Going to play Fallout: New Vegas for the first time, requesting sage 'dex advice.

[pippin]

The companions' stories "unlock" when you do certain actions or visit specific locations. Without spoiling much, I could say that if you -really- want to do the companions' missions, just pick one and stick with him/her for the whole game. For instance, not reactivating the solar beam weapon at HELIOS locks one (of many, though) options for Veronica's quest (the girl you met).
There are some recipes here and there in NV. I think the recipe were ok for 3, since the Lone Wanderer spent his whole life in the vault, but the Courier is supposed to be a somewhat experienced person who lives and works in a desert, so a certain knowledge of the land is to be expected.

 

[agris]

Hey pippin if you're still stressing about mods and load order, I'd recommend LOST (load order sorting tool). I'm a more DIY/manual guy, and LOST is simple in that it lets you set load order regardless of how a mod is packaged and distributed. I used this plus FNVedit to manage a 100+ mod install. FNVedit is nice to simply see what overlaps what. To put it another way, what order you want mods to load in. It can also generate merged patches and edit dependencies.

 

[Morkar Left]

Hey pippin if you're still stressing about mods and load order, I'd recommend LOST (load order sorting tool). I'm a more DIY/manual guy, and LOST is simple in that it lets you set load order regardless of how a mod is packaged and distributed. I used this plus FNVedit to manage a 100+ mod install. FNVedit is nice to simply see what overlaps what. To put it another way, what order you want mods to load in. It can also generate merged patches and edit dependencies.

Use LOOT instead of LOST. LOST is ancient by now. LOOT can build merged patches as well.

 

[agris]

Hey pippin if you're still stressing about mods and load order, I'd recommend LOST (load order sorting tool). I'm a more DIY/manual guy, and LOST is simple in that it lets you set load order regardless of how a mod is packaged and distributed. I used this plus FNVedit to manage a 100+ mod install. FNVedit is nice to simply see what overlaps what. To put it another way, what order you want mods to load in. It can also generate merged patches and edit dependencies.

Use LOOT instead of LOST. LOST is ancient by now. LOOT can build merged patches as well.

Thanks. It's been a long time since I played FNV, but I'm going to come back around to it one day. I finished it before any DLC came out, so I want to do one more run with all DLC and the jsawyer mod.

One thing I really disliked about FNV mechanics was that weapon skill impacted weapon damage. I much prefer the more RPG-like system where weapons have flat damage but accuracy is impacted by skill (I think a game called Fallout had this..). A more Alpha Protocol or Deus Ex-like mechanic. I get that this isn't a popular mechanic for first person games since it "takes control away from the player", but regardless, that's what I like.

Any recommendations for mods to implement that? IIRC, I used a combination of disabled auto-aim, custom GVARS, a mod called "gun no follow", and a NVSE mod by the guy who implemented a mod activation system in-game, to dramatically increase the influence of weapon skill on aim-wobble. Now that I think of it, my mod loadout was a fucking mess held together by wire and shoe-string. I think there was a healthy mix of Puce Moose game mechanics mods thrown in too.

 

[pippin]

Thanks to both of you!

 

[naossano]

Lilly is also an interesting companion. The problem is that she doesn't evolve much beyond the initial premise, contrary to the six others who evolve through the game.

 

[Morkar Left]

Hey pippin if you're still stressing about mods and load order, I'd recommend LOST (load order sorting tool). I'm a more DIY/manual guy, and LOST is simple in that it lets you set load order regardless of how a mod is packaged and distributed. I used this plus FNVedit to manage a 100+ mod install. FNVedit is nice to simply see what overlaps what. To put it another way, what order you want mods to load in. It can also generate merged patches and edit dependencies.

Use LOOT instead of LOST. LOST is ancient by now. LOOT can build merged patches as well.

Thanks. It's been a long time since I played FNV, but I'm going to come back around to it one day. I finished it before any DLC came out, so I want to do one more run with all DLC and the jsawyer mod.

One thing I really disliked about FNV mechanics was that weapon skill impacted weapon damage. I much prefer the more RPG-like system where weapons have flat damage but accuracy is impacted by skill (I think a game called Fallout had this..). A more Alpha Protocol or Deus Ex-like mechanic. I get that this isn't a popular mechanic for first person games since it "takes control away from the player", but regardless, that's what I like.

