Fallout 4 Catch-All 2.0

I had a great time with the game but ignored settlement building and Preston quests as much as possible. I wasn't able to finish the Nuka World DLC but did every other DLC.

I ignore building settlements as well. There is some terrific story content available under the mods option.

Had over 300 hours on my first playthrough without Nukaworld but did do the island one which was good.

It's strange that for a Bethesda game I have not had a desire to go back and start another playthrough though, I've got 3 or 4 for FO3, FNV and more for the Elder Scrolls games.

I think I gamed the system with the Nuka World stuff by destroying empty settlements. Been so long since I did that one that I can't remember.

I have actually been playing this game lately with light mods on the Series X. My favorite mod so far is one that let me change the time scale. Such a simple little thing but slowing down the time to something a little closer to real time is really nice. The default is 20 (so 1 real world minute is 20 minutes in game time) and I think I have set it to 5.

So far I have basically skipped the main quest and am just wandering around and getting into trouble.

Playing this again though has me wanting Fallout 3 and New Vegas remasters though. There are so many QoL improvements in FO4 that it makes it hard to go back to those games.

I really enjoyed FO4, including the settlement building. Granted, it was a rough first go for Bethesda, but they improved it for FO76.

kborom wrote:

It's strange that for a Bethesda game I have not had a desire to go back and start another playthrough though, I've got 3 or 4 for FO3, FNV and more for the Elder Scrolls games.

This is me as well. I played through the story and explored most of the map, and haven't thought about the game since then. I didn't bother getting any DLC because nothing about the base game really stuck with me. The settlement stuff was tolerable, but not something that added anything for me. I have multiple playthroughs for the other big Bethesda RPGs. Fallout 4 just didn't leave an impression.

Drazzil, sounds like the game just isn't for you. I'd move on to something else rather than trying to slog through something you hate.

I've always found the exploration to be the main fun in Fallout/Elder Scrolls games. The gameplay and story are rather meh and so I've never really had reason to start a new playthrough.

Nevin73 wrote:

I really enjoyed FO4, including the settlement building. Granted, it was a rough first go for Bethesda, but they improved it for FO76.

Probably a controversial opinion, but I hope that Starfield leans into and greatly expands upon the settlement building ideas from Fallout 4 and 76.

For that matter, I also hope that they borrow over some of the concepts into Elder Scrolls 6 for the player character to build up a fief as a low-tier lord or count or something (more of a management and protection role of a fiefdom rather than hands-on building -- something like the settlement in AC Valhalla or the main city in Pathfinder Kingmaker but a bit more robust and with more quest hooks involved).

Loved the settlement stuff as soon as they announced it in their E3 presentation, and have loved it since. I can't recall if I was able to do it on PC, but playing on the PS4 I took advantage of some glitching to build some decent walls. It involves using a concrete pillar and a rug to let junk walls pass into one another. I wasn't a fan of having these gaps in my protective wall.

Walking the world with minimal fast travel, doing things in the world that don't advance the main quest, is really why I play these games.

muraii wrote:

Walking the world with minimal fast travel, doing things in the world that don't advance the main quest, is really why I play these games.

Going back to Morrowind, my top two activities in Elder Scrolls games have been:

1) Explore for the sake of exploring, usually with very minimal fast-travel just like you noted!
2) Collect all the books! Frankly, the main reason I ever set up a house (whether the game lets me buy one, or I simply pick one to inhabit as a squatter as I did in Morrowind) is to store all my books. And yes, I read them all! Only exception is when books exist in a series; gotta pick up the whole set before I read them -- or at a minimum, I refuse to read them out of order. I don't even mind that so many books show up across multiple entries in the game series, because it just makes sense -- it's not as if there's an Amazon junk-publishing house in Tamriel, so the broader books that are good enough to stand the test of time will continue to be printed and/or passed down through family book collections. Plus, it adds to the experience when you come across new entries later in the series (like the 2nd volume of the Lusty Argonian Maid showing up in Skyrim). It's also interesting to see how some books show up in Morrowind and Skyrim due to their geographical proximity but not Oblivion and/or Daggerfall.

I followed a similar approach to Fallout 4, but Fallout 3 (and Daggerfall) was a bit more "exploration with purpose" for me as I leaned more on the main story and sub-stories as the content that motivated me. Fallout 4's gameworld felt like it fit organic exploration more; I'm sure that was a result of intentional design shift by the dev team.

I'm in the "didn't bother with settlement camps" either group. But really ended up loving F4. It did take me several tries before it clicked. I think part of it is the start is so slow.

Far Harbor is one of my favorite DLC areas to explore - plus has all the Vim skins!

