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Fallout 76 - online Fallout spinoff from Bethesda - now on Steam with Wastelanders NPC expansion

Bliblablubb

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Yeah sure you could do that. But your still losing time (TM)
Even after you have blown up the blimp, with all of the Maxonyouth inside, and removed the Institute from inventory, the faction you sided with in the end takes on the role of ferrying you around in a Vertibrrd. But why even bother disabling fast travel in the first place then?

Institute teleportation is... well at least survival mode fixes it to how it is supposed to work according to the NPCs/story.


I never finish the mainquest, because blowing the Institute up also means losing the classical radio. :obviously:
Didn't even let the Bruddahood spawn. All they accomplish is falling from the sky the moment they arrive. Usually on my head.

Killing the railroad is mandatory every time tho. Stupid millenial hipsters.
 

Lurker47

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Did they put any thought into how VAT's in multiplayer would work? Does it slow down time within a certain area? How big is this area- you could get sniped from someone not affected by it. Does it only affect you and the person you're fighting somehow? Does it not actually slow down anyone else's screen and just make you look like you're going super fast?

https://www.pcgamer.com/fallout-76-will-have-real-time-vats/
Oh, no, I guess it just auto-aims now? Which is both easiest and dumbest solution to the problem. That sounds absolutely God-awful.
 

Squid

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May 31, 2018
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Does it slow down time within a certain area?
It will not slow down time. I don't know anything else about how it will work but I'm fairly sure they said it won't slow or pause time because it's online.
 

Squid

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Oops. But yeah, I don't really see the point of it either. I don't think it will be implemented that well.
 

Infinitron

I post news
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Codex Year of the Donut Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
How to stop griefing - just make players immortal! Brilliant!

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2018-07-18-fallout-76-and-the-benefits-of-stranger-danger

Fallout 76 and the thrill of 'stranger danger'
Bethesda's Pete Hines discusses how the publisher's previous RPGs have been cheating players - and how its next title resolves this

When Fallout 76 was announced, there was already the sense that it wouldn't be the traditional Bethesda experience.

The fact alone that it wasn't Fallout 5 caused several industry pundits (shamefully, myself included) to smugly predict that it would be some sort of online affair capitalising on the popularity of Battle Royale, or a survival game that made use of Fallout 4's extensive settlement-building mechanics. And we were right. Sort of.

Teased at Xbox's E3 2018 press conference and fully unveiled at Bethesda's own showcase later that day, Fallout 76 is indeed an online multiplayer game with a map four times the size of the previous game's, with the return of that settlement system plus new additions like nuclear silos you can conquer and launch missiles from.

But perhaps the most crucial point of difference is there are no NPCs. Every single character you encounter is another player.

On the face of it, this seems to break the usual Bethesda RPG formula - or indeed the formula behind most online RPGs. An MMO is built around quest-givers standing idly waiting to add to your shopping list of tasks, just as in-game economies rely on those strategically placed merchants with their expansive inventories, wads of cash and appetite for our scavenged junk.

But speaking to GamesIndustry.biz at E3, Bethesda's SVP of global marketing and communications Pete Hines argues this is actually robbing players of more interesting interactions with their fellow humans.

"In Destiny, they still have NPCs," he explains. "If you want to buy something you don't go to other players - you can't go to other players. You go to NPCs and say 'I wanna buy this, I saved up enough of these things'.

"In our game, if that's how you want to play, you do that with other players, you trade with other people, you travel around the map and buy and sell stuff from folks. Or you can set up a shop. But it's still a role-playing game. Yes, there's an element of PvP but it's not every man for himself and the last one standing wins. If you see somebody, you [don't] have to kill them before they kill you because it's not a shooter, it's not battle royale or any one of 100 other things that people assumed that it was. It's an RPG where you can still do quests and explore the world."

Quests will be unlocked by finding holotapes, robots and other objects in the world that activate each story. It might sound a little soulless compared to the character-driven exploits of games past, but Hines believes it will create an even more engaging experience than previous Fallouts.

In fact, looking at the publisher's template for open-world RPGs, shared across both the post-apocalyptic franchise and fantasy counterpart The Elder Scrolls, the exec believes that the way such games are structured actually detracts from the player's experience. NPCs remove some of the fear and the excitement from the unknown, which is arguably the core of any game built on exploration.

"In our previous games, if you're walking up a hill and there's an enemy NPC we've placed there, there's a little red thing that shows up on your compass to say 'that guy's a bad guy'," Hines explains. "We cheated for you. You already know. But [in Fallout 76] you don't know anything about that person or what their motives are, unless you've come across them before.

