Perfecting Greatness
Fallout 4 is an amazing game, but even classics can be improved on. Examining a game’s flaws and how they can be fixed allows developers to grow and ensure the next installment is even better than the last. As much as we enjoy a game, it never hurts to analyze and ask ourselves, “What can be done to make this even better?” From gameplay to graphics, here are 10 flaws in Fallout 4 and how they can be solved.
10. Stop Time in V.A.T.S.
“Pop! Goes the weasel.”
In Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas, V.A.T.S. was a means to pause combat and strategize during stressful or dire situations. It was a tactical approach to gameplay which allowed the player to stop and think. The system was changed in Fallout 4 to slow time instead. This makes it impossible to come up with a strategy as that super mutant’s board slowly closes in on you. Rather than a tactical tool, V.A.T.S. has become more of a panic button.
Solution: Return V.A.T.S. to the old system of freezing time. If it’s too easy to abuse, limit action points (the number of attacks you can make) and allow the player to be hurt while commencing the attack. The goal isn’t to give players a win button to ensure victory, but to offer them a way to think through tough situations. A strategy that compliments Fallout’s scrappy combat all too well.
9. Shorten Loading Times
Even the 3D models look impatient.
Nobody wants to play a waiting game. Loading screens usually can’t be helped in games that have giant worlds. But when every door and quick travel makes you wait five minutes, you start to question whether or not exploring that ruined building is even worth it. You can only spin the 3D models around so many times before it gets boring.
Solution: This is an optimization problem. The game should be able to load textures and models in a timely manner—especially considering there are next-gen games with higher quality graphics that get it right.
8. Fix Object Placement
“99 bottles of beer—err. On the wall? Off it?”
During settlement building, you might fancy personalizing the place with food items or decorations you’ve picked up on the road. So you’ve built yourself a table, some chairs, maybe a patio on the second story balcony. You spend a good half hour painstakingly setting up dinner or some beer and sugar bombs for your hardworking character to enjoy. The next time you return to your settlement, you find your decorations thrown about, your mugs phased through the table, your beer bottles sunk halfway through the floor. It’s like a rabid molerat went berserk and ransacked the place.
Or it’s just ragdoll physics at work again. A problem Bethesda games are notorious for.
Solution: There are two options here. Either tone down the physics or make items placed by the player fixed to that location, only moveable in build mode. What good is having super cool clutter physics when all it does is make your living room look like Kansas during a windstorm?
7. Add More Dialogue Options
He’s a man of few words.
Dialogue responses are now limited to five standards: Yes, No, Sarcastic, Question, and Persuade. Whereas Fallout 3 and New Vegas were full of interesting responses that shaped your character’s personality, exactly like how an RPG should be. Roleplaying takes a hit when you can’t talk like your violent meathead character, threatening everyone who tips their hat in greeting. Or your delightful rogue who cracks a witty remark at the most inopportune time, irritating the super serious Brotherhood Knight.
In Fallout 4, you’re playing a character that already has a fixed personality. A background. A family. Feelings and stuff. Think Commander Shepard from Mass Effect. It works for those games because Shepard is an established character in a complex narrative. But in the Fallout universe, it’s always supposed to be you. You are the Lone Wanderer, the Courier. But not so much the Sole Survivor.
Solution: Add more dialogue variations so players can roleplay their character’s personality. If protagonist voice acting prevents this, then maybe it’s not worth the trade off. Fallout, as with most Bethesda RPGs, is meant to be roleplayed.
6. Optimize Performance
This is just from looking around. Imagine what a full on firefight will do.
The longer you play Fallout 4, the more likely you’ll experience framerate drops. Anything but high-end gaming rigs will at some point experience lag. When battles get active or you fire off a mini nuke and things explode, performance takes a nosedive. A few hiccups here or there aren’t noticeable, but lag and a choppy framerate irritate and interfere with enjoying the moment.
Solution: Optimize the game for better performance. It should be able to run smoothly when things get busy.
5. Return to RPG Roots
Perks are nothing if not creative. And adorably disturbing.
