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

[WhiteGuts]

You can't take all the gold in Dead Money. Because you have to learn to let go. Is that deep or what

 

[Somberlain]

Do you consider it as a drawback when you unload stuff at the entrance, teleport half of your stuff, then teleport back for the rest ?

Depends on where you are.

you are everywhere in a mere second.
you are always one click away from any stash you want.

No and no. You cannot fast travel from every location and you cannot always get into fast-travel-allowed area in a second.

 

[T. Reich]

About the car, sure you don't have it in FoNV/Fo3, but you are always one single click away for every single location of the gameworld, each of them containing tons of containers. It is like having a billion car's trunk. The gamebryo fast-travel system annihiliate any carry weight limit. You don't have to hesitate between picking item X or item Z as you can take both by using teleport.

That would've been a valid counter-argument, except:
1. You're not one click away. You can only fast-travel from outdoors locations. If you're stuck in the middle of a "dungeon", first you'll have to backtrack to the "surface".
2. Fast travelling to a location makes you appear at a specific point in said location, not near your stash (unless you conveniently stashed your stuff near fast travel appearance point).
3. Not all containers are safe to use. A lot of them reset their contents (or lack thereof) on a regular basis, and other containers may be marked as owned, rendering them useless.
4. You can't fast travel if you're overloaded. not only that prevents you from carrying extra loot in one go, it also means that if you decide to relocate your stashed loot to other location, you're in a world of pain.
5. Travelling still takes in-game time. Maybe it's not that critical in non-HC, but in HC you will have to watch your eat/drink/sleep meters, especially when travelling from afar.
6. Of course, you can store loot in various safe locations all around wasteland. That would be convenient, right? Good loock remembering where you stashed that thing you need right now.
Of course, it's better than nothing, but the whole point I made (that started this discussion) was that the way weight-based inventory management in FNV is balanced in Jsawyer's mod and/or in HC mode is very crappy in terms of adversely affecting the game enjoyment.

 

[T. Reich]

You can't take all the gold in Dead Money. Because you have to learn to let go. Is that deep or what

Totally deep. But I'm a pirate at heart - I'll take all I can, and will give nothing back!

 

[Catfish]

You can't take all the gold in Dead Money. Because you have to learn to let go. Is that deep or what

Totally deep. But I'm a pirate at heart - I'll take all I can, and will give nothing back!

Indiana... Indiana...

Spoiler

Let it go...

[ /spoiler]

Seriously though, the highlight of that DLC was playing at the blackjack table to score enough chips for some ammo and stimpacks. One of the best memories of the whole game for me.

 

[Onholyservicebound]

Yes they did, Fallout 3 is what introduced weightless ammo and a higher starting carry weight.(1 str in Fallout 3 = same carryweight as 5 str in Fallout 1/2)
By comparison the original games has a much more restrictive inventory, ammo weight was the biggest limiting factor, and I'm pretty sure most items were at least a little heavier. If anything New Vegas ammo is way lighter than in the first games. Obviously there's ways to circumvent the weight limit, but it's progression based, same as NV.(In forms of perks, lucky 38 storage, str upgrades)

Just to make things clear:
1. I'm comparing the loot haul potential of FNV with Jsawyer's mod (which basically halves the weight capacity of both the player character and their companions) versus loot haul potential of FO1+2.
2. Loot haul potential = the max weight a party could carry, considering all factors.
3. FNV (unmodded) has 400 max carry weight with all perks and special gear, with 250-300 carry weight within reasonable expectations (a STR score of 5 or so, plus 1-2 carry weight perks). Plus 2x200-ish carry weight for 2 companions. A total reasonable max of 700 pounds.
4. FNV with Jsawyer mod has around 250 max carry weight with all perks and special gear, with maybe 130-150 carry weight within reasonable expectations by endgame. Plus 2x120-ish carry weight for 2 companions (because the mod cuts their carry weight as well). A total reasonable max of 400 pounds.
5. FNV doesn't allow to overload companions, and if you're overloaded, it's next to impossible to play, so it's not an option.
6. In FNV there is no analogue of car, if you want to stash your excess loot somewhere, you will have to return to it yourself to make use of it, which takes too long to be useful.
7. In FNV power armor doesn't give nearly as much benefit as it does in FO1+2, with only +1 STR bonus.
8. In FO1+2 you have 375 max carry weight with all perks and special gear, and 250-350 carry weight within reasonable expectations (that include near 10 STR because you'll obviously be using power armor, get +1 STR implant, and will probably take 1-2 carry weight perks).
9. In FO1 you can have 2 decent humanoid companions (well, at least 1), whose carry weight limit is, well, limitless in practice, due to how the whole companion interface works (or rather doesn't) in FO1. Ergo, you will have no problems with hauling all the shit around, at the low cost of having Ian or Tycho moving at snail's pace, IIRC.
10. In FO2 you can't abuse that trick too much, but:
* you can easily have more than 2 companions
* these companions can wear power armor, making their carry weight at least 250 usually
* you have a car
Basically, you can always load up your haul monkeys with loot and carry it to the car to store. And the car is almost always very easy to come back to, and it's kinda a given that it travels with you.

