I’m afraid it’s going to feel like DLC. Are there enough changes to make New Vegas feel unique from Fallout 3? (thanks @acsguitar)

We certainly think so! While the gameplay is similar, the world itself is very, very different. And our main storyline plays out in a very different manner, with several very different paths to completion.

Can we expect the same wasteland experience as in Fallout 3? I’m kinda scared about playing in a city untouched by atomic bombs! (thanks @The_iCroco)

Yes and no. There are some areas that were hit directly, but for the most part, the destruction you’ll see in the Mojave Wasteland is due to neglect, not bombardment. Don’t expect sprawling, fully functioning cities, though. The New Vegas strip is self-contained and tightly managed directly by Mr. House, so everything in the city works perfectly. As you get farther away from the strip, you’ll see more and more ruins and abandoned buildings.

Would love to know how they will create that WOW factor that Fallout 3 had: the wasteland, the bomb at Megaton and so on. Tricky!? (thanks @bekblayton)

We think there are some similarly cool WOW moments in our game, and you should find one in each act of the main storyline.

How difficult will it be to take care of physical needs like hydration, sleep, and so on? Is it going to be overbearing?

Those features are only in Hardcore Mode, so they’re optional. If you find they’re getting to be too much of a hassle, you can always turn it off (although you won’t get the Hardcore trophy if you do).

What can you tell us about the new Hardcore Mode?

Hardcore Mode can be turned on or off at any time, although if you want the Hardcore trophy, you have to turn it on when initially prompted and leave it that way all the way to the end of the game. When it’s on, players will have to eat, sleep, and drink water every day. In addition, ammo has weight, companions can die, Stimpaks heal over time, and damaged limbs can only be healed with a Doctor’s Bag.

While you can fast travel in Hardcore Mode, you can’t if the time it would take to get you there would result in the player dying from dehydration/exhaustion/starvation.

Will the shooting feel better than it did in Fallout 3? (thanks @DYLANmmc)

Obsidian has tweaked the real-time combat quite a bit from Fallout 3 to make it feel more natural for people who don’t want to use VATS all the time.

What’s the story with the Aim Down the Sight mechanic? And is Fallout: New Vegas still support first-person and third-person viewing modes?

First- and third-person modes are in, and we’ve tweaked the third-person camera to be a bit more useful. In first-person mode, iron sights can be used with most weapons. The only exceptions are ones like the Grenade Machine Gun that are enormous and fire from the hip, and guns that have an actual sight on them (like sniper rifles and weapons modded with a physical sight). You just hold down the button and the camera zooms to show the weapon’s iron sight instead of a crosshair. It’s very useful for combat outside of VATS mode.

How big is Fallout: New Vegas compared to Fallout 3? (thanks @maialideth)

It’s about the same size. If you thought Fallout 3 was big, you’ll find Fallout: New Vegas to be equally big.

How much install data will be needed for Fallout: New Vegas?

Fallout: New Vegas is a 5 GB install on PS3 that runs when you first launch the game.

One of my favorite things to do in Fallout 3 was scavenging homes and office buildings. Will we see many rural and urban areas for that? (thanks @JaylLaf)

Just like Fallout 3, our wasteland is littered with abandoned (and not-so-abandoned) locations for you to explore.

Will there be any Vaults to explore in New Vegas? (thanks @LewJ1196)

Yes there are! We have five different Vaults in the game. They serve as unique dungeons, and depending on what path you follow through the main storyline, you may have to venture into one of them to retrieve something.

I’m interested to know more about the music score that will be piped through our Pip Boys for New Vegas. Will there be more variety? (thanks @Peligrie)

We have three separate radio stations in Fallout: New Vegas. There’s New Vegas Radio, which has the kind of songs you’ve come to expect from a Fallout game – hosted by Mr. New Vegas (voiced by Wayne Newton). Then there’s Black Mountain Radio, which is more classic country-focused. And finally there’s Mojave Music Radio, which is similar to NVR, only without the news stories from Mr. New Vegas.

Of course that’s just the radio. If you never turn on the radio at all, you’ll be treated to a new score by Inon Zur, featuring a string quartet, samples from past Fallout games, and some very cool location-specific themes.

Will New Vegas have a Good/Evil/Neutral decision path like Fallout 3? (thanks @Reumaut)

Karma still exists, and affects some things, but for the most part our decisions are determined more by the new reputation system, which tracks how the various factions in the game feel about you.

Will the Brotherhood of Steel be present in Fallout: New Vegas? I know in Fallout 3, the “original” BoS was based near California. (thanks @SCZ_PS3)

The Brotherhood of Steel is in Fallout: New Vegas, but not nearly as much as they were in Fallout 3. The west coast BoS was really hit hard following the events of Fallout 1 & 2, so they’re not nearly as important as the NCR is in the region.

