Guide 103: Intro

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Guide 103
Get a strong start exploring solo!
Season 3rd (Began 2107 Sept 01)
Status Setting up structure only...
Completion 0.01%
Authors Henry
This Chapter Introduction Page
More Chapters Intro
Guide 103: Outline
Guide 103: Chapter 1
Guide 103: Chapter 2
Guide 103: Chapter 3
Notes S3 has +2 years of changes
Still learning it
Working on Changelogs first


DO NOT USE THIS YET
For now, new players should start at the settlement, called Lander's Point, and get some easier Levels before venturing out. Use the Lander's Point page as a guide until more guides are written.

Purpose

This guide is intended to provide new players with a structured route for starting strong, exploring The World, discovering features, and becoming familiar with the mechanics. This guide provides you with a lead character build while Getting Started, and a few important support Builds for optimizing production. As you get set up, you'll learn the following:

Current Status
This is a sandbox page. Nowhere near done. Too many other pages to update now. Will work on this more later.

Play Style

White Knight means you're a total good-guy, so you won't be murdering children or enslaving anyone according to this guide. If you're okay with that, then use this guide. If however you already know you're going to be a bad-guy, then don't even bother reading this - use some other guide instead.

Orientation

One of the very first things to accept is that, while you can play this game with only one character, a multi-character approach better lends itself to the game's build limitations. This guide will start you off with one lead character, who is a strong support provider for your additional characters most of whom will specialize more in fighting. So you start with support, work hard to build up some infrastructure, then add fighters to your network. Your fighters will thus be well supported, and you'll be able to level new ones faster.

Remember this is not "Fallout 2 Online". There is no such game. This is a massive multi-player and it runs mostly in Real-Time. The game's best features are in RT too, like Town Control, but even public locations are all in RT anyway. If you go to Ares Rocket Silo, you're in RT regardless of your setting. Same with Warehouse and all of the PvP in New Reno, etc. When you travel in a vehicle (including the Vertibird!), you will get into forced encounters. You can escape quickly if you're in RT mode, but you're stuck there until combat ends if you're in TB. You better win that fight, or you will lose your car. Easier just to get used to the fast-paced world of Real-Time. You'll level up faster too.

That said, TB can be fun, but TB characters have specific builds with certain perks. Player-Killers will set Turn-Based traps on the map. It is times like those when having a TB-optimized fighter can be fun. Watch for red dots on the map where PKs have lit Flares to attract victims. Go there if you think you can handle it, but otherwise avoid them.

Configuration

It is recommended you use the Item Highlighter, by drot and consider some of the interface options and other tools listed on the forum. The default GUI works but most PvP players use a slimmer version with semi-transparent features.

Reiterating, for best results, switch to Real-Time mode. You may be a big fan of the old original Fallout games which were in Turn-Based, and you can play in TB here, but you'll be exploring quests according to this guide, and most quests are much more enjoyable in RT. Some are even so bad in TB that players call them bugged. A 30 minute fun RT quest can become a 2-hour snore-fest in TB mode. We cannot have you falling asleep so...go into your FOnline Reloaded game directory on your computer and find the two Config files:

FOConfig.exe

  • Keyboard Language Switch: Alt+Shift
  • Always Run: enabled
  • Default Combat Mode: Real-Time
  • Ammo Amount...Display: Lines and Numbers
  • Damage Indication on Head: Delay 5000ms

FO2238Config.exe

  • Enable All Displays: Player Names, On-Screen Awareness, TC Countdowns
  • Display TC Zones: Show Area
  • Set Main File Paths: master.dat and critter.dat
  • Set Key Bindings: R for Weapon Reload, X for Detonator, S for Super Stimpak, Control+Q to Disable Aim.
  • Set other Key Bindings as you see fit. Maybe one for Healing Powder or regular Stimpaks, other keys to aim.

Some Modifications

  • It is highly recommended that you use FallCraft by Tutkarz, or some other such mod to see ground items.
  • Also, many players use gauvaran's Cave Items mod.
  • Many of the most competitive players use a custom interface, rather than the default. Find them on the game forum.
  • Even your first character should be planned a bit. Most players use a Character Planner tool, also found on the forum.

Hostile Environment

Following this guide, you go into The World exploring the map and getting into casual PvE adventures. Meanwhile much of the player activity is team-vs-team PvP combat, brutal and highly competitive. When you get killed in Broken Hills for example while just trying to mine Resources, try to remember that it, like other northern towns, is a hot zone for player fights. Especially during a Town Control operation, teams are paranoid about enemy scouts. They don't know you. That's why they killed you. You could be a scout for the enemy. Letting you live is a tactical risk most will not take. They need you to leave and killing you is the fastest way to get rid of you. So watch for PvP activity and know in advance that you are a target to teams simply because you're not on their team. It's not personal. It's a big map so do something else and try there again later. (Or become so strong that you return and clobber them yourself!)

Minimal Staff

Remember, this game is free. The developers do not get paid. Do not expect immediate technical help. You can find some help from the player community, mostly via Discord chat (click Chat link on forum's top menu bar - use browser-based version for quickest results). Calling out for help on Radio channel zero can also work. When things go badly in this harsh world, is there some big giant hand that reaches down from the sky and makes everything right again? No, you often have to tank some damage, recover and figure it out on your own. Let those experiences make you tougher and smarter for the next time. That's the only way to survive here. Complaining about unfairness in the wasteland will mostly get ignored and draw criticism from a hateful crowd, so don't bother with that.

Watch Out for Worthy Friends

This guide assumes you're learning the game solo, but are willing to find a good team along the way. Players form factions and some might be a good fit with your play style. Some teams are into RP, some only do PvP, and most teams use a voice chat program for superior communication. Some teams do it all, though even most good-guy teams don't have a strict APK approach.

Do Not Fear Wipes

Yes, every so often the entire server gets wiped clean of all player data and we all start over from scratch. (We just had one in 2017 on September 1st). Use the time between now and then to learn the game, so by the time a new season begins, you'll know better what you're doing. There is no Wipe schedule, so don't ask. If it hasn't been officially announced on forum by a dev, then it's likely just shallow rumor, but eventually there will be one, and its always "Soon".

Support FOnline
This game does not make any money. It's not allowed to. If you like it, you should donate to keep it running. Use the game's main forum.

A Build

Can you feel it? You're about to start this game right. You're presented here with a PvE Lead Character Start-Up build. It's a Strong Explorer and it works. It's just a support character for getting you all set up. Once you're established, you can add some specialized fighters.

NOTE: Optionally, you can read a 6-page guide on Build Advice for details, now or later.

You can alter this build if you like, but remember: this guide is planned for certain perks with specific requirements, and certain XP goals and steps, so varying much from this build will alter this guide's step-by-step accuracy:

  • Tag Skill 3: Outdoorsman. You'll travel faster and safer, which is important since you'll be carrying materials and valuable things to Barter.

Your Strong Explorer will be very versatile and get a lot of Support Perks. Refer to Builds: Strong Explorer for build details.

Register this guy, write down your password, log in, and get ready to get some early XP in Chapter 1!

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