Freeside not really all that dangerous

[FolcoTook]

Did anyone else feel a little bit let down by freeside? For an area that has people offering bodyguard services at the gate, it didn't really seem all that dangerous. When I first heard about it in the pre-release press, I was imagining an area like The Maze in Sanctuary from Thieves' World. A place where even a well equipped, experienced character could be challenged under the right circumstances.

But once I got there, I found myself in light armor with a decent gun fighting off unarmored opponents charging me from 50 yards with a straight razor. I'd usually have them down before they were even close enough to actually attack me. Even the group that lures you into a dead-end alley ambush weren't a real challenge.

Curious on others perceptions of freeside and if anyone knows of a mod that ups the challenge there (or perhaps I need to up the difficulty level to the highest setting - kind of dumb but I just thought of that while typing this)?

FT

 

[LinkPain]

You are right about that. Mostly it's a Junktown.
But if you do a certain quest for certain people you can get shot at with plasma near Gold Rush. But since that's almost mid game it isn't even that challenging.
Not even The Kings touch you, and the only ones who try to rob and attack you are the poor who carry only crappy melee weapons, rarely a proper gun.

 

[Surf Solar]

Yeah, that was really wasted potential. I really liked the general atmosphere there in Freeside (thats how I potray a true postapocalyp city), but the "enemies" there were a joke, trying to fight me with crowbars every now and then. In the end, the "danger" turned out to just shoot a single bullet and see another head flying through the air..

 

[Crni Vuk]

actually most of the strip/vegas town was a HUGE letdown. Not just freeside. Which doesnt mean its outright shit. But like said. Much loost potential. I wish they would not have used that many casinos and just made ONE huge good one with the different families inside fight over it.

Though the main issue I have with the area is that it looks so unpopulated.

 

[Stanislao Moulinsky]

Though the main issue I have with the area is that it looks so unpopulated.

Blame the engine. :\ "All Roads" shows what the streets were supposed to look like.

Imagine if Gamebryo could show on screen as much characters as the Yakuza 3 engine...

 

[LinkPain]

Yakuza hahaha!

The Strip was ok, really. Nothing much to expect there, people come and go as Gamebryo pleases. Fire a gun and you're dead, upgrade robots and fire a gun and you're dead. Much like NCR downtown in Fallout 2 where the police had Gauss.

 

[FireFlash]

Yeah, it was somewhat in that regard. Especially when you give Boone a proper rifle, you spawn-in, and you're already getting that slow-mo death happening from the rabid melee-wielding poor. By mid-game or so I don't remember even having to kill the rabble myself.

 

[LinkPain]

E-DE was with me that time.
I remember while traveling through Freeside, suddenly combat music starts and i was like "what the hell?!", E-DE my love comes back with 80exp

 

[Atomkilla]

Yeah, Freeside was really weak in many things.
I liked how it was designed, as it was way better designed than Strip, for example. But it was lame as it was empty.
As you say, it's Gamebryo, but still, it could be a lot better if they actually made anything there challenging at all.

 

[FolcoTook]

It's almost enough to make me learn how to mod. Not that much different from my day job, after all. But seriously, anyone know of a mod for freeside that would do something like this? I'm lazy.

I mean, if they even had 1 or 2 guys with a 9mm or a varmint rifle, it would feel a bit less rediculous.

 

[Surf Solar]

Much like NCR downtown in Fallout 2 where the police had Gauss.

That's not true.

 

[LinkPain]

Ok ok i was way off.
You can kill all the robots and not get a dent in armor

 

[brfritos]

E-DE was with me that time.
I remember while traveling through Freeside, suddenly combat music starts and i was like "what the hell?!", E-DE my love comes back with 80exp

80XP for killing what, two or three drunks and homeless? You've got to be kidding me!
It's almost the same ammount of killing TWO Deathclaws, a much tougher enemy. No wonder people reach the level cap in no time.

