Cautiously optimistic, the game hits a lot of boxes I want to see in a space RPG, but Bethesda are known for overpromising, so I'm going to wait a couple of months until after release before going in.
Cautiously optimistic, the game hits a lot of boxes I want to see in a space RPG, but Bethesda are known for overpromising, so I'm going to wait a couple of months until after release before going in.
Why exactly do people hate on FO4? I played (many years after release) FO3, then New Vegas, then FO4. I feel like 4 has the most to offer, and it seems like that would hold true even without the...
Why exactly do people hate on FO4? I played (many years after release) FO3, then New Vegas, then FO4. I feel like 4 has the most to offer, and it seems like that would hold true even without the DLC (though Far Harbor is pretty incredible). And while I enjoyed Skyrim, Fallout games feel so much more immersive and interactive to me with the depth of many of the characters.
Currently on and off trying a survival run of FO4 and it's very tough but very fun.
It was very much a mechanical improvement, but the way they handled the dialogue system irked me a bit. Your choices were cut down and you would not see exactly what your character would say.
It was very much a mechanical improvement, but the way they handled the dialogue system irked me a bit. Your choices were cut down and you would not see exactly what your character would say.
That, and the character sheet got skyrimified. There's so little freedom in where the perk points go, it kinda feels like a farce. I really hope they would refocus a bit. After Skyrim and FO4,the...
That, and the character sheet got skyrimified. There's so little freedom in where the perk points go, it kinda feels like a farce. I really hope they would refocus a bit. After Skyrim and FO4,the community had enough time to digest the games throughly and voice their opinion, and in my view it's clear that they would like to see more RP in Bethesda RPGs. Starfield might be a litmus test of that, of whether Beth listened. But so far, the focus seems to be on everything except that. This doesn't exactly make me hopeful for TES6.
I don't know, they didn't focus on it this deep dive but the announcement last year seemed to me that they did listen. They focused on having a lot more dialogue, more choice, and even...
I don't know, they didn't focus on it this deep dive but the announcement last year seemed to me that they did listen. They focused on having a lot more dialogue, more choice, and even specifically pointed out the PC is not voice acted and they went back to the old dialogue screen (drop down menu vs the four buttons). And they focused on having different traits of your char that would affect playthrough (having parents, having a house, etc).
I really got the impression at least from last year's announcement they realize people want better RPG. Which is why I haven't worried about it (well until people started pointing out the little focus on it on the current deep dive).
Hmm, that announcement must've mostly passed me by. Last thing I remember is a bit of gameplay footage that mostly focused on gunplay. You make me cautiously hopeful about the dialogue side of...
Hmm, that announcement must've mostly passed me by. Last thing I remember is a bit of gameplay footage that mostly focused on gunplay.
You make me cautiously hopeful about the dialogue side of things. I'm not so convinced we'll get a decent character sheet. Mediocre character sheets have too much tradition in Beth games by now. I'm willing to be proven wrong, but not hopeful.
I remember it cause it seemed like they were addressing many of the criticisms of 4 with it (without bringing to attention that there was criticism to 4). I don't know how well they'll do but it...
I remember it cause it seemed like they were addressing many of the criticisms of 4 with it (without bringing to attention that there was criticism to 4). I don't know how well they'll do but it does seem like they at least heard us about 4 (about how we disliked all choices being hte same, we didn't like the new dialogue wheel cause it left with too few options to respond, we didn't like the voiced PC).
But from what I've seen of Bethesda is that they do listen, but they don't always implement the fix well ;) (4 for example they seemed to listen to us wanting to have different faction choices and wanting things to be less clear cut but they did a bad job of implementing that).
But, another thing to give you hope.... Far Harbor actually seemed already like they tried to listen and change (but since htey were already stuck in 4's format of voiced char and limited dialogue wheel there wasn't as much they could do) but the guy who lead Far Harbor's writing is the guy heading Starfield :). So not only were they already showing some change of heart for the dlc for 4, they are using the same guy who helped make the dlc great for Starfield.
I remember hearing that announcement to, it did come off very much like the scandals around FO4 and FO76 made them realise that going too far down the casualisation rabbit hole was going to leave...
I remember hearing that announcement to, it did come off very much like the scandals around FO4 and FO76 made them realise that going too far down the casualisation rabbit hole was going to leave them bereft of what made them popular in the first place.
As much as I love Morrowind it could benefit from some simplification, I think Oblivion and Skyrim both had the right mix of simple:complex for their mechanics although I'd change the specific way they handled certain things. (eg. Armour being split up into multiple pieces rather than a single "torso" piece or the like is something even more casual players can handle and tend to enjoy because of the cosmetic element it can add)
I would argue that’s a very subjective thing to pick out, and could certainly be described as a stylistic choice. It honestly kept me more engaged to want to hear what my character said instead of...
I would argue that’s a very subjective thing to pick out, and could certainly be described as a stylistic choice. It honestly kept me more engaged to want to hear what my character said instead of zooming through.
I do appreciate the way the previous entries handled it as well, but I feel like this method made sense for an audible main character.
It's not only that the text of the choices was cut down to fit the UI. If the truncated descriptions were just a bit more descriptive, I could almost entirely forgive that. It's that there is...
It's not only that the text of the choices was cut down to fit the UI. If the truncated descriptions were just a bit more descriptive, I could almost entirely forgive that.
It's that there is basically no dialogue system to speak of anymore. There are almost no NPCs that you can ask things about the place you're in or the quest you're going on. Almost all dialogue follows the formula
Exposition
Giving a quest
4 player choices: No, Yes, Snarky Yes, Maybe but actually yes.
Very coarse details about the quest
Cutting down player choices here to essentially two things: Quest yes / Quest no. Rarely you'll find a dialogue check for irrelevant additional information, or for more monetary reward. But with the cap economy being completely pointless in FO4 (imo), that's also merely window dressing.
