F A L L O U T

                              (PC Version)

A Few Words From A Devoted Fan On September 24th  In The Year Of Our Lord 1998

FALLOUT BY INTERPLAY
--------------------

Welcome to my Fallout Faq!  There is no verison number as I won't ever
be updating this fine piece of work ever again.  I normally don't write
too many faqs unless I see a void that needs to be filled.  There was
definetely a need for a more informative faq, so I decided to whip one
up for you.

*** WARNING ***  If you are offended by foul language and sexism, then for
your own fucking sake, stop reading this now bitch!  I don't even want to get
email telling me why I'm Satan's gift to faqs.  Personally I find alot of
faqs a little too cut and dry.  I would like to know why the person did
what he did, and maybe even get a laugh or two out of it.  So I just write
faqs like they happen.  Don't come crying to me if you can't handle it.
This isn't spilled milk you know.


A Few Quick Praises (See the end of this faq for my other list)
---------------------------------------------------------------

Okay, so here it is fall 1998 and I'm playing a game released in 1997?
Am I on crack?  No my friend, not today -- heroin actually, but that's
besides the point.  After "finishing" Might & Magic 6, I was looking
EVERYWHERE for an RPG to kill some time with when I ran across this gem.
Some of the best features of the game that I can think of are:

*   You can play MP3s in the background (provided you launch the game after
    the mp3s are playing, of course.)  Being an RPG, there really isn't much
    you need to hear anyways.  And I for one would rather listen to one of
    my 53 MP3 cds than to hear the same music play over and over and over...

*   Great artwork.  Yep, alot of good looking/comic type artwork here.
    Also sports nice graphics to boot.

*   Not your everyday RPG.  Yeah, it's a little different -- you've got this
    topdown or Resident Evil/Zelda type view, but it works.

*   Storyline.  God, what a PERFECT story.  I for one have always dreamed
    about being alive after WW3.  I would love to go around (preferably
    with a VERY large group of people armed to the teeth) and explore/plunder
    what was left of the USA.  Hell, maybe I could even become the King!
    It's good to be the king!


Starting Out
------------

When you start a new game, I don't think I have to tell you to choose the
option that lets you create your own character.  What kind of RPG player
ever uses the stock characters?

Uh, yeah, I'm going to spend the next week playing this game so give me
the shittiest guy available so that I can REALLY work for it!

Not to spoil things early, but DO NOT max out (10) a stat.  Later in the
game you will be given the option to raise the 5 major stats by 1 each.
Of course I found this out too late...

Here is how I started my first game:

Pimp Daddy

Strength.........08
Perception.......07
Endurance........07
Charisma.........01
Intelligence.....07
Agility..........09
Luck.............01

Traits...........Heavy Handed, Fast Shot

Primary Skills...Small Guns, Melee Weapons, Barter

* I figured that Luck was totally worthless (usually is in most RPGs, as there
  is always a way to obtain luck later in the game via Enchanted objects, etc.)
  I also decided that Charisma had to go, but compensated the loss with the
  Barter Skill -- this turned out to be an excellent choice.


Here is how I started my second game:

Pimp Daddy 2000

Strength.........10
Perception.......05
Endurance........08
Charisma.........02
Intelligence.....10
Agility..........10
Luck.............02

Traits...........Finesse, Gifted

Primary Skills...Energy Weapons, Melee Weapons, Lockpicks

* I must have been on crack when I made these choices -- either that or
  I was a moron and believed what I read in some faq...


Here is how I would have started my third (and hopefully final) game:

King Pimp Daddy

Strength.........08
Perception.......05
Endurance........08
Charisma.........01
Intelligence.....08
Agility..........09
Luck.............01

Traits...........Heavy Handed, Finesse

Primary Skills...Small Guns, Energy Weapons, Barter

* Why you ask?  Well son, let me tell you...

  As far as stats go: Agility is the most important, followed by Intellegence,
  then Strength and Endurance.  You've got to keep at least average Perception
  because it effects sequencing and ranged combat modifiers.  Charisma's only
  practical purpose for this game is to raise your bartering skill, and luck
  is totally useless as far as I can tell.

