Roaming the islands

[fragger]

Me too, they're great fun :-X And I love how you can let go of them at any time and wingsuit/parachute down (after you've gone south and gotten the wingsuit, that is).

[fragger]

Speaking of hang gliders, I hiked up to the highest point on the south island (at approx. x:260 / y:460). There are a couple of hang gliders up there, one of which points towards the north island. I took this one and flew it all the way across the water to the south island, and without adjusting my altitude and applying only a tiny bit of course correction I was in the air for a whole six minutes, coming down a surprisingly long way inland on the north island.

Also from that high point on the south island I took another hang glider (this one is west of the high point, near a big wooden cross) and flew it towards the radio tower almost due south. My course took me over the airport (the one you rescue your brother from), and just past the airport I let go of the hang glider and went to wingsuit. Approaching the radio tower, I deployed my parachute and with a bit of steering managed to make a gentle controlled landing right in front of the control box on top of the tower. I didn't even have to move, I just turned around and interacted with the box. I was pleased as punch with myself :-()

I collected all the relics but of course you don't get anything for that, except maybe an achievement, I can't recall. Some of them aren't easy to find, and one on the south island requires you to sneak right into an outpost if it's unliberated (Dry Palm Storage Depot) to enter a disused mine to get it. There's another one on the south island that you only seem to be able to get with a hang glider, in a tiny shallow cave way up high on a sheer cliff face. You have to take a glider from a still higher point nearby and try to land right on a small ledge in front of the cave entrance, get the relic, then wingsuit down.

[Binnatics]

I collected all the relics but of course you don't get anything for that, except maybe an achievement, I can't recall. Some of them aren't easy to find, and one on the south island requires you to sneak right into an outpost if it's unliberated (Dry Palm Storage Depot) to enter a disused mine to get it. There's another one on the south island that you only seem to be able to get with a hang glider, in a tiny shallow cave way up high on a sheer cliff face. You have to take a glider from a still higher point nearby and try to land right on a small ledge in front of the cave entrance, get the relic, then wingsuit down.

That's cool! Didn't remember the one in the outpost, that will be intense indeed. I remember the one on the cliff down south. Backthen I didn't know I still had the hang glider so after collecting it (indeed with the hang glider) I jumped to a certain death

I remember one relic on top of a rocky hill near a big cross symbol on the northern island that was also only reachable by hang glider, because I couldn't find a way up the rocks.

I only collected 119 relics in the first playthrough, and now after completing my second (on warrior difficulty without liberating any outposts so far) I want to get them all 120. Just for fun and to keep exploring. It's so relaxing wandering the islands searching for relics and get distracted by numerous entertaining happenings and lead-asking eyes all around you ^-^

[fragger]

 :) I agree, I've been playing for hours and hours and hours just getting relics and lost letters, finding all sorts of cool stuff and having a great many adventures along the way. It has also meant that this second playthrough has ended up being much, much longer than my first one, truly epic :-X

I have now learned to put my annoyance with those main missions aside and concentrate on the fun stuff. When main mission time comes around I can grin and bear them now until I get them out of the way - then get on with the fun stuff :-X

I'm looking forward to the post-game roam this time as I've only liberated six or seven outposts. I haven't really been too concerned about doing the Path of the Hunter missions except for the ones that enable me to carry four weapons and max ammo/quiver. The other pouches and stuff provide plenty of carrying capacity without having to be maxed out.

[PZ]

These posts remind me of the ones we did in FC2; everyone enjoying the game to the maximum despite difficulties.  ^-^

[Art Blade]

yes, they do remind me of those times, too :)

[PZ]

"ahhh... the good 'ol days..." makes me feel old  ^-^

[Art Blade]

makes me feel well seasoned  :-()

[PZ]

makes me feel well seasoned  :-()

oops... reminds me; I need to run out to the smoker - making beef jerky - the soft kind  ^-^

[Art Blade]

"reminds me?" what do you mean, "reminds me?" -- hey, I'm not a well seasoned soft beefy jerk!!