Put so many hours in the game that by the time I got to the final part of the main quest didn't care what side to choose so ended up going with The Brotherhood, something I normally wouldn't do. Turned out to be quite a bit of fun.

But yeah also haven't had a desire to go back to it again.

My controversial opinion is Fallout 76 is the better game. I had a blast with it from beginning to end - and this is before they added the regular NPCs. The exploration was great, some really fun quests, loved the combat, and after you get out of that little starting area the people playing the game seemed friendly and helpful.

Drazzil wrote:

RISSSSSSSE

Thanks for your post, Drazzil. Got the people talking again.

I think the settlement stuff would be cooler if you could subscribe to your friends' settlements. Like, maybe I make my main base at County Crossing. Then my friend, whose main base is Finch Farm, has my County Crossing in it, updating as I develop it and progress.

That way the settlements you build up are more special, both because they're rarer and because you get to share them with friends.

Oddrune wrote:

I think the settlement stuff would be cooler if you could subscribe to your friends' settlements. Like, maybe I make my main base at County Crossing. Then my friend, whose main base is Finch Farm, has my County Crossing in it, updating as I develop it and progress.

That way the settlements you build up are more special, both because they're rarer and because you get to share them with friends.

That's basically FO76.

Nevin73 wrote:

That's basically FO76.

Oh, I didn't play 76. If I see micro-transactions in a game, I don't play it.

Oddrune wrote:
Nevin73 wrote:

That's basically FO76.

Oh, I didn't play 76. If I see micro-transactions in a game, I don't play it.

Been a bit since I last played but 99% of the micro-transactions are cosmetic based. I think there's 2 items that have utility value that would be useful if you plan to raid. Main game is completable without any micro-transactions. But you'll earn some Atoms as you play normally and will be able to purchase a few skins or what not from the store.

There is also the Fallout 1st subscription, which nets you a bunch of additional cosmetics, including some nice-to-have time saving utility items (extra camp spot and unlimited scrap), and of course a private server.
Again, totally unnecessary to enjoy and finish the game.

The game is 100% soloable. And that's how I played through it without any issues.

I loved the settlement system, and felt Sim Settlements greatly improved it. My main issue with the settlement system was that it had no real impact on the game world and you couldn't permanently reclaim any part of the wasteland. I could have over a dozen highly developed, well populated, and extremely well defended settlements all linked in a massive trade network, but so far as the game was concerned, there was never anything more than just a fledgling outpost at Sanctuary. It'd have been nice to have an actual game mechanic for reclaiming parts of the map, which would reduce the frequency of enemy respawns, or at least make it so larger and/or better equipped groups spawned to account for how weak and ill-equipped bandits wouldn't be able to carve out a foothold in the area. That way it'd at least be worth your time when Preston called for you to come help out a settlement.

Crawley wrote:
Oddrune wrote:
Nevin73 wrote:

That's basically FO76.

Oh, I didn't play 76. If I see micro-transactions in a game, I don't play it.

Been a bit since I last played but 99% of the micro-transactions are cosmetic based. I think there's 2 items that have utility value that would be useful if you plan to raid. Main game is completable without any micro-transactions. But you'll earn some Atoms as you play normally and will be able to purchase a few skins or what not from the store.

There is also the Fallout 1st subscription, which nets you a bunch of additional cosmetics, including some nice-to-have time saving utility items (extra camp spot and unlimited scrap), and of course a private server.
Again, totally unnecessary to enjoy and finish the game.

The game is 100% soloable. And that's how I played through it without any issues.

I played exclusively solo too, and I did pick up a couple months of the subscription, it was never for the Atoms, as the game gave out more than enough free ones. It was only after "beating" the game too, when I wanted to use the unlimited scrapbox to build a big stockpile. I only stopped playing because, like so many other games, doing all the daily or weekly activities ends up turning the game into a job just to keep up with things.

Stengah wrote:

I loved the settlement system, and felt Sim Settlements greatly improved it. My main issue with the settlement system was that it had no real impact on the game world and you couldn't permanently reclaim any part of the wasteland. I could have over a dozen highly developed, well populated, and extremely well defended settlements all linked in a massive trade network, but so far as the game was concerned, there was never anything more than just a fledgling outpost at Sanctuary. It'd have been nice to have an actual game mechanic for reclaiming parts of the map, which would reduce the frequency of enemy respawns, or at least make it so larger and/or better equipped groups spawned to account for how weak and ill-equipped bandits wouldn't be able to carve out a foothold in the area. That way it'd at least be worth your time when Preston called for you to come help out a settlement.

