I generally don't use VATS unless I'm trying to hit an evasive target (ie won't stop running around) or I'm scanning for targets in the wasteland. I like the feel of aiming down the sights of my weapons. It just feels... Right.

I never use it because I've got WAY better aim than the game seems to think I have.

It means that you have better aim then your character. There's a difference.

I don't use it because I don't need it. I'm perfectly capable of aiming for myself, thank you very much. Besides, I don't want numbers deciding whether I win or lose in combat. If I'm up to snuff, I should win, and if I'm not up to snuff I should lose. I won't want my processor deciding my fights for me.

I do not use VATS, although I probably should since it means my character's skill decides the fights instead of mine. As a result, I have some 'extra' perk picks since I do not need the VATS-related ones. Am thinking of making a VATS-using Guns character, though.

I use it and I designed my build around it.

I use free aim too, and I can understand why some prefer it, but if I wanna play a straight forward action/shooter, there are plenty of great games out there built just for that.

I like VATS because it allows me to approach combat, and design my character build, a little more on the strategic tip.

Plus it just feels more like Fallout.

In Fallout 3 I took all VATS releated perks and almost exclusively used VATS. The only time I didn't is when I was out of AP or had below 50% chance to hit every body part.

But in New Vegas, it's a lot more fun to rarely use VATS. The addition of iron sights made the combat a lot more fun. I only use VATS now when an enemie is right on top of me or on the the rare occasion that they're moving to fast in combat to hit just using free aim, and even that feels more like a last ditch effort since most of the time I have between a 35 and 50 percent chance to hit, which makes it seem more fun.

I dont use VATS very often in New Vegas. Unless they are at close range, it seems a bit sub par. It was way more powerful on FO3

used it a bit in my first playthrough but I found out that firing faster than you can shoot in v.a.t.s does way more damage. So I found v.a.t.s to be useless. Can still use it to get a couple shots off in close-combat but other than that I don't use it.

Gauss Rifle is bugged in VATS, so I make a point to use it as little as possible.

I use VATS sometimes. I mean you get +5% crit and -25% damage taken while in VATS, I don't see why you would not use it in some cases.

It was horrendously broken in FO3 so I can understand why it got nerfed. However, one thing I don't understand is that during VATS if there is more than one target, they are not slowed if I'm not currently targeting them during the actual combat round. That seems like a bug and needs to be fixed.

Otherwise, generally (as a shotgun user) I will open combat outside of VATS at medium range or so with slugs, and if enemies start to close distance I'll usually try to advance *into* them and score a stagger (generally I aim around the shoulders) before kicking into VATS to unload a serious amount of close-range damage.

I use VATS only in close quarters fight with my revolver [The Lucky] as reloading takes ages i better be sure to aim it right and some stuff is hard to shoot in the head like muties on rampage run or to cripple limbs.

Other then that, sniper, hunting melee, all outside vats .

Only when I'm in a crowded situation and I need to see how many enemies I'm up against.

Before the patch that added delayed display of percentages to VATS in fallout3, I used it all the time. Now I try to avoid it since it makes me waste couple seconds each time. Lame they didn't fix it in New Vegas.

Same here. Long-range. Iron Sights. Med-Close, usually iron sights, unless it's some speed-popping hyper-caffeinated mob. Then I'll usually 'resort' to V.A.T.S. to help out before I get wasted (ie: OH S***! mode when getting mobbed)

Note:
Char is something of a sniper/ninja-geek.
8 str
5 per (up to 8 or 9 due to the 'needs glasses' trait, +2 per glasses and +1 per hat)
2 (or 3) END
7 or 8 Cha
9 Int
8 (or 9 now) Agi
1 Luck

Other Trait is the Wild Wasteland

I'm playing on Very Hard difficulty and hardcoe mode. (Still haven't had a limb be crippled and I'm a good 30+ hrs in I think (at work, can't check))

I use it on & off with my GUNS character. for long range sniper shots i use the scope myself, for close in shots i do use VATS. I also use VATS for sneak kills on poorly armoured enemies with my combat knife.

I only use it when facing multiple enemies all at once in my face OR when fighting fast moving beasties like the geckos. Otherwise I take heads off with long distance hidden sniper shots. I'm talking like they are just at the extreme range of visibility.

I play on a PC, don't use VATS and have the cross hairs turned off. For me the game is more fun and exciting that way. I tried VATS in FO3 and didn't like the way it stops the action. Plus I can shoot a lot better without using it then using it. Especially at long range where VATS doesn't seem to work at all. VATS to me is "push button" and requires no skill. Using iron sights does. I'm no spring chicken, twitch finger, FPS kiddie either. I rely on more tactics then reflexes.

I did have to use VATS once in NV. I kept getting that annoying message. "Press V for VATS." Every twenty seconds or so whether there was a target around or not. So I used VATS to pop one gecko and that stopped the messages. Haven't used it since and won't ever again.

Good point, thinking about it why the hell do i still have crosshairs enabled ? lol, i only use the iron gunsights or scopes.

I love VATS, which surprises me to say so as I used it very rarely it in Fallout3. Perhaps it has to do with having played 74018973401389743089 hours of my life already in FPS games and don't need to kill that way Every Single Time in this game - though there is plenty of it in Very Hard mode. With enough VATS points I can more or less sit back and watch the action unfold if I don't want to iron-sights aim-kill that 100th Cazadore or Fire Gecko - and the new VATS seems to work Excellently for me in-game. No problems with how its working, it's effectiveness and the death-shots are still fantastic as they were in Fallout3.

Overall I give VATS two thumbs up in this rendition, its a nice feature that no one has to use if they don't like it, but offers a completely new and unique way of combat in a video game that I find very appealing this time around. Even took the Action Boy perk twice so I would have lots and lots of killing power.

With that said let me also say that there is nothing more satisfying then taking out a wave of Ghouls or Fiends with the All American using only Iron Sights - its a beautiful implementation all the way around IMHO! :gun:

That's part of it.. Technically it's not new. Fallout 1 and 2 used V.A.T.S. exclusively. it just wasn't called that because it was the default, and there wasn't an FPS view. Bethesda changes that with FO3

I rarely use it anymore, since the non-VATS combat was tweaked it's ridiculously easy to play as "FPS with some RPG-style stats thrown in for use outside combat." Basically it occasionally gets used for the Cazadore that's up in my face.

I'm playing New Vegas on PS3, and I've started to use VATS less and less as I progress through the game. When I was by myself, and had weaker weapons, I used it to help me get kills more efficiently.

But now, I have Boone and ED-E, and am currently using the anti-materiel rifle. I've found that at the distances I'm hitting these guys from, VATS isn't very helpful, especially since I can't get more than a shot or two out of it before waiting for the AP to reload. Instead, with my scoped hunting rifle or my anti-materiel rifle, I've found myself using the VATS to pick out where enemies are, and then using the rifle scope to aim and hit targets.

Rarely, it has TERRIBLE chances of hitting anything further away than 10 feet, even with a sniper rifle.

I use iron sights or scopes 9/10 times.

I'm glad they brought iron sights into the game, it's great, but they shouldn't have nerfed VATs so hard.

I use VATS whenever possible. Simple Reason: If I'd want to play a Shooter I would buy a shooter. Playing Since FO1 (and even Wasteland before that) most fun for me always was the strategical approach of the turn based fights. I appreciate, that VATS got nerfed since FO3 but still don't like that you can not get a VATS on very long range and even IF - you simply won't hit. So I play free aim on very long range and VATS whenever I get a decent hit%.