Now, Bethesda hasn't been good about crafting branching dialogue paths. Oblivion was alright, FO3 was alright. F:NV, which isn't a Beth game, was much better. Skyrim was slightly worse than Oblivion. FO4 was a another step down. The last dialogue system of Bethesda's that I would class as "inspired" was TES3: MW. It wasn't great - dialogue tended to repeat if you asked the same thing of many people. But the sheer amount of lore that you an access to immersively flesh out the world building around you is amazing. Nevermind that that lore and worldbuilding interact with quests, because you don't have a quest marker, so "find this McGuffin" can be an entertaining and unique quest, simply because you have to figure out who even knows about the McGuffin, and interpret what they say to figure out which dungeon to dive.
I got stuck on a bugged quest on console and couldn't find a way to fix it. Maybe this would be fixed if had the expansions, but I got the base game for cheap and didn't wanna spend any more. I...
I got stuck on a bugged quest on console and couldn't find a way to fix it. Maybe this would be fixed if had the expansions, but I got the base game for cheap and didn't wanna spend any more. I hate having to constantly ask myself "is this a bug or did I do something wrong?".
I also dislike the building systems. I wanted to play Fallout, not post apocalyptic The Sims.
I have game pass so I’ll hit it day 1 without any extra cost to me at least. Then I’ll revisit it after it’s functional because you know Bethesda gonna Bethesda the shit out of that launch.
I have game pass so I’ll hit it day 1 without any extra cost to me at least. Then I’ll revisit it after it’s functional because you know Bethesda gonna Bethesda the shit out of that launch.
Yes, but better? "Starfield is built in Creation Engine 2, a modified and updated form of the Creation Engine that was used for Skyrim, Fallout 4, and Fallout 76." - Source
Yes, but better?
"Starfield is built in Creation Engine 2, a modified and updated form of the Creation Engine that was used for Skyrim, Fallout 4, and Fallout 76." - Source
Which is itself afaict a modified version of the engine used since TES3 at least. Saying "X uses the same engine as Y" is a complete non-statement. You wouldn't exactly expect Bethesda to build on...
Which is itself afaict a modified version of the engine used since TES3 at least. Saying "X uses the same engine as Y" is a complete non-statement. You wouldn't exactly expect Bethesda to build on top of CryEngine or Unreal or something, so the only real options are "their old in-house engine" and "a new in-house engine". And the distinction among the two is mostly moot, as it exists along a continuum from "starting from scratch" via "building a new engine, incorporating a few old pieces of code" and "using the old one, but refactoring major systems and generally changing a lot" to "just use the old one without changes".
It's just branding, for the most part. And Creation Engine does a lot of things well. It also has some infamous long-standing bugs. The fact that Beth doesn't really seem to care about fixing it is an issue with Bethesda, not their engine. If they were to write their engine all over from scratch, you could expect at least as many bugs, if not much much more. Unless of course they start caring much more about quality. Again, an issue with Bethesda.
It is, kinda. It's a Ship of Theseus sort of situation at this point, I'd imagine. Swap out enough parts, can you really call it the same engine? That being said, I fully expect it to contain all...
It is, kinda. It's a Ship of Theseus sort of situation at this point, I'd imagine. Swap out enough parts, can you really call it the same engine?
That being said, I fully expect it to contain all the same quirks. I think that's just Bethesda's style at this point.
Do we think that's at all a possibility? Considering Bethesda's history and the recent trend of modern AAA game development, is there any more sure of a bet than a buggy, badly performing mess...
Do we think that's at all a possibility? Considering Bethesda's history and the recent trend of modern AAA game development, is there any more sure of a bet than a buggy, badly performing mess with an ornate Twitter apology on top?
I want to be wrong, but I'll be more shocked if they get good DF marks than if they don't. If they pull this off though...
I’m gonna play it on launch day just in hopes there isn’t gaming breaking bugs but just the typical Bethesda insanity. I wanna see bodies vibrate and rag doll into the void, a ship come apart at...
I’m gonna play it on launch day just in hopes there isn’t gaming breaking bugs but just the typical Bethesda insanity. I wanna see bodies vibrate and rag doll into the void, a ship come apart at the seams, etc etc. Should be a fun train wreck.
Just gotta set the expectations for fun accordingly. lol
This is my take. I expect some jank in Bethesda's Creation games because, with how complex they are, something weird will almost always happen. If it doesn't kill itself, the mechanics mostly...
This is my take. I expect some jank in Bethesda's Creation games because, with how complex they are, something weird will almost always happen. If it doesn't kill itself, the mechanics mostly work, and it's enjoyable I'll be happy as a first-day player.
This isn't a game developed on a three to four year cycle like the past few, I expect a finished product with some bugs that weren't caught in QA. I definitely don't expect a No Man's Sky...
This isn't a game developed on a three to four year cycle like the past few, I expect a finished product with some bugs that weren't caught in QA. I definitely don't expect a No Man's Sky situation where they seriously under-deliver.
I'm still going in cautiously optimistic, but expect it to be mostly functional at least.
This does look pretty sweet. I wasn't following this one at all before this. I'm usually a little wary when games claim to basically be 3 whole games in one. Still pissed about buying Spore the...
This does look pretty sweet. I wasn't following this one at all before this. I'm usually a little wary when games claim to basically be 3 whole games in one. Still pissed about buying Spore the day it dropped.
Really interested in this, if it launches in a decent enough state (I have a high tolerance for game bugs though). I've always wanted to get into a big Bethesda RPG but bounced off of both Elder...
Really interested in this, if it launches in a decent enough state (I have a high tolerance for game bugs though). I've always wanted to get into a big Bethesda RPG but bounced off of both Elder Scrolls and Fallout due to not being drawn to the settings. Space opera sci-fi is absolutely my thing though, so I can't wait to try it all out.
Same here! I have been keeping an eye on news of its development. Hopefully all the various sub-systems (combat, space flight, base-building, planet exploration etc) mesh together nicely.
Same here! I have been keeping an eye on news of its development. Hopefully all the various sub-systems (combat, space flight, base-building, planet exploration etc) mesh together nicely.
