A while ago, it was announced that the environment didn't level up with you like in FO3, and that you could easily get in way over your head. So are you happy about this? It'll add a new level of difficulty to the game, but imagining stumbling on an Old Olney-esque place full of Deathclaws ready to chew your face off, then not dying despite your disproportionate energy weapons skill and use of a Gauss Rifle... it would get annoying if you hadn't saved in a while and you stumbled upon a powder gang or something, and you got killed and lost every valuable thing you had recently uncovered. And, when you're a low level, there may have to be large amounts of grinding between quests, even in the main line, which would be rather annoying...

So, just save often. And in case you forgot, you could stumble into an Old Olney-esque place at a low level in Fallout 3. Somehow, it didn't ruin the game. :hehe:

If you stumbled into Old Olney at level 1 in Fallout 3 there would still be deathclaws, so I'm not sure what you're getting at. The "no level scaling" probably means what it did in Fallout 3 ("level scaling, but not in certain areas"). Also, MQ will for sure be level scaled, I know that. If there is actually no level scaling (you can prove it), I will scream with glee (not really).

Also, I should mention that a previewer saw a makeshift sign that said warned him of deathclaws ahead- more than you got in Fallout 3.

I didn't mind the level scaling. It is done in such a subtle way it's hard to notice. Now if you go in buildings it doesn't seem to apply.

I liked Fallout 3's leveling system, but I suppose theres no use in my complaining. Oh well, least it'll be a new challenge.

I'm not saying it'll ruin the game, just that it may make it so that at the beginning of the game you can't do anything, and at the end of the game you can do everything too easily. But then you could just switch difficulties.



I'm fine with certain places being non-scaled, just there should be certain parts that are... like the geckos around Goodsprings should change from Little Geckos to Golden Geckos to Fire Geckos, so they're always a bit more powerful. There should be things like 'hotspots' for certain creatures, where you'll encounter Deathclaw regardless of level.
And I'm glad the MQ is scaled... but there'll still have to be grinding for certain locations, no doubt including some of the snow globe locations and side quest locations.

I hope whatever scaling there is will feel like it's very much in the background. I have no problem whatsoever with being able to run into trouble right from when I'm level 1.
I do however hope that there will be areas that will still feel deadly at level 20+.

But it's hard to balance this stuff in a free-roamer I think. If you run into enemies that are well below your level then it's simply an annoyance. If you run into enemies that are constantly a threat then it feels annoying and artificial. The middle-route is also really annoying because then it feels like the game is throwing mobs at you that require firepower and sinking ammo into them but they're not *really* a challenge at any rate.

Most of all I hope they have some sort of system where not every damn critter in the world will aggro as soon as they see you on the horizon. Mutated or not, I hate that stuff like radscorpions would aggro from half-way across the map as soon as they spotted you. I'd love for a system somewhat inspired by Risen where many mobs simply mind their own business unless you really go into their immediate territory.

There were some info about the way difficulty scaling is handled in a german interview, straight from Josh himself.
I'll see if I can find it again.

I prefer that things are NOT scaled.

I would like alot of warnings like that deathclaw sign so that I know not to venture there until I am ready to.

In FO3, at lvl 30, enemies were just bullet sponges. So annoying :brokencomputer:

Oh I really hope it's not scaled anywhere.
Fallout 1 and 2 did this perfectly, you're not supposed to go to certain areas when you're at a low level cause you will get your ass kicked.
That's the way it should be.
Makes you think twice before just going somewhere.

Well, we all remember how the levelling in Oblivion worked out, make it static I say. I want to feel a sense of progression as I become more powerfull, not having everyone be my equal in combat all the time. The big dude in Power Armor with a minigun should never be equal to a raider wearing chaps, motorcycle goggles and a lead pipe.

I'm sue there will be some level of scaling, especially in regards to equipment. I'd kind of prefer it if there wasn't really all that much scaling since there should still be places where your character can't go. Hopefully they'll be able to strike up a balance between completely limiting your exploration and making it too easy. Fighting my way through the D.C. ruins as a low level character in Fallout 3 was awesome. Just running into a couple of Talon Company mercs or some Super Mutants was terrifying, but extremely rewarding after ambushing them and taking some Combat armor and Laser Rifles.

Im hoping for a right blend of both. Most of the world should be scaled to the characters level while some areas are fixed at low, medium and high levels

I would like to see most of the critters (geckos/big horners/the flyin' things/scorpions ect.) have set levels. Small regular geckos set at a low lvl, golden geckos alittle higher, fire geckos alittle higher. Humanoids should scale with some exceptions. Knightkin should be higher lvl then all other 'regular' super mutants (which would scale). I'm sure a balance can be achieved this way.

I don't mind how it worked in FO3... whether it scaled or not, it was a lot less noticeable than in Oblivion. I'm playing that again for the first time in a while and cannot fully express how annoying it is to run into a baddie (a vampire lair in this case) realise that i cannot beat it at my current level, run off to level up and return only to find that the baddies are all... baddier... :brokencomputer:

So, I don't like scaling in a way that I can see it, but I don't mind it, and conceptually makes sense. I think that the MQ should be scaled generally, so that it can remain challenging regardless of when you decide to tackle it.

This .

If you had both a high weapons skill and a high level weapon, chances are that you're high level.



There's very little stopping you from running away from such situations.

Personally, I think the elimination of such level scaling is a wonderful thing. Level scaling was one of the worst things about Oblivion, and seeing it show up in FO3 was just as terrible.

W00T No scaling AT ALL is the BEST!!!!!! :celebration:

i dont think there should be scaling fallout is all about survival so when you cant handle something you need to get away (hopefully with your ass intact)

It also makes becomeing strong mean something, when i cant handle something and i come back later and totaly over do it ill know ive made progress

Yes it is very satisfying coming back and beating something that destroyed you earlier in the game. I remember leaving rabanastre in ffxii in the beginning of the game and this dinosaur destroyed me. Going back hours later and returning the favor was very satisfying indeed!

Indeed, Indeed.

I want there to be areas that if I go into too early or I am unprepared for, I will get my butt kicked all the way back to the Pacific. I also want areas that when I do go back to them I can clean the place out with one hand tied behind my back because my character has gotten that much better.

I don't like it when enemies, or most of them anyway, are tied to my character's level. Although, keying characters in some way to the PC's level does make sense from a gameplay perspective, just don't do that everywhere.

So, respawning enemies, key them to the PC's level. Set or defined or unique enemies, make them a certain level and leave them that way until I either get around to dealing with them, or have gotten prepared to deal with them.