I'm new here and was curious about something I did a couple times.

So I was playing the game and I had to go to the minefield and I saved right before I started searching for mines. Well I blew up pretty bad and had nothing to bring my hit points up, so what I did was just load up my last save. I feel like it's bad but what if you make a serious mistake and want to fix it. Like shooting someone by accident or something.

Is this something you guys do from time to time? Or do you not do it and just suffer the consequences, if your really trying to play the role, which I am. Actually I don't mind doing it on the little stuff but something major I could not bring myself to do it unless it was a total accident.

I don't think it's something I'll ever do again because I got this nasty feeling like I cheated even though it was so small. I hate any kinda of cheats. I'm just wondering if you elders think this is in fact cheating.

Also since I'm new any game strategies that you throw my way. Like any missions I should complete before i do a certain mission. Or maybe what order I should play the dlc I just picked up OA and the other one I forgot. How do the dlc's work, are they just added to my story.

Basically I'm looking for any advice, things you missed in the first playthrough that you wish someone would have told you. Anyway thats all. I'd like to say I love this game, I love games that make it personal and this game is exactly that. I knew this game was absolutely amazing when I was out roaming the wastelands not doing a thing just looting and discovering new things, I started playing at 2pm and ended at 2am. I couldn't believe I was playing for twelve hours(on and off) , I actually didn't want to stop but had to for sleep.

Some would argue that there is no such thing as cheating in a single person game. I like to refer to it a "expanding one's gaming experience".

-gunny out.

I don't think it's cheating. I don't do that these days, and suffer the consequences... I don't mind the pain. You are on the right quest to get a feel for the game.

I second what Gunny wrote. It isn't cheating as it is a single person game. If your character had been killed by the mines, the earlier save would have loaded anyway. I will reload an earlier save if I think the game cheated me. Examples are my character falling through an overpass when there are no holes to fall through; my bullets impacting a side wall or low terrain when they should not; grenades impacting the roof especially when VATS lists the chance to hit as 95%.

For advice I suggest doing Moira's quests first and saving the main quest for last. Explore, explore, explore! Play the game how ever you want.

Order of DLC - OA (7th or so), Pitt (around 10th), MZ (around 15th), and PL (around 25th).

Hold down the button to drink, you don't have to keep pressing it. The Pipboy light is very useful in dark places.

Cheating would be using the console commands.

Reloading an earlier save is not really cheating since it's a function of the game - and, if you die, the game automatically reloads an earlier save anyway.

I use save/load all the time, in particular when I'm hacking terminals or lockpicking or stealing.

Plus, there might be times when there is no option but to reload, for example if you come across a quest/game breaking bug.

Console commands are no more cheating then reloading the game. The console is there for development reasons, and left enabled for modders. The console can also be useful to fix broken quests like the one in Big Town.

Cheating is an act, not a thing. If you use the console to give yourself 9999 mini-nukes, or if you reload a save to change the outcome of a choice, then yes, that is cheating, but if you are fine with doing that, then by all means, go ahead and do it.

If I console command myself 9999 sporks it's not cheating because I gain no gaming advantage, right? Right? Please say I'm right. I'm sooooooo sorry.............

-Gunny out.

You know when the DLC's have been added because a number of radio signals will be picked up by your Pip-Boy.

Operation Anchorage should appear as "Outcast Distress Signal"
The Pitt should appear as "Wernhers Distress Signal"
Mothership Zeta should appear as "Recon Craft Theta Beacon"

For Point Lookout, a pop-up message informs you of about a riverboat.

To begin the DLC, you simply have to locate the source of the signals or find the riverboat.


My personal preferences for DLC order are:

Operation Anchorage - It's quite linear, and once you're in the main part you don't have to use any of your own resources like Ammo or stimpaks, and you also get a lot of help/backup to finish.
The Pitt - It's quite a short, there's only a couple of stages to it. But if you want some of the better stuff, you might want to spend more time on one particular stage.

Mothership Zeta - Tougher and longer than the previous two, but the reward is some seriously good weapons.

Point Lookout - The largest DLC - adds a new map with a couple dozen locations and a handful of side quests.