The removal of skills simplified the game, making it feel less like an RPG and more like an FPS. While there are still S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes and perks to select, it doesn’t feel as though you do much when you level up. As a result, there’s not a ton of variety after two to three different playstyles. One thing that makes RPGs great is the ability to customize your character down to every last stat. There are many variations of stat building, from Morrowind’s comprehensive points system to Skyrim’s leveling up through usage. No matter the player’s preference, something works better than nothing at all.
Solution: Return the skill system to character building. If the goal in removing it was to appeal to those who dislike calculating stats, make it so skills level dynamically ala Skyrim. As you exercise skills, they improve automatically. Rather than having to deal with applying points every level up, players can simply practice their skills in game.
4. Enhance Animation
“Hiii there!”
It’s no secret that Bethesda games have always struggled in the animation department. And while Fallout 4 has vastly improved from Fallout 3—just as Skyrim from Oblivion—it’s still rife with issues. From stiff walk and run cycles, to awkward idle poses, to animatronic lip syncing. Characters will run in wide circles, struggle to pass each other in close quarters, and turn on their heels as they battle with pathfinding. Actors, be they humanoid or massive monster, handle themselves about as well as an awkward 13-year-old in the school cafeteria.
Solution: As this is an issue with both animation quality and pathfinding, it’s a multi-step fix. Idle and cycle animation should be further improved on to appear more realistic. Lip syncing needs to follow the actual spoken syllables rather than mouths flopping open and shut. Bad pathfinding is a scripting issue that causes NPCs to twirl and run around in desperate confusion. Scripts need to be tuned so NPCs don’t freak out so much when navigating interiors and rough terrain.
3. Organize the Inventory System
A user-created mod that improves inventory sorting. Developers, take notes!
Fallout 4 is a scavenger’s game. The longer you play, the more you pick up. Having to scroll through a long list of quest items to find the holotape you just picked up—especially if you can’t remember its name—is a pain in the neck. The complete lack of organization makes sifting through your inventory a huge chore.
Equipment and aid items quickly add up, making it difficult to find room for materials. You can use your companion as a pack mule for awhile, but eventually poor Piper runs out of pockets to stuff hot plates into. This means you have to run back and forth from exploration to the workshop or your storage space. That’s not exactly riveting gameplay. Not to mention the crawling load times that add to the frustration.
Solution: The ability to sort items by subcategory (Assault Rifle, Armor, Note, Food, etc.) would take the headache out of finding important notes or that one leg piece you want to wear. Better yet if you could immediately play a holotape or read a note you just picked up. Junk items should weigh less—perhaps even nothing for small things—so you can gather more materials before having to return to base. Alternatively, separate carry weights for the equipment you lug around and the junk you scavenge will balance out how much of each item type you can carry.
2. Fix Bugs
I think you cut a little low there.
Bugs are prevalent throughout all Bethesda games. Fallout 4 is no different than its predecessors in that regard. Ragdoll physics make bodies spasm like a bat out of hell. Shaky pathfinding confuses NPCs, causing them to get stuck, often making it impossible for the player to continue—such as during a Brotherhood of Steel quest where you have to tail a thief. A thief who keeps getting stuck in the brambles. Companions ignore commands or run around in confused circles as they try to follow you. As much joy as the game brings, it really is rather messy.
Solution: Test for bugs, find them, and eliminate them. Release patches to fix glitches, especially gamebreaking ones. It’s impossible to remove every bug from a game, but Bethesda games always seem to have more than most.
1. Reinstate Equipment Degradation
An early game weapon you can use indefinitely.
One awesome feature in Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas was that your equipment broke down the more you used it. This meant you had to prioritize your weapons, upkeep them by repairing them with similar items, or replace them with newly scavenged equipment. This makes you feel like you really are in a post apocalyptic world scavenging what you can to survive. Gone is the immersive survivability effect in Fallout 4. Now you can use the weapon with the best stats all the time without fear of it ever breaking down.
Solution: Bring the degradation feature back. Make weapons and armor break down with use for a more authentic experience. Return the repair skill so players have a way to upkeep their favorite gear.
No game is perfect, and a dose of critique paves the way to improvement. What are your thoughts on the game’s pros and cons? Do you think Fallout 4 is fine as is, or could it use some improvements? Share your opinion in the comments below.
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