"There are systems in place to keep it from turning into a gunfight if that's not what people want. It does PvP but more like issuing challenges. And so we're still figuring some of this out in playtesting, but the basic idea is you see somebody and there should be tension. In that respect it's no different than I walk into a town in Fallout 4 and see a Deathclaw."

Hines elaborates, explaining that when players encountered a Deathclaw, they could choose to avoid it or engage it head on. If they were killed, they could try again as many times as they wanted, until they decided to go elsewhere and come back when they are stronger.

However, in a game built around encounters with real people, an understandable concern is that stronger players will be able to prey on the weak, to constantly draw them into battles they cannot win. Hines insists this won't be the case in Fallout 76, reiterating Bethesda boss Todd Howard's promise that death won't set players back in the same way it does across other games.

"You could try five more times and die and then go 'It's too powerful for me, I'm gonna go away and do other stuff or just travel around this area and come back later'," he says, continuing his Deathclaw analogy. "It should be exactly the same with anyone else. They shouldn't be able to impede your progress, they can't steal your shit, they can't kill you.

"Todd said before, we don't want death to be a huge negative. It never stops your progression. There are ways to do that without it being punishing and annoying but still having a bit of that 'stranger danger' - is that a friend or foe? Do they think I'm a friend or I'm a foe? How do I want this to play out?"


There's no telling who players will encounter in Fallout 76, or what their intentions will be, which is crucial to the game's tension and atmosphere

At the very least, you might imagine Bethesda would need NPCs to operate in-game stores. While Hines and Howard suggest players can essentially fashion themselves as shopkeepers or travelling merchants if they so choose, the developer can't rely on this - and the absence of trading players would scupper those in need of clearing their inventory.

Hines observes that technically it is never necessary to trade with an NPC in Fallout 4, or by extension any other Bethesda RPG. The firm's robust item system means players should be able to cope if no one sets up shop in their area of the map.

"Trading stuff is a pain in the ass," he says. "So [people] would use guns and weapons they found to break those down into the parts they needed to upgrade their own stuff and use the ammo that they find. You can do that.

"Nothing says you have to trade or else because that's taking choice out of your hands. I've now dictated a system that you can't live without, but what if that's not how you want to play? What if you want to be a loner who just lives off the land and builds the stuff that he needs? Uses the workshops he finds in the wasteland? That should all be viable."

Even with these tantalising prospects of an online role-playing experience unmired by overly aggressive players, there is still the sense that this is a title borne out of market trends rather than the natural evolution of the series. With all the major publishers channeling more and more effort into long-lasting, multiplayer-centric products, is the shift from single-player RPG to games-as-a-service inevitable?

"Industry wide, I have no idea," says Hines. "For us it will continue to be a mix. You heard Todd say the next adventure after 76 is Starfield, an epic single-player only game. They were like 'For this franchise [Fallout], this was an idea we had four years ago so we're gonna do it, but the next thing we're gonna do is be single-player'. Sure it might have some social features but it's not going to be a co-op multiplayer game. It's up to devs and what they want to do and what's a good fit."

Howard has since told GamesIndustry.biz that Fallout 76 should in no way be seen as indicative of Bethesda shifting away from single-player content and towards online titles. In fact, Hines tells us this is partly what inspired the reveal of both Starfield and The Elder Scrolls VI.


The game is built around interacting with other people, but Bethesda assures there will plenty for lone players to enjoy

In previous years, Bethesda has used E3 to focus primarily on its short-term release slate, but by revealing these two titles, the publisher moved to assure fans that there will be plenty of single-player experiences for years to come.

"Me and my team felt that with the announcement of Fallout 76, it was important to give the context for where the studio is heading next," Hines explained. "Starfield had been sniffed out as a trademark filing and Todd already said we were doing TES 6. There's gonna be some amount of time between those because they're all big games with big development but that just felt better than announcing [Fallout 76] and then your first question is, 'does that mean you're done with single-player?' and I can't tell you, 'well actually, the next one is a big new single-player epic IP, but we're not talking about it' and I have to dance around it. Why not just tell them what we're doing?"

Given how little was shown of Starfield and Elder Scrolls VI - understandable for the latter, which is said to be in pre-alpha - most are assuming both titles are destined for next generation devices, although Hines indicates we may well see the sci-fi franchise before new consoles arrives.

"In the case of Starfield... it's already in development, it's playable," he says. "Todd had previously said that there is tools and tech he wanted for TES 6 that wasn't there yet. I think he was asked yesterday and he said some of the tech is there and some of it isn't, so I think it's a mix. There are some things he has now that he didn't have previously but maybe some things he wants the team to have to be able to do what they can't do yet."

