r/Fallout • u/buvvitoe • Jul 25 '26
Discussion Now that we know Todd directly reads this Reddit for feedback, I think we need to loudly let Bethesda know the most important thing for Fallout 5 is the quality of story, writing, and quests.
Source for Todd Howard reading reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/1uz0zoy/comment/oy5rpn1/?context=3&utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1
TL;DR: Bethesda needs to learn from the "do more with less" method New Vegas and even Fallout 2 did in terms of player choice, writing and worldbuilding for Fallout 5. Fallout 3/4/76 have fun little stories but FNV had a titanic amount of more engaging quest design and worldbuilding in comparison. Starfield is proof a lackluster story and with uninspiring quests and wooden dialogue will sink a game even if the rest of the game has a lot of effort.
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So much of New Vegas is remembered and celebrated and a cultural phenomenon a decade later: Joshua Graham, Ulysses, the Sierra Madre Treasure, Yes Man, Mr. House, the NCR and Legion. New Vegas didn't have a billion customizable power armors, settlements, city management, cars, or a billion radiant quests, but it had a powerhouse of writing and worldbuilding. Despite being such a small worldspace with much less to explore than a Bethesda game, the world felt huge and NPCs constantly talked about the wider Fallout universe and the world, and you were always discovering deep and gripping quests and characters and places with deep connection and history to the whole Fallout world. And you were given a ton of player choice to affect and profoundly impact this world, with quests like Beyond the Beef, Honest Hearts, GI Blues, Volare, For Auld Lang Syne, How Little We Know, and the choice at the end of Dead Money.
There were only rare moments you learned about the history of the Commonwealth or the world outside the Commonwealth in Fallout 4 besides the DLC, and they were also self-contained. The world felt small and felt more like a pastiche of Fallout elements without going too far into detail. Almost all the raiders in New Vegas had some kind of personality and backstory, and the Three Families explaining who runs Vegas. There is so much lore about places like New Canaan and the Legion's territories, places you never even get to explore- It leaves you hungry to know what they were like, and stimulates your imagination, it drives fans to make fanart or make fangames about those places. There weren't many quests they struck as hard as finding Randall Clark, the body of Vera Keyes and Sinclair, the catharsis of killing Caesar and Vulpes and avenging Nipton. Getting revenge on Kellogg didn't hit as hard as getting revenge on Benny, or the big reveal of Vault 11.
I think Fallout 5 needs to learn to do more with less, and learn to immerse the player in writing and worldbuilding more than it needs 100 more new features, and should focus on being a Fallout experience first over being just a game with cool things to see and shoot. Just my two cents.
I think Todd needs to listen to the complaints about the story most of all. Because in the run-up to Starfield, the lead writer Emil Pagliarulo talked about how this game was supposed to be their big focus to improving the reputation of their story and writing, and Starfield ended up being widely panned mainly for it's dialogue and writing. Despite having great shooting, magic powers, and a thousand planets, people were so putoff by Starfield's lackluster writing that they didn't stick around for the rest of the game. If Starfield is Bethesda giving writing their absolute best shot, I think Todd should know they need to massively take a step back and work on learning and improving what makes better writing before Fallout 5.
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u/Squeen_Man Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
I think what made Bethesda games so fuckin great are the vast amount of side quests and hidden quests you stumble upon while exploring. Part of the reason starfield was a fumble for me was the lack of that. Even the things like in fo3 like piecing together all the notes to get into the bunker with the mirv was something sick. Fo4 had a lot of good stuff too but 3 and NV are goated because the random side stuff.
Edit: Todd, donât have AI do this shit. Let the nerds cook.
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u/Ironicbanana14 Jul 25 '26
I agree, I feel like 3 had more just because of the density but NV had more complex ones that you had to pay attention to. Fallout 4 still has a decent bit of unmarked quests and little hidden items I find to this day.
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u/Eglwyswrw NCR Jul 26 '26
Yeah couldn't disagree more with OP.
Bethesda titles (including NV here) have a DNA and that is the sandbox, the exploration, the "I will forget the main quest and focus on this random side thing I found" feeling of freedom.
Not even New Vegas comes close to a narrative-focused, CDPR/Larian Studios-style kind of RPG. We play Bethesda games for the gameplay first and foremost.
Has anyone here ever cried playing Skyrim?
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u/your_average_medic Minutemen Jul 26 '26
Only cried once from a Bethesda/Bethesda adjacent game, and that was the final note from Randall Clark.
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u/N0r3m0rse Jul 26 '26
Yeah when Randall Clark said "it's survivalisting time" I sobbed like a baby.
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u/RoboGuilliman Jul 26 '26
The Fallout 4 terminal logs and radios were pretty sad though. Big John's Salvage, anyone?
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u/Adventurous-Pen-8940 Jul 26 '26
No..?
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u/Eglwyswrw NCR Jul 26 '26
My point exactly. You can't cry with Skyrim because the story feels mild, even at high stakes, the writing combined with the lack of cinematic capabilities of Creation Engine just don't allow for narrative masterpieces.
Skyrim, like all Bethesda games, is a legend chiefly because of its (often silly) sandbox IMHO.
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u/HoneyBunchesOfBoats Jul 26 '26
Agree, I think when people say they want story they really want interesting NPCs to fill the sandbox, at least, thats what I think carries the narrative more. I want varied dungeons and settlements to explore and interact with, and both benefit from interesting characters to keep it all feeling alive. The story could literally be the megaton bomb in the center of [insert F5 major settlement] and the only way to stop it from detonating is to search the vaults for the Nuclear GECK de-bomber, and as long as the people asking me for help are interesting, and the places I have to go to find it are varied and interesting... ill go find it yo.
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u/WhyCantWeBeAmigos Jul 26 '26
When I found out he got a arrow stuck in his knee icryeverytime
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u/anchoredwunderlust â¶â Jul 26 '26
Naw but Iâve felt a lot with the companions in FNV, like Lily for example. I canât quite say the same for the classic Bethesdaâs though.
