were in attendance (http://"http://www.accidentalsexiness.com/2010/10/17/trevor-donovan-and-aaron-paul-rock-out-in-vegas/").

Couple of little things that are apparently confirmed by streams and the like: There will be different fighting styles that will augment unarmed combat (no idea if this changes animations or the like) and when you reload a game, gambling is disabled for 60 seconds. Powergamers are gonna have to work for their bread.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 17 Oct 2010, 13:44
With all the things on offer, graphix seems like a childish thing to bitch about. Hopefully there aren't going to be other games using the gamebryo engine from here on out because this would be a fitting swan-song for it.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 17 Oct 2010, 13:56
According to the wiki, the Alien Blaster is only available with Wild Wasteland, there are no references to aliens without the trait selected.
The wiki also mentions that the YCS/186 Gauss Rifle will only appear if Wild Wasteland is off, which they indicate as a sort of trade-off. As it stands, the Gauss Rifle and Zybourne Clock balls / body are probably separate references - apparently the YCS/186 guy had met Josh at least once in person.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 17 Oct 2010, 15:17
For the record, Jim Sterling: giving New Vegas a positive review does not wipe your slate clean. You're still a giant tool and your review of Alpha Protocol was still a shitty gimmick to get pageviews.

Also, that first review John linked is a perfect example as to why Metacritic is useless. Some self-important jackass with a blog is given equal weight as any other website because he sticks an iconoclastic number on it to get attention.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 17 Oct 2010, 15:46
There are approximately 25 core storyline quests and 70 sidequests in F:NV, + however many untagged tasks you can do.

Fallout 3 had, at least according to the strategy guide, 11 core storyline quests and 17 sidequests.

It's Fallout 1 -> Fallout 2 all over again.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 17 Oct 2010, 19:15
Presumably some of the storyline quests (and possibly some of the sidequests as well, who knows) are mutually exclusive depending on whether you're allied with NCR or Caesar's Legion. Still, sounds like even if the world is the same size, they put a lot more to do in it.

Less than 30 hours away...
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 17 Oct 2010, 21:34
Here are the things I've learned from continued stream-watching:

 - Unarmed fighting seems almost comically overpowered until you're swarmed by enemies.
 - Scorpions are still fucking hard to kill.
 - Chems and the like are far rarer than they were in Fallout 3. To a degree, so is ammo. You can buy "bulk" ammo that's cheap and plentiful but underpowered.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 17 Oct 2010, 23:09
Uuuugh, I hate Radscorpions so much.

Maybe I'll do an Unarmed build on my Hardcore playthrough, since that will help with the whole 'ammo has weight' problem.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 17 Oct 2010, 23:20
On the flip side, you'll need to be well-equipped to soak bullets because healing pans out differently. The Caesar's Legion guys are a real pain in the ass on hardcore.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: look out! Ninjas! on 18 Oct 2010, 02:07
It's Fallout 1 -> Fallout 2 all over again.
It's shockingly underbaked, the plot isn't nearly as good, the start sucks, the endless parade of jokes and pop-culture references ruin it and it's easy to break the first half of the game (for combat at least) with an ounce of luck?

 :-D
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: ackblom12 on 18 Oct 2010, 02:52
oh god please, please stop it.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Boro_Bandito on 18 Oct 2010, 09:00
FUCK MY MANAGER, I swear to go I won't post any videos/pictures/spoilers/bragging online don't make me wait til' midniiiiiiight. *Choking, gasping sobs*
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LTK on 18 Oct 2010, 10:32
Order placed last Saturday. Today is Monday, received no dispatch confirmation yet. Average delivery time after dispatch confirmation is ten days. Game is released in four days. Which means I'll be held waiting at least six more days. Why, why must you torment me so, British packaging and delivery?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Caleb on 18 Oct 2010, 11:27
Preordered at Best Buy because I had a $15 certificate for there.

I don't think I will use the armor much but the grenade launcher looks kinda cool.  Gonna use it on radscorpions.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 18 Oct 2010, 13:00
Surprise! The first DLC is going to be 360-only, at least for a time.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: ackblom12 on 18 Oct 2010, 13:07
I'm pretty okay with that. If the news thus far is any indicator I'm going to have a ridiculous amount of content to last me a while anyways.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 18 Oct 2010, 19:40
Pics of the (illegible) map -
(http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/6560/fnvmap1.jpg)

(http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/5175/fnvmap2.jpg)

Oh God my grades :'( :'(
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 18 Oct 2010, 22:04
Huh, I think I broke the thread. If you look in the topic summary there are 2 "hidden posts" that I can't seem to make visible.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Ozymandias on 18 Oct 2010, 22:13
Really? You're going to take the stance that if a game that turned out buggier than the original Bethsoft game it's just the gaming media having a grudge against Obsidian or something?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 18 Oct 2010, 22:18
Are you going to claim that there isn't an element of confirmation bias to such reviews? All the hand-wringing I've read over the stability of FO:NV had an underpinning of presumption that FO3 was pristine, when in fact all the bugs that Gerstmann noted I encountered in FO3 on a regular basis (rocket-jumping Deathclaws was my favorite). It's not buggier than FO3. It's on the exact same engine as the latest iteration of FO3. People forget these things.

To be fair to Gerstmann, he complained about the same things in FO3, gave it the same score, and said FO:NV was better than FO3 in every other regard.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Ozymandias on 18 Oct 2010, 22:34
How do you know it's not buggier than FO3?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Alex C on 18 Oct 2010, 22:49
Probably because a lot of the complaints I've heard have been cache related crashes that Bethsoft games have been struggling with since Oblivion.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 18 Oct 2010, 22:50
Before that, even - Gamebryo's been having the same issues since Morrowind. Naturally it's all the fault of bad QA on Obsidz's part.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 19 Oct 2010, 00:08
GAME IS NOW PLAYABLE.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Boro_Bandito on 19 Oct 2010, 00:45
And man have I been playing it.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 19 Oct 2010, 10:19
I will confirm that I've been playing the game since midnight and haven't seen appreciably worse performance than Fallout 3. Which isn't to say it's very good, but it's not like Obsidian could spin straw into gold with that one.

Apparently the PC version's pretty fucked though. There's some issue with Steam Cloud support or something, it's not working with autosaves.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 19 Oct 2010, 11:33
got really blazed at 11 last night and drove all the way back into town for the midnight release. Man, there were some weird characters there, let me tell you. There was this one really old lady with a cane who was super excited about her collector's edition and guide. It was kind of odd and funny. She had to be like 80, and she was all "I just finished Fallout 3 a couple weeks ago and I've been dying to get into New Vegas, I'm so excited!"

Anyway, I spent about an hour or so playing last night before I went to bed. I did the first couple of tutorial-type missions, and enjoyed them as much as anyone can enjoy a tutorial.

I'm going with sort of a general character first: Science, Lockpicking, Guns, Explosives, that sort of thing. I was thinking about starting with Hardcore mode, but I want to get as much out of it on my first go as possible before I come back later for a Hardcore run. Oh yeah, and I picked Wild Wasteland....I couldn't resist.


The deck of cards that come with the CE are really slick. They are all mismatched "brands" of cards from different Casinos and things so almost all the cards have different backs, not to mention the fronts which are all different, and filled with characters and things from the wasteland. Gonna read the graphic novel "All Roads" today on my lunch break, so we'll see how that is.


Really though, I just wanna go home and keep playing. Today is going to be the slowest work day ever.  :|
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: ackblom12 on 19 Oct 2010, 12:28
I am quite enjoying myself! The Voice Acting is improved as far as I can tell, the dialogue is much better, the graphics are still basically the same but polished slightly. Mainly the polishing is on the faces, but they are still Bethesda faces. I started with Hardcore mode and I actually feel vulnerable now, which is a very nice change.

I also haven't noticed any real bugs in the PC game other than animations not being particularly good, but those aren't any worse than before.

Edit - Also, not sure if this is just me or not, but the game feels like they've put a bit more color in there. The enemies aren't all varying shades of brown and some the Giant Mantis I've run into even have a type that has a rainbow plumage. It's a nice change.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: johnny5 on 19 Oct 2010, 15:04
do you guys wanna post what perks/traits you're taking, up to a certain level?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 19 Oct 2010, 15:39
I've only gotten up to level 4 or so, so I've taken Wild Wasteland and Four Eyes as traits, and Lady Killer / Comprehension as perks. Energy Weapons / Science / Speech character.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Dimmukane on 19 Oct 2010, 16:22
scratch that two free copies hell yea


now we have a psyduck emoticon? yesssss  :psyduck:
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: johnny5 on 19 Oct 2010, 16:43
i went with wild wasteland and heavy handed (on hardcore), and i've only gotten to level 2 so confirmed bach. figure i'll take the educated perk next.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 19 Oct 2010, 17:05
Now I can't even remember what my first trait was...  :psyduck:


I know I picked Wild Wasteland but beyond that I have no idea....I wanna say Good Natured, since I was tired enough to probably not notice the -5 to guns, explosives etc. but I'm really not sure at all. I know I almost went with Four Eyes, but changed my mind at the last minute.

perplexing
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 19 Oct 2010, 17:06
I'm level 7 right now, also tagged Speech, Energy Weapons, and Science. Traits are Wild Wasteland and Good Natured, Perks so far are Lady Killer, Educated, and Vigilant Recycler. Had to pump a lot of points into Science early to get that last perk but it's nice to have when energy cells are still relatively scarce. I'm in Helios One right now but the robots are taking me apart since I don't really have a good way to damage them at the moment, I may have to come back later. My build is pretty weak early on and I'm really surprised how difficult the encounters are early in the game. I've started to encounter Nightkin and Glowing Ones already, and even a big enough group of Jackal Gang members can fuck you up pretty badly. Still, once I get to level 10 or so the good perks will really start rolling from there so I'm not too worried.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: johnny5 on 19 Oct 2010, 17:12
you can just check on your pip boy, right? i think i'm going to go with hand loader instead of recycler, because i put a ton of points into repair
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: ackblom12 on 20 Oct 2010, 05:51
It is expected and it IS Fallout 3.5, but I don't think calling it a glorified expansion is completely fair. In this case, it would be akin to calling Fallout 2 a glorified expansion. Admittedly some folks do, but it doesn't mean I have to agree with them.

Vice City is not a "glorified expansion" to GTA 3 for example and I don't recall anyone calling it as such, but it is the same idea. In all honesty a lot of the complaints concerning that really do sound like it's because Obsidian is an easy target.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: glyphic on 20 Oct 2010, 06:20
Personally, I'm already having more fun with this than Fallout 3. Weapon mods, different ammo, useful companions, chem "scarcity" and more interesting traits. Plus, I started on Hard Hardcore mode, so there's a sense of danger any time I wander the wastes. Plus, you can die in VATS now! That's fucking brilliant. Far removed from the invincibility switch from the last game.

On the other hand,

RADSCORPIONS. These fuckers are nearly invulnerable in the beginning and they're EVERYWHERE.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: ackblom12 on 20 Oct 2010, 06:54
Honestly, even Hardcore Normal is fucking vicious at the moment. My limbs are hating me so much.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Caleb on 20 Oct 2010, 07:44
I love Hardcore mode.  It's going to save this game from becoming boring.  I mean now you HAVE to go see a doctor like in the original games.

And the crafting system!  So great.  I love collecting random things.

I opted to only take Wild Wasteland and no other traits.  So glad I did.  I already found Johnny 5 aces and a sweet hat.

The pre-order armor and grenade launcher is pretty badass.  It's really interesting not to feel too bad about using it because the ammo is just so damn heavy.  I mean why not use some of it and clear out some inventory room.

I took the educated perk but now I am worried that I am going to be too powerful again.  But then again that means I won't have to take another intense training in intelligence.  I will probably reload and take comprehension instead.  Make myself work for those extra points.

The whole magazine thing seems a bit cheap.  Especially since you can buy them for pretty cheap.  A 10-20 bonus to a skill anytime you want?

Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: glyphic on 20 Oct 2010, 08:03
Magazines do seem a little on the cheap side all things considered, but at the same time, it seems like there are a lot more skill-based actions this time around. I mean, campfires, workbenches, and reloading stations are all based on your skill level. Being able to amp up your skills for a short time and get a better investment out of your available items seems like a realistic strategy.

Found my first companion last night. I had to repair him to activate him. I had to use a magazine to do it. He's totally rad and plays cowboy music when he spots a bad guy and I can dump a ton of items into him, so he's basically a flying alarm system with a trunk. RAD.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: ackblom12 on 20 Oct 2010, 08:28
Yeah, I got no real problems with it jsut because it means I get to see more of the game my first playthrough. Also with the ridicuous increase in combat difficulty for Hardcore I find it's nice to get some things like the repaired companion earlier.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: johnny5 on 20 Oct 2010, 09:23
Personally, I'm already having more fun with this than Fallout 3. Weapon mods, different ammo, useful companions, chem "scarcity" and more interesting traits. Plus, I started on Hard Hardcore mode, so there's a sense of danger any time I wander the wastes. Plus, you can die in VATS now! That's fucking brilliant. Far removed from the invincibility switch from the last game.

On the other hand,

RADSCORPIONS. These fuckers are nearly invulnerable in the beginning and they're EVERYWHERE.

YES. Fucking damage threshold! early on in the game, nothing I have can kill a giant radscorpion. I just literally turn tail and run, occasionally checking back to see that it's right on my fucking ass, trying to sting me to death
also this might be a super noobish question, but in reference to aid items, how do they work? i see they provide like 5hp and has a time effect on it. eating multiple items of the same thing doesn't actually add more hp beyond the 5 hp for example. :?

Anyone else find Indiana Jones yet?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Caleb on 20 Oct 2010, 10:09
Johnny I just said cool hat so it wouldn't be a spoiler.  Hehehe.

Anyone else find Snuffles yet?  Best part of the game so far.

Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 20 Oct 2010, 10:18
I randomly decided to tag Explosives at the start (something I don't normally do) and I am glad I did because I am constantly running low on ammo for all my guns, but I never have less than 30 sticks of dynamite. It's ridiculously plentiful early on and I am destroying even Radscorpions with ease.


however,
I got surprise attacked by three velociraptor-looking things last night (Nightstalkers maybe? I forget) and before I even threw the first stick of dynamite (of three) that I had queued up in VATS, they were surrounding me and I was dead before he even lit the first fuse.

They started out a pretty good distance from me too, they were just way too fast.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Ozymandias on 20 Oct 2010, 11:47
Best graphics bug since RDR (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToKIkw3LIoQ&feature=player_embedded)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: glyphic on 20 Oct 2010, 11:56
 :psyduck:

WHAT IS WRONG WI
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Caleb on 20 Oct 2010, 13:36
All in all I am very glad I decided to get this on the 360.

I have been hearing a ton of horror stories from the PC version.

I thought I might have trouble getting used to the controller but it's been fine.

No bugs so far.  But honestly I haven't wandered that far into the wasteland.

Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 20 Oct 2010, 13:46
Yeah, I've been having a blast with 360 version so far, though I haven't explored all that much yet.

At first I was getting a little lag/stuttering when walking around outside, but I installed to HDD and it's totally smooth like 98% of the time now. I recommend it, if you've got the room to spare.

The only actual glitch I've seen so far was a Powder Ganger guy stuck in the side of bus that he was apparently hiding in before I showed up and prompted him to run straight at me, which was actually into the wall of the bus (naturally), and he somehow ended up in it's structure. I couldn't just leave him there all alone, so I threw in some dynamite to keep him company.


my work days go by so slow now that I have this to look forward to all day
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Cire27 on 20 Oct 2010, 14:09
I like how hardcore mode is basically the Wanderers Edition mod for FO3.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: ackblom12 on 20 Oct 2010, 14:12
I ran into a great bug last night ont he PC. I stepped into a bear trap and I suddenly found myself flying a good 60ft into the air and staying there for a minute looking around before I fell and died. Hasn't happened since, but it was pretty funny at the time.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 20 Oct 2010, 21:11
Veronica rules, that is all.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Caleb on 21 Oct 2010, 14:23
Hahaha!

This whole time I was playing I thought that drinking beer and liquor would keep me hydrated.

Turns out that is a +thirst rather than a - thirst.

No wonder I was halfway dying of dehydration all the time!

Also the crafting system is really great.  Items like the Caravaner's Lunch are totally sweet.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Dimmukane on 21 Oct 2010, 16:02
I got the 'eyes on the side of the dog' one right off the bat.

And actually...the first time I launched the game on PC, the launcher crashed.

My 360 copy has worked fine so far.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Ozymandias on 21 Oct 2010, 16:07
So far I've just had a gecko fall through a hill.

Nothing exciting.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 21 Oct 2010, 16:27
Only real glitches I've seen so far have been people walking into walls indefinitely and giant ants walking around with their heads underground and their butts up in the air.

Also, some mildy annoying (but not really troublesome in any way) stuff involving the gun/hand/arm models when sneaking. Sometimes they get bumped up on the screen into a really awkward position, and other times they are just invisible. Doesn't seem to happen when walking normally.


Just made it to Novac and the rocket factory last night. Goddamn Nightkin are practically impervious to my bullets and the halls in there are way too small to be lobbing explosives around. I need a new strategy for sure.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Mynah on 21 Oct 2010, 17:09
I've been playing a melee character, and I'm pretty sure melee weapons are completely broken in this game.  I took Super Slam and Purifier and I've been walking around with just a Bumper Sword, and I can take down pretty much anything that gets thrown at me with ease.  If I don't kill it one hit, I knock it down and then kill it while it's down.  Meanwhile, Boone kills most other things before they even get to me to begin with.

That doesn't take away from the fun, though.  I'm having an absolute blast with this game :D
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 21 Oct 2010, 17:16
holy shit I completely forgot this game has companions! That explains alot.  :-P

Now I just need to actually find some of them...
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Mynah on 21 Oct 2010, 17:17
You have been missing out, my friend.  I'm having such a hard time choosing which one I want.  I've been switching between Boone and Cass, but I'd also like Rex or Veronica at some point.  Decisions, decisions...
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Avec on 21 Oct 2010, 17:18
I am so jealous of not owning this. I may break into the local video game store tonight.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: johnny5 on 21 Oct 2010, 21:51
Hahaha!

This whole time I was playing I thought that drinking beer and liquor would keep me hydrated.

Turns out that is a +thirst rather than a - thirst.

No wonder I was halfway dying of dehydration all the time!

Also the crafting system is really great.  Items like the Caravaner's Lunch are totally sweet.
just like real life! fallout educates you
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: glyphic on 22 Oct 2010, 06:20
I've been playing a melee character, and I'm pretty sure melee weapons are completely broken in this game.

I've been playing as a skinny weakling nerd. Small frame, Four Eyes, 4 STR, 16 melee.

I found a bladed gauntlet. I can punch people in the face so hard their heads explode. I went to Nipton and killed everyone there in one hit. Even the mister gutsy.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Caleb on 22 Oct 2010, 07:20
Last night I somehow earned a perk that lets me do more damage to insects.  Not as good as the entomologist perk you can get at level up but pretty good.

Again I didn't get it at level up I earned it.

This is pretty sweet because you can only get 1/2 as many perks as you do in Fallout 3 via points.  This means you can earn extra "Challenge perks" without spending any points to get them.

Has anyone else earned any extra perks this way?

Also Comprehension was a good choice over Educated.  It makes sure my character stays reasonably strong (but not maxing out) and lets me pass most checks with magazines.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 22 Oct 2010, 10:12
Yeah, I've gotten several of those so far.

-I got that bug one
-another one called Something Death, or Death Something. Something like 5% more damage against everything and anything.

I think I got one or two other ones too but now I'm blanking on what they were.


Oh yeah, and I finally found a companion! Yay! Granted, it's a personality-less robot but it holds my shit and sometimes plays cool tunes so....I'm stoked.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 22 Oct 2010, 13:01
Apparently ED-E does not take up a companion slot, so he/she can tag along while you wreck shit with Boone or whoever. This is nice because in combat ED-E is not particularly strong. He/she is very, very useful against ambushes, though. Really evens the odds against Nightkin.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 22 Oct 2010, 15:05
The perk SWM is thinking of is Lord Death, I got it too.

Also there is one humanoid companion slot and one non-humanoid. The second slot can be filled by either ED-E or Rex. Rex is much more useful in combat but I like ED-E's perk more so it's kind of a tossup.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 22 Oct 2010, 15:09
So apparently there is a patch out for 360 and PS3. I guess it makes the game crash when you go into VATS and makes your load times longer.

So I'd wait for the next one.  :|


I'm at work so I don't know from first-hand experience or anything, but that's what I've heard from a couple people online so far.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 23 Oct 2010, 03:21
Veronica rules, that is all.
Protip - Northwest of a very... sunny place, there is a darker place that has something in it that Veronica will find very, very useful. Looks neat, too.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LeeC on 23 Oct 2010, 05:57
Still havnt played FO3 and would like to play that before NV, only because I live in maryland and venture into DC regularly.  NV does look awesome  :mrgreen:
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Ozymandias on 23 Oct 2010, 08:35
Man, I have to say the voice acting in this game is wildly inconsistent. Sometimes it's fantastic other times it's worse than FO3. Sunny Smiles makes me want to beat her to death with a tire iron, for instance.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 23 Oct 2010, 12:12
As a whole it's a little bit better than FO3's VA. I haven't run into many of the Name actors yet ('cept for Doc Mitchell / Veronica / Boone / Raul on the radio / Mr. New Vegas) but the common voices seem to be on average just about as good as FO3's was. It's not awesome but it's not Oblivion either.

Fun with VATS (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uYrM6rzGaI)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Felrender on 23 Oct 2010, 12:47
Also I was surprised when I heard "Rhonda".
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Ozymandias on 23 Oct 2010, 15:40
Man so I been playign a melee character and yeah melee is nuts powerful. Just like BASHBASHBASHBASH CUTCUTCUTCUT and shit dies.

Also I just figured out that they're assholes for makign healing powder the tutorial crafting thing since healing powder ingredients + syringe = a fucking stimpack you jerks.

The whole foraging for ingredient aspects is painfully reminiscent of Oblivion and Obsidian should be ashamed of themselves.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: SirJuggles on 23 Oct 2010, 16:25
Holy shit I just realized that NV is the abbreviation for Nevada  :psyduck:
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Boro_Bandito on 23 Oct 2010, 19:36
Man I finally ran into a slew of new bugs today that really actually broke parts of the game and resulted in my character dying a horrible, painful, senseless death. While I was doing the Boulder City Mission, all of a sudden my gun stopped firing in the middle of VATS, when I got out of VATS, it still wouldn't fire, and I died. Finally figured out a quick fix is to switch to another weapon and then back real quick, but it happened a couple more times. Then got a few new graphics glitches where the darkness that builds in the dust storm in Hidden Valley wouldn't leave even after I'd left it, the "shooting star" corpses that would finally land and then just bubble, with a sound like canvas in the wind, and then saw the ants and other animals walking at an odd angle in the distance, even a couple up close. They need to patch the shit out of this game.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 23 Oct 2010, 21:42
Veronica rules, that is all.
Protip - Northwest of a very... sunny place, there is a darker place that has something in it that Veronica will find very, very useful. Looks neat, too.

Thanks for that tip, but I already got her this (http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Pushy).

From a purely min-max standpoint, I almost wish I hadn't taken Wild Wasteland. The Alien Blaster is great and all, but I think the power cells you get with it are all you get and neither of the other unique weapons I've found so far are that great. The unique Gauss rifle would be pretty nice with my build.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LeeC on 24 Oct 2010, 08:45
It;s hard for me to choose, the FO3 Game of the Year edition looks like way more content and is definatley interesting, but NV looks like mad max and like non-stop fun.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: ackblom12 on 24 Oct 2010, 10:06
If you want me to be completely honest, the expansion stuff for FO3 wasn't anything particularly impressive, with the exception of Broken Steel and Outlook Point. I mean, if you plan to get NV at some point no matter what, get FO3 first, because the gameplay elements and story of NV are much much better and it will be kind of painful to go back. Personally I'm enjoying NV more already though so I don't think you should get burnt out before you're done with FO3.

Also if you care too much about bugs FO3 is a bit less buggy at this point. Neither is terribly impressive in that sense, but ya know.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 24 Oct 2010, 10:20
holy shit Wild Wasteland

last night I got jumped by a gang of old ladies in pink sun dresses carrying rolling pins. They all had alliterative names like Maleficent Maud. I forget the other names but I was extremely stoked when it happened because it was not something I was expecting at all....ever.
I came out of a door somewhere and one lady was standing there and she said "look at this chump, ladies" or something like that and charged at me, then two more that looked just like her came out from behind a building and attacked as well. Naturally, Boone blew all their fucking heads off almost instantly which is good because I was too busy laughing my ass off and scratching my head to shoot right away.


Decided to start a new game for some reason. Kept Wild Wasteland (after the above, there's no way I'm missing any of the other stuff). Wanted to make a really Strong character to play HC mode with that I would just punch my way through the story with (avoiding most guns & ammo, reducing one of the main challenges of HC mode: weighted ammo), and wear Power Armor asap. Anyone know where to get Power Armor training? In my first game I met some Brotherhood guys in a bunker, but I accidentally killed them. Presumably they can do that? Is there anybody else?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 24 Oct 2010, 12:20
I want my first character to be a total wise-ass.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 24 Oct 2010, 12:27
Goddamn is this game huge. I know several people who had to take a break due to overload when they hit The Strip, and I don't blame them. I haven't met Benny yet and I'm at level 17.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Ozymandias on 24 Oct 2010, 13:20
Man. I had the most surreal experience today because I been playing this game so much and then today I spent two hours climbing a desert mountain covered in bombed out tanks and explosives testing facilities, all hell of ancient rusted metal trash everywhere while carrying a 50lb bag of marble dust to a glorious giant M on top and I think I'm too exhausted to play any NV today because I lived it.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 24 Oct 2010, 16:52
Ran into my first serious bug, and it's a doozy. I can't work for Mr. House - all his bots go aggro when I enter the Lucky 38, even though I was invited there. It seems to automatically list me as having sided against him, though I never made that choice. It doesn't ruin my playthrough (I was leaning towards Wild Card anyway) but a bugged critical path quest 25 hours in is still pretty embarrassing.

