Dear Bethesda, I have had tons of fun on your games. For years you guys have made some pretty fun open world RPG. But over time you guys seem to be trying to streamline RPG for casual fans, in the process effectively stripping many games of elements that make a good RPG like class systems and even proper leveling systems. But after Fallout 76...well everyone is kinda ticked at you. Thankfully you keep updating Fallout 76. It feels as if you are not grasping the concept of updating the game and like EA are making it more cash grabby than fun. So here are a couple of ideas after my 200+ hours in the game. Considering I put in much more than that in all previous fallout games made by you guys that alone is kinda telling. But on with the list.
First, let's talk stash boxes. What were you thinking having a static limit on weight and allowing for multiple stash boxes? Like I can build so many stashes but it’s all kinda meaningless, as they all link to the same list and it does not increase my stashes limit. Infact only reason to build multiple stashes is for the sake of my location in my camp. This could be simply fixed and would make the game better. Instead of a static stash you make it to where one stash box is equal to 100 pounds of carrying weight. Then for things like the ice chest have them hold only food like the new cooler item does. This would also introduce people being able to expand or shrink their stashes based on needs. To make this choice not easily broken you should require a modest amount of junk to create stash boxes. People should seriously think about building new stashes like how you build a weapon. Now for it to be accessible from other stashes is a good idea and should be kept.
Now on the other side of the weight issue. Weapon and armor weight, some weapons fully kitted out are almost 30 pounds. One lever action I have is now heavier than my plasma gatling. This should not be. Even a real AK-47 is only 6.8 pounds, my little lever action at most should only be like 10 to 13 pounds with mods. Alternatively you could also allow for there to be a way to realistically increase my carry weight limit. Most weapons do a hysterically small amount of damage against most enemies. Even with a fully upgraded rifle and all full marksman perks I still do barely anything against many enemies like level sixty or 70 ghouls. So come on make the weapons weight a bit more reasonable.
Above provides a nice segway into the next item on the list. Enemy health and weapon damage, this is kinda a problem that is in many of your games Bethesda. But you gotta allow us to do decent damage. I shouldn’t have to fire nearly 160 rounds to kill a scorched beast that’s 30 levels lower than me. Either make the weapons more damaging or increase ammo spawns because at times I just want to say screw it and make a broken melee build like my friend. You restrict people's ability to use other builds when firearms are so vastly out classed by one guy with a deathclaw gauntlet and max melee perks. But this gripe is less important and may be somewhat linked to me not using my perks correctly. As I refine my build this might be mitigated.
Now let’s talk leveling since that is a big missed opportunity in fallout 76. Did the leveling system really have to be based on trading cards? Admittedly it is interesting, and was novel for like a week. But I miss increasing my special attributes and putting points into different categories. I miss having both of those decide perks available for me to choose from. I miss the GOAT exam from Fallout 3 and Doc Mitchell from New Vegas. It would have been fun for there to be a beginning to 76 where you take a survival test or something to give you the base traits and special points then move you to emergence day. Keeping something resembling the older leveling system would have also made for a better RPG experience. Another idea that is less central could have been a sort of pseudo class system for those who are not used to RPG systems to give them builds they could do that would move along preassigned paths, and could be turned off at anytime. But just food for thought. Probably wont ever change, but just wanted to say it.
Lastly but most important is the Updating. Now I get it, software development is hard and long and you guys wanted to make this game as a side project. It was a smaller studio in the company that made it. They were inexperienced, had little development time, and you guys are wanting that money, among other things. But if you are gonna try to salvage the game listen up.
You guys have tried seasonal events and prizes. Valiant attempt but not what you should do. Instead take a page from other MMO and even maybe valve. Have holiday events, that have themed raids and events. Give more than just cosmetics, give special weapons, armors, maybe even seasonal mechanics like TF2 does and Guild wars 2. This keeps players engaged more and makes doing such events meaningful. You can even make special chems and such for different holidays. The presents and special scorched are a good start. Also in terms of major updates, Wastelanders is a good idea. But why stop at adding what you should have done the first time around? In another major update give the players a new map to explore like missouri, the capital wasteland, or the old commonwealth. You could charge 20 to 30 buts for each if you must, but make it worth it. Also dungeons with specific levels with even story-lines in mind and unique rewards would be really interesting to see. You could even do an invasion update after the Wastelanders update. Zetans would arrive on July 4th and the settler factions and raiders would have a truce to repel the invasion. It would be really cool and if done right could yield results for player engagement. You could even have conditions that if the players make certain choices or don't make them it could change the game world in the next update. Invasion update for instance would be if players didn’t repel the aliens enough then until the next update aliens would spawn in certain areas or attack players houses. Then make another event for players to repel them again.
All of these are just my opinion though, and sure you guys won’t even see this. But really though the stash limit and lack of engaging players does make the game really boring. Look to games that did these things well, like Guild Wars 2, Team Fortress 2, World of Warcraft and Star Wars Old Republic. Don’t plagiarize them just use them to learn from.
Sincerely Rooty
29 January 2020
I agree with all that has been spoken