For context, Nanni worked on Fallout 76 as part of Escalation Studios, which would eventually become Bethesda Game Studios Dallas. During the game’s development before its launch, the development team was split into groups. While the main team worked continued working on the base release of Fallout 76, Nanni and a group of other developers started to work on its Nuclear Winter expansion. Interestingly, it is also worth noting that Nuclear Winter – a 52-player battle royale mode released in 2019 – has since been removed from Fallout 76.

“We were trying to build expansion while the game was still being built simultaneously,” said Nanni. “So we didn’t know what the game was going to end up being. We just knew what our goal was going to be, but we were so dependent on the game being finished.”

Nanni also spoke about having to work on what was ostensibly a multiplayer-only mode while the studio wasn’t even sure at the time about how the servers for Fallout 76 would work. Working on the expansion, Nanni described feeling like he would have to start getting ready for “a rough ride.”

“Let’s just be completely honest: when we were told we were going to make a battle royale for Fallout 76, I think everybody was hands on heads like, ‘oh, man, here we go. This is it’. Like, you’re boarding this train and you know it’s going in a direction that you did not agree to be going into,” he explained. “So much as you knew this is going to be a rough ride. You knew that this was going to take some dedication, right, and perseverance. And you had to fight through that.”

Ultimately, Nanni considers the fact that the studio was able to make a game engine that was designed for single-player RPGs be able to handle multiplayer servers as an amazing feat in itself. He also notes that behind-the-scenes accomplishments like these don’t really get acknowledged much by players.

“A lot of people worked a lot of hours… totake that engine and to make it multiplayer was a feat,” Nanni said. “That itself was an amazing feat of technology, that was worth the price of entry, but you can’t sell that to a gamer. ‘Hey, look at all this work we did to make it work and it shouldn’t have worked but it did!’ You can’t sell that as a product, right? But it doesn’t matter, it still hurts.”

When Fallout 76 ultimately launched to a fairly negative reception both critically and commercially, Nanni described working on Nuclear Winter at the time as “marching towards doom.”

“Working on the product that’s supposed to follow that up knowing that the rumours are out there and nobody wants it, it just makes you feel like you’re marching towards doom, and it’s not a good feeling but you have to do it,” he explained. “It’s your pride, it’s your passion; you have to change your perspective, you have to change your frame of mind. You have to think what is good about this and put everything into it.”

Eventually, Fallout 76 would start getting a more positive critical reception once some of its more glaring issues were fixed through regular updates. The Wastelanders expansion – which was also worked on by Nanni – would also bring in quite a bit of positive buzz around the online title. The title is still going quite strong, having kicked off its 20th season back in March.

Fallout 76 is available on PC, PS4 and Xbox One. The game can also be played on current-gen consoles through backwards compatibility.

THE MAKO IN MASS EFFECT 2

Being able to move around on alien planets and moons in a massive tank sounds like such a great idea in paper- simple, yes, and not out-of-the-box by any means, but it’s something that just sounds appealing. Mass Effect’s Mako sections, however, were famously terrible. The environments were barren and repetitive, combat in the Mako felt rather uninteresting, and worst of all, actually driving the vehicle was a bit of a nightmare. The first game’s Mako sections were one of the few parts of the game that received heavy criticism, and of course, BioWare went on to drop it completely in Mass Effect 2, replacing it with the much more simplified probe mining mechanic- which wasn’t exactly a huge hit either, but at least it wasn’t actively obnoxious like the Mako sections tended to be. Mass Effect: Legendary Edition did end up making some improvements to the Mako, and Mass Effect: Andromeda’s open world driving was a step up over it as well, even though it wasn’t exactly spectacular. Even so, it’s fair to say that Mass Effect as a series has never really managed to do vehicles right.

Warcraft 3: Reforged

How do you possibly mess up a classic game like Warcraft 3? It’s one thing to have multitudes of bugs, horrible multiplayer, an underwhelming UI, and an uneven graphics update. It’s quite another to claim ownership over all custom games with players not even getting credit. Or outright lying about remastered cutscenes and presentation. Or making it so that owners of the original had to update to Reforged, thus ruining their nostalgia as well. Or a dozen other things that make you wonder how Blizzard got to this point.