Basically, FO1+FO2 = no carry weight problems, unless you're playing a solo wimp. FNV = little to no problems with softcore vanilla and companions, big problems with Jsawyer and companinons, or in vanilla solo hardcore, and absolute nightmare if you go solo Jsawyer HC.

Companions were never a factor for me in Fallout 1, they were a hassle to keep around without save scumming, and endgame left them dead usually. Last time I played Fallout, carry weight was definitely an issue, ammo weight was much different in the older games IIRC, I don't remember there being weights less than 1lb a la F:NV (Ammo being .005, .075 etc.etc.) Each bullet was like, 1 lb minimum. When I was playing Fallout, switching over to heavy weaps at the end game, I definitely remember carry weight being a factor in my loadout, power armor weighed A LOT in that game, and weapons also weighed more IIRC.

Fallout 2 had less carry weight issues to be sure, but I still did end up over encumbered now and then, ammo weight being the culprit, again. Car changed it, but like I said, car is endgame potential, FNV doesn't have a car, but it has perks and fast travel. It's less about carrying everything and more about the loadout anyway, which was just as limited as FNV+Hardcore due to ammo weight and heavier items.

Even then the comparison isn't perfect, because switching items in Fallout required perks to be effective, costed action points. Switching in NV requires nothing, and items have +10 to charisma stat bonus shit and lots of utility weapons that wreck certain situations. Having unlimited inventory in NV would be more beneficial then it would be in the early Fallouts imo.

 

[Gnidrologist]

By comparison the original games has a much more restrictive inventory, ammo weight was the biggest limiting factor, and I'm pretty sure most items were at least a little heavier.

Well it's odd, because i never ever felt any limitation in practice. I hoarded everything, but rocks and it never seemed to bother me. And i used a lot of weapons simultaneously. Only things i sometimes left were gecko pelts, because they were heavy and cheap.

Do you consider it as a drawback when you unload stuff at the entrance, teleport half of your stuff, then teleport back for the rest ?

Yeah, it's pretty stupid. If you can teleport back and forth through the whole Nevada desert without and incident then why not have everything in your inventory without limits without and incident?

Anyhow, my main objection for stifled inventory is that i want to enjoy most of the stuff that can be found in the game and also for comparison reasons. The second time, when i'll already know what is what, it's not so important. Just beeline to your favorite special rifle and you're set.

 

[T. Reich]

In FO1+2 ammo weighs not per bullet but per pack. For example, a pack of 10mm ammo weighed 1 lb, and it had up to 24 bullets in a pack. therefore, carrying 120 bullets would set you back 5 lbs.
Ammo in FO1+2 is a serious factor only if you're using burst-fire or heavy weapons. For any single-shot fire weapons, you're usually good with 100 bullets in tow (that's 6 lbs tops). More if you're about to engage in wholesale slaughter, but you'll end up with less bullets after anyway.
In FO1 the carry weight restriction becomes moot once you hit endgame, because at that point it's all about mowing down hordes of super mutants with their own weapons (so you can simply loot their corpses to sustain yourself) while wearing power armor, which, while heavy (only in FO1), is also a great boost to your STR and by extension - of max carry weight.
I've never ever had problems with carry weight in FO2, unless I went solo. By VC you will have 3 decent companions (Sulik, Vic, Cassidy) who will relieve you of most of muling duties. Car is not endgame potential, it becomes available pretty much in the first third of the game, or even earlier if you decide to rush for it (which is a vaild strategy and quickly pays off).

Anyway, this whole argument can be chalked down to various playing styles, but with my playing style, I found next to no problems with carry weight restrictions in FO1+2, and a lot of issues in FNV.

 

[T. Reich]

Meanwhile, I raided the FO wiki, and found out that by accident I made the totally opie-op long ranged char.
All because of how sneak attak criticals work in FNV.
Base wepaon damage PLUS weapon crit damage (usually equal or more to base damage), the sum then multiplied x2 for sneak crit. For decent strong single-shot long range rifles, that means at the very least a 200 dmg crit, without special crit damage perks etc. With high end rifles and better criticals perk we're talking up to 500 dmg per sneaky critical shot, over extremely long distances.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

I'm actually almost inclined to find a mod for FNV that removes the weight limit, Gothic-style. After all, it looks like Gothic (when in 3rd person), it plays like Gothic (with its exploration), so it could be more like Gothic in inventory management ways.

