Yes, it's a shame they left the diplomatic approach/playing through the game with only your wits since Fallout 3, which was a staple of F1 and 2 (but nice to see it return in Age of Decadence).
Game seems decent so far, only 30 min in, though the first five minutes made me cringe, just like the baby, bible-quoting, birthday part of F3, that's not how I think you should start a new Fallout game. But next time I know to just rush through it.