I think the potential is there, but I'm still not sure. Elder Scrolls has some advantages in the distinct divisions it offers; Thief, Mage, Warrior, and their many combinations. Fallout is more nebulous with divisions/classes, and while there's a huge variety of guns (and now, possibly, melee weapons), I don't see them as having the same variable playstyle as things like magic, sword and board, archery, etc. But I'm looking forward to finding out.
I'm excited for the game BUT nowhere close to being as pumped as for Skyrim
Yeah, pretty much same here.
I actually don´t mind how Bethesda have marketed Fallout 4 - I haven´t paid attention to those news. I never do that. I remember that I was really hyped out for Inquisition, and I´ve watched one gameplay video. But that´s all. For some reason, I don´t really want to know much about the game.
I want to explore it as much as possible in as many ways as possible.
What you just said...that was bothering me when I was playing New Vegas. I wanted to play some kind of thief character, but because the game rewards you with XP only for killing something or completing quests, it was really hard. Restricting.
It means you can´t really play any character you want. To be honest, I can´t even think of some good roleplay concept for Fallout. For Skyrim it´s easy, it´s a fantasy game, you can take inspiration from other worlds. But Fallout...that´s quite limited genre. Post-apocalyptic + different "dimension" (by which I mean that America is stucked in 40s)
The RP is more difficult to me. Only book in post apocalyptic world I read was Dark Tower, and that with it´s time travel was really weird shit.
But on the other hand, I´ve read more than a hundred of Fantasy books, so - while it might sound strange - fantasy is more natural to me. While I like Fallout and it´s world, it feels weird to me. I like word, but it somehow restricts from coming up with some good roleplay.
I was playing a goddamn cowboy all the time in New Vegas for god´s sake. Well, I once tried a surgeon and thief...surgeon worked better than thief
What I find is that genre is almost completely secondary, which is why I like the Crossworlds event so much. Whether a character has a fantasy background, a sci fi background, a historical background, whatever, they can be adapted for any other setting with enough attention.
I enjoy the Fallout series don't get me wrong and am sure I'll be playing it either on or near it's release depending on my work schedule. Yet I can't say I am especially hyped for it beyond the obvious fact that it is on my must play list. I love the atmosphere, music and freedom a good Fallout game offers and will be lost for hours in the world, but it is not even close to the level of excitement I feel for a new ES or ME game.
I played Fallout 3 in a few different ways, from gun-loving hotshot or computer wiz scientist to heavy weapon and melee but I was never inspired to look up other builds or find unique ways to play. I liked the world and backstory but never cared enough to dig deeper and learn it all. I enjoyed the setting but never felt the need to discuss it with others. I can't imagine that changing to be honest.
I think it could be connected with what Karver said above but you can´t really play any character you want, the setting is more limited than a TES game in terms of character. With a fully voiced protagonist this might actually be a good thing in the same way Commander Shepard made for a great character. Predefining a protagonist is in many ways much more rewarding than a blank slate toon. I will have to wait and see.
I suspect that Bethesda have shown us nothing because In my opinion the game will be a bit flat, by flat I mean basic FO, gameplay with a few extras and better graphics I hope not I really hope not but the lack of marketing and promotion for me makes me smell a rat, I am also with Paul I just cannot get as excited about this as I did Skyrim, which is a game in a million
How can it be seen as restricting? Commander Shepard, even as a predefined character, felt like your Shepard. It is also probably true to say that your Shepard feels more real in hindsight than your latest TES character, whose characteristics and emotions exist solely in your imagination. You can roleplay a deep and meaningful relationship with Uthgerd the Unbroken all you want but it will not change the fact that Uthgerd will only ever respond to you in one of four ways.
We know Bethesda can make an enjoyable open world, with all the mechanics and atmosphere the studio is known for. I understand the hype but seriously now, wouldn't we all be surprised if they get that aspect wrong? It's Bethesda for crying out loud, telling them how to make a rich and detailed open world setting is like teaching granny to suck eggs.
Yet everyone is excited by the stuff they know. Ooo, weapon customisation! What? We saw that in Fallout 3, how can they not improve on that on that with next gen tech? Ooo, a stunning wasteland to explore. What? Every Bethesda rpg is stunning at the time. Ooo, skills and perks. What? C'mon guys, we've seen this before, we know how it works.
What is genuinely new and exciting is a fully voiced PC. Unknown and uncharted territory for fans of this studio. Yet this is the one thing not getting folks excited?
Phil, you´re getting this the wrong way. I am really excited about voiced protagonist and I´m kinda used to it because of the Witcher, ME and DA.
What I meant is that some people actually prefer the silent protagonist. I mean, if character really talks, to someone it can feel like if you´re playing someone else. You´re just able to make decisions for that character.
I´m trying to look at this from both sides. For TES and Fallout fans, voiced protagonist is completely new thing.
What people? Bring them to me, let me show them how wrong they are
I guess I'm getting old and hype doesn't work the same way as it used to. I was hyped by Batman Arkham Asylum as I had never seen anything quite like it before. No so hyped for Arkhan Knight simply because the new things it brought to the table couldn't compare with the novelty of the first game.
Same with Fallout. Yeah it's exciting and new but the real novelty is the voiced protagonist and what this means for player engagement.
A silent protagonist is fine, but so far Bethesda haven't really run with that. An example of depth in Bethesda dialogue lies solely with Serana asking about your parents. That was amazing as we'd never been treated to character interaction in such a way before in a ES title. Had they to have fully plumbed the depths of that idea even with simple unvoiced dialogue it would be something.
So a fully voiced PC is not necessarily the greatest innovation but the possibility of deep and meaningful character interaction is genuinely exciting, no? To me it's a no-brainer that a fully voiced protagonist is the next logical step to take when talking about character interaction.
It actually makes me wonder if there is a possibility they will make voiced protagonist for TES:6.
That would be really amazing, but try to image the work... You would need...at least 5 male voice actors. Khajiit, Argonian, Orcs, Elves could be done by one, Men too probably.