Any recommendations for mods to implement that? IIRC, I used a combination of disabled auto-aim, custom GVARS, a mod called "gun no follow", and a NVSE mod by the guy who implemented a mod activation system in-game, to dramatically increase the influence of weapon skill on aim-wobble. Now that I think of it, my mod loadout was a fucking mess held together by wire and shoe-string. I think there was a healthy mix of Puce Moose game mechanics mods thrown in too.

Same for me. I hadn't played the game with dlc and I came back to it end of last year. I spent a week just checking mods and getting up to date.

Damage/aiming is handled in Project Nevada or in the additional mod Project Nevada Extra Options. But weapon aim-wobbling isn't such a hindrance. Or at least I don't know because my skill was probably always decent enough. There are a couple of mods / packages who are better / more interesting than Project Nevada. I still rely on it because it delivers a whole package with the best overall compatibility with other mods. Not the best solution for every detail if you have specific tastes (like me), but it actually WORKS.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

In the QnA at the end he says that you can do a pacifist run, but I don't no how hard it would be.

I have a hard time believing you can do a pacifist run without missing an incredible amount of content and xp. Anyways, I found a grunt now whos willing to do the dirty work for me B)
The technical side of the game still infuriates me...

Well, yeah. That's how it was in the originals, and really there's no alternative. A pacifist can't complete everything or go everywhere, but that's the disadvantage of being someone who cannot into violence. It's supposed to be a pain sometimes to not be able to just shoot the fucker! That's probably why the "diplomat sniper" is the most popular build in the series...if their ears won't listen, shoot them in the eyes.

 

[Catfish]

Lilly is also an interesting companion. The problem is that she doesn't evolve much beyond the initial premise, contrary to the six others who evolve through the game.

Heh, she is the only one I never grabbed. Is her quest any good?

 

[Somberlain]

Lilly is also an interesting companion. The problem is that she doesn't evolve much beyond the initial premise, contrary to the six others who evolve through the game.

Heh, she is the only one I never grabbed. Is her quest any good?

She's involved in two quests but only one of them is her quest, strictly speaking. It just involves talking to her, IIRC, but the quest is fairly interesting in the sense that none of the endings are happy.

 

[Multiple Sarcasm]

Quantity-wise, there isn't much to it, apart from trekking back and forth. Quality-wise... ehh, hard to say: it left me indifferent, but I guess the dilemma might touch someone else.
It's just that the personality of the actual character seems kinda out of sync - being somewhat of a caricature - with what the quest tries to portray and the decision it poses. If the character was done more seriously, I might've cared, but oh well.

 

[Catfish]

Quantity-wise, there isn't much to it, apart from trekking back and forth. Quality-wise... ehh, hard to say: it left me indifferent, but I guess the dilemma might touch someone else.
It's just that the personality of the actual character seems kinda out of sync - being somewhat of a caricature - with what the quest tries to portray and the decision it poses. If the character was done more seriously, I might've cared, but oh well.

So it is like with Raul? Go places, hear exposition?

 

[Multiple Sarcasm]

So it is like with Raul? Go places, hear exposition?

Pretty much. Keep travelling with her and trigger conversations.

Edit: You have to initiate them yourself, IIRC.

 

[jcd]

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[T. Reich]

I suppose I'll figure the rest myself, but if you feel like giving me some valuable general advice (inb4 "don't play FNV"), it's welcome.

Drink plenty of liquids and have at least two cups of coffee before every session so you don't fall asleep. FO:NV is a powerful sedative but its effects can be counteracted (to a degree) with stimulants and healthy diet.

If you ask nicely and have showered, the KFC staff will sometimes give you leftover food after they close the store instead of throwing it in the trash.

The best and most durable plastic bags are at Target, you can take as many as you want.

 

[Multiple Sarcasm]

What? It's good advice.

 

[Snorkack]

is there a way to get rid of ed-e once you upgrade his stuff? I wanted to replace him with veronica, but even if I terminate the companion protocol, I cant pick her up. I can replace boone with her, though. Haven't unlocked his quest yet. bug or feature?

 

[WhiteGuts]

You can't have two human companions, If I'm not mistaken.