(this is on the 360. I might have been able to fix it via console on the PC)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Dimmukane on 24 Oct 2010, 18:31
Just got to Helios One...Fantastic is such an awesome dude, he deserves a medal.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: glyphic on 24 Oct 2010, 19:03
KVP, you might check to see if you're wearing another faction's armor. I got my shit ruined by the brotherhood like 8 times for wearing NCR armor around them.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 24 Oct 2010, 20:37
Negative (spacesuuuuuuiiiiiiiit yeah). It's actually a bug that got patched out, but the fix only works if you load a save from before you finished the Vault 11 storyline.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Cire27 on 24 Oct 2010, 20:38
Just got to Helios One...Fantastic is such an awesome dude, he deserves a medal.

"They asked if I had a Theoretical Physics Degree. I said I had a Theoretical Degree in Physics."

yeeeaaahhhhhhh
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 25 Oct 2010, 03:33
Started playing it yesterday, but it crashed to desktop in the middle of character creation, and the sound was strangely stuttering at places, so I figured that I'll have to try to fix this today. Possibly just by setting priority to high or something, that seems to have fixed it for some.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: jackmort on 25 Oct 2010, 05:24
No companion will ever compare to Fawkes
http://static.desktopnexus.com/thumbnails/154321-bigthumbnail.jpg (http://static.desktopnexus.com/thumbnails/154321-bigthumbnail.jpg)

Are any of the characters/groups from fallout 3 in New Vegas or is it all-new?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: ackblom12 on 25 Oct 2010, 05:38
Goddamn, I finally got around to actually going to the Strip last night and now I have a stupidly large number of quests I can do and my god I'm getting overwhelmed.

This is a nice feeling.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Ozymandias on 25 Oct 2010, 07:40
Well, it takes place 2000 miles away, so no there's not really any overlap except for the occasional clever reference.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 25 Oct 2010, 07:41
Man, another CTD after 5 minutes. I found out that my graphics card driver is horribly outdated, and I've also messed around with the ini, so we'll see if it helps.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: jackmort on 25 Oct 2010, 07:47
That's why I don't play PC games anymore, if you buy an Xbox game and put it into an Xbox, you know it'll just work


Well, it takes place 2000 miles away, so no there's not really any overlap except for the occasional clever reference.

I didn't know if maybe groups like brotherhood of steel or the enclave spanned that area, also I guess I forgot how big America is, If fallout 3 was set in England you could walk to the next game
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 25 Oct 2010, 10:23
Goddamn, I finally got around to actually going to the Strip last night and now I have a stupidly large number of quests I can do and my god I'm getting overwhelmed.

This is a nice feeling.

Man, I got completely overwhelmed by the time I got to Freeside....I haven't even gotten into Vegas yet.

Related: I haven't played this game in two days. Not because it's bad (quite the opposite) but because there was just too much to do! It didn't help that a big quest bugged right when I was about to finish it though!

But the real reason I haven't played it at all since then (that was Friday night) is because during the ensuing "short break" I found a game on XBL Indie called "Miner Dig Deep" and it has fully taken over my mind. It's a 2D mining platformer and it's easily in the top 3 ways I can think of to spend $1.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Melodic on 25 Oct 2010, 11:44
That's why I don't play PC games anymore, if you buy an Xbox game and put it into an Xbox, you know it'll just work


Well, it takes place 2000 miles away, so no there's not really any overlap except for the occasional clever reference.

I didn't know if maybe groups like brotherhood of steel or the enclave spanned that area, also I guess I forgot how big America is, If fallout 3 was set in England you could walk to the next game

Sorta like Oblivion, huh?

heh.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Caleb on 25 Oct 2010, 12:42
Well I guess there are game breaking bugs in the Xbox version.

So with no big spoilers if you are doing the Rocket Factory quest and are looking for radioactive fuel there are two choices.  You can get the fuel in Novac or on a dead body outside of a radioactive field place.  DON'T accidentally get both of them. 

This causes the quest to become completely broken and you can't finish it.

I accidentally picked up the second source for the fuel after I had gotten the fuel in Novac and returned it to the factory.

I lost 4 hours of game time.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 25 Oct 2010, 12:53
Yeah, it seems there a quite a few ways to break quests a various points.

For example, during a certain drunk Companion's quest, there was supposed to be a firefight with a certain brother-sister duo but instead everyone just stood there unable to be interacted with. Oops.

Not sure what triggered that particular instance and I haven't been back yet to see if it worked itself out or if it's permanently borked, or what.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LeeC on 25 Oct 2010, 13:04
so the wisdom to empart to the new gamers is to save and save often?  Sounds like red dead redemption... :psyduck:
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 25 Oct 2010, 13:12
Open-world games need hard saves, always, for a number of reasons. Don't rely on autosaves.

So at this point I'm going to make an educated guess and say that the first DLC is going to take place in "New Canaan" and have something to do with the Burned Man. Both were in Van Buren and are mentioned in NV (the former is talked about by the Crimson Caravan, the latter appears in the occasional loading screen) and both are, apparently, not in the core game. In VB, New Canaan was a mormon fort in the ruins of Salt Lake City, the Burned Man was originally called the Hanged Man, and he was a notoriously unkillable former associate of Caesar's with a penchant for unspeakable evil and a connection to New Canaan.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 25 Oct 2010, 14:37
Also, NV topped FO3's first-week sales in the UK by a third or so (http://www.destructoid.com/fallout-new-vegas-eclipses-fallout-3-debut-sales-in-uk).
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LeeC on 25 Oct 2010, 16:54
My girlfriend bought me NV, its pretty cool and feels like a western.  I named my character clint eastwood...they've been playing back to the future like crazy for the past month and I couldnt help myself when the Doc asked me what my name was.  I am favoring the NCR.  They seem on the level so far.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Ozymandias on 25 Oct 2010, 17:00
I'm running into my old RPG nemesis again: choices. Namely, I'm starting to wonder quite a bit what would be happening if I had favored the Powder Gangers.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 25 Oct 2010, 19:48
The Burned Man is referenced pretty goddamn heavily in New Vegas. The underlings in Caesar's Legion talk about him a lot, he's mentioned in some graffiti, and a couple of other assorted NPCs will explain his backstory in conversation. You can even ask Caesar himself about him, and he threatens to kill you if you don't change the subject. I was half-expecting him to show up in the endgame somehow, since I haven't gotten there yet, but I guess not. The possibility of a DLC featuring him hadn't occurred to me. I wonder if he'd be a new companion or a boss character. I suppose they could do both if they wanted to.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Cire27 on 25 Oct 2010, 19:56
I'm just now in Vegas and doing quests so why does it feel like I'm so close to the end of the game?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Caleb on 25 Oct 2010, 21:54
Man Caesar's Legion is a bit of a disappointment.  I had hoped that they would be all about bringing back some basic civilization instead of post-apocalypse civ but at this point of the game they seem to be just a big war machine that keeps killing and enslaving and will never stop and rebuild anything.  And they seem to be led by a religious pilgrim gone wrong.  I mean the complaints about NRC seem to be the same complaints that people had about the US government back when people were moving west.  Sure the roads in New California are safe from Raiders now, but I don't want to get a regular job and I don't want to pay taxes!  And the people who are moving to New Vegas seem to be the same type of people who moved to the old West back in the day as well.

So NRC isn't without it's problems but for any character who isn't a complete psychopathic male how can any other choice be made?

I mean sure all games can't give you choices like at the end of Deus Ex but come on!


Hahaha.


*Spoiler Kinda*


I found my car from Fallout 2.

My collection of random energy cells and junk was still in the back.

Just like I left it
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 25 Oct 2010, 22:10
Sure the roads in New California are safe from Raiders now, but I don't want to get a regular job and I don't want to pay taxes!
Actually a cursory glance over everything you encounter w/r/t the NCR indicates that they actually don't make anything safe and are, in fact, quite dysfunctional. They seem to be totally oblivious to the fact that the Legion is encroaching fairly heavily into their territory. When a rinkydink group of thugs takes over a pretty vital trading town they sit on their hands and do nothing. They have to recruit a drifter to clear a road of fucking ants. And they're headed for a severe food shortage, as you'll learn when you hit Vegas. Really the only thing standing between them and annihilation at the hands of the better trained, better equipped Caesar's Legion is the player character. And chances are if you save their asses they're liable to just keep on expanding their territory with no regard for how they're actually going to manage it. At least Mr. House can actually get shit done, and he doesn't crucify people.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 25 Oct 2010, 22:36
The only people in the wasteland that I really like and generally agree with are the Followers of the Apocalypse. They don't like killing things as much as I do, but they genuinely want to help everybody and don't (seem to) have any of their own agendas or anything like all the other groups do.

I'm hated by pretty much every faction except them, and then some of the various towns.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 26 Oct 2010, 01:24
The Followers of the Apocalypse are definitely the closest thing the Fallout universe has to 'good guys'. But since they don't like fighting people, they aren't exactly power players in the wasteland.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 26 Oct 2010, 01:46
Also (spoiler alert)

They're covertly assisting Benny's bid to overthrow Mr. House, so it's not like they're impartial arbiters of truth and justice who are above high-stakes political gambling (pun intended)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 26 Oct 2010, 14:08
This morning, as if to hammer the point home on how much none of the "big" factions like me, I found a barn with some Viper gang members in it and when I was done killing them, I was immediately set upon by Legion Assassins (like six of them!) and a group NCR Rangers who said I had three days to clean up my act; Literally the leaders of each group appeared behind me, standing right next to each other and gave me their various messages of hate one after the other. It's actually a good thing the Rangers showed up and weren't there to hurt me yet because they really helped take care of those Legion douches.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LeeC on 26 Oct 2010, 15:54
Just met Mr. house, tracking down benny.  I am so confused at what the politics are at this point. :psyduck:
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 26 Oct 2010, 16:15
Overall figures seem to point to 1.4 million in sales worldwide in the first week (http://gamrfeed.vgchartz.com/story/82519/fallout-new-vegas-week-one-sales-in/). 30% or so more than FO3 sold. I'm not even sure that takes digital sales into account.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 27 Oct 2010, 03:15
Considering Fallout 3 ended up at about 5 million between all platforms, that's a good sign for Obsidian. Having a legitimate multi-million seller under their belt should give them some job security for a few years at least.

I just finished my first run of the game, save clock was around 65 hours. Loved it, but I'm kind of burned out for right now so I'll have to come back in a while for another playthrough. I have a hard save right before the plot branch so I can load up and do the Mr. House/Yes Man paths pretty easily, but I'll pretty much have to start from scratch to work for Caesar since I pissed the Legion off pretty early.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: jackmort on 27 Oct 2010, 05:51
My friend has FalloutNV on the PC and after about 20 hours of play his save corrupted and he lost everything
I thought he was going to fucking EXPLODE
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 27 Oct 2010, 06:59
Reminds me I have to back up my saves. It started working when I switched to steam offline mode, except from the random AI glitch now and then - I've had a gecko charge at me, and just keep going forwards when I side-stepped, and keep going forever. Radscorpions has a tendency to sink partially into the ground (but still being lootable, luckily), and there's some invisible walls on the NCR correctional facility towers. Other than that, no bugs or glitches. There's a problem with meelee-based enemies not figuring out how to traverse z-levels at times, but that's probably more of an engine failure than a bug.

This game is great fun! The western feel is pretty well done, the combination of western and the fallout universe is perfect. The fighting is certainly better than in F3, especially in hardcore mode, which is great in itself. Ammo recycling and the other kinds of crafting is good, but doesn't feel compulsory. If Obsidian manages to fix their damned bugs, New Vegas will be a strong all-over GOTY challenger.


And goddammit Nightkin doesn't award enough XP compared to their toughness and damage potential. I managed to take them down with Stealth-boys of my own, but meeting two of them lost me as much HP as 8 gang members, and awarded me 1/6 of the XP.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Cire27 on 27 Oct 2010, 07:11
Do people only use one save these days?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LTK on 27 Oct 2010, 08:53
To save your disk space, it's sensible to overwrite one, maybe two or three saves over and over again, since at the end of the game you're not likely to backtrack to a level 5 save to see how things could have turned out with option B instead of A. For this game it seems smarter to bump that number up to a hundred.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 27 Oct 2010, 09:44
Do people only use one save these days?
A lot of people seem to be relying on autosaves, which is a bad idea, as there seem to be certain places (in my game for instance, the gift shop in Novac) that run the risk of corrupting it. My policy is a hard save every 15 minutes, and backup of files every hour / hour and a half, though I have yet to experience the corruption of anything other than the autosave (and then only once).
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: ackblom12 on 27 Oct 2010, 11:08
I don't know, the late 90's taught me the hard way to keep multiple saves for any RPG. I just can't imagine doing it with anything less than 3 - 4 saves.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 27 Oct 2010, 12:16
I ended up with 3 saves at the end of my game but two of them were literally 3 minutes apart, before and after killing Mr. House.

I did have an autosave corrupt on me at one point, but I only lost about half an hour of progress. Mildly irritating but not that big of a deal.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 27 Oct 2010, 12:44
I've actually been pretty lucky with saves. After I got to Freeside I started noticing quests overlapping and failing, or just glitching outright (for example, Jean-Baptiste became completely unable to be interacted with at one point, even after death I couldn't loot his body. It just made that clicking noise it makes when something is invalid) and my game even froze a couple times but I was lucky in that it happened in Freeside where it autosaves every couple minutes and I lost maybe 30 seconds of walking and one conversation, no biggie.

After that, I got into the habit of hard saving more often just in case the autosaves weren't good enough, or didn't work right or something.


also, I'm just gonna leave this here:

insane mutant grandma  :mrgreen:
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Ozymandias on 27 Oct 2010, 13:40
I'm running into my old RPG nemesis again: choices. Namely, I'm starting to wonder quite a bit what would be happening if I had favored the Powder Gangers.

So this got the better of me and the answer is: I'd kill a shitton of people and NCR and enjoy it.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LeeC on 27 Oct 2010, 14:30
I typically have 2-3 saves in a game like this.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Snuffletrout on 27 Oct 2010, 14:32
I ordered F:NV to be shipped to my house instead of downloading it from steam like I do with most games. Normally it would have been here on the releaseday, but it seems the mail's gone missing or something since I still dont have it. Have contacted the store's support of course..

But judging from problems people are having maybe its a good thing I allow some time for bug-fix patches to become available. Would suck the big one to get corrupted saves. I usually did quicksaves before every new encounter in Fallout 3 in case I had to drink some wine and get more speech... And before picking locks, hacking etc. Quicksave is gold.

Will play Civ5 meanwhile...  :-D
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: glyphic on 28 Oct 2010, 06:05
I generally only save every once in a great while. I rely mostly on autosaves.

However, I cannot stand losing companions. I always reload my last save if a companion dies, even if it was two hours' progress ago. If I fail a speech check or jam a lock, I'll move on but if ED-E gets busted, I am watching that load screen.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Ozymandias on 28 Oct 2010, 07:50
Can ED-E die? I've had get knocked unconscious a couple of times but it reboots after a couple of minutes.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: ackblom12 on 28 Oct 2010, 08:20
Yeah, I've had ED-E get it's dumb ass killed a couple times when she wanders off and pisses off a group of golden geckos or those goddamn mutant wasps.

I hate those wasps so much.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 28 Oct 2010, 13:22
Can ED-E die? I've had get knocked unconscious a couple of times but it reboots after a couple of minutes.
Hardcore mode toggles companion permadeath. It makes explosives and low-CHA builds problematic. Boone does well for himself, though.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 28 Oct 2010, 14:43
I think one time I'll try a cult leader build where I'll just have 10 CHA and see if I can get away with never fighting anything myself after I reach the point in the game where I can get companions. I think Boone and Rex would be the best combo for that purpose.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 28 Oct 2010, 17:28
ED-E is much more useful in hardcore mode - as long as you keep him a fair length away from the action he basically makes you immune to ambushes.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: glyphic on 29 Oct 2010, 06:18
Immune to ambushes, able to see locations from halfway across the map, and it's just a flying duffel bag with a laser on it. Plus, he catches enemies on fire, which helps.

So, what's this Maria weapon I keep hearing about?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 29 Oct 2010, 10:27
Maria is Benny's pistol, right? I just killed him and picked it up last night, if I'm not mistaken.

Sorry, Chandler, but you fucking shot me in the head you dick! I tried punching him to death but it was taking too long with an unarmed skill of 18 so I pickpocketed Maria from him and shot him in the head with his own gun. Asshole.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Thomas Edison on 29 Oct 2010, 14:35
I've just cleared the Rocket Factory of Nightkin with That Gun. I think I'm going to try and finish this first run through without any companions.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 29 Oct 2010, 14:38
Later on tonight I'll probably upload my customn R.A.C.E. radio station, for anyone who's playing with the PC. It's gonna be all dark ambient stuff in the vein of the first game.

If you don't have the PC version, well, turn off the radio every once in awhile. The dynamic music system Obsidz created is pretty awesome.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: ackblom12 on 29 Oct 2010, 16:16
Yeah, I'm more than impressed with the music i n this game. I was a little sceptical of if it would work as well as they were oping but damn it's great.

On the other hand, will that custom radio station by any chance feature any of Mark Morgan's  remastered/remixed Fallout ambient stuff?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 29 Oct 2010, 16:48
Oh yeah, and the stuff that Mark Morgan ripped off in the first place.

A lot of the incidental music in the game is from the first two, actually.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: ackblom12 on 29 Oct 2010, 16:54
Fantastic, I'm looking forward to it.

Also I've noticed that as I go on in the game with my melee build, I'm really wishing I was better with guns.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Ozymandias on 29 Oct 2010, 21:06
I never have the radio on anyhow, a lot of complaints about the radio are spot on: far too few songs and no variety when switching stations. The DJs are great, but not worth sitting through Ain't That a Kick in the Head for the 50th time while running from radscorps.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LeeC on 29 Oct 2010, 21:30
I never have the radio on anyhow, a lot of complaints about the radio are spot on: far too few songs and no variety when switching stations. The DJs are great, but not worth sitting through Ain't That a Kick in the Head for the 50th time while running from radscorps.
oddly enough I like the ranger song...with a big iron on his hip... :psyduck:
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Boro_Bandito on 29 Oct 2010, 21:33
I really really like Heartache by the Numbers (tied to a good memory) and Black Mountain Radio is hilarious, and I tend to tune out music in games completely if I'm focusing on something, so even though it should be a problem it isn't.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 29 Oct 2010, 21:33
See everybody says it's "big iron" but I keep hearing "pig iron".
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 30 Oct 2010, 00:25
The title in the credits is Big Iron, so...

I actually hardly used the radio in New Vegas, not because I disliked the tracks they picked (I actually really like the Sinatra version of Blue Moon and Jingle Jangle Jingle grew on me a lot during the course of the game) but because the ambient music was actually very good for the most part.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LeeC on 30 Oct 2010, 11:33
plus new vegas radio's Mr. New vegas (who is voiced by wayne newton btw) says the news and for some reason I like hearing the bad news become good news after I complete quests.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 30 Oct 2010, 13:17
There's some pretty weird bugs with the Prim sheriff quest. The trader responded to me as if I had chosen one of them outside of dialogue, another (the right one) inside the dialogue, and the radio reported that I'd taken the third one. Maybe this is because I'd tried all three over the course of several saves, but it's still weird, though.

That quest bothered me since *spoiler* neither of the choices gave any reputation change for any of the involved parties. The residents complained after I'd chosen the NCR sheriff, but that didn't gain me NCR reputation (like I think it should do, since I'm after all helping them gain control of more territory), nor did it give me negative reputation with the locals, even though they made it clear that they were less than satisfied with martial law. Choosing the sheriff from the correctional facility didn't do anything special either.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Ozymandias on 30 Oct 2010, 13:47
Nope. There's no particularly special reward for any choice on that mission. They're unhappy no matter who you pick, though less so with Slim, but it doesn't matter.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Caleb on 30 Oct 2010, 18:56
I mean the interview with the sheriff I chose was reward enough.

"Be good or I will shoot you dead"

But yeah I think there are glitches with that quest.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 30 Oct 2010, 19:43
I think you get some xp for the extra legwork involved in installing the NCRCR sheriff, but for the most part it all affects the ending slides.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 31 Oct 2010, 03:32
Nah, you get bonus XP for the skill checks when you fix the robot, convince NCR to send extra troops, and convince NCR to pardon the last alternative. All in all the choices for that mission was underwhelming.


One thing that's not underwhelming is sniping ants at dry lakes (I think there's several). I'm not sure why, but the combination of slow-mo camera and XP bar every time I manage to land a kill gives a pretty nice feeling. It's still pretty weird that the same shot that gives critical when you're crouching, doesn't give crits if you are standing, even if the thing you are shooting cannot see you either way. I'd prefer it if you were always sneaking, and crouching only gave you a stealth bonus and the "hidden/caution/danger" message and allowed you to pickpocket.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 31 Oct 2010, 03:39
Sneak toggle is useful for a number of design reasons, but Bethsoft seems to have implemented it such that you can toggle between talking and stealing.

Sneak attack criticals are sort of kind of broken from long distances (though the only way I know of killing the Alpha Deathclaws without getting your ass handed to you is to sneak-snipe with incendiary ammo from the AM rifle), but the DT system makes it feel more balanced, unless of course you invested heavily in sniping in general, in which case the feeling of power is entirely appropriate. If you could sneak attack with ranged weapons in, say, 3.5E D&D, no one would choose not to be a rogue.

At 10 CHA Boone is running through dungeons with his sniper rifle and netting me xp while I loot dressers and crates.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Cire27 on 31 Oct 2010, 04:21
I'm having trouble figuring out which factions I want to side with.  The only people who hate me are the Powder Gangers.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Felrender on 31 Oct 2010, 06:54

At 10 CHA Boone is running through dungeons with his sniper rifle and netting me xp while I loot dressers and crates.

Hell, even at CHA seven and level nine Boone two-shot a Glowing One outside the Repconn test site.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: ackblom12 on 31 Oct 2010, 07:52
Wait, CHA affects your party member's stats?

Holy shit how did I not hear about this.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Melodic on 31 Oct 2010, 12:14
Just got New Vegas, someone tell me how to roll regarding stats for a sneaky gunslinger.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 31 Oct 2010, 12:53
5 STR, relatively high PER, whatev END, whatev CHA, whatev (preferably above-average) INT, relatively high AGI, whatev LUCK. Luck is always a dump stat for me. Take Four Eyes as a trait and grab the free eyeglasses from the doctor's house you start out in, and get a nice hat from a powder ganger or something - instant +2 PER, so you really don't need to raise your PER above 7, especially if you want to drop 4,000 caps on a PER upgrade in New Vegas. AGI is for the children / for sneaking. Grab silent running as a perk - you may not realize it but when you move at full speed while crouched without it, you're not actually sneaking. Iron sights on most any rifle weapon will do for sniping - a scope's just icing.

Skills: Guns (obv), Repair (for hand-loaded ammo / maintenance), and a third option of your choice. Either a utility skill befitting your stats (Science / Lockpick / Speech / Medicine / Survival) or Explosives, which is a nice fallback when you get to a point in the game where bullets aren't as effective.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 31 Oct 2010, 15:13
The RACE playlist I made is forthcoming. 4 parts, 600+ megs. Mediafire is creaking.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 31 Oct 2010, 16:39
5 STR, relatively high PER, whatev END, whatev CHA, whatev (preferably above-average) INT, relatively high AGI, whatev LUCK. Luck is always a dump stat for me.

It seems like luck, like charisma, halfways breaks the game when maxed - You crit like mad and your opponents do pretty much minimum damage and miss a lot. Charisma makes companions pretty badass-.

If you take all of the SPECIAL training perks, you get an average of 7 in all of the skills, pluss bonuses in game. With four eyes, you can safely drop PER to 7, I'm not sure if there's any other Strength boosts, but I'm guessing that power armor still gives +2, so you'll never need more than 7 or 8 in STR to start with (5 or 6, really, unless you want to down Deathclaws with your fists or carry three miniguns). If you are good at hitting stuff, you won't need AGI that much, since it boosts AP. This is especially true for high INT builds, as you get a load of extra skill points, so you can max out your shooting skills. Of course, you'll have a bit lower run speed, but the scenery is nice, and if you've been past that spot more than three times already, you're probably fast-traveling anyways.

What I'm trying to say is that while stats are important, it's probably best with most builds to have at least decent luck, charisma and intelligence, since those are important all through the game.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 31 Oct 2010, 17:13
It should be noted that power armor is pretty damn hard to get in this game. Much harder than 2 or 3. It's basically a rehash of 1 in that respect. It's easy to go through the game never having acquired it.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 31 Oct 2010, 17:38
Boone v. Boom (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5libi_8Px4)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 31 Oct 2010, 18:31
Okay so I got my traxxx uploaded.