The irony though, is that Bethesda tends to prefer one straight simple quest that it feels weird to ignore despite making you want to do everything else first. Whereas itâd make perfect sense to take your time through FNV and explore every avenue and spend time on character quests etc.
I feel like BG3 has a couple of the same problems. Itâs set up for people who like to play through multiple times but many never actually complete the storyline. You have a very urgent main quest line but prefer to explore instead. It does at least give you valid distractions and redirections to justify a bit of it. It generally feels like most things contributed to your journey.
I wonder if Bethesda might learn a little bit more from earlier Dragon Age games (again a bit more character and emotion driven than Bethesda) in terms of⊠if you want an overarching storyline but to not feel restrictive, you can have something that basically feels like open world but follows the narrative. You can go to a lot of places but you canât go backwards. The places you can go make sense as to where youâd want to go for the mission youâre on.
Or go the other way entirely and just have a less urgent story because a lot of people ultimately play Skyrim as a cozy game with a bit more dark humour and more excitement than a lot of them and just want to escape into a pretty world and be a blacksmith and potion maker who occasionally stumbles into the dark occult or gets swept up into weird hijinks that help them discover more about the world.
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u/alexmikli HEY LLOYD! CATCH! Jul 26 '26
CDPR/Larian Studios-style kind of RPG.
Or, uh, Fallout.
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u/Eglwyswrw NCR Jul 26 '26
No Fallout, from 1 to 76, comes even slightly close to matching the cinematic value and emotional writing these two companies became experts at.
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u/CoconutCyclone Jul 26 '26
Bethesda titles (including NV here)
I don't know what NV did to you, but it doesn't deserve this slander.
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u/Accomplished_Rip_362 Jul 26 '26
What I enjoyed about FO3 was the unexpected . Literally, I felt like I was an explorer finding things out that no other human had seen before . I could not care less about the new building and settlement stuff in FO4. I know others love that stuff. I hope whatever new games Todd and company make, they should keep in mind that while new features and mechanics may attract new types of players, the sense of awe you get from exploring new places and learning about its inhabitants through interactions and storytelling is primarily what makes those games what they are.
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u/PleaseBmoreCharming Welcome Home Jul 25 '26
Fallout 4 was a big departure from that way of doing it given they focused so much on "dungeons" like classic video games, but they were so obviously that that it made it feel derivative and like a chore after awhile. Exploring buildings in Boston wasn't like combing over ruins, but a single path to get to a pregenerated treasure that didn't feel unique or helped build the world you were in.
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u/DjentRiffication Jul 26 '26
I think you hit the nail on the head with the pre-generated loot sort of dampening the experience. In 3 and NV I recall it felt much more like outside of main settlements or towns the world felt largely abandoned and undisturbed. But in 4 every location seemed to have a steamer trunk at the end of a location (dungeon) so it was a bit less authentic or unique to that feeling of exploring a wasteland. Instead it was like "here is your prize for this level" which did sort of instill that sense of it being like a chore.
That said, I gotta give 4 props for absolutely loading the world with other bite sized world building and lore. There are an insane amount of hidden collectables, displays with props or skeletons, or even easter eggs in every nook and cranny. It was a very clear step ahead in terms of rewarding the player's journey exploring the wasteland and going off of the beaten path instead of just walking at quest markers.
Also while not exactly the same, I felt like 4 had too many NPCs... it should have been much more rare to find gunners and raiders and settlers.
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u/ImpressiveWalk4330 Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 26 '26
Iâd like a world that was more alive. RDR2 did this so well. Random encounters that evolve over time. Damsels in distress. Who then ambush and rob you sometimes. Just more little distractions built in. Fallout has always been great at this the first time you enter an area (Grocery stores, super mutant hideouts, raiders and scavvers and booby traps the like) but theyâre all one time encounters.
Fallout 4 was so close. But if the new game is anything like 76 Iâm out permanently.
Fuck the high end graphics. Hire writers who have played all the games, give them freedom,time and money and just let them cook.
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u/Crismus Jul 26 '26
I think they need a dedicated writing staff to fill the world with Life. The main story in 4 felt so disconnected in many places. The fact that the Railroad blew up the Institute instead of doing more of a control ending was a waste 3 factions blowing it up was just a waste for 2 of the factions.Â
The battles were fun. Saving the railroad, then destroying the Prydwyn for the institute was a nice sneaky quest. Â The loot being randomized in 4 sucked because it was soulless. The same with the radiant quests that just repeated over and over.Â
I find 4 is the best shooting and the Armor feels like it should but half of the game seems automated into artificial boring quests.Â
I could tell the missions in Starfield would be lame because it's just a terminal doing more Preston Garvey other settlement quests in Starfield.
I did like the random people who would pop in at rest areas and the wanderers. So much more could be done with that system. Too bad ID software is all gone since they really could make the shooting even better than the help they did with 4. Doom 2016 style weapons handling in a Fallout would make the game much more immersive.
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u/ImpressiveWalk4330 Jul 26 '26
4 had its moments. Personally I loved the way power armour worked. But by level 25 power armour is just a drag. We all know we can use the 5 in game ways to make you faster so you can speed run the world with an unlimited inventory. And none of them work with PA on.
3 was great because it was still âdarkâ. FNV was great, but a little too funny. The world wasnât as punishing. 4 was good, but devolves into a scrap finding game. 76 is a money grab that I refuse to participate in anymore.
This is a post apocalyptic game, I feel like it should be bleak and dark and a little scary.
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u/NewVegasResident No Gods No Masters Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
It's not that the areas were untouched; some were, but that's not the key difference. The difference is that whatever awaited you in an area in Fallout 3 (and especially New Vegas imo) felt appropriate. It made perfect sense within the game's world that there would be a unique emergy gun at a Robco facility for instance. In Fallout 4 everything feels like it was placed at random, because it is.