High fantasy does nothing for me so TES has always been a turn off for me and I’ve always preferred New Vegas to anything Bethesda themselves have done with Fallout. Sci-fi settings though are...
High fantasy does nothing for me so TES has always been a turn off for me and I’ve always preferred New Vegas to anything Bethesda themselves have done with Fallout.
Sci-fi settings though are more my jam so I’m right there with ya. Here’s hoping it hits the mark.
I get why people meme on Bethesda but man I’m excited for this. For one, I have loved most of their games. Sure, they're janky and shallower than they appear. But they are great canvases, not too...
I get why people meme on Bethesda but man I’m excited for this. For one, I have loved most of their games. Sure, they're janky and shallower than they appear. But they are great canvases, not too many RPGs can claim similar, despite the name. Secondly, I have been playing a ton of X4 and this will dovetail nicely!
The thing that gets me most excited about this, other than this feeling like they built my dream game, is that I know the game is going to likely be another one that has long legs due to the...
The thing that gets me most excited about this, other than this feeling like they built my dream game, is that I know the game is going to likely be another one that has long legs due to the modding community. It’s a day one purchase for me for that reason alone. I just wish that the Premium edition came with an expansion pass and not just the first DLC.
It does leave me wondering what modding is going to look like, though. Are there going to be the same/similar tools or something new? Is it going to be available at launch, 3 months later like...
It does leave me wondering what modding is going to look like, though. Are there going to be the same/similar tools or something new? Is it going to be available at launch, 3 months later like Skyrim, or almost half a year later like Fallout 4? With all this talk about procedural generation on planets, will I be able to develop a mod on a specific planet that others will be able to find the same way in the same place, or is it something that players will need to wait for the game to randomly populate on a world?
It seems likely that much like in FO4, content mods will trigger quests, and those quests can trigger the spawning of the relevant material just like a radiant quest would.
It seems likely that much like in FO4, content mods will trigger quests, and those quests can trigger the spawning of the relevant material just like a radiant quest would.
That’s something I hadn’t really considered. I know that they announced awhile ago that this would have full mod support just like Skyrim and Fallout. Until I saw the direct I had been under the...
That’s something I hadn’t really considered. I know that they announced awhile ago that this would have full mod support just like Skyrim and Fallout. Until I saw the direct I had been under the assumption that they had used procedural generation to create these worlds on their end, rather than them being procedurally generated on the user side. If I had to hazard a guess, again, based on what they said in the direct, I would think that mods with quest lines would sort of be thrown into the metaphorical bucket with all of the other quests that can populate the world during that procedural generation. I would imagine it’s kind of like Stellaris or Civilization in that respect. No idea when they’ll release the mod development kit though. As far as I know they haven’t given a release window for it yet. How would you hope it would work?
Well I had no idea this existed! Looks amazing. But I haven't enjoyed a Bethesda release since Skyrim. So like the narrator says, if they can deliver, it will be a hit. Also wanted to comment how...
Well I had no idea this existed! Looks amazing. But I haven't enjoyed a Bethesda release since Skyrim. So like the narrator says, if they can deliver, it will be a hit.
Also wanted to comment how interesting it is that the combat looks buttery smooth and modern but then when he shows the NPCs walking around the space station it looks like the same old low tech mega buggy Skyrim engine just with more pixels
There will always be exclusives, otherwise there would be no real reason for different consoles to exist. I'm glad it's xbox and PC, Bethesda games are best on pc anyways thanks to mods.
There will always be exclusives, otherwise there would be no real reason for different consoles to exist.
I'm glad it's xbox and PC, Bethesda games are best on pc anyways thanks to mods.
Agreed, though I was pleasantly surprised it is releasing on Steam without some delay. I hope it runs on Linux via proton at some form of playable. I know it likely won't on release, but I suspect...
Agreed, though I was pleasantly surprised it is releasing on Steam without some delay. I hope it runs on Linux via proton at some form of playable. I know it likely won't on release, but I suspect it won't be particularly playable on any platform on release. This is Bethesda after all. :)
I haven't bought a console since the PS3/Xbox360 generation but still think Microsoft's quest to acquire massive publishers/developers only to lock them exclusively to their platforms...
I haven't bought a console since the PS3/Xbox360 generation but still think Microsoft's quest to acquire massive publishers/developers only to lock them exclusively to their platforms (Xbox/Windows) is terrible for the entire industry.
I'm not a fan of exclusivity by any company including Sony, but the conversation was about a multi-platform publisher that is now a Microsoft platform exclusive due to their acquisition. I'm not...
I'm not a fan of exclusivity by any company including Sony, but the conversation was about a multi-platform publisher that is now a Microsoft platform exclusive due to their acquisition. I'm not singling them out so much as staying on topic.
My point still stands, the acquisition of massive multi-platform publishers/developers to force them into exclusivity is bad for the industry and its customers, regardless of which company is buying.
Almost all of Microsoft's games are multi-platform. PC is a platform. I don't know why all of a sudden when Microsoft started acquiring companies PC no longer counted as a platform for some reason.
Almost all of Microsoft's games are multi-platform. PC is a platform.
I don't know why all of a sudden when Microsoft started acquiring companies PC no longer counted as a platform for some reason.
Well, they're not officially publishing it on Linux, but seeing as it's released on Steam, there's a very good chance that within a month or so you'll be able to get it running there.
Well, they're not officially publishing it on Linux, but seeing as it's released on Steam, there's a very good chance that within a month or so you'll be able to get it running there.
Not on the level MS has been doing it lately. And Sony hasn't bought any publishers and honestly the last devs I remember them buying it was mostly ones who work closely with them anyways. Most of...
Not on the level MS has been doing it lately. And Sony hasn't bought any publishers and honestly the last devs I remember them buying it was mostly ones who work closely with them anyways. Most of Sony's things have been timed exclusives which still at least allows for the game to eventually come out on other devices.
