Fallout: A Post Nuclear Let's Play

[shiranui]

As some of you might have noticed, my LP of the Monkey Island series went on an indefinite hiatus before I even finished the first game, but I assure you that will be fixed sooner or later. In the meantime, though, we shall try something very different.

Now, I've been playing Fallout: New Vegas pretty much nonstop since it came out a couple of weeks ago, but this thread is not about New Vegas. No, we're going old school now, right back to where it all started. (well, I suppose it all technically started with Wasteland in 1988, but you know what I mean)



I have a confession to make: I've never actually gotten very far in Fallout 1 or 2 myself. I know the Fallout world and the plot and things like that very well, but I still haven't finished either game. So, this is going to be a semi-blind run and I'll probably be quite lost most of the time, so you can pitch in and give me some pointers every once in a while. In any case, let's get to it...

---



Maybe you'll think of me when you are all alone
Maybe the one who is waiting for you will prove untrue
Then what will you do?

Maybe you'll sit and sigh, wishing that I were near
Then maybe...

---

War. War never changes.

The Romans waged war to gather slaves and wealth. Spain built an empire from its lust for gold and territory. Hitler shaped a battered Germany into an economic superpower.

But war never changes.

In the 21st century, war was still waged over the resources that could be acquired. Only this time, the spoils of war were also its weapons: Petroleum and Uranium. For these resources, China would invade Alaska, the US would annex Canada, and the European Commonwealth would dissolve into quarreling, bickering nation-states, bent on controlling the last remaining resources on Earth.

In 2077, the storm of world war had come again. In two brief hours, most of the planet was reduced to cinders. And from the ashes of nuclear devastation, a new civilization would struggle to arise.

A few were able to reach the relative safety of the large underground Vaults. Your family was part of that group that entered Vault Thirteen. Imprisoned safely behind the large Vault door, under a mountain of stone, a generation has lived without knowledge of the outside world.

Life in the Vault is about to change.

---



Right. This is our character creation screen, and before I do anything I ask you guys to help me create the Vault Dweller I'm going to play as. So, as of now I'm taking suggestions for the guy's/girl's name (11 character limit. I tried to name him Michael Cole but it didn't quite fit), skills, SPECIAL stats (although there are five points to go, you can remove points from each stat as you wish) and optional traits. One condition, though: I'm not going to create a dumb (INT 3 or less) character this time, because this is technically my first playthrough.

[shiranui]

What, no one has any ideas to share? Not even suggestions for silly names or anything? The 'Crap, I am so disappointed in you right now.

Okay then, I guess I'll just whip up something myself so we can get this thing going...

[El Cokehead del Knife Fight]

Sgt. Stinkfist.

That is what the name should be, nothing else matters.

[shiranui]

That's a bit too long, although I guess "Stinkfist" would work. Anyone got any other suggestions?

[El Cokehead del Knife Fight]

Even better, Testekill.

It's funny because it's so stupid.

[shiranui]

Nov 6, 2010 5:09:43 GMT -5 El Cokehead del Knife Fight said:

Even better, Testekill.

It's funny because it's so stupid.

I like that, we'll go with it.

So, anyone have any suggestions for Mr. Testekill's stats and stuff, or am I forced to get creative here? If you've read my previous Let's Plays, you know it's never a good thing when that happens.

(personally, I'm thinking of investing in Small Guns, Speech and SCIENCE!... or Lockpick)

[OB91]

Mr Testekill should be the sort of character who tries to diplomatically solve all of his problems, but when he fails, he kills some testes.

(Speech, Unarmed, Melee Weapons.)

With the Good Natured or Heavy Handed trait.

[El Cokehead del Knife Fight]

Speech, Small Guns and Medicine for his things.
And we all know what must be done in a fight as a signature move, aimed shots (VATS) to the crotch. I'm pretty sure that number one lets you do that.

[shiranui]

As a compromise, I went for Small Guns, Melee Weapons and Speech for our hero's skills. I'll post the first real update in a bit.

[shiranui]

Part 1: A View From The End Of The World

---



I am Testekill, from Vault 13. Yes, Testekill. It's my real name, my family originally hails from an undisclosed location in Europe and that is where the name comes from as well. Oh, and it is pronounced "Test-KILL", in case you were wondering. You can probably guess just how much fun it was growing up in the Vault with a name like that, as people would come up with all sorts of ways to hilariously mispronounce it. Sure, I could have just gone by my first name, but since my late parents (highly intellectual folk, very informed about pre-war literature and music) thought it would be a great idea to name me Humbert... well, let's just say that crude variations of Testekill don't sound so bad compared to that.




