Just hit level 10 with my character (The Wolfman) (a gunslinger who shoots first and asks questions later, but still a good guy overall) and i love the fact that im always struggling, I never seem to have enough ammo, caps and stimpaks, also my weapons are never in great condition. The fact that any ammo i come across is like gold and caps are few and far between for me makes the game awesome, im constantly chugging nuka-cola as a cheap replacement for stimpaks... im sure these things will change as my character gets stronger and im able to complete more rewarding quests but the very begininng has been a blast so far....

If you love the Struggle you find yourself in playing Fallout 3. Than Fallout and Fallout 2 are the games for you!

After a while, the game becomes too easy. Even on very hard difficulty.

If the fights are getting too easy then install Mart's Mutant Mod + some mob ai mod (like Arwen's or FWE). Nothing like having 3-5 super mutant bashers rushing your position while their 5-10 gunner buddies lay down suppressive fire or grenades from cover.
I had FWE + MMM installed and had to decrease the difficulty/spawn options. The fights were massive and intense but I could hardly get any quests done because I spent too much time and resources fighting my way through hordes of mutants, raiders or ghouls. After 2 or maybe 3 zones of fighting I was almost out of ammo, grenades & healing and had to return to Megaton to restock and heal up. Sometimes a really tough enemy like deathclaw or fallen brother, would step around the corner and I'd have to run like a chicken tossing grenades or mines at my own feet. Most intense fights I've had in a single-player game for a long time.
Sure was a lot more fun then my first play-through as sneaky snipers using VATS all the time.

The unmodded game does get a bit easy & boring at higher levels because everyone gets way too many hitpoints.

Lol. That sounds awesome. It is a shame that all the options that come with mods never translate into the next Beth game. Look at Skyrim. The AI options there were just as boring as Oblivion. If Fallout 4 doesnt improve things I will scream, then sigh, then download a mod myself....

OP- Just keep playing. It sounds like you are enjoying it.
Make sure you have Broken Steel to get the most value out of your playthru. Eventually turn to mods (PC) or Survival rules for console.

http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1176044-fallout-3-hardcoe/.