The Positive Changes in Fallout 4

[Fox12]

It's no secret that Fallout 4 is one of the more controversial releases in recent years, with a very mixed and divided fanbase. It's certainly garnered a lot of legitimate criticism. The opening was poorly paced and clunky, the new dialogue wheel has stripped the game of some of its classical RPG depth, and many of the perks feel like they've lost their luster. However, there have also been a lot of serious improvements that no one wants to talk about. So here's a list of the positive changes in Fallout 4.

City Construction:
The settlement system has been an absolute blast to play with so far. Manage resources, control settlers, build defenses, manage trade routes, upkeep stores... it's a lot to take in. This has resulted in two positive changes. First of all, unlike in other Fallout games, in Fallout 4 you actually get to shape the hub worlds according to your will. Sure, Megaton and Rivet City were cool, but after you've exhausted your quests, they just become places for you to sell stuff. In Fallout 4 you give the place a personal identity, which makes it special, and you have an excuse to keep coming back. The second advantage is that it actively incentivises you to go exploring, so that you can gather resources. You constantly have to venture back into the wasteland so that you can maintain the city. Bethesda has basically taken one of the perks from earlier games- personalizing a house- and built it into a massive game mechanic with greater depth.

Everything has a purpose:
When was the last time you played Fallout 3 or Skyrim, looked in a drawer, and got excited over a stick of glue? Never, I'll bet. Bethesda games have always been filled with trash and rubbish that do nothing, and while that adds a layer of realism to the game, it doesn't serve a greater purpose game play wise. In Fallout 4, even something as worthless as a Tin Can can be broken down into useful resources, that you can then use to upgrade weapons or maintain a settlement. This is helpful game play wise, but it also makes sense within the world. In a post apocalypse, where very little is being produced, of course you're going to make the most of everything you have.

You get the power armor early:
This one is a bit controversial, since the game hands you super armor at the very start. However, I would argue that this is a good thing. First of all, it's expensive to get and maintain, so you have to use it wisely. It's also hard to find the power orbs to make it work. This means that, while it's useful, you can't use it all the time. Furthermore, your enemies can use them as well. I've fought multiple enemies who also had power armor, often when I, myself, did not. This makes for interesting, difficult engagements. It's also nice to have the fun items at the beginning of the game. Too many games give you the best stuff just before the ending, so that you don't get the chance to really enjoy it. Fallout 4 breaks that trend. Lore wise, I would argue it's an improvement as well. While you had to work hard to get Power Armor in Fallout 3, it never really seemed all that special. It was just +1 armor that I rarely used anyway. In Fallout 4 it really feels like a piece of powerful military hardware.

Companions:
If there was one thing I wanted Fallout 4 to get right, it was the companions. In other Bethesda games the companions were speechless NPC's with no personality. The companions in Fallout 4 are bursting with personality, similar to NV. They even improved the lackluster marriage system in Skyrim, since your marriage partner in Fallout 4 can actually join you in your adventures, and they don't lose their personality.

Customization:
All of your weapons can be changed and customized to suit your needs. You can even mix and match the armor for different body parts. The game even allows you to name items and equipment, giving everything a much more personal touch. I found this to be an awesome way to keep old equipment relevent, since you could either upgrade it or scrap it to improve another weapon. This is a huge improvement over the generic weapons systems used in Fallout 3.

For these reasons, I think Fallout 4 has made some great improvements. What do you think about Bethesdas changes?

 

[CrazyBlaze]

The gunplay is diffidently improved and the game is better for it. Though melee is still meh. I do enjoy the more openness of perks but I miss adding points into the various areas. The conversations are more interesting I find with multiple parties talking instead of just an npc talking to your camera. However that did come with the poor dialogue wheel and limited choices. I freaking love the gun and armour customization as it goes a long way to keeping old guns relevant just a bit longer. I haven't touched the settlements because I find the basic menu poorly made and I don't like having to do it just from the characters point of view but everything else about it is good. The companions are amazing and far more interesting than most of what we've had before. I can't talk about too many of them because I've been traveling around with Nick for almost the entire time.

