Pretty simple really: Please add more item descriptions like the original Fallout had. I know there is no 'feedback window' like the original, but it can be done in the Pipboy for item descriptions. Add some more flavor!

Also, specify if a weapon falls under 'Small Guns', 'Energy', 'Big Guns', etc. in the item description. I know many of them (or think I do) but some can be a little confusing. Having it stated in the description will eliminate any confusion. Thanks.

Even if there is no description I would really like to see basic info about the stuff I am using. The skill weapons fall under should have really been listed in fo3. Was the rocket launcher big gun's or explosives? I felt like the beth was saying put the points to the skill and figure it out yourself. :stare:

Something else is a point system for an item's health. Not some little bar that's 4\5th full to indicate that it has 4\5th health left. I want too know how much abuse an item can take, 4\5th's might look like a lot in a condition meter, unless the item only has 5 hit points and 1 hit = 1 point removed.

I would like there to be more info that makes weapon choices easier to make, like weapon spread and damage per shot.

I like the idea, I would like to have a history of the items and weapons. Funny jokes added to wasteland items would be great.

That sounds good. Maybe make it like in Dragon Age: Origins, where you can "inspect" an item by rolling over it in the inventory. The information available should have:

1. Type of item (type of gun/weapon, apparel, chem, etc)
2. Condition
3. Boosts (+5 speech, -1 agility, etc)
4. Ammo used (if weapon)
5. Rate of fire (if weapon, as in automatic, semi-auto, bolt action, etc)
6. Description (A slightly dusty business suit, ie)

It would be cool to get a little info on the weapon you're using. Damage per shot, spread, and hit points are a little too much information though. Damage per second and condition bar were good enough for me. Weapons shouldn't be about stats, but rather personal preference.

I have to agree with that, I'd also like things like a weapon's accuracy and rate of fire to be displayed. Although I would certainly like to see descriptions for items. Bethesda may have followed with Fallout 3 the philosophy that if they can show something in great detail graphically, they don't need text descriptions, but that isn't always true. While I don't need text telling me that there is strange writing on a wall if I can already see the writing, there are things that just looking at something won't tell you, such as who made a gun or how it works on the inside, or what a nob on its side does, including descriptions for items is a good way to provide background information about them. Of course, this information doesn't necessarily have to be in the inventory. The information could also appear in books, notes or computers (Of course, the first one requires first that there be readable books in the game.) as long as it's accessable. But including such descriptions in the information displayed on an item in the invventory is an easy way to provide it to the player in a readily available fashion.

Actually, I would really like to have those stats. There have been a couple of times where I've looked at a weapon's DMG rating, decided it was better then something else and then been sadly disappointed by the results. One example is the http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Alien_Disintegrator vs the unique version of it called the http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Destabilizer. The Destabalizer has a much higher DMG rating in the Pip-Boy, but when firing it I was surprised to find that accuracy had gone to pot, everything took more shots to kill and I simply wasn't getting any critical strikes. It wasn't until I looked the two up at fallout.wiki.com did I realize what was going on.

Standard Disintegrator

• Semi-Automatic
  
• 65 damage per attack
  
• Spread of x1
  
• Critical chance of x2
  
• Critical bonus damage of 50

Destabalizer

• Full Automatic
  
• 30 damage per attack
  
• Spread of x1.5
  
• Critical chance of x0.444
  
• Critical bonus damage of 20

:banghead:

Take those numbers in for a second. In exchange for full-auto, the weapon does less then half damage per shot, has a 50% worse spread, gets critical strikes at one quarter of the rate, and does only 40% of the extra damage. :facepalm: The worst part was I never realized it was full-auto! I just kept using it as a semi-auto weapon!

Now, every time I pick up a new weapon, I immediately look it up on the wiki. <_<

I hated that too. So I'll agree for displaying weapon information or history, but more importantly the stats of the weapon.

Thanks for that info! I've been wondering why the 'unique' version seemed so much crappier than the standard version. What is even worse for me is I only attack in VATS exclusively, since I want to see what my character can do based on his stats rather than what I can do based on my twitch skills. So the Full Auto doesn't even factor into my attacks!

