Ready for a break from all the zombies? Tired of all the dark scenery? Want some fresh air? You got it! Welcome to the open road! Highway 17 - non-stop fun from Shorepoint to the Sand Traps!

The gate opens. There stands the most fun vehicle you will ever have the pleasure of driving. Mounted with a gauss rifle and unlimited MP7 ammo, you will soon find how useful this little buggy can be!

As you get behind the wheel you notice two additional controls: the handbrake and the turbo (or more likely nitrous) boosters. The buggy drives much like the boat from the canals. You may not want to go full throttle all the time, as it can get hard to maintain control. If you do start heading for a cliff at insanely fast speeds, the handbrake becomes a golden lifesaver. Use it! The turbo boosters, however, will not serve much use. There are a couple of jumps on the level that you will need the turbo for, but other than that the buggy goes fast enough by itself!

Before we go any further, let me warn you about your most frequent enemies in the next couple levels, Ant lions. These monstrous bugs love to snack on petty humans like you. Not only do their mandibles pack quite a punch, but their shells are too hard for the MP7 or the pistol to be very effective. This makes the ant lion quite a formidable foe. The real bugger is that they travel in infinite packs that appear right out of the sand. Moral of the story is, play it smart and stick in your buggy when the bugs are out. They are a lot more fun to see as bug juice on your "windshield". If you have to go head-to-head with them, use the shotgun or the revolver.

Anyway, onto the guide! Walk though the gate and to the lovely lady ahead. Don't forget to grab the health packs lying atop the crate on your way out. Get in your marvelous steed and prepare to be inserted. Rev those engines as you are lowered onto the dirt! Oops! You got dropped! If you've flipped over, get out and use your primary fire on the gravity gun to set your buggy upright. Get in quick, there are swarms of ant lions already out. Make your way to the right until you hit a rough path.

Follow the path up the hill. Hit your turbo and jump the gap. Fun wasn't it? Veer right when you see the road construction signs. Follow the road around until you hit the shack. Search around for some supply crates and dart into the dark tunnel ahead.

image: http://www.hlfallout.net/image.php?id=31244 caption: Drive your buggy up the hill ahead.

image: http://www.hlfallout.net/image.php?id=31246 caption: Your first shack to plummage.

Go ahead and drive off the cliff. You will be kept safe in your buggy. Get out and flip your buggy right side up. Drive around to the right toward the large dirt thumper a.k.a. restrictor. These restrictors will prove quite useful. In the proximity of these machines, antlions are too scared to come near. Move on to the house nearby.

image: http://www.hlfallout.net/image.php?id=31252 caption: Restrictors can prove useful when the antlions are stirred.

image: http://www.hlfallout.net/image.php?id=31253 caption: Nothing quite like a zombie infested house to liven up your day!

Walk around to the right and you will see a boarded up basement. Remove the boards and go inside. Knock off any headcrabs you see wandering around. In the corner lies a grenade ammo bunker. Climb the boxes and chunk all your grenades in the room in front of you. Don't worry about wasting the grenades; the ammo crate has an infinite amount. After you chunk all five in, the poison zombie and all his minions should be incinerated. Go inside and collect more supplies. At this point you can restock on grenades and go back to your buggy.

Break through the fence and follow the road past the boat to the next restrictor. Go up a little ways to the next couple of shacks. There are three combine troopers atop the ledge. Show them a taste of your mp5 and grab the supply boxes scattered around. Also check out the binoculars inside the house. See if you can spot the G-man.

image: http://www.hlfallout.net/image.php?id=31255 caption: Watch for the soldiers on the upper tier.

image: http://www.hlfallout.net/image.php?id=31251 caption: Hmmmm...Who's that with the briefcase?

How 'bout a game of swing the tire? You know you want to! There is a tire swing set outside the second house.

After you have had your fun, load back into your buggy and continue on. Cross the stream and head to the next shack. There will be some combine troopers fighting off some antlions. Try to run over a few troopers on your way. Be sure to check the shack for extra goodies.

Follow the shoreline to the friendly N.L.O. outpost. Get out of your buggy and follow the rebel soldier to the captain. Listen to his spiel and get the almighty rocket launcher. Gunship battle time! Follow the stairs up to the roof. The ever so elegant gunship will have just arrived.

image: http://www.hlfallout.net/image.php?id=31258 caption: Some friendly faces at last!

image: http://www.hlfallout.net/image.php?id=31259 caption: Gunships can prove to be a hassle. Five or six shots should bring them down.