Open the console and type

player.setav carryweight 5000

or whatever number you want

You can't fast travel while over-encumbered and you can only fast travel when you are outdoors.

http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Long_Haul

 

[Somberlain]

You can't fast travel while over-encumbered and you can only fast travel when you are outdoors.

http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Long_Haul

Yeah, but it's a perk and requires 70 barter so no-one's ever going to take it

 

[Gnidrologist]

Taking perks like this would be like taking perks to reduce loading screen times.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

Dumping charisma and barter because they're "useless" (it doesn't help killing things), and yet spend half the playing time collecting things to sell later. Gamers gonna game.

 

[Gnidrologist]

I already told that sale isn't factoring into this as much as that i actually want to keep a lot of stuff for experimentation. If i one wants to get money, one can simply fast travel from Ranger Charlie to Gunnrunners back and forth, killing the roma scum for loot in between.

 

[Lord Carlos Wafflebum]

If you're stealthy and don't fuck around you can make off with all the gold. It usually takes a couple tries for me, but I sneak in through the side with a stealthboy to the elevator while Elijah meanders his way into the vault. The timing is extremely tight, but doable.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

I already told that sale isn't factoring into this as much as that i actually want to keep a lot of stuff for experimentation.

Oh. In that case...

http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Hoarder
http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Pack_Rat
http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Strong_Back
http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Burden_to_Bear

they even stack with each other for maximum Atlas roleplaying.

 

[Gnidrologist]

Yeah, right.

 

[Somberlain]

Dumping charisma and barter because they're "useless" (it doesn't help killing things), and yet spend half the playing time collecting things to sell later. Gamers gonna game.

I don't share your greed, the only perk I need is
Better Criticals!
Cowboy!

 

[mike73]

Same as with Fallout 3, Puce Moose mods.

 

[granit]

Yeah, Sawyer's patch that I never bothered with because it required ALL of the DLC. Not sure how that plays but the base 'hardcore' mode is more tedious than challenging. Fresh water is everywhere (and the ultimate version even gives you a canteen), food is everywhere, beds are everywhere, ammo weight is... meh. Only hard to manage if you go with bug guns/missile launchers or some shit. If you stick to regular guns it's rarely an issue. Stimpacks heal over time which is a good change and you need Doctor's Bags to heal crippled limbs but those are pretty plentiful, too.

I think Sawyer's patch slows down xp, too. It's pretty all-encompassing. I would skip mods that emphasize hydration/hunger/sleep. The Mojave 'Wasteland' is fairly civilized and you'll find safe locations everywhere. All those mods would do is slow down the gameplay unless you really like E-LARPing.

E-larping is the correct way to play.

 

[Metro]

No.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

I don't share your greed, the only perk I need is
Better Criticals!
Cowboy!

But...the combat is shit?

But seriously, I get that "carry more stuff" doesn't sound as fun of a perk choice as "kill stuff harder" or "seduce people harder", but being able to carry a ton of well-fed guns for every situation with you at all times is a big enough advantage to justify the cost.

 

[Somberlain]

I don't share your greed, the only perk I need is
Better Criticals!
Cowboy!

But...the combat is shit?

It's over faster when you can kill stuff faster

But seriously, I get that "carry more stuff" doesn't sound as fun of a perk choice as "kill stuff harder" or "seduce people harder", but being able to carry a ton of well-fed guns for every situation with you at all times is a big enough advantage to justify the cost.

That's probably true, but I've played NV so many times that I basically know all the encounters, best loot etc. in advance, so I don't really need to loot that much stuff or carry multiple guns for every kind of situation. If I was newer to the game, I'd probably view this very differently.

Now, I'm usually carrying only a revolver, lever-action rifle, knife and a few grenades for every situation

 

[Onholyservicebound]

E-larping is the correct way to play.

If mechanics support it, it isn't E-LARPing. E-LARPing would be if I rested my character every night when hardcore was off, or ate food three times a day just because. Gameplay is gameplay, whether it's related to combat, narrative, or survival aspects.

 

[T. Reich]

I don't share your greed, the only perk I need is
Better Criticals!
Cowboy!

But...the combat is shit?

But seriously, I get that "carry more stuff" doesn't sound as fun of a perk choice as "kill stuff harder" or "seduce people harder", but being able to carry a ton of well-fed guns for every situation with you at all times is a big enough advantage to justify the cost.

Duh! Taking damage (especially crit-related) perks allows to end combat really fast. Sneak attack critical (100% when sneaking) usually quadruples your weapon damage. With high-end single-fire weapons it means 1-shotting almost any enemy in FNV on normal or lower difficulty. From a safe distance as well.

Doesn't mean I won't take the "carry more" perks when they're available, because I totally will. Even with Jsawyer mod's lowered level cap, by the end game you still get to pick way more perks that you actually need.
I even think that Intense Training was added to the perk list specifically to allow the players to pick a "generic useful" +1 to stat increase in case there were no appropriate spcialist perks for the player to pick up on level-up.