Given that civilization has pretty much re-started and survived the apocalypse at this point in the series, I think an exploration of the events, say, 5 minutes before the bombs fall, would be the right way to go. You'd start off in your basemant or something, feel an earthquake, everything collapses, you crawl out, and have to survive from there. At the start all the shops and houses would be mostly destroyed but still full of stuff, police stations would be full of gear, supermarkets full of supplies, etc, and as first days/weeks of gameplay go by, things slowly deplete and decrease in quality, until like 2 weeks after, when it would be basically pointless to loot a store, you'd have to look for raiders or other survivors and plunder off them. At this point the first settlements would start to form as well, and attempts to break into vaults would still be under consideration. I think a vastly increased engine would really lend itself well to this, with a completely open ended saluaging/crafting system, where if you can build it, you can use it, where vehicles would still function, and you could add armor or even crude weapons to them. An NPC interaction/reaction system, where REAL coercing, convincing, bribing, tricking, and relationships are possible. Besides the main quest most quests could be generated based on a system that anolyzes what NPCs might lack and therefor want the PC to help them with/do for them. NPCs could also do these things themselves if they aren't beyond their means. For example if raiders killed some guy's wife, if he was really weak and useless, he'd ask you to avenge her, if he was relatively confident, he'd ask you to help him get revenge, if he was really capable, he would do it on his own. If a settlement has no food, a quest would be made where the PC has to find food or a food source. Raiders would be actual bands of semi-nomadic people, that don't necessarily always attack on site, they might set up ambushes, try and hold you up for food, or even let you join them or go free if they are weak or not numerous enough. Also, an even more in depth version of Oblivion's armor system, where you have individual components, not just a one-shot outfit, would be amazing. That is all for now.

EDIT: one last thing: some foot planting and environmental interaction (dynamic fluid climbing) and some better unarmed combat options.

a whole game based on the "Real Time Settler" concept would be amazing. Building, defending, recruiting, setting up trade routes, aligning with factions, the whole shebang. Pleeeeeeease!

I want a "hardcoe" mode that eliminates the possibility of becoming a "wasteland god" who can do absolutely everything, like in FO3. Halfway through FO3 (level 14ish)I realised my character had !00% skill in all secondary skills and at least 2 combat ones. Why even bother with the concept of character creation at all if the only difference is dialogue and moral choices. Possibly remove the bobble head, skill books, perks that increase skill point gains, and/or increase the number of points needed to become exceptional in a skill. I am one of those people who enjoy exploring everything and I enjoy fighting and whatnot even at level caps just for the challenge. Include multiple ways to get through an obstacle (ie... opening a locked door door with explosives, lockpicking, hacking a security console, even using melee weapons), Heck in the optional areas there should be able to do certain quests, explore some nooks and crannies, or influence certain NPC's only with a specific secondary skill. Limitations in the access to loot would allow players to enjoy weapons and supply caches without allowing them to flood the market and would more challenge and incentive to exploring. After a while of wandering around in FO3 I started to suffer from "Oh, another pile of goods. " I should feel excited when I stumble on stuff and since it is a desolate atmosphere the lack of consumable items (stimpacks and ammo) would be appropriate.

I would also like more fragile followers. The extra tough enemies included with Broken Steel were just mild time wasters when I realized that Dog Meat and Charon could kill them with no effort and the instant battle was over they would have no injuries at all. The game is just so watered down for beginners and console players, and if FO: Vegas isn't any better I probably won't buy any sequels. A pacifist player (no combat skills) should have the option of recruiting more followers through charisma, speech, and maybe other secondary skills as well. These followers should be looking to me to repair armor and fix injuries so they can perform at optimum capacity. They should It would also make bartering more useful since the followers would be somewhat wasteful with ammo and supplies. They should use drugs based on their scripted personalities and that could increase the need for medical skill (ie...making drugs and treating withdrawal sypmtoms) A melee follower who fights better while under the effects of alcohol and jet would be nice.