Much has been made about the issues that Bethesda’s Fallout 76 faced at launch (read our review here for more details). However, it seemingly prompted the company to commit to a higher standard for subsequent releases. According to Bethesda senior VP of global marketing and communications Pete Hines, this is what resulted in id Software’s DOOM Eternal and the Fallout 76’s Wastelanders update being delayed.

Speaking to US Gamer during its Branching Narratives podcast, Hines said, “We said, ‘These are not ready, and we’re not going to make another mistake, and we’re going to take the extra time even though that time hurts, and is painful, and you miss a holiday.'”

So despite DOOM Eternal missing what could have been a lucrative Christmas launch, the final product was worth it. “DOOM Eternal was so much better for it, and the response to Wastelanders was so much better for the extra time.” Of course, Wastelanders would face another delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic but it wasn’t too severe.

As for what Bethesda is currently up to, especially with regards to The Elder Scrolls 6 and Starfield, Hines wouldn’t say. The company is publishing Tango Gameworks’ GhostWire: Tokyo and Arkane Studios’ Deathloop, with both recently confirmed as exclusive to the PS5 at launch (though the latter will also receive a PC version). Deathloop is out this holiday season while GhostWire: Tokyo is out in 2021. Stay tuned for more details on other Bethesda titles in the coming months.

Following the release of Wastelanders, Bethesda has quite the year planned for Fallout 76. It will introduce Seasons into the mix along with new activities, quests and factions (including the return of the Brotherhood of Steel). Of course, Seasons usually mean battle passes or the like and Bethesda’s wording about the “inaugural Summer Season” being free raised some eyebrows.

Worry not, however. The company has confirmed on Twitter that Seasons will be free for all players. “We may add extra Fallout 1st bonus rewards in the future, but want to focus on getting Season 1 in game first and seeing your thoughts,” said the developer. Keep in mind that other monetization methods could be introduced down the line.

Fallout 76’s progression system will be overhauled when Seasons launch with players earning S.C.O.R.E. points to progress through different tiers. These will unlock cosmetics, Atoms and Legendary Scrip with milestone rewards unlocked at certain ranks. Bethesda will also be adding new Legendary Perks, Public Teams and a new Legendary Boss event when the Summer Season debuts so stay tuned for more details in the coming months.

To clarify, our Seasons in Fallout 76 are going to be free for all our players. We may add extra Fallout 1st bonus rewards in the future, but want to focus on getting Season 1 in game first and seeing your thoughts.

Sorry for confusion on this.

— Bethesda Game Studios (@BethesdaStudios) May 20, 2020

Following the release of free major update Wastelanders, Bethesda’s Fallout 76 is getting a free weekend. It starts today at 12 PM EDT and ends on May 18th at the same time. So you can download the game for free on Steam, create a new character and effectively immerse yourself in Appalachia (bugs and all).

With the release of Wastelanders, the main quest has seen some tuning. Players will be acquainted with the new human NPCs almost immediately, though you’ll still have to perform a number of the game’s menial tasks before engaging directly with the new factions. If you can survive the grind, then there are two factions to align with – Settlers or Raiders – along with a hunt for treasure to embark on.

Fallout 76’s Wastelanders also brings new weapons, faction quests, a Reputation System, the return of the classic dialogue system and more. Different decisions will impact your experience with skill checks coming into play. For more details on whether it’s worth walking these country roads, check out our review for Fallout 76: Wastelanders here.

Fallout 76: Wastelanders brings back human NPCs, dialogue choices and skill checks in grand fashion. However, it also brings back factions, each with their own innate purpose. The two key factions though are the Settlers and the Raiders. You’ll be able to undertake quests and tasks for each faction which go towards earning Reputation. Rank up in Reputation and you get access to specific things from vendors.

How do you effectively earn Reputation with each faction? Here are some of the best ways.

