What's does vault boy thumbs up mean and News about DLC or Fallout 5 rumor

Salutations video game community.  Well for those of you that was not born in the cold war, this was a classroom training done for nuclear war safety.  Basically, if you saw a nuclear blast in the distance, then cover the nuclear blast with your thumb.  If you were able to completely cover the mushroom cloud emitted from the nuclear blast, then you are at a safe distance from nuclear radiation exposure.  If you not cover the nuclear blast with your thumb, then you better pick up your pace and run as fast as you can before you die.

Rumors of Fallout DLC and Fallout 5 New Orleans
There was a Fallout trademark floating around with New Orleans logo.  It had the gaming community in a state of pandemonium.  Well, it's fake.  Bethesda representative bluntly said in an interview that there is not any new full game or DLC projects involving a Fallout New Vegas 2 or New Orleans spin-off.  Later the rep went on to say that Bethesda is working with third party developers on the Quake franchise right now, but he hinted that we are not saying there isn't a plan in the works for another Fallout.

To many Fallout fans, Fallout 4 was a disappointment and huge stray from what we came to expect from the series.  All that really matters is that the was a cash cow for Bethesda and sold like fresh hot cakes at county fair.  That being said, I doubt this is the last we will see from the Fallout series.  As long as Fallout games make more money than cost to develop, we will see a new Fallout game every 2-3 years.

Fallout 4 Nuka World DLC: All Endings

"From here on out we're stuck together because what it took to get where you are now, the burned bridges, the salted earth, there is no going back.  Like it or not you're one of us.  A cut throat, a killer...A Raider. As luck would have it.  It seems this was the life you were meant for.   Sorry boss.  Take it from experience.  There is no point in fighting who you are.  You can only either let nature consume you, fall to booze and chems like the rabble around this place or you can embrace it.  Let it drive you.  With that in mind, I hope you appreciate the earnestness when I say...welcome home Boss!  Here is to a bright future."

     - Mags, Operators Leader

If you thought you were going to have a fun censored DisneyLand knockoff  DLC, then obvious you aren't used Bethesda irony and sarcastic metaphors.  In Fallout 4 last DLC, Nuka World, you challenged with being leader of 4 gangs that run a corrupt amusement park where innocent travelers are tricked by a lie of helping those in need and forced to fight to the death or become a slave to the bandit anarchy crime syndicates.

In Nuka World there are 4 Factions that run this sadist paradise:

Raiders

• The Pack
• Disciples
• Operators

Hubologists
Traders
Gunners

If you accept the challenge of managing in Hell hole full on disloyal, disrespectful, degenerates and anarchist then this is the add-on for you.  The DLC opens with you trying to defeat a Mad Max like maze of traps and blood thirsty upstart bandits looking to prove something or make a name for themself by gunning you down. After you overcome their challenges and prove your the alpha male or female in charge, then all the factions bow down to you and "let you" take charge of the place.

When I say "let you" take charge of the place, I mean they really only let you have political power to act as a non-bias leader that governs all bandit factions, and not let anyone faction have more leverage over the other. 

This DLC has real gang mentality and organized crime done with a mafia like twist.  At one point you're asked to make a tough choice of living the rest of your life sleeping with a gun under your pillow for safety or putting a bullet in head of the 4 faction leaders, Nisha, Mason, Mags, and William, then restore Nuke World to the peaceful free trading post that all assume it would be. The problem with putting a hit one leader of Disneyland causes all their followers and NPC to turn on Walt Disney. 

""Free and in charge today, tomorrow you'll be somebody slave.  Ain't life somethin.  After everything we done for them, they turned on us. Ungrateful shits! I expect more from Nisha at least. "

        - Porter Gage

Well Boss, you have to decide what direction you want to take.  The old saying you can't please them all, so decide which ones you value the most and which ones you want to screw over...holds weigh here.  

Picking your ending and bonus begins with how you plant flags at the amusement park during the Grand Tour Quest. You should give control of the park sections to the two you like (based on the perks below). Give them both at least 2 spots of land. One faction is going to betray you, and you'll lose favor and face them in the last quest. The more land you give a faction, the better they'll like you.

