Alot of weapons were removed that were in F3

.32 pistol
CAR
AR
Infiltrator
Combat Shotgun

etc

I think it was a bigger mistake for them to completely nerf Energy Weapons so that Guns would be the only effective firearms.

Dunno why they removed them but I would very much LIKE THEM BACK OBSIDIAN! :stare:
(This includes the alien weaponry damnit!)

It ships with the game, so as far as I am aware, modders are free to re-implement it (and others) via mods.
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj125/Gizmojunk/Combatshotgun-1.jpg

:stare:
*twitch*
This is why I wanted my first line in my sig to be size 7. <_<

I think they messed up survival by leaving an abundance of food and water littered throughout the game. I think for hardcoe mode they should have removed most of the food items and forced the player to hunt on his own and survival would be become alot more important. With that said, there are still alot of perks that require a certain degree of survival, however most of those perks are fairly useless from what I have seen. Perhaps they should buff those perks?

I think the reason they got rid of big guns had alot to do with the changes they made to INT and skill points. In FO3, it was very easy to master almost everything by the end of the game because of how easy it was to get bobbleheads, books and skill points from leveling up, but in FO:NV you sorta have to pick and choose a bit more. And since many of the big guns are rare and you don't start accumulating ammo for them in mass until later in the game, having to spend alot of your skill points on the Big Guns skill early on would gimp your character out.

Wasn't there something about food and Oblivion NPC's? I seem to remember that they supposedly all went psychotic if they didn't get enough food and would attack each other. (I may have this wrong, but I thought I read that the fix for this was an abundance of food).

Survival would be more useful if the food you made was lighter and more useful then the food you bought or found. Maybe even increase the rad count on food but decrease it on food you make depending on survival skill.

I am happy with it. The game has strength requirements for weapons. If you want to use that Minigun with any skill work on your strenght, get the perk weapons handling. Get the impants or use intense training. Get power armour, or make a buffout using character.

Devs said it best. If it goes bang its a gun, goes boom its explosive, uses energy cells its energy.

Flamer fuel.

There is only three fire based weapons so I am not mad that they get lumped into Energy.

Mainstream simplification.

I've always felt that Small Guns and Big guns should be the ability to use weapons of their respective types (Small Guns: Pistols, Rifles, Submachine Guns. Big Guns: Anything that is... well... big) and have Energy Weapons being the ability to optomise anything that uses a laser, plasma, etc.

You need to be http://www.myfreewallpapers.net/comics/wallpapers/mad-magazine.jpg, get http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/photos/uncategorized/2009/01/09/641pxmad_scientistsvg.png Styles get http://reneesmedhult.blogg.se/images/2009/mad-facial-piercings_38630951.jpg! :cryvaultboy:

Ok I have dug out my FO3 and NV game guides. I will list all of the non-named versions weapons plus the ones that only have a named version. FO3 first:

Energy weapons (6 in vanilla fo3)
Alien Blaster
Laser Pistol
Laser Rifle
Mesmatron
Plasma Pistol
Plasma Rifle

No not enough to justify a whole skill. But Energy weapons are different enough to warrant its own skill and the Gatling Laser should be on here as well. 23 with all the "Named" and DLC.

Small Guns (15 in vanilla FO3)
10mm Pistol
10mm Pistol:Silenced
10mm Submachine gun
.32 Pistol
Scoped .44 Magnum Pistol
Assault Rifle
BB Gun
Chinese Assault Rifle
Chinese Pistol
Combat Shotgun
Dart Gun
Hunting Rifle
Railway Rifle
Sawed Off Shotgun
Sniper Rifle

That's more like it...but still kinda low. 34 with all the "Named" and DLC.

Big Guns (6 in vanilla FO3)
Fat Man
Flamer
Gatling Laser
Mini Gun
Missle Launcher
Rock-It Launcher (I forgot about this one)

Ok that is just low. Not Enough to justify a whole skill.

With all the DLC and "Named" weapons.
Drone Cannon (MSZ)
Drone Cannon EX-B (MSZ)
Fat Man: Experimental MIRV
Flamer:Burn Master
Flamer:Rapid-Torch Flamer (BS)
Flamer: Slo-Burn Flamer (BS)
Gatling Laser: Precision Gatling Laser (BS)
Gatling Laser: Vengence
Heavy Incinerator (BS)
Minigun: Eugene
Missile Launcher: Miss Launcher

11 in vanilla. A grand total of 17. Only 2 more than Small Guns without "Named" and DLC in vanilla. I think that justifies being absorbed into the other skills.

Here is what I did not like about the Big Guns skill. In earlier Fallouts, one would not get a big gun usually until later in the game. By that time, Small Guns would have been the focus so little or no skill points would have been added to Big Guns for most players. Then, we would have to gimp other skill developments early in the game to have a decent skill level in the latter half when the Big Guns started really showing up.

Now, by having all Guns in one group, by the time I can find, and afford to use, Big Guns, I have the skills I need to do so and not handicap myself unduely to be prepared. However, at least with Strength and Skill requirements, Big Guns still take some preperation to use properly.

But... We get Incinerator in Primm. :mellow:

In FO2 you could find big guns early... but it is hard to pry it off the cold, dead hands of the NPCs using them. The main drawbacks were low supply of ammo and ease of acquisition. Early on I could never afford the ammo for the big guns since they always used tons of ammo even if 1 bullet would have done the trick.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that it makes more sense to spread them out amongst other skills since the firing mechanisms for each one is completely different. At least now they are sort of grouped up with similar weapons. Those who do not understand why heat based weaponry would be put into the energy category.....need to invest more in the science skill

the Incinerator is comparatively weaker than the rest of the big guns in NV. useful? yes. but with the amount of fuel you get in primm it is more of a preview of things to come than a god mode, everything must die right now, win button. I barely got to the highway patrol station before running out.

Personally, I don't miss the big guns skill. I never used it in any of the previous fallout games and wouldn't bother with it now if it still existed.

I'm glad the flame-based stuff ended up in Energy Weapons but overall what used to be the prime damage-output weapons have all been dramatically weakened. Also, OP, we're already being put into a small box re: combat skill specialization and your solution is to force people into even smaller boxes?

It would lead to them stealing food, and you know the penalty for all crimes in Oblivion....Death.

I would have liked it to remain separate.

2/4 Playthroughs on PS3 had the convict spawned with the Incinerator. :shrug:

Tag Big Guns or Energy, develop the others. Late in game you can raise Big guns or energy.
(or choose the Tag perk later for Big Guns or Energy).

its better this way. it was completely useless.

now they just gotta get rid of unarmed.