Tag: Fallout 4

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Fallout 4 1.2 patch now out on all platforms; addresses performance issues

Bethesda is notorious for having overly-buggy games at launch with almost every major release from them having some notable issues. Fallout 4 has been surprisingly clean breaking from that standard, but there have still been some issues — like duplication glitches and an infinite caps exploit that have unfairly benefited players.

For now, Bethesda has addressed more technical issues while adding some minor features to the PC version of the game. Crashes, memory allocation, texture loading, and other performance issues have been corrected.

Bethesda hasn’t officially addressed the duplication or the infinite caps glitches but they will likely continue to work on a fix for the next patch.

The complete change-log is below and also on the official Bethesda forum.

Fixes
General memory and stability improvements
Performance improvements inside the Corvega Assembly Plant
Optimizations to skinned decal rendering
Fixed issue with player becoming stuck in terminals
Fixed issue where equipped weapons become locked after completing Reunions
Fixed issue with “When Freedom Calls” where the quest would not complete
During “Confidence Man” fixed issue where player’s health would continuously regenerate
Fixed crash related to jumping into water and reloading saved games
Fixed issue where Launcher would not save God Rays Quality setting properly (PC)

New Features
Number pad keys can now be used for remapping (PC)
Remapping Activate now works on Quick Container (PC)

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Bethesda reveals $750 million worth of Fallout 4 titles have been shipped

Just days after Activision and Treyarch revealed a massive opening three days of Call of Duty: Black Ops III — taking in over $500 million, Bethesda tries to one up them showing off an even larger figure. 12 million Fallout 4 games have been shipped to retailers across the globe leading to a $750 million profit for Bethesda.

It’s important to note the difference between the two numbers though. Fallout 4 has been shipped to retailers and the 12 million number includes copies that haven’t technically been sold to a consumer yet. The $500 million Activision made came from actual sales.

SuperData research shows that Fallout 4 has sold 1.87 million units on consoles and 1.2 million units on PC within its first three days of release. That amounts to a more subdued amount of revenue from actual sales — $100 million.

Regardless, the Fallout 4 launch has been a tremendous success. Call of Duty has higher expectations because of its place in the industry as a staple of video games. The fact that Fallout 4 has had so much success even with it’s lower place in the proverbial gaming totem poll is a great credit to what an amazing game it is.

Fallout 4 screenshot 3

Fallout 4 builds on the engine that Skyrim put in place in 2011 and does nothing but improve from both the Elder Scrolls game and the last two Fallout releases (Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas). While some of suggested the game isn’t quite as graphically stunning as they had hoped for, the general consensus remains that Fallout 4 is one of the best games of this generation.

The collector’s edition of the game that included the physical Pip-Boy to use with select smartphones, sold out almost immediately after being announced. Bethesda also set a milestone becoming the most concurrently played game on Steam with 470,000+ players exploring the Commonwealth at one time.

President of Bethesda Softworks, Vlatko Andonov spoke on the great work the studio has done.

“We’re extremely proud of Todd Howard, Game Director at Bethesda Game Studios, and his experienced team of developers for their talent and dedication in creating this extraordinary game. Fallout 4 is a masterpiece in game development and storytelling, providing fans hundreds of hours of fun as they explore and are challenged by this fascinating, beautifully crafted world.”

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Fallout 4 benefiting from Skyrim engine

Fallout 4 is such a momentous jump over the quality of an already fantastic game in Fallout 3, and one of the key elements helping it generate fan excitement is how many beautiful landscapes, locations, people, and scenes have been created in such a massive world.

In a recent developer diary, the guys at Bethesda Studios explained just what makes Fallout 4 tick when so many different environments and lighting patterns need to be addressed. While everything is based on Skyrim’s 2011 engine don’t expect the quality to be identical.

The Creation Engine has undergone extensive changes with a laundry list of upgrades smoothing edges, reflections, depth of field, motion blur, and much more.