Here is what you do -
1. Download the "pure" RACE mod (http://newvegasnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=34999) (huh, I wonder if they noticed how that sounds)
2. Extract it to your FO:NV folder. In Data/Sounds/Songs/RACE/ there there will be 250 .mp3 files. All of them are about a second long and consist of a metronome sound. If you want to, you can copy your music into this folder and rename the songs as "01", "02","03" etc. and you will be able to select said songs (or utilize a random selector) through a weightless quest item in the Apparel section of your inventory. Optimally, songs should be at 192 kbps maximum, lest you cause memory problems. You don't have to fill all 250 slots - You can set limits on what the game uses by factors of 10 through the inventory item.
3. Make sure to check the .esp in the Data Files section of the launcher, and it should work.

Now, if you want to use my meticulously curated bloc of 120 songs, you can get them here, broken up into 4 parts - Part 1 (http://www.mediafire.com/?3bb427ahzendle3), Part 2 (http://www.mediafire.com/?3rzbihzzphg3d09), Part 3 (http://www.mediafire.com/?tvde16lv029984i), and Part 4 (http://www.mediafire.com/?6hpp311xt7bsn9s). If you only want to use one or a few of them, each .rar includes a segment of the whole (part 1= 1-75, part 2= 76-125, etc.) Included are Mark Morgan's remastered FO soundtracks, and Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works Vol. 2, which Morgan blatantly stole from wholesale in some cases and took general cues from in others. There's also quite a bit of stuff from Nest, Caul, Casino Vs. Japan, Keith Fullerton Whitman, Coil, and others. Requirements were that they had to be instrumental and somewhat desolate in sound.

If you use my tracks and run into any problems, let me know. RACE isn't entirely stable - it won't crash your game but it might "skip" to an earlier point in a song, or stutter when moving between areas. It shouldn't be anything too severe.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 01 Nov 2010, 10:28
It should be noted that power armor is pretty damn hard to get in this game. Much harder than 2 or 3. It's basically a rehash of 1 in that respect. It's easy to go through the game never having acquired it.

funny story: I've never succesfully gotten power armor training in any Fallout game. I always think about it too late or, in the process of trying to get it, end up killing or alienating the people who do it.

I already killed those Brotherhood assholes in the bunker, but I just got Arcade's quest so hopefully I can get it without screwing it up too badly. I'd like to try the stuff out at least once in Fallout career.  :-P


oh yeah and how the heck are you supposed to protect Kimball? I wandered around the dam forever but couldn't get the optional "investigate the area" part of the quest, so naturally he didn't make it.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 01 Nov 2010, 17:58
There is a Sandstorm mod out (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzzqFxVvLB0&feature=player_embedded) and it looks pretty radical, especially when paired with the Depth of Field mod (which is a little wonky, but pretty awesome with NV's wide vistas (http://www.newvegasnexus.com/downloads/images/35615-2-1288219391.jpg)). Unfortunately there are no AI modifications, so you're effectively limiting your effectiveness at range while enemies (and companions) will act as though they have no such impediments. Great for flavor, too.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 01 Nov 2010, 19:54
GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH (http://img.waffleimages.com/ceeb47412e0d33ecfe86341b64b929acefffdd37/1063639-1288661207.jpg)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 01 Nov 2010, 20:35
Can't link from waffle outside of SA bro
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 01 Nov 2010, 21:37
Hit enter bro >: |
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 01 Nov 2010, 22:09
What the math... why would anyone, I don't know.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Felrender on 01 Nov 2010, 22:58
oh god is that the one i think it is
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 01 Nov 2010, 23:33
Hit enter bro >: |

Yeah I know but you might as well rehost it
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 02 Nov 2010, 01:36
The inevitable has been achieved. (http://newvegasnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=36205)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: ackblom12 on 02 Nov 2010, 07:40
And downloaded.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Ozymandias on 02 Nov 2010, 15:59
Made a Cult Leader character (3, 3, 4, 9, 9, 3, 9) modeled after Daisy Adair from Dead Like Me, got ED-E, trekked to New Vegas through the fucking quarry, got Cass, now quite successfully gambling to raise money to max my Cha, Int, and Luck.

Kicks ass.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LeeC on 02 Nov 2010, 23:21
I know where someone can get free power armor, go into the centaur preserve on black mountain and poke around...bring rad resistance and healing.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Cire27 on 03 Nov 2010, 00:49
Or into the REPCONN Headquarters.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 03 Nov 2010, 01:06
Pretty sure you need training to wear it, though, ala FO3. Only one way to get that, AFAIK.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LeeC on 03 Nov 2010, 01:12
yeah training is required.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 03 Nov 2010, 03:31
Two ways, I think. You can either join the Brotherhood or finish Arcade's sidequest and get the Enclave armor from the Remnants

Actually, I'm gonna start a debate: does New Vegas have the best gay characters in video games to date? It's not a high bar but sure as hell can't think of any better right now.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 03 Nov 2010, 10:48
How many gay characters are there?

I know there's that one NCR Ranger chick who got raped or whatever, that says "Come back when you're tall blonde and female" if you try to hit on her. She seemed kinda like she might have been forcing it though, probably because of the rape.
I feel like at some point I encountered another one, but I can't remember anything about it.


In other news, I finally beat it last night, and won it for House. I couldn't deny him his centuries of planning and robotic army building. I had to see where he went with it.

Also, the first three groups/people/places that it showed in my slideshow were people that all got brutally murdered by me, for basically no reason at all. The Brotherhood; nuff said. Veronica because...well, because she didn't wanna travel with me after I slaughtered the Brotherhood and...well, she caught me in a bad mood so I blew her head off. I forget who the next one was.

Anyway, I immediately started a new run on Hardcore mode focusing on Strength, Charisma, and Luck with Melee, Repair, and Unarmed tagged. I'll probably add Survival with the Tag! perk later.
Anyone have any recommendations for good Melee/Unarmed weapons really early on?
I've got a machete, a baseball bat, and a shovel, but I'm still no match for pretty much anything yet.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 03 Nov 2010, 11:08
I was actually referring to Arcade and Veronica, who are both gay.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Ozymandias on 03 Nov 2010, 11:24
I used tire irons pretty effectively early on. You can find lead pipes on the Jackal Gang at the highway patrol on the way to Mojave Outpost which are pretty good too.

Strike that, there's a bladed gauntlet in the Vikki and Vance in a locked safe.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 03 Nov 2010, 11:26
I was actually referring to Arcade and Veronica, who are both gay.

huh. I had no idea.

I guess that pretty much proves your point though, right? Most games with gay characters seem to make a point of telling you about it, but I had no idea about those two (they're just like normal people OHMYGOD).

Granted, the only conversation I ever had with Veronica involved her hating me and me killing her.
I spent the last half of the game with Arcade though, so I'm kinda surprised he didn't mention it. Maybe he did and I just forgot. I dunno.

Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LeeC on 03 Nov 2010, 11:58
I found out Veronica was by just talking to her and she revealed it.  But I had a feeling Arcade was gay but didnt know for sure.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 03 Nov 2010, 15:28
Arcade alludes to it a couple times in his early dialogue, but pretty much states it outright on his sidequest. Apparently if you have the Confirmed Bachelor perk, you can hit on him to bypass the 75 Speech check needed to recruit him. Basically, I just think the game did a really good job of making it relevant to their characters without it being the totality of their respective identities. It's very tasteful.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 06 Nov 2010, 15:47
i have to eat crow about how buggy this game is. it's ridiculously buggy. thoroughly buggy. seemingly every sidequest has some kind of potentially gamebreaking bug associated with it.

an absolute blast but my god i would love to go two hours without awful, awful bugs.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Ozymandias on 06 Nov 2010, 15:54
Meanwhile in my ridiculous amount of time I've been playing, I sort of have to do the same as JC, but in the opposite direction.

I've played the shit out of this game and have yet to encounter a gamebreaking bug. The worst bug I've encountered was a centaur clipping into a rock and being unable to be killed. Oh no.

I've also started installing mods, which is a thing I don't usually do to any game ever, but I want it to just fucking look prettier. There's not a whole lot of that out there yet, though.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 06 Nov 2010, 16:15
I had about 4 hard locks and one companion getting lost bug that cost me about an hour of progress, and a whole lot of serious framerate hitching, but that was spread out over nearly 70 hours of play. Nothing that I would qualify as 'game-breaking', but I know a lot of people made it out a lot worse.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Ozymandias on 06 Nov 2010, 17:07
Oh yeah. The framerate is balls sometimes. There's a potential fix for PC (http://www.newvegasnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=34778) that's had a lot of reported success, but I didn't notice any for me.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 06 Nov 2010, 17:16
This game is absolutely unplayable on my stationary computer, which is a monster of custom hardware. My laptop, which has slightly lower specs, but was just bought three months ago as a completely standard pre-built laptop, runs it without any problems whatsoever. It seems like the game's biggest problem is handling some kinds of hardware, or maybe hardware configurations. There's also a codec pack out there that apparently completely breaks the game. No matter what the problem is, it's pretty sloppy from Obsidian, who seemingly has managed to release a game that's more bugged than the other two games on the same engine, which were made by Bethesda, for Christs sake.


The story is pretty damn engaging at the moment. I like that there's an opening for working for all or none of the factions up until a critical moment. Right now I'm playing to both Mr. House, the NCR and the Legion (although I think I've made my last visit there not involving people getting shot in the head from afar), planning on usurping Mr. House's place as Strip owner, and helping the NCR out, as I don't think owning the Strip would be as fun with the Legion winning, since they have a tendency to outlaw alcohol and murder whores. I'm yet exited to see if this is actually possible to do, it looks like it, but with three factions and several more sub-factions, I'm pretty darn excited to see how many opportunities there are in between.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 06 Nov 2010, 18:33
i mean, e.g. the nightkin quest. after getting the ghoul out of the basement, i went back to talk to davison. the second i try to talk to him, he aggros, turns invisible, and then chases me until he kills me. after some googling i find out that i have to actually leave my companion in a locked room, get davison to aggro, leave the area (!) and wait for 24 hours, after which i can go and he will de-aggro. this worked except he stayed invisible.

i've had something like this happen in three or four quests at this point. really, profoundly frustrating.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Mynah on 06 Nov 2010, 19:11
i mean, e.g. the nightkin quest. after getting the ghoul out of the basement, i went back to talk to davison. the second i try to talk to him, he aggros, turns invisible, and then chases me until he kills me. after some googling i find out that i have to actually leave my companion in a locked room, get davison to aggro, leave the area (!) and wait for 24 hours, after which i can go and he will de-aggro. this worked except he stayed invisible.

i've had something like this happen in three or four quests at this point. really, profoundly frustrating.

I was going to comment about how the only problem I've been having with it is that it freezes ridiculously often, but I haven't seen any game breaking bugs.  But then I read this post and thought, "Wait... Davison isn't automatically hostile?"  So I guess I have to go do that quest again without a follower this time or something.  Good thing I just started a new character.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Boro_Bandito on 06 Nov 2010, 19:18
I think the worst bug I've run into (besides the fucking Cazadores, ba-dum-tish) is when my gun stopped firing completely when I went into VATs during the main quest where you go into Boulder and either fight/bargain with the gang members there. Other than that just a whole effin' load of graphics glitches, and one that was making Death Claws only render when they were about 15 feet away from me, luckily that one stopped after a while.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 06 Nov 2010, 19:23
a bighorn headbutted a feral ghoul while i was in vats and this caused said ghoul's ragdoll to completely flip the fuck out. it floated in midair with its limbs spazzing out and then flew into the sky.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Boro_Bandito on 06 Nov 2010, 19:33
I think I may have mentioned this one, but it was really pretty when all of these bright colored things started shooting past me in long straight beams and landed on the ground all in front of me. When I went up to check what they were, I just saw them bubbling on the ground, like little mudpot springs or something like that, making a sound like canvas rippling in the wind. When I got close enough I realized that they were all corpses of like ants and mole-rats and whatnot. I don't know how they died or why in the hell they did what they did, but it turned out really morbid and its been stuck in my head for a while.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 06 Nov 2010, 19:52
a bighorn headbutted a feral ghoul while i was in vats and this caused said ghoul's ragdoll to completely flip the fuck out. it floated in midair with its limbs spazzing out and then flew into the sky.
That's an old and apparently unfixable issue with Gamebryo. When you load a quicksave or enter a new cell ragdolls tend to flip out - Protectron corpses in particular seem to launch into the air. You'll also notice how picking up something on a table or shelf will cause everything within a few feet of it to float slightly in the air or sink into other surfaces. It was a lot worse in Oblivion (where picking up an apple would cause all the other fruit and all the silverware to fall through the table onto the floor) but it's still puzzling.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 06 Nov 2010, 20:19
i've seen it happen in other games but not only has it never happened to me in gamebryo it also happened in the middle of combat which wound up changing the tone of the fight completely (the new tone was "WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENINGGGGG")
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 06 Nov 2010, 20:30
This (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXnLt7a-dOE) happened to me quite often around Old Olney in FO3.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 06 Nov 2010, 21:54
i just ran into another weird dialogue thing, and also i think it fucked up an actual quest – the charlie station is going to have a hard time receiving these codes, and i can't tell andy what happened there because i tried & failed a speech check with him earlier. so that sucks!
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Mynah on 06 Nov 2010, 22:37
Oh, actually... I was on Black Mountain and I hit a centaur with my super sledge.  It went flying into the air and I couldn't see it land, so I figured it was just a bug and no big deal.  Later, I was walking through Hidden Valley, and a dead centaur came out of the sky and landed in front of me.  I'm not sure how something like that happens, but it was amusing, so I won't complain about it.

I think the worst bug I've run into (besides the fucking Cazadores, ba-dum-tish)

I lol'd.  I almost hate Cazadores as much as I hate Deathclaws.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Cire27 on 06 Nov 2010, 22:55
Deathclaws tend to get sniped from afar but fucking Cazadores just murder me.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 07 Nov 2010, 00:41
The worst part about cazadores is that they usually travel in packs. Individual ones aren't that bad, especially when you target the wings, but they're quick and when you have 3 or 4 all chasing you at once it's kind of terrifying.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 07 Nov 2010, 01:26
Incinerators are best against them - all the HP bleed of a flamer plus some distance. Explosives work well too.

PS the ending slides for the game are really quite awesome, though I wonder if it's because Ron Perlman wanted too much money (I don't imagine that's really the case). My game crashes on the next-to-last slide, though.*

* Apparently this has something to do with the "quick fix" dll that fixed a lot of people's framerate troubles.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 07 Nov 2010, 02:35
Also if anybody else got the Collector's Edition, they may have noticed one of the cards in the included Caravan deck features a character not in the game.

(http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/7372/ulysses2.jpg)

Ulysses was apparently a companion that had to be cut. He was to be sort of a counterpart to Boone - holding a grudge against the NCR instead of the Legion. Judging from the looks of it he was probably a Khan, and probably used a flag / flagpole as a melee weapon. Others have speculated that he is more directly connected to the Legion, since the suits in the card deck correspond with factions and clubs are the Legion. Given how much havoc a character who "insta-battles" with NCR ala Boone would cause through most of the game, it makes sense that they would cut him, though he could have ended up being a spy or plainclothes agent, or something. We may never know!

Maybe a DLC addition in the future? Who knows.

In other news PUSHY RULES ALL AND SEES ALL (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FV2Vc9ZVTk).
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Ozymandias on 07 Nov 2010, 09:49
There's a lot of potential for DLC and I eagerly await it.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Dimmukane on 07 Nov 2010, 10:06
For some reason, every time I exit the Helios One factory to go fuck around in the tower, the 3 dogs from Gibson's scrapyard + a death mole or two appear in the door behind me as I leave.  Now old lady Gibson is dead.

I just ran into my first Cazadore, dear fucking christ I should be like 5 levels higher before going back there.  Even with the Incinerator, that was just a bit too difficult.

I will say that I'm pretty happy with how some quests have multiple ways to complete them (not the choices but the actual method of completing them).  With Helios One, I managed to get all the way down to the mainframe before finding out that the generator was borked, and my Repair skill was way too low to fix it and I didn't have any magazines.  I was walking back out and noticed a robot, found out I had the Science skill to turn it on, and followed it back down as it finished the quest for me.  That was pretty cool.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Felrender on 07 Nov 2010, 11:49
The best way to get breathing room with cazadores is to shoot off the wings.  That stuns them for a while, usually long enough (in my case) for Boone to finish them off.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 07 Nov 2010, 12:30
One of the habits from FO3 that it's best to shake is the tendency to always aim for the head.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LeeC on 07 Nov 2010, 13:43
maybe this is a glitch but when I go into VATS against the cazadores it wont let me shoot them in the head.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Dimmukane on 07 Nov 2010, 13:50
Happened to me too...there's a percentage number for it, I just can't select it.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 07 Nov 2010, 13:57
Are you sure it's not some weird thing with the controls? Target selection in VATS can be tricky sometimes.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 08 Nov 2010, 00:55
Expanded ammo crafting mod (http://www.newvegasnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=35392). Haven't played it yet so I'm not sure of its balance (always an issue with mods like these) but it doesn't look too crazy. Adds a lot of different things you can break down for new crafting components and a lot of new ammo types (obviously) plus the ability to craft more of the existing ammo types (AP, JHP, etc.)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Cire27 on 08 Nov 2010, 01:39
I'm already such a whore for different types of ammo.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 08 Nov 2010, 10:12
Bethsoft released sales figures. 5 million copies in 3ish weeks, $300 million or so in profits.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: ackblom12 on 08 Nov 2010, 10:20
Jesus Christ I am about to start Character no fucking 5.

I swear this better not turn into another Baldur's Gate II where this becomes a 10 year project before I finally beat the goddamn story missions.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 08 Nov 2010, 12:14
Bethsoft released sales figures. 5 million copies in 3ish weeks, $300 million or so in profits.

Wow, that's about half the time it took F3 to break 5 mil. It looks like Fallout really is a blockbuster brand now, it's so weird. Still, I'm glad Obsidian finally got their feel-good hit and hopefully they get to work on Fallout again because they really nailed this one.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Blue Kitty on 08 Nov 2010, 12:21
Are you sure it's not some weird thing with the controls? Target selection in VATS can be tricky sometimes.

Here's something I found on the subject, "It is impossible to target the head of a Cazador in VATS unless it is striking forward with its stinger, the Courier is right on top of the enemy or the Cazador is moving on a slope towards the player. Without meeting these conditions the head can never be cycled to as an option in Vats (only the antennae)." This only applies to the console versions.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 08 Nov 2010, 13:12
'Comprehensive' Patch coming soon (http://au.xbox360.ign.com/articles/113/1132984p1.html) and by soon they mean weeks from now. PC versions will get smaller patches in the meantime.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 08 Nov 2010, 18:20
I imagine most of the issues resolved in the patch have been dealt with by the community. A lot of the companion and quest bugs seem to be smoothed out, at least.

Fun with C4!
(http://i56.tinypic.com/w9ejog.gif)

Fun with Meltdown!
(http://i54.tinypic.com/102mhis.gif)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 09 Nov 2010, 00:20
All the best parts (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYWi6-BcGCQ)  (warning: Spoilers!)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Felrender on 09 Nov 2010, 19:19
I imagine most of the issues resolved in the patch have been dealt with by the community. A lot of the companion and quest bugs seem to be smoothed out, at least.

Fun with C4!
(http://i56.tinypic.com/w9ejog.gif)

Fun with Meltdown!
(http://i54.tinypic.com/102mhis.gif)

So THAT"s your SA username.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 09 Nov 2010, 19:39
The guy who posted those is not me ;)

Speaking of SA, here are all the abundant DLC hints in the game people have found so far:

 - A map Nav point called "North Passage" on the North (natch) side of the map that appears to be a cave, but it is currently blocked by boulders. In all likelihood this will be the site of the first DLC, probably New Canaan related.
 - A tunnel with a locked door on the West side of the map, with no apparent key existing.
 - Antony in the Legion Camp indicates that Denver / Dog City is canon.
 - In the Legion Camp there is a map on a table that charts a bunch of territory East of the Colorado.
 - The Boomers mention an "Area 2" to the East of the map that contains many weapons.
 - Veronica / Brotherhood of Steel spoilerz! (If you complete Veronica's quest and reach a certain point in the Brotherhood questline, she says that Elijah, the AWOL former elder who was nearing some sort of breakthrough at HELIOS One before it was taken by the NCR, is still alive and has sent her a message indicating an intent on his part to "cleanse the wastes" so that the BoS can rule them. Sounds awfully familiar (http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Victor_Presper).)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Felrender on 09 Nov 2010, 20:05
Yeah, I was getting a bit of a Presper vibe from Elijah
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LeeC on 10 Nov 2010, 05:13
Enclave is in chicago right?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 10 Nov 2010, 09:21
There's an outpost, but it seems a tad far away for a DLC.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Ozymandias on 10 Nov 2010, 09:53
I would 100% love to see Chicago for Fallout 4 though.

You know, the Fallout 4 built on id Tech and written by Obsidian.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 10 Nov 2010, 11:18
I'd also love to see some giant lake monsters.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 10 Nov 2010, 11:40
I would 100% love to see Chicago for Fallout 4 though.

You know, the Fallout 4 built on id Tech and written by Obsidian.

Not gonna happen, unfortunately. Bethsoft has already said that their next game will be on 'next generation Gamebryo' tech and Fallout 4 will definitely be made by them, not Obsidian. The best we can hope for is Howard's next game to be ESV, and for them to switch to idTech (or really, absolutely anything else) for Fallout 4. Then Obsidian can make Fallout: Chicago in 2016.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Dimmukane on 10 Nov 2010, 14:49
That's the most realistic bet.  Switching to id Tech 5 would require a pretty big change in pipeline, in terms of environment design, along with some added time for implementing quest scripting tools.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: ackblom12 on 10 Nov 2010, 18:27
I just want Gamebryo to fall in a ditch and die a horrible, preferably fiery, death.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 10 Nov 2010, 18:58
when is fallout: nyc going to be a thing
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Melodic on 10 Nov 2010, 19:10
fallout modded to survive in the nyc from the spider-man 2 game
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 10 Nov 2010, 19:14
when is fallout: nyc going to be a thing
Prolly the next Bethsoft one.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Dimmukane on 10 Nov 2010, 20:29
I just want Gamebryo to fall in a ditch and die a horrible, preferably fiery, death.

Aren't you like the biggest Civ 4 nut on these boards?


I'm just bein' facetious
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: ackblom12 on 10 Nov 2010, 21:00
I just want Gamebryo to fall in a ditch and die a horrible, preferably fiery, death.

Aren't you like the biggest Civ 4 nut on these boards?


I'm just bein' facetious

(http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/2617/bedheadsteve2.jpg)

I've been looking for an excuse to use that all day.

Civ IV is great but oh god I hate that engine so very much. It worked better for Civ IV because of the lack of close up details required and the fact that clipping issues weren't a real priority but they keep using it for things that have close ups of faces and moving parts and it makes me want to murder.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Dimmukane on 10 Nov 2010, 22:22
Nah, I totally agree with you, it needs to be put out to pasture...looking at their webpage, outside of some Sid Meier games, Bethsoft's stuff, a couple MMOs, Bully and Divinity II, pretty much all of the games using it are either game show spin offs, shitty sports titles or games like Prison Tycoon.  Apparently they let go half of their engineers in 2009 and closed one of their offices...perhaps Obsidian couldn't get any tech support with their engine troubles because no one was answering the phone?  Actually, in retrospect it's kind of amazing Bethsoft was able to adapt that engine the way it did considering how terrible and ill-suited it is for that kind of game...I'm sure they had their reasons, though.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Ozymandias on 10 Nov 2010, 22:54
Whoa, Bully was Gamebryo? Crazy.

That's like, my favorite R* game.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Cire27 on 10 Nov 2010, 23:18
I had Bully but the load times ruined it for me.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 11 Nov 2010, 00:36
It makes sense to me that Bully was a Gamebryo game just based on how different the controls and environments felt from R*'s other games. I remember it feeling a lot more stiff.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 11 Nov 2010, 01:01
You should all pay attention to these (http://www.somethingawful.com/d/news/mojave-wasteland-classifieds2.php?page=1). The Fiends recruitment one on p. 3 is the best IMO.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Thomas Edison on 11 Nov 2010, 10:57
I want Fallout: London. Screw American cities.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 11 Nov 2010, 11:38
People keep bringing up the idea of international Fallouts, and while maybe I'm being close-minded I don't really know if it could work. The identity of Fallout is so rooted in that old Americana that they'd have to change the fundamental atmosphere of the game if they took it somewhere else. Maybe it would still be good, but it wouldn't really feel like Fallout.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Ozymandias on 11 Nov 2010, 11:40
I considered international Fallouts and came to the same conclusion, Bryan. It's just so fundamentally based in American Cold War kitsch and Red paranoia that it doesn't work anywhere else. It'd be neat to know what the rest of the world is like but I mean, there's still a shit ton of America to explore in this universe so why?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LTK on 11 Nov 2010, 12:07
I'm still curious as to what the hell happened to the rest of the world during the nuclear holocaust. Either the rest of the world was obliterated in the same way, or it wasn't and people are just avoiding North America like the radioactive plague. Did any of the original Fallout games allude to this?

I reached Novac recently. I must have been spoiled by the more polished games I've been playing between F3 and this, because goddamn, every problem that was only a minor nuisance in Fallout 3 has become a right pain in the ass for New Vegas. Except for one thing that wasn't in Fallout 3: ED-E's enhanced sensors that don't give any indication as to how far away an NPC actually is, and whether or not it is a crow. For the rest, it's clumsy, hard-to-control jumps, cluttered, unorganized inventory, switching weapons takes forever, and why is it so goddamn bright in the middle of the night?

