I got Fallout 3 for the PS3 for Christmas and I recently started playing it. I find it very enjoyable and, like EQ and STO, a major timesink, which is great because I'm retired.

I just have a few basic questions I hope you can help me with.

1. When I use the Sniper Rifle, the scope view drifts all the time. Is that intentional? Usually snipers are lying down or have a stable support. For me, the time spent trying to line up a shot isn't worth the bother. Just wondering if its a controller issue. If it's supposed to work that way, I'm sure all you young whippersnappers out there have no problem compensating. Me, hell, I have to lean forward just to read the damn text even with my reading glasses on. Guess I need to get a wide screen HD TV. Current TV might not have the resolution. All these gol-danged new fangled technological doo-dads! Back in my day, we didn't have no damn Playstations and computer games! Only video game we had was called 'Watch The Sun' ! My best friend made it to level 20 before his eyeballs exploded.

2. On V.A.T.S. Been experimenting with it. If you target the head, does every shot you take go to the head as long as you have your pointer on the target's body or does the pointer have to be reasonably close to the head?

3. Karma. Normally when I pick stuff up or open containers, the pointer and the text you see is green. When the pointer and text are red, sometimes I see a message that says 'Steal the (item)." Other times it just says pick up the item or open container. If I pick up the item it says I have lost karma. I can understand that if you are stealing from people in a town. However, I was doing the 'Family' part of the 'Blood Ties' quest (I've had a problem with that one I described in another post) and I was looting items in the Family area. I had not been given the option of forming an alliance between Arefu and the Family, so I thought that as the 'Family' was the bad guys, I shouldn't get Karma hits,

Can someone give me a more detailed explanation of Karma? And what can you do to gain Karma?

4. How often, if ever, does putting away your weapon make Raiders and other bad guys stop attacking you? I am assuming that holstering your weapon means you give up. I also assume it won't work with certain mobs like the blow flies, mole rats and dogs. They see you, they attack. You either kill them or run away (or die).


Thats all I have for the moment. My toon is level 5 right now, but due to a problem I'm having with the 'Blood Ties' I might have to go back to the last session I saved before it started, when I was just level 3. Oh well.

Thanks very much for your help in advance. I look forward to playing more. I have not tried any of the other Fallout games.

Fallout 3 is my first venture into the series too, and I'm enjoying it very much. So I'm a bit of a noob myself, although I do have over 150 hours of play logged so far! Anyway, I'll try and help a bit....

1. Sniping. I do a fair bit of this myself. I usually do it in "sneak" mode, as when you're crouched you get less swaying or body movement. Also, are you zooming in the sights to get a better aim? On the PC that's right mouse button, on a game controller I believe it's the "aim/block" button.

2. V.A.T.S. When you've got it on you should have a picture of your target with different percentages by various areas of the body, which represents the likelihood of hitting that area. Each selection uses up some off your attack points (AP), this varies with different weapons and other factors. So you can select multiple shots at different parts of your target in one VATS selection. So you can have one shot at the head, then one at left arm etc. depending on how many APs you're using fro each shot.

3. Karma. As far as I can tell this is a measure of how "good" or "bad" you are. You get increased Karma from good deeds, and lose it for bad stuff like stealing or killing good characters. In general it affects how people talk to you, and you get different options depending on whether you're being a good or bad person. At the moment my character is trying to be a real goody.

4. Can't help with this, I've never tried it!

By the way, I've done the Blood ties quest without killing anyone... it can be done!