Hey guys,

I know this is an unorthodox thing to post about, but I've been on the forums for a few years now, and I've been wondering this for quite a while. Who exactly are the people who decide to go anonymous on the forums? I've always imagined that at least some of them are Bethesda employees, reading our feedback and taking our ideas into consideration. I highly doubt that, but a guy can dream, right? I especially see more anonymous users whenever the thread is about some sort of theory, feedback, or idea about the game.

So, to any potential anonymous people reading this who are willing to break their anonymity, what's up? What's your reason for being anonymous on the forums?

To everyone else, do you think Bethesda actually has staff member reading our speculations and feedback about Fallout 4 as anonymous users? Or am I just insane?

maybe they go anonymous just to mess with you, specifically you

I just thought it was unregistered users. Could be wrong though.

...huh. You know, I never really noticed that line at the bottom there.

And now I wonder what the difference between a "guest" and an "anonymous user" is.

(some of them could be the spiderbots from search sites, cataloging things....)

I'm gonna take a wild guess and say...
The Illuminati.

We have an option to log into the forums anonymously if we wish.

Guests are people not signed in viewing a page. Anonymous users are users who choose to log in but not have their forum browsing tracked while they're logged in. It's an option you can choose anytime you log in on the BGSF log in screen.

This. Any member can sign in as anonymous.

Nope. I would have known if it was. I go to all the meetings.

Guest are likely people viewing the forum without a registered account. Anonymous users being registered accounts making themselves anonymous so that you don't know that they're viewing a certain thread or if they're online or not for whatever reason.

EDIT: Ninja'd by everyone.

Well yes I'm aware of this. I was just curious as to who the people are that decide to go anonymous. The point of this thread was two-fold:

1. to talk to people who normally go anonymous just because I'm curious to find out why they decide to do so

2. To encourage my crazy conspiracy / fantasy that Bethesda has staff members read our posts so they can respond to feedback and listen to their players..

I don't see what the point of that would be. It's much easier to browse the forums without being logged in.

Sorry to disappoint but most of the anonymous are just ordinary members.

The mods see all.

I've always been under the impression that Bethesda never looks on the forums, so I never assumed anonymous users to be anyone besides a normal user.

1. Because I like to keep barriers between myself and people. People not knowing if/when I am online and not knowing what threads I browse. I enjoy anonymity.

2. Sorry to disappoint you, but I am not nor likely ever will be a Bethesda employee.

We do sometimes see a dev or two reading the forum but I assume they don't want to be seen as active to avoid the inevitable PMs they would get.

Paranoid people. Like me.

I would gather a guess that these users desire to be anonymous, so asking them to identify themselves may defeat their purpose?

I'm one, I see I'm an Anonymous user on all of the topics. By the way this should be said in the community discussion, this has nothing to do with Fallout 4.

Bots.

I'll sign in anonymous occasionally if I'm upset or in a poopy mood, but that's usually only so I can read my PM's.

Because I'm self-absorbed and paranoid, and I think you track my every move.

No, not really. I'm just a private person and prefer to keep my activity to myself. I stay offline on Steam too. I wouldn't have a problem with being visible (mods can see me anyway), but if there's an option not to, then that's what I do.

Me. Hello!

Any time a website gives me the option to appear as anonymous I use it. When that was taken away briefly here, I left the site until it came back.