Info about Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel:

Official game description:
Tactical Squad-Based Combat comes to the Fallout® Universe!  
You are the wretched refuse. You may be born from dirt, but we will forge you into steel. You will learn to bend; if not you, will you break. In these dark times, the Brotherhood - your Brotherhood - is all that stands between the rekindled flame of civilization and the howling, radiated wasteland.  
Your weapons will become more than your tools, they will become your friends. You will use your skills to inspire the lowly and protect the weak... whether they like it or not. Your squadmates will be more dear to you than your kin and for those that survive there will be honor, respect and the spoils of war.

Release date: 19 Aug, 2009

Categories: Tactical Combat, Real-time with Pause, Turn-based Combat, Squad Management, Character Customization, Equipment Customization, Single-player Story, Linear Progression


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Highly enjoyable and underrated (weight 0.97): Many players consider this game a 'hidden gem' or an 'underrated masterpiece' within its genre and the Fallout series. It offers a fun, challenging, and addictive tactical experience that holds up well over time, often exceeding initial expectations and providing long-term enjoyment.
- Authentic Fallout tactical spin-off (weight 0.64): The game successfully translates the classic Fallout atmosphere and lore into a real-time tactical combat format. Players appreciate its unique approach as a spin-off, feeling it retains the grim tone and visual style while offering a different gameplay experience compared to the main RPG entries.
- Engaging squad tactical combat (weight 0.38): Players praise the game's in-depth tactical combat mechanics, squad management, and character development, often comparing it favorably to games like XCOM or Jagged Alliance. The ability to customize a team and adapt strategies for diverse missions is a major highlight, offering significant strategic depth.
- Appealing visuals and world design (weight 0.23): Despite its age, the 2D isometric graphics are noted as improved from previous series entries and have aged remarkably well, maintaining the post-apocalyptic aesthetic. The game features rich, varied, and interactive level designs, along with a significantly larger and more pleasant visible inventory.
- Adaptable real-time/turn-based combat (weight 0.19): The unique ability to switch between real-time with pause and classic turn-based combat modes is a key feature. This flexibility allows players to tailor the pace of battles to their preference, with real-time often making larger levels feel faster while turn-based offers more strategic control.
- Immersive sound and voice acting (weight 0.15): The game's sound design, including weapon effects, ambient sounds, and a quality soundtrack, effectively contributes to immersion. The voice acting, particularly featuring R. Lee Ermey, is highly praised for adding to the military atmosphere and character.
- Varied and unique missions (weight 0.11): The game offers a good variety of missions, with many feeling unique and fresh, including rescue, escort, and challenging tactical scenarios. Players appreciate the options for how missions can be accomplished and the inclusion of optional objectives, enhancing replayability.
- Unique Brotherhood of Steel portrayal (weight 0.1): The game provides a distinct and often harsh perspective on the Brotherhood of Steel's origins and internal workings. Players found this depiction to be solid, believable, and more compelling than in other Fallout games, offering significant lore expansion.
- Extensive and strategic campaign (weight 0.08): The campaign is described as lengthy, offering 35-40 hours or even over 100 hours of playtime, packed with strategic battles. Missions are extensive, can be solved in multiple ways, and include additional objectives, providing a deep and rewarding experience.
- Broad weapon variety (weight 0.08): The game offers a huge array of weapons, with over 150 types of melee and ranged options, along with armor. This broad selection allows players to find weapons that suit their playstyle and preferences, enhancing customization and tactical choices.
- Stable performance on modern systems (weight 0.07): Despite being an older game, many players report relatively stable performance, even on modern operating systems like Linux or Windows 10, often with minor fixes. The GOG version is noted for not having launch issues and experiencing minimal bugs or crashes.

