First of all, this isn't thread suggesting that cars *should* be added, but a discussion of possible problems and remedies if they were to be implemented, and other potential gameplay mechanics that a car could involve.

As the "old hands" know, In Fallout 2 the character has the opportunity to purchase a 2nd-Hand Chrysalis Highwayman; despite its initial buggy implementation it provided a useful feature (Faster "Fast Travel" and a travelling container for your goodies) without breaking the game (it didn't make you harder to kill, or break any quests). But with each Fallout game there comes the inevitable dozen or so posts calling for vehicles to make a reappearance... However I'm thinking that bringing back cars with a Bethesda-style Fallout game has the possibility of breaking the game.

Lets take NV for example, if you had a car before getting to the strip, you could simply just drive down the I-15 without stopping outpacing the raiders, deathclaws, etc - making you effectively invincible, anyone shooting would soon be out of range as they ate your dust or die quickly as they become hood ornaments. Cars would act as some pretty tough armour meaning anything that was shot wouldnt do you much, if any damage.

A possible option here would be some sort of damage mechanic - the more enemies that shoot at you / turn into hood ornaments the more damage the car takes. The car speeding away from enemies still prevents their damage, however given the state of the terrain you could simply take damage for driving above a certain speed on bad terrain, with higher speeds doing more damage.

If the car is going to take damage through, this could lead to a really not-fun conclusion - the possibility of dying when it blows up. If it didn't blow up you're still looking at the prospect of putting a lot of resources into a device only to lose it irrevokably for a spot of bad luck (There's unlikely to be more than 1 in the entire game), so there would have to be care taken to ensure it doesnt get drestroyed "too easily" and damage repaired.

With a bike I suppose its a bit easier. The rider is unprotected so bullets still hit direct, and poor riding results in the player falling off and forced to walk to get back on.

Has anyone else had any thoughts about how vehicles may (or may not) work?

I think cars could be implemented and work.
With New Vegas though?
Nope.
Engine's too crap and the rocky landscape makes it too hard for it.
When we get a new engine I could see vehicles as a possibility as long as we can't:
* get a mounted turret on top of it.
* get to shoot from it.
* get to run over deathclaws with it.
* enter races and stuff. (This isn't borderlands.)

The vehicles should be like dune buggies.
Can come in different forms, Fast, Standard and Heavy.
* Fast is fragile and can easily blow up and get knocked over by big wildlife.
* Standard is yknow, like SPECIAL stats all set to 5, the in between car.
* And Heavy is slower than the other two but has greater armor to protect it.

Cars should be able to be stolen, this means your car can be stolen as well.
It should requires three skills.
* Security (Lockpick, hacking, traps and hot-wiring (Only for stealing cars, but with a high Security skill you can disable your own car so other's have a lesser chance of stealing it))
* Mechanics, the better the mechanics skill the better your car is and the more easily you can repair it yourself. (Passive, like Medicine and Barter with it's occasional uses)
* And Piloting which influences how well you can steer it and how fast you can turn and stuff.
Cars can be upgraded with several features, one of which is a bug which when planted and someone steals it you can find it's location on the map and take it back.
You can also pay people in different settlements to keep an eye on your car(s).

That's what I've got for how I want cars to be handled.
I do think they could fit perfectly well in Fallout, but it depends on how they're implemented. (No Borderlands inspiration please.)

The only way I can see them working is that you can't really use them, except as an option to move between major locations, and each location has it's own parking lot where your car is always parked (to be more precise, you can only use the car to travel from parking lot to parking lot). Also, you'd have to find the locations before you can go there. To be honest it would be something like the Ebon Hawk in SWKOTOR. If weapons are included, they can only be used when you get attacked by enemies that also use cars, once again similar to the Ebon Hawk (but still turning the game into some too much like mad max for my taste).

IMO it would be best to not include any cars at all, unless they are to be restored along the lines of the B-29 in NV (and for some reason I can't get the picture of a pickup truck armed with twin MG-15's in the rear out of my head)

Just have bicycles. Seems primitive enough for the post-war world.

It would work wonderfully if they return to the node travel system like in the originals. Or possible you can look to Fallout tactics as a model to implementing vehicles in the world. They are like "living" creatures in that they have armor and hit-points. They have various stages of "damage" first slowing them down, immobilizing them then then destruction.

