Why is everyone stuck on starting the game as a man? Did people not watch the 40+ min Bethesda video when todd howard was showing FO4 including the character creation section where he even says "And you can play as a female too" which resulted in cheers. Was I the only one to catch that? Seems to me your not being forced to play the game as the husband only.

And the game isn't out yet. Who knows maybe you can pick the type of spouse you want before getting to the beginning of the game. Bethesda isn't some anti-gay organization as if you recall in Skyrim your dude can marry a dude and so on.

As for starting the game knowing your a parent... and waking to a world you had no possible dreams of even existing in... Well that changes you. I find this no different then being a prisoner on a cart headed to Helgen. I often felt that forcing that sort of start was dumb. So I use Alternate Start, Live Another Life. A mod I bet that will probably be quickly made into FO4 heh

So relax everyone. Its going to be alright.

Yes. The Courier is a really good example of a blank slate who was just a little smudged. There's a sketch of a background, but not too many things concretely defined. Very easy to fill in the blanks with your own imagination.

I don't think you're in the minority with wanting to see more of this. I'd like it if there was a bit "oomph" to the main character, but in a way that doesn't define the personality or past to a T. I really don't want to end up with a fully realized character when I play. That'd be quite the change for this series. I'm still a bit skeptical of the family's role in the story, as that could end up being a really cheap emotional ploy if done poorly, but I don't think this is the end of the world. Well. Uh. At least not for the players.

I just used husband as a basic place to start from, I knew you could change genders haha. But this basically summarizes what I was trying to say. In Todd We Trust, as I always say.

Personally, I have no problem starting the game married with a kid. What matters is who survives to leave the vault. I'm curious our our hero lived 200+ years.

No idea what the story might be about. Then again, writing was never Bethesda's focus point as opposed to gameworld building. Gotta wait after its released.

However, I seriously doubt it's gonna trumph The Witcher 3's story, writing, branching plot and characters. Sure, some people are [censored]ing about a set character but it makes up for it in almost every other department that makes an RPG (which is kinda impressive, given the fact that is has the said predefined character). I consider those factors much more immersive than "roaming around a deserted wasteland for 200 hours".

Just put almost 168 hours into my first playthrough and I must say, it's the game I will use as a measuring bar for all future RPGs.

If Fallout 4 by some miracle was on the same, expansive level like TW3's writing or choices and consequences, I would cry tears of joy.

my problem with the blank slate courier start was that my character was asking questions she should have known. Sure the questions were there to be asked so I the player could learn. But it felt out of character. Why is my whole map unexplored? My courier has at least been to the strip and yet now I gotta find a way there? My whole point is with the courier start, she was familiar with the world around her. With a vault start, your not. Its not your world. And don't say the bullet caused memory loss. doc said there was no side effects. Which I find the whole "getting shot in the head" intro forced me into tracking down Benny because to not chance down my killer seemed also out of character.

Yet with a more defined background like vault rat 101, I emerged into a world and asked questions and learned things that both my character and I would have had no way of knowing. I liked that. It was a game and a whole world totally unfamiliar to me. Sure there was the "look for your dad" part it was easy to just explore.

I'm not being hostile, I enjoy joking around, but come on man. We are discussing the story and saying the same thing that was said earlier with no other reason than to join in is not progressing anything, and neither is this conversation. We could discuss this all day, but I'd rather discuss what this forum was made for and that's games. I'm not complaining about anything, if someone wants to have a different opinion, thank god they can, or there would be no need to discuss the story at all! So, we are trying to have opinions over here! Join in, please. Every voice discussing the game makes this much more rich and entertaining.

true, yes you passed trough the divine and delivered an package (robot I think) who made the nukes blow up, only effect is that you came from somewhere else.

Agree on that.

For some time ago I asked in the Fallout forums about which game they would recommend to start with (I was coming from TES), and people said FO3 was more open, while FO:NV had more of choice and consequence. So I picked the latter, because I felt choice and consequence was what was lacking in Skyrim.

I didn't really get into it the first time I played. Mainly because my character was over-encumbered all the time. I picked up everything I could find "just in case". When I had finally reached New Vegas and had to do additional quests to get in, I got tired of it and stopped playing. Recently I've created a new character to give it a second try, and I really like it this time around. I like how they have managed to both craft a story with different choices leading to different outcomes, and they also allow the player to create many different kinds of characters. I've considered buying FO:3, but what I hear about it makes me less interested; the protagonist seems very restricted in comparison. Which is my worry about FO4 as well, but we don't know yet.

We still know next to nothing about the story so it's really tough to comment. The joke would be on us if the opening turned out to be a dream sequence.

Witcher 3 is a big build up over the course of a series of games. Me personally love the story, but like you said, Fallout 4 is more about filling the world with a rich environment. They are taking story more seriously, so we'll see. Overall I believe Fallout 4 will edge out Witcher 3 simply because if what we have seen so far in the gameplay, Fallout 4 is not just taking a step in a new direction, its jumping a freakin' ravine. We shall see though, both are deserving of what praise they get. My problem with Witcher is I don't really see how your big decisions are really affecting anything. Yes you can make this guy leader here or save this person there, but it doesn't change anything. And sense Witcher 3 is the last one in the series we won't see the repercussions (i bet they make another though). I would say that Witcher, as far as repercussions are concerned, is on par with say, Mass Effect. They do something, but nothing big.

That being said I love Witcher 3. Its pure gold in all departments. And yes, if Fallout 4 does have a story even as remotely deep as Witcher it will be even more amazing. Like I said though, Witcher 3 is a big build up over the course of the series. As you start fresh in each Fallout iteration, its harder to have such a deep story. You know what Witcher 3 does have though? A voiced protagonist. Todd admitted that's whats makes games have more dept, and I agree. Its a big change, but one for the better.

That would be a big, huge, crazy, thoughtless twist if it was all a made up dream. Now if the PC was dreaming about this in his Cryo, that would be cool. Maybe. Perhaps some details were distorted and things happened in his head that really didn't happen? Memory loss? Amnesia?

Or memory wipe? If you played the Replicated Man in FO3

edit:

While we know next to nothing about the story, it's basically confirmed that it will once again be a more personal story, with the Fallout setting itself taking a backseat. A lot of people didn't like that in Fallout 3, it's only natural they still wouldn't like it, especially because it seems to be even more personal because of voiced protagonist and a named child. People are already calling the "your son is the antagonist" reveal, which might be good if it's done well, but it will probably be cheesy as hell.

Playing as an android would not work because certain stuff - like poison - would not affect the player, or should not, to be precise. If it does, it's a plothole, if it doesn't, then everyone will realize halfway through the game.

Someone did mention Harkness before, but... Playing as an Android wouldn't be... Well it just wouldn't end right I don't think. I could see it happening but I think Cryo is the best way to go. Plus a point I made a while back is if your an Android, and you exploded, wouldn't you figure out quick you were an Android and spoil it all? Yes some bleed, but wouldn't you still see electronics?

The outrage some people have is odd because it's anologous to wanting 2D isometric view games. If that's someone's preference, they can still find such games, either old ones rereleased or perhaps some indie titles. However, I doubt a major dev and publisher is going to create such a game today, so it's better to either accept today's gaming evolution or stop playing (or at least stop playing major releases).

There's nothing wrong with having a basic, set background because, as Todd points out in various interviews, it allows a better story development for writing events and (in general) allows players a better reason to feel some empathy and attachment to the PC.

I've explained various times why FONV and The Courier is not a good example of storytelling and why that game fails in general as far as writing is concerned. Sure, some people can like it and that's fine. Some people love teen slasher flicks, too, for example, or even big budget blockbusters like Avengers, but you won't see such films winning Academy Awards for their well-written stories. Not that BGS games will probably ever have award-winning stories, either, but most Western games wouldn't because that isn't their focus nowadays and hasn't been for some time.

For the record, I almost certainly won't feel much attachment or empathy unless I can create an adolescent girl with my preferred visual aesthetics for design. I have never been able to do this with any of the games by Todd's team until necessary mods are available, so I am hopeful that such mods will happen again. I can still play the games, of course, but there's no emotional attachment unless I can create a character I can identify with. It certainly isn't true that a player can "make whoever you want and do whatever you want" so I really wish that Todd, Pete, and others at Bethesda would stop making that claim with their games. For the vanilla games, other aspects than emotional involvement make them worth playing or at least checking out, so I anyway while I wait for my needed mods. I don't see FO4 being any different in this regard.

As for the story writing specifically regardless of PC presentation/options, BGS has god story writing for the type of games they create (i.e., within the top priority restriction of being open world without being forced to play one specific character that isn't of interest to many, many players such as Witcher). BGS will never have writing and/or emotional connection to PCs that match the level of Japanese visual novels and adventures, or various RPGs such as Phantasy Star, Star Ocean, Xenosaga, etc. That's okay, though, because the focus/priority is different between such games regardless of them all being RPGs at their core.

It might explain how the main character survives the blast. Your comment also brings to mind the screenshot of the man dressed in the hat and trench coat with the robotic hand.

That is true. I just wonder whats his deal? Is he good? Bad? Or heck, is he just an updated Mysterious Stranger their having fun with? Who knows... Maybe hes a companion? From looks alone he would be an interesting one.

It wouldn't be that thoughtless of a twist if it was discovered early on. There is a lot to work with in a story about the mutability of human consciousness. Who am I? What am I? What is the past? It could be very interesting if it turned out to be something like that.

Of course, if such a thing were revealed at the end of the story, people would understandably despise it.

I think the most important thing for the player freedom model Bethesda is trying to go for, is how the characters, story, side quests and game world in general react to how you play your character.

So you start off married. I don't see the big deal.

Aside from the fact that they are presumed dead, most people in the real world get married and have children. Including thieves, murderers, drunks, addicts, warlords, etc. There are happy marriages, dull marriages, abusive marriages, arranged marriages, secretive marriages.

And then of course. There's the big change of emerging from the vault.

Plenty of scope to role play around all that, unless you are dead set on playing a Catholic priest.

There could be a problem if we are railroaded into caring about them later in game, but we know nothing about that. And won't until we get to play.

Please... no 'the PC is an android' plot... sigh...

Thoughtless wasn't the appropriate word, I apologize. But it wouldn't be as deep I think. To put it that way. The way you describe it, yes, but it would be hard not to draw similarities to other media, which isn't an entirely bad thing as everything can be related to something else. The biggest twist, regardless of what else they do, will be what happens to your child.

Thread titles a bit misleading. We dont know the story so how can anyone hate it. I can however understand those that think the characters background is a tad too fleshed out for their tastes. Its less fun when your blank slate has already been coloured in by someone else.

That's a good point as well since we could basically give dad the middle finger in FO3. You did still have to help them to progress though. I didn't mind nor care though, Fallout 3 was amazing. I was entertained either way.

Well, there is hate already towards what little we know. I'm just going off that, which is story details. That proves my point though, even the little things can start wars haha.