Name reasons you thought Fallout 3 was better than New Vegas

[Risewild]

Not much for one of the few active cores of the whole Wasteland, but I'm rather just meaning how static that place feels. The Gun Runners are just a robot behind a desk and some whatshisface NPC, McCarran are only really moving in the inside, the sharecropper farms I used for a prime example of empty areas and the Fiends are a bit further away. I should have maybe rather have specified of the East side, which is wehrre you'll be coming from if you followed the normal path AKA most people's first impression.

You realize that all of those places together around New Vegas (and not even counting the Strip) are more lively than all the big settlements from Fallout 3 grouped together too?

The Gun Runners are more than just a robot and a guy, they have their compound with many Gun Runners inside and plenty of loot and stuff to steal (not to mention 2 quests). That robot is actually one of the best weapon vendors in the entire game, will sell Honest Hearts DLC weapons when the player beats that DLC and it is also the best for buying weapon mods from.

McCarran has soldiers fighting Fiends nearby and sentinels outside, inside it is a better and way more busy military HQ than the Citadel in FO3 and contain many named NPCs (and there are more than 15 quests there), also contains 3 unique weapons and plenty of loot and stuff to steal.

The sharecropper farms has several named NPCs (5 IIRC) with actual dialogue in them, they also allow for looting (including a skill book and a star cap IIRC) and stealing plenty for maize and honey mesquite (not to mention two quests).

The Fiends are very close to Camp McCarran, just around the corner and are also close to the New Vegas walls.

And yes, you should have specified, because what you said was outside of New Vegas walls, the walls are quite large and there are many things all around them.
But didn't you realize that most of the locations I mentioned were on the East side? Lets take a look at the New Vegas East side outside the walls:
Gun Runners are on the east side and I already mentioned them.
Freeside is on the East of New Vegas Walls (and Freeside even has an East Side Entrance).
The Sharecroppers farms are also on the East side of New Vegas. I already mentioned them.
The Crimson Caravan compound is on the east side of New Vegas walls too, I already mentioned them.
The Followers Clinic is on the East side of the New Vegas Walls, I already mentioned them.

You say that the east side is not lively and the first impression people will have is that it is empty?
I have the feeling you forgot most of the game map by now, because arriving close to New Vegas and seeing a clinic that offers implants, a large crimson caravan walled compound, Freeside, large farms with farmers and NCR troops and the best gun shop around didn't gave me an empty sensation when I first played or in any other times.

 

[Daniel The NCR Veteran]

The sharecropper farms has several named NPCs (5 IIRC) with actual dialogue in them, they also allow for looting (including a skill book and a star cap IIRC) and stealing plenty for maize and honey mesquite (not to mention two quests).

Let's not forget about the quest regarding the Disappearence of Corporal White. Despite the Sharecroppers Farm having only a minor role in the whole thing, it's related to one of the quests that always want me to replay NV again and again.

 

[TerminallyChill]

You realize that all of those places together around New Vegas (and not even counting the Strip) are more lively than all the big settlements from Fallout 3 grouped together too?

The Gun Runners are more than just a robot and a guy, they have their compound with many Gun Runners inside and plenty of loot and stuff to steal (not to mention 2 quests). That robot is actually one of the best weapon vendors in the entire game, will sell Honest Hearts DLC weapons when the player beats that DLC and it is also the best for buying weapon mods from.

McCarran has soldiers fighting Fiends nearby and sentinels outside, inside it is a better and way more busy military HQ than the Citadel in FO3 and contain many named NPCs (and there are more than 15 quests there), also contains 3 unique weapons and plenty of loot and stuff to steal.

The sharecropper farms has several named NPCs (5 IIRC) with actual dialogue in them, they also allow for looting (including a skill book and a star cap IIRC) and stealing plenty for maize and honey mesquite (not to mention two quests).

The Fiends are very close to Camp McCarran, just around the corner and are also close to the New Vegas walls.

And yes, you should have specified, because what you said was outside of New Vegas walls, the walls are quite large and there are many things all around them.
But didn't you realize that most of the locations I mentioned were on the East side? Lets take a look at the New Vegas East side outside the walls:
Gun Runners are on the east side and I already mentioned them.
Freeside is on the East of New Vegas Walls (and Freeside even has an East Side Entrance).
The Sharecroppers farms are also on the East side of New Vegas. I already mentioned them.
The Crimson Caravan compound is on the east side of New Vegas walls too, I already mentioned them.
The Followers Clinic is on the East side of the New Vegas Walls, I already mentioned them.

