Well, i'v started my playthrough as an "Escaped Slave" whose just gotten away from Paradise Falls (Courtesy of FWEs alternate start). I'v restarted this character a few times, because I just could not figure out why it wasn't working. It just didn't feel right, and I think I found the one thing this game has needed all along, and that's a more populated wasteland.

Now, don't get me wrong. I understand why you wouldn't have people all over the Wastes, however the fact the only encounters I ever get are Raiders, Mutants or creatures, it wears thin, especially after multiple playthroughs. But using a mod which adds more to the Wasteland, it definitely helps the immersion for me. Has anyone else found something which helps them immensely with their immersion?

Explanation is what's missing for me. At first glance, the Capital Wasteland is beautiful, and some of the set pieces are excellent. 'Dungeons' are fun to explore, too.

However, when one begins to question the plausibility of the gameworld, the overall experience is damaged. For instance, how the hell does Megaton even survive, let alone thrive? Sure, through trade routes they receive supplies, but you can assume said supplies consist of pre-war, irradiated [censored] for food and drink because that's all you ever see. They're self-sufficient, but aside from two brahmins, there's no agriculture, and only a ramshackle makeshift purifier to quench the thirst of the town's residents.
And don't get me started on why they'd even build there town around an ATOMIC BOMB to begin with. Yes, yes, there's some stupid-ass explanation, but it's weak, and you know the devs made Megaton so in order for the players to BLOWZ [censored] UPZ!!1I! The justification is awful.

And it doesn't stop there, either. I could go on all day about the inconsistencies riddling the game, though there's little point, as I still enjoy playing it and I've learnt to accept it for what it is -- a jumble of 'cool stuff' without any true plausibility.

I won't excuse the poor writing (really, how did the super mutants all of a sudden materialise in Jefferson Memorial after James had been and gone unscathed? And why did he leaves his damn holotapes there, anyway) and pathetic justification of just about every settlement in the wasteland, but I will respect Bethesda's effort to provide us with a huge game space, even if the majority of it makes little sense.

Well I've been getting slavers, escaped slaves, hunters, wastelanders etc. Not as often as raiders or muties but from time to time.
I think Christo is right that the plausibility of the settlements is a bit lacking
Where do the people who live in Tenpenny Towers make their bottlecaps so they can retire to a life of luxury?
Megaton's folks might survive by scavinging but if so shouldn't we see some of them setting out or returning from expeditions
1 thing that seemed particularly implausible to me is that Moriarty and Tenpenny are both immigrants. Transcontinental immigration?

Saluaging what? Dirty water and 200 year old Pork and Beans? Hmph. I accept that through grit, the townsfolk could come together to build houses and the like, but they can't ignore bodily needs.

As for Moriarty and Tenpenny, that's just laziness on Bethesda's behalf. I recall reading recently that Todd Howard justified the ambiguity surrounding Tenpenny as a means for the players to "use their imaginations". What a load of bull. You utilise your creativity to create your character -- to shape the finest aspects of their personality. As developers, it is their job to flesh out the gameworld presented to us -- not ours.

Here's the punchline old sport, http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Hilltop_farm_ruins_terminal_entries confirms that actual survivors of the Great War created a farm, which did well, with irrigation and such.

Exactly, so Bethesda aren't completely ignorant. Why couldn't we have seen more of this? It's been a while since I've played, but as far as I can remember, we the players have to assume just about everything. True, Rivet City have a functioning hydroponics bay, though all they've managed to achieve is about ten fresh pieces of fruit.

Let's consider the Republic of Dave as well. Although amusing, it is far too small and devoid of any means of production to be self-reliant. It's not even included on the trade routes, for Pete's sake. Again, Bethesda thought it up, thought it'd be a laugh, and just rushed in headlong without any regard for plausibility.

Well you know what they say, farms and plausability do not a good gunfight make.

Well irradiation does prolong shelf life ...

Tenpenny annoyed me. Typical Hollywood thinking. Upper-class baddie, lets make him English

It's not even so much as the fact that it's irradiated -- rather, that it's still there to be salvaged. The war was 200 years ago, surely food of all things would have been the top priority for wastelanders.

Still, I'm being pedantic, and it does me no favours to complain about it. If I'm honest, little details like that don't bother me too much -- it's just I'm feeling [censored]y because I'm back to college (or whatever the American variant is) tomorrow and would much prefer to lounge about on my [censored] all day.

Yep thats one thing a hated about both FO3 and FO:NV its so empty.

