# Fallout 3, and recc's for Fallout 4. **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [May 6, 2009, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-3-and-reccs-for-fallout-4/495589 "2009-05-06T21:28:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2009, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-3-and-reccs-for-fallout-4/495589/21 "2009-05-10T22:58:15Z")
> [@Spectralist](#): > > I’m not sure about the office buildings only having one path… There were only a handful that i recall only having one way through, and those that did did for a reason from what i saw. > > There was way too much ‘run around in the abandoned subways’ for my taste that got really old really quick. Alright, fre > [@](#): > > The weapon skills increase accuracy, both in and out of VATS, and damage. I think they may also decrease the chance to screw up while reloading. > > Your problem with deathclaws could be related to your disinterest in explosives. Frag Mines and Bottle Cap mines make short work of deathclaws if you’ve a good explosives skill. And if they don’t kill the claw outright they’ll likely cripple it’s legs making it a cakewalk. > > My biggest problem with skills is that they should have had soft points, granted by stats, perks, items, and bobbleheads, that allowed you to exceed the cap. And hard points, those you actually put in the skill or got from reading magazines, that stopped at 100%. That way the perks that boost skills would actually be useful and stats would be made a lot better. > > They also could have used more perks that were useful outside of VATS. Or better yet add secondary bonuses to the VATS perks that worked outside of VATS. > Definitely agreed. Especially if you can make repair kits by breaking down weapons. > > Or even make it so a high repair skill passively makes your guns degrade slower. > I actually maxed Barter(&Charisma) on my character and found it quite useful. Mostly for stim-paks which were rather expensive to buy a lot of, and for ammo before i got scrounger. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2009, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-3-and-reccs-for-fallout-4/495589/22 "2009-05-10T23:06:37Z")
Blahg. Stupid message board. > [@Spectralist](#): > > I’m not sure about the office buildings only having one path… There were only a handful that i recall only having one way through, and those that did did for a reason from what i saw. > > There was way too much ‘run around in the abandoned subways’ for my taste that got really old really quick. Alright, frequently you could go one way around a room or another. But that was it. And the subways were the worst. [snip] I know what all the old Fallout attributes do. Frankly, I was not interested in most of them this time because they didn’t give me much worth buying. A skill bonus is… eh, nice. I still say they should all be expanded. Plus, while Intelligence is important, there’s no reason we can’t add a minor bonus to it. Letting you know the expected difficulty more accurately is a small enough addition. > [@](#): > > The weapon skills increase accuracy, both in and out of VATS, and damage. I think they may also decrease the chance to screw up while reloading. I’ve never seen it screw up reloading, skilled or not. Outside of VATS, gun skills don’t seem to have anything to do with accuracy, only with built-in weapon spread. > [@](#): > > Your problem with deathclaws could be related to your disinterest in explosives. Frag Mines and Bottle Cap mines make short work of deathclaws if you’ve a good explosives skill. And if they don’t kill the claw outright they’ll likely cripple it’s legs making it a cakewalk. Actually, they are pretty easy now. Mostly I just needed a better weapon. > [@](#): > > My biggest problem with skills is that they should have had soft points, granted by stats, perks, items, and bobbleheads, that allowed you to exceed the cap. And hard points, those you actually put in the skill or got from reading magazines, that stopped at 100%. That way the perks that boost skills would actually be useful and stats would be made a lot better. This would be very nice. > [@](#): > > They also could have used more perks that were useful outside of VATS. Or better yet add secondary bonuses to the VATS perks that worked outside of VATS. This would also be nice. Most enemies ran around so spastically (and thumbsticks suck) that targeting was difficult. > [@](#): > > Definitely agreed. Especially if you can make repair kits by breaking down weapons. > > Or even make it so a high repair skill passively makes your guns degrade slower. That would work for me. I always hated fast-degrading gear in games. It’s not handled very well and usually becomes a significant annoyance in the long run. > [@](#): > > I actually maxed Barter(&Charisma) on my character and found it quite useful. Mostly for stim-paks which were rather expensive to buy a lot of, and for ammo before i got scrounger. Uh… OK. I had low values of both (well, Speech is getting up there now), but I’ve had a huge glut of both ammo and stimpacks. I am halfway through the main quest. I’m carrying enough stims to heal every (nonhostile) NPC in the game back to full, and enough ammot to kill them all again. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-3-and-reccs-for-fallout-4/495589/23 "2009-05-11T00:00:36Z")
I would agree that the degradation/repair setup is annoying. Fortunately it’s extremely easy to modify (assuming the PC version). There are mods out there that greatly reduce degradation, and others that expand the range of items that can be used to make repairs. Or whip up your own version using the GECK. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-3-and-reccs-for-fallout-4/495589/24 "2009-05-11T01:18:20Z")
Assuming you have the PC version I highly recommend the scrap metal mod that allows you to repair both armor and weapons (including named armor and weapons) using scrap metal. If I had to do without every other mod I’d be cool as long as I could have these two. Still haven’t bought the new DLC…going to give it a week or so when I’ll be back in town. A friend of mine downloaded it and is definitely having issues…but her game is heavily modded (as is my own). I heard that they are planning to release the first two on DvD this month…which is a bit of a change from their earlier stance. I might just hold out for a release of all 3 on DvD and save myself the hassle of going through Live. -XT ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-3-and-reccs-for-fallout-4/495589/25 "2009-05-11T13:39:59Z")
Have to say, on the Xbox version the degrade/repair issue has only been a problem for genuinely rare equipment like the alien blaster (but I still found three of those). Even relatively unusual stuff like the scoped .44 Magnum, tri-beam laster and tesla cannon has a couple of spares if you look carefully. Plus, towards the end of the game there’s a never-ending supply of plasma rifles, enclave armour and (if you have _Broken Steel_) plasma pistols, heavy incinerators and hellfire armour. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Crap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.crap/32/3131_2.png) [@Dr.Crap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Crap)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-3-and-reccs-for-fallout-4/495589/26 "2009-05-11T16:11:48Z")
Being a big Elder Scrolls fan, I really love this game. But as good as it is on its own, I’ve been playing since release because of [the mods](http://www.fallout3nexus.com/index.php) available. If you have any complaints or wishes, someone has probably created a mod to address them. My favorites are [Enclave Commander (army recruiting, air strikes, etc.)](http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=1410), [Placeable Equipment (fort/outpost building and defense mini-game)](http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=2863) and [The Settler (city building)](http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=4440). You’ll need to download the [Fallout Script Extender](http://fose.silverlock.org/) and [Fallout Mod Manager](http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=640) to use most of the more interesting mods. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-3-and-reccs-for-fallout-4/495589/27 "2009-05-11T19:29:10Z")
> [@Crusoe](#): > > Have to say, on the Xbox version the degrade/repair issue has only been a problem for genuinely rare equipment like the alien blaster (but I still found three of those). Even relatively unusual stuff like the scoped .44 Magnum, tri-beam laster and tesla cannon has a couple of spares if you look carefully. > > Plus, towards the end of the game there’s a never-ending supply of plasma rifles, enclave armour and (if you have _Broken Steel_) plasma pistols, heavy incinerators and hellfire armour. It’s more a matter of irritation than neccessity. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-3-and-reccs-for-fallout-4/495589.md?page=1)