Since the last version of TTW that I was able to play regularly was 2.2 or so, I wanted to give my thoughts on the latest version. I've put in dozens of hours thus far into 2.8.1, both modded and unmodded, so these are my current thoughts. Praise, criticism, and feedback included. Mostly praise. ;D
Pros: Pretty much every issue I noticed back in the day has been resolved, so major kudos in that aspect. I play Fallout both modded and base vanilla style (I think I'm of the few people who can play Fallout unmodded on a PC), and either way the game is currently very stable. Even if I mod the game to the point that it should practically be held together with duct tape, it runs rather well with few noticeable issues. Most problems I've run into are things that tend to happen in the vanilla games. So great technical work guys.
-So far the feature that changes F03 speech challenges to the NV style based on pure skill as opposed to probability fits really well. I also like that fact that some of the checks were altered to different skills based on their nature, much like NV. The way it was handled feels exactly the way I feel Bethesda/Obisidian would've done it.
-I love the Capitol Wasteland recipes and harvesting. Major, major points for this one. I know there was a time when the team was hesitant to do this, but I'm glad it happened as it makes the two games come together much better. Playing a survivalist character in DC is very doable and very fun thanks to the new ingredients and recipes. Steamed Mirelurk, Capitol Hot Dog, and Wasteland Radaway are some of my favorites. Harvesting plants while exploring feels pretty natural and not forced. Without this implementation, the Survival skill would be almost pointless in DC. Well done guys.
-The inclusion of New Vegas items, particularly weapons, into leveled lists in DC is well done. One area NV always trumped FO3 in was it's expansive weaponry, and It's great to use some of these weapons in the Capitol Wasteland as you level up. My current main character has been walking around DC with a Trail Carbine and a Fire Axe.
-Union Station is great. I've only gone down there once during a test run just to see what the station and it's quest were like. I admit the quest felt a bit annoying, but that's probably because I was just rushing through it to get some quick impressions on it. Can't way to go back there, though, because it's done very well.
Issues: These are the issues I've run into the game so far. Mostly minor. I will also say that issues I mention here are issues that seem to pop up in an unmodded game. When I come across technical issues, I attempt to replicate them in a vanilla playthrough.
-Centaur's in the Capitol Wasteland don't drop blood. Now, since Centaur Blood is a New Vegas item maybe that's how it's supposed to be, but since at least one TTW recipe, Brain Freeze, requires Centaur Blood, it feels like they should drop it. My experience with the GECK is very limited, but I did some poking around and it doesn't seem to be in DC Centaur loot lists. As I said, perhaps they aren't supposed to drop it, in which case I apologize for this pointless paragraph. Just something I wanted to mention.
-Rivet City Marketplace closes early. This one's not that bad, but at times it can be annoying. Rivet City Merchants seem to close up shop early. Around 4 PM most of the them will mention it's closing time and leave, at which point they won't trade. The market itself stays open, the vendors just leave. Cindy Cantelli, Seagrave, Bannon, and Gary Staley are the main ones that leave. Flak, Shrapnel, and Angela Staley seem to stay.
-Music cuts out in some areas. In DC there are a couple areas in the wasteland where the music just stops. Both overworld music and combat music (Even if combat starts no music starts). It always seems to happen in the same spots. One particular spot is about halfway between Megaton and the Super-Duper Mart. Radio music is unaffected.
-Characters get stuck in the Museum of History Cell. The cell where Griffon sells Aqua Cura in Broken Steel. Characters that enter here seem to stop moving and get stuck here. (Greta when she takes a smoke break, Sydney when she comes here after Stealing Independence.) Nav-Mesh issue maybe?
Overall: Fantastic. TTW has come a long way since I first started playing it, and it's very impressive. So far the project has fused the two wastelands together fairly seamlessly. While I have run into issues or things that don't seem to be quite right, none of them are exactly gamebreaking and the pros are far outweighing the cons so far. Overall, most problems I've run into are mod-related or vanilla game issues, which I think speaks volumes for the technical work the team has done. Keep up the great work guys!
Suggestion: This may already be in the works, but I figured I'd suggest it anyway. I know in the future there will be a segment that bridges the gap of time the first time you travel to New Vegas, but will there be a way in which the player is notified about the train? Obviously we already know the station exists, but from a roleplaying perspective I think it'd be cool if the character found out in-game somehow about the station.
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