I love this train of thought. It would be cool if you had an option of becoming a faction into yourselves, based on reclaiming and successfully maintaining enough settlements with resources or something. I think that would be really hard to do well, but it could be amazing.

To me the settlement system was always at odds with what I like about these games, wandering. It’s good to hear you can mostly ignore it. Maybe I’ll pick the game up again sometime.

Stengah wrote:

I loved the settlement system, and felt Sim Settlements greatly improved it. My main issue with the settlement system was that it had no real impact on the game world and you couldn't permanently reclaim any part of the wasteland. I could have over a dozen highly developed, well populated, and extremely well defended settlements all linked in a massive trade network, but so far as the game was concerned, there was never anything more than just a fledgling outpost at Sanctuary. It'd have been nice to have an actual game mechanic for reclaiming parts of the map, which would reduce the frequency of enemy respawns, or at least make it so larger and/or better equipped groups spawned to account for how weak and ill-equipped bandits wouldn't be able to carve out a foothold in the area. That way it'd at least be worth your time when Preston called for you to come help out a settlement.

Yeah, this would be awesome. I zenned through a playthrough this past winter break and actually completed the island DLC for the first time. In past playthroughs, I have made mazes and crazy things around my settlements, but this time I just felt like some kind of selfish feudal lord. Put down the very basics, a couple platforms teaming with autoguns on top, a bunch of scrounging stations and food, and yelled, "WORK!" I don't know...I think I've gotten pretty fast at making the basics with good, cheap defenses and that network of supplies is...way too handy.

DSGamer wrote:

To me the settlement system was always at odds with what I like about these games, wandering. It’s good to hear you can mostly ignore it. Maybe I’ll pick the game up again sometime.

I'm a junkie for Bethesda games so I've replayed Fallout 4 a few times (though not necessarily to completion each time), and other than the initial settlement (the main character's old neighborhood at the start of the game) you can basically ignore Garvey's questline to build any additional settlements. And even that starting settlement you can get away with just keeping it pretty barebones!

Farscry wrote:

I'm a junkie for Bethesda games so I've replayed Fallout 4 a few times (though not necessarily to completion each time), and other than the initial settlement (the main character's old neighborhood at the start of the game) you can basically ignore Garvey's questline to build any additional settlements. And even that starting settlement you can get away with just keeping it pretty barebones!

If you do that, you don't get artillery.

Mmmmm... artillery.

I’ve never used the artillery. I’m pretty sure I’ve got access to it though.

Honestly, it's not super useful. It is pretty damned fun though. The moments when it works are great moments.

Yeah, artillery was always way less effective than just charging in and throwing some grenades myself, but sometimes I'd use it just to change things up.
What I really liked about Sim settlements was that it let me build settlementa in a way I liked. I'd spend a lot of time upfront setting things up for what I wanted the settlement to grow into, and then they'd only require only a little bit of fiddling upon subsequent returns to keep it on track. Mostly I'd just have to authorize upgrades to the buildings and make sure the new settlers were being auto assigned how I wanted them, and manually equip them with gear.

One of the offshoots of Sim Settlements was to become your own faction and take control of all the others settlements, but it wasn't implemented all that well in the version I tried. It was also solely focused on violent takeovers, while I preferred getting existinng settlements to join voluntarily after helping them with some problems. It also wasn't really compatible with any of the rest of the game and would break parts of the main quest iirc.

Anyone care to share some favorite story or other cool mods that are downloadable within the FO4 main game? Let’s keep the modding simple by not requiring external installers.

Love me some Fallout story mod suggestions.

Chad

I returned to FO4 for the sake of a project, and...I was pretty stunned by how much I hated it. I remember on first blush, it took me a while to truly become dispirited, but this time it was pretty much immediate. I hated how ugly everything is, I hated how clunky everything felt, I hated how often something would spawn behind me, I hated how low the verisimilitude was for me, and most of all (this is doubtless a factor of knowing where things are going) I hated how insultingly unwritten I found everything to be, how indifferently delivered it is given the environmental structure Bethesda prefers, and how non-existent the opportunities to build or experience any sort of character are (before I take up with a new lover, can I have a conversation with them about how I feel about the, in my perception, very recent murder of my spouse with whom I had a child? No? Great). I mean, I somehow accidentally spared some sort of ritual murderer because I was desperately searching the dialogue options for one that would tell me what the f*ck was even going on!? Who are you!? Who are these people in here!? What is any of this!? Why is this happening!? "Here's the key to my safe, for some reason!" FO4 was certainly my falling out with how Bethesda makes its games, but this experience really solidified that I cannot return to the vault.