Back to the wasteland we go!

{Sorry about the delay on this one. On a side note, a mod I recently installed has changed some of the character designs and added much more face customization. So now you look like this:

Moving on…}

Upon entering the Prospector Saloon, you are met by music, a woman, and a dog. The dog growls at you.

This is Sunny Smiles. Doc Mitchell referred you to her on advice for surviving the desert. Before you do that, you decide to ask her a few questions.

“Can you give me a route to get to Primm?”

“Sure can. Take the road southeast out of town till it hits the freeway. Primm is the town with the giant roller coaster. Can’t miss it.”

Map Marker added: Primm

“NCR patrols do a good job of keeping the roads clear, but I’d keep a gun where you can reach it easily. You never know who you’ll run into. Off the road You’ll start running into hostile wildlife. My advice is to stick to the highway when you can.”

“I’m a little short on caps. I don’t suppose there’s any work available?”

“I’m afraid not, but if you’re up for a little scavenging, there’s the old schoolhouse. There’s a safe in there that even Easy Pete can’t open with his dynamite. Here, take these.”

Sunny gives you some extra bobby pin halves and a copy of Locksmith’s Reader, a pre-war magazine on locks.

{Gameplay note: There are two types of usable books in the mojave wasteland: skillbooks and skillmags. Skillbooks are rarer, providing a permanent, but small, boost to a stat based on what book it is. Skillmags are more common, providing 10 skills points based on what magazine it is, but only for a brief period of time. The latter is mostly useful for skill checks, such as speech checks and lockpicks.}

“Thanks. This will be useful”

“Don’t mention it. Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?”

“What do you do around here?”

“I hunt geckos, mostly. The meat’s pretty good, and I can always find a buyer for the hides. I also help keep the town clear of radscorpions and coyotes. Not many people live in Goodsprings, so wildlife is always creeping in.”

“Let’s talk about the area around Goodsprings.”

“Sure. What did you want to know?”

“What other towns are nearby?”

“Southeast of here is Primm. Can’t miss it, since it has the giant old roller coaster right in the middle of town. The NCR’s got an outpost there. If you follow the road north, you’ll eventually hit Sloan and Quarry Junction. They mine rocks or something, but I heard they got troubles lately..”

Map Marker added: Sloan

“Wouldn’t go up there if I were you, though. They got some nasty critters that don’t take kindly to being shot.”

“What kind of creatures are out there?”

“Around here, mostly coyotes and geckos. The coyotes are dangerous in large packs, but otherwise they’re nothing to really worry about. The geckos aren’t too tough, but I’ve heard about bigger, nastier versions out in the wasteland, I’ve never seen them. Stick to the roads when you can, and steer clear of the hills north of Goodsprings. The critters up there are big and poisonous.”

“Doc Mitchell told me you could help me survive in the desert.”

“Yeah, I guess there’s a thing or two I could show you. Sounds like you need all the help you can get after what they done to you. Meet me outside, behind the saloon.”

You follow Sunny to the back of the Prospector Saloon. She lines up some old Sunset Sarsaparilla bottles and gives you what looks like a rifle that was made by an amateur gunsmith.

“You see those sarsaparilla bottles on the fence there? Use that to shoot a couple of them.”

Crouching and looking down the sight to improve your aim, you manage to shoot down a few of the bottles. You miss a few times, though.

“Tell you what, I got to chase geckos away from our water supply anyway. Darn critters are just attracted to it. Why don’t you come along?”

Do you agree or decided against it? (Choosing the former continues the tutorial, while choosing the latter ends it.)

If I remember right, New Vegas has some more complicated mechanics than 3 did. Better stick with the tutorial for now; I don’t know what all the new stuff is.