Common complaints:
- Weak RPG Elements and Story (weight 0.8): The game significantly deviates from traditional Fallout RPGs, lacking deep narrative, player choices, open-world exploration, and rich character development. The story is often described as linear, unengaging, inconsistent with established lore, and having minimal impact from player decisions. This often disappoints fans of the main series who expected more traditional RPG depth.
- Severe Technical Issues and Bugs (weight 0.74): Many players report the game is unplayable or barely runs on modern systems, especially the Steam version, due to frequent crashes, game-breaking bugs, and compatibility issues requiring extensive community workarounds. This impacts core playability and overall enjoyment, making it a frustrating experience for many. The game is often described as a 'buggy mess' and technically outdated.
- Flawed and Tedious Combat Systems (weight 0.29): Both real-time and turn-based combat modes are criticized for being slow, cumbersome, and poorly implemented. Turn-based combat suffers from excessively long enemy turns in large encounters, while real-time mode is chaotic due to difficult squad management and a lack of a proper tactical pause function. This makes core gameplay feel like a 'slog' rather than engaging.
- Poor AI and Pathfinding (weight 0.24): Players widely criticize the game's AI for both enemies and companions, citing poor pathfinding, characters getting stuck, and inefficient movement calculations that prolong turn times. This leads to frustrating combat encounters, a lack of tactical challenge, and general annoyance with character movement. The AI is often described as 'awful' or 'brain-damaged'.
- Overly Frequent Random Encounters (weight 0.17): World map travel is deemed tedious and broken due to an excessive number of random encounters, often occurring every few seconds. These encounters are frequently described as boring, unrewarding, and disruptive to pacing, turning travel into a frustrating chore rather than an engaging part of the game. Many players report wasting significant time avoiding or clicking through them.
- Restricted NPC Interaction (weight 0.14): The game significantly limits player interaction with NPCs, lacking a proper dialogue system, branching conversations, or even the ability to speak with companions. This absence of meaningful NPC engagement detracts from role-playing immersion and world-building. Players often feel unable to influence the narrative or learn more about the world.
- Steep Difficulty and Slow Progression (weight 0.14): The game presents a brutal combat curve and is generally unforgiving to newcomers, requiring meticulous character development and armament choices. Leveling is slow, and the overall progression model is described as monotonous and repetitive, making it difficult for some players to get into or stay engaged with the game. This can lead to a high barrier to entry and reduced replayability.
- Imbalanced Late-Game Combat (weight 0.14): Late-game combat suffers from significant balance issues, with many weapon types becoming ineffective against 'bullet sponge' enemies like robots. This often forces players into repetitive tactics or reliance on a narrow selection of powerful energy weapons, reducing tactical variety and overall challenge. Small guns, in particular, become largely useless.
- Repetitive Mission Structure (weight 0.12): Missions are often criticized for their repetitive nature, frequently boiling down to similar objectives and ending in enemy eradication. This linearity, combined with a lack of an overarching scenario and tedious item management, makes mission progression feel monotonous. Players found that missions rarely felt connected or meaningful within a larger story.
- Clunky and Archaic Controls (weight 0.09): Many players found the game's controls to be clunky, unresponsive, and archaic, making general gameplay frustrating. Vehicle controls, in particular, are highlighted as imprecise and cumbersome, contributing to an unpleasant user experience. This archaic control scheme can be a significant hurdle for players accustomed to modern interfaces.

