This Fallout takes place in the Mojave desert, in and around the city of New Vegas. My character in the previous game was built around agility and intelligence, opting for the slow silent kill instead of brute force. I decided to stick with what works, and created a new character with the same ideas in mind. Guns, Science, and Security were the three skills I started with. The first is pretty self explanatory, as melee combat really isn't an option, so I'm going to rely on dealing death from afar. Science skill will help me break into the numerous computer terminals I'll no doubt find, and Security will make sure locked doors and containers don't stand in my way.
The game opens as I dig my own grave, three seedy looking characters standing watch close by. One of them is dressed in a fancy suit, the others don't look like much more than hired muscle. Once finished, I find myself standing in the hole with my arms tied. The leader tells me I've delivered my last package, but that I shouldn't feel bad as this one was rigged from the start. He pulls what looks to be a poker chip out of one suit pocket, then a large handgun out of the other. I'm not sure what the chip is for, but I definitely know what he's going to do with the gun. He rambles a bit more, then raises the barrel and puts a bullet through my head.
I wake up some time later, not sure if I'm dead or alive. The room spins as I sit up, I notice an elderly man sitting at my bedside. He says I was brought to him several days ago by a robot named Victor, and that he's been patching me up ever since. I slide off of the bed and hit the floor, realizing that everything I had on me is now gone. The man introduces himself as the local doctor, and tells me that I'm in the town of Goodsprings. I ask if he remembers anything about the men who shot me, but he doesn't know much and suggests that I speak with Victor. Before heading out, Doc gives me some clothes and supplies and advises that I stop in at the local saloon. He also gives me a PipBoy 3000, normally used only by vault dwellers, saying he no longer has a use for it.
I step out into the blazing sunlight and it's so bright I'm nearly blinded, but it soon fades as my eyes adjust. I find myself in a dusty little town, not more than a few buildings here and there. I see a couple locals harvesting crops, the Prospector Saloon that Doc mentioned, and a General Store. Tumbleweeds blow by as the wind picks up, I notice that outside of Goodsprings there doesn't seem to be much of anything around. If I'm going to make it to New Vegas, I'm definitely going to need supplies.
Since I'm a sucker for good decor, I head into the Prospector first.
The bar is small and dingy, but comfortable and quiet. I find Sunny, a local hunter the town procures to keep pests away from their water supply. Doc mentioned that she could teach me a few things about surviving in the Mojave, so I inquire about a lesson. She takes me out behind the saloon, for some target practice, then asks if I'd like to come help clear out geckos. Given that I have no money, anything that earns a few extra caps is worth my time, so I agree and we set off to the first water supply.
She takes the lead, with me following, and her dog close behind. We get to the first water pump pretty quick, several geckos charged at us. Sunny opened fire right away, but I was feeling a bit rusty so I enabled the V.A.T.S. (Vault Assisted Targeting System) that comes standard with each PipBoy. It greatly helps with your accuracy, and allows you to focus your attacks on the specific body parts of your target. I aimed for the head, as that's almost always a good choice no matter what you're fighting. Sunny dropped one, and I took care of the other. We decided to take a quick breather before heading to the next one. I thought it was a nice opportunity to collect some spoils to sell at the general store. Gecko hides and meat don't bring in many caps, but for now every cap counts. Gunshots ring out from somewhere as I stand from the last corpse. I'm not sure where they are coming from, but Sunny keeps firing and the sound guides me.
It's not long before I find them, taking on an angry pack of geckos by the next water pump. Her dog was killed first, having charged in and drew their attention. He managed to kill one, but the rest were now coming towards Sunny and I. I raised my rifle and blew off one gecko's head, she hit another twice in the chest and it went down. The final two got close enough for a couple bites and scratches, but it didn't take long to finish them off. Sunny lamented the loss of her dog, but we pressed on as there was still one more pump to clear.
The last one didn't present a problem, only a couple of geckos to kill and we were done. Goodsprings' water was again safe, and I prepared to head out after receiving my reward. Sunny offered to teach me how to cook using different plants and other ingredients. Anything that can increase your odds of survival in the wasteland is always worth the time, so I agreed. She told me she needed two different plants before we could begin; one she thought grew over by Goodsprings' cemetery, the other near the old abandoned school house. A quick check of my PipBoy told me the school yard was closer, so I headed in that direction.
It wasn't very far until I could see two buildings, so I knew I was heading in the right direction. When I arrived the place was deserted, save for a strange robot. He said his name was Victor, the very same Victor that pulled me out of a grave and took me to the doctor in Goodsprings. He said that he noticed my captors as they were taking me to the graveyard and decided to follow us. After they left, he took me to town. I asked if he knew anything about the men, but he only said the leader looked like he was probably from New Vegas. I head inside the schoolhouse.
It's been picked over of course, but that's not unusual. In the wasteland if it's not locked up, bolted down, or under guard, it won't be around for long. The school house is infested with giant mantis insects, they swarm towards me as I walk in. The rifle just isn't fast enough, so I switch to a 9mm pistol. It only takes one good shot each, and I don't even end up needing to reload. I kneel down to cut off their wings when I notice a computer terminal on the far side of the room. Closer inspection reveals a safe, which is most likely what the terminal controls. I could either pick the safe open, or hack the computer. Since I don't have many bobby pins yet, and they break very easily if you aren't careful, I hit the computer terminal and manage to hack it fairly quickly. Inside I find a wealth of caps, stimpacks, drugs, and a few weapons. The haul fits easily in my pack, I head back out and find the first plant.
I ran into a nasty looking scorpion on the way there, about the size of a large dog. Amazingly enough, that's not as big as they can get. I felt lucky for that, and also that there were no others around. I tried blowing off it's tail first, but since I'm still a horrible shot I had to shift my aim towards it's body. The varmint rifle Sunny gave me is a very weak weapon, but it gets the job done. The only problem is that it takes several shots for a kill, and that means ammo is already a concern. After taking the scorpion's tale, I head towards the graveyard to find the other plant.
Can't check the graves because I don't have a shovel. Fortunately this plant is easier to spot, so I harvest it quickly and then head back towards Goodsprings.
