As you can tell I'm new here and I have a question about the ending of Fallout 3.

I literally just finished "Take it Back!" by saving the purifier. The game then proceded through the final scenes, describing the saga of the Lone Wanderer and then finished and showwed me the end credits (which I skipped through) then brought me to the main menu. So, being an RPG I assumed you can continue exploring the wastes, so I clicked continue but it just brought me back to my last save (right before I entered the area with the purifier). Basically my question is: Can I continue wandering the wastes or is that really it? All advice welcome! Thanks in advance!

You have to have the Broken Steel add-on installed to continue wandering the wastes after activating the purifier. Otherwise, that is it.

You are going to have to get the Broken Steel DLC, which removes the ending and extends the main quest by a couple of hours.

Also, RPG != no ending. But that's not the point of this thread.

Edit: Ninja'd.

Many, if not most, RPG's have a scripted ending, leading to credits. The few RPGs that let you free afterwards have been Bethesdas games, IE Fallout 3 (with Broken Steel) and The Elder Scrolls. Yes, you need Broken Steel to continue past the ending, otherwise Yes, you will need to reload a prior save or create a new game.

And, to prevent this topic in a few months, Yes, Fallout: New Vegas has a scripted ending as well, and you can not continue playing in the wastes.

The game designers believe that the changes after the main quest are so major that continuing afterwards would make you wonder "well.. what'd I do all that for." Fallout 3 caved to the fans pressure and created Broken Steel. New Vegas will, to date, not.

So, if I bought Broken Steel would I be able to wonder the wastes indefinately or would it just extend gameplay and then lead to another set ending. Also, how would I "activate" Broken Steel as my last save leads back to the Jefferson Memorial Rotunda.

Also, If I were to start another game from the start, would I lose the completed one or could I keep the two and play the new one, and still keep the completed one in case I get Broken Steel. Basically, how many games can I keep.

With Broken Steel, you'll have a few new quests and you'll be able to play forever after those quests are finished. There's no "ending" with Broken Steel. You'll need a save before entering the Rotunda (one before entering the Memorial during "Take It Back" is preferable). Activate Broken Steel and load your save and you should be good to go.

Edit: You can keep as many games as you can keep track of as long as you make manual saves. Auto-saves will overwrite each other and are prone to corruption anyway so don't rely on them.

You'd have to start from your latest save before taking on the final quest, but yes, you would roam the waste indefinently, and more importantly start to experience some of the changes from the ending you chose, whether it be fresh water from the purifier being delivered to the wastes, ect.

I don't know of many RPG's that do that (such that I would not assume that any a game would, for just being called an RPG).

Traditionally the entire series of Fallout games end outright with the completion of the main quest (as do most RPG's that I have played).
Technically Fallout 2 let you go on after the game ended, but it was mostly for tongue in cheek comments and gags ~there was one final quest that I found that required you to have beaten the game to begin it, but for the most part there is nothing really left to do at that point except quit.

As others have said, Fallout 3 changed this bit as well (with the advent of the Broken Steel DLC).

Fallout New Vegas (as it will ship) ends ~though who knows if they'll follow the same path. :shrug:
(Honestly I do hope not.)

Apparently, FNV will give you warning before you do the last quest and have the definent ending. But if you save before take it back, there is still heaps to do like side quests, unmarked quests, trohpies/achievements and explore!

I did the same, and thought the same as the OP. I So I figured I finished the game but went back to that last save and just played it for hours never finishing the quest. It gets you what you want...

Before Broken Steel came out, I would make a save, right before opening the exterior door to the purifier. Then roam the wastes, never finishing that last quest. I'd explore, do other quests, arrange my home, etc. Go get Broken Steel.

I don't have a problem with a scripted ending as long as it is fulfilling. FO3's original ending....being forced to commit suicide for the "reward" of a generic slideshow that doesn't inspire confidence that my LW died for something...was unsatisfying to say the least.

I thought the ending satisfying enough, though I thought that having no options was a cop-out.

Standard ending: You start the purifier. You die. You join James and Catherine in the pantheon of those who dedicated and sacrificed their lives so that the waters of life might restore hope and life to the wasteland. Game over.

OK, fine. But there needed to be options, even in the absence of Broken Steel.

Bad ending: You make Sarah Lyons start the purifier. You live. Your karma drops. You're free to continue your wanderings.

Alternate ending: Fawkes, RL-3, or Charon starts the purifier. Your karma doesn't change. You're free to continue your wanderings.

Yeah they will. There'll be to many complaints and hate mail for them not to let you play on.

When I played the vanilla game, I thought the ending was satisfying enough... ok, so it wasn't spectacular, but it wasn't bad either.

When I got the GOTY edition and played through Broken Steel, I couldn't believe how unbelievably lame it was. The game would end and would... not end? WTF? It just didn't make sense to me.