Fallout 3 revisited

[Skybird]

Early last year I bought a new system , and as a consequence from having a quadcore then and using a x64 Windows, Fallout 3 did not run on it. I had freezes after some minutes, and graphical artifacts.

I then googled and stumbled over the ini-fix to prevent the game from using more than two cores, which healed the issues immediately. I was happy - and forgot it all on the same day.

Yesterday I digged it out again, installed it, pushed all sliders and everything to max, plus higher resolution (1680) - and was stunned by how differently and how superb the game looks despite its age! On my old rig I had to use lower resolution and sliders on medium, and advanced visual effects deactivated. But now - wowh, simply wowh. :sunny:

Had no real idea what a good-looking game this is - still.

It's nice to have had a long, very long pause from it. It all feels new, and details are no longer remembered, but get newly discovered.

[Takeda Shingen]

Since you have F3 running well, you should also try out New Vegas. Identical system requirements and a damn fine game.

[Red October1984]

Both New Vegas and Fallout 3 are wonderful games. Glad you can run them.

[TwoGamers]

Very good games

[Skybird]

Since you have F3 running well, you should also try out New Vegas. Identical system requirements and a damn fine game.

The interest is there, but it is not strong enough to overcome my antipathy towards Steam. Skyrim is the only single exception, regarding Steam. But no more Steam-stuff for me.

Its the F3 Gold edition over here, with all four addons, so there is plenty of gametime ahead anyway.

[Skybird]

http://imageshack.us/a/img16/2277/screenshot0ik.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/16/screenshot0ik.jpg/)

I'm going fishing. :D

[Schroeder]

I'm going fishing. :D
At the irradiated Potomac?
Well, you might get lucky and catch a Mirelurk or bathing Super Mutant with your rod.:O:

[Kloef]

Ah Fallout 3...i must have spend months just exploring. I played the story 4 times and started modding and spend even longer in the game:O:

Then i bought all the add-ons after a year or so and i just loved it even more, this game is high in my top 10 list and sometimes i just think about it, especially the atmosphere in the game is something that sticks with you..

Even yesterday i was thinking of reinstalling it, but all that deja-vu is too much after playing for so long and so much..

New Vegas is a pretty good game but F3 is way better, the story in NV more in line with the older games but it could have been alot better at the end, but that's me..

Have fun playing it!:yeah:

[soopaman2]

The multi core issues is the biggest bug in this game.

It would seriously kick the crap outta New Vegas if they didn't use the subway mazes to get around as an artificial way to expand the game area.

I liked the open land of Vegas, but FO3 and its storyline was a much better game.

Who doesn't giggle as they nuke Megaton?:D Then erupt into boisterous cackling as you talk to a mutated ghoul Moira Brown, like you don't know what happened?

[Hottentot]

It would seriously kick the crap outta New Vegas if they didn't use the subway mazes to get around as an artificial way to expand the game area.

As opposed to the invisible walls in Vegas?

[Skybird]

The multi core issues is the biggest bug in this game.

Well, changing those two famous lines in the ini solved that problem for me - completely.

Ironically, the game runs more stavble on my (new rig now than it ever did on my old one under XP. In the old one, single core, it ocsasionally crashed, maybe every hour or so. I have not had a single CTD in the present.

P.S. Just in case somebody does not know the trick: find the fallout.ini, and alter this line:

bUseThreadedAI=0

change that 0 to be a 1.

Then add a line immediately after that:

iNumHWThreads=2

That'S it. It prevents the game from running hot and "stumbling" when becoming too fast (which causes the freezes). It limits the game to using only two cores.

To me, it solved all problems. I have complete and total stability, and not a single CTD since then.

[kiwi_2005]

After reading this thread it makes me want to reinstall FO3. When i first got the new pc one of the first games i bought was FO3 but i rushed through it, i was playing catch up with all the games i missed couldn't play before. Now if i reinstall i would play FO3 how its meant to be played.

[Takeda Shingen]

I liked the open land of Vegas, but FO3 and its storyline was a much better game.

