Nobody in Big Town

Question

I've saved Red and Shorty, brought them back to Big Town, healed Timebomb and fixed the Sentry Bot. Then I went exploring further.
After some time, when I traveled back to the city, there was the Sentry Bot and a Protectron, but nobody else. Almost immediately about 5 Super Mutants attacked, so I shot them. But there is noone around aside from the bots. All the buildings are empty and there are no bodies.

I want my Lucky-8-Ball!

Anyone has any tips?

Asked by Alexandar Živkovič

Answer

Try waiting in Megaton for a week and coming back, they may find their way back, if they are alive.

If you're on PC, you can use

prid 0002805b

moveto player

in the console to move Timebomb to your position

Answered by kotekzot

Check more discussion of this question.

What is the shop glitch in Fallout 3 / New Vegas?

Question

Mentioned in this question: what-are-ammo-boxes-for

I honestly have never heard of this glitch...though I didn't spend much time going through FAQs or anything while I played through Fallout 3.

I debate trying it out when I pickup New Vegas...and am curious as to how one would do it.

Asked by espais

Answer

It's a glitch which allows you to -- under certain circumstances -- purchase weapons or armor from a shopkeeper, then sell them back for more than you paid for them, and to continuously loop that process, thereby giving you anything you want from the shop, as well as all the shopkeeper's caps, essentially for free.

This YouTube video demonstrates it on PC, and I've used it successfully in both Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas (already!). By the end of my last Fallout 3 run, I had over six figures in caps. Also, for a guy with less than an hour into New Vegas, I think I'm doing OK financially -- almost 800 caps.

The trick to it is having in your inventory a weapon or piece of clothing/armor which the shopkeeper sells, preferably at a lower repair value. Sell it to him, and commit the transaction. Buy it back and commit. Lather, rinse, repeat. It may take two or three repeats before you start buying it at its original value but selling it as 100% repaired.

Answered by John Rudy

Check more discussion of this question.

If I play Fallout 3 via Steam, will I still be able to obtain Live achievements?

Question

Since Steam usually has it's own achievements system and there is no mention of it on the page of the game, is it still possible to obtain Live achievements, or are they not availble in the steam version?

If you still can get them, how do you enable it to get them?

Asked by alexanderpas

Answer

My best guess would be that you can still get Live achievements, that is, if you're logged in to GFWL (Games for Windows Live).

It depends what version of Fallout 3 you have (i.e. if it's the Game of the Year edition). Some people on Steam's forums are reporting that they haven't been asked to log in to GFWL.

Answered by happy_soil

Check more discussion of this question.

Poor performance during “Who Dares Wins”

Question

I've been playing Fallout 3 GOTY edition (via Steam). So far the game has been relatively well-behaved - good performance, and only an occasional crash (like once every 3 hours, which is something I can live with).

However, in the recent hour or so it has became worse; in particular, every time I open a container the game freezes for around a second, and crashing becomes much more frequent, around once every 15 or 30 minutes.

I am a level 30 character working on the Broken Steel "Who Dares Wins" quest, which is the quest where

you assault the Adams Air Force base, fighting outdoors in the unique area opened by the quest, and inside the huge crawler.

And I think it might have been related. I also have a bunch of stuff in my inventory, but not more than what I've been carrying throughout the rest of game (though I do carry more weapons and less armor than what I used to).

Is this a known issue? Any idea how to solve this problem?

System is Windows 7 64-bit, 4 GB RAM, Core 2 Duo.

Asked by Oak

Answer

As I've suspected, after the completion of the quest the performance became normal again. I could not find a solution other than saving really frequently :(

Answered by Oak

Check more discussion of this question.

Both Fallout 3: Game of the Year and Fallout: New Vegas crash when I try to create a new game

Question

I have a problem with Fallout 3 GOTY and with Fallout : New Vegas, both Steam version. Fallout 3 GOTY crashes as soon as I try to create a New game, while Fallout : New Vegas crashes immediately after first video. No other messages than the generic Windows 'Application stops working' dialog.

I have tried many things:

• Check game steam cache
• Re-downloaded the whole game content two times(!)
• Set lowest/highest default settings
• Start in window/full screen mode
• Change different resolutions

I have no mods installed.

