Fallout 4 - it's official! Coming Nov 10, '15

[cbrunny]

So your precious fallout isn't flawless. Big woop. It'll still sell, I'll still play it. I can, despite what you guys think, say it looks uninspired graphically and I hope bethesda improved things from their past games.

It's like a bunch of comic book geeks who were told their favorite super hero isn't cool in here.

I just don't see the point in complaining incessantly. Even moreso if you're actually going to buy the game. I find it irritating when others want to actually talk about what it is, not what it isn't.

 

[cmdrdredd]

I just don't see the point in complaining incessantly. Even moreso if you're actually going to buy the game. I find it irritating when others want to actually talk about what it is, not what it isn't.

Incessantly? I made one post and there's backlash out the wazoo lol.

 

[Rakewell]

I just don't see the point in complaining incessantly. Even moreso if you're actually going to buy the game. I find it irritating when others want to actually talk about what it is, not what it isn't.

He's just trolling, man. Just ignore him. He's looking to be disappointed at something today, and it looks as though he's found it.

I think you're right, though - we need to get this forum back on track.

I'm personally looking forward to the release.... and, as always, where the modding community is going to take it. Plus, having lived in Boston, I'm hoping to God I don't find a skeleton hunched over a keyboard in my old apartment...

D:

 

[chubbyfatazn]

(Alleged) PC pics. Claims to be using Xbox controller with PC (some pics show kb commands)

i7-?, GTX 970, Ultra

slight spoiler (location named): https://www.anony.ws/i/2015/11/03/2015-11-02_00006.jpg

slight spoiler (location named): https://www.anony.ws/i/2015/11/03/2015-11-02_00007.jpg

Sauce

 

[chubbyfatazn]

More from the same source as above

 

[Silverforce11]

Yep.. graphics fidelity is certainly lacking for a Mega-AAA PC title in late 2015. But I was expecting that, they are using an ancient engine that just isn't competitive on IQ.

But as said, this series needs to be all on gameplay, hopefully it's great.

ps. I still play Fallout 1 and 2 once in awhile, with the high-res patch, it held up extremely well in aesthetics/style and overall quality. Gameplay still #1!

 

[escrow4]

This is the kind of attitude that drives me insane.

This “more flash, less substance” approach in modern popular entertainment spans movies, games, you name it. In the meantime we have generations of people who believe that the worth of entertainment is measured almost exclusively by the latest in special effects and pretty faces, whereas plot, writing, general ambiance can be ignored, or the lack thereof completely forgiven.

It’s like going out with a less than perfect, but attractive woman who’s witty, smart and full of passion - and walking away from that date saying, “what WAS she thinking with that belt with those shoes? It’s 2015, for god’s sake”.

Many gamers are the same as queens.

You are putting words in my mouth. An AAA title should have both flash AND everything else. It isn't an indie title for a couple thousand. Its supposed to be AAA. Big budget. You spent year(s) on it with a pile of man-hours. All that effort yet its 2015 and the graphics are average at best. How many towns will there be with 5 NPCs? Remember Skyrim's vast wondrous towns?

I'm not holding my breath for the writing/plotting either. It will be serviceable or a notch above at best. Oblivion was generic fantasy 101 down to the location, Skyrim was generic fantasy 102 - prophecies! dragons! save the world (again!), dungeon number #678 with skeletons and archetype fantasy caricatures! Fallout has the benefit of being sci-fi but Bethesda doesn't have the balls to go all dark like CD Projekt would with that apocalyptic setting.

Meh all-round.

EDIT: And on the witcher III, no it isn't perfect either. Too much running around with (or looking for) Ciri and not enough politicking and war. Like II. I'll put the boot into any title I may not like.

 

[Scooby Doo]

Textures look really flat. Oh well, I expect modders to release 4K texture overhauls soon

 

[Blue_Max]

hmmmmm..... starting to think I might almost wait for the first Steam sale and several reviews before jumping in. And this is coming from a fan since FO1.