For the Settlers, you’ll want to head to their base Foundation and pick up the “Vital Equipment” daily quest. If you donate the end reward, you even get additional Reputation. Another nice method is by taking photos and giving them to Davenport as part of the “Photo Opportunity” quest. This will net some Reputation in return and also works for gaining Reputation with the Raiders, which is good.

For more dedicated Raider Reputation quests, speak to Rocksy in the Crater. She’ll either task you with bringing back a Raider (who can also be guided to the Settlers for Reputation with them) or to repair equipment for her gang. If you go to the water park, talk to Bones and fight off some Mirelurks, you’ll start a quest to hunt Mirelurks for their meat. These can be donated in exchange for Raider Reputation with Mirelurk Queen meat providing the most.

Finally, as you travel through the open world, you’ll eventually encounter Settlers or Raiders battling enemies or each other. Help your faction of choice and you’ll receive some Reputation for them, though these events is random so it’s not necessarily the best farming method.

Also remember that at the end of the Wastelanders storyline, you’ll have to choose between one of the factions. Doing so will provide Reputation for one but cause you to lose Reputation for the other. It’s possible to hit maximum Reputation with both sides before coming to this point so try doing that beforehand and getting all the items.

How to Earn Gold Bullion

Gold Bullion becomes available after completing the main quest of Wastelanders. You’ll earn 1,000 Gold Bullion which can be shared or kept, the latter resulting in the loss of faction Reputation (which isn’t permanent so don’t worry). From this point on, dailies and public events will dole out Treasury Notes which can be exchanged for 10 Gold Bullion at Gold Vending Machines. If you visit Smiley in the Wayward, you can also purchase 50 Gold Bullion for 1,000 Caps each.

Where do you spend the Gold Bullion? Pay a visit to either Samuel in Foundation or Mortimer in the Crater – they’ll exchange the currency for either rare items or unique plans respectively. It can also be used to purchase unique plans from Regs in Vault 79.

How to Find the Wendigo Colossus

Among the many new horrors to battle is the Wendigo Colossus but it’s not your typical world boss. Finding it is tricky since you need to launch a nuke and then head to the blast zone where the Colossus has a small chance of spawning. How small? We’re talking seven percent chance here.

There are ways to mitigate this but keep in mind that they’re not guaranteed. Apparently, there are two places to the south which where the Colossus spawns more easily. After nuking these areas, explore the blast zones, following the green dots on your map, and kill any enemies that you come across. Make sure to keep checking both spots again and again to be sure. You’ll also need to complete an Assault event here so do that as well.

The Wendigo Colossus will be accompanied by several high-level Wendigos and can easily one-shot you. Keep plenty of ammo, bring friends and be prepared for a fight. It’s not currently clear if the Colossus has any dedicated loot that’s worth farming so don’t go in expecting an amazing reward. At least, not in its current state.

Bethesda Game Studios’ Fallout 76 recently received a massive update in the form of Wastelanders, which adds human NPCs, companions, dialogue choices and more to the online game. It’s a mixed bag (as our review will attest) but fans seem to enjoy it. Now that the different companions have settled into Appalachia, is there a chance that pets could be coming too?

Project lead Jeff Gardiner responded to a question on this in a Reddit AMA. “Now that we have our companions system in the game, we are looking to add pets as well.” There’s the hope that pets will be able to actually company players when they venture outside of their CAMPs. For now, companions are neat but they are restricted to your CAMP site.

Gardiner also noted that Perk Loadouts were planned to be added this year, theoretically allowing players to manage their builds more easily. Fallout 76: Wastelanders is currently live for Xbox One, PS4 and PC. Though the new content is decidedly better than the base game, there are still some annoying bugs – like NPCs stealing your guns. For more information on companions and how to find them all, check out our guide here.

