(this isn't supposed to be a circlejerk Bethesda thread)

Just a discussion thread about New Vegas compared to 4, how 4 improved on New Vegas, what they didn't improve, etc.

Personally I think Bethesda could have used skill checks in dialogue a lot better in 4 instead of just being non existent.

No.

obsidian does rpgs better, bethesda should have paid better attention.

I thought there was a lot of similarity with the story structure.

First, you start out with a McGuffin to chase to get you out there into the world. In New Vegas you are pursuing Benny, who took something (chip) from you and shot you. In Four you are pursuing Kellogg, who took something (son) and shot your wife.

You chase the McGuffin down and find what was taken only to find yourself in a wide open situation where you are being courted by competing factions and in a position to determine the balance of power in the Wasteland.

I was actually rather surprised that the hardcoe Mode (Hunger, Thirst, Rest) from NV didn't make it into FO4. I mean, I can take it or leave it, but I really thought that feature would make the cut.

I love FNOV, I've played over 1200 hrs with 6 different characters over the last few years. That said, I've played it heavily modded from the Nexus, which dramatically improved the base game with not only graphical updates, but AI improvements, NPC improvements, new NPCs, better crafting, ect. So a modded FNOV is at this point a better game (to me ) than what FO4 is currently. But that's an unfair comparison. I think a year from now, once the creation kit has been out and the mods start flowing, FO4 will be the equal or better than FONV.

Comparing un-modded base games of each, I give the nod to FO4. I haven't finished it yet, and I'm up over 200hrs, but here are some of the things I like the best.

1- Settlement building. I love it, but it's got tons of little quirky bugs that have been well documented on these forums. I know Bethesda will fix some of them, and modders will greatly improve the whole building/supplying/defending scenarios.

2- Atmosphere, especially exploring cities/towns/factories ect. is awesome, often tense. FNOV was more out in the open exploring.

3- NPC Companions. This is kind of a toss up between both games when comparing the base game. Mods greatly improved the Companion of FNOV, and I'm sure that will eventually be the case with FO4. Right now the interaction is just a little to sparse and needs to be fleshed out more.

4- Combat is just awesome. It requires planning in many cases of you'll get your ass kicked quick. It can also be fast and furious. Awesome guns.

5- Crafting, comparing base games, it superior in FO4. I love the system, although it also needs some work to make it better. (Modded FNOV crafting at this point is superior)

6- hardcoe mode. An option that FNOV had at the beginning of the game that required you to eat/sleep/drink within a certain time period or your stats would decrease. I loved that, it provided an environmental challenge to the game. The nod goes to FNOV on this one for having it from the start.

7- Factions. I'm uncertain at this point, though they are crucial to both games. I haven't gone through enough in FO4 to offer a true opinion.

These are just thoughts off the top of my head, I'm sure there are more comparisons to be made.

Fallout 4 does a much better job at getting me to care about the plotline & quests than NV ever did. There's an actual logical reason to want to get justice for your spouse & stolen son and it also gave me a reason to care about factions since the son is the head of one but they make questionable decisions.



With NV your just Mailman Allmighty who gets jumped by a wannabe gangster and after getting that revenge the game was like "Welp here's your Macguffinchip, factions are interested in you now. Hope you've learned enough about them to pick one."


Unfortunately Iever only saw logic in picking 1 side and abandoned the game after killing Benny the second time.


In 4 I already have 3 characters who have all chose to side with different factions and the first 2 already both have more playtime than my total playtime in NV.

The reason you're just a mailman is to leave everything about your character up to interpretation to increase roleplaying. No set character like in Fallout 4.

Someone who tried to kill you and took a really important chip from you that everybody wants is a pretty good reason for you to chase after the guy.

And you could say "well why do i care once i kill benny" well now that you've involved yourself in the fate of New Vegas, that's something to care about.

Factions and faction design, there is no clear main bad guy in Fallout 4, even the Institute is written is a grey light unlike New Vegas which was NCR is portrayed as a good guy with reasonable explanations for it's bad side or the fact that it's a democratic republic can change it's political leaders the Legion on the other hand is clearly a bad guy where none of it's bad sides are justified and it's impossible to change it's leadership as Caesar is a dictator that rules through cruelty, slavery and bloodshed.

While New Vegas excels in background lore we also must look at, New Vegas had two games to work off of. Two vastly expanded games to work on. (Though tbf some of the background lore in New Vegas while new still isn't that great)

Fallout 4 also does world design better and I generally liked the companions and companion system more then New vegas, that's a improvement Bethesda did.

Though New Vegas did have stuff like survivalist, ammo-crafting, different ammo types but I feel the way Fallout 4 does weapon mods is enough to make up for that plus Fallout 4's weapon mods system allows for more unique weapon crafting and being able to actually name your weapon is great.

Both games have pros and cons but I feel both are great in their own ways.

I hope we are not here to argue which one is best. I think both games are very good. Though I like Fallout 4 better.

But to me it was neither well thought out or interesting.


Plus again, avenging a spouse and wanting to have your child back are both actual good motivators to get out into the world. I literally didn't give a mokerat's butt what fate falls upon most of Vegas. (They can starve to death for all I care.) The only reason I even decided to choose House was because he's the one who made the macguffin in the first place. If it weren't for that detail I probably wouldn't have even finished the first playthrough because most NPCs failed at getting me to care about them.

But why would I care about New Vegas? I don't gamble. I don't like [censored]s. The populous is just pathetic and there isn't a likeable faction of subfaction there.

That's where I ran up against the wall.

I got my revenge. Now y'all go away. I'm going to go out in the desert and live with the ants. At least they're interesting.

Interesting, I would have actually preferred a backstory like Fallout NV for Fallout 4. For me, the Fallout 4 backstory is one of my dislikes about the game.

There was a backstory to NV? What was it? I mean, other than the mailman gets wacked and then comes back to delivery his/her last package.

Sounds like really lame Tales from the Crypt episode to me.

Backstory is like, lazily spread out throughout the DLC until Lonesome road. It makes less sense that Obsidian said "Oh no the Courier didn't have amnesia" and it's spread throughout the game

it's like what

"Hey what's the NCR?" "Oh it's a republic out of california"

and a little while later

"Oh hey didn't I see you at the shark club in New Reno"

which makes the fact the Courier doesn't have amnesia even more stupid. They don't know what the NCR is but they've been to New Reno...which is either part of the NCR or a trading partner of the NCR.

Some people prefer the freedom to develop their character as they choose. Others are more comfortable with having a lot of the details filled in for them. People like different things.

I prefer to write my own story.

Who said the Courier didn't know who the NCR was? Sometimes when I ask a question I'm actually more interested in a given person will say than I am 'the' answer. Asking about the NCR may have been more about seeing what the asked person would say about the NCR than literally wanting to know what the NCR was. Would what they say about the NCR be positive? Negative? Would they call you an idiot? Either way, you learn something about the person you are talking to without directly interrogating them about themselves.

Let me also point out not everyone wants a cliche story of a father/mother who wants to find their son.

Caesar's Legion being recreated after the bombs fell is pretty original.

So you say "what's your thoughts on the NCR" not "Tell me about the NCR"

You don't have to pick either of those dialogue options if you don't want to.

My main problem with New Vegas is that i don't care about the Courier, or his/her story. I know people like that blank slate, and fill in the blanks themselves, but to me that just doesn't work that well. I can do it in Elder Scrolls, but it has 10 races to choose from plus gender, so makes it abit easier. Fallout 4 strength for me is the combination of the personal story with the factions. Your ultimate goal is to find your son (Fallout 3 story redone), but you end up in a faction struggle (New Vegas) its the best of both worlds, and i simply cared more because it had both parts. I also like the voice for the protagonist alot, and the focus on them growing more during the course of the game. The thing that is sorely lacking in Fallout 4 is good dialogue in sidequests, i think its fine for MQ and companions, but other than that it needs work. DLC's can fix this.

I do think New Vegas has alot of strengths compared to Fallout 4, the dialogue beeing one of them, but its difficult for me to put the games up against eachother now. When i play New Vegas its with the DLC's and what they add to the story, and i want to see what Fallout 4 brings before i compare them more. So yeah that is my thoughts atm.

As I've said before. One thing I do love about NV is that, like Skyrim, you can quite literally live an entire life in the game and never have anything to do with any quest or faction at all. That I do vastly respect about NV.

My only complaint was with the confusing and ultimately unmotivating storylines for me.

Don't get me wrong though. I did enjoy NV and will most definitely play it again1

No, but not everyone wanted the story of New Vegas either, it works both ways.

This isn't a "You don't have to" kind of discussion. It's there, it exists, it's bad writing. Ignorance doesn't magically make it go away, ignorance is not a viable excuse.

Oh of course, but factually one is more original than the other.