Fallout 3 loading screens

This page is a list of loading screen hints and tips found in Fallout 3.

General

 * The Capital Wasteland lacks a unified government, and any institutional system of crime and punishment. If you wrong someone, prepare to pay with your life.
 * The only way to reach the Super Mutant-occupied D.C. ruins is by traveling underground, usually through the abandoned Metro tunnels.

Combat

 * Crouching will both improve your accuracy, and activate sneak mode.
 * Picking someone's pocket and placing a mine or grenade in their inventory will activate the explosive... and cause one heck of a mess.
 * Want to prevent an enemy from fleeing? Cripple the legs.
 * Zooming in with a ranged weapon slows you down, but improves your accuracy.
 * Heavier weapons and apparel will slow you down when they're equipped.
 * You can run faster with your weapon holstered.
 * If you start a fight you can't finish, try putting away your weapon. Your opponent just might forgive you...

Stealth

 * Running is noisier than walking and makes you easier to detect, even if you are sneaking.
 * Stealth is affected by many factors, including light level, sound generated, weight and bulk of worn apparel, and line-of-sight.
 * If you want to stay hidden, stick to the shadows, move slowly, try to stay behind your opponent... and turn off your Pip-Boy light!
 * The light generated from your Pip-Boy light actually makes you less stealthy. If you want to effectively sneak, turn it off.

S.P.E.C.I.A.L.

 * Strength affects how much you can carry, and determines the effectiveness of all melee attacks.
 * A high Perception grants a bonus to the Explosives, Lockpick and Energy Weapons skills.
 * A high Endurance gives bonuses to Health, environmental resistances, and the Big Guns and Unarmed skills.
 * High Charisma gives bonuses to both the Barter and Speech skills.
 * The higher your Intelligence, the more Skill Points you'll be able to distribute when you level up.
 * The higher your Sneak skill, the easier it is to remain undetected, steal an item or pick someone's pocket.
 * Raising your Luck raises all of your skill values, and improves your Critical Chance with all weapons.

Perks

 * The Child at Heart perk improves your interactions with children with unique dialogue choices.
 * The Cyborg perk adds 10 points to your Damage, Poison and Radiation Resistances, and 10 points to your Energy Weapons skill.
 * Once you have the Contract Killer perk, any Good human or Ghoul character you kill will have an ear on their corpse, which can be sold or traded to a certain Evil [sic] character...
 * Once you have the Lawbringer perk, any Evil human or Ghoul character you kill will have a finger on their corpse, which can be sold or traded to a certain Good character...
 * With the Mysterious Stranger perk, your own personal guardian angel will appear occasionally in V.A.T.S. mode to lend a hand... with deadly efficiency.

Tenpenny Tower

 * Tenpenny Tower is the brainchild of Allistair Tenpenny, a British refugee who came to the Capital Wasteland seeking his fortune.
 * Allistair Tenpenny now rarely leaves the comfort and safety of his penthouse suite. His is a madness reserved for the obscenely rich.

Big Town

 * Although it has some crude fortifications, Big Town is the subject of constant attack from Slavers and Super Mutants, who view it as an easy target.
 * The population of Big Town has dwindled significantly in recent years. Most of the residents have been killed or dragged off by Slavers or Super Mutants.
 * The residents of Big Town are all refugees of another settlement, from which they were forcibly expelled...

Canterbury Commons

 * Canterbury Commons is the end of the Capital Wasteland's established merchant caravan route.
 * The remains of a large robot repair center loom over the settlement of Canterbury Commons.
 * Canterbury Commons has become a constant battleground for two costumed "super humans" -- the sinister AntAgonizer and misguided Mechanist.

Megaton

 * At the center or Megaton's crater sits an undetonated atomic bomb, a remnant of the great conflict that destroyed the world.
 * Some of Megaton's first settlers were lured by the misguided hope of entering the nearby Vault 101.
 * Some Megaton residents wonder who's really in charge -- Sheriff Simms, or saloon owner Colin Moriarty...
 * The members of the Church of the Children of Atom worship Megaton's atomic bomb.
 * Word is that Moira Brown, the eccentric owner of Craterside Supply, is looking for assistance on a new project.
 * The residents of Megaton feel safe behind their metal walls. Ironic, considering their proximity to a live atomic bomb.
 * The Church of the Children of Atom believe the war of 2077 was actually a great holy event perpetuated by their god, Atom.

Rivet City

 * The fore section of Rivet City is split from the rest of the carrier, and occupied by hostile Mirelurks.
 * What was once a small scientific community gradually grew into Rivet City, the largest settlement in the Capital Wasteland.
 * Doctor Madison Li, member of Rivet City's ruling council, is one of the greatest scientific minds of her generation.
 * Rivet City has no holding facilities for criminals, and zero tolerance for crime.
 * Security Chief Harkness and his officers are authorized to use deadly force when dealing with any and all transgressors.

