Fallout: New Vegas - Page 6

DarthParametric · 10-21-2010, 01:20 AM

Ah, of course, I forgot that Avellone developed TSL by himself.

As J.E. Sawyer (New Vegas project lead) said recently:

Quote:

Originally Posted by J.E. Sawyer

This is not the result of one person's ideas, the fruit of one person's labor.

http://fallout.bethsoft.com/eng/vaul...-10.18.10.html

Darth Crados · 10-22-2010, 12:15 PM

Well, bought it for pc, attempted to play it and... well, I don't know why but there are a funny set of graphic problems, such as the game breaking a lot, an annoying lag, and other similar things.
I've been searching, and it appears it's happening to others: http://segmentnext.com/2010/10/19/fa...freezes-fixes/
My problem is likely number two, although I've read that there were some annoyances regarding Nvidia graphic cards. They say it's recommended to update the drivers, it seems Nvidia doesn't enjoy the prospect of making drivers compatible with Windows 7.
On the game: tried to play it for half an hour, and it seems nice. the hardcore feature seems like a very nice (and challenging) addition to the game. Hope I get to play it, once this matters are corrected.

DarthParametric · 10-22-2010, 12:34 PM

People with similar issues have reported much better results using an older DX9 DLL. You can grab one here - http://www.newvegasnexus.com/downloa...e.php?id=34778

Darth Crados · 10-22-2010, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarthParametric

People with similar issues have reported much better results using an older DX9 DLL. You can grab one here - http://www.newvegasnexus.com/downloa...e.php?id=34778

Just... wow.
Thanks a lot Darth Parametric! Solved the problem.

Well, I think it's time to take on the new Wasteland

Ctrl Alt Del · 10-22-2010, 01:04 PM

Well, Iv'e only set a two hours mark on west coast Wasteland and I haven't run in any bugs yet (although I accidentally shot a wastelander and Sunny Smile's dog Cheyenne when sniping those Geckos, but in this case the player is bugged, heh). Goodsprings seems like a fair start, at least better than the cramped and limited Vault from F3. I'm yet to see the challenge of Hardcore mode, but the fact that I've already found multiple sources of clear water and wild animals' meat (no iguanas-on-a-stick yet, though I'm wondering what their nutritional value is this time around) makes me think it wasn't a foolish choice.

Now I'd like to see how well the reputation and faction systems works as I'm really looking forward to make friends with Caesar's Legion.

**mimartin** · 10-22-2010, 01:32 PM

The tutorial around Goodsprings is not a fair indication of the difficulty of the game. I went through Goodsprings now three times before finding a proper setup to actually have a chance to survive in the waste. First time, I was thinking hardcore was going to be a breeze until some Jackals along the way changed my mind.

About 9 to 10 hours in with this PC, no bugs, but one crash. Nothing major to me having lived with that type of thing in Fallout 3, save early, save often.

Mav · 10-22-2010, 08:40 PM

yeh, I'm about 3 or 4 hours in, and so far this was the only glitch I've come across and I found it quite entertaining...

Show spoiler

Ctrl Alt Del · 10-22-2010, 10:20 PM

^ Oh, God. So that is Cheyenne's necklace is made of. I honestly thought it was meant to be there.

So, I just found something I think is quite cool. Remember that time in KotOR 1 where you'd get dressed as a Sith Trooper to get to the Lower City of Taris? Apparently, dressing as a member of a certain faction can fool most of them into thinking you're a member of said faction too. Maybe it's nothing new but I really just found out.

DarthParametric · 10-23-2010, 02:25 AM

Yeah there's factional clothing which has the same effect for you wearing it as it would for any NPC. So wearing a Ceasar's Legion skirt will mean you get attacked by NCR, wearing Powder Ganger clothes means you will get shot at by pretty much everyone, etc. It's an interesting mechanic because typically in games that sort of factional disposition thing is coded into the NPC itself rather than the equipment, so it potentially opens up some useful avenues for modding.

I'm making my way through the game at the moment. I have to say that so far I am a tad disappointed given the glowing praise heaped on it by the early reviews (but I shouldn't be surprised given that Oblivion and Fallout 3 received the same sort of gushing). It has that same sort of emptiness as FO3 which bored me to tears. I get that its a wasteland and all that, but trudging over an endless barren landscape where there's nothing but empty and broken buildings with the occasional animal attack is really not super fun IMO. FO1 & 2 skipped over that for the most part with the overland map and focused on the centres of habitation (aside from random encounters). Arguably that was just a limitation of the engine, but I don't think the primary focus of either game was intended to be endless trudging through nothingness.

And of course there are all the bugs. Thankfully probably not as many as is usual for a Obsidian game, and, to be fair, a lot are probably a legacy of pre-existing issues with the engine (like the hovering items bug that has been there since Oblivion). One that has struck me a number of times is enemies clipping partially or fully through terrain and becoming invulnerable (yet seemingly still able to attack me). Not a bug, but the most annoying thing is all the invisible walls - god I hate those, especially in an open world game like this.

Pavlos · 10-23-2010, 05:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarthParametric

I get that its a wasteland and all that, but trudging over an endless barren landscape where there's nothing but empty and broken buildings with the occasional animal attack is really not super fun IMO. FO1 & 2 skipped over that for the most part with the overland map and focused on the centres of habitation (aside from random encounters).

You can quick travel, you know.

DarthParametric · 10-23-2010, 10:15 AM

Only after you have hoofed it all the way to the location to discover it in the first place.

I've run into a bunch more bugs, one of which seems apparently widespread and causes you to fail an NCR quest regardless of what you do. There's also a weird one which at least a few other people have encountered as well that seemingly swaps the sex of your PC.

Sabretooth · 10-23-2010, 12:03 PM

About 15 hours in, my thoughts.

- The opening is pretty damn stylish, but after that the game becomes pretty empty, as Parametric notes. There's little variety in graphics or gameplay, and if you've played 5 hours, you have the hang of it. The desert, that is. I still haven't entered New Vegas, which looks pretty splendid from afar.

- Story is nothing special so far. While it's head and shoulders above FO3's I-want-my-daddy and FO1's I-can-haz-water-cellz, it's more in line with an Elder Scrolls story than anything; you're involved in something - get to the bottom of it, at your own pace, of course.

- Input lag, input lag, input lag. Shooting is not fun, melee is suicide and I spend most of my combat time in VAT, or hoping my companions finish my enemies before I have to deal with them. Actually, if they fall, I run.

- I think I have the broken NCR quest as well (Station Charlie?) It seems to be obvious a flaw to make it to the final game. : /

@CAD: The Help tips say so as well. You're also warned that if you wear the outfit of say, Legion and approach the NCR, they will attack you on sight. Unless you strip first. Then they won't attack you.

- Factions are, so far, rather uninspiring. As much as you'd think there's grey here, it's pretty black and white. Legion is black, NCR is white. Plain and simple.

- The characters don't seem real. There's no emotion, no joy, no life associated with them. It seems they just sleep at night and either mend the shop at day, or go around with guns. In contrast, STALKER manages to create a much more heartfelt atmosphere without having to add in any kitschy stereotypes.

- The entire selection of songs doesn't seem to be cycled. You can only hear like 4-6 songs on the radio looping over and over, instead of the full list of 45. Maybe they're saved for Vegas?

Darth InSidious · 10-23-2010, 01:58 PM

I preordered this through Amazon with free delivery, so I was expecting it to arrive sometime next week. Instead, it arrived today (hurrah, etc). So far I've played for about 3 hours (at which point, more or less, the game crashed), and am still in Goodsprings.

It's OK so far, but it has yet to really impress me particularly. Partly I'm still figuring out the controls/etc, not having played FO3. The writing is pretty good so far, the graphics are fine (although people all look slightly bizarre), and the sound design is overall pretty good. I find myself in agreement with Darth Parametric about having to walk - or run - everywhere - it's slow and dull.

One oddity I've run into so far is that 16:9/1366x768 aspect ratio/resolution messes with screenshots horribly, so have had to switch to 1280x720; not sure why, but it's nothing major.

Anyway, screenshots of the Amazon pre-order bonus (tribal pack) below, for people who haven't seen it:

Show spoiler

The pack consists of tribal raiding armour, a broad machete, five bleak venom doses and ten throwing spears.

DarthParametric · 10-23-2010, 02:59 PM

For those that didn't pre-order or would like a different bonus, there are equivalents of the 4 bonuses using vanilla assets available here - http://www.newvegasnexus.com/downloa...e.php?id=34812

The only difference is that mod doesn't include the canteen or the binoculars, but there's a separate mod for the canteen here - http://www.newvegasnexus.com/downloa...e.php?id=34998 (although it needs an update as it accidentally has dependency on one of the official DLC files apparently) - and the binoculars are useless (but if you really want a set you can buy them from merchants anyway).

Achilles · 10-23-2010, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darth InSidious

the graphics are fine (although people all look slightly bizarre)

I find myself reminded of VtM:B for some reason.

DarthParametric · 10-24-2010, 02:50 AM

I think certain Source faces are probably better actually in some regards, even older ones like in Bloodlines. The Oblivion/FO3/NV faces all have a bit of an unnatural air about them. That's probably a legacy of their particular implementation of the FaceGen system coupled with the limitations of the models the engine can handle.

