Fallout 3 loading screens

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

In Fallout 3, the loading screens show snippets of the general information that is found in the stats section under the general tab on the player characters Pip-Boy 3000, along with information regarding the various perks, creatures, factions, people and locations of the game. The backgrounds, like the game introduction sequence, are supposed to look like old projector slides. They show various articles and advertisements, most of which can be found as posters in the game, along with slides from the G.O.A.T. examination. A minimalistic clock face shows loading time, as opposed to loading progress. It also displays helpful game hints.

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.

Factions

 * 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.

Robots

 * 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.
 * Eyebots spread President Eden's pre-recorded Enclave message throughout the Capital Wasteland.

Animals

 * 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.

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.
 * The Brotherhood Outcasts now control the VSS Facility, and hope to gain access to the advanced technology contained within.
 * Welcome to Anchorage, soldier! Fight like you mean it, and we'll have you home by Christmas!

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.

Cut

 * In the year 2277, Washington D.C. has been reduced to a nuclear-shattered Wasteland, where the noble forces of the Brotherhood of Steel wage constant war against an army of hideous Super-Mutants.
 * Energy Weapons include the Alien Blaster, Cryolator and Mesmetron.
 * Endurance influences HPs, Resistances and the Big Guns and Unarmed Skills.
 * Agility influences the Small Guns and Sneak Skills, and the number of Action Points.