Yeah, I'm not so sure unless they make an extremely massive worldmap, or do the node system.

Also, we need to see how Skyrim handles vehicles first.

Trains!

I want FLYING CARS in Fallout and DRAGONS in Skyrim........





(just kidding) :laugh:

I think Tactics highlights some of my concerns... it makes it easier to run from encounters - just simply wack on real time and drive. Since the cars have a few thousand hitpoints, it wont mind.

Car in Tactics don't have that much HP....

Dune buggy has 150, hummer has 200, APC has 350, scouter 150, tank 350
http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Fallout_Tactics_drivable_vehicles

However, the Hummer has decent armor, and the APC and Tank are pretty much invulnerable to small arms, and can take considerable Heavy weapons fire.

However I highly doubt we'll have military grade armored vechicles civvy ground cars can't really stand to bullets for long much less something heavier like MG's or rockets. So If you make it costly to repair you could offset the ability to get away from enemies while getting your car shot up.

Not sure about cars. It could be neat, but it can't be a solve-all. I'd go with what's been said, they can get shot to hell then you have to pay a nice price to fix them up. Maybe make repair help. Maybe even upgrades from high science and repair or some such.

Or a bike. That'd be easy. Maybe first you can only afford a bike, then eventually you can get your hands on a car.

I think if cars are in the game at all there would need to be:

a certain amount of hits it could take

road hazards (mines, pot holes etc.)

alot of canyons and pits to look out for

most should simply be jeeps with a sheet of metal nailed into the side (not much protection)

have a very limited amount of fuel

have bikes and motorcycles be alot more common (I'd probably only use a motorcycle)

have some raiders use motorcycles (so you can't just outrun them)

if you buy one it should cost ATLEAST 3000 caps

have repairs for bullet holes cost 800 caps per bullet hole (you'd basically have to be rich to have and maintain cars

make it so you could look like a complete badass:

Get off of a motorcycle while wearing a trench coat and a gas mask with a revovler at your side you walk to the edge of a canyon at sunset.

I like bicycles, imagine still being able to shoot weapons while still riding it. You see, that was the problem with New Vegas. Here we have a Courier, and they travel by foot. It's hard to believe that they haven't used bikes yet...obviously horses are not an option, but a bike is extremely simple compared to a car or a motorcycle.

If they were to be done make the system as simple as Saints Row. You can steal one (if you can find them in rare locations), You can buy one (some working some not), If they get destroyed you can just a pay caps to get it repaired at your safe house or at the few junkyards. There would be a few different cars. One is just a joppy, One is a jeep with mounted gun, One is a fast two seat desert racer. All would look post apocolypic and feel that way. In the current engine they're impossible, this engine freezes when running and shooting. But hopefully Fallout 4's will be much improved. By the way no fuel limits except on hardcoe mode.

Pretty much this!

Although I'd like some things different. Sure they could be stolen, but that wouldn't be something that would happen too often. I don't think there should be that many functional cars in the game, so therefore not that many people would know how to hotwire and steal them. It could of course be stolen if you park it on the street in some town with not so good inhabitants or good law enforcement. Also, if you have a really bad reputation, people might not steal in because they're scared of you, like muggers on Freeside not recognizing who you were and back off. They'd know that if you steal this person's car, he/she would be after you and he/she would not be merciful. It'd also be easy to find your car again since there aren't that many cars so people would have noticed anyone driving passed them (if the thief is so stupid driving through populated places with them).

I think you should be able to run over people with it, but the bigger it is, the harder it impact, which will slow down the speed of the car, damage it, even damage you, and maybe not even killing what you hit. So don't try and hit Deathclaws and Super Mutants, because you will just be crawling out of the car, crippled, and get smashed. You might not even run into them, they might tip your car over, like Bighorner tackle you from the side.

I don't think you should be able to enter races like they were a common thing in the wasteland, nor shoot from the car. But, I think there should be one quest which involves racing, there might be this guy who also has a car, pimped up and upgraded, all that, and he has a big interest in acing from pre-war books and movies. So, that's one quest that would involve a race. Maybe even rigged aswell.

Now, shooting from the car.. I don't think you should be able to do it, you are too busy driving your car. But I'd like if there were raiders, and not like Fiends or CW raiders, they don't feel like the road warrior kind, but more like raiders from Mad Max. Chasing you with their cars, whether you have one or not, would be pretty cool, and they'd be more than one in those cars, shooting at you from the windows or even have a turret mounted on it (harharhar, yes! But more like those dart throwing things in the move.)

