BAD design choices : Fallout: New Vegas

» Wed May 11, 2011 3:36 am

1. Disagree.
2. Agree.
3. Don't care.
4. Don't care.
5. Agree.
6. Don't care.
7. Disagree.

» Tue May 10, 2011 6:41 pm

From strictly an immersion standpoint, I hate seeing, or being able to find out (other than direct observation), just how much damage any enemy can take (i.e.- their "stats"), and prefer to "learn" that info as I have fought successive amounts of the same critter. Sure, gleaning some info from locals by conversation is useful, but being able to pause mid battle, and "look it up" on your pip-boy is a MAJOR 4th wall breaker, even if you spend a perk doing so. AFTER encountering them (enough), no biggie...

I do like that guns in this game aren't the break-down prone pieces of crap they were in FO3. Quite simply, once you can get one into working shape, (even given the assumed tech involved), there is NO REASON for one to break down to the point of uselessness. Period. If you have the skill to get it working, you have the skill to keep it going, which leads to the next issue...

"Crafting". As it stands now, even on hardcoe mode, there is NO compelling reason to use it. By the time your PC is skilled enough, or has explored/cajoled/ or connived enough to get the "recipes" required to do any of it well enough to use it, they are already powerful enough to not have to worry about it. That goes for ALL of the crafting available. Ammo, food, health items, etc... In this regard, FO3 was superior, as the reasons for crafting were to obtain unique items that weren't (usually) readily available, and did offer some reward for doing it. (Yes, I'm looking at YOU, "RailRoad Rifle!)

If they were to remove a good chunk of ammo and food sources in hardcoe mode, that would go a long way towards making it all useful, without ignoring the needs of those who chose to "play it straight"...

Other bad choices were to make "areas" level specific, as opposed to "scaling" to a particular player's PC... Yeah, it seems cool to be taught the lesson that there are some places you "just shouldn't go" until you are ready, but the way FNV is designed, it feels more like an "on the rails" shooter or horror survival title than a "sandbox" type game, as, even though you have access to those areas, you absolutely MUST (if not dying is important to you) basically follow the progression laid out for you, and completely disregard any given player's desire or need to explore outside of those "boundaries". Gone are the days of "danger around every turn" in favor of "danger 100 paces north-northwest of Goodsprings"... The removal of random encounters only solidifies this perception.

Also, while the individual "companion quests" offer a lot of, well, "extra content", with nearly suitable rewards, all they really do is add more possible scripting errors to an already old engine, and do not truly add value to the player's experience, other than to FORCE them to re-visit places and people they may have already visited, just to lend a small bonus to that companion, AND, more importantly, make the player feel like they are actually doing "more". Seems kinda "cheap" to me. "Metroid, anyone?"

Lastly, it seems as the "character customization", graphically at least, has much less depth than FO3. Not a huge issue, but it was kinda weird and kinda cool seeing what amounted to a digital replacement of me on my TV during FO3, only to be replaced by my deformed half-brother in NV...

These are just "so far" and my be amended, added to, or changed completely upon finishing...

» Tue May 10, 2011 5:32 pm

How about a stupid npc trying to attack a player in full power armor with a tire iron ?????
Would you do this in real life , ? :toughninja:

» Tue May 10, 2011 11:39 pm

How about a stupid npc trying to attack a player in full power armor with a tire iron ?????
Would you do this in real life , ? :toughninja:

I liked how in Fallout 1 and Fallout 2 people would actually run from you if you wear a PA and wield a Plasma Rifle.
Maybe if we complain enough they might patch this as well.

» Tue May 10, 2011 11:31 am

I liked how in Fallout 1 and Fallout 2 people would actually run from you if you wear a PA and wield a Plasma Rifle.
Maybe if we complain enough they might patch this as well.

There should be a function to assess their odds against the PC and have the option to run instead of fight, if they are obviously greatly over-matched, and if it suits the PC AI.

*Alternate NPC dialog would be a nice touch, from principle NPC's that would otherwise act tough, but are now wary and/or frightened.
(or just confidant that the PC could succeed in something that they could not.)

» Tue May 10, 2011 1:55 pm

YA, the Ai inthe older games were smater.
Take Stalker for Exp, the higherlevel your Char. the more bades will try to run away .....
Let make the Ai smarter.

» Tue May 10, 2011 10:01 pm

1. Sniper rifles are extremely overpowered currently. Not only they are pin-point accurate with true-sight scope even at max range allowing player to snipe enemies that aren't even on ED-E's sensors yet, they also get insanely high 5x critical rate. They should be reduced in power by both decreasing their accuracy below 100% and reducing their crit multiplier from 5x to something more sane like 1.5x. Sneak criticals, they are way overpowered and should be reduced in occurrence to silenced weapons, melee weapons and unarmed techniques.

Since I play at Very Hard level, I need at least one weapon that can hit hard. Gobi/sniper is it.

2. Fast travel, there should be a way to get to the important locations DIRECTLY. Getting to the suite in Lucky 38 means going through 3-4 different loading screens and running for at least a minute. It's wasting our time guys. All districts in Freeside should be on the map, there should be a way to get inside larger map structures too. For example inside BoS bunker or McCarran terminal. I'm sick and tired of running for a minute through a sand-storm because I have to drop a laser pistol and leave right away. Similarily, fast travel outside of friendly buildings should be allowed so I don't need to walk out before I can move on.