Resident Evil 3

Capcom returns with yet another remake in the Resident Evil series, this time of 1999 PS One classic Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. Along with stunning new visuals, the remake includes new designs for Jill Valentine and Carlos Oliveira, new mechanics for Nemesis (like a flamethrower and increased agility) and expanded story beats. There’s an online mode, Resident Evil Resistance, which sees four players attempting to survive the schemes of a player-controlled Mastermind. Even with some mixed reviews here and there, Resident Evil 3 is still worth checking out on April 3^rd for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake

The legendary RPG finally gets its remake and thankfully, it’s not far off now. Final Fantasy 7 Remake is only the first part of the story, running till the escape from Midgard. However, it features a completely redone battle system focused on hack and slash combat, gorgeous graphics, expanded interactions and scenes, and gameplay length to rival a mainline game. If the demo was any indication, Final Fantasy 7 Remake will likely, hopefully exceed expectations when it launches on April 10^th for PS4.

Gears Tactics

What happens when Gears of War meets XCOM with executions and snapping to cover? You get Gears Tactics, developed by The Coalition and Splash Damage, which takes place several years before the first game. The objective is to defeat a Locust mastermind, recruiting and customizing squad members over a 40 hour plus campaign. Tactical turn-based fans are advised to keep an eye out for Gears Tactics. It launches on April 28^th for PC via Steam and the Microsoft Store.

Predator: Hunting Grounds

4v1 asymmetric multiplayer titles are nothing new but this is IllFonic, known for Friday the 13^th: The Game. Predator: The Hunting Grounds breaks up the monotony all the more, seeing four soldiers – who navigate a map and deal with enemy NPCs while completing objectives – surviving against the Predator. With four soldier classes and three Predator classes, a variety of weapons and gadgets, Predator: Hunting Grounds promises a tense experience when it releases on April 24^th for PC and PS4.

Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories

A new entry in Granzella’s action adventure series, Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories is all about escaping from the city when a cataclysmic earthquake hits. This time around, players will be able to enter different buildings and find survivors. You also need to manage “cleanliness” and keep stress down. As an alternative to everything else, Disaster Report 4 might be worth checking out when it releases on April 7^th for PC, PS4 and Nintendo Switch.

Deliver Us The Moon (Consoles)

Originally released on PC, Deliver Us The Moon is a sci-fi thriller that will be releasing for consoles on April 24^th. As an astronaut, your job is to investigate the sudden loss of communication with a World Space Agency colony on the Moon. Where has everyone gone and what ultimately happened? You’ll be managing these mysteries in both first and third person, exploring the colony for clues and solving puzzles. Deliver Us The Moon will be available next month for PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.

Hellpoint

Cradle Games’ Hellpoint is a Souls-like sci-fi with a dash of weirdness. Taking place on a ruined space station overrun by threats from another dimension, the player must explore and fight them off. The twist is that various dynamic events can occur – including enemies randomly attacking and bosses appearing – making each playthrough unique. After playing Hellpoint: The Thespian Feast, the free standalone follow-up available on Steam, I’m hopeful for a more fleshed-out and polished experience with Hellpoint. We’ll find out how it fares on April 16^th for PC, Xbox One, PS4 and Nintendo Switch.

Cloudpunk

Set in a sprawling futuristic metropolis called Nivalis, Cloudpunk centers on Rania, starting the first day as a delivery agent. Throughout your experience, you’ll meet different characters, make decisions that influence the city’s well-being and encounter different mysteries and secrets. There’s some intrigue over what you’re delivering – about not missing a delivery or asking what’s in the package. All of this just makes us more curious for when Cloudpunk debuts on April 23^rd for PC, PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.

Fallout 76: Wastelanders

Sure, it’s actually a free update but Bethesda’s Fallout 76: Wastelanders is still a major release in its own right. It changes the online title in many ways, from revamping the main quest and adding a brand new one to bringing back human NPCs and factions. Players will interact with either the Settlers or Raiders through dialogue trees, complete different tasks for reputation, and ally with one or the other. Over time, you’ll be able to recruit and romance companions, explore new locations, and earn new weapons and armor. Fallout 76’s Wastelanders update is out on April 14^th for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

Human NPCs

The first and most obvious change is the return of human non-playable characters. Like the classic Fallout games, you’ll meet all kinds of different survivors, interact with them, find out their respective stories, barter etc. The survivors are mostly split into two new factions – the Settlers and Raiders, each with their own motivations and goals. Other factions like the Blood Eagles and apparent Cult of the Mothman are also coming but let’s focus on the major two.

