Home Gaming Bethesda: Taking Fallout online with Fallout 76 was “really scary”

Bethesda: Taking Fallout online with Fallout 76 was “really scary”

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Fo76

Fallout 76 is coming soon, and it makes some big changes to the series. The most notable of course, is that the series – which has traditionally been a solitary RPG – is going online. Fallout 76 will require an internet connection to play, and every character you encounter on your questing is another human being. It’s a significant change, and one that’ll take a fair bit of getting used to. It’s not just odd, it’s also risky. What if Fallout fans aren’t enamoured with the change? Speaking to Gamespot, Bethesda’s Marketing VP Pete Hines said that making the shift was “really scary.”

“We knew going in, this is not just gonna be Fallout 4 with multiplayer,” Hines said. “It’s inherently going to have to look and feel different in order to be the type of experience that works with many different players together. We’re not doing an MMO, not just doing a last-man-standing game–it’s still an RPG. It has elements of those kinds of things, but yeah, there’s inherent things that are different–but there’s also a lot of things that look and feel very familiar.

“For instance, the tone, the vibe, look, and feel of the world can go a long way to give you a sense of familiarity to sort of wrap your head around things. It’s still a Fallout world, even though these things are different. But yeah, this is a really scary and different thing to be a part of. We are fully aware of that. We are making changes and making a different kind of game, but it’s one that we are excited to try and see what it can turn into.”

The game was born out of the cancelled ideas for Fallout 4’s multiplayer – but it’s evolved to being a shared world RPG.

“We have done some things differently, like there’s no NPCs in the game and you’re not having dialogue with a lot of different characters. But instead of that, you’re doing a lot more world exploration and emergent gameplay, finding notes and hollow-tapes from people who were in the world who have disappeared, and trying to figure out what was going on before and what they were like. But deep down, it’s still the same basic idea of a shared Fallout experience and how that works with others thrown in the mix.”

I’m both intrigued by, and worried about Fallout 76. I adore Bethesda’s post-apocalyptic world-building, but their storytelling wasn’t quite on form with Fallout 4. Not having NPC’s to talk to, and relying on emergent storytelling could go either way. I also sincerely hope that the game is still good without others. Obviously it’s at its best when you play with other people, some sometimes wandering the wasteland alone is the perfect way to while away the hours.

Last Updated: October 16, 2018

24 Comments

  1. Kromas

    October 16, 2018 at 09:11

    There are plenty NPCs to talk to. Please be aware of this. ONLY HUMAN NPC’s are missing.

    Reply

    • Original Heretic

      October 16, 2018 at 09:18

      So are there NPC’s or not?
      Cause if not, how the hell do you get quests?

      https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/d2827450073e45a7718117d62a595d5788155343c34bfa8fdd42b86fa41b73c5.jpg

      Reply

      • Kromas

        October 16, 2018 at 09:19

        The main quest is following the trail of your Overseer. Most other quests come from corpses or robots or just walking into an area.

        Reply

        • Kromas

          October 16, 2018 at 09:19

          It is fairly organic.

          Reply

        • Original Heretic

          October 16, 2018 at 09:21

          I’m still reserving judgement on this.
          Bethesda let me down with F4, they need to prove themselves with this one.

          Reply

          • Kromas

            October 16, 2018 at 09:24

            This game is not the follow up to F4. Just remember that. If you want pure story and single players you need to wait for Fallout 5. This however is a branch to the series and it basically marries Fallout with MP Survival. In fact I am fairly sure not everyone will enjoy this game.

          • Original Heretic

            October 16, 2018 at 09:26

            This is set WAAAAY before F4, I know that.
            The more I read about it, the less it feels like Fallout.

          • Kromas

            October 16, 2018 at 09:26

            I have watched over 50 hours of gameplay. To me it feels both like and not like Fallout. I am super happy about the way it seems to play out.

          • Original Heretic

            October 16, 2018 at 09:28

            I’m waiting on the reviews. Not getting burned again.

          • Kromas

            October 16, 2018 at 11:28

            Best to do so yeah.

      • Guz

        October 16, 2018 at 10:01

        This dude single handedly made me hate the settlement side quests

        Reply

  2. Viper_ZA

    October 16, 2018 at 09:16

    Looking forward to give this a whirl.

    Reply

  3. G8crasha

    October 16, 2018 at 09:26

    I share your sentiments Mr. Editor. I too am both intrigued and worried. I’ve been aching for some gameplay footage, and was blessed with such recently, but that has just conflicted me more. My gut is telling me to avoid this game, my heart is telling me to jump in and commit.

    Let me make an offer to all Critical Hit Community Members: I will jump in head first with this game if others join me and team up. To enjoy this game, I think you need good teammates! So the offer is on the table. We either swim together or drown together!

    Reply

    • Original Heretic

      October 16, 2018 at 09:26

      • G8crasha

        October 16, 2018 at 09:32

        …Or sing together, arm-in-arm, hand-in-hand (they forgot the hyphens)!

        Reply

        • Original Heretic

          October 16, 2018 at 09:34

          Pum PUM!

          Reply

    • Kromas

      October 16, 2018 at 09:28

      PC pre-ordered so yeah I am there.

      Reply

      • G8crasha

        October 16, 2018 at 09:31

        So two more (I think the max is 4 team members) and I commit. I so want to avoid disappoint with this game because I’ve loved the franchise since day one!

        Reply

        • Kromas

          October 16, 2018 at 09:32

          I can’t remember who but someone else pre-ordered.

          Reply

          • PestControl

            October 16, 2018 at 10:13

            I’m on the verge of pre-ordering… mainly because I’m taking some leave when the game is going to be released and I need something to do. (Have 30 days of which I need to use 15 before the end of the year or I’ll lose them)

            This no NPC’s thing though… somehow I feel this is going to severely impact the story 🙁

          • Kromas

            October 16, 2018 at 10:14

            From what I have seen. Not much. You get tons of story from holotapes and robots and various other things like notes or even the enviroment.

          • G8crasha

            October 16, 2018 at 11:45

            Well then, I guess I best take out my credit card and cough up the R1000 for Bethesda’s store considering it ain’t hitting Steam any time soon!

        • Geoffrey Tim

          October 16, 2018 at 11:23

          I’ll be around at launch time, but probably not for toooo much longer than that. On Pc as well.

          Reply

          • G8crasha

            October 16, 2018 at 11:39

            “Two is company, four is a party, three is a crowd. One is a wanderer.” – James Thurber

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