Your Fallout: New Vegas PS3 Questions Answered: Hardcore Mode, Morality, Combat and More

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Come next week, many of you will begin your adventures in Fallout: New Vegas – attempting to explore every nook, cranny, and Vault found within in and around Mojave Wasteland. Before your journey begins, we thought we’d answer some last-minute questions sent by you via Facebook and Twitter.

Fallout: New Vegas PS3

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.

Fallout: New Vegas PS3

Fallout: New Vegas for PS3Fallout: New Vegas PS3

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.

Fallout: New Vegas PS3

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).

Fallout: New Vegas PS3

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!

Comments are closed.

161 Comments

  • I played Fallout 3 this year on PS3 and I loved it. I’d say in about 80 hours of gameplay it froze maybe 4-5 times. It didn’t ruin the game. Maybe I was lucky or maybe some people can’t help but to let everything bother them.

  • Hardcore mode sounds awesome thanks for the answers.

  • nice cant wait for the game to come out

  • I personally can’t wait for this. Hoping to get it at a midnight release.

    I don’t see why it is such a big deal that you can’t continue playing after you finish the game. This is, for all intents and purposes, and RPG, and when was the last time you played a Final Fantasy, KOTOR, Baldur’s Gate, or the like and was able to continue playing after you finished. (There are exceptions, sure.) Usually, after spending 110+ hours on a game like this and getting all the trophies, I am ready to put it down for a month or two while I work on another game.

    As far as “freezing issues” with Fallout 3, I did experience *some*, but I found that if I either disabled my internet connection or my notifications while I played, it barely happened at all.

    Mostly, I was very satisfied with Fallout 3, and I am sure New Vegas will be a lot of fun! Keep up the good work!

    And this is OT, but anyone else frustrated that Sony links the blog from the PS3 homepage, but I am not able to comment using my PS3? Or that they link Facebook yet Facebook freezes the machine? How about a browser update Sony?

  • I ask this question with the utmost seriousness:

    Will Fallout: New Vegas be a buggy mess on the PS3 like Fallout 3 and FO3: Game of the Year Edition are? I guess I’ll await the fan response to the game before jumping in. It’s a shame Bethesda’s quality control is so lackluster.

  • Already pre-ordered and awaiting the 19th. :D

  • @ 104 …….go to tools disable javascrip . refresh .. put your log information in ……go back to tools turn javascrip back on then log in …it will work !!!!

  • @ ZekeXenu same here. As much as I loved the experience of FO3 the bugs killed it for me. When I played I had to constantly save in fear of having to start over due to a game freeze. The worst part for me is that I played it on my 360 and it still was a mess. I’m waiting to see how it is before I grab it for my PS3.

  • ABOUT TIME!

  • Am I the only one who finds it sad that the creators of the original Fallouts have to ensure players that they won’t stray from Bethesda’s single entry to the series? The line about the music that we’ve “come to expect from a Fallout game” sounds particularly pathetic, not to mention the part about the corny Megaton bomb theme being “WOW”.

    I for one hope it’s going to be a considerable departure from Oblivion with guns and a return to the classic feel of the series. Sorry Bethesda, your worlds are awesome and extremely pleasant to explore, but your characters are a pain to talk to. Hope you and Obsidian share your experiences for New Vegas.

  • With more Xbox 360 exclusive DLC, Are you guys going to work as hard on the PS3 version? I’ve played Fallout3 on both PS3 and 360. The 360 version has better lighting effects, and way better sound(the echo effects, especially in rivit city)

  • One of the biggest disappointments was that you couldnt play after the main story line is done. If you guys did it in Oblivion how come you cant do it in fallout

  • Just moved it from day 1 to day 365 Goty edition, I like my dlc on disc, not digital…. pity, i was really looking forward to purchase it day one, but I dont want it to be like my FO3, wich btw I have the original copy and the Goty, because no one wanted to buy my original copy here.

  • GOt my collectors edition pre-ordered and paid for. Heres hoping that it does not have the same glitches that Fallout 3 had. Although it did extend the time it took me to finish the game having to reset every 5 mins when it froze up.

    I just have the itch to play again. I found myself saving all my bottle caps just to hear that nice jingle of a handful of caps.

    Though couldn’t figure how it was so feasible to pay thousands of caps for something and just happen to have a jar and the time to count it out to the shop keeper.

  • Another port…

  • I don’t understand why everyone always has to whine and complain. All you people complaining about the bugs and glitches from Fallout 3 would really be crying if they were only releasing it on the 360 and PC and you would be whining and begging them to release it on the PS3.
    Be happy with the fact that we are getting an amazing game instead of being passed up completely like we have been with so many other games. I don’t see the big deal anyway, I have very minimal glitches and freezes when I play and I have been playing for 100+ hours (and yes I just started playing and haven’t beat it yet).
    All I know is that I was pleasantly suprised by how amazing Fallout 3 is and I can’t wait to get New Vegas. Its definitely my most wanted game this year. Unfortunately there are alot of games out this generation that have bugs but the bugs in Fallout 3 aren’t nearly bad enough to deter me from playing such an awesome game. Keep up the good work Obsidian and Bethesda.
    There are always going to be misrable people that aren’t happy no matter what but there are still plenty of us that can’t wait for the game to come out.

