ViceMan

I think I just maxed out all the performance upgrades, bulletproof tyres etc. on all three and left it at that. Didn't even consider who'd be driving what.

Rockstar's online is broken voluntarily through their newfound greed, the only problems that are fixed are the ones that could prevent people buying shark cards. I think Bethesda's strategy is more like "if it only breaks 50% of the time then that's good enough for us." Playing Fallout 4 sometimes does feel like flipping a coin - am I gonna load up an area that the game decides it doesn't like so it'll just crash instead. I understand that all companies need to be greedy to an extent, that's capitalism after all, but I hope Bethesda find a way not to be so overtly arrogant with their greed in 76, pricing things so ridiculously and making the game unbearably grindy to play that your only option is to pay your way past it (or making silly arbitrary rules that mean other people can easily fuck you over when you are trying to make money.) They said there were microtransactions but they were just for weapon/armour reskins didn't they? I actually feel that they won't make them an invasive aspect of the game, I at least have faith in Bethesda for that. And i'm pretty sure 76 is running on the same engine because all the assets and models looks exactly the same; the wrecked cars on the overpasses, the super mutants, half the stuff in the workshop etc. etc.

It's more the engine that worries me. It was fine(ish, for a Bethesda game) in Skyrim but in 4 it definitely felt like the game could crash at any moment, especially in the denser parts of Boston. Now they're slapping a load of multiplayer shite on top of that pile, I doubt they've addressed any of the existing engine issues because hey, if it's broken why fix it?

No I want Bethesda to produce a game that isn't riddled with bugs, doesn't feel like the engine is being held together with duct tape which could collapse at any minute and can run on my PS4 without making it sound like a jump jet taking off (while simultaneously being able to run at more than 20fps in built up areas of the map.) Basically the things I hate about Bethesda are the things I like about Rockstar and vice versa.

But then how will we be griefed? I'm sure Bethesda will find a way, there's bound to be dozens of new bugs in it in addition to the dozens already carried over from the old games.

Like a permanent passive mode for the under 5s I assume, until people find an exploit like they can bail out of their car while driving towards you, or ram NPC cars into you. Dunno how that'd work in Fallout anyway, perhaps they can try it with a vertibird.

I'm guessing it'll drop the end of July. - Some Fallout fan, 5th of July 2018 There... that's a newsworthy story, the gaming sites will be all over that shit. Officially official.

I almost thought of coming back to online to check out some of the newly released overpriced vehicles, then I remembered the reasons I stopped playing it and thought i'd probably rather buy a Gran Turismo game if I wanna look at some sexy cars.

I think they all do in Goodneighbour, there's a drug den near Bunker Hill where they'll do the taking jet animation too.

Yeah I mentioned that a while ago, what's to stop someone wandering into your home and looting your shit. I have no idea, personally i'd be more for a system where the stuff in your containers is safe but the stuff you carry on you can be stolen if you're killed. There has to be some element of risk involved, the point of an RPG is you can do anything, be anyone. Fallout 4 hampered that somewhat with a voiced protag and restrictive dialogue that generally corralled you down the path it wanted you to take. If there's no penalty for dying then it kills your immersion and your bond to your character, imagine looting some really good weaponry from a place then scurrying back to your home to stash it, hoping you're gonna make it back in one piece. I dunno, it seems like a lose-lose to me, sure I don't want to be griefed constantly, but there also has to be that sense of trepidation, risk vs reward, gaining the upper hand and not wanting to lose it. If you can't be looted upon death you might as well moonwalk across the map with a boombox on your shoulder.

Fallout 4 item placement was notoriously finicky, so I don't see how you'd be able to pack up your settlement and move it elsewhere unless the map is completely flat and free from small objects. Hopefully items will drop to ground level, but even then I tend to build to suit the terrain, so if you have to pack it up and move it'd feel out of place.

If we can freely change between roles by swapping out our perk decks then yeah, i'd like to be a trader one day, but not stuck as it indefinitely. I'd probably alternate between builder, trader and adventurer. If you can't steal shit from people it's going to make the raider archetype a bit boring, but luckily I don't enjoy that.

I really don't know what to compare this to mentally yet, I tend not to play many multiplayer games because: I still think it's going to be more like Rust than GTAO, you can set up trading posts in Rust and with the lack of NPCs in 76 I imagine we'll need to set up our own shops, gonna be weird not having vendors with replenishing supplies of ammo on a daily basis. Did they mention any sort of survival mechanics yet? I can't remember, I know they mentioned it in regard to being a time sink like brushing teeth etc. But whether we'll need to eat, drink and sleep regularly, I hope so, I only ever play Bethesda games on survival nowadays.

I think i'll replay Mafia III and maybe AC: Origins afterwards, in amongst Rimworld and Factorio. Plus there's also the Steam summer sale coming up - that should easily get me through to autumn.

I don't know how base building is going to work, it's obviously not going to be like Rust where the servers are wiped every couple of weeks, makes me wonder buying it after the initial release whether all the good building spots will be taken. Hopefully we can keep joining new sessions until we find an empty one, it's gonna piss me off if I join a session and somebody has built a town where mine was. Also hope the settlement build cap isn't as stupidly low as last time - or that the drop and store items glitch still works.

Yeah it's always been lacking in Fallout, it wouldn't work with a voiced protagonist obviously unless Bethesda put some effort in and recorded different voice dialogue, which I can't see them doing.

Would be interesting if we could be captured by super mutants and exposed to FEV to become some sort of Harold like mutant, certain mutations were mentioned.

They look pretty much identical to the Institute super mutants, but the Institute doesn't exist yet. Then again everything looks identical to it's 4 equivalent since they're lazily using the same models. But yes I don't see why lore can't be added, perhaps the secret government bunker was exposed to FEV and they all became muties.

That's because the multiplayer is the biggest issue for me. I'm happy with the world, it definitely looks more interesting than 4's - more colourful, more varied - my only gripe is it may be laid out in such a way as to accommodate a multiplayer game with arbitrary hard areas of the map you need to level up to explore. Story, again, is tied into multiplayer somewhere down the line, don't see how we can get quests if there are no npcs to give us them. Enemies look interesting but again, a lot seem to have been added just to fill a big MMO style boss criteria that you need to group up to take down, like the scorchbeast. I like the majority of them though.

Still doesn't sound like a solution, that would kill a stealth character build; "some guy lurking in a bush wants to snipe you, do you accept?"

Yeah I was sad when they said you'd see blips, why I made that post. In my mind if you have no blips it's going to be a lot of random chance for you to get sniped, and if you are it'd be easier for you to slip away from your attacker (assuming you are in part of the map that has a bit of cover.) It's more tactical too, people would find you based on how much noise you are making so if you're shooting a lot you'd expect to get shot more often yourself. My experience in GTAO watching people on the map engaging in gunfights is that they always head straight for the same person as soon as they respawn, they check the map and see where they are to go and kill them repeatedly.

Easiest way to minimise people actively seeking out others would be to not have their blips on the map, said this about GTA long ago. Perhaps have a system where you can request to see someone's blip (assuming they're of legal age of course,) and you can accept or deny the request.

Aha, we have something in common... let's fuck.

Question is will the codes be quest items that can't be removed from your inventory, or could you craftily hide it in an obscure container somewhere to stop others stealing it. Todd said you don't lose items on death, so how then do others acquire the codes from you?

Dunno how storing stuff in your bases is going to work, surely people can still raid your containers and leave you with nothing. I don't like the idea of carrying everything I own and being encumbered.