That being said, so far it seems MS buying out Bethesda has been good (at least for those of us who like Bethesda studio games). It seems Zenimax was really desperate for money and pushing for rushing out games and trying all the crappy ways to make money (they wanted some one to buy them out in the end... and I will say MS really is the best fit there). Starfield apparently would have been pushed out I think 2021 (everyone says last year but what I read it seems more like 2021 would ahve been when they wanted it out) if Zenimax had not got bought by MS.
MS has been buying a bunch of studios over the years, but we haven't had much in the way of great AAA games to show for it. A lot is riding on Starfield for them, they can't afford for that to be...
MS has been buying a bunch of studios over the years, but we haven't had much in the way of great AAA games to show for it.
A lot is riding on Starfield for them, they can't afford for that to be a shitshow of a release.
Yeah but in a way that makes it worse. They are buying stuidos and then not doing anything with them. But from what I saw of the direct, they ahd a lot of interesting stuff coming for the future.
Yeah but in a way that makes it worse. They are buying stuidos and then not doing anything with them. But from what I saw of the direct, they ahd a lot of interesting stuff coming for the future.
Sony does the same and it's worse in their case since games typically don't get released on Windows (they're starting to do some now, but usually years after release at higher prices and it's also...
Sony does the same and it's worse in their case since games typically don't get released on Windows (they're starting to do some now, but usually years after release at higher prices and it's also a small portion of their games too).
Honestly for me the problem isn't companies buying out developers but that it seems one is being very dominant in it. Sony hasn't done it near the level of MS especially in the last few years....
Honestly for me the problem isn't companies buying out developers but that it seems one is being very dominant in it. Sony hasn't done it near the level of MS especially in the last few years. Yes, they do timed exclusives but that's not the same as locking out games entirely from other platforms.
It just worries me how many MS have bought out at this point (and that they not only bought one publisher but are now trying for a second publisher, this isn't even game studios anymore. At this rate it will be MS, Sony, Nintendo, and EA left as independant publishers with no real third party except EA really).
The attempt to acquire ATVI is definitely a step beyond what we've seen before. But personally, while it has less monetary value, I'd say the holdings of Embracer are a bigger deal. They've...
The attempt to acquire ATVI is definitely a step beyond what we've seen before. But personally, while it has less monetary value, I'd say the holdings of Embracer are a bigger deal. They've snapped up tons and tons of studios and tons of properties with the intention of capitalizing on them but then as seen recently have failed to draw in investment they were looking for which is going to lead to numerous layoffs and cancelations.
MS buying ATVI is a good thing imo given how positive the work culture is at MS and how negative it has been at ATVI. The company honestly seems to have had a turnaround since the acquisition started rolling and I think part of it is that ATVI was having problems hiring which led to all sorts of other issues.
Most of their acquisitions before that were not super huge. But they also haven't gone absolute nuts buying up studios like Embracer has. MS has 23 studios I think and a couple of those are support only. Embracer owns 138 and a LOT more IP.
On the other hand, it is very hopeful for us Fallout NV fans ;) (getting Bethesda and Obsidian under one roof). And honestly, while I was upset they went away from being third party, if anyone was...
On the other hand, it is very hopeful for us Fallout NV fans ;) (getting Bethesda and Obsidian under one roof).
And honestly, while I was upset they went away from being third party, if anyone was going to buy them out, MS was the best fit. I really would cringe if Sony got them (and I'm biased playstation but I still am pissed at sony for being so stubbern about mods combined with Bethesda seems just more comfortable developing for PC. Like CDPR they already have a close relationship with MS due to PC being where they seem to focus development). I suppose at least Sony is opening up to making PC ports but they are way after the game has been out on PS. And PC is where bethesda games shine the best due to mods (and I've said this before I had a PC to play Bethesda games on. It was the one thing I was jealous of PC gamers over).
Speaking as a PlayStation FNV fan, that's just rubbing salt in the wound! The dream of a worthy successor is closer than ever to becoming real, and yet also further than ever for me. 😭
Speaking as a PlayStation FNV fan, that's just rubbing salt in the wound! The dream of a worthy successor is closer than ever to becoming real, and yet also further than ever for me. 😭
I don't have a hate boner for Bethesda, typically enjoy their games but I wasn't really super gung ho for Starfield. But the gameplay showcase was fantastic, and I hope they can deliver on that hype.
I don't have a hate boner for Bethesda, typically enjoy their games but I wasn't really super gung ho for Starfield. But the gameplay showcase was fantastic, and I hope they can deliver on that hype.
Space games aren't my thing either, but I love the worlds they make. I know stories they usually fall flat on, but the world has no equal. I love just running around questing and adventuring so I...
Space games aren't my thing either, but I love the worlds they make. I know stories they usually fall flat on, but the world has no equal. I love just running around questing and adventuring so I can't wait to see what this brings
Well it looks like Fallout 4... In space. I didn't really expect much more than that, so no surprises there. I also don't expect the writing to be any better than FO4 because, well, it's Bethesda....
Well it looks like Fallout 4... In space. I didn't really expect much more than that, so no surprises there. I also don't expect the writing to be any better than FO4 because, well, it's Bethesda. As long as it's as moddable as their previous games I don't really have any qualms about the game up until now. Not gonna lie I'm more excited for Avowed, because at least the writing will likely be decent in Obsidian fashion even if the game is more limited in scope compared to your average Bethesda RPG.
Honestly, the best thing would be to do Gamepass for a month and test it out. You can often find Gamepass sub sales through Microsoft for $1 or so. Or, if you've never signed up for it, you can...
Honestly, the best thing would be to do Gamepass for a month and test it out. You can often find Gamepass sub sales through Microsoft for $1 or so. Or, if you've never signed up for it, you can probably do a free trial. I plan on re-subbing to Gamepass to play this game early on and then decide if it is eventually worth buying the full game.
Ah I didn't realize they were ending that. Hopefully they do something else as a promotion in it's place. Either way though, the cost of 1 month of Gamepass is still worth it to play a game like...
