Bethesda's increasingly weird wasteland is beginning to reflect real life.
MMO provides a distorted lens through which you can view reality. What happens in real life may permeate the online gaming world, whether it is a public holiday, a celebrity memorial, or the worst epidemic in a century. Currently, in Fallout 76, current events are being displayed in an engaging way.
For example, a group called "Responder Retaliation" was recently established, which aims to provide important medicines to people in need. Although this is not a heroic tribute to the actual front-line medical staff who are currently risking their lives to treat patients, the similarities are obvious and the timing cannot be better. Vivacious Passion, the co-founder of the organization, said: "These doctors have done a great job in managing this outbreak, and we appreciate it. Our group does provide medical supplies. Compared to the in-game economic prices, medical supplies are usually Free or discounted. "
According to VivaciousPassion's experience, the influx of beginners due to self-isolation measures in turn has attracted more people who want to take advantage of this opportunity. The rise of hostility has made this selfless behavior extremely important. "I met a large number of low-level players, especially in the case of recent global blockades. If I encounter a low-level accident, I usually give them a bag of medical supplies, and if they have a workbench, I will They built several guns and modified them to the maximum to get them started. "
While growing, the team has achieved many success stories. On one occasion, a hostile faction wielding a thrower burned down the base of one of the members of the organization, so "Responder Revenge" organized and assisted in reconstruction. If you need help, just post on the forum page. Those who wish to join can join after a short onboarding interview process. It determines your skills and cross-references the ID with the list of scammers to check your legitimacy. In the words of VivaciousPassion, "There are many scammers who have come back to try to steal money from innocent players." Vigilance seems increasingly necessary.
Fallout 76 ’s newly aggressive Wasteland (you can associate it with a higher number of players triggered by in-situ shelter measures) marks a change in its generally unwelcome atmosphere. You might say that it temporarily restored the expected specifications. After all, Pete Hines, Bethesda ’s vice president, expressed early shock at the overall passiveness. He said in a recent interview: “We were surprised that very few people want to participate in PvP , And how many of them are interested in PvE together. On the contrary, "I want to test you and let us duel. "Self isolation changed this. It brought in fresh participants, and with it came conflict, because a few high-level participants targeted them.
People in Fallout 76 are looking for creative inspiration in disasters. The Ginger Empire spent about six hours creating its own COVID-19 field hospital, equipped with well-stocked medical cabinets and ample beds, where patients can recover. As a practicing nurse with ten years of practice experience, this is a very exciting project for the regulars of the wasteland: "I like to do CAMP to create and upload for the channel. Now I think about the events in the whole world. "
#Coronavirus disease Vaccines line up (probably not)# Fallout76 #fell out #bat #Coronavirus disease #COVIDIOT #gif pic.twitter.com/FFh4X0gclJ
-Franklin Payne (@Franklin_Payne_) April 6, 2020
C.A.M.P.s, the mobile platform for construction and assembly, is a customizable settlement formed by the resources you collect during the journey. The pandemic has caused many themed buildings. These range from humble rehabilitation tents to multi-storey COVID-19 research facilities.
Stumbled upon this camp # Fallout76 😆 #Coronavirus disease pic.twitter.com/Pr8bjCXvNx
-Brandon Baker (@BrandMan_VIDEOS) April 6, 2020
But for Ginger Empire, this career is sad. "I will participate voluntarily and be asked to participate, but because my wife is eight months pregnant, I can't do it. Of course, my current priority is family. At this time, any contact with COVID-19 will prevent me from participating in the delivery. Perhaps this construction is a way to regain control without control. By providing an artistic outlet, Fallout 76 can help players actively express their doubts.
Those who want can check out The Ginger Empire & # 39; s C.A.M.P. on his YouTube channel. "I haven't (opened it) because I have been broadcasting other programs in the past few days," Jiang Guo Empire said. "However, the field hospital is still being assembled, and I plan to broadcast it live in the near future so that people can visit whatever they want!"
Although some people created it, others panicked. In the weird scenes appearing in supermarkets around the world, dozens of "Fallout" (76 players) are robbing toilet paper. There are many reasons. Some people want to show them in extravagant settlement displays, Lock them in the cabinet Or hang them on the moose horns. Others sell them at high prices in stores, which increases the cost of digging consumers. It is not uncommon to see A small piece of burnt tissue needs 25,000 capsules This is a 2500% markup.
Now, the ho product in Fallout 76 is not as important as it is in real life. Unlike Tesco's shelves, the items here will be reborn over time, providing players with inexhaustible plates, hangers and other materials. If someone sells products at ridiculous prices, then look elsewhere. On the contrary, Fallout 76 players are using the game to imitate and laugh at the absurdity of toilet paper ’s new status as a hot commodity. Although it lacks a lot of value in the game, it has not stopped the surge in demand, and some players have even made toilet paper planting guides to help others enter the crazy business. This is a classic case of art imitating life.
The influx of new players always changes the current player's behavior. Some become predators, others become protectors. Moreover, as the number of Fallout 76 continues to grow, this number will rise. According to data from the population calculator Gamstat, the game attracted 52,000 new players on PS4 between March 5 and April 5. For MMO, this is a huge number, and within a few months after launching in November 2018, it showed signs of slowing down. The number of PC users who have just started on Steam has increased. Then there is the fact that the upcoming launch is Fallout 76, which is a new extension of Fallout 76 with NPC added.
As the pandemic continues, not only are players re-evaluating their relationship with the game, but developers are also re-evaluating. The continuing health crisis has caused many studios to transition to homework. This is why the recent Wastelanders update was postponed for a week, and the update adds a voiced NPC, dialogue selection, and reputation system. Bethesda Wrote on Twitter: "For the safety of everyone, we have transitioned to work remotely and limited our face-to-face interactions. (Coronavirus) has changed the way we work, but rest assured that all of our key services for live games will work . "
In addition, like many MMO studios, Bethesda also provides bonuses to attract players. From March 19 to March 23, players can not only enjoy the double XP experience to help them upgrade faster, they can also enjoy a vendor sales weekend, and legendary items enjoy a 25% discount on notes. Bethesda wrote on its official blog: "Given the changing situation around the world, we will do everything we can to help you through the weekend." Players can undoubtedly expect more incentives to make them Keep busy in the changing wilderness.
Because of the presence of coronaviruses, Bethesda is not alone. In Final Fantasy 14, Square Enix froze the house eviction. Usually, if the house in the game is not used within 45 days, the landlord in the game will automatically demolish it. However, in a statement posted on the Square Enix official website, the developers wrote: "Considering the worldwide spread of COVID-19 (also known as" new coronavirus ") and the economic impact of the deadlock in various cities-down , We decided to temporarily suspend the automatic demolition of the house. "Benevolent landlord? This is indeed an unprecedented era.
Check out other radiation games in "Radiation: New Vegas", a mod called Immersive Coronavirus can cause terrible diseases to players. This description was created by JotunYmir and can be downloaded on Nexus Mods. The description states that "Bat soup is added to the grading list. Eating it will give you a coronavirus." Despite the saying that mods taste bad, But many people use black humor as a coping mechanism to eliminate trauma by mocking. How to respond to this pandemic, and in what form, can not escape.
Reality echoed in the MMO community, changed the landscape, and fluctuated the economy. It affects behavior, incites deviation and promotes charitable behavior, and changes the way developers provide services. Coronavirus has changed our way of life, and now, it has changed the number of people playing games.
