So I’m almost finished squeezing out the last of the game playability for Fallout 3 (PS3 - unmodified). Along the central storyline, I’ve saved the game at the point right before the penultimate mission (the one where you ‘escort’ the giant robot Liberty Prime to the enclave-held Jefferson Memorial) and am finishing up exploring every last hidden nook and cranny of the map before I continue.
Now I’ve finished the game several times already, so I know how it ends, but this time after I finish I’ll want to download some of the extra missions, but I’m not sure how it works.
Will I have to start the game again right back from the start? Or will I be able to do the new missions, mid-game, from my last save point? Or do the new missions continue on from the end of the original game? This is important because if I have to start the whole thing again, from a wasteland newby, I’m not sure that I want to do that.
Assuming it works the same as Oblivion, you can add mods (or even remove them) mid-game. But just to be safe, I’d make sure I’m not currently standing in a zone that’s going to be replaced with a new version.
When you start the game after installing the DLC you’ll be greeted by a new radio signal. This will direct you to your DLC missions and shouldn’t change a thing about the game otherwise. At least that’s how xbox 360 DLC worked for Fallout.
OK, thanks guys - that’s good news. I’ve got a ton of weapons, ammo and other swag that I don’t want to have to give up just to play the add-on missions!
Since you’ve seen the ending, you should know this:
[spoiler]The first two DLC happen before the ending, so you’ll need to load up a save file from before then, since, obviously, you can’t continue the game once you’re dead.
The third DLC pack, Broken Steel, actually alters the game’s original ending, so you’ll also need a save file from before that ending starts. This informative article recommends loading up the Autosave the game makes just before the ending.[/spoiler]No word yet on how the last two DLC packs will run - those are due out before this October, when the GOTY edition hits which includes the full game and all five mini-expansion packs.
From where you are you should be fine for all three downloads. The first two are instances that exist outside the regular map and the third changes the ending so that you or Lyons survive and continue on. All three load at the startup and will be available at any point in the game. Remember that it is Broken Steel (the 3rd DLC) is where the level cap is raised to 30, so if you are 20 and doing Anchorage and The Pitt without Broken Steel downloaded you will get new stuff but not advance in XP. If you have all three downloaded you will.
That’s just changed, PS3 will be getting DLC, but not for a while (and in the order of normal release, with about a month between releases). I used GFWL on PC to get DLC, a massive hasstle. Eventually I just moved the files to use as a normal mod and disabled GFWL.
That might have to change though; The fourth and fifth DLC are out soonish for 360 and PC; Point Lookout (there’s a trailer on YouTube) and Mothership Zeta (you get abducted by aliens - will either be fantastic or utter crap).
Yikes - you guys are right, I just checked and it seems the first PS3 dlc will be released in late June, 2009. I guess that’s not too long to wait (others must have been waiting a looooooong time for it).
Now this means Ill have to wait a few extra weeks to download the first three, because I don’t want to miss all that valuable XP. It’s already bad enough that I’ve been capped at lvl 20 since… about February.
Just as a data point, I have today received the disc containing Anchorage and The Pitt. I installed the content to my XBOX 360 harddrive, and started the game with an existing character.
I got two new quests fairly quickly (at least I picked up two radio broadcasts) and all the other existing stuff worked fine. AFAIK it didn’t “reset” anything obvious in the game and at least three of my saved games work fine.
Hope this is reassuring.
And does anyone now what number the Vault under Seattle was? Is it anywhere near the “Super Mutant Behemoth” which is under the Aurora Ave Bridge in Fremont???
