Fallout 4...might the protagonist be "set"?

[Don Incognito]

As much as I think Bethesda are idiots, they simply cannot be this dumb. It's idiotic for so many reasons.

But then I remember how retroactively terrible I found Fallout 3 and it gives me doubt.

There is seriously no reason to think Bethesda would do this. Their trailers always feature Generic White Dude Protagonist, but their games always let you design your own. Even before they got their claws into the Fallout franchise, you designed your own. It ain't happening.

"Terrible" is a strong word for FO3. I mean, I certainly can't go back and play it now after New Vegas--I've tried several times. But, at the time, it was pretty good.

 

[Aetrion]

There was a lot of talk about the character from Fallout 4 potentially being an android who is on the run, which means the character actually has no real gender, might start out looking like a male, but have to switch to a completely different appearance/gender to elude pursuers during the story.

 

[VanQ]

Considering how they cheap out on voice acting every installment, I can't imagine it will cost them much more to have 2 or 3 voice actors do a bunch of voices for the main character.

Some MMOs already give your character a voice which you can select from at character creation. I think Mass Effect did the same thing too.

If they DO make it male only I'll be disappointed because I always play a female in Bethesda games. But it WILL be amusing watching the tumblr harpies begin to shreek and cry about it.

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

You will be able to play as a female as well as male. After all they can just redo the dialogue with a female actress. Same as what Bioware did with Mass Effect series. Also dont they always advertise their games with the male character?

 

[Passive Aggression]

If the positives outweigh the negatives, I see absolutely no reason not to do it.

IF it allows for a voice acted protagonist and more "Character" to the player character, it is completely fine to make that character only a specific gender.

 

[DrownedAmmet]

If they do allow you to play as a female character, can I still be disappointed that they went with the male one for the trailer?

 

[Zeljkia the Orc]

I'm not so sure Bethesda would do a dialogue wheel style of conversations, they prefer boxes after all.

I joke. as for a fully voiced PC, they could easily do it. I'm sure I'm not the only one that noticed the same guy talking to himself in other Bethesda games, so just grab a male and female voice actor who did NPC stuff and you got Mr. and Ms. 111.

The question I'm wondering about is if Fallout 4 takes place before Fallout 3, and if more androids will be in the game like that one in Rivet City.

Maybe... Maybe Vault Guy is Android :u

 

[Rebel_Raven]

I hope it's not true. I like character customization... And I don't wanna see people getting their rocks off defending it to no end because it caters solely to them now.

 

[Gengisgame]

I hope it's not true. I like character customization... And I don't wanna see people getting their rocks off defending it to no end because it caters solely to them now.

Defend? If a game did something I liked and you didn't I don't need to defend it, you don't need to defend opinions. I hope it's voiced, be nice if there was 2 genders both voiced but still going toget it if there's only one.

 

[Rebel_Raven]

I hope it's not true. I like character customization... And I don't wanna see people getting their rocks off defending it to no end because it caters solely to them now.

Defend? If a game did something I liked and you didn't I don't need to defend it, you don't need to defend opinions. I hope it's voiced, be nice if there was 2 genders both voiced but still going toget it if there's only one.

Shame not everyone feels like you do. I'm not asking you to defend your opinion, either. I don't know it, and honestly, I don't feel it best to know.
It's not even about people liking a male lead, and I'm going to leave it at that.
If they make it guy only, I'm going to have a very strong opinion about that, though.
I'm 99% likely to pass if it's only a guy. A lot of the magic of the fallout series will be gone for me.

 

[CpT_x_Killsteal]

Plot twist: The dog was the one talking.

They aren't getting rid of customizable Player Characters, I don't think even they would do something so random and uncharacteristic.

Would be fucking hilarious if the first line was right though.

 

[Rebel_Raven]

Vault, that leak is SO full of shit that I actually beginning to consider anyone giving it a tiniest bit of credibility a complete retard.