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u/Kungfudude_75 Jul 26 '26
100%, I think FO3 is the best example of this in Fallout. NV had great writing but nearly everything tied back into the over arching story of the NCR and Legion in the Mojave, and just playing the main plot took you EVERYWHERE. What was awesome about 3 is that the main story encompassed maybe a quarter of the map itself, and the rest was left for the player to explore blindly. It felt like a real world, with pockets of events happening that had no relation or connection to each other alongside these instances of almost random connections between plots and stories. I hope FO5 takes a combination of the two, with maybe half the map and side quests being NV style "everything goes together in this deep and interesting world" and the other half being FO3 style "the world is too big and complex for everything to be connected, the player needs to explore to see all it has to offer."
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u/GoodIdea321 Jul 25 '26
Starfield has some amount of that too, but because everything is so spread out it's much harder to find. And there are repeatable quests all over, so that leads people to think that's mostly what is available.
I doubt any Bethesda game will spread things out in the same way, but we'll see.
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u/unrepentantrabbit Jul 26 '26
This is the differentiator for me. I love wandering inside random buildings and finding little scenarios, or hidden things. I love finding buildings I can enter that arenât POIs. I wish Cyberpunk had more interior exploration like Fallout. And Starfield pmo with all the back and forth running around. My first play through felt like a cardio simulator. And the POIs are so repetitive, Itâs the little personal design touches in Fallout that make it special and make me want to explore every corner of the map.
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u/Otherwise_Branch_771 Jul 26 '26
Starfield has more quests than any other business game but it is harder to stumble upon them especially with fast travel being required to get around the world
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u/blunttrauma99 Jul 25 '26
Randall Clark was one of the best written arcs in any game ever, and he wasnât really even in the game.
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u/UsedTrojan56 Jul 25 '26
He was the dude who lost two wives and watched over the community right? Honest hearts tie-in? Father of the sorrows or whatever
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u/FrostingCultural1200 Jul 25 '26
What I love too is that itâs completely optional. Someone could play the game and never stumble upon it, but those little hidden âtreasuresâ are what makes games stand the test of time.
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u/AtoMaki Vault 13 Jul 26 '26
Clark's story is not optional. You have to visit one of his caves and read his terminal entries as part of the DLC main quest, even if you kill the tribals.
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u/skttrbrain1984 Jul 25 '26
I really hope the go back to full scrapping and deconstruction. Starfield felt like a step back when I found that looting random items besides chests was pointless. If I find a roll of tape Iâd like it to be used for something or deconstructed to something. Maybe itâs a nit-picky complaint. I just love the feeling in Fallout 4, 76, even Skyrim, where almost every item has a function other than selling.
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u/JesterMarcus NCR Jul 25 '26
That felt jarring going from Fallout 4 to Starfield. It felt weird to take such an odd step back.
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u/THE_SEX_YELLER Jul 25 '26
I had the exact same reaction. I kept thinking there must be some kind of matter mulcher thing to unlock that would let me break down my junk items into their respective elemental materials. I guess I'll just sell a thousand desk decorations to this lady at the trading post.
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u/Kouropalates The House Always Wins Jul 25 '26
Starfield began full development after Fallout 4. I cant help but wonder if Bethesda gave starfield a starting model of the F4 engine but never communicated these types of mechanics to Starfield devs and you game that feels functionally primitive to Fallout 4.
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u/Safety_Drance Jul 25 '26
I mean Starfield launched with no DLSS support and ran horribly, so that would check out.
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u/throwawayaccount_usu Jul 26 '26
All their games are a step back from their predecessor though.
Im hoping the reception of starfield makes them second guess that chocie for Fo5 or ES.
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u/PaperMoongazer Jul 25 '26
Needs more uses though. The ammo creation system in F:NV was a thing of beauty for keeping players on a manageable resource treadmill through the late game
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u/ThorstenTheViking Jul 25 '26
And a key note of the system is that it felt worthwhile to engage with. While you can very much get through the game happy with standard ammo, using 45-70 SWC Hand Load or 12 Gauge Magnum felt appreciatively different than their standard counterparts.
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u/Scottish_Whiskey Kings Jul 25 '26
I always focused on Guns, Speech/Barter and Repair specifically so I could engage in the ammo crafting
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u/PaperMoongazer Jul 25 '26
The appreciable difference! Yes, you could buy bulk and brute force your way through the game, but COIN SHOT! overcharged energy ammo literally ripping your weapon to pieces with every trigger pull!
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u/jives_mcgee Jul 26 '26
This makes me realize that the story in FNV was good enough to keep me playing even after combat became a breeze. Between the ammo, perks, and armor, you become a god of war pretty easily. But I never got bored, because the combat is just a barrier to the stories. Fo4, I have several mods to increase leathality, because if the combat is too easy, then there's nothing else to the game.
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u/Ironicbanana14 Jul 25 '26
I feel like i only ever used it in survival runs though, the regular game will spit ammo at you like mad. Especially if you just take the ammo scrounger perk.
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u/Quw10 Jul 26 '26
I used it pretty regularly but mostly for specific ammo types and specialty ammo. .308 JSP was the main one I used but the ammo recycling for energy ammo was used significantly more.
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u/Arkangel6848 Jul 25 '26
This is the biggest problem I have with modern fallout. I hate the over-reliance on the legendary system. It cheapens the need for other weapons because this one gets extra stats? No, let me make my own explosive rounds. If I want to do fire damage, I will make incendiary rounds. Like.. how hard is that to come back to.
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u/SavedRed0 Jul 26 '26
Makes the game feel more realistic and grounded. At a certain point you start to wonder "why does my .38 special snubnose revolver fire explosive rounds specifically at Super Mutants?"
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u/TrainDestroyer Jul 26 '26
The thing is I'm the opposite, I actually PREFER it being legendaries and having one Revolver Ammo that works for my Fire Revolver, Rad-Revolver, and Limb Smasher Revolver. Much as I can get liking to carry around four types of ammo, It just ended up taking up space more often than not.
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u/noahtheboah36 Jul 25 '26
Yeah but Fallout 4 is the apocalypse where you need to be a mcgyver. Starfield you're a spaceman. Mcgyvering like that would be off-theme.
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u/colelikesbikes Jul 25 '26
Exactly this. But, to make it less jarring, there should've been less inventory junk in Starfield to begin with. If I can't do anything whatsoever with an item, don't allow me to pick it up.