You say that the east side is not lively and the first impression people will have is that it is empty?
I have the feeling you forgot most of the game map by now, because arriving close to New Vegas and seeing a clinic that offers implants, a large crimson caravan walled compound, Freeside, large farms with farmers and NCR troops and the best gun shop around didn't gave me an empty sensation when I first played or in any other times.

While I certainly wouldn't call this area empty, it can seem a bit sterile and lifeless compared to a location like Freeside. I suspect a lot of this perception comes from the overall flatness of the area. Fallout 3 did a better job of disguising its engine's limitations by including a lot of verticality, densely packed enemy spawns, and everybody's favorite, the metros. It's trade off, just look at what they had to do to the Strip to get it to feel alive.

 

[Gizmojunk]

I will say I liked how Fallout 3 started the trend of letting you set up an official shop, or rather a home of sorts, to also decorate as your character see's fit (whether you wanted a pre-war theme, brothel theme, science lab theme, raider theme, etc.) depending on your characters style. Just an "official" room or home to stay it. A home base of sorts that was somewhat acknowledged to be yours by the outside.

I always thought it was painfully out of character for the protagonist to spend any time on a home—considering their pressing concerns. That said... It was a hot topic for a while, and I did posit the idea that FO4 (New Vegas didn't exist yet) should have innumerable locations throughout, that could be suitable as the player home.

The developers would simply stick a nail in the wall of any supported location, or a small outcropping in the rocks—if in a cave. The player could choose any abandoned house, or discover some neat place in the hills; do some action, or quest that reveals a hidden hide-away... etc. And all the player would have to do, is hang their little Home Sweet Home sign up on the nail.

Whatever location(s) had home signs—would be the player's home(s); the signs would signify it to the game.

 

[Daniel The NCR Veteran]

I always thought it was painfully out of character for the protagonist to spend any time on a home—considering their pressing concerns.

They're human though, they might have "pressing concerns" ahead of them but they have to relax too and tend to their belongings. And they need to offload what they got from their ventures at one point, and with that they also spend time on their home at the same time.

 

[Gizmojunk]

Remember... In Fallout 1—and 2, the PC was in a life & death race against time; and other people's lives—their own family's lives depended on them. This is what's jarring about decorating the player home...

*This was something that I really didn't like about FO3, and even the Fallout 1 patch.

 

[Daniel The NCR Veteran]

I see what you mean, probably I'm just looking at this from a gameplay perspective too much because there's literally no rush in 3, NV and 4. Everything stays in place until you trigger it. But yeah, from a story perspective it makes no sense. But what can you do? Players need to have their own fun. Apparently, it's canon Courier 6 finished the Second Battle of Hoover Dam the same year he got back up in Goodsprings which is 2281 (not sure about this info tho) but meanwhile I'm here doing my 100% playthrough and it's 2282.

 

[TerminallyChill]

'Player home' is just a word for where you can sleep and stash your stuff. Even homeless people make 'player homes'. Allowing you to do this takes nothing away, and only compliments existing gameplay. I do agree with Gizmo that the implimentation was more than a little botched in Fallout 3, however. Buying keys, themes, and furniture? What is this, the fucking Sims? This is a post apocalyptic wasteland. Go find a structure or a cave somewhere and start dumping your shit inside.

 

[Daniel The NCR Veteran]

Buying keys, themes, and furniture? What is this, the fucking Sims? This is a post apocalyptic wasteland. Go find a structure or a cave somewhere and start dumping your shit inside.

OHHHH that's what you meant. Holy shit I was a fucking idiot on that lol. That's my issue with 3 too. It felt like overkill. The only thing you have to work for about your home is earning it. That's another problem in 3. 25 Explosives skill and you get a free house that will help you so much that it will make the game easy as fuck. 3 was off-balanced and it was too much in the player's favor. Just like the Operation Anchorage Power Armor, Grim Reaper's Sprint (all of AP restored from 1 kill) and Almost Perfect. Let's not forget the amount of times enemies were using low-grade equipment like the Raiders and the game would be way too easy in Very Hard. You need mods to fix that.
Edit: Atleast in NV you have to solve the mystery of who sold Boone's wife and find out it was Jeannie May, then you kill her and there's the apartment. And it's all legitly explained to make sense

 

[Sn1p3r187]

'Player home' is just a word for where you can sleep and stash your stuff. Even homeless people make 'player homes'. Allowing you to do this takes nothing away, and only compliments existing gameplay. I do agree with Gizmo that the implimentation was more than a little botched in Fallout 3, however. Buying keys, themes, and furniture? What is this, the fucking Sims? This is a post apocalyptic wasteland. Go find a structure or a cave somewhere and start dumping your shit inside.

Agreed. I didn't like that in Fallout 3. It felt like it was taking it overboard. Very much like the sims.