Some of my issues with Fallout NV

[marharth]

1. The area around Vegas is already a wasteland... It doesn't seem to me like anything got nuked, it just looks like natural processes wore everything down.

 

2. New Vegas is way to small, sure Westside and Freeside is part of it, but the entire city should of been linked...

 

3. Why does the game assume you want revenge? Some dude stole something you were delivering and shot you so you wouldn't be a witness, so what... You live in the wasteland so you shouldn't want revenge for someone doing that, it happens ALL THE TIME...

 

4. I go into Bennys casino and no one knows who I am, I go to camp golf and ever low life solider in the world some how knows I helped protect the president. Wouldn't one of the massive mob lords of New Vegas know who I was? You can take out the entire ceaser army and go see benny without him knowing about it.

 

5. Faction armor is kind of weird, if your not hiding your face and you have a massive rep why does it matter? I understand with a neutral rep but faction armor would be pointless then.

IMO if you have a small rep/neutral one the body faction armor should treat you as a faction member (as in know your face and stuff, but also treat you as the faction armor rank)

If you have a large rep you should also have to cover your face.

I like the concept, but I think it got missed...

 

6. I have argued that project purity is stupid, and shouldn't magically need a GECK and other random crap to run. That is proved instantly with the dam. The dam clearly purifies the water it puts through, just by filtering it. People might say "omg but the dam r bigger". Well if you see project purity it was built all the way around Lincoln memorial, plus a lot of things on the inside. If a team of scientists could do that in less then 10 years, why can't some towns/brotherhood get together and build a dam?

 

7. Capturing the dam for yourself makes you appear greedy and evil. I HATE THAT... This would go close to #1 or #2 if this was in order of the stuff I hated. I wanted to capture it for myself for good reasons, and not to make Vegas independent... I either wanted to run off the NCR and make my own government, or make a deal with the NCR that would let them live in my area without power.

 

I wasn't expecting the option of setting up my own government of course, but it could of at least make me have some chat options that didn't make me look like a dick -.-

[secksegai]

I take it you never spoke to House in depth?

 

House explains that he was able to nullify the majority of the warheads headed for vegas, which is exactly why its not nearly as blasted as other parts of the former USA.

 

Not sure what you were expecting out of New Vegas. When the majority of Non-Enclave buildings are lacking the typical amenities of pre-war life, the strip is one of the few exceptions. While a larger strip would have been nice, the reason places like Freeside exist is because that's where most of the local people ended up after he took over.

 

Considering you're just trying to make ends meet in the wasteland as a courier, only to be murdered without even knowing why, the majority of players, heck the majority of the world would find vengeance coming into play. Truth is, the main quests involving Benny aren't necessarily vengeance based more as simply trying to get answers for what took place.

 

Aside from Mr. New Vegas, there isn't really any news, so the majority of things would have to be passed through word of mouth. It's even plausible that casino folk are far too concerned with their little community to bother little with the rest of Vegas. Ultimately, if Benny knew you had survived, then he'd be much more prepared for your first encounter, if he stayed in town at all.

 

Let's say you're an NCR Ranger. If you see a Legion uniform, it only would make sense that its an enemy. Even with a high rep, people have a lot of freedom to change their allegiance.

 

Project Purity was built from the ground up and had a lot of support initially. But the lack of progress eventually led to its end. Sure, the GECK is obviously a macguffin.

 

The damn was existing pre-war technology that had been designed as a hydroelectric damn. If not for that fact, finding the resources to build a hydroelectric damn in the desert wasteland would be slim to none. The fact that Fantastic managed to pass for scientific genius should give you an idea on the lack of manpower within the NCR.

 

Running the NCR off and forming your own government is making New Vegas independent...

As for Living in your area without power.... that's exactly what happens. The NCR can't exist in territory it doesn't "own", but that doesn't prevent former citizens\soldiers from living in an Independent Vegas.

 

You're forcing someone out of their territory, there's no way to save face from that.

[frank lee]

Sooo . . . In the Fallout universe did the American military not nuke this area for testing weapons? I have to agree with marharth here. From blasted and deadly wasteland to er, blasted and deadly radioactive wasteland isn't . . doesn't . .

The one place in the whole game that feels really scary dangerous, for me, is Searchlight. When that haze came down the only thing that was missing was a muffled "Oh S**t!" interrupted by the clang of me and Vera's helmets slamming closed.

Now that was atmospheric!

 

The problem with the Strip is its out of scale. Its small, yet full of very large places and the large places aren't very big. This is hard to describe but it lacks the depth of detail because House pushed all the clutter out and its that clutter that lends immersion to a gamespace. The Repcon HQ for example feels 'realer' than the strip does. The interior/exterior ratio is perfect, the volumes and detail work far better than the Strip.

 

As for the reputation, fraction armor disguises and endings, I've said elsewhere I believe the devs have pushed the complexity to the limits of the game engines capacity. What you are feeling with those issues is the shriek of metal from the gearbox and a nasty burning smell!

 

"Slow down Ripley slow down, You've blown the trans-axle! You're just grinding metal! Ease down..." Hicks, Aliens.

