Trying to play F3 in a fluffy (canon) way

[Servius1234]

F3 is my first Fallout game, but I've done a lot of work on the wiki and read lots of stuff about the first two and splinter games. I found the FO Bible on there and am trying to get an understanding of what happened in those games.

My first question, in the commercials and other media, one of the iconic images of Fallout is a guy in a vault outfit (probably the Armored Vault 101 suit) walking down a street with a Hunting Rifle on his back and Dogmeat at his side. From what I've read, this can be the Vault 101 Dweller from FO3, but it also matches the first vault character and the original Dogmeat. This leads me to ask, in the first 2 FO games, did the main character really use light armor and a rifle through most of the game, or was he able to upgrade his stuff, and do so quickly? I mean, in FO3 I have combat/power armor, gatling lasers, 10mm SMGs... Why would one stick with light armor and a hunting rifle?

I'm trying for the life of me to work with Dogmeat, but it's just not easy to work with. He growls a lot and it's not practical to have him with you if you want to be stealthy, especially indoors. Did you tell Dogmeat to wait outside a lot in the previous FO games? Right now, whenever I get him, I set him to essential so he won't die, because I don't like how little control I have over him, where he goes, when he attacks, and I have little to no way to keep an eye on his health during fights. Besides helping me find the Firelance when the space ship blows up, does FO3's Dogmeat really fill some vital role?

I think the BoS are cool, mostly because I'm something of a Warhammer 40,000 fan and just like the visuals of power armored soldiers shrugging off damage and laying waste to superior numbers of adversaries. However, they sounded like a bunch of selfish tools in the other games. Obviously Lyons is a different breed of BoS, but should I see them as a neutral faction or the hero-esque faction they appear to be?

I keep getting the impression that the Enclave are supposed to be bad guys. Like, they're the private army of the captains of industry who don't give a damn about the average Joe and are just interested in controling resources. I guess they are that in FO3, but I don't actually mind the idea of wiping out mutant life. I mean, the super mutants don't seem too friendly, I can't shake the feeling that at least some Ghouls are just ticking timebombs, and I don't buy the bit that all non-vault-born Wastelanders are mutants. They look just like the vault folks, with shabbier clothing sure, but I see no physical mutations, no special abilities, etc., so I doubt they'd actually be harmed, regardless of what Eden implies. Are the Enclave really Nazi-like facists trying to create a "pure" race?

What are the super mutants doing in DC? I know they're rounding up wastelanders, presumably to expose them to the FEV and make more SMs, but to what end? Are the SMs trying to rebuild an army? If so, who's the leader directing all this? Also, where are the FEV vats? Vault 87 does not strike me as an active SM factory. While I did see some rooms with failed attempts, since they weren't skeletons, it seems they were recent attempts. But if most SMs are dumb, who's running the process? And I only saw one wastelander captive in the whole place. So, how did the SMs get to DC (made there or traveled there?), what are they trying to accomplish there, and who/what is their mastermind?

Besides deciding whether or not to blow up Megaton, is there any way to affect the game world? I haven't seen a way to fortify towns, develop a larger food base (grow crops, breed more cattle, etc.), organize a militia (the BoS are too few in number to fill this role adequately), or do any of the other things it would take to nudge civilization along. I suppose I could help Eden clean the slate in a way, but how many of the DC people would that help? Sure, I can help with Project Purity, but the game ends before I see any fruit of that labor. I want to actually improve the game world (and hopefully live to see the improvement). Are there ways to do that?

 

[rcorporon]

I hate to be a dick about this, but I'm too lazy to answer all of your questions. Here's some advice:

1) got to www.gog.com
2) drop the $5 and buy FO1.
3) Play it.

You'll feel better about yourself in the end, and you get to play a real Fallout... not the abortion that Beth has dropped at our feet.

 

[k9wazere]

You're not meant to think. If you do, you're playing it wrong.

You're supposed to go "oooh" and "ahhh" every time you decapitate someone with a critical headshot.

Seriously.

If you want proof, look at the youtube videos and read some of the comments.

 

[Tagaziel]

F3 is my first Fallout game, but I've done a lot of work on the wiki and read lots of stuff about the first two and splinter games. I found the FO Bible on there and am trying to get an understanding of what happened in those games.

As the others said, you need to play to understand.

Hell, 6$ ain't that much money. Go mow a lawn or two and you'll get the necessary cash

My first question, in the commercials and other media, one of the iconic images of Fallout is a guy in a vault outfit (probably the Armored Vault 101 suit) walking down a street with a Hunting Rifle on his back and Dogmeat at his side. From what I've read, this can be the Vault 101 Dweller from FO3, but it also matches the first vault character and the original Dogmeat. This leads me to ask, in the first 2 FO games, did the main character really use light armor and a rifle through most of the game, or was he able to upgrade his stuff, and do so quickly? I mean, in FO3 I have combat/power armor, gatling lasers, 10mm SMGs... Why would one stick with light armor and a hunting rifle?

No. That's Bethesda's promotional materials and they are not related to Fallout.