Regarding Freeside, the place is a waste, not because the quests involved (some are great!), but the lack of life and immersion.
You don't get the impression it's a segregated community.

[ ]'s

 

[Atomkilla]

No wonder people reach the level cap in no time.

Fallout: New Vegas, albeit a good game and true sequel to the series, has one of the worst XP earning systems (to say so) I have ever seen.
As much as I hate saying that, even Fallout 3 was (a slightly) more balanced at it. This is because it has far less content than New Vegas, but it's still better balanced.

 

[Phil the Nuka-Cola Dude]

Fallout: New Vegas, albeit a good game and true sequel to the series, has one of the worst XP earning systems (to say so) I have ever seen.
As much as I hate saying that, even Fallout 3 was (a slightly) more balanced at it. This is because it has far less content than New Vegas, but it's still better balanced.

Wait, what?

Even with Broken Steel I usually cap out after exploring 1/4th of the map, and The Pitt without even touching the main quest.


NV is a lot slower unless I go out of my way to constantly snipe everything around me as I travel.

 

[Atomkilla]

True, but Fallout 3 isn't a very balanced nor a good game, so it's no wonder.
New Vegas, on the other hand, was supposed to fix that (at least I had hoped so).
Fallout 3 is crap, so I can't criticize it anymore.
New Vegas is good, with a crappy XP system, so I can criticize it.

 

[brfritos]

True, but Fallout 3 isn't a very balanced nor a good game, so it's no wonder.
New Vegas, on the other hand, was supposed to fix that (at least I had hoped so).
Fallout 3 is crap, so I can't criticize it anymore.
New Vegas is good, with a crappy XP system, so I can criticize it.

I agree with you. FO3 speeds your XP in quests and when hunting, FNV speeds your XP only when hunting, hacking, killing, etc.
That's the problem with FNV.

If you are willing to try, this mod correct that, modifying the XP earned with hunting, hacking, killing and NPC killing. There are two modules, one changing the main quests/side-quests and the other (optional) changing the ammount of XP earned by you and your companions in challenges and killing.
In fact, you don't need to use the main module, only the optional file.

This will make the game more balanced, because you will gain 35 XP when killing a Deathclaw, but not when killing a Giant Mole Rat. The Freeside junkies, for example, only give you 5 XP.

Bear in mind that this will make the progression more slower, since you aren't able to kill Coyotes in Goodspring cave and jump to level 3 in no time.

[ ]'s

 

[Atomkilla]

Well, that would be the first New Vegas mod I'll add to my game, as soon as I (re)install it.
Thanks for this.

 

[Stanislao Moulinsky]

I mean, if they even had 1 or 2 guys with a 9mm or a varmint rifle, it would feel a bit less rediculous.

I don't know. To me those thugs having only sticks and razors reinforces the feeling that they are just desperate bastards without a cap. Giving them some guns would detract from that and wouldn't make them more of a threat anyway.

 

[FolcoTook]

I mean, if they even had 1 or 2 guys with a 9mm or a varmint rifle, it would feel a bit less rediculous.

I don't know. To me those thugs having only sticks and razors reinforces the feeling that they are just desperate bastards without a cap. Giving them some guns would detract from that and wouldn't make them more of a threat anyway.

Yeah, I see your point, so let me reword that to make more sense... If they are going to charge at me from a distance when I am obviously a well armed/armored opponent, give them some kind of gun so that it makes sense they thought they stood even an improbable chance. If they are going to use crude melee weapons, then have them try to sneak up on me, jump me from behind, something. I know that the engine probably doesn't support the latter, but the point is that it's just stupid for even desperate thugs to act the way they currently do.

If you've ever read the story "The Price of Doing Business" from the first Thieves' World book (specifically the scene where Jubal is nearly killed), that's an idea of how I would have liked to see a fight go in Freeside. In that story, a battle-hardened former gladiator is nearly killed by a pack of children who guide him into a trap in the maze. They use good tactics (and a swarm that the Gamebryo engine probably can't handle) to give themselves a fighting chance.