Fallout: New Vegas

[Mustakrakish]

Couple of questions which I can't find the answers for by googling...
What can I do with all those cards I keep seeing in almost every trader's inventory? I mean 6 of spades etc... I bought them all so far just to be sure, but is there any point? Also what do NCR dollars do? I heard somewhere you can change them for chips in casino's... Well can you? Is there any other use?
This might seem weird, but can I read all those loading screen tips somewhere? I mean besides loading screens. There are a couple of tips and history lessons popping out from time to time that I never quite manage to read before they disappear. Googling only provided "loading screen crash", "loading screen crash", "loading screen crush" etc.

 

[Fetus4188]

Money is.. money. You can exchange them for caps at any trader, but the best exchange rate will be at a casino cashier.

The cards are for playing Caravan, some sort of card game you can play with many NPCs.

 

[Disgustipated]

I still haven't learned to play caravan. But yes, those are what the cards are for. The game seems complicated, but I guess once you learn it, it's not too bad.

And go see the cashier at a casino, they will exchange NCR money. You can also trade them to traders, but the exchange rate is based on your barter skill.

As for loading screen tips, I have the PC version, so they go pretty quick on my PC. Although it's a little slower than fallou3, so I can read the shorter ones in time usually.

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

This game is wonderful. Doing well in my current game. Me with an Anti-Materiel Rifle and Boone with the Gobi Scout Rifle along with ED-E's sensors just essentially kill anything outdoors within a few seconds. Shame about the bugs though. But I can wait for the patches. I also regret not using Helios One to power up Archimedes II at first. Turns out you can't change the route later.

Also, how are you enjoying the portrayal of Vegas, Disgustipated?

And Searchlight seems to have been taken out of the game.

There's a Camp Searchlight filled with NCR Ghoul Troopers.

I'd love to hear everyone's favorite weapons. The Marksman Carbine and Riot Shotgun are so good.

 

[Mustakrakish]

I still haven't learned to play caravan. But yes, those are what the cards are for. The game seems complicated, but I guess once you learn it, it's not too bad.

And go see the cashier at a casino, they will exchange NCR money. You can also trade them to traders, but the exchange rate is based on your barter skill.

As for loading screen tips, I have the PC version, so they go pretty quick on my PC. Although it's a little slower than fallou3, so I can read the shorter ones in time usually.

Yeah I didn't know how to play it either until yesterday. I forced myself to watch the "how to play caravan" video on YouTube.

What confused me the most about it was A: controls (It would be much easier if you could use the mouse methinks), and B: The initial card choosing. I didn't understand what and why I must choose.

Now I'm not good with cards, never liked card games and don't know squat about them. You could say I'm a total noob in cards. But I'll try to explain briefly for people like me who's not on speaking terms with cards (Though seeing as everyone I know knows how to play cards, I'm a little worried that I'm in a minority )...

In short you choose any cards you want from 30 to 60 or just pick random (which I prefer obviously). Then you need to build 3 caravans/stacks with numerical cards. The sum of each stack should be 22-26 with the higher the better, meaning 26 is the best. Stacks must be built in ascending or descending numerical order (for example: 2,3,5,7,8 or 10,9,7,4,3 etc.).
And that's pretty much it, the basics.
To win, the sum of your stacks must be higher than opponent's. Meaning - for example: if you have stacks of 26, 24 and 22 with opposing enemy stacks of 24, 22 and 22 you should win... I think.
I won with only 2 full stacks, so I guess as long as your sum is higher you can win with 2.

Also there are bonus cards or faced cards as I read somewhere. Anyway those give you bonuses to your stacks. Like queen reverses the descending order to ascending and vise versa. King doubles the value of the card it's placed on. Jack removes the card it's placed on. Ace adds 1 point. Joker is... I don't know what it does, but it's better not to use it.
You can sabotage enemy stacks with these cards. Like for example placing king on opponent's 22-26 stack making it go higher than 26 which forces the opponent to disband the stack and start a new.

EDIT: lol "opposing enemy stacks"

This game is wonderful. Doing well in my current game. Me with an Anti-Materiel Rifle and Boone with the Gobi Scout Rifle along with ED-E's sensors just essentially kill anything outdoors within a few seconds. Shame about the bugs though. But I can wait for the patches. I also regret not using Helios One to power up Archimedes II at first. Turns out you can't change the route later.

