Let's Follow Up: Fallout 4

Fallout 4 has been out for a number of months now. Since then, there have been somewhere around 3 patches, talks about the future DLC and season pass, and some more conversation about what was done right and wrong.  Last time we spoke about it, I had only put about 13 hours into the game. I’ve now been playing it for about 80 hours, so I definitely feel like I know the game a little better. I’m here to talk about the experience, now that I’m good and settled. Time to kick the fires and light the tires, people.

More like Fallout: 4get-this-game, right? Right? Hello? Is this thing on?

This is a huge amount of story missions to program. Maybe we should focus on the less-is-more approach.

Fallout 4 has a story, and clearly somebody put a lot of work into thinking about how the various factions would meld with the overall narrative. Thing is, I don’t think it worked out. Giving the player four different factions to side with just means that you’re spreading the butter really thinly instead of giving us a nice pat right in the middle of the toast.Because the designers decided to work with 4 factions, they had to create leaders, foot soldiers, bases, and quests for all of them, meaning we just up with various radiant quests that have zero story impact or memorable rewards. Story isn’t really a huge part of why I play games, but there comes a point where Fallout 4’s story doesn’t feel purposefully sparse, like in Dark Souls, but more half-ass, like in Daikatana. I mentioned this in another piece, but the ludo-narrative dissonance in Fallout 4 is utterly insane, at least with the main quests. The designers actually did a really good job with the settlement defense quests, which are timed, so you have to hurry to deal with them. But the main quest will keep harping on in your face about how it’s so urgent that you find your son right the hell now, but you can piss off and build a giant wooden robot-house with flamethrowers for eyes in your settlement and nothing changes. It seems like all they would have to do is make things a little less urgent sounding, and then the issue just drops out.

Fallout 4 is an “action role-playing game”, but I feel like you could take serious issue with the back half of that statement. While yes, you level up, and there are quests to do and gear to be found, a lot of elements have been stripped out. I mentioned the speech system in my first impressions, but it’s also evident in the lack of gear, meaningful customization, and quests. Yes, you can modify your weapons, but almost all the mods make very little in the way of change. Almost every weapon has the same general set of modifications. There’s an automatic, semi-automatic, and shotgun options, damage increasing internal components, different stocks, and maybe a bayonet option.

Despite the large number of options for modifications, there's only two actual options on this screen: semi-automatic and automatic.

Most of the more interesting weapons are the legendary weapons, which you get from defeating legendary enemies. Some of the weapons do more damage to enemies who haven’t seen you, or fire two shots instead of one, but with seriously increased recoil. Maybe the developers were thinking that exploration should be more rewarding than modifying your weapons, but it kind of falls flat. What about an option that would let you overcharge your laser weapons to deliver a much more powerful shot, but with a massive cooldown time, or maybe the ability add a grenade launcher to an assault rifle? Basically, make things more unique, instead of giving all weapons the same treatment.

This kind of weapon can really change how you play the game. In this case, you might try to focus more on sniping and stealth, rather than running-and-gunning.

The same holds true for armor. Most of the modifications there are just “armor gets better.” There are some more interesting ones that reduce melee damage when blocking, or increase aim stability, but they’re far and few between. There’s also a very strong hierarchy of armor, which makes it really annoying when you upgrade your early-game armor only to find better pieces down the road. Maybe the different kinds of armor should offer different benefits that make them more viable throughout the game, like leather armor increasing movement speed, or metal armor dealing damage to anybody to melee attacks you.

There is also little to point to focusing on any non-combat perks. Lockpicking and hacking do little besides open safes that have the same assortment of items, or perhaps open a door that you’ll find the open button for later in the level. Usually these skills would open up new paths, or change how you play the game, but not in this case. It’s not much of an RPG if there aren’t roles to play, you know? Also, while we’re on the subject, why are the Lockpicking and hacking minigames the same exact ones that we say in Fallout 3/Fallout: New Vegas. Why is this game the same game with a new coat of paint!? Even the engine is the same engine as Skyrim, which came out 5 years ago!

