Fallout 76

Fallout 76 is an upcoming multiplayer game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. It is the next installment in the Fallout series (ninth overall) and will be released on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on November 14th, 2018.

Setting and story
The game is set in Appalachia, comprised of the former state of West Virginia, in the year of 2102, 25 years after the Great War and before any previous Fallout game. It involves Vault 76, one of the 17 control vaults, designed without a social experiment. The player character emerges from Vault 76 following a celebration of Reclamation Day, having been sent on a quest by the Overseer, a woman who left the vault before the rest of the residents.

Gameplay
According to Todd Howard, the game is four times the size of Fallout 4. It utilizes an open-world environment. The game is entirely online but solo play is possible; via avoidance of other players. The game has no interactive human NPCs, though there are still robots and other creatures with personalities that can give out quests and engage in bartering. Player characters are voiceless and engage in very limited dialogue. Almost all characters met by a player character will be those of other players. In addition, one player can have multiple characters under the same account.

The game has been labelled as a "softcore survival game." Death does not result in loss of progression, and food and water may also be needed to survive. Loot from containers is instanced, and will be unique to players regardless of whether or not another player had previously searched the container.

In addition to this, a crafting system, which allows players to construct their own dwellings, is a key feature. The system is shared between allied players. Dwellings are constructed using the Construction and Assembly Mobile Platform (C.A.M.P.).

Nukes can be obtained and used following the completion of the main quest. When utilized, the nuclear blast uncovers valuable resources, however, player characters will need strong anti-radiation equipment to access the site.

The game is run from multiple servers that have a maximum of twenty-four players, and those players can team up into squads with a maximum of four people. Further to this, mods and private servers are planned for the game, however they will be implemented post-release.

Interaction with other player characters is done via the emote wheel.

Players who die in the game will lose any junk they were carrying. Their junk can be retrieved, but the player will have to decide if it is worth finding.

Quest system
In an interview with Geoff Keighley at E3, Todd Howard stated that the quests will be akin to found-world quests. Per Jeff Gardiner, quests will be largely received through holotapes, terminals and notes. Howard also stated in an IGN interview that robots will be utilised to deliver the story of the quest and other traditional roles played by NPCs in past iterations.

Card perk system
After completing the initial release from the vault (level 2), players will have gained a point and will need to build their SPECIAL attributes. The seven categories are each presented to the player in the form of a card. Players can then build on those SPECIALs by adding additional cards (perks) to them.

Players will have to spend a varying number of points on cards, dependent on its initial value. Cards of the same type can be combined with an additional point cost to create a higher ranked version of that initial card, up to a capped rank of five. The value of the card is shown in the upper left corner. Players can have a card total value of up to fifteen placed on any one SPECIAL. After level fifty, players will no longer receive SPECIAL points but can continue to gain cards. Cards can be swapped at any time.

On top of players assigning cards to their character to enhance their own build, there are also cards available to enhance the current statistics of their team as a whole, most of which fall under Charisma. While there are a few solo-player Charisma cards, the majority are designed for team play.

Initially, players will additionally receive a Perk Card Pack every two levels up to level ten. This is a random selection of four cards that the player can swap out with their current cards. After level ten, players will receive the card packs every five levels. These packs can occasionally include a card that is higher in value than normal, increasing a stat or ability more than it would otherwise. There are also special Mutation cards that can give the player special abilities or disadvantages. Hundreds of cards will be available upon release, although more will be added as the game receives updates.

PvP
Player versus Player (PvP) combat does not become available until the player is level 5. Players will be able to attack each other - at first, the damage will be minimal, the point being only to catch the attention of the opposing player. If the player being attacked fires back, the damage being afflicted between the two players will be regulated, but only if there is a large level gap between them. Players who are close to the same level will inflict full damage with no restrictions. Players who are severely different in level will have their damage placed on a curve with the higher level player doing less damage than they normally would at their level, while the lower level player does more.

If the opposing player responds, but dies, they can seek revenge. If they kill the initial instigating player, they will receive double the rewards. Killers can collect any junk their target drops.

If a player continues to attack another player and that player has not responded, but eventually is killed by the instigating player, the player who did the killing will have a bounty placed on their head. They will receive no loot or experience for killing the opposing player. The now-hunted player will be visible by all other players on the map, indicated by a red star. Killing the marked player will result in higher-than-normal rewards.

Development
The idea for Fallout 76 arose out of a desire to implement multiplayer into the Fallout 4 engine. Eventually, a decision was made to develop this as a standalone project. Development of 76 commenced at the Austin, Texas, branch of Bethesda Game Studios shortly before the release of Fallout 4.

The game was officially unveiled at E3 2018. A beta version, the B.E.T.A. (Break it Early Test Application), will be available to those who pre-order the game. The beta will begin on October 23 for Xbox One, and on October 30 for PC and PS4. The game's servers will only be up for a few hours (four to eight) at a time, in order to test large amounts of players online at the same time. Progress made into the beta will be carried over into the full game.

At QuakeCon 2018, Bethesda confirmed that private servers will become available after launch although they did not know exactly how soon. Modding will be available for private servers. The private servers will only be available through Bethesda.

Power Armor edition
The Power Armor edition of Fallout 76 is planned to feature a wearable T-51b power armor helmet, a canvas West Tek duffel bag, an exclusive Tricentennial steelbook, twenty-four collectible Fallout figurines, a glow-in-the-dark world terrain map of West Virginia, various Tricentennial Edition bonus in-game items, and access to the Fallout 76 B.E.T.A.

Tricentennial edition
The Tricentennial edition of Fallout 76 features: