[Bethesda] Fallout 76

[Daehawk]

I think you're expecting too much.

[Blackhawk]

Honestly, it sounds a lot like the way GTA Online matchmaking is set up. Each instance of the world is populated with a certain number of random people. You don't choose which server to play on, but you can choose to join friends. If there is any actual matchmaking beyond 'available slots' going on, I haven't seen it.

The difference, of course, is that you can set it up to be only you, or only your friends to keep all the assholes out of your game. Because nothing says fun like having to try a mission three or four times because some guy blows up your car 'just for fun' every time.

[Grifman]

Is anyone here pre-ordering to get in the beta? I'd be interested in hearing impressions if you do, assuming there's no NDA.

[Max Peck]

Is anyone here pre-ordering to get in the beta? I'd be interested in hearing impressions if you do, assuming there's no NDA.

Yes, although not to get into the beta per se. I just wanted to jump past the angsty will-I-or-won't-I stage of the purchase decision.

[GreenGoo]

Heh.

[gbasden]

I'll take that bet.

That's pure irrational pessimism. You're suggesting a return to gameplay that hasn't existed in that form in over 25 years.

If you don't want to PvP don't play a PvP game. That's not a flaw in game design, it just means the game is not something you want to play. There are tons of games I have no interest in, but that's no one's fault. Not every game is for every gamer.

Yeah. I don't disagree with you, but it's looking more and more like this is the first Fallout I'm not buying on launch. We'll see if they end up patching in private servers.

[GreenGoo]

Sure. I'm not saying the game will be for everyone, but the idea that it will be Ultima Online pvp level griefing is nil. Even allowing for bombast, it's just not going to be anywhere near that level of free for all.

[Daehawk]

Xbox gets timed exclusive which means PS4 and PC users will have to wait while the Xbox babes play for a while.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2018/06/19/ ... -one-first

[MonkeyFinger]

From the linked article:

Bethesda has revealed through an FAQ that Fallout 76's beta will have a timed exclusive release on Xbox One before later heading to PlayStation 4 and PC.

[Sepiche]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iw_rcuuZ3I8

God damn it... I might have to put up with PVP to play this. Looks awesome though.

[killbot737]

That was the exact same video as the other one, which does nothing to reduce my 99% pessimism towards the PvP gameplay.

Hello, good citiz<FATMAN!>

OK, respawned. let's try that again.

Hello, fellow vau<PLASMA RIFLE!>

<ragequit>

[coopasonic]

That was the exact same video as the other one, which does nothing to reduce my 99% pessimism towards the PvP gameplay.

I know I have said this before, but I have over 200 hours of Conan gameplay on public PvP servers and have only been attacked by another player once in all that time.

[Daehawk]

[Blackhawk]

That was the exact same video as the other one, which does nothing to reduce my 99% pessimism towards the PvP gameplay.

Hello, good citiz<FATMAN!>

OK, respawned. let's try that again.

Hello, fellow vau<PLASMA RIFLE!>

<ragequit>

Nah, that ammo's expensive. Try:

Long walk.

Hey, look! A Red Rocket! I wonder wha<fall down dead from sniper shot with no idea from where>

Long walk back.

Hey, look! It's that Red Rocket! This time I'll circle arou<fall down dead from sniper shot with no idea from where>

Come back the next day after he's gotten bored. Long walk.

Ok! The Red Rocket! I'm at the door, the sniper must have gone home! Hey, four caps! Gosh! <Five guys come barreling out with rifles, shoot you, teabag you, and take your four caps.>

<ragequit>

[Blackhawk]

So tonight, four of us played some GTA 5. A large swathe of missions can only be played on public servers, and there were four of us, so we figured we'd be OK.

We start the mission. It takes a full 20 minutes to get it set up. We drive across the map, find the location, take out a bunch of the guards and are headed inside when we all blow up. Orbital cannon strike.

So we respawn, clear on the other side of the map with our vehicles destroyed. I pay to get mine back and get it delivered so we can get back to the mission. We play a total of about three minutes, just starting to regroup, when a random person on a motorcycle drives by and drops a sticky bomb on my car. It explodes, along with me an Bad Demographic. Sigh. The mission is already failed. Do we want to try again? Just as we're discussing that, a hacker spawns about a dozen planes right on top of me, nearly locking up my PC and dropping my FPS down into the 10-15 range. There are so many of them that even when we change servers, there are planes still lying around due to them being in the cache (there will be video in the Looking for Group thread here shortly.)

So, we change servers. We try a mission that Brian was wanting to do. We go to his facility, park, go inside, go through the prep, walk back out only to find that our cars had all been destroyed and several people were waiting right outside. They proceed to kill us, then spawn camp us so that we can't get back to playing.

After that, we just quit and went back to a private server. None of the new missions were available to us, but none of the assholes were there, either.

And people wonder why some of us are critical of Bethesda's model for Fallout 76, which seems to be very, very close to GTA 5's model.

[Daehawk]

I just dont see how cheaters and assholes have any fun. Maybe Im too old. But I didn't do that shit when younger. PK yes but not cheat or camp or shit.

[TheMix]

The fun is from messing up someone else's gaming. Especially if they can draw a response.

[Max Peck]

Fallout 76's beta begins October, but not everyone gets in on day 1

Bethesda revealed a few more details of their upcoming Fallout 76 beta event today, for those wanting to get in on the ground floor of the multiplayer spinoff. Beginning this October (with Xbox One leading the way, and PC/PS4 starting soon after), players who pre-ordered the game from “participating retailers” will gradually be invited, although not everyone at first. The initial wave of players will “start small”, and grow as the game approaches launch.

