How Fallout 76 could’ve been approached differently and keeping future multiplayer Fallouts story oriented.
Fallout 76 brought a multiplayer experience into the Fallout series, one that was long asked for, but poorly executed. That said, is there a chance to save the long awaited multiplayer aspect without muddying the story driven game? A concept that up tp just a few years ago was nothing more than hopeful speculation, is there a way to take your typical single player, story driven Fallout and play with a friend. In order to understand how to approach this, we must first look back at how the multiplayer Fallout we were given was presented.
What Fallout 76 Did Right
Easy is it to jump aboard the band wagon and deem Fallout 76 a bad game. While not exactly what you’d look for in or expect from your typical post-apocalyptic adventure, and while rushed, Fallout 76 like it or not does have some redeeming qualities. The first and foremost thing 76 has going for it is server size. Todd Howard made it extremely apparent during the E3 reveal of the game this is not a party, its the apocalypse. By keeping server sizes limited to “Dozens” of players rather than hundreds, Bethesda made a very smart and more lore friendly online experience for players. Apart from the small servers, 76 also capitalized on Fallout 4’s building engine. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m entirely of the opinion that less is definitely more when it comes to settlement building, However, in the age of current day Bethesda titles the settlement building g suite is something that just isn’t going away. While Fallout 76 may have gone a bit over kill on it, they adapted it well for the game we were given.
What Fallout 76 Did Wrong
Now for the fun part. While fans had been split for over a decade in wether or not their favorite title should adapt a multiplayer aspect, very few expected this. Bethesda Studios took an interesting and bold rout using the MMORPG style similar to a World Of Warcraft game, and in the end, it didn’t exactly pay off like they would’ve expected. The open world aspect is 100% in line with what we’re used to In the series, however the distinct lack of NPCs leaves a lot to be desired in therms of the main, as well as side, quest lines. Quests seem empty and unimportant, doing something simply because a voice on a hollowtape said to then doing that same exact thing every mission gets tired very quickly. Honestly, the lack of interesting quests and dialog is enough to kill the game dead in its tracks right there, and while there are a ton of other issues present, I could be here all day listening them. For your sanity as well as mine, here’s the quick and easy breakdown of all the issues I’m sure you’ve already figured out for yourself!
Settlement building seems like a chore, when it works that is. Constantly having to hope and pray your house will be able to be placed every time you enter a server is not something I should have to worry about. “Companions” are just side quest beacons that rarely add any kind of interesting aspect to the gameplay, looking at you Beckett. The replay-ability aspect is simply not there, interesting thought out side quests have been replaced with timed events and daily challenges that are just more of the same. Of course we can’t forget constantly having to deal with that one guy in each server who somehow was able to sit though countless hours of 76 and reach an ungodly level just to try and start problems with other players.
How Multiplayer Could’ve Been Approached
Asl any life long Fallout follower how they would’ve pitched a multiplayer Fallout prior to the release of 76 and I guarantee 9/10 times someone will bring up what I like to call “the companion option”. The companion option essentially boils down to the second player would take over the role of whoever the main player’s NPC companion is at the time. Not very complicated, and quite reminiscent of the PS2 days of co-op multiplayer! However the downside to this will always be the second players limitations. Having to deal with a preset character that is ultimately the first players decision. No personalization or custom stats to work off of, just dropped into a role and attached at the hip to the host. Now, my proposal for a work around? Use the same idea that 76 had. Now hear me out, remember how we talked about keeping the server size small, make it smaller. Same open world concept, build a single player game like the days of FO3 or NV, then add in a second private slot. Same single player aspect we’ve grown to love but with two main characters, that can interact, team up, or duke it out. No strangers If not wanted and full ability to keep it single player. If Fallout 76 has shown us anything, anything is possible when it comes to the Fallout series. Will we see another multiplayer Fallout, most likely down the road. The only deciding factor of how it will play out following the backlash from Fallout 76 will be what the community is clamoring for.
Let me know what you thought of Fallout 76, and how you would build an ideal multiplayer fallout below! Don’t forget to check out more fallout blogs right here and keep up to date on everting happening at StylesRebelRadio.com
-Style
Style's Rebel Radio 