I disagree completely. F3 was an excellent game, but it was like an Elder Scrolls game. That is, the 'storyline' was minimal; it is more of a 'pure' sandbox where the player decides action. It was, in TES fashion, a game where you make the story. As such, there are no appreciable consequences if you blow up Megaton, or if you sell Bumble into slavery, or if you kill Three Dog. The only thing you change is the outfits of the bounty hunters that show up in random encounters. Any 'factional' choices you make are marginalized as they are in Dawnguard. Untimately, no matter your choices, you must side with the BoS against the Enclave.

New Vegas is more of a traditional Fallout sandbox. There are heavy consequences to factional choices. You can, in fact, side with the Legion but no one will want anything to do with you, including most of your potential followers. Unlike the F3 DLCs, the New Vegas DLCs form a story arc of their own, rivaling the main quest in scope. In fact, New Vegas is so story driven that it actually has a finite ending, as opposed to the 'play on' end of F3 (with Broken Steel).

Now whether you prefer the Elder Scrolls style or the Fallout style is up to you. I like them both about equally. However, you cannot claim that the story was superior in F3 given that New Vegas was far more story-driven.

[Stealhead]

I would say that the primary difference between FO3 and FONV is that the story in 3 is very linear you have no real branching and there are there is no effect on your karma and really no factions to speak of.

With FONV the story is not linear and has several different possible out comes and there are actual effects to what faction you please or displease.You can make FONV as sandbox as FO3 by simply not completing the last quest.

FO3 is story driven it just has a linear story which is not effected by player actions in the game FONV is story driven it just branches and has much depth
and one must behave in a certain manner or side or not side with a certain faction to get the ending that they want.No Gods No Masters FTW.

Seems to me that with most RPGs the player makes alot of story for their creation I know that I do maybe I should start writing.

Some people buy FO3 or FONV or both or Skyrim and play it almost like a sim of sorts of a life to me that is what is great about Bethesda games they really allow you to do what you want.

[Drewcifer]

F3 means more to me I guess you would say, as it was the first one, (reviving the dead series) I put a alot of hours into it and the world and its landmarks still stick with me. That being said Morrowind still holds a special place in my heart too but when I want an Elder Scrolls fix I play Skyrim, just like when I want fallout I play NV. Further more I feel like the addition of Hardcore mode, and some other features really does make NV the better version.

[Stealhead]

By the way I never have revisited FO3 I still play it lately I have been playing less of FONV and more of FO3 and Skyrim.

I like things about both recent FO games so I keep both installed.There is a mod "Requiem fro the Capital Wasteland" that allows you to play both as in you can play all the quests and travel between the two I have not tried it because it does not jive with alot of FO3 specific mods but I think that mod actually caused a sales increase in FO3 for a few months.

Both games also have very extensive player made addons FO3 has "Alton IL" and FONV has "Beyond Boulder Dome".

A strange thing though I notice is that on my PC FONV uses more system resources than FO3 I have the settings the same as well they run at the same frame rate but FONV for what ever reason runs hotter and oddly I have more demanding mods running with FO3.Even more strange Skyrim runs at a higher frame rate than both FO games and I have some highres mods running with that.:hmmm:

Also the most recent driver set for my GT 440 made both Skyrim and FO3 run a little better than before but FONV did not improve as much.It just seems odd as FO3 and FONV from a graphical
standpoint and program standpoint nearly identical.

[Kloef]

In Fallout3 you can wander around for weeks discovering things, some buildings like the Capital Building and the Hospital are great areas. Seeing those big disks at the horizon and walking there to get emerged in a whole story by itself and the great reward when you are at end of it.

Finding audiotapes that start you on a new quest, or collect all those family tapes to find out what happened to them. Your first Quantum Coke..

Then there's the Metro system, ahhh the Metro with all those Ghouls that put your hair on end, just the atmosphere of all of that..

Even if you have found and discovered everything, and i came pretty close to seeing every square feet of the game world there's still the respawning of certain enemies that makes you come back for more..

