Operation: Anchorage

Operation: Anchorage is the first downloadable content (DLC) pack for Fallout 3, and was released on January 27, 2009 for the Xbox 360 and Windows versions. The DLC costs 800 Microsoft points.

Story
In this DLC pack, the Brotherhood of Steel Outcasts are trying to acquire advanced military tools, and the only way to enter the vault containing these relics is by completing a military simulation only the player can enter. In the simulation the player fights in one of the greatest battles of the Fallout universe: the liberation of Anchorage, Alaska from invading Red Chinese troops. The simulation is set between June 2066, when the T-51b Power Armor was first introduced, and January 2067, when Chinese forces were completely driven out of Alaska.

Once the DLC is downloaded, the quest objective for Operation: Anchorage will be activated by a radio broadcast stating, "This is Defender Morill, any Outcasts listening on this frequency report to sector 7-B, Bailey's Crossroads. This is a high-priority message, backup is needed at our location. Any personnel listening on this frequency please report at once." A marker will appear on the world map but the player cannot immediately fast-travel to the location to begin the simulation. The DLC can be played at any time after the player exits Vault 101 at the beginning of the game. After completing the simulation, new equipment will be unlocked for the player to use in the rest of the game.

In the simulation, the player is stripped of any equipment and weapons and be forced to utilize the resources supplied throughout the simulation's environment. The Chinese Red Army is everywhere, and the player first has to secure the surrounding mountain side and then fight their way into the Chinese base. The player has to use a lot of their standard combat skills, along with several new tools that are only available in the DLC. These include interactive strike teams under the player's command as well as unique armor, weapons, and other exotic gadgets. Throughout the simulation various pieces of intel are also hidden, yielding the Covert Ops perk.

New equipment
Accessible outside the simulation:
 * Gauss Rifle
 * Trench Knife
 * Chinese Stealth Suit (+15 to sneak and allows you to have some level of camo when in sneak ONLY)
 * Winterized T-51b Power Armor (The current version is bugged, and thus has near-unlimited durability.)
 * Jingwei's Shock Sword
 * Neural Interface Suit
 * Outcast Specialist Robe

Simulation-only items (ones that don't appear outside the Anchorage simulation without the use of console commands):
 * Winterized Combat Armor
 * General Chase's Uniform (worn by General Constantine Chase)
 * General Jingwei's Uniform (worn by General Jingwei)
 * Army Mechanic Jumpsuit
 * Winterized Chinese Jumpsuit
 * Winterized Chinese Hat

New perk

 * Covert Ops

New enemies

 * A Chimera Tank
 * Spider Drones
 * Chinese Soldiers
 * Crimson Dragoons
 * Chinese Inferno Units
 * Chinese Launchers
 * Chinese Snipers
 * Chinese Technicians
 * General Jingwei

Pickpocketing Enemies
It is possible to pickpocket the enemies in the simulation, nothing but ammo was found in their pockets, it should be noted that if you do manage to pickpocket them you will lose Karma, it is unknown if this is a bug or not.

New areas

 * Bailey's Crossroads Metro
 * There is a Nuka-Cola machine near the zone-in, and the Metro is full of Feral Ghouls.
 * Bailey's Crossroads
 * Your followers rejoin you after you leave the Metro. (or at least they did on my game)
 * Dogmeat will wait for you at Vault 101
 * Outcast Outpost
 * Contains the Anchorage simulation
 * If you have a follower, they will not be able to accompany you into the zone.

Playing offline
While Games for Windows Live requires you to be online to in order to play Operation: Anchorage, you can find the DLC files (a main .bsa, a sounds .bsa, and an .esm) in the following folder
 * (Windows XP)
 * (Windows Vista)

If you copy them to your  folder, you will be able to play the DLC without activating Games for Windows Live.

Remember to click on "Data Files" and check the box next to "Anchorage" before loading the game.

Compatibility Bugs for Xbox 360 NTSC/J (Asian and Japanese) Versions

 * Due to the fact that Bethesda hasn't released the 1.1 patch in Asian regions, players who purchased the DLC (and are playing with an NTSC/J Xbox 360 and Fallout 3) via the Asian Marketplace cannot access the DLC no matter what they do, even though the game will display the "Loading Extra Content" message upon start up and the Download menu in the Main Menu shows Operation: Anchorage being successfully integrated with the game. The radio message to start off the quest chain simply will not come, no matter what is done. To date, there is no fix for it though Bethesda as stated on their official forums that they are looking into things and will make an announcement soon.

As of 1/28/09, a day after the official release, Operation Anchorage has been removed entirely from the Asian Xbox Live Marketplace. No explanation has been given by Microsoft or Bethesda, though one might assume the compatibility issue was the problem. To date, there has been no word on whether early Asian adopters of the DLC will be refunded for the purchase.

Mapping Bugs

 * After reaching the U.S. Army camp at the beginning of second section of the operation, it is possible to get behind the forcefield and walk freely around the open landscape. You are able to walk on almost all ground. It is also possible to complete the second section of the operation without firing your weapon by simply walking along the pipeline all the way to the Chinese HQ and activating the door from the inside. Though doing this will bypass the other mission objectives so you will not recieve the "Paving the Way" achievement, but you will recieve the other three. The second half of the DLC in 9 minutes using this bug. > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKQmgel4LYI


 * Upon entering the Chimera compound, the wall to the right hand side is climbable through a series of jumps and by sticking as close to the wall as possible. Once you reach the top you can walk through the forcefield and enjoy the freedom.