 

[Fieldy409_v1legacy]

I like how the game gives you a base from the start instead of making you wait a long time. It kinda ruins the rags to riches feel of Beths games when you start as a mayor of a town sure but combining a safe place to store my goods with the new power armour system caused some new emergent gameplay for me wherein I actually find myself returning to base to switch around weapons and equip my power armour. Leading to me actually using heavy weapons like the fatman and missile launcher far more often.

In Fallout 3 I would usually immediatly sell Fatmans and missile launchers because they weigh me down too much for general wandering and looting.

 

[BarryMcCociner]

You forgot:

Karma System totally scrapped to make way for faction system.

Obsidian completely one-upped Bethesda's system when New Vegas came out, (as is Obsidian's tradition "Yea, and Avellone said: We shall take the IP's of inferior companies, and we will craft their games better than they ever could. Thus saith the lord!" See: Neverwinter Nights 2 and KOTOR 2.) and I'm glad to say Bethesda learned from Obsidian's teachings. A karma slider is stupid and simplistic, a faction system is subtle and nuanced.

Granted, you're just picking one team out of four, nowhere near the amount of subtlety placed into New Vegas's faction system in terms of how those factions and the alliances you've made will play into your ending. But it's SOMETHING, that's like, DOUBLE the choices in Fallout 3, not counting the one where you let the purifier blow up in your face.

 

[Casual Shinji]

The gunplay and the weapon/armor modding. Apart from the game also looking very nice when it's bathing the land in sunlight, I can't think of much else I like about it. Putting goggles on Dogmeat is pretty cool, too, I suppose.

The settlement construction/management is fine, I guess, but if I don't want to bother with that, or the whole Minute Men quest line, I'm severely crippling my experience gain. The randomly generated settlement quests are fucking horrible, and end up feeling like work. I'm just doing these copy pasted quests to get my next level-up fix. They're not interesting, they're not varied, they're just empty calories.
It's nice that Bethesda gives you this ability to craft to your heart's content, but I'd rather just have professionally, well designed areas with interesting characters. Speaking of which...

The characters are just... lame. Maybe I just haven't met enough of them, but the ones I have couldn't break out past their awkward animations. The fact that all I could say was 'Yes' 'No' 'Sarcasm' and 'Don't give a shit' didn't exactly drive me to converse with NPCs either. I just had Dogmeat with me all the time, as he wouldn't constantly see fit to vocally respond to everything I picked up.

And with the two or three merchants I've seen, caps have become kind of useless. I guess you can spend like a hundred over at the plastic surgeon in Diamond City to get your make-up redone, or add a scar and facial tatoo.

Molerats are actually a genuine threat now, and radscorpians can really kick your ass, so that's also an improvement. Just to leave it on a possitive note.

 

[sXeth]

The gunplays gone up a notch, as has melee, though melee suffers from requiring block timing with overly poor indicators of enemy attacks (Sort of counter-intuitively, melee works better in VATS, where you get invincibility frames. Though you can't target limbs for no apparent reason).

Settlements - The implementation is a little haphazard, and it makes no bloody sense with the story we're given, but the idea is a solid, and would make a potential interesting narrative on its own if done as such and not as a side mission/passive resource generator.

Modding is also very nice, though again sort of wonkily implemented in terms of telling you actual stats instead of vague statements. Along with the oddity in whether or not you can convert a gun between a rifle and pistol. A few more cosmetic options would be nice too.

The varying damage types adds some thinking to the armor use, and potential benefits to lighter armor that often provides better energy/rad resists. As well as adding some threat levels to some of the trash wildlife. Some of the food cooking is interesting too, though I'm not sure how random spawns are, as to whether my melee guy could effectively go Yao-Guai hunting for their meat buffs.

Power Armor - Its contradictory to other games yeah, but its an interesting take on it. Much more so then just being another OP piece of late game gear in the giant pile of it. Fusion cores are perhaps a little too commonplace for the power level it gives you. Or the first model should be weaker/not have the same extent of moddability.

Oh and praise the blessed soul who decided to have companions who can do Lockpicking/hacking. I always hated being somewhat forced to make room in my character for those skills no matter what. I'm sort of mixed on the companions personalities. The characterization is nice, but the Rep/idolize system with them seems overly "checkbox" heavy. Piper likes you picking locks, but gets upset if you steal FROM PEOPLE WHO JUST TRIED TO KILL YOU EVEN.

 

[FalloutJack]

Companions

You forgot something. So, wastelanders, has this happened to you? You go out into the world with your favorite cool companion (Dogmeat, Fawkes, ED-E, Lily, etc.) and what happens? You come across something that gets him or her killed and there's nothing you can do. Dogmeat's dogmeat (again), Fawkes is fucked, ED-E's deady, and Lily's pushing up the daisies, say. In Fallout 4, your companions do not die, by accident or on-purpose. One thing that Bethesda found out was that people get attached to their companions. So do I. That's why the Lone Wanderer was mostly alone, for me. The Courier has been a bit more into it, but not always.

 

[Fox12]

Companions

You forgot something. So, wastelanders, has this happened to you? You go out into the world with your favorite cool companion (Dogmeat, Fawkes, ED-E, Lily, etc.) and what happens? You come across something that gets him or her killed and there's nothing you can do. Dogmeat's dogmeat (again), Fawkes is fucked, ED-E's deady, and Lily's pushing up the daisies, say. In Fallout 4, your companions do not die, by accident or on-purpose. One thing that Bethesda found out was that people get attached to their companions. So do I. That's why the Lone Wanderer was mostly alone, for me. The Courier has been a bit more into it, but not always.

I think that's a good point. Fallout New Vegas definitely did it best, I think, allowing you to toggle perma-death. The problem with a game like Fallout is that it's so easy to lose people. They can get hit by mini-nuke. They can fall off a cliff. They can fall through the ground, due to a glitch, and die. They can charge at a hoard of enemies, when they should take cover, and die. Giving them perma-death was a terrible idea. After Dog Meat got eaten by a bear 5 minutes after joining me, I just dumped at my house and left. At the very least, I think Fallout 4 shows that they listen to fan feedback and try to improve their game.

 

[gyrobot_v1legacy]

Companions

You forgot something. So, wastelanders, has this happened to you? You go out into the world with your favorite cool companion (Dogmeat, Fawkes, ED-E, Lily, etc.) and what happens? You come across something that gets him or her killed and there's nothing you can do. Dogmeat's dogmeat (again), Fawkes is fucked, ED-E's deady, and Lily's pushing up the daisies, say. In Fallout 4, your companions do not die, by accident or on-purpose. One thing that Bethesda found out was that people get attached to their companions. So do I. That's why the Lone Wanderer was mostly alone, for me. The Courier has been a bit more into it, but not always.

I will give you the leading cause: Cazadors.

Boone has Died!

 

[kenu12345]

Companions

You forgot something. So, wastelanders, has this happened to you? You go out into the world with your favorite cool companion (Dogmeat, Fawkes, ED-E, Lily, etc.) and what happens? You come across something that gets him or her killed and there's nothing you can do. Dogmeat's dogmeat (again), Fawkes is fucked, ED-E's deady, and Lily's pushing up the daisies, say. In Fallout 4, your companions do not die, by accident or on-purpose. One thing that Bethesda found out was that people get attached to their companions. So do I. That's why the Lone Wanderer was mostly alone, for me. The Courier has been a bit more into it, but not always.

Only person I really had trouble with was Dogmeat in three honestly and I play on the highest difficulty. The other people are pretty much bad asses. That said I wish you could set to where they weren't. When I first saw dogmeat on 4, I just wanted to blow his head off

 

[sonicneedslovetoo]

Verticallity: the map seems much smaller until you realize that a good number of the high rise buildings in the game can be entered, unlike the DC ruins, so while its not as big as the DC its really densely packed with more stuff to do.

Factions: None of the factions you can join feel unilaterally like the bad guys, I've honestly never met a single person who joined Caesar's Legion in New Vegas on the first run-through. And I know people will jump down my throat for this but I thought the Legion was done very badly in New Vegas showing their cards with crucifixion very early on in the story rather than painting them as a faction that somebody who isn't a complete bastard would want to join. 4 Doesn't seem to have that problem and all the factions seem like viable choices.

Weapon Range: I really like that the guns ingame now have a weapon range statistic I think that gives a purpose to guns like the pipe sniper rifle early on before you have lots of .308 ammo. Its also nice because some raider trying to snipe you with a snub nosed pistol won't have an easy time of it even if they are using .44 rounds to do it.

