ZigzagPX4
The Swiftness of the Ranger
Now that I think about it, how much of a Total Recall rip-off was the Memory Den supposed to be, and how much potential in that rip-off did they waste?
If you could see a headcanon justifying any Bethesda retcon, what would it be?
- Thread starter Jogre
- Start date
Brivoo
Powered by Radiant AI
The Memory Den really irritated me. The loungers are clearly meant to be the ones from Vault 112 in Fallout 3, yet as I recall, those were meant to be the pinnacle of VR technology. We receive no acknowledgement or indication that these loungers were taken from the Vault or even that the Vault had been discovered by anyone outside of the Lone Wanderer and their dead dad, which implies they came from somewhere else. Perhaps they've always been there, since I assume they're rather tricky to carry up or down stairs, but again there's no expansion upon this, no mention of some sort of pre-war fad involving these amazing pieces of technology.
It was a perfect opportunity to expand on the lore and build up the world in some meaningful manner, but instead they essentially went with the "Hey, look! You know these from that other game we made!" approach.
Dr Fallout
Centurion
It was a total rip off obviously, however it wasted all of it in my opinion. Especially as we used it on the most boring character (apart from a couple others...).
I'm sure that it will be very important in future DLC.
Izak
I Shot The ALBATROSS
The VR loungers were also at Nellis in New Vegas and in that one place where you start Operation Anchorage, so they're probably standard equipment simulation pods for specialist facilities. If I were a writer I would say that they came from that one military base in the Commonwealth where the zombies always respawn, that would make perfect sense seeing as how there are shittonnes of ghouls in Good Neighbour who could help to retrieve it but whatever, they're there just because.
ZigzagPX4
The Swiftness of the Ranger
There aren't really any military bases with enough space to have formerly held a VR facility. Not as far as I've seen, but since there are several, I'm not very sure. Still, it feels like the game's suggesting the loungers were there before the bombs fell, so there's that piece of garbage writing. And even if it wasn't, award for garbage writing still stands because whatever lore there was about it was too vague.
Izak
I Shot The ALBATROSS
I'm going to go ahead and assume that some DLC will involve the Memory Den and that the whole lore of the VR loungers will be elaborated upon there, if they don't do that then it'll have just been another wasted concept and that wouldn't really surprise me either.
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LonesomeDrifter
First time out of the vault
VR loungers... check.
Male stimulant woman lying on a couch... check.
Bethesda's wanna-be Pre-War era... check.
Main protagonist survivor from the Pre-War & Military Veteran... Check.
Fallout 3: Anchorage DLC... check.
Guess we already know where it's headed. And Izak, don't count on them elaborating on the whole VR set up. But do count on them using it again for some weird, pseudo-science, Pre-War era simulation. Vertibirds flying above your head, bombs dropping, guys fitted into Power Armor, some other guys posing for a photograph, action, action, action, action; BAM! New suit (literally a suit) of Power Armor as reward! The new and awesome 2-XE D0! Because, Triggermen and mafia! Oh and, Power Armor!
Male stimulant woman lying on a couch... check.
Bethesda's wanna-be Pre-War era... check.
Main protagonist survivor from the Pre-War & Military Veteran... Check.
Fallout 3: Anchorage DLC... check.
Guess we already know where it's headed. And Izak, don't count on them elaborating on the whole VR set up. But do count on them using it again for some weird, pseudo-science, Pre-War era simulation. Vertibirds flying above your head, bombs dropping, guys fitted into Power Armor, some other guys posing for a photograph, action, action, action, action; BAM! New suit (literally a suit) of Power Armor as reward! The new and awesome 2-XE D0! Because, Triggermen and mafia! Oh and, Power Armor!
Izak
I Shot The ALBATROSS
Pre-War Military campaigns are overdone, when you hop in that VR pod you're going to the moon baby! Or you can fly there with your power armour jet-pack!
Brivoo
Powered by Radiant AI
That actually sounds sort of fun.
But I thought Xcom 2 was fun as well and I wouldn't want for goddamn sectopods to turn up and start harassing Diamond City or whatever.
I know this is a common thing to say, but I would enjoy Fallout 4 a lot more if it weren't a Fallout game. Bethesda's writing would still be awful, but it'd be a lot easier to ignore.
LonesomeDrifter
First time out of the vault
It can be invaders from Mars, the invasion of a 50ft tall Pin-Up girl or the radio guy from the Diamon City Radio playing a radio show that goes wrong and the whole Commonwealth panics, believing aliens are invading (there's some Piper material in there Godd Howard). All I want is my literal suit of 2-EX D0 Power Armor.
Fact remains - there's tons of options Beth could take this. Since I can't take Fallout 4 as something serious, I can though take it as a big satirical parody - and using pop culture from that time or events (C'mon Beth, make that radio show happen!) I guess I could swallow the whole thing.
Fact remains - there's tons of options Beth could take this. Since I can't take Fallout 4 as something serious, I can though take it as a big satirical parody - and using pop culture from that time or events (C'mon Beth, make that radio show happen!) I guess I could swallow the whole thing.
Izak
I Shot The ALBATROSS
Everyone would enjoy FO4 if it weren't a Fallout game, if it weren't a Fallout game it would be a solid shoot and loot game with a unique 50's/post-apocalyptic aesthetic.
LonesomeDrifter
First time out of the vault
Exactly. Take the 50's aesthetic and take a less serious approach to it - as it seems Bethesda's writers are lacking sense (and it's not just them, there's tons of other RPG's or games to speak of - good RPG's and games included) of what makes something actually serious. Critical if I may say so. In an age where everyone tries to pull of a dark, serious tone, something whimiscal would come off way better. Especially with all the irony that's presented with the 50's as your source.
