I remember reading a post saying that cigarette butts would be more reasonable form of currency.
The reason caps are the currency is because the Coka-Cola company is the most successful company to date.
Therefore it makes sense to have that as the currency.

Nuka Cola >_>

In F3 it cant be explained beyond a throwback, but in the West bottlecaps were originally backed by water merchants of The Hub, but now bottlecaps are considered 'general currency' it's worth more than the NCR dollar and less than the Legion Denarius.

Thanks, never got to play F1 or 2, I know...
I know.
I will do it when done with NVegas, so I can play it AGAIN for reference.

First part is true, second part isn't. By the time FO 2 took place they where definitely NOT used as currency. There was even a "joke quest" in broken hills http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Typhon


So there seem to some inconsistency there in New Vegas. (I think it has to do with legacy code form FO3)

bottle caps are reliable very difficult to reproduce/and the facilitys capable of reproduction are far and few between.Paper money has a service life of i belive to be like 6 months for a dollar and upwards from that/and thats a non blown to crap world lol

What's that?

I think it's basically an official declaration that bottlecaps are still currency in canon.

Caps as money still.

I'm pretty sure caps became the main currency again after the BoS blew up the Gold Reserves of the NCR.

Tbh the inclusion of paper money as currency in such a hell hole of a situation is moronic and trully unreasonable.What way does paper currency work efficently in a situation where wear and tear is im assuming many times more then the *modern world*/6 months a dollar survives give or take.Do the math its not good lol.

Because the NCR models itself after Pre-War America, but their currency isnt fit to wipe my ass. I rescued Nipton, and NCR gives me 5 $5 notes. Thats 5 bottlecaps. Cheap bastards. :brokencomputer:

I use it to build art because its so worthless.

I'll use it as reward money for those NCR Jerks.

PC-"NCR HELP MY WIFE IS HELD HOSTAGE BY RAIDERS"
Trooper-"Where at sir?"
PC-"Dead Wind Cavern"

-Later only one returns-

Trooper-"We didnt find your wife, we killed the Deathclaw, but my squad died. This better pay big."
PC- *Hands the trooper 5 NCR Dollars*
Trooper- "KHAAAAAAAAAAN"

tbh impersonating a governing type that led to the whole sale destruction of the known world smells of eventual fail lol

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Indeed.

Wrong wrong and wrong.

1. The NCR is a democracy.

2. China is communist in the Fallout Universe.

3. China launched the nukes in the first place.

This is true, but alot of hints in the series point to the US Government high end officials, who mostly were members of the Enclave shadow government, actually encouraged nuclear war.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: aswell.

I think it's basically an official declaration that bottlecaps are still currency in canon.

Cigarette butts are too easily destroyed.

Wrong, sir! WRONG. It's TEN bottlecaps!

The reason Bottlecaps return in New Vegas is because the NCR has only been there a few years so hasn't been able to faze out the caravan-backed caps. And since the BoS destroyed NCR's gold reserves (see wiki) their money lost a lot of value. Plus amassing either faction currency in the Mojave is basically betting on who they think will win (similar to a real life happing that occurred during the American Civil War)

Most merchants I go to only take a 5 NCR Dollar bill for 1 cap, and I have something like 50 Barter ;-;

That is the real reason why Caps are Currency. They last forever, well, almost forever. Of course we do not see as many as we used to anymore. However back in the day, one would find Bottle Caps all over the place on the ground. These things never seemed to go away. However most caps, as the twist off types were relatively recent introduction, were collected by stores and restaraunts as the bottles were opened by the proprieter's typically, the caps collected and thrown out with the trash, so there was a somewhat limted supply.

So, the original developers of FO had to come up with something that was once common, small enough to carry, is durable, difficult to make without the proper equipment, and is no longer in regular production. Bottle Caps are just about the best thing availible, almost anything else would not meet the criteria.

Of course pre war coins could fit the bill for this too. Not sure as to why that was not used, unless the coinage metal was melted down to make things required for survival.