Poll of the Day > Thinking of getting Fallout 4

(+) Yeah! (+)

It'll be my first relevant PS4 game and my first Fallout game. So anything important I need to know about before I get it? Also the world being colorful, bright and cheery the main reason why so many people say it isn't as good as the previous games? Because most of what I've heard or read is that the general gameplay has been enhanced for the most part.

Any replies/advice appreciated, thanks.

I wouldn't call it more bright and cheery than FO3 or FO:NV, it just has better graphics and a more realized game world. It's a post-apocalyptic wasteland and that's what it looks like. It seems like Bethesda took that 50's-60's sci-fi vibe of the Fallout games and did more with it in this game, so maybe people see that as a bit "cartoon-ish" and that's where the bright and cheery remarks come from.
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Play it on PC and install it on an SSD unless you like insanely long loading times.

Also play 3 and New Vegas.

Yeah I've been wanting to play Fallout 3 for quite sometime. The world looks beautiful and it simply seems fun to explore the vast map and meeting/doing random things for people along the way. Unfortunately I can't be bothered to set up a gaming PC or buy a gaming laptop for that matter, so Xbox 360's the way to go for me. Skyrim's loading time on the consoles wasn't really a problem for me IIRC.

As with all Bethesda outings, the controls have improved, the gameplay has worsened and the bugs are the same.
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How has the gameplay worsened? Do you mean worsened from Fo3/NV?
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FO4 was actually my first Fallout game as well. Personally, I really liked it. It was really easy to get into, as well.
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Most of the complaints come from the game moving the series a little further away from its RPG roots and further into the Action Shooter category, and people not liking the story

Overall it is a very good game
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LinkPizza posted...

It was really easy to get into, as well.

That's kind of the problem.

kind9 posted...

How has the gameplay worsened? Do you mean worsened from Fo3/NV?

It's very linear, you don't get different weapons as much as you get direct upgrades with some pointless "upgrades" that move much more laterally. Bethesda has tried hard to keep the seemingly free levelling system set so you have to improve in certain ways or you won't see improvements reliably with levels. You can't specialise as you'll find yourself waiting til post game to get later weapon upgrades when you could've focused on armour for a while or another attack type to spread out your effectiveness.

I miss being free to gimp my defense to stack my offense or abandon combat to improve utilities, you used to be semi-free to make an aggressive archetype.
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the main problem is the game stripping down the best parts of new vegas, the dialogue options and the sidequests
the new dialogue wheel sinply doesnt have anything good about it, its misleading, uninteresting and often locked into 4 different answers that actually change nothing 90% of the time
and the game has almost no actual sidequests compared to previous games, opting for the procedurally generated "go here, kill this" type missions for the vast majority of them when the best parts of fallout have always been the player choice driven mini narratives inside of almost any sidequest.
there is still good in fallout 4, the combat is way better but thats all for naught imo when you are fighting for nothing.

tldr, its a decent game but doesnt represent the series proper and of you dont like it I'd really suggest playing NV before writing anything off
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Kyuubi4269 posted...

LinkPizza posted...

It was really easy to get into, as well.

That's kind of the problem.

Really? How so?
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LinkPizza posted...

Kyuubi4269 posted...

LinkPizza posted...

It was really easy to get into, as well.

That's kind of the problem.

Really? How so?

As I said below.

Older games were harder to get in to but opened up fast as you leveled, you start struggling but quickly build up an armory and fortify it. A skill curve is so important to keep the game interesting and it really didn't grab me, particularly when in early game it says "Level up 15 more times to upgrade this gun once! ...Or pick up that combat rifle and headshot everything.".
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Wtf, when did spooky become a mod?!

It's a great game. If possible, get it on PC for the most mod availability. Next best is Xbox One. Avoid the PS4 version unless it's all you can get. Sony has a very stupid policy about mods. They don't allow external resources, which means most stuff can't be released.

Kyuubi4269 posted...

LinkPizza posted...

Kyuubi4269 posted...

LinkPizza posted...

It was really easy to get into, as well.

That's kind of the problem.

Really? How so?

As I said below.

Older games were harder to get in to but opened up fast as you leveled, you start struggling but quickly build up an armory and fortify it. A skill curve is so important to keep the game interesting and it really didn't grab me, particularly when in early game it says "Level up 15 more times to upgrade this gun once! ...Or pick up that combat rifle and headshot everything.".

Maybe you like that. I like to understand a game. Anyway, I just meant that I could understand the game and start to immediately have fun. Obviously, there were some things I have to learn, but it was a fun game. That's all.
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green dragon posted...

