So, in order to learn about local culture, I recently went quail hunting in the desert in Nevada with a friend. It was the first time I had done hunting of any kind.

When I went out into the desert I was amazed at how many abandoned mines are out there. You'll be walking along some hills, and you'll see collapsed mine entrances, holes in the ground, and old rusting storage tanks. I really think that whomever designed FNV must have gone out to the desert and walked around, because in terms of the visuals of the old mines and the old towns the game really got it right.

There are small towns complete with rusting tin shacks that look exactly like the ones from FNV. Lots of old collapsed structures, too.

There are even stores along the highway where you can go in and buy a soda or what have you. There are some really old amazing relics littering the area. Old hollowed out cars. Old rusted machinery and vending machines. Even trashed Navy airplanes...what the hell, how did those get out there?

Furthermore, climbing over hills and rocks out in the desert while carrying firearms, plentiful ammunition, water, first aid supplies, and a knife looking for critters to shoot was very FNV. The only thing that was missing was the Marty Robbins background music.

No MP3-Plyer at hand eh? *snickers*
Also: Yes, they went there and looked around to get a feeling for it.

All you'd needed to have added was trees and a lack of firearms to make me homesick.

I'm Australian, Ronin. All we need is the guns and ammo. We live in a Desert. With supermutants
-Tir

I decided to post some information so that if someone wants to go and do Fallout: New Vegas in real life, they'll have the information to do so. In my opinion, nothing beats actually lugging out food, water, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition in real life over rough terrain under the desert sun.

A great place to get the FNV feel is Nelson, Nevada, less than an hour from Las Vegas. Nelson also appears in FNV, too.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson,_Nevada

If you get yourself a $15 topo map of Nelson from mytopo.com, you'll see that to the Northwest there are several mines, including Quaker City Mine, Blackhawk Mine, Carnation Mine, Dolores Mine etc. To my surprise, the last time I was out there, many of those mines are still active! Last time I was out there I specifically remember that Dolores is definitely active. You can climb onto a hilltop and scout them out with binoculars if you want. I guess it's a bit like spying on the Legion since mining companies in NV are pretty much evil.

Since there's a lot of private property out there, my recommendation is instead to tromp around the desert with your military pattern rifle to the Southeast. A nice little tromp through the desert could involve parking your off-road capable vehicle at the fork south of Nelson, and then land navigating to Morning Star Mine, which is abandoned. You'll see some abandoned artifacts, cactus fields, and lots of rough hills. Go out with a buddy for in case you twist your ankle. Carry at least a gallon of water for unforseen eventualities and wear a hat and sunglasses. Watch out for snakes and don't reach anywhere you can't see. Be sure not to wander into the Lake Mead National Recreation Area with your military pattern rifle, clearly marked on the topo map.

Remember always your firerams safety. Keep the weapon pointed in a safe direction at all times, which usually means the ground and not your foot. Don't sweep anyone with the muzzle when manipulating the weapon. Keep your finger off the trigger unless you're about to fire, and likewise keep the safety engaged until you're about to fire. Sometimes people like to come out and explore Nelson or hunt quail or bunnies, so always be sure of your backstop. Don't fire at anything on top of a hill, and make sure you know where your rounds always go into the side of a hill which will absorb them. As long as you're safe, and far away enough from roads, towns, and other sensitive areas, it's perfectly legal to open fire in the desert with your firearm. Don't forget your eye and ear protection. Personally, whenever I go out into the wilderness with a firearm, I always take a military-style trauma kit.

J&G Sales used to sell a wood-housed AR that was exactly like the Service Rifle from Fallout New Vegas. I was going to say to buy that, since it's a military pattern rifle, and you could get some cheap ALICE gear at a surplus store to help you carry your water and 210 rounds of ammunition, but they don't seem to have it in stock anymore on their website. So, I guess you'll have to go ahead and order a Winchester Trapper or something for the FNV look and feel: http://www.winchesterguns.com/products/cat...&mid=534094

(Wow! What a deal! Only $470!)

There's really something to be said for actually climbing up and down hills, navigating around cactus fields, and looking for points on the map while carrying 200 rounds of ammunition, a longarm, first aid supplies, food, a big hat for the sun, and a gallon of water. I really think everyone who enjoys Fallout should try it.

After you are done exploring the desert, unload and clear and secure your firearm in your vehicle, and head down the paved road from Nelson and look for a big barn with lots of relics and curio items strewn everywhere. A family lives there and they've collected a lot of artifacts and have a lot of stories to tell about the surrounding area. You can buy a cold bottle of water, and take a tour of their land, which includes a non-operational mine. I guarantee that the FNV people must have stopped at this particular barn because it seems to have really influenced the look and feel of FNV.

Another reason for me to never go to Vegas or Nevada. I'd wanto do all this.

You with your bad leg . .

Bad Knees, actually. And elbow. And eyes.

And my hatred of casinos.

Well, if anything, you would make Vegas into more of a Hellhole than it already is ^^