Hello, coming back to these forums after a long time and wanted to express some concerns about Fallout 4. Haven't had the time to read much about the game so I hope you answer my questions. To be honest, I did not like the first things I saw about F4, dogmeat and power armor use, at all, since they seem to go against what I like most in the series - player freedom. But hopefully it's not as bad as it looks.

About Dogmeat:

-Will he be imposed on you or will you be able to play without him?

-If you are able to play and choose to play without him, will you miss any content or gameplay features?

-If he is imposed, what if the player wants to RP without a dog?

Seems he will be just another companion! Only waiting for mods to make him mortal.

About the power armor:

-One may wish to RP in a certain way e.g. play a stealthy character, will it be imposed on you in certain parts of the game? Or will you choose when to wear it and not wear it at all if you want without gimping yourself and missing content?

About a hardcoe mode option:

-FNV had one, even if poorly implemented with not many features. Will Fallout 4 have one too? If no, anyone knows why?

About Fallout 4 modding:

-Has Bethesda said anything about mod support at all?

-Do they intend to improve mod stability and use a better scripting language?

About earlier Fallout mods:

-To my great joy, RTS was integrated into the game!

-I believe most of you know of "Alternate Start" since it was one of the most popular ones. Why hasn't Bethesda intergrated it in the game in a way that can fit with the main story?

-Will Bethesda use anything from the most popular F3 and FNV overhauls, FWE and Project Nevada?

Well of course the game isn't out much and we really haven't been told THAT much but I can try to answer what I know or think, though:

-Just like any companion, it's up to you to have the dog as a companion. It isn't known if there's any Dogmeat-related quests or content, but my guess would be that you'd likely get comments from others about your dog and there may be other interactions.

-In the example of the Preston Garvey quest, I'd imagine that you could walk right past the power armor, grab or don't grab the minigun, and still fight off the raiders... unless your RP style isn't even fighting raiders, then whatever.

-We don't know about a hardcoe mode, the perk chart doesn't seem to imply it being there but we can't confirm or deny its current or future implementation. Also, please keep in mind that Bethesda merely published NV, they did not develop it so it's not like they'd definitely be keeping up with the game's spirit.

-Yes, mod support quite obviously. I don't understand why people would think otherwise by now after 12 (!) years of mod support. No mention of its ease of use or scripting languages, sorry. There is also a plan for future XB1 and PS4 mod support, which is a big deal.

-Perhaps the choice to have an alternate start isn't put in because it would defeat the narrative they're trying to tell, and I'm okay with that. Your last question is so broad that it would require extra consideration, so that's all for now.

-Missing that much content from a companion is expected. I was under the impression that dogmeat helped you in other ways except combat, thus my concerns etc. If he is just another optional companion then great!

-Hopefully there aren't any missions that impose power armor on you.

-Ah true the perk chart would probably have perks for it if there was one

-Surely there will be mod support, but if F4 has Skyrim's and papyrus' stability...

Op you dont want to use the dog but you dont want to miss his related quest? Then create one playthrough without the dog and one with the dog simple. And about power armor i dont think we'll be able to sneak in it we'll probably need to get out to do that.

I forgot to mention that there is a perk under Charisma (level 4) called Attack Dog that you can get where Dogmeat will sometimes pin down enemies so you have a higher chance to hit in V.A.T.S.

And yeah, I was hoping for a survival aspect to the game as well - hunger, thirst, sleep - but it doesn't seem hopeful.

Considering that this is the second game from BGS using the Creation Engine and they've had more time to smooth over the kinks related to modding, it seems hopeful that it would be like Skyrim but perhaps better, but that's merely a guess.

EDIT: As far as missing quests, I think this would be the same issue as with other companions where you may certainly not be able to do some quests without specific companions since they are characters themselves, but any quest I can think of is about that companion, like how they did it in NV.

No, totally fine if I miss the quest line of a companion I didn't choose. I will erase questions in the OP as they are being clarified.

Because there is no reason for them to spend the time and money creating 20+ alternate start points for the game, as well as intro quests to explain why they all got to the same place for the shared MQ to start, when they can just make one and have it be better quality.

Only MMOs do alternate starts, and even then, not all MMOs do it.

Hasn't been confirmed either way.

Though, if its not in the game, its probably due to the fact that hardcoe modes are always poorly balanced, and its likely considered a waste of time and money when it can never be made balanced, and when only like less then 10% of people who played NV used it.

hardcoe modes are best left to modders, because they can spend years tweaking values all the time to get it decent, though, even then, they are always poorly balanced.

There is one mission that forces power armor on you. the mission shown in the gameplay video which functions as the power armor tutorial mission basically beyond that you use it when you want to/have the resources to maintain it.

They have said however that there may be an alternative path to that mission where instead of using the power armor to clear the town you sabotage something underground or something.

It is absurd to say that only mmos have alternate stats. It is the basis of RP. And they could achieve such a thing with zero costs, even doing less what the mod itself did.

