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How "essential" NPCs killed RPGs


invock

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Much like Fallout Tactics was rightfully named something different Fallout 4 perhaps should have been called something besides Fallout 4, as it doesn't seem to be a true RPG sequel. They could have easily made the cynical move back then and called Fallout Tactics Fallout 3 despite it not being a true sequel to the series and knowing full well the shitstorm that would produce. But they didn't and it was the right move.

 

They should lock in first person camera perspective, lock in survival mechanics, add some survival horror lighting elements like some excellent mods here do, and call it Fallout Survivor or something.

 

Wait until you produce a real RPG before you name it Fallout 5.

 

My 2 cents on the matter.

 

Because I actually really love Fallout 4, but that doesn't make all of the many criticisms about the game any less valid. They're all true. Fallout 4 is all about the visceral experience for me, and I play it on survival and mod it to make it more dark, more dangerous, and more unforgiving. But I don't get any role playing pleasure out of it at all really. It's just about the adrenaline. I don't still play Fallout 2 for the rush.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Essential NPCs are just a part of the problem.

 

Say, have you ever been on a Dark Souls forum? This is the place to be to witness the real problem first-hand.

Even on Reddit you'll find people asking questions like

"I'm still at Firelink Shrine, don't know where to go. Halp plz!"

"Where do I go after b0ss?"

"What should I level to be the best?"

"I leveled wrong, how can I fix it?" (For me, it's one of the classic BS questions, that make me laugh the most).

"Which is the strongest weapon/the best armor/the deadliest spell?"

 

They waste their time with worrying about the game instead of enjoying and playing it.

 

Way back, about half a year after Morrowind's release on XBOX, I stumbled over a post from a guy that managed to break the main quest by selling Sunder and Keening. He complained about how this god-awful game continued to waste his precious life. He ranted about how he once killed Caius Cosades because he didn't like his face and how he had to replay three hours because of this "game-breaking bug". I looked at his profile and lost it completely after reading another thread from a month earlier, where he complained about how strong all the people in Seyda Neen are, because he wasn't able to kill all of them, after getting off the ship.

 

This guy was an extreme example, but I clearly remember some not-so-positive reviews about Morrowind, which listed the potential of killing quest-givers or selling vital items as the main problems of the game.

 

Do not underestimate the level of stupidity in a game's player base. Bethesda or any Company in that Business don't create games for the die-hard fans of the genre anymore. Even Witcher 3 felt flat at times, because you were able to kill most side quest enemies with 3 hits after a while. Companies want to increase the sales figures thus creating games that appeal to a broad audience, because they need more money for the next AAA title, which should appeal even more people - rinse and repeat.

 

I'm still not over the fact that you couldn't kill some completely unnecessary Alik'r Prisoner but a Dragon nearly depopulating Riverwood because Granny and the townsfolk would try to fight it with their brooms and potatoes is totally fine.

 

I really don't want to discuss the dumb-down of a whole genre, because there's simply nothing to discuss, when there is so much evidence.

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