Anyone else feel frustrated in Fallout 3, after finally achieving a master level lockpicking skill, finding that all of the master level locks either had keys, alternate points of entry or just gave you a measly fistful of junk? While I'm not typically for "leveling scaling", it seems there is a kind of logical disconnect that took place in Fallout 3 when it came to locks. If someone put a strong lock on something, it only makes sense that it is more valuable. So what do you think? Should lock difficulty effect loot quality?

Ehh, it's a toss up. I do agree that the loot should be like. 5 of each chem and a decent pistol if I open a Hard lock. But to be honest, I voted 'The hell do I care' because as long as I get loot, my creed is 'Loot it loot' I get pissed when I unlock something, only to find it absolutely empty sometimes :banghead:

Start
If Better locks >= better loot or goto Rage
End if

:Rage
If Rage
Then Swear Loudly and Shake Fist in Air
End if

End

I like it but at the same time don't.
Why does there have to be something of value in a locked chest?
Maybe a lunatic raider found a teddy he wanted to keep from harm and used a real nice lock he found to lock it up in his chest.
There's no guarantee that everything inside a Very Hard locked container needs to be really great.

But at the same time I was like "*sarcasm* Yaaaay *sarcasm* I found 8 .44 magnum rounds in this ammo box...".
So it would be nice to actually find something good once in a while.

Let's say like this, half of the locked containers have leveled loot and half has a static loot that does not change depending on your level.
(If there's suppose to be a half eaten mirelurk cake inside this ammo box then there's going to be a half eaten mirelurk cake inside that ammo box.)

[edit]
Hah! Finally understood the title. :laugh:

I once unlocked a very hard locked chest in Oblivion, that contained 8 gold coins :swear:
Similar things have happened in Fallout 3 :stare:

In other words: YES!

@Gabe: I'm not suggesting any kind of guarantee, more like an increased probability of better loot, or a different "pool" that the loot is drawn from for each tier. Naturally, each tier would have it's fair share of crap.

Edit: Glad you dug the title!

I think it should vary and sometimes there can be a hard lock with crappy loot an whatnot. After all, variety is the spice of life.

I'm not suggesting either that every hard locked box should contain Epic Random ZOMG UBER HAX SWORD OF DEATH AND DOOM +9.000!11!

I agree there should be something that scales. Especially if in the early game you find a 100 skill lock pick such as the little house in the minefield in FO3. I had done the paradise slave quests early so after I hit 100 lock picking i made a point to go back and check that out only to find like 8 caps and one random piece of crap in it. LAME!!!!

That really was a crippling disappointment. :sadvaultboy: I would have even liked if there was a negative for opening it, like it set off a trap, gave you a status effect or triggered an ambush. But NOTHING? The hell?

It's just like The Door said... Eire...

it would make leveling up lockpick more important so yes.

at least good caps, maybe not an extreme weapon every time.

but i hated unlocking something with a requirement of 75 and getting like 2 stimpaks and jet

"If someone put a strong lock on something, it only makes sense that it is more valuable."

Agreed.

I just don't like the lock picking system in FO3. Just because it's a complicated lock does not mean I should not be able to at least try to pick it. I want the return of the original lockpick system where you can try but chances are you will fail. Also the return of lock picking kits.

To be honest I kinda like that some locked items are empty, if everything locked contained something I feel it can make the world feel a little false. I lock my garden shed, theres nothing in it but it has a padlock on the door so keeping it locked is better then keeping it open because the lock will rust up quicker left open. I'm not saying it makes me happy to unlock a door or a box and get nothing but I can appreciate such things add to the feel of the world even if they dissapoint....not everything in a game should reward just think Matrix....making a perfect world actually svcks, we need the crap to believe its real.

Also, don't forget the act of unlocking the lock gives you xp based on the difficulty so you technically ALWAYS get something.

I don't think anyone is arguing you should always get something, or even that it should always be something good, just that the pool the game randomly draws from include better items as the locks get harder.

It should be Random.

Except for certain lockers like the one in the sniper shack in fallout 3 that has a victory rifle inside.

Don't think anyone is arguing it shouldn't be random either, just a higher probability of good gear. Again, it only makes sense:

1) To reward player progression
2) Logic - A high grade lock typically isn't used to hide an ashtray full of fingernail clippings

I don't know, levelscaling loot gives me varying degrees pyrosis in any form. At least some of them higher level boxes (etc) should contain set loot relating to the place the containers are in, and that can't be acquired anywhere else. I think the main thing about it is that no matter what's inside the box, the satisfactory element isn't too big if the loot inside is just a bigger amount of the same junk, or a highlevel weapon that you find laying around the wasteland and corpses eventually anyway. But I may be looking at this issue from a bit too complicated perspective.

Sometimes I think stuff should be leveled al'a victory rifle, but sometimes you should get complete crap.

Another way to look at it, is the old saying "One man's treasures are another man's junk". Basically that whoever filled the locked container may have put what was precious to them in but to yourself it is a load of old tat. It could even have had something put into it which was very valuable but also degradable and by the time you'd got there the contents had rotted away completely at worst or at best was now just useless junk due to having degraded enough that it's no longer in working condition.

With regards to the comment/suggestion that the contents should vary depending on where the locked container is, that would/could make sense.


Edit: However filling every locked container with stuff equivalent to the locks complexity would basically 'force' players to invest in lockpicking every time, and at least some people tend to hate being forced to play RPG's or even any game for that matter a certain way in order to garner the most benefit.

From a gameplay perspective, it makes sense to reward a character for investing points in lockpicking rather than explosives, guns or what have you. I don't see how rewarding player choice forces anyone's hand.

Exactly. There was plenty of good unlocked loot. Alot of locked safes and lockers are in hidden areas, lockpicking and exploring go hand in hand in my opinion.

I wouldn't mind loot that would actually benefit my higher level character, Hell that would be kick-ass. :tops:

Whats the point of getting high skill in Lockpicking if all the stuff you pick has complete junk inside? Makes your distribution of skill points into Lockpicking feel a bit useless in my opinion.

I don't think it should be strictly leveled or anything, just the chance of getting better items increases the higher the lock is. So, every 1 in 5 Very Hard chests you might get something a bit lousy, but generally it'll be pretty good stuff. Whereas you almost always have to expect to get something ordinary in a case of Very Easy.