Fallout 2 - It's meant to be good?

[laclongquan]

Or you can just stall the final solution (sell deed to which) until right before getting aboard the oil tanker. You only lose the use of 2000$ at the early stage of the game but you make use of everything else this location can offer.

Crazy talk, I know~

 

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[pippin]

Fun fact: Harlan Ellison hates the movie because the ending was "misogynistic"

It certainly captures some of the humor, though.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

Speaking of Redding, I've always kinda felt ambivalent about it.
On one hand, it's a pretty decent early-mid-game location with various stuff to do and nice flavour to it.
On the other hand, it's not easy to find out about it, and it's sort of out of the way relative to the main quest line (SE of Den, while you want to go staight to the east to VC at this stage).
I usually end up visiting it after getting a car, but before going to NCR.

Those are all positive points for me. Then again, as an outsider I wasn't very interested in the miner conflict, and if you're interested in gambling at all New Reno is right over there.

 

[Brotherman Bill]

And thus, Droog-Kun finally succeeded in his eternal quest to successfully troll the codex

 

[T. Reich]

And thus, Droog-Kun finally succeeded in his eternal quest to successfully troll the codex

As if! This is a great nostalgia thread, and diablo's posts are one of the funniest let's plays I've ever read, as unintentional as it is. I'm still waiting for the update.

Speaking of Redding, I've always kinda felt ambivalent about it.
On one hand, it's a pretty decent early-mid-game location with various stuff to do and nice flavour to it.
On the other hand, it's not easy to find out about it, and it's sort of out of the way relative to the main quest line (SE of Den, while you want to go staight to the east to VC at this stage).
I usually end up visiting it after getting a car, but before going to NCR.

Those are all positive points for me. Then again, as an outsider I wasn't very interested in the miner conflict, and if you're interested in gambling at all New Reno is right over there.

Oh, not a bad thing. I kinda wish it was more visible, somehow. In my first F2 playthrough, I never even found out about Redding until the very, very end. It's a thoroughly "provincial", optional town, with fairly lacklustre "loot" and no big things happening in it. At least, among other optional towns, Broken Hills has Markus, and New Reno is just huge and has tons of interesting quests. And Modoc is just conveniently in the way, so you can't really miss it (and you'd get bored walking all the way from Den to VC otherwise, so it was kinda put there to break the tedium, I guess).

 

[Clockwork Knight]

^^ Drog has already trolled the world when he managed to convince us Arcanum was worth playing

Oh, not a bad thing. I kinda wish it was more visible, somehow. In my first F2 playthrough, I never even found out about Redding until the very, very end. It's a thoroughly "provincial", optional town, with fairly lacklustre "loot" and no big things happening in it. At least, among other optional towns, Broken Hills has Markus, and New Reno is just huge and has tons of interesting quests. And Modoc is just conveniently in the way, so you can't really miss it (and you'd get bored walking all the way from Den to VC otherwise, so it was kinda put there to break the tedium, I guess).

I found Redding before Modoc the first time. I think I heard about Reno somewhere in the Den or Klamath and thought it was a more alluring location than Vault City (which sounded like an endgame place from the name), and Redding is on the way. I don't think I got Vic to tell me about his buddy there (I talked to him from the window and didn't have the gear to face Metzger's gang). Also the drunk guy at Mama's Diner made the ghost farm sound like bad news so I didn't make a point of visiting soon.

 

[T. Reich]

I found Redding before Modoc the first time. I think I heard about Reno somewhere in the Den or Klamath and thought it was a more alluring location than Vault City (which sounded like an endgame place from the name), and Redding is on the way. I don't think I got Vic to tell me about his buddy there (I talked to him from the window and didn't have the gear to face Metzger's gang). Also the drunk guy at Mama's Diner made the ghost farm sound like bad news so I didn't make a point of visiting soon.

Ahh, that's the singular beauty behind Fallout games! No right way to play the game, neither in terms of skill sets, nor in terms of travelling routes.

I wonder if anyone can actually go to Redding, then to New Reno and NCR and find the GECK while having completely bypassed the whole Vault City business, all just by following the ingame dialogues? That would be awesome.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

It's possible. Vault City's main utility is to use the central computer to find out Vault 13's location, but you can also get that at Vault 15, which you are told about in NCR, which is a big place and easy to find, closer to New Reno than Vault City. This route also has the bonus of not requiring you to ever look at Lynette's mug.

edit: turns out the Vault City mainframe actually tells you of Vault 15's location only, but the end result is the same.

 

[pippin]

When I first played the game I think I visited VC once and left, mostly to talk to Cassidy and Vic's daughter, and the thing with the ghouls I guess. It wasn't an interesting location for me.

 

[eXalted]

When I first played the game I think I visited VC once and left, mostly to talk to Cassidy and Vic's daughter, and the thing with the ghouls I guess. It wasn't an interesting location for me.

Oh, for me it was. I just wanted to equip all the shit I had and throw it on their heads to show them what a true citizen means. Starting from Lynette of course.

 

[ZagorTeNej]

I loved Vault City, one of the most atmospheric areas in the game, just listen to the theme:



Technologically advanced, clean city of legalized slavery headed by first bitchizen Lynette, what's not to like? It's a great place for a killing spree (starting with guess who) once you find some powerful gear.

Shines in multiple approaches and stat/skill checks area as well, there's about a dozen ways just to enter the inner city.

 

[Miserable Panda]

I will never forget the first time I visited Vault City. The solitude (I always had the feeling I didnt belong there), the music, the many ways you had to enter the inner city or even get the citizenship (To this day, I was not able to pass the test, and I still don't want to google it).
First citizen Lynette always scared me, and I loved the fact that she could have two entirely different behaviours, altered by the way you talk to her. The mission to destroy Gecko is one of the best this game has to offer. The sperm donation at the vault was hilarious. And Cassidy!

