Ok,
So, after reading the few pointers here I did maybe 5 minutes of internet reading on walkthroughs and hints and also saw glitches to exploit. Really didn't want to do any of that on the cheat side but found a few ideas for how to handle certain situations (I was using the pipboy targeting system way too much and really didn't realize that I could pull off manual targeting) stuff like that. But one easter egg glitch thing that sounded funny was the sick guy in the clinic in Big Town. The site said that you could kill him as long as you blow his head off and then go out the back foor of the place and back around front and keep doing it and he will keep respawning and giving you XP each time. I figured what the heck... I need to get my explosives up so why not.
Fast travel from Penn. Ave. to Big Town. As soon as the screen opens there is a mutant standing in front of me - thanks computer AI game engine. Appreciate that. He took a lot out of me before I was done with him. Annoyed me so much I wanted to shoot the guy int he clinic just to blow off steam. Walk in, get the sawed off and blow his head clear off - body fumbles around an everything. Get some negative karma and I think it said 23 XPs. Ok, so the website was right. Go out the back door come back in the front and ..... nothing..... no glitch to exploit. Most likely fixed in the version I have at this point. So much the better. I can do the stary the hard way.
So I fast travel back to the spingvale school becuase I never even went inside that place when I walked past it on main quest related missions. I have to admit that the bad guys on the other side of walls taunting you - a little more stressful than I need in a video game. The tension level is noticable in my gaming area when this is occurring. If my wife walked up behind me in one of these moment I would have to dry clean the sofa most likely. Not my cup of tea overall, but the game has been entertaining. I think I cleared out most of the main floor and top floor of bad guys. And so then I make it to the lower level and the hole in the ground with............... ants.
I only saw 2. I had no idea this type of thing existed in this game. I ****ing hate these things already. The sound they were making I thought was steam or water going through pipes to add to the stress of everything but no. Now that sound they make is etched in my brain. I kill 2 of them and start walking slowly (way way too slowly for a fake video game guy I control that I don't want to get hurt) and then the sound starts again. I leterally - as in, yes Andy the proper use of the word, stood up from the sofa and said **** this , not tonight, saved the game and turned it off.
My impression so far of the game,,,,:
Good:
Story line is fun. I'm not a zombie guy or really a horror movie horror game guy either but this seems to have a manageable mix of fear, suspense and fun mission oriented stuff in its engine ala GTA.
The bad guys are not so invincible that it makes the game boring. I am getting better at understanding the use of weapons and targeting systems and body parts. Solid gameplay there.
The soundtrack is haunting. In a good way. Again, not a horror guy at all but the music fits the game perfectly.
Open ended is pretty much a must for me in many ways these days. I don't get to play alot and so when I sit back down after a few days or weeks I can't possibly remember what the heck I was supposed to be doing so its nice not getting penalized for that.
The world itself is fairly amazing. I am still trying my hardest to visualize where I am in the game in relation to the real DC. Haven't really been able to pinpoint too much except Dupont Circle, although that was just more of knowing it was there and being able to figure out what sould be around me in real life.
Bad:
The game is too dark. I have brightness all the way up and I still have a hard time seeing things. It could be my eyes, but I hate dark video games regardless.
The background and colors are a little boring to the point of problematic at times. Again, I get that - nuclear holocaust, nothing is going to be pretty. But when all the rubble is the same exact color and its everywhere and there is almost no deliniation of road, walk, garbage, rubble, building, etc etc it gets hard on my eyes to focus. This leads to the main problem I am having with land mines at the moment because I really just cannot see them until I am being blowed up.
The ants. I hate the ants.
Overall, I really don't have any other complaints or negative opinions. There is I am sure just a ton of stuff that I haven't even begun to notice yet, but I am enjoying it for the most part. If I was 20 again and able to devot a good 8 hour session to the game I'm sure I would be immersed in it a lot more.