Still Borked After All This Time

I've been continuing my "next gen" Fallout 4 adventure and trying to note all the changes, additions, and fixes.  Every time I restart a playthrough I try to focus on one aspect that I've neglected in the past.  This time around I decided that I would try to focus on my settlements and making them the happiest that they could be.  The verdict:  despite my best efforts and the "next gen" improvements, the settlement system remains one part of Fallout 4 that is still buggy and vaguely explained.

The concept of building and maintaining settlements was one part of Fallout 4 that I was originally very excited about.  The core concepts around settlements is that your settlers need a place where their basic needs are met--they need a covered shelter with a bed, they need food and water, and they need defense to keep them safe from all the dangers of the wasteland.  In addition, there's also a measure of settler "happiness."  The most basic understanding of "happiness" is making sure that the number of resources remains above the number of settlers, but it's actually more complicated than that and can be cryptic to figure out.

The happiness level in my settlements would generally cap out at about 80 and only for certain settlements.  Others would sit in the 60's despite my efforts to make sure each settlement had exactly the same basic needs met and access to trading.  I decided to try to search up the secrets to settlement happiness and it turns out that many people still find it very unclear and that there's more to it than simply satisfying needs and providing shopping experiences.  Things that you would think would contribute to happiness have no impact--providing fun decorations or jukeboxes and radios do absolutely nothing beyond providing some aesthetic pleasure.  Other things though, like making sure all your settlers are assigned a task, do impact happiness (which isn't explained at all).

Why can't these warnings be more specific?  Ugh.

But why are some settlements perpetually unhappy?  Tenpines Bluff, Abernathy Farm, and Oberland Station seem to stay in the 60's regardless of needs and tasks assigned.  Some of that might be attributed to bugs (that aren't fixed)--for example, the beds for the original settlers of Abernathy Farm are always categorized as not being under a roof (a bug) and can't be deleted.  There are also other complex factors like having ghoul settlers that can impact happiness.  (It also probably didn't help that I accidentally killed a settler while trying to defend one of the settlements--my bad.)

So, the bad news is that settlements (happiness and size) are still whackadoodle.  And sure, you're probably thinking "go download a mod!"  I know that there are some fabulous mods that address settlements and turn them into something kind of awesome (I can't think of the name of it off the top of my head, but I know that there's one that basically makes your settlements into autonomous units--settlers will build their own structures and take care of their own needs--planting crops, building additional water supplies, etc. as well as decorate!).  I just don't want to mess with mods and just wish the whole system was made much clearer.

On a positive note, there does seem to be some improvement.  For some reason I feel like my settlement population would always cap out at 10-12ish.  This time around my settlements were bursting at the seams!  Many of my settlements had 20+ residents and it was difficult to find enough tasks for all of them.  The addition of the free "creators club" content has also added some new decorative elements to spice up your settlements--there are Halloween themed items and a bunch of Enclave items from completing new missions.  The Enclave chain also provides a great set of power armor and the Tesla Cannon--a big gun that shoots out a stream of electricity.

This time around I also found myself swapping out companions more than I did in the past (which I highly recommend).  I've experienced new dialogue and missions that I missed out on in previous playthroughs.  It's totally worth it for the perks that you get.  So even though we all love Dogmeat, make it a point to spend some time traveling with the entire cast of companions.

I plan on wrapping up my Fallout 4 adventure soon-ish and moving onto my backlog of free titles from Epic Games.  I'm also keeping my eyes peeled for the dates of the Steam Summer Sale (which is generally the end of June through the 4th of July-ish) so I can snag some titles off the wishlist.

It's now officially summer, so happy summer and happy gaming.

Epic's Giving Away a Dandy of a Free Game!

I sometimes make it a point to do a brief log-in to Epic Games to see what they're currently giving away, but most of the time I totally forget.  Well, this time it's definitely worth all our collective whiles to log onto Epic for the giveaway--they're currently giving away Marvel's Midnight Suns!  I'm not a major Marvel fan, but this game is has had "very positive" reviews on Steam and has been critically praised, so I gave it a grab.  Plus, it's supposed to be XCOM2-esque, which is something I can totally get behind.  It's free until June 13th, so go claim it before time runs out.

My current gaming ventures aren't anything new--I'm methodically plodding through the wastelands of Fallout 4 and experiencing the "next-genness" of the updated version.  It's not completely the same experience and besides the added "creators club" content, I've noticed a few differences.  In the past, it seemed like my settlements would usually cap out at 12 settlers.  I don't know if I'm completely mis-remembering, but I think it was some sort of bug.  I was a bit gobsmacked when one of my settlements hit 20 residents!  So maybe it's something that got fixed or maybe I'm just suffering from a bad memory.  One thing is for sure, I'm having to build huge, very ugly settlement structures for all these settlers.  Guess it's time to keep hoarding all that junk!

The addition of the "creators club" content adds in a few new missions--one involves the remnants of the Enclave and rewards a fancy schmancy new set of X-02 power armor.  I haven't fully completed the entire mission chain (too busy collecting all the junk needed to house my 5 bajillion new settlers), but the armor set is very nice.  I'd recommend grabbing it ASAP in your playthrough.

The Power Armor Parade!

When playing a game like Fallout 4, I always wonder what weird, completely pointless things that other players like to do.  I like to collect and hoard every set of power armor I come across and try to cobble together as many complete sets as I can.  I park them in a weird line right outside my home in Sanctuary (fusion cores out, of course, or else your settlers might get some ideas about hopping in during any attacks--maybe they should have those ideas, because it's not like I'm using it).  I'm not much for "decorating" my settlements, but I do like to set up a nice display of magazines and bobbleheads in my default home.  Also, completely pointless, but fun.