As for the hardcoe mode mods, modders have a hard time making animations, adding gui elements, finding immersive sounds, effects etc. hardcoe mode is not that difficult to balance and as long as the player is able to fine-tune it can be perfectly balanced and suited to the player's preferences.

But how can we be certain that it's mandatory to use the power armor in that mission? The truth is we don't know for sure, and I feel pretty confident in saying that since the purpose of the mission is to wipe out the raiders to clear the way, not wear the power armor, that whether you get into the suit or not you will complete the quest if you kill all the hostiles. Though, have fun if the Deathclaw is scripted to show up.

the deathclaw is scripted to show up in that mission.. its supposed to be one of those "look how powerful you can be later on" type missions where they hand you power armor to use and basically say go to town on everyone before taking it away from you (cus i doubt theyd let you keep power armor at level 2)

Exactly what I am afraid of. Power armor-specific missions.

For this mission its ok cus its basically the tutorial on power armor and more of a training mission... however even then they said there was an alternative path to completing the mission by doing something underground.

Relax I'm sure their will be stealth specific missions, then the action-junkies can cry a few tears

Completely false, which is why basically no RPG, be it Icewind Dale, Neverwinter Nights, or Baldur's Gate, all the way to Pillars of Eternity, has done it. The basis of RP in a CRPG is being given a start point, and then doing whatever you want, within the confines the developers have set.

This is not a board-game, there is no DM to actively change the narrative based on how you want to start the game. You are confusing life simulators, ala the Sims, for actual CRPGs.

Also false, because developers are not charities, the do not work for free, and any time spent making an alternate start system would cost time and money, just by itself. Not to mention all the VA work and scripting needed for the quests for each alternate start to lead into the main quest.

You don't need animations for eating/drinking, all of that simply happens by using the items, and sounds for eating and drinking are already included in the game as well. And if hardcoe mode wasn't so hard to balance, then why has literally no devloper managed to achive a perfectly balanced hardcoe mode?

As for being able to allow the player to fine tune it themselves, that's not going to happen, games are not made that way, and there are in fact some rules, especially when it comes to consoles, that prohibit devs from doing that at all.

  

The mission in particular might be both actually.. the second path to take on the mission involves some sort of sabotage underground sounds like a stealth-ish mission to me. (assuming of course the second path to the mission is still in since they havent said anything about it recently and it might not be in cus they might want that introduction to power armor to always be there)

Hahahah, but seriously, multiple ways to complete missions would be preferable

Ahhh this hype train is speeding out of control...

It is gonna derail!!

-Did you read what I wrote? I specifcally mentioned board games, of which D&D is one, and pointed out that video games =/= board games.

-DAO is a very rare style of RPG, and NWNs mod tools does not change how the actual game is played.

-Being a sandbox also changes nothing, as Bethesda games are centered around a story, even while being sandbox. Which is why, no matter what, you are always the Dragonborn, and you can never go off and live your own life and become a hunter with his own shop or w/e. Again, you are confusing life simulators, like The Sims, with CRPGS.

You are aware that video game development cost has been constantly increasing since the mid 90's, and that even a few quests cost actual devs thousands upon thousands of dollars to make? Which is why we get games like the new GTAs, where 18+million dollars were spent to make a game with no real significantly higher amount of content then previous GTA games had, even though those earlier games cost like 10X less to make.

Coding it isn't the problem, its those pesky things we have in America called "fair wage laws" and the like, the same things that would make Ipads cost 100X more if they were made in America compared to sweat shops in Asia.

Fallout is not, nor was it ever, a survival game, nor are any of Bethesda's games. Why would they waste time of survival mechanics when thier games are not survival games?

Let's not lose sight that that mission was chosen for use in a demo video. Expect plenty of scripting and "demo magic" and that things might play out entirely differently in-game.

Not to mention all the video editing to make things seem the way they aren't

Well Nu-clear-day beat me to it. You cannot assume from a gameplay demo that the mission will play the same way.

For a good example of what I mean just look at the demo of Bleak Falls Barrow in Skyrim.

During the demo several areas were skipped over and it even made it look like you exit out the north side of the mountain near Whiterun.

Obviously it was streamlined for the demo to showcase several items while removing redundant areas.

And that does not even include the obvious continuity breaks in both of them.

Well this is just my theory, but maybe the Deathclaw only shows up due to the noise/vibrations you make with the power armor but if you don't go without it, it doesn't show up... that, or it's like the scripted scenes with dragons in Skyrim that didn't happen in the game since it was just used to demo game features.

Is it a bad thing if some threats can't possibly be overcome without power armor?

While you can play whatever character you want, you still are the sole survivor, a person who seemingly has training in power armor and the wasteland may contain threats that require it's use.

Actively avoiding it when it is required is just as stupid as complaining about having to use shouts to complete the skyrim main quest, or being bothered by the existence of word walls when you're trying to RP as not the dragonborn.