SPECIAL: I think the special system is a lot better than in previous games, I don't think there are any dump stats anymore, everything has a purpose. I would also like to mention that the intimidation perk is FINALLY useful(I think it was called "terrifying presence" in new vegas) and I really just want to start 5 different characters and tinker with different gimmick builds.

Power armor: I like that you can break off pieces of power armor and weaken the enemies that way, it feels a lot like that feature in Project Nevada(I'm pretty sure its PN, not sure though) where it checks if you're wearing armor on your head. I think its a great system to have power armor be more common, while still feeling intimidating and powerful. There is also nothing more satisfying than smashing power armor in the head with a pneumatically powered lump of concrete and watching their helmet just shatter in one blow.

Pip boy stuff: I like that you can load cartridges into your pip boy and play little games on it, it reminds me of the games you could play in system shock 2. I also like that you can load those cartridges into terminals and use them there as well, I'm looking forward to seeing how people use that in modding circles.

 

[Drathnoxis]

I haven't played too much, but the improvement that stuck out to me the most was being able to loot without going to the loot screen. This was such a pain in Fallout 3 and New Vegas! I must have spent hours of total playtime just waiting through the couple second transitions between looting and gameplay just to see if a desk or locker miraculously had something other than complete garbage.

 

[Dragonlayer]

Factions: None of the factions you can join feel unilaterally like the bad guys, I've honestly never met a single person who joined Caesar's Legion in New Vegas on the first run-through. And I know people will jump down my throat for this but I thought the Legion was done very badly in New Vegas showing their cards with crucifixion very early on in the story rather than painting them as a faction that somebody who isn't a complete bastard would want to join. 4 Doesn't seem to have that problem and all the factions seem like viable choices.

I was honestly surprised the first thing I wandered into an Escapist thread about favourite factions, and saw so much bile directed at Caeser's Legion. I personally thought they were an awesome blend of necessary evil and retro-future insanity, and when a faction introduces itself by crucifying criminals I'll practically leap at signing up. As for 4's factions, I've found that, while certainly not boring, none of them have that "Wow!" factor that the Enclave or the Legion had - but perhaps that just says something about me.

OT

Weapon customization: Allow me to echo what's already been stated and heap some praise on the *massively* expanded weapon customization options in-game. Not only can firearms be modified to fit your every desire and still be effective dealers of death, it's so much easier to get attached to them; rooting around the wreckage to find just one more pot of glue or one more band of duct tape so I can fix a scope to the Son of Liberty, or overcharge God Bless The Enclave's plasma photon capacitor. *Infinitely* more rewarding then sticking an extended barrel onto some of the guns available in New Vegas and ensures I don't have to constantly trawl through every shop and stall, looking for that moderately better firearm.

Graphics: People might say this doesn't count, as it's to be expected of a next-gen console game, but sweet merciful Molestia did Fallout need a makeover. Now that people don't resemble an insidious race of sentient mannequins attempting to infiltrate human society (Synths!), and enviroments don't appear to be a pile of textures vomited together, I can get so much immersed in the game. Not to mention that it allows for glorious vistas like radstorms and the Glowing Sea.

General combat: Killing blow animations! Enemies that take cover and attempt to flank you! Grenades that don't have to be separately equipped and lobbed with all the grace of a anorexic chicken! The implementation of stored critical hits in V.A.T.S is also a nice touch, though one might wonder if it was added simply to counter the ridiculous amount of Legendary enemies you face, who *always* bloody mutate as soon as their health vanishes....

Oh and I just remembered, I keep coming across random battles as enemies stumble into each other, which is always a plus in my book. A good three way battle between drugged up Raiders, giant freaky insects and a Super Mutant patrol, while on the horizon Brotherhood Vertibirds fly in to strafe everybody, does a superb job of bringing the wasteland to life, rather then some static thing that waits for the player to do everything.

Settlements: I haven't delved as deeply into this as I probably should, and the need to constantly transfer mountains of crap between workbenches is a pain in the arse, but the prospect of building my own personalized doom-fortress has me giddy with glee. I've even kept an eye out for suitable locations, like a post-apocalyptic estate agent, and once I've got the spare time, I intend to build my very own home in that special area. I wish the game had been a bit clearer about the details of settlement management though, as I only found out how to assign workers to resources and guard posts by accident as I was looking something else up. At least now I know why all my Minutemen communities were bitching so much about "starving to death".