Will there be any Fallout 2 characters make an appearance in Fallout: New Vegas? (thanks @Vi9)

Yes! We’ve already confirmed Marcus from Fallout 2 is coming back, and will again be voiced by Michael Dorn. As for anyone else, you’ll just have to wait for the game to see for yourself.

Can I still force materials inside the pants of enemies? If so, what explosive additions have you made? (thanks @Foxification)

Yep, you can still pickpocket grenades into people’s pockets. Even better is that now you can pickpocket plastic explosives into people’s pants! For some fun, drop some C4 into a few random people, equip the detonator, stand back and pull the trigger. It never gets old.

Will there any kind of transportation?

Aside from fast-travel, we do have a monorail that will take you directly to the strip from Camp McCarran (assuming you’re friendly with the NCR).

Can we continue playing after the main quest line ends?

No. Instead, Fallout: New Vegas has a real ending, that shows the results of your actions throughout the game and how they affected the different factions, locations and people you encountered.

Are you still able to make a female character?

Absolutely!

Do you plan on including many DLC add-ons for Fallout: New Vegas, as Fallout 3 did? (thanks @VGNtertainment)

We’re not really going into specifics on DLC, but we have a plan, and we think it’s a good one. You should hear more about it soon.

What’s the initial level cap.. and will DLC be exclusive to one console or another for any amount of time? (thanks @keeponrunning)

The level cap for Fallout: New Vegas is 30. As mentioned previously, we’re not discussing the details of downloadable content right now. Stay tuned!

Will there be a demo to try Fallout: New Vegas? (thanks @RichLando)

There’s no demo planned for the game.. We wanted the focus to be completing the full game and making it the best game it could be.

Thanks again for all the great questions. We hope you enjoy your stay in the Mojave Wasteland!

We’re excited and eager to bring Fallout 3 DLC to PSN. Unfortunately, the content is going to be releasing later than originally expected. Our DLC expands on the original game tremendously — each DLC offering 4-6 hours of additional content — and is no trivial undertaking. Here’s a brief look at the DLC you’ll be able to play.

• Operation: Anchorage (pictured above) – Enter a military simulation and fight in one of the greatest battles of the Fallout universe – the liberation of Anchorage, Alaska from its Chinese Communist invaders.
• The Pitt (pictured below) – Journey to the industrial raider town called The Pitt, located in the remains of Pittsburgh and choose sides in the battle between the slaves and the slavers.
• Broken Steel (pictured below) – Join the ranks of the Brotherhood of Steel and rid the Capital Wasteland of the Enclave remnants once and for all. Continues the adventure past the main quest and raises the game’s level cap to 30.
• Point Lookout – Explore a massive new swampland area filled with new quests and content.
• Mothership Zeta – The aliens have returned, and they’re pissed. Experience an alien abduction first hand and find out if you’re tough enough to survive.

What can you expect from our DLC?

• More Fallout 3 Goodness – More weapons, more creatures, more armor and outfits, more characters to interact with, and more loot. You’ll find all of these within the unique new locations of Broken Steel, Operation: Anchorage, The Pitt, Point Lookout, and Mothership Zeta.
• DLC Trophies – Did I mention we’re supporting trophies in each DLC? This was a big priority for us and one of the reasons for the extra time needed. In the end, we think it’s worth the effort to bring trophies to the DLC.
• Support for existing characters and saves – Once you’ve downloaded and installed the DLC, the content is accessible at anytime (once you leave Vault 101). You can play the DLC whenever you want — with one exception (see Broken Steel below).

So when can you expect Fallout 3 DLC? We are knee deep in testing at the moment, and we’re hoping to have the first DLC out by the end of September. That long? Keep in mind that not only do we need to test each DLC on PS3, we also need to test each DLC when used in conjunction with each of the other DLC, as well as all of them together, along with the entire original game.

I do have good news! We have decided that Broken Steel will be the first release since it is easily the most requested DLC from our fans. Broken Steel allows you to continue playing the game after completing the Main Quest, raises the level cap to 30, and includes 4-6 hours of additional gameplay. It is also the one DLC that requires you to finish the Main Quest from the game to play the new content. Regardless of whether you’ve completed the Main Quest, the level cap will already be raised and higher level characters will begin encountering some of the new enemies in the Capital Wasteland. For the release of Broken Steel and the other DLCs, we’ll release a new update for the game.

After Broken Steel, we’ll be releasing Operation: Anchorage and The Pitt shortly thereafter, probably at the same time – just to get them out to you as soon as we can. After that we’ll have Point Lookout and Mothership Zeta available as soon as we can, so that the wait between DLC is as short as possible. Once we release Broken Steel, we’ll have a better idea when the other DLC will be coming and will let you know specifics.

We hope you enjoy Fallout 3’s DLC. Thank you for your patience. They’ll be here before you know it.