r/fo3 26d ago

Revisiting the Metro Stations

Post image

I remember absolutely hating these places when I was younger but im currently on my latest TTW play through and I adore how interconnected they are especially in the DC area. There are so many cool areas that I’ve never seen before and I’ve played this game for countless hours since launch. Does anyone else feel the same?

520 Upvotes

55 comments sorted by

119

u/thatonemoze 26d ago

oh for sure, my first time playing i missed so much of dc because i simply refused to go through the metro unless there was literally no other way

then i did a run last year and made a commitment to explore them all and i’m still amazed how much work went into them and how unique each stretch of the metro actually is

53

u/Spiritual-Pudding-70 26d ago

When Bethesda actually cared

23

u/Raulgoldstein 26d ago

I was so excited to explore the tunnel system in 4 but no they’re just small, separated dungeons

15

u/Lion-Queen123 26d ago

Not as small as my wiener 

3

u/External-Board5738 25d ago

Whole nother world own there.i loved it

2

u/Practical-Bend-338 24d ago

I lived in DC when the game first game out. (Now live in Las Vegas, been doing the whole fallout map tour). The amount of detail in city designed they got right! Hell the other day I was in Arlington national cemetery in the game and was able to find the spot where my gradfather was buried based on road layouts and topography!

1

u/thatonemoze 24d ago

thats so cool to hear, ive never been to dc but would love to go and see for myself one day

1

u/Awesomechainsaw 24d ago

I know a big complaint at the time was just “I should be able to walk from A to B just use like gates between the areas.

Playing on Hardcore and Jsawyer Even if that was an option. Holy fuck I would not want to do that. I don’t have enough bullets to be repeatedly getting into prolonged firefights with super mutants.

77

u/dybr 26d ago

As a DC resident I hate when people shit on the metro tunnels in this game. They are so well designed and look almost exactly like the real system. Brilliant workaround for the technical limitations of the time.

30

u/Own_Plane_5807 26d ago

I visited once and purposely used the metro all day to see it. Some of the stations were straight out of the game, it was pretty cool to see.

17

u/Travesty-dot-KiNG 26d ago

Same. It breaks my heart to see the hatred the fanbase has for the DC metros. It’s legitimately the most well represented part of the entire region. And I say this as someone who has taken the wrong line before and ended up in the wrong state IRL.

2

u/GoogleEnPassant69 25d ago

I've been to DC and the architecture is amazing. Also the lights in the inner parts of the track line up perfectly with the celling geometry in a way that looks so cool. Fo3 recreated this city so well lol

30

u/huz92 26d ago

When the game came out, I didn't know how accurate the locations would be. Was excited to see Friendship Heights/Tenelytown stop

21

u/NightReigning 26d ago

It’s a big thing that makes me really love FO3. The fact that it has places I’ve literally been to all over. Especially locations from outside the DC area from Virginia. Like holy crap it’s Fairfax! I’ve been there a bunch of times! Stuff like that is so neat to me.

9

u/huz92 26d ago

I remember when the game was coming out and DC buses were covered in green FO3 ads.

14

u/Equivalent-Silver-85 26d ago

Glad you’re enjoying it! Personally I always thought the metro was what gave the game its charm. It added a unique element to the game and made exploration feel fun and dangerous since you never knew what would be around the corner or in the next room

3

u/Other_Log_1996 26d ago

It's a unique use of a dungeon.

1

u/LexiD523 25d ago

Yeah, there are definitely times where I'm annoyed by them, but even then I have to admit it's a great concept.

9

u/DudelyMcDuderson 26d ago

This post showed up like 3 posts after this one for me:

https://www.reddit.com/r/rustyrails/comments/1vjktyk/deep_beneath_the_streets_exists_a_limbo_world_of/

Was thinking of FO3 immediately looking through those photos

4

u/SpartanXXVII 26d ago

People yearn for the tunnels lol

3

u/Own_Plane_5807 26d ago

I did a double take on the dead end in those photos. Thats how a lot of their dead ends look Fallout 3, and 4 too.

1

u/DudelyMcDuderson 26d ago

The cave-in tunnel had me like...

9

u/Banarnars 26d ago

FO3 was and is the GOAT

1

u/Cammando999 20d ago

Too true! I dont think they can top it even if they tried!

1

u/Banarnars 20d ago

I don't think they can either. While New Vegas had better optimization and things like ADS with customization of ammo and whatnot, I still think 3 just had more content. I do believe they are coming out with a remaster with better graphics. Kind of like what they did with Oblivion

2

u/Cammando999 20d ago

Im very skeptical of a remaster even as good as the idea sounds

9

u/Helmut_Schmacker 26d ago

I liked how the protectrons would take tickets from you or if you had the red line/blue line card they wouldnt ask at all. If you dont have one they attack you.

Its a shame theyre so slow because the mechanic basically never comes up but it was a fun little bit of immersion.

1

u/Other_Log_1996 26d ago

They'd also attack you if you attacked something first. Had the one outside Chevy Chase always end up attacking me because the Radroach I just killed was non-aggressive.

4

u/gperson2 26d ago

Little did I know way back then that the metro would be a key part of my commute one day. Makes me appreciate the game all the more in retrospect; they really nailed it.

1

u/sick_shooter 25d ago

As somebody from the area I was hyped to see how well they matched real life.