I guess my main point is that in a role playing game I want to play a ROLE. If it means adding a special "hardcoe" difficulty that removes all of the training wheels then so be it, Just make sure that any one character can not access EVERYTHING the game can offer and it will be much more enjoyable, to me anyway.

The skill books have been around since FO1. But those games also went above 100% on skills so you had a more reliable chance to hit targets from greater distances. Something along those lines would definitely be nice to have back. This way they could enact penalties on skills for various reasons that may still lower an effective skill below 95% even if it's at say 130 or 140 (Rusty safe lock would drop the Force lock option by a bit. Maybe also allow that part to be maxed at 95%).
Something other then bobby pins for lock picking would be awesome, too. Have actual lock picks to offer a bonus to your skill and then bring back the electronic ones as the "unique".
Removing the weapon degradation and repair system all together would be perfect. The rapid degradation system in all their games has always forced you to either forsake equipment in lou of being a cloth caster so you can have a lower strength or required a you to max your strength ASAP just so you can use gear, and have enough repair hammers to keep it maintained. Fallout 3 became much worse with this, in the since that you had to have weapons and armor otherwise you'd be turned into swiss cheese by any Talon Company Merc or Super Mutant. This forced you to keep and maintain a strength score much greater then before just so you could keep your gear at a semi-respectable level. So, because of this feature in the game, it was crippling your options to the point of infuriating when you tried to role-play a stereotypical science/medicine geek with very rudimentary gun knowledge (Low strength and Endurance, high int and perception, good agility). The other option, would just be to fast travel to town after just about every firefight, just so you could prevent your weapons from becoming over-engineered BB guns because energy on target from a round went down based on the condition of your gun, which did a lot to break the flow of the game and sideline the immersion just when it was getting interesting.
Maybe add more things we can do with repair as a skill. Give us the ability to junk guns and make new things out of them. So, if we wanted to start firing .32 cal rounds out of the assault rifle we can (It's ABOUT the equivalent of the 7.62 round or larger if the hunting rifle is the .32 cartridge rifle). We had the option to make weapons using junk, why not expand on this and allow a larger customization list?

Three words... mutant cannibal children!

The idea that we'd be able to use the Fat man on children is always a win in my book. I love playing evil for that reason alone.

I'd love to see the next game, like most other people, take place in New York. New York would still be mainly urban, and it would have a rudimentary leadership in place that has evolved from an Enclave force that was sent to New York to take control of it's vital resources, several government funded industrial plants for food and water purification and ammunition, all of which could help an army conquer the wasteland. With constant forces threatening the stability of the partial government in place, they have not had time to expand. You are a vault dweller living in Vault 34, a vault buried beneath the Empire State Building. The experiment of this vault was what would happen if the weapon and ammo lockers were not locked off, and in this case war broke out and two factions, a communist faction and a monarchy. You live in the monarchy as the son/daughter of the king, watching his body be incinerated at a ceremony as he has died. Suddenly, the doors are broken with armed enemies from the communist faction attacking. Your side is caught unaware and almost completely destroyed. You decide the safest choice is to escape the vault and grab a weapon and take one of several possible routes out, each covering the required tutorial basics. After leaving, you wind up in the Empire state building lobby and leave the lobby to find a bustling, well-constructed town around you. The town was formed here as the higher levels of the Empire state building belong to the government and therefore the general area is very well defended. Following traditional RPG tradition, you do some errands around the town, level up and explore the wasteland before being thrown into the main quest, in which you learn of the several warring factions competing for the resources, and you are given the choice of helping one faction or another, or possibly overthrowing the power yourself and becoming the grand ruler.

Not to mention the fact that it's cliched as all hell.

If you're going to critique, please do it with constructive criticism and respect, otherwise I don't think you'll get much of it from others.