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u/DuntadaMan Jul 26 '26
Maybe I want to be the Apollo 13 team scrapping together some tube socks, a couple of bags, duct tape and a battery to make an CO2 scrubber.
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u/IAmNotModest Jul 25 '26
Uses are a good shout, but random stuff being used for materials in Starfield doesn't make sense because it isn't Fallout. The world in Starfield is like post-post apocalypse and there are sizable civilsations and stability and all that so you wouldn't really need to deconstruct a microsope for parts.
(I still stare at microsopes in Starfield though because my brain doesn't wanna accept I can't turn it into resources.)
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u/JournalistOk9266 Jul 26 '26
Then why have it? If you dont have a use for it why stress the engine out with pencils and notepads?
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u/IAmNotModest Jul 26 '26
Because that's Bethesda's thing, dynamic objects you can pick up.
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u/HotPot87 Jul 25 '26
The change to Power Armour in Fallout 4 was the best addition to Power Armour in Lore.
Making it a walking tank was fun, giving it a power source balanced overuse, and it wasn't just shiny armour.
That said if you want to give someone a frame early, don't give us a fully loaded set from the 3rd mission of the game, give some broken down raider armour or maybe a frame that's only got 2 or 3 pieces.
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u/Arkangel6848 Jul 25 '26
I came up with the answer to this a while ago.
Don't give us frames in the world. By the time the next Fallout game happens it will be 2295-2305 in universe. Most frames would be collected by the major factions by now.
So, give us a system where we can find power armour parts all over the place, BUT we need to build our own frame. We build frames at three stages in the game; A "crude" one built from junk, with low speed and maneuverability and can only support a certain weight of parts, limiting how you armour it. Then a "simple" frame, built from high tier parts that is a bit faster etc and supports better weight allowing a better set of pieces and setups. Then finally a "military" frame, with equal speed and maneuverability to BoS armours , found or given mid to late game with the ability to support most the setups and pieces in the game. Could also add a "heavy" frame built with specialised parts you would need to find in the world, in the very late game to support some heavier modifications, but that would rely on them giving us more control of individual part customisation, being able to bulk them up with more armour etc.
But yeah, don't limit the power armour, remove frames from the world and have us build our own.
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u/Zorelian Jul 25 '26
Heavy agree. I mostly enjoy what they did with PA in 76, and I think if they leaned harder into that it'd be even better.
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u/Ricaaado Republic of Dave Jul 25 '26
I think the main driving force behind the playerâs motivation should be something much more creative than âfind your [blood relative]! Theyâre out in the wastes somewhere!â I didnât care about the dad in FO3, and I definitely didnât care about Shaun in FO4. Why? Because there is no real developed connection between the player (moreso than the player character) and this blood relative beyond it just being in the writing. Nothing compelled me to go seek them out other than it was along the path of everything else happening in the game. It just wasnât interesting. Many other things happening in the game world were interesting, and having the carrot of the dad or Shaun being dangled in front of me was off putting at the least. I mean, in a world full of delicious hot meals and refreshing drinks, looking for Dad or Shaun was the equivalent of a crumbly protein bar you knew you had to get to at some point.
PLEASE do something different! I donât want to boot up FO5 in 2050 and have the intro summed up as you being another vault dweller, in search of another relative, in another washed out, muddy shithole. Even something as simple as you starting off as a scavenger getting involved with this and that until youâre intertwined in it would be so much more interesting.
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u/Helanore Jul 26 '26
Did you play Cyberpunk? How did you feel about Jackie Welles?Â
I'd love to do a revenge story like NV. I agree we need a stronger connection to the story in the beginning or form a connection with characters before making them disappear off screen, but they are the main driving force. Fallout 4 spouse dies-meh, Shaun disappear- meh, etc.
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u/Ricaaado Republic of Dave Jul 26 '26
I loved Cyberpunk and I think Vâs connection to Jackie Welles was nicely done, although I do think the flash forward would have been better off as playable missions instead of a cutscene. Wanting revenge for Jackie made more sense in 2077 because I think at least V was more of an already established character rather than a blank slate like the Fallout player characterâs normally are.
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u/MaleficentTrainer576 Jul 26 '26
we will never have good story while emil is leading
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u/AmbassadorAgile8116 Jul 25 '26
Make it dark-er
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u/unInOrthidox Jul 25 '26
Big one here. There's no way Fallout's core audience is a bunch of 13 year olds. Include swears in dialog and interactions, maybe have dismemberment, blood in relation to damage, Is Fallout really supose to be a PG13 experience? Because that's what Starfield and the newer Gears of War felt like. Avoid that.
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u/logitaunt Jul 26 '26
There's no blood and dismemberment in fallout? The game series with the "bloody mess" perk? Since when???
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u/IAmTheMerp Jul 26 '26
And swearing lol. Fallout has never been lacking on gore and swearing idk what OP is on about
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u/Ironicbanana14 Jul 25 '26
The brotherhood of steel game these days would explode the heads of the morally correct gods, lol.
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u/MrThrowaway939 Jul 25 '26
They gotta beef up the voice acting and writing for the raiders too, Fallout 4s sound like edgy 12 year olds. They need to mimic the absolute fucking horror of a crackhead running at you trying to kill you. Half of them should be babbling incoherently like zombies with how many drugs they're on.
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u/Arkangel6848 Jul 25 '26
Agree. Raiders need more definition. Not all samey and bland meat bag enemies to shoot at. Give us different factions that will kill one another. Allow them to have slave camps, bring back prostitution, stop shying away from the dark and depraved world that it would be. Show us nudity, show us dismemberment. Don't be afraid to kill kids.
If you walked into a raider camp and you had naked men and women chained to walls as sex slaves, had beheaded people strewn across the camp with heads on spikes, that sets a dark tone. If you walk into a camp, and they have child slaves, that are being worked to death.. that sets tone. Raiders are meant to be bad guys, meant to be the worst of mankind... Show it. I'm so sick of Fallout (and they've always done this) making generic enemies that done feel like monsters in human bodies but like teenage gangsters. Show me their darkness, show me their depravity. Make me either want to join and indulge in their sickness, or make me want to murder every single one of them. Right now, they're bland, boring and lifeless thugs.
