I decided I would play this before loading up Fallout 3.

Now I remember all the frustration I had with this game. I have a couple of questions right off the bat. Hopefully someone (Drizzt?) can answer them for me.

1. In the very first part of the game, in the Temple of Trials, you have to get past that first door. I'm trying to lockpick it but nothing happens. Normally in this game when you do anything, you get a message telling you what's happened (the ant missed, you hit the ant for 3 points, you gained 50 points for honing your Doctor skill -- stuff like that) WHen I use the lockpick skill on the door, no message appears, and nothing happens. My lockpick skill is 33%, so I should be able to unpick the door. If I can't get past the door, I ain't getting very far in this game. So what am I missing here? I've tried using lockpick about 100 times to no avail, and the door is not unlocking.

2. I distinctly remember being able to move away from an enemy while in combat. But once combat has been initiated, I can only get the targeting icon, and can't move away from an enemy until it's dead. How do I use up my leftover turn points to walk away? I'm not a very adept turn-based player, so this will be a non-starter for me if I can't get the combat moves right.

Hagatha, the lockpick skill is not automatically used. You have to select it in your Skilldex first. I had the same problem at this first door till I figured out what I was doing wrong.

I just loaded up F1 a few days ago . It's been awhile since I played it, just need to find the time to dive in...

If I recall correctly a right-click allows you to cycle through the cursers (I think); attack, movement, whatever. Also, If you are clicking too far away from your charater you might not have enough action points to move that far. I can't recall the exact number, but there is an AP charge for every movement you make.

The Action Points in Fallout 1+2 are depended on your Agility, I think? Each move you make, be it shoot or walk, cost a certain amount of Action Points. The games, Fallout 1 and Fallout 2 are hex-based? games, I think it is called. This means you have hex squares on which you move - if you say have 8 agility points, you can either move 8 spaces (or 8 hex squares), choose to shoot someone with a pistol for 4 or 5 AP, move 1 square and maybe if you're close enough, punch someone in the stomach for 1-2 AP.

This game plays out like the board game chess. AP and turnbased gameplay means that you need to think ahead, plan both tactically and strategically; basically you need to think *If I do this, what my opponent do*. If you have 5 action points left, you can use them to get away from the enemy - but the enemy will follow you as soon as it is its or their turn.

In the options menu, in Fallout 2, you should be able to set the combat speed to the highest possible speed. There should be an option in the game menu to also choose the 'end turn' button.

Hagatha
I want to say that you have to talk to the fellow that is standing at the edge of the trees facing the entrence, he should be holding a spear. Once you talk to him I think then you just appear in the temple. OR I COULD be completely wrong...its been a while since I played. I have the game on my computer and I can go look tonight.

Hmmm...part of the problem is that I'm playing with my laptop mousepad instead of a regular mouse. Makes things difficult. I've managed to fumble my way past the door, give the scorpions what for, and talk Cameron into being a good boy.

I made a character with a decent Agility stat using Small Frame, so the combat wasn't too awful. And I remembered that Intelligence is the most important stat, so I loaded up on Intelligence points.

Last time I played (many years ago) I flubbed the character creation by putting too much into Strength and Endurance, and spreading out the combat skills too widely, and ended up having to rely too much on my companions in combat. This time, my character Barashibi will be a small guns specialist, I think -- if I remember rightly I can pick a Sharpshooter skill later on in the game.

That's a couple of the reasons I really liked these games, you had to put a fair amount of thought into character development, how you level and the strategy of your attacks. Now that I've jumped into it again, Karsten's comment about this being similar to a chess board is right on the money. Strategy and advance planning play into the combat.

Right. Now I'm at level 3, and selected the perk that gies you 5% more experience. For the next perk, whenever that is, I was looking at taking the one that gives you 50% more from reading books.

If I get that far, that is I have some questions:

1. How on earth are you supposed to keep track of the quest information? There's no journal to keep track of what people tell you.

2. Last time I played this, I remember abandoning the game a fair way in because I had been "timed out" on the Arroyo quests. The Arroyo had been desrtroyed. That was because I could not really follow the quests, given the lack of a journal. Is it a better strategy to take one quest a a time than to load up on quests in each new area?

3. I know I haven't got the ability to take on either the slavers or the Toxic caves. This game discourages exploration early in the game -- does anyone know of a good strategy guide so that I can get through the early quests without messing up the game too much? I can't take on the Traders yet, nor can I do the Toxic caves. I have the Pipe Rifle, but not enough skill to use it effectively, so anything involving heavy combat is out. Thus, I need a few easy quests to help me level up faster.

There isn't a time problem in Fallout 2. You can't save the Arroyo village. It is a scripted event.

Have you met up with Sulik yet? He is a great help, especially in the toxic caves with his sledgehammer. If you are talking about elevator, you should leave that till a bit later when you are stronger. You can take a side trip to San Francisco and pick up a great suit of armor to make life a lot easier.

I've got Sulik and Vic with me now.

For some reason the people in Klamath are all antagonistic. I rescued Torr, helped him with the cows, didn't give him away to the two baddies standing there, and don't think I've done anything wrong. Is there a way to get them back on side? Like bribery? Seriously, I can't imagine why this happened. The people in Den think I'm just fine.

Hi Hagatha

This is supposed to be the ultimate Fallout 2 guide.

http://user.tninet.se/~jyg699a/fallout2.html

It is written by Per Jorner, from the fallout fansite http://www.nomutantsallowed.com They know everything and then some about Fallout; people at the http://rpgcodex.com also know a lot about the Fallout games.

At NMA (no mutans allowed) you can also download Killap's Unofficial patch for Fallout 2. As well as reading instructions on how to install or use it.

I used Killap's Unofficial patch and was very happy with it. I didn't use the patch that changes the gameplay to closer to how the developers wanted the game to go before they ran out of time. Thought I might try that with a play over.

Can the patch be used after the game has been started? Often with older games you have to start a new game.

I am having fun with this, though it's hard to get used to how sloooooowly the combat goes. I've speeded it up a bit but might crank it up to the fastest level. I'm not sure how long I'll have the patience for slo-mo conbat, especially at these low levels where everybody's swinging at each other but none of the punches are landing.

Edit: So the reputation thing in Klamath is a real problem if I want to do the rats quest, since nobody will talk to me and I can't get past the blocked area. I didn't attack anybody, so I don't understand what's going on with this. I've spread my game saves out to an extent that it would be a long way back to reload an earlier save, and I haven't got any cash right now. Phooey.

You should be able to do the rats quest even though no one will talk to you. There are several ways to get the key. It is important since it will affect your ownership of the car. The other quests don't really matter as I recall.

I believe you will have to start over if you use the patch now.

Okay, I'll concentrate on getting the key. My PC has no stealing ability, though.

Just kill him if you have to, but I think you can buy it. Also, if you keep trying to steal, save first, it may work even with a very low steal skill. Save before you talk to him in case the method doesn't work.

I talked him out of the key. For some reason he's not antagonistic any longer.

But -- how does the key work? I've gone right up to the door in the room behind Slim, but nothing happens when I try to open it. I've tried "using" the key in Inventory, but that doesn't work either.

I think you use your action icon and then scroll through the inventory to pick the item to use.

Aha. This interface seems a little inconsistent. Maybe it's just that I have to get used to it.

One last question. Since you apparently can't rest in dungeons and I used all my First Aid and Doctor abilities on Vic -- what's with the Perception loss when you use Healing Powders? Is it a permanent loss? I dare not just use them and see what heppens, in case it is permanent and I forget.

Nope, not permanent.

Whew. I thought maybe you have to have some kind of resistance boost before you could use them safely. I'm going to have to print out the manual. I've forgotten almost everything about this game.

Yay! I finally found a pistol. It sure came in handy with the giant mole rat in the third level of the rat dungeon -- because Sulik kept running off in the wrong direction, trying to get at the enemy from another angle, I guess, but not very helpful.

I'm saving my book on gun use until I get my next perk, though. I want that 50% more from reading books.

Unless there's a way to fix this problem I'm about to lose an hour and a half of game playing, including very hard-won points on Golden Geckos and about $1,000 in trading. I remember this problem from before, and it's annoying enough to cause me to stop playing, because kepps happening.

I keep getting trapped by my companions. Just now I'd finished battling, done all my trading, and gone to Vic's place to rest. Having rested up, I saved, ready to go on, and I'm now completely trapped, can't move. Telling my party members to move closer or farher away doesn't help because I don't have enough room to get them to budge.

Is there a fix for this? I really don't feel like trying to work out everything I had under that one game save -- it could be a lot of gaming, even more than I think. This has happened several times and it's a bad enough problem that I'm not inclined to keep on playing if there isn't a fix.

Have you tried using the action curser? With Fallout 2 you have the ability to push someone out of the way. Keep repeating if you need to. The icon is a pushing hand.

Thanks. That'll save me some grief.

Next question is -- in Gecko, the Nuclear Plants, how do I use the red passkey on the door I have to go through. I've tried using the passkey on the door, and using it on the guards, but that doesn't open the door. I'm all out of ideas. I can lockpick the door, but then I get attacked, which is not the route I want to go here.

You put the passkey in one of the two slots at the bottom of the inventory. Then when the inventory is closed, click on the slot which has the passkey and use it on the door. You click the red button to make the slot that you want to use active.