Bethesda’s official list of additions to the engine is below:

  • Tiled Deferred Lighting
  • Temporal Anti-Aliasing
  • Screen Space Reflections
  • Bokeh Depth of Field
  • Screen Space Ambient Occlusion
  • Height Fog
  • Motion Blur
  • Filmic Tonemapping
  • Custom Skin and Hair Shading
  • Dynamic Dismemberment using Hardware Tessellation
  • Volumetric Lighting
  • Gamma Correct Physically Based Shading

Some gamers have complained that there were not enough notable visual improvements after the E3 trailer but this new engine makes the live gameplay of a wasteland look as beautiful as it possibly could be. And it’s certainly an added bonus when the quality of the game shown now doesn’t falter from what was initially shown at E3.

fallout 4 landscape 1

fallout 4 landscape 2

fallout 4 landscape 3 fallout 4 landscape 4

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Microsoft keeps rolling out Xbox One bundles — this time with Fallout 4

Fallout 4’s upcoming release is as highly anticipated as any game, and Microsoft is looking to cash-in with a new Xbox One bundle offering a 1 TB console, Fallout 4 download code, and a Fallout 3 download code (through backwards compatibility).

Backwards compatibility is making it easier for Microsoft to offer more enticing bundles.
Backwards compatibility is making it easier for Microsoft to offer more enticing bundles.

The bundle will release the same day as Fallout 4 (November 10, 2015) and is currently available for pre-order on Amazon, Microsoft’s official store, and other retailers.

This console will likely be the last bundles to release with the original Xbox user interface. The new Xbox One experience (NXOE) will be rolling out to all Xbox One owners in November.

The Fallout 4 package deal is the latest in a recent stretch of bundle announcements from Microsoft. Right now there are eight+ varying Xbox One console choices each offering different games, storage sizes, and other peripherals. The Fallout 4 bundle joins the Halo 5, Forza 6, Gears of War Ultimate Edition, FIFA 16, Madden NFL 16, LEGO Movie, and two multiple-game-package consoles currently available at retailers.

Something to take note of is only one of these eight offers includes the kinect. Since Phil Spencer has taken charge at Microsoft the body/head tracking and microphone has rapidly been phased out as the primary advertised choice — and with the $150 difference between the cheapest kinect console and the cheapest kinect-less console it very much makes sense.

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Bethesda boasts depth of Fallout 4 announcing over 111,000 lines of dialogue in game

Bethesda’s games do an incredible job offering an unprecedented level of depth with massive worlds and personality-rich characters (and occasionally an overabundance of launch-day bugs). The upcoming Fallout 4 game from Bethesda is already being named in contention for game of the year with how much content is expected to be in the game and Bethesda’s twitter is adding even more excitement for fans.

Bethesda Game Studios announced that Fallout 4 would have 111,000 lines of dialogue. The preceding RPG Fallout 3 had just 25,000 in comparison and the fantasy RPG Skyrim had roughly 60,000. Both of those games are already heralded as being extremely rich with content.

Putting this in more perspective, Skyrim alone has over 1,000 individual characters and if the lines of dialogue were used in the same proportion of Skyrim, Fallout 4 would have closer to 2,000 individual characters.

However, perhaps one of the biggest aspects of dialogue adding to the massive amount of lines is the fully voiced main character which Bethesda is hoping will help add a more personal and emotional connection between players and the game world.

In an interview with Telegraph it was said that the two main voice actors for the main character — Courtenay Taylor and Brian T. Delaney — recorded 13,000 lines apiece. Without their contributions the lines of dialogue drops down to a tamer 85,000.

Still, the potential of 1,500 unique characters outside the main protagonist should excite fans.

Fallout 4’s November 10 release on Xbox One, PS4, and PC looks prepared to give fans the deepest world since Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind in 2002.

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Fallout 4 gameplay, story, world editing, customization details and release date announced

E3 starts off with a bang.

