1. I've seen a mod where the CW has been modified from its lifeless state to nature reclaiming the place. Of course in the comments people were saying that Bethesda was stupid to create it like it's a [censored]hole in the first place when one guy just casually said that DC was hit by nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. I think that explanation makes the CW a lot more plausible. It's like a modern way of salting the earth, if that makes sense. But the question is: Was it ever stated that the Great War was only nuclear?

2. This is probably gonna be a stupid question but why exactly don't the settlements make sense? I mean there's traveling traders and there's caravan routes and the traders could be bringing stuff in from outside the Capital Wasteland.

3. Okay, I know Vault 87 is pretty much bs. I'm actually pretty sure that originally they wanted to cut it out from the game completely, but decided to include it in the end so that we get at least some explanation for the orc super muties. However, I don't get why it's so impossible for Vault-Tec to have a modified strain of FEV. Since in Fallout 2 they decided to involve conspiracy bs with the vaults(not very clever imo, but what's done is done), it's totally possible that they would just issue FEV to Vault-Tec to see how the orcs would do if they were given a vault and a GECK. Or if it's not the evul government being at it again, then it can be explained away with Vault-Tec stealing it from West-Tek and playing around with it in a vault.

4. People complain about Jet being there. Is it possible that someone from the BoS brought it along and decided to distribute it? It's not like the BoS can't have corrupt members. I agree with the Bottle Cap bs though. Can't we have better currency? Like cigs or something?

5. James mentioned that the CW is a "warzone". Can this be the writers trying to hint that that's why everything's so [censored]? I mean Talon Company's tasked specifically with keeping the wasteland down, V87 super muties trying to expand their numbers and desperately searching for "green stuff", BoS-Outcast hating on each other, raiders, slavers, and everything else. This, paired with the chemical weapons theory would explain why everything's bad.

6. I don't remember RobCo mentioned in the previous games. Was it invented by Bethesda or did I miss something?

Also, I'm not trying to protect Fallout 3, before I'm flamed to death. None of these explanations will make the main plotline and some of the side quests any less half-assed. God, do I hope that the Enclave won't get a major role in Fallout 4.

1. I don't recall anything talking about chemical/biological weapons specifically being used in the Great War, but I suppose it's highly possible. I mean, in the arms race leading up to the Great War, China was experimenting with cloaking technology while the US was experimenting with biological weapons. However, nukes just seem to be the most prevalent WMD mentioned, for certain. And at the time of the 50s, the biggest scare was with nukes because of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs.

2. I think it's possibly one of two things. One - possibly because they don't want to venture too far because they don't know much about the areas outside of the CW, or two - Bethesda intentionally did this to make things a little more confined to the CW itself.

3. The Mariposa base had the original strain of FEV if I remember correctly, because it was originally the experiment to use to destroy the Chinese, but then the US government turned it into an experimental project to create massive supersoldiers. So like you said, it's possible that Vault-Tec got their hands on the CW strain of FEV. But it's also possible that the government used 87 as another version of the Mariposa base, and being closer to the White House, it seems logical. If I recall correctly, the friendly mutie in 87 made logs before being infected with FEV and kept referring to "them" and "they", and that the security guards were ordered to cooperate by the overseer. So it probably was either Vault-Tec officials or the US government, or perhaps even some other private organisation that was doing the experiment.

4. Yeah, jet being in the CW is likely due to black market-style trading and corrupt BoS members. And about bottle caps - it makes sense in a post-apocalyptic world. They'd use any standardised thing that would be in abundance as a medium of exchange, and considering that glass bottles and bottle caps were common in the 50s, it adds up. I mean, early civilisations used beads and similar things as a medium of exchange, so bottle caps are like those beads albeit in a futuristic, post-apocalyptic world.

5. Probably. What people rarely take into consideration is that nuclear isotopes can take a long time to lose their radioactivity, so it's entirely logical and possible that the world would still be a wreck even after 200+ years of civilisation making their way in the new, barren world. If soil becomes barren, it's hard to bring life back. Not impossible, but it's hard. Try planting a flower in a desert.

6. I know a lot more about 3 and NV than I do about the original two, but I have grown to love them. That being said, I don't recall RobCo in those games, but then again, I don't know as much about the original two games and I haven't played them as much.

I personally loved FO3, and I'd defend it. I don't get the anger and flaming that people give it. It was a great RPG, great game in general, and I personally thought it followed FO's story very well. I do give NV credit for the better gameplay though. Story and setting-wise, though, I'd definitely rate FO3 higher.

EDIT: Please note that I didn't do any research on the matter - just all from memory because I'm low on time at the minute. Don't take my word for it entirely.

EDIT2: I was curious on the aspect about RobCo, so I did look that part up. It turns out, they were the company that designed the Pipboys, both the 2000 and 3000 models, as well as Stealth Boys, Protectrons, Securitrons, and even Liberty Prime. It was mentioned and referred to in all of the FO games including Tactics and Van Buren, but excluding BoS.