Wtf, when did spooky become a mod?!

right?

this is the same dude I'm thinking of, right

I told y'all we had more new mods out here
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i never imagined this dude would be one of them though

TheSlinja posted...

tldr, its a decent game but doesnt represent the series proper and of you dont like it I'd really suggest playing NV before writing anything off

It'll be a bit disappointing if it lacks side quests, I just want to play a game that'll at least last for 100+ hours. So a huge world and a good leveling/character creation system is what I think I'll enjoy. The combat seems pretty good as well. I'll play Fallout 3 or NV before playing 4, just to understand the series better (and also because I loved the atmosphere in FO3).

green dragon posted...

Wtf, when did spooky become a mod?!

Like a couple of weeks back. So yeah it's pretty awesome I guess.

Mead posted...

Overall it is a very good game

This seems to be the general opinion of the game, I don't think that the game moving away from the RPG elements would matter too much to me.

RCtheWSBC posted...

I told y'all we had more new mods out here

Almost feels like accusing of something...bad <_<

get the game, you'll like it, don't listen to these people who are making it sound worse than it is.

and FFNV sucks ass compared to 3, so automatically they're wrong about everything

spooky96 posted...

RCtheWSBC posted...

I told y'all we had more new mods out here

Almost feels like accusing of something...bad <_<

Nah, everyone kept throwing Melon_Master under the bus for their moderations once he became a mod. I would make the point that he ain't the only new mod around.
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I never even noticed the lack of side quests, but I guess it's true. I find it very easy to get sidetracked anyway, and do things that aren't part of a quest. There's just so much to explore.

I don't know what the general consensus is on the settlement building thing, but I for one love it. I can spend hours just scrapping everything and building up settlements.
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in the topic lan made for melon, that walkingwiki guy also showed off that he was a mod, but people like to rag on melon for some reason

likehelly posted...

get the game, you'll like it, don't listen to these people who are making it sound worse than it is.

and FFNV sucks ass compared to 3, so automatically they're wrong about everything

I'll play Fallout 3 first and if it turns out to be good I'll try NV just for the sake of trying, would definitely be interested to see why the game has such polarizing opinions.

Nah, everyone kept throwing Melon_Master under the bus for their moderations once he became a mod. I would make the point that he ain't the only new mod around.

Oh yeah he's one of the more regular PotDer, I've been a lurker here for the most part.

spooky96 posted...

Also the world being colorful, bright and cheery the main reason why so many people say it isn't as good as the previous games? Because most of what I've heard or read is that the general gameplay has been enhanced for the most part.

For me it wasn't so much the colorful atmosphere, but the change in dialog options compared to previous titles. It felt like you didn't have as many options, and whatever skills you had focused on/ignored didn't really apply to dialog like it did in 3 or NV.

Other than that, it's probably my favorite fallout after NV. I've played the originals, but was never a fan of that type of game even tho they had really good stories.

spooky96 posted...

I'll play Fallout 3 first and if it turns out to be good I'll try NV just for the sake of trying, would definitely be interested to see why the game has such polarizing opinions.

FO3 is more atmospheric with much better world building, NV has better mechanics and story telling.
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likehelly posted...

get the game, you'll like it, don't listen to these people who are making it sound worse than it is.

and FFNV sucks ass compared to 3, so automatically they're wrong about everything

I personally preferred New Vegas to 3 for the different factions and wider selection of weapons, as well as more unique ones. 3 had an issue with "unique" weapons just looking like normal versions of weapons, with better stats.

spooky96 posted...

I'll play Fallout 3 first and if it turns out to be good I'll try NV just for the sake of trying, would definitely be interested to see why the game has such polarizing opinions.

probably because the NV story is stupid, and the map is empty.

the dlc for NV is pretty decent

spooky96 (Moderator)

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Zangulus posted...

I loved 3. Liked New Vegas.

Could never get myself to keep playing 4. I don't know why either.

It doesn't encourage exploration, it just pays you off if you go out of your way to explore an inconspicuous ruin.
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at least FO4 was playable day 1 NV was a mass crash and bug spree unpatched

lucky to play an hour without a crash
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Kyuubi4269 posted...

Zangulus posted...

I loved 3. Liked New Vegas.

Could never get myself to keep playing 4. I don't know why either.

It doesn't encourage exploration, it just pays you off if you go out of your way to explore an inconspicuous ruin.

Wait, what?

I think FO4 does encourage exploration by the mere fact that there are so many places to explore. I was doing one of the early quests to travel to diamond city and I must have explored 3 or 4 interior places and a raider base on the way.
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kind9 posted...

