About your questions.

Scrap metal - several guys (including one in megaton) will give you cash/goods in exchange for scrap metal.

Pretty sure deteriorated weapons just disappear once they hit zero quality, but I can't remember for certain.

Food is normally basically crap - especially when compared to benefit/weight (although certain food/aid items are in high demand from certain folks that you come across) - I would save from the very beginning of the game for future quest use. This is actually more of a question than anything else - did anyone actually get that food purifier thing to work? I never saw a rad decrease in anything
I carried for the entire time it was in my inventory.

The level cap isn't really a big deal considering that the game ends once you complete the final story quest (course I'm at lvl 16 now and I've been holding off on the main story for the moment while I work on other ones).

BTW, for folks wanting storage capacity when you don't have a house, I can safely say that sticking everything in a locker - really anywhere on the map will keep it secure. Actually, as far as I can tell, there's no actual refresh on anything in the environment - corpses are still there days later with whatever loot I didn't want, etc - technically you could probably leave a stack of junk on the ground anywhere and it would be there later - but I haven't wanted to chance it.

Also, if a random item looks kinda weird or useful, pick it up for later - there's a lot of different things that look like something completely useless but are actually used in recipes/schematics. I would recommend trying to keep at least one of everything stocked up somewhere.

I noticed food items gave me more health with it in my inventory. RADS didn't change on them though.

Didn't see any change in rads or hp value at all on mine - not sure if it was a bug or not.

Specifically, things like Pork n Beans went from

+2 RAD +5 Health
to
+2 RAD +6 Health.

Not much, but it all adds up I suppose.
Maybe the effect is variable depending on your attributes?

I'm at Level 7 and have spend 25 hours playing the game. Right now I only have 2 open quests. The main one and the one where you have to go to Germantown (kinda excited since I used to live there ).

No kidding? I grew up in Gaithersburg and Damascus! I'm going to have to spend some time exploring the old stomping grounds. Looking at the world map, it doesn't seem like it would extend that far north. Then again, I think I stumbled into Olney at one point, so I guess it goes further north than I think it would.

"Old Olney" has a few quests and interesting items associated with it, but you'd better be packing if you expect to survive.

On a different note, I still haven't come across any potential "party" members. That is to say, I suppose I did partner up with an NPC for "Stealing Independence" or whatever it was called - with the potential for future partnership options, but nothing long-term/permanent like in the first 2 games.

You can get a follower in Megaton with the right karma.

I am thinking about starting over. I have probably have 5-6 hours in, but could probably get back even in like 2 hours.



I don't know if any of those are really reason to restart. Some stuff I lost by repairing standard items with rare ones. Overall I likemy character, but think i am missing some stuff.

I would say none of those are reason to restart, but now that you've experienced a little of the game and know what kind of play style you have, there's nothing wrong with making a new character that fits in better with how you want to play the game.

I figure nothing was huge. Plus my first 2 perks were that ones that give +10% and +20% experience, which now I find out there is a level cap, so they really don't seem beneficial anymore.

Plus wanted the silencer to work with my sneaking/sniping type character.

I think I have about 28 hours in last I checked, approaching level 13, but have only completed 10 or 11 quests. Working on the reasearch for Moira at Rivet City, then I think I may go find my dad (have a location from him from Dr. Li), then I'm gonna ignore the plot for awhile and spend some more time exploring the map. I'll probably be maxed at 20 before I am even halfway done but there are still the bobbleheads to find (I've only found 3 of them so far)... I saw a list and except for one there all in areas I've never even located yet!

This game is fun but sort of eerie for those of us actually living in DC. I drove by the monument yesterday and got chills thinking of Fallout 3. :-)

i got the +30% experience perk and regret it now.
I'm at lvl 14 and about 1/2 way to the main quest.
I would get this only if you are planning to avoid most of the side quests.

Does each gun have a different range? I did not see it in the stats of each gun. I am planning to switch to the mini-gun from assault rifle, but don't know if i would loose out by having less range.

That's what I did. I have more of a plan with my new character. Focusing on repair and small weapons. I was just kind of randomly assigning skill points on my first character.

How hard is it to get the house? I really need a place to stash stuff. I'm constantly getting overencumbered.

I accidentally killed Dogmeat last night. Bummer.

Getting the house isn't hard at all. I do kind of wish that the quest which gives it to you was presented as such, though. My first start through the game I didn't get the house for ages because I didn't know which quest would give it to me.

Yup, I got the house with my 1st character in less than 5 hours, the first 2-3 just exploring.

I think I will do that the same way again. I don't necessarily WANT to be evil, but I don't want to have to worry about being good either.

I will try to tread the thin middle ground.

BTW, I essentially caught up with my 5 hour game in about 1 hour last night. A lot less random exploring, but when I do explore those same areas, it will be more productive.

This time instead of experience, I went with the Gun Nut perks instead of the experience perk.

Some things I read recommend Intense Training for the first 2 perks, others say Intense is a waste. I figure if I stick will small guns this would be helpful to have, and I am constantly repairing stuff to minimize my weight load.

alright... very important question

I want to get the strategy guide... is it REALLY worth it to track down the hardcover version? I can't find the hardcover one locally, but I may be able to get it from amazon.ca (not in stock... but says it may ship within 13 days).

so... is it worth it?

Level 18 now, working on the main quest and the Quantum nuka-cola quest still. I technically have 30 colas, since I already gave the girl 6 at the start, but I'm trying for 30 to give to the other guy.

Now that I've done GNR, I still have no idea what's up with the BoS or how I can hang with them.

I've come across a stack of power armor in the course of the game, including at least one from a quest reward, but I can't figure out where to get training for it - if not the BoS.

A couple more notes too - today I came across the only NPC to make it into all 3 games - very cool.

Also, highly recommend checking out the BethesdaSoft Offices - well worth the effort to clear them out.

From what i gathered, the only difference is the cover, and some extra pages, which are behind the scenes or something.

I have the normal, and it is nearly 500 pages and a TON of information.

the guide says:

Just had an awesome bug happen where my companion is blocking me from leaving the upstairs part of my house. I can't do anything except kill him or reload a save from about 40 minutes earlier. Lame!

What if you save, the reload that one? Maybe he will have moved?

Has anybody been in Springdale Elementary?

There should have been an autosave from entering the house - or is that the one from 40 minutes earlier?