The first arrival in Point Lookout..getting the Backwater Rifle and loving it from the start, the dartgun that i allways refused to use but then did and changed my way of playing and conserving munition.

Just finding bits and pieces about what happened in those final hours that's what so great about Fallout3.

New Vegas claims to have a greater world to explore but count in all the buildings in F3, the Metro, the downloads and you got a much much bigger world..

When i was finished with New vegas i sweeped the whole world of enemies in a week and they never came back, no fearless enemy like the Reaver, no Behemoth's..

Hardcore mode is another thing, it's a pity they didn't use that in Fallout3 but there's probably a mod for it now..

This topic made me think about reinstalling, i'm close to that point now:rock:

[Skybird]

Galaxy News Radio. I was missing them tunes. :)

[soopaman2]

Galaxy News Radio. I was missing them tunes. :)

FO3 Radio stations were way better.

I liked Mr. New Vegas, but seemed more Nor Cal style than Vegas style, too stoned, yet amusing.

I love all the FO games. If it was not for my current queue of games to play, with new releases coming, I would fire this up again.

Damn you Assassins Creed 3, and the 2 games I bought a month ago on steam sales and never played...

I hate having a job. I want to play.

[AVGWarhawk]

FO3 was a better game for me than NV. The reason is this type of game I have never played. It had a real feeling of post nuke world or what it might possibly be like. It was quite imaginative. The ghouls in the subways breathing heavy in the pitch black can be hair raising. The layout of DC and familiar city names I know and lived by made the game very enjoyable. For me it was about the exploring. The storyline was fill time between finding new places and things. The add-ons where great as well. NV is right on its tail though.

[Takeda Shingen]

When i was finished with New vegas i sweeped the whole world of enemies in a week and they never came back, no fearless enemy like the Reaver, no Behemoth's

I'll take it that you never ventured into Dead Wind Cavern, let alone the Divide.

[Skybird]

FO3 Radio stations were way better.

Galaxy News Radio is FO3. ;)

[soopaman2]

Galaxy News Radio is FO3. ;)

Meh, I suck at life.:D

I attribute it to game splatter, playing too many games!

Uhh no, I was just wrong. :D

[sublynx]

I'm interested in trying Fallout 3 as I really loved playing FO 1 and FO 2. :rock:

However there seems to be some DRM issues on the game. :down: The box at the supermarket said that the game requires an internet connection to register and a Steam account.

1. Does this mean I need to have an active internet connection to play or is it only a one time registration and after that I can play even if I don't have a working connection?
2. What do I need a Steam account for?
3. Can I install the game to one computer and then to another after the old computer joins the hunting grounds of bygone computers?

I'd love to try the game, it's only 25 euros with all the addons, but I hesitate buying a game whose installing process I expect to be a pain.

[Dowly]

1. One time activation, after that you can run Steam in offline mode if you want.
2. Steam is the DRM (among many many other things), the game is launched via the program.
3. Yes, when you log in to your Steam account from a new computer, Steam sends you a code you need to input before it allows you to log-in.

Also, if you ever happen to lose the physical copy or the disc goes titties up, you can download it via Steam.

[Skybird]

Why bother with Steam if you do not have to? There are Gold-Editions of FO3 these days, or Game of the Year editions, that do not require Steam, and come with the five addons included. My GOTY version also did not need to register online. I payed 15 bucks or so two years ago.

Also, 25 Euros is too much. You can have it for much less. Check Amazon. 6.60 punds at the UK store, 11 Euros at the German store.

If you have a quadcore and Win7, be prepared to install, launch one, exit, find the ini-file, and do the two-lines changes that I described above. It is no big deal

[sublynx]

Thanks a lot guys for clearing these clouds of doubt from my mind :salute:

It seems I'm off to the wastelands in no time :D

[Stealhead]

For anyone that has Fallout 3 you should really try the mod called D.C. Interiors it adds tons of homes,shops and other establishments to explore.They are all in existing buildings that where mere shells in the stock game very cool mod.

http://fallout3.nexusmods.com/mods/5573



Marks Mutant Mod and Fallout Wanderers Edition are two other great mods.

http://fallout3.nexusmods.com/mods/3211

http://fallout3.nexusmods.com/mods/2761

[Kloef]

Fallout Wanderers Edition

I probably will be installing this mod next weekend or so, just found out about it:up:

Especially since you can choose to skip the start and have an alternative one.

[soopaman2]

With my experiences with the steam workshop with Skyrim, TF2 etc, I wonder why more games do not attempt to sign on.

Nexus is great, but in order to get a mod, you have to install B mod, and change this file, so it says 0 instead of one, then download c, but make sure you change this file so it does not clash with "A" file....Errr, I am sure you get it.

Nexus has always been clunky for me, not very computer dummy friendly at all.

I am no moron either. (despite how I potray myself at times in General Topics.:haha:)

[Stealhead]

Simple answer Steam Workshop would require the developer/publisher of the game to patch in the support most game companies stop supporting a game after two or three years.

Bethesda stops supporting their games when they publish a game of the year/ultimate edition once that and its associated patch are released its finito.Even when the patch did no in fact fix all the issues.

I recommend that you view a few of Ghopers vids on modding he explains thing well :
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0E5E8CA384409B11&feature=plcp

Now I myself prefer to manually install my mods and you can do this even with a NMM FMM style file because it really is just a compressed file so any program like winzip will open them and you can simply copy paste.I prefer manual install with management via NMM and FO3edit or FONVEdit or just NMM with Skyrim.

If you do not know how to do this I can show really quickly

1)extract the file that you D/Led if it is a NMM file D/L it manually and use a zipper.

2)copy all of the files and paste them into your data folder you dont need the read mes but make sure that you have all the files and eps and esms

3)paste into your data folder and allow any over writes

4)open NMM or you can use the data files section of the normal launcher but NMM allows you to adjust load order which can be vital.Check off the esp and or esms that you added.For FO3 and FONV you will need to also archive invalidate toggle.

5)Your done the mod should appear in the game


6) for best results you should get FNVEdit and FO3Edit these programs will scan mods for conflicts and general load order.

7)scan your files when it is done create a merged patch by right clicking on the last file then give it a name next close the editor and say yes to saving the merged patch that you just made.

8) go back and check off that merged patch and make it last in load order.
done

9) make sure to fully read the mod requirements many mod require a script extender or may require certain special esp and esms to work with another mod this is common with many of the huge mods.Also load order is very vital as well the edit programs are very helpful with this as they 90% of the work for you and order most files where they need to be.

10) keep the extracted mod files some place so that when you want to remove a manually added mod completely you can refer back to find the files that it added.Sometimes base files are overwritten which is why you need a back up of all the data files mod free so you can replace overwritten files when needed.

NMM when a file is properly D/Led via it or a NMM file is acquired manually should do all the adding and removing for you.You must of course open it via NMM by clicking on the puzzle icon in NMM and pointing it at the file when not D/Led via NMM.


Fallout 3 edit: http://fallout3.nexusmods.com/mods/637

Fallout New Vegas Edit: http://newvegas.nexusmods.com/mods/34703

[Takeda Shingen]

I am no moron either. (despite how I potray myself at times in General Topics.:haha:)

You don't appear the fool on GT, you just give a lot of overreaction to news stories. It makes you appear very on-edge.

In terms of the Nexus sites, I have found the installation difficulties to be largely variable based on the mod maker. I prefer simpler mods that don't require script extenders or mod installers. Generally, if I have to edit a .ini, I pretty much move on. Of course, I run a comparatively clean game, only prefering a handful of mods.

[Stealhead]

I had the same concern for some time and avoided mods that required script extender for a long time.

Finally I wanted to try Fallout Wanders Edition and it requires FOSE so I installed it.It is very easy simply look it up on youtube if you can half way use a PC then you can mod any Bethesda game easily.

