Fallout 2 official guide
- Thread starter Ausir
- Start date
bigwords.com finds several in good condition for $18-20, including shipping (in the US). There are a couple of near-new ones , if you have more money than sense. I'm considering ordering one and scanning it for preservation.
I finally got a copy, and there isn't all that much background information in it. Given the number of typos, errors, and inconsistencies, I'm not sure I'd consider all of it to be canon. They wanted the book to be available when the game came out, so it went to press before everything was finished.
There are a number of differences between the book and the game; some are improvements, others are interesting ideas that got left out. The karma ranks (every 250 points) were going to have a more significant effect: positive karma would give a bonus to AC and damage, while negative karma gives a bonus to HP and damage.
The art for many of the new weapons was very 'flat', seen from the side rather than in an angled perspective. The needler pistol and gauss rifle look completely different. Most of the small guns use short 3-round bursts, so the P90c and FN FAL don't empty the magazine in just two attacks. The P90c also uses 9mm ammo as the name implies, and regular shotguns have a double-barrel firing mode. The G11E is considered a big gun and has a bipod attached. The gauss rifle is an assault rifle, doing less damage but has a burst attack. Same for the pulse rifle - less damage, 3-round burst. The knife, combat knife, and sledgehammer have distinct swing and thrust attacks: knives can be swung faster, but thrusts are significantly more damaging; the reverse is true for sledgehammers.
In Broken Hills, anti-mutant conspirators are supposed to be using the underground tunnels, so they're filled with minor traps, not giant ants, and the large chamber in the southeast is used as a storeroom. In New Reno, Richard Wright is a well-known drug user, which makes the jet overdose and finding a canister in his room much more plausible.
In the SAD, there are six or so Mr. Handys in the robot repair bay. Whenever you leave a level, they take the side elevator there and fix any damaged robots. It's not clear if that means just healing injured ones or completely repairing destroyed bots. The laser tripwire is supposed to do nothing at all - that's not a bug or unimplemented feature.
At the Wanamingo mine in Redding, the elevator goes down only one level, not all the way to the queen 'mingo, and you have to fix the generator to get it working first. Also, you have to clear out all the vermin above ground (rats, then Morton's gang) before you can sell the deed back to the mayor. When the Mole Rat Mambo runs out of rats to fight, it gets changed into something more exciting - Deathclaw Deathmatch.
There are some other differences, but they're not as significant.
There are a number of differences between the book and the game; some are improvements, others are interesting ideas that got left out. The karma ranks (every 250 points) were going to have a more significant effect: positive karma would give a bonus to AC and damage, while negative karma gives a bonus to HP and damage.
The art for many of the new weapons was very 'flat', seen from the side rather than in an angled perspective. The needler pistol and gauss rifle look completely different. Most of the small guns use short 3-round bursts, so the P90c and FN FAL don't empty the magazine in just two attacks. The P90c also uses 9mm ammo as the name implies, and regular shotguns have a double-barrel firing mode. The G11E is considered a big gun and has a bipod attached. The gauss rifle is an assault rifle, doing less damage but has a burst attack. Same for the pulse rifle - less damage, 3-round burst. The knife, combat knife, and sledgehammer have distinct swing and thrust attacks: knives can be swung faster, but thrusts are significantly more damaging; the reverse is true for sledgehammers.
In Broken Hills, anti-mutant conspirators are supposed to be using the underground tunnels, so they're filled with minor traps, not giant ants, and the large chamber in the southeast is used as a storeroom. In New Reno, Richard Wright is a well-known drug user, which makes the jet overdose and finding a canister in his room much more plausible.
In the SAD, there are six or so Mr. Handys in the robot repair bay. Whenever you leave a level, they take the side elevator there and fix any damaged robots. It's not clear if that means just healing injured ones or completely repairing destroyed bots. The laser tripwire is supposed to do nothing at all - that's not a bug or unimplemented feature.
At the Wanamingo mine in Redding, the elevator goes down only one level, not all the way to the queen 'mingo, and you have to fix the generator to get it working first. Also, you have to clear out all the vermin above ground (rats, then Morton's gang) before you can sell the deed back to the mayor. When the Mole Rat Mambo runs out of rats to fight, it gets changed into something more exciting - Deathclaw Deathmatch.
There are some other differences, but they're not as significant.
There isn't a way that you could show us some scans or so from the different item graphics, etc.?
Lexx said:
In fact: what would be so horribly wrong with getting a full scan of the book?
Seriously.
Terra Arcanum also offers the Sierra Arcanum guide in the DL section. You really think we'd get sued for basically archiving something that we care about? There's copyright and there's common sense: it's not like they'll ever reprint them old guides, is it?
I think a full scan of the official Fallout guide(s) would be a very welcome addition to this site. I for one have never seen them. But I definitely would like to.
No warez talk, just asking.
Here are some quick scans of the different weapons. I'm planning to do the whole thing, but that will take a while.
Compare with the final images here http://falloutmods.wikia.com/wiki/Fallout_2_Art_Index#Small_Guns
Compare with the final images here http://falloutmods.wikia.com/wiki/Fallout_2_Art_Index#Small_Guns
alec said:
Hmmm... i agree about the Needler pistol, but not about the Gauss rifle. This one looks more retro sci-fi, more "fallouty" than the one in the game IMO. (But the angle of the weapon in the picture could be better, though). Also, that HKG11e as a big gun looks and sounds better.
Kanhef said:
Nice!
"Many years ago, the Master, an insane doctor who attempted to become master of all humanity, tried to create guardians through gene splicing. The original Vault Dweller, your ancestor, stopped him before he could complete his plans. Unfortunately, some of his extraordinarily tough creations have outlived him and continue to roam the Wastes. Centaurs and Floaters are often found together, as though they feel some sort of kinship for one another."
"The Centaur, so named for its many malformed legs, is tough and strong, but quite stupid. Keep your distance from this creature while you shoot it to death."
"Floaters hover by manufacturing and storing noxious gases in their flotation bladders. They're stupid, but move fast and are very difficult to kill. Floaters will try to surround you, so keep your distance. The gases that allow them to float turn them into a wonderful flambe when you crisp them with fire or energy weapons."
"Deathclaws were originally created to replace humans during close-combat search-and-destroy missions. They were derived from mixed animal stock and then refined by the Master, using genetic manipulation. The resulting creature is almost unbelievably fast and powerful. Deathclaws are well named – they are the toughest animals that you will encounter in the Wastes."
"What does an Adult Deathclaw eat? Whatever it wants to. The Adult Deathclaw is always at the top of the food chain wherever it happens to be. Often, several Deathclaws live together and protect an Alpha-female with a brood of eggs. When you run into one Deathclaw, look around – there almost certainly will be more."
"The Baby Deathclaw is a smaller version of its parents. It's not cute and cuddly, though; in fact, it's still extremely dangerous. Deathclaws cut their young loose early, so the presence of a Baby Deathclaw doesn't necessarily mean that mom or dad are nearby. However, that won't make your job much easier."
"Fire Geckos are especially tough and can actually breathe fire. No one knows what toxic substances are combined in their gut to make their breath fiery. Their hides are far too mangy and burnt to be worth anything."
"Mole Rats have sharp claws and even sharper tusks that they use to tear great chunks of flesh from their prey. Mole Rats are either huge rats or the result of gene-splicing Kodiak bears with maladjusted lab rats. Fortunately, they seldom run in packs larger than a half dozen or so."
"The Robobrain is a jack-of-all-trades robot. They have hands and are usually armed with assault rifles. The chimpanzee, or other primate, brain that was implanted into them makes them excellent guard robots. It's rumored that some were set up to accept human brains, but this has never been proven."
"Wanamingos are tough, very fast, and resistant to laser weaponry. Where they came from or what they're doing here is unknown. They aren't intelligent in the usual sense, but they do seem to have a hive-mind mentality. They're usually seen underground and in groups."
"The Centaur, so named for its many malformed legs, is tough and strong, but quite stupid. Keep your distance from this creature while you shoot it to death."
"Floaters hover by manufacturing and storing noxious gases in their flotation bladders. They're stupid, but move fast and are very difficult to kill. Floaters will try to surround you, so keep your distance. The gases that allow them to float turn them into a wonderful flambe when you crisp them with fire or energy weapons."
"Deathclaws were originally created to replace humans during close-combat search-and-destroy missions. They were derived from mixed animal stock and then refined by the Master, using genetic manipulation. The resulting creature is almost unbelievably fast and powerful. Deathclaws are well named – they are the toughest animals that you will encounter in the Wastes."
"What does an Adult Deathclaw eat? Whatever it wants to. The Adult Deathclaw is always at the top of the food chain wherever it happens to be. Often, several Deathclaws live together and protect an Alpha-female with a brood of eggs. When you run into one Deathclaw, look around – there almost certainly will be more."
"The Baby Deathclaw is a smaller version of its parents. It's not cute and cuddly, though; in fact, it's still extremely dangerous. Deathclaws cut their young loose early, so the presence of a Baby Deathclaw doesn't necessarily mean that mom or dad are nearby. However, that won't make your job much easier."
"Fire Geckos are especially tough and can actually breathe fire. No one knows what toxic substances are combined in their gut to make their breath fiery. Their hides are far too mangy and burnt to be worth anything."
"Mole Rats have sharp claws and even sharper tusks that they use to tear great chunks of flesh from their prey. Mole Rats are either huge rats or the result of gene-splicing Kodiak bears with maladjusted lab rats. Fortunately, they seldom run in packs larger than a half dozen or so."
"The Robobrain is a jack-of-all-trades robot. They have hands and are usually armed with assault rifles. The chimpanzee, or other primate, brain that was implanted into them makes them excellent guard robots. It's rumored that some were set up to accept human brains, but this has never been proven."
"Wanamingos are tough, very fast, and resistant to laser weaponry. Where they came from or what they're doing here is unknown. They aren't intelligent in the usual sense, but they do seem to have a hive-mind mentality. They're usually seen underground and in groups."
I'm wondering about this:
and this:Kanhef said:
If this is to be held as canon it causes problems with the Restoration Project. It has the insane doctor at the EPA (who claims to have created those creatures). And you can skin the fire geckos (they are worth the most). Maybe not a big deal...Kanhef said:
It does raise the question of whether or not you should be able to skin fire geckos. Is there any other evidence for it? I've checked the Fallout Bible, but didn't find anything relevant.
Another thing of note is that you're not supposed to get into the reactor room at the Enclave. This is why destroying the computer is so bad - there's no way for anyone to get in and control it manually.
Another thing of note is that you're not supposed to get into the reactor room at the Enclave. This is why destroying the computer is so bad - there's no way for anyone to get in and control it manually.
Alphadrop
A right proper chap.
Damn, a friend of mine still has my copy. Ordered it when Fallout 2 first came out. Oh well at least Kanhef has it.
I always assumed people knew about the fire gecko hide thing, didn't realise it was only explained in the guide. Still the guide is more accurate than the Prima guides you get nowadays.
I always assumed people knew about the fire gecko hide thing, didn't realise it was only explained in the guide. Still the guide is more accurate than the Prima guides you get nowadays.
Appendix B is perhaps the most useful part, where he talks about the making of Fallout 2 and games in general. The quality isn't as great as I'd like it to be – selectable text is sometimes out of alignment with the visible characters, and I'm having a hell of a time getting it to scan plumb – but it's legible enough.
alec said:
I was just interested in the images, so I didn't cared very much about the rest.
fallout_fan
It Wandered In From the Wastes
Awesome, simply awesome. I was just looking for Fallout 1 and 2 guides on ebay. Im a hardcore fallout nut and would buy them. So I jhave seen a guide for Fallout 2.
Does anyone know if there is a guide for Fallout 1 as well?
Also I saw someone selling the guide on half.com for $13.
Does anyone know if there is a guide for Fallout 1 as well?
Also I saw someone selling the guide on half.com for $13.