There are 5 spots to give out, but 3 factions - so even if you try to be fair, someone's getting shorted. You can guarantee you'll end up with the two you want by splitting the land at the Nuka World park 3 to 2, and leaving the other out. Also, bring the raider groups that you like to raid with you during quests after Grand Tour in order to gain more favor with them. See the Perks you gain for each of the raider factions under "Power Play Rewards" below.

"What should we do? We keep going! We take over more settlements in the commonwealth. We take what we want, and we keep taking until we own everything. Oh, and let me make something clear. I appreciate what you've done, but don't go thinking we're friends. We ain't. I'd still happily kill you if enough caps were involved."

- Mason, Pack Leader

Home Sweet Home and Consequences of Going Full Raider

You must build up three Raider Outposts in the Commonwealth during the Home Sweet Home Quest - which should be easy if you're familiar with the game's Settlements system. You will talk to Shank and get to select a Settlement from a few places, as well as which faction you'll bring along to do the raid (it's better to do that to gain more favor with one you like). You will lose control over that Settlement permanently (in terms of connecting it to your other Settlement supply lines and being able to build there), so choose wisely. You'll then be building it for the raiders.

You can choose to talk to the Settlers to get them to walk away or to actually raid it, which is really easy even though Minutemen show up. If you attack Minutemen, Brotherhood of Steel or other factions in the process (even if they're defending) you will permanently damage your reputation with that faction.(A reader warned this happened to them below.) You should make a backup save if you're unsure you want to go this route. You're going full raider if you attack, and it's impossible to finish the Nuka World content without the following consequence - permanent loss of standing with the Minutemen.

"It's like dealing with some rotten little kids, lashing out for attention. Better to die in a fight, then live with the consequences of the own stupidity"

      - Nisha, Disciples 

Losing Standing with Minutemen

Peaceful Bullying
This 100% requires speech checks and or paying off the Settlers. I tested this a lot and determined that for each stage of the quest you complete, Preston Garvey will get more upset. There's 0 impact until you start to take Outposts for the Raiders in Home Sweet Home. He'll gradually come to disown you and accept 0 orders, though he won't attack at first. This will stop endless Settlement quests, for sure! If you go the peaceful route and simply bully the Settlements, you'll reach the tipping point with him alone when you set up the second and third Raider Outposts. Again this is even with simply bullying and 0 violence.

Killing Minutemen & Settlers
If you go with violent actions, ALL Minutemen will hate you as you must kill them when they show up to defend the Settlements you raid (including Ronnie Shaw and named NPCs belonging to that particular faction). Keep all this in mind. You're helping raiders, and that goes against everything the Minutemen stand for, so there's no way around it.

Raid On
However, as Kris says below, you will not have an unkillable Preston Garvey attacking you forever. It only lasts a few days. This means the Minutemen could still be used to finish the game. Preston will never be your follower again, and you cannot get his companion Perk. It is a good perk, but so too are the raider perks. You could of course get his first.

Power Play Rewards - Nuka World Ending

You'll only get this far if you actually go all out as a Raider. During Power Play, you'll get to enable the park's power and allow some additional exploration that wasn't possible with everything off. However, you have to fight off the faction that backstabs you because they feel jilted.

As I said above, you can pick which Raider Factions will stick with you by favoring them in land division and bringing them along to raid. What dictates which faction you should side with and who gets to claim what land in the Nuka-World Park is largely taste, but many players will do it based upon the Perks the Raider Factions have to offer. Here's a rundown, copied from my page about the new SPECIAL and Faction perks offered in the Nuka World DLC:

• Disciples Faction - Chosen Disciple Perk. Any kills made with a melee weapon will restore 25% of yourAction Points.
• Operators Faction - Ace Operator Perk. All guns with a suppressor attached will get a 25% damage boost, permanently. Additionally, your character gains a 10% boost to sneak abilities when in the shadows.
• The Pack Faction - Pack Alpha Perk. Gives a +25% boost to melee and unarmed damage. Its additional function is to reduce damage/energy resistance by 25%! This is a further reduction to damage aside from your normal DR/ER and is certainly useful on a ranged character as well.

You'll Get Two Perks and Additional Rewards

After completing the 'Power Play' Quest, you'll be rewarded with the perks of the two factions that did not turn against you and may give the defeated faction's land to another group. There won't be another betrayal, you've unified the raiders and established a dominant group in the Commonwealth. The two Perks are a great reward, and from there you can accept radiant quests from the two factions remaining. Since my character is a Sniper, I naturally went with Operators and the Pack. A pure melee build would probably prefer Disciples/Pack.

Tribute Chests

Another nice reward are the tribute chests from each of the five zones of the park. Since you're the Overboss, you deserve a cut of what the raiders under you make - this is kind of how your Settlers give you supplies. Only since they're raiders, they will give you chems, money, and weapons/armor directly. Of course, plenty of Nuka Cola as well. Each of the three factions has a set loot table for what they'll give in the tribute chests, but it's hard to track it all down - it doesn't offer end-game gear, just different types of weapons and armor you'd inevitably sell. Nothing amazing, but it certainly helps and you're able to fast travel to the various zones and pick up your loot every so often.

Raider Outposts and Settlements you've convinced to supply the raiders will also pay tribute. This goes in your Overboss chest back in Nuka World. It's yet unclear how often Settlements and Raiders pay tribute to you but is likely related to time played.

You CAN have Settlements and Raider Outposts after Home Sweet Home

You'll have to give up 3 of your Settlements to Raiders to finish the DLC. As far as I'm currently aware, none of this will affect the others. No one has to know you're the notorious leader of a raider gang. When it comes time to setup Outposts, you should just use Settlements you care little about and use them to supply the settlement you raided.

Good Ending: The Open Season Quest

Very early on in the DLC, you can speak to Doctor Mackenzie in the Market in Nuka-Town and get theOpen Season quest. She'll point out how the merchants are all slaves and that you could save them all by killing off the leaders of the three raider factions, which will aggro literally every Raider in Nuka World. This is just a shortcut ending. You can still do a good bit of what Nuka World has to offer in terms of exploration as the whole land mass will still be there, but you'll ruin some of the potential quests and the ability to grant land to the raider gangs. Read the linked guide to see how far you probably should go - hint: at least finish The Grand Tour!

Fallout 4 Automatron DLC - Brainscratching Mechanist Lore

Fallout 4: Automatron is really fun and worth a try if you're into modifications.  It's all about following a quest line revolved around raider/scientist wars with Modified robot guardians.  You meet a new robot companion named Ada, and she is smart but a smartass as well.

Ada will ask for you help in her quest for revenge and journey to solve mysteries her deceased friends could not accomplish in their lifetime.  General Atomics robobrains had unhinged programming results with gave robots personality and will to survive as through they were human brains in robots bodies. The story is unique, and it evolves as you progress in the quest.  The answer to my prayers for Fallout were solved with the option to have a Robot War!  My new hobby in the game is hunting every robot enemy and looting its parts to empower my monster robot guardian. #salvage

I cannot stress this more, Modifying Ada is your main objective.  Be sure to upgrade your science and armor perks before you try this DLC. You can try to speed through the DLC quest line if you have a high level, but you will really miss the point of the Automatron DLC all together. 

If you have Curie and Codsworth, then you can modify them as well with the robotics parts you salvage from your defeated foes.  Be sure to get the supply line perk to access your inventory because the robot parts are heavy in weight and you will waste a lot of time transferring your loot.  This DLC is all about robotics modifications.  

Lore - The Mechanist

What's interesting here is the mention of the Mechanist, and how he's made out to be the villain. As everyone knows, he made his first appearance in Fallout 3, having a rivalry with the AntAgonizer.

Basically, the description raises a lot of questions. For one, he was sold off at the ripe age of 15 to a caravan merchant and settled down in the Canterbury Commons a few years after, so how did he end up in Boston? Perhaps he got on another caravan and traveled between games.

The other noodle-scratcher here is why is he a villain? After all, he did become the Mechanist to protect the town against the AntAgonizer. However, there's a slim chance that he just had a change of heart, or maybe this is a completely different Mechanist.

Lastly, the Mechanist is in The Superhuman Gambit quest in Fallout 3, and in that scenario, he asks the player to take on the role of a superhero in the guise of the Awesome-Claw, Super Humongous, Shadow Bite or Brilliant Shadow. Could the Automatron DLC have something along those lines as well?

Achievements

1. Robot Hunter

2. The Most Toys

3. Headhunting

4. Mechanical Menace

5. Restoring Order

If these names make it through the drawing board, then they fit right in with the "Robots, Robots and More Robots!" description of Automatron.