There is a stutter remover for FO3 that requires FOSE that worked wonders for my FO3 GOTY which liked to crash left and right while the exact same game but with all purchased DLCs did not.Anyway with FOSE and that stutter fixer and a merged patch the game runs better than it ever did before.

Anyway what I avoid are mods that require tons of esps in order to work well.Most of my mods only add in weapons or armors or change the weather/lighting effects and I use EVE which does lovely things for your energy weapons none of these require SE.And I do not use any mods that require me to change .ini either.

Like I said a back up file is a thing of beauty.

Very few mods truly require an installer all those installers do is unzip a file and put it in the correct place you can unzip a NMM or FMM file and take the needed files and do it yourself manually.

What I look for in a mod is endorsements generally speaking crappy buggy mods do not get a large number of endorsements.I also check the comments and if I see lots of reasonable posts where people have problems it is a no go for me.

The Edit files I mentioned are easy to use and install they just go into the main directory folder "Fallout 3" for example and that's it they really help you with load order and spotting a funky mod.First time I used those I found that several of my basic mods did not jive fully and I then went and d/led the files again.

The ENB and the other crazy graphic mods I avoid those.I think what gets most people is mod souping and running too many and stacking past the 4GB limit of the program or perhaps even their PCs RAM.Also dont get overly concerned about the horror stories often times those "victims" have no idea what so ever what they are doing.

The key is moderation only run maybe 3 or 4 big time mods at most and run only about 35-40 esps/esms total.I consider EVE or Nevada Skies to be major mods.
EVE by the way is amazing and makes energy weapons what they where in the old days of fallout and Fallout 2....fun!

http://newvegas.nexusmods.com/mods/42666


I see people that run 140-150 files! That is just nonsense surely they aren't really making use of each of those mods and it most likely is bogging their game down and crashing alot.

[Eichhörnchen]

I haven't ever played this before, believe it or not. I've heard all about it, of course: endless comparisons with the 'STALKER' games, wherein 'Fallout' generally falls slightly short. I tried to install and play it a long time ago but had to give up thanks, once again, to "Steam". Now I suddenly find a "No Steam" copy on ebay and (because I was smart enough to insist that they install XP onto my gaming PC) I can play it without a hitch and with no internet connection (it's the Game of the Year bundle, too).

I'm now going to go back and read Skybird's thread to catch up with what I've been missing; I really think my retro collection is now complete with this game.

[BarracudaUAK]

I played both 3, and New Vegas on my previous PC with XP.

After that HDD crashed and I swapped to Linux, I could only run New Vegas, as "Games for Windows Live" (GFWL) has a few issues with WINE.

So sadly Steam is the "Fix".


I would rather have the disk, without having to "activate" a game on the net... BUT, at least I can go into "offline mode" with Steam.

And I did, for a year after New Vegas was released. And that is all I played on Steam during that time. With the possible exception if a bit of HL2...

I will say this about FO3...(still waiting on DX10/11 support in WINE for FO4)

I played Fallout 1, Fallout 2, and Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel...
FT was a squad based "Tactics" game, not an RPG...

But New Vegas gives me the same "Vibe" as Fallout 1 and Fallout 2.
3 does NOT.
While the game is fine, to me, it isn't "Fallout". Well, it is, but it isn't (if that makes any sense).
New Vegas feels like I'm playing Fallout 2 in 3d.

One main area, is that in Fallout 1 & 2, you could literally talk your way through, or out of (almost) anything, including the "boss" at the end of the game. IF you did it right.

Fallout 3? Not so much...
But have fun!

Barracuda

[Eichhörnchen]

Thank you, Barracuda.

I understand how you can form an attachment to a game and then be disappointed if they 'pull a switch' on you in a later edition, but I'm not so much into RPGs, top-down or strategy games, so I never played 1 or 2... but FO3 would naturally appeal to me as a FPS fan.

People seem to have had trouble getting this to run because of a defunct GFWL file which was missing in systems from (I think) Windows 7 onwards, and the game wouldn't play without it. That's why I'm so glad now that I had them take Win8 out of my gaming PC and install XP... I'm just not interested in internet play or activation (my internet connection probably wouldn't allow for play anyway).

