LogFAQs > #973447670

trappedunderice posted...

The forced roleplay that you're a parent trying to find your kid is dumb as hell, rather than letting you create your own story in the apocalyptic wasteland like NV. Awful writing great gameplay.

I hear people say this on forums often and I totally disagree

Sure it doesn't have to be a kid but you absolutely need a reason to explain why the player character gives a fuck about what's going on

Every other Fallout Game did this.

1: You need a water chip or your vault dies
2. You need a GECK or your village/family dies
3.You're a child searching for their parent.
Tactics: The BOS (who are stranded because their ship crashed) hired you and you're doing what they say because your life in the wastes as a tribal was so shit, this is superior. You have to do what they tell you to do.
4.You're a parent looking for their kid

Every single one explains why you're in a set area and invested in the struggles, refusing to leave regardless of your characters morality. You have an agenda

Fallout NV's Courier literally makes no sense. He's lived in the desert for decades yet has no friends, no impact on anything and nobody knows him. So he's an utterly boring motherfucker of no importance who has had a dull job.

Then he got rolled by 3 random dudes (even you're a badass?) and shot in the head.... And his response is suddenly "Well better go chase after the guy who shot me for some fucking reason. Then randomly get involved in a upcoming slapfight for 0 reason where every NPC acts like I'm the chosen one to solve all their problems"

So you're a really boring dull weak motherfucker who had no impact on anything or family or friends or really a home for decades... Yet you're also weirdly passionate about revenge for near death and getting invovled in a fight that has nothing to do with you for no reason?

I think if I invented 103 vastly different character personalities with that backstory, 100 of them would instantly react by some varation of reaching the same "Fuck, glad I'm not dead. This upcoming war is a bummer and this place sucks. So I should leave, immediately" conclusion

To roleplay as a character with that backstory you have to roleplay as the weirdest, most dull, inconsistent schizophrenic...Or not engage with the game.

Sure "you have a kid and care about your kis" forces elements of personality on your character, but it's all completely reasonable and not big asks. Going back to my previous example, If I made 103 characters I'd imagine 85+ would care about their kid.

Fallout NV actively asks you to ignore half the plot, ignore all agency and just roll with it not making sense because it's a video game. It's the least immersive game in the series in that respect (I haven't played 76)

I really believe people just give it slack because it's Obsidian and give Fallout 3/4 flack because it's Bethesda.

If NV started with Benny kidnapping your son and 4 started with Kellogg shooting you in the head, I think alternate universe you would be arguing the total 180 about the roleplay aspect

"Why does my character care about Kellogg/The factions? NV was way better with us trying to find our Son!"