>b-but Marxie, the VOICING!
NARRATOR VOICE! THE NARRATOR IS ALWAYS THE PROTAGONIST!
Oh, and yeah, BTW...

I'm 99% likely to pass if it's only a guy

...we know that Lone Wanderer was canonically male because Ron Perlman. U mad sis?
I also have a very strong opinion about "magic" in F3-4 having any relation to what dummy you're playing, since every single characteristic of said dummy is completely irrelevant and F3 is a horrible-horrrible game for roleplay. I mean, F4 is probably gonna be "Screwed Up Oblivion with Guns Part 2: Androidic Boogaloo" and I'm supposed to be happy about all the people criticizing and not playing it, but holy shit the protagonist's gender is soooo far away from the games actual problems that complaining about it actually astounds me. Opinions are good and all, but there's a difference between not liking cheeseburgers because of pickles and refusing to consume a bowl of vomit solely because it's not gluten-free.
Boy I hope I didn't fuck up that metaphor.

Also - full voicing would demand a new dialogue system. Bethesda cannot into new dialogue system, period.

Canon doesn't mean much to me when I can do my own thing. And there's worse choices out there than Ron Perlman. Heck, I like Ron Perlman. One of the better choices, I'd say considering they could do way worse.

I got my preferrences on protagonists. Character customization creates more investment in my character so I feel closer to my character. The more control I have, the more investment, and more relateability.
Not saying I can't relate to a guy, but I am saying I prefer having more stuff to relate to than I generally get with the general bland male lead. Infact the game will have to pick up the slack in me puttin up with it.
You dont have to like it, it doesn't really bother me one way or the other.

You have preferrences on wanting to go back to the isometric grid based stuff, I suppose? Not super clear on it. You don't have to be happy about it. I'm sure as heck not asking you to be. You're more than welcome to complain. Question is why the heck are you taking it out on me?

And yeah, you kinda screwed up the metaphor. I guess you mean you're mad at me for not liking the protagonist and passing up a great game (If it's -that- good, it'll be in the 1%, but it'd have to be pretty stellar) while you hate the series because it's nothing you want anymore.

 

[Ravenbom]

It really could be a good thing. People don't remember this but the original Fallout was supposed funny and quirky. Like GTA. That was my biggest complaint about GTA IV is that they took a quirky universe and made it realistic.

I think with a protagonist there is a chance that the quirkiness and humor that was taken out of Fallout 3 (in comparison to the original) has a chance to shine through again.

I would imagine if they're going to put a main character VO then it's actually going to be something more along the lines of the Pip-Boy talking to the silent main character that you create.
If they did this, my guess is that your Pip-Boy has some experimental AI and that drives the plot of Fallout 4. It's Cortana to your Master Chief.

Considering I only care about the character I create for the duration of the character creator and then for the point where I get some new sweet power armor I really couldn't care less if the character creation is fixed.

 

[Zeljkia the Orc]

Let me ask this since people are getting salty about the possibility of having a set character: Who, besides you, and even then only if you are in the third person mode, is going to see your character?

There haven't been any cutscenes in any of Bethesda Fallout games that show your character, there is no co-op mode to show your character off to a friend, and unless you absolutely love the terrible third person mode that has been a staple since Morrowind, who the heck cares?

Honestly I'm starting to want Bethesda to make only premade characters for Fallout 4, in either Vanilla Steve or Chocolate Steve flavors just to see how salty people would get.

 

[Rebel_Raven]

You have preferrences on wanting to go back to the isometric grid based stuff, I suppose?

Not really. New Vegas was good, sans the butt-ugly engine and some fuck ups with faction writing. So, my idea of Perfect Fallout 4 is simply "give FNV a new engine and let Chris Avellone write everything"

Yeah, I did like New Vegas leaps and bounds over FO3. Better cast of companions, and just general excellence.

Question is why the heck are you taking it out on me?