Sabretooth · 10-24-2010, 03:23 AM

Most of the faces are alright, but any woman with a Moira face I want to kill.

DarthParametric · 10-24-2010, 05:02 AM

Most of the female faces seem to suffer the same problem as Moira - they have what would appear to be a facial hair issue. Maybe I'm picky, but I really draw the line at a woman with a moustache.

Ctrl Alt Del · 10-24-2010, 05:37 AM

^^
^
I suppose it's equally honest to say it's nearly impossible to make a good looking PC yourself. Having played F3 before NV (although it was a bit better than Oblivion), I never even tried and settled for making it look like me instead.[self-depreciation]

DarthParametric · 10-24-2010, 10:16 AM

It doesn't help when they put it inside that terrible small and obscuring UI overlay so you can't actually see what you are doing. I thought Bioware did a pretty poor job at making a decent UI for a FaceGen character creator with the horribly underlit ones in DA and ME/ME2, but the FO3/NV ones take the cake. Proof again that form really doesn't trump function (a fact that is repeatedly shown to beyond the grasp of game developers).

Ctrl Alt Del · 10-24-2010, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarthParametric

It doesn't help when they put it inside that terrible small and obscuring UI overlay so you can't actually see what you are doing. I thought Bioware did a pretty poor job at making a decent UI for a FaceGen character creator with the horribly underlit ones in DA and ME/ME2, but the FO3/NV ones take the cake. Proof again that form really doesn't trump function (a fact that is repeatedly shown to beyond the grasp of game developers).

Still, I might be wrong, but the character creator gizmo screen looks a little less darkened and blurred on NV than it was on F3? Still doesn't help much, though.

DarthParametric · 10-24-2010, 12:19 PM

Yeah they made it a bit clearer (the one in FO3 was terrible), but it's still not much chop. Sometimes they get a bit too carried away with the whole retro-50s thing and that's one result.

Tysyacha · 10-24-2010, 03:16 PM

How's the roleplaying in this game? By this, I mean:

--Are there multiple dialogue options, including ones that you get ONLY if you have the right skills and/or stats (Intelligence, Charisma, Strength, etc.)?

--Can you "hit it off" with any of your companions, either male or female?

--Do the NPC's seem like they have a personality when they give you quests?

--Are there certain quests/dialogue options you can and can't do because you're in good (or persona non grata) with certain people and factions?

--Any hunka-hunka burnin' love (or at least burnin' lust) options?

--Do minor decisions' outcomes show up in the game as well as major ones?

--Do you think the RPing experience is just as satisfying as all the killing?

If the answer to your last question is "no", what games should I wait for?

Thanks!
Tysyacha

Ctrl Alt Del · 10-24-2010, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tysyacha

How's the roleplaying in this game? By this, I mean:

--Are there multiple dialogue options, including ones that you get ONLY if you have the right skills and/or stats (Intelligence, Charisma, Strength, etc.)?

Yep.

Quote:

--Can you "hit it off" with any of your companions, either male or female

Can't say much about NV yet, Tysy, but judging by F3, then no. Although you can have a good time with hookers and the like, party members are scarce and you'll find yourself running solo most of time. Yeah, that's it, party memebers are more of hindrance than a helping hand. Especially if they're using melee weapons and constantly get between your gun and the enemy.

Quote:

--Do the NPC's seem like they have a personality when they give you quests?

No, God, no in F3. As for NV, word is that there's more soul on the game, but I'm not sure yet.

Quote:

--Are there certain quests/dialogue options you can and can't do because you're in good (or persona non grata) with certain people and factions?

Yep.

Quote:

--Any hunka-hunka burnin' love (or at least burnin' lust) options?

Refer to your second question.

Quote:

--Do minor decisions' outcomes show up in the game as well as major ones?

Yes, kinda. There are permanent character features called "Perks" that you can select as you level up AND, seldomly, by doing certain stuff on your playthrough. Like in F3, when after storming a Giant Fire Ants anthill and completing a related quest, you get a fire resistance perk.

There's also the fact that most of the NPCs, except for the main storyline ones, are killable. So shoot a store clerk/owner dead and you will never be able to buy from him/her again. One more thing is the multiple ways you have to do a quest.

Plus, consequences are supposedly expanded with the new factions/reputation mechanic, since your deeds can get you aligned with a certain faction while shunned by another, or accepted and acclaimed by a group and hated by some other.

Quote:

--Do you think the RPing experience is just as satisfying as all the killing?