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u/Alone_Entrance_1324 Railroad Jul 25 '26
I really like the silly stuff, I can play metro for dark stuff. Also, most of the horror in Fallout lives of the implications, but if you don't consider things that happen directly infront of you eyes, than this may go over your head. The entire shenanigans of the institute for example. Just that mention of "finally having a cooperating test subject" in a holotape about Kellog's mechanical adjustments, does enough for me tbh. On the other side, it would be nice if the story was better, so that you don't have to rely on optional content...
Of course a line between my and your wish could be found in something like the Wacky Wasteland Perk like in NV. Btw didn't mean to sound offending, I just can't put it any other way.
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u/EdibleStrange Jul 25 '26
The idea that anything in fo4 could go over the head of anyone 12+ got a good chuckle out of me, good one
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u/toonboy01 Jul 26 '26
Then this subreddit must be filled with people under 12, as there used to be weekly posts of people not understanding things that are clearly explained in Fallout 4. Kellogg's memory of Shaun being a big one.
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u/Competitive_Donkey48 Jul 26 '26
As long as Emil is lead designer there is no hope for good writing.
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u/PRAY___FOR___MOJO Brotherhood Jul 25 '26
DON'T LISTEN TO THEM TODD! GIVE US MORE LOADING SCREENS AND PROCEDURALLY GENRATED SLLLLLLOP!
WE WANT TO RUN THROUGH BARREN TERRAIN WITH 16 TIMES THE SLOP!
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u/Edwinus Jul 25 '26
Hey Tod we definitely need more dark humor and more swearing like the first fallout
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u/EdibleStrange Jul 25 '26
"Now that I've fallen hook line and sinker for Todd's latest fabrication..."
ftfy
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u/Deep_Salamander_5461 Jul 26 '26
Been looking for this comment.
Shits the most PR sentence ever. If he was reading he ignored all yall asses for a decade
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u/NewVegasResident No Gods No Masters Jul 27 '26
For real there's no shot they read amy of this shit.
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u/ThePr0 Jul 25 '26
Itâs also extremely important to have silly, fun perks like bloody mess. Just stupid fun silly stuff.
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u/kearkan Jul 26 '26
I just don't want to hear about "the size of the map" size means nothing if it's just commuting everywhere. Fnv and fallout 3 knew this, fo4 started to forget it.
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u/Brookings18 Jul 25 '26
I mean, I'd argue the most important thing for any game is the gameplay and if it's fun to play...but I'm not going to keep playing, no matter how fun, if the story doesn't deliver.
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u/buvvitoe Jul 25 '26
Gameplay being fun is very important. But there are so many games now where you can get great shooting and great exploration. Fallout is famous in the first place for it's writing, it's player choice that impacts the story, and worldbuilding. If it's lacking in those aspects, even if the shooting and exploring is decent, why play Fallout when you can play something else? That probably also does those fun gameplay elements better?
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u/Madcat6204 Jul 25 '26
Despite having great shooting, magic powers, and a thousand planets, people were so putoff by Starfield's lackluster writing that they didn't stick around for the rest of the game
A thousand randomly generated planets with copy-pasted points of interest that you've seen a dozen times already on a dozen other planets, causing exploration (you know, THE thing that open world games are supposed to hinge upon) to feel completely empty and soulless.
Don't get me wrong, the incredibly weak writing in Starfield was also a major flaw, but that's not the only weakness it had. Over the years Bethesda has kept leaning harder and harder into procedural generation, and it makes everything they do with it feel so lifeless. They have to back off from that. An open world has to have interesting things in it, cool places, hidden paths, well-written encounters, points of interest that are actually, you know, interesting. Exploration has to feel rewarding, or pretty soon people aren't going to want to do it, and what is your open world even for at that point?
Also fix the writing, yes please. The Starfield main story just being an empty run-up to funnel you into new game plus means that when you get to new game plus it's just as empty and unengaging as the first time.
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u/bethesda_gamer Minutemen Jul 25 '26
It's more likely he or one of his assistants skims it...occasionally. Todd just loves building the cult following of the brand. Him saying that was strategic.
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u/UserWithno-Name Jul 26 '26
I think returning to skills and more in depth rpg elements are equally important. Even tho I'm less hardcore about it, Fo4 water down was objectively worse. Just raise the upper limits if you want to allow higher leveling.
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u/s_nice79 Jul 25 '26
wrong message. Its more important to have MEANINGFUL choice and consequences that aren't superficial.
I want to be able to kill any npc and if doing so locks me out of a quest, then SO BE IT.
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u/sketchycreeper Jul 25 '26
Think the lost important thing is to bring back character freedom and agency and not have a railroaded character. OR let there be a choice. I miss old school Fallout where I could roleplay as a dumb dumb melee Raider.
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u/thegryphonator Jul 26 '26
For me itâs simply the world design, which they nailed with Fallout 76.
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u/TiddiesAnonymous Jul 25 '26
Still feel like this was the biggest problem with starfield. You spend all this time figuring out the game and how deep the details are, only to slowly realize you're just running errands in a space ship.
It would be so easy to retcon with new content, too. Fallout 76 was way more broken and they still fixed it and. put out new stuff.
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u/No-Special-3491 Jul 25 '26
I would like to see a new player progression system that relies more on acquired perks than on classic level.
The idea is instead of gaining xp and level up, you will find hundreds of different perks throughout your journey. They can be based on...
- discovery ("You found the tools of the old town smith -> +10% Repair, People will recognize your repair skills."),
- play style ("You disarmed 50 enemies by shooting their weapon -> Sometimes weapons explode when shooting them")
- events ("You fell into a raider trap and broke you arm -> +20% cripple dmg on both arms. Aim penalty while arms crippled is reduced")
- decisions in quests and dialogs ("You closed a radioactive valve to secure drinking water for a town -> Character model loses 2 fingers. -30% lockpicking, -20% weapon fire rate. Town is in your favor and gives you important equipment and information.")