They're a reference to Mad Max 2, more specifically, an iconic still of him walking down a road in post-nuclear Australia with Dogmeat by his side.

Seriously, play the games.

I'm trying for the life of me to work with Dogmeat, but it's just not easy to work with. He growls a lot and it's not practical to have him with you if you want to be stealthy, especially indoors. Did you tell Dogmeat to wait outside a lot in the previous FO games?

In Fo1 Dogmeat stuck to you like glue. It was a challenge to keep him alive through the entire game, in particular because he forced you to go balls-out combat on the Cathedral and Mariposa.

Right now, whenever I get him, I set him to essential so he won't die, because I don't like how little control I have over him, where he goes, when he attacks, and I have little to no way to keep an eye on his health during fights. Besides helping me find the Firelance when the space ship blows up, does FO3's Dogmeat really fill some vital role?

No.

I think the BoS are cool, mostly because I'm something of a Warhammer 40,000 fan and just like the visuals of power armored soldiers shrugging off damage and laying waste to superior numbers of adversaries. However, they sounded like a bunch of selfish tools in the other games. Obviously Lyons is a different breed of BoS, but should I see them as a neutral faction or the hero-esque faction they appear to be?

The Brotherhood aren't WH40K heroes. They're a xenophobic, technology worshipping military order that doesn't care for humanity, only for technology. Oh sure, they speak about the greater picture in Fo1, but they are still isolationist pricks.

Bethesda failed to understand that. The closest thing to the original Brotherhood are the Outcasts, which, ironically, are more interesting than the "goody-two-shoes" Lyons' Brotherhood.

So to answer your questions: the real Brotherhood are the Outcasts. Lyons' Brotherhood is Bethesda's invention that doesn't have anything in common with the essence of Fallout.

I keep getting the impression that the Enclave are supposed to be bad guys. Like, they're the private army of the captains of industry who don't give a damn about the average Joe and are just interested in controling resources. I guess they are that in FO3, but I don't actually mind the idea of wiping out mutant life. I mean, the super mutants don't seem too friendly, I can't shake the feeling that at least some Ghouls are just ticking timebombs, and I don't buy the bit that all non-vault-born Wastelanders are mutants. They look just like the vault folks, with shabbier clothing sure, but I see no physical mutations, no special abilities, etc., so I doubt they'd actually be harmed, regardless of what Eden implies. Are the Enclave really Nazi-like facists trying to create a "pure" race?

They were in the previous games, but in this one, well, they aren't. Autumn's agenda is to unite the Capital Wasteland under the Enclave banner, return government to the nuked out wastes.

But, thanks to Bethesda's hacks and talentless writers, you aren't really able to explore that theme further, you are forced to slaughter them all because some talentless developer arbitrarily marked them as evil and the BoS as good.

What are the super mutants doing in DC? I know they're rounding up wastelanders, presumably to expose them to the FEV and make more SMs, but to what end? Are the SMs trying to rebuild an army? If so, who's the leader directing all this? Also, where are the FEV vats? Vault 87 does not strike me as an active SM factory. While I did see some rooms with failed attempts, since they weren't skeletons, it seems they were recent attempts. But if most SMs are dumb, who's running the process? And I only saw one wastelander captive in the whole place. So, how did the SMs get to DC (made there or traveled there?), what are they trying to accomplish there, and who/what is their mastermind?

It's one of the BIGGEST plotholes in Fallout 3, it's big enough to make Grand Canyon look like a mere ditch.

This is another proof of Bethesda's total lack of any meaningful quality control over writing and world design.

Besides deciding whether or not to blow up Megaton, is there any way to affect the game world? I haven't seen a way to fortify towns, develop a larger food base (grow crops, breed more cattle, etc.), organize a militia (the BoS are too few in number to fill this role adequately), or do any of the other things it would take to nudge civilization along. I suppose I could help Eden clean the slate in a way, but how many of the DC people would that help? Sure, I can help with Project Purity, but the game ends before I see any fruit of that labor. I want to actually improve the game world (and hopefully live to see the improvement). Are there ways to do that?

No. What do you think this is, an RPG?

Previous Fallouts (you should play them) had that mechanism you expect from Fo3... but apparently, Bethesda forgot halfway through the game that they're making an RPG with choices and consequences.

Any further questions we and I will be glad to answer.

NOTE: This is a warning to anyone who so much as thinks of flaming the OP: Don't.

 

[Public]

Just to add one thing, the Dogmeat is actually a reference from the movie "A boy and his Dog". A post-apo movie that is.

Any further questions we and I will be glad to answer

I think Sulik in FO2 was saying that "We and I will be glad to answer"

 

[k9wazere]

Boy and his Dog is an interesting watch.

I liked the ending

 

[Public]

Yeah, I liked it too Funny and dark, like Fallout's humour (except FO3's humour).

So I think Servius1234, you should watch those movies: Mad Max (there are 3 movies, but first 2 are the best) and "A Boy and his Dog" too.

 

[UncannyGarlic]

So I think Servius1234, you should watch those movies: Mad Max (there are 3 movies, but first 2 are the best) and "A Boy and his Dog" too.

