Fallout: New Vegas

[Tysyacha]

Based on your responses to my questions, it makes me wish this game had a demo.

[Ctrl Alt Del]

I dunno about that...

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I've been wandering the wasteland a lot and sometimes I'll randomly get that cinematic camera because Boone just sniped someone's head off... it is randomly awesome, and he's also helped out with thinning numbers in a straight fight, like the time I accidentally wandered into a Nightstalker nest. I also use ED-E, but "he" is more beneficial for "his" perk which spots enemies from further away.

 

I usually have a hard time micro-managing them to walk or wait or get out of my f&*#&ing way, even though it should just all be set the way you want with a dialog line. Still haven't met any companion on NV to see if things have improved.

[Tysyacha]

Ooh-ooh-ooh! I forgot one more question:

 

Are your companions slowly "unlockable" (you activate new dialogue and/or abilities the more you talk and interact with them)?

[Meowster]

How's the roleplaying in this game? By this, I mean:

--Can you "hit it off" with any of your companions, either male or female

 

Just want to clear this up a bit; kind of. It depends on what gender your character is, and whatnot. (For example, getting the companion Archade Gannon can be a bit hard as he has a very tough speech check. But, if you are male and have the 'Confirmed Bachelor' perk, you can flirt your way into making him your companion, ignoring the check. I also read you can flirt with another female companion that goes by the name of Cass.. though I think that is as far as it gets.)

 

Are your companions slowly "unlockable" (you activate new dialogue and/or abilities the more you talk and interact with them)?

 

Yeah. It's kind of cool (compared to Fallout 3, at least) as they will specifically make remarks depending on the environment you are at. It takes them some time to completely open up, but it isn't like the Bioware 'you have leveled, now speak to me' method, and they will instead approach you. You gain perks for having the companions in your party. By completing their quests, your companion gains a perk.

 

I'm loving the game; just beat it for the first time today in a somewhat unplanned-speedthrough. Major Spoilers Beware!

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I ended up choosing Mr. House. Despite the despot he might seem, the way I ended things with him was very nice - my only regret was having to destroy the Brotherhood of Steel. The Legion was struck down, albeit with peaceful terms as their commander promised for no more violence; just him and myself. I felt bad for the NCR at first, but gave them the terms of his surrender. The ending was much, much, much better than Fallout 3's. More voice actors, more scenarios, and longer. New Vegas ended with it being a jewel in the wasteland, and House promised to do things my way, and was willing to help out others that I helped with.

Getting ready for my next playthrough now, hoping to finally find Veronia and ED-E.

[Sabretooth]

--Are there multiple dialogue options, including ones that you get ONLY if you have the right skills and/or stats (Intelligence, Charisma, Strength, etc.)?

Plenty. Most of them are based on the Speech and Barter skills, but you occasionally get ones based on, say, Intelligence, Medicine, Science etc. Depends on the context.

 

--Can you "hit it off" with any of your companions, either male or female?

Not sure at this point, but I don't think so.

 

--Do the NPC's seem like they have a personality when they give you quests?

It's hit or miss. Some of the quests are good and intrigue me, others make the NPCs look like plain robots talking.

 

--Are there certain quests/dialogue options you can and can't do because you're in good (or persona non grata) with certain people and factions?

There's no hardline limitation, but your actions cause your reputation amongst groups to rise or fall. But yeah, there are quests for say, Faction A who wants to destroy Faction B, and if you accept the quest AND do what it says, your reputation with Faction B will suffer.

 

--Any hunka-hunka burnin' love (or at least burnin' lust) options?

You can purchase a prostitute at Vegas, and there's a WIP mod planning to add explicit sex scenes, if that's what you're asking. >_>

 

--Do minor decisions' outcomes show up in the game as well as major ones?

Not especially, so far. But your actions are echoed everywhere by people in towns and villages, who've heard news of a mysterious stranger. There's also a radio that will often ring news of your exploits.

 

 

--Do you think the RPing experience is just as satisfying as all the killing?

Just about, but it's pretty run-of-the-mill. You might want to wait for Deus Ex: Human Revolution or Dragon Age 2. New Vegas is an improvement over FO3, but boring nonetheless.

