Following WWII, fast technological growth propelled humans into a supposedly bright future, fulfilling their eternal ideal. However, conflict broke out again, and the dream ended in 2077, with mushroom clouds dominating the sky. A few populations survived in underground bunkers known as “Vaults,” while others mutated greatly. Overall, the Earth was nothing more than a radioactive wasteland littered with the remnants of a once-great civilization. Two hundred years later, humanity slowly but steadily emerges from the vaults and reclaims Earth’s territory.
One of them is the protagonist. As a member of Vault 101 in the wasteland encircling the city formerly known as Washington D.C. and now known as “Capital Wasteland,” he knows nothing about what is beyond. He was reared under the strict control of the Overseer and the watchful eye of his father. However, on his nineteenth birthday, his father abruptly departs the vault. The hero’s mission is to find him and uncover some of the truth about what the Overseer has kept hidden all these years.
Fallout 3 is a role-playing game with 3D shooter components. It keeps many of the series’ earlier themes while shifting the emphasis from social interaction and ethical role-playing to exploration of an open, continuous 3D world and fighting. From the start, the player can explore the game’s universe, visit many optional locales, talk to characters, and complete side missions. The primary quest route, on the other hand, is essentially linear, with moral options presented to the player only at the end.
Character development and customization are comparable to previous games. The player creates the main character by giving points to the traits S.P.E.C.I.A.L. (Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, and Luck). The skill system has been generally carried over from previous iterations, including weapon specialties (small and large guns, energy weapons, and so on) and active skills like Science, Repair, Lockpick, and so on. Passive talents, particularly Speech, are less critical than in previous Fallout games. A few talents have been completely deleted. When the protagonist levels up, they gain skill points and benefits.
The combat system has been completely redesigned. The previous games’ tactical turn-based battles have been replaced by two alternative combat types, which players can select anytime. The simpler of the two systems is action-oriented and roughly identical to typical 3D shooter combat. The player character equips a weapon (varying from a baseball bat to a deadly mini-nuke-launcher) and hits foes with it; damage calculation is based on the characteristics of the participants rather than the player’s skill, though the latter plays a role. Furthermore, the player can switch to Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System (V.A.T.S.) combat mode. This real-time system allows the player to pause the game and target particular sections of one or more adversaries until all available action points are utilized. After you’ve allocated all the actions, the game will play them slowly.
The previous installments’ Karma system returns, keeping account of the main character’s actions and decisions made by the player during the game. Unethical activities diminish the player character’s Karma points.