Gameplay feedback:
- Diverse Tactical Combat Modes (weight 0.81): The game offers robust tactical combat with options for turn-based (Individual, Squad, Continuous) and real-time modes, allowing players to choose their preferred strategy. It emphasizes careful positioning, cover, weapon selection, and squad management, making it primarily a combat-focused tactical game.
- Deep Squad & Character Customization (weight 0.42): Players manage a squad of up to six characters, including diverse recruits like humans, ghouls, super mutants, and Deathclaws. There's significant character customization through skills, perks, loadouts, and initial character creation, allowing for varied roles and strategic team compositions.
- Linear Mission-Based Progression (weight 0.25): The game features a distinctly mission-based structure with a linear storyline across 20+ missions, often divided among different bunkers. Players return to a base of operations between missions for orders, trading, and recruiting, with limited open-world exploration or non-linear choices.
- Brotherhood of Steel Central Role (weight 0.21): The narrative and gameplay are centered around the Brotherhood of Steel. Players start as a rookie, leading a squad of BoS soldiers on missions to clear the wasteland, advance in rank, and uncover plots, with Brotherhood camps serving as key operational hubs.
- Varied Difficulty & Tough Guy Mode (weight 0.17): The game offers a wide range of difficulty settings, from Easy to Insane, significantly impacting enemy stats and player accuracy. "Tough Guy" mode further challenges players with restricted saving, appealing to those seeking a highly demanding experience.
- Light RPG Elements & Looting (weight 0.12): While combat-focused, the game includes light RPG elements such as character ability development, skill point allocation (e.g., Big Guns, Traps), and inventory management. Looting items from missions and selling them at the bunker is crucial for acquiring new equipment.
- Flawed Random Encounter System (weight 0.05): The game features a random encounter system that is not truly random, with rates potentially linked to framerate, and special encounters tied to specific locations. These encounters can drain finite resources, posing a challenge for players.
- Player as Squad Commander (weight 0.05): Players assume the role of a commander within the Brotherhood, following orders from a General and directly commanding their squad of troopers in combat, primarily using firearms.

Performance notes:
- Requires modern Windows workarounds (weight 0.27): Many players encounter difficulties launching and running the game on Windows 10 and 11, frequently experiencing fatal errors related to outdated display settings like 16-bit color depth. Common solutions involve editing config files (e.g., 'bos.cfg' to change 'display.bpp'), utilizing compatibility modes (e.g., Windows 95, reduced color), running in specific windowed modes, or following detailed community guides for proper setup.
- Limit framerate for stability (weight 0.1): Limiting the game's framerate is crucial for stability and can significantly impact gameplay mechanics, such as the frequency of random encounters. Players have noted that capping FPS, often at 30, can reduce the number of random encounters and prevent various issues.
- High resolution support possible (weight 0.07): While the game natively supports lower resolutions, players can achieve modern widescreen (16:9) resolutions using pre-patched high-resolution options or community-provided plugins, such as the FTTools HiRes Patch. Implementing higher resolutions may require additional UI fixes to prevent visual artifacts like ugly black spaces or scaling issues.
- Customizable keyboard controls (weight 0.05): Keyboard control bindings are modifiable by editing the 'keys.cfg' configuration file, allowing players to tailor their experience. A minor issue where Alt+Tab can temporarily disable keyboard input is easily resolved by pressing the Alt key again.
- German censorship removal available (weight 0.02): Players in Germany can remove content censorship by manually editing specific values within the 'bos.cfg' configuration file. Changing 'game.violenceLevel' to '3' and 'game.violenceLocked' to 'false' will enable the game's full violence settings.
- DirectPlay installation skippable (weight 0.02): The game's reliance on the deprecated DirectPlay technology is often noted, but players can generally bypass or skip its installation during setup. This typically does not impact the game's functionality on modern systems.

Recommendations:
- Appeals to Specific Player Niche (weight 0.46): The game is strongly recommended for fans of classic Fallout (1 & 2), tactical turn-based strategy games like XCOM or Jagged Alliance, and those who enjoy challenging squad combat. It caters to players looking for a different Fallout experience focused on gameplay mechanics rather than traditional RPG elements and narrative freedom.
- Manage Expectations, Not for All (weight 0.33): Players offer mixed reviews, stating the game isn't great but not terrible, and that it may disappoint those expecting a deep story, extensive dialogue, or traditional Fallout RPG elements. It's often advised not to compare it to mainline Fallout titles and to consider it a distinct tactical spin-off.
- Generally Positive Reception (weight 0.27): Many players highly recommend the game, giving it strong ratings (e.g., 8/10, 9.3/10, 10/10, A-). Reviewers express strong positive sentiment, advising others to try it, and believe it's worth its price, suggesting a generally enjoyable experience.
- Technical Glitches Hamper Experience (weight 0.09): The game is noted to have significant technical issues, including game-breaking glitches and installation problems, with some reporting Steam will not offer reimbursements. Players are advised to get the GOG version as a workaround or be prepared for minor inconveniences.
- Specific Playstyle & Setup Tips (weight 0.06): To enhance the experience, players suggest not playing the game 'vanilla' (implying mods/patches), trying hardcore mode, and saving frequently before gunfights to prevent significant setbacks. There's also advice regarding the interpretation of the game's ending.
- Consider Classic Collection Bundle (weight 0.02): One reviewer recommends acquiring the 'Fallout Classic Collection' bundle, especially when on sale, as it includes all classic Fallout games and is considered a worthwhile purchase for the story. This is based on limited feedback.