 * To the left of the guard tower directly outside of the Chimera compound, you can walk through the rock(only enabling you to see behind it). The same bug can also be found in numerous places on this map. One being the bend along the same wall as before, but earlier in the path. Another is just inside the Chimera compound, follow the right hand wall from the guard tower and the rocks are not solid.

Object Bugs

 * When trying to re enter the simulation pod it, will prompt you to have your neural interface suit regardless of if you have it on. Trying to sit in the chair will yield no action as pressing the use key will not allow you to sit back in it.  This is either a bug or you're simply not allowed to re enter the simulation, which hopefully may be fixed in an update, so if you want to relive the adventure, save well before you hop in.

Misc Bugs

 * Xbox 360 Version: In the first part of the simulation in a bunker it appears as if the doors are blocked with rubble, although they can still be passed through


 * Xbox 360 Version: When you are at the base and you can get new equipment you can get the requisition form then walk over to the quartermaster and drop all your old equipment and ask him for the new equipment, he says he will take all your old weapons but they will still be laying on the ground so it's possible to get all 4 equipment sets and have them at once (makes for a bigger selection of what you can do)


 * When in the simulation, placing a marker on the new 'world map' may in fact cause your compass to direct you to a different, unrelated location. When opening your map again, you will see yourself moving away from the marker you placed, despite the on screen compass suggesting you are approaching it.


 * Shortly after getting inside of the artillery compound for the first time, after some stairs is a room locked by a terminal, inside the room is a second terminal and a chair. Sitting on the chair will leave the player stuck standing up with no way to exit and return to normal play.


 * If you obtained Colonel Autumn's Laser Pistol (via glitching or console) you can bring it along with you into the simulation unlike the rest of your equipment. However you can't use it as no ammo can be found for it.


 * For some odd reason, many trees at the beginning of the level may seem to be elevated to a very high level. Some of the textures on trees later in the game may have their low resolution textures.


 * If you equip the Shishkebab previous to entering the pod, the motorcycle tank will be visible on your back until the next 'fade to white' reload.


 * Not neccessarily a bug, but very annoying. When escorting the Outcast's to their base, any direct or indirect fire that hits them will turn them hostile to you, you can yield to them by holstering your weapon.


 * Any Weapon you equip upon exiting the simulator will be unequipped


 * During your fight with the General, Power Armored Soldiers may appear to enter the area as enemy units and begin to shoot at you.


 * If you attack an enemy in VATS right before fading to white after blowing up the artillery guns, when you fade into the CP Tent you will be stuck punching the air until the General talks to you, which then, afterwards, you return to normal play.


 * When trying to re-enter the Outcast Outpost after having completed the DLC Quests, the lift/elevator can freeze with no way of exiting. If this happens to you, try turning around and hitting the switch on the lift. When this works, you'll see the elevator doors close (on the already closed elevator doors, no less), and the lift will rise, sending you back out to Bailey's Crossroads. (You may have to reload the autosave for this to work, though.)


 * You can bring a Repellent Stick into the simulation with you.


 * If you run up to a dead Stealth Dragoon before it vanishes and decide to use the Canibal perk, the game may crash (pc) It's advisable not to consume them.


 * After completing the simulation and obtaining the Winterized T-51b Power Armor, if you have not yet completed You Gotta Shoot 'Em in the Head and are currently doing that quest you will automatically complete it and receive the Xbox 360 or PC achievement or PS3 Trophy. Since the quest is complete, you cannot continue in the quest. If you have not picked up any keys from the targets, then the keys will no longer be attainable.


 * If you enter the simulation with a Slave Collar in your inventory, it will remain there inside of the simulation.


 * This could be a significant bug, I don't know. I tried to beat the Chinese General at the end several times with no luck. As I was tired of seeing the cut scene over and over again, I decided to save the game right at the end of the cut scene. As soon as the game restarted, the General was dead, killed by an American Soldier with a Power Sledge.


 * You are able to pick up 3 pieces of Scrap Metal in the Listening Building. I can't recall where exactly (or if it is in the Listening Building), but I do know that these items can be picked up while all others can not.

Gallery
 Image:Fallout-3-20081210103254094.jpg|An artillery battery firing Image:Fallout-3-20081210103221985.jpg|General Chase surveying a map Image:Fallout-3-20081210103247375_(1).jpg|Technicians and a soldier in a set of T-51b Power Armor Image:Anchorage_Gauss.jpg|A soldier with a Gauss Rifle Image:Fallout-3-20081210103232438.jpg|The Trans-Alaskan Pipeline Image:Fallout-3-20081210103229031.jpg|A Chimera tank Image:Screen08B.jpg|A Chinese Stealth Suit Image:Chinese Base.jpg|The Chinese base Image:OA Vertibird.jpg|A VB-02 Vertibird Image:OA PA.jpg|Soldiers equipped with T-51b Power Armor and carrying Miniguns Image:OA General Chase.jpg|General Chase addressing the player Image:Screen07B.jpg|A soldier in winter combat gear