Underworld

 * Underworld has become a haven for disenfranchised Ghouls throughout the Capital Wasteland.
 * Underworld was formed in the remains of the Museum of History's special exhibit, which showcased different civilizations' views on the the afterlife.
 * The Ghouls of Underworld generally aren't bothered by D.C.'s Super Mutants, but resent the Brotherhood of Steel for turning their back yard into a warzone.

Tranquility Lane

 * Historical algorithms engaged. Processing Capital Post articles. Extrapolating American cultural references.
 * Loading Tranquility Lane simulation. Please stand by.
 * Vault-Tec prototype simulation engaged. Active program: Tranquility Lane.
 * Accept your perceived reality.

Vault 101

 * The Overseer is the incontestable leader of Vault 101, and his word is law.
 * At age 10, every Vault 101 resident receives a Pip-Boy 3000 personal information processor.
 * At age 16, every Vault 101 resident takes the Generalized Occupational Aptitude Test, or G.O.A.T., which helps determine job placement.
 * Vault 101 security officers are hand-picked by the Overseer himself for their discretion and loyalty.
 * Vault 101's residents remain protected from the outside world, with the exception of the occasional Radroach attack.

Creatures

 * The Mister Gutsy model of robot was commissioned by the U.S. Army just before the atomic apocalypse of 2077.
 * The sturdy Protectron model of robot was created before the great war, and served as a security automaton in both the private and business sectors.
 * The Robobrain, constructed by General Atomics International before the great nuclear war, is unique in that it uses an actual organic brain as its central processor.
 * A Glowing One uses its special ability to deliver radiation to its enemies, and heal any nearby Feral Ghouls.
 * Mister Gutsy is a combat variant of the popular Mister Handy, and is equipped with a Plasma weapon and flamethrower.
 * Super Mutants are often accompanied by Centaurs, which serve as "watchdogs" and alert their masters to danger.
 * Ghouls, both "normal" and Feral, are not only immune to radiation... they're healed by it.
 * A Glowing One is a unique Feral Ghoul that has become a living conduit of radiation.
 * Mirelurk Kings use a devastating sonic attack to debilitate their foes from afar.
 * Yao Guai are fast, powerful predators, and are descended from the area's black bears.
 * Throughout the years since the bombs first fell, dogs have remained largely unaltered by radiation.
 * Deathclaws are some of the most frightening creatures ever encountered by settlers in the Capital Wasteland. Their speed and ferocity are matched only by the size of their claws...
 * Mirelurks are naturally armored throughout their body... with the exception of the face. Try using V.A.T.S. to target this area, and kill them before they get close enough to attack.
 * No job is too nasty for the mercenaries of Talon Company. If you encounter these heartless opportunists, be prepared for a fight to the death.
 * Raiders take whatever they want, whenever they want, and their favorite pastimes are torture and murder.
 * Eyebots spread President Eden's pre-recorded Enclave message throughout the Capital Wasteland.

Operation: Anchorage

 * Loading Anchorage, Alaska simulation. Mission: the Liberation of Anchorage Alaska from Communist Chinese forces. Safeties: Disengaged.
 * Loading Anchorage, Alaska simulation. Motion sickness is normal, and will subside momentarily.

Point Lookout

 * Thousands of Confederate prisoners of war died near Point Lookout in the later years of the American Civil War.
 * The unchecked forces of erosion have carved sinkholes and grottoes throughout Point Lookout.
 * Point Lookout remained very rural and isolated until the Isla Negra real estate company purchased land and began developing new homes and attractions.
 * The Swampfolk denizens of Point Lookout are the product of exposure to heavy radiation and generations of poor breeding.
 * Point Lookout is said to be one of the most haunted locations in Maryland.
 * Point Lookout's rural location shielded it from direct impact during the Great War, but the resulting fallout has irradiated the area in the intervening years.
 * Point Lookout's swamps are rich in natural gases, which sometimes manifest on the surface as explosive methane bubbles.
 * The Turtledove Detention camp was built near Point Lookout because of its isolated location.
 * Swampfolk have no organized society or creed, but seem to mark their territory with totems of wood and bones.
 * Smugglers roam Point Lookout, hoping to find their fortune scavenging this relatively undisturbed desolation.
 * Blackhall Manor was the ancestral home of a wealthy family before the Great War.
 * The Calvert Family had a long history in Point Lookout, but Calvert Mansion is all that remains of their legacy.
 * Coastal shipwrecks and bouys are good places to seek sunken riches.