I can accept that it can be cliched, but there is an explanation behind the thought process. Throughout the original Fallout series, you can see a rising theme of factions and such. The NCR, the Enclave and the BoS are all examples of this. Even New Vegas is extending it. The factions are showing that order could be coming back to the wasteland, if not for conflict between them. So what I think is that there needs to be an emphasis on this and a demonstration of why the land is so important, thereby creating the industrial plants. I can't argue against the leadership struggle part as it was cliched and also check the Fallout wiki and listed there in the list of Vaults is Vault 34, a vault with no locks on the weapon lockers with no specified location, written about in the Fallout Bible.

Luckily for me I wasn't critiquing you. If you want me to critique your idea, fine. First off, suggesting New York be the next location makes your post not belong in this thread in the first place, but rather, in the Locations Suggestions thread. But on to your idea:

1. As I said, New York is an incredibly cliche place to set a game. Hundreds of games, many of them post-apocalyptic, have been set there. It's a very tired setting and there are many more interesting places in the former United States besides NYC.
2. The bit of fan-fiction you added to that post was rather pointless. If Bethesda, god forbid, does set a game there, they wont include any elements of your story. If you want to post fan-fiction, there's a sub-forum for that.
3. Your idea could take place in any city. Why did you choose New York City? Especially considering the tiny island we call NYC would be absolutely obliterated in the war, so there would be absolutely nothing left that would identify it as NYC.
4. Don't say NYC could have been missed by the bombs, either by accident or by a deal like New Vegas was. NYC is extremely vital to the world's economy. Absolutely nothing would stop the Chinese from destroying it. They probably even sent multiple bombs just to make sure it was gone. As I said, there would be nothing left identifying it as NYC. Various factions would have no city left to rebuild.

Yes, obviously I hate the idea of setting the game there. I love the city, but I hate the thought of having anything but a DLC set there. It's so painfully cliched I get angry just think about it. I love Bethesda, and I love Fallout, but if Bethesda stooped so low as to set a game there I would be convinced they've lost a lot of the creativity they used to have, especially with so many other interesting locations to set the game in, like Ronto or The Commonwealth.

This aswell.

Setting possibly in New York ( I know its common but I'd still love to see it )

Possibly quests to take you out of the country.

Maybe add some more middle aged weapons.

Possibly a season cycle ( Summer, Spring, Winter, Fall )

Ohhhh So many ideas.

Fallout in Miami, FL.with Everglades included. And DLC in the Keys.

Anybody think Fallout could ever go out of the United States? Is there any lore describing what it is like over there? Or did we send over some nukes too?

That sounds completely black and white. Also, I don't think New York, would be standing at all, China isn't dumb. Most likely, at this time in the story of Fallout, New York is an irradiated hole in the ground, otherwise rumor would have spread down to DC at the time of Fallout 3 and there would have been a massive influx of caravans going up north. And, even after that, why would you want to play in a bustling, urban city... in a Fallout game? You basically just described Grand Theft Auto IV minus the vaults.

I kinda like the idea (minus NYC) of exiting the vault where you've been told that the outside world is completely devastated, only to find that a large city has built up over the entrance to the vault... Remember that it's been 200 years, and many players complain that the series hasn't shown enough signs of social recovery... I for one, believe that fairly large cities WOULD be formed within that length of time (NYC itself is about 200 years old today, right?).... Obviously the game wouldn't have to take place entirely inside a city, but imagine FO3 opening with your exit from the Vault being inside of Megaton (potentially 3 to 4 times the size, albeit) where the residents have long assumed the vault dwellers to have died off, or even built up elaborate mythology about the 'supernatural' vault occupants... Would the above-landers think the player is an ancient, immortal being and lavish flower petals and doll heads at their feet as they strolled the avenues? Or would they be terrified by the possibilty of a pre-war entity that appears to never age or take on ghoul-like appearances, and throw you outside of the walls into the dangerous wastes?

EDIT: my mistake on the age of NYC. Settled in 1624. My point about the development of cities remains.

Radiation: I would like to see radiation affect NPCs and other creatures in the world in future Fallout games.

More than just Human: Ghouls, Mutants, Raiders. I would like to see more diversity available in starting options.

Character Evolution/Mutation: Exposure to Radiation, FEV or other things could change the character.

Water: Better swimming & some underwater components. Don't drown!

More/Bettter Robots: I love the robots in the Fallout series of games. Would be nice to make more use of them in some way. More robot companions perhaps or even a better ability to construct/fix and utilize them.

Power Armor: More variations and more functional/better powered armor would be nice. In theory powered armor should carry its own weight and improve the weight carrying capacity of its user. The armor capacity should definitely be improved over Fo3. Perhaps also add some larger/bulkier powered armor that slows the character down a bit, but offers superior protection and weapon use abilities.

I wouldn't mind a town, but a full- fledged city like Chicago or New York is out of question.
Or maybe they forgot about the vault and Vault-Tec set it to never open, but one day the vault manages to pry its way out and finds themselves in 4221, almost 2000 years after the war to find that either the Earth is now a abandoned planet and everyone else left for other galaxies,or the human race has completely died out and earth is inhabited by talking deathclaws. Just kidddden

To have the ability of modding on the consoles.

For example, the GECK would already be installed inside the game. AND with xbox live or psn we can download other people's mods to our hard-drive for free. I mean, come on, that would be awsome.

It would be cool if you started out the game in a vault that is orbiting the earth. Or maybe just be an astronaut who survived on a space station.

I would also like to see some progress on plant growth, from the effort put into project purity in fallout 3.

Just a thought. I posted this in the elder scrolls forums, but i would also like yall's opinion.
Fast travel just assumes that someone just went to an area without getting hurt, killed, or being able to find something.
I always thought this felt choppy, and just kinda stupid. you would at least have higher radiation exposure during travel, keeping account of the path of least resistance, and the areas you pass through.
I thought that around no more than 3 random occurrences for every 20 in game miles you fast travel would fix this, and keep it much faster than just walking or running.
just a thought

Maggots appear on bodies and start to eat them

I would like to see Fallout 4 set in the Commonwealth and I'd like to see it tie Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas together somehow.

Won't happen.

The GECK -as it is now- will NOT run on the consoles.

It needs more memory. (RAM, not hard drive)

It's very resource intensive.

It's a windows architecture program. It needs Windows and all its relevant libraries to work.



Besides, the devs use the GECK (A more powerful one) to make all versions of game on PCs. They simply remove a few of the functions that are licensed or can be used to change hard coded functions and then it's released for PC users.

They'd have to build a console version from scratch. One that is capable of running on the consoles, but it would lose half it's capabilities in the process. And it's not something they'd do for free, so you'd be paying extra for a console GECK, since they had to do a crap load of work to make one. And since they people won't want to pay for a mutilated cousion of the PC GECK, I can't see Beth bothering with that extra work anyway/


Another obstacle is the way the mods work. Unlike Halo's forge, the mods aren't separate maps, but are intergrated into the main game world. Lot more scope for breaking stuff, not to mention the resource drag that some mods can inflict.

Personally, I think that a console GECK will not exist in it's current state, but maybe a new version similar to the inbuilt editors for Farcry 2 on console. What I mean is just the ability to select an area, search around the wasteland a bit and take a look through the map, and then just select assets, drop 'em down. Make doors simply using simple tools and then make interiors by just matching up exterior to interior, as well as things like an auto dungeon generator for caves or vaults, annoying corridor like areas. Populate them with simple npcs, and you're done. Make a more detailed version with things like voice recording via Playstation Eye or Kinect a separate download and then make a publishing mod market.

Just an idea, mind. It probably won't work anyway.

I would love to see the game be placed on the Texas/New Mexico boarder

Even the swamps of Louisiana would be interesting to see.

I would love to see the series taken to another country but as much as we can wish for that I think a new game would have to come out all together.

Now you could do a Fallout game Pre-War but I think Bethesda is waiting for that.

I just hope we get to see a Fallout 4.

Regardless of where it takes place.