Bethesda took to QuakeCon 2015 with a good amount of information to reveal for Fallout 4. Game director Todd Howard did a majority of the talking during the mostly private event, which prohibited photographs or videos from being taken.
While we don't have the videos and the art that Howard spotlighted at the event, the Fallout 4 site will be updating every now and then spotlighting different S.P.E.C.I.A.L.s.
So, take a break from Fallout Shelter and look at what information was dropped on Fallout 4 during QuakeCon.
Story
There wasn't too much information revealed on the story of Fallout 4, and by that I mean there wasn't any information on it; but, Bethesda did show off some new environments.
The Lexington area of Massachusetts was shown off around the Corvega power plant and a bit of Diamond City was also revealed, it's built in the ruins of Fenway Park — the home of the Boston Red Sox.
Within the game you will come across different warring NPC factions, which you'll have the option to intervene or simply let them kill each other.
Companions
Confirmed companions (four out of twelve):
- Piper (female)
- Mr.Handy robot/Codsworth
- Preston Garvey (The leader of the Commonwealth Minutemen Faction)
- Dogmeat (dog)
Lead level designer Joel Burgess' own German Shepard, 'River' provided inspiration for Dogmeat.
For the first time players have the option to romance any of the 12 companions, regardless of gender and as long as they are human. Exploring the world with a companion is not mandatory, in fact, players who choose to roam Boston alone will get a special perk.
The dialogue between a player and NPCs will be flexible – you can converse with two other people at the same time.
Bethesda went ahead and recorded around 1,000 names so that your handy-dandy Mr.Handy robot companion Codsworth has something to call you. The names will be both serious and not so serious.
"[Codsworth] does say your name, if you guys remember that," said Howard. "So we had Stephen record, like, a thousand of the most popular names, as well as other things that we find people like to name their characters. Here's a sample of some of those names."
- Ms. Angela
- Mr. Matthew
- Mr. McFly
- Ms. Katniss
- Mr. Boobies
- Mr. F*ckface
Gameplay
There will be no pause in gameplay when you stop to grab an item; looting will happen in real-time. A little window will pop up listing the items you can loot. Inventory will be easier to access for you to throw grenades or use stimpaks, and you won't have to pause the game to use the items.
However, the game will pause when you look at the Pip-Boy, even during combat.
Similar to Skyrim's reputation system, Fallout 4 will have a Karma based reputation system. Your actions will earn you respect in-game.
Terminal hacking and lockpicking are featured in the game, similar to Fallout 3 and New Vegas.
There weren't very many weapons shown off. Bethesda revealed the plasma rifle, but not much else. There's an option to melee with weapons in Fallout 4, even without a bayonet attached.
Skills have been replaced by Perks. There are 70 base perks, each has multiple ranks. There are seven categories and 10 rows that offer increasingly better perks as you go up the rows. Bethesda showed off some new Perks – Intimidation and Attack Dog. These Perks tie directly to S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats (Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility and Luck). For example, the higher your Perception, you'll get access to a perk dedicated to Perception earlier than if your Perception was lower.
The Fallout Brotherhood power armor and Fat Man launcher will be in the game, along with airships.
Various bits of information
- Ghouls can climb through windows.
- Some enemies will be legendary (including Ghouls).
- There will be some Behemoths that are larger than shown in the trailer for the game.
- There will be animations for when you use Meds, example when using a Stimpak you will be shoving it into your chest.
- Some books are readable.
- The higher your strength stat, the more items you can carry.