  • xbox 360 already has 4 DLC packs, so expect some come launch time for the ps3.

    I would also like a straight answer on the freezing issue we had with fallout 3, but stop and think for a second… Do you honestly think they will say anything here, or anywhere for that matter, that would convince you NOT to buy it?

    The x360 version of fallout 3 was exactly the same as ps3, same awesomeness, same glitches. So if you are a xbox fanboy (why are you even here?) go buy it for that console and enjoy your red ring of death.

    As for continuing on after you finish, that would be nice, but you can always make a save game before you complete or attempt the last mission (as I did with fallout3) beat the game, then continue on from your save doing everything BUT that last mission.

  • “don’t see the big deal anyway, I have very minimal glitches and freezes when I play and I have been playing for 100+ hours (and yes I just started playing and haven’t beat it yet).”

    Lucky you, I could expect a crash during each and every gaming session. Sometimes it would just freeze entering a building, but mostly it was VATS, you’d enter VATS mode, try to select a target and fire, then the camera goes all whacked out, nothing happens, and eventually it freezes forcing a hard reset of the console.

    To tell you the truth friend, you are the only person I’ve ever heard of that never experienced this.

    Other bugs were minor, objects floating, texture glitches, enemies stuck inside walls. The only “gamestopper” was the freezing. Each and everytime it happened I was literally saying, after I do this I’ll save.

    Lol

  • @117 “The x360 version of fallout 3 was exactly the same as ps3, same awesomeness, same glitches.” <– Exactly, lol. I got Fallout 3 at launch and researched on the bugs for the three versions, in fact, the PC version had more game-breaking glitches than all others despite having (potentially) better graphics. The X360 one had slightly less glitches and slightly better graphics, but difference was really marginal at best.

    learn your facts before eating up whatever the media throws at you

  • Bought this game already! Just waiting for it to come out!

  • I have a really important question, will the gane Freeze up a lot like Fallout 3 and Oblivion? and is Bethesda Softworks just a front company for the CIA? and if you guys are the CIA can’t you get better programmers?

  • Some of you are the worst whiners ever. I played Fallout 3 for… well, forever. And it only froze a handful of times. Even when downloading/installing the DLC, it only froze a few times during installation and then it was fine afterward.

    You threaten to buy it on a different console, or worse, to front that you’re not going buy it at all. What a bunch of spoiled babies. If you’re a true fan of the series you need to man up and buy this game. It’s pros far outweigh the cons and you know it.

    As far as not being able to continue after you beat the game, just continue from your last save-point and avoid the final quest, SIMPLE. That’s what I did in FO3.

    Hope to see some of you 14 year olds have grown a pair of balls and got your parents to buy you this game. I’ll be in line on Tuesday to get Fallout New Vegas and I look forward to not having a life for the next two months.

    Cheers from Silver Spring, MD.

  • Oh, and thanks for the Q&A, it was very informative.

    Long live Fallout.

  • If this game has a very different ending system (F3 sucked in this aspect) and, of course, offer some covering system too and others… I’ll be considering the BUYALLLLL…

  • Well, seeing as there won’t be any “exclusive” content to worry about, and the ridiculous issues with Fallout 3 on the PS3 ( thank goodness I waited before deciding what platform to buy FO3 for, so I didn’t have to suffer along with the rest of you ), I’ll also be buying F:NV for the PC for uninterrupted enjoyment.

    As far as the info released goes, not learning from Bethesda’s mistake of making an “ending” in Fallout 3 seems to be the biggest downer. And I certainly hope Obsidian doesn’t plan on trying to “remove” the ending in the same manners as Bethesda did, as I just won’t bother with any DLC and will consider the “end” to be the end. Using an ending as a reason for DLC is a one trick pony, and Bethesda already put it out to pasture.

  • Day 1 buy and day 1 Hardcore Mode.

  • Spanish subtitles?????????

  • I must say that l’m pretty excited about the game. At least you guys in the US only have to fork $60, am in Australia and the pre order price is $139… and the australian dollar is 1:1 with the american…arghhhhhhhhhhh!!!! Am just hoping the freezing issues has been fixed….

  • Can’t wait for the Game of the Year edition, to save $50 on DLC costs!

  • Nice job getting on here good and early before you announced the 360 exclusive dlc, i’ll be buying this used now.

  • Super Fail that Fallout New Vegas has DLC that will not be available to the PS3.
    here is PS3 love for ya–
    “We’re excited to continue the partnership between Bethesda and Microsoft, and build on the success of the game add-ons released for Fallout 3 on Xbox LIVE,” said Pete Hines, VP of Marketing and PR of Bethesda Softworks. “Fans will once again be able to continue their experience in the Fallout universe with the add-on packs planned for after the launch of the game.”

    i think something might be missing from that comment…..

  • “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.”

    Yeah, I think your plan is not a good one, as you obviously did by dodging the question. Exclusivity agreements only engender resentment.

    http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/66061

  • Oh what the crap now with this!? I pre-ordered the PS3 version of the game, and you guys turn around and make the DLC 360 exclusive again!? This is just bullcrap! >:(

    I just hope that the DLC doesn’t stay exclusive for long. Otherwise, this is the last Fallout game I’m pre-ordering. Let alone the last Fallout game I’ll buy new.

  • To everybody involved: thank you for working hard to ensure that PS3 owners CONSISTENTLY get inferior products. Hope you choke on the money from the deal for exclusive 360 DLC content.

  • Either I’ll be buying this game used or not at all at this point. Finding out about this less than 24 hours before I get the game is BS. I could switch my preorder to the 360 version but my wife and I wanted it for our PS3. I’m done with Bethesda.

  • I’ll wait for the GOTY release, thanks.

  • I WAS going to get this game, but seeing as how Bethesda wants to help MS I’ll do one better. I’ll skip my purchase of Fallout NV and instead get Fable 3 as my October game.

  • Its been announced on IGN PS3 gimped version XBOX getting exclusive dlc. What is the deal Bethseda? Why alienate a huge portion of your fanbase?

  • this whole thing makes me rofl. I had an xbox for fallout3 and I froze a ridiculous amount of the time. As a PS3 owner now and seeing everyone else complain about FO3 on PS3 if New Vegas has the same problems that will be the last game I buy from bethesda

  • People really need to stop supporting these publishers that release games full of bugs, give us a gimped version and — on top if it all — sell out to the highest bidder like a bunch of scheisters who give the competition exclusives.

    I didn’t buy Fallout 3, and sure as hell won’t support this garbage either. I remember when Bethesda was that niche company that cared about their products more than just raking in profit with clever marketing tactics.

  • The X360 DLC is timed exclusive as always folks. We’ll be getting it before too long. Is anyone really surprised that they’re getting timed exclusive DLC with the way this PR rep was dodging any and all questions about DLC? Did he think he was fooling anyone?

  • Cool, more exclusive DLC for 360.

    No doubt its timed, but still, it sucks that we get punished for our system of choice it seems.

  • As someone who owns both consoles and a PC, I’ll still be buying it on the PC. At least I’ll have user made content to continue the game while waiting for the “paid” DLC to arrive.

    Oh, and slick move waiting ’til the day before to tell everyone, Obsidian. Nice to know you’re already doing your best to drive people away from the game ( and yep, Bethesda gets part of the blame, but YOU were the ones doing the interview and leaving out important information even when it was asked point blank of you ).

    Say, how’s the ol’ profit margin doing after Alpha Protocol? LOL

  • Actually, SONY can take some credit for this fiasco also, since they obviously knew before this “blog interview” as well, but kept it under their hats so as not to lose more sales than they just did with this announcement.

  • Way to go guys. Make sure you post here before making your Xbox exclusive announcement, then run for the hills never to be seen or heard from again. I’ve had it with publishers who take payouts in exchange for screwing over PS3 owners. I won’t buy a game that does this anymore. No Rock Band 3, and no Fallout Vegas (which is a shame as I’m just finishing up Fallout 3). There are plenty of other games I can play, from people who actually want my business. Not cool, not cool.

  • Well that sucks about the timed exclusive DLC but, that gives me time to play all the other games I’ll be buying this holiday.

  • Im really excited about this game i loved fallout 3 but the glitches, freezing and bugs was a massive problem in the PS3 one and its worrying me that know one will tell us if they have done something to improve that

  • I’m a total noob, and a very casual gamer. I want to start getting into shooters but have been pretty unsuccessful at most that I’ve tried (some I can’t even get past the first few levels and eventually get discouraged and quit). How will New Vegas cater to my lack of skill? What elements have been incorporated to ease me into the action and difficulty?

  • @bemantis Well, this game has something called V.A.T.S., which stands for the Vault Assisted Targeting System. It gives you the ability to freeze the action at any time and aim at any given enemy. You can aim at different areas of their body, but keep in mind that some areas aren’t as weak as other areas, nor will you always hit certain areas.

    Also, this is more of an role-playing game than a shooter, so you can level up your character’s stats if you gain enough experience. It will take a while to get your character strong enough, but it’ll be worth it once you can take on just about everything the wasteland has to offer.

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