I am angry, ANGRY ABOUT GAEMS, and you just happened to be nearby.

As good a reason as any.

I guess you mean you're mad at me for not liking the protagonist and passing up a great game

Yeah, I screwed up that one. I am pissed at you for hating on a probably horrible game for completely wrong reasons. Yeah, sounds retarded even to me, but your wrong reasons are so wrong I just can't hold it.

Fair enough. Not saying I'm wrong, mind you but disagreements happen.

I got my preferrences on protagonists. Character customization creates more investment in my character so I feel closer to my character.

THAT'S THE THING! The main character needs to be relatable, no matter what emotions the player i supposed to feel about him. But the protagonist of Falllout 3 was rather impossible to relate to. There was an absolute zero of possibilities for creating any sort of character for him, and no matter how much you played - he FORCIBLY remained a mindless blank dummy, with only two option being "a dummy with angelic wings" and "a dummy with demonic horns", both absolutely out of any context and lacking any meaning. Fucking roguelikes with next to no dialogue give you more means of actually fleshing out your character than Fallout 3 does. Choosing gender does nothing to give such a walking cloud of nothing any sort of shape, that's not the way of solving the issue, it's like trying to build a bridge starting with road markings on it.

So if we're expecting F4 to be anything like F3 (and we have every reason to) - we need to worry about lore being at least somewhat believable, about quests not being shit and choices in them making any sense. About plot not being a steaming pile of retardation and about ANYTHING of our character having at least some impact on it. Because without all of that - sticking a dick or a vagina on our idiotic dummy will have absolutely no meaning.

Captcha: run the gauntlet
Yes captcha, I know I'll have to download and play through it even if it's complete shit.

That's why I like character creation. It causes me to have some investment. It varies from game to game, but there's always that ability to project into the world, and enjoy some escapism.
Heck, I was up late playing New Vegas, and I looked at my health after a big battle, and I thought my character lost a foot coz of the way vault boy's drawn (One of the feet looks like a stump), so I freaked out. My avatar, my me was injured! of course later I came to my senses, and realized my avatar wasnt hobbling around on a stump.

Chosing a gender means a hell of alot to me in the end. I don't expect people to understand why, but that doesn't impact the fact that it helps a lot. Someone in the game, somewhere is eventually going to talk to your character. It kicks the crap out of my immersion being called the wrong gender, and being treated differently, ya know like in love scenes, and stuff. I like playing dressup in games like Skyrim, and Fallout (Storm Chaser hat, and shades ftw), and mass Effect (not that the latter has much to work with) and I go third person from time to time, so I do see my character.
I'm not super happy nearly always having to see things through the point of view of a guy. I've done that, and seen just about the extent games are willing to take that. Even in games like Fallout where Gender changes very little, that little bit helps.
It's entirely possible to write a story, and character for both genders. Saints Row, previous fallouts, most bethesda, and Mass Effect games, a lot of RPGs in the past.

 

[Rebel_Raven]

Let me ask this since people are getting salty about the possibility of having a set character: Who, besides you, and even then only if you are in the third person mode, is going to see your character?

There haven't been any cutscenes in any of Bethesda Fallout games that show your character, there is no co-op mode to show your character off to a friend, and unless you absolutely love the terrible third person mode that has been a staple since Morrowind, who the heck cares?

Honestly I'm starting to want Bethesda to make only premade characters for Fallout 4, in either Vanilla Steve or Chocolate Steve flavors just to see how salty people would get.

They'll talk to you and call you a dude, or a woman, of course. It might just be text, but that kinda just makes it harder to suspend disbelief.
Then there's prostitutes, coz those are basically inevitable in a fallout game. You may not see your character (I do fairly often coz I like seeing my character stylish) but your character is going to be treated like a gender would be. If not, then there's no point in forcing a gender, I imagine.

 

[Zeljkia the Orc]

Let me ask this since people are getting salty about the possibility of having a set character: Who, besides you, and even then only if you are in the third person mode, is going to see your character?