Even so. Fuck my ear if I'm not playing it through at least three times.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 11 Nov 2010, 13:16
The inventory isn't that bad once you realize that you can cycle to different inventory categories.

I didn't know that through the entire 200 hours I played Fallout 3.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 11 Nov 2010, 13:30
The intro to Fallout 1 suggests that the US was uniquely "preparGAH STUPID PHONE
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LTK on 11 Nov 2010, 14:05
The inventory isn't that bad once you realize that you can cycle to different inventory categories.

I didn't know that through the entire 200 hours I played Fallout 3.
Now that you mention it, I do remember something about cycling through inventory categories while trading and searching containers. It was also something I did not realize for the majority of the time spent on Fallout 3. Thanks for reminding me.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Felrender on 11 Nov 2010, 15:16
Wha.....

How did you stand playing the game before you figured it out  :psyduck:
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 11 Nov 2010, 15:30
At one point in Fallout 3 I realized that I didn't need any more money, and just plain quit picking up anything at all that wasn't stims or duplicates of my equipment.

I still don't know why I don't do this is all RPGs. I've gotten better, but it took me a long time in my recent Neverwinter Nights game to stop picking up stuff that's worth 1 gold.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: SirJuggles on 11 Nov 2010, 15:54
Slowly working through FO3. I somehow only have like 20lbs. available before I'm over-encumbered so if it's not something that can repair something I already have it better be pretty darn valuable for me to pick it up.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Melodic on 11 Nov 2010, 18:07
I'm a horrible fucking hoarder in Fallout games. Right now I'm cruising around Nipton with 229/230 weight and have filled up ED-E with another 209.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 11 Nov 2010, 19:04
Yeah, I'm the same way.

"I might need it later"

"That could be fun"

".03 pounds? Sure, why not"

"There's always Buffout..."


Before I started the Sunset Sarsparilla quest, but had met the guy who tells you about the caps, I was carrying around a couple hundred pounds worth of sarsparilla at any given time. When I finally found that quest and did it I was like FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF :x

I hoarded, lied, stole, and murdered for those caps and bottles! god. damn. it.

Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: johnny5 on 11 Nov 2010, 21:26
what the hell, guys? why don't you just find a spot, call it yours and dump it there? it's not going to disappear...you can even rent a room in novac if you want.  my friend does this and it drives me crazy, once after he finished killing a bunch of raiders he slow-walked all the way from the super duper mart to megaton, took him like 2 hours.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 11 Nov 2010, 21:32
Yeah, I've usually got most of my rooms pretty filled with stuff too. The unimportant stuff.

I never overencumber myself and slow-walk anywhere though, that's ridiculous.

...


unless it's really close
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Alex C on 11 Nov 2010, 21:48
Ya'll are bizarre. It wasn't until my 2nd or 3rd play through of Fallout 2 that I played character with over 4 strength and I usually didn't even use more than 1 or 2 party members or even bother reloading when they died. There's usually been fuck all worth buying in the series anyway.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: SirJuggles on 11 Nov 2010, 22:26
I have a tendency to just wander in the wastes and go after enemies wayyy out of my range. What's this place, Old Olney? Infested with Deathclaws? I haven't fought any of those yet... Eh I'm level 9 with no Large Guns or Energy Weapons. Let's do it!

...I need money to buy a lot of stimpacks.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Melodic on 11 Nov 2010, 23:52
Are there any places you can purchase/rent/obtain in New Vegas like the Megaton house in FO3? I had that thing filled to the rafters with gear.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Ozymandias on 12 Nov 2010, 00:04
Yessir, it's much later in the game than the Megaton house was, but you can get a lovely suite on the strip.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 12 Nov 2010, 00:13
Also, once you finish Boone's quest you're given a room in the Novac hotel that has a bunch of storage space.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 12 Nov 2010, 00:19
Secret perk! (http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Meat_of_Champions) It is actually hilarious.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: SirJuggles on 12 Nov 2010, 00:20
I only really use my Megaton house as a reliable bed. For me, gear falls into two categories-

1) Stuff that I'm carrying around that I'm going to use, i.e. all my guns (I have a lot of guns), chems, and the armor that I'm wearing, and maybe one other set of armor with rad resistance or something.

2) Stuff that I've picked up to sell next time I get to a trader, usually valuable raider armor or scrap metal or extra guns that I already have fully-repaired versions of.

If I'm going to use it then I'm probably going to need it in a hurry, so I never really saw the point of keeping things somewhere where you can't whip them out and use them.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: johnny5 on 12 Nov 2010, 09:47
i love hoarding in games, because it usually ends up being much neater than if i hoarded in real life. but yeah, i keep things seperated by what i keep and what i sell. i only carry about 8 different kinds of guns on me now, because once you have so many different kinds of guns you start to figure out what is best for you and what's not effective. it's a shame no other weapon uses 9mm bullets, because i dont even use the 9mm or the SBmachinegun anymore!
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Melodic on 12 Nov 2010, 11:23
New Vegas has the added incentive to scavenge for junk to make ammo/healing stuff (which is especially important when I'm trying to play a zero-rad count game). Om nom nom.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: SirJuggles on 12 Nov 2010, 13:02
I like it when I have ammo that I don't use, because in 3 ammo doesn't have weight, which means I can pick up a crapload of railroad spikes/energy cells/5mm/flamer ammo without worrying about weight and sell it off to take all the credits and stimpaks and good ammo from the next trader I see.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: JD on 12 Nov 2010, 14:11
So the company that made gamebryo is folding (http://www.next-gen.biz/news/gamebryo-engine-up-for-sale) aaandddd Bethesda's next game will use id Tech 5 (http://www.pcgamer.com/2010/11/11/new-bethesda-game-to-use-id-tech-5/)

Good news?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 12 Nov 2010, 14:16
yeah, I just saw something on Destructoid that said Gamebryo was for sale.

Please somebody buy it and launch it into the sun so that it can't hurt us anymore.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Ozymandias on 12 Nov 2010, 14:22
I would 100% love to see Chicago for Fallout 4 though.

You know, the Fallout 4 built on id Tech and written by Obsidian.

Halfway there motherfuckers.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Dimmukane on 12 Nov 2010, 15:46
Bethesda's not using Tech 5.  It's quoted somewhere that the next game they're doing is an overhauled version of Gamebryo, and that the games after that will use an in-house engine.  That article refers to Zenimax's most recent purchase; Bethsoft's just the publisher.

Gamebryo folding is wonderful news, though.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Melodic on 12 Nov 2010, 19:26
it's quoted somewhere

it must be troo
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 12 Nov 2010, 19:31
Todd Howard did in fact say that during the promotion of F:NV.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 14 Nov 2010, 03:55
I keep feeling like the Legion is pretty underrated in terms of the discussion around the game thus far. Granted, in terms of quests there aren't nearly as many as the NCR has to offer, but as far as setting up an ideological counterpoint to the NCR I think they more than serve their purpose.

Sort of spoilers follow?

As I understand it, Caesar aims for a Hegelian synthesis. I haven't gotten the dialog, but the way it's been explained to me, Caesar surmises that by conquering the NCR, the Legion will gain its strengths but not its weaknesses - the rank brutality of the Legion will be tempered by the NCR's liberal Republican ideals, but unlike the NCR the Legion will be efficient, functional, and capable of holding territory and ensuring its safety (many characters, including Raul and the Arizonan / New Mexican trader at the Fort, emphasize how exceptionally safe Legion interior territories are). Thus the NCR is supposed to be the Greece to the Legion's Rome. In this, the Legion is principled in a way that the NCR isn't - for all its high-minded ideals, none of the NCR brass seem terribly interested in living up to their promises so much as they are in building a territorial empire. Caesar's an idealist - he wants to purify the NCR, and it's hard to argue against the notion that the NCR needs purifying. Nearly everyone you meet in a position of power in the NCR (above the Rangers, who all seem fairly sensible but at the end of the day are soldiers under orders) is petty, shortsighted, or buffoonish. In the cases of the McCarran scientist and Fantastic at HELIOS One, you see how careerist dickheads ignore reason and take credit for other people's work and are rewarded for it. The top brass are cronies of the President, who himself is a stereotypical politician, advocating terrible policies and carelessly throwing the grunts of his army into the meat grinder while he goes around making treacly, pointless speeches and currying favor with citizens who don't know or care how fucked up shit is (Mr. House pegs the NCR as being primarily concerned with comfort and indulgence, and if anyone should know it's him). The Legion encroaches heavily into NCR territory and they don't even seem to notice. Such dysfunction in the Legion would result in crucifixion or worse, in a very short amount of time. Playing the game for the first time you get the feeling that the NCR is hopelessly outmatched unless you personally carry them to victory, at which point they will promptly forget about you and continue to gleefully make a mess of everything they touch. What the Legion is offering is boundless sadism in the short term, and an ideal society in the long term.

(Definitely spoilers here!)

Before I knew about Caesar's plan (if you can call it that), the Speech victory you can pull over on Legate Lanius when not fighting on behalf of the Legion seemed sort of abrupt and nonsensical, but in the proper context it makes perfect sense - you essentially challenge the dialectic and convince Lanius that contrary to what Caesar believes / believed, conquering the NCR will corrupt the Legion and all the systemic problems that the NCR faces will persist in the new order. So Lanius goes back to Arizona until such a time when the Legion is truly capable of bringing functional civilization to the wastes.

SPOILER END

The character of Caesar is written by John Gonzalez but the dialectical reasoning is apparently all Sawyer's work.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 14 Nov 2010, 04:42
I was planning on going with the Legion for the exact reasons you are mentioning, but I'm (for reasons I can't really remember) playing as a woman, and God dammit I won't work with a bunch of bigots.

"Can I fight in the arena?" "NO YOU ARE A WOMAN DID YOU FORGET THE WAY TO THE KITCHEN!"
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Ozymandias on 14 Nov 2010, 10:36
Yeah, John, I was playing completely on the NCR side (though, fairly noncommittally), especially after encountering Vulpis at Nipton, then got to Hanlon at Camp Golf and learned about Caesar's history and immediately became intrigued that despite his methods, he might be a pretty rational dude. So I'm exploring the Caesar's path now because the NCR seem like a bunch of worthless dickshits.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LTK on 14 Nov 2010, 12:45
So how is that Caravan game working out for everyone? I completely neglected to do the quest dealing with Ringo in Goodsprings - thought someone had to give me the key to the gas station - how the hell was I supposed to know that he was going to give me the prerequisite card deck? So I was glad I discovered Primm Pass while I was poking around in the Ranger Station Charlie area, providing a quick backtrack route without having to wuss out and use quick travel. So then Ringo offers to play against me, "Durr, I'm not very good" while neglecting to tell me to use the arrow keys to select different cards. I never even touched the arrow keys before, argh. I lose, without knowing how, why or what I lost, of course. Ought to listen to that tape, I guess.

I'm also a bit annoyed by the lack of campfires in every major establishment everywhere. How do people cook their food in Primm? Novac? It's not like those burning barrels are good for anything.

KvP mentioned Boone's quest to get a Novac motel room, but I did the (bugged) quest for McBride's cattle and got the key to the apartment as well. Any quest that ups your status with Novac will do. (I'm up to Idolized now.)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 14 Nov 2010, 12:49
I'm also a bit annoyed by the lack of campfires in every major establishment everywhere. How do people cook their food in Primm? Novac? It's not like those burning barrels are good for anything.
Ovens, obvs!

There are a couple of quick-travel joints you can run to whenever you need a campfire. Goodsprings Source is one.

Also Sawyer says there are some existing AI bugs in the Caravan game, foremost of which is that the computer will never use face cards against you. Given this, there are a few deck builds that wreck shit 95% of the time. It's like Magic: The Gathering.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 14 Nov 2010, 13:54
caesar's legion might namedrop hegel but come on they're fascists all the way and i mean that in a philosophical hegel-offshoot kind of way
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 14 Nov 2010, 14:01
like, look: their political structure is entirely militaristic, individualism and plurality of thought are suppressed in favour of discipline and hierarchy, they view war as not a means but the means of disseminating their ideals, and egalitarianism is completely non-existent on account of they have actual slaves. they will never not be a brutal and oppressive and anti-egalitarian regime. problems with caesar's legion run deeper than short-term crucifixion; there's serious political and philosophical issues with it, the same way that there are within the ncr.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Ozymandias on 14 Nov 2010, 14:15
Well see, I think, despite the obvious superficial connections to Rome, the parallel to them as Rome is false. Caesar reminds me much much more of Genghis Khan. His expansionism and brutality will quickly flame out with his death and in his wake, his lands will splinter among successors' lines. But it's, at least, a decent enough start to bring back unity to the Four Corners area without having the starting point of bullshit and bureaucracy.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 14 Nov 2010, 14:33
The notion that the Legion is too extreme for its core ideals to be taken seriously is a legitimate position to take. It's another one of the ways in which the Legion is a counterpoint to the NCR - The NCR would like to believe that a post-apocalyptic society can take on all the vestiges of the societies that directly predated the end of the world, whereas the Legion treats the nuclear holocaust as essentially a reset button on history. The Legion is a martial, imperialistic society made up of united or conquered agrarian / hunter-gatherer tribes, just as civilizations were thousands of years ago. It stands to reason that the Legion is more honest about circumstances than the NCR ultimately are - they accept that post-apocalyptia exists in a state of nature. Marx and others posited that true liberty could only be realized in a post-industrial society, and the post-apocalyptic world is quasi-industrial - technology exists but it is scarce to some degree, and thus the NCR has to constantly expand in order to sustain itself. The Legion, on the other hand, is doing just as much with less, because they're not trying to revive a modern society, they're making a society that complements their circumstances.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Ozymandias on 14 Nov 2010, 15:15
On a non-political note:

Jason Bright- crazy? Actually prophetic? Something Obsidian will ever follow up on?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 14 Nov 2010, 15:26
Crazy. The REPCONN Test Site rockets are obviously ballistic in design, and the diaries / emails in REPCONN HQ apparently allude to them being highly faulty. Bright obviously wants to go into space but I can't tell if they'd settle for somewhere else on Earth. Even if they made it into space, it's demonstrated by the trapped ghoul in the Test Site basement that ghouls need to eat and drink, so they'd be fucked.

It would be nice if they used the Bright Brotherhood to tie into a Reservation (http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Reservation) DLC or something. My anticipation for Van Buren DLC is so high it's stupid. I'm bound to be disappointed.

Overall the quest itself is not all that bad, but the Bright Brotherhood is so ridiculous it's up there with the Family from FO3.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Felrender on 14 Nov 2010, 16:20
Everyone in the Mojave is an asshole

They must ALL be killed
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: SirJuggles on 14 Nov 2010, 16:29
This is more idle curiosity than anything else, but the thought has crossed my mind a few times while playing through FO3... what is the viability of killing everyone you meet on sight?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 14 Nov 2010, 17:03
i think it'll probably limit your quest path
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LTK on 14 Nov 2010, 17:07
Crazy. The REPCONN Test Site rockets are obviously ballistic in design, and the diaries / emails in REPCONN HQ apparently allude to them being highly faulty. Bright obviously wants to go into space but I can't tell if they'd settle for somewhere else on Earth. Even if they made it into space, it's demonstrated by the trapped ghoul in the Test Site basement that ghouls need to eat and drink, so they'd be fucked.

It would be nice if they used the Bright Brotherhood to tie into a Reservation (http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Reservation) DLC or something. My anticipation for Van Buren DLC is so high it's stupid. I'm bound to be disappointed.

Overall the quest itself is not all that bad, but the Bright Brotherhood is so ridiculous it's up there with the Family from FO3.
Oh no, I don't think they wanted to go into space. That would be crazy! From what I read about the navigation controls, the ones available just before launch, I got a strong impression that it was headed somewhere nearby. Could be a place in the US, could be Japan for all we know.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 14 Nov 2010, 17:31
No I think Bright was earnest in his desire to go to another world. Otherwise he wouldn't have a cult, you know?

This is more idle curiosity than anything else, but the thought has crossed my mind a few times while playing through FO3... what is the viability of killing everyone you meet on sight?
The only people in the game you can't kill are the children and Yes Man. You can slaughter everyone else. As Johnny says, it limits your quest possibilities, but there's enough combat exp out there that it shouldn't impede your leveling progress too much.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: glyphic on 14 Nov 2010, 19:16
Just got my first corrupted save.

Two hours and several completed quests gone.


Fuck.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 14 Nov 2010, 21:32
like, look: their political structure is entirely militaristic, individualism and plurality of thought are suppressed in favour of discipline and hierarchy, they view war as not a means but the means of disseminating their ideals, and egalitarianism is completely non-existent on account of they have actual slaves. they will never not be a brutal and oppressive and anti-egalitarian regime. problems with caesar's legion run deeper than short-term crucifixion; there's serious political and philosophical issues with it, the same way that there are within the ncr.

This is why I ended up siding with NCR. I can understand Caesar's philosophy, but the practical methodology is simply unacceptable. The NCR has many, many flaws, but I definitely see them as the least of three evils, and went about my game encouraging alliance with other factions as much as possible. My logic is, the help from the Boomers and BoS will actually enable them to provide better security and work towards the greater good more often even if the higher ups are short-sighted and incompetent. I also (spoiler) convinced the Great Khans to leave, so even if NCR fucks up the Mojave the Khan-Followers alliance to the north should be a decent place for people to go.

One thing I didn't realize is that (spoilers again) if you keep Hanlon's secret instead of telling him to confess, he goes on to be an influential senator in the NCR government. If I ever go on a 'canon' runthrough like I did with Mass Effect before ME2 came out (which would be pointless aside from self-gratification, since there's no way a game with this disparate of endings could have a ME-like import feature), that's definitely one aspect I'll change now that I know what it affects.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 14 Nov 2010, 21:51
For the PC gamers (what upppppp) the first decent original content mod has been released (http://www.newvegasnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=37310). Fully voice acted, first in a planned series. Good for the sensible kids who thought the bounty hunting was the funnest part of Red Dead Redemption.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Ozymandias on 15 Nov 2010, 06:11
Oh man, Reservation.

I am 100% down with visiting Fallout LANL, come onnnn DLC
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 15 Nov 2010, 10:45
im pretty impressed that we just had a convo re: hegelian dialectics and ethical rational action in the context of a video game
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 15 Nov 2010, 12:02
They done have some smart writers.

Let's play a game (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXdfjXgG_mU&hd=1).
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Cire27 on 15 Nov 2010, 14:12
I think this is good evidence for videogames = art.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 15 Nov 2010, 23:23
Pipboy Skins what whaaaat (http://www.newvegasnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=37250)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 16 Nov 2010, 01:28
I think this is good evidence for videogames = art.

i get what you're saying but also you're a dead man
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Josefbugman on 16 Nov 2010, 09:04
I think that the Legion is claiming that, and that is in fact what Ceaser actually believes will happen. However, I don't think it would out last him. As soon as Ceaser dies his high minded ideas would get crushed flat by the legate, who would simply turn the entire thing into (oddly enough) a kind of post apocalyptic Sparta, the weak dying or being killed to make way for the strong.

I think that Ceaser isn't a Ceaser at all, he's an Alexander playing at philosophy.

Also, whilst the NCR are a bunch of complete dicks there is always the option of changing that with moving the leadership around (something that someone as highly placed as you are if you stick with them would be capable of doing) and with the potential for BoS help, you could easily create a larger coglomerate entity that could unify the entire of America again, and might (perhaps) even turn out better than the old one.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 16 Nov 2010, 13:08
The idea that a powerful person can change the fundamental nature of a political system through progressive reform is as quaint as Caesar's grand scheme.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: ackblom12 on 16 Nov 2010, 13:41
not that progressive is a key word in this, but Jerry Falwell did a pretty fantastic (also terrible) job of it with the Moral Majority movement.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Cire27 on 16 Nov 2010, 13:51
I think this is good evidence for videogames = art.

i get what you're saying but also you're a dead man

I, uh, what?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 16 Nov 2010, 14:04
He raises a good point though: Caesar's dying, and we see repeatedly throughout the game that his ideals and intellectualism do not extend to the rest of the Legion by any stretch of the imagination. Even if his grand Hegelian synthesis is valid, which is questionable in its own right, who says he doesn't croak during the conquering process and it all goes to hell from there?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Josefbugman on 16 Nov 2010, 14:57
The latter is merely a pipe dream, something that would not be possible without forging a great deal of contacts, and ensuring that New Vegas gets the best possible deal from the NCR. A desperate hope and a nigh on impossible one, but you recovered the platinum chip didn't you?

The former is more political truth, Ceaser's reforms will not survive him, the Kahns have a greater potential to grow as a society than the legion ever will.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Caleb on 16 Nov 2010, 19:05
Ahh too bad I wiped out the Kahns in the first Fallout game then.  If I hadn't they might have grown into a better society in New Vegas.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 17 Nov 2010, 08:36
First DLC Announced (http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2010-11-17-360-exclusive-fallout-nv-dlc-revealed). A casino heist by the sound of it. Hmm.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 18 Nov 2010, 00:40
The idea that a powerful person can change the fundamental nature of a political system through progressive reform is as quaint as Caesar's grand scheme.

no way that's totally a false dialectic, it's insanely and obscenely difficult and has to actually be done as a collaboration between several people but caesar's grand scheme is literally fascistic
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 18 Nov 2010, 20:37
There is a new sky / weather mod and it wrecks ass (http://www.newvegasnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=35998).

etc. (http://www.newvegasnexus.com/downloads/images/35998-1-1290111426.jpg)
etc. (http://www.newvegasnexus.com/downloads/images/35998-1-1290028053.jpg)
etc. (http://www.newvegasnexus.com/downloads/images/35998-1-1289331792.jpg)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Cire27 on 18 Nov 2010, 23:11
holy fuck
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Felrender on 19 Nov 2010, 00:35
so long Western Skies
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: ackblom12 on 19 Nov 2010, 10:52
Where the hell do i even extract these files. This is the only problem I really have with fallout nexus is most of them that aren't just data checklist mods have no documentation on how to install them, or if they do the documentation gives completely different instructions that what is actually in the New Vegas folders. My new vegas folder doesn't even have most of these folders and I know I must be missing something somewhere.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 19 Nov 2010, 12:21
You have to know where your Steam folder is. It's going to be something like (Steam Folder)/Steamapps/common/Fallout New Vegas/data. Some just require that you merge the mod files with the data folder, some just need you to put an .esm or .esp in the data folder and then activate them, more include both. There are a couple that require other mods installed - the Pipboy reskins require the New Vegas Script Extender (NVSE), but not a lot of other mods do. Check the first post of this thread (http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3359752&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=1), it includes a lot of the stuff and info you'll need.

In other very impressive mod news, somebody's made a mod that converts your FO3 character info into a "Lone Wanderer" companion (http://www.newvegasnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=37649). It's obviously sort of rough at this point, but they've gone beyond proof of concept, and that's pretty astounding in and of itself.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: ackblom12 on 19 Nov 2010, 14:01
Oh that I already know, however I was not aware that some have files that have to be activated. Most of these don't even come with Readmes with installation instructions which is incredibly odd since I've never really encountered a mod community that doesn't do that.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 19 Nov 2010, 20:33
DLC Deets!

(http://www.bethsoft.com/newsletter/images/falloutnv/deadmoney-1.jpg)

Quote from: Bethsoft 'In the Works'
On December 21st, Fallout: New Vegas' first DLC, Dead Money, will be available exclusively on Xbox 360 for 800 Microsoft Points.

To give you a sneak peek at the content, Senior Designer Chris Avellone answered a few of our questions about the heist-themed content.

Here's the interview…

    Can you discuss the setting for Dead Money?
    Dead Money is set in the Sierra Madre, an opulent and extravagant resort that was supposed to be the greatest casino in the west – except that it never opened. Bombs fell before the gala opening, and the Sierra Madre froze in time, its state of the art security system locking the place up tight. Nothing could get in, and none of the guests could escape. Years passed. The climate control and air conditioning system within the facility began to spit toxins into the surrounding city, causing a slow cloud and haze to form over the area - which proved lethal to anyone who tried to explore the city. Only a mysterious group called the Ghost People survived to call the city home, trapped inside what appeared to be hazmat suits and never speaking to their victims... only capturing them alive and dragging them away to the depths of the city deep within the Cloud.

    And so the Sierra Madre faded from the history books, only occasionally being seen in posters across the wastes, until it took on mythic ghost story status... a supposed "City of Gold" in the Mojave Wasteland where all the treasures of the Old World were rumored to be held. It was kept alive as a late-night saloon story by prospectors who'd claimed to have found maps leading there... and were willing to part with the "map" for a few caps. Or a drink. Or a warm place to sleep.

    How will the player reach this area?
    The Sierra Madre is a mythical place in the wastes, with travelers all risking their lives to find it. Only one man truly "found" it - and lived. After the fall of HELIOS One, Father Elijah of the Brotherhood of Steel set out to find new weapons to eradicate NCR. And in the process he found the Sierra Madre. The Courier is lured to the Sierra Madre by a faint radio broadcast advertising the gala grand opening.

    From a gameplay standpoint, Dead Money is accessed by loading a save file from any point in Fallout: New Vegas prior to the endgame sequence, in the same way as Operation Anchorage, Point Lookout, The Pitt or Mothership Zeta were triggered in Fallout 3.