Ah I didn't realize they were ending that. Hopefully they do something else as a promotion in it's place. Either way though, the cost of 1 month of Gamepass is still worth it to play a game like Starfield vs. just buying the game outright.
Absolutely, though probably tricky for a game like Starfield. Gamepass is a good deal when you can get a game that is normally $70 and beat it in one go for the cost of a single month's...
Absolutely, though probably tricky for a game like Starfield. Gamepass is a good deal when you can get a game that is normally $70 and beat it in one go for the cost of a single month's subscription.
But Starfield looks like other Bethesda games, meaning it'll probably be the type of game people are going to be coming back to for months or years afterwards. I'd imagine Microsoft is betting on it retaining more Gamepass subscribers over a longer period than other releases.
Though I have Gamepass, I am wary of subscription services, and that is one reason why I will be picking up a physical copy of Starfield at launch so as to not feel tethered to the subscription once it lapses, even if the game itself costs as much as several months of Gamepass.
Ya, I can definitely agree with that. My plan is to pick up Gamepass again when it comes out to give it a try and see how it runs on my PC etc. If I decide that I want to continue with the game,...
Ya, I can definitely agree with that. My plan is to pick up Gamepass again when it comes out to give it a try and see how it runs on my PC etc. If I decide that I want to continue with the game, then I will probably spend the money on the full game. As a bonus, maybe Jedi: Survivor is on Gamepass at that time and I'll have access to both!
I've put thousands of hours into every Bethesda RPG, yes including Fallout 76. This one looks way more polished-at-launch than the others, and I look forward to losing thousands of hours to it too
I've put thousands of hours into every Bethesda RPG, yes including Fallout 76. This one looks way more polished-at-launch than the others, and I look forward to losing thousands of hours to it too
Out of curiosity, do you know if Fallout 76 ever released truly private servers you can spin up? I'm not interested in playing with the world at large, just some friends. I believe when I...
Out of curiosity, do you know if Fallout 76 ever released truly private servers you can spin up? I'm not interested in playing with the world at large, just some friends. I believe when I originally looked into it, this wasn't possible. Although, to be fair, it was a bit hard to find any information on the game that didn't instantly fall into how bad it was around launch.
Yes and no - they DID release Private Servers where you can either play solo, or play with friends you invite. However, this is limited to subscribers of Fallout 1st. You only need 1 subscriber to...
Yes and no - they DID release Private Servers where you can either play solo, or play with friends you invite. However, this is limited to subscribers of Fallout 1st. You only need 1 subscriber to boot up a private server, and they can invite up to 7 friends.
I paid for the subscription during covid lockdown as it was how I spent a TON of my time, and it was great. But for $13/month it's not worth it for a game I only fire up occasionally.
I am excited for this one but will temper my expectations cause Bethesda and all. Everything to me indicates its a Fallout in space with No Man Sky elements which excites me at least. I am...
I am excited for this one but will temper my expectations cause Bethesda and all. Everything to me indicates its a Fallout in space with No Man Sky elements which excites me at least.
I am starting to dislike companies making you buy the deluxe/premium version of the game to play x amount of days early - from a business standpoint, its an absolute no brainer but from a consumer standpoint, it sucks if you get FOMO easily.
I dunno...sure, it could be great, but it sure is grey for something set in space. Where are all the colours, the bizarre sentient alien species and the crazy phenomena like black holes and...
I dunno...sure, it could be great, but it sure is grey for something set in space. Where are all the colours, the bizarre sentient alien species and the crazy phenomena like black holes and neutron stars and such?
Cautiously optimistic, the game hits a lot of boxes I want to see in a space RPG, but Bethesda are known for overpromising, so I'm going to wait a couple of months until after release before going in.
Why exactly do people hate on FO4? I played (many years after release) FO3, then New Vegas, then FO4. I feel like 4 has the most to offer, and it seems like that would hold true even without the DLC (though Far Harbor is pretty incredible). And while I enjoyed Skyrim, Fallout games feel so much more immersive and interactive to me with the depth of many of the characters.
Currently on and off trying a survival run of FO4 and it's very tough but very fun.
It was very much a mechanical improvement, but the way they handled the dialogue system irked me a bit. Your choices were cut down and you would not see exactly what your character would say.
That, and the character sheet got skyrimified. There's so little freedom in where the perk points go, it kinda feels like a farce. I really hope they would refocus a bit. After Skyrim and FO4,the community had enough time to digest the games throughly and voice their opinion, and in my view it's clear that they would like to see more RP in Bethesda RPGs. Starfield might be a litmus test of that, of whether Beth listened. But so far, the focus seems to be on everything except that. This doesn't exactly make me hopeful for TES6.
I don't know, they didn't focus on it this deep dive but the announcement last year seemed to me that they did listen. They focused on having a lot more dialogue, more choice, and even specifically pointed out the PC is not voice acted and they went back to the old dialogue screen (drop down menu vs the four buttons). And they focused on having different traits of your char that would affect playthrough (having parents, having a house, etc).
I really got the impression at least from last year's announcement they realize people want better RPG. Which is why I haven't worried about it (well until people started pointing out the little focus on it on the current deep dive).
Hmm, that announcement must've mostly passed me by. Last thing I remember is a bit of gameplay footage that mostly focused on gunplay.
You make me cautiously hopeful about the dialogue side of things. I'm not so convinced we'll get a decent character sheet. Mediocre character sheets have too much tradition in Beth games by now. I'm willing to be proven wrong, but not hopeful.
I remember it cause it seemed like they were addressing many of the criticisms of 4 with it (without bringing to attention that there was criticism to 4). I don't know how well they'll do but it does seem like they at least heard us about 4 (about how we disliked all choices being hte same, we didn't like the new dialogue wheel cause it left with too few options to respond, we didn't like the voiced PC).
But from what I've seen of Bethesda is that they do listen, but they don't always implement the fix well ;) (4 for example they seemed to listen to us wanting to have different faction choices and wanting things to be less clear cut but they did a bad job of implementing that).