My config: AMD X3 720 - XFX ATI HD 4770 - 4 GB RAM - Windows 7 32-bit

UPDATE: I tried also the following things but STILL no result

• Updated drivers to latest 10.10 from ATI/AMD
• Re-installed DirectX
• Set Compatibility Mode to Fallout3.exe and FalloutLauncher.exe both Windows XP SP3 and Windows Vista SP2
• Changed Fallout3.exe and FalloutLauncher.exe to disable Visual Themes, Desktop Composition, DPI settings and Run as Administrator
• Game for Windows LIVE Disabler

more updates

• Disabled all 3rd parties services and aborted most of Windows processes
• Checked GPU BIOS version, is the last

FIRST BOUNTY Bounty ended without a working solution. Bounty points have been assigned to Oak, that suggested to install Windows XP in dual boot. Question remains open, because I would prefer playing it in Windows 7 in the future, if possible.

UPDATE I cannot believe it! I bought Fallout:New Vegas on Steam sales and SAME problem!

Asked by Drake

Answer

Yes, yes, yes! Due to the addition of the Fallout New Vegas issue, I was able to Google that and find this .dll, which proved to be helpful in solving the issue.

Just download the d3d9.dll linked here: Alternate D3D9 Fix for ATI.

Thanks a ton to the author of this .dll. I can confirm that it fixed the problem with both Fallout games and hope it can solve the same problem for other gamers too.

Now I can jump into the Fallout world again.

Answered by Drake

Check more discussion of this question.

How to effectively engage enemies at medium to long range?

Question

I have a level 10 character with high small arms and energy weapons skills, which is very effective in dealing with enemies in close to medium range - with assault rifles, laser rifle, combat shotgun or machine pistol.

However, I find myself having trouble with enemies in longer ranges. The weapons I have which are supposedly appropriate for these ranges - hunting rifle, sniper rifle and scoped magnum - are just not accurate enough, either with or without VATS, and I end up wasting a lot of ammo and sacrificing a lot of health in those situations.

Right now my tactic is to try and close the distance as quickly as possible, but it's not always easy. How else can I effectively deal with enemies at these ranges?

Asked by Oak

Answer

VATS considers distance in its hit chance and will frequently miss. Long range combat should be done without VATS.

Each weapon has a Spread rating. Spread is a measure of how far the bullets will deviate from the cross hairs. 0 Spread means that it shoots exactly where you point when shooting outside of VATS. Firearms skill affects damage done on hit, but does not affect spread.

Spread - Weapon
0.0 Named hunting rifles (best choice if you find one)
0.0 Sniper rifle
0.0 Laser rifle
0.0 Laser pistol
0.3 Hunting rifle
0.3 Scoped Magnum
0.2 Plasma rifle (slow projectiles = bad for long range)
1.5 Assault rifle
2.0 Minigun

Laser rifle is the goto weapon for accurate long range combat. Its main problem is low damage (slightly lower than a hunting rifle). Named hunting rifles are completely accurate and high damage. If you want to engage at long range, go get one!

Answered by David B

Check more discussion of this question.

Ramifications of mass slaughter?

Question

OK, this is going to sound a bit… sociopathic. Or perhaps psychopathic. In any event, it's something that I'd only do playing a game — I swear! :)

I will soon finish Point Lookout for the second time. It's the last bit of DLC for Fallout 3 in this, my fourth run-through of the game. I will have accomplished most of my goals (having gotten all but 20 of the unique weapons and articles of clothing). After I finish Point Lookout, I'm going to be a bit on the "bored" side in terms of X-Box gaming until New Vegas comes out.

So until then, I was considering going on a personal challenge to obliterate all of man- (and ghoul-) kind in the Capital Wasteland. I know that random encounters will still pop up, but I was figuring on going to every town, every settlement, every everywhere, and wholesale slaughtering everyone I came across.

Aside from the obvious ramifications — shops no longer being available, so no trading to be done — what are the ramifications of making a "last man in the world" (well, at least the east coast of the US) situation in Fallout 3?

Update:

If you're gonna do it, have fun with it! Pint-Sized Slasher Mask and children's Blast-Off Pyjamas FTW.

Asked by John Rudy

Answer

Unfortunately, I'm not sure your goal is achievable, as there are generic citizens in some of the major cities -- "Megaton Settlers" and "Rivet City Guards" for instance, that while you may wipe out all of them for once, they will eventually respawn.

The other issue is that you are unable to kill children (with good reason!) so the children within Megaton, Rivet City, Little Lamplight, and assorted other locations will still be around.

As to actual ramifications, the biggest would be repair. Some of the best armor / weapons in the game (or at least, the most unique) are either hard to come by replacement parts, or flat out impossible (in the case of T51-b Power Armor, Chinese Stealth Armor, etc). You'd want to make sure you either only use equipment that you can repair on your own, or face the grim reality of your coolest toys breaking.

Though after you've killed every killable NPC, what exactly do you have left to kill anyway, hm? :P

Answered by Raven Dreamer

Check more discussion of this question.

In Fallout 3 (on the XBox 360) is there any fix for the “moving PIP-Boy” bug?

Question

I love me some Fallout 3. In fact, it's paused as I write this.

That said, there's a fairly well-known bug (definitely in the Xbox version, I don't know about the others) where the PIP-Boy display shifts up occasionally, and eventually (if you access your PIP-Boy enough) the top portion is off the display, rendering the top line of information (say, your HP and weight carried) invisible.

Is there a fix for this aside from quitting and restarting the game?

Asked by John Rudy

Answer

Turn your PIP light on and off, if that doesnt work, wait for it to be patched.

Answered by Redemption

Check more discussion of this question.

Where can I find the Family?

Question

In Fallout 3, there is a mission to Arefu, and you are supposed to locate "The Family". I've checked all of the locations and have not found them. Where are they?

Answer

So, first off, if you don't want to work for it:

You'll find the family in a Metro station under Meresti trainyard, about 3 squares east of Arefu.

Evan doesn't have all the info, so he won't send you after the Family directly. You've got two options. Option number one is to inspect the victims a bit more closely with an extremely high (90+) Medicine skill. This gives you the evidence you need to get Evan to send you in the right direction - ask him about it, and he'll tell you where to go and mark it on your map.

Option number two is to explore the locations listed a bit more thoroughly. Specifically, head back to Northwest Seneca Metro, and be less afraid of radiation and more diligent in your interior explorations.

Oh, and watch out for traps, and it's probably for the best if you don't barge in on The Family guns blazing - they have quite a bit to tell you.

Check more discussion of this question.

Where can I find the strongest armor in Fallout 3?

Question

Where can I find the strongest armor in Fallout 3?

Answer

Everything in Fallout is a trade off. I believe the best armor I got though was the winterized armor found in the Alaska simulation.

Check more discussion of this question.

What are the drawbacks, if any, of killing everyone in Paradise Falls?

Question

I went to rescue the two kids from the slavers in Paradise Falls to get access to the vault. I didn't want to enslave anyone, so I snuck in and ended up having to kill almost everyone. There were also two slave girls that were hostile that I ended up having to kill. I got all the people out of the cages successfully...

Should I have enslaved the other people only to release them with the children? Did I screw anything up by killing off everyone?

Also, I noticed, after I had killed everyone, in one of the bathrooms a sewer drain that I was too small for me. Could I have stealthed through the entire place and got the kids out through the sewer?

Answer

If you gain access to Paradise Falls the normal way - through the quest to enslave a few NPCs - then you get the chance to 1) Recruit Clover (one of the slave girls you killed) and 2) Continue enslaving NPCs (with the mesmetron) for caps. You also miss one or two minor sidequests, like giving the trader 10 Chinese Assault Rifles to expand his stock and caps.

But, beyond Clover, you will miss out on nothing major and if you feel like not being an evil bastard and working for slavers then certainly feel free to kill them all.

In most of my playthroughs I tended to sign up normally by enslaving the nutjob sniper who is hostile in the mined town north of Germantown then I recruit Clover, then I redeem myself by purging Paradise Falls :)

Check more discussion of this question.

What are the draw backs, if any, of killing everyone in Paradise Falls?

Question

I went to rescue the two kids from the slavers in Paradise city to get accesss to the vault. I didn't want to enslave anyone, so I snuck in and ended up having to kill almost everyone. There were also two slave girls that were hostile that I ended up having to kill. I got all the people out of the cages successfully..

should I have enslaved the other people only to release them with the children? Did I screw anything up by killing off everyone?

also, I noticed, after I had killed everyone, in one of the bathrooms a sewer drain that I was too small for me. Could I have stealthed through the entire place and got the kids out through the sewer?

Answer

If you gain access to Paradise Falls the normal way - through the quest to enslave a few NPCs - then you get the chance to 1) Recruit Clover (one of the slave girls you killed) and 2) Continue enslaving NPCs (with the mesmetron) for caps. You also miss one or two minor sidequests, like giving the trader 10 Chinese Assault Rifles to expand his stock and caps.

But, beyond Clover, you will miss out on nothing major and if you feel like not being an evil bastard and working for slavers then certainly feel free to kill them all.

In most of my playthroughs I tended to sign up normally by enslaving the nutjob sniper who is hostile in the mined town north of Germantown then I recruit Clover, then I redeem myself by purging Paradise Falls :)

Check more discussion of this question.

Staying neutral at high levels in Fallout 3

Question

Here's the scenario: I'm going after the neutral achievements for Fallout 3. I'm currently about halfway to leveling up again -- this time to 20, which would get me the next achievement.

I'm trying to avoid gaining or losing karma at least until I level up again. I haven't done too many quests, oddly, mostly for fear of the karma gain/loss. Also, oddly, I haven't really explored much of the world. (I haven't even been to Minefield! I lied to Moira ... )

It looks like I'll need < 500 XP to get this next level and its corresponding achievement. After that, I can be good (or evil) as needed until I'm close to level 30.

What are some places I can go, or quests I can do, which will have no effect on karma, but gain me enough XP so I can get this achievement and get on with the game?

In order to help with this a bit, here are the quests (off the top of my head) that I've completed:

• Wasteland Survival Guide
• Power of the Atom
• Main storyline until I'm told to go find Dad in a vault
• Operation: Anchorage
• Mothership Zeta
• Reilly's Rangers
• Blood Ties
• Stealing Independence
• The Replicated Man

Aside from locations needed for those quests, here are some of the other places I've already visited (and in most cases, cleared, if they were hostile):

• Museum of History (including Underworld and all other levels, all Lincoln artifacts retrieved)
• Rivet City
• Megaton (which is still standing)
• Arlington Library
• "Enough" of the metro to have gotten me through the portions of the storyline I've completed
• Only a few places in DC proper (those needed for the missions above)
• MDPL-13 power station (but not cleared, just "en route" to Mothership Zeta)

Like I said, I just need a few hundred XP until I feel safe and comfortable continuing to do the real missions. :) I do have all the DLC, but don't feel like doing The Pitt nor Point Lookout just yet.

Edit: To clarify, I'm either looking for side quests which have no karmic ramifications, or I'm looking for other sources of non-karmic XP. (In the latter case, most likely places to go clear of already-hostile creatures, such as feral ghouls or super mutants.) Anything that can non-karmically take me up a few thousand XP fairly rapidly to get me to level 20 where the achievement is. At that point, I can go back to doing whatever I want, because I already know how to balance it all out. (EG, I have a stockpile of scrap metal to hand Walter for free, a bunch of caps for church donations, a bunch of purified water for Carlos, and am not at all above breaking & entering & looting people's homes. :)

Answer

This problem has different solutions depending on how you want to play.

If you're just looking for the achievement, one solution to your problem is to do whatever missions you want, choosing the side of good, until you get relatively close to your level point. Then go into a town and steal (for minor karmic reduction) or lay waste to entire towns (for major karmic reduction). You can quickly lower your karma this way. Then, once you're neutral, go kill some random creatures until you level.

(If you're looking to steal, a good place to do it is at Dukov's place… he's got stuff everywhere.)

The "nice" thing about this system is that if you stay on the path of "good" the whole time, you can do this at each achievement point: be bad until you get to the right karmic level, level up, get your achievement, and then restore a save to get back to your good self. You can quickly get "good", "neutral", and "evil" achievements for all levels on one playthrough this way.

(I did this, because I don't really enjoy long-term playing as an evil character… but I do like my achievements!)

You could also do this as an evil or neutral character, but it's much easier to quickly drop from "good" down to your new goal, than to work your way up.

If you find that you're close to leveling, and you're at the right karmic level, and don't want to take a chance on changing your Karma by doing a story-type adventure, you can always go wandering looking for random bad people to take out. Going near the Washington Mall can get you some XP fairly quickly, and you can go inside the capitol building and clear out large areas without picking up any Karma, positive or negative.

Check more discussion of this question.

