Well I've recently been playing some Fallout 3, and I've heard that the series is kind of popular at the moment, so I figured this would be a nice, good question to ask all fans of the series.
How often do you use V.A.T.S
Personally, I hate the damn thing, maybe on higher difficulties (first time playing is always on standard/normal) it's useful but for me it just feels really cheap. I can aim a gun just fine than you, and I don't need any time stopping, slow motion bull crap to kill an enemy.
I have no problems scoring crits. I kill about 80% of enemies with Headshots these days (with just about any weapon, Snipers, Assault Rifles, Shotguns, Pistols, you name it I can headshot with it). I just don't think Fallout's combat is difficult enough to justify a slowing of time in 4, and time completly stopping in 3 and NV. I get they want to make a throwback to the older games, but really they made it too OP (I still have never run out of AP or whatever it is)
That's fine as far as I'm concerned in terms of spoilers.
I guess it might be useful then, but not completely necessary. Any Semi-Automatic Weapon or Shotgun would operate just as effectively against swarms as any other enemy.
Oh and from what I've seen of Todd's Stream, most enemies don't really seem to swarm, just Ghouls and Insects (though I think I've missed just about everything except Todd walking through the Wastes. Another of my many talents
I use it against tough enemies (I'm looking at you Deathclaw that stomped me into the ground yesterday) and I use it when I am using a shotgun. Am I the only one that really enjoys watching enemies explode in slow motion? But with my builds my AP are usually pretty low. I admit that I am terrible at aiming a gun.....haha....especially when a Deathclaw is running at me. I should be hiding in a Vault....
I try to avoid using it. That was true in Fallout 3, more in New Vegas, and it is almost a constant in Fallout 4 with the improved gunplay, though I sometimes use it because I like the new slow time feature that comes with it or, as Jen said, when things like Deathclaws burst out of the ground (and those damn mosquitoes!)
I always enjoy watching enemies explode, it's the greatest fun out there (luckily 3 makes it harder for Shotgun toting DB not do explode everyone)
I've managed to get through so far without meeting one of these Deathclaws but who knows, maybe it'll prove me wrong. My Battle Ender at the moment is my good old Fat Boy, blowing shit up with the power of a tiny nuke.
Now that just seem cheap Half the fun of Fallout is being surprised at an enemy randomly appearing behind you, especially after you scouted the entire area, killed everything and have nearly max perception...
I can definetly understand that, the amount of times I've been snuck up on by a Super Mutant (yeah...the big green, ugly SOB's) and smacked with a melee weapon is more than I'd like to count.
Well, VATS in Fallout 4 doesn´t find enemy that´s behind you, it just targets the one that is somewhere in front of you.
But you still get surprised a lot. Enemies usually flank you from all sides, Mole-rats and Radscorpions emerge from the ground and stuff like that. I would say that VATS can be quite useful against fast enemies like dogs and mole-rats.