I read this months ago but can't really remember much about it but wanted some quick spoiler-free guidance if possible. I read awhile back that you should not blow up Megaton if or when you get the chance. I had the guy offer it to me but I don't have the skills to fix it or blow it up since I just got started. But since I read that it is not good to do that, I just want to make sure that it the correct decision without going into a lot of the story

blowing up megaton or not really is up to you. How you play the game is really what makes the game fun. If you want to play evil, you blow it up. You lose the ability to have a house there, but you will get one in Tennpenny tower for blowing up megaton, so no real loss.

What you might have read though, is DON'T blow up megaton until you have exhausted all side quests in the town. You get a long mission from the main store, that really is designed to get you used to the game, sort of a tutorial mission. I can't remember what other missions, but it is important you do all of that before blowing the town up. Once you are further in the game, blow it up if you like, or not. Disarming the bomb will end your chance of ever blowing it up (good karma).

I did run into a really big creature while searching for the radio station (the next mission after the exploring Megaton) and it killed the shit out of me very quickly. Then I ran into a group of bandits who killed me as well but I never saw the creature. I think I suck at the whole combat thing. The VATS seems understandable but I only seem able to kill very low level enemies with it. And by the time I kill one or two, my points are gone and the remaining guy kills me because the combat after VATS seems so awkward.

Can you fuck up a mission? I was in the bar/cafe in Megaton and spoke with three people there. One of the guys told me to meet him at the water treatment plant. Later, I stole a bobby pin from the room but no one saw me. Out of nowhere, one of the other guys goes cuckoo on me (assuming he saw me take the bobby pin or figured it out or something), so I decided to just silence him. I tried to shoot him but because I suck at the combat, he got out the door but not before alarming the chick and the guy who told me to meet him at the water treatment plant. I later went to the plant but the guy never showed up? Did I mess it up?

Also, does the store only have certain hours in Megaton? Every time I go by there, it seems closed though they have been a strange hours. Even with strange hours though, it seems everyone else is open or is asleep and you can wake them up.

And if you sleep with a prostitute, do you have to reequip your clothes after this or sleeping? I realized later that I had been walking about in my undies for about a day after I got killed by a creature and it showed the animation of me falling back with no clothes on. I never unequiped my armor and the bar sleep was all I had really done. I guess I was creeping out the locals after that...walking around trying to ask them questions in my underwear. Maybe that's why that guy went nuts in the cafe.