Fallout 3 gameplay This article describes the gameplay system of " Fallout 3 " by Bethesda Softworks . Character creation and advancement . The player character has primary stats , skills and perks - all numerical values which determine actions ' chances of success according to mathematical formulas , as well as derived statistic s such as hit point s . Beginning stats are chosen during a series of tutorial quests and may be changed just before exiting Vault 101 . Experience Points are awarded for successful completion of actions . Acquiring enough experience points causes the player character to level up , upon which skill points are distributed by the player and an additional perk chosen . Perspective . The game features both first - person and over - the - shoulder third - person perspective , toggleable at the player ' s choice . Combat . The Vault - Tec Assisted Targeting System , or V . A . T . S . , is an active pause combat system . While using V . A . T . S . , the otherwise real - time combat is paused . V . A . T . S . will also allow the gory deaths in the game to be shown in slow motion and close - up detail . Attacks in V . A . T . S . cost action points , and the player can target specific body areas for attacks to inflict specific injuries . Outside of V . A . T . S . , combat takes place in real time . Weapons and armor . Weapons and armor degrade with use and must be repair ed . Armor and clothing not only provide damage resistance , but many items also provide stat and skill bonuses when equipped . Party . The player will have a maximum party of three , consisting of the player character , Dogmeat and one of the available humanoid companions . Companions become available based on the player character ' s Karma . Dialogue . When in dialogue with an non - player character , the player character chooses responses from a list . Dialogue choices which are dependent on a skill or stat check will display a chance of success next to the text . Dialogue choices can determine quest rewards , Karma level , non - player character reaction , quest branch , as well as other effects . Crafting . You will have a chance to find schematics for and create one homemade weapon for each of the combat skills . Weapons are created on a workbench . Karma . The player character ' s actions , including conversation and combat choices , affects the player ' s status in the game world ; a player who chooses good actions will be received more positively by non - player characters , and a player that chooses bad actions will have the opposite reaction . Whichever faction or group that is harmed by a crime will be fully aware of the player character ' s action . Other factions that were not affected by the crime will not be aware of it , and since a town is usually its own faction , news of a crime committed in one town will not spread to another . Factions can range in size and boundaries , however , and may not be restricted to a single area . Some perks become available based on Karma level . Difficulty . Game ' s difficulty setting modifies damage that player character deals and receives : Minigames . Lockpicking . Lockpicking in " Fallout 3 " requires two things : a bobby pin , used to pick the lock , and a sufficient ranking in the Lockpick skill to be able to pick the lock . The bobby pin is moved into position by the player , and then the lock turned with a screwdriver . If the bobby pin is in the right location , it will open the lock . If the bobby pin is not in the right position , the bobby pin may break . The player also has the option to try to force the lock , but if the attempt fails , the lock will be broken and can only be opened with a key , or reset with the Infiltrator perk . Hacking . Hacking requires that the character be at the sufficient Science level to attempt the hack . The minigame is a logic puzzle , similar to the board game Mastermind , with the player having to guess the passcode out of a pool of given words . Upon choosing a codeword out of the list , the computer will either login ( if the word is correct ) , or tell the player how many letters are correct . Based on this information , the player may guess another word . The player has four attempts to find the correct word : if the fourth guess is incorrect , the computer will lock the player out of the system until the player receives the correct password , or the system is reset upon obtaining the Computer Whiz perk .