    Can you share details on some of the new creatures/enemies players will encounter?
    This being an extension of Fallout: New Vegas, players will encounter several unique characters, each with their own motivations, all of whom will have to work together if any of them are going to survive. Aside from just struggling with their would-be companions, the courier will also have to deal with the mysterious Ghost People as well as the casino's substantial defense systems.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 19 Nov 2010, 20:36
Bear Trap fist.

This is my face upon learning that Elijah will not turn out to be a Presper-esque character -> :(
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Felrender on 19 Nov 2010, 21:22
That we know of.  Who says he DIDN'T find something?  Something had to cause the death cloud.

also holy fuck we get to play Fallout : Silent Hill.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: glyphic on 20 Nov 2010, 06:15
My game is now locking up every ten minutes :(
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 20 Nov 2010, 07:20
Tried (if you have it on steam) running Steam in offline mode?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: johnny5 on 21 Nov 2010, 23:59
so it doesn't sound like it allows you to play the game after you finish the dlc, a la broken steel
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: glyphic on 22 Nov 2010, 06:46
Playing it on 360.

Another fun thing:

I started doing quests for the King. I completed one and went back to tell him, but I couldn't find him. The pointer was some random point right next to the door. I could hear Rex barking, but it was echoing.

Turns out either they're in a secret basement or they're clipped into the floor. PERMANENTLY.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Cire27 on 22 Nov 2010, 10:12
They're upstairs.  Third floor.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: glyphic on 22 Nov 2010, 10:40
Well now I feel awesome.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Cire27 on 22 Nov 2010, 11:28
I did the same thing you did if that means anything to you.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 22 Nov 2010, 11:46
Yeah, me too.

I spent a VERY long time wandering around that stupid building before I realized there was a third floor.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: glyphic on 22 Nov 2010, 12:26
I had given up. I started killing everyone and STILL didn't see a third floor.

By the way, has anyone given Boone the Avenger minigun?

It is HILARIOUS.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 22 Nov 2010, 15:50
It's like, up the stairs. And then up the stairs again. It's not rocket science!

It's also completely hilariously easy to kill stuff with the ED-E, Boone and a sniper rifle of your own. Combine it with good draw distance, good gun skill and that thing that perk that makes sneak crits hit harder, and the entire outdoors is a line of dead stuff that used to be lit up in red. I walked through a bunch of deathclaws without breaking a sweat.

Also, is there some way to figure out a lot of Mr. House's backstory without working for the guy? I just walked right into his chamber and murdered him, it felt a bit too easy. There was an alarm and shit, but the robots didn't react, and I didn't even have to break out my maxed science skill. So I now have *spoler* a dead semi-ghoul in a box and a robot army of my own *spoler* without really knowing why. I mean, most of the stuff I know about the guy comes from the loading screens.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 23 Nov 2010, 15:06
Here's a neat little development: Someone made a mod allowing you to ally with the BoS when working for House (http://www.newvegasnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=37729) the way you can when working with the NCR. Allegedly the modder found a bunch of disabled-but-still-present content within NV's files and reactivated it the way the KOTOR2 Restored modders (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/95113-KOTOR-2-Restored-Content-Project-This-Is-the-Mod-Youre-Looking-For) did. The obligation to massacre the entire BoS bunker under House was something a lot of players didn't like and overall it seems just a tad incongruous with House's usual "victory through commerce" approach, though his stated reasons in the vanilla game are pretty reasonable. It was a point at which a lot of players switched sides to NCR or Wild Card.

It's stuff like this that really makes PC versions shine. I had read somewhere on SA that somebody had likewise found a bunch of cut content within ME2 that pointed to Legion being an early-game companion and Shepard being revived by the Geth instead of Cerberus (both of which were originally planned) but there was obviously too much incongruity to activate it sensibly. Someone apparently did manage make Legion a (weird) early-game companion.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 23 Nov 2010, 17:29
yeah, legion has a bunch of early quest dialogue.

god damn i need to beat this game

do i go ncr or wild card what do i do What Do I DO
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 23 Nov 2010, 17:46
NCR is dix go Wild Card.

Dead Money fact sheet (http://fallout.bethsoft.com/eng/games/fnv-dlc.html")
Quote
Description:
As the victim of a raw deal you must work alongside three other captured wastelanders to recover the legendary treasure of the Sierra Madre Casino. In Dead Money, your life hangs in the balance as you face new terrain, foes, and choices. It is up to you how you play your cards in the quest to survive.

Story:
Welcome to the Sierra Madre Casino! The casino’s mythical contents are lusted after by desperate wasteland scavengers, who tell stories of intact treasure of the old world buried deep within its vault. Lured here by a mysterious radio signal advertising the long-awaited grand opening of the casino, you are thrown into a high stakes game where you’ll have to work with three other lost souls if you want to survive.

Key Features:
- Take part in a suspenseful post-apocalyptic casino heist in which you’ll need to work with three companions, each of whom has their own motivation for helping you.
- Add hours of extended gameplay where you’ll encounter the mysterious Ghost People, pre-war death traps and the holographic security system of the Sierra Madre.
- Navigate your way through a challenging new storyline, with even tougher choices.
- New perks, achievements, and a raised level cap to 35!

(http://fallout.bethsoft.com/images/art/deadmoney/deadmoneyscreen_01B.jpg)

The level caps will climb higher and higher until G-d strikes us down for our hubris.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 23 Nov 2010, 18:09
I was trying to do "Birds of a Feather" but the game totally bugged out. After the guy with the bomb the doorman just stood there (the second stage) saying nothing relevant so I couldn't finish that part of the quest although I got the courier assignment . I also can't do the third stage because Jean-Baptiste keeps telling me to fuck off. Man, fuck these guys I'm just going to use a stealth-boy and steal everything in sight.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 24 Nov 2010, 03:28
(http://www.newvegasnexus.com/downloads/images/37833-2-1290433092.jpg)
Ring-a-ding
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 24 Nov 2010, 03:40
Also here is a mod that greatly expands the gun modding system (http://newvegasnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=37576). Shoulda been vanilla!
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 24 Nov 2010, 15:48
Yes (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szvFN6P9slg)

Final sales tally for October (the 5 million number, in hindsight, looks to be retail copies shipped to retailers):
 - 360: 679k
 - PC: 415k
 - PS3: 331K

So the monthly sales are around 1.43 Million.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 24 Nov 2010, 16:03
holy shit
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 24 Nov 2010, 16:13
The dancing or the figures?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: ackblom12 on 24 Nov 2010, 16:15
Yes
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 24 Nov 2010, 16:47
Getting down like that is probably not good for Caesar's condition, honestly.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Felrender on 24 Nov 2010, 22:56
Vulpes got game.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LTK on 26 Nov 2010, 17:40
Exam done. After leaving it alone for three weeks I played F:NV for about eight hours. Progress!

I'm now slightly regretting not having built my character from the start. New Vegas' perks are expertly suited for this. I made a high int, high per, low str, low luck character and went to see where it got me. Now I'm shotgunning everything with the Shotgun Surgeon and Weapon Handling perks, and a 12-gauge hunting shotgun, which is lotsa fun. Legionaires perish under a hail of their own currency, haw haw.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 26 Nov 2010, 19:23
My first character wasn't built well so I restarted after getting into vegas. I'm now running an Energy Weapons/Sniper build with ED-E as my spotter. I'll probably grab Lilly or Veronica later to handle up close. I've got to hand it to the devs, New Vegas is a more challenging game than F3 ever was
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 27 Nov 2010, 12:52
Just a heads up, over at Direct2Drive they're holding a sale - FO:NV for $30. And, every 5th order is free.

Just in case you haven't gotten a PC version yet (the mods will make it worth it), or know someone with a PC who needs a Christmas present.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 27 Nov 2010, 21:24
Somebody put in a little bit extra effort and made a custom buildable laser zip gun (http://www.newvegasnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=38075) out of various objects already in-game. Pretty impressive.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 28 Nov 2010, 15:25
The New Vegas Nexus is sympathetic to those who suffer from homophobia (http://www.newvegasnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=36566).
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Felrender on 28 Nov 2010, 16:14
waiting for his(?) continuation of the mod that removes all men from the game.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 29 Nov 2010, 15:09
I just found the Tesla-Beaton prototype. That's just awesome.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Boro_Bandito on 29 Nov 2010, 21:17
My brother just drank a shot of whiskey and knocked a Deathclaw out with boxing gloves and then proceeded to hack it to pieces with a chainsaw while it was unconscious.

this game is awesome sometimes
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LeeC on 02 Dec 2010, 19:00
So i finally pick the game back up after not playing for some time, get to the point of no return, start the NCR event...and it freezes. :psyduck:
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: tHEfOOL on 02 Dec 2010, 19:48
i played the game for about a week and a half, played a tone of side quests, got to level 29 and to the point where i can choose to kill/disable mr house. then i got tired of my xbox freezing and stopped playing cuz the game was boring anyway. it's so sad too cuz i played fallout 3 for like 2 months before i got bored with it
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Melodic on 02 Dec 2010, 20:07
i will straight-up murder you from across the internet if you say "cuz" one more time god fucking dammit
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 02 Dec 2010, 20:16
Just... Cause, I'd say.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 03 Dec 2010, 06:22
uh,um,uh,well (http://forums.questionablecontent.net/index.php/topic,25496.0.html)

Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 03 Dec 2010, 09:02
Just... Cause
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: tHEfOOL on 03 Dec 2010, 10:00
uh,um,uh,well (http://forums.questionablecontent.net/index.php/topic,25496.0.html)


i can take it don't worry, im not new to the whole being bitched at on a forum thing. there is one or two forums i am infamous on and don't go back to any more. although if i did i would probably be remembered
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Boro_Bandito on 03 Dec 2010, 10:44
Nah dude I think that comment was aimed towards Melodic to stop being so harsh on you, you're fine, we just tend to be Grammar Nazi's 'round these parts, everyone's got their pet peeves about words and whatnot.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 03 Dec 2010, 10:52
hey has anyone done any low-INT character playthrough stuff yet
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 03 Dec 2010, 17:46
Finally, a recharger rifle that only sears off clothing (http://www.newvegasnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=35810). They don't even notice!
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 04 Dec 2010, 00:27
my beautiful dark twisted fantasy.. now a reality
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: David_Dovey on 04 Dec 2010, 07:31
Finally, a recharger rifle that only sears off clothing (http://www.newvegasnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=35810). They don't even notice!

Even when the do, it's too late. I've seen everything, I've seen it all.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LTK on 04 Dec 2010, 16:40
Dodged a major bullet today! It makes me so glad I'm not playing it on a console. After leaving ED-E with the Brotherhood for an upgrade, I noticed a warning in the wiki that ED-E's inventory will be empty upon return. There was over 100kg of items in there. Fortunately, there was a console command that allowed me to reclaim the inventory afterwards. Phew!

I got around to visiting Black Mountain recently and met Raul. I can scavenge enough materials for weapon repair kits - although wrenches can be bothersome - to keep my weapons working; is he worth having as a companion?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Felrender on 04 Dec 2010, 19:04
He make weapons lose less durability per attack.

Also he is voiced by Danny "Fucking" Trejo.

So yes.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: tHEfOOL on 04 Dec 2010, 19:26
where exactly is Raul?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 05 Dec 2010, 00:38
Black Mountain. For an easy shortcut edge along the invisible wall in the mountains west and a little north of Helios One - eventually you'll get close enough to the eastern edge of Black Mountain that the map marker will activate and you'll be able to fast travel there without taking the road north of Goodsprings, past all the deathclaws.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LTK on 05 Dec 2010, 03:47
It's actually pretty easy to reach the road at Neil's shack (traversing it is another matter), even when there are Deathclaws around every corner. There is one young one near the digger which is easily sniped, and the rest probably won't notice you if you're careful. Still, it's not recommended to take the winding road all the way up, when there are two shortcuts to be taken. Because, fuck fast travel, that's for pussies.

This may be a spoiler if you'd rather discover them yourself. Be warned. Both roads can be traced from Hidden Valley, where you'll need to find the crater with all the centaurs in it. To the north is an unlocked gate that leads to the second turn in the road, and to the east you can find a high path that leads directly to the village, with a locked gate (Hard). Be careful with this path, as it's difficult (if not impossible) for your companions to follow here, so they will take the long way past all the super mutant checkpoints.

With all the super mutants camped along that road, I was expecting a place much bigger than three little houses and two Nightkin defending the place. I thought I was actually going to need Neil's help in killing the guards up there. Meet me at the village at the summit, he says. All the fighting was already over when I got there!

He make weapons lose less durability per attack.

Also he is voiced by Danny "Fucking" Trejo.

So yes.
As I said, weapon durability is no problem for me, seeing as I nab every bit of wonderglue and duct tape available for weapon repair kits. Veronica also lets me craft them whenever I want. As for being voiced by Danny Trejo...good point. I think I'll recruit him when I get tired of Veronica.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 05 Dec 2010, 09:56
you can also head north past helios one if you don't mind passing a valley called "scorpion gulch." the northeast path from scorpion gulch leads to a large crater with several centaurs and evolved milling around, including tabitha's favourite, moe (there's also two dead brotherhood of steel soldiers in the crater; they're part of a quest). if you stick to the left wall you can climb up on the ridge that overlooks the crater and safely snipe the centaurs. then if you go back down off the ridge and stick to the right wall you'll come to an open gate. neil still shows up to warn you off and start the quest, but the gate is more than halfway up the mountain, so you save yrself the trouble of killing deathclaws and a bunch of super mutants.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 05 Dec 2010, 10:01
oh i didn't read the post directly above mine. but your companions can totally follow you in through the gate.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 05 Dec 2010, 15:00
Do the Super Mutants scale to your level? Because when I went to Black Mountain, all the Super Mutants were Masters and the fight up to the station was actually fairly tough. Hearing people getting Raul early in the game makes it sound like it must because fighting Masters at low level sounds like an exercise in frustration.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: tHEfOOL on 05 Dec 2010, 15:44
when i went up black mountain i was lvl 27, i just used my trusty anti-material rifle and marksmans carbine, made it a piece of cake since the super mutants never even knew i was there because i killed them from such long range  :-D
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LTK on 05 Dec 2010, 16:09
I've got my difficulty set to Very Hard and yes, Super Mutants are Very Hard to kill. In fact, the only creatures can soak up multiple clips of my best guns while still getting close enough to punch my face in are Super Mutants and Deathclaws, and the occasional Giant Radscorpion (but not since Bug Stomper 3). I only stand a chance because of Boone and/or Veronica's ability to dish out insane amounts of damage, as well as companions' magical regeneration after each fight. Am I the only one who thinks this is excessive? I got rid of Boone because he exploded every head in a 200m radius without giving me a chance to aim down my sights, but now I have Veronica who punches Super Mutants' faces in while my shotgun blasts have nearly no effect.

In Hardcore Mode, companions ought to require healing like everyone else. No one in their right mind continues a game when their companion is dead, so you might as well re-enable having them knocked unconscious, requiring a Doctor's Bag to revive. That way, you can survive really challenging fights where your companions are already down without having to start over. Maybe there's a mod for that?

Now I'm at level 21, and I just found my first fully automatic rifle in the entire game, an Assault Carbine bought from the 188 ex-NCR chick. Before that, I found a proper sniper rifle from the Brotherhood armory in Hidden Valley. Also, having finally put enough points in Repair for Hand Loader, I broke down all .308 ammo and turned it into .308 JSP Hand Load (x1.50 damage). Let the fun times begin!
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 05 Dec 2010, 18:29
Do the Super Mutants scale to your level? Because when I went to Black Mountain, all the Super Mutants were Masters and the fight up to the station was actually fairly tough. Hearing people getting Raul early in the game makes it sound like it must because fighting Masters at low level sounds like an exercise in frustration.

super mutants and deathclaws scale up to your level throughout the game. i think giant creatures scale up too but i don't think they scale all the way to your level.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 06 Dec 2010, 20:14
Rumor's going around (courtesy of OXM, apparently) that the eye of Bethesda is set upon acquisition of Obsidian.

Stranger things have happened.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 06 Dec 2010, 21:36
If it happens, I called it about two years ago.

That being said, I actually don't think that would be a terrible idea for either party. Bethesda's relationship with Obsidian has (at least to the outside) been better than just about any other publisher they've ever worked with. New Vegas was very clearly done on a strict deadline with a specific budget, but all things considered Obsidian performed to standard in putting the game out on time and Bethesda for their part allowed them a lot of leeway in tinkering with the gameplay systems they had established in 3. Bethesda (or more accurately Zenimax, but it's basically the same thing with respect to games) is flush with cash right now for whatever reason, and Obsidian is one of the most visible independent studios that is actually feasible to buy out (unlike Valve or something). It makes sense for them to be able to pick the brains of the custodians of the Fallout franchise and possibly use them to make New Vegas-like standalone spinoffs in the off years, and hopefully Obsidian would still be able to do their weird pet projects in the process.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 06 Dec 2010, 23:42
That seems very likely but I'd hope that it would actually be a case of Obsidian does Fallout and Bethesda keeps developing TES.

My critical chance for Energy Weapons is crazy crazy. I get a critical on 1-2 guys in a group and the resulting meltdown(s) takes care of rest.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 07 Dec 2010, 01:47
Oh by the way the patch (all platforms) has been submitted and will drop soon. I'm not sure if this is just a stability / bugfixing patch or if it addresses content issues as well. 100% sure Josh Sawyer said that there would be some balance tweaks in the pipeline. Which is good, since there are a number of pretty important things that need fixing. Boone and Veronica have leveling issues, the former being overpowered (100+ in guns when you get him) and the latter underpowered (an issue with her not gaining HP). There's also some weirdness with companion quests dependent on when you tackle things. Also the beam splitter mod for laser rifles actually makes the weapon far less effective.

It reminds me a lot of Baldur's Gate 2, actually. There were a really surprising amount of under-the-hood code issues and fuckups that players never noticed until fans fixed them manually.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 07 Dec 2010, 03:25
Veronica pretty much straight up murders anything, and you can give her power armor, so I don't see the big issue with her being too weak. But, yeah, Boone has as high DPS as the PC, but has the plus of never missing and finding new targets ultra fast, so all you hear in close combat is "ploooshhhh, ploooshhhh" as  whatever you are fighting disintegrate into bloody pulps, before you even get to look at the compass to see where the fuck those red dots are.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Caleb on 07 Dec 2010, 06:32
. Also the beam splitter mod for laser rifles actually makes the weapon far less effective.

Oh man!  Thanks for that!  I have been lugging around one of those and was about to upgrade in game.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 07 Dec 2010, 11:42
i hope the patch fixes all the quests that are broken
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 07 Dec 2010, 12:20
Cass' quest chain goes horribly awry if you first *spoler* go to the gun runners, pick her up, and murder the runners when they try to down her. Then you can start the quest chain and she'll be all like "somebody killed my caravan with laser weapons I wonder who?"

We just murdered them to avenge it, that's who. Dammit.
*spoiler*

Ending fight was a bitch until I remembered that I brought my stealth boy, my C4 and my fat man. Oh hell yeah, kaboooom! I won the game for the NCR, but it really bothered me that there wasn't an option to help the NCR by using the army of robots you have lying around. It's completely logical to me to just let them go apeshit on the legion, since they live in the middle of the legion stronghold.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 08 Dec 2010, 09:43
So yeah, all us speculators were most likely right.
Quote from: Fallout Wiki
The textures for these graffiti live in a folder in the game files called "nvdlcgraffiti", and all the textures share the filename "nvgraffitisierra". Interestingly, this folder contains a number of other textures, sharing the filename "nvgraffitihonesthearts". These read:
"Where's New Canaan, anyway?"
"The Burned Man Walks!"
"Joshua Graham Lives!"
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 08 Dec 2010, 12:31
sorry, speculating that new canaan or grand canyon will be a location? that'll be so cool
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 08 Dec 2010, 14:06
Woot, finished my first (NCR) play-through. I'll start fresh when I get Dead Money and finish up Independent.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 08 Dec 2010, 21:48
Josh Sawyer is the best thing about Formspring (http://www.formspring.me/JESawyer).

Quote
Confirmed Bachelor is considered a homosexual perk? Neither the name, the art nor the description gave any indication of that.
Quote from: Josh
Confirmed Bachelor is a euphemism for a gay man. The icon art shows Vault Boy giving a massage to a naked Vault Boy with a heart floating over his head. I'm amazed that people look at that and sincerely come away thinking, "Hey, looks like a couple of bros just having a good time and giving a friendly massage."

Later on:
Quote
whos the homo that insisted on being so heavy handed with the gay dialogue and references in the game?
Quote from: Josh
Alarm at the presence of homosexual dialogue topics is pretty interesting considering the majority of them only appear if you voluntarily take a perk that identifies your character as homosexual.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 08 Dec 2010, 22:30
This game has truly deserved it's Rainbow Seal of ApprovalTM
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 11 Dec 2010, 13:28
Patch is out (http://www.made2game.com/xbox-360/fallout-new-vegas-patch-detailed/).
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 11 Dec 2010, 15:28
That list of fixed quests is hilarious. Is there any that didn't need fixing?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 13 Dec 2010, 10:30
thought the patch had come out for 360 so I started up a new character last night.

going to try Hardcore Mode again for the achievement but it might be hard trying to carry all my survival shit around without companions since i decided to go with 1 Str. and boost everything else to 7/8/9 for some reason. Didn't tag any weapon skills so I could decide what to use later based on what's available. Probably gonna go with Guns, or maybe Energy Weapons....haven't really decided yet.

Sided with the Powder Gangers for the first time and they're not nearly as evil as they seemed. I mean, they're definitely jerks, but I wouldn't say they are "evil."


Sorry, Sunny Smiles.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 13 Dec 2010, 17:05
Quote from: JE Sawyer
The full changelog would be a novella, but I can say that balance-wise, a lot of energy weapon stats were changed (usually a change to DAM and ammo cost), energy ammo was modified (duh), sniper rifle and Gobi DAM/crit chance multipliers were lowered, missile launcher and fat man had DAM increases, a boatload of recipes were made a lot simpler (fewer ingredients and a lower count per ingredient), Caravan AI should now play face cards against the player, merchants will stop playing Caravan with the player after five games, and "some other stuff".
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 13 Dec 2010, 17:10
from the Penny Arcade forums:

Quote
Top fixes:

* Companions now show up as waypoints on the map
* Companions will always fast travel with you, unless told to wait or sent away
* Fix: DLC error/save corruption
* Fix: Entering the strip after Debt Collector causes crash and autosave corruption
* Fix: Using Mojave Express dropbox can cause DLC warnings
* Crafting menu now filters valid (bright) recipes to the top of the list
* Weathered pistol no longer glitches when applying mods

After the break, see other issues/quests the patch covers...

In addition, this patch addresses issues with the following areas:

* Pip-Boy Interface
* Pre-Order DLC Items
* Reputation System
* Radio Stations
* Companion fixes
* Companion Quests
* Repair Menu
* Caravan
* Weapons and Weapon Mods
* Hardcore Mode
* Perks
* Skills
* Crafting Recipes
* Crafting Menu
* Mojave Express
* Chems/Addiction
* Doctors
* Vendors

And fixes for the following quests:

* Ain’t That a Kick in the Head
* By a Campfire on The Trail
* They Went That-a-Way
* My Kind of Town
* Boulder City Showdown
* Ring a Ding Ding!
* King’s Gambit
* For The Republic, Part 2
* Render Unto Caesar
* Et Tumor, Brute?
* The House Always Wins
* Wild Card
* Beyond the Beef
* GI Blues
* How Little We Know
* Oh My Papa
* Still In The Dark
* You’ll Know It When It Happens
* Arizona Killer
* Eureka!
* Veni, Vidi, Vici
* All or Nothing
* No Gods, No Masters
* Birds of a Feather
* I Put A Spell On you
* Come Fly With Me
* That Lucky Old Sun
* Don’t Make a Beggar of Me
* The White Wash
* Ghost Town Gunfight
* Restoring Hope
* Bleed Me Dry
* Aba Daba Honeymoon
* Tend To Your Business
* Wang Dang Atomic Tango
* Flags of Our Foul-Ups
* Debt Collector
* Talent Pool
* Left My Heart
* Someone To Watch Over Me
* Hard Luck Blues

And some changes the community has gathered

* Companions now fast travel to the appropriate location when dismissed by the player
* Companions now show up as waypoints on the local map.
* EC/ECP/MC ammo (standard) now has -2 DT
* EC/ECP/MC ammo (over charge) now has -5 DT
* EC/ECP/MC ammo (max charge) now has -10 DT
* Multiplas rifle now consumes 3 units of ammo per shot (previously 6)
* Plasma Defender now consumes 2 units of ammo per shot (previously 3)
* All reputation safehouses have been updated with additional supplies (armor, weapons, ammunition, skill magazines)
* All-purpose science suit can now be found in the Followers safehouse
* Legion Vexillarius armor, Legion Centurion armor and Legion Praetorian armor, sniper rifle, displacer glove, and machete gladius can now be found in the Caesar's Legion safehouse
* NCR Ranger combat armor, NCR salvaged power armor, NCR Ranger patrol armor, Hunting revolver, Trail carbine, Assault carbine can now be found in the NCR Ranger safehouse
* Recon armor, T-51b power armor, and T-45d power armor, all in poor condition, as well as Tesla cannon, Gatling laser and some ammo can be found in the Brotherhood of Steel safehouse.
* 12.7 ammo can now be made at reloading benches
* Some weapons mods like the night scope have the nightvision sight.
* ED-E´s laser zapper (after updating his weapon system in ED-E My Love) now shoots blue lasers.
* Stimpak's value was increased from 25 to 75 and super stimpak's from 100 to 150
* Crafting mass purified water requires 5 bottles of dirty water, 2 glass pitchers, and 1 surgical tubing. It also makes only 4 bottles of purified water.
* Mines in front of Primm removed.
* Sniper rifle now does 42 DAM instead of 62 (at least if you have the Hand Loader perk).
* More .50 MG and 12.7mm ammo available from vendors (e.g. Gun Runners)
* The Atomic Wrangler Casino now provides tiered rewards when gambling. (1st: Beer, 2nd: Dapper Gambler Hat, 3rd: Dapper Gambler Suit)
* Weight of the empty syringe has reduced to 0.0



Also Reload Bug is fixed.


