The dangers of Fallout 76 for gamers
Several weeks ago, I wrote about the sad state of Fallout 76. When it launched, there were many broken promises, along with many other issues with this game.
I had some great discussions through email with readers who still enjoy the game, even with its many problems. The issue this game brings to light isn’t whether or not you enjoy the game. We, as gamers, get hyped about games with commercials and little teases from the developers.
Gamers always expect that games are not broken or unfinished when they throw $90 down to purchase a copy. Fallout 4 has a ton of issues; from glitches to issues with missions because of bugs in the system.
Modders over time have fixed issues with the game and actually helped make it better than the release Bethesda offered gamers.
There are two different spectrums of game developers — those that push back releases to fix the bugs and make the game as perfect as it can be before release, and those that try and fix any issues after release.
RockStar is a great example. A game like Red Dead Redemption 2 was delayed, and the end result was an epic experience that gamers are more than happy about. On the other hand, you have a game like Fallout 76 that is online only.
When released, it was an unplayable mess at times. With 76 being online, these bugs are a bigger issue as constant disconnects from the server means your progress in missions can be reset. If you add other issue like a bug that makes enemy health refill, and it can pop up at random, you will have some major issues.
Developers want to turn a profit as fast as possible. I understand that. Many developers over the past few years have stripped out content that would originally be included for free. They now charge extra for that content, whether it be horse armour or season-pass content.
But, to release an unfinished game — with a promise of improving the game later — is going too far in my eyes. If you tried this with any other media or product, you would never get away with it. Would you buy the latest car only to get the brakes later?
You’re buying a game with the promise of it being complete and playable when you buy it. The company already has your money so there’s no incentive to fix the issues.
——— Congratulations to Larry Melanson from Penticton. He wins a copy of 2019 Guinness Book of World Records. His name was drawn in random from those who entered last week’s contest in my He’s Got Game column.