I don't understand why a lot of people still use stimpacks when being a survivalist is so much more fun. Crafting recipes is one of the most fun things in New Vegas imo.
I haven't had a medicine character since Fallout 3. I actually make a rule for myself that every character I make has to be a survivalist, and I cannot use stimpacks at all
except for healing limbs.

Also I find it food to be more sensible for battle. If I chug down cook cook's fiend stew, an ice cold nuka cola, a nuka cola victory, sunset sarspirilla, desert salad, and a gecko steak right in the middle of a major battle, I won't
have to worry about healing my self for the rest of my battle.

As opposed to medicine: It's like ok I got hit (press 1 for stimpack) , hit hit hit (press 1,1) hit hit (press 1), I got critically hit (press 1).

I usually have a mixture of both. I like having around 60 stimpacks for dire needs and i have food for just general purposes. Since i have Arcade and Rex i don't use stimpacks all that much. I try to stay more towards food.

Effort.

I only play on hardcoe mode as well as using a few mods that spruce up the damage system as well as other healing related things, so stimpaks and doctor's bags are necessary.

I think the survivalist style of playing is a brilliant idea, dont get me wrong.

But I prefer to kill things. And I prefer to spend the XP I gain on skills that increase my ability to kill things.

It all depends on the play and the style of gaming they choose. Some love the super realistic survivalist way, and others enjoy the 'lets just kill everything'.


I do think it would be good if there were an option to make medicines less potent if the player would like that. I've seen people play and they actually hotkey stimpaks, and I just dont see the fun in that at all. There's got to be a little challenge

Both, but rarely together.
I tend to go for very light builds and no sneak skill tag or points in it unless for role.
I don't get hit often, but with low / mid endurence low armour builds even one hit hurts.
If I lower strength.. which I do often and currently having ten items of food is a luxury.
Best early on only when stimpacks are rarer and until I bump my medicine skill up.
Add in I've made all armour much, much heavier, inventory management for an early EW, light build is a whole new level.
Which makes medicine even more of an option.

Survivalist though is fantastic for my wasteland runs, those where I like to think of the courier as living off the land as a seasoned old waster.

i only have my god character, so in the mojave i mostly use stimpacks because the vending machine in the abandoned BoS bunker makes it so easy to get them. however i have a camp in zion where i play survivalist and only use food

Stimpaks are weightless, so why not have them?
Food has weight though, so I only carry those that are worth carrying.

I play hardcoe mode and both stims and food have weight in my game. I usually keep both. I never put points into medicine, though. Basically, what I do when I am about to die and need health fast is eat several different foods and a stim. My health will go up very quickly. Though eat that much food in battle and not dying from it ridiculous when thought about, it has saved my ass multiple times.

Medicine- I don't like doing actual fetchquests AND nonstory fetchquest just to eat a desert salad.

I though Desert Salad only require survival 55.

I play easycore mode.... stimpacks all the way, i say

but the steaks (multiple of them) are good for healing outsides of fights

stimpaks for inside fights

It's not the ridiculously hight survival requirements. It's the fact that we have to go around picking around for the junk needed. Seriously, it takes a near survival guru to make a salad? Humans pretty much went pants on head moron I guess.

Medicine! Technology FTW!

After a quick skirmish and no enemies in sight I'll heal with food, but if I need to heal pronto I'll use stims.

Dead money made me use food more often. But normally I just use stimpaks, they seem to be alot more helpful when your getting chased by 5 deathclaws. When not in combat is food a good choice.

hardcoe does not allow me to regain HP from eating

Actually, shopping at westside/Crimson Caravan is usually enough to make 1~3 of them.

Stimpacks weigh nothing but all they do is heal. Foods like Brahmin Steak weigh a bit but will not only heal you but buff your stats.

In casual mode Stimpacks heal instantly and foods heal over time. In hard core mode stimpacks heal over time and you can't stack multiple stimpacks to increase the amount healed while eating several different foods at once can dramatically increase the amount healed.

Boosting Survival skill gives you access to several very handy poisons. Boosting Medicine lets you complete a greater number of side quests.

I'd say the pluses and minuses balance out fairly well but I would give the edge to Survival and foods in Hard Core mode.

You don't say? Huh, I'll have to keep that in mind.

Both.

I was going to try a character that would not use sneak this last time.... but due to my mods deathclaw type critters kept eating me as I left Goodsprings. After 20 deaths I decided to sneak everywhere even though I have not placed any points in it. I guess the critters just have a huge perception radius.

IIRC, Deathclaws have an 8-9 in Perception.

Just curious... Why would anyone refuse to sneak if need be?