Fallout 4 obviously plays differently than Fallout 3 or NV. How much is it going to resemble its' predecessors? It seems like it has everything I liked from F3 for the most part, like lots of landmarks and plenty of gameplay, but I don't know about brand new leveling system, rubber-banding exploration system, the gameplay looked shaky and hectic. Thoughts?

Static levels was the worst thing introduced to Skyrim and a prime example of the 'dumbing down' of the genre. I'm very happy they've gone back to a more dynamic way of playing where you can't just see and do everything and any level.

Can you explain a bit more what you mean by static levels? Are you referring to enemy level scaling?

From what I've read, it seems the level scaling in FO4 will be pretty much the same as Skyrim's system (and FO3's), which seemed to work rather well for the most part, although the overall balance was a bit more enjoyable after installing mods that increase enemy spawns.

Point for point I loved every change, the character system looks deep and flexible, the "New" scaling sounds like it will make the world feel more alive, the improvements to combat, including VATS looks great, power armour looks managing and fun to use and good God, that weapon moding.

This to me feels like Beth finally made Fallout theres. No more pvssyfooting around worrying about crusty old fans.

What... what are you talking about? Static levels in Skyrim were exactly why you couldn't just "see and do everything at any level"... Going through a dwarven ruin or taking on a Dragon Priest before you were strong enough was a great way to get killed.

Anyway, they've gone into lots of detail about the new character system and I really like it. It seems a lot more balanced, so you won't master most of the skills by the time you reach the endgame, and I'm loving the non-linearity of the perk chart. The "rubber-banding" system, meaningless jargon aside, sounds exactly like how level scaling worked in Skyrim (which isn't a far cry from how it worked in Fallout 3), which is great. And I think they picked the most chaotic combat scenes to show off, but the combat looks way more entertaining to me. Fallout 3's combat was pretty eh, and New Vegas's improvements couldn't really save it.

The new leveling system looks awesome to me. The gameplay looks solid, and I love the incorporation of settlement building. The biggest change will be the voiced protagonist, which I'll have to actually experience before I can pass judgement.

As to the level scaling, I still interpret Howards words differently than most and believe he's saying that occasionally you will run into a high level critter in a low level area, so you will never be completely safe. I find that prospect exciting.

I'm optimistic about the game, and fully expect it to blow Skyrim away.

Hmmmm... Maybe this entire time I've misinterpreted Skyrim's system.. I was under the impression it scaled to a 'static' level. i.e. if you're level 10, the enemies are level 10.

I don't mind the level ranges, but would prefer to see them more diverse and with larger ranges. i.e. 1-25, 25-50, 50-75 irrespective of your own level. i.e. you could be level 8 and walk into a level 50-75 zone.

I'd say removing stats was the worse thing introduced in Skyrim.

it will be about as different from 3 and NV as Skyrim was to Oblivion. CRPG fans will be disappointed at how the game deviates further from its RPG roots. But it will be substantially more popular than 3 and NV was. The fact that mods will become available on consoles will definitely help with that.

My main concern is the lack of re-playability because my voiced PC will sound exactly the same no matter how I'm playing. Be it my benevolent healer, maniac psycho, silent loner, mister personality, etc. they will all sound exactly the same.

The removal is set skills to select is different obviously, but the new system looks promising, so I'm kind of looking forward to that.

Well, as in Witcher 3 or Mass effect.. the personality will be based off of lines you choose and will give the sense that you are playing a certain character type. If you only chose jerky Shepard lines in mass effect it made you feel like you were playing a jerky Shepard.. .And if you chose the silly lines in Witcher 3 you were playing silly Garrett. Garrett having a voice set hasn't stopped millions of people from replaying those games and creating different types of Garretts based on how they play him.

The voice will make drastically different characterization more difficult. Hopefully, the new leveling system and sheer number of perks will make subsequent characters functionally different enough to keep replays interesting.

I love everything I've seen so far. I can't wait for Fallout 4!

Oblivion had enemies that scaled. Skyrim used the system you just described, though not as stark - soft cap was at ~50.

Different...I hope it has changed a little bit, you don't want the same ole thing where nothing suprises you, but you still want the same structure that past fallout games have.

Lol, all this time I thought Skyrim was scaling with me...

I'm assuming mods like 'WTF' just made the changes more drastic?

I recall when the announcement trailer came out that there were complaints that the game would not be different enough .

I would say ditching the stat system from Marrowind/Oblivion was one of the best things about it. I always ending up ditching my first play through just to mod in the ability to get 5s in stats without doing all of the idiot things you had to do to level the stats you realy wanted to level for your build

And here I was thinking it might be too samey.

Don't worry. With all the hate the voiced protagonist is getting, I am pretty sure that one of the first mod coming shorty after release will be a silent protagonist mod.

So far I think all the changes are for the better. The leveling system looks like an all-around improvement, and crafting looks like an entire game within the game. Plus, I believe they're making strides in making Fallout a unique IP rather than "Elder Scrolls with guns." Not that it's a bad thing!

I wasn't sold on the voiced protagonist at first, because it's not something I've particularly wanted or missed in Fallout, but I've been playing Dragon Age during the wait. Because I'm a weirdo, I played Inquisition first, then Origins, and now I'm in 2. Origins is not voiced while the others are, and I felt like my character had no personality at all. Given that alternative, I'll take the voice and see how it goes.

I'm really happy with the move towards a more FPS style of play, the Vats feature more than makes up for the desire of RPG combat elements as far as I'm concerned but the previous iterations of Fallout as an FPS didn't really hold a lot of appeal in that department. For me a lot of the fun came from creating my own housing and forts in the Geck.

Different is good as far as Im concerned.

Maybe Fallout 4 should really strive for dissimilitude and implement turn-based combat...

My sentiment as well.

Only so much can be predicated on the leaked gamescon footage, but the scene was more than merely redolent of Fallout 3; it was bordering on replication.

As I watched the footage I felt as if I had already raided the store, hacked the computer and picked open the locked container...

I'd be remiss to ignore some of the risks BGS has taken in regards to a voiced PC and the new level system, but the core gameplay has been immutable since Fallout 3 and arguably before then.

It's also intriguing to think that the only appreciable risks Todd Howard has taken with the development of Fallout 4 is to implement some very conventional (sequacious if I was being more critical) tropes in the form of a voiced PC and unadvlterated FPS combat.

It's about exactly the amount of change and sameness I'd expect from a sequel. Compared to Fallout 2 or New Vegas, Fallout 4 seems like the biggest leap from a prior game we've had so far; by that token, it seems strange to take the perspective that they didn't change enough.

But it just goes to show. We've had tons of threads asking if they didn't change enough, and now threads asking if they've changed too much.