Was it your first time playing? It might not have been random: IIRC FO3 leads you to a grocery store where a "wounded deathclaw" ambushes you, but it's so weak that it's really not much of a threat at all (I ran in circles around a building for a few minutes avoiding it because AHHHH A DEATHCLAW). I'm not sure but I don't recall the normal ones being that much of a danger either, though.
Nope. I finished FO3 twice near its release, but back then I didn't try to maximize damage or build my character in any way that would made sense. Didn't go around trying to break the game too much either.
It was an encounter with a Deathclaw vs. Outcasts beneath a bridge, on the city ruins to the east of the starting area.
I also noticed that I could insta-kill Talon Company mercs, but going too much to the west made even their heads bulletproof.
What's funny is that I never noticed how bad that feels way back on release, because I was younger and in love with the game..so I just probably never fell out of the predicted/optimal path or something.
This time I was just getting my fix before FO4 and well, I guess I just discovered how naive I was 6 years ago.
Generally speaking if all a harder difficulty does is increase numbers on an enemy... I usually ignore it completely.
Yeah, I agree completely. Maybe it has to do with balance: enemy drops better gear sooner, so the player could just get that gear on Hard and swap back to Easy.
I'm not sure what would be the best way to balance that.
I remember playing some game that difficulty also effected enemy tactics, coordination, overall intelligence, agressiveness and "compassion". That sort of thing is what makes harder difficulty appealing to me.
I'm really hoping they do difficulty right. When I played FO2, I really sucked, but I liked how some encounters were easy while some were damn-near impossible because of my skills (or lack of them).
I wonder if that's what they are going for with the changes in SPECIAL, perks and all that.
I also suspect people must have discussed the hell out of those things in the last fifty pages and I'm just too late for the party.