In other words, as was to be expected, it's more of a stress test rather than an actual beta.

[Paingod]

The fun is from messing up someone else's gaming. Especially if they can draw a response.

I like to imagine that people who derive enjoyment from making other people suffer also wouldn't mind stealing, selling insurance, or many other petty crimes if they thought they could get away with it.

There's a whole class of people in the world that my moral compass can't grasp efficiently and I don't like associating with them on any level.

[DOS=HIGH]

I didn't see this article until today but it talks about the PvP aspect of FO76 a bit more.

Fallout 76 griefers
Some highlights:
Can't be killed by another player till level 5
No progression or items lost when killed
Appears there will be some way to avoid fighting another player if desired
Players can't just keep killing you over & over, unless perhaps you let them

Sounds reasonable but I'm still concerned that there's no real NPCs in the game and I still think I'll end up looking to play on a private server.

[Sepiche]

As long as they give players the option of opting out of the PvP, or limiting servers to friends, I'll likely be in.

[Smoove_B]

Shots fired! Beta and launch of game won't be on STEAM

"The PC version of Fallout 76, for both the B.E.T.A. and the launch, will be available only via Bethesda.net, not on Steam," a Bethesda rep said in an email.

That comes as a real surprise: Bethesda would obviously like to push more widespread adoption of its own launcher, but foregoing the biggest, most popular PC digital distribution platform on the planet is a ballsy move. That's not to say it won't happen eventually, but it may be quite a wait if it happens at all—Fallout Shelter was released on Bethesda.net in July 2016, but didn't make it to Steam until March 2017.

[Z-Corn]

I'm just waiting for the minimum specs to get published and then, THEN I can predict the game will probably suck because I won't be able to run it.

[Daehawk]

Probably keep the servers from overcrowding and crashing on launch day.

[Fretmute]

Well, they're certainly making every effort to ensure that I won't purchase their game.

[Baroquen]

I'm always on the fence with Bethesda games, as I don't enjoy them as much as everyone else. Not releasing on Steam probably ensures I will not get this one.

[Max Peck]

The move off Steam makes a certain kind of sense. Bethesda already has their own digital distribution infrastructure, so all that Steam offers them is potential additional sales, at the cost of a substantial slice of profit from each sale on Steam (and potentially all future revenue ensuing from those sales). If Bethesda is confident that their marketing can pull in enough sales without Steam, it may be more profitable to keep all the revenue from fewer sales than to share the revenue from a larger install base.

[RunningMn9]

I have to draw the line somewhere against having to install 37 digital game delivery apps. I choose to draw the line here Bethesda.

[Isgrimnur]

I have to draw the line somewhere against having to install 37 digital game delivery apps. I choose to draw the line here Bethesda.

The hype train post-launch will move that line for some people.

[Reemul]

I don't give a crap about game delivery services. You only install it once, I keep the games im playing on the desktop to launch and never go in to the services unless it's too buy something. Bit like walking down the high street and going, yep not buying in there, that's the 5th grocery store in this high street, i'll go with out. totally pointless.

[Blackhawk]

The only problem I see is that it is easy to keep track of security and privacy issues, policies, and other elements of trust when you're dealing with one company. It's a lot harder when you're dealing with 20. And this isn't just going into a grocery store, this is giving your grocery store access to your house.

[Sepiche]

I wouldn't avoid a game just because it was on another service, but it certainly raises the bar for when I might pull the trigger. If something on Steam looks remotely like a game I'm interested in I'm liable to get it in a moment of weakness, but if it's on another service, especially one I don't have, it really needs to have glowing reviews before I'll go through the trouble.

[Tampa_Gamer]

I wouldn't avoid a game just because it was on another service, but it certainly raises the bar for when I might pull the trigger.

THIS. I was already going hold off until they added the ability post-release to host your own (in my case) family server for me and my kids. This just seals the deal.

[Daehawk]

How PVP works

If you randomly start attacking another player you will do significantly less damage, which Howard described as “slapping someone in a bar” to challenge them to a fight. The damage only scales to normal levels if they then attack you back as a response. If not, you continue doing tiny damage.

You can, however, still kill someone this way, but a player who does so is marked as a “wanted murderer.” Howard says that not only do they get no reward, Caps, experience, loot, or anything else for the kill, but a bounty is also added to their head and they are marked on the map for all to see. Meanwhile, that player can no longer see any player indicators on the minimap.

Howard said they wanted to “turn the assholes into interesting content” for other players. If a player with a bounty is killed, their killer earns a Cap reward paid directly from the murderer’s pocket, so there is an incentive both to play by the rules and hunt down those who break them.

I like the sound of it.

[Max Peck]

[Daehawk]

I love those videos. Ive loved them from the first Fallout onward. Im glad Bethesda stayed with the same style.

[Max Peck]

[Zarathud]

The asshats will find a way to cause their targets to "do damage" to trigger the consequence free PVP.

[Daehawk]

A lot of folks will fight back automatically. You have 3 choices when attacked it seems. Stand there and slowly die, run away, fight back.

Im not sure how you heal yourself but if you can out heal an attacker then you can just stand there and keep doing what you were doing and ignore them until they become bored and leave you alone.

Im wondering if you get tired of it or its time for bed and you are being attacked if you can log out or do you have to die or run away first.

[Blackhawk]

The asshats will find a way to cause their targets to "do damage" to trigger the consequence free PVP.

Most likely by arranging to get hit first.