Hopes are high for Fallout 76 following its E3 reveal, if only because it should be a significant shot in the arm for its publisher. Last year, Bethesda had a much busier line-up with Prey, Dishonored: Death of the Outsider, The Evil Within 2 and Wolfenstein II - but none seemed to set the market alight at launch, especially compared to Fallout and The Elder Scrolls

"Yeah but lots of things don't sell as well as Fallout and Elder Scrolls," Hines reasons. "Our belief is that we want to aim for the right goal of what we're making and what those franchises can do. If you hold up every game as if it's gotta do what Fallout and Skyrim did, then you're [not] gonna make many games because very few games will do that. Like, Doom didn't do that but Doom still sold awesome, so it's just about what's the right size dev team, dev cycle, size of the audience and are we doing a good job of delivering that.

He concludes: "In general I always want everything to do more than it did. If we sold eight I wouldn't have minded nine, if we sold 20 I don't mind 21. There's never a point as publisher or developer where you say we literally should stop selling copies of this. You always want more players, you wanna do better. I think we had some things that did well, I think we had things that we thought might sell better but it is what it is."
 
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Risewild

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I normally don't care about these kinds of things.. but I really hope this game bombs.
yhZ785C.jpg
 

Lurker47

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"there's an element of PvP but it's not every man for himself and the last one standing wins. If you see somebody, you [don't] have to kill them before they kill you because it's not a shooter,"

You don't *have* to shoot everyone.... but you will....
 

Risewild

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What will players win by killing each other? Did Toddy ever answered that?
IIRC it was said that players will not lose anything when they die, but no one ever mentioned what players will win if they kill other players.

Anyway, this game seems like it will be total shit.

:hearnoevil::gumpyhead:
 

Bigg Boss

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Messages
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Quests will be unlocked by finding holotapes, robots and other objects in the world that activate each story. It might sound a little soulless compared to the character-driven exploits of games past, but Hines believes it will create an even more engaging experience than previous Fallouts.

:killitwithfire:
 

Bliblablubb

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"Enemies being marked as red dots" VS "stranger danger with immortal players". Which is better and why, DISCUSS! :hahano:

That article is comedy gold. Todd at least has the strange ability to lie in your face and readers still believe him somehow, maybe because he still looks like a basement dwelling teenager, constantly repeating how much he loves and plays the game?
But Pity Hines, the "Vice President of communicashuns and global warming"... he didn't really put much points into speech. Or charisma. Probably one of the "I played Halo, Destiny and Fable, I know RPGs" type of guys. I bet the Toddler wrote him a little helping note so he knows what Fallout even is.

Soooo much to pick from, enough for at least 7 rant posts...

Pity Hines said:
In that respect it's no different than I walk into a town in Fallout 4 and see a Deathclaw." Hines elaborates, explaining that when players encountered a Deathclaw, they could choose to avoid it or engage it head on. If they were killed, they could try again as many times as they wanted
No Pete, if you die you are dead and have to reload your last save. Losing time (TM). And you are better not playing on survival.
Aside from the fact that, if you see a Derpclaw in a settlement, it's your OWN settlement, 99% of the times Sucktuary, where the "thanks for your help against the raiders" encounter has bugged out again. Let the guys with the pipe pistols handle it, you get the xp either way.

Pity Hines said:
"In our previous games, if you're walking up a hill and there's an enemy NPC we've placed there, there's a little red thing that shows up on your compass to say 'that guy's a bad guy'," Hines explains. "We cheated for you. You already know. But [in Fallout 76] you don't know anything about that person or what their motives are, unless you've come across them before.
Actually, if they talk to you first they aren't red. Then they tell you "now you die". And if they shoot on sight you don't need the dot to know.
But at least NPCs have predictable motivations.
Let's be honest here: 50% of the players will pretend there are no other players and avoid them, 40% will kill on sight, either because they are "roleplaying" a harsh wasteland, or simply because tried to be nice and got shot too often. 10% will tell you "let's trade!", then shoot you in your face at close range yelling: "lol you suck git gud lol".
I know I would kill on sight if I had to play it. :obviously:

Pity Hines said:
it is never necessary to trade with an NPC in Fallout 4 [...] "Trading stuff is a pain in the ass"
Why Pete? Because you are losing time (TM)? Because you have to do some simple addition in your head? Or does it just distract you from "PETE SMASH!!"? :roll:

Not that we really lose anything, trading in FO4 is pretty much cheating. Mods are available far earlier then the perks needed to craft them yourself, so you end up wondering why you bothered to pick the perk in the first place.
If trader's stuff is better than crafted stuff: why bother? Quality design.
If traders sell you fixed legendary wep/armor instead of them being rewarded by quests, you also make your whole random drop system pretty pointless.
Not buying from traders is one of the few things you still can do in a NiuBethesda game to somewhat limit yourself from being a demi-god without modding.
Ironically the BoS questline stands out, because almost each one rewarded you with a unique something. In case of the power armor parts even the only way to get smth like that.


