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I'm still early in the game (just got to Megaton) but I'm trying to figure out how important action points are. From what I can tell, they just allow you to queue up more attacks while you're in VATS. The thing is, once you've run through the attacks, you can just enter VATS again and queue up more attacks, and so it doesn't really seem to matter how many attacks you get or how many action points you have. Has somebody found otherwise?

SWC

well, you can't "just enter VATS" again, as you have to wait until your action points have been replenished. Kind of the real time equivalent of "waiting your turn"

Action Points are very important. They allow you to use some very inaccurate weapons that you get later. As for my general attack strategy when possible I run up really close enter VATS and just unload on their head. Usually the first shot is a critical and their head blows up.

Gauda wrote:well, you can't "just enter VATS" again, as you have to wait until your action points have been replenished.

So far as I've seen, I can enter VATS at any time, no matter how many AP I have. But, yeah, I've noticed that I score way more critical hits, and I have a much easier time targeting, when I'm in VATS. So AP are useful, but I still don't think they're nearly as useful as the AP from the original Fallouts.

SWC

series0ne wrote:Action Points are very important. They allow you to use some very inaccurate weapons that you get later. As for my general attack strategy when possible I run up really close enter VATS and just unload on their head. Usually the first shot is a critical and their head blows up.

That's what I did at first as well, until I realized how to fully utilize the sneak skill. Made the game even more fun. If you are hidden your hit is a critical, if you are hidden and make a head shot it's instant kill.

So I just sneak around with a hunting rifle.

Also, at later levels, you can get a perk that replenishes all your AP after you make a kill in VATS mode. So you can just exit/enter VATS to have full AP again.

You definitely need AP, but you definitely don't need 10 on agility or anything like that. I agree, swcarter, they don't play as big of a part as in the originals. Also, oddly, at times you are more accurate out of VATS, I've found. This is mainly true if you are sneaking and need a heashot. Sometimes you can't make it from where you are, and have only a 17% chance to hit in VATS, or something. Switch out of VATS, aim manually, and, bam, headshot. Kind of lame, really, but there you have it. I made a headshot on someone from more than seventy feet away, with a basic pistol once, without VATS, when I would have only had around a 10% chance to hit.

Still an enjoyable game, though. Definitely exceeding my expectations so far.

swcarter wrote:So far as I've seen, I can enter VATS at any time, no matter how many AP I have. But, yeah, I've noticed that I score way more critical hits, and I have a much easier time targeting, when I'm in VATS. So AP are useful, but I still don't think they're nearly as useful as the AP from the original Fallouts.

SWC

Yes. That is true. You can enter VATS again right after leaving it, but you can't do anything before you have waited for some action points to replenish. And I agree: AP does not play such a large role as it did in fallout 1/2