Moving on, there should be different kinds of cars. First, dune buggy is a nice one. It's fast, it's light, can drive off-road pretty easily, got room for two people but not that much equipment, doesn't use up that much EC power (or whatever fuel cars use) but it's pretty fragile to all attacks, easy for big enemies to flip over and it's the easiest vehicle to steal since you can't lock a door or anything. Maybe not leave the key in it is a start, and even set a few traps (if you got a good Science skill and the stuff needed, a trap that makes the whole vehicle electric if you tamper with the car, or a good Explosion skill and a mine... well, yeah)

Second, there should of course be a sedan car. Maybe the Corvega would be the standard one you can find/buy, and the Highwayman would be the Unique sedan car you can obtain. The Sedan would be the standard car you talk about, good speed (aslong as it's not off-road. Try to keep to the roads, or what's left of them), medium damage resistance, medium EC consumption. The thing with these cars is that they are for the good looks, gives you +1 to Charisma by owning one (yes, sir, I do own that beauty over there) and may open up some nice dialogue option somewhere, and it has a pretty good storage space (trunk's in front). It probably has a lot of other pretty things aswell. Remember, it has no electronics, no computers, +800 horsepowers, 0 to 60 in 5 seconds (well, pre-war atleast) and a full anolog system!

Third, there something like a Humvee, a military vehicle with good damage resistance and off-road capabilites. Of course it should be a Humvee, just something like it, this one would of course have it's engine/reactor at the back of the vehicle. It would also have good storage space aswell, and have room for one more companion (hopefully, future Fallout games will let you have two humanoid, of both Combat class and Support class, and that they can interact with eachother) but it would really eat your EC up! This car is also pretty heavy, and not so easy to tip over by bigger enemies, and will also do more damage to those you run over, but still, you can get some whiplash (head crippled) and bumper damage.

All these vehicles you would be able to mod in different ways, raise the damage resistance at the cost of speed, put on new tires for better grip, modify the reactor to use less EC, put spikes on it for a bonus to fleshy enemies and for that raider look, and of course you would be able to chose whatever color you want it in! Depending on your skills like Repair or Science, and what items you've got, you could even do it yourself at a garage, or you ask the mechanic to do it for a cost (like buying implants). Btw, cars shouldn't also feel as light as they do in many games with cars. Feels like if I crash into something, it can send me flying in an unrealistic way. I think cars should feel heavy and clunky. Even the dune buggy, although less that the other vehicles.

(I also think that there should be an old pre-pre-war tank, involved in a quest where you maybe steal if from a museum occupied by enemies of the quest giver, and you'd also have to find components for him to make fuel. You'd be able to drive it but only the duration of the quest. The fuel should be enough to take you back to the quest giver, so if you drive off to roadkill some raiders and run out of fuel... well, when you get back to him and say you ran out of fuel, he'd send someone else to get it instead and he'd yell at you a bit, since the fuel would have lasted. Then you can lie with good enough Speech that you were followed and had to shake them off first.)

Now, about those skills. Security, Mechanics and Piloting - I think Lockpick, Science and Repair would suffice for the first two ones. Instead of getting Traps back in the game, it could use Science, Repair or Explosives depending on the trap (hopefully they could get it back in the game) About Piloting... I'm not sure having a skill that would only determine how good you are at driving a car. I dunno if that could be a perk you learn frome someone instead, how to drive, or if it could depend on some Skills and/or Stats.

Oh, and another thing. If there will be cars, I think there should be tamed and mountable creatures aswell. Like a Giant Mole Rat (I've seen a concept art of a guy riding a huge mole rat, it's awesome), Brahmin, maybe Bighorners depending on the location, maybe a huge mutated Lynx and even a Giant Ant, Mr. Pinch!


TL;DR! It's a good idea

I think a car could work if the map and traveling were handled like in Arcanum (to make the car actually useful mean of transport in the first place) - with the Beth mapsizes and FT method, it'd be just useless. Lots of randomly generated (there's no need for handplaced rubble and sand) wasteland around the "hotspots" and having random encounters here and there.