YAYYY
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LTK on 14 Dec 2010, 13:24
You know, not using fast travel brings an entirely new level of depth to playing New Vegas. Oh, the Crimson Caravan Company wants me to go to the southern Mojave Outpost for a trade deal? Normally you'd zip over there through the world map, and hork down a few steaks when you get there for the starvation penalty, but I'm walking there like a proper Courier. This forces you to plan your trips according to the quests you need to complete.

I'm over in the area of Vegas, and there are a couple of things I need done before continuing on to the Strip. I have Veronica with me, and she wants to get back to the BoS bunker asap. But I still have a quest running there, so I search out the missing Brotherhood patrol on Nellis AFB first. I pick up a shitload of quests while I'm there, but those will have to wait. I come across Raul's shack while I'm looking for the train tunnel. That reminds me, I still have to set him free from Black Mountain. The quickest way there is directly south, past the quarry full of Deathclaws. Luckily, I just raided Vault 34's armoury (All American yeahh), so I figure I have a good chance at taking out enough to slip through. On my way there, though, I find the Ranger Safehouse, and surprisingly, I have a key for it! This means I can stash some of the heavier stuff I've been hauling around, particularly Annabelle and a massive pile of missiles I never use. Leaving the safehouse, I manage to kill five deathclaws (thank you, Riot Shotgun) and avoid the rest of them to reach the path up to Black Mountain. Now, the plan is to send Raul back to his shack, deal with Veronica and the Brotherhood afterward. Then I'll go to the Mojave outpost to track down the Cassidies, followed by a detour through Novac to retrieve the important stuff from my motel room and then back to Vegas.

You'll probably think I'm crazy, but it does wonders for the immersion, as well as extending the playtime you get from a single character (obviously).  :lol:
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 14 Dec 2010, 16:31
Stock up on plenty of ammo for the all-american before the endgame, with it you can kill everything really fast.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 14 Dec 2010, 16:48
Q-35 Matter Modulator with Meltdown is more fun though.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 14 Dec 2010, 16:51
Yeah, I think I'm actually gonna try to use Energy Weapons on my new character, so I can see this Meltdown in action.  It sounds really cool but I never use EW so I haven't gotten to use it yet.

Also, I'm finding out that 1 Str. is not really a very good thing to do. Definitely gonna have to Intense Training it up a bit so I can use weapons besides the Throwing Spear, Dynamite, and the Laser Pistol.

I completely forgot about Str. requirments for guns in this one. Oops!
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 14 Dec 2010, 17:25
CH, LK and PE are things you can skimp on. ED-E renders PE useless with the Enhanced Sensors Perk
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 14 Dec 2010, 21:41
dude next playthrough is going to be the most strength and luck i can manage. maybe some endurance or agility thrown in there. it's going to be worth it when i'm hurling critical melee attacks at deathclaws at level six.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 14 Dec 2010, 21:41
to quote some dude on something awful
Quote
crits rule everything around me
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 14 Dec 2010, 22:16
Charisma and Perception are also very useful in some cases too. Charisma buffs your companions more than you think, and Perception is essential if you intend to use Energy Weapons and affects several of the crit-boosting perks if I'm remembering correctly. Obsidian really did a great job of making you pick and choose, actually. There's very few easy dump skills/stats.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: tHEfOOL on 14 Dec 2010, 22:21
dude next playthrough is going to be the most strength and luck i can manage. maybe some endurance or agility thrown in there. it's going to be worth it when i'm hurling critical melee attacks at deathclaws at level six.
i ALWAYS go for high strength, 8 or 9 at least, that way i can carry more loot. plus my character had fairly low unarmed skill and still i could always fall back on trusty old love and hate (or as i call em "love hat") and still woop some ass when i run out of ammo
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 14 Dec 2010, 23:31
i'm at level thirty and i'm nowhere near wanting to be done my playthrough btw
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Felrender on 15 Dec 2010, 08:27
I've gotten halfway through characters and changed over to a different gimmick like three times now.

But I think my Lemmy run is going to be the one I finish.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 15 Dec 2010, 11:11
I've found out from previous Fallout experience that intelligence never, ever is a dump stat. In the first ones, skilling up faster allowed you to boost your character a lot in the early game - you got 5+int*2 skill points, so with 10 int, you'd get 25 skill points a level, meaning that you could from level 1 to level 2 boost one tagged stat 50 points. Which again would mean being able to kill stuff with guns (woo!) instead of just missing all the time. A good idea would be to take the skilled perk (you always took that anyways, didn't you?), subtract 1 from everything and max intel, and distribute the rest as normal. This was even more game-breaking in Fallout 3, but then again, getting good in anything in that game seemed to be game breaking. New Vegas wasn't as bad in this regards, but I still wished that I'd boosted my intelligence high from start (natural 9 + 1 from implants), and done the rest later on. I'm not sure if I need to max out all of my skills, but it feels good to jump from laser canon to minigun to sniper rifle to super-sledge and back again.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 15 Dec 2010, 12:31
The Powergamer build in FO1/2 always had Luck as a dump stat, gifted and finesse as traits, and small guns / energy weapons / utility skill (usually speech) as skills.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Alex C on 15 Dec 2010, 12:37
I never, ever took Skilled and I always found Finesse to be a pinch overrated in FO1&2 since in the early-to-mid game it's a bit harder to rely on crits than many people seemed willing to admit. I tended to favor Gifted+Small Frame, since the latter trait was really only problematic if you were an incorrigible pack rat.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 16 Dec 2010, 03:06
GOTY, easily (http://img.waffleimages.com/31488b59e3aed874c179a9d2e5485306ae624190/38661-2-1292222765.jpg)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LeeC on 16 Dec 2010, 04:47
your link no worky.  :-(

being that they are in that part of the world they have to have an area 51 DLC at some point.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 16 Dec 2010, 05:01
to see the link, click f5!
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Felrender on 16 Dec 2010, 08:16
your link no worky.  :-(

being that they are in that part of the world they have to have an area 51 DLC at some point.

JE Sawyer addressed this on his Formspring.  Bethesda already did aliens, so Obsidian isn't looking at doing an alien DLC.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 16 Dec 2010, 10:01
Area 51 doesn't necessarily have to have anything to do with aliens

just like real-life, it's far more likely that it's just experimental aircraft and other secret, but terrestrial, things


but yeah they probably are going to skip it altogether, which kind of bums me out....but not too much.

oh yeah, and the patch is live on 360! Sadly, it looks like they took out a new glitch that I got last night when I started yet another hardcore game which saw none of my Survival meters go up at all, for any reason. I played for several hours last night, got up to level 4 or 5, and my h20, food, and sleep meters never moved above zero.

Now they're back to normal  :cry:  :wink:
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LeeC on 16 Dec 2010, 15:58
I wish the ranger hat had stats, looks cool.

(http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20101025043817/fallout/images/thumb/4/47/Ranger_Grant.png/240px-Ranger_Grant.png)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 16 Dec 2010, 16:07
Dead Money trailer (http://www.gametrailers.com/video/debut-trailer-fallout-new/708518).
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 16 Dec 2010, 16:53
hey wow DLC that I'm actually really excited to waste my money on!


I really love this game.

I mean, I already knew that, even before it came out, but god damn it is really great. I'm looking forward to doing all the quests that got glitched and broken in my last game this time around, now that it's patched and they're allegedly fixed.

oh and my new character is a perky young wastelandette with a penchant for energy weapons named Shelly Sundial. Nothing can stop her laser pistol and green hair! She will melt you!

name obviously inspired by Sunny Smiles, one of my favorite characters in NV.  :mrgreen:
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 17 Dec 2010, 04:23
DLC that will be a mix of Battle Royale and Ocean's Eleven with ghosts and ghouls?

I love the Fallout universe!
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 21 Dec 2010, 18:02
So apparently, if they haven't fixed it yet, you can get Dead Money for free off of the XBL website, though not through an Xbox proper.

I myself paid. Haven't gotten to it yet - recommended level is 20, and I'm at 8. Going to do some grinding and skill pumping (apparently there are a lot of different checks) and then I'll jump in.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: tHEfOOL on 21 Dec 2010, 21:34
so i tried to download it from the website and it says your console does not have the newest update, and i tried updating and it didn't fix it so i think they just stopped taking orders from the website as a stopgap fix or something
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 22 Dec 2010, 22:45
So essentially the DLC (which is great and an MCA joint through and through) seems to point towards a "Big Empty" DLC in the future (this is not really a spoiler for the Sierra Madre storyline). "Big Empty" was the nickname of the Tibbets Correctional Facility, a supercomputer-controlled prison that served as the central location of Van Buren.

Also anybody planning to play hardcore with a  Small Frame'd character is in for a world of pain.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 23 Dec 2010, 00:58
Let's Plays! (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=4F80D5250D1D3BFF)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Cire27 on 23 Dec 2010, 02:23
The Yogscast are(is?) great.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 24 Dec 2010, 12:24
Word to the wise - due to some bugs, it's best to start the DLC sans items and companions. A number of people have reported ED-E going hostile upon return.

Also if you make it to the Sierra Madre and find yourself stuck in the first areas... might want to go have a drink.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Ozymandias on 24 Dec 2010, 14:07
It's not even fun to make fun of Obsidian anymore, they're much better at it themselves.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 24 Dec 2010, 16:35
alright, Dead Money is bought. gotta grind up to speed though so I won't get wrecked.

maybe I'll get lucky and they'll patch it up before I  get my new character up to 20. not gonna hold my breath but...fingers crossed
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LTK on 24 Dec 2010, 17:04
Brewer's Beer Bootlegging shack gave me a Gauss Rifle. Combined with the Meltdown perk (which doesn't even make any goddamn sense, this is a projectile weapon), I finally have a chance against the Deathclaws. With this and the tri-beam laser rifle, I could easily ditch all other weapons and use these for everything. Go, overcharge!
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 25 Dec 2010, 01:39
High critical sniper builds with your basic sniper rifle'll waste Boss Dethclaws with little effort. I can't use energy weapons with meltdown on them because I always get the critical when they are standing right next to me.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LTK on 25 Dec 2010, 04:05
Yeah, Meltdown can be annoying in close-range combat. Torching Cazadores with the Flamer I took from Cook-Cook became chaos with Meltdowns everywhere. But it doesn't depend on critical hits, the only thing that matters is that you lay the killing blow with an energy weapon.

Hey, now that I look at the wiki page for the 'Lucky' .357 revolver, it seems that no one picked up that it's a reference to Lucky Luke. I was actually the first editor to get it!
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Boro_Bandito on 25 Dec 2010, 12:49
A Chainsaw and various chem cocktails, that's my recipe for killin' Cazadores.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 25 Dec 2010, 13:39
It's not even fun to make fun of Obsidian anymore, they're much better at it themselves.

Because other companies have never had technical problems with DLC. This is something that only happens to Obsidian.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 26 Dec 2010, 12:34
so I bought Dead Money but was waiting to get my new HC character up to 20 to start it, and now I've got Metro 2033 and Alpha Protocol to play so I might not get around to checking it out for a while yet

what to do what to do

Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 26 Dec 2010, 13:12
wait - it's probably bugged.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 26 Dec 2010, 15:35
Not from the sound of it - nothing game-breaking, anyway. Dismissing companions before entering the bunker and dropping off your gear somewhere safe are recommended (more because you'll have a full inventory's worth of new stuff coming out of the DLC than anything else) but other than that it's a technically sound production.

According to Sawyer the DLC was designed from levels 10-30 so it should be doable within that range, and there are certain builds that fare a lot better than others (melee and unarmed builds, specifically). I got through it pretty handily with a level 18 guns / survival / sneak build. I've heard of people beating it easily at 13/14 and people having difficulty at 28. The way that NV is balanced in general, you'll be relying on the melee and unarmed weapons provided to you, and the game will be harder for people who don't use them for reasons that will become clear.

Also hardcore mode makes Dead Money hardcore. At the very least it justifies the old "square one" trope that DLCs often use lazily. It even makes foodstuffs valuable.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 28 Dec 2010, 02:34
I've got five levels and only 10ish points I want to spend in anything not melee, so I might as well hit that bitch up to the top.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 28 Dec 2010, 09:28
Also, this being an Avellone joint, you'll miss out on a lot if you aren't well-versed in at least a few secondary skills. There are checks for primary stats, lockpick, explosives, guns, repair, science, medicine, and speech, just from what I can remember, and each either makes things easier or fleshes out characters.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 28 Dec 2010, 11:32
ah, fuck, explosives.

I never cared. Gonna bite me in the ass, right?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 28 Dec 2010, 11:40
Not especially! There's no situation in which you absolutely positively need a skill to pass (though you'll be well fucked in hardcore if you don't have a good medicine score). As always, lockpick and science are most useful with speech coming up second.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: cyro on 29 Dec 2010, 02:36
Not especially! There's no situation in which you absolutely positively need a skill to pass (though you'll be well fucked in hardcore if you don't have a good medicine score). As always, lockpick and science are most useful with speech coming up second.

I always found Speech to be most useful, I suppose that's dependent on your personal kleptomania though.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LTK on 29 Dec 2010, 14:29
I finally entered Quarry Junction. It took all three Holy Frag Grenades, one hundred MF cells for the Gauss Rifle, and one thousand EC packs, overcharge, for the Tesla-Beaton Prototype to kill all the Deathclaws. What weapons did you use?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 29 Dec 2010, 14:48
The sniper rifle. They nerfed in the last patch, though, and I guess I can agree that it was a tad bit too awesome.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LTK on 29 Dec 2010, 15:15
Using the original sniper rifle was fun while it lasted, but after it got downgraded I started using energy weapons a lot more.

Another thing: Are any of you experienced with console commands? I got stuck on Veronica's personal quest, and she won't talk to me to make her decision after the discussion with the elder. I'm trying to reset the quest to an earlier objective, but it's not working.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Coward on 29 Dec 2010, 15:33
I was a touch irritated by the Quarry Junction. Usually, I play do-gooder characters who help out every little town and do every little sub-quest. So, for a change, when my character woke up at the start of New Vegas I murdered the whole village and headed north to exact my revenge on Benny. No fucking around, just straight up the line to get bloody revenge - until the Deathclaws. Cue looping all the way round down south and to the east, picking up all the little quests on the way...

I was slightly disappointed that you're more or less rail-roaded to take the long way round to get to Vegas and you couldn't just up and go which ever way took your fancy, like in Fallout 3.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LTK on 29 Dec 2010, 15:49
I like it, though. Contrary to the Mojave, the Capital Wasteland was so nondescript. Even after 80 hours of playing Fallout 3, the only locations that are immediately obvious from memory are the Enclave bunker and the DC ruins. I think I'll remember the general layout of the Mojave much better now that I actually have to navigate. I guess that's the cost of having the freedom to go anyplace you damn well feel like; You kind of lose your sense of purpose. Maybe that's why we are a Courier, as opposed to being a Lone Wanderer. Here you no longer wander, you go.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Coward on 29 Dec 2010, 16:04
I see what you mean, but I liked that sort of wanderlust in Fallout 3. Just bimbling round the wasteland, Pipboy playing, shotgun in hand. New Vegas is definitely slicker than Fallout 3 but I think it lost a certain something in the transition.


Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: ackblom12 on 29 Dec 2010, 18:46
Yes, it lost a little something. That something is called terrible writing.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 29 Dec 2010, 23:46
QUARRY JUNCTION TIPS:

1) get a stealth boy. you'll only need it for a short while.
2) activate the stealth boy on yr way into the quarry.
3) sneak around to the conveyor belt that goes up to the top of the tower, on the south side. specifically the south side. there's only one deathclaw guarding it and you can either sneak around him or use yr most powerful weapon and knock him out with a sneak attack crit. if other deathclaws spot you then fucking sprint up to the top of that conveyor belt
4) you are in an extraordinary tactical position, and can now stand up and alert the quarry by shooting at the deathclaws. it's possible that the mother deathclaw won't be alerted BUT you can always fire a missile or something over towards where she'd be, or you can snipe one of the deathclaws by the eastern pond and hope she comes running. i'm pretty sure deathclaws can't actually climb up the conveyor belt but even if they do you can line it with mines on the way up and tear them to shreds with bullets at the same time.

with this method i fired maybe forty shots, total. at least two of those shots were missiles from annabelle. the luckiest thing to happen was when the mother deathclaw and her babies rounded the corner and i shot them with a missile which killed the babies; it made the mother deathclaw go ballistic and come closer which made it easy for me to score three consecutive alien blaster headshots.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Avec on 30 Dec 2010, 10:03
I've finally started working on the actual storyline of NV. I've come to the fork that is deciding who I want to work for (NCR/Mr. House/Caesar's Legion). I've decided to let Benny escape with his life from the Top's casino and am seriously regretting it now. Is there any way to retrieve the platinum chip from Caesar without having the legion turn hostile?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: glyphic on 30 Dec 2010, 10:14
I still haven't finished this game  :oops:
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 30 Dec 2010, 10:47
I've finally started working on the actual storyline of NV. I've come to the fork that is deciding who I want to work for (NCR/Mr. House/Caesar's Legion). I've decided to let Benny escape with his life from the Top's casino and am seriously regretting it now. Is there any way to retrieve the platinum chip from Caesar without having the legion turn hostile?
From what I remember, Caesar doesn't know about the chip and Benny still has it. Caesar allows you to decide what happens to Benny, so he'll give it to you before you kill him or set him free.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 30 Dec 2010, 11:46
But seriously, go independent.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Avec on 30 Dec 2010, 16:40
Benny doesn't have the chip. I know for sure because I managed to pickpocket the Maria pistol from him. At first, Caesar hands you the chip but requires you to hand it back when leaving the Fortress, until you've successfully killed Mr. House that is. Also, how would you go about creating an "independent" New Vegas?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Avec on 30 Dec 2010, 16:51
Hold that thought, maybe I'll need to complete one of Caesar's quests...
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 30 Dec 2010, 17:14
A good lead would be to check out Benny's place.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 30 Dec 2010, 19:16
Wait, you haven't met Yes Man?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 30 Dec 2010, 20:46
I guess that's possible... If you let Benny go (or get hoodwinked by him) a Legion messenger tells you where he is. But don't you need to discover Yes Man first?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Josefbugman on 31 Dec 2010, 02:31
Ra Ra NCR! Ra Ra NCR!

I know its sad, but I am trying my best to give them New Vegas whilst still being ethical about it, because my courier isn't smart enough to run it, and ceaser is an arse and mister house a tiny bit mental.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 31 Dec 2010, 03:14
That one is more likely to be canon, in the end.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 31 Dec 2010, 10:21
Canon from the first game is that you straight up murder the... Master? Overlord? Anyways, canon from the second is that you nuke the platform, canon from the third is... I guess you don't really have a choice there. It'll be interesting to see which one they use from this game, I'm guessing either NCR or running solo.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 31 Dec 2010, 15:24
The Master.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LTK on 31 Dec 2010, 16:54
I've put enough hours in NV that I can now say: Happy 2282!
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Derpmeifter on 31 Dec 2010, 21:41
I have tried to actually progress in the story multiple times now but I just can't force myself to not pillage every single settlement I come across.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LTK on 01 Jan 2011, 16:24
It should not have been this easy to straight-up murder every single living thing in the Ultra-Luxe and walk out, six hundred units of flamer fuel lighter, as a Level 30 Messiah, like nothing happened.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: JD on 02 Jan 2011, 14:39
All they have are those canes right?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LTK on 02 Jan 2011, 16:45
Yeah. It's the same with all the other casinos, really. The guards' weapons are a joke and I could easily dispatch them all with the Love & Hate spiked knuckles I happened to have on me. Maybe I shouldn't have waited until level 30 to finally get to the Strip.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Avec on 02 Jan 2011, 17:02
Are you playing on Very Hard on Hardcore mode? I really don't see any other way to make the experience more difficult/realistic.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: JD on 02 Jan 2011, 17:07
Well you could mod it harder.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LTK on 03 Jan 2011, 04:52
Are you playing on Very Hard on Hardcore mode? I really don't see any other way to make the experience more difficult/realistic.
Yes and yes. I suppose it's because the guards are there mostly to catch you if you steal stuff, since most people are unlikely going to start murderin' for getting caught stealing a few bottlecaps.

Well you could mod it harder.
That's one option, but I haven't gotten around to installing the NVSE for the good ones. Any reccomendations? I haven't come across many mods that modify combat.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: JD on 03 Jan 2011, 13:09
Well there are harder hardcore rates (http://www.newvegasnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=34954) but I suppose that isn't quite what you're looking for.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 03 Jan 2011, 14:31
The enterprising bros over at SA made a pretty handy compendium of good (and other) mods (http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3376713&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=1).
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LTK on 04 Jan 2011, 02:25
 I'm looking at XFO right now, and the alternate armor system (DR/DT) looks pretty good. I'd install it but it would probably make the game impossibly complicated to play for my dad - he's on the same computer.  :-P
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 04 Jan 2011, 13:52
Stay based in the wastes (http://newvegasnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=37380).
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: JD on 04 Jan 2011, 15:46
The Pimp Boy 3 Billion is pretty sweet. The Q-35 Matter Modulator too.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 04 Jan 2011, 16:08
It's a lot better now with the patch. All the energy weapons have more punch. ED-E is even halfway useful in combat - I was surprised to load up my game post-patch to find ED-E single-handedly stomping groups of radscorpions that were consistently murdering him pre-patch.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 07 Jan 2011, 22:26
So Zenimax filed some trademarks that are pretty obvs DLC names - Honest Hearts (the speculated New Canaan DLC), Lonesome Road and Old World Blues (http://www.ripten.com/2011/01/07/zenimax-trademarks-hint-at-new-vegas-dlc-names/).

My prediction:
Honest Hearts = New Canaan
Lonesome Road = The Divide
Old World Blues = The Big Empty / Tibbets
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 14 Jan 2011, 11:39
Finally got my new character up to level 20 and started Dead Money last night. I made it as far as getting Dog out of his cell and then I had to go to bed.

I'm looking forward to playing through this, the world is interesting, the characters (the two I've met) have been weird and fascinating, and the gameplay seems like it will be unique and challenging enough to keep me busy for a little while, especially considering the snail's pace that I play at.

I'm the kind of person who has to slowly examine everything around me, just to make sure I got everything and it seems like I'll actually benefit from this in Dead Money, particularly in Hardcore mode, since they take every thing away from you right at the start and the world itself is slowly killing you (not to mention the other hazards).


Anyway, yeah, I've barely begun it but already I'm really enjoying it. I know finding and shooting those radios is gonna be a real pain in the ass at times, but it shouldn't be too bad. I hope.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LTK on 14 Jan 2011, 16:04
Still doing the main quest line now. Man, politics. I'm really bummed out that everyone wants to wipe out the Brotherhood, so I guess I'm just going to go the independent way and pull the plug on Mr. House. But I'm not enjoying it.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: JD on 14 Jan 2011, 16:10
To be fair they come off as dicks in this game.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: ackblom12 on 14 Jan 2011, 16:14
Well, to be honest they've come off as dicks a lot more than just this game, it's just usually you're not opposing them at all so it's a lot easier to look past it.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 14 Jan 2011, 16:35
A lot of the stuff that's said about them in this game is true too - what made them likable in Fallout 3 was that they were kinda rebelling against the leadership back in NCR - all the "we hoard everything for ourselves and ignore outsiders" stuff that they were against is pretty big in New Vegas.

Btw, you don't have to kill them, at least not for Mr. House or the NCR, as far as I remember.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 14 Jan 2011, 17:22
Not as NCR (though there are natural consequences as they were at war not too long ago) and not as an Independent. There's a PC mod that allows the same with Mr. House, but in vanilla and console versions you have to nuke 'em if you want to be a House guy. Unsurprisingly this is point at which a lot of otherwise "good"-aligned players stopped working for him.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 15 Jan 2011, 11:30
I told Colonel Moore to piss off and made a truce between the BoS and NCR on my own. I think it works out pretty well in the ending slides, all things considered.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: JD on 15 Jan 2011, 21:31
Well, to be honest they've come off as dicks a lot more than just this game, it's just usually you're not opposing them at all so it's a lot easier to look past it.
Well my only experience with fallout is the third game and New Vegas. Maybe I should rectify that.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 16 Jan 2011, 03:37
Would watch this animes
(http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/7871/b63c6a435a75fa164bf2d0a.jpg)

Make it happen, Joss Whedon
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Felrender on 16 Jan 2011, 13:54
Looks traced-ish, still owns

(http://img809.imageshack.us/img809/9094/averageplaythru.jpg) (http://img809.imageshack.us/i/averageplaythru.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 30 Jan 2011, 15:30
This is probably my favourite fan film. (http://www.joystickdivision.com/2011/01/fallout_nuka_break.php)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: imagist42 on 30 Jan 2011, 18:12
That.... was surprisingly well-made. Could've done without the post-credits, scene, though, or at least a slightly less out-of-place "sinister" one.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Thomas Edison on 01 Feb 2011, 09:23
Doesn't surprise me it was well made. Zack Finfrock is the guy from Indy Mogul's "Backyard FX", where they make props and camera equipment for cheap amounts of money that usually end up being pretty good. One of their latest episodes was him talking about how they made some of the major props for Nuka Break, such as the Pip-Boy and whatever the large gun in it is (which was made entirely of cardboard, iirc).
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 01 Feb 2011, 16:27
so...I've been taking breaks of NV intermittently for other games but now I'm back in the zone and it's awesome.