After being teased almost two weeks ago Bethesda’s Fallout 4 reveal showed fans everything they could have imagined and so much more.

A bit of the Fallout 4’s story background was revealed showing the primary character and his family escaping to Vault 111 amid their first realization of the nuclear attack. While not all the details are revealed, your character is able to survive the nukes as the lone survivor of Vault 111. He is awoken and rises to the outside world — 200 years later.

fallout 4 screenshot 1
First person combat looks much improved over Fallout 3.

The destroyed city of Boston will certainly be fun for fans to explore with a vast map size. Todd Howard, director of Fallout 4, reiterated over and over the ambition of the game and the emphasis on improving combat.

The presentation showed improved first-person/third-person gameplay with a much higher quality FPS feel to the game. Along with that, the Vats system will also be noticeably better as well.

Though when the combat dies down, your best friend throughout Fallout 3, the pip-boy is now vastly improved as well. A more fluent UI, audio track compatibility, mini-games, and more make the pip-boy better than ever. And now, for those who want one… they can get one. A real pip-boy is now on sale. (Yes. The real pip-boy.) It is available on Amazon for preorder right now for $120.

You can now have your very own Pip-Boy. Compatible with your smartphone.
You can now have your very own Pip-Boy. Compatible with your iOS or Android smartphone.

And just as Todd Howard seemed to start toning things down, the big news was ramped up again with a new world customization and settlement reveal. Players can now scavenge for supplies and scrap throughout the world and use it to create their own haven complete with defenses, furniture, and completely customizable buildings.

The personalization options don’t end there though. Everything now “has a purpose.” Every item and piece of material you scavenge for is now available to be utilized and implemented into your weaponry and armor. The variety of weapons immediately skyrockets with simple guns being edited into powerful firearms.

There’s so many more other little things to take note of. Let us know what you noticed from the Fallout 4 E3 2015 reveal in the comments below or tweet us @pixelpine.

More will certainly be revealed in the coming months all the way up to the November 11, 2015 release of Fallout 4. The game will release on Xbox One, PS4, and PC and will retail at $59.99 for the basic copy and $119.99 for the Pip-Boy Edition.

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Bethesda E3 2015 conference starts tonight; Fallout 4, Doom 3, and more to be shown | Live Blog

Fallout 4’s latest trailer has enough buzz that Bethesda could focus solely on that for the entirity of their show, but some other great games are expected to be on the schedule for gamers to look out for.

E3 2015 will surely be off to a good of a start as it could be with Fallout 4 gameplay, Doom 3 news, and a rumored showing of Dishonored 2.

Nearly a year ago an allegedly former Bethesda employee leaked everything about Fallout 4 — we’ll all get to see if those leaks are true.

Check back here at 7 pm PT/8 pm EST for a link to the live conference hosted by Adam Sessler and Morgan Webb.

Watch live video from Bethesda on www.twitch.tv

Live Blog

11:22 pm — Show closes. Bethesda thanks fans with collectible figurines for all in attendance. More to be handed out in post-show with Adam Sessler and Morgan Webb.

11:20 pm — November release date confirmed. 11/10/2015

11:18 pm — More gameplay shown. Vats system improved.

11:16 pm — Combat a big emphasis for this fallout game.

11:15 pm — Weapon editing shown. Everything can be modified and changed extensively. Variety in weaponry will be fantastic.

11:14 pm — Players can also salvage for parts to create things to now build with. Everything in the game “has purpose.”

11:13 pm — Reiterated the world editing is completely optional.

11:13 pm — Take parts to develop your own settlements creating electrical circuits and towns to defend from.

11:12 pm — Everything runs in real time, in-game.

11:10 pm — Players can rebuild throughout the game and salvage parts to remake the world how they want it.

11:00 pm — App store game shown. Fallout Shelter available now!

10:57 pm — New in-game pip boy shown. Audio logs, mini-games, and more in a more fun to use interface

10:56 pm — Real pip-boy will go on sale with Fallout 4 Pip-boy edition!

10:55 pm — You wake up 200 years after the vault doors close. Your character is the sole survivor.

10:50 pm — You and your family shown making way to vault.

10:45 pm — Fallout 4 gameplay minor story background

10:37 pm — Female protagonist, Emily Caldwin, and incredible CGI

10:36 pm — Some new and returning powers seen with a very similar environment to the first game.

10:35 pm — Dishonored 2 is up

10:34 pm — Characters shown off and a bit of gameplay to boot.

10:32 pm — This isn’t Fallout. Battlecry is on now.

10:30 pm — Doom is awesome. Presentation closes. Now where’s Fallout 4!?

10:27 pm — Some more of the different demon types shown

10:25 pm — More gameplay. Shows some fittingly desolate demon-filled landscapes.

10:23 pm — Make your own maps and customize them however you want! (Snapmap)

10:21 pm — Doom multiplayer shown. Powerups and arena feel.

10:18 pm — Player just tears the hand off of a body. The type of gore that defined the Doom games is too as prevalent as ever.

10:16 pm — Hand-to-hand combat is very well done

10:15 pm — Game plays exactly how most would hope a new generation Doom game would play. Core of the game still has the overpowered “bad ass” feel.

10:13 pm — Doom gameplay shown off

10:11 pm — Executive Producer Marty Stratton discusses the foundation of Doom — “bad ass demons, big f’ing guns.”

10:10 pm — Bethesda kicks things off with Doom

10:07 pm — Pete Hines takes the stage for Bethesda

10:04 pm — Conference just now underway with a collection of Bethesda employee’s being showcased

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Fallout 4’s complete story, gameplay information, and release plan leaked

For the vast majority of the time the detailed rumors explaining exactly what will be in a certain game are blatantly false. This was not one of those times. A former Bethesda employee that was fired nearly a year ago for releasing “confidential information” issued a detailed post as revenge for being axed. The post explains everything about Fallout 4.

The employee, Sandra Reed, was spot on with the release of the Fallout 4 trailer and the setting of the game being in Boston. Her revenge post was listed on the Fallout subreddit of reddit.com. Some notable information from her reveal include an October 2015 release date and also another Xbox 360 and PS3 release in 2016. The game’s plot and some information regarding the gameplay has also been revealed.

Check it out below.

Before you all say: "TROLL!" "LIAR!", etc, you can all can your mouths and ask one of the Bethesda Employees about Me (my username is my name) and they will confirm I worked for Bethesda. I am strictly posting this in "Revenge" for them firing me.
Anyways, I worked at Bethesda Game Studios in Maryland up until last month before I was fired for releasing confidential information (but it was an accident!) and so here I am, sitting unemployed with my 2 kids thanks to those fools. So, I wanted to say: I worked on, and played, Fallout 4. Yes, I did.
I want to confirm that the recent leaks about Fallout 4 are true. In Fallout 4, you are in Boston, and it takes place in the year 2287, exactly 10 years after Fallout 3. In Fallout 4, mixing things up, we are making the game more "Story Based" and the player character will finally talk, and narrate his storyline.
At the beginning of the game, you create your character (You can only be a male in the main story), and afterward, you start the game with a blast. After the blast, you awake to see the building you are standing inside blown apart and your wife, Lydia, dead. Robots and Androids are storming the place, killing and kidnapping the people inside. You, known as "The Officer", must escape and get revenge.
LOCATION: Fallout 4 is set in and around Boston and the surrounding countryside.
The downtown area is entirely controlled by "The Institute", a group of techies and scholars, as well as researchers, who devote their lives to technology. The countryside area is a "Wasteland" with small towns and settlements, as well as vaults here and there. Logan International Airport is taken over by the Brotherhood of steel, who are there trying to control the technology, and are currently waging a war against the institute, as they both have disagreements as to who should be in control of the technology in the area.
Meanwhile, Vault 79, located outside of Boston, is under the control by "The Railroad", a group of people dedicated to helping Androids escape the institute.
The map of Fallout 4 is about 3 times the size of Skyrim. The reason for this is to make a much more realistic and interactive world, that players can always find new things, even if they have played it for years after release.
FACTIONS:
  • The Railroad returns from Fallout 3, where you only had a small glimpse of it during the "Replicated man" quest. In this game, they are a full faction and are much larger.
  • The Brotherhood Of Steel returns and control Logan Airport. This BOS is not the same as seen in Fallout 3. Instead, a similar BOS to the ones seen in the classic Fallout games as well as Fallout New Vegas make an appearance, only caring about technology, and will obtain it by force if they have to.
  • The Institute returns from Fallout 3, and is headed by a man named Thomas Littleton. They are the primary antagonists of the game, and control most of Boston Downtown. Their patrols in Downtown Boston are the counterpart in this game to the Super Mutants in Downtown DC in Fallout 3.
  • Talon Company also returns, but in a much smaller force. They base operations outside of a bunker located in Downtown Boston.
  • Raiders return too.
CREATURES:
  • Super Mutants return, in the same form as the ones from Fallout 3, keeping in line with the "East Coast" mutants.
  • Feral Ghouls return as well.
  • Vicious Dogs return.
  • Feral Cats are new, and exclusively located in one of the vaults.
  • Spore Carriers return from Fallout New Vegas, and are located in sewers.
RETURNING CHARACTERS:
  • Madison Li returns from Fallout 3. 10 years prior to Fallout 4, she left D.C after the Loss of James and having thought she lost the lone wanderer as well. Having had enough, she left to Boston, as it is home to one of the biggest Scientific facilities. Madison will once again be voiced by Jennifer Massey.
  • Three Dog returns as well, although he is only heard on the radio, and not seen in person. People believe the radio is not actually live, and that it is simply a looped recording. (Based on the fact that you CAN kill him in Fallout 3.) He is voiced by Erik Todd Dellums.
  • Bryan Wilks returns from Fallout 3. Yes, the little boy you saved from Grayditch. He is now 19 years old and is a mercenary, working with Talon Company. He bases his reason as to working with them on "Once someone saved me, and I wanted to be just like them!" He is voiced by Jerry Jewell.
  • Other Fallout 3 characters return as well, but only through save transfer (Detailed below).
PLATFORMS:
Fallout 4 will be available for a wide range of platforms after launch. The first version that will be released is being developed for Playstation 4, Xbox One and PC. This version uses a brand new engine built from the ground up to take advantage of the power of next gen systems. Absolutely everything is new, and no assets or scrips are being used from Fallout 3/NV or Skyrim.
Fallout 4 will also be available on Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. This version is also being developed by Bethesda Game Studios, but will release a year after the advanced version. This version runs on the Creation Engine, the same engine that powered Skyrim. This is being done so that PS3/360 users can play the game without problem. Everything will be the same in this version as the advanced version, except for the graphics, gameplay and some additional features.
Also, Fallout 4 on PS3 and Xbox 360, last I knew, was around 20GB+. This means that it will most definitely require install. Also, players of the PS3/360 version will be pleased to know that Fallout 4 will be able to import your Fallout 3 save, and adapt choices you made from that game for Fallout 4. This means that some additional characters could pop up, depending on if you killed them or not in Fallout 3. Also, some story references from Fallout 3 will be mentioned. Did the BOS save the capitol wasteland? Or did it fall? Did Sarah turn on the purifier and die? Or did the lone wanderer do it? It might get mentioned depending on your choices!
DEVELOPERS: Fallout 4 is being developed by Bethesda Game Studios, the same developer behind Fallout 3.
GAMEPLAY:
Fallout 4 plays similar to Fallout 3 and New Vegas. You can play in Third Person or First Person, or on the PC version, a new "Classic Mode" that will put the game into birds eye view and play similar to the classic Fallout Games. (Although by my experience, it actually looked and played more like the PS2/Xbox Fallout: Brotherhood of steel.)
Unlike Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas, you can only play as a man. This is due to the storyline requiring it. However, after the main story is over, you can have a gender change. BGS did not rule out Females for possible standalone DLC, however.
Additionally, full support for Trophies/Achievements are present on all console versions, and full steamworks support is present for the PC version.
PROGRESS: By my estimate, Fallout 4's PS4/XboxOne/PC version is about 40% complete, while the PS3/Xbox360 version is about 15% complete. Both versions are being developed by BGS.
RELEASE DATE: BGS has a "Roadmap" already planned out for Fallout 4 and a spinoff. I already was informed about it from the studio when I worked there, and I read it. Basically, the roadmap is this:
  1. June 2015 - Fallout 4 reveal at E3, trailer only
  2. July 2015 - First gameplay trailers
  3. August 2015 - More information
  4. October 2015 - PS4/Xbox One/PC release
  5. November 2015 - First DLC
  6. December 2015 - Second DLC, as well as PS3/360 version release
  7. January 2016 - Third DLC
  8. March 2016 - Forth DLC
  9. April 2016 - Fifth and Final DLC
  10. June 2016 - Fallout Spinoff revealed, in development by Behaviour Interactive.
  11. October 2016 - Fallout Spinoff released for PS4/Xbox One/PC
PROOF:
As I said, ask about me, but don't ask about this. If you do, it will 100% be denied. Bethesda will not comment on rumors.
PS. I leaked some of the first Fallout 4 info by accident, and it ended up in the hands of Kotaku. Oops.
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Fallout 4 reveal trailer “It’s All Over”

Fallout 4 returns with an incredible wave of excitement being washed over everyone who’s been a fan of the series. The developers at Bethesda studios already had high expectations to live up to after the massive succcess of Fallout 3 as it won a variety of prestigious awards. The expectations look even higher now with the small glimpses at the post-war, decaying-world of Boston.

The entire trailer — run in real time — takes viewers through a world just before the nukes are launched and all the way up until Vault 111 is opened and the player takes his first looks at the radiation and mutant-infested world.

The game has been confirmed for an Xbox One, PS4, and PC release — though a release date is still unknown. Fallout 4’s inclusion in Bethesda’s E3 showing will be on June 14 at 7 pm PST (10 pm EST).

 

See below for a collection of trailer stills.

fallout 4 trailer still 1
Everything in the trailer is run in real-time.
fallout 4 trailer still 2
Improved lighting/shadows is immediately evident from the start.
fallout 4 trailer still 5
Vault 111 will be the initial home and starting point for players.
fallout 4 trailer still 4
Areas surrounding the city are open to exploration as well.
fallout 4 trailer still 10
The first glimpses of the world looks massive.
fallout 4 trailer still 7
The dense city looking eerie at night.
fallout 4 trailer still 8
Encampments and civilization continues on post-war.
fallout 4 trailer still 6
The city of Boston is the setting of Fallout 4.
fallout 4 trailer still 9
“War never changes”
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Fallout 4 is coming

The longed for post-apocalyptic RPG from Bethesda is coming. Fallout 4 has been teased by the official Bethesda social media accounts simply stating the classic phrase present in all Fallout games — “Please stand by.”

A subsequent website to go with the still image broadcasts the same message, but with a timer ending at 10:00 am EST (9:00 am Central). This news essentially confirms the presence of Fallout 4 in Bethesda’s E3 presentation from June 16-18.

Still no word on a release date as of yet, but check back both on Pixelpine and the Please Stand By website tomorrow to see how much more info about the title is released.

Fallout 4 is expected to release on Xbox One, PS4, and PC.