But, another thing to give you hope.... Far Harbor actually seemed already like they tried to listen and change (but since htey were already stuck in 4's format of voiced char and limited dialogue wheel there wasn't as much they could do) but the guy who lead Far Harbor's writing is the guy heading Starfield :). So not only were they already showing some change of heart for the dlc for 4, they are using the same guy who helped make the dlc great for Starfield.
I remember hearing that announcement to, it did come off very much like the scandals around FO4 and FO76 made them realise that going too far down the casualisation rabbit hole was going to leave them bereft of what made them popular in the first place.
As much as I love Morrowind it could benefit from some simplification, I think Oblivion and Skyrim both had the right mix of simple:complex for their mechanics although I'd change the specific way they handled certain things. (eg. Armour being split up into multiple pieces rather than a single "torso" piece or the like is something even more casual players can handle and tend to enjoy because of the cosmetic element it can add)
I would argue that’s a very subjective thing to pick out, and could certainly be described as a stylistic choice. It honestly kept me more engaged to want to hear what my character said instead of zooming through.
I do appreciate the way the previous entries handled it as well, but I feel like this method made sense for an audible main character.
It's not only that the text of the choices was cut down to fit the UI. If the truncated descriptions were just a bit more descriptive, I could almost entirely forgive that.
It's that there is basically no dialogue system to speak of anymore. There are almost no NPCs that you can ask things about the place you're in or the quest you're going on. Almost all dialogue follows the formula
Cutting down player choices here to essentially two things: Quest yes / Quest no. Rarely you'll find a dialogue check for irrelevant additional information, or for more monetary reward. But with the cap economy being completely pointless in FO4 (imo), that's also merely window dressing.
Now, Bethesda hasn't been good about crafting branching dialogue paths. Oblivion was alright, FO3 was alright. F:NV, which isn't a Beth game, was much better. Skyrim was slightly worse than Oblivion. FO4 was a another step down. The last dialogue system of Bethesda's that I would class as "inspired" was TES3: MW. It wasn't great - dialogue tended to repeat if you asked the same thing of many people. But the sheer amount of lore that you an access to immersively flesh out the world building around you is amazing. Nevermind that that lore and worldbuilding interact with quests, because you don't have a quest marker, so "find this McGuffin" can be an entertaining and unique quest, simply because you have to figure out who even knows about the McGuffin, and interpret what they say to figure out which dungeon to dive.
I got stuck on a bugged quest on console and couldn't find a way to fix it. Maybe this would be fixed if had the expansions, but I got the base game for cheap and didn't wanna spend any more. I hate having to constantly ask myself "is this a bug or did I do something wrong?".
I also dislike the building systems. I wanted to play Fallout, not post apocalyptic The Sims.
I have game pass so I’ll hit it day 1 without any extra cost to me at least. Then I’ll revisit it after it’s functional because you know Bethesda gonna Bethesda the shit out of that launch.
Isn't Starfall made with the same game engine as Fallout 4 and Fallout 76? But i must say, Starfall looks great.
Yes, but better?
"Starfield is built in Creation Engine 2, a modified and updated form of the Creation Engine that was used for Skyrim, Fallout 4, and Fallout 76." - Source
Which is itself afaict a modified version of the engine used since TES3 at least. Saying "X uses the same engine as Y" is a complete non-statement. You wouldn't exactly expect Bethesda to build on top of CryEngine or Unreal or something, so the only real options are "their old in-house engine" and "a new in-house engine". And the distinction among the two is mostly moot, as it exists along a continuum from "starting from scratch" via "building a new engine, incorporating a few old pieces of code" and "using the old one, but refactoring major systems and generally changing a lot" to "just use the old one without changes".
It's just branding, for the most part. And Creation Engine does a lot of things well. It also has some infamous long-standing bugs. The fact that Beth doesn't really seem to care about fixing it is an issue with Bethesda, not their engine. If they were to write their engine all over from scratch, you could expect at least as many bugs, if not much much more. Unless of course they start caring much more about quality. Again, an issue with Bethesda.
Okay, thanks.
It is, kinda. It's a Ship of Theseus sort of situation at this point, I'd imagine. Swap out enough parts, can you really call it the same engine?
That being said, I fully expect it to contain all the same quirks. I think that's just Bethesda's style at this point.
Here's hoping that the game comes out fully baked.
Do we think that's at all a possibility? Considering Bethesda's history and the recent trend of modern AAA game development, is there any more sure of a bet than a buggy, badly performing mess with an ornate Twitter apology on top?
I want to be wrong, but I'll be more shocked if they get good DF marks than if they don't. If they pull this off though...
I’m gonna play it on launch day just in hopes there isn’t gaming breaking bugs but just the typical Bethesda insanity. I wanna see bodies vibrate and rag doll into the void, a ship come apart at the seams, etc etc. Should be a fun train wreck.
Just gotta set the expectations for fun accordingly. lol
This is my take. I expect some jank in Bethesda's Creation games because, with how complex they are, something weird will almost always happen. If it doesn't kill itself, the mechanics mostly work, and it's enjoyable I'll be happy as a first-day player.
This isn't a game developed on a three to four year cycle like the past few, I expect a finished product with some bugs that weren't caught in QA. I definitely don't expect a No Man's Sky situation where they seriously under-deliver.
I'm still going in cautiously optimistic, but expect it to be mostly functional at least.
Seriously, I've played TES games since Arena and they have all been filled to the brim with bugs. Expecting anything less makes no sense.
Narrator: It won't.
This does look pretty sweet. I wasn't following this one at all before this. I'm usually a little wary when games claim to basically be 3 whole games in one. Still pissed about buying Spore the day it dropped.
Really interested in this, if it launches in a decent enough state (I have a high tolerance for game bugs though). I've always wanted to get into a big Bethesda RPG but bounced off of both Elder Scrolls and Fallout due to not being drawn to the settings. Space opera sci-fi is absolutely my thing though, so I can't wait to try it all out.