I'm still working on Dead Money, and on HC mode it's definitely alot of fun. It's actually a challenge to survive (sort of...sometimes), and the fact that they made uses for previously useless stuff (Junk Food, Turpentine, Pre-War Money, cigs, etc.) is really awesome. Except for the fact that my adorable scientist Shelly Sundial is fully addicted to Buffout, Whiskey, Vodka, and Sierra Madre Martinis since I'm drinking constantly in order to carry around all my junk when my companions are indisposed.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Spluff on 02 Feb 2011, 02:22
Do you think that it is rad for your character to have alcoholism
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 02 Feb 2011, 10:22
uh....not particularly? You can tell because of the words:

[snip]... is really awesome. Except for the fact that my adorable scientist Shelly Sundial is fully addicted to Buffout, Whiskey, Vodka, and Sierra Madre Martinis since I'm drinking constantly in order to carry around all my junk when my companions are indisposed.

 :psyduck:


Anyway....finished Dead Money last night. I'm actually pretty dang impressed.

I must have done the last part like  five times before I finally got it right. Good thing I had so much practice too because by the time I actually did escape, I had figured out what I needed and what I didn't need so I was able to carry 4 gold bars out.


...and apparently I don't have the "proper permissions" to use spoiler tags? lame
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: JD on 02 Feb 2011, 19:41
I guess we overused it.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: öde on 03 Feb 2011, 16:58
:psyduck:
Do you think that it is rad for your character to have alcoholism (http://achewood.com/index.php?date=05152002)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 03 Feb 2011, 17:24
and that's what i get for not paying attention to anything ever

i miss all the jokes
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 04 Feb 2011, 12:19
Dead Money coming to PS3 and PC this month, next three DLCs to be released on all platforms simultaneously (http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gamehunters/post/2011/02/fallout-new-vegas-dlc-debuts-on-pc-ps3-this-month/1).
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Felrender on 05 Feb 2011, 06:09
So, Microsoft paid Bethesda for a one-month exclusive on the first DLC?

Meh, I'm not complaining.  Least now I won't have to wait six months to play the stuff.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LeeC on 24 Feb 2011, 12:06
Not sure if this deserves it own thread, according to the wiki page the next installment is an MMORPG called Fallout: Online and set to release in 2012
http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Fallout_Online (http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Fallout_Online)

more research is needed.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 24 Feb 2011, 12:13
This is actually separate to the main series. When Interplay sold Fallout to Bethsoft, they reserved the rights to farm an MMORPG to a third party or whatever. There were lawsuits and I'm not sure what's going on between them at the moment.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LeeC on 24 Feb 2011, 12:31
basically from what the wiki says, interplay can make their MMORPG but has to put credit Bethesda.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Caleb on 01 Apr 2011, 08:49
Fallout first DLC half off today for all Xbox Live members
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 10 Apr 2011, 13:50
Apparently, Bethsoft's youtube channel briefly posted a trailer for the Honest Hearts DLC (apparently when they shouldn't have) and the NMA types got screenies of it.

(http://img810.imageshack.us/img810/3033/26555453.jpg)

(http://img860.imageshack.us/img860/9302/80922693.jpg)

(http://www.duckandcover.cx/HonestHearts/3.jpg)

Looks like a confirmation for whoever claimed that it would take place in Zion National Park (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zion_National_Park).

Additionally, a number of outlets are reporting that the preview for next month's PS3 Qore digital mag mentions a sneak peek at Old World Blues with the tag "Are you the scientist, or the guinea pig?" which all-but-explicitly points to it taking place at the Big Empty, a central location of Black Isle's FO3 and apparent experimental weapons tech facility / torture suite in the official canon. Chris Avellone's twitter avatar (http://twitter.com/#!/ChrisAvellone) is a FO3 computer screen displaying a giant eyeball, which is probably ULYSSES / ODYSSEUS (likely the latter, given there's already a Ulysses character), the facility's state-of-the-art supercomputer.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Caleb on 10 Apr 2011, 14:10
I wish they could still be working on some of the bugs in the original game.

I just got a quest ending bug and I had to clear my cache in order to get it finished correctly.

The game itself is amazing though.  I just hit level 20 and I have had some really awesome stuff happen.

Like I was stalking a group of heavily armed Viper Gunslingers in an abandoned town.  I just had sniped one of them when something slammed me from behind.  I tuned around and saw a Deathclaw.  I took a dose of Turbo and Med X and sprinted into the center of town and hide behind a building.

The Vipers actually managed to kill the Deathclaw but the only one left alive was the leader who I finished off.  Then I took all their stuff.

Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 10 Apr 2011, 14:24
They're still doing bugfixing. I think JE Sawyer mentioned not too long ago that they had found the reason Boone was owning the shit out of anything and everything - the bonus he got from his beret was continually stacking with itself, such that it didn't take long to surpass 100% critical chance. Basically the more awesome sibling to Dragon Age 2's permanent Isabella bug.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LeeC on 10 Apr 2011, 15:10
we know anything about zion? like it looks like a couple of tribals fighting but I dont know anything else.  Whats the theme/plot?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 10 Apr 2011, 15:31
Art assets in game files point to it being the site of New Canaan, stronghold of the Mormons who control Utah, and it's going to incorporate the Burned Man (aka Joshua Graham, former Mormon and nigh-unkillable lieutenant of Caesar who was doused in pitch, set on fire and thrown off a cliff for losing the first battle at Hoover Dam). The original Van Buren docs for New Canaan were confusing, as there were two versions - one in which New Canaan was standing, and another in which it had been destroyed (as far as I know, they were for different builds). What I remember is that New Canaan was a fort controlled by devout Mormons and they wouldn't let anybody into the city, but there was a large population of refugees just outside the fort, and a power struggle was going on between the existing prophet, who fed and cared for the refugees, and a young upstart who wanted to kick them all out, and who I believe left the city to rile up a bunch of tribals for war. Meanwhile the fugees are growing more resentful that they won't be let into the city.

Were I to venture a wild guess, I'd say that we'll see something roughly similar with the young prophet replaced by the Burned Man, or something.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Caleb on 11 Apr 2011, 08:09
and the fact that they made uses for previously useless stuff (Junk Food, Turpentine, Pre-War Money, cigs, etc.)

Hey I hoard Turpentine so I can tan Gecko hides!
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 12 Apr 2011, 12:02
Quote
Hi everyone,

On behalf of all of the hard-working teams at Bethesda and Obsidian, I’d like to give you an update what we’ve been working on these past few months.

Well, here’s what happened: our next DLC release (announcement coming very soon, we promise) has been complete while we worked on getting a patch ready for you all. We didn’t want to just release more DLC before we had a patch that would improve the overall New Vegas experience.

The good news is that we do have such a patch and it’s been handed off to the necessary platform owners. It should be released in the next couple of weeks on 360, PS3 and PC (can’t be more specific than that, I’m afraid, although PC will almost certainly get it first).

So what’s in that patch? First and foremost, optimizations and stability improvements. While there are bug fixes, our core focus was on improving stability and performance. We worked directly with first party platform owners to identify issues, and we have fixed a great deal of the crashes and lockups that people were experiencing. In addition, we scoured the forums and this patch includes weapon balance tweaks and other requested fixes.

We know we’re not done yet. There’s still more work to do, and we’ll be monitoring the forums very carefully following the release of this patch, looking for more issues. We do have another update planned further down the line.

So I’d like to apologize for the radio silence. Hopefully you’ll be pleased with the enormous amount of work we’ve put into this update over the last few months, and will enjoy the rest of our DLC releases. We have some pretty cool stuff coming soon. Stay tuned!

Thanks,
Jason Bergman
Senior Producer, FNV
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LeeC on 12 Apr 2011, 14:09
just wanted to get some opinions on this perk: Quick draw.  Is it even worth it?  I dont see anything wrong with the normal draw time.  Is it just usless?  I kind have just stayed away from it.  Same with rapid reload.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 12 Apr 2011, 14:18
I don't know about quick draw, but rapid reload is useful on higher difficulties and is absolutely essential for a Cowboy concept character - all the perk-buffed weapons are loaded by-bullet.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 12 Apr 2011, 14:23
yeah, rapid reload is pretty sweet.

never used quickdraw either because i thought it seemed useless too
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 12 Apr 2011, 14:29
I don't know about quick draw, but rapid reload is useful on higher difficulties and is absolutely essential for a Cowboy concept character - all the perk-buffed weapons are loaded by-bullet.

It was the first perk I got on my cowboy character and my Energy/Guns sniper. Ammo is plentiful in NV.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LeeC on 12 Apr 2011, 14:31
I may pick up rapid reload then.  I am playing a cowboy type character.  Im lvl 22 and just ran out of perks that where useful.  I beat then game at lvl 20 the first time I played.  Figured I missed out on a bunch of content.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LeeC on 12 Apr 2011, 14:32
im guessing everyone like the cowboy type build.  The game screams awesome western.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 14 Apr 2011, 09:45
Dude opines upon the implications of violence in Dead Space 2 and FO:NV (http://thegwumps.blogspot.com/2011/03/as-life-long-fan-of-computer-role.html). Dude opines about the portrayal of the oldest profession in FO:NV (http://alivetinyworld.wordpress.com/2011/04/08/the-new-vegas-diaries-wasteland-romance/)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 14 Apr 2011, 13:20
I may pick up rapid reload then.  I am playing a cowboy type character.  Im lvl 22 and just ran out of perks that where useful.  I beat then game at lvl 20 the first time I played.  Figured I missed out on a bunch of content.

You must've, it's too easy to max your levels.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 14 Apr 2011, 13:34
I feel like a single playthrough of FO:NV will almost definitely cover more area of the world map than a FO3 run will, but that's probably just because the easiest means of completing the first objective (find Benny) covers nearly half of the map. There's certainly much, much more content in FO:NV, no question.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 17 Apr 2011, 21:08
Hey dude you got your STALKER in my New Vegas (http://newvegasnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=41361)

If only they took out the skeletons and a few of the less poly-intensive creatures, it'd be just about perfect.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 17 Apr 2011, 22:51
Actually scratch that - like a lot of creature-adding mods, it's a bit balance-wonky when you're at lower levels. You'll resort to a bit of kiting when staring down the ant infestation for Ranger Jackson at the Mojave Outpost, for example - the replaced ants are tough as nails. But for a higher-level character, it should be quite interesting.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 22 Apr 2011, 10:54
Via searching "Honest Hearts" on XBL Marketplace
(http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/5134/falloutnewvegashonesthe.jpg)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 22 Apr 2011, 11:11
they're going to wrap up his face, hey? grim but better than staring at like a leathery burn man for an entire dlc.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 22 Apr 2011, 18:30
What, you don't just shoot ghouls?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 23 Apr 2011, 16:14
Having him wrapped entirely in bandages was in the Van Buren docs, wasn't it?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 23 Apr 2011, 23:16
Yeah, but he was also a CNPC and his past with the Legion was supposed to be something you discovered later on.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 24 Apr 2011, 00:07
Patchhhhh
Quote
Hi everyone,

The promised patch for Fallout: New Vegas is almost here! PC users will get it on Monday and console folk will receive it soon (we’re still waiting to hear the exact date).

As I mentioned in my previous post, this patch contains optimizations and stability improvements as well as balance changes.

Here’s a rundown of the balance tweaks we’ve implemented for this update:

Guns:
Automatic Guns - SMGs, the Assault Carbine, and the LMG are more accurate across the board. They're also more durable. 12.7mm SMG mag capacity increased to 21.
Shotguns - Buckshot has received a x1.2 inherent DAM mod. This slightly incentivizes using buckshot over slugs when enemy armor is not an issue. Magnum buckshot has a x1.3 DAM mod and a small amount of DT bypass. Spread for many shotguns has been lowered.
Hunting Rifle, Anti-Materiel Rifle - Hunting Rifle and AMR now have the lowest spread of all rifles. Hunting Rifle RoF increased, Crit Chance set to x2. Anti-Materiel Rifle's Crit DAM has been raised from 80 to 110 to make it more viable when compared to the Gobi.
Sniper Rifle, Gobi Campaign Scout Rifle - Sniper Rifle and Gobi now have a higher RoF and lower AP cost. Both have x2 Crit Chance. Gobi has increased DAM and much higher Crit DAM over the Sniper Rifle.
That Gun - That Gun is now a slow-firing hand cannon that does huge DAM firing 5.56mm out of a short barrel.
Hunting Revolver – Rate of Fire increased.
Service Rifle - DAM slightly lowered, firing animation changed to the one used by Marksman Carbine, RoF dramatically increased. Spread decreased.
Silenced .22 Pistol, SMG - Crit DAM and Crit Chance significantly increased.
5mm Ammo - Base ammo has 10 points of DT bypass. AP variants have 25 points of DT bypass. This affects the Assault Carbine, Minigun, and CZ57 Avenger.
.308 JSP - DAM mult reduced from x1.5 to x1.3. x2 CND degradation effect added.
Lever-Action Rifles - Cowboy Repeater, Trail Carbine, Brush Gun - RoF has been slightly reduced, AP costs have been significantly increased, and spread has been slightly increased. Cowboy Repeater Custom Action RoF increase has been reduced. La Longue Carabine spread has been significantly lowered.


Explosives:
Dynamite - Larger explosion radius.
Frag and Plasma Grenades – DAM increased.
25mm Grenades - Slightly increased DAM on the explosion.
40mm Grenades - Significantly higher DAM on the explosion.
Missile Launcher / Fat Man - Now have much better zoom FoV and good accuracy. Missile and Fat Man projectiles (not the explosion) have a large base DAM. Both are extremely effective on direct hits, but still potent even if a direct hit is not scored. N.B.: Listed DAM on weapons assumes a direct hit!

Energy Weapons:
Gatling Laser - Base DAM is higher. Against heavily armored targets, this is still a poor weapon. Against lightly armored targets, especially with Over Charge or Max Charge ECPs + Focus Optics + Laser Commander, it has extraordinary DPS.
Tesla Cannon, Tesla-Beaton Prototype - These now consume far less ammo per shot and can be fired several times before a reload. DAM is beefy with an additional 2 second DoT.
Pew-Pew - Lower ammo capacity, consumes far fewer ECs per shot. Still a two-shot weapon.

Melee and Unarmed:
Ripper, Chainsaw, Thermic Lance - DAM lowered, all ignore DR/DT.
Bladed Gauntlet, Mantis Gauntlet - Ignore DR/DT flags removed (were not supposed to be marked as such). Mantis Gauntlet animation/sound fixed.

Perks:
Splash Damage – Functions properly.
The Professional - 10mm Pistol, SMG added to perk list.

Thanks,

Jason Bergman
Senior Producer, FNV
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LeeC on 24 Apr 2011, 10:55
damn lever action weapons get nerfed.

but that gun gets a buff!
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 24 Apr 2011, 11:05
To be fair, a fully modded Cowboy Repeater could pretty much see you through the entire game if you relied on VATS.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 24 Apr 2011, 12:40
you would think priority one would be fix all the broken quests
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 24 Apr 2011, 13:20
I don't think there are much of any, at this point. There aren't any game-breaking ones, at least (ala Vault 11 security turning House against you, etc.) As I've played it recently there are a couple of broken flags, such as Mr. New Vegas reporting that you failed to take back NCRCF if you aided the NCR siege, or a particular ending slide for the Followers bugging itself out of existence, or the coding error that gives you 200 karma for killing "mild" evil characters like ghouls and fiends and 2 karma for killing the only "super evil" characters (Cook Cook and Vulpes Incata). At this point I guess the House-BoS truce is cut content that needs to be restored via modding.

Bergman's announcement only really covered gun tweaks, because there are a lot of weapon geeks out there, and JE Sawyer is one of them. I wouldn't be surprised if he tested and coded all those tweaks himself.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 24 Apr 2011, 18:14
i finally beat it last night and there are still weird conversational flag bugs, like how sterling spawning at camp forlorn hope makes raul's companion quest unfinishable. nothing is gamebreaking or main quest line breaking but there's still stuff that's not quite fixed.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 24 Apr 2011, 18:17
Hmmm, I seem to recall Sawyer saying that got fixed in the Dead Money patch. Maybe not?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 24 Apr 2011, 18:25
maybe it only works on new games or something? idk
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LeeC on 24 Apr 2011, 19:20
im pretty pissed that MR new vegas doesnt report the resounding victory at NCRCF for the NCR forces.  it bugs me.  Also that certain companion perks dont show up after their loyalty quest.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 24 Apr 2011, 20:20
Yeah, but he was also a CNPC and his past with the Legion was supposed to be something you discovered later on.

Maybe... he still is  :-o
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Caleb on 25 Apr 2011, 06:31
Ah well.  I kinda thought the cowboy repeater was a bit too powerful.

I am going to have to find another "go to" general use weapon I suppose.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: maxusy3k on 25 Apr 2011, 06:42
I'm not far into the game yet - haven't even hit Novac - but so far I've been wandering with a modded Varmint Rifle with no drama. Sniper scope and silencer and I'm taking down targets with sneak criticals right on the edge of my vision.

The ones I don't get to one-shot, I still manage to take down while they cross the distance between the two of us anyway. I'm assuming / hoping it'll get a little more difficult as I go on, but right now I've got my rifle for general use and a single shotgun for close-quarters combat and have only died like, twice - both times where I entered a building, forgot to sneak, and took a few steps forward, aggroing everything on the entire floor.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: TheFuriousWombat on 25 Apr 2011, 11:48
It definitely does get more challenging, I used my varmint rifle for a long time but it'll stop doing the trick soon enough. Just wait till you see your first death claw (I've actually yet to successfully kill one of those fucking things). I'm playing through it for the first time now, wandering around New Vegas itself and mostly doing those missions where you need to approach each major faction across the map to see if you want to have them on your side once you make a move to take over the Strip. Haven't visited Mr. House yet and at the moment I'm doing the Brotherhood of Steel missions (they're the last ones I need to see). I really, really love this game even though it's certainly not without its frustrations and I wish so much that I was playing it on a PC rather than a 360. Maybe I've only scratched the surface thus far but how does one get companions. I have that robot dog with me which kicks ass but that was the first opportunity I had to have someone tag along with me, and I have really high speech skills and everything.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 25 Apr 2011, 11:58
There are optimal builds for different sorts of weapons, and sniper characters are really powerful in general. Ratslayer's really powerful through a good portion of the game with the right character.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 25 Apr 2011, 13:00
Maybe I've only scratched the surface thus far but how does one get companions. I have that robot dog with me which kicks ass but that was the first opportunity I had to have someone tag along with me, and I have really high speech skills and everything.
You have to find them and some of them require that you do something before they'll join up. I'll put em in small text if you don't want them spoilt.

Boone - First dude you'll probably find. Go up to the Dinky mouth in Novac after dark and find out who killed his wife, then he'll join up. At this point, sans patch, he's definitely the most powerful companion in the game (due to a bug, whenever you go into his inventory his critical chance goes up by 5% permanently), and he will murder the shit out of anything that you come across. Hunting rifle default, will arm himself with anything from Cowboy Repeater up.
Victoria - At the 188 trading post, a bit north and west of Boulder City. Unarmed fighter with a pretty nasty default weapon (powerfist), will ask to join you. Fairly powerful, and BoS-affiliated, so if you're doing quest for them you can start her personal sidequest in short order.
Raul - Being held captive at Black Mountain (he has a cameo in one of Black Mountain Radio's Best Friend Tabitha broadcasts). You can fight your way up, or take a shortcut from Hidden Valley through a number of centaurs to a back door (requires some lockpicking skill). Be aware that if you pull Raul out before resolving the Tabitha quasi-quest (either kill her or revive her robot) she'll show up and cut the quest short. Raul's default gun is a .44 magnum, but he should take powerful revolvers of any sort (maybe any sort of pistol? I don't know)
Arcade - Fan favorite, hangs out in the Old Mormon Fort in Freeside. He's kind of hard to get - you'll need either a 75 speech skill, the gay perk, or a sub-3 intelligence (which is funny). Carries a plasma defender but should use any energy weapon you give him.
Lily - Nightkin super mutant, hangs out in front of the hotel in Jacobstown. Should join on asking. Carries a bumper sword, but should use any muscular melee weapon (the best one in the game is around that way, you just have to find it).
Cass - Irascible, drunken entrepreneur. Found in the Mojave Outpost cantina to the southwest. You have to be a ways into the game to recruit her - You have to reach the Crimson Caravan and do jobs for them until they decide to offer her a buyout. Convince her to take the deal (requires some speech, I think) and she'll tag along with you. Be careful when you've got her with you and go to the Silver Rush or Crimson Caravan. Cass isn't too popular mainly because her default weapon (a caravan shotgun) is underpowered relative to the rest of the companions' guns. Uses shotties of all stripes.
ED-E - Friendly robot, sitting on the counter of the Johnsons' store in Primm. You'll need either a good repair skill or an assortment of miscellany (scrap metal and 'lectronics, and 2 sensor modules) to boot him up. He takes up the robot slot that Rex currently occupies for you.


There are two companion slots, one for a humanoid and one for ED-E / Rex. Each companion gives you a handy perk when in your employ (you can check it via your perk list) which is upgraded when you complete their companion quest (most of which are obliquely revealed over time, so don't panic too much if it's not obvious how to get your dudes to open up). If you give them weapons, you also have to provide the appropriate ammo.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 25 Apr 2011, 13:50
That sucks, I love the ending where the Khans and the Followers set up a new society.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 25 Apr 2011, 14:42
That sucks, I love the ending where the Khans and the Followers set up a new society.

That was the ending I got! Felt good, man.

INDEPENDENT VEGAS FOREVER!
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 25 Apr 2011, 15:19
It better be canon.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LeeC on 25 Apr 2011, 17:28
i do wonder what will be the cannon ending. My money is on the NCR winning, but I'd rather an independent vegas with Mr. House dead.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 25 Apr 2011, 21:38
Who knows if there will even be a canon ending? It all depends on if there is a follow-up game set in the Mojave, which is not a given at all.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 25 Apr 2011, 22:03
We haven't really gotten a Fallout game that has a branching ending like this, but the tradition has generally been that, if you visit a location from a previous game, it'll be on the fringes of the original map.

I'd probably guess that the NCR ending is canon, but who knows at this point. Like Brizzle Brozzle implies, Bethsoft is likely to focus on the east coast, and there's no guarantee Obsidian will get another crack at the franchise, much as everybody seems to hope they will.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: JD on 25 Apr 2011, 22:20
How successful was this compared to the last one?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: JD on 25 Apr 2011, 22:21
I mean even if it's all about money I hope they'll also notice this game is much closer in spirit than fallout 3.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 25 Apr 2011, 22:57
I think it was more successful in the first couple weeks than Fallout 3, but I don't know what the final sales tally was like. I wouldn't be surprised if Bethesda offered Obsidian the chance to make another Fallout game to put out between Skyrim and Bethesda's own next Fallout game. On the other hand, NV was obviously mostly based on Bethesda's tech and I sincerely doubt another Fallout using 3's assets and technology would fly in 2012. So it depends on if Bethesda wants to let Obsidian build the next generation of Fallout tech on their own, base it to some degree on what they're doing with Skyrim and just generate the appropriate post-apocalyptic assets, or just let Fallout lay fallow for a little while until they can do it themselves. I guess it really ultimately wouldn't surprise me either way. I think New Vegas did well enough commercially and critically that Bethesda would be comfortable handing Fallout off to Obsidian again, but who knows if the business plans line up for that to happen in the near future or not. I was surprised at how hands-off Howard and the other bigwigs at Bethesda were when Sawyer and company monkeyed with the precedents set by F3, so maybe they'd be willing to let them take the lead next time. Who knows?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: JD on 25 Apr 2011, 23:18
Perhaps when Skryim has been released for like a year they'll let Obsidian mess with the new engine. Which looks pretty fucking good if you ask me.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 25 Apr 2011, 23:48
I'm not sure how many teams Bethsoft has at this point, but Bruce Nesmith is helming Skyrim. I believe he was a senior designer on FO3 (Emil Pagliarulo, who worked on the Thief games and designed the Dark Brotherhood questline in Oblivion, was lead). I'm pretty sure Bethsoft has been pretty consistent in their assertions that Fallout is theirs now, and while they did give Obsidian a lot of leeway, if the desire's there on the part of Bethesda to make a new game (and it's no doubt there) it would be pretty startling if they didn't give their internal team preference for the next iteration of the series.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 26 Apr 2011, 03:49
I thought Howard was lead on all of Bethesda's internal stuff? Or is he just a exec producer now?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LeeC on 26 Apr 2011, 08:16
I would very much like to see how much each game has made to date.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 26 Apr 2011, 09:32
I think he used to be a designer (Daggerfall day?) but now he's the head producer bro.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 26 Apr 2011, 13:52
New achievements leaked:
Quote
In a Foreign Land - Bronze
Scouted the Zion Valley for signs of the White Legs.

O Daughter of Babylon - Silver
Crushed the White Legs.

When We Remembered Zion - Bronze
Arrived at Zion.