Spoiler

[PZ]

 

[fragger]

Playthrough no. 2 complete! Now it's free-roam time with lots of outposts and baddies to mess with (rubs hands together with great relish) :-X

I had a much longer game this time due to looking for relics, lost letters and loot crates. Money certainly isn't a concern in this game, it's all over the place. The problem is actually having too much of it. I know it isn't necessary but I wanted to see if I could loot every crate and end up with no diamond icons on the map, and since a few crates contain only cash and some of the diamond icons mark not a crate but wads of cash, if my wallet was maxed out I would have to leave those ones and try getting them later. This meant going to a safehouse or shop and buying anything I could (I ended up buying a lot of weapon paint jobs - I'd bought everything else) or deliberately losing contests and poker games to get rid of some money so I could then go back and loot those crates I'd had to leave. I still have some crates to get in locations such as Hoyt's compound and the fuel dump, places that remain defended even after the missions in them have been done, and of course the ones in the unliberated outposts. And one in Vaas' compound that I can never get to now because it's in a building that has become inaccessible since the mission to kill Vaas has been completed.

I seem to have taken a bit of a frame rate hit since I've finished the main game and started the free-roam. Have any other PC players experienced this? Why it should happen I don't know. It's not hugely bad but it is noticeable, I may have to tweak the graphics options a bit to fix it ????

[Art Blade]

I can pretty much relate to all of what you wrote above, fragger  :-()

Good idea losing at poker, brilliant, actually   :-X I waste my money by paying the airstrip a lot of visits (it stays in mercs' hands) so I blow a lot of ammo and explosives and all that over there until all mercs and reinforcements are wasted and then I go back to the next outpost to the east, a nice quick drive down the road, and refill my ammo there which can be pretty costly :-() It has become an enjoyable habit, commuting between those two stations  :-()

I recently felt a frame rate drop while doing Rakyat trials. Actually, it was more a mouse sensitivity issue and I tried to smoothen it -- the best thing I came up with is going to the video section and no, it wasn't the quality which I put back on high (except shadows on low) but the glider that changes the field of view. I don't recall the default which I think was around <70. The smaller the number, the less peripheral stuff you see (basically a zoom). Most games I played had that at 90 which is nice during non-action packed free roam but 70-ish is far smoother when it gets hectic. The mouse sensitivity is directly influenced. If your mouse is slow at 90 it will be fast at 70. Try fiddling around with these :)

[fragger]

Cheers Art :)

Yeah, I sit in on a poker game and choose "Expert" to make the pot as expensive as possible, wait until I get dealt a lousy hand then go all in :-() I think it's the quickest way to lose excess cash. Sometimes it backfires though - the other players all chicken out and fold and I end up winning :D

My frame rate seems to have come good again, apparently just a reload was all that was required. But thanks anyway for the tip about the FOV, that's handy to know :)

[Art Blade]

welcome :) lol @ chicken out / winning - happened to me when I didn't want it, too: I had a good hand and went all in but all others folded  :D :-D

By the way, I checked my FOV, I have it at 80 now. which seems to be a good compromise :)

As to the shotty you mentioned elsewhere.. I just ran into a group of mercs and took them all out with less than one extended mag and all they did was just as much as turn around to get it in their faces  :-X The one health bar got dented when I ran at them and one bullet hit me. I then came to a stop here and so did they  :-D

[smg id=5205 type=link align=center width=500 caption="2012 12 26 00010"]

[fragger]

Cool :-X :-D You even went with the same custom paint job on that as I did 8)

I found a few more loot chests that can't be gotten once the missions that give access to them are done. There are three in Hoyt's mansion which I think you'd have to do after your meeting with Hoyt and when you're on your way to the basement to interrogate the prisoner, and there's a few in the underground part of Hoyt's communications complex. In the first instance, the doors to Hoyt's mansion are closed and you can't get in (you can even see one of the crates just inside one of the front windows, but that glass is apparently as hard as tungsten - C4 won't scratch it) and in the second case the steel door that you blow open during Paint It Black is back in place, and this time you can't blow it. However, if you go up one of the hillsides facing the complex there's a wooden platform you can jump off and you can wingsuit/parachute down to the open area where the big comms dish is (that too is back in place) and then you can get any chests that are in that area. However, you can't get back down the way you came up during Paint It Black as you'll find a big sheet of metal blocking the opening where the ladder is. You can get down from the open area several other ways, but not into the interior areas of the complex. Why, I don't know, considering that you can get back into some other places where main missions have taken place (like where you see the video of Liza being tormented by Vaas at Pirate's Cove).