Man, I sure dont regret getting this game a while back. I wonder if any future game will make me feel like this one did. I mean the randomness and the freedom this game gives you is unbelievable, to the point of being able to go Navarro as soon as you leave Arroyo. That was quite broken, to tell you the truth.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

Well, unless you save every other step you'll most likely run into an Enclave patrol along the way which is a good hint that you should probably go somewhere else for now (or not, if you want the phat loot and are persistent enough). I don't remember if it's because of a low-level PC's shitty Outdoorsman or Navarro vicinity just has frequent encounters.

I forgot Vault City's theme was so intense. It's funny since it's one of the safest places in the game. Broken Hills' theme creeped me out though it was generally safe too, unless you start a fight at the jailhouse. (edit: it made sense later because it's also the old Military Base theme, lol)

 

[eXalted]

KAH-KOH
Yes, Vault City music must be my favourite too.

 

[T. Reich]

Well, unless you save every other step you'll most likely run into an Enclave patrol along the way which is a good hint that you should probably go somewhere else for now (or not, if you want the phat loot and are persistent enough). I don't remember if it's because of a low-level PC's shitty Outdoorsman or Navarro vicinity just has frequent encounters.

I think it's both, actually. I used to grind the Navarro patrols for phat loot and decent combat exp in a couple of playthroughs, and IIRC the encounters were pretty frequent.

I kinda wish the entrances to the base were stricter and maybe more, uh, streamlined?

Would be cool if the petrol station attendant would be better equipped to deal with interlopers (combat armor equivalent under those robes?), would be unavoidable to speak with upon entering the location (I don't remember but you can dodge this conversation, right?), but at the same time he would drop the hints for the player on how to enter the base disguised if you know about Navarro (for example, the mandatory mention that combat armor is the standard uniform for new recruits and that they don't travel with mutants/tribals, more specific details if CHA/speech/int checks are passed and right questions asked).

And that the damn trap door would be better locked, and the underground base staff/guards would be more vigilant towards random people wanering about, at least the ones without proper uniform. Or, you know, people who seemm to wander out of maintenance tunnel.

This way one would be less likely to cheese their way into the base, and more likely to go via main entrance and thus meet my favourite talking head in the game.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

The gatekeeper has the password that you can use to enter the base peacefully. There's nothing stopping you from killing or ignoring him, but then you have to deal with the guys inside. Having an ultra suspicious robed guy standing in front of the secret entrance isn't the best way to keep it secret, though. Just make it look like the gas station has been looted clean and you don't even need to lock it.

 

[Somberlain]

It's a great place for a killing spree (starting with guess who)

 

[naossano]

Vault City is one of the highlight of the whole series.

 

[laclongquan]

Redding caravan is a bit of a rigged card battles, the risks outweigh the gains.

You got a short trip to Vault City which is the best outcome. Not too dangerous encounters.

You got a medium trip to New Reno which is a risky one because you might run into a dangerous encounter for that level of gears and XP at that moment.

You get a long trip to NCR which can be a game over for you. The trip is long with many chances for dangerous critters. Then you are stuck at NCR, not certain that you can do the quest. The return trips got two directions: New Reno direction is the most dangerous route you can take with many aliens and centaurs. the V15 then Broken Hills is longer, slightly less dangerous but can still be lethal for your level unless you are ready to run away screaming like little girls every single time. The only safe way out is another caravan trip and it's still NOT that safe.

If you are on the way to Modoc and/or VC, VC trip is the only safe way. If you are back from VC (to the Den for car) you might survive the New Reno trip. The Redding-NCR is always risky until you get power armor.

 

[T. Reich]

Redding - New Reno trip is not too hard, given you are ready to run away from the harder encounters.
Once you get there, New Reno Arms sells some good stuff to last you till NCR.
The trip to NCR should be manageable with those.
And once you get to NCR, you've gut an awesome Buster's gun shop right at the entrance to the location. You can get Bozar there. That's all.

I suppose that the trip via VC/Gecko and Broken Hills is better since, you get a bunch of exp, a more fluid progression and a chance of getting two great followers, but Redding-NR-NCR route is not impossible either.

 

[Miserable Panda]

I always chose Broken Hills - New Reno, if I remember right they were really close (and with Marcus, it was a priority to get him third). I did some of the families quests (Salvatore, of course) and then off to San Francisco to get the Bozar. Of course this was in the second and consequent playthroughs.
The thing I remember the most from NCR is the quest when you save a dude that is about to commit suicide, I had to reload 20 times or more, but damn it felt right.

The natural flow should be Redding - Vault City -Gecko, you get a lot exp and the best followers around. But getting to New Reno earlier than expected gives access to the great quests and a lot of equipment (and you can get Myron, if you are into weird shit)

 

[eXalted]

Travelling from Den to Vault City has encounters like 20 bandits attacking 20 raiders (or it was something else, doesn't matter). Staying out of the battle while the two armies massacre themselves, killing the last 2-3 living people gives you TONS and TONS of guns, ammo, drugs and more stuff. It's kind of immersion breaking. The moment you star exploring the wasteland, you no longer feel like a survivor, you are walking machine of destruction.

And ah, Navarro... I remember the first time when I played the game (gosh, it was long ago) and went there, I was glued to the screen. So much tension and that voice of the Commander. Now it's only powergaming and how you can get there the easier. The feels...

...and you can get Myron, if you are into weird shit)

:D :D

 

[naossano]

How can someone NOT recruit Myron ?

 

[T. Reich]

I liek mah mofos who can SHOOT stuff. Myron is a fuckin nerd, he can rot back at the farm.