Same here! I have been keeping an eye on news of its development. Hopefully all the various sub-systems (combat, space flight, base-building, planet exploration etc) mesh together nicely.
High fantasy does nothing for me so TES has always been a turn off for me and I’ve always preferred New Vegas to anything Bethesda themselves have done with Fallout.
Sci-fi settings though are more my jam so I’m right there with ya. Here’s hoping it hits the mark.
I get why people meme on Bethesda but man I’m excited for this. For one, I have loved most of their games. Sure, they're janky and shallower than they appear. But they are great canvases, not too many RPGs can claim similar, despite the name. Secondly, I have been playing a ton of X4 and this will dovetail nicely!
The thing that gets me most excited about this, other than this feeling like they built my dream game, is that I know the game is going to likely be another one that has long legs due to the modding community. It’s a day one purchase for me for that reason alone. I just wish that the Premium edition came with an expansion pass and not just the first DLC.
It does leave me wondering what modding is going to look like, though. Are there going to be the same/similar tools or something new? Is it going to be available at launch, 3 months later like Skyrim, or almost half a year later like Fallout 4? With all this talk about procedural generation on planets, will I be able to develop a mod on a specific planet that others will be able to find the same way in the same place, or is it something that players will need to wait for the game to randomly populate on a world?
It seems likely that much like in FO4, content mods will trigger quests, and those quests can trigger the spawning of the relevant material just like a radiant quest would.
That’s something I hadn’t really considered. I know that they announced awhile ago that this would have full mod support just like Skyrim and Fallout. Until I saw the direct I had been under the assumption that they had used procedural generation to create these worlds on their end, rather than them being procedurally generated on the user side. If I had to hazard a guess, again, based on what they said in the direct, I would think that mods with quest lines would sort of be thrown into the metaphorical bucket with all of the other quests that can populate the world during that procedural generation. I would imagine it’s kind of like Stellaris or Civilization in that respect. No idea when they’ll release the mod development kit though. As far as I know they haven’t given a release window for it yet. How would you hope it would work?
Well I had no idea this existed! Looks amazing. But I haven't enjoyed a Bethesda release since Skyrim. So like the narrator says, if they can deliver, it will be a hit.
Also wanted to comment how interesting it is that the combat looks buttery smooth and modern but then when he shows the NPCs walking around the space station it looks like the same old low tech mega buggy Skyrim engine just with more pixels
Bummed this is exclusive to XBOX/PC. Not a great direction we are headed in if the console makers keep escalating this BS.
There will always be exclusives, otherwise there would be no real reason for different consoles to exist.
I'm glad it's xbox and PC, Bethesda games are best on pc anyways thanks to mods.
Agreed, though I was pleasantly surprised it is releasing on Steam without some delay. I hope it runs on Linux via proton at some form of playable. I know it likely won't on release, but I suspect it won't be particularly playable on any platform on release. This is Bethesda after all. :)
Agreed, Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda (and also Obsidian) was bad news for us PlayStation gamers.
I haven't bought a console since the PS3/Xbox360 generation but still think Microsoft's quest to acquire massive publishers/developers only to lock them exclusively to their platforms (Xbox/Windows) is terrible for the entire industry.
Sony do it as well, don't single out MS.
I'm not a fan of exclusivity by any company including Sony, but the conversation was about a multi-platform publisher that is now a Microsoft platform exclusive due to their acquisition. I'm not singling them out so much as staying on topic.
My point still stands, the acquisition of massive multi-platform publishers/developers to force them into exclusivity is bad for the industry and its customers, regardless of which company is buying.
Almost all of Microsoft's games are multi-platform. PC is a platform.
I don't know why all of a sudden when Microsoft started acquiring companies PC no longer counted as a platform for some reason.
I said a Microsoft platform exclusive, meaning Windows and Xbox. Let me know when they start publishing Starfield outside of the platforms they own.
Well, they're not officially publishing it on Linux, but seeing as it's released on Steam, there's a very good chance that within a month or so you'll be able to get it running there.
Not on the level MS has been doing it lately. And Sony hasn't bought any publishers and honestly the last devs I remember them buying it was mostly ones who work closely with them anyways. Most of Sony's things have been timed exclusives which still at least allows for the game to eventually come out on other devices.
That being said, so far it seems MS buying out Bethesda has been good (at least for those of us who like Bethesda studio games). It seems Zenimax was really desperate for money and pushing for rushing out games and trying all the crappy ways to make money (they wanted some one to buy them out in the end... and I will say MS really is the best fit there). Starfield apparently would have been pushed out I think 2021 (everyone says last year but what I read it seems more like 2021 would ahve been when they wanted it out) if Zenimax had not got bought by MS.
MS has been buying a bunch of studios over the years, but we haven't had much in the way of great AAA games to show for it.
A lot is riding on Starfield for them, they can't afford for that to be a shitshow of a release.
Yeah but in a way that makes it worse. They are buying stuidos and then not doing anything with them. But from what I saw of the direct, they ahd a lot of interesting stuff coming for the future.
Interesting yes, nothing "wow" outside of Starfield.
Sony does the same and it's worse in their case since games typically don't get released on Windows (they're starting to do some now, but usually years after release at higher prices and it's also a small portion of their games too).
Honestly for me the problem isn't companies buying out developers but that it seems one is being very dominant in it. Sony hasn't done it near the level of MS especially in the last few years. Yes, they do timed exclusives but that's not the same as locking out games entirely from other platforms.
It just worries me how many MS have bought out at this point (and that they not only bought one publisher but are now trying for a second publisher, this isn't even game studios anymore. At this rate it will be MS, Sony, Nintendo, and EA left as independant publishers with no real third party except EA really).
The attempt to acquire ATVI is definitely a step beyond what we've seen before. But personally, while it has less monetary value, I'd say the holdings of Embracer are a bigger deal. They've snapped up tons and tons of studios and tons of properties with the intention of capitalizing on them but then as seen recently have failed to draw in investment they were looking for which is going to lead to numerous layoffs and cancelations.