Kyuubi4269 posted...

Zangulus posted...

I loved 3. Liked New Vegas.

Could never get myself to keep playing 4. I don't know why either.

It doesn't encourage exploration, it just pays you off if you go out of your way to explore an inconspicuous ruin.

Wait, what?
Same, though it might have been more places... I get sidetracked easily...
I think FO4 does encourage exploration by the mere fact that there are so many places to explore. I was doing one of the early quests to travel to diamond city and I must have explored 3 or 4 interior places and a raider base on the way.

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kind9 posted...

Kyuubi4269 posted...

Zangulus posted...

I loved 3. Liked New Vegas.

Could never get myself to keep playing 4. I don't know why either.

It doesn't encourage exploration, it just pays you off if you go out of your way to explore an inconspicuous ruin.

Wait, what?

I think FO4 does encourage exploration by the mere fact that there are so many places to explore. I was doing one of the early quests to travel to diamond city and I must have explored 3 or 4 interior places and a raider base on the way.

You remember the path from Helgen to Riverrun, Riverrun to Whiterun and Whiterun to High Hrothgar? That's that. On preset anticipated paths there is a concentration of stuff, the rest of the world is interesting buildings with boarded up doors and economy condominiums that let you indulge in their grotty stairwells (but none of the rooms). Most places are absolute garbage with maybe a box at the back with leveled loot not as good as the enemy drops.
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Kyuubi4269 posted...

You remember the path from Helgen to Riverrun, Riverrun to Whiterun and Whiterun to High Hrothgar?

i remember climbing the mountain to hrothgar, that's it.

I've put hundreds, if not a couple thousand, hours into skyrim and every single thing in it is forgettable

If you're thinking about playing Fallout 4, you should probably steer away from New Vegas, since that game will only make you dislike F4 for what it isn't, instead of enjoying what is there.

As someone who loves 3 but doesn't get the love over New Vegas, here are the things NV does differently:

-> If your character has a low intelligence stat, their dialog choices are reflected and can be somewhat hilarious. For instance, a dumb character may speak throughout the game like a super mutant does, in broken sentences and slight misspellings.

-> If your character has experience with tinkering, weaponry or any particular skill, they get a dialog choice specifically on that subject along with the usual choices (plus the dummy options).

In comparison with Fallout 4, your character can have an intelligence of 1 and it doesn't affect much except for how soon they level and if they can repair stuff in some missions. All dialog options are equal. Charisma matters (more) in Fallout 4, but throwing stats toward the skill takes away from carrying more or taking more hits.

Kyuubi4269 posted...

It doesn't encourage exploration, it just pays you off if you go out of your way to explore an inconspicuous ruin.

that is literally encouragement

Depending on who you ask, Fallout 4 is a good game but not a good Fallout game. If anything I see FO4 more like a wasteland mod of Skyrim than a Fallout game. I've read some folks suggest FO4 wouldn't receive the flack it did if it wasn't called a Fallout game. I can kinda agree with this. For example I personally viewed Deus Ex: Invisible Wars the same. Its a good game but not a good Deus Ex game. By calling it a Deus Ex game I go in expecting certain aspects of a Deus Ex game and when those aspects are missing, I'm already less than satisfy even if I thought the gameplay was enjoyable.

Of course you also have fans like me who weren't 100% happy with the changes from Fallout and Fallout 2 to Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas but overtime learned to appreciate the good aspects of the game. I miss the black humor of FO and FO2 but feel FO3 and FO:NV does a better job with the immersion. I don't mind the isometric view of the earlier Fallout games but the controls do feel archaic nowadays.

I briefly played FO4 during the free weekend and might pick it up while the sale is still on. For better or worse we'll not getting another STALKER game anytime soon so FO4 with mods might be the closest thing I'll get.

I'd admit though, one thing I feel FO4 did maybe better is limiting you to certain perks/builds based on your SPECIAL stats. I know previous Fallout games did the same but it was kinda easy to get around that with a high Intelligence and maxing out your skills. In my current playthrough in FO:NV I have a Charisma of 1 but Intelligence of 10. It was simple to max out my Speech and Barter skills due to my high Intelligence despite my very low Charisma. In the initial release of FO:NV we had a level cap of 30 so could only go so far with our skills and had to specialize. Granted with the four DLCs and our level cap at 50 now it is simple to max out all skills by 50. Our perks are still limited by our SPECIAL stats but with all skills at 100, it is relatively easy to get through most/all situations even if we're missing certain perks.
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