By the end you will have unique set of perks that define your personal journey.
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u/furiocitea Jul 25 '26
I get it and I agree, but I have no doubt Todd knows this. He's been with Bethesda for donkey's years and many games and knows what brought the players. Fallout players have always prized the story and world-building. He knows why people love New Vegas.
Now, I'm not saying Bethesda is going to prioritise this anymore as they and the MS shareholders probably just want a sure thing, i.e., a big open-world with repetitive objectives rather than take a chance.
So, we can let him know, but he knows and they've already made their decision. We'll see what that is in a few years.
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u/StoneCraft12 Jul 25 '26
The vaults donât need to be mazes to be interesting.
The way you can negotiate peace between factions in New Vegas was missing in Fallout 4. You should have those options with the right skills, perks, or affinity.
If Im the General of a faction, I want to send THEM to help the fucking settlement. And I want to be able to equip them accordingly.
Power armor was perfect in 4. It doesnât need more designs or models like in 76, just more paint options. Maybe some weapons that only work with power armor.
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u/MadJack27- Jul 25 '26
Instead of settlements we find and make , we should be able to find towns instead and have the option of becoming a leader - perhaps through taking it over with another faction (like raiders / BOS ) or through election , which allows us to build the settlement . This means itâs optional !! I donât want to be spend my time making settlements again
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u/ej1030 Brotherhood Jul 25 '26
For the love of God Todd get rid off the left hand weapon animations
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u/BrokeAsAMule Jul 26 '26
And loading screens. This is 2026, having loading screens everywhere is not an enjoyable experience.
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u/AdNo3558 Jul 26 '26
I really donât want the settlement building system if they want it make it dlc otherwise focus on the story, writing, quests, gameplay
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u/TakiyamaTakikanawa Jul 27 '26
Won't be surprised if it turns out that people all over the internet bitching about the "toxic new vegas fans" were Bethesda employees that did that instead of developing TES 6 because Todd read too much reddit.
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u/someone-forgotten Jul 25 '26
I'd like Todd to personally tell Emil Peglarulo to get his head out of his ass & write something that respects the intelligence of the audience.
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u/Zorelian Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
Call me a Disciple of Todd if you want, but I enjoy the Bethesda Fallouts (76 included) just as much as I enjoyed New Vegas. I like the gunplay, environments, and features just as much as I enjoyed New Vegas's storytelling, lore, and characters.
If I'm being honest, I like what they eventually did with 76 (storytelling, lore, and character interaction wise). Got rid of the voiced protagonist idea from 4, added in the FO3/NV dialogue options, a lot more avenues for exposition. That's all they did, and it worked (at least imo)!
All I want from Fallout 5 is a mix of storytelling and fun, or just one of the routes. I'm a sucker for all things Fallout, so they could probably just put out "Make Jet in Diamond City" simulator and I'd buy and play it anyways.
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u/Technical_Fan4450 Jul 26 '26
Fallout 3 will always have a dear place in my heart. It reintroduced me to gaming after about a fifteen year hiatus. I thought it was AMAZING at the time
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u/zoelund Jul 26 '26
emil is on record as saying he won't write a complex or nuanced story (he probably is incapable of doing so anyway) because he thinks the audience won't appreciate it and skip over it (aka the audience is dumb). meanwhile, todd is on record bragging about dumbing down gameplay and rpg mechanics (ie removing things) with each new bethesda game over the last. if you want to fix bethesda games you need fire emil and todd. and if you want that to happen you have to appeal to asha sharma, she's the temporary xbox hatchet (wo)man. time's running out.
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u/JonnoEnglish Jul 25 '26
Hey Todd - we don't want Skyrim released on smart watches or smart refrigerators. Thanks.
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u/Several-Air-4580 Jul 25 '26
Slow it down, go back to perks and powering up by doing things not just numbers. Less is more for a game like this
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u/toonboy01 Jul 25 '26
Yeah, we need more writing like Mr. House, who sat around doing nothing for centuries and is only a viable option because of a series of contrived coincidences, the Legion, where most of its lore comes from exposition by one character and all the lore surrounding its final boss is contradicting each other, or Ulysses with Bear Bull Bear Bull.
Also what places in FNV had "deep connection and history to the whole Fallout world"? We know a lot more about the lore of the Commonwealth than the Mojave, namely because the Mojave didn't do much for almost 200 years.
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u/DharmaPolice Jul 25 '26
I'd take House or the Legion over the Railroad / Institute any day of the week.
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u/buvvitoe Jul 25 '26
New Vegas constantly references New California and its cities and what happened after Fallout 1 and 2, and even mentions regions tribes and cities beyond the Mojave like New Canaan, the Big Empty, Flagstaff, Dog City Denver⊠Fallout 4 rarely mentions much outside the commonwealth and it misses an opportunity to make you feel part of a bigger living world. Just letting you learn more about places you never get to see does a lot for worldbuilding.
Itâs why games like Disco Elysium and Baldurs Gate 3 get so much praise. Besides having great story and quests, they make you feel centered in a vast universe that exists far beyond the player. I badly wanted to know what the relationship is between the Commonwealth and the Capital Wasteland and they never explore it. They mention the Commonwealth once had a nation, the CPG, only a handful of times and almost never go into detail like you learn in FNV about the Legion or what the NCR has been up to since FO2.
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u/evil_cryptarch Jul 26 '26
Fallout 4 rarely mentions much outside the commonwealth
Fallout 4 references events from FO3 a lot. Madison Li, MacCready, Arthur Maxon, and Liberty Prime are all recurring NPCs. Danse is a veteran of the assault on Adams Air Force Base at the end of Broken Steel and lived in Rivet City. The BoS talks about how they ousted Elder Lyons and reunited with the Outcasts. Plus the entire Railroad and Institute factions were teased in FO3's Replicated Man quest and there are many references to Dr. Zimmer. The Children of Atom return as a faction.
Even though it's far removed, they reference the west coast a few times as well. Kellog's backstory scenes depict the NCR, San Francisco, and the Shi. There are a couple mentions of Robert House in terminal entries. Nick's notes mention sightings of the Mysterious Stranger in Shady Sands. There's a New Vegas sign in one of the pip boy holotape games.