I'd love to hear everyone's favorite weapons. The Marksman Carbine and Riot Shotgun are so good.

Not sure about the favorite weapon, I kinda use what comes by since my little incident with the brotherhood.
I ended up in brotherhood bunker with Veronica while I was completely out of ammo. Conveniently enough upon exiting the bunker we were confronted by 4 mean paladins... I thought I'll never leave that bunker. Fortunately the mighty "quickload-repeat" does wonders. The best and only solution for me out of that situation proved to be "run for the hills while Veronica deals with them, as they insisted on shooting me exclusively". Since then I wasn't picky about weapons I pick up.

 

[GenMarshall]

I'd love to hear everyone's favorite weapons.

The Laser Rifle with focus optics and scope attached to it making it a lethal laser sniper rifle. Turn my enemies into crispy critters. Puts the whole new twist on "my lightest touch will kill you". And yes, I do snipe with the weapon and take full advantage of sneak attack criticals.

I'm mainly big on Energy Weapons.

As for addons. The Luger pistol.

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

Sneak attack criticals make sniping so unfair to the enemy at times.

Personally, I prefer normal Guns. I might use Energy Weapons in a different playthrough. Possibly along with a more Sneak-oriented strategy, whatever that would be.

 

[Disgustipated]

I'm using energy weapons this game. I'm using the unique plasma rifle I found in

Spoiler :

Repconn headquarters in the Henderson area

. I picked up the unique laser rifle in

Spoiler :

vault 22

, but haven't used that since I got the unique plasma rifle. I also have the unique plasma pistol.

I am level 24 and tear everything up. The only thing that proved challenging was the deathclaws in the quarry. I reloaded so many times... I don't have power armor (anyone know where to find it in this game?), only have the upgraded combat armor. In the end, I had to take advantage of terrain tricks to lose aggro, and do some damage without being one shotted. And yes, the mother deathclaw does one-shot me. The place is littered with those conveyor belt things (that haul rocks and dirt etc.), just jump on those. If you get in the right spot, you'll lose aggro.

This game is wonderful. Doing well in my current game. Me with an Anti-Materiel Rifle and Boone with the Gobi Scout Rifle along with ED-E's sensors just essentially kill anything outdoors within a few seconds. Shame about the bugs though. But I can wait for the patches. I also regret not using Helios One to power up Archimedes II at first. Turns out you can't change the route later.

Also, how are you enjoying the portrayal of Vegas, Disgustipated?


There's a Camp Searchlight filled with NCR Ghoul Troopers.

I love the game based on my area. Of course Vegas is nothing like that in the game. But consider the game is based off of an alternate universe with 50'ish technlogy and design, and it makes sense. The slot machines are mechanical like you'd find in the 50's.

The area is quite good. Red Rock Canyon and Mt. Charleston are there. (Mt Charleston is renamed and it's the place where the mutants and nightkins live). Very cool

Spoiler :

Marcus

from fallout 2 is in the game. That was a nice find. And yes I eventually did find Searchlight. I still haven't explored that area. I'll have to stock up on some Rad-x I think for that area.

It was way cool fortification hill is in the game. I haven't been there yet in game. But I have been there in real life. It's a nice hike to do in the winter months. It has good views of the lake and the dam. I'm not sure how to get there anymore now the Hoover Dam bypass is complete, they closed down the old US93 on the Arizona side. To get to fortification hill, you make a left onto a dirt road iirc 2 miles on the Arizona side from US93.

Of course the scale of the game is kind of weird. But you can't expect a game to be to scale. You'd spend hours walking before you could get anywhere. .

 

[Jos Ballenbak]

Power armor is found in the hidden vally base of the Brotherhood of Steel.

 

[Disgustipated]

who do you get to train it? I've actually found some on dead BOS guys, but can't actually wear it.

 

[GenMarshall]

who do you get to train it? I've actually found some on dead BOS guys, but can't actually wear it.

You have two choices.

Through the Brotherhood of Steel or For Auld Lang Syne quest.

 

[Ville]

There are also NCR salvaged power armors that NCR heavy troopers are wearing. Those won't need power armor training.