Agree!

3. Energy weapons should be the ones that focus on modding in different ways. We should be able to customize projectiles on plasma or laser more than now. Every second gun has an upgrade or two while only handful of energy weapons can be modded - and typically those of very low tiers. It should be the other way round. Give us more scopes here, high-tech guns should use more advanced targeting techniques than cowboy shotguns.

Agree

5. Can't purchase stealth boys, can't manufacture them either. Can't purchase weapon parts to assemble them using high skills. Can't purchase ammo parts to assemble them into what we want. Why there aren't HP and AP recipes at the bench? Why are weapon schematics gone? Wouldn't it be better if instead of giving the player a fully functional unique rifle instead you gave him schematics and a list of parts to make one?

Except that I think stealth boys should remain rare, I otherwise agree. I had enough stealth boys to do whatever I wanted.

6. Enemies. They should get more perception - and when fired at they shouldn't just blindly run around, they should duck and cover and try to snipe the player. They need their sight range improved - and they need to be smarter at dealing with a sniper so player has to come down and finish them off after the first few shots because they are all hidden behind obstacles and refuse to come out.

Better AI would be nice, and it would be even better if AI scaled with difficulty level instead of insane health.

7. SPECIAL. Charisma and Perception should play a bigger role. How about capping max gun skills with Perception so you need at least 5 to reach 100? How about capping social skills in a similar way to prevent people with CHA at 1 to get to Speech 100? This would encourage more balanced builds and reduce the number of dump stats.

I think CHA already does a great deal in this game.

» Tue May 10, 2011 6:38 pm

There should be a function to assess their odds against the PC and have the option to run instead of fight, if they are obviously greatly over-matched, and if it suits the PC AI.

*Alternate NPC dialog would be a nice touch, from principle NPC's that would otherwise act tough, but are now wary and/or frightened.
(or just confidant that the PC could succeed in something that they could not.)

Good idea about frightened NPCs, but then PC wont have what to fight once he got his PA. In NewVegas there are almost no enemies with Power Suits or heavy weapons.
I am afraid that if this was implemented it would lead to most enemies wearing Power Armors, so they wont run and fight instead.

Edit: or it will lead to things like those bandits in STALKER games, with their dirty coats, they can withstand same beating like any exosuit wearing stalker.

» Tue May 10, 2011 11:34 am

Good idea about frightened NPCs, but then PC wont have what to fight once he got his PA. In NewVegas there are almost no enemies with Power Suits or heavy weapons.
I am afraid that if this was implemented it would lead to most enemies wearing Power Armors, so they wont run and fight instead.

Edit: or it will lead to things like those bandits in STALKER games, with their dirty coats, they can withstand same beating like any exosuit wearing stalker.

This would be fine by me actually. :shrug:
Its not supposed to be a shooter (with an "if it moves, kill it" mentality to it.). Dogs, Ferals and Deathclaws would never run; Suitably armed people would (or should) just change tactics, while the defenseless should run, and like-armored opponents don't see you as such a tremendous threat.

**I would have that the function not simply check PC level and damage with the equipped weapon; I would much rather the function evaluate the "offensive value" of what the PC is visibly wearing, and their top three weapons.
(Unarmed skill should not be evaluated until after the first few attacks)

» Tue May 10, 2011 4:58 pm

I don't think a perfect headshot should be achievable at distance of a few kilometres (seriously, I can snipe targets farther than ED-E's sensors see them) by a character who doesn't have 100 guns and 10 PER. Adding sneak attack critical or 5x critical chance on top of PERFECT accuracy is just silly. It dumbs the game down and all the AMR noobs on this forum are a perfect example making snipers so powerful was a poor design choice. If my energy character can kill Deathclaws faster with Ratslayer than with Plasma Caster, something isn't right. It needs a nerf.

Sniper rifles are supposed to be powerful when used for thier intended purpose......hunting people. A sniper seeks to take out thier target unawares...by distance and/or a concealed position, and ideally with one shot. Now that may not appeal to people who think being tactical is circle-strafing thier target at near point-blank range hoping the target(s) go down before the stims run out...probably because they cannot circle-strafe someone who can shoot them in the head 500yds away...but this isn't a FPS and if someone wants to play a character who specializes in making thier enemies die without ever seeing it coming that's perfectly OK . Rather than nerfing sniper rifles so they don't do what sniper rifles are supposed to do soley to force players to circle-strafe...they could add real world physics to bullets (bullet drop, wind effects) to make snipers work for that long-distance one shot takedown. I'm all for it if they add bipods and give us the ability to go prone as well, crouched is basically a approximation of a sitting position. No doubt the circle-strafers will complain about having to adjust thier aim for distance after they run into one of the rare occasions where they have to shoot something they cannot circle around while spamming stims...but then they won't be happy until FO is Halo, Gears of War or MW without the "shotty-snipers" :lol:

And from my experience....staying with a AMR when trying to fight close range opponents just gets me messed up real bad or killed. Sniper rifles are marginal if I have companions to distract the tangos. But then I carry a modded hunting shotgun (OOOHHHH.."shotty-sniping!" How un-PC!) and Lucky for close encounters...I love how shotguns in this game are effective at realistic ranges, unlike the FPSs where you practically have to press the muzzle into your target to hit it.