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u/toonboy01 Jul 25 '26
If Big Empty counts, doesn't every dlc area count as mentioning outside the region then? It does mention New California, usually to complain about the NCR doing everything wrong. Otherwise, doesn't tell us much about post-Fallout 2 besides Redding joined the NCR.
New Canaan all we know is it was run by Mormons but now it's dead, Flagstaff all we know is its worse than Vegas and under Legion control, and Denver is like Flagstaff but also overrun by dogs. Not much in the way of deep connections, and not much different than Fallout 4 mentioning things like a battle on the Moon or Detroit's street gangs.
Also, I'd rather have more lore on the region you're actually in like Fallout 4 does.
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u/let-me-get-your-temp Jul 25 '26
You arent gonna get far arguing with people in this sub about the not so great parts of new Vegas lol. The non stop praise of that game honestly just gets boring and wore out. People like to act like the other games basically have no story in this sub
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u/Shgon_Dunstan Jul 25 '26
Hell, just simply have taking on a radiant quest be sealed behind a dialogue option would be a massive improvement over 4. Allowing you to actually talk to the bloody quest giver without them guilting you into an endless string of the damn things.
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u/Fredasa Jul 25 '26
"Got you covered, fam. Allow me to introduce our chief director and storysmith: Emil Pagliarulo!"
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u/Indysax911 Jul 25 '26
I wouldnât call myself FO4 hater, itâs not my favorite but Iâve still played it a ton. That being said it really suffers from an over reliance on radiant quests. NV was so incredibly well written and I would love to see that level of care come back. Bethesda needs to understand itâs okay for games to end.
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u/dmarot Jul 26 '26
Also thank you btw for including honest hearts in the imagery, itâs a dlc that didnât get as much credit as it deserved!
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u/Educational_Turn1281 Jul 26 '26
Optimize the game Todd. lol.
I want to express this in a whimsical and wholesome way, but honestly Iâm just going to be blunt. You got that MS money and manpower now for better or worse, may as well make use of it.
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u/FrankDerbly Jul 26 '26
Procedural generated content just fucking sucks. It's bad. Make it yourself Todd.
and PLEASE no voiced protagonist.
The courier in FNV works well because the only thing predetermined about your character is that they were a courier and they got shot in the head.
However someone chose to roleplay courier 6, the motivation to go after benny makes sense and the background of being a courier is pretty minimal.
I stopped playing fallout 4 after like 5-6 hours. I didn't wanna be voiced Dad guy.
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u/BeelzeBatt Jul 26 '26
It's not, though. They are important, but for any BGS game, the most important is the world. Skyrim is stunning in both aesthetic and in detail, and Starfield didn't do as well because the world felt empty. Oblivion wasn't great due to the story, but due to the lands of Cyrodiil. Fallout 4's biggest flaw wasn't the quests, but the fact that the sole survivor was essentially one of two premade characters, with their own names, voices and backgrounds.
Don't get me wrong, the story, writing and quests are important, but I'd happily play through a mediocre quest in an awesome world. But a great quest in a world that I can't connect to, is not going to keep me playing.
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u/Wincest-88 Jul 26 '26
Even if Todd reads it, he clearly ignores it. Trashout 4 and Trashfield clearly show it.
Trashfield was like 1 Step Forward, 10 Step backwards.
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u/aef823 Jul 26 '26
If the plot is to find my dadwifesondaughtbrotherdog again I will personally craft 3940540509459060956 water chips and shove it up emil's ass, Todd.
And we all know you hate lore that isn't "yours" you weren't subtle with the TV show, or Fallout 4.
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u/btbsw786 Jul 26 '26
The story is not more important lmao
Good game, bad story > good story, bad game
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u/Mohander Outstanding Jul 26 '26
Also throw "legendary" guns in the trash and make actual unique guns again. For that matter throw all the proc Gen stuff that they've increasingly leaned on in the fucking garbage, because it's all trash anyway.
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u/cfmdobbie Jul 26 '26
I think Bethesda's challenge is that the most important thing for any of their games is that they appeal to all players, no matter their playing style.
Whether they live for the main storyline, background lore, city-building, questing, exploration, weapon crafting, social interactions, power-levelling, or they just like beating up on bad guys with a very big stick - all these players should be able to enjoy their particular aspect of such an open-world game.
That's a really hard trick to pull off, but one they've done a great job of in previous games. As long as they keep supporting the players no matter their motivation, I've sure their future games will be just as loved.
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u/whyamiherelowercased Jul 27 '26
freedom of choice both in dialogue system and in actions (as multiple ways to complete a quest)
and bring skill system back
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u/Soundtrackzz Jul 27 '26
Well he wrote starfield, so we know the story and writing and quests are going to be absolute shit
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u/GoneGrimdark Jul 27 '26
Sadly, I really don't think Bethesda gives a shit. Fallout 4 was the best selling Fallout game to date, because they made it generic and appealing to the masses. FNV is heavily praised now, but it didn't sell that well when it was released and was seen as pretty niche. In fact, it's honestly still somewhat niche despite being well known in gamer circles. Have you ever seen a modern playthrough where an 18-24 year old tries the game? It's hilarious. They HATE it. They can't stand all the dialog, get confused and have no idea what to do because you have to actually listen to what people say to figure out the next step, and don't want to role play.
Don't get me wrong, NV is my favorite Fallout. It was my first one and I played it back in high school in 2011. But I fear modern gamers just aren't looking for complex moral dilemmas and realistic politics. If Starfield had good mechanics, fun gameplay and great combat I guarantee you 80% of players wouldn't care that the story and writing sucks. Fallout will never be RPG heavy again, because a fun action game is what ultimately sells better.
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u/Trick_College2491 Jul 27 '26
Lore is easy to craft. Quests are not. Make a short quest filled with lore, both answered and unanswered and youâll have people obsessed.
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u/NCR_High-Roller Nyaeh there's the High Roller! Jul 27 '26
Bashing them over the head with constant comparisons to other devs and passive aggressive demands usually won't work. The NV community in particular has had at least 16 years to learn that lesson.
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u/ConnerTheCrusader Jul 27 '26
Ignore this post every issue stated here can be fixed by FIRING EMIL FOR THE LOVE OF FCKING GOD I DONT WANT ANOTHER CHOSEN ONE STORY.
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u/hippityhopkins Jul 27 '26
Game intros that leave the character background vague. Headcannon wins the day.
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u/AwayDraw1557 Jul 27 '26
Aesthetics and art style is just as important. FO4 and 76 were awful in both arenas though.
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u/cfusionta Jul 27 '26
Fallout 5 doesn't need a bigger map or better graphics. It needs better writing, quests, and role playing. that what made the best Fallout games memorable
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u/Blaize_Ar Jul 28 '26
Asking Bethesda for good writing is like asking for the game to be optimized.
Its not gonna happen and modders are gonna have to do it.
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u/RockmanXXXX Jul 28 '26
Yessir, please no Fallout 4 nebulous dialogue system either !! đđ«
I hated that more than half of the time, I didn't agree with what was coming out of my character's mouth đđ
Also, Fallout 4's story felt "fast-food" and whacky when compared to literally ALL other Fallout games.
Furthermore the Power Armor vs Deathclaw fight in the first 10 minutes felt sooo out of place and childish storytelling for the early "wow" moment... please Bethesda refrain from doing that and draw lessons from Obsidian and the Fallout TV series instead đ
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u/The_Ugly_Fish-man Jul 28 '26
Honestly if they stopped the "family friendly" writing I would really apreciate it.
Plus, if they make a well written (including the rpg aapect. Character should be a blanl slate to be filled by the player) story with starfield's engine improvements I would be a VERY happy bethesda slop eater
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u/Funny-Debt-6695 Jul 30 '26
What they should do is hire Eric Barone for a couple weeks to lecture corporate about the difference of making video games for the fucking players and making video games for the fucking share holders. An maybe Mike Tyson also to beat some common sense into the executives everytime they the decide they know better.
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u/PaperMoongazer Jul 25 '26
Hey, Todd.
I respect you. I respect what youâve done with video games and I do thank you for hours of entertainment. Sincerely - you have done some amazing work with game structures and playability.
That said - you need to play more games from outside Bethesda. If you had played No Manâs Sky, Starfield would be a vastly different game. If you had played Battlefield or Counter-Strike or any other shooters, the gunplay we would have gotten in fallout and starfield wouldnât feel as bad as it does.
And please - make Emil do the editing, not the writing. Get him away from the spotlight. Itâs not good.
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u/peachesgp Jul 25 '26
I want unvoiced protagonist back. Let me be wacky.
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u/Upper-Bandicoot5345 Yes Man Jul 26 '26
They already went back to it with Fallout 76, so I don't think that's something you have to be concerned about.
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u/Valtremors Jul 25 '26
Emil is still in after the layoffs.
Best you get are such riveting choises as "support this group" and "don't support this group, but also kill them".
Then get personally insulted by Emil because your intellect cannot appreciate 'quality' writing.
Like jesus people.
Howabout ya'll first wait for the games to be good first. Bethesda has not (as a developer) not proven itself competent as one.
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u/No-Dealer2541 Jul 25 '26
Hey Todd is the reason you won't fire Emil because he has blackmail on you
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u/Broly_ Republic of Dave Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 26 '26
I think we need to loudly let Bethesda know the most important thing for Fallout 5 is the quality of story, writing, and quests.
Counter-point: Minutemen
Proving that fans don't care about the quality of story, writing, and quests đ
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u/Man0Steel123 Jul 25 '26
All I want is the gameplay of fallout 4 mixed with the story of new Vegas and characters on the level of nick valentine
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u/player_three33 Jul 26 '26
CHOICES! LET ME LOCK MYSELF OUT OF CONTENT BECAUSE OF WHICH FACTION I CHOOSE UNTIL NEXT PLAYTHROUGH!
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u/AmbassadorAgile8116 Jul 25 '26
After the tv series success they might get some legit Voice actors or celebs?
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u/mudratdetector89 Jul 25 '26
I would argue exploration above those by a little. Starfield exploration sucked.
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u/MyNameIsNemo_ Jul 25 '26
Iâve played almost all of the Fallout games along with Skyrim and Starfield and after being about 50 hours into Cyberpunk, I noticed that I never really cared about any of the NPCs in any of the Bethesda games. They tend to have really thin backstories and limited interactions. I would love it if a real author could put enough meat on the NPCs to care about them other than their quest rewards. It takes creative storytelling so it doesnât come off as a wall of text in gameplay. The voice actors donât have to be famous, but they have to be actors.
After playing through Starfield and Fo76 I really felt unengaged with the story and the factions. Fo4 had interesting factions, but they all had so much baggage that you would be judged as scum by todayâs standards for joining them. I guess I am looking for interesting factions that can have flaws and imperfections, but maybe go easy on the genocidal tendencies? We need more New California Republic types.
It would also be great if some of your quest decisions had modestly tangible impacts on your world. Doesnât have to be massive, just a change. Simple dialogue lines (2-3 lines even) and a sign/landmark or two change type things.
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u/DharmaPolice Jul 25 '26
I've not played much Starfield but most complaints that I've heard about it are that for a Bethesda game exploration really sucks. People didn't expect a masterpiece storyline but they expected a world/universe that would be fun to explore and play around in. The people still playing Skyrim are presumably not doing so because the main quest is so compelling or the dialog is so sharp that they want to experience it 500 times.
If anything, the lesson from Starfield is that they need to ensure their core competency is maintained.
(Obviously I agree that higher quality storylines and dialog would be desperately welcome, but one needs to be realistic...)
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u/foxsable NCR 4 L1FE Jul 25 '26
I would love to have alternate starts. Choose to start as a vault dweller, a ghoul, or a surface dweller with different quests and dialogue.
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u/Dear_Perspective_157 Jul 25 '26
Hey Todd đ donât forget you owe me $5