There haven't been any cutscenes in any of Bethesda Fallout games that show your character, there is no co-op mode to show your character off to a friend, and unless you absolutely love the terrible third person mode that has been a staple since Morrowind, who the heck cares?

Honestly I'm starting to want Bethesda to make only premade characters for Fallout 4, in either Vanilla Steve or Chocolate Steve flavors just to see how salty people would get.

They'll talk to you and call you a dude, or a woman, of course. It might just be text, but that kinda just makes it harder to suspend disbelief.
Then there's prostitutes, coz those are basically inevitable in a fallout game. You may not see your character (I do fairly often coz I like seeing my character stylish) but your character is going to be treated like a gender would be. If not, then there's no point in forcing a gender, I imagine.

if it's a gender thing, just make a Steve and then a Brittney as playable characters. I admit it's nice having a character creator in games but I think it's stupid to spend 45 minutes carfully making a character that no one ever is going to see other than you and possibly a few other people if you take a screenshot or make a video in the game.

For games like Entropia where you can go fairly in-depth in character creation, sure, spend that extra 30 minutes, in games like Saints Row, Dark Souls, and Fallout? if you aren't making Ginger Powder, why bother making a character at all?

http://thecreatures.wikia.com/wiki/Ginger_Powder

 

[Rebel_Raven]

Let me ask this since people are getting salty about the possibility of having a set character: Who, besides you, and even then only if you are in the third person mode, is going to see your character?

There haven't been any cutscenes in any of Bethesda Fallout games that show your character, there is no co-op mode to show your character off to a friend, and unless you absolutely love the terrible third person mode that has been a staple since Morrowind, who the heck cares?

Honestly I'm starting to want Bethesda to make only premade characters for Fallout 4, in either Vanilla Steve or Chocolate Steve flavors just to see how salty people would get.

They'll talk to you and call you a dude, or a woman, of course. It might just be text, but that kinda just makes it harder to suspend disbelief.
Then there's prostitutes, coz those are basically inevitable in a fallout game. You may not see your character (I do fairly often coz I like seeing my character stylish) but your character is going to be treated like a gender would be. If not, then there's no point in forcing a gender, I imagine.

if it's a gender thing, just make a Steve and then a Brittney as playable characters. I admit it's nice having a character creator in games but I think it's stupid to spend 45 minutes carfully making a character that no one ever is going to see other than you and possibly a few other people if you take a screenshot or make a video in the game.

For games like Entropia where you can go fairly in-depth in character creation, sure, spend that extra 30 minutes, in games like Saints Row, Dark Souls, and Fallout? if you aren't making Ginger Powder, why bother making a character at all?

http://thecreatures.wikia.com/wiki/Ginger_Powder

I like seeing how strong the character creation is, designing something pleasing visually and audibly if voice is an option, and basically letting lose some artistic side. I often do end up looking at my character, and sometimes getting irritated when the game's lighning makes my character look diffirent which leads me to either restart the game, or look for an appearance changer. Fallout's especially notorious for that... heck, Bethesda in general is.

I kinda have a character design I try to carry from game to game, too, sorta like Ginger Powder, but not that outrageous looking.

I don't mind if the characters are set as far as appearances go so long as there's a gender choice, or if the game is really and truely worth me putting up with likely not enjoying being the protagonist.

 

[DementedSheep]

Isn't it obvious from the trailer? we aren't playing as the guy, he just your companion. We are playing as the German Shepard and yes the gender is customisable! Personally I'm in support of this bold new direction.

 

[Someone Depressing]

Yeah, they wouldn't do that. Having an open-canvas protagonist is why the series got so popular in the first place. That and satire I guess.

I don't think it would be weird if they did (the canonical protagonists of 1-3 have been male - and while that is super annoying in the first place it's mostly irrelevant since you could be female in the game with almost no limitations), but as long as I get to be the dog, I don't care.