Other player notes:
- Not a typical Fallout RPG (weight 0.37): The game is noted for deviating significantly from the classic Fallout RPG formula, focusing instead on tactical combat. This shift led to initial negative reception and a reputation as the "black sheep" of the franchise among long-time fans who expected a traditional RPG experience. Despite this, some players find it an acceptable historical artifact or even underrated.
- Modding enhances gameplay experience (weight 0.15): Player feedback indicates the availability of mods like the Redux Mod, which aims to address and revamp many of the game's original issues. These community-created modifications are a notable aspect for players looking to improve or refresh their experience with the game.
- Community provides technical solutions (weight 0.13): Players frequently share solutions for technical challenges, such as enabling bonus missions, adjusting violence filters in specific regional versions, or troubleshooting launch issues on modern Windows systems. There's also mention of a community-made Chinese localization patch, highlighting active player efforts to enhance and maintain the game experience.
- Contentious Fallout canon status (weight 0.1): The game's place in the official Fallout lore is heavily debated, with some considering it semi-canon or entirely non-canonical due to contradictions with established lore, particularly regarding the Brotherhood of Steel's origins. Despite initial dismissal, elements from the game were later integrated into the broader Fallout universe by Bethesda.
- Gaining appreciation with age (weight 0.09): Despite initial mixed or negative reception, many players now consider the game underrated and find it has aged well, gaining more appreciation years after its release. It is often found on sale, making it accessible to new players or those giving it a second chance.
- Encourages repeated playthroughs (weight 0.06): Despite its age and mixed reception, the game has inspired significant replayability among some players, with individuals reporting dozens of completed playthroughs and a desire to revisit the game years later. This suggests a compelling core experience for dedicated fans.
- Lacked sufficient development time (weight 0.03): Some players feel the game suffered from insufficient development time, suggesting it has a "gigantic flaw" that could have been addressed with more polish. However, the specific nature of this flaw is not detailed in the feedback.

