*sigh* NPC level scaling
- Thread starter Phil the Nuka-Cola Dude
- Start date
Not sure if its tied to level scaling, but I had a hilarious event. Ran into my 1st BOS and wanted to know what weapon he was carrying, so took a VATS shoot with my hunting rifle. I wasn't expecting the result, poor guy was blown apart with critical hit, with me laughing so hard it hurt. I know that bloody mess was somewhat fault, but still 1 hit kill on power armor?
ShatteredJon
It Wandered In From the Wastes
Hey, don't worry about that. By the end of the game, I was able to sneak critical Enclave soldiers with one shot. FROM A HUNTING RIFLE. That is correct, a measly rifle becomes a tool of utter destruction with the right perks. I hate the fact that one gets all the weapons one needs early in the game. The old fallouts constantly had me upgrading to better newer guns. Not here though.
Phil the Nuka-Cola Dude
Sonny, I Watched the Vault Bein' Built!
At level 17 I seem to only be encountering those ridiculous mutated bears and giant robots.
On the plus side, I just witnessed a raider with a rocket launcher fire at me... and hit his buddy who had just ran into his line of fire; popping both of them.
Good stuff.
On the plus side, I just witnessed a raider with a rocket launcher fire at me... and hit his buddy who had just ran into his line of fire; popping both of them.
Good stuff.
TheLastOutlaw
It Wandered In From the Wastes
I'm not sure if I've seen hard evidence of scaling yet.
At level 12 I can still usually kill raiders in 1 or 2 shots with the hunting rifle and I've killed supermutants in 3 shots if I get a good crit in. Weapon quality for enemy groups is still really hit or miss (I'm just as likely to fight a raider with a chinese rifle as I am to face one with one a lead pipe) and the armor seems pretty much the same as it was when I started so I don't think there gear is scaling either.
Though I haven't really run into a place that seemed way out of my league yet either. The quest to save Reillys Rangers was probably the hardest so far and it caused a few reloads for me but it wasn't impossible by any means. I get taken out by land mines and traps more than actual enemies it seems.
I agree with Jebus and his method of carrying the right weapon for the right jobs (and I just plain like carrying lots of guns) but I really do find myself using the hunting rifle for most of my fighting because the ammo is so plentiful and it's a good mix of range and damage. Maybe later there's a reason to use something outside of the small guns field?
I haven't even seen a Deathclaw or Yao-Guai yet and haven't seen a need for the Fatman at all. (But I do like collecting the mini nukes and selling them.)
At level 12 I can still usually kill raiders in 1 or 2 shots with the hunting rifle and I've killed supermutants in 3 shots if I get a good crit in. Weapon quality for enemy groups is still really hit or miss (I'm just as likely to fight a raider with a chinese rifle as I am to face one with one a lead pipe) and the armor seems pretty much the same as it was when I started so I don't think there gear is scaling either.
Though I haven't really run into a place that seemed way out of my league yet either. The quest to save Reillys Rangers was probably the hardest so far and it caused a few reloads for me but it wasn't impossible by any means. I get taken out by land mines and traps more than actual enemies it seems.
I agree with Jebus and his method of carrying the right weapon for the right jobs (and I just plain like carrying lots of guns) but I really do find myself using the hunting rifle for most of my fighting because the ammo is so plentiful and it's a good mix of range and damage. Maybe later there's a reason to use something outside of the small guns field?
I haven't even seen a Deathclaw or Yao-Guai yet and haven't seen a need for the Fatman at all. (But I do like collecting the mini nukes and selling them.)
frosty_theaussie
Still Mildly Glowing
TheLastOutlaw said:
Wow, really? I saw one at like... level 2. Managed to sneak up on it and then pummel it with frag grenades in VATS. Boy howdy was that a cakewalk. If nuclear war ever does occur, I hope weapons are as easy to find as in Fallout 3... just barely out of the vault and my character was already in possession of six frags, two .32 pistols, a Chinese pistol and assault rifle and a hunting rifle.
TheLastOutlaw
It Wandered In From the Wastes
frosty_theaussie said:
Really.
Agree. On further playing up to level 18 the random encounters have upgraded to lots of robots. The progression is difficult to see because the type of encounter you get is different but its definitely there. For me its gone roughly something like...
Bloatfly/Molerat/Dog/Weak Raider/Radscorpion/Weak Supermutant/Medium Raider/Giant Scorpion/Robots/Yao Guai/Tough Supermutant/Tough Raider/Deathclaw/Enclave(?)
It occasionally throws in some of the weaker variants though and I put a ? next to Enclave because I think they only started showing up because of the storyline.
I've found carrying a variety of weapons useful too, helps spread the ammo usage around. I tended towards assault rifle/hunting rifle for outside combat and combat shotgun for inside close quarters stuff and chinese assault rifle/combat shotgun for any tough battles. I raised up energy weapons at the higher levels since I had a huge stash of microfusion cells and just started using a laser rifle/pulse rifle for everything. Not sure if it was because I was getting hit less or what, but the condition on the pulse rifle seemed to go down very slowly, hardly at all.
Bloatfly/Molerat/Dog/Weak Raider/Radscorpion/Weak Supermutant/Medium Raider/Giant Scorpion/Robots/Yao Guai/Tough Supermutant/Tough Raider/Deathclaw/Enclave(?)
It occasionally throws in some of the weaker variants though and I put a ? next to Enclave because I think they only started showing up because of the storyline.
I've found carrying a variety of weapons useful too, helps spread the ammo usage around. I tended towards assault rifle/hunting rifle for outside combat and combat shotgun for inside close quarters stuff and chinese assault rifle/combat shotgun for any tough battles. I raised up energy weapons at the higher levels since I had a huge stash of microfusion cells and just started using a laser rifle/pulse rifle for everything. Not sure if it was because I was getting hit less or what, but the condition on the pulse rifle seemed to go down very slowly, hardly at all.
Is the progression of bad guys related to the areas you are in? So that if at lvl 2 someone were to go to where you last saw a tough super mutant would they find a tough super mutant there?
As well I've heard something along the lines that the level is set based on your level when you first get there. And then it will be that level forever.
As well I've heard something along the lines that the level is set based on your level when you first get there. And then it will be that level forever.
TheLastOutlaw
It Wandered In From the Wastes
Based on what I've seen so far, enemy types are pretty consistently located in certain areas with random encounters thrown in for variety.
The ruins south of Grayditch for example, I normally seem to run into raiders. If I head to the south east corner of the map super mutants are much more prevelant. Underground areas like subways and sewers I always seem to find either feral ghouls or mole rats with the occasional raider.
But if the game does lock difficulty for areas after you enter maybe it locks enemy types as well? Not sure, I'll have to follow up on that thought after I start a new game.
The ruins south of Grayditch for example, I normally seem to run into raiders. If I head to the south east corner of the map super mutants are much more prevelant. Underground areas like subways and sewers I always seem to find either feral ghouls or mole rats with the occasional raider.
But if the game does lock difficulty for areas after you enter maybe it locks enemy types as well? Not sure, I'll have to follow up on that thought after I start a new game.