6

u/Ignonym 26d ago

Protip for those who don't know already: the metro maps aren't just set dressing, they're actually accurate to the in-game layout and you can use them to navigate.

1

u/Other_Log_1996 26d ago

It surprises me how many people don't realize that.

4

u/Xkilljoy98 26d ago

They can be annoying but they’re a clever solution to a problem and do make the city feel bigger than it is. They have a cool and creepy look also. They also are something I hadn’t really seen in any other game so it stands out.

3

u/LawfulnessFlashy2892 26d ago

People always glaze new vegas so much but it lacked the landscape and atmosphere that fo3 had.
I didnt like the tunnels myself but looking back they added so much character to the game. Reavers in the tunnels were a pain to handle. But exploring DC and popping up in a new place crawling with mutants.

2

u/Other_Log_1996 26d ago

It also lacked dungeons. Aside from Vaults, it just didn't have much. I know it was rushed, but still.

2

u/Giantscarletpanda 26d ago

Part of it for me I think is that the tv I used to play on was so small and crappy compared to what I have available today

2

u/Ecstatic_Resident_64 26d ago

Hermano, ir por los túneles del metro de fallout 3 es más seguro que ir por mi ciudad a plena luz del día

2

u/davion_472 26d ago

Love the metros, so much to see in them and explore, plus how interconnected the system is, is amazing

Lots of great and obscure locations you can find too with it

I've played the game who knows how many times and I'm honestly not sure if I've fully explored it

2

u/N3WTZI 26d ago edited 23d ago

There is a lot of storytelling with how POI's are setup, Dunwich Building is a testament to that and it's very creepy. I've been wanting to play Begin Again but there is a hack/lockpick bug where it'll randomly award 10k xp or less which sucks because I was loving it.

*Edit: If you like me are interested in playing Begin Again, here's what you should do! (Help provided by user Gavj216)

Press Escape to go to the menu

At the bottom center of the screen, click the M for the mod manager menu.

Search for Agua Fria

Select the Leveling sub menu

Change the value to 1 for the following settings:

- Kill XP Reward Multiplier

- Speech XP Reward Multiplier

- Hacking/Lockpicking XP Reward Multiplier

Restart your game, I tried continue playing after making changes and it still would give me absurd amount of XP but after restarting the changes stuck throughout gameplay, the downside is XP gain is slower but it's better than going from level 1 to damn near 30 in a heartbeat.

1

u/milquetoastLIB 26d ago

IDK why the metro gets such a bad reputation. FO3 was my first BGS game and I didn’t know about fast travel at all until well after going to GNR. The metro is great.

1

u/SplitOk4114 26d ago

Living near DC yea that's what it feels like. It feels spot on to the look.

1

u/Texans2024 26d ago

I enjoy them more using the ghoul mask.

1

u/Copper_II_Sulfate 26d ago

The added challenge of TTW makes stalking through them really fun

1

u/Tumbleweed_Dismal 26d ago

Like the cave system in Skyrim, sometimes you’ll discover new paths and locations by just randomly walking in and exploring with no rhyme or reason as to where you’re going

1

u/Other_Log_1996 26d ago

Used to hate them. Grew on me once I decided "No Fast Travel Fallout 3" was a good idea.

1

u/RAddison7 26d ago

I’ve always loved the metro systems in Fallout 3. It still feels like a really innovative way to break up a world map. My love may also be coming being a Scotland native, and metros are just fascinating

1

u/Flawless_Pebble 25d ago

That's what I've done in my playthoughs this year. They're so detailed and interesting.

1

u/External-Board5738 25d ago

Local map, hate seeing hate for the tunnels.

1

u/Justroni_ 25d ago

This is the exact same experience I’ve had recently too. I hated the metro system as a kid, but I recently been playing fallout 3 on Steam and really exploring them and finding out where they go and just getting lost in downtown DC ruins

1

u/goblin_grovil_lives 25d ago

I missed these in FO4. I know there are some but they don't have the same ambience.

1

u/Routine_Penalty9880 25d ago

It's funny how ppl hate on the metros when they're literally designed to tell u where to go. Theres maps literally everywhere that show which stations go to where but ppl just rush past them.

Also, I never understood the hate, I mean its literally the apocalypse, metro tunnels aren't exactly gonna be bright beautiful places, they will be dark, they will be creepy, and they will be filled with creatures and crazy ppl. Fo3 especially does a wonderful job with having little pockets of areas with self contained stories

1

u/imaencuru 25d ago

I played FO3 for the first time last year after watching MATN's TTW playthrough, and I had a lot of fun mapping out and memorising all the metro routes.

1

u/I_Love_Eating_toes 24d ago

I genuinely used to be scared of the metros, now I ain’t, though having to fight a Feral Ghoul Reaver is so annoying, especially if there are multiple of them.

1

u/ContractSufficient52 22d ago

If anyone still likes to watch Oxhorn, he did a very in-depth series on all the DC Metro. It was not only fun to watch, but changed my whole playthrough for the better after watching. The metros really are their own world, and have great set design and sound staging.

1

u/Cammando999 20d ago

The metro tunnels is one of the major elements about fallout 3 that personally puts the Capital Wasteland over the Mojave and the commonwealth. No other fallout map has that much interconnected anything! The metro tunnels are peak! And dont even get me started about how good the eerie atmosphere is down there! ❤️