So why would I leave the relative safety of the Vault? It's simple. See, for whatever reason, our Vault did not get any surplus water chips back in the day, and as luck would have it, our only water chip decided to break. This means we have 150 days until the water supply runs out, and so our great exalted Overseer had to send somebody out there to find a replacement for the chip.



Somehow, that somebody turned out to be yours truly, and I'm fairly sure they did that on purpose. They could've sent that dickhead Bob from engineering, or Max Stone (the strongest man in Vault 13, though not the brightest) or maybe Natasha or Albert, but NO. Send Testekill out there and hope he dies, right? The Overseer told me to "stay safe" but I can tell from the tone of his voice that even if I don't find the water chip he'll be glad to be rid of me anyway.




The first thing I see as I exit the Vault and step into the dark, dank cave is the skeletal remains of some poor guy, wearing a tattered Vault suit. He only has a knife and some 10mm AP ammo on him, so whoever he was he wasn't too well equipped to go out there. At least the Overseer bothered to give me a gun, some stimpaks and a couple of flares. The old coot must be going soft in his old age.



Brilliant, I'm already being assaulted by a bunch of bloodthirsty rodents. This has turned out to be one lousy day already, and I don't think it'll get much better from here.




Well, at least I can now cross out "Karate kick a rat in the groin" from my "1,024 things I need to do before I die" list.



How many of these things are there? I should probably use the knife, these guys can bite surprisingly hard. Aw, f***, that hurt. I hope they didn't carry the rabies or anything.



Bloody hell, that's bright. I can't see a thing here. Guess that means I'm about to get out of the cave and see the outside world with my own eyes for the first time. If I'll ever be able to see anything again, that is.



The outside world is even more depressing than I thought. Nothing but desert sands and rocks in every direction, and the glare from the sun is absolutely merciless. I didn't think I'd ever say this, but I miss the Vault already. Once I get the water chip from Vault 15 I'll never go out again.



After about six days of wandering towards Vault 15, I ran into a group of people. Great, I thought, raiders who want to eat, rape and kill me (in that order), but it turned out to be just a traveling merchant with his entourage. I, of course, couldn't buy anything from him because the Overseer didn't think it would be necessary to provide me with any funds or anything, but at least he made a very tempting offer.



Shady Sands is a town about a day from here, pretty close to Vault 15. An armed escort sounds like a very good idea because I swear I heard horrible creatures in the distance at night.



Finally, after a day and a half of travelling, we reach Shady Sands. The merchant and his guards go on about their business, and I think I'll explore the town before I go get some rest.

---

[shiranui]

Part 2

---



This lovely young thing is Katrina. She is from Vault 15 and ended up here after some raiders attacked the Vault and wounded her in the process. I ask her if she knows about a water chip, and apparently there is still one in Vault 15. However, the elevator in that place is broken, and so I need some equipment if I want to get anywhere. I wonder why no one gave me a rope or anything when I left Vault 13... hopefully there is some here. I also ask if she knows anything about the surrounding area, but apparently she doesn't know much and mentions that a merchant guard named Ian, who is in Shady Sands recovering from some sort of an attack, is well traveled and should know more about the outside world.

Before I go look for Ian, Katrina tells me to go see Aradesh, the village elder. I chat with her for a while and then head off to ask Aradesh if he knows anything about the water chip. Probably not, but hey, it's worth a shot. At the same time, I can ask him if there's anything of interest going on around town.



That guy in the silly robe is probably Aradesh. Let's go see what's up.


Aradesh: "Wanderer, I shall believe you... for now. You may enter Shady Sands, but be warned your every move will be watched."

Right, that makes me feel very safe indeed. So, I ask Aradesh if there's any way I could make myself useful around here, perhaps if I help him I won't have to worry about some guys watching me from the shadows at all times.



Radscorpions, huh? It appears these things are attacking the village's brahmin herds and, more recently, people. I tell Aradesh I can take care of their little insect problem, so he directs me to talk to Razlo. I assume Razlo is their doctor of sorts, he is working on some kind of an antidote to the radscorpion venom... that could be useful, so let's talk to him.



