Just to say Power Armor was supposed to be rare, in the first two games there were only 5 locations you could get it from, and they were pretty hard.
This. Fallout 1 only had two sets. Fallout 2 had 4 guaranteed sets, some stores stocked T-51bs but they are absurdly expensive. Fallout 3 was like wth? Why not just let everyone run around in it, it's so common.
Oddly, for a game set in the Mojave, the green and black varieties of Combat Armour made it over, but not the sand coloured variety that Tenpenny's goons had.
Combat Armor is made out of high-tech advanced polymers, and was therefore a pain to make. The fact that it was so common in F3 again boggles me.
Fun Fact: Reinforced Combat Armor Mk I and Mk II are Fallout 1 and 2's Combat Armor.