  Traits: Heavy Handed to give you some extra strength, and Finesse to increase
  your chances of the awesome Critical Hit.  What about Gifted?  Well for one
  thing all your skills being lowered 10% sucks.  For another, getting an
  extra trait every 4 levels REALLY sucks.  Hell, you aren't going to be
  playing this game for many levels.  It makes a big difference getting those
  bonus traits every 3 levels instead of 4.  And when you visit the Steel
  guys and get another +1 to the big 5, you're pretty much dialed.  It's still
  a tough choice though.  If the bonus traits don't excited you, then by all
  means go Gifted and you'll definetely have a great starting character!

  As for Skills: Small Guns for the early to mid game, Energy Weapons for the
  mid to end game, and Barter so you don't lose your ass every time you have
  to barter with some crook who calls himself a merchant.

  But why Small Guns instead of Melee Weapons?  Well in this game there isn't
  a whole lot of killing going on, and there is always more than enough ammo
  on corpses, so who cares about ammo usage?  Plus Small Guns are RANGED which
  is always nice (just try to shoot the wounded enemy with your Super Sledge
  when the fucker high-tailing it off the screen because he's wounded.)  The
  ideal weapons to get as soon as you can are the Sniper Rifle and the Combat
  Shotgun.  This skill also makes a great backup skill later in the game when
  you are using Energy Weapons and run out of Energy Ammo (which is NOT that
  easy to come by.)  And if by chance you DO NOT pick this skill, you're going
  to be relying on Ian to do ALOT of killing in the early game.  Hell, I just
  stood there with my Spear and hit spacebar to let Ian kill annoyances like
  Rats...  But it sucked, believe me.  And later in the game I never even
  touched my Super Sledge.  So do yourself a favor and choose this skill.
  Don't say I didn't warn you.  Foo!

  I really can't stress the Barter skill enough.  On my second game the
  fucknut in old town who had the Super Sledge that was worth $3700 wouldn't
  take $20,000 for it!  My god!  This isn't highway robbery, it's fucking
  hyperspace robbery!  I even killed the bastard once to see if his store
  would be in his inventory, but no such luck...  In the end I did without
  this fine weapon until I raised my Barter skill up to 50, and he still
  wanted $18,000 for it then!  He's just lucky I just returned from The Glow
  and was in a good mood, or I would have killed his sorry ass again just
  to show him who's boss...


Traits To Avoid/Never Spend Upgrade Points On
---------------------------------------------

First Aid, Doctor, Repair, Science, Outdoorsman.  Why?  Because you'll find
ALOT of books that increase these skills during your game.


Quick Not-Totally-Spoiler Tips
------------------------------

*  Read my bitch list at the end of the faq so you don't fuck up like I did.

*  Whatever you do, make SURE to enlist Ian into your party as soon as
   possible.  This white cracker is a good shot, and can take a better beating
   than Rodney King!  The best feature about Ian as far as I'm concerned is
   his ability to carry an unlimited amount of trash for you.  Yep, here is
   your waterboy/squire/slave.  So what if the fucker wants to barter with
   you for every transaction.  This is easily worked around by trading him
   shit you need/just want to have for shit to sell, etc.  For example:
   Ian and I are out on a driveby and kill a bunch of people who had it
   coming.  I keep picking shit up and then "giving" it to Ian via barter
   with his side empty.  When we head by to town and I want to buy stuff
   I simply barter some of the things I'm carrying that I want to keep to
   Ian for some shit to sell.  Then the next time we are out plundering
   the planet, I just barter my stuff back with the loot I'm picking up.
   "Okay, that's a good trade" -- No shit Ian, I just gave you $30,000
   worth of merchandise for free, fool.

*  If you are REALLY desperate for company than just "keep" Tandi around after
   you save her from a life of being a sex slave.  Hell, that Raider guy had
   a good thing going!  2 chicks in his bedroom, and 1 locked up in the jail.
   I almost didn't want to kill him.  He earned a little admiration from me
   right there...  Oh well, nobody should ever stand in your way of becoming
   The King.

*  Make visiting The Brotherhood of Steel and The Glow your TOP priorities.
   Water chip?  What about it?  You can't use it as a weapon or wear it for
   armor -- and you can't have sex with it either.  I tell you, make these
   2 your TOP priority!!!

