Balance issues or just me?

[revelationjp]

Grindedstone, i think I think you're missing the point we're trying to make. I'm no stranger to rpgs, and love to get as immersed as possible in these games. It's not that the game is too hard, or too realistic, it's that it's unbalanced. I was forced to crank down the difficulty to get by radscorps that i could find no way of bypassing, which i would happily have done. That in and of itself doesn't bother me, except the lower difficulty makes all the other enemies ridiculously UNchallenging. so now I'm forced to leave the diff on normal, then turn it down when i encounter radscorps, then turn it back back. Kinda ruins immersion if you ask me. I don't have any problem with the oldschool "this enemy is too hard, i'll go level and look for better equipment then come back" except that it doesn't seem to work in this case. I've moved forward in the game a lot since this thread was started, and now can leave the diff on normal, but now i pull out my freakin minigun when those radscorps show up. no other enemy i can't handle with just my shotgun or rifle, but for a bug i need a minigun. just does'nt feel right.

[x0diak]

Hahah, love the One Death Rule, that sounds very interesting!

 

I have not found the game overly difficult on Hard/Hardcore. Just the opposite. Its rather easy, but i am only level 4 right now, soooo i will let you guys know. I am used to playing FO3 with FWE, and many other realism type mods, soooo maybe im used to a harder game?

[revelationjp]

Holy crap, I give up. Apparently reading comprehension is lacking in schools today.

[Mansh00ter]

If the Radscorps have a higher damage threshold or armor mitigation than most critters (which actually makes sense) - tried using AP ammo on them? Just speculating here, don't have the game yet. :)

[GrindedStone]

Be very scard. It's not just rad scorpions, basicly it's the Leveled NPC or creature, but these are chance encounters which are somewhat Mini bosses spread across the wastes. For example a Gang leader chance encounter might take you 5 minutes to kill when you could dispatch the lesser NPC's in that gang in 15 seconds. Yah it looks like a normal NPC or creature to us, until the fighting begins, an then it's like, holly crap this one is tough I'm in trouble.

 

Practice. Geez I defeated the chance encounter Giant Rad Scorpion the first try even on Very Hard HC, It spawned at level 1 an chased me to GoodSprings. Granted it took over an hour, but it was totally worth it. I had to go inside houses 3 or 4 times to get bullets. Also I had to run the whole time jumping over fences an getting on truck roofs, or jumping in the back of a wagon. I was certianly moving around on my best Online FPS skills. It hit me with the stinger one time took 3/4 of my heath with one shot, the poison took over an almost killed me, but I was moving while it was taking effect still jumping over stuff. Healed up, an just kept hammering on the Mother blanker until I got it. WOO HOO I LIVE

 

 

Cover system? You are the Cover System. So take cover, move thru tactical cover, Flank them, Run for your life, Zig Zag, Duck, Jump over stuff, Trick them around corners. Hide behind a car or rock an pop up an shoot. Supressive fire, Close the distance an Melee, Switch weapons constantly. Your flaw is that you charge in an then stand an shoot. Practice not doing that.

[Kiahoga]

I learned very quickly to avoid rad scorps untill you have some AP ammo after that i two shot them. And if you stick to the roads you should be able to avoid them.

[GrindedStone]

Kiahoga Master Tactics

 

We need to make a mod an call it that, an just put a training manual in it with pictures of Kiahoga doing kung fu golf clubs on raiders, HAYHAH!

 

Whoa, Kiahoga's wasteland survival guide... Got a ring to it huh?

[Madae]

I tend to play sneaky characters, and the game hasn't been difficult to me since it caters to my style of play. I don't jump in and try to kill everything I see - I look at what I'm up against, and whether or not I'm ready to sacrifice the resources necessary to overcome the battle. I don't like taking a lot of damage, and I don't like wasting ammo. If I can't set it up so that the battle will cost me as little as possible, I move on. I also typically sneak into an encounter and try to take out one or two with sneak attacks, or play tactically - if I can climb this rock and drop dynamite on this guys head, that is more beneficial to me than trying to unload on him with my guns.

 

Last night I ran into my first giant radscorpion. The lesser's aren't difficult at all - I can take them out with my pistol from a distance really easy, but the giants are nasty critters and tough as nails. My tactic for anything more powerful than me, but slower, is to drop mines as I run away. I spent 10-12 mines taking out on this one giant, and I only had 17-18 of them - that really wasn't worth the effort. There were two more in the distance that I avoided all together because I knew my resources would be sapped a great deal trying to take them out and I wasn't ready to spend my resources in that way.

 

This is basically what I recommend everyone do while playing this game. The game is Fallout 3, but not really if you think about it. It *is* a lot harder, and I like that it is, because Fallout 3 just got ridiculously easy really quickly. New Vegas has kept me on my toes in each and every encounter so far, and I'm only level 7. Play safe, play tactically, play as if you're limited on resources. If something is to hard, pass it up and wait until you're packin' the big guns. I use a varmint rifle and 9mm for most of the easy targets, but I'll switch to my cowboy repeater or SMG's for thick targets. Make sure you have a nice rounded assortment of weapons with you at all times to make up for the inherent weaknesses of some guns, but keep around piddly ones for taking out the easy stuff and so you don't waste durability and rare ammo. It makes no sense to fire a rocket at an ant, or a practically naked gang member.

 

This is not a game to run and gun in - if you treat it like that, you're going to find out the hard way that that's not an effective way of dealing with every problem. Discretion is the better part of valor.

[JimboUK]

This does tend to be a problem with guns in RPGS. In traditional swords and magic type games it's easy to have a low level character make sense, magic can be weak because the character isn't skilled and sword blows can be deflected from inexperienced characters. The thing with guns is they do the same damage no matter who fires the thing, a bullet in the face from an old lady will do the same damage as one from Rambo. At range you can make the gun less accurate without it looking wrong but at close range you can't, bullets coming out of the barrel at a 45° angle just looks ridiculous.

[Madae]

bullets coming out of the barrel at a 45° angle just looks ridiculous.

 

Except you'd be surprised what would happen if you don't know how to use a gun and you fire it from your hip. It most certainly won't be accurate.

 

I don't know what problem you're having. I made a character with 8 charisma and 10 intelligence, picked good natured and small frame for traits, and I've been able to look down my sights and hit things a good distance away with a crappy guns skill. Sometimes I miss, sometimes I don't.

 

In a way, it appeals to the first person shooter crowd, allowing them to play like they would in an FPS without having to many problems. I also imagine guns affects accuracy and damage in vats more than it does while shooting normally. If you use vats a lot, it's going to take your character skills into account more than it would if you're freeshooting.