I've recently gotten into the old isometric crpgs and I'm loving them. Just finished PST and now I'm playing through the BG series (I really am loving the EE editions). Anyway if I'm not too burned out by then I plan on playing the FO series next. I read on this fourm that FO2 is unfinished and I know from my limited experience with the steam version that the game can be pretty buggy on win7 (good thing I picked up the GOG version too when they were giving them away).

Anyway, is it best to play FO2 with the Restoration Project the first time or just the unmodded game?

Go with RP. It also fixes a lot of bugs and the additions are loyal to original game, completes loose ends, etc.

As an old-time Fallout fan I'm inclined to say vanilla, but honestly it's going to depend on how much of a purist you consider yourself. The vanilla game is playable and enjoyable, yes. The Restoration Project, however, is really quite exceptional. killap (the author) has spent many years painstakingly researching the design docs (and communicating with the original developers) of Fallout and restoring cut content. Unless you're a purist, the RP is a solid choice. It's so good Interplay actually included it on their recent Fallout retail DVD versions.

A piece of advice: the RP will allow you to play Fallout 2 at much higher resolutions, but I wouldn't push it above 1024x768. Bigger than that and it changes the whole feel of the game. In fact, I would probably suggest 800x600.

Finally, I recommend you play Fallout 1 before you play Fallout 2.

I would also recommend using RP despite the fact you are playing for the first time. It will not in any way distort your experience of the game. On the contrary, it will only add to it. Restored locations, quests, lots of bug fixing etc. Nothing is fundamentally changed, only improved in line with the developers vision.

I also concur with UniversalWolf about playing Fallout 1 first. While FO2 is my all time favorite when it comes to Fallout series, playing the original Fallout will improve your understanding of the story and other developments in the second game. Not to mention it is a great game in it's own right. After that you can continue with Fallout: New Vegas if you haven't already. It builds on the events of the first two game.

I recommend the Restoration Project for Fallout 2 for the first-time playthrough. Definitely a better experience.

I agree with most here that Killap's RP patch (not "mod") is inside the vision of the original devs and would recommend it for first time play. If you are concerned about the real vanilla, pure experience you should use at least the fixes-only (no restorations) unofficial patch from Killap, to fix the most remaining bugs from the game.

http://www.killap.net/fallout2/patches/unofficialFO2patch.exe

Yes, absolutely play with the RP.

Agree with everyone, RP I would say is essential.

Id definitely say Yes also, since its not a mod or expansion pack but a Restoration of what the game was originally intended to be

Owned the game since release as well as a copy from GoG...played with and wo the RP. I would say go with the RP. At first a few of the character lines (writing) were a little grating to me....I could tell when a character was written with lines not by the developer (but that's just me) but the further I delved in the better it got and finally felt pretty seamless. If I were to replay it I wouldn't hesitate to install the RP.

No.
The mod (if I remember correctly) added a unnecessarily complicated element to the first mission you receive, in the form of a locked door you can't open if you don't use dynamite on it. Also, some of the stuff this mod puts back (like that abandoned facility) feels better if you already know the game. I did my first playthrough with all the mods and I don't really reccomend it.

No, the RP doesn't do that. You may not have been able to open the door the same way with two different characters depending on their varying skill levels.

If you're good enough you can pick the lock. If not, you can use the dynamite. If you're strong enough you can also use a crowbar to open it. As with most things in Fallout, there are multiple ways to overcome this obstacle.

I'm also going to say no. RP added some things that are out of place, one of them is Kaga, I think it was a good decision to not include the character in the game. Some of the new characters have almost half of Frank Horrigan hp, makes absolutely no sense (no they aren't using armor). The towns were changed (by .pixote.) and unfortunately this is not optional in the installer.
For the newbies, I recommend killap's Unofficial Patch.

I'd also say no. Killap's patch yes, but no restored content for the first run.
There's good and interesting stuff there, but not everything is of... well they didn't cut the best stuff out.

Is it possible to get this thing running on max osx?