I have just finished rescuing the guy from those convicts in Primm and I have only used the VATS a little bit so far. I don't have anything good for a gun yet( been using a varment rifle and a pistol) so I am not sure if VATS will be more effective later on but I seem to be having more luck without it right now. Any advice for using VATS more effectively or should I just not use it?

VATS is extremely useful. I use VATS to first, shoot an enemies arm so they drop their weapon, usually finishing them off with a headshot. For the wasteland creatures that use melee as a weapon, I use VATS to hit their legs to significantly slow them down.

I reccomend not neglecting it, try and get comfortable with it, Fallout is the only series that I have played with this type of feature so I like to have fun with it.

vats will be more effective as your relative weapon skill gets higher. at low skill level your % to hit will be really low. range also plays a big part.

i love the iron sights, so i don't use vats that often. i mainly use vats when i absolutely must score headshots quickly (deathclaws, hit squads, etc.) or die.

as with just about everything in the game, i find vats to be situation dependant. i would never do a no vats run or an all vats run. it's just not effective nor efficient. find the situations where it's helpful, that's part of the fun. personally, i find more satisfaction in iron sights, but using vats to headshot in succession four or five enemies is fun too. plus it's nice to have vats as a safety net.

I never use VATS, Never ever! I've done it in previous playthroughs, but I've found out how much more interesting this game (and challenging too) is without using VATS.
I'd recommend not using it too much, it got boring to me (and too easy).

So instead of using a unique feature in Fallout you would rather just shoot crap like all the other shooters out there?

Some of us find the challenge of aiming and/or the real-time combat action more entertaining to play/watch than a sudden static screen aim win button. Just a preference. FNV is not a "real" shooter even in real-time, either.
I tried VATS early on and yeah, it can be very effective certainly. Some people like to use it, and that's cool. But I personally found it rather dull, outside of the amusing slo-mo camera pov stuff now and then. I also found it difficult to target who I wanted in a crowd - not a big deal or anything, but still annoying shifting the screen here and there to get what I wanted.

I used this feature million times not only in FNV, but mostly in original Fallout and it's sequel. So I got tired of it, I know it's a unique feature but for me it kinda destroys the combat, because it slows everything down and I want combats to be quick as they are in real life or prolonged if I or my enemies are using covers, I want them to be challenging and memorable. VATS is a great feature and I don't have anything against it, but not for me, it makes game too easy.

M'kay

Unique boring feature that kills the game...

I have said it before and i will again VATS svcks dont use it. WTF is the reason of having a shooter if you are just gonna let the computer shoot for you?
Im getting sick and tired of all that VATS [censored] its not fun to use or effective. Its bad... GOT IT?! BAD!!!

You're allowed to not like it, but other people are allowed to like it.

I agree that V.A.T.S is pretty much a set of training wheels, but other people will disagree with me on that, and it's fine.

Um, this seems like a fine place to insert a good old fashioned "that's *your* opinion" statement. Others like to use it, sometimes or even often. Just because you don't like something, doesn't mean squat whether someone else will or not. Let them try it and decide for themselves what they think about it. If it turns out they don't like to use it, then they won't. But if it turns out they do like to use it sometimes, then good for them too. I don't use it all that much except for situations where you're suddenly mobbed by multiple tough enemies at close range, or for throwing explosives. It's great in both of those circumstances, in my opinion.

Just do whatever your having the most fun with. As others have said, when your weapon skills get higher you will be more effective in VATS. I almost never use it myself, but every once in awhile I just want to see a slow motion kill

1. What exactly is homosixual about precisioned aiming?

2. Not really, I don't like it that much but I am also not a FPS gamer, I don't have good reflexes, at all. So when a feral ghoul charges towards me I need the extra help with aiming because of their frantic speed and animations.

1.I lolled

2.Shotguns can be used in that situations as they have much spread. Exactly i was just telling you my opinion on it (like a boss)

I told you, I'm not good at FPS', I still miss with shotguns at that range.
The movement is too fast for me to comprehend.

That's like... your opinion man.

I like VATS. It was too strong in F3 and it still pretty strong in FNV. However, I do like the idea that VATS increases your crit chance so I use it when I'm building a crit oriented character.

douple post

I usually don't use it, but it's nice to have. VATS is my "Oh [censored]!" button

VATS is better used with slow firing weapons like the hunting rifle because they're alot harder to aim at a moving target. Using VATS with 9mm pistol is just a waste of time and leads you open to getting shot.

Also playing fallout in hardcoe makes VATS harder to use because it slows down combat leaving you open for being hit. Since you're more conservative in hardcoe mode you're more worried about dodging bullets and shooting your enemy, since getting injured and having to take a trip to the doctor wastes water and food.

Not sure if serious...

Or claiming Fallout is a FPS.

At low levels in new vegas vats is good when being rushed by multiple opponents but at higher levels when you've put alot of points into gun it seems less effective even when you have 95% across all body parts even with crit chance perks. Fallout 3 was more effective throughout the game but it can take the fun out if its over used.

Its a RPG with a FPS gameplay like style thingy.

If you play it like an FPS, sure. Can also be called an RTS and TPS by that logic however.

Fallout 3/NV are not FPS's since they also have third person combat. Thus, they are action RPGs.

As for VATS I use it with slower weapons like the Plasma Rifle, but not that often and I don't spend perks on Action Points.
I do like the feature though since it's a nice way of incorporating stuff from the original Fallouts into the new generation.

That's why I use it. If you want generic FPS combat, every other game has that. So I use VATS because I liked it in FO1 and it's something different.

I already have 30+ FPS games on my shelf with crouch/hide/shoot mechanics. At least VATS is mixing it up