Hard to tell. Personally, I don't think I'd play this game if I couldn't shoot/hack/slash anyone. At least Hardcore mode makes it look more RPGish.

Mav · 10-24-2010, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ctrl Alt Del

Yeah, that's it, party memebers are more of hindrance than a helping hand. Especially if they're using melee weapons and constantly get between your gun and the enemy.

I dunno about that...

Show spoiler

Tysyacha · 10-24-2010, 03:54 PM

Based on your responses to my questions, it makes me wish this game had a demo.

Ctrl Alt Del · 10-24-2010, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mav

I dunno about that...

Show spoiler

I usually have a hard time micro-managing them to walk or wait or get out of my f&*#&ing way, even though it should just all be set the way you want with a dialog line. Still haven't met any companion on NV to see if things have improved.

Tysyacha · 10-24-2010, 06:26 PM

Ooh-ooh-ooh! I forgot one more question:

Are your companions slowly "unlockable" (you activate new dialogue and/or abilities the more you talk and interact with them)?

Meowster · 10-24-2010, 10:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tysyacha

How's the roleplaying in this game? By this, I mean:
--Can you "hit it off" with any of your companions, either male or female

Just want to clear this up a bit; kind of. It depends on what gender your character is, and whatnot. (For example, getting the companion Archade Gannon can be a bit hard as he has a very tough speech check. But, if you are male and have the 'Confirmed Bachelor' perk, you can flirt your way into making him your companion, ignoring the check. I also read you can flirt with another female companion that goes by the name of Cass.. though I think that is as far as it gets.)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tysyacha

Are your companions slowly "unlockable" (you activate new dialogue and/or abilities the more you talk and interact with them)?

Yeah. It's kind of cool (compared to Fallout 3, at least) as they will specifically make remarks depending on the environment you are at. It takes them some time to completely open up, but it isn't like the Bioware 'you have leveled, now speak to me' method, and they will instead approach you. You gain perks for having the companions in your party. By completing their quests, your companion gains a perk.

I'm loving the game; just beat it for the first time today in a somewhat unplanned-speedthrough. Major Spoilers Beware!

Show spoiler

Getting ready for my next playthrough now, hoping to finally find Veronia and ED-E.

Sabretooth · 10-24-2010, 10:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tysyacha

--Are there multiple dialogue options, including ones that you get ONLY if you have the right skills and/or stats (Intelligence, Charisma, Strength, etc.)?

Plenty. Most of them are based on the Speech and Barter skills, but you occasionally get ones based on, say, Intelligence, Medicine, Science etc. Depends on the context.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tysyacha

--Can you "hit it off" with any of your companions, either male or female?

Not sure at this point, but I don't think so.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tysyacha

--Do the NPC's seem like they have a personality when they give you quests?

It's hit or miss. Some of the quests are good and intrigue me, others make the NPCs look like plain robots talking.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tysyacha

--Are there certain quests/dialogue options you can and can't do because you're in good (or persona non grata) with certain people and factions?

There's no hardline limitation, but your actions cause your reputation amongst groups to rise or fall. But yeah, there are quests for say, Faction A who wants to destroy Faction B, and if you accept the quest AND do what it says, your reputation with Faction B will suffer.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tysyacha

--Any hunka-hunka burnin' love (or at least burnin' lust) options?

You can purchase a prostitute at Vegas, and there's a WIP mod planning to add explicit sex scenes, if that's what you're asking. >_>

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tysyacha

--Do minor decisions' outcomes show up in the game as well as major ones?

Not especially, so far. But your actions are echoed everywhere by people in towns and villages, who've heard news of a mysterious stranger. There's also a radio that will often ring news of your exploits.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tysyacha

--Do you think the RPing experience is just as satisfying as all the killing?

Just about, but it's pretty run-of-the-mill. You might want to wait for Deus Ex: Human Revolution or Dragon Age 2. New Vegas is an improvement over FO3, but boring nonetheless.

DarthParametric · 10-24-2010, 11:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tysyacha

Do you think the RPing experience is just as satisfying as all the killing?

If you are looking for a more cerebral RPG, this is not it. As I said to you in an earlier post, Bethesda's take on the franchise is essentially a FPS. Obsidian have tinkered with a couple of things with New Vegas, but it's still functionally identical. If you still want to shoot things but do so more on your own terms, you may want to wait for Deus Ex 3, which will allow you to go through the game pretty much without killing anyone (aside from maybe one or two characters).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tysyacha

Can you "hit it off" with any of your companions, either male or female?