Razlo tells me to go away because it's pretty late... well, he's got a point, actually.



Unfortunately, he can't provide me with any assistance for handling the radscorpions, but apparently I can bring him something to help him prepare the antidote. Sure, I guess I can do that.



Geez! I'm just passing through, all right?



I've finally found Ian. He seems pretty damn tough, so perhaps I could try to convince him to come fight the radscorpions with me. Sure, it's just a bunch of some little scorpions, but still. Besides, he knows a lot about the area and might be able to help me find the water chip.



Right, let's see if he wants to come along.



Huh? You will? That was easier than I expected, I thought I'd at least have to pay the guy something. Which I can't do since I don't have any money, so this actually worked out pretty well.

I decide that it might be a good idea to get some rest and then head off to fight those scorpions in the morning. I guess it doesn't make much of a difference since those things apparently live in a cave, but I'm damn tired after wandering through the desert for days and I really could use a rest in an actual bed (and without having to sleep with one eye open in case raiders or creatures find me) at this point. But before that, I see a strikingly beautiful girl in front of Aradesh's place and simply HAVE to go introduce myself to her.



This is Tandi. She asks me how I like the town so far, and... well, I guess it's not bad. I don't really have anything to compare it to, though, since I've lived in Vault 13 all my life and this is the first town I've ever visited. Turns out she has never been out of Shady Sands either and is bored to death here. I guess that makes sense... this appears to be a peaceful little settlement (give or take a few radscorpion attacks and some raiders roaming around) and it's nice to spend some time here, but I'm not sure if I could live here for an extended period of time.



I ask Tandi why she doesn't just leave the place if she finds it so boring, but apparently her father wouldn't approve. That is unfortunate. Still, I'm tired as hell at this point, so I bid Tandi farewell (she seems disappointed, because it's not often she gets to talk to new people) and head off to bed to dream about radioactive desert sands and two-headed cows.



At six in the morning, me and Ian get ready to kill some scorpions. The guard at the gates, Seth, knows the location of the radscorpion caves and can show us how to get there, but he can't join us for whatever reason. Sure, I'm certain me and Ian can handle a bunch of insects.

We've reached the caves. I wonder why the town has so many problems with the radscorpions, I'm sure these little bastards aren't any trouble, it's not like they're the size of a fully grown bear or anything...



MOTHER OF GOD!

---

[Oak: Certified Jade Hater]

GIVE THEM HELL TESTEKILL!

[OB91]

These adventures are entertaining and I'd like them to continue.

[shiranui]

Been sort of busy over the last couple of weeks, but I'll update soon enough.

[shiranui]

Part 3: You Bring Me Down

---

When we last left our hero, we had just met our first radscorpion. Will Testekill give 'em hell? Let's find out!


I've seen pictures of scorpions in books back in the Vault, but I had no idea those things were this big. Fortunately, they're still not really THAT dangerous, as a few 10mm bullets to the carapace will take a full grown radscorpion down. Just need to stay out of the reach of that stinger, I suppose. Speaking of which, I'll grab a couple of those to bring back to Razlo so he can prepare the antivenom.


I'm not a very good shot at the moment because I'm somewhat out of practice, but Ian is a freaking terminator. The guy can shoot a scorpion to death in the blink of an eye and taunt them while doing it.


However, I feel I'm getting the hang of it, and Ian is showing me some stuff as well. Along with my fighting and shooting, I also feel like my speaking skills have gotten a better over the last week or so... I mean, I've always had a way with words, even back in the Vault, and now that I'm here in the outside world I need those skills more than ever. At least when I'm not in some cave shooting at giant scorpions. I don't think mutated insects will listen to reason.


After a while, all the scorpions in the cave are dead and won't be bothering Shady Sands anytime soon. Time to head back to town to tell them the news.


It was the least we could do. Let's see what Razlo has to say about the stingers we brought him... oh wait, Katrina said we'd need some rope when we go to Vault 15. And that right there on Seth's belt is obviously a rope, so perhaps I'll check if he wants to trade it for anything I've got.


There we go, one flare for the piece of rope and 20 bottle caps. Let's just explore the town for a bit before going to Razlo.


