This is not technically true of either Conan or Ark. In both of those titles (Which I think are the two most successful titles in this genre) You have the option of playing in an offline, or local mode and never interacting with any other players if you chose.
In Fallout 76 Todd specifically said that you would never see a server interface, you would just be “in” Fallout 76. This makes me think a local server option is not currently in the cards, and that does worry me. I love co-op survival games, but I hate open world public PvP survival aspects of them. No one to date has figured out how to keep griefers from all out ruining your day, and a giant random Nuclear Weapon code doesn’t seem like they are going in the right direction to find it…
I’ve since learned that (about offline), but that fact doesn’t run counter to what I was saying in terms of them being online and how you can sort of be playing “solo”. Having said that, the presentation also said “always online”, so between that and the “no server interface” thing certainly seems to rule out an offline mode.
Again, this goes back to Beth needing to answer a lot of questions, hopefully soon.
From streamer CohhCarnage, who watched the recently completed Todd Howard interview. Which Cohh said was short, qualified some things, but left more questions.
Even if you play solo you will see other people.
There are no NPCs in the “quest giver” etc sense. Everything is other players. there was chatter last night about an Overseer giving quests, I don’t know if that was speculation or what.
Beth are still trying to figure out how they want PVP to to work in the game (with a November release?).
FO76 may turn out to have PvE servers and a high level of story-based content. If so, they may satisfy much of the current fanbase and add new customers eager to try a AAA survival/ craft-em-up offering.
But I can’t think of any survival games like that. When I hear, “the players are the content,” I assume that means there will be little to no traditional RPG questing. Maybe Bethesda is doing something new here.
It makes me think the Overseer will be an NPC in the game. It may be that the context was “no NPCs out in the world”.
Which will make for a certain sort of a story experience, certainly. I would like to find a transcript of this interview but I am supposed to be working.
When they say “the players are the content”, that means they’re building complex systems and enforcing player dependency, causing players to band together and create their own stories through conflict over resources, like in EVE Online. It’s all PvP shit. Could be epic PvP shit, like in EVE. A trillion times better than Rust-type ganking. But still PvP shit.
Not interested. I loved PVP yesteryear, but I just don’t have the time, patience, or inclination for it anymore. I’m already ready to murder people by the time I get home from my evening commute. Unlike meat, anonymous douchebaggery is most certainly not back on the menu.
Ok, just saw Todd Howard interview and as others have reported, I was wrong and there are no NPC’s. There are quests you can get from robots, terminals, etc. No raiders, factions, etc, just monsters. So my interest is pretty low. Will be somewhat interesting to follow the game but s purchase is unlikely.
As I predicted. Come on, guys. This is a persistent multiplayer survival crafter. There is a simple blueprint for this kind of game and story NPCs are not in it. Stop overthinking this and dreaming up pie-in-the-sky features.
Remember: “Game” companies aren’t. They are in the business of making money, not games. Games happen to be the product they are set up to make, and are best at, at the moment. If they could, for instance, switch to cabbage farming and make more, they’d do it.
That’s not to say developers aren’t passionate, or that individuals at companies aren’t passionate, about games. But as entities, when it comes to game companies, especially publishers, it’s company first, then games.
Nothing wrong with this; this is how business works. You make/provide what sells. It’s why Ford is dropping non-SUV/crossovers, etc.
No one was making anything up or dreaming pie in the sky. As many have said, there was a lot left unsaid, or not described clearly. But now we know. No need to dump on people.
