Montana Smith said:
All apart from the inability to continue after the end of the game without using a mod. And the mod isn't a perfect solution as there were choices you made that aren't recognized in the aftermath.
These games are so big that without poring over a guide you wouldn't know whether you'd done everything before you elected to go into the final battle.
I originally thought that it would have been possible to code in an ability to continue exploring the world you helped forge once the credits have rolled.
However, after thinking about it more closely, it would have been a rather dull world to explore. Say you help the Legion win. It wouldn't have been too hard to replace the common NCR troopers in and around Vegas with legionnaires, but their appearance would have been little more than flavor. I doubt they'd given you new quest lines or dedicated dialogue, so all you'd be hearing is stock lines like "Ave, true to Caesar" over and over again.
And talking about the quests, there is very little that don't involve NCR personnel in some capacity. And given how in only one of the endings the NCR doesn't withdraw from the area, the result in most cases would have been a whole bunch of failed quests in the log and again, a very dull game world to explore.
On the other hand, I can think that letting you continue after the end to play the DLCs would have been a reason enough, even if the area surrounding Vegas proper would have felt empty or undeveloped. For example, the premise of
Honest Hearts certainly feels jarring to do mid-story. The conflict over the dam is brewing, the Courier in the middle of it all... and all of a sudden he or she just decides to take a couple of months off by departing with a random caravan that's looking for a guard? Okay.
In the end, I ended up finding a story justification for it when I went and assassinated Caesar. That way, the Courier needs to get away from the Mojave to escape the Legion's wrath, and the world holding the status quo in his absence can be explained by the Legion needing to regroup. Also, bearing the news of Caesar's death gives you few extra lines of dialogue with Joshua Graham.
Of course, there is nothing in the game that states this outright, but given how neatly all the pieces fell together, I couldn't help but wonder if this was actually meant to be the in-story justification for the add-on. Not a complaint though, as working it all out by myself gave me far greater sense of accomplishment.
Montana Smith said:
But do you get better job offers and opportunities if they're giving you the thumbs up instead of the thumbs down?
There are definitely rewards. You make 'em happy enough and they start offering specific favors in return, which you can utilize by calling them at any given moment. For example, Roman will send a free cab to your location. Little Jacob is a gun merchant, who will drive up to Niko with a boot full of lethal metal, available for a hefty discount. Different girlfriends offer bonuses too, such as calling the cops off of Niko's backside or allowing him to leave the hospital with his arsenal intact. If I recall right, this only applies to the optional ones, though. Michelle and Kate, the two that come with the plot can be safely ignored.
Have to maintain the friendships, too, or they will stop. Tell 'em you're busy enough times after you've unlocked the ability will make their friendship score drop, and once it goes below a specific threshold, they'll simply refuse.
I have to agree though, the mechanic is a little tedious. You can keep 'em off your back though by initiating the activities yourself. Drinking works probably best, as it doesn't involve a minigame of any kind. Call 'em up, catch a cab to their location, then another to the bar and once more to take 'em home. Won't even have to look around for a yellow car if you remain buddies with Roman.