I'm working on a mod now that adds more of everything (especially NPC's and creatures) to the game. I know exactly where you're coming from there. The other thing Fallout 3 was missing for me was: A CHALLENGE!

I find that adopting rules that add a more survival/realism edge to the game. I simply cant play any other way now. Check out the Fallout "hardcoe" thread in this section. The lack of a weapon carry limit breaks immersion for me; not only does it make the player character a one man army, but it's ridiculous even suggesting that one person can carry a minigun, two combat shotguns, a hunting rifle, Gatling laser and a dozen grenades all at the same time.

Also it's true that a lot of things in the game do not make much sense. I agree that a lot of the settlements have no reason to exist, Little Lamplight and Big Town being glaring examples of this.

Other things, like how every computer terminal is still powered and working, the entire notion of a 'crippled head' resulting from a gunshot, sniping a group of raiders with sneak attacks without any of them noticing that anything is happening, stuff like that make no sense.

I love the game to bits, it just requires suspension of disbelief at times.

Water being shown as essential and a major plot point for the game yet you never need to drink.

Why is there so much food and drink yet no requirement to eat it?!?!
I wish I had MODs

I know there should be some sort of need that can't be turned off like hardcoe mode in fonv.

double post

I agree with OP. I was just saying that a more populated wasteland would lead to more immersion in a RP.... I will never stop playing Oblivion, the immersion is quite rich there. In another http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1176044-fallout-3-hardcoe/ we've been discussing the challenge aspect, as it gets boring to own all day long. I want to work for my kills.

Completion. So you've deactivated the Megaton bomb, and only Lucas has anything to say about it? Something more should change in Megaton, the removal of threat inspires more wastelanders to move in, Confessor Cromwell quits evangelizing and opens a museum featuring the bomb, Moriarty lacks customers and Nova takes over the business and converts it into a full brothel. What new innovations / treaties has the Republic of Dave accomplished since I've last visited? Does Paladin Casdin of the Outcasts have any new plans to resolve conflict with BoS, attack someplace, or do anything other than patrol like they've done the entire game?

Normally in these games like FO3 or Morrowind & Oblivion I'll get a mod that adds a large amount of NPCs to the world too and some mods to either expand settlements/cities or create whole new ones.

I'v seen quite a few farms in my Travels over FO3. Most are abandoned and just look like broken down wooden homes. Upon closer inspection of the ground, you can see where the land used to be tilled.



This made me laugh, and then think "Wait... he's right. there aren't many gunfights on farms in videogames.."


What annoyed me, was the fact he seemed like he was a pawn. The dude is drunk out of his face for like 20 years and almost seems like he's out of it. Like that woman in Arfeyu or whatever it is.


Mods. Seriously. This is my first playthrough using a repopulation mod, and i LOVE it so much more. I randomly get pick-pocketed, get in gun fights, have random [censored] happen. It's AWESOME

it lacks people, and colors, and quests. there should have been more quests.

There's a repopulation mod for Fallout 3? I know there's a couple for New Vegas that adds additional NPCs to settlements and Casinos, but I hadn't heard of one for 3.

Bethesda did a great job making a world that without the help of guides or wiki took a really long time to understand the full magnitude of what they had there. I was findind new places and things 2000hrs in. There are secrets there that no one in game knows about.

Whats missing for me is accuracy as to how radiation behaves. Yes, yes I know. Benign mutations run the gamut in Fallout, but Bethesda could have at least tried. Even the dirtiest bombs used wouldn't leave toxic radiation around for over 200 years, let alone poison whole seas and rivers at such a magnitude. Even a full-blown nuclear war wouldn't do so. Mother Nature is pretty dammed good at purging itself. After 200+ years, flowing water would not be dangerously radioactive anymore, if at all. Underground aquifers would flat out be immune as well.

New Vegas got most of that right. You'll occasionally run into pools of radioactive water, but the source is normally pretty close by. Nowhere near the level of the Potomac still freaking glowing.

Personally, a rampaging battle to save crops and irrigation systems would be dead on and incredibly tense if done right. Hell, in a post-apocalypse setting, keeping the ability to produce food and potable water is more important than about 90% of the stuff the Lone Wanderer gets svcked into doing.

Thats something else Fallout needs, though more in the Capital Wasteland than the New Vegas/NCR regions. People being flat out executed for stealing water. In such hostile conditions, water theft is tantamount to attempted murder.

I would have loved for it to be......bigger! :intergalactic: