I can't believe this...

Xenith on 21/1/2009 at 01:07

So after reading everywhere that it's an "open-ended game" I'm being blatantly shown that it isn't. Maybe I'm not understanding the concept of an open-ended game, but I was expecting to actually be able to still explore the rest of the wasteland after the main quest was finished. I actually saved right before making the final choice,but even if I [spoiler] choose to run or send that chick in to tap the code it's still over? [/spoiler].

I guess I was expecting too much and didn't read enough about the game. I probably wouldn't have played it if I knew about this (but maybe I would have since right now I'm tired and just angry, so disregard that).

Also, I'm feeling disapointed now... am I missing something? Do I really have no choice but to choose not to finish the main quest if I want to keep making levels and have some fun exploring? (more of a rhetoric set of questions)

:(

Anyone else had the same feeling or unpleasent surprise or... whatever?

PeeperStorm on 21/1/2009 at 02:28

Yes it sucks, and the Operation Anchorage expansion will supposedly do something about it. I'd be surprised if the modders haven't produced one or more corrections to the problem as well.

Open ended gameplay refers to the fact that you're set loose in the world to do whetever the hell you want. Do the main quest, ignore the main quest, explore, run around in your underwear, destroy communities, wage a one man war against the mirelurks, build yourself the wasteland's largest pile of teddy bears, whatever. I other words, you're not "on rails".

van HellSing on 21/1/2009 at 09:36

Operation Anchorage doesn't change the ending, the third dlc will (Broken Steel). And yes, there are mods that let you play after the ending.

Rogue Keeper on 21/1/2009 at 09:38

Is it really so big difference between exploring the world before the final ending and after the final ending? After most of the the final cutscenes the world wouldn't reflect the changes you made anyway. Every story has it's end.

van HellSing on 21/1/2009 at 09:53

Fallout 3 is really broken in respect to the ending/sidequests, since on your first playthrough you tend to do one of these two things:

a) Do the main quest right away, skipping the sidequests, since you expect to be able to do them after the mq. This will leave you with no option to do the sidequests.

b) Ignore the MQ and go about exploring and doing sidequests. You will most likely "break" the mq this way by randomly venturing into GNR, Rivet City or the Tranquility vault.

The best way to play the game is to do the MQ until the Enclave arrive, then stop and start the exploration/sidequests. This unlocks the more powerful enemies and makes the game more interesting/challenging, and you won't trigger any more mq related bits after that by shere accident. But how are you supposed to know that when it's your first playthrough?

Xenith on 21/1/2009 at 10:54

Quote:

I other words, you're not "on rails".

I guess I associated "open-end" with the same "open-ended" meaning as in ES: Oblivion, because it has the same engine, same guys made it, seems to have the same quest mechanics so eventually I guess I forgot what I was playing.

Quote:

The best way to play the game is to do the MQ until the Enclave arrive, then stop and start the exploration/sidequests. This unlocks the more powerful enemies and makes the game more interesting/challenging, and you won't trigger any more mq related bits after that by shere accident. But how are you supposed to know that when it's your first playthrough?

I was thinking about that. I think you can pretty much start doing the whole exploration thing before [spoiler] going after the g.e.c.k. in vault 86 after receiving the quest from Rothchild [/spoiler] since you can wear power armor too thanks to the training you get and there's really nowhere else to go and break the main quest.

I'm wondering how the heck their going to make an open-end as in "play after the main quest is done" with Broken Steel. You have three choices (well four) when it comes to ending the main quest. In two of them [spoiler] you survive, sending Lyons in to tap the code or choosing to run the heck away[/spoiler], in the other one you [spoiler] drop dead, which kind of makes sense for the game to end completely [/spoiler]. There's also that fourth option thingy though where you use the [spoiler] virus, given you by that oh so patriotic Personal Desktop President[/spoiler]. This one is so radical that if you'd be able to continue after the main quest, EVERYONE and EVERYTHING would be dead, leaving you with no one to trade with or anything to kill (well maybe some of those Enclave guys and those that still remained in vault 101... which could be interesting if they actually... "multiplied" during time and took control of city's like Megaton and Rivet city; repopulating the world and such).

van HellSing on 21/1/2009 at 13:13

Well, they can still use the "drop dead" one by having someone inject you with the same Deus Ex Machina brand anti-rad wonderbrew as Autumn.

Ostriig on 22/1/2009 at 01:33

Quote Posted by PeeperStorm

I'd be surprised if the modders haven't produced one or more corrections to the problem as well.

(http://fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=586) They have. I'm using it, and everything seems fine. Naturally, the world mostly remains in the state it was right before you went in to finish the game, with the notable absence of Enclave elements. I don't know how, or if, this will work with the upcoming DLC, though, and I also think there's a bug that results in you getting the same "good" ending movie, regardless of what choices you make in-game. Not sure about that last one, but that's what I got, anyway.

Oh, and yeah, the ending totally sucks ass.

Volitions Advocate on 10/2/2009 at 06:09

What really pissed me off was that I had Fawkes with me from fault 87, if he could go into the crazy high irradiated area with the GECK why on earth couldn't he punch in the code? That woudl've made a really happy ending for everyone. I hate how it bottlenecks like this. even with better alternatives available. Just like in bioshock.

Rogue Keeper on 10/2/2009 at 08:46

Supermutants just can't be legends of the wasteland, it would be politically incorrect.