*  You heal as you travel, so keep that in mind.  No use in resting it up at
   a town then heading out into the wilderness where you aren't likely to
   encounter anything on the way to your destination -- heal on the road
   instead.

*  Grenades.  These little gifts of destruction are your ticket to easy
   kills.  Increase your throwing skill early in the game.  This allows
   you to take out people you normally couldn't even touch until you had
   advanced a few levels.  It reminds me of using the Fly Spell in MM6,
   dropping down on a treasure chest, and Town Portal/Llyodd's Beconing
   it the hell out of there before the dragons had me for dinner...

*  Turn up the combat speed all the way.  It makes a huge difference in
   waiting time.

*  If you didn't read the manual like me, know this:

   **  Push F1 for the basics.
   1)  B switches to your other hand.
   2)  N switches weapon "mode".  Some weapons have different things they
       can do like targeting, burst mode, etc.
   3)  Right-click and hold to scroll and use items.
   4)  Do #3 to those holodiscs you run across to enter them into your PDA.

*  For the love of god, SAVE OFTEN!  You're probably asking yourself why on
   earth I played this game "twice".  Well silly me filled up all 9 of
   my save slots while I was visiting The Glow.  After I completed that
   place I was never able to leave (radiated.)  Sure I knew something was
   wrong when I first visited the crater, but I assumed that the drugs I
   was carrying would cure me.  ASSumed.  But come on!  I'm used to having
   3 of my 4 guys ERADICATED and "dragging" them to a temple with the
   lucky fool who survived.  Well there ain't no temples here boys and girls.
   I would get maybe 1 "square" before the white screen of death came up.
   Because I also had killed Miles and Smitty (they were after me man, wasn't
   my fault!) I decided that I might as well start over.

*  That brings me to my final point -- be careful who you kill!!!  Sometimes
   you'll get into a shootout with the bad guys and one of the locals will
   get tagged, bringing them into the fray.  BE CAREFUL!


*** WARNING ***  Here begins the walkthru portion of the faq.  Be careful
when proceeding -- you don't want to ruin your experience by knowing too
much.  I normally don't recommend FAQs for RPGs as it tends to ruin the
experience, but for this game I'll make an exception since killing/doing
the wrong thing can really fuck things up.  This is actually the first
RPG faq I have ever written.  Tempted to write one up on MM6...


Advancing Skills
----------------

What skills should you advance along the way?  Well it's a good idea to
advance:

Small Arms......100%+
Energy Weapons..200%
Barter..........100%+
Throwing........075%+
Lockpicking.....050%+

As for the bonus traits, I chose:

Swift Learner
Educated
Bonus Rate Of Fire
Action Boy (2) -- This trait is by far the most powerful.  I was able to
shoot the turbo plasma rifle in target mode 3 times in one round!  Yeah!


Vault 13 Cave Entrance -- Enter The Pimp Daddy
----------------------------------------------

Search the corpse next to you and equip yourself.  I don't recommend
wasting your time with the rats.  If you have more patience than me,
by all means kill the little bastards.  You'll get about 500 xp for
your trouble, and can also get a little more xp by using First Aid
and Doctor Skills on yourself.

Exit by heading down and left (SouthWest).

Once you are outside, click on Vault 15.


Shady Sands
-----------

On the way to Vault 15 you'll run across another green circle on the map.
This circle is Shady Sands.  Drop by and say hi.

It's a good idea to empty your hands of all weapons.  Some of the NPCs
think you'll blow their heads off instead of talking to them (and some
of them deserve this treatment.)

You'll see 2 people standing at the entrance.  Talk to the guy on the
right.  Seth will tell you about the Radscorpions.  DO NOT tell him to
take you there yet.

The first house on the right has 3 losers inside.  One of these bums is
going to be your best friend for the rest of the game.  It doesn't seem
to make any difference how you hire him.  I've tried it both ways, no
difference.

Once you have Ian, go back to Seth and have him take you to the caves.


Radscorpion Caves
-----------------

Make sure Ian has plenty of ammo for his gun and go get some!  Kill all
the big bastards and make sure to take at least one tail.  Personally I
took every tail.

Exit the caves.
NEXT PAGE