 

[Pwndenburg]

I don't think its fair to compare this to the Witcher. Then again, I'm so hopelessly biased towards W3 that I call it my favorite in the last decade.

 

[Zenoth]

Bethesda released their official HD textures for Skyrim, it was a good move especially for people who didn't want to bother tempering with folder files to get community-made ones (of course mods were better, but not everyone wants to bother with them). I suppose that they will do the same for Fallout 4 at some point. My 'problem', if any, is that we always have to wait for such textures with Bethesda games. The engine is indeed very old, but good textures can still be made for the game from either the devs or the community (well, that one is guaranteed to happen obviously).

Anyway, if those pictures posted above were indeed taken from the PC version (at max settings I suppose) then I find them 'alright', for the time being. It's nothing horrendous, especially not considering it's... well... it's a Bethesda game (we should all have expected it from them, I'm very surprised by some of the negative reactions around, Bethesda ain't CryTek or CDPR), and it's using that old engine again (heck I'm surprised DOOM wasn't made with gamebryo, they can't get enough of that engine).

Honestly though, it looks at least decently better than Skyrim at release (vanilla, non-modded). And just like all previous Bethesda games it will only get better, much better over time. The main issue is indeed the waiting until it gets there. It usually takes about a full year after release to be in a state where you can choose from multiple mods from all categories, including Unofficial patches, Utilities, new UIs, etc. If any of you guys genuinely feel disgusted by the default (even maxed out) graphics then just wait, really. Just be patient, save your money, and maybe keep an eye occasionally, once every month or so after release and browse the Nexus / Workshop and see what's being worked on by the community and read official patch notes to see what got fixed/changed/added, etc. And about 10 to 12 months later just get it for much cheaper, maybe even with a DLC or two included in some GOTY edition or in a Steam sale.

The 'situation' about Fallout 4's graphics really isn't different from Skyrim's at release (on the PC). I clearly remember people around complaining about how Skyrim's default textures looked bad (and honestly they weren't 'bad' in my eyes, but they could have been noticeably better of course). Then the "rage" about it faded away after about a month, mods started to come out, word of mouth and media on the web spread about how it "now" looked better thanks to mods, more people tried it, found out it was finally "better" and then Bethesda followed with their official HD pack (and then the community complained about that pack anyway and how 'x' and 'y' texture sets weren't touched or remained uncompressed or stuff like that).

Just wait if you're pissed about the graphics, and just buy it if you simply want to play a typical Bethesda-flavored exploration-based game (and that's fine by me, couldn't wait to go back in the Fallout world again).

 

[Borealis7]

looks very bright and coloury for a Wasteland...maybe they thought FO3's grey motif/FONV dust was too much

 

[Seba]

You should demand graphics, physics, particle effects, voice acting that is quality, characters that move realistically etc. This isn't 2001 where such things were unheard of. These things should be commonplace in 2015 for every AAA developer.

One thing that stood out in a bad way in a Youtube clip was when, at the begining of the game, inside your house, the wife was addressing to your character, but did not even turn towards your character. She spoke to the wall, not to you.

 

[zinfamous]

So you'd rather not compare Bethesda's games to what else is on the market. Look I don't think anybody is saying Fallout 4 needs to have a more well written plot than The Witcher 3 or needs better companions than Dragon's Age, BUT Bethesda chooses to put those elements in the game so they should be judged against their competition.

The whole well 'thats not what Bethesda's games are about' is a cop out answer. If that was the case then you could say BioWare only cares about companions and DA2 is a masterpiece, rather than a stinky pile of poo. Games need to be judged by the individual pieces as well as the sum of the whole.

The only way Bethesda is going to better developer is if they look hard at the places where they can improve and try to do something there.