Like any good Fallout or Skyrim playthrough, who knows when I'll actually finish it.  I'm just having too much fun hoarding junk, collecting power armor, and blasting raiders to want to stop.  It's a simple life.

(I only have 2--technically 3 because of the cleanup day--days left of school left!  Hooray!  Here's to all the other teachers out there surviving until that happy day finally comes!)

Looting all the Loots

After a recent update to fix a number of issues related to the "next gen" update to Fallout 4, I decided that it was time to revisit the wastes.  So far, I've had basically no issues (other than some minor stuttering), so it seems like some of the stability issues have been addressed.  The Fallout games have seen a boost in player activity due to the popularity of the Amazon Prime series with the much maligned Fallout 76 seeing a big boost.  It's a good time to be a Fallout fan!

My experiences thus far haven't deviated much from any of my prior playthroughs.  I haven't noticed any fabulous graphical updates and decided not to mess with any settings.  The one major difference is the numerous missions which are now available to all players but were once feel in the domain of the "creators club" (or whatever they called their paid mod service).  There are several and I haven't dipped my toes into them yet--one of them looks to introduce a fancy new set of Enclave X-02 power armor, so I'm definitely going to pursue it.

One of my hideous creations.

I wish I could report that I chose to dramatically change my playstyle, but alas, no dice there.  I honestly feel like I picked pretty useless combat talents in the name of loot-based skills (like picking locks and hacking) and have been getting blasted more than I remember (especially by super mutants).  I've been trying to grab a few more combat talents to make things less painful.

I'm also building plenty of horribly ugly structures in my settlements.  I seriously should watch some videos about how not to make your structures look like complete garbage.  It's the apocalypse though, so who really cares?

It's the perfect time to give the Fallout games a revisit--so go out there and loot al that useless junk that you plan on turning into a truly hideous, mechanically unrealistic structure.

Fallout Mania!

As I mentioned last week, the Amazon Prime Fallout series is a video game adaptation that's actually worth watching.  I found it to be a faithful representation of the games with just enough new plot twists to keep it engaging.  Due to the popularity of the series, many people are feeling an urge to check out (or re-play) the games.  Fallout 4 and the semi-doomed multiplayer flop that was (emphasis on the was) Fallout 76 have seen a burst of player activity.  (Fallout 76 was bad at launch, but when I played it, I found it to be an enjoyable experience--you can read my review here) Fallout is having a moment and I've got to admit, I've felt a bit of an itch to go back and give some of it a re-play.

On of my beautiful creations in a settlement.

Bethesda has also decided to capitalize on this moment by releasing the "next gen" update to Fallout 4.  You might've noticed the almost 14 gig update when you popped open your Steam library.  Now, you might be thinking "YESSSS! It's the perfect opportunity!"  however...I'm here to rain on your parade just a little bit.  According to several sources, the PC update is a bit of a crapshoot (this PC Gamer article breaks it down)--at least if you're on PC; the console updates seem to be much better.  If you don't want to read the article, here's the gist of it:

1.) There are basically no graphics updates.  They added widescreen support but it seems to be screwed up and causes a weird, stretched look.

2.) Like any major update, if you use mods (which many PC gamers do) they are all also broken.  This is to be expected, but it means having to wait until the makers of those mods have time to get them compatible with the new update.

3.) Certain settings can cause crashes--apparently RTX cards are impacted by this.

So, if you were feeling extra excited about diving back into Fallout 4, it might be worth waiting until the update gets patched to address some of these issues.  Personally, I'd recommend diving into one of the older titles--Fallout 3 or New Vegas come immediately to mind.  If you're feeling VERY nostalgic or haven't experienced the OG games, I'd also recommend giving them a whirl (Epic Games game them away for free at some point, but you can get all three on Steam for $19.99--worth it, in my opinion).

Happy wasteland adventures!

Why Does it Work?

I've been re-playing Fallout 4 and trying to puzzle out my weird relationship with the big dog Bethesda games.  To be totally honest, I'm old enough that I played the Fallout series back in its golden oldie days as an isometric RPG--but I digress....I'm currently many, many hours into my current playthrough.  In the past, I've felt a bit ambivalent about the beloved Skyrim or the Fallout games.  The stories in the games aren't anything fabulous, the characters are forgettable (and sometimes annoying--Preston Garvey *cough*), but for some weird reason, they're enjoyable.  Why is that?

My favorite thing about Fallout 4 (and, in general, the Skyrim/Fallout style games) is the ability to just wander.  There's no pressing need to stick to any main storylines (or really any for that matter--other than needing to occasionally defend a settlement) or any urgency--you're just free to explore a giant map filled with so many intriguing locations.  Even though I've never found the main storyline writing to be anything special, it's fun to explore locations and learn about their past and current stories.

One of my ugly structures--a masterpiece of architecture.

Although I wish it was somewhat deeper, I weirdly enjoy the settlement system in Fallout 4.  Watching settlements grow from a few settlers into a thriving, bustling mini-town gives me an odd sense of satisfaction.  I always lie to myself about making my settlements anything more than just your basic, functioning settlement--I envy those people who have the patience and/or ability to engineer beautiful, functional settlements.

The ability to loot basically everything is also something that provides a strange sense of satisfaction.  Since I'm obsessed with maintaining a thriving network of very ugly settlements, I have a tendency to keep my eyes peeled for the most useless junk (that happens to have plenty of useful parts for building settlement items).  My poor companions usually wind up hauling around bags of cement, typewriters, desk fans, telephones, and piles of other junky items.

I guess I never realized how many actual companions were available throughout the game--even after multiple playthroughs I managed to get an achievement for recruiting five separate companions.  I'm currently rolling with Curie, a robot scientist who was trapped in Vault 81 as part of an insidious experiment to use infectious molerats to spread disease among the residents and then use them as guinea pigs to breed humans with increasingly greater degrees of disease resistance.  My favorite companion is definitely Dogmeat--sure, he's a dog, so you don't get any dialogue, but there's something comforting about having him there by your side.

Would the Fallout series be better if it had better writing or a more engaging main storyline?  Maybe, but I just don't think it would be Fallout.  I gave Fallout 76 a whirl and spent many happy hours wandering and exploring, but it's just not the same (I still am confused about what they were thinking when they decided to make a multiplayer Fallout game--and there's been some very negative press around the botched release and crunch prior to the release of 76).  I don't know what the future holds for the Fallout series, but I hope they stick to the roots.

Grab Bag

Lately I really can't decide what I want to play.  I'm not playing anything new but aimlessly bouncing between random games that I didn't do justice to on the first go-round.  As a result of this unsettled play I'm just going to write some random thoughts about the games I have been playing or thinking about.

1.) No Man's Sky--Hype or Hyper-tastic space game?
Unless you've been totally out of the gaming loop you know that the highly anticipated and much delayed No Man's Sky was released on consoles (and delayed but soon to be released on PC).  The concept of the game sounds pretty amazing--almost limitless procedurally generated planets to explore.  What gamer wouldn't jump at the chance to have that at their fingertips?  Well...me, for one.  I have this really deep gut feeling that this infinite universe will be nothing but a beautifully empty repetitive grindfest that will get old really fast.  I've always leaned towards games with a strong story so I won't be buying into the hype.  It's just not for me.  I hope it turns out well for those who have been anxiously awaiting it's release.

2.) Fallout 4--A love/hate relationship.
Even though I have complained about how I didn't have great feelings about Fallout 4, it has still found a way to pull me back in.  The reality is that I can always find something new to do in the massive world of the Commonwealth.  Currently I'm on a quest to find all the bobbleheads--I only need two more!  I'm also enjoying the faction change to the Brotherhood of Steel.  Sure, they are a bunch of highly armored jerkfaces, but they have a cool airship.

This go-round I decided to ditch Dogmeat (sorry boy) and travel with Piper.  I swear if she complains about how something smells one more time...she's going to get a hot shishkebab to the face.  There is one person who is considerably less annoying, Preston Garvey.  The changes to make him request your help to sort out this or that random settler who got themselves kidnapped over and over is no longer an issue.

Sigh...I've gotta find those last stupid bobbleheads.  (And no, I won't look up a guide...yet.)

3.) The Witcher 3--Toussaintastic.
I love, love, love The Witcher 3 and am now really sad that I have finished the last piece of DLC for it.  If you haven't picked up Blood and Wine yet or are skeptical about it--don't be.  Unlike the DLC for Fallout 4 (which has horribly negative reviews on Steam), this DLC is meaty and full of content that will extend Geralt's adventures for many, many hours.  If you haven't bought any of the DLC you can wait for the upcoming Game of the Year Edition which should offer the complete adventure.

Toussaint offers the chance to play a more traditional type of hero and to play even more gwent.  Geralt gets the chance to be a noble knight, to rescue a princess, and to live in his own personal castle.  There is much monster slaying along the way and plenty of new locations to explore.

I'm actually thinking of starting up another game on the highest difficulty setting.  It would be my fourth or fifth game...yeah, I really enjoy Witchering.

4.) Mass Effect 3--Garrus + Shepard for life.
Almost every summer I find myself returning to the Mass Effect universe.  I have managed to play a Shepard who has had a romantic relationship with almost every option in the game.  The one big one that I had skipped up until now was Garrus.  What was I thinking?  Garrus is absolutely the best romantic option for Shep.  Go back and play that relationship from ME2 onward and tell me that you don't love it.

I think that part of the reason I avoided it was because there was just something really weird about the alien/human dynamic.  Plus, Turians are kind of weird looking.  But, as a character, Garrus has always been one of my favorites.  He's tough and has a sense of honor, but he is also flawed.  He gets frustrated with all the Turian rule following  and is kind of awkward.  That awkwardness is definitely endearing--the early stages of the Garrus/Shep relationship involve much worry about how it all is supposed to work...awkward talks about vids and figuring things out.

The one thing that really sold me on the Garrus/Shep relationship happens in the Citadel DLC in ME3.  As you enjoy spending time with your crewmates Garrus invites you to hang out at the casino on the Silversun Strip.  In the non-romantic options you find Shep trying to set Garrus up with a lovely lady Turian.  Forget that option even exists!  Now you find yourself in the bar and the music changes to a tango (I think.....) and Garrus sweeps Shepard onto the dancefloor where he reveals that he has been taking dance lessons.  It's completely silly to see two fairly serious characters dancing a tango in the middle of a space crisis--but it's totally worth it.  In all the time that the game and DLC have been out I can't believe that I missed this genuinely awesome relationship.

Now, to just hope that Mass Effect:  Andromeda is able to reproduce all those awesome characters and moments.  Fingers crossed.

Finding the Joy

When I first finished my first full (and thorough) playthrough of Fallout 4 I was only semi-impressed with the latest game in post-apocalyptic RPG series.  Lately I've had an urge to re-visit the Commonwealth and right the wrongs of my first adventure.  I haven't purchased any of the new DLC (I will wait till it goes on sale...DLC is pricey!) so this adventure is largely similar to my first go-round.  I've decided to do a few things different this time--things like siding with the Brotherhood of Steel rather than the Railroad and rolling a character who is melee focused rather than the sneak n' snipe from game numero uno.  As I find myself getting bored...again...I am trying to focus on the things I enjoy about the sprawling worlds created by Bethesda.

Even though I have always found many of the quests in Fallout 4 to be minimally engaging, I have always enjoyed the fact that each location has it's own unique story.  Whether you are stumbling through a raider camp or picking your way through a destroyed office building, there is a fascinating story about the people/mutants/ghouls/? that inhabit the area.  I recently finished a simple quest that found me returning an overdue book to the Boston Public Library for the friendly ghoul storekeeper in Goodneighbor.  Daisy's book was 200 years overdue and desperately needed to be returned.  She also had fond memories of the library and hoped that you could clear out all the pesky supermutants that had taken up residence there.  After slashing through a pile of supermutants and aggressive Protectrons you reach the back room of the library and learn that a desperate group of staffers had been trying to record as much of the information as they could before it was all destroyed.  They had fought off the supermutants until the last man had been killed.  The story unfolds as you hack into computer terminals throughout the building and eventually find the body of the last librarian.  These small stories make exploration just a little bit more interesting.

The Fallout series has always had a certain sense of quirky charm.  The original games were filled with goofy easter eggs and the occasional strange encounter.  Fallout 4 continues this trend by including those few strange encounters.  Maybe you're casually exploring the bathroom of a ruined building...you never know what might be hidden behind a closed stall door--it could be a ghoul, or it could be a teddy bear wearing glasses and smoking a cigar.  Or maybe it's a body stuffed into a basketball hoop--those raiders must play by different rules.

What is it with raiders and mannequins?
This quirky scene helped me increase my hacking skills.

The biggest highlight of the games for me are the numerous (like the stars!) items that are scattered throughout the map.  You might find a suitcase in the back of the burnt out shell of a vehicle in the middle of nowhere or loot 25 coffee cups from an abandoned diner.  I don't think I've encountered another game with the sheer volume of items that are contained in Fallout 4.  Thanks to the settlement system looting all that junk is finally rewarding.

Maybe someday I will add-on a few of the more worthy DLC.  Until then, I'm focusing on the small things between bouts of Fallout 4 boredom.  More teddy bears wearing glasses, please.

The Hype Crits you for $59.99

I've mentioned several times that I'm a sucker for hype.  Snazzy game commercials have me reaching into my wallet despite my rational senses telling me to hold off.  I've fallen victim to the latest round of uber-hype courtesy of Fallout 4.  In my brain I knew that I've felt very ambivalent about the previous games in the series.  One cute retro themed commercial featuring our hero the vault dweller and his/her canine companion, Dogmeat, completely overruled any sense of restraint.  After playing A LOT (150+ hours) of Fallout 4, I'm kicking myself.  Even though I haven't completely finished the game this is me summarizing my thoughts about it (and really wishing it was over).  Possible spoilers ahead! Read with caution if you haven't completed the main storyline!

Fallout 4's strength is in it's massive open world.  Don't expect much depth.

Fallout 4 really looked to have some new unique features that would differentiate it from the earlier games.  The one that excited me the most was the settlement building feature.  Building your own unique structures...yes, please!  In reality settlements turned out to be more of a hassle than anything.  Sure, you could spend the time to scavenge materials, build structures, and then decorate those structures to your heart's content.  But what was the point?  Your settlers could care less about your coordinating cat pictures and the fact that they are sleeping on a bed and not on a crummy sleeping bag.  Does having all those settlements even really matter?  What's the point of making my people happy besides seeing a higher number on the happiness meter (and getting one achievement)?  Getting called away to defend a settlement from some sort of attack became more of an annoyance than anything.  This also includes any kidnapping or destroying quests that accompanied other settlements.  In talking to some fellow players (mostly high school students) their attitude toward settlements consistently was "Screw settlements!"  I was particularly irritated at the fact that sometimes, despite helping to defend a settlement, that the mission would not update correctly and as a result I would receive a failure message and have to repair everything in that specific settlement.  With more development the settlement system could have more depth and meaning.  What if each settlement could produce...something?  What if you could actually lose a settlement if you failed to defend it?  WHAT IF SETTLEMENTS MEANT SOMETHING!?!!  /exasperated hand motions.  Part of my frustration also comes from the fact that most of the settlement related processes are so poorly explained.

One of my other big frustrations came from the fact that there were so few meaningful quest lines and the fact that actually finding quests is difficult.  If you don't stumble on the right trigger to start a quest chances are you'll lose it in the massive expanses of the wasteland.  Diamond City is one place that exemplifies this frustration for me.  I did a few quests in Diamond City but generally didn't spend any time there.  This is sort of a bummer because the concept of a city inside Fenway Park is phenomenal.  I kept waiting for more quests to pull me into Diamond City....but they never came.  I am intrigued by the location called the "Home Plate."  It looked to be a home-like location that you could unlock in Diamond City.  Thanks to the poor quest locating mechanics I have no idea how (I could Google it...).  Some of the quest lines I did find were actually entertaining.  I particularly enjoyed getting to portray the fictional comic book character "The Silver Shroud."  The dialogue in that particular chain is hilarious as you have the option of your character staying in-character as the Shroud.  This is literally the only quest chain that stands out to me....yeah, out of an entire 150+ hours of play.  Even the main storyline isn't really that interesting.  It's so un-interesting that I've put much of it off until the very end of my playthrough (which was a mistake).

As I've progressed through the main storyline I'm also finding the factional systems and choices that seemed important early on have actually turned out to be meaningless.  Your choices break down into "help the Institute" or "destroy the Institute."  Helping the Minutemen, the Railroad, or the Brotherhood of Steel turns out to be another part of the game that is pointless (I am guessing that if you choose to attack the Institute that your chosen faction will give you the option of a specific series of attack-y quests).  The complete meaninglessness of the faction system became apparent in a quest to find some escaped synths at Bunker Hill.  It turned out that both the Railroad and Brotherhood of Steel were vying for the escapees and that there was a raging battle over the same synths you were attempting to return to the Institute.  What I expected to be a pitched battle turned out to be nothing more than my character running, completely unhindered, through the middle of a firefight to then disable the said synths.  After I had reset the synths the battle stopped and I ran back out...right by the very Railroad members who I had previously helped.  This could have been the perfect point for some very pitched dialogue about your character's true intentions.  Are you really ditching the Railroad/BoS to help the Institute?  I pictured Desdemona and Glory giving me the what-for and questioning my motives in helping the Institute.  Instead, I just ran awkwardly past a bunch of mannequin-like Railroad members who did nothing.  Another total missed opportunity for something so much better!

Honestly, I've reached the point now where I just want to finish Fallout 4 and be done with it.  When I think of the previous games I've come to the realization that I've felt this way about every game in the series.  I would classify Fallout 4 as an average game.  I've played games that were much better and also much worse.  Fallout 4 excels in it's portrayal of a wide open world torn apart by nuclear destruction.  If you enjoy wandering aimlessly for hours and shooting lots of assorted bad guys you'll probably like Fallout 4.  If you're looking for a compelling story filled with interesting characters and moral quandaries....save yourself $59.99 and look for something different.  I fell for the hype and wish I would've waited for a Steam sale.

I've got Starcraft II:  Legacy of the Void on deck for when I finally get through the chore of finishing Fallout 4.  I cringe when I see people make claims of Fallout 4--Game of the Year!  Seriously?  You would place Fallout 4 over a masterpiece like The Witcher 3?  When I finished The Witcher 3 I immediately started another playthrough (even after having played for almost 150 hours).  A great game makes you want more.  I've never been left wanting more from the Fallout games.

Fallout 4 Wishlist

In the time since Fallout 4 was released I've had ample time to explore post-apocalyptic Massachusetts.  I also jokingly posted several over enthusiastic, gushing expressions of Fallout 4 love on Facebook that inadvertently lured a friend into buying it (you're welcome Bethesda!).  Now that the initial joy of the release has passed, I've again come to the same realization that struck me with the other games in the Fallout series...."war, war never changes" and neither do the Bethesda Fallout games.  They aren't about interesting characters or an exciting storyline...they're about slaughtering your way through the wastes and looting everything in sight.  I read an interesting article in PC Gamer (Fallout 4: Good Game, Bad RPG) that hit the nail right on the head.  I agree with Andy Kelly's analysis that Fallout 4 is like a giant puddle...huge, but not very deep.  I wouldn't call it a bad game, I've played much worse, but I also chuckle at the overzealous forum posts about "Game of the Year!"  Supposedly there is a patch coming out soon that will hopefully address some of the glitchier hindrances plaguing parts of the game.

This is a wishlist of things that I would like to see improved.  I will preface this list by saying that I still haven't played much of the main storyline so I won't be commenting on it.

1.) The settlement system.  For some completely ridiculous reason I've latched on to the idea of managing settlements.  There's something intrinsically rewarding about providing a safe home for all the good people of the wastes.  But what is the point?  Is there a reason to be saddled with managing numerous settlements?  I like to think that at some point I'm going to have my own personal army but know this is undoubtedly not true.  Currently I am managing 10+ settlements for the Minutemen.  I've invested points into charisma so I can have supply lines to help provided needed items all over the map.  My main irritation lies in the fact that so little about managing settlements is actually explained in the game.  I've had to Google and read up on the finer aspects of running a happy settlement.  I'm irritated by the fact that my largest settlements (Sanctuary Hills and The Castle) are limited to 18 settlers (the number of settlers you have is determined by the charisma level of your character--the higher your charisma, the more settlers you can have in any given settlement).  There's this huge, glaring bar that says "settlement size" but it's only partially filled up!  What does that mean?  It's confusing.

In Googling happiness in settlements I learned that building certain shops will help.  I hadn't really looked at the shops menu prior to picking up rank two of the "local leader" perk and realized that there is a clear explanation included with the shops that will increase happiness.  Another very important aspect is making sure that your settlers are assigned a task.  This can be a pain to track since you have to A.) track down your settlers wandering around your settlements and B.) figure out if they've already been assigned a task--this is not easy to do since there is no indicator to tell you--my general rule of thumb is to watch the food or defense numbers and see if they fall.  I really wish this was easier.

Another wish of mine is for the workshop menu to be easier to use.  If there was a way to search specific components rather than having to page through the entire menu it would save a ton of time (this has become a non-issue with supply lines but was a pain early on).  It can't be that hard to include a way to filter specific components, right?

The tools to personalize your settlements are such a pain to use that I've given up on trying to create anything unique.  Just slap down a pre-fab and call it good because trying to get all your walls, roofs, and various other items to line up properly is going to make you want to pull your hair out.  I decided to build a fence around one of my settlements and gave up halfway because the unevenness of the terrain made my fence float....which defeats the purpose of a fence.

I've also run into an annoyance with a certain quest that continually pops up in Sanctuary Hills.  One of your settlers has been kidnapped by raiders and requires you to rescue them within a set timeframe.  I completed the quest only to find that it never ends....the same settler is standing in the middle of the road an hour later asking for your help again.  My recommended course of action is to avoid walking near that settler so you don't wind up doing a time-limited quest several times.

Sometimes I wonder if they intentionally kept parts of the game, like settlement management, vague in order to push people into buying the strategy guide.  Capitalism FTW!

2.) Better factions.  Or indicators about factional happiness.  I've met the Brotherhood of Steel.  I've clearly embraced the Minutemen.  What about the Triggermen?  Or the Children of Atom?  I have no effing clue but I've killed many of them which I would think means they aren't overly fond of my character.  I don't know who loves or hates me.  My main indication is whether they are shooting at me.

The view from the top of Bunker Hill.  Bunker Hill would make a great faction.

I'm confused by towns like Goodneighbor.  Other than them being another place to buy and sell stuff, what is the point?  I did a few minor side quests for some people in the town, but really didn't see any major plot points there.  It would be so much better if you had some sort of reputation (wasn't that a thing in the other games?) system.  It would make it more RPGish too.

3.) Companion perks.  Every once in awhile I do something that results in the fun, but boggling, messages of "X Loved that."  Apparently your companions take note of your actions and can either approve or disapprove of the things you do.  Umm, great!  So far I've determined that this matters for exactly nothing.  I'm ecstatic that Codsworth loves it when I make new weapons mods!  /sarcasm.  If you're going to include a system for companion approval/disapproval it needs to mean something.  Include some special perks for increasing their approval or make it possible for a companion to abandon you if they find your actions appalling.  Maybe unlock unique items, skins, or interactions with higher approval ratings?  Just give it some meaning!

4.) Better characters or storylines.  The addition of a main character who talks is interesting but the dialogue is so hollow.  I wish that I felt more invested in the other characters in the game.  Some sort of engaging storyline for the Minutemen or even for individual settlements like Goodneighbor.  I really like the whole societal rejection angle in Goodneighbor and feel like it could be fleshed out in an interesting way.  What if each settlement had it's own unique story and questline?

Right now I'm going to keep wandering the wastes and sneak-sniping multitudes of super mutants and raiders.  I'm crossing my fingers that things will get more interesting.

Edit:  I really hope they fix the annoying bug I'm calling the invisible weapon/weapon switching bug.  If you haven't experienced this yet you are lucky--your weapon will completely disappear (as in it's actually in your hands but you can't see it and can't use it) for a brief time while swapping weapons.  Most of the time this can be remedied by quickly zooming out to third person and zooming back into first.  As a stealther I tend to switch from a suppressed weapon to regular weapons all the time.

Double Edit:  I spent quite a bit of time messing around in my settlements and learned a few things.  The building design tool isn't quite as bad as I initially thought it was.  I've figured out how to get walls to slap right into place and other things to line up correctly.  My lack of engineering skills or knowhow means that all my buildings are ridiculous looking...but hey, my settlers don't seem to care.  I also learned that there is a way to figure out what tasks settlers are assigned to.  All you have to do is mouse over them while you're in workshop mode and the task they are assigned to will be highlighted.  This works well if you are in the vicinity of the thing they're assigned to...it works like crap if you're in a building or far away.  I still wish it was easier to tell.  Oh and I also finally solved the mystery of the repeat kidnapping!  If you're in The Castle the radio will announce that there is a kidnapped settler in Sanctuary Hills.  The quest requires that you talk to a settler and then go through the whole rescue scenario.  After turning it in to Preston Garvey the problem seems to be solved as I haven't seen the same settler standing in the middle of the road.

Wandering the Wastes--Some tips!

Initially I wasn't really that excited about Fallout 4.  I will cop to completely falling for the pre-release hype (the commercials were just so great!).  The transition back into the vast and extremely dangerous world of post-apocalyptic Massachusetts has turned out to be highly enjoyable.  I still haven't delved into the main storyline very much but am having a blast exploring the region and improving my settlements.  I thought I would share some handy tips...you know because there aren't already five billion other articles with Fallout 4 tips.  Here we go!

1.) Some items are more useful than they appear.  In past games there was a lot of junk just laying around wasn't particularly useful.  Now, those items are well worth picking up and lugging around.  Here are some that you should definitely grab:
--Duct tape/Wonderglue:  Breaks down into adhesives which are used in both weapon and armor mods.  It's a good idea to keep a good supply on hand so you can pimp out any new gear you find.

--Aluminum Cans/TV Dinner Trays/Trays:  Early in the game you gain access to some Power Armor.  Power Armor is great but it requires more maintenance and items than regular armor.  Unlike regular armor it also requires repair which is done primarily with aluminum.  Keep your eyes peeled for those silvery cans and dirty TV Dinner Trays and be sure to pick them up.  The fish packing plants (I've come across two--the Four Leaf Clover plant and another one in the far northeastern corner of the map) are a great source of trays for aluminum.

--Abraxo Cleaner:  Breaks down into antiseptic which is one of the main components to craft your own stimpacks.  You can find a fairly steady supply of stimpacks out in the world, but if you plan to use them as your main source of health replenishment you may want to grab lots of Abraxo.

--Build Items/Spec Items:  By this I mean specific items related to the type of build you are going for.  I like to sneak around a lot so I try to find a lot of cork in order to make my gear as light as possible.  I've also modded out my gear so that it is shadowed which allows even better sneaking.  I loot every single globe that I see because they are a great source of cork.

--Hot plates, telephones, desk fans, typewriters:  These items tend to break down into a lot of different and very useful parts.  The downside is that they are generally heavy.  If you intend to build happy settlements grab all that goofy pre-war stuff.

--Armor/Weapons with special components:  The build for my current character didn't involve the skills or perks that allow for both full weapon and armor modification talents.  As a result I've resorted to pinching useful mods from looted weapons or armor.  My advice is to pick up any items that have a mod that you might be interested in.  If a piece of loot has a particularly long name it's probably worth grabbing just so you can cannibalize it for mods.

--Meat:  Preparing food requires no special skills.  Most prepared food also gives you a handy buff for a specific amount of time.  Cooked food contains no radiation unlike most of the other food you will find in the world.

Those are the main items I can think of at the moment.  I'm sure there are way more that I'm forgetting.

2.) Your settlement doesn't have to be fancy.  Settlers are completely fine with sleeping in a sleeping bag which requires few components compared to building a bed.  They also take up less space.  Building the basics for your settlement is good enough.  (I'm not content with simply slapping down some sleeping bags and have, for completely no reason, tried to decorate and make my settlements a weird version of Martha Stewart-esque Fallout zones.  My settlers don't appreciate my sense of post-apocalyptic style and are stuck at 80 happiness)

Dogmeat with his cute lil' bandana.

3.) Dogmeat can equip certain items!  This took way longer to figure out than I care to admit.  There are a variety of dog related items that you can loot in order to give your canine companion a unique look.  Bandanas, collars, chains, and even dog armor can all complete the look for Dogmeat.  I was very excited when I came across my first set of dog armor...only to realize that it's purely cosmetic and doesn't do anything.  My Dogmeat sports a fun red bandana as seen here!

4.) You can buy another dog!  Last night I found a guy walking near the Red Rocket Gas Station (the first one you discover near Sanctuary) and he offered to sell me a dog for 250 caps.  I managed to pass a low-level charisma check and convinced him that I would take care of the dog.  After purchasing the dog you can send it to any of your settlements.  Having a dog in your settlement will provide 5 additional defense.

5.) Recon scopes are handy.  Even if you don't intend to do any sniping, grabbing a rife with a recon scope will allow you to mark enemies on your HUD.  This has been very useful in planning attacks from afar.

6.) Your companions are basically pack mules...use them accordingly.  Poor Dogmeat is usually burdened with all the junk and weapons I don't want to carry around.

Fallout 4 is Upon Us.

Fallout 4 made a grand entrance onto the gaming scene earlier this week.  It has been seven years since Fallout 3  re-birthed the beloved post-apocalyptic RPG and fans have been chomping at the bit for the next entry into the series.  I managed to restrain my pre-ordering tendencies...and made it right until pre-loading was available.  I've pried myself away from wandering the wastes of the Commonwealth to cobble together some thoughts.

If you're looking for a Fallout game that is vastly different from it's predecessors, this is not it.  Fallout 4 brings back and improves on all your favorite aspects of the various wastelands--a massive area filled with numerous creatures, raiders, super mutants, deathclaws, and other baddies to destroy; tons of unique building to explore; a plethora of lootable items including funky weapons; and many interesting characters to fight by your side.  The graphics are great and give the Commonwealth just the right amount of post-apocalyptic creepiness.

Diamond City.   I'll make it there someday.

I'll admit that I haven't delved into the main questline very much.  It's really easy to get sidetracked.  Here's what I'm liking so far in Fallout 4:

1.) Settlements--Rather than simply having your own house to decorate you can have an entire settlement!  Once you've unlocked a settlement you gain access to a workshop that allows you to build new structures and items.  The downside of having a settlement is that it requires some management.  Your settlers aren't content just milling about your town and require food, water, and defense.  In order to accommodate them you must salvage items to build the things they need.  Remember all that junk you would never pick up in Fallout 3--coffee cups, clipboards, teddy bears, etc.?  In Fallout 4 almost every item can be turned into various useful parts.  That coffee cup turns into ceramic, that clipboard turns into wood and a spring, and that cute lil' teddy bear turns into cloth.  You will often find yourself looting junk to access various parts.  You're also responsible for defending your settlement(s) from periodic raider attacks.

I have enjoyed managing my settlement but have spent a lot of time salvaging and building.  It's not as exciting as fighting a big pack if super mutants but it's satisfying seeing your settlement grow.  The one aspect of the settlement feature that I don't like is the structure building tool.  You can build your own unique buildings in the settlement and the tool features numerous floors, walls, roofs, and assorted parts.  I found the tools difficult to use as you must rotate and align each part of the structure.  Fortunately, you can also choose from several pre-fab buildings that can be plopped anywhere within your settlement.

2.) New refined talents/perks system--No longer do you have to choose from a huge list of perks!  The points you put into your basic SPECIAL abilities will influence the perks you can unlock.  I made my character into a sneaky/sniper-y type with points in perception and agility.  In the agility tree I can unlock perks that help me sneak more effectively or increased the number of action points I have to spend.  The perception tree offers lock-picking improvements as well as perks to make sniping easier.  This much more streamlined system makes choosing more straightforward than it was in the past.

3.) New and improved baddies to kill--I entered a small cabin that I stumbled upon and found several ghouls lumbering about.  The Fallout 4 ghoul isn't the ridiculous lumbering creature from earlier games and now will charge right at you with impressive speed.  Ghouls also like to play dead and you should never trust that a ghoul laying on the ground is a corpse.  Upon entering the Super Duper Mart in Lexington I found that the store was littered with numerous ghoul bodies.  It was very unsettling making my way through the store and trying to figure out which ghouls were actually dead (I don't want to spoil it for you....just be prepared).  You might get lucky (or unlucky) and find yourself fighting an enemy with a star by it's name.  These are "legendary" creatures and are much tougher to kill but they will always drop a piece of "legendary" loot.  I have only encountered two legendary enemies so far but have read that they are much more numerous on higher difficulty levels.  If you're looking for a good fight with some good loot...crank up the ol' difficulty.

Enemies in Fallout 4 seem to be a lot tougher than in previous games.  I've found myself in pitched battles with creatures who were complete pushovers in both Fallout 3 and New Vegas.  They've also wised up and adopted new fighting strategies that include "suicide" runs.  If you hear the beeping...run away!  It's either a bomb-laden molerat or a mini-nuke wielding super mutant preparing to send both you and it to the big Vault in the sky.

Even though I've really enjoyed my time playing Fallout 4 not everything is perfect.  One thing that is slightly irritating (or great, depending on your perspective) is the lack of tutorials.  Early on you will see a small window pop-up with some friendly advice about how to do something.  The settlement building aspect is very poorly described and I spent time Googling how things worked (I still haven't completely figured out how you connect power to lighting).  Maybe we're in an era where games don't really need tutorials anymore--anyone can write a guide or Google how something works.

Besides this very minor irritation I am finding Fallout 4 to be an enjoyable adventure.

Fallout Shelter Brings Fallout Fun to Mobile Devices

The announcement of Fallout 4 caused all fans of the series to rejoice and start anticipating the next episode in the post-apocalyptic saga.  It also spawned a mobile game which has players striving to manage their own vaults.  Fallout Shelter brings the vault experience to you and gives you that little taste of Fallout to sustain you until the 2016 release of Fallout 4.

A large vault in Fallout Shelter.

I'm not big on mobile games.  They all seem to be designed with the goal of seeming free but aiming to get players to spend money in the form of micro-transactions.  Fallout Shelter falls into this category, but is playable without spending any cash.  Your goal is to create and run a functional vault--keeping your vault residents fed, watered, and happy.  Your vault starts off as just a few rooms but a short tutorial explains how to add more rooms. Prospective vault residents line up outside the vault door waiting to be admitted.  Each person has their own set of attributes (using the same SPECIAL set of traits from the Fallout games).  As the vault overseer you must decide which tasks to assign to these new vault dwellers.  Certain jobs within the vault lend themselves to specific attributes--the generator room is better for those with higher strength while the diner is more suited to agility.

Once you figure out the basics and get your residents assigned you can choose to send someone out to explore the wasteland.  Residents are needed to explore the wasteland because they can bring back valuable items like outfits and weapons.  Outfits provide stat boosts for your residents and weapons are needed to help them fight off the occasional raider attack.  Your intrepid explorer can stay in the wasteland for any duration of time and will generally bring back better loot the longer they are out.  They can be equipped with Stimpacks and RadAway to help them survive while they are beyond the walls of the vault.

As your population of vault dwellers grows--through babies born by assigning male and female dwellers with higher charisma to the same living quarter or new dwellers showing up at your vault--you unlock more rooms to help your vault function.  A medbay allows your dwellers with higher intelligence to create Stimpacks, a storage room provides a place to keep your outfits and weapons, and eventually you can unlock rooms that will allow you to raise specific skills of your dwellers.

I'm enjoying this quirky little mobile game.  My vault has been attacked by raiders twice and things looked bleak for awhile, but now things are going along pretty smoothly.  My iPad 2 seems to struggle with this game and I've had several lockups, so those of you with older devices might have some difficulties.  For a free game it's not too bad--there haven't been a bunch of advertisements or entreaties to make micro transactions.  It's got that signature Fallout feeling that makes you want to explore the wasteland.

Fallout 4 is Finally Happening!

After years of false alarms and lots of begging and speculation, Bethesda has finally announced that Fallout 4 is coming.  It started yesterday with a mysterious countdown timer that hinted at something big.  That something big was the trailer for Fallout 4.  Here it is:

Yeeees!  It looks great!  From the trailer it looks as if the game will take place in Boston which was one of the locations that I had read were possibilities.  I like the somewhat futuristic look to some of the places featured in the trailer.  It makes it seem like there is destruction, but if you are in the populated areas things are finally starting to come together.  And what about the dog?  I know there have been canine companions in previous games but I really got a feeling that your K-9 friend might have some unique abilities.  Could your dog serve as a scout with a first or third person view from it's perspective?  Interesting.

I've been missing the ultra-slow motion kill cam and the magic of hoarding anything even remotely valuable.  What am I really hoping for in Fallout 4?   Let me make a list:

1.) A huge new world to explore.  Hopefully a new setting will mean more unique and recognizable places to visit.  Knowing how Bethesda does things and how open world games seem to be the hot thing, I'm guessing we'll see one of the largest worlds that we have seen yet.

2.) Companions who aren't horrible and who have an interesting backstory...and who have been augmented to carry all the loot I will inevitably hoard.  Pack mules FTW.

3.) That traditional Fallout feeling.  Creepy old music, a world populated with lots of mutated creatures to kill, a fight against a large and seemingly invincible foe. and general weirdness.

4.) New weapons.  I liked the idea of collecting plans and creating unique weapons in Fallout 3.  I hacked a lot of creatures to death with my Shishkebab.  New, more powerful rare weapons would be cool.  Wazer Wifle 2.0!

5.) An engaging story.  This is a tall order as I've never felt like the story lines in the Fallout series have been all that great.  But maybe the fun isn't necessarily in the story....

I am so excited that Fallout 4 is going to happen.  I'm going to be on the lookout for more information about the game--like a release date.  I hope all the Fallout fans out there are as super-pumped as I am!