 

[WolfThomas]

Factions: None of the factions you can join feel unilaterally like the bad guys, I've honestly never met a single person who joined Caesar's Legion in New Vegas on the first run-through. And I know people will jump down my throat for this but I thought the Legion was done very badly in New Vegas showing their cards with crucifixion very early on in the story rather than painting them as a faction that somebody who isn't a complete bastard would want to join. 4 Doesn't seem to have that problem and all the factions seem like viable choices.

Caesar's legion was a choice for evil players who in other games couldn't join the enclave or master.

 

[Bernzz]

First off, I am a massive fan of Fallout 3. First Bethesda game I got super into, means a lot to me.

The gunplay is infinitely better, for one. In 3 I basically only used VATS. New Vegas was much better in terms of that, but 4's feels wonderful.

The weapon customisation is a fucking dream, I loved the small amount in New Vegas and the sheer amount in 4 is brilliant.

The choice of factions is good, adds replayability. One of the things I liked about New Vegas.

As for the world, well, it's what I think Bethesda excels at. For all the things New Vegas improved upon (characterisation, gunplay, customisation, faction choice, etc), the world was so fucking empty and drab that I can't bring myself to go back to that game.
But Fallout 3 kept dragging me in, because the Wasteland was so great.
And now the Commonwealth is the same.

 

[Cowabungaa]

I have to mention the sheer amount of characterization put into the game compared to the previous games.

I mean, just take a look at the urban areas compared to Fallout 3. DC was a weird, closed off mess with nothing really there. And New Vegas itself was cut into disconnected bits. But good God strolling around in Boston and Lexington feels so much more filled out. And the whole world is like that, it's fantastic! Everything is so much more fleshed out thanks to the art direction and improved engine. I'm so happy it allows for vertical cityscapes, which also makes the combat feel a lot more intense, and eerie vistas.

And the characters themselves! The increased variety in both physical builds and voice actors makes everyone feel so much more distinct. It makes the world feel less artificial, more alive. Even though not every one of them is well-written in terms of dialogue perhaps and even though I don't have much control over my character as in New Vegas I do feel there's a lot more engagement with the world. It's a big step in the right direction.

Those two combined, I mean, when I first entered Diamond City I really had to take a moment to take it all in. The game so far has wow-ed me so much more than any Fallout since Fallout 2. And not in a superficial way, it doesn't all feel like mere window dressing. It all carries a lot more oompf, there's so much more meat on these bones.

I wish the game had been a bit clearer about the details of settlement management though, as I only found out how to assign workers to resources and guard posts by accident as I was looking something else up. At least now I know why all my Minutemen communities were bitching so much about "starving to death".

God the lack of feedback regarding this bugs me so much. I still don't know why I'm unable to assign guards to my other guard towers. Only one person is assigned to a guard post, but no one else I ask to. My shop keepers are damn flaky too. Sometimes they just won't show up. Seems to happen with the food situation too, as I switch between like 32 and 18 food. I mean, I really like what they tried to do and I love how I built up Sanctuary Hills but damn it's clunky.

Everything has a purpose:
When was the last time you played Fallout 3 or Skyrim, looked in a drawer, and got excited over a stick of glue? Never, I'll bet. Bethesda games have always been filled with trash and rubbish that do nothing, and while that adds a layer of realism to the game, it doesn't serve a greater purpose game play wise. In Fallout 4, even something as worthless as a Tin Can can be broken down into useful resources, that you can then use to upgrade weapons or maintain a settlement. This is helpful game play wise, but it also makes sense within the world. In a post apocalypse, where very little is being produced, of course you're going to make the most of everything you have.

One little funny downside to that of course; if you ever have to revisit a location my God does it feel bare. I'm like a swarm of goddamn locusts.

 

[bojackx]

Settlement management seemed like a pain in the ass at first but I warmed to it quickly. Apart from Preston constantly giving you ghoul and raider problem quests (just from being in his near proximity) I think they're great.

As others have said, there's way more characterisation going on in this one. I thought the story was a massive step-up from both previous Fallout and Elder Scrolls games. Bethesda really stepped it up this time and I actually came to really like a lot of the characters a great deal more than I cared about anyone in 3 or New Vegas.

The companions are my favourite improvement, they actually have distinct personalities and you can trades lots of dialogue with them. Romance was a nice touch and was implemented well (better than Skyrim anyway).

 

[Elementary - Dear Watson]

The implementation of stored critical hits in V.A.T.S is also a nice touch, though one might wonder if it was added simply to counter the ridiculous amount of Legendary enemies you face, who *always* bloody mutate as soon as their health vanishes....

This 'mutation' thing is a bit of a strange one... and your point really makes sense to me. I didn't understand it for ages, most of the creatures I was fighting that 'mutated' nothing actually happened. It was like they had just used a mega instant stimpack and then that was it. Weird... Now you have pointed out a credible reason why they do then I will just take it with a pinch of salt and get on with it.

One thing I really didn't like was when I was figting a bunch of triggermen and came across a Legendary. I was fighting them down a single corridor when he mutated. All that happened was his health restored, and for some reason he was now on fire. I don't know why he was on fire but it seemed that was his kinda power, or trait, however it was un announced and a bit of a surprise. He also dropped an incendiary weapon. It all seemed a bit rushed and slightly confusing. It would have been better if he wasn't just generic 'Legendary Triggerman' but 'Flaming Triggerman' or something (with the legendary star to show that is what he is). It would make these encounters slightly more memorable and the like.

 

[Barbas]

(Snip).

Legendary enemies regenerate health and activate their legendary power (whatever that is) when you beat them down enough. A bit annoying, unless you just blow them up quickly. Legendary enemies are a nice idea, but a little confusing and not greatly explained (like another new addition, settlement building and the crafting system). You can only really tell whether the piece of combat armor, raider armor or leather armor you're holding is standard, sturdy or heavy by stripping it of all its mods and reading the base name (or wearing it and checking the stats for a reasonably accurate guess if you've played for long enough). The result of that is that I got to about level 30 before I realized I'd been throwing away armor pieces that were better than mine when modded.

OT: They've really stepped up their game with the world and the guns to name just two things - the ones that hit me right off the bat. Oh, and the robots. Holy Jesus, are they a force to be reckoned with. There's nothing like wandering through Lexington and bumping into the pissed-off, malfunctioning robot descendant of R. Lee Ermey.

 

[Souplex]

Companions

You forgot something. So, wastelanders, has this happened to you? You go out into the world with your favorite cool companion (Dogmeat, Fawkes, ED-E, Lily, etc.) and what happens? You come across something that gets him or her killed and there's nothing you can do. Dogmeat's dogmeat (again), Fawkes is fucked, ED-E's deady, and Lily's pushing up the daisies, say. In Fallout 4, your companions do not die, by accident or on-purpose. One thing that Bethesda found out was that people get attached to their companions. So do I. That's why the Lone Wanderer was mostly alone, for me. The Courier has been a bit more into it, but not always.

I think that's a good point. Fallout New Vegas definitely did it best, I think, allowing you to toggle perma-death. The problem with a game like Fallout is that it's so easy to lose people. They can get hit by mini-nuke. They can fall off a cliff. They can fall through the ground, due to a glitch, and die. They can charge at a hoard of enemies, when they should take cover, and die. Giving them perma-death was a terrible idea. After Dog Meat got eaten by a bear 5 minutes after joining me, I just dumped at my house and left. At the very least, I think Fallout 4 shows that they listen to fan feedback and try to improve their game.

My problem with that was you couldn't selectively turn on the aspects of hardcore mode that you like. If I could have turned on all the survival stuff, but kept the functionality of stims for healing crippled limbs and turned off companion perma-death I totally would.

While it is currently my favorite Bethesda game, my main problem is managing the misc. section of the inventory.
You grabbed a new note/recording without looking? Hope you know the name of it, because its in alphabetical order unlike in 3/Vegas where they were in their own section. Your keys? Filling up the whole inventory. In 3/New Vegas they had an item called "Keyring" that all your keys went onto so you didn't have to deal with them when looking through your inventory.

As an Agility: 1, Luck: 1 character (2 now because of the bobblehead) I am a little annoyed that every attack-boosting magazine or bobblehead boosts critical damage. I don't use VATS/Criticals at all except for just to goof around. Throw me a bone Bethesda.

Also the art-direction is greatly improved. Lots of pastel yellows and reds in urban areas.