Compared to what? The absurdly repetitive and shallow radiant quests? Bethesda's games where the difficulty might be there for 4 hours rather than 15? In Fallout 3 you were killing super mutants within 3 hours. In Skyrim the much vaunted Dragon battles were jokes. Skyrim's combat amounted to clicking 2 buttons, and by the time you got decently leveled you could ignore one of those buttons.

See, these points are worth addressing. Every game has their issues--shitty combat in Bethesda games, stale side quests; closed on-rails world in Witcher 2, this adolescent understanding of maturity: booby cards yay! repetitive and endless pickup events and easy combat in W3 (still, combat way better than in Skyrim, for comparison).

The reason, again, that issues of player character development and tight story aren't good points for comparison is because these games are still very different in their story. You don't have a set character with Bethesda: you might as well be cupcake wearing a bowler hat, it really doesn't make a difference. Some are trying to make a comparison of a well-defined character like Geralt and a blank space, and try to draw a point here. I laugh at these people, because they simply don't understand what they are talking about. "Character is important!" Yes, yes it is. I think such claims in these threads, though, come from people that don't understand the concept...(probably because these ideas were soley informed by japanese cartoons and my little pony; but I digress).

Bethesda games are not character-driven. They are player-driven. Many compromises are made, but other opportunities open up because of this. I'm not saying it's the better model, it's just what it is. I do find issues with such completely open play that you end up making bizarre and incongruent choices, events within the same world clearly conflict and most problematic: some major events seem not to matter all that much in the end.


The issue of the engine, yet again: Look, I'm talking about "Well why doesn't Bethesda use it to its full capacity?" Again--the issue of Bethesda being lazy and releasing a "half-finished" product, compromising for consoles, whatever, has absolutely nothing to do with the engine. Nothing. That is something else. The fact is that their games remain rather robust years out and the shear amount of content that people can introduce because of this, and the quality people can pull out of those engines is staggering. It's one thing to compare the vanilla engines and cry and moan about the twigs not looking like twigs in other games, then look at a mod, using the very same engine, that makes some really bitching twigs.

Ignoring the true capability of the engine to make an argument that it is shit based on dev laziness is not worth anyone's time, to be honest.

 

[AHamick]

Im really trying to hold off upgrading my PC until later next year when Star Citizen is alleged to be released but I want to play this game smoothly, will my current system survive through Fallout 4? If not what can be some quick and moderately inexpensive upgrades I can get to hold over for another 8-10 months?

Current PC

i5 3570k at stock (havent dabbled in OCing)
8 gigs of ram
Gigabyte gtx 670

ps. I still play Fallout 1 and 2 once in awhile, with the high-res patch, it held up extremely well in aesthetics/style and overall quality. Gameplay still #1!

Hi res patch for Fallout 1 & 2? Have a link? I cant find it on google

 

[zinfamous]

Im really trying to hold off upgrading my PC until later next year when Star Citizen is alleged to be released but I want to play this game smoothly, will my current system survive through Fallout 4? If not what can be some quick and moderately inexpensive upgrades I can get to hold over for another 8-10 months?

Current PC

i5 3570k at stock (havent dabbled in OCing)
8 gigs of ram
Gigabyte gtx 670




Hi res patch for Fallout 1 & 2? Have a link? I cant find it on google

The peanut gallery calls this "late playstation 2" quality.

so yeah, I guess you will be OK.

 

[Tweak155]

I think it looks fine. Can't wait! I have about $300 in various FO4 stuff ordered haha.

 

[cbrunny]

I think it looks fine. Can't wait! I have about $300 in various FO4 stuff ordered haha.

holy moly. what did you order?

 

[cbrunny]

Top 5 best looking PS2 games: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTuCI1j_Ltw

Ok, are we done with that waste of time now? Back to the thread please?

