A reader writes an open letter to the creators of Fallout 76, describing his complaints with the game and asking how they can be fixed.
Gentlemen,
Let me start by saying what a huge fan I am of your games, The Elder Scrolls titles in particular. I begged my folks for Arena when I was barely in high school and Ive owned and enjoyed all of the titles since, including Redguard and Battlespire. I felt the same way about Fallout 3 and New Begas, I spent probably hundreds of hours immersed in the wasteland you guys created. Fallout 4, for me, was the icing on the Fallout cake I loved so much. The quests, the richness of the world, and of course, the base building. I cant even begin to tell you how many times I longed to share those experiences with my friends.
This brings me to Fallout 76. When I heard that it was going to be an online game, my reaction was, Finally! I was so excited that I pre-ordered the game the day it became available and convinced all my buddies to do the same. I had high hopes for the game, I wanted it to be the best thing you guys had ever put out. I watched Mr Howards interview at the E3 conference and was thrilled to hear what you guys were planning.
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I wont bash the game right off jumpstreet, lets start with the good. The map is pretty big, not as big as you guys made it sound but still really big nonetheless. Ive heard others say that this takes away from the game, I dont think it does so much. Personally, I like not seeing other players unless I want to. The lighting is different; not good, just different. Its a neat concept, but does nothing to improve the visual impact of the game. I like that you guys brought back base building, I have issues that well address, but the concept is solid. I like the fact that for the most part, the game has brought out the good in most folks. Bethesda fans tend to be pretty awesome people and this is apparent in the way that folks have taken it upon themselves to help and guide new players.
This, unfortunately, is where the fun ends. The graphics and mechanics are terrible, it feels like an old game. It seems that not much has changed, despite the 16x more detail you toted at E3. Who cares if you can see a weather system across the map if the rest of it looks like it was made in 2011 and then put on a shelf to wait for Fallout 76. The combat is still clunky and difficult to get used to. At least in single-player V.A.T.S. would have made up for it. Here, not so much.
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The base building, while neat, leaves a lot to be desired. I had my base packed up three different times because someone else had theirs there. Not a big deal… right? Shouldnt be, however more often than not you arent able to get the base back where it was due to the blueprint system not letting you place it back how it was. After the third time scrapping and rebuilding, I finally gave up in frustration.
I wont bang you guys over the bugs that sometimes render the game unplayable, I realise that it takes time to get these things right, and it wouldnt be fair to expect perfection right out of the gate. But another issue I have is the artificial feel that most quests have, without some human element to give feeling to them, they just feel empty. I dont find myself emotionally invested in them the way I did with Fallout 4.
I could go on about the terrible things that plague this game, but I feel that you guys have gotten beaten up enough already. Im sure you guys have seen the reviews, same as everyone else. What we really want to know though, is what are you guys gonna do about it? You have people asking for refunds in droves, its already found used on the shelves of most game stores, heavily discounted. We, as fans want to know how are you going to fix this title and make it what you guys said it would be? Can this game be fixed? Your loyal fans, who have stuck with you all these years want to know.
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I am just a guy who likes to play role-playing games and MMOs with big groups of friends.
By reader Anon
The readers feature does not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.
You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. As always, email [email protected] and follow us on Twitter.
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