Questions/Advice.

[Transatlantic Ace]

Okay, I have some questions/need some advice... at the risk of sounding like a COMPLETE newbie. First time I played Fallout 3, I kinda liked it, but it seemed really different (than oblivion) in terms of difficulty.

1) It seemed (for me at least) towns/quests were hard to find. I played for a few hours, but only found Megaton and like, one other town. And a place or two. And did like 3 quests.

2) I felt constrained/stuck in a limbo. I didn't really have enough money or weapons/ammo to do anything. I felt like by the time I completed a quest, I had to use what money I found/gained to restock ammo, re-heal, and restock items for the next one. I felt like I was in a permanent catch-22. Because of this, I really didn't venture farther than Megaton/its surrounding areas.

So, with those points aside, I'll come to the main point/question...

Can anyone give me advice on how to overcome this? I know Fallout 3 is a great game, I just seem to be approaching it wrong or something. Despite what they show/talk about in the walkthroughs, trailers, screenshots, discussions, etc, is it possible to create a character that doesn't rely off guns/ammo? Is there a better way to find areas, partake in quests, and the like without being "stuck in a rut" of never being able to leave a town due to low funds and poor preparation?

Any additional advice/tips would be greatly appreciated.  

[Succubus_Lady]

It's mostly down to what you're trying to do. It sounds like you're playing it by relying on your items, try to use the terrain better. Look round, talk to people, and when you're outside check your radar. Hollow arrows are places you've not yet found, and that means loot.

Don't pay to get healed unless your arms have just stopped working entirely, eating or resting works just as well when in combat, and when you're not fighting then drinking water from sinks, rivers (or toilets if you're desperate and can handle the rads) has a perfectly beneficial effect. You shouldn't ever have to buy anything other than ammunition really, drugs are useful in a pinch when you've made a mistake and are in trouble, but generally you should be able to find weapons and ammunition on whoever you kill, enough to kill someone else and take theirs, and so on.  

[Succubus_Lady]

If you want a quick boost and don't mind cheating a bit, the super-duper mart from Moira's quest (food and medicine) is a goldmine. When you first get there there's a random encounter, which could be any number of things, but is sometimes a trader or a scavenger. Save before you get there and keep loading until you find one, kill him for a minor karma drop, and he should be carrying a fair amount of weapons and ammunition, enough to give you a good head start. Some of them have a brahmin, which carries an identical inventory, so you can get it all twice.

Edit: Lastly, nothing you're fighting that early needs more than five well-placed bullets. Aim for the head.  

[Transatlantic Ace]

Thanks for all your advice, I really appreciate it.


I'll test it out once I rebuy the game tonight.
 

[Blades Of Null]

here's some advice don't always use the same weapons swich it up swich you weapons around in combat situations to make the experiance more differentiated and memorable ,the enviorment is'nt just a background use it to your advantage blow up cars next to your enemies snipe from a building or cliff use it to your advantage ...plus try doing the main quest to help you discover more locations and more xp .they didnt put a lot of locations near megaton on purpose xp  

[Roane Farhall]

Different creatures have different weaknesses, but a good shot to the head is always a safe bet.

Try Melee weapons for weaker enemies. If you see a mole rat charging you, don't waste valuable ammo, pull out a baseball bat instead. As long as you circle it while attacking, you can manage to kill it without taking any damage.

Choose one group of weapons and roll with it. You don't need to be good with Melee to kill weaklings. You need to be good with something though. Big, Small, or Energy guns are your friends. Pick one and roll with it. Sell ammo for the types you won't use, you'll have a good supply of caps.

Pick up the repair skill. It saves you tons of money. Repairing items with other items is a nice feature. Sure, it means you wont get to sell that other pistol, but it also means you wont have to pay to get yours repaired.  

[Ich esse dich]

If you good and you find Megaton, saving and talk to the Sheriff to disarm the bomb for extra caps.
Or if your evil, do it to Mr. Burke.

Also if you can. DLCs are really good for getting ammo, weapons and even perks. If not, there is some normal perks to find more caps or ammo.

Not to mention, if the game is too hard in the beginning you can always lower the difficulty then raise it at a later time.  

[Haratio TaFotter]

Ace Paladin

Okay, I have some questions/need some advice... at the risk of sounding like a COMPLETE newbie. First time I played Fallout 3, I kinda liked it, but it seemed really different (than oblivion) in terms of difficulty.

1) It seemed (for me at least) towns/quests were hard to find. I played for a few hours, but only found Megaton and like, one other town. And a place or two. And did like 3 quests.

2) I felt constrained/stuck in a limbo. I didn't really have enough money or weapons/ammo to do anything. I felt like by the time I completed a quest, I had to use what money I found/gained to restock ammo, re-heal, and restock items for the next one. I felt like I was in a permanent catch-22. Because of this, I really didn't venture farther than Megaton/its surrounding areas.

So, with those points aside, I'll come to the main point/question...

Can anyone give me advice on how to overcome this? I know Fallout 3 is a great game, I just seem to be approaching it wrong or something. Despite what they show/talk about in the walkthroughs, trailers, screenshots, discussions, etc, is it possible to create a character that doesn't rely off guns/ammo? Is there a better way to find areas, partake in quests, and the like without being "stuck in a rut" of never being able to leave a town due to low funds and poor preparation?

Any additional advice/tips would be greatly appreciated.

I fet more or less the same way when I started playing Fallout 3. I feel that Bethesda games take a bit of time to get rolling; it can take awhile to get into the swing of things. After the first hour or two I don't think its so bad.  

[magweak20]

ok to start you off go to springvale and theres this lady in a house and she thinks your like a mercenary or some s**t.so you kill her and she has 400 caps on her.oh and kill the sherrif in megaton take his weapon goto craterside supply buy 5.56 round goto the tenpenny tower kill EVERYONE and take any keys on their bodies.then you will go to the shops unlock the crates and take the crap. then (if you have a house) either location, you will store rhere. then you buy stimpacks and u are good to start explowin'!