@camou504: How much does IO pay to keep the servers for those games up?

@Hagan: Interestingly, they haven't said anything about balance updates. They've talked about DLC, but not about balance updates afaik. I wouldn't hope for the best given that bad design decisions stick around through multiple Bethesda games. Like they still think the way to make a game hard is by turning the enemies into bullet sponges. Noooooo

@skippert: People line up to buy the games on new platforms, beg for rereleases of the game and still debate about the game to this day. Even if people don't play those games--and certain segments do--that's still a kind of popularity

@phili878: pics or it didn't happen.

@ecs33: The story in Skyrim was a huge part of it. The story wasn't very good, but it was functional. It gave you more defined goals than simply wandering aimlessly and killing things. The reason Skyrim is more fondly remembered than Fallout 4 is that there's more story content, even if the story part of that content isn't all that good.

@ecs33: It's not a huge challenge. Most MMOs have NPCs. Bethesda's made a design decision to forego NPCs.

Or like, a month. Whichever comes first.

@redviperofdorne: I agree that they are, but the point I always make is it doesn't matter if they are or not. What matters is that they exploit the same psychological mechanisms as gambling, are just as dangerous as gambling and are totally unregulated. We don't regulate gambling because "oh no gambling bad!" but because it's addictive and dangerous. Just like loot boxes.

@PrpleTrtleBuBum: It does matter because (I) it is exploiting the same psychological mechanisms as gambling. They're just as addictive and just as dangerous. And totally unregulated. If loot boxes were regulated like slot machines or the lottery, I'd have no moral problem with them, but game companies shouldn't be exempt from the law on a technicality.

(II) It's still a terrible, customer unfriendly way to buy things. If I want a specific cosmetic, I'll pay it. But it's ridiculous that I should be forced to pay for a mere chance at it.

(III) The distinction between cosmetics and gameplay is largely BS. Cosmetics are part of the fun. I'll often wear less than optimal armor if it's the best looking. Or I'll spend hours customizing the look of a character. And I don't think I'm alone in this: just check nexus and see all the reskins for Skyrim or Fallout. It's part of the fun. Gating them off may not ruin a game the way pay-to-win does, but it absolutely makes the game *worse*.

@themegolith: Shrug. As a PC myself, I've never found the graphics to be that much better. The framerates on the otherhand, that makes a huge difference.

But anyways, my point is that FO 76 is farther from what PC gamers expect--with it's restricted mods, no mods day 1, and crappy launcher--than it is from what console players expect (they're lucky if they ever get mods and they don't have launchers).