hi all!   
 
I started fallout: new  Vegas yesterday, it's a great game, lots of fun. All bugs aside. Not having played fallout 3, I have a few questions and issue I'd like to work out here. 
 
My main problem with the game is, I feel to weak all the time. All the confrontations i run into are either settled by me taking hours to help everyone out or just running away. I worry every time i enter a building, hoping, that on the other side of the  door. There wont be a group of thugs ready to kill me and believe me, they will. 
 
Does anyone else have this problem? Like the time you have to go kill the big guys in the basement of that place? I'd take one down and have to go back up for supplies and stimpaks.  
 
So what gives? do i need to grind a few levels before i venture out into the wastelands? 

I haven't played New Vegas, but the opening of a Fallout game, before you get good guns and can pump a bunch of points into your weapons stat, is very much a battle of making progress and not getting horribly murdered.  Also, never run in guns blazing. Be careful, take your shots, use VATS liberally.  If you can separate the group enough to kill them one by one, that'll also be a big help.

Try using VATS more and don't be afraid to use dynamite.

I think you want to dump some points in the guns skill, and make sure your weapons are in order.
Other than that I wouldn't really know, never had a problem with feeling weak past the opening sequences.

haha everytime i use dynamite it goes flying off in the wrong directions lol!

Playing Fallout 3 it took me a long time to feel strong in the wasteland. I remember an early encounter in a ruined supermarket (everything's ruined in Fallout don't know why I mentioned that) which I couldn't actually complete until I went back much later in the game when I was stronger.  - but it was supremely satisfying when I did.
  I don't know what games you are used to playing but Fallout  is not just a game where you are a big baddasss taking out whole fortresses full of blokes. You have to think more tactially, know your stats and get them in order and pick and choose your fights.

Another tip: I always explore buildings etc. while in stealth mode so you get a good chance for stealth criticals.

Oh man, I have forgotten the feeling of powerlessness in a Fallout world.. Especially when Hardcore Mode is turned on. But so far, loving the fresh experience!

I've always played more in a stealth role in these kinds of games.  Not until you've leveled up quite a ways and gotten some of the more powerful unique weapons do you feel like you can walk in and tear shit up.  I mean, where's the fun of being able to walk up to dudes right in the beginning and take them on without worry?

you know what you do?
 
make it to novac, do the quest for the guy in the giant dinosaur, stop being afraid because he kills everything in 2-3 hits.

First time playing i ran into 2 deathclaws by the mill. They killed me in two strikes. The lesson here is to just follow the start quests and go towards Novac, to the right, and if you get a quest saying "Big monster" or "deathclaw", just F-it until you're strong, or get tons of explosives.. You could, of course, just walk everywhere you want, but i think that leans towards experienced players. But this here all depends on what character you're building. Try to get a companion and it's a lot easier, that's for sure.

Level up Sneak. If you sneak through a door and spam the VATs button it will enter VATs before the room has loaded and you will still be hidden. Each shot will be a critical so just pop off 4 headshots for 4 kills, then just finish off the rest.
 
Equipping a silencer also helps as there won't be any backup running to aid the first group.

What I usually do in building my Fallout character is focus on the specific things that I want to do in the game. I tend to play a sneaky character that hits fast. I like to sneak up on enemies and then crank out a ton of shots before they know what's hit them. So early on I tend to focus on my Guns and Sneak skills. Outside of combat I focus on Speech, Repair, Lockpicking, and Science. 
 
When building my S.P.E.C.I.A.L. I prioritize my Intelligence level. Secondary stats being Agility and Luck for increased AP (Agility) in VATS and better critical hits (Luck). The nice thing about having a character with high Intelligence is that they gain more Skill Points every level. With more Skill Points every level you character will get a lot stronger as he/she grows. 
 
Which leads me to Perks. I can't emphasize this enough, take Educated at level 4. It is a little weaker than in Fallout 3, but +2 Skill Points every level adds up quickly. 
 
Early on your weapons are going to suck, but hot key a rifle for long range and a pistol for shorter range fights. I even carry a shotgun for in-your-face fights early on. Once you get some better guns and pick your perks you can focus more on specific weapon types.

would probably be nice of them to show a level indicator somehow for new people. As someone who's experienced with Fallout ya just kinda know not to mess with Mutants too much and to stay well away from Deathclaws until yer higher level.
 
Whether yer playing it right is debatable since you didn't explain were you put your skills or what your tactics are.
I put a lot of my points into Guns and Repair just so i know my guns will be in top shape.

" would probably be nice of them to show a level indicator somehow for new people. As someone who's experienced with Fallout ya just kinda know not to mess with Mutants too much and to stay well away from Deathclaws until yer higher level.  Whether yer playing it right is debatable since you didn't explain were you put your skills or what your tactics are. I put a lot of my points into Guns and Repair just so i know my guns will be in top shape. "

Put points into the gun skill, you'll notice a big difference.

I started playing Fallout 3 by doing a bunch of side missions, somewhat by accident, and kind of got lost in them.  I had played almost 9 hours before getting to the main storyline stuff and it made the game a little more enjoyable because I was able to go through all the main story stuff fairly easy and was less frustrating.  I'm not saying you should do tons of side missions and over level your character a little bit, but it worked for me.  I'm going to start playing new vegas tonight (just got it) so I hope that mode of playing works, because I intend to use it again.

Fallout is 30 hours of running backwards and waiting for VATS to recharge.

There is no wrong way to play this game!
 
If your having a rough time you can always switch to (very easy) ^__^

" There is no wrong way to play this game!  If your having a rough time you can always switch to (very easy) ^__^ "

" you know what you do?  make it to novac, do the quest for the guy in the giant dinosaur, stop being afraid because he kills everything in 2-3 hits. "

It's damn near impossible to get that survival skill book guarded by the horde of giant radscorpions, the one over by Primm, it's ridiculous!  lol