As a male, your only choice of females is Cass, and she tells you straight off the bat that you aren't getting any. Veronica is a lesbian, so female PCs might have better luck there, but it seems that followers are completely off limits. As Ctrl Alt Del said, there's a few hookers around to get your rocks off with. There are a couple in the Strip, and a couple in the outlying Vegas zones. I don't think there are any outside Vegas (not that I've seen anyway).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meowster

Getting ready for my next playthrough now, hoping to finally find Veronia and ED-E.

You can find them here:

spoiler:
ED-E is in Primm and Veronica is at the 188 Trading Post

If you get Veronica though be aware that she suffers from one of the numerous bugs in the game and doesn't level (so she'll be creamed later in the game). Until it's patched, use this mod to fix it on PC - http://www.newvegasnexus.com/downloa...e.php?id=35124 If you are on a console then I guess you are out of luck. She also has very buggy behaviour after doing her personal quest, so I'd hold off on completing that until after an official patch.

**mimartin** · 10-25-2010, 11:29 AM

Made it finally to New Vegas last night, was so surprised to get there I forgot all about the quest I was trying to complete. Played around in Gomorrah long enough to get myself permanently banned. Then got roped into continuing the main quest by Victor, but I still did not plan on continuing it until I ran into an “old friend” in the Tops.

spoiler:
Could not believe the game allowed the PC to really “get to know” Benny in such a way with the Black Widow Perk. I was so shocked I forgot to kill the ill dressed little punk. I guess Angel is not living up to her name.

.

Tysyacha · 10-25-2010, 04:51 PM

Oh, I forgot--again--if your intelligence is below 5, are your dialogue options dumb?

Mav · 10-25-2010, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tysyacha

Oh, I forgot--again--if your intelligence is below 5, are your dialogue options dumb?

I don't know :/ Seeing as Intelligence directly affects the amount of Skill points you gain at level-up, I usually make it a priority to have a high Intelligence, but I wouldn't think that dialogue options would change with a lower INT stat.

**mimartin** · 10-25-2010, 08:16 PM

Hit a wall bigger than the wall around the wall around New Vegas while trying to complete the Beyond the Beef quest. The game crashed 8 times when meeting the contact, really glad Fable 3 will be here tomorrow. I’ve enjoyed the potential story and the combat aspects of the game, but the great Obsidian/Bethesda needs the usual 50 patches to become playable. Nothing new from Obsidian or Bethesda.

DarthParametric · 10-26-2010, 12:20 AM

Apparently a low Intelligence does give you at least some different dialogue options.

Mav · 10-26-2010, 01:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mimartin

Hit a wall bigger than the wall around the wall around New Vegas while trying to complete the Beyond the Beef quest. The game crashed 8 times when meeting the contact, really glad Fable 3 will be here tomorrow. I’ve enjoyed the potential story and the combat aspects of the game, but the great Obsidian/Bethesda needs the usual 50 patches to become playable. Nothing new from Obsidian or Bethesda.

Did you try updating your vid card drivers? I had 1 crash after playing for 4 hours straight the day I got the game, I updated the drivers and have not had a crash since.

**Astor** · 10-26-2010, 08:44 AM

I've enjoyed what I've played so far (about 5 hours or so), but a few things have annoyed me a little.

The story doesn't seem to get off to a great start - or at least, I didn't think it did - it wasn't particularly clear, and in some cases it felt like I was simply stumbling into things.

It's picked up a little since I've reached Vegas, although I was a little confused when

spoiler:
A woman approached me after meeting with Mr. House, and asked If i'd reconsidered their request to bug his network - I'd never seen her before.

I've also noticed that there seems to be a lack of variety with merchants - I'd never expected to be buying much from them in the first place, but I can't see the point in buying from any at all when they all seem to have near-identical stock.

And, as much as I love Dean Martin and Bing Crosby, I'm sick of hearing the same three songs over and over. And over.

Despite those niggles (no crashes yet, either) I am enjoying it more than FO3, even if my vendor still hasn't e-mailed my pre-order bonus codes.

**mimartin** · 10-26-2010, 08:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mav

Did you try updating your vid card drivers? I had 1 crash after playing for 4 hours straight the day I got the game, I updated the drivers and have not had a crash since.

My driver is up to date. I have not had any major problems with the game up until that quest.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Astor

Despite those niggles (no crashes yet, either) I am enjoying it more than FO3, even if my vendor still hasn't e-mailed my pre-order bonus codes.

I did not get a email either like they wrote. However, the my bonus codes were inside the case with the disk.

Kyvios · 10-26-2010, 10:24 AM

I have the PS3 version, and crashed a couple times, also everyone seems to think my guy is a girl, and that puberty seems like its avoiding him like the plague . But other than that not to many issues.

I've enjoyed it a little bit so far.