It's silly how they put some of the chests where you can't get at them later

[Art Blade]

I had the same "problem" -- during my first playthrough I missed out on one single chest in Hoyt's mansion. During my second, as you guessed, I fetched it between the interview with Hoyt and the interrogation with Riley. The Paint it Black mission is one of many (thinking of Citra's temple) that have loot boxes which will be inaccessible after the mission. If you're a perfectionist, take your time during missions to fetch all those boxes you see on the mini map. On your next playthrough, that is.  :-D

[durian]

I think I have a solution for having too much money: buy all the paint job like fragger did,  buy health syringes instead of gather plants, buy armor, buy ammo (especially RPG, sniper rifle, LMG and SMG).

[Art Blade]

Hehe, indeed.. spend your money on things you wouldn't have thought of during the first steps around in the game  :-()

Fragger, just for fun and giggles, regarding frame rate drop and so forth.. I found out that I can use the graphics option "Ultra High" if I use the topmost option (otherwise I'd only get "high") and guess what..  ??? my graphics card isn't wheezing half as much as on high. It is even reasonably smooth and man, it does add detail  ??? :)

[smg id=5209 type=link align=center width=500 caption="FC3 0027"]
[smg id=5212 type=link align=center width=500 caption="2012 12 26 00056"]

The following two are were 1920x1200, the site downsized it to 1024, and compare low with ultra high resolution using dx9. I admit that downsized and pixelated it doesn't show as much as it does in the original pics.

[smg id=5210 type=link align=center width=500 caption="FC3 low res (dx9)"]
see for example in the pic below the green blob (tree), above the mini map and parallel to the roof, on the left side of the pic, which is missing in the pic above. Also, there are more trees on the horizon. Overall it's more sculptural and vivid. You should check them in detail in the library and even better, try it at home -- the game allows any graphic change (even textures) without needing to restart.  :-X
[smg id=5211 type=link align=center width=500 caption="FC3 ultra high res (dx9)"]

[fragger]

Wow, that does make a difference!

I've been running on dx11, maybe I should try running under dx9, upping some of the other options and see what results I get :-X I've noticed with some other games that there can be a major difference between running dx9 and dx10/11, such as with Civ V. On 9, smooth as silk; on 10/11, sluggish.

Cheers :)

[Art Blade]

Hope it works for you :)

[Binnatics]

I will also try and see what difference the game offers me at DX9. I was afraid to lose a bit of 'glance' to everything, but we'll see ^-^

[Art Blade]

Fragger, and everyone else suffering from that too-much-money syndrome, I found a fun way to spend money. On mines. Just stay close to the vending machine so you can get loads of refills. Although you can only carry 6 if you've upgraded your satchel to the max, you can actually place more. Far more. I haven't yet found out how many more but I had placed 2x6 when I got a refill and then walked around to see (or, hear) whether or not the others were still activated and in place. You can't pick them up any more and beware, don't wander away too far because they then sometimes might have forgot that you're the one they're not supposed to blow up. What you will get for all your effort (apart from some space in your wallet) will be several sharp bangs and either random bodies or random dead animals. Makes it fun to wait where it will set off the next and what it will blow up  :-D

Here.. almost wiped me out setting off that mine, that bloody buffalo, but he did bite the dust with quite an impressive bang. You can still see his feet in the air after the lift-off..  :-() Actually he surprised me by running up at me but I am dead sure he had the bigger surprise when he set foot on my turf  >:D

[smg id=5218 type=link align=center width=500 caption="2012 12 28 00004"]

[PZ]

 

[fragger]

 

A kamikaze cow - the bovine wind :-()

I didn't realise that your own mines will remember you put them there and love you for it. I've been dropping them and running away quickly before I set them off myself.

Thanks for the info :)