Fallout 3 was actually one of the best gaming experiences I had in the last 10 years, but only after I modded it to my liking. The vanilla game is quite mediocre.
Your first priority should be to tweak the difficulty. Out of the box, the game is a cakewalk, and you level up far too quickly. I used "Arwen's XP Reducer" to lower the XP gain by 60%, but iirc there are a number of other mods you can use as well.
"Darnified UI" and "Iron Sights" are both must haves imo. You can tweak the Darnified config file to change what the compass shows if you like. I didn't like how the compass basically shows you where everything is, so I removed all the markers except the directional pointer. I felt more satisfaction from discovering the landmarks on my own.
I also used a mod that removed the bonuses given by the bobbleheads. I felt they added to you being overpowered, but that's just my opinion. I used another mod to remove the achievements because I didn't like them popping up on the screen while I was playing.
Oh, and definitely install "Delay DLC". It makes the game more realistic by making you discover the DLC quests on your own rather than just being given them as soon as you leave the vault.
Your first priority should be to tweak the difficulty. Out of the box, the game is a cakewalk, and you level up far too quickly. I used "Arwen's XP Reducer" to lower the XP gain by 60%, but iirc there are a number of other mods you can use as well.
"Darnified UI" and "Iron Sights" are both must haves imo. You can tweak the Darnified config file to change what the compass shows if you like. I didn't like how the compass basically shows you where everything is, so I removed all the markers except the directional pointer. I felt more satisfaction from discovering the landmarks on my own.
I also used a mod that removed the bonuses given by the bobbleheads. I felt they added to you being overpowered, but that's just my opinion. I used another mod to remove the achievements because I didn't like them popping up on the screen while I was playing.
Oh, and definitely install "Delay DLC". It makes the game more realistic by making you discover the DLC quests on your own rather than just being given them as soon as you leave the vault.