FIXING THE GAME
Even if we all argue at many points, there's something that everyone agrees about - the game could be in a lot better state than it is now. We can see 150 players in-game, but new players are asking where to toogle seeing people. How to change it for better at least a bit? Here is a bunch of my suggestions. I recommend reading them all in a given order, 'cause I've tried to connect them to each other nicely.
1) Remove NPC merchantsYeah. NPC merchants are totally obsolete in my opinion. Few people have full knowledge what certain merchant buys and sells, and it's mostly useless crap. The only valuable thing they have now are caps and drugs, being almost only quite reliable source of them (besides TC lockers). So players, instead of playing a game, are crafting molotovs/rockets/healing powders and other shit and trying to exchange it, mostly with a fuckload of alts in every city scouting if something is available.
OK, removing is one thing. What should come instead of them? I'll describe it in the next points.
2) Fixing caps economyAs I mentioned, NPC merchants are the biggest, even if limited, source of caps today. There is definitely need of caps to exist, though. What do I propose?
I propose ways of obtaining caps that require confrontation with other players, either aggresive or peaceful. I don't say that some way PvE should be completely removed from that process - slavery, selling gecko pelts and finally TC should stay as they are or even get a small boost. They require some real action, mix of PvE and PvP risk in case of two first and obviously pure PvP in TC.
Ways that are currently very common, especially through new players - selling spears and junk to NPC's, lifting caravan boxes and - the last but not least - glorious shit shoveling - should be got rid of permanently. They are safe, they are simple, but come on - first thing that you tell a newbie to do is doing some totally abstract, extremely boring work for some NPC.
I'm not a big fan of quests, but I agree they are something different - of course only if they require some thinking/shooting or at least tell some interesting story so they should stay, but rather as a tutorial and flavour added to a real game, not a core of it. To make up the lack of caps, the amount found in dead NPC's could also be raised a bit I think. But what about non-violent ways of getting caps which I mentioned?
3) Establishing a safe Bazaar for tradeThis suggestion has been made a lot of times, I know (the other ones maybe were made, too - don't know). And that's because it's a good suggestion. By setting a safe place for trade - preferably a new district of NCR or separate location somewhere on the south - we could have all the economy running perfectly without NPC merchants. Having a gun in any active slot would mean immediate death from guards, steal would be disabled. Some players would say that's an extreme nerf - and I agree. That's a nerf of the most lame feature in that game, hurting new players a lot and annoying experienced ones.
What's the point of making a place like that? Players can get some caps and gear not abusing game flaws, but by interacting with other players. Newbies can craft some basic things and trade them for something better. We don't have to make an alt for every profession and search for every blueprint for hours - it's enough when you are specialised in one thing and trade with someone better in something else or having different blueprints. Crafters can make their fortunes, fighters can fight, earn caps (remember that their sources need that now) and buy necessary stuff from hard working, more peaceful folks.
4) BoS/Enclave abuse disablingI've touched a subject of stealing a bit. Another extremely idiotic feature with that, even more than stealing from players, is certainly stealing from NPC's - mainly BoS and Enclave today, for ammo and Stimpacks. Why would you dig resources in unsafe locations and craft them, when you can just steal it from dumb NPC? I bet that big part of these 150 people in game which we can't see anywhere are abusing these poor BoS paladins or exping another normally redundant alt to do that. Solution? Simple. Make BoS and Enclave shout that famous "Don't come any closer" when you get let's say 5 hexes from them and if you come any closer, they shoot you. That'd do all the thing.
These encounters are also, as we know, almost only source of Gatlings and Avengers. And that's OK, just why the hell they were boosted to being semigods, so the only way to kill them is a trick with Dynamite? Which should be fixed of course so NPC's don't loot explosives or - if that's easier to script - drop them immediately after looting. Make them hard to kill, even for a pack of high level characters in good gear, but hard to that point that fighting with them pose a risk and requires much effort, but is profitable and possible.
5) Crafting medicinesAnd the last point. Removing NPC merchants and possibility of stealing Stims from NPC's would make drugs a very rare thing, obtainable in serious amount only from TC locker. That's too less, of course. They need to be made possible to craft in bigger amounts than now. Nuka-Cola, Cigarettes and Beer output values should be increased so all the effort would be adequate to it. The same, but to much bigger extent, applies to Buffout, Psycho and Jet (as well as all the medicines, including Stimpacks, Mentats, RadAways and Rad-X's also). Without succesful TC it's very hard today to get them in sufficient amounts now, and without NPC merchants it would be impossible - 'cause the process of crafting is very complicated, resource- and time-consuming. New sources of both types of Chemical Components are needed and the crafting output need to be increased a lot.
6) Make other builds than BG effectiveThat one I saved for the very end, 'cause it's a bit separate case from the other. Title is self-explainable - the game needs more variety, we have so much weapons and build possibilities, but only really effective build today is Big Gunner with minigun. Others can have some support role in big TC battles, but the core of all forces are BG's. Not mentioning smaller fights, where anything other than BG don't have any chances really without an enormous dose of luck. I don't say that it should be nerfed completely, but small boost in critical tables for snipers and cripplers (such a fun build, today really uncommon) would do. And what about some other ideas - like making all BG's unable to run like today with M60 (in favour to SG bursters, which would lack damage but were much more mobile)?
Uff, that's all. I didn't think it'll be so long at the beginning. Thanks for reading, if you haven't fall asleep yet. Please: comment, criticise, praise, anything - just make some discussion, 'cause we can't blame Devs that they go in the wrong direction if they don't receive any serious opinions and suggestions.
