I got into it very fast once I left for the Junkyard. And after that is really opened up. I for one am glad it is is not that chosen one trope so many games have but rather a single person in that world just doing what they can. Yes the writing is no where near FO1 and it very simple but I found myself enjoying it more as it fit this world better. just my thoughts

I mean its not really bad, its just that fallout 1 is one of my favorite games of that type. Its also the only 1 or 2 post-apocalyptical game of that type. I might give it another try because of what you said I just dont have any idea what to place stats into!

imo in the beginning focus on two to three base stats and hone in what skills those stats give bonuses to on what character you want to make. If You spread yourself too thin and this game will give you a hard awakening. You can go to at least lvl. 25 and you get 40 pts per level so you will get enough points to get some added feats at little later. It can be daunting but compared to Wasteland 1 and Arcanum it not the hardest character creation I have seen.

FO1 was an amazing gem. Nothing will be like that again.
UR is not so professionally polished and story driven but still way more interesting than many current games including FO4.

UR actually does have some pretty good writing, but you'll need persuasion to see most of it

There's lots of dialogue and talking, what are you talking about?! Sure it's not as supremely excellent as Fallout 1+2, but that is asking for A LOT (well okay OP didn't like 2 as much, but still...can't just complain that it's not as great as one of the best games of all time, c'mon now, almost nothing is as good as Fallout 1+2!!!!) But it is unique in its own right in a post-apocalyptic way, not just feeling like "fallout done different" at all! There is a large world established via. the things and areas and people you discover/talk to (oddity XP system adds a lot to this as well.)

I will note that my INT is at 10, WILL is at 10, Perception 7 (with snooping which takes it to 10 for finding EVERY secret.)

I do wonder though, should I bother to increase them through the game, or is 10 the max that is required for unlocking all dialogue stat-check options(INT and WILL are the only stats that affect dialogue options, but other skills option up dialogue options too I THINK?.) I'm tempted to continue increasing INT and WILL through the game and no other stats, but I wonder if that is necessary.

As they say, to each their own :)

For instance, I prefer Fallout 2 over FO1.

And I consider Underrail to be a wonderful gem. Flawed here and there - but overall it's magnificent. I guess 'flawed gem' describes it for me - with the emphasis on 'gem'.

I really like 'stealth' games (or, really, any game with viable stealth; not necessarily designed just for it). Game like (ofc) Thief, Stalker, Invisible Inc. The Fallouts. Even Far Cry 2 has viable stealth (despite what the bro-gamers say).

Underrail has excellent stealth. It is far from overpowered - unlike in FO, where with high stealth I can basically let enemies walk over me and not see me; in Underrail, it's 'just' a tool in your arsenal. Even if you build you characters around stealth, you are still going to have a tough (to impossible) time sneaking around the hard places. It provides a very satisfying stealth challenge.

I'm finding a stealth + psi + throw build to be very good so far.

Since I prefer steatlh, it isn't likely I'll ever replay and build a 'tank', or similar. But from the looks of it, a tank build is just another one of many possible viable and playable builds.

And that's one of the great things about Underail - it allows many playstyles, while not letting anyone just become a 'master of them all'. Even for my current 'psi build', I can only train in two of the three psi disciplines. Can't have everything - and that's a plus.

It's also got a great world to explore. I've spent hours and hours just exploring - before getting on with my quests. Lots of fun (if you like that sort of thing).

I like the pacing and don't consider it to be slow at all. On the other hand, it could be called a 'slow burn', like a stick of incense rather than a flash-fire. Long time to build and play out. It's one of the things I like about it.

So yeah, if you need a faster-paced, shorter, game - then be forewarned and consider this game carefully. If you like long-steadily-building games, this might be a great fit for you.