The requirements to complete these achievements have also confirmed at least three quests: Headhunting, Mechanical Menace and Restoring Order. Needless to say, the deeds that they're referring to are fairly straightforward.

As for The Most Toys and Robot Hunter, they can be accomplished by building 10 robot mods and unlocking 10 robot mods respectively.

Conclusion

It's not rocket science as some of my peers like to say, but it's $10 and fun.  I enjoyed playing this DLC, and if you are a fan of robot builds or Fallout, then you will enjoy this new addition as well. I score Fallout 4: Automatron a 10 out 10 for me.  I cannot stress how much fun I had with this new addition to the fold.  I can't wait to see what new dynamics the next DLC, Wasteland Workshop will add to Fallout 4.

Elder Scrolls 6 Confirmed?

This week at DICE (where Fallout 4 won GOTY), Todd Howard spoke about three mystery projects Bethesda is working on that presumably don’t have to do with their most famous universes.

“We actually have three kind of longer term projects we’re doing that are all – we’ll talk about them at a future date – but they’re different than anything we’ve done before, while also being a Bethesda-style game….Big and crazy, but in many ways different than things we’ve done before. It’s an exciting time.”

Between “big and crazy” and “Bethesda-style game,” that implies a large, open world RPG, given that it’s Bethesda’s specialty, though if these are all new IPs, that is a pretty significant revelation from the developer.

Bethesda has published non-Fallout/Elder Scrolls titles in the past, of course. Most recently that would be Wolfenstein, Dishonored and the upcoming DOOM, but in terms of games that Bethesda Game Studios has made directly, that’s Fallout and Elder Scrolls all the way. From Howard’s comments, it really does seem like they’re talking about games they’re making themselves, rather than publishing another developer’s work.

When asked could one of the new titles be a new Elder Scrolls or Elder Scrolls VI, Todd Howard stated, “I think it’s still possible that one of those projects will be an Elder Scrolls game, actually. Just because they’re doing something different doesn’t mean that’s not a reference to doing a very different type of ES game rather than something totally new. I feel like the language is sort of vague and could mean a lot of things, though I may be wrong.”

Well, that's not a No, lol.  

The Rise of Tomb Raider - Female gamers must play this

"I wish this pain wasn't so familiar. Like looking an old enemy in the eye. It wants to take me down. It wants me to lie just down and die. I won't.  I can't!"
- Lara Croft, the Rise of Tomb Raider

For any fan of Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider series, we had our share of ups and downs with the franchise. Well for the first time, we can say Tomb Raider isn't over-hyped.The Rise of Tomb Raider is a dark horse.

Analyst said it made the mistake of coming out on the same day as Fallout 4, but The Rise of Tomb Raider stays on it's own two feet and holds its ground with the best of them.  The reasoning being, this game is exactly what you expect.

I tell you from the start that Lara really has it bad this game.  Every 10 minutes structures are literally collapsing around her, attacks by bears, and salvage thugs that come at her with all they got will keep your heart racing. The timed actions sequences ensure you stay moving, and enemies will have you scared to move until you have a real strategy to take them on. I know you're thinking that i'm drinking the kool-aid, but this is really a good game.  It's large, has a skill tree and level up system, plot driven missions, and a lot of action that keep you active and excited to stay invested.  Now, here is the good and bad analysis.

Let's get the bad news out early.  The Rise of Tomb Raider does not have much replay ability and the game is linear where you have to complete the current mission unlike Fallout 4 where you can explore the open-world and get to the main storyline when you feel like. The storyline is progressed by a mix of flashbacks for the plot and goals you set to learn the truth of a mystery that made her dad crazy.

Now here are the positives.  First of all, this is a game about a survivor.  The Rise of Tomb Raider has a purpose, and make you feel like Lara  Croft has a vital role to play in order for you to finish the game.  The days of Lara being eye candy are gone.  She isn't bouncing around in a spaghetti strapped t-shirt and daisy dukes any more. Lara is clever, self-aware, dark, gritty, and hungry.  Each level is filled with well thought out traps, puzzles, mysteries to solve, and personal challenges to overcome.  You have to think to survive and completing the game is a given.