Restore Our Fortunes - Silver
Resupplied Daniel and the Sorrows
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 26 Apr 2011, 16:00
Exact patch deets:
Quote
Guns - Weapons

.357 Revolver - AP Cost increased from 20 to 26.
.44 Revolver - AP Cost decreased from 28 to 25.
10mm SMG - Health increased from 250 to 500; Spread decreased from 4.4 to 2; AP Cost increased from 20 to 22.
12.7mm SMG - Health increased from 250 to 500; Mag Size increased from 15 to 21; Spread decreased from 4 to 2; Fire Rate increased from 8 to 9; AP Cost increased from 20 to 24
9mm SMG - Health increased from 450 to 550; Damage (both standard and critical) increased from 11 to 14; Spread decreased from 2.2 to 1.5
All-American - AP Cost decreased from 20 to 13
Anti-Material Rifle - Spread decreased from .3 to .15; AP Cost decreased from 65 to 55; Critical Damage raised from 80 to 110
Assault Carbine - Health increased from 400 to 750; Damage (both standard and critical) increased from 12 to 13; Spread decreased from 1.5 to 1.2; Critical Hit Chance increased from 0.5x multiplier to 1x multiplier or in layman's terms, your crit chance is doubled.
Big Boomer - Given 1x Crit Chance Multiplier (Didn't crit before); Spread decreased from 6 to 3.5
Brush Gun - Spread increased from 0.03 to 0.06; AP Cost increased from 23 to 33; Now can only fire ~1.23 shots per second compared to ~1.85 pre-patch
Caravan Shotgun - Spread decreased from 4 to 2.2; AP Cost decreased from 27 to 20
CZ57 Avenger - Health increased from 1000 to 1600; Damage (both standard and critical) decreased from 14 to 13; Spread decreased from 1.1 to 0.55; Sight FOV decreased from 55 to 45
Gobi Rifle - Base Damage increased from 40 to 48; AP Cost decreased from 33 to 24; You can now fire ~2.14 shots per second compared to ~1.77 shots per second; Crit Chance Multiplier increased from 1x to 2x; Crit Damage increased from 40 to 80
Hunting Revolver - AP Cost decreased from 32 to 31; You can now fire 1.5 shots per second compared to ~1.22 pre-patch
Hunting Rifle - Damage (Standard and Critical) increased from 45 to 52; Spread decreased from .03 to .01; Crit Chance increased from 1x to 2x
Hunting Shotgun - Health increased from 125 to 200; AP Cost decreased from 32 to 28
La Longue Carabine - Spread decreased from 0.2 to 0.05; AP Cost increased from 18 to 24; Fires ~2.15 shots per second compared to ~2.31 pre-patch
Lever-Action Shotgun - AP Cost decreased from 30 to 25
Light Machine Gun - Health increased from 400 to 800; Spread decreased from 3.2 to 1.5; AP Cost decreased from 30 to 18; Given 1x Crit Chance Multiplier (Didn't crit before)
Lucky - Fires 2.75 shots per second compared to ~2.34 pre-patch
Marksman Carbine - AP Cost decreased from 20 to 14
Minigun - Health increased from 800 to 1200; Sight FOV decreased from 55 to 45
Mysterious Magnum - AP Cost decreased from 25 to 22
Ranger Sequoia - Sight FOV decreased from 55 to 45
Ratslayer - AP Cost decreased from 45 to 33; Fires 1.3 shots per seconds compared to ~1.1
Riot Shotgun - Health increased from 150 to 175; AP Cost decreased from 30 to 17; Spread decreased from 3.5 to 2.5
Sawed-Off Shotgun - Given 1x Crit Chance Multiplier; Spread decreased from 7 to 4
Service Rifle - Damage decreased from 20 to 18; AP Cost decreased from 22 to 15; Fires 4.2 shots per second compared to 2.3 pre-patch
Silenced .22 Pistol - Limb Damage Multiplier increased from 0.8x to 1x; Crit damage increased from 9 to 18; Crit Chance increased from 1x to 3x
Silenced .22 SMG - Health increased from 500 to 1000; AP Cost increased from 18 to 19; Limb Damage Multiplier increased from 0.8x to 1x; Crit damage increased from 6 to 20; Crit Chance increased from 1x to 3x
Sniper Rifle - Damage (Both standard and critical) increased form 42 to 45; Crit Chance increased from 1x to 2x; AP Cost decreased from 38 to 27; Fires ~1.93 shots per second compared to ~1.61 shots pre-patch
That Gun - Value decreased from 2000 to 1750; Health decreased from 250 to 225; Weight increased from 4 to 5; Damage increased from 22 to 30; Crit Damage increased from 18 to 30; Fires 3 shots per second compared to 3.75 pre-patch
Trail Carbine - Damage (standard and critical) increased from 45 to 48; Spread increased from .035 to .06; AP Cost increased from 21 to 29; Fires ~1.54 shots per second compared to ~1.85 shots pre-patch
Vance's 9mm SMG - Health increased from 600 to 750; Damage (standard and critical) increased from 13 to 17


Guns - Ammunition
10mm - Normal Value raised from 1 to 2; HP Value raised from 2 to 5; JHP Value raised from 1 to 3
12.7mm - Hollow Point - Value raised from 4 to 7
12 Gauge - Bean Bag - Value increased from 2 to 3
12 Gauge - Coin Shot - Given 1.3x DAM and -2 DT Bonus
12 and 20 Gauge - Normal - Given 1.2x DAM; 12 Gauge Value increased from 1 to 2
12 and 20 Gauge - Magnum - DAM increased from 1.15x to 1.3x; Given -2 DT bonus; 20 Gauge value decreased from 3 to 2
20 Gauge - Slug - Value decreased from 2 to 1
.223 Round - -DT Bonus Removed; Given a Value of 1 (No longer a boxed item)
.308 Round - Normal Value increased from 3 to 4; AP and HP Values increased from 5 to 9
.308 Round - JSP - DAM decreased from 1.5x to 1.3x; Given CND decay increase of 1.5x
.357 Magnum - Normal Value increased from 1 to 2; HP and JFP Values increased from 2 to 3
.38 Special - Given a Value of 1 (No longer a boxed item)
.44 Magnum - Normal Value increased from 2 to 3; HP Value increased from 3 to 7; SWC Value increased from 3 to 4
.44 Special - Given a Value of 2 (No longer a boxed item)
.45-70 Gov't - Normal Value increased from 3 to 4; HP Value increased from 5 to 8; SWC Value decreased from 7 to 5
.50 MG - AP Value increased from 10 to 14; Incendiary Value increased from 15 to 18
5.56mm - Normal Value increased from 1 to 2; AP and HP values increased from 2 to 4
5mm - AP and HP Values increased from 2 to 3
9mm - HP and +P Values increased from 2 to 3


Energy Weapons - Weapons

Gatling Laser - Damage (both standard and critical) increased from 7 to 10; Spread decreased from 1.3 to 0.5
Pew Pew - Mag Size decreased from 30 to 10; Ammo consumed per shot decreased from 15 to 5
Tesla Cannon - Base damage increased from 40 to 80; Crit Damage increased from 30 to 40; Mag Size decreased from 40 to 20; Ammo Consumption decreased from 40 to 5; Sight FOV decreased from 55 to 40; Fires ~1.34 shots per second (This didn't matter pre-patch that much aside from delay to reload); You can now get disintegrate your enemies; Obtained Kill Impulse of 40
Tesla-Beaton Prototype - Base damage increased from 55 to 90; Mag Size decreased from 45 to 24; Ammo Consumption decreased from 45 to 6; Sight FOV decreased from 55 to 40; Fires ~1.34 shots per second (Same thing as Tesla Cannon); Crit Damage decreased from 55 to 45; You can now get disintegrate your enemies; Obtained Kill Impulse of 50


Energy Weapons - Ammunition
EC Pack - MC and OC Values increased from 1 to 2
Energy Cell - OC Value increased from 2 to 3
MC Cell - MC Value decreased from 8 to 5


Explosives - Weapons

Annabelle - Damage increased from 20 to 150 (This is direct hit damage); Spread decreased from .4 to .02; Sight FOV decreased from 55 to 40
Fat Man - Damage Increased from 10 to 400 (This is direct hit damage); Spread decreased from 2 to .5; Sight FOV decreased from 55 to 40
Grenade Launcher - Spread decreased from 1 to .7
Grenade Machinegun - Health increased from 200 to 400; Given 5 Damage (Direct Hit)
Mercy - Health increased from 200 to 500; Given 5 Damage (Direct Hit)
Missile Launcher - Damage increased from 20 to 125 (Direct Hit); Spread decreased from .5 to .3; Sight FOV decreased from 55 to 40
Thump-Thump - Spread increased from .5 to .8


Explosives - Ammunition

25 mm Grenade - Damage increased from 35 to 50; Value increased from 2 to 8
25 mm Grenade HE - Damage increased from 35 to 50
40 mm Grenade - Damage increased from 50 to 100; Value increased from 5 to 12
40 mm Grenade Incendiary - Damage increased from 35 to 75; Value increased from 8 to 18
Dynamite - Damage Radius increased from 300 to 750 (OH MY, IT MAY BE USEFUL NOW!)
Frag Grenade - Damage increased from 75 to 125
Holy Frag Grenade - Damage increased from 500 to 800
Mini Nuke - Damage increased from 325 to 600; Weight decreased from 5 to 3
Missile - Damage Radius decreased from 1300 to 1000; Weight decreased from 3 to 1.5
Missile HE - Damage Radius increased from 1500 to 1700; Value increased from 100 to 150; Weight decreased from 3 to 1.5
Missile HV - Value increased from 100 to 150; Weight decreased from 3 to 1.5
Plasma Grenade - Damage increased from 150 to 225


Melee / Unarmed Weapons

Chainsaw - Damage decreased from 100 to 80
Ripper - Damage increased from 30 to 50
Chainsaw, Ripper, Thermic Lance - Ignore DT / DR
Mantis Gauntlet, Cram Opener - Ignore DT / DR Removed


Weapon Modification Kits

.44 Revolver - Values Before - 250; New Values: Heavy Frame - 1000; Scope - 1100
10mm Pistol - Values Before - 250; New Values: Extended Mags / Silencer - 750; Laser Sight - 650
10mm SMG - Values Before - 250; New Values: Extended Mags - 1000; Recoil Comp. - 1100
12.7mm - Values Before - 100; New Values: Pistol Silencer - 1750; SMG Silencer - 2750
9mm SMG - Values Before - 500; New Values: Drums - 800; Light Bolt - 850
Assault Carbine - Extended Mags - Before - 300; After - 1300
Brush Gun - Forged Receiver - Before - 700; After - 1750
Cowboy Repeater - Custom Action / Long Tube: Before - 250; After - 850 and 750 | Maple Stock: Before - 100; After - 675
Fat Man - Little Boy Kit - Before - 100; After - 2500
Flamer - Expanded Tanks - Before - 250; After - 1300
Gatling Laser - Values Before - 250; New Values: CF Frame - 2200; Focus Optics - 3000
Grenade MG - High-Speed Kit - Before - 250; After - 3500
Grenade Rifle - Long Barrel - Before - 250; After - 700
Hunting Rifle - Values Before - 250; New Values: Custom Action - 1200; Extended Mag -1600; Scope - 1300
Hunting Shotgun - Values Before - 250; New Values: Choke - 1500; Long Tube - 1750
Laser RCW - Recycler - Before - 750; After - 1900
Laser Rifle - Values Before - 250; New Values - Beam Splitter - 650; Focus Optics - 900; Scope - 850
LMG - Expanded Drums - Before - 250; After - 3200
Minigun - High-Speed Motor - Before - 250; After - 2750
Missile Launcher - Guidance System - Before 250; After - 1500
Plasma Caster - HS Electrode - Before - 250; After - 2500
Plasma Rifle - Mag. Accelerator - Before - 250; After - 800
Silenced .22 SMG - Drums - Before - 850; After - 1100
Sniper Rifle - Carbon Fiber Parts: Before - 1000; After - 1500 | Silencer: Before - 250; After - 1800
Service Rifle - Forged Receiver: Before - 250; After - 650 | Springs: Before - 100; After - 850
Trail Carbine - Scope - Before - 250; After - 1500


Glossary:

Sight FOV - The degrees in which your field of view be when you zoom in with a non-scoped weapon. The lower the #, the more your view will zoom in.
Kill Impulse - The amount at which your target gets pushed back when you use that weapon on them.

So, explosives become much more powerful and energy weapons are rebalanced to be a bit more powerful. Mods are now much more valuable.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LeeC on 26 Apr 2011, 18:57
still nothing on the quests. just seems like weapon balancing and thats about it. :oops:
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: maxusy3k on 29 Apr 2011, 09:08
Patch hit the Xbox and now I can't load my old saved games. Nice.

The weirdest bit is that trying to load a game gives a warning box "This save game relies on downloadable content that is no longer available. Some objects maybe no longer available. Continue loading?" despite the fact I haven't actually gotten ANY DLC for the game!

Then my Xbox freezes while loading. Going to have to wait for a patch for the patch to pick up my old game : \
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 29 Apr 2011, 11:23
Yeah they're patching the 360 patch. Don't know how Bethsoft missed that.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 03 May 2011, 07:21
(http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/3324/honestheartsburing1.jpg)

Quote
BETHESDA SOFTWORKS REVEALS DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT PLANS FOR FALLOUT®: NEW VEGAS™

Three Additional Add-on Packs Releasing in Coming Months
for Xbox 360, PlayStation®3 system and Windows PCs

May 3, 2011 (Rockville, MD) – Bethesda Softworks®, a ZeniMax® Media company, today announced three downloadable content packs will be released in the coming months for Fallout®: New Vegas™. The three packs will be released simultaneously for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, and Windows-based PCs.

Honest Hearts™, Old World Blues™ and Lonesome Road™ will further expand upon Fallout: New Vegas. Fallout: New Vegas takes all the action, humor and post-apocalyptic grime and grit of this legendary series, and raises the stakes.

Available on May 17, Honest Hearts takes you on an expedition to the unspoiled wilderness of Utah’s Zion National Park. Things go horribly wrong when your caravan is ambushed by a tribal raiding band. As you try to find a way back to the Mojave, you become embroiled in a war between tribes and a conflict between a New Canaanite missionary and the mysterious Burned Man. The decisions you make will determine the fate of Zion.

In Old World Blues, releasing in June, you will discover how some of the Mojave’s mutated monsters came to be when you unwittingly become a lab rat in a science experiment gone awry. You’ll need to scour the Pre-War research centers of the Big Empty in search of technology to turn the tables on your kidnappers or join forces with them against an even greater threat.

Lonesome Road, available in July, brings the courier’s story full circle when you are contacted by the original Courier Six, a man by the name of Ulysses who refused to deliver the Platinum Chip at the start of New Vegas. In his transmission, Ulysses promises the answer as to why, but only if you take one last job –a job that leads you into the depths of the hurricane-swept canyons of the Divide, a landscape torn apart by earthquakes and violent storms. The road to the Divide is a long and treacherous one, and of the few to ever walk the road, none have ever returned.Reviews of Fallout: New Vegas have called the game as “an utterly essential purchase” (MSN UK) and as “addictively, rambunctiously fun” (Entertainment Weekly). The Associated Press awarded it a 4 out of 4 stars and said “Bottom Line: It’s a Blast”, while GameSpy gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars and called Fallout: New Vegas “one of the best games of the year.”

All downloadable content for Fallout: New Vegas will be available for download on Xbox LIVE® for 800 Microsoft Points, the PlayStation®Network for $9.99, and both Steam and Direct2Drive for $9.99.

Published by Bethesda Softworks and developed at Obsidian Entertainment, Dead Money, Honest Hearts, Old World Blues, Lonesome Road, and Fallout: New Vegas have been rated M for Mature by the ESRB.  For more information on Fallout: New Vegas, including the game’s downloadable content, please visit http://fallout.bethsoft.com.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LeeC on 03 May 2011, 07:42
whats SLCPD?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LTK on 03 May 2011, 07:54
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=SLCPD ?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LeeC on 03 May 2011, 09:07
hey its a fantasy world it could have meant anything.  Like the NCRCF body armor
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LTK on 03 May 2011, 09:31
Point still stands, Googling NCRCF also gives you the correct result.  :-P
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 03 May 2011, 13:44
Stupid xbox point pricings, AUD had been better than the USD for ages now and we still get a raw deal ($9.20 extra for all). Might just wait until they're all collected and cheap on steam.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 03 May 2011, 14:06
Oh also apparently GStaff (Bethsoft community manager dude) claims that each DLC will raise the level cap by 5.

*edit - Also there's apparently a new trait that will cap you at level 30. Not sure what the "upshot" is.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 03 May 2011, 14:59
Pro'lly just there for people worried about over-levelling. By lvl 50 you'll have most skills maxed out.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Ozymandias on 03 May 2011, 20:05
I can't think of anything that would make that cap worth it, so it has to just be a sort of difficulty setting or something for flavor.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 03 May 2011, 22:08
These are sure to join Dead Money and Lair of the Shadow Broker in the category of 'DLC for games I really like that I buy and never get around to actually playing'.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 04 May 2011, 00:52
I guess a thing to note is that JE Sawyer was the lead on Honest Hearts and MCA headed up the last two.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 06 May 2011, 21:20
Super crazy thought, what if Obsid is releasing these DLC quick smart/closing the door on F:NV because they're working on Fallout 4 using the creation engine.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LeeC on 09 May 2011, 21:52
did they ever announce a FO4? I know its planned for Some day over the horizon but I'd be curious to know where it takes place.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Ozymandias on 09 May 2011, 22:00
Absolutely nothing has been announced or even hinted at.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Storm Rider on 09 May 2011, 22:58
Honestly the earliest I'd expect to hear about any upcoming Fallout game would be at E3 and I think even that's highly unlikely, given that they still have DLC and Skyrim to promote.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Ozymandias on 09 May 2011, 23:00
Bethesda's not going to compete against themselves.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 09 May 2011, 23:02
If Bethsoft's doing FO4 (and they are, let's not kid ourselves) it's probably just started in (or is very close to) preproduction, since Skyrim is probably close to wrapping up.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 11 May 2011, 16:08
Honest Hearts trailer released (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/109940-Honest-Hearts-Launch-Trailer-Debuts).

(http://imageshack.us/m/716/6438/newvegashonesthearts130.jpg)

(http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/6438/newvegashonesthearts130.jpg)

(http://imageshack.us/m/339/6438/newvegashonesthearts130.jpg)

(http://imageshack.us/m/217/6438/newvegashonesthearts130.jpg)

(http://imageshack.us/m/707/6438/newvegashonesthearts130.jpg)

(http://imageshack.us/m/638/6438/newvegashonesthearts130.jpg)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 11 May 2011, 16:57
Also, per Chris Avellone's twitter, the new DLC volumes will be unlike Dead Money in that they will open up new areas you can traverse to/from the Mojave at will, ala Point Lookout.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 13 May 2011, 12:00
Quote from: Avellooone
"In Dead Money, we did (loot stripping) for the survival/horror experience. None of the future DLCs strip gear from a player, although in Honest Hearts, because of the caravan journey you're on (and the distance) you can only carry a certain weight limit (which can be increased with skills and perks)," posted Avellone in explanation.

"In both Honest Hearts and Old World Blues, you'll find out fast that you're in a difficult situation and need to finish the adventure once begun - but both adventures take place in an open world free-roaming location (similar to Point Lookout)."

"Once there, you can tackle your objectives in any order or ignore them entirely. After completing the adventures, you can return freely to both locations from the Mojave," he continued on. "In Old World Blues, it's very, very easy to return anytime you want, and we tried to make it as easy as possible for people to do so."

"Lonesome Road is a bit different. As the name suggests, it's more a road that leads to an end destination (though not like any road you may have seen before), so it's structured a bit differently - you can travel it, and come back anytime you want. You can also return to it after the adventure is over."
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 13 May 2011, 23:06
You need this (http://capnbeeb.com/SA/Screenshots/Games/Vegas/ThatGuy/AntRiotMassacre/07huhsohasmine.jpg)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 17 May 2011, 09:22
Honest Hearts is def. out on XBL, but whether it's on Steam seems to depend on your time zone.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: JD on 21 May 2011, 22:30
I really like that one of the characters in Honest Hearts is Two-Bears-High-Fiving.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 22 May 2011, 04:37
Installed today, will play whenever.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 01 Jun 2011, 02:12
That was actually really good but Zion was wasted on gamebryo.

In other news, the earth revolves around the sun and interplay is dead in the water again. (http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2011/05/31/interplay-amp-fallout-mmo-in-peril-again.aspx) Really, I don't see this as a problem as all the Black Isle ppl are at Obsidian anyway and I really don't want n MMO.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: snalin on 01 Jun 2011, 02:50
If that article is right about interplay going under means that Bethesda gets the rights for an mmo... I really don't want Bethsoft to be focusing on MMOs.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Dimmukane on 01 Jun 2011, 17:32
Bethsoft wouldn't be focusing on MMOs, they're only a publisher.  And since they're owned by Zenimax, it'll likely go to one of the other studios Zenimax owns.  Bethesda Game Studios happens to share a building with them, but they probably won't be the ones touching it.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LeeC on 01 Jun 2011, 17:53
I have to say it was a bad move on interplay to start an MMO. They should have came out with a new stand alone FO game first.  Not because I dont think they could make it but if they came out with a successful game in recent years and proved to the investors that its not a money pit.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: ackblom12 on 01 Jun 2011, 18:27
Interplay making a half decent decision?

(http://images.icanhascheezburger.com/completestore/2008/11/25/128721486448950288.jpg)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 02 Jun 2011, 15:57
Sneak Peek thing about Old World Blues (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsyjtYqF0aU&feature=youtu.be)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 02 Jun 2011, 16:21
Wait, I'm confused Christine and the courier hadn't met until the events of Dead Money and didn't she get Vera Keyes voice towards the end of Dead Money. So, shouldn't Old World Blues take place after Dead Money?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: KvP on 02 Jun 2011, 22:35
Good question!

Did the Qore lady VA Vera Keyes? If not, she might show up as the recorded voice of pre-voice swapped Christine.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 02 Jun 2011, 23:01
IMDB lists Laura Bailey as the voice actres of Julie Farkas, Lt. Carrie Boyd, Dr. Usanagi, Female Courier and Vera Keyes. If the Qore lady is Bailey the I guess she's both the voice of Vera and Christine Royce. Still, little bothered by the timeline.

Also, scorpitrons. Well played, Obsid.

EDIT: Christine Royce's pre OWB and the (light switch) voice is done by Veronica Belmont (http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Veronica_Belmont), the Qore lady. My money's on clone but I'm hoping that this will open up some changes to the epilogue and dialogue options (not going to happen, time + budget + whatever).
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 20 Jun 2011, 18:46
Interplay claims they have the monies for FO (http://www.nma-fallout.com/article.php?id=58766)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Johnny C on 20 Jun 2011, 21:23
Wait, I'm confused Christine and the courier hadn't met until the events of Dead Money and didn't she get Vera Keyes voice towards the end of Dead Money. So, shouldn't Old World Blues take place after Dead Money?

also you can apparently play them in any order, i think
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tiogyr on 21 Jun 2011, 06:12
My favorite things about both New Vegas and Fallout 3 (in shiny meme form):

(http://i.imgur.com/n9Bks.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/QT1RV.jpg)

And my personal favorite:

(http://i56.tinypic.com/2i772q9.jpg)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 22 Jun 2011, 16:01
OWB out July 19th, roboscorpions adorable (http://bethblog.com/index.php/2011/06/22/old-world-blues-releasing-on-july-19th/)
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Felrender on 23 Jun 2011, 11:14
Oh hell yes more Repconn stuff.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 07 Aug 2011, 14:20
got paid on friday so i splurged and bought Honest Hearts and Old World Blues. currently going through OWB with my level 30-something lesbian scientist, Shelly Sundial. Dead Money's Holorifle makes everything (in the NV wasteland, and in the Big Empty) explode almost instantly, so nothing is really all that challenging...until I run out of MF cells and have to switch to another weapon, anyway, at which point I can barely dent anything.

really enjoying the premise and the area so far. only complaint is that the intro monologue "conversation" thing with the Think Tank is really really long. crazy long.
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: satsugaikaze on 08 Aug 2011, 17:45
Goddamnit I bought the DLC just the day before they doubled the discount

IT KEEPS HAPPENING TO ME

Also this game is just a terrible time-sink in general. Continuing on from my tradition of naming all my female characters Dude McGuy and Bro Radface this game has probably netted me about 110 hours of non-productivity and I haven't even finished the main storyline yet

Just goddamn
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Scandanavian War Machine on 09 Aug 2011, 10:01
that's what they do. i'm around 130 hours into my second NV character, after putting around 90 or 100 into my first one.

i've probably put around 250-300 hours into F3. same with Oblivion (maybe closer to 400 with that one). that's almost a thousand hours spent wandering empty countrysides and rooting around in mostly empty containers.

goddamn is right
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: LeeC on 13 Aug 2011, 14:55
finally got it on the cpu and the addons.  some great new perks and starting perks.  any recommendations on a good site for mods?
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: Tom on 13 Aug 2011, 15:22
http://www.newvegasnexus.com/

that should be your first step
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: look out! Ninjas! on 13 Aug 2011, 17:29
just don't make eye contact with anybody
Title: Re: Fallout: New Vegas
Post by: satsugaikaze on 21 Aug 2011, 17:37
And do not ask about pubic hair or nipples

ever