[BarracudaUAK]

Thank you, Barracuda.

I understand how you can form an attachment to a game and then be disappointed if they 'pull a switch' on you in a later edition, but I'm not so much into RPGs, top-down or strategy games, so I never played 1 or 2... but FO3 would naturally appeal to me as a FPS fan.

People seem to have had trouble getting this to run because of a defunct GFWL file which was missing in systems from (I think) Windows 7 onwards, and the game wouldn't play without it. That's why I'm so glad now that I had them take Win8 out of my gaming PC and install XP... I'm just not interested in internet play or activation (my internet connection probably wouldn't allow for play anyway).


I understand why you like it, and that is great.

I'm not saying that FO3 is a bad game, I'm saying that Bethesda misses the mark on it being "completely" Fallout.

As a "game" it is good. If it was released under another name, I would have little complaint (no game is perfect, after all).

But I should clarify, my stance on 3 is not from an RPG perspective...

I have: Sims -Flight, sub, ship-, RTS, FPS, Third person stealth (Metal Gear, Splinter Cell, etc), Third person shooters (such as Gears of War, etc), games such as Myst, Riven, Myst 3, Myst 4 (which 4 is currently sitting on my desk by my keyboard), Racing games -both of the sim and slightly more arcade type, I've got Chess Master 4000 in a box around here somewhere.....:hmmm:

I've spent more on games than I care to admit! :doh:

My complaints on a game are usually when it is poorly done, either in code, or when it fails to adhere to the rules established by the previous games in the series.

I've played several older Bethesda games, the first that I can remember, I had gotten a disk with around 1,000 game demos, mods, editors, etc. And on this disk was the shareware demo of "Terminator: Future Shock". Based on this, I considered Bethesda to be a pretty good game company.

A friend was playing Morrow Wind, and wanted me to play to see what was driving him nuts.... (He would swing a 6 foot long sword, completely through the center of what was attacking him, and HIT THE WALL BEHIND IT, yet cause not damage to the AI. Becaused he "missed" the dice roll.:nope: Either use dice, or don't, but make your animations reflect it! )
After I played for a few minutes, I was less than impressed.

FO3 greatly improved some aspects of gameplay, but it still misses the bullseye... FOR ME.

If you like it, then that's all that matters!

As I type this I get the feeling that this is coming across as if I'm trying to change your mind... which I'm not, I'm trying to clarify what I meant. Not always easy to do!

GFWL drove me nuts, using FOSE bypasses it, so that may help you.
Although, if anyone else plays on your PC, the saves will all be saved to the same folder. As GFWL won't be active with FOSE.:up:

Barracuda

[Eichhörnchen]

I haven't ever come across these "Myst" games... they look very attractive. I have "Dragon Age" waiting for me to play, also "Oblivion" plus half a hundred others. I too have spent a fair amount of cash, although having come late to gaming I've been lucky enough to find most of the must-have classics at silly prices, because other gamers who've moved on to download-gaming have offloaded all their old discs to CeX and Ebay. A lot of my games are the original CD Rom sets, complete with lovely glossy handbooks... I hate having to look for the manual on the disc.

[BarracudaUAK]

Myst, Riven (basically, Myst 2), Myst 3, Myst 4, and there is a Myst 5 that I don't have, plus there was an "expansion" that I saw once....

These games will make you THINK. They used Apple "QuickTime" movies for REALLY good visuals, for the time.

I played Myst on a 486sx/25mhz with Win95... Riven on my AMD K6-2 500mhz several years later.

There was an update to Myst that allowed you full "FPS" style movement, but the original plays very well. And the first time playing, will most likely help you figure out the puzzles since you are "staring right at it".

Barracuda

[Eichhörnchen]

I'll be looking into this, Barracuda. thank you for the information :):yeah:

[rigaddict]

I had spent more than 100+ hours on Fallout 3, that game had the best animation, graphics and ect.

[Eichhörnchen]

Hey I'm looking forward to it :yeah: