Fallout/Gameplay

Textual Notes

 * COC: Acronym for Children of the Cathedral
 * BOS: Acronym for the Brotherhood of Steel

Playing Fallout
Some things in the manual might not seem very clear; this section is designed to give you a concise breakdown of the various actions that you can perform. There's also a breakdown of the various difficulty levels as well.


 * Difficulty levels
 * If you choose the game difficulty level to easy, you will receive a 20% bonus to non-combat related skills. If you set it to hard, you'll receive a 10% penalty to non-combat related skills.
 * If you choose the combat difficulty at wimpy, you will receive a bonus to your accuracy and the enemies will receive a penalty. If you change the difficulty to rough, you'll receive a penalty and the enemy will get a bonus and will perform many more critical hits.


 * Interface
 * The hex-shaped cursor icon is used to show movement.
 * The arrow (standard) cursor icon is used for most other functions.
 * The 'INV' button is used to access your inventory.
 * The red button beside 'Skilldex' is used to use your secondary skills.
 * The button below 'INV' is used to bring the main menu.
 * The red button above 'INV' is used to change your item slots.


 * Moving: When the cursor is a hexagonal-shaped structure, that means you can move your character. Hold shift to run around instead of walking. You can right-click to change the cursor.
 * If you want to go to the world map, you have to go on the red grid in an area. If you want to access another area of a city or building, you have to go to the green grid or climb stairs/ride elevators.


 * Examining your surroundings: Right-click the mouse to change the hexagonal-shaped structure to an arrow-shaped cursor. Move the cursor to the object you want to examine. Hold the left mouse button and choose the binoculars to examine an object or a critter.


 * Talking to critters: Simply click the character that you want to talk to you. You should have the arrow-shaped cursor icon to talk to the character.


 * Using items: To use an item on an object, hold the cursor (standard cursor) over an object and click on the wallet (or like object). You'll see your inventory. Click on the item that you want to use on the object.
 * Another way is putting the item in one of your item slots. Click on the item and move the crosshair on the object you want to use the item on.


 * Using skills: To use a skill on an object or a critter, click the red button that reads 'Skilldex.' Choose the skill that you want to use. Use the crosshair to target the object or critter that will be the target of a given skill. Some, like Sneak, don't have a target; instead, a message box pops up on the lower left, telling you that your character is sneaking.
 * Another way is holding the left mouse button on the character (mouse cursor is standard cursor) and clicking on the face and then choosing the skill.


 * Activating an item (flares, motion sensors, etc.): Put the item in your item slot and click on it to activate it. Another method is accessing your inventory and holding the left mouse button on the item that you want to activate. Choose the hand that's open to activate the item.
 * If you want to use flares, first activate them, and then drop them. Ditto with dynamite/plastic explosives.


 * Changing weapon modes (target/burst/reload): Right-click on the weapon when it is in your active weapon slot. The mode will change. (e.g., the 10mm will change from single to aimed [has bullseye] and then to reload.)


 * Entering Combat Mode: If you hit 'A' on the keyboard, you will enter combat mode. You can walk around without people noticing (at the expense of your action points). This is useful near the end of the game.

Using lockpicks, electronic lockpicks, first-aid kits, the doctor's bag, and the tool increase lockpick, first-aid, doctor, and repair skills by 25%, respectively.

While stealing, it is a good idea to steal while sneaking. Also, steal from behind the character and don't worry about stealing particularly large items.

Pay attention to the screen on your bottom-left. It tells you lots of information about what's going on in the game.

If you're examining dead bodies and you examine a body that's in a pile of other dead bodies, there will be arrows beneath the body picture in the inventory screen. Bodies will be easier to search if you set the violence level really low.