 

[Captain2]

I had a rather fun moment tonight, with only three bars of health, a gang of six people with energy weapons chasing me and no healing items left I was forced to climb a large tower and whip dynamite at them like an agitated chimp.

Weee

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

How did it end? Did you have enough dynamite?

 

[Rub'Rum]

So, I know SickFak is a big proponent of Hardcore mode, but have other people tried it and enjoyed it more than normal?

I don't own the game yet. I might buy it in the next months, I'm wondering if I'll start my first game on Hardcore. On the one hand, many things appeal to me, like the lower availability of resources (can you fast travel in HC?), but on the other hand, an even more restricted inventory space is something that already gets on my nerve in normal mode in Fallout 3 and many other games.

I know carrying fifty rocket lauchers is not realistic, but no matter how realistic I like a game to be, inventory management is never fun for me. The Diablo grid system is the least annoying of them all. Lists of items with maximum carry weight is just *@&%#. I often end up making strong soldier type characters in Elder Scrolls and Fallout and many RPGs just because I want to increase strength in order to limit the amount of inventory management I have to do.

 

[GenMarshall]

I know carrying fifty rocket lauchers is not realistic, but no matter how realistic I like a game to be, inventory management is never fun for me. The Diablo grid system is the least annoying of them all. Lists of items with maximum carry weight is just *@&%#. I often end up making strong soldier type characters in Elder Scrolls and Fallout and many RPGs just because I want to increase strength in order to limit the amount of inventory management I have to do.

Thats why I place my trust in Blackwolf's backpacks.

 

[Captain2]

How did it end? Did you have enough dynamite?

Yeah I had 19 sticks and I managed to kill them all with 8 or 9 sticks of it. They did chip me down to only one health though so I had to look for a bed.

 

[GenMarshall]

Yeah I had 19 sticks and I managed to kill them all with 8 or 9 sticks of it. They did chip me down to only one health though so I had to look for a bed.

At least you did not came across a witch (or a deathclaw, or a coyote nibbling at your leg) .

 

[Ville]

I just reached level 30 in my second game.

Finally dealt with the deathclaws in the quarry. All it took was lots of distance and an anti-materiel rifle with armorpiercing bullets.

I have to say that vault 22 was fun. I used the CivGeneral's flamer technique and those green guys turned brown pretty quickly.

Battle of Hoover Dam is my next mission in the main quest so I'm doing all sidequests I can find for now.

My initial plan was to join the Brotherhood of Steel and kill everyone else. Turns out I have upset both NCR and Legion before I have even joined the BoS which of course may not have been too wise. So far I've killed Mr. House, the Van Graffs and the White Glove Society. Only ones I've saved on my path were the ghoul cult. I haven't decided what to do with Yes Man but I destroyed the Securitron army of which he thought "our" plan became a bit more challenging. I love that bot!

Next game I'll try the hardcore mode and maybe join the legion.


For those of you who play on PC and are experiencing CTDs and lag, tweaking ffdshow will help. You need to disable ffdshow for FalloutNV.exe in the video and audio configuration.

 

[kulade]

I wish there were more Legion involved quests. It's pretty easy to earn the respect of the NCR; they have dozens of outposts all willing to dole out quests, but all of the scarce legion quests involve doing something drastic and game shifting that I don't want to put my neck out for.

Does anyone even know what the function of karma is in this game? I haven't seen one point when it changes anything. Of course either way, karma is extremely imbalanced like in Fallout 3; you have to be irrational or sadistic to maintain bad karma; solving quests cleanly or completely typically earns you positive karma and it's hard to shake it off. But, it's not like it matters, I guess.

In my file, I've hit the level cap a while back, I'm still neutral with Caesar and the Powder Gangers and Idolized by the NRC, Boomers, Goodsprings, White Glove, the Strip and Khans (although I convinced the Khans to leave the Mojave). I'm a member of the Brotherhood and well-liked, but I'll probably end up destroying the bunker and massacring them. I trashed the Van Graffs and stole their weapons, got hella rich, and bought all 9 implants with my 9 endurance. I'm trying to find all companions and go the quests they give, but I'm always tempted to look online. I plan on saving at a point where I can still complete any of the four victories and doing them all from there. I finally found a Shishkebab and I wreak havock with it, my Q-35 matter modulator and my 100 melee and energy skills.