Skyrim Lockpicking

Fallout 3 Lockpicking

Fallout 4 Lockpicking

All of the above is annoying, for sure, but my biggest bone to pick with Fallout 4 is actually the settlements. Settlements, and the making thereof, are hugely emphasized in the game. One of the first quests you get is a tutorial teaching you process, and if you spend any time with the Minutemen, you’ll end up building a bunch of them. Here’s my issue: there’s no point to any of it. Settlements offer no advantage, whether the inhabitants are happy or miserable. You can build shops that operate in your settlement that give you some money, but since there’s nothing to buy that’s better than what you find by killing legendary enemies, what’s the point? It’s a huge subsystem in the game, but at the end of the day, it’s a waste of time, resources, and developer hours. I didn’t ignore settlements in my first playthrough, either. I had a fair number up and running, they were all linked, had the required foods/shelters/etc., and I kept waiting for something to happen, but nothing did. It’s frustrating that it’s such an emphasized part of the game with very little to show from it. Honestly, it seems like it should have been downloadable content, rather than a bullet on the back of the box.

Cool? Yes. Any impact on gameplay? Nope. I really can't understand why so much time was spent on this, rather than fleshing out the rest of the game.

Worth Playing?

No.

Honestly, nothing got better the more I played the game. The combat, as mentioned in the first impressions, is definitely the best it’s been, but everything else here is a downgrade from the earlier games. The story is half-assed, the RPG elements are nonexistent, and the settlements are useless. Maybe the next game will be better, this one certainly sold enough to warrant a sequel, but I doubt it. Going with the current trend of Bethesda RPGs, the next game will just start you off with power armor and a Fat Man nuke launcher.

Let's Start Looking At: Fallout 4

Why do people love post-apocalyptic stuff so much? What is it about the post-end-of-the-world that people are so attracted to? Maybe people think that they’d do better without rules, or that humanity would be better if we got a fresh start. As for me, I think I just like burned out cars and giant mutated bugs. Something charming about them, really. The Fallout series of games is where people have traditionally gone to scratch this itch, so let’s see if the newly released Fallout 4 do the same.

This dog and I are going to totally mess up some giant ants or something.

There’s a lot to like about Fallout 4, but it’s more a mixed bag than I usually like in my games. The combat is punchier than ever before, the settlements system is interesting and adds a new dynamic to the game, and upgrading weapons and armor creates an interesting personal attachment to your equipment that’s definitely new. Fallout 4 also has a terrible dialogue system, little to no RPG elements (something Fallout games were renowned for), and an annoying habit of making you go back home to drop off all the junk you’ve picked up on your thrilling adventure.

Just like last week, this is a first impressions piece. I’ve sunk a little over 13 hours into Fallout 4, which isn’t nearly enough time for a proper review. These are some of the more obvious things I’ve seen in the game, so take them for what you will.

Fallout 4 begins with you designing a male or female character, then witnessing the beginning of the so called “Great War”, which consumed the world in nuclear fire. Over 200 years later, you exit the vault and set out to find the man who stole your son and murdered your partner. Fallout 4 takes place in The Commonwealth, a post-nuclear version of Boston and its surrounding area. This is definitely the most “domestic” start to a Fallout game it feel a little out of place in the series. I like the motivation that the family angle gives you, though.

I like the idea of using a mirror as a character creation tool, but the constant comments from your character and the other can get a little annoying.

So, to start, the combat is much faster paced than it was in any previous Fallout game. The melee weapons have a lot more momentum when you swing them and the guns feel much more responsive and weighty than they used to. There’s a decent variety of weapons, both melee and ranged, and the modification system (which I’ll touch on later) helps keep them interesting. Melee attacks can be done with ranged weapons (some of which can be modified with bayonets for extra damage), which is much more FPS-y than Fallout has ever been. Melee attacks stagger opponents and are generally too slow to be of much use. I think it would be very difficult to play a melee combat only character, but it could make for an interesting challenge run. This is a bit of a disappointment, as older Fallout games allowed you to play with a variety of characters, from ranged, to melee, to pacifists. Despite all that, the combat is very enjoyable and firefights definitely feel less wooden than in Fallout 3 or Fallout: NV.

Enemies are more dynamic and will use cover in the environment.

There’s a new system that allows you to build “settlements” in certain areas of the map, once cleared of enemies. This is a big addition to the Fallout universe. Usually, you just go through the wasteland completing quests, but for the first time you have the ability to start rebuilding the world. You collect different kinds of resources by breaking down junk and other items that you find in The Commonwealth and use them to build things. You can build and plop down houses, defenses, furniture, and other items like you might in The Sims. Each settlement can have a maximum number of people, and you need to provide them with beds, food, water, and protection to keep them happy. With certain perks, you can even build stores that generate income and supplies based on population. While the level of customization doesn’t even begin to touch something like The Sims, it’s still very impressive given that the whole system is new. Building settlements and establishing trade routes is pretty enjoyable and it does make you feel like you’re doing something to improve the lives of the people of The Commonwealth, rather than just murdering people in post-apocalyptic locations.

