Making A Life Out In The Wasteland

November 13, 2022 6:03 PM

It's a hostile world, but you're determined not just to survive, but thrive. Come meet The Weird and Wonderful Fans STILL Playing Fallout 76 [43m], an MMO game panned on its release but years later is home to Elizabethan actors, any number of outlaws, and even a cannibal cult (in a world where death is irrelevant). Even in the irradiated wastes, community will be found.
posted by hippybear (10 comments total)

Years ago, my then-boyfriend talked me into buying him Fallout. Which I long learned to regret. I bet way too many years later he's still one of these people.
posted by jenfullmoon at 7:40 PM on November 13, 2022 [3 favorites]

Even in the irradiated wastes, community will be found.

Yet another tagline
posted by y2karl at 3:01 AM on November 14, 2022 [6 favorites]

When 76 first launched as a bug-infested glitchfest, it was clear that the folks at Bethesda expected the game to develop into having all manner of PvP savagery, with people hunting each other down. "War never changes" and all that. For a while they had "survival mode" servers, where PvP was always enabled. It wasn't very popular. Instead, the player community got - to a large extent - weirdly wholesome. There's griefers, sure, but not as much as I'd expect. Walk around as a very low-level character, and it's not uncommon for some high level character to show up and drop equipment or health-consumables for you. The added content with introduction of live NPCs has been good, but there was something really cool about wandering around in a landscape where everyone had died, putting together the story of what had happened (on both large and small scale) through environmental storytelling like notes and tapes.
posted by rmd1023 at 5:12 AM on November 14, 2022 [3 favorites]

76 has been a good game for quite a while now, what's with this "STILL playing" ...
posted by GallonOfAlan at 7:04 AM on November 14, 2022 [2 favorites]

but there was something really cool about wandering around in a landscape where everyone had died, putting together the story of what had happened (on both large and small scale) through environmental storytelling like notes and tapes.

Honestly I'd have preferred the game at launch if it was just that — an open world Fallout-rougelike that's absolutely steeped in lore. The player community is generally alright but spoil the sense of empty dread you got from having a world were the only humanoids were scorched or supermutants.
posted by nathan_teske at 7:35 AM on November 14, 2022

76 has been a good game for quite a while now, what's with this "STILL playing"

I agree with this statement, it has been pretty solid for a while and the community has only ever been helpful, even when I'm wanting to just solo play, I find myself being gifted all kinds of items by players who are leveled up much higher than myself who are just in the area wanting to be kind.

That being said, I do realize this game is not what many thought it was going to be and its also not what it has become. It's not quite the success story of No Man's Sky and its turnaround but FO76 is worth picking up on a sale if you have that Bethesda/Fallout/jank itch. :)
posted by Fizz at 9:17 AM on November 14, 2022 [1 favorite]

After the Wastelanders update, Fallout 76 is better than Fallout 4. There, I said it.
posted by Pyrogenesis at 9:17 AM on November 14, 2022 [2 favorites]

All I want is Fallout 3 on the Switch, I truly don't get why it hasn't been ported. Ah well, there are other systems/platforms out there....
posted by Fizz at 9:20 AM on November 14, 2022

Still playing? I just started. Free is good.
posted by Splunge at 9:36 AM on November 14, 2022

Neat! Very wholesome, but I'm sure a ton of drama has been obliqued.

I admit, I'm pretty jealous by not being part of such a lively and imaginative community.
posted by porpoise at 9:23 PM on November 14, 2022