I swear, this game will make you think about how you approach your obstacles and have you second guessing on whether you are doing the right thing.  Fighting enemies isn't limited to a gun battle anymore.  There are elements of stealth and hand to hand combat that are designed well to make you feel like someone who doesn't have a lot strength for combat but compensates with her brain.  Lara's fist fights with enemies get real graphic and rewarding.  From gathering herbs to heal yourself, to upgrading a homemade bow to take on a giant bear, you really use nature to survive with barely anything.  With hidden treasures, alternative paths and fast paced gameplay, I always felt like I was missing something.

Honestly, surviving against zombies and bandits in 7 days to die or Ark really drained me.  Learning secrets, history, and testing my limits in the game made The Rise of Tomb Raider the most fun game that i have played in a while.    It's definitely worth playing and a treat for fans that always knew a good Tomb Raider game was possible.

It's a great game that overcome the negatives people associated with the Tomb Raider franchise.  Lara Croft showed strength, intelligence, leadership, the ability to make tough decisions, and kick butt when needed. It's cool when hardwork doesn't go unnoticed. The good resume is all here: solid story, good graphics, innovative combat, quality AI, and well designed gameplay from start to finish.  I'm not one to give a game a perfect score, but  The Rise of Tomb Raider comes close.

Fallout 4- Best Perks Tips in the Game Ever!

Well let's try something new.  Instead of doing a mass upload of game reviews, I am going to focus on one game and give a real detailed evaluation or analysis of what I like and dislike about the game. Also, i will give away Easter Eggs you may miss and tips that will help you early on.

This time, I will blog about one of my favorite game series Fallout.  After nearly half a decade, the real Fallout 4 is released.  I know some think Fallout New Vegas was the Fallout 4, but no it was not. New Vegas is an expansion of Fallout 3 with the same storyline/timeline happening on the west coast.
Fallout is more of a prequel, that happens 200 years after the actual war that caused the wasteland we know so well.  This time you can choose to be a former military man or woman with a new born son named Shaun.  After the nuclear fallout happens, your family takes safety in fallout shelter.

I'm not too far in the story, so i can't speak about everything. Instead of surviving in the fallout shelter, you get frozen an time capsule.  This was a change of pace and very suspicious to me from the start.  At some point in timeline, you awaken to find your spouse getting murdered and Shaun kidnapped by an institute scientist and mercenary named Kellogg.  Looking for Shaun and getting revenge for the murder of your spouse are what starts your journey in the new fallout wasteland.

Like every Fallout game, you will encounter raiders, mutated animals, and needy NPC's that want to give you missions they can't do themself for some reason, lol.  The missions are purpose driven with a build around what features they want to show you what the game has to offer.

Bethesda capitalized on the survival crafting trend, and they created a pioneering crafting challenge for you operating base. In earlier Fallout games, you would carry around a bunch of junk and sell it for a few dollars.  Now...for the first time in Fallout, everything in the game is useful.  You can break down spoons, boxes, radios, etc...in order to modify weapon or armor, and craft furniture, power options, buildings.

The best perks to get between level 1-10 that will help you survive and take advantage of the game:

1.Scrapper - Waste not, want not! You can salvage uncommon components like screws, aluminum, and copper when scrapping weapons and armor,
2. Local Leader - As the ruler everyone turns to, you are able to establish supply lines between your workshop settlements., You can build stores and workstations at workshop settlements
3. Medic - Is there a doctor in the house? Stimpaks restore 40% of lost Health, and RadAway removes 40% of radiation.
4. Hacker - Knowledge of cutting-edge computer encryption allows you to hack Advanced terminals
5. Locksmith - Your nimble fingers allow you to pick advanced locks.

Fallout Shelter 1.2 update

What's New 

• New Vault-Tec network protocols are finally in place. Now you can save your Vault to the “cloud,” (no moisture condenser necessary!).

• Some Dwellers are reporting strange, some would even say mysterious, sightings in Vaults.

• Introducing Survival Mode! More danger, More glory. Make Vault-Tec proud!

• Support added for Russian-speaking Overseers.

• Continued general maintenance to the Vault simulation. Because when you speak, Vault-Tec listens!

