I don't like the power armour. I just hate clunking about. I have found three sets so far but I've left them in Sanctuary. I've got a varied combination of modified leather and metal pieces. I love my sniper rifle. I've survived raiders and super mutants with this gear. I'm sick of being weighed down with junk. For the time being I'm not picking up every little thing that I find. Got 3 bobble heads so far. How do you holster your weapon? Can't find those instructions.

I've been wandering around a lot and exploring. Got several quests. Found many locations and have stopped to explore some and hope to come back to others. Hope I remember them later in the game. How do you undo a custom location? Earlier I made one by accident but don't know how to remove that useless marker from my map.

Made it to level 13. See you in the Wasteland. Don't shoot me.

I've never done a custom location. Didn't know you could.

I haven't found a sniper rifle yet, but I'm looking. That would suit me just fine. I have a couple of good pistols now, upgraded ones. Good for close-range Raider hunting.

I also got tired of carrying around junk. I know you can tag crafting items and there's some search function attached. Anyway, I now travel fairly light.

Edit: so...still doing nothing but exploring. Found a few magazines. Discovered the truth about the vaults.

EDIT: Some of those old songs are surprisingly naughty.

I listened to the classical channel for a while and really enjoyed a huge gunfight with Super Mutants to the Ride of the Valkyries. And there is something ineffably sad about shooting Raiders in a ruined city while Swan Lake is playing in the background. I did appreciate the Peer Gynt piece during a particularly long sneaking episode.

So where in the wasteland is everybody hiding? I'm getting a little tired of the Minuteman quests. I've kept Dogmeat for company. Reminds me of a dog I had in Skyrim. Although I'm a lover of classical music I tend to keep the music off as it is sometimes distracting. Like my combat armour but hate the power armour. It just kills the sneaky atmosphere for me.

Rowan, I turn music off in lots of games for that very reason. I hope you find some company soon.

The actual game music (as opposed to radio) is pretty darn good. Very atmospheric.

I'm busy building settlements, but am about to ditch all my extra stuff and go for a prolonged explore, do a few quests and get my level up a bit more. Ended up on the beach recently and ran up against some seriously tough enemies -- had to run for it repeatedly. Man, I hate those [blip] flamethrowers. Now where can I get me one?

I've managed to find three Bobbleheads and lots of magazines. Still haven't really decided on a favourite weapon and am carrying around far too much weight as a result.

I can't find my doggy. I left it in Sanctuary and it seems to have wandered off(?)

Hagatha, look here for Dogmeat in Sanctuary.

Hagatha, I hope you and Dogmeat are soon reunited!

Thanks, Rowan

I think I might have scrapped the doghouses, but something tells me I would have saved at least one. I guess I need to do a search, and send him somewhere smaller.

I have to get back to quest-solving instead of roaming. I'm not really getting anywhere. I did manage to get all the way through the Museum of Witchcraft, though, and that was...fun. Having a Mr. Handy around is way better than a squishy human. Makes a much better decoy. I feel far less guilty leaving him...it...to get smacked around while I hide and shoot from the shadows.

A warning to anyone who uses Nexus for their mods, the site has suspicions that they have been hacked so it's probably best if you change your password.

http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/?

rockpapershotgun

Thanks. I haven't installed any mods yet, but it's good to have a warning.

I've met the Minutemen, BofS, and the Railroad. I've done mostly Minutemen quests (not the castle on the hill quest). I would like to do as many quests for each faction before I make a final decision for which faction to join. What is the point of no return where I have to choose?

I've been wondering that myself. I'm currently doing Minuteman and Brotherhood quests, and some of the Diamond City and Good Neighbour quests as well.

Oh, and every now and then I remember that I really, really, really need to find my son... who will be about thirty-five by the time I get around to finding him (although I suspect that his age and who he is will be a major plot point).

I had a son??? Dogmeat kinda replaced him. Hagatha, you awakened a guilty conscience in me.

Yeah. What sort of mother would spend years exploring old subway tunnels looking for magazines instead of going straight for the rescue?

I've been travelling with Strong. At one point he obviously really approved of me, but then I started lockpicking and put on a suit of power armour, and now he's back to making disparaging comments about me being just like the other humans. So I guess I'll go and get my Doggy for a while.

Dogmeat always bares his teeth when I ask him to carry extra equipment. I probably shot him accidentally too many times.

Poor Dogmeat

Oh. That could be part of it, I suppose. I definitely shot Strong more than once; heard a noise, turned around, saw an approaching Mutant, and blammo! Oops. The dog always makes me feel guilty when he gets hurt. I've decided to let him hang around Sanctuary for the rest of his life.

I seem to be specializing in sneak and non-automatic rifles, with pistols as a back-up. For that reason alone Strong makes little sense as he doesn't sneak. Nick is probably my best bet for companion.

I use Curie as companion. No complaints about having to carry a lot of stuff. And she gives a quest as well.

I just recruited Curie, too. I love the way she talks about bagging evidence every time we raid a Mutant base, and asks whether we shouldn't leave corpse examination to the coroner.

I sure am sick of running out of carrying room, though. Time to dump all my extra weapons. I use a sniper rifle and a combat rifle. In fact, the combat rifle I use was one I found very early in the game and I've never found anything as powerful since. I'm almost level 38, so I will soon be at 5 levels in rifle, enough to bag just about anything except the nastiest Deathclaw Alphas.

I have lots of Fat Men and other large automatic weapons in storage, and I would give them to Strong but...he's gone. I left him at the Starlight Drive In colony, but he obviously wandered off. I guess I'll have to try the Tower and see if he went back there. The rat has a TON of my stuff on him, too.

Hagatha, sounds like Strong needs GPS.

I was worried that perhaps he'd eaten some of my colonists and been "removed," but all seems well at the Starlight.

I just found a bomb shelter in a train carriage in the south east. What a sad story that was. And I emptied a second boy's school that echoed Lord of the Flies. I love the way this game gives you these little vignettes and glimpses into the tragedy that unfolded 200 years ago.

Mme Curie seems to be sweet on me.

EDIT: I seem to be spending more time tending to my communities than I do finishing quests. And I can't figure out what I'm carrying that's so heavy. I've dumped all but essential gear and STILL have 250 pounds of stuff.

But I am enjoying the ride. As with all Fallout games, the exploration is soooo addictive. I still haven't uncovered much of the lower part of the map. But with almost-maximum Rifle and maximum Ninja, I can take out the most powerful 'bots and Deathclaws with my trusty PACS (combat shotgun). Once I figure out how to upgrade it, it should be wicked powerful.

I found my "baby". Not what I expected. May affect the final faction decision. Won't tell more.

Thanks for not spoiling. You're still having fun, though?

We had company for a few days so I haven't played for a couple of weeks.

I am really nowhere in the overall main plot, I think. Time to really get at it and do some quests instead of messing around forever (that's what happened in Skyrim -- I played for over 400 hours and only just scratched the main quest before my laptop died). Not that there's anything wrong with aimless fun. It's just that I have over 100 un-played games in my library.

As long as you are having fun, that's all that counts