Double Posting is a Crime. And I am Guilty!

Yes, I agree. The stats, at least the basic ones such as damage and accuracy, should be displayed, along with a brief description including weapon type.

I'd love a better weapon description for each weapon (not individually, just one for assault rifles, 9mm's etc etc). As well as more solid statistics, none of this "x000.134" crap. How about just a "x5.5" or something simpler for spread, range, fps (ft per sec) etc etc?

As for weapon description, like I said, something like this would be awesome:

Assault Rifle: Standard issue Assault rifle, fully automatic, medium range, and fairly good handling. Its also a pretty sturdy weapon. Commonly distributed to pre-war Infantry.

And then for unique weapons we should get a bit of a longer and cooler description, maybe with a funny remark of creepy something to add flavor. (And for the love of god, I hope they just don't give them a unique name, Beth got so damn lazy with that, make it look cool in some way for [censored]s' sake, maybe with a unique color or attachment like a bayonet or feathers of bones of something. But I guess since we're getting weapon customization, we can do that ourselves.)

Walters' Howitzer (made it up :shrug:): A modified Desert Eagle. The gun has an ivory handle, with odd tribal engravings in the grip, Walter also tied a feather to hang off the pistol grip. The barrel of the gun was replaced with a gold variation of it, where Walter managed find it, who knows, but its NICE.

Not funny I know, but you get the gist.

I wouldn't mind seeing a return of the 'feedback screen'.
It wouldn't have to be there all the time, but maybe in situations where visual storytelling needs an assist:

You have just left the vault and are walking through Springvale... There's the elementary school... You get a little closer and the "feedback screen' pops up telling you of a horrible odor.... "The stink of rotten meat hangs in ther air around this building..."

Could be cool, no?

But definitely item descriptions.... looking back at the pip boy from FO3, you can even see space below the item pic where such descriptions would fit...

Here, here! Let's have some better item descriptions. I would love a detailed description of each item, like you saw with Fallout 1, 2, and Tactics.


.44 magnum revolver (Fallout 2)

“ Being that this is the most powerful handgun in the world, and can blow your head clean-off, you've got to ask yourself one question. Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya punk? ”

—Harry Callahan, and the Fallout 2 item description

If you look at the gameplay videos, for every weapon, there's an icon that indicates the skill that it uses.

No item descriptions unfortunately

This.

I'd love item descriptions to come back, sadly they're not likely to return (I remember a talk about it some months ago in Obs boards, that didn't offer a straight refusal, but pretty clear indication that they're not going to be implemented).

I guess it'd be nice to have some description along with whatever item you select

Can the game engine even handle item descriptions?

Short of applying a script to every single item that references a note with all this info in it.

Yes, with a workaround. You know those item images in the pipboy? Those are actual .bmp images. So you can replace them with any other .bmp image. Even one with text and a picture, if you like. You can actually fit a fair bit of text on them and keep the image, albiet in a smaller and reduced form.

(May not be .bmps in particular, but they're definitely some form of image - that's how the Fallout 3 item description mods worked.)

I wouldn't care if histories/description aren't included for regular weapons, but uniques should definitely have a small description. It makes them... more unique.

All the menus are really just .xml files so I don't see why not. Just have a context sensitive inspect button like the weapon scanner mod.

I always though they drop the ball on this!..maybe they could add a little humor like Bioshock did.It would really work with the"Vault Boy" mascot...now that I think about it,Obsidian hasn't changed anything about the interface . :cryvaultboy:

I don't think that will be necessary in New Vegas, since the weapons classes have been refined and simplified...for the most part. If it shoots bullets, it's a Gun. If it goes BOOM, it's Explosives. If it's shoots lasers or plasma (or fire which doesn't really make sense but I guess they had nowhere else to turn so it's all right), it's an Energy Weapon. If you swing it around, it's a Melee weapon. If you punch people with it, it's Unarmed. Pretty simple. Item descriptions don't really matter all that much anyways since playing around with the actual gun for yourself is what really matters. Some weapons can surprise you.