Settlers and Raiders

The Settlers are made of construction workers, arriving in Appalachia for the purpose of rebuilding. Located in Spruce Knob is their base, Foundation, where they’re led by Paige. On the other hand are the more violent Raiders, led by Meg. After hearing about people returning to Appalachia, they’ve decided to defend their former turf. Located at the Crashed Space Station in their base, Crater, meeting up with and possibly allying with the Raiders will apparently take some doing.

Branching Dialogue

Human non-playable characters are only one side of the Fallout coin – Wastelanders will also see the return of extensive dialogue systems with branching choices. And the good news is that the system will emulate Fallout 3, with all of your responses listed in full, as opposed to Fallout 4. Of course, your decisions having an impact on the overall plot is also a sorely missed feature.

Instances

One major problem of NPCs with branching paths is how the game consolidates the online environment with your own personal choices. To that end, Wastelanders will have instances which only your character can be a part of. Any choices made will be personal to you and remain confined to your instance.

Choices and Consequences

The fact that there are two factions diametrically opposed in philosophy should have clued you in by now: You’re gonna have to make some tough choices. Bethesda has insisted that these decisions won’t be black or white but more morally gray. Can you wipe out the opposing faction or make them your permanent enemy? Will there be choices not related to either faction that bring consequences to your character? We’ll have to wait and find out.

Reputation System

As noted above, allying with either faction is possible but it won’t be easy. You need to take on work, completing daily quests to earn reputation for each. There are seven reputation ranks and as you rank up further, new items will be available on sale with each faction’s merchant. It’s also a given that increasing reputation will lead to story consequences so keep that in mind if you plan on playing both sides.

Romancing Allies

But wait that’s not all. Companions are also coming back in Wastelanders and they can be romanced. You’ll need to complete their respective side quests but once you’ve done that, they’ll be by your side. Each faction will have a major companion that you can romance and once you complete their story quests, you can begin accepting daily quests from them that will give more XP and loot.

Ally CAMP Items

If you help an ally enough, then you’ll unlock some special items for your CAMP. The ally will also join your CAMP and help defend it if any intruders come around. One particular example given was Beckett. Helping him will allow you to add Beckett’s Bar to the CAMP which Beckett himself will tend to. It’s just another touch that should foster some attachment to the new allies and companions.

Watoga Underground

Along with Foundation and Crater, players will explore some other new locations like Watoga Underground. Touted as the City of the Future, it’s essentially a large parking space that’s now abandoned. Screenshots indicate that a Raider gang may be holed up there so it should be interesting to see how they figure into the whole storyline. Of course, there’s also Vault 79 which figures into a new activity…

Map Fragments and Gold Panning

Map fragments must be collected in the Wasteland to locate Vault 79. What does the Vault hold and why is it important? Unclear but it should still make for a fun hunt (and hopefully lead to some good loot). It also seems that gold panning could be a new activity, as least judging by the fact that a gold pan has been found as one of the miscellaneous items coming with this update.

Revamped Main Quest

Since Wastelanders technically takes place after the Scorchbeast threat was eradicated in the base game, how exactly will the main story work going forward? According to Bethesda, the update will add a new main quest but also revamp the base game quest line. The revamped main quest will start after you leave Vault 76 and can be played either solo or with friends. Hopefully there are less audio logs to collect and listen to.

New Weapons and Armor

It wouldn’t be a new update without new weapons, armor and other items to unlock. Several new Gauss weapons like the Gauss Pistol, Gauss Shotgun, and Gauss Minigun are being added. There’s also the Plasma Caster and Compound Bow. A gauntlet with a saw for close encounters is also coming. If that weren’t enough, there’s new Power Armor – the Secret Service Power Armor – to earn.

New Enemies

If you thought the Wendigos were freaky enough, then say hello the Wendigo Colossus, an imposing creature with long legs that towers over you. Floaters will also be appearing, namely the Chompers, Flamers and Freezers and players will also deal with Mongrels owned by the Blood Eagles. Expect other new foes to make life difficult in Appalachia, especially if the apparent Cult of the Mothman turns out to be less than friendly.