Launch a laser-guided rocket right after the gunship fires its volley. Follow the ship with your site until it hits. If the gunship manages to shoot down your rocket, you are firing too late. There are rockets scattered all over the camp so do not worry about ammunition. If you have teammates, go talk to them for ammo and health packs. Five or six solid hits should do the trick. Go talk to the captain after the fight to get your orders. If your low on suit power the voltigaunt will charge you.

image: http://www.hlfallout.net/image.php?id=31260 caption: Use your teammates for health packs and ammo.

image: http://www.hlfallout.net/image.php?id=31261 caption: Kinda strange to ask for a charge from a voltigaunt is it not?

Get back in your buggy and make your way through the gate. Drive down the roadway and veer off to the right into the grassy path. Look familiar? This is the beginning of the ever-so-popular coast video. Drive along the shore until you get to the combine soldiers. Get out with your shotgun blaring and head up the slopped plank onto the pier. Fight off any remaining combine and antlions and grab the supply crates next to the shack. Climb the ladder behind the building and dispatch the two soldiers above. Walk a little further and you might notice a combine trooper shooting at you from atop the crane walkway. Pull out your rocket launcher, aim for his feet, and watch him fly. Ragdoll physics at its best!

image: http://www.hlfallout.net/image.php?id=31262 caption: And you thought the bink looked fun!

image: http://www.hlfallout.net/image.php?id=31263 caption: Wave goodbye to the falling combine.

Make your way over to the crane. Climb the ladder and enter the driver's seat. The controls are straightforward. Be sure to watch the shadows to have a better idea where the magnet will land. Spin the crane to the right and take out the combine in whatever way is most fun. Knock the bridge down with your crane magnet and spin back around to the left for your buggy. Grab your buggy and throw it on the platform the combine were on. You can now leave the crane or play around with your new set of Tonka Toys.

Cross the bridge and fight off the few combine soldiers in the barn. Walk to the back and grab the supplies while flipping the switch to open the side door. Get in your buggy and head back through the barn. Climb the slope and run over a few combine. It is easiest to dispatch the remaining few on foot once you are up the hill.

Now look through the next barn. What pops in your mind? If it's something you have always wanted to do but never had the guts, you're right on. Turbo boost your pimp ride up the ramp and through the glass window. There is a supply crate on the other side if you need it. Continue on the highway.

As you cruise you will notice another gunship approaching. Jump the gap in the road using turbo and race off to a stockpile of junk cars. One of the vehicles has a rocket ammo crate. Use the same strategy you used on the first one and this beast will come down easy. Maybe you will be lucky like me and it will crash right next to you. The gunship is an amazingly well done creation, quite admirable textures and skeleton movement to say the least.

image: http://www.hlfallout.net/image.php?id=31267 caption: Turbo across this gap. Watch for gunship fire.

image: http://www.hlfallout.net/image.php?id=31268 caption: Up close and personal view of the wreckage.

Anyway, clear a path for your buggy. There is a wonderful feeling associated with flipping cars into the ocean. Give it a try! After you have cleared the road, drive your buggy up to the next junk van. Have a look inside. Three supply crates just for you! Get your goodies and head up the road and through the tunnel.

Keep cruisin' and you will come across some rollermines. The little buggers will stick to your buggy. Get out, grab them with the gravity gun, and enjoy the deep, loud, sound pulse as they hit the ocean. You will run into several of these mines as you head to the next locale.

image: http://www.hlfallout.net/image.php?id=31270 caption: Go ahead! Toss it into the sea!

image: http://www.hlfallout.net/image.php?id=31271 caption: These guys are not too much of a threat.

When you reach the next group of buildings, get out and walk into the first shack. Grab the supplies. At this point, the telephone pole outside will have crashed and combine troopers can be heard. Whip out your MP7 and mow the first three down. Enter the house and use your shotgun to dispatch three more. Scrounge around for a few supply boxes and go upstairs. Approach the window on the far side and you will see two combine soldiers shooting at you. Turn around and get ready, a couple soldiers will make their way up the stairs to find you. Pump them full of lead, grab the supplies in this room, and head back outside. There will be at most two more combine out here to take care of.

Get in your buggy and go. There will be another roadblock of junk cars and combine ahead. Blow up the explosive barrels with your gauss gun and you should not have a problem. Be careful when crossing this blockade that you don't fall off the cliff. Continue on to the large oil tanker blocking your path. Climb up the hill to your right to get the crossbow for the first time.

image: http://www.hlfallout.net/image.php?id=31273 caption: Combine and fire mix nicely.

image: http://www.hlfallout.net/image.php?id=31274 caption: The ultimate sniper crossbow - now with fiery bolts!