You can build some damn nice looking settlements if you have a mind to. While not essential, settlements definitely improve the Fallout 4 experience.

Lastly, the crafting system in Fallout 4 is really fun and it makes hunting for junk more enjoyable than it has any right to be. Crafting has been in the Fallout games since Van Buren (Black Isle Studios’ cancelled Fallout 3), but was just a side thing you could do, rather than an important part of the game. In Fallout 4, crafting is how you get better gear. In the older games, you might explore new areas or complete quests to get better weapons or armor, but in Fallout 4 you focus more on improving the basic weapons and armor you find earlier. To improve your gear you need to collect various different kinds of materials, which you get from breaking down junk that litters just about every place in the game. As you level up, you can get perks which improve the kinds of modifications you can give your weapons and armor, up to pretty ridiculous levels.  While some aspects of the junk collecting are annoying, it’s really fun to take what was a simple pistol and add on 6 different kinds of mods with dozens of varieties, to turn it into something really unique.

Each weapon has about 6 modifications, each with about  5-10 varieties. You can really customize weapons to fit your playstyle.

Bethesda has done a lot streamline the Fallout games since they acquired the rights in 2004. Nowhere is this more evident than in Fallout 4. To start, the entire dialogue system has been revamped. Traditionally, you were given a number of conversion options for every encounter, but now you always have 4. Instead of the list format you had previously, you now have a sort of conversation wheel, similar to Mass Effect. The new dialogue system is a serious step down in complexity, role playing, and clarity. Each speech option is described with a word or two and really doesn’t tell you enough about what your character is going to say. This is frustrating, annoying, and kind of stupid. You need to know what you’re saying in a role playing game, that’s just a fact. Conversation becomes a crapshoot, rather than any kind of role playing exercise or storytelling mechanic.

What do any of these mean? Does somebody not "support news"? You may as well blindfold yourself and just mash buttons.

The skill, perk and S.P.E.C.I.A.L systems have been rebuilt from the ground up. In all of the main Fallout games up until 4, you create a character, pick a number of “tag” (or main) skills, and distribute a number of attribute points into strength, perception, endurance, charisma, intelligence, agility, and luck (S.P.E.C.I.A.L, up to 10). These attributes affected what level your skills started at and had other effects such as the number of companions you can recruit, which kinds of weapons you could use, and other character stats. Your special points could be increased through perks, gear, and sometimes even surgeries, but it was nearly impossible to get 10s across the board. As you leveled up, you could get perks which might increase the damage you do, make wild animals take your side in combat, or other benefits. In Fallout 4, you no longer have skills and instead your S.P.E.C.I.A.L stats directly govern character stats. When you level up, you can choose to increase your S.P.E.C.I.A.L stats, or choose a perk. Each perk has several ranks, requires a certain number of points in an attribute, and a certain character level. There is no hard level cap in the game, so you can build a character that has 10s across the board and every perk. This removes much incentive to play the game multiple times and diminishes the role playing aspect of this RPG, which is confusing. Like I said before, one of the best parts of any Fallout games is the ability to play vastly different characters. At this point, it seems like Bethesda is just taking little bits and pieces of Fallout’s clothes and dressing up a very different game in them.

There are a huge number of perks, many of which with more than one rank, which would have been great with a level cap. As it stands, there's little reason to make new characters.

No one likes being interrupted in the middle of something. Fallout 4 doesn’t get that though. You have a weight limit for your character and junk fills up inventory very quickly. Most RPGs are filled with a degree of clutter, but it’s usually used as environmental storytelling rather than something you need to weigh yourself down with. Interrupting your adventure to travel back to dump all your junk back at base makes you feel as if you’re playing two different games and one of them is not fun. Scavenging for resources makes a lot of sense, given your situation, but the implementation leaves a lot to be desired. Maybe you could order your follower to head back to the settlement to drop the junk off and then return to you, or maybe you could hire a temporary follower just for ferrying junk back and forth.

Look at all this stupid junk I have to cart back and forth every 20 minutes. This is what fun is, right?

Worth Playing?

Yes.

Despite all the issues, Fallout 4 is really fun and the amount of content is staggering. There are a lot of little annoyances but exploring, combat, and the world that Fallout 4 constructs are just as enjoyable as before. There’s a catch, however. If you were hoping for a return to anything like Fallout 2, you should stay away. This game will not scratch that itch. I would be willing to wager that you won’t see another game like the old CRPGs for a long time, if ever.