How do you roleplay in a sandbox?

[GamerChas]

This is something that constantly bugs me about playing FO3. Why am I wandering around the wasteland when I have a goal, finding dad?

 

I am new to the Fallout series. I have heard about them fo a long time so I finally took the plunge.

 

I mostly do FPS which are linear. And role playing like Baulders Gate or Neverwinter Nights which are still mostly linear. FO3 is my first sandbox.

 

I started with Fallout 1 and 2 just before starting FO3. FO1 was still mostly linear, then in FO2 I started having a problem with the role playing. Why am I doing quests in Reno when I have a village to save? At least in FO2, about half the quests are important to the final goal. And you could go back and do them after finishing the main goal of saving your people.

 

In FO3, if you just follow the main goal you can finish the game with doing less than 10% of what is available. So what kind of role playing do you think of to justify doing all the side quests? Or am I stupid to even think of role playing with a sandbox game?

The only thing I can come up with is that when I emerge from the vault, I am amazed at the world and want to go everywhere (and kill lots an lots of things?) and to Hell with the dad who abandonded me. If I do find the SOB then fine, I can find out why he left me. But that is not what "I" want to be in the game.

 

I have not played into Broken Steel yet. The first time I played FO3 was with no add-ons installed, so when you finish the main goal that is it. Done. Any quests not finished are lost. Now I have all add-ons installed including Broken Steel. So does it make more sense to go ahead and finish Project Purity early then do all the wasteland exploring after Broken Steel starts? I have no idea how the main goal plays out in Broken Steel. So, from a role playing point of view, does it make more sense to explore the wasteland during Broken Steel by putiing off the Broken Steel final game ending goal?

 

Any better ideas? Do you create any kind of story for your character?

[TheDarkPrince]

Guess it depends on the background you give to your character.

 

If your guy\girl just gets out of the vault and his\her only concern is about finding dad than your roleplay will be all about "LETS FINISH THE GAME, NOW", and its still role-play.

If you guy\girl is amazed by the world and cant do nothing but do more and more and more and kill more and more and more so be it, your dad is another random thing on the road.

If your guy\girl is in "theory" searching for his\her dad but he\she needs support\training\beverages to roleplay a "realistic" wasteland lifestyle than there you got the answer: subquests\misc quests are those things that helps you gear up, find shelter and sh1t like that so that you can search safely for your dad as it is your final mission.

 

 

my 50 cents, cheers.

[7thsealord]

As I see it, if the LW wants to find Dad, s/he has to upgrade. Better weapons, better armour, better capabilities, better knowledge of the DC Wastes AND friends with lots of guns.

 

Go running off Downtown as soon as you get the directions from Megaton, and you are dead. It really is that simple. Plenty of warnings given in-game about how dangerous it is out there.

Edited January 24, 2013 by 7thsealord

[GamerChas]

Thanks for the replys. I think the needing to power up idea is probably the most logical.

 

I just tried restarting from the vault exit, talked to Moriarity then headed to DC right away. Of course I got my behind kicked. I was able to run away from the supermutant with the minigun that you run into just east of the river without dying. So this taught me a valuable lesson: I must power up first. So now I do have a reason to start Moira's quests, etc. But that only gets my little mind set to do some of the quests. Once I feel strong enough I will not be able to continue to do side quests. I will probably start Broken Steel early and see how it goes for side quests after that. Of course, then I have to do them before finishing or never at all. I DO want to explore 'everything' before the very final goal.

I just remembered, one thing that will help later. You do not really 'know' where the vault with your dad is, so I can keep searching the wrong places. Even though the Pipboy shows exactly where it is even if you never went anywhere near the area. I wish I could shut that show location feature off.

Edited January 24, 2013 by GamerChas

[DavidYokosukaJapan]

So, from a role playing point of view, does it make more sense to explore the wasteland during Broken Steel by putiing off the Broken Steel final game ending goal?

 

Any better ideas? Do you create any kind of story for your character?

Without ruining the storyline surprises of the game, all I'll say is I personally put off the main quest for a very long time because the wasteland is a little different after the main story is finished and Broken Steel starts. :whistling:

 

My Lone Wanderer's always neutral doing some good here some 'evil' there.

 

Helen: Have you ever killed enslaved anyone?

Harry (played by the Lone Wanderer): Yeah, but they were all bad. ;)

 

 

 

I just remembered, one thing that will help later. You do not really 'know' where the vault with your dad is, so I can keep searching the wrong places. Even though the Pipboy shows exactly where it is even if you never went anywhere near the area. I wish I could shut that show location feature off.

To deactivate them, open the FalloutPrefs.ini. The file should be in the folder

C:\Documents and Settings\**yournamehere**\My Documents\My Games\Fallout3

 

Search for 'bShowQuestMarkers' and set it to 0. Save the file and load the game. Yay you're lost! ;) I like playing this way as well.

[GamerChas]

Thank for the info Dave. The .ini tweak works. I was just always setting the active quest to The Pitt so it would only show that one. I kinda figured I should do everything before starting Broken Steel.

[Talwyn224]

I thought the best way to RP Fallout was this: turn off the HUD. Simply go into the settings controls, choose display and turn down the HUD to zero. that way you will not have any map markers, red enemy indicators, ammo or heath bars etc. It really makes the game that much more challenging. it also does another thing as well, it makes you consult your Pipboy more often which is far more in keeping with reality, ie; using it to find places on a map as you would by using a smart phone and Google maps etc.

 

The time to turn on HUD is when you're wearing a power armour helmet, then and only then does HUD make any kind of sense. Of course there is the consideration that by wearing a Pipboy, it somehow is like some cybernetic interface that directly links into the brain and visual cortex thus allowing information to appear in your vision. Just a thought?

[DavidYokosukaJapan]

I thought the best way to RP Fallout was this: turn of the HUD. ............

The time to turn on HUD is when you're wearing a power armour helmet,..............

Damn that's a good idea :) b

 

I'm not role playing very well this playthrough because I'm so caught up in staying 'neutral' Karma that I have that meter turned on. My lame excuse for doing that is because when you kill Pitt Raiders (or was it Shamen?) you GAIN good karma... which makes NO sense because they were trying to kill you anyhow :rolleyes:

 

My lone wanderer is also guilty of "being a girly-man" -- that is, I carry a wardrobe with me and "change for the occasion." I've got a nice, grimy business suit, full roving trader outfit, advanced radiation suit, and my armor which I wear the most of course: The Mechanist's costume! :tongue:

I've heard there's some random encounter where a kid asks for your autograph... after I encounter that.... encounter, I'll probably sell the suit or actually more likely give it to one of the folks at Big Town.

I think a "good" Fallout roleplayer is likely to either a) have 2 suits at most or, b) Wear one all day and go all the way home to change instead of carrying clothes around.

Yeahhh... soon as I load my game I'm getting rid of the business suit and roving trader clothes. I guess I can let Jericho carry the radiation suit around for me :thumbsup: