More Advice for New Players

Plan a Proper Character

• Do not wing it. There are players here who spend 2 hours or more using a planner tool to carefully design each optimal character build. They use the planner's built-in calculator to verify results, and they weigh their options when choosing Perks and Traits. If you just wing it, you'll be weak and you'll be too easily killed by most of the player population. You play to win, right? Good, so plan a strong build. Plan to use the in-game drugs and other combat advantages like maybe implants. Your enemies do!

Switch to Real-Time

• You love Fallout 2, and you love the strategy of Turn-Based combat with the hex floor, but you have to get this into your head: This is not "Fallout 2 Online". It just isn't. There is still a lot of room for TB fights in this game, and you meet some TB specialists who plan character builds especially for TB fights, but this game's primary features are all about RT PvP. Town Control is always in RT. New Reno fights are always in RT. Ares Rocket Silo is in RT. Warehouse is in RT. Leveling goes much faster in RT too. So play in TB all you want while you get started if you must, but look forward to stepping up to RT. Real-Time: it's whats for dinner.
• If you think TB mode makes leveling easier, okay but it's slower. Some guys can level a new fighter in 3 to 6 hours and they do not do this in TB mode. Once you switch over to RT and let the speed shock wear off (because everything is moving faster of course in RT), you get used to it and you start reacting faster with more confidence.
• New players often die a lot during lower levels. Switch to RT to change that! You may think this is backwards, but the fact is you can run to the exit grid very quickly in RT and keep moving. You might have to practice this to master quick exits, and you likely get wounded on the way, but you stay alive. Compare that with getting stuck in a hostile encounter where you know you need to flee but you cannot since it's TB. You move your distance and they shoot you. You move again and they shoot you again. But in RT mode, the encounter loads and (assuming you have a decent fast connection) you get the jump on the exit grid. I usually get out without even taking a single hit, but only because I stay ready to move quickly in RT mode. Combine RT with a proper build and some practice and you don't have to run nearly as much. You can take on groups of enemies solo and devastate them.

Set Up Hot Keys

• Use FO2238Config.exe in your game directory and bind certain actions to certain keys. Then get into the habit of using those keys. You should have one for Superstims, and one to reload your weapons. The experienced players here use these, so if you want to be competitive, you have to keep up with the best practices.

Attitude

• It's a game. Don't get too mad. You can always get more gear. For whatever reason, this game has seemed to attract an inordinate proportion of players with a Player Killer play style. You cannot change this (and if you could, would you want to?) They say "wasteland is harsh" as an excuse. Truth is, the overly hostile environment is not for everyone. If you are prone to angry fits (or have a weak heart condition) you might want to play something else. This game is for serious hard-core Fallout/Fallout 2 fans first, and anyone else who appreciates an overly toxic and unusually hostile game world. So now you know. So when someone kills you, don't get mad. Instead, get fresh gear, hunt them down, and bring justice to them.
• Too many games are too easy. This game is hard. Most of us like it that way. Get into it and adapt, or switch games, but try not to rage, especially in the forum. It looks bad and guys will just laugh at you.