Emotions:
- Satisfaction (weight 0.24): The primary causes for satisfaction include the enjoyable and challenging tactical combat, engaging squad management, and deep character development. Players also found satisfaction in the game's high-quality atmosphere, story, and unique design, often exceeding initial expectations or comparing favorably to other titles. Overcoming the brutal difficulty further contributed to a rewarding experience.
- Frustration (weight 0.13): Frustration mainly stems from significant technical issues such as crashes, bugs, and incompatibility with modern systems, often rendering the game unplayable without external fixes. Players also expressed frustration with clunky controls, poor pathfinding, tedious combat length, repetitive random encounters, and misleading hit chances.
- Disappointment (weight 0.1): Disappointment arose from the game's failure to meet expectations, particularly its lack of deep RPG elements, linear plot, and perceived weakness in story and lore compared to other Fallout titles. Technical issues leading to an unplayable or outdated experience, and slow, unbalanced combat also contributed to players' disillusionment with the game.
- Appreciation (weight 0.1): Appreciation is driven by the game's unique approach as a tactical spin-off, successfully blending genre shifts with Fallout elements. Reviewers valued its improved graphics, challenging combat, and enduring relevance, often seeing it as an underrated gem for its distinct identity and influence within the series.
- Excitement (weight 0.06): Excitement is generated by the game's engaging and challenging tactical gameplay, captivating plot, and high replayability. Players expressed enthusiasm for discovering an underrated gem, setting up ambushes, and the intense, addictive nature of the combat and strategic planning.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.05): Nostalgia is primarily linked to fond memories of playing the game during childhood or adolescence, often since its original release or demo. Reviewers also felt nostalgic for the pre-modernized Fallout experience, recognizing old voice acting and the game's connection to the classic Fallout series.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.04): Enjoyment comes from the engaging real-time combat, effective squad management, and the overall fun and tactical depth the game offers. Players found satisfaction in its post-apocalyptic world, varied missions, and the positive experience of playing it with friends or as a refreshing change of pace.
- Informative (weight 0.03): Reviewers provided informative feedback by describing the game's genre shift, mechanics, features, and target audience, often offering balanced pros and cons. They also gave comprehensive technical details, explained game fixes, and warned potential buyers about specific aspects or limitations.
- Helpfulness (weight 0.03): Helpfulness is demonstrated through reviewers providing comprehensive solutions for technical problems, sharing details about high-resolution patches, and offering strategic advice. Their goal was to assist other players in overcoming issues, making the game accessible, and improving their overall experience.
- Anger (weight 0.02): Anger is intensely expressed due to the game being sold in a broken and unplayable state, forcing players to implement their own fixes. Reviewers conveyed strong negative feelings regarding the game's perceived low quality, numerous game-breaking issues, and overall 'unplayable garbage' status.
- Analytical (weight 0.02): Analytical feedback involved reviewers thoroughly breaking down the game's design, mechanics, and components, often including character builds and comparisons to other titles. This demonstrated a deep understanding and critical examination of the game's various aspects and reception.
- Love (weight 0.01): Love for the game is rooted in its overall atmosphere, compelling concept, engaging story, and robust game system, often despite its inherent difficulty or perceived flaws. Reviewers cherished the immersive experience and the fun factor it provided.
- Joy (weight 0.01): Joy is experienced through rediscovering and thoroughly enjoying the game years later, particularly its open sandbox style, tactical planning, and successful character building/combat. It's often highlighted as a favorite Fallout title, leading to multiple satisfying playthroughs and long-term enjoyment.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.01): Enthusiasm is characterized by strong recommendations for the game, praising its overall quality, captivating story (often compared favorably to newer titles), and excellent mod support. Reviewers conveyed a high degree of positive endorsement despite any minor technical issues.
- Caution (weight 0.01): Caution is expressed to warn potential players about significant departures from traditional Fallout RPG elements, high difficulty, and the presence of bugs or outdated graphics. Reviewers advised players to be prepared for startup issues or to save frequently to avoid setbacks.
- Appreciative (weight 0.01): This sentiment focuses specifically on valuing the game's combat-centric design, deep and rewarding tactical gameplay, and its unique, intense take on the Fallout universe. It highlights the strategic depth as a core strength that reviewers strongly acknowledge and respect.
- Ambivalence (weight 0.01): Ambivalence arises from a mixed assessment of the game, acknowledging it as both underrated and potentially flawed or even 'the worst'. Reviewers expressed 'okayish' feelings due to its experimental nature or noted differences between current enjoyment and past experiences.
- Defensiveness (weight 0.01): Defensiveness is evident when reviewers actively counter common negative perceptions, arguing that the game receives undeserved hate or is unfairly criticized as the 'black sheep' of the franchise. They aim to protect the game's reputation from what they perceive as unjust criticism.
- Satisfied (weight 0.01): This emotion specifically refers to the contentment derived from the game's engaging tactical gameplay, its challenging nature, and the overall rewarding experience it offers. It emphasizes the positive outcome of overcoming the game's tactical obstacles.
- Mixed feelings (weight 0): Mixed feelings are a result of encountering both positive and negative aspects, such as the game's bugs and difficulty diminishing enjoyment, alongside its significant departure from the classic Fallout formula. This creates a conflicted view of the overall experience.}