PS : Go to Bitter Springs men

 

[T. Reich]

is there a way to get rid of ed-e once you upgrade his stuff? I wanted to replace him with veronica, but even if I terminate the companion protocol, I cant pick her up. I can replace boone with her, though. Haven't unlocked his quest yet. bug or feature?

You can only have one humanoid + one animal/robot at a time. There are 6 of the former and 2 of the latter to choose from. It's a questionable limitation, but I suppose it's necessary because otherwise the game would become even more of an EZ-mode.

To trigger Boone's companion quest, you have to score a number of "favour" points with him, which mostly happens if you fuck the Legion's shit up, in specific locations and during specific quests. And then you don't forget to talk to him from time to time.

I personally feel that the requirements for triggering the companions' quests are extremely unintuitive and really unnecessary, all for the sake of "story". You wouldn't even know half of them existed unless you read a guide or brought each companion along with you into every bloody location and talked to every fucking one, just in case.

 

[Snorkack]

oh, ok. well, that sucks.

ive been to bitter springs already. solved the ncr questline there. have been in camp golf, too. teached the misfits some teamwork and listened to grandfathers war stories. But compared to e.g. the vaults I visited, the guys that greet visitors with some howitzer shots or the ghoul community in the rocket factory - these two places seemed rather pale. or did I miss something there?

 

[WhiteGuts]

Did you do the Return to Sender quest ?

Bitter Springs is mostly for the backstory of that location.

 

[T. Reich]

Nah. Those are basically small optional loations, so they are pretty empty.

On the other hand, the Boomers, Novac and Repconn test site etc are big storyline hubs, so it makes sense that they seem more lively.
And the vaults are like the big cool dungeons for you to explore. Contrast them with many small and boring caves that are all over wasteland.

Fun fact, the Bright Brotherhood and Repconn test site can be completely bypassed by virtue of one easy terminal hack - if you hack that sniper guy's terminal in his hotel room, you will automatically know where to go after Benny; and the sniper guy will not even have a dialogue option to discuss it, meaning he will not offer a quest to get rid of ghouls, meaning you would not have as much fun with them.

 

[Somberlain]

Fun fact, the Bright Brotherhood and Repconn test site can be completely bypassed by virtue of one easy terminal hack - if you hack that sniper guy's terminal in his hotel room, you will automatically know where to go after Benny; and the sniper guy will not even have a dialogue option to discuss it, meaning he will not offer a quest to get rid of ghouls, meaning you would not have as much fun with them.

You can also pickpocket Manny for a note with the required information.

 

[WhiteGuts]

The small locations being pretty interesting is one of NV's strongest points. They made the world a lot more believable : because stuff was happening even if the locations weren't directly connected to the critical path.

I loved all those abandoned shacks and caves, especially the ones where you find notes and logs. They felt like small novellas scattered all over the Mojave.

 

[Snorkack]

The small locations being pretty interesting is one of NV's strongest points. They made the world a lot more believable : because stuff was happening even if the locations weren't directly connected to the critical path.

I loved all those abandoned shacks and caves, especially the ones where you find notes and logs. They felt like small novellas scattered all around the Mojave.

So true. I really love the attention to detail the devs put in. Yesterday I stumbled across an abandoned Farm with malnourished animals and reconstructed the rather sad story of what happened with pieces of a diary. Then, later I ran into those morons who stole Vance's SMG, which was pretty hilarious. All these big and small scale encounters, plus main as well as subplots which arent shoved up your ass but patiently wait to be discovered add up to such a great experience. Can't remember a game where exploring felt this rewarding.

Did you do the Return to Sender quest ?

No. Can't reach the last ranger station in the NW yet. Cazadors laugh at my BoS armor and keep tearing me a new one. (A flying monster being the biggest infuriating nuissance in the game seems to be a bethesta thing)

Fun fact, the Bright Brotherhood and Repconn test site can be completely bypassed by virtue of one easy terminal hack - if you hack that sniper guy's terminal in his hotel room, you will automatically know where to go after Benny; and the sniper guy will not even have a dialogue option to discuss it, meaning he will not offer a quest to get rid of ghouls, meaning you would not have as much fun with them.

Heh, that's exactly what happened to me. Wasn't even aware that the Repconn site is supposed to be main quest material.