Hmm... that is another rope on top of the bookcase, and there's also some rather worn-out book that no one will likely miss... perhaps I'll borrow them for a moment.


Just a random screenshot of brahmin, because brahmin are badass.


Shady Sands appears to have quite decent crops, especially considering the circumstances.


We finally head back to Razlo and give him the radscorpion stingers. He studies them for a couple of hours and returns with the antidote, giving me a free sample as a reward. And what's even better, it's not just for radscorpion poison but also works on other types of venom! That could prove useful.


Aradesh also offers his thanks. I talk to Tandi as well, but because I seemingly can't talk to women I somehow manage to make her angry. At least she looked that way. Oh well.


After a night's rest we're finally off to Vault 15, let's hope we can find the water chip there.


Speaking of water, it can be a pain to find in this place. Oh well.



We make it to Vault 15 after a couple of days. That ladder there should lead to the Vault, so what are we waiting for?


Sure are a lot of rats here in the cave. We kill most of them (well, I kill them because Ian decides not to assist me for whatever reason) and then realize we're really damn tired from the trip (and I get bitten a few times... thanks for the help, Ian), so we go back up and rest for a few hours before venturing inside the Vault itself.


After fighting our way through a whole bunch of rats including a rather large mole rat, we come across a locker. The locker contains a first aid kit and a couple of stimpaks, something that might come in handy around here.


And here's the elevator shaft. I throw one of my ropes down the shaft, and thus we can now access the lower levels of the Vault. Let's see what lurks down there, shall we?


PIG RATS!

A lot of pig rats! And... OW! F***! WHAT THE HELL!? THAT WAS MY SHOULDER, IAN!


Well, at least we did find those medical supplies just a few minutes ago, although I didn't expect to need them this soon or for this reason. Ian, my man, I need to ask you a question -- do I happen to resemble a mutant rat in some way? No? Then please don't shoot me in the f***ing head! (Well, he didn't quite hit me in the head, obviously, otherwise I probably wouldn't be standing, but it wasn't too far)


Hm. Another locker. I wonder what's in there.


But first, we level up. Okay then, guys, which perk should I choose?

Awareness: "You are more likely to notice details about people. Awareness will give more detailed information about them when you perform an Examine. The perk tells you the target's hitpoints, its weapon and ammunition count. It does not indicate which limbs, if any, are crippled."

Presence: "You command attention by just walking into a room. The initial reaction of another person is improved by 10% for each level of this Perk."

Quick Pockets: "You have learned to better store your equipment on your person. With each level of this Perk, the AP cost to access Inventory in combat is reduced by one."

Smooth Talker: "A Smooth Talker has learned to increase their options in dialogue, without understanding what they are talking about. Each level of this Perk will increase your Intelligence by one, for purposes of dialogue only."

Swift Learner: "You are indeed a Swift Learner with this Perk, as each level will give you an additional +5% bonus whenever you earn experience points."

So what will it be?

[El Cokehead del Knife Fight]

I'd say Smooth Talker, if only for the fact that it gives you a bonus to Intelligence. Is it a worthwhile stat in the first game?

[shiranui]

Nov 30, 2010 11:12:58 GMT -5 El Cokehead del Knife Fight said:

I'd say Smooth Talker, if only for the fact that it gives you a bonus to Intelligence. Is it a worthwhile stat in the first game?

It's very much worthwhile as it gives you more skill points when you gain a level and affects dialogue options as well as many skills. Smooth Talker only affects dialogue, though.

[El Cokehead del Knife Fight]

Nov 30, 2010 11:29:12 GMT -5 @shiranui said:

Nov 30, 2010 11:12:58 GMT -5 El Cokehead del Knife Fight said:

I'd say Smooth Talker, if only for the fact that it gives you a bonus to Intelligence. Is it a worthwhile stat in the first game?

It's very much worthwhile as it gives you more skill points when you gain a level and affects dialogue options as well as many skills. Smooth Talker only affects dialogue, though.

Ah. Oh well, there's plenty of chances for interaction in this anyways so it's worth taking.

[OB91]

Smooth Talker fits the character, take that.

[shiranui]

Nov 30, 2010 13:05:30 GMT -5 OB91 said:

Smooth Talker fits the character, take that.

Yeah, it's pretty much "uses a lot of big words while having no idea what any of it really means", which is a perfect fit for both the character and myself. ;D