Hands-On with the Fallout 76 Multiplayer Beta

cageymaru

cageymaru

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GameSpot has played the multiplayer beta version of Fallout 76 and they described it as having "more of an amusement park vibe--with several key attractions and locales clearly highlighted on the map," and "the feeling that I was sort of experiencing the greatest hits of all things Fallout." They commented on how short the buffs and weapons lasted as they needed to be repaired or broken down into materials. They enjoyed the character growth, but missed the storytelling associated with meeting new enemies. The article goes into how the PvP system works and more.

76 certainly isn't like other Fallout games. After our three hours, I got the impression that Bethesda is taking a risky approach with the series in regards to its lore and its core gameplay. With its heavy focus on survival gameplay and the online experience, I suspect that this largely experimental take on Fallout will become a rather polarizing entry.
 
I ran through the article and as someone with zero interest in PVP the game sounds promising but I'm still going to wait for a little while and see where the game ends up.
 
I was rather meh after the video. It seems just like all the other survival games and it didn't look like the game engine was tuned for it. They may have been better off creating a whole new series.
 
I'll keep a watch on it. I still haven't bought Fallout 4 yet - reviews were so so, the price hasn't dropped enough, and I wouldn't have time to play it for a while anyway.
I'm just hoping when I ever figure out how to retire I still have interest and am capable of playing games. Otherwise, I will have a massive Steam collection that does no one any good...
 
lollerwaffle said:
I want a story, however cheesy, and I want exploration as part of it. FO4 did it so well, I don't know that 76 could ever get close.
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I want a lucky pot of gold at the end of every rainbow but it's not happening. The game is called Fallout 76 instead of Fallout 5 for a reason - it's not a single player open world game, and it wouldn't make sense for them to have another full fledged standalone Fallout so soon after 4 anyway.
 
Honestly I’m not sure what the point of PVP is in its current form.

I enjoy PVP and definitely like having a “criminal” element applied to you if you engage it in , but one of the punishments is basically showing your position to everyone on the map ,

From then on until you are killed.

Their efforts to discourage ganging at all seems like why waste the time to put it in at all.

It’ll just discourage those who hate any chance of pvp from buying it and make it zero fun for those who do want to do it.
 
I strongly suggest if you have any interest in things Fallout you check out Many A True Nerd's Youtube channel. He was invited to and attended the same play test the GameSpot 'journalist' visited. He has a video of his entire 6ish hours with the game (cut for time and attention span).

 
Seems stale right from the start. Bethesda really need to either keep making Fallout games as largely single-player experiences or move on to another IP, as this doesn't translate into an interesting PVP experience.
 
steakman1971 said:
I'll keep a watch on it. I still haven't bought Fallout 4 yet - reviews were so so, the price hasn't dropped enough, and I wouldn't have time to play it for a while anyway.
I'm just hoping when I ever figure out how to retire I still have interest and am capable of playing games. Otherwise, I will have a massive Steam collection that does no one any good...
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If.you like 3 and nv you will like 4.
 
I'd like 4 player coop fallout to be like classic coop RPG like games from Baldur's Gate era. Where you're like a squad going through narrative, and in the case of fallout, your trying just to survive.

It'll need to be something new, not just a PvP tack-on.

I hope they do something like that, haven't watched the video just yet.
 
Dahkoht said:
Honestly I’m not sure what the point of PVP is in its current form.

I enjoy PVP and definitely like having a “criminal” element applied to you if you engage it in , but one of the punishments is basically showing your position to everyone on the map ,

From then on until you are killed.

Their efforts to discourage ganging at all seems like why waste the time to put it in at all.

It’ll just discourage those who hate any chance of pvp from buying it and make it zero fun for those who do want to do it.
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Oh no. That's a great mechanism. We have it all planed. I will go and grief some people and get my Red Star, being an asshole is second nature. ;) Then I will retreat to an area we have prepared and my daughter and my son, both very good FPS players and I will just murder all who come after me. It should work great as they will take full damage when they come after me. ;)

The reddit Fallout 76 game play links:
 
Canceling my pre order.


Was already hesitent about multiplayer changes. They took out parts I like about fallout and added things I don't like about other games.

If I want forced interactions with strangers I have literally every other part of life. Gaming Is my escape from that crap.
 
I fell like I just saw the entire game right there. If I want to play a FPS I'll play something else. So disappointed, when the news first came out for 76 I was like fuck yeah, after what it was came out and now this: fuck no.
 
I'm almost exclusively a single player game person, but I do love Fallout so I'm still going to keep an eye on this and wait for full details after release to see if it's worth picking up for me. I can handle the reduced story line if I can still get the exploration side of things.
 
Haven't played fallout since new vegas, but it looks like the obligatory open world survival check off your boxes experience. Graphics are already dated, 4k may litearlly only provide a better AA solution in this game, but i'm sure it will sell millions of copies while hunt: showdown struggles to keep servers online.

BloodyIron said:
I'd like 4 player coop fallout to be like classic coop RPG like games from Baldur's Gate era. Where you're like a squad going through narrative, and in the case of fallout, your trying just to survive.

It'll need to be something new, not just a PvP tack-on.

I hope they do something like that, haven't watched the video just yet.
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You literally just described ANTHEM by BIOWARE
 
I understand Bethesda's reasoning, they wanted to get some development time and experience in server-based RPGs and PvP systems (Bethesda didn't develop Elder Scrolls Online.) I get that they want to grow their market. But why build a huge environment, a large map, a series of quests, a pile of monsters, a storyline, et al, why do all that and not include a good single player experience? Why risk tarnishing one of your most beloved single-player adventure games? Why didn't you make Fallout 76 and then add co-op and PvP modules for people who want to try that?

WHY DID YOU DO THAT?
 
I think this is an interesting experiment being run by Bethesda, I Don't think it will turn into a long term successful venture, but willing to give it a shot.
 
seanreisk said:
I understand Bethesda's reasoning, they wanted to get some development time and experience in server-based RPGs and PvP systems (Bethesda didn't develop Elder Scrolls Online.) I get that they want to grow their market. But why build a huge environment, a large map, a series of quests, a pile of monsters, a storyline, et al, why do all that and not include a good single player experience? Why risk tarnishing one of your most beloved single-player adventure games? Why didn't you make Fallout 76 and then add co-op and PvP modules for people who want to try that?

WHY DID YOU DO THAT?
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Not all video game tasks are equal. Setting up a sandbox is systemically easier to build than scripted events/quests. When you build a story driven game, you usually build the sandbox first, and then pare it down into a tight story, removing anything unnecessary. Its easier to stop at the sandbox part and then focus on player mechanics and interaction.

This is why story driven games used to also include deathmatch MP, it was a trivial add-on.
 
ThatsAgood1jay said:
I think this is an interesting experiment being run by Bethesda, I Don't think it will turn into a long term successful venture, but willing to give it a shot.
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First time I saw Fortnite I wondered how much brain damage was required to stay engaged by what looked like a boring, low poly cartoon game. And then it became a phenomenon.

You just can't predict what's going to catch fire in gaming. We could end up seeing 76 far exceeding the peak concurrent playercounts of Fallout 4.
 
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Bigbacon said:
If.you like 3 and nv you will like 4.
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Armenius said:
I liked 3 and loved NV, but absolutely hated 4.
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4 was pretty good, but really needed some mods to truly shine (while 3 was a fine stand-along experience by itself, as was NV -- but 3 was the breakthrough, while NV was, essentially, a refinement).

Once mods were installed for 4, it progressed from "pretty good" to really good.
 