 

[showb1z]

Yea textures, geometry, etc will be improved by modders. Unfortunately it's not so easy to improve character animations, facial animations and enemy/companion AI. They're looking pretty dreadful. They can't even seem to get basic lip sync down.
Is it really that weird to expect some measure of improvement over the course of a decade? After all, this is a dev rolling in cash, not some 5-man indie team.
And what's worse, instead of expanding on their existing RPG mechanics, they're mostly dumbing them down. Again.

Yea, yea, I don't have to play this game. Still, I like Fallout. Assuming they don't relaunch paid mods I'll play it eventually. Wish Obsidian would own the IP though.

 

[Grooveriding]

Nothing wrong with the expectation in 2015 of a AAA game priced as such to deliver good technology behind its engine, as well as gameplay. Comparisons to Witcher 3 are perfectly fair. Another open world RPG, probably the best game of the past five years, certainly the best game that will have released this year. Amazing graphics and technology behind it, as well as being an excellent game.

Stunning visuals add to immersion, it improves the gameplay experience. There is no reason for them to be releasing a game that looks like crap in 2015. They need to get their shit together with that engine, the lighting and textures are awful, and the animations... holy crap it is the same awful we've seen for over a decade now. No doubt the next Elder Scrolls will be using this same broken decade old engine and it will be okay because the players will make mods for it. Even Skyrim looks dated, modded or not. When the core tech of the engine lacks updated technology, no amount of high resolution textures will account for a lack of modern implementations in the game engine like POM, tessellation, global illumination etc.

 

[cmdrdredd]

One thing that stood out in a bad way in a Youtube clip was when, at the begining of the game, inside your house, the wife was addressing to your character, but did not even turn towards your character. She spoke to the wall, not to you.

I didn't see that but do you think it was for story effect (the wife doesn't want to look at you and is upset with you in some way) or just an oversight in animation?

 

[sweenish]

Lol...if consumers never demanded better we would not get anything better.

I'll never understand you're bend over and take it attitude where developers can release anything and people buy it.

“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”

Consumers are idiots. Look at how well CoD still sells, the state of games in general, and then realize it's because of consumers, not publishers.

Going to broaden the topic a bit, but indies getting huge has been the best thing to happen to gaming in the last decade. They are not beholden to consumers, or market research or trends. They make the games they want to make, and it's fantastic.

I see a quote a like yours, and I can't help but to think how backwards it is. Consumers have an influence, but it's only to a point. The place the mainstream gaming industry is right now, a relative hole, is because of consumers.

So, I don't think your argument flies, and treasuring graphics over gameplay has been the bane of the "master race" ever since that tripe became popular.

I'm still hyped. Regardless of what others think, I enjoy getting lost in Bethesda's titles.

 

[Seba]

I didn't see that but do you think it was for story effect (the wife doesn't want to look at you and is upset with you in some way) or just an oversight in animation?

It didn't look intentional to me.

I think it was in one of the leaked videos, but the original link that I used does not work anymore. I'll look for that clip and post a link if I find a link that is still working.

 

[cmdrdredd]

“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”

Consumers are idiots. Look at how well CoD still sells, the state of games in general, and then realize it's because of consumers, not publishers.

Going to broaden the topic a bit, but indies getting huge has been the best thing to happen to gaming in the last decade. They are not beholden to consumers, or market research or trends. They make the games they want to make, and it's fantastic.

I see a quote a like yours, and I can't help but to think how backwards it is. Consumers have an influence, but it's only to a point. The place the mainstream gaming industry is right now, a relative hole, is because of consumers.

So, I don't think your argument flies, and treasuring graphics over gameplay has been the bane of the "master race" ever since that tripe became popular.

I'm still hyped. Regardless of what others think, I enjoy getting lost in Bethesda's titles.

I am not treasuring graphics over gameplay. Let me make it clear. In 2015 you should have both. That's what some of us are saying. There is no reason a big budget title can't have both.

You mentioned indie games but while their budgets measure in the thousands of dollars, Bethesda likely spent tens of millions on fallout 4. All we are saying is the production values should reflect that.