I'm about to start my first playthrough. As Fallout Tactics seems to be some sort of Jagged Alliance in the Fallout universe, I'm wondering if there's any point in increasing non-combat skills like science, speech and so on. What do you guys think/recommend?
Don't bother.
Speech, afaik, is utterly useless. Gambling, useless, science - useful, but don't put points in it!
Science is a requirement for a couple of terminals, but _solely_ sticking to science books, I boosted it beyond 100%
Charisma is said to help rank up, but I've never seen much of a difference, except one playthrough I'll be one rank behind, never more than that. The only consequence that has is usually that you'll be top ranked one mission before last - instead of just in time for last.
Tactics doesn't do a good job of informing you of this but: It really invites you to overdo combat-skills, while ignoring peaceful skills entirely.
Although not necesary, you'll need someone in your party with well over 120% lockpicking skill, 126% I think is the actual requirement, but don't quote me on it. This is not essential, but if you want/need to unlock all containers in the game. Glutinous is right, the 120+ is for one locker, but you need 200% for the hardest one
There is no speech skill, it is replaced by driving, and it's kind of useless, unless you want the Road Warrior perks.
Doctor, and Science skills give you a bonus damage to living creatures and robots. Between those two, doctor is the only skill you should consider tagging for you starting character since it provide you with a doctor bag, thoses are rather expansive, and you will find later in the game, enough science books to increase your skill. First aid is a good one to, just for the first aid kit, but it don't cure the BANDAGED status and don't provide you with bonus to damage.
Although not necesary, you'll need someone in your party with well over 120% lockpicking skill, 126% I think is the actual requirement, but don't quote me on it. This is not essential, but if you want/need to unlock all containers in the game
With two lockpick set in both equipment slots you should have 200% skill.
Barter is useless, if you pick up everything up, you should have way more cash than you need. If you're greedy, you could always add to your squad a recruit who got a high barter skill to squeeze some more ring pull out of the quarter master and swap him again to your normal squad member. Same with gambling, it's useless.
Outdoorsman can save you from having to be stopped every 3 seconds in the Wasteland, but this might have been fixed.
Repair can fix your vehicle, so that's kind of useful. And you also come with a repair kit when you tag this skill.
Steal, you don't need it, I don't remember any mission that can be solved by stealing.
There are enough skill books in the game to disregard most skills. Just make sure to have one character read all of a certain book so you have on person good at driving, one person good at repair etc etc
Set agility to 10, strenth to 9, charisma to minimum, tag small guns, big guns, and steal. When you increase said skills to about 150, start putting point in energy weapons, so that when you could pick a perk, which gives you the fourth tag skill, you tag energy weapons ang have it comparatively good by that time already. Energy weapons is best nearing the final section of te game, big guns + strength at 9 will allow you to use Browning M2 just as you pick it up (and this is hell of a gun!). And steal is useful to rob medical scribes clean at each and every bunker, so you'll have maximum of medicine you need for free - including said doctor bags - and better put your money in good weapons, armor and ammo. Oh, and don't forget to remove your armor before that.
And of course, pick up and level up your teammates accordingly, so they will be good at skills you lack (one doctor, one lockpicker, one scientist, one trap disarmer, and everyone is a gunner - and you'll give 'em hell!)
First Aid: you can heal in battle. A very high skill level can get you 100+HP heal each shot. The limit is 3-4 FA before patient get a Bandaged status that prevent FA from working.
Doctor: heal bad statuses, but its major use is to heal Bandaged status. You only need one for the team, either Stitch or yourself.
Lockpick: You need it in active team because sometimes it allow entry in unexpected ways. Keep it to 120+, with 2 best lock pick items.
Sneak: most useful. And high level can even allow metal armor wearer to sneak. So level it up to at least 120.
Steal: A major source of loots. You dont actually need it on your active team. Just keep raising it in a recruit, take him/her out to use, then kick back to Recruit Master. 160+ with all steal perks should be enough.
Science: As said above. The PC might as well read all the books, and dont bother to spend skill points on it.
Repair: Depend on how you play with vehicle. If you frequently use vehicles in combat, then an active member with this skill is a must because you need to repair in combat. If you only use vehicles for storage and transport, you can get away with one active member read all the repair book but not invested.
Barter: The difference in high level barter and lows are the ease you buy equipments. Let's say power armor: low, uninvested, level barterer pay 20k+ each, meaning to equip full team you need 120k+, but high level barter pay 12k- each, ie you need 72k+. At middle to late game which is when we get them, Quarter Master equipment stocks are at full time high because we keep selling loots to him, so we dont have the ability to quickly liquidate loot.A high level Barter in reserve pool is what allow us to get our hands on PA.
Gamble: unneeded. There are ways to compensate for low level gambling, so we dont need to waste points on it.
Traps: Quite useful. One active member with this skill at 120+ is recommended. Its major use is to check suspicious containers and doors. Minefield usually doesnt worth the bother of disarm and take back to sell, but we do it anyway because OCD. But an unexpected container's trap might take your life. Start with this tagged will give you some items to sell in the beginning, which is very useful money.
Outdoorsman: No need. Just one character reading books.
First aid: 100% is enough, can be raised by books though, and a lot of side-characters have almost 100% from the getgo.
Doctor: especially at the start to remove conditions as kits for it are rare. 100% is enough.
Lockpick: the game only demands ca. 40 hard % with the exception of a pointless second YK4B.
Sneak: most early recruits come with it. Around St. Louise/Kansas City it becomes pointless. Not required on the main character.
Steal: comes very handy. 80% is minimum, with 120% you can steal everything (on Normal Diff).
Science: use books. There are even 2 books more in the game before it caps out.
Repair: vehicles and robots gets its use. Good to have. Need hard points (ca. 60-80% depending on difficulty setting) during Macomb. Later there'll be books.
Barter: irrelevant. At the VERY start might mean something, but from the point of arriving Bunker Gamma you get everything free,and have unlimited BoS money too if you want.
Gamble: most stuff can be gambled with just your basic LK. PipBoy can gamble everything.
Traps: useless aside detrapping containers. And that can be done by rising it through books.
Outdoorsman: seems IF you put ONLY HARD POINTS to Farsight, you get almost no random encounters (tested after Brahmin Wood, and giving her books capped the skill 100% after Rock Falls). Otherwise books.
I thought about that (years ago already)... and I'm actually not so sure about it.
The original 2 Fallouts worked because there were no overbearing elements and each aspect of the game got to shine. If you made the combat system work like Tactics or JA2, it would immediately be more of a combat game than the sum of its parts it is now. And whilst fighting would have a more comprehensive system for it, it also means combat would be much much more heavy handed and overbearing than any other feature and as such the overall experience might not be as good as it used to with those more simple trappings.
Fallout's combat could use a bit more features to make it a bit more... interesting, but nothing really major lest the combat aspect dominate the game.
That said... Tactics would've been better with more RPG in it for sure. And if there will ever be a "Tactics 2", it should remedy that.