Armenius said:
I liked 3 and loved NV, but absolutely hated 4.
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I liked 4... but i loved 3 and NV was probably my favorite... I was hoping that 76 would merge everything i liked about 3, NV and 4.. but instead... it looks like they just went with whatever makes kids with ADD happy... sigh.
 
cptnjarhead said:
I liked 4... but i loved 3 and NV was probably my favorite... I was hoping that 76 would merge everything i liked about 3, NV and 4.. but instead... it looks like they just went with whatever makes kids with ADD happy... sigh.
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My cynical side tells me that 76 is a quick cash grab, and also a way for Bethesda to break into the lucrative online market in the Fallout universe (they already have ESO for Elder Scrolls fans). Hopefully, I'm wrong -- but I'm not pre-ordering 76; nor am I gonna buy it on its release date.
 
A couple of points. Fallout 76 is cake for me, for the same reason Fallout 4 was. I have never used VATS and have played all the 3D games that way. It just seemed like cheating and I did well without it. Now the new engine, well rebuild really, is a decent shooter and that's why I bought Fallout 76.

A decent shooter in the Fallout world with coop and mild PvP should be a lot of fun, and a nice change from Doom, with its laser like focus on combat.
 
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seanreisk said:
I understand Bethesda's reasoning, they wanted to get some development time and experience in server-based RPGs and PvP systems (Bethesda didn't develop Elder Scrolls Online.) I get that they want to grow their market. But why build a huge environment, a large map, a series of quests, a pile of monsters, a storyline, et al, why do all that and not include a good single player experience? Why risk tarnishing one of your most beloved single-player adventure games? Why didn't you make Fallout 76 and then add co-op and PvP modules for people who want to try that?

WHY DID YOU DO THAT?
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It's like they've never heard of dying light. That right there is co-op done right
 
chockomonkey said:
It's like they've never heard of dying light. That right there is co-op done right
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Truth, my man. Such an underrated and underappreciated game! And the expansion DLC for Dying Light was also A+.

Borderlands is also great drop-in co-op. I've always wished I could play Fallout or Skyrim with that kind of co-op system, so 76 is maybe better than nothing.
 
Prisoner849 said:
Seems stale right from the start. Bethesda really need to either keep making Fallout games as largely single-player experiences or move on to another IP, as this doesn't translate into an interesting PVP experience.
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Pretty much this.
 
I’ll get this once it hits bargain bin status price wise. I was really hype for this and red dead but I sold my one x to build a pc and I’m glad I did that because I would of bought fallout 76 at launch and regretted it.

I still haven’t beat fallout 4 so I’ll probably just grab that and have fun with it til 76 is dirt cheap
 
ThatsAgood1jay said:
I think this is an interesting experiment being run by Bethesda, I Don't think it will turn into a long term successful venture, but willing to give it a shot.
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And that is part of it right?

A game where PvP is supposedly greatly discouraged and a bunch of people talk as if all it is is a PvP title .....

I get that this is a draw for some people, the outlaw angle, and I'm good with it.

I get that it's not a single player title as in the past, and I'm good with it.

I'm hoping for some good coop, we'll see.

I think too many people are already convinced why they are going to hate this game, because it's not what they think a Fallout game is supposed to be, and when they watch the video all they can do is look for what validates why they must hate it.

I bought it, I'll try it, I do hope I enjoy it. I'll find out for myself soon enough.
 
Prisoner849 said:
Seems stale right from the start. Bethesda really need to either keep making Fallout games as largely single-player experiences or move on to another IP, as this doesn't translate into an interesting PVP experience.
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Skyrim 2 is coming, but that could be another 2 or 3 years. Expect a much longer wait for Fallout 5. It seems like the rest of their IPs are on hold or abandoned.
 
dark_reign said:
Skyrim 2 is coming, but that could be another 2 or 3 years. Expect a much longer wait for Fallout 5. It seems like the rest of their IPs are on hold or abandoned.
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If I were them I would be waiting to see how well Fallout 76 does before I push into follow-ons in the other IP lines.

I don't think Fallout 76 is just a new one-off in the multiplayer realm, I think it's a test-bed for experimenting with how they will bring multiplayer to their single-player IP lines.
 
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