that is a very clear and good explanation and a game that i don't think would be right for me. thanks.

whatever you do - follow the signs to megaton when you get out of the vault. i wondered around the wasteland at a low level for hours and could not figure out why i was getting smoked everytime i walked over a hill or opened a door.

I feel the opposite in regards to Borderlands. I think the big advantage in Fallout 3 is you can sort of call a time out when bad guys show up and shoot them. In Borderlands, I just get my ass I kicked. As someone who picked up Fallout 3 and continued it through the end and someone who picked up Borderlands and ending up returning back to Gamefly after playing about a half hour... well you know my answer.

explain?

Megaton is the first community you need to go to in the game. He didn't. Not something you need to worry about since you're not getting the game.

ahhh...when he mentioned "vault" i thought he was talking about Borderlands since the whole game is getting to the vault, but never actually going inside, and thus my confusion. thank you.

Fallout 3 is essentially the sequel to Borderlands, picking up in the future after your character has gotten into the Vault and discovered it's not all it's cracked up to be. You find out that the entire Pandora experience was basically a VR simulation sponsored by an evil corporation. In a secret lab set up in an underwater city. Dreamed up by a writer who may or may not be a character in his own story.

I'm sure space marines and zombies were also involved somehow, but they're saving that part for the sequel.

This is all true...in fact, at one point you get to hook up to a virtual simulation of the halo universe, and play a true sequel to halo 3, and finally

Fallout 3 Game of the Year Edition (All DLC included) 50% on Steam.

Fallout 3 GOTY: $24.99

They also have:
Oblivion GOTY: $8.50

Morrowwind GOTY: $5.00

my bad - i should have been more clear about to which vault and game i was referring.

Just got the game and have been checking out all the mods. I think I'm going to go in without mods to start with just like I did with morrowind and oblivion. This way I can appreciate the mods more.

Finished the main game and now I think I'm doing broken steel. The one where something happens to Liberty Prime. Fun little ride all in all. I thought Oblivion and Morrowind were better but that might be because I like swords and magic more than guns an mutants. I'm not sure if I'll finish the DLC before starting over. The current story line is interesting but not as fun.

The biggest surprise about this game was the tenpenny story line. At first I thought it was just your standard ghoul hating story but then they throw a twist in there. I actually decided to go with residents for that one even though it pained me to do so.

I got this game for Christmas and have been playing only it since (don't get to play too often with 2 small kids). At first I did not like it because I was expecting more of a FPS rather than a RPG, but it really engulfs you once you get out of the vault.

I think I've finally finished this game to the point where I can move on to a new game. I have discovered every location, found every bobble head, and completed the main game plus all add-ons. I've acquired more weapons, ammo and bottle caps than I could ever use.

There are still a few of the smaller quests I never went around and finished, and I've got some quest items in my inventory that I have no idea what quest they are even for, but I think 7 months is enough time to spend on one game. And during all that time, I never did figure out how to make an "exploding teddy bear" or even exploding pants.

I still have Episodes from Liberty City sealed from Christmas. Guess I'll move onto that next.

I believe the "exploding teddy bears" from the title of this thread simply refer to using them as ammo in the Rock-It Launcher (but they don't really explode as you can pick them up and reuse them).

As for "exploding pants" it's hinted at in one of the Herbert Dashwood episodes that plays on GNR radio:

Oh, well that I've done.

I've never thought of putting things into people's pockets.

I'm plowing through Point Lookout right now, and I be damned if all the hillbillies and tribals roamin' around aren't tough as nails. Suppose it's the proximity to the large body of irradiated water that's warped the hell out of these folks. It's gotten a bit over the line of frustration at a few points, especially when a armor-less dude wielding a bowie knife can take three or four point-blank shotgun shells to the head, then turn around and slice me a few times for a comparable amount of damage.

Only slight hyperbole there at the end.

Yeah I had trouble with those tribbles also. Those guys are tougher than super mutants. I had to do quick saves after every kill in the mansion. They never really explained why they were so tough.

They were tired of hearing the "too eeeeeasy" whining? There was a lot of that surrounding this game.

Tried searching through this thread for an answer, but all I know for sure is that if I finish the main quest, then the game ends and I cannot go back to finish the side quests.

I have the non-GOTY edition, but bought the DLC separately (have not installed them yet). If I install all the DLC now (I'm up to the penultimate chapter in the main quest, after I get the GECK), and finish the main quest, will the side-quests of the original game still be available to me? I'm assuming that if I install the DLC now, even if I then finish the main quest, it should let me continue to do Point Lookout, Broken Steel etc.... but will it let me continue to do the side stuff like collecting Quantum Colas, Agatha's Song, etc. Or will all that be gone and I'm just left with DLC to do?

Hope that wasn't confusing. Just wondering. I get a lot more XP from doing the main quest, which levels me up quickly, then I can annihilate my way through the wasteland to do side quests.

If you install the DLC before finishing the main quest you should be able to continue on after the main story is over. I would also save just before the last mission in case something goes wrong but as long as you have the DLC and have it installed you should be good.

When the heck are the GOTY editions going to see a PD?

thanks, installing the DLC now. Jeez though, the installation wizard takes forever to load up. I thought i had defective discs because I clicked on setup and it took 10 minutes for the install screen to show up. That's crazy!

It has been on sell a number of times. Probably go on sell again when new vegas comes out.

I got it release week for $40. Only just now getting to it myself.