Zoom in and snipe some soldiers ahead. Be sure to get the one on the Petro billboard. Make your way to the fort taking out soldiers as you go. This gets a little rough so save beforehand. There will be a couple rollermines as well. Enter each building and take out any combine you find. Shotgun works best, but if your low on ammo, MP7 works as well.

After all is clear, follow the power lines to the combine vehicle. Remove the supports under its tires to cut the power line and open the path for your buggy. Be sure to grab all the supplies around the base. If you want to have some fun, the gas pumps explode quite brilliantly.

image: http://www.hlfallout.net/image.php?id=31276 caption: Remove the supports to cut the power line.

image: http://www.hlfallout.net/image.php?id=31277 caption: Light 'em up!

Get in your buggy and keep cruisin'. You will round another tunnel. not far outside there is a lone shack with one combine guard. You can stop if you want, but there is nothing of value in the shack. Keep following the road to the next village area. There are five troopers total in this area so watch out. Feel free to use your rocket launcher, as there is an ammo crate outside one of the buildings.

image: http://www.hlfallout.net/image.php?id=31279 caption: These guys are dangerous. Use caution.

image: http://www.hlfallout.net/image.php?id=31278 caption: Use your rocket launcher all you want. You've got unlimited ammo here.

If you're low on health or supplies, there is an area just off the road to the left with a couple supply crates. Watch out for the two headcrab guards.

Walk over to the edge of the far cliff and you will see a poison zombie and a path to a door on the side of a bridge. Blow the zombie and its minions to bloody gibs and make your way to the door. Take a deep breath, your on to the last part of Highway 17.

image: http://www.hlfallout.net/image.php?id=31281 caption: Watch for the poison zombie below.

image: http://www.hlfallout.net/image.php?id=31282 caption: Into the bridge underworks!

Once inside, follow the path to the next building and head upstairs. After grabbing the health and energy packs, jump to the catwalk in front of you on the right.
Walk into the next shack, kill the headcrab, and grab the supplies. A train will start to pass overhead. Carefully make your way across the beams onto the next platform. Climb up the ladder and you will notice two troopers firing from across the gap. Dispose of them with your rocket launcher and keep going across the beams. If you didn't get them with your rockets, there will be two headcrabs to greet you in the next room. Follow the catwalk to the other side of the bridge.

image: http://www.hlfallout.net/image.php?id=31283 caption: Think light. Who says you can't jump like spiderman?

image: http://www.hlfallout.net/image.php?id=31284 caption: Knock these pests off with a couple rockets.

Make your way down the stairs and to the next building. Watch out for the two guards on your right. Take them out and move into the next room. There will be two guards on the lower floor and possibly two more on the upper floor. Dispose of them and go out the side door. Watch for the sniper above you on the far catwalk. Snipe him and make your way up the ladder. If you killed the two guards on the upper floor earlier, there will be only two in this room. Go to the right, climb the stairs, and take out two more troopers. Oh the joy of killing Combine! Use your gravity gun to pull the plug on the bridge. Fuel up on the stations and flip the switch on the far wall.

image: http://www.hlfallout.net/image.php?id=31285 caption: Stick a fiery bolt in his neck.

image: http://www.hlfallout.net/image.php?id=31286 caption: It's amazing that they still use the two prong conventional plugs.

Uh oh - a gunship. This is where it gets hard. You have many options for killing this bird. I decided to knock out the glass in the room and get the first three rockets in while the gunship was close range. In any case, head down the stairs back the way you came and dispose of the two guards blocking the way. Rush back across the bridge until you get to the platform with the rocket ammunition crate. At this point, take the time to finish off the gunship. Ah, peace.

image: http://www.hlfallout.net/image.php?id=31287 caption: Clear this room to get a few close range shots in on the gunship.

image: http://www.hlfallout.net/image.php?id=31288 caption: Use this ammo crate when you need rockets to bring down the gunship.

Go back the way you came. You'll notice another zombie on the path and four more combine guarding the camp. Walk back to your buggy and drive up to the top of the bridge. Slowly make your way across the bridge, but as soon as you hear a train whistle, go full reverse and take refuge behind the stationary train. After the locomotive passes, continue on to the end of the bridge. You'll notice a path cuts off to the left. Take it and enter the old tunnel to move on to the next adventure: Sandtraps (http://www.hlfallout.net/articles.php/sandtraps_47/)!

image: http://www.hlfallout.net/image.php?id=31289 caption: This is the last thing you'd want to stand in the way of.

image: http://www.hlfallout.net/image.php?id=31290 caption: Enter this tunnel on the left to enter your next mission: Sandtraps!