[DarthParametric]

Do you think the RPing experience is just as satisfying as all the killing?

If you are looking for a more cerebral RPG, this is not it. As I said to you in an earlier post, Bethesda's take on the franchise is essentially a FPS. Obsidian have tinkered with a couple of things with New Vegas, but it's still functionally identical. If you still want to shoot things but do so more on your own terms, you may want to wait for Deus Ex 3, which will allow you to go through the game pretty much without killing anyone (aside from maybe one or two characters).

 

Can you "hit it off" with any of your companions, either male or female?

As a male, your only choice of females is Cass, and she tells you straight off the bat that you aren't getting any. Veronica is a lesbian, so female PCs might have better luck there, but it seems that followers are completely off limits. As Ctrl Alt Del said, there's a few hookers around to get your rocks off with. There are a couple in the Strip, and a couple in the outlying Vegas zones. I don't think there are any outside Vegas (not that I've seen anyway).

 

Getting ready for my next playthrough now, hoping to finally find Veronia and ED-E.

You can find them here:

 

ED-E is in Primm and Veronica is at the 188 Trading Post

 

If you get Veronica though be aware that she suffers from one of the numerous bugs in the game and doesn't level (so she'll be creamed later in the game). Until it's patched, use this mod to fix it on PC - http://www.newvegasnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=35124 If you are on a console then I guess you are out of luck. She also has very buggy behaviour after doing her personal quest, so I'd hold off on completing that until after an official patch.

[mimartin]

Made it finally to New Vegas last night, was so surprised to get there I forgot all about the quest I was trying to complete. Played around in Gomorrah long enough to get myself permanently banned. Then got roped into continuing the main quest by Victor, but I still did not plan on continuing it until I ran into an “old friend” in the Tops.

Could not believe the game allowed the PC to really “get to know” Benny in such a way with the Black Widow Perk. I was so shocked I forgot to kill the ill dressed little punk. I guess Angel is not living up to her name.

.

[Tysyacha]

Oh, I forgot--again--if your intelligence is below 5, are your dialogue options dumb?

[Mav]

Oh, I forgot--again--if your intelligence is below 5, are your dialogue options dumb?

I don't know :/ Seeing as Intelligence directly affects the amount of Skill points you gain at level-up, I usually make it a priority to have a high Intelligence, but I wouldn't think that dialogue options would change with a lower INT stat.

[mimartin]

Hit a wall bigger than the wall around the wall around New Vegas while trying to complete the Beyond the Beef quest. The game crashed 8 times when meeting the contact, really glad Fable 3 will be here tomorrow. I’ve enjoyed the potential story and the combat aspects of the game, but the great Obsidian/Bethesda needs the usual 50 patches to become playable. Nothing new from Obsidian or Bethesda.

[DarthParametric]

Apparently a low Intelligence does give you at least some different dialogue options.

[Mav]

Hit a wall bigger than the wall around the wall around New Vegas while trying to complete the Beyond the Beef quest. The game crashed 8 times when meeting the contact, really glad Fable 3 will be here tomorrow. I’ve enjoyed the potential story and the combat aspects of the game, but the great Obsidian/Bethesda needs the usual 50 patches to become playable. Nothing new from Obsidian or Bethesda.

Did you try updating your vid card drivers? I had 1 crash after playing for 4 hours straight the day I got the game, I updated the drivers and have not had a crash since.

[Astor]

I've enjoyed what I've played so far (about 5 hours or so), but a few things have annoyed me a little.

 

The story doesn't seem to get off to a great start - or at least, I didn't think it did - it wasn't particularly clear, and in some cases it felt like I was simply stumbling into things.

 

It's picked up a little since I've reached Vegas, although I was a little confused when

 

 

A woman approached me after meeting with Mr. House, and asked If i'd reconsidered their request to bug his network - I'd never seen her before.

 

 

I've also noticed that there seems to be a lack of variety with merchants - I'd never expected to be buying much from them in the first place, but I can't see the point in buying from any at all when they all seem to have near-identical stock.