Can you pickpocket a protectron to death?

Question

If I were to pickpocket all the energy cells out of a protecton, would it run out of power and shut down?

Answer

No. The energy cells are used as ammo for the Protectron's weapons only. It doesn't use them as a power source.

However, if you pickpocket their ammo, they will no longer be able to fire their weapons. This doesn't mean the amount of ammo they have defines how often they can fire, this is actually unlimited so long as they have at least one round.

Check more discussion of this question.

Is there any way to limit cinematics in Fallout 3?

Question

I love V.A.T.S. except for the cinematic part...

So two ghouls attack me, racing up a long flight of stairs. I pick a headshot on the first one. The other is entirely hidden behind it so I can't even queue my attack on it. I have a enough time and AP to spare to hit both, first one, then as it falls, the other.

I shoot the head off the first one. The head starts rolling down the stairs. The other ghoul reaches me and starts pounding mercilessly, while the cinematics shows the head rolling in slow motion, with my character doing nothing about getting murdered far in the background. Only after the head comes to a standstill three floors below, I'm given my control back and can try re-entering V.A.T.S. to get my second target while under avalanche of the enemy blows.

Is there any mod/trick/console command to return control and remove the cinematic part after the enemy is killed?

Answer

This is not possible in the original Fallout 3 without a mod

After lots of complaints they added a kill cam disabling feature in Fallout: NV.

Check more discussion of this question.

What use does Pre-war Money have in Fallout 3?

Question

Pre-war Money has a base value of 10 caps in Fallout 3, and a weight of 0. Obviously, it's a good thing to collect and trade in for caps. Are there any NPCs who value Pre-war Money more than the average merchant? Or, really, is there any use for Pre-war Money besides just selling it to a regular merchant?

Answer

It doesn't have any special uses (well, if you don't count the Rock-It launcher...)

Pre-War Money at fallout wiki

Check more discussion of this question.

Why can't we grind beyond level 20 in Fallout 3?

Question

I'm asking because it's becoming increasingly difficult to deal with Death claws and I really want to experiment on various other perks. Does it have something to do with the story?

Answer

20 is the forced cap on levelling for Fallout 3.

It can be expanded to level 30 by purchasing the Broken Steel DLC.

As for dealing with Deathclaws,

get crafting the Dart Gun and immobilise them from afar.

Check more discussion of this question.

Which children can the player character kill in Fallout 3?

Question

In Fallout 3, most children (not adolescents/teens) are made unkillable in the game. Aside from modding the game or artificially ageing them with the console, which can you kill anyway?

I know of two in the main game:

You can kill Harden Simms and Maggie - they both die when you nuke Megaton.

Are there any others? What about the DLCs/expansions?

Answer

No children can be directly killed in Fallout 3.

I don't recall if there are children in Tenpenny Tower, but if you release the ghouls there, all the tower's inhabitants will be killed.

The evil resolution at the end of Take it Back!

will kill all Capital Wastelanders in the long term, aside from those who were born on vaults.

You can also enslave children at the end of Those! and on Little Lamplight.

At the Brotherhood of Steel Citadel, there's Arthur Maxson, who

will probably be killed if you choose to blow up the Citadel at the end of Who Dares Wins (in the Broken Steel add-on)

You monster.

Check more discussion of this question.

Is there an NPC who can repair to 100% in Fallout 3?

Question

Is there an NPC someplace in Fallout 3, or the expansions, who can repair the unique items (Chinese stealth armor, etc) to 100%?

Answer

According to the Fallout 3 Wiki -- Somah (An NPC from the Mothership Zeta DLC) has a repair skill of 100.

You may also look into Haley (An NPC from the Point Lookout DLC) who has a glitch that will eventually bring his repair skill up to 100.

If you are just looking to repair your unique items up to 100%, look into Alien Epoxy, a semi-repeatably obtainable consumable that instantly restores between 15% and 30% condition to an item. (Also from the Mothership Zeta DLC)

Check more discussion of this question.

Will listening to Galaxy Radio blow my stealth?

Question

Or listening to any radio stations for that matter? The load-screen tips frequently mention turning off your pip-boy light, but never say a word about your radio.

Answer

Nope! Enemies only care about your footsteps, and how visible you are (which your pipboy's light affects).

Just think of the Lone Wanderer as having Pip-boy earbuds!

Check more discussion of this question.