Post by Shelby on Feb 13, 2020 18:03:51 GMT -8
I've been playing this one for the first time. I started about a month ago. I'm a Fallout fan from way, way back, Fallout 1.
I've modded it up pretty heavily via the Nexus.com website and its mod manager, Vortex. I have 122 mods loaded! How did that happen?
Anyway, here are my impressions so far.
The cursor is just as wonky as in Skyrim. It floats all over, it won't stop moving when I stop the mouse, and the term "precision" will never get within 100 miles of this game. What in the hell is wrong with Bethesda?!
The main quest and Bethesda side quests are pretty darn good. I've got some adventure mods loaded, and some NPC mods loaded, and I have to say that Bethesda pretty much comes out ahead here. Which they should.
OTOH, I have some real nits to pick. All this weapon and armor modding that they offer, and I can't really tell what to do with what. The documentation is pathetic. I'm just supposed to diddle around and hope I start to understand through osmosis? When did documentation become optional? This is not fun, Bethesda.
Oh, but they take it one giant step further with the settlements. I'm supposed to micro-manage all these settlements? I'm an adventurer in a role-playing game. This isn't Sim City, boys. If that's what I wanted, I'd have bought a simulation game. Even if I ignore the settlements, they keep getting attacked and need ME to defend them! In fact, there are even times in the main quest that I can't proceed because the game engine labels me as "in combat" because a settlement is under attack somewhere! This is unforgivable. But let's assume for some reason I wanted to build settlements in Fallout. Where's the documentation, boys? Where?
The overall aesthetic also bothers me. We're pretty much done with the retro 50's cold war vibe, which I liked. The landscape is so bleak that I don't know why anyone would think of this scenery as a game. But if I'm supposed to "clean up" and build these settlements, or my own home, why can't I remove all the dirt and leaves and debris? There was even an NPC who remarked on that, although I think the NPC was from a mod. Something to the effect of, "Of course it's clean in here, just because there was a war 200 years ago doesn't mean that we can't sweep and mop." Damned straight.
Another thing. The Vault people. Fallout 4 pretty much puts the nail in the coffin that all of the Vaults were evil experiments. That pretty much spoils the whole "Vault Boy" vibe. The 50's retro vibe needs some good to it, because the 50's suburban life really WAS good, and we need a good contrast to the awful post-apocalypse. Again, Bethesda doesn't understand.
What else? I have a problem with quests that want to strip you of all your inventory. Just deal with it guys, I find that really, really annoying. I also have a problem with labyrinthine corridors and lousy Pip-Boy maps. I can't tell where I am. And then I hear that referred to as a game "puzzle" that I'm supposed to be enjoying. Well, no. I don't enjoy it. I want to proceed through to my objective. Don't get me lost. I'm here to have fun, and that's not it. Give me a damned map, which the gaming industry managed to do for decades.
It's worth a mention that a portion of the game evokes a film noir environment. That's an odd touch, to say the least, and doesn't really sit well in a Fallout game. I happen to enjoy noir, but it still feels a little awkward. As does the superhero / pulp stuff. Ah, well.
Overall, it's the story and characters that are the reason I play RPGs. That and character builds and growth. Those aspects are still good. But the mood and the technical difficulties are impediments.
Who's played Fallout? What are your observations? Any similar games you'd recommend? Let me know!
I've modded it up pretty heavily via the Nexus.com website and its mod manager, Vortex. I have 122 mods loaded! How did that happen?
Anyway, here are my impressions so far.
The cursor is just as wonky as in Skyrim. It floats all over, it won't stop moving when I stop the mouse, and the term "precision" will never get within 100 miles of this game. What in the hell is wrong with Bethesda?!
The main quest and Bethesda side quests are pretty darn good. I've got some adventure mods loaded, and some NPC mods loaded, and I have to say that Bethesda pretty much comes out ahead here. Which they should.
OTOH, I have some real nits to pick. All this weapon and armor modding that they offer, and I can't really tell what to do with what. The documentation is pathetic. I'm just supposed to diddle around and hope I start to understand through osmosis? When did documentation become optional? This is not fun, Bethesda.
Oh, but they take it one giant step further with the settlements. I'm supposed to micro-manage all these settlements? I'm an adventurer in a role-playing game. This isn't Sim City, boys. If that's what I wanted, I'd have bought a simulation game. Even if I ignore the settlements, they keep getting attacked and need ME to defend them! In fact, there are even times in the main quest that I can't proceed because the game engine labels me as "in combat" because a settlement is under attack somewhere! This is unforgivable. But let's assume for some reason I wanted to build settlements in Fallout. Where's the documentation, boys? Where?
The overall aesthetic also bothers me. We're pretty much done with the retro 50's cold war vibe, which I liked. The landscape is so bleak that I don't know why anyone would think of this scenery as a game. But if I'm supposed to "clean up" and build these settlements, or my own home, why can't I remove all the dirt and leaves and debris? There was even an NPC who remarked on that, although I think the NPC was from a mod. Something to the effect of, "Of course it's clean in here, just because there was a war 200 years ago doesn't mean that we can't sweep and mop." Damned straight.
Another thing. The Vault people. Fallout 4 pretty much puts the nail in the coffin that all of the Vaults were evil experiments. That pretty much spoils the whole "Vault Boy" vibe. The 50's retro vibe needs some good to it, because the 50's suburban life really WAS good, and we need a good contrast to the awful post-apocalypse. Again, Bethesda doesn't understand.
What else? I have a problem with quests that want to strip you of all your inventory. Just deal with it guys, I find that really, really annoying. I also have a problem with labyrinthine corridors and lousy Pip-Boy maps. I can't tell where I am. And then I hear that referred to as a game "puzzle" that I'm supposed to be enjoying. Well, no. I don't enjoy it. I want to proceed through to my objective. Don't get me lost. I'm here to have fun, and that's not it. Give me a damned map, which the gaming industry managed to do for decades.
It's worth a mention that a portion of the game evokes a film noir environment. That's an odd touch, to say the least, and doesn't really sit well in a Fallout game. I happen to enjoy noir, but it still feels a little awkward. As does the superhero / pulp stuff. Ah, well.
Overall, it's the story and characters that are the reason I play RPGs. That and character builds and growth. Those aspects are still good. But the mood and the technical difficulties are impediments.
Who's played Fallout? What are your observations? Any similar games you'd recommend? Let me know!