Additional information 

Updated

October 14, 2015

 

Size

142M

 

Installs

10,000,000 - 50,000,000

 

Current Version

1.2

 

Requires Android

4.1 and up

Updates on Fallout 4 at QuakeCon 2015

• 
  
• I've come to you with news on the game i'm anticipating the most, Fallout 4.  We’ve already gotten a look at Preston Garvey, as he was a character that was added earlier this year to Fallout Shelter. He is the leader of the Commonwealth Minutemen, a group which needs some serious help. 
• There will be about a dozen possible companions, including Dogmeat, Mr. Handy, Preston Garvey, and ‘Piper,’ a newly-revealed companion who you can meet in Diamond City. 
• Mr. Handy can actually say your name—be it John, or something more ridiculous like “Mr. Self-hater or Insecure.” He will vocalize it all the same. I can’t wait to see all the offensive and silly names that people come up with! In any case, Mr. Handy is voiced by Stephen Russel, who PC Gamer notes also voiced Garret in Thief. 
• Dogmeat is based on a real dog, who is named River.
• Piper, the new companion, wears a red leather coat and a newsboy hat.
• You can romance your companions, regardless of whether you play as a male or female. Not clear on whether or not this includes robots like Mr. Handy, but here’s hoping.
• Things that are back: bloody mess perk, Super Duper Mart, computer hacking, lockpicking, the Fat Man, and Behemoth mutants. The demo actually ends with the player shooting an atomic bomb at a Behemoth mutant.
• Book/comic book covers will be more detailed this time around, and you can zoom in and look at them.
• The leveling system works differently now. Perks are tied to SPECIAL stats, and not levels. Having specific high special stats means having good related perks.
• It sounds like factions can war with one another. IGN described a scene where the player watched ghouls attacking raiders, and noted that the player had the option to let it happen without interfering. Awesome. Additionally, they also noted that at one point the Brotherhood of Steel appears and joins the player in a battle against raiders.

E3 2015 Fallout 4 news!

We have an official release date for Fallout 4 which is November 10, 2015. Also, this post will reveal details about the game I know you will find interesting.

"One of the great things about fallout is the world that existed before the war and that's where our game starts".

Fallout 4 will take place in 2077 a few years before the war.  

The game has you take control of the mom and dad of the main character. You can sculpt the face to your liking by merely by click and drag a feature.  

The characters talk to each other as you change features saying things like "what do you think Hun, bread or no bread?" 

You can change the race as well which always you to control the race of their child. 

And of course you can play as the female character as well. Whoever you leave the menu as will be the character you play as.  It's a dynamic creation system that will also effect the NPC's you encounter.  

At one point a vault representative comes to you to verify your information. 

The amount of thought put into the seamless weaving of the storyline with the characteristics and perks selection is genius. 

Soon diaster strikes and you must exit to the vault with your family.  

The action takes place real time allowing you to see the game engine and play through the diaster not just viewing a cut scene.

The developers end the preview with an explosion and the cliff hanger of not knowing the fate of the family.  

None of the storyline was revealed past this event.  We learn the family survives, events transpire and you emerge 200 years from the vault as the soul survivor.  

This is an interesting world full of dynamics where you can create any player you want, go anywhere you want, and player freedom is the number one goal of the game development.  

The lighting and graphics reflect what you expect from a next generation gaming engine.

Even the dialogue is dynamic.  You can switch from first to third person during conversation, walk away while someone is talking or shoot the person in the face if you want.  The possibilities are limitless.

The interaction with pets and NPC's has changed.  You can point at objects and give pets directions to fetch items for you.

The combat utilizes an ambitious combat system with drastic improvements.  I was floored when I saw the dog attacking, switching back and forth between 1st person combat and the VATS.  The game ends there but other features of Fallout 4 were showcased. 

Weapon modifications were introduced.  No longer will items like staplers and globes serve as useless junk.  Those items will be use as one of the 700+ modifications you can make to the 50+ weapons in the game. 

The build feature allows you to scrap environments and items then rebuild structures the way you want them to look like or for feasibility.  

There is an emphasis on you being able to build, create and decorate for yourself and your friend to make this feel like a world you are making the you want it to be. 

There is an interesting dynamic that allows you to create a settlement.  At the settlement traders and people will arrive to live in your camp.  You need to provide water and farms for food.

You can build generators to light the town or build turrets to guard against raiders or monster attacks. In order to have certain machinery function you have to use wires to connect components and operations terminals. 

That's all the news I have for Fallout 4. A reminder the game will be released on 11/10/2015.  Also in the next post there will be a free downloadable game.