I like Pete, he makes it easy to craft edgy rants. Like a bike with training wheels. :salute:
 

Theldaran

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I guess that this is Bethesda's equivalent of SW:TOR. It will probably share its destiny.

They don't seem to acknowledge there is a fierce competitiveness in online games. So this shit has a bleak future ahead. Better games have failed too.
 

thesheeep

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Let's be honest here: 49.999% of the players will pretend there are no other players and avoid them, 40% will kill on sight, either because they are "roleplaying" a harsh wasteland, or simply because tried to be nice and got shot too often. 9.999% will tell you "let's trade!", then shoot you in your face at close range yelling: "lol you suck git gud lol". The last remaining person will be Pete wondering "WHY DO PEOPLE BEHAVE SO STRANGELY?!".
FTFY.
 

Theldaran

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About TOR, it was profitable, but the game's performance was way behind the initial ambition.

When I compared TOR with FO76, it was more my view of both companies milking off some of their more important franchises.
 

Infinitron

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Sure. But FO76 seems to be more consciously "experimental" than TOR was so I don't know that Bethesda's expectations are that high. Making a online multiplayer sandbox game with no NPCs is cheaper than making a WoW clone with a fuckton of voice acting.
 

Theldaran

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I think that they're mad with power, and confident that any turd they shit will be gladly devoured by the populace.
 

Bliblablubb

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Also compared to SWTOR Bethesda has a helluvalot lower costs. Engine is payed off, netcode is an in house product. Pretty much no voiceacting to be expected. All FO4 assets are recycled. You don't even need a yuge team to add a few assets and *cough* write *write* the story.
The intial sales, and we all know the name and ads will get them respectable numbers, will probably be enough to already make them profit. Anything beyond that is a bonus, and an experiment how much you can milk them.

Could end up being the first Bethesda game where marketing gets the biggest slice from the budget cake.
 

Lurker47

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Actually, if they talk to you first they aren't red. Then they tell you "now you die". And if they shoot on sight you don't need the dot to know.
But at least NPCs have predictable motivations.
Let's be honest here: 50% of the players will pretend there are no other players and avoid them, 40% will kill on sight, either because they are "roleplaying" a harsh wasteland, or simply because tried to be nice and got shot too often. 10% will tell you "let's trade!", then shoot you in your face at close range yelling: "lol you suck git gud lol".
I know I would kill on sight if I had to play it. :obviously:
What would even be the point of killing if "nobody loses anything"- does the gear duplicate itself for them? Do they get no gear at all? Then what's the point of killing? Exp?

How does this mechanic promote any kind of "real" PVP at all? I know people are going to be shooting each other but there doesn't seem to be an incentive. And a lack of incentive isn't enough to stop griefing, some sort of penalty is (their "reputation??????") so there isn't going to be a legitimate reason to murder someone and the only people who would do it are the kinds that'd do it basically no matter what.
 

Bliblablubb

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You're vastly overthinking the motivations of the average player. They shoot to kill... because they can. Don't forget how popular the "why can't I kill children/every NPC" threads for Beth games are. XP and loot are not a factor in that. Maybe it's the feeling of unlimited power? Who knows, psychoanalysts would have a field day I'd assume.

The irony here is: IF Bethesda does add some kind of karma system to reward/punish shooting on sight, they would again "cheat for the player" by identifying hostile players. No "stranger danger" anymore. :hahano:

And if gaming history has tought us one thing: being marked as a murderous sociopath would become a badge of honor for far too many players, making that their new main objective. Because.. they are young rebel gangster wearing their pants low or whatever.
 

DragoFireheart

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So is this a MMORPG or a online only single player game?

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/fallout-76-release-date-and-what-we-know-so-far/1100-6459293/

Fallout 76 is a much different sort of game from its predecessors. It's "entirely online," but don't worry, you'll be able to play it solo too. According to Bethesda, the idea to take this approach to open-world survival came four years ago, when it started to work on building a multiplayer Fallout experience.

Fuck this shit pile of fuck in the cunt assTwat.
 

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