I can't be the only one who was getting a strong vibe from the launch trailer of organics versus synthetics and the moral dilemma of whether machines are "people" too? That's not to say this hasn't been suggested in Fallout previously. In particular, there was a mission in Fallout 3 that dealt with either helping or turning in a synthetic that was on the run. I'm just not sure that's necessarily a direction I wanted Fallout to go, however.

We'll know how compelling the storytelling is in five days, but it seems a bit odd to place emphasis on the kind of Terminator/Skynet scenario presented rather than just trying to survive after waking up from cryogenic sleep. I still will give the story a chance, but it's a little strange to me to focus the main story entirely around this subject matter.

The plot and setting of FO4 were decided upon in 2008 at latest. Why would they change their planned plot just because Mass Effect got popular?

The main plot would never be about survival. No Fallout was so low-key in plot.

Sort of a common plot topic. Mass Effect wasn't the first. Fallout 4 will not be the last.

So long as the ending was different I wouldn't be troubled...

I liked 95% of Mass Effect 3

(and have just about come to terms with the other 5%)

I don't intend to derail the topic so this can end here, but if you haven't you should play the extended cut of ME3. Fixed the ending, at least for me.

Yeah, the plot of 'machines are people, too!' was around long before the Fallout and Mass Effect series ever became a thing. Hell, it was around long before video games were even created in the first place. Unless Fallout 4's plot is the Synths trying to kill all the humans to prevent the humans from re-killing each other with some new doomsday weapon, I think we're safe.

It is more like battlestar Galactica. Also who on these forums is a cylon?

It's ok, I have and via (for me the Control ending works) it just about gets away with it...

Yes, back to the discussion

/ derail.

LOL guys ever story is unique no meter where draw the inspirations from. just play it and enjoy it.

If you're complaining about plot I have bad news for you. Turns out most stories out today are just pale reflections of stories that came before them....and those stories before those and the stories before those too.

I'm not holding it against anyone when they cant turn out a truly original story in every aspect because it cannot be done anymore. Get over it, people.

I really don't see much common between mass effect and Fallout.

Mass effect trilogy is about Shephard and his/hers goon squad. Trolling the reapers. Blowing stuff up. Punching journalist. Dancing badly and chasing tail of aliens.

Fallout is about a mythical hero. Fella who must endure the harsh wasteland. Helping humanity in small scale. Fighting for better tomorrow against evolving threat.

Maybe but Mass Effect story was synthetics turning on organics. So some " genius" thought the best way to stop this is by making a race super synthetics to kill organic life so synthetics can't kill organics. That said I think there more to Fallout 4 story.

Actually, i think this plot will be Humans hunting down Syth and no the other way around. we will see 4 DAYS.

There are thousands of AI based stories out there....that's a better concern than being upset this game might have the same theme as one other game.

In all honesty, I'm quite interested to see Beth's take on the subject (the one quest that touched it in FO3 was a good start, but just a taste). The subject of AI has a very deep yet rather short history in literature, media and games and has a myriad of fascinating aspects.

Some of my favorites on the subject:

Frankenstein

Herbert West, Re-animator (the novella...not the movie)

Blade Runner

Westworld (HBO is doing a new series next year)

Mass Effect series (until the last 10 minutes...)

Issac Asimov robot novels / stories (not the horrid Will Smith movie)

I wonder if this means we'll be seeing a lot of references to other A.Is: Hal, AM, GlAdos and Skynet

The Fallout games generally begin with one setup for the plot that then leads to something bigger (Elder Scrolls as well.)

You're usually given something (relatively) immediate, and then as you follow the Main Quest events get bigger and more dramatic. (For example in Fallout 1 you start with the relatively straight-forward task of finding a water chip, which leads to you discovering the Super Mutant threat, which leads to you being elected to sort of single-handedly deal with the Master. Or in Fallout 3 you begin with just trying to track down your father and get some answers, which leads to you rediscovering the Enclave, which culminates in you getting the Purifier up and running.)

Besides, one thing that bugged me in Mass Effect (which I actually really absolutely had a blast with) was that it took this "AI will always go evil" thing for granted. Almost without exception every time you encountered an AI it was assumed that it was evil - no ambiguity about it. They never even really attempted to justify that stance or give a background as to why AIs will always destroy their creators, it was just apparently a foregone conclusion that everyone was supposed to accept.

Personally, I think it would be a tad more complicated than that. If we're going to take the stance that every time someone creates a self-aware program that it's going to turn on us and try to destroy everything, then at some point in the story I'd think you'd want to explain why that would be.

So I'm hoping that things are a bit more ambiguous in Fallout 4. We've guessed for quite some time that the next Fallout would deal with Synthetics on some level, so that's hardly surprising that it'd play a role in the story. I just hope they take a less cliched approach than Mass Effect did with the subject matter.

Reminds me more of BladeRunner, not even close to Mass Effect which was more about the obviously evil Reapers.

One of my English teachers back when I was in Middle School used to tell us:

"Every story idea has already been told! What you need to do, is figure out how to tell that story again, but make it sound original!"

I don't mind "rehashed" story ideas, as long as the author(s) can make it unique in their own way. And that's what I'm hoping to see in FO4.

Somebody who gets it. My college english teacher said the same exact thing. Don't get him started on 50 Shades of Grey, though. "Worst piece of literature to ever stain paper" he said.

Mass Effect 3 was just a recent example within the same medium that really tackled the idea of synthetics versus organics. Yes, we can turn to Bladerunner, Terminator, Battlestar Galactica, even 2001: A Space Odyssey. Man versus Machine is a long, established theme of science fiction. I wasn't suggesting Mass Effect created the concept.

That being said, I see far more similarities than differences between these two games. Also, while BGS had been working on this game since Fallout 3, it's unlikely the story was in conception. Likely it was predominatly the art, location, and setting that were being put into place. Story and especially dialogue come very late into development.

Either way, I'm still looking forward to the story, even though I think it's a bit odd for a post-apocalyptic setting. Usually you see this kind of theme played out more in a society that hasn't been destroyed and is trying to rebuild. This could provide for an interesting twist.

Its been known since Morrowind that Bethesda always has the plot of the next 2-3 games layed out to some degree.

He's right>.> It's literally a Twilight fan fic that was so sixualized it was banned from the regular sites. I've only read a few chapters though, and even those few chapters were enough to make me never want to pick it up. Give me a Chaucer, Shakespeare or a J.R.R. Tolkien any day.

Well considering BGS didn't even own the Fallout property when Morrowind was developed, that's a rather moot point

Obviously we know this concept was always something being considered, as we had one quest in Fallout 3 specifically deal with the organic versus synthetic dilemma. However, stories, characters, and actual dialogue come late in game development for BGS games. They may have a basic idea of what they'll do, but they don't actually flesh out the entire experience until late in development. What happens years in advance is largely just art design, setting, and location. They build the foundation for the house before they start setting up the walls and furniture.

Hope not. ME is much better then any BGS game that I played, it will be sad and pathetic if they try to copy the Bioware franchise.

still i really dont see the similarities u think u saw with ME3.