Kevin's Watch

I downloaded two of the expansions for Fallout 3. So I am playing that game again.

Resident Evil 5... it is awesome and actually quite hard which is good but disappoints me is that it is no where near as scary as previous titles like Resident Evil 2, I think they should work on the horror more.

I've been going back to GTA IV, and trying for that d*mn 100%. It's quite time consuming...

Started Fallout 3 at long last, and it's...well...a bit crap.

The Vault tutorial section was fine. Getting outside was suitably impressive and disconcerting. Walked to town, where a woman in a shop said my considerable experience of surviving in the wasteland would make me a useful assistant. Then I left town and bumped into some people who said I can't go around doing what I've been doing without attracting attention. So far all I've "been doing" is walking from the Vault to Megaton and then leaving. I haven't even had a fight. What is it that I've supposedly done to earn myself a reputation?

After all the great stuff I've heard about this game, it's pretty disappointing to discover the design/programming is so sloppy. I've spent most of my time confused and wondering if the game's assuming I've done something I haven't, which isn't a fun feeling.

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Also, I've been killed more in a couple of hours of playing this than in some entire games. Everything is really deadly. That in itself doesn't bother me so much, but they're also faster than me, more manoeuvrable than me, and take insane amounts of punishment before they finally die.

I've been playing for maybe four hours. I've spent at least three hours of that time being irritated. I don't understand why everyone says this is such a good game, aside from the atmosphere. Maybe it'll get better; Morrowind did.

CovenantJr wrote:
Also, I've been killed more in a couple of hours of playing this than in some entire games. Everything is really deadly. That in itself doesn't bother me so much, but they're also faster than me, more manoeuvrable than me, and take insane amounts of punishment before they finally die.

Do you use VATS? It's insanely easy to kill enemies when you do. In fact, almost the only thing you need to know how to do is run right up to them, start VATS, and spam them with headshots.

It won't always work, of course, and you have to be a bit more careful when fighting groups of enemies, but still...

CovenantJr wrote: I've been playing for maybe four hours. I've spent at least three hours of that time being irritated. I don't understand why everyone says this is such a good game, aside from the atmosphere. Maybe it'll get better; Morrowind did.

The whole game is the atmosphere... the world that's been envisioned...

I don't know what you meant earlier about sloppy programming, either. I played the Xbox version, and didn't notice anything sloppy in the implementation (no bugs, no missing textures, no crashes, etc).

Rigel wrote:

CovenantJr wrote:
Also, I've been killed more in a couple of hours of playing this than in some entire games. Everything is really deadly. That in itself doesn't bother me so much, but they're also faster than me, more manoeuvrable than me, and take insane amounts of punishment before they finally die.

Do you use VATS? It's insanely easy to kill enemies when you do. In fact, almost the only thing you need to know how to do is run right up to them, start VATS, and spam them with headshots.

It won't always work, of course, and you have to be a bit more careful when fighting groups of enemies, but still...

I use it constantly. It seems to miss as often as not (even with 85% accuracy), and inflicts microscopic damage. Fire Ants (which were a pain to use VATS on anyway, thanks to the range of their flame) frequently took in excess of fifteen headshots to kill.

Rigel wrote:I don't know what you meant earlier about sloppy programming, either. I played the Xbox version, and didn't notice anything sloppy in the implementation (no bugs, no missing textures, no crashes, etc).

As I said, NPCs keep referring to me having done loads of stuff that's earned me a reputation and apparently got a price put on my head, when all I'd done was walk from the Vault to Megaton. That's either sloppy design (inserting inappropriate dialogue) or sloppy programming (game detecting that I've done something I haven't).

I've been playing CIVCITY ROME. I love these games where you build civilisations like the age of empires series. Though CCR can get very annoying, like when the donkey wont do what you tell him to do, or when the people get too haughty or pick the flowers you've painstakingly planted, but when you treat the citizens well the game really comes to life. It's a bizarre game of chess!

I also find it kind of educational. I'ts actually made me see the high street in a new light!

CovenantJr wrote:

Rigel wrote:

CovenantJr wrote:
Also, I've been killed more in a couple of hours of playing this than in some entire games. Everything is really deadly. That in itself doesn't bother me so much, but they're also faster than me, more manoeuvrable than me, and take insane amounts of punishment before they finally die.

Do you use VATS? It's insanely easy to kill enemies when you do. In fact, almost the only thing you need to know how to do is run right up to them, start VATS, and spam them with headshots.

It won't always work, of course, and you have to be a bit more careful when fighting groups of enemies, but still...

I use it constantly. It seems to miss as often as not (even with 85% accuracy), and inflicts microscopic damage. Fire Ants (which were a pain to use VATS on anyway, thanks to the range of their flame) frequently took in excess of fifteen headshots to kill.

Rigel wrote:I don't know what you meant earlier about sloppy programming, either. I played the Xbox version, and didn't notice anything sloppy in the implementation (no bugs, no missing textures, no crashes, etc).

As I said, NPCs keep referring to me having done loads of stuff that's earned me a reputation and apparently got a price put on my head, when all I'd done was walk from the Vault to Megaton. That's either sloppy design (inserting inappropriate dialogue) or sloppy programming (game detecting that I've done something I haven't).

Also, the traders have almost no money, so you pick up armour and weapons and stuff from fallen enemies, but can only sell one or two of them before the trader can't afford to buy more. But if you don't sell all that stuff, you can't afford to buy more ammo... Bad. Design.

CovenantJr wrote: I use it constantly. It seems to miss as often as not (even with 85% accuracy), and inflicts microscopic damage. Fire Ants (which were a pain to use VATS on anyway, thanks to the range of their flame) frequently took in excess of fifteen headshots to kill.

It's psosible. What weapons are you using, and do you keep them in good condition?

CovenantJr wrote: As I said, NPCs keep referring to me having done loads of stuff that's earned me a reputation and apparently got a price put on my head, when all I'd done was walk from the Vault to Megaton. That's either sloppy design (inserting inappropriate dialogue) or sloppy programming (game detecting that I've done something I haven't).

Some of those encounters are scripted for reaching a certain level, some for entering certain areas, and some for reaching a certain Karma level. Still more are just random...

I haven't had a problem encountering creatures I couldn't deal with, although some battles took a few tries to get through.

CovenantJr wrote: Also, the traders have almost no money, so you pick up armour and weapons and stuff from fallen enemies, but can only sell one or two of them before the trader can't afford to buy more. But if you don't sell all that stuff, you can't afford to buy more ammo... Bad. Design.

That part's done by design; money is in short supply anywhere you go in the world.

However, most of the time you're trading items for items, so the above point is moot. Try selecting items to both buy and sell in the same transaction; what matters isn't the total value of either side, but the difference between the two sides. Any discrepency in value is made up for in money.

Rigel wrote:

CovenantJr wrote: Also, the traders have almost no money, so you pick up armour and weapons and stuff from fallen enemies, but can only sell one or two of them before the trader can't afford to buy more. But if you don't sell all that stuff, you can't afford to buy more ammo... Bad. Design.

That part's done by design; money is in short supply anywhere you go in the world.

However, most of the time you're trading items for items, so the above point is moot. Try selecting items to both buy and sell in the same transaction; what matters isn't the total value of either side, but the difference between the two sides. Any discrepency in value is made up for in money.

This is logical now you've pointed it out. It just never occurred to me to trade for items. Maybe I need to watch Mad Max again.

Rigel wrote:

CovenantJr wrote: I use it constantly. It seems to miss as often as not (even with 85% accuracy), and inflicts microscopic damage. Fire Ants (which were a pain to use VATS on anyway, thanks to the range of their flame) frequently took in excess of fifteen headshots to kill.

It's psosible. What weapons are you using, and do you keep them in good condition?

I've mainly been using 10mm pistol because I have Small Guns and the 10mm is the one with the most freely available ammunition. During the Fire Ants ordeal, though, I went through a .32, a magnum, and a shotgun - as I ran out of ammo for one weapon, I moved to the next.

As for their condition, I kept them in the best repair I could, but my repair skill doesn't have a lot of effect. I assume it's a bit on the low side at the moment. I could, of course, have found my way back to the surface, walked back to town, and paid the woman at Craterside to repair them, but that seemed like a lot of hassle.

Several people have told me that I should have waited until much later to do the Fire Ant quest. It was just bad luck that it was the second side quest I picked up, or so they say.

CovenantJr wrote: I've mainly been using 10mm pistol because I have Small Guns and the 10mm is the one with the most freely available ammunition. During the Fire Ants ordeal, though, I went through a .32, a magnum, and a shotgun - as I ran out of ammo for one weapon, I moved to the next.

Wow, yeah, I would never try this game with a handgun as my main weapon. You can find ammo for the hunting rifle without too much trouble, and a lot of raiders carry shotguns as well.

CovenantJr wrote: Several people have told me that I should have waited until much later to do the Fire Ant quest. It was just bad luck that it was the second side quest I picked up, or so they say.

I don't think it matters when you pick it up; the game adjusts the difficulty of quests based on your level, so doing it at a higher level just makes the quest harder.

Of course, the Fire Ant quest is one of the hardest side-quests I've encountered, so that's just bad luck on your part.

If you don't mind being completely evil, follow the Tenpenny Tower series (start with blowing up Megaton) and you'll have no problem getting money, ammo, or supplies.

Team Fortress 2 and Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword. I need to get back into Mother 3 and beat it. Masterpiece storytelling, that game!

Rigel wrote:

CovenantJr wrote: I've mainly been using 10mm pistol because I have Small Guns and the 10mm is the one with the most freely available ammunition. During the Fire Ants ordeal, though, I went through a .32, a magnum, and a shotgun - as I ran out of ammo for one weapon, I moved to the next.

Wow, yeah, I would never try this game with a handgun as my main weapon. You can find ammo for the hunting rifle without too much trouble, and a lot of raiders carry shotguns as well.

Heh. Since I don't know the game, I defaulted to my generally favoured 'light and fast' model.

Rigel wrote:I played the Xbox version, and didn't notice anything sloppy in the implementation (no bugs, no missing textures, no crashes, etc).

Ugh. I just did.





You can't tell, but that's a building and a view of the river, with some dead brahmin on the ground. This has been going on for the last few minutes, all over this area. Yuck.

After I switched the game off for an hour or so, that stopped happening. Maybe it was an overheating problem or something.

Yeah, the very first thing I bought for my XBox was a 3rd party fan. I have no desire to experience heat damage or the RRoD.

I just finished yet another play through of Fire Emblem 7, that makes at least 15 now =/

I'll probably start playing Morrowind again though I was thinking that I haven't played Bioshock in a long time