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Yes, I finally got my mitts on a copy of Fallout 4. And yes, I know this game has been out for over a year, now. Aren’t you supposed to wait awhile for fallout to settle before you chance roaming into it?
I mean really that question applies to both the nuclear event and Bethesda games in general. Bethesda is notorious both for the ambitious scope and sophisticated storylines of their open-world games like the Fallout and Elder Scrolls franchises, and the terribly buggy state those games are inevitably released in.
Don’t believe me? It is known.
Fallout 4 was reported to be no exception, up to and including an “unofficial patch mod” being put together and maintained by fans once the studio itself decided to stop fixing things post-launch, same as happened with Skyrim.
Why is this tolerated? Even rewarded, to the point where the pre-orders of Fallout 4 (not to mention the day one buys) were quite healthy? Well, because of the aforementioned scope and ambition. I’ll lay odds quite a few gamers were just as impressed as I was the first time a dragon randomly attacked a town they were wandering through — not a cutscene, not a scripted event, a true random encounter that nonetheless had the dragon landing on various rooftops and wrecking face while you and the townsfolk and guards tried to fight it off. Or for that matter you could just sneak off and let whatever was going to happen, happen, even if that meant a few people you’d gotten to know were fried corpses next time you came by. It’s one thing for a game to do big setpiece fights under carefully controlled circumstances, but Bethesda took the chains off and it was a glorious experience. In the face of that, I’m willing to forgive a few bugs.
Well, that, and by having patience I get both less bugs and a lower price. Also more mod options — and Bethesda can be credited for being far more supportive of a thriving mod community for its games than other major companies like EA or Ubisoft, who at times seem totally antagonistic to the idea of marshaling the love of their player base to do cool stuff. I guess this is again where Bethesda’s “chaos over order” prioritizing works out. I’ve only barely started the vanilla game so haven’t really felt the notion for too much experimentation, but I did grab a highly recommended one called “True Storms” which seems to be quite stable so far and takes the already impressive weather effects to a next level of immersion. Trying to fight raiders in the midst of a blinding, swirling dust storm, or even just watching rain fall realistically through the holes in a building’s roof, really brings the wasteland to life for me.
Of course the biggest reason I’ve barely started the game so far is the first-time ever built-in feature of Settlements. Yeah, you get to build and manage a post-apocalyptic town. More than one, eventually. If you’re any kind of interested in such features, it’s pure cocaine, and best of all you finally have a use for all the junk lying around as you salvage it for parts. Seeing as the character generation now has a bodyslider feature for the possibility of a more heavy-set protagonist, I was sorely tempted to restart the game with an Uncle Chuck amalgam, but I decided to stick with my original go at making a Rosa. Building generators and such? She’s good with that stuff.
Say, there’s a question. Have any of you out there made any Zombie Ranch characters for a game, on or offline? I have a habit, at least where post-apoc or science fiction settings are concerned. It’s probably fortunate in a sense that we aren’t *too* widely known — occasionally I’ve pondered how much it would suck if you were, say, J.K. Rowling and wanted to play Harry Potter on an MMO, where at best you might be able snag xxHarrrreePotter156xx as a character name. Not that J.K. Rowling is an MMO gamer (that I know of), but then likely also once you get that big a name you don’t have time to play much, or would just as soon be playing some other character than the ones of yours everyone knows and demands.
In the meantime: Fallout 4. Liking it a lot so far! More thoughts probably at some point down the radiation-and-rubble-strewn road.
Suzie hearkening back to the last time Eustace was faked out. She probably regrets not being able to sneak the Lawn Ranger into the bedcovers to be the victim of the stabbing.
And with that, it's Episode 23 time! Welcome back to the Ranch, everyone!
12 thoughts on “540 – Trick Hello”
Scarsdale
Called it, she figured he’d do this, if by choice or by zombie voodoo. I’m sure the “friendlier” questioning will start soon, if she doesn’t just kill him out-right. Or just add him to the herd.
Crazyman
Gotcha!
Zombatar
This turn of events is a surprise only to Eustace. And, maybe, Eustace’s subconscious. After all, this way he doesn’t have to actually risk actually attacking Suzie, which gives him a greater chance of survival than actually attacking her. I wonder what he was promised/threatened with?
ConcordBob
Not to nit-pick, but since sights are on target, finger should be on the trigger. Especially this close.
The usual rule is “keep finger straight and off trigger until sights are on target”.
Dr. Norman (not a real doctor)
Not to nit-pick, but since that was current philosophies regarding trigger discipline have evolved.
Of course, it will depend on who you get/got your training from.
Experiments have determined that the fraction of a second to go from finger off the trigger to finger firing when appropriate is insignificant, and the risk of firing unintended is greatly reduced.
Dr. Norman (not a real doctor)
I did the google thing and I believe I saw how you reached this conclusion … but there are two parts to it – One should not omit the second part.
“Trigger Finger Discipline: · The practice of keeping your finger “off the trigger” until your sights are on target AND YOU ARE READY TO DISCHARGE THE FIREARM.” (Caps are my own)
Crazyman
She wants him alive so she can question him; otherwise, he’d already be dead.
ConcordBob
Good discussion on trigger discipline!
His skin is very pale / gray. Is this malnourishment, or has he been poisoned with a mind-control drug? I would have to go back and look a t all various of skin tone.
TKG
On a prior page we discussed what he’s likely got running in his system. I suggested that it’s probably Borrochero (Brugmansia arbora) which is already used by Colombian cartels to eradicate the free will of their victims.
ConcordBob
Oh, the gray is just the dim light. Here is McCarthy eating dinner, and has the typical white dude flesh tone.
https://www.zombieranchcomic.com/comic/531-inquisitional-etiquette/
Dawn
Yeah, I was trying to show that it was dark. But went with the old Hollywood method of adding a blue grey tint over everything.
Dr. Norman (not a real doctor)
Now can we satisfy my curiosity? Colt, Smith & Wesson, Ruger, or other timeline variant?