Izak
I Shot The ALBATROSS
I guess I could handle Fallouts version of Mars Attacks! or Attack of the 50 foot woman as long as it was clearly satirical and non-canon but I doubt you could anybody else on NMA to agree with you.
LonesomeDrifter
First time out of the vault
I'd rather have something substantial to the Fallout universe happen in their DLC's or even future games. More then these whimiscal parodies on 50's pop culture. But things aren't showing well and if I have the choice between two lesser evils - that of another retconed or badly written 'serious' take on Fallout or that of a parody on pop culture - I'd at least like to have something to laugh at.
Though I personally see no reason as to why Fallout has to continue, besides another in-come for Bethesda. The first two Fallout games nicely followed a story arch which they developed and concluded in the end of Fallout 2. Van Buren could possibly offer the last take on it, but then it really could have ended. So again - the choice of lesser two evils, I'd pick one that at least gives me some sick and twisted satisfaction.
Though I personally see no reason as to why Fallout has to continue, besides another in-come for Bethesda. The first two Fallout games nicely followed a story arch which they developed and concluded in the end of Fallout 2. Van Buren could possibly offer the last take on it, but then it really could have ended. So again - the choice of lesser two evils, I'd pick one that at least gives me some sick and twisted satisfaction.
Izak
I Shot The ALBATROSS
People are being way too pessimistic about Fallout here, there's still a possibility that Bethesda will let Obsidian develop every 2nd game especially with the internet all complaining about how Obsidian did it better. Even if it's not every second game I could take 100 Fallout 4's if it means I get a second New Vegas.
ZigzagPX4
The Swiftness of the Ranger
I find that it's not clearly apparent, but Fallout's writing was not excellent because of its post-apocalyptic setting, but because the writing was just excellent. Nothing more to it. Well, it wasn't perfect, or the best of video game writing in the world, but still.
If Van Buren had came out and ended the Fallout series on a high note, Black Isle (or their Obsidian-like continuation) could've gone on to make a spiritual successor that wasn't post-apocalyptic. Something in a dystopian setting, much as seen in several sci-fi movies, would've been a good fit.
See, this may be blasphemy, but under Bethesda's restrictions, there are just some things Obsidian can't fix. At some point, Obsidian may just get tired of being swung around the everything that they might just refuse to do it. Simply because Bethesda was being extremely unwelcoming and restrictive about what the requirements for review scores and what they have to put into the game are.
Also, if I may, this is a bit unrelated but what started the idea that Bethesda Game Studios has an outright rivalry with Obsidian? The Cabot House alien city thing seems like a friendly nod with good intentions and bad results, and the rivalry rumour clearly started before Fallout 4's release. Can anyone clarify?
If Van Buren had came out and ended the Fallout series on a high note, Black Isle (or their Obsidian-like continuation) could've gone on to make a spiritual successor that wasn't post-apocalyptic. Something in a dystopian setting, much as seen in several sci-fi movies, would've been a good fit.
See, this may be blasphemy, but under Bethesda's restrictions, there are just some things Obsidian can't fix. At some point, Obsidian may just get tired of being swung around the everything that they might just refuse to do it. Simply because Bethesda was being extremely unwelcoming and restrictive about what the requirements for review scores and what they have to put into the game are.
Also, if I may, this is a bit unrelated but what started the idea that Bethesda Game Studios has an outright rivalry with Obsidian? The Cabot House alien city thing seems like a friendly nod with good intentions and bad results, and the rivalry rumour clearly started before Fallout 4's release. Can anyone clarify?
Izak
I Shot The ALBATROSS
I believe that your's is the popular opinion around here; to me the best case scenario is that Bethesda allow Obsidian as much creative freedom as they want but if that's an impossibility then i'd love to see Obsidian make a new post-apocalyptic IP.
It probably relates to the whole ordeal where Bethesda didn't give Obsidian a percentage of the sales of NV because the critics score where one or two points off of Bethesda's mark, I think I remember reading somewhere that Obsidian almost shut down because of it; but no you're right, I'm sure they have a friendly business relationship and it was just Zenimax executives all being bureaucratic dickheads.
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LonesomeDrifter
First time out of the vault
I have nothing against Obsidian attempting their take on Fallout again, but as Zig commented above:
I would dare to compare Obsidian's position in this as that of greater mod development teams out there, working hard to fix the actual game, adding to it, etc. So much time 'wasted' on fixing something, that it would have made more sense and worth to have put the same amount of work on your own creation. Rationally thinking. I sculpt portraits as a side job, and at times, if you see you're getting nowhere, it makes more sense to just tear it down all together and start from scratch instead of attempting to fix something that's broken. You won't fix it, you'll make it better, yes, but it still isn't the end product it could have been and the amount of effort you lost in doing so, would've been better off spent starting from scratch.
Exactly. Sometimes you just need to stop once you reach a point and continue with something else. There's usually a topic you're researching with a project - may that be a movie, a book, or even a game (if you're not fully bent on commercial success as your only drive). Black Isle/Obsidian could have done so onwards without new Fallout games if they wanted to further research the dystopian future.
Izak
I Shot The ALBATROSS
Yeah I'm probably just being stubborn, Fallout is probably a dead horse at this point but I still wouldn't speak with certainty, I'm sure NMA users said the same thing when Fallout 3 came out but it still had one good game left in it, there could be another.