MS buying ATVI is a good thing imo given how positive the work culture is at MS and how negative it has been at ATVI. The company honestly seems to have had a turnaround since the acquisition started rolling and I think part of it is that ATVI was having problems hiring which led to all sorts of other issues.
Most of their acquisitions before that were not super huge. But they also haven't gone absolute nuts buying up studios like Embracer has. MS has 23 studios I think and a couple of those are support only. Embracer owns 138 and a LOT more IP.
On the other hand, it is very hopeful for us Fallout NV fans ;) (getting Bethesda and Obsidian under one roof).
And honestly, while I was upset they went away from being third party, if anyone was going to buy them out, MS was the best fit. I really would cringe if Sony got them (and I'm biased playstation but I still am pissed at sony for being so stubbern about mods combined with Bethesda seems just more comfortable developing for PC. Like CDPR they already have a close relationship with MS due to PC being where they seem to focus development). I suppose at least Sony is opening up to making PC ports but they are way after the game has been out on PS. And PC is where bethesda games shine the best due to mods (and I've said this before I had a PC to play Bethesda games on. It was the one thing I was jealous of PC gamers over).
Speaking as a PlayStation FNV fan, that's just rubbing salt in the wound! The dream of a worthy successor is closer than ever to becoming real, and yet also further than ever for me. 😭
Here's the official video if you don't care about the talking head:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMOPoAq5vIA
I'm definitely not buying this day 1, but I'll keep an eye on it.
Gotta say, it's quite nice seeing this place not have the usual Bethesda hate boner. Absolutely stoked for this game, can't wait for it to come out.
I don't have a hate boner for Bethesda, typically enjoy their games but I wasn't really super gung ho for Starfield. But the gameplay showcase was fantastic, and I hope they can deliver on that hype.
Space games aren't my thing either, but I love the worlds they make. I know stories they usually fall flat on, but the world has no equal. I love just running around questing and adventuring so I can't wait to see what this brings
Gotta say, it's quite nice seeing this place not have the usual Bethesda hate boner. Absolutely stoked for this game, can't wait for it to come out.
Well it looks like Fallout 4... In space. I didn't really expect much more than that, so no surprises there. I also don't expect the writing to be any better than FO4 because, well, it's Bethesda. As long as it's as moddable as their previous games I don't really have any qualms about the game up until now. Not gonna lie I'm more excited for Avowed, because at least the writing will likely be decent in Obsidian fashion even if the game is more limited in scope compared to your average Bethesda RPG.
https://www.pcgamer.com/microsoft-exec-says-starfield-has-the-fewest-bugs-any-bethesda-game-ever-shipped-with/
That could still be a lot of bugs!
Hey, it's not the size of the bugs, it's what they do to you!
Honestly, the best thing would be to do Gamepass for a month and test it out. You can often find Gamepass sub sales through Microsoft for $1 or so. Or, if you've never signed up for it, you can probably do a free trial. I plan on re-subbing to Gamepass to play this game early on and then decide if it is eventually worth buying the full game.
I thought they ended the Gamepass for $1 deals. I plan on letting mine lapse after that, at least.
Ah I didn't realize they were ending that. Hopefully they do something else as a promotion in it's place. Either way though, the cost of 1 month of Gamepass is still worth it to play a game like Starfield vs. just buying the game outright.
Absolutely, though probably tricky for a game like Starfield. Gamepass is a good deal when you can get a game that is normally $70 and beat it in one go for the cost of a single month's subscription.
But Starfield looks like other Bethesda games, meaning it'll probably be the type of game people are going to be coming back to for months or years afterwards. I'd imagine Microsoft is betting on it retaining more Gamepass subscribers over a longer period than other releases.
Though I have Gamepass, I am wary of subscription services, and that is one reason why I will be picking up a physical copy of Starfield at launch so as to not feel tethered to the subscription once it lapses, even if the game itself costs as much as several months of Gamepass.
Ya, I can definitely agree with that. My plan is to pick up Gamepass again when it comes out to give it a try and see how it runs on my PC etc. If I decide that I want to continue with the game, then I will probably spend the money on the full game. As a bonus, maybe Jedi: Survivor is on Gamepass at that time and I'll have access to both!
Honestly I think most developers nowadays should be on that list.
I've put thousands of hours into every Bethesda RPG, yes including Fallout 76. This one looks way more polished-at-launch than the others, and I look forward to losing thousands of hours to it too
Out of curiosity, do you know if Fallout 76 ever released truly private servers you can spin up? I'm not interested in playing with the world at large, just some friends. I believe when I originally looked into it, this wasn't possible. Although, to be fair, it was a bit hard to find any information on the game that didn't instantly fall into how bad it was around launch.
Yes and no - they DID release Private Servers where you can either play solo, or play with friends you invite. However, this is limited to subscribers of Fallout 1st. You only need 1 subscriber to boot up a private server, and they can invite up to 7 friends.
I paid for the subscription during covid lockdown as it was how I spent a TON of my time, and it was great. But for $13/month it's not worth it for a game I only fire up occasionally.
I am excited for this one but will temper my expectations cause Bethesda and all. Everything to me indicates its a Fallout in space with No Man Sky elements which excites me at least.
I am starting to dislike companies making you buy the deluxe/premium version of the game to play x amount of days early - from a business standpoint, its an absolute no brainer but from a consumer standpoint, it sucks if you get FOMO easily.
I'm worried about the No Man's Sky elements because it could mean the story is very shallow and there isn't much to the world beyond the major cities
This demo looks dope, but remember, no pre-order!
I dunno...sure, it could be great, but it sure is grey for something set in space. Where are all the colours, the bizarre sentient alien species and the crazy phenomena like black holes and neutron stars and such?
Exciting, can't wait to play.
Super excited about this. I remember my college roommate telling me about it back in 2016 sheesh.