Who is VATS for?

[DocConrad]

Is it a nod to the original fans, as heralded or is it just another concession to shooter enthusiasts?

From the latest "CD Action" magazine:

While throwing grenades and during hand-to-hand combat, while you can use VATS, you can't aim at specific parts of the body

From the above we can infer one of the following possibilities:

1) The previewer simply got it wrong or it was an issue with that particular build.
2) Hand-to-hand combat in Fallout will be handled like that in Morrowind; a socially acceptable, non-lethal combat up until the combatant is knocked unconscious, after which actual physical damage can be dealt.
3) The reality of Unarmed combat is exactly how it reads and there is little to no tactical advantage in using VATS for this mode of gameplay.

If the third option is assumed, other alarming questions are raised:

-Are unarmed weapons, such as Brass Knuckles, the Power Fist, etc. as tactically impotent as hand-to-hand?
-Does this same truncated combat mechanism carry over to melee weapons?

If these are in fact the case then VATS only truly serves to advance the "shooter" elements of the game, leaving Unarmed and Melee combat in the click-happy realm of Oblivion.

 

[RPGenius]

It's a case of the game's identity crisis, in my opinion. The game seems unsure of what it wants to be at the best of times. Taking elements from shooters, BS games and every now and again, if we're lucky, Fallout, seemingly at random.

It's them trying to make an element of the fallout system in a shooter.

 

[daemonofdecay]

The game developers have stated that Hand to Hand combat can/will be lethal, and you can equip things like brass-knuckles to do more damage. And they also said that using melee combat will do lots of damage to make up for the distance you would need to cross to get to your target.

I cant remember if melee combat uses vats or not, but I think it doesn't and remains like Oblivion.

 

[horse]

using vats in melee increases your damage and crit chance. in what degree, remains unclear. no aimed "shots" tho in melee and hth.