The third Mad Max movie is my favorite with the second following and the first being last. That said, the third movie goes a different direction than the first two, it's a lot more comedic.

 

[Public]

So I think Servius1234, you should watch those movies: Mad Max (there are 3 movies, but first 2 are the best) and "A Boy and his Dog" too.

The third Mad Max movie is my favorite with the second following and the first being last. That said, the third movie goes a different direction than the first two, it's a lot more comedic.

I like the third one too, Tina Turner was awesome and it was pretty funny. But the first two would be a better examples IMO. The last one is like a nice dessert after tasty meal, and the first one is like an appetizer

 

[Dragula]

Are mutant and ghouls really "races"? I thought they would be new species.

 

[13BEAST]

Are mutant and ghouls really "races"? I thought they would be new species.

Ghouls are humans with their skin falling off. Same biological structure, just deformed.

You might be able to make the argument that Super Mutants are a different species, but being as they are the next evolutionary link from humans, they are more of a race of humans than they are a different species.

I came in here wanting to flame the OP so badly, but after reading his post, I get the sense that he genuinely wants to learn about Fallout. To the OP: As others suggested, buy the first two games. You can get the FO1/2 Jewel Pack on Amazon for less than $10. The games are worth atleast 5x that each. Learn about real Fallout and you'll be itching to distance yourself from that partial birth abortion of a game that is FO:CW.

 

[UncannyGarlic]

I like the third one too, Tina Turner was awesome and it was pretty funny. But the first two would be a better examples IMO. The last one is like a nice dessert after tasty meal, and the first one is like an appetizer

Gotcha and I'd agree but I think that a little bit of Thunderdome found it's way into the series.

Are mutant and ghouls really "races"? I thought they would be new species.

Well their both genetically mutated humans so I'd say yes, it's probably something like Homo Sapiens, Homo Sapiens Idaltu, and Homo Sapiens Sapiens.

 

[rcorporon]

Actually, since SM's are sterile, they can't be considered a "species."

 

[Ausir]

I keep getting the impression that the Enclave are supposed to be bad guys. Like, they're the private army of the captains of industry who don't give a damn about the average Joe and are just interested in controling resources. I guess they are that in FO3, but I don't actually mind the idea of wiping out mutant life. I mean, the super mutants don't seem too friendly, I can't shake the feeling that at least some Ghouls are just ticking timebombs, and I don't buy the bit that all non-vault-born Wastelanders are mutants. They look just like the vault folks, with shabbier clothing sure, but I see no physical mutations, no special abilities, etc., so I doubt they'd actually be harmed, regardless of what Eden implies. Are the Enclave really Nazi-like facists trying to create a "pure" race?

Yes, they are. They consider all even slightly mutated wastelanders to be inferior subhumans worthy of eradication. At least that's what president Richardson thought in FO2 and Eden does in FO3. Colonel Autumn is still a fascist, but one that wants to conquer the wastelanders rather than wipe them out.

Ghouls are humans with their skin falling off. Same biological structure, just deformed.

Their mutation goes far beyond making their skin fall off. It also gives them extremely long life.

 

[13BEAST]

Actually, since SM's are sterile, they can't be considered a "species."

Mules and Hinny's are sterile, too. (They are bred from horses and donkeys)

Their mutation goes far beyond making their skin fall off. It also gives them extremely long life.

Sorry, it was late, I was oversimplifying.

 

[k9wazere]

Ghouls are humans with their skin falling off. Same biological structure, just deformed.

Their mutation goes far beyond making their skin fall off. It also gives them extremely long life.

And allows them to grow small trees in their head.

Don't ask how that works.

Not everything in FO made sense.

 

[Crni Vuk]

Ghouls are humans with their skin falling off. Same biological structure, just deformed.

Their mutation goes far beyond making their skin fall off. It also gives them extremely long life.

And allows them to grow small trees in their head.

Don't ask how that works.

Not everything in FO made sense.

Harold was unique though.

 

[13BEAST]

Ghouls are humans with their skin falling off. Same biological structure, just deformed.

Their mutation goes far beyond making their skin fall off. It also gives them extremely long life.

And allows them to grow small trees in their head.

Don't ask how that works.

Not everything in FO made sense.

Harold was unique though.

Harold is a mutant, not a ghoul.

 

[Ausir]

Depends on who you ask. And all ghouls are also mutants.

 

[Servius1234]

Hi all.

Yeah, I first heard about your site from a Beth interview, where the dev or PR guy was asked how he felt about negative comments on the game, particularly from this site.

In the interest of full disclosure, I don't hate FO3 as much as the average NMA forum poster seems to. Having never played the other FO games, my default basis of comparison is with Obliviion. That being said, I see many of the discrepancies and such that I've read in this forum, I just don't get furious about them.

I've checked out FO1 and FO2 at Gamespot, and though I like the idea of learning the lore by playing the first two games, I'm affraid the graphics and interface will prevent me from really giving it the credit it deserves. 11 years on, I've just been too spoiled.

I found the NMA-mod thread and have offered my services, such as they are.

I will look into the Mad Max movies.