[LadyMilla]

6. I have argued that project purity is stupid, and shouldn't magically need a GECK and other random crap to run. That is proved instantly with the dam. The dam clearly purifies the water it puts through, just by filtering it. People might say "omg but the dam r bigger". Well if you see project purity it was built all the way around Lincoln memorial, plus a lot of things on the inside. If a team of scientists could do that in less then 10 years, why can't some towns/brotherhood get together and build a dam?

 

I have no idea where you get that idea but the dam generates electricity and does not purify water. It is instantly proven if you go upstream and jump into the water... no radioactivity. So there goes your "proof" about the stupidity of Project Purity.

[marharth]

6. I have argued that project purity is stupid, and shouldn't magically need a GECK and other random crap to run. That is proved instantly with the dam. The dam clearly purifies the water it puts through, just by filtering it. People might say "omg but the dam r bigger". Well if you see project purity it was built all the way around Lincoln memorial, plus a lot of things on the inside. If a team of scientists could do that in less then 10 years, why can't some towns/brotherhood get together and build a dam?

 

I have no idea where you get that idea but the dam generates electricity and does not purify water. It is instantly proven if you go upstream and jump into the water... no radioactivity. So there goes your "proof" about the stupidity of Project Purity.

 

What?

 

So the water is magically not radioactive even though a big dam is right there? The dam would still filter upstream water.. In fallout 3 the water EVERYWHERE is radioactive... Most of the water areas that are not near the dam are completely radioactive (that one big lake in red rock or whatever for example). While lakes like the one near camp golf, and other ones only around the river are fine. I don't see how anyone can argue the need for the GECK, it was a failed storyline plot... I am not sure how F1 and 2 are in terms of storyline, but with fallout 3 and New Vegas with the whole water thing, it just completely destroyed it.

 

The other person who replied, I heard what house said entirely... That seems like another storyline plot to me. Either way it still seems out of scale.

 

I still liked New Vegas, I might of even liked it more then fallout 3. I like the open areas for sniping purposes (everyone loves sniping :P). but I think the whole desert thing takes away from the concept.

Edited December 8, 2010 by marharth

[LadyMilla]

What?

 

So the water is magically not radioactive even though a big dam is right there? The dam would still filter upstream water

 

How would a dam filter upstream water? The water flows through the tubes and filters, obeying gravity, and then it is magically teleported back clean into Lake Mead? :rolleyes:. Pumping back clean water into the contaminated lake is not very logical either.

 

As to revenge as a plausible motive for the Courier's rampage through the region... I kinda agree, it's even worse than the ending of the vanilla Fallout 3 game. Somebody shot you in the head, you recover, you have no weapons, not a clue about surviving in the desert, just the knowledge that there is somebody out there who wanted the thing you were carrying was ruthless enough to shoot you instead of simply taking it from you, and still... instead of turning tail, you go after them.

 

It is a suitable plot for a Steven Seagal movie but in F:NV it just made me cringe.

[frank lee]

Evidence from places like Chernobyl would suggest that after a couple of hundred years the dam would have accumulated radioactivity, not the reverse. Water has some odd properties and picking up radiation isn't the weirdest by far. However particles, irradiated or otherwise are lifted by moving water and dropped by standing water. So sorry to tell you, but a good proportion of any 'hot' material from the entire watershed is going to end up in Lake Mead.

 

Now there's a 'realism mod' idea.

Edited December 8, 2010 by frank lee

[Staghound]

There are so many holes in the plot of FONV that the only thing to do is ignore them and just enjoy the game play.

 

If the developers had spent as much time just on developing the opening of the plot as they did on developing all the different endings (see the Wiki) the game would be greatly improved. Consider this: the Courier's instructions for the platinum chip include a standard reminder that the Courier is liable to recompense the client for loss of the package, which in itself gives a reason for the Courier to go after the chip to try to get it back. But this is totally overlooked in the development of the plot as is. And how does the Courier end up in Goodsprings? The package was collected from Prim, and surely the Courier would have been aware, or been warned by the Company Agent, that the route via Goodsprings and Sloan was extremely dangerous? And what about the mysterious person who abandoned the couriership? This looks like the start of a plot line, and suggests all sorts of questions, but is totally ignored and forgotten once the Courier has learnt about it.

 

Oh dear ... I could go on and on, but as I said at the start, the best thing to do is ignore the plot and get on with the game!

[Park77]

yea, the reason why new vegas water isn't as radioactive is because it wasn't as badly hit. The dam doesn't filter anything, if so we'd see lake mead as bring irradiated, but the tail end being clean. Water doesn't flow backwards in a dam.

 

I like your thoughts on faction armour. It would be ideal that to achieve the proper neutral effect that you'd need to wear something that obscures your face. Although I think wearing opposing faction armour should lead to hostility, if not aggression

 

I also agree on the revenge slant. Only because it partially sets the personality for the courier, when the whole premise of character creation is the ability to create his/her disposition. That being said, revenge suits my guy just fine.

[Park77]

..double post Edited December 8, 2010 by Park77