A few conditions though:
- Questperk enabled ability to drive it (not too easy to obtain) --- or the car itself being the reward.
- Gas/power should be expensive and at least moderately rare.
- The car degrades with use, when bumbed (the bigger the bumb, the bigger the damage) into something or when shot, and the CND correlates driving speed and steering (and possibly even powerconsumption), to prevent careless driving and GTA mowdown syndrome.
- Only one car (let's not turn this in to a racing game/pimp my ride sim). Maybe modable to make it last longer (both CND and travel distance - and possibly even trunkspace) and repairable with parts and/or tools. But only one car which, after being broken, will remain so at the spot until the player repairs it.
- No mounts (or driveby abilities) needed, traveling only. The player will be efficient enough with his own guns and appropriate skills.

That's my take on it.

The problem with a car is that the game map is far too small for that. I think bicycles are best because they are slow enough so that you're not driving across half the map in seconds.

Yes, as it is now. But think that maybe a future Fallout, like Fallout 4, might have a much much bigger world... and that the vehicles don't have to be too fast. I wouldn't like them to be too fast, imo. They are 200+ years old, they're not gonna be as fast as they were just when they were built. If the slowest car is just a bit faster than the top running speed you can have, then I'm good with that

Just imagine driving any of these restored pre-war cars in a future Fallout with a much bigger and more beautiful wasteland, with the "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIP90IV6EqA"-theme playing in the background (or there could be different soundtracks for each car, and the Highwayman, the rare car, would have this sountrack)
http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20091025220204/fallout/images/thumb/5/56/HighwaymanRender.png/830px-HighwaymanRender.png
http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20101109095928/fallout/images/4/47/CorvegaAtomicV8.jpg
http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090806152915/fallout/images/f/f3/CorvegaMZ.png
http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20101105184344/fallout/images/0/06/FNV_Patrol_Car.png
http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20101207204755/fallout/images/thumb/e/e3/Pick_Up_front.png/830px-Pick_Up_front.png

Even a http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20101105194012/fallout/images/f/f7/FNV_Motorcycle.png. Fast, but fragile, no storage space and only room for one.

You should be able to shoot while driving your [censored] car!!!

I mentioned earlier there should be road hazards, well if you're doing drivebys or are in a gunfight with some raiders next to or behind you you won't be able to watch the road and can end up in a ditch and at the raider's mercy...

I'd like to have a mount, just not in the dricer's seat, so your companion can shoot at mutants and raiders (maybe some can drive the car for you while you shoot the mutants and raiders) and they won't feel useless

And no there should not be one [censored] car!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It'd be ridicules if there was only one, atleast three or four cars you can own should be in the game!!!!!

Dude. Chill.

I would not like if they turned it into Fallout: San Andreas or something, whenever you drive a car. Cars should be pretty rare, although I wouldn't mind some faction called "Road Warriors" (obvious reference) that uses alot of restored different kinds of vehicles. They are awesome mechanics, but they're raiders so they're not the nicest, although not completly hostile either.

I'd rather if you didn't shoot from the car while driving, and I don't know how well bots would drive on the new engine which Fallout 4 will be on. You companion(s) could do that. Maybe you could fire from the car when you've stopped so you can take your hands off the wheel. Like in Doomsday when she does a U-turn, stop, and shoot at her persuers.

Seeing that Fallout Tactics was the first Fallout to make actual land vehicles (APTs and Jeeps) become drivable was a first step. Hopefully we'll be able to get not only just cars for the players but others who have made them work and use them as functions. Caravans with Trucks (inside with brahim an supplies), or etc.

Hopefully we'd see alot of brahmin caravans pulling carts in a future Fallout, with bigger caravans so it looks like the goods they transport is actually worth the distance and protection. Then there could be caravan companies that have gotten a truck or two working, or you can invest in them like in Fallout 3, and you'd actually notice any visual upgrades like that, aswell as more and better equipped guards.

Sorry about that, I over-pressed the explanation point button...


I think caravans should be alot larger and rarer... Like have six to eight brahmin pulling carts with twelve guards and three-four merchants.

There should be one or two caravan trucks working but I still disagree that you should still be able to shoot while driving, but it can only be a pistol or a revolver and again it draws your attention away from road hazards... So you'd have to be really good at it to use it for more than a minute and/or alot...

To be honest I dont think you can take NV as an example bescause that game wasnt designed to have a car in it, if theywould have to of planned evrything out in a new game to have cars in if it was goin to work well

Like potholes, canyons, and large mountains...