 

And, as much as I love Dean Martin and Bing Crosby, I'm sick of hearing the same three songs over and over. And over.

 

Despite those niggles (no crashes yet, either) I am enjoying it more than FO3, even if my vendor still hasn't e-mailed my pre-order bonus codes.

[mimartin]

Did you try updating your vid card drivers? I had 1 crash after playing for 4 hours straight the day I got the game, I updated the drivers and have not had a crash since.

 

My driver is up to date. I have not had any major problems with the game up until that quest.

 

Despite those niggles (no crashes yet, either) I am enjoying it more than FO3, even if my vendor still hasn't e-mailed my pre-order bonus codes.

I did not get a email either like they wrote. However, the my bonus codes were inside the case with the disk.

[Kyvios]

I have the PS3 version, and crashed a couple times, also everyone seems to think my guy is a girl, and that puberty seems like its avoiding him like the plague . But other than that not to many issues.

 

I've enjoyed it a little bit so far.

[Ctrl Alt Del]

Bug-free so far. The only minor thing I've noticed is that NCR rangers type in some kind of air-terminal everytime they sit on a desk at their Outpost.

[Sabretooth]

I've also noticed that there seems to be a lack of variety with merchants - I'd never expected to be buying much from them in the first place, but I can't see the point in buying from any at all when they all seem to have near-identical stock.

I expect as much, and I don't really mind. Most of the good loot is, well, looted. The only shop I've found worth anything is the Gun Runners kiosk - they have an excellent selection and a ton of money, so they have problem if you bring in your super-massive haul. (I brought in enough gear to equip a small militia, thanks to ED-E's super-inventory-compactor.

 

And, as much as I love Dean Martin and Bing Crosby, I'm sick of hearing the same three songs over and over. And over.

Turn off the radio, music shifts to ambient, including some remastered tracks from the first two Fallouts. I've come to prefer that over the radio. I wish there was a feature that let you tune in automatically whenever Johnny Guitar was playing, though.

[Tysyacha]

So far, this game is awesome! A couple of queries to add to my list:

 

1. Is there any way to slow the combat down besides VATS?

2. The compass and maps are way confusing, and I get lost easily. Any tips?

 

Thanks!

[DarthParametric]

1. No. Like I've said a few times, Bethesda decided to turn Fallout into a FPS to appeal to the current generation. VATS is the bone they threw to fans of the original's turn-based combat. That's as good as it gets.

 

2. The aim is to essentially wander around aimlessly, blindly following the POI markers until you stumble into things. For most major quests you get some sort of loose directional information, and sometimes NPCs will mention a location during a conversation that will add a marker to your map. If you are really lost beyond all hope, either search for a location map on the web or add the Explorer perk via the console using player.addperk 031de5 (if you are playing on PC).

[Sabretooth]

I got the Explorer perk just now, at Level 20 and my mind = blown when I looked at the map.

 

@Tysy: The compass has small bars that represent NPCs, and if they're red, then they're hostile NPCs. If you see a filled arrow, that shows the direction of where you need to go next for the current quest you're following (click on a quest in the Quests section of Pipboy). If the arrow isn't filled, then it's a marker set by you. You can set markers on the World Map by clicking at any location that you haven't discovered yet. If you have, then you can teleport there instead.

[DarthParametric]

Did your mind also get blown by the fact that at least a third of the map is completely empty (and actually inaccessible)? I guess the rest of the game will be available as DLC.

[Ctrl Alt Del]

^ ****.

 

But the Caravan game has been so fun.

[Mav]

But the Caravan game has been so fun.

Caravan = Infinite Caps

[Ctrl Alt Del]

Caravan = Infinite Caps

 

In fact, I may have just noticed my most serious bug on the game in Caravan right now. No-bark Noonan and Cliff Briscoe at that giant dinosaur, both in the Novac town, don't seem to have any Caps with them to make bets. I can still play them but it won't do my wallet any good.

[Sabretooth]

Did your mind also get blown by the fact that at least a third of the map is completely empty (and actually inaccessible)? I guess the rest of the game will be available as DLC.

 

I don't know what you're talking about.