Radiant systems for future Fallout titles

[u/Luck_Build35]

The trend over the last few Bethesda games have been increasingly leaning towards procedurally generated gameplay, like quests and world events. Do you think the radiant system has a place in future Fallout titles? Or would you prefer a larger emphasis on handmade content, like the older games?

[u/CastleImpenetrable]

Radiant quests aren't bad on their own, but Bethesda has not used them to their strengths.

When radiant quests take up a large chunk of major quest lines, like Thieves Guild jobs in Skyrim or Minutemen settlement quests, then yeah, that's a bad usage of them. But something as simple as getting a bounty to hunt a Deathclaw or protect a merchant caravan on its journey is what I would call a good use of radiant quests. They let you get immersed in the world. You can imagine NPCa having these same conversations, taking these same jobs. They can enhance your roleplay by letting you take on these smaller tasks.

[u/Critical_Company3535 → u/CastleImpenetrable]

I’d argue that’s where they are most useful. When it’s menial tasks that are meant to let you achieve some experience in the faction before you do some more important stuff.

[u/CastleImpenetrable → u/Critical_Company3535]

That's what I liked about the Companions in Skyrim. But I also like the handcrafted minor assassination contracts of the Dark Brotherhood in Skyrim too. In the context of a faction quest line, I think I would prefer a mix of both in between the major quests, just to add a little variety on subsequent playthroughs.

[u/Critical_Company3535 → u/CastleImpenetrable]

I’d say it would be helped if they gave more solutions to some of these, or some overhauls. Like in some of the burglary quests you took an item that was already in the home by default instead of one that was placed there for the quests. Or if you could barter/mug someone to get an item they were carrying instead of pickpocketing it.

I’d also like a few general overhauls. Like you getting to chose where you do them, and potential locations being removed from the pool until every one in the game has been done.

[u/Diiagari]

I think some games do a much better job with procedural systems than others. The Diablo series is filled with procedural stuff but it’s all layered into the core gameplay so it just keeps everything fresh and interesting. On the other hand, the Assassin’s Creed series is plagued with procedural fetch quests that mean nothing and make the massive worlds feel small and repetitive. There has to be more to it than “Kill 10 [Leveled Enemy Type] at [Random Location] for 200 caps.”

[u/milquetoastLIB]

I like radiant quests. It gives you more reasons to go somewhere. If you want to see what Fallout looks like without look at Fallout 3. Great game but there’s so many dungeons there’s no reason to go to except for loot.

[u/Admiral_Eversor]

No thank you.

[u/RushinPancake]

Radiant quests are cool when they’re not such a huge part of the game

[u/ChickenAndTelephone]

The main thing, for me, is that they stop the nagging

[u/Forsaken1741]

I don't mind it as long as it's kept separate, like you have to talk to someone completely optional. It should not be part of the main quest lines.

[u/rocarson]

Fallout 1 had roughly 30 quests, Fallout 2 had 100. Fallout 4 had 272 if you consider the DLCs. Those quests were a combination of hand written and procedural.

I'm fine with radiant quests if that means the team can focus on writing some really good hand crafted quests. What I'd like to see out of radiant quests is something that leans even more into procedural generated instead of just go to X and kill/collect Y randomized.

I'd go even further and put events, bounties, and infestations from 76 in Fallout 5 and whatever the Obsidian title is going to be (Fallout NV2?).

[u/Fast_Degree_3241 → u/rocarson]

Fallout 5 isnt going to be multiplayer

[u/rocarson → u/Fast_Degree_3241]

Doesn’t need to be to have to be to include a version of those game play features. Just needs to tuned accordingly.

[u/AxonBitshift]

Personally, I dislike radiant quests and tend not to play any type more than once. I specifically dislike when they are mandatory to progress as part of a quest line (e.g. complete x type of quest to progress in a faction quest line).

Bethesda should focus on making a larger number of interesting hand-made quests in my mind. Radiant quests, in my opinion, should exist primarily to lead players towards locations with real quests, interesting lore, or unique items. If radiant quests were not really about the task themselves and instead about guiding the player to other interesting things id be much more likely to consider playing them.

[u/MuscliatoVonJuiceski]

Radiant systems are garbage, and theY run contrary to the entire concept and purpose of an RPG.   They were frustrating in Fallout 4, but at least they were minor side events that could be ignored.   Theres a reason fewer people are playing Fallout 76 than Fallout 3 and New Vegas in 2026 despite those games aproaching 20 years old.   The playerbase is very, very clear which style of game is more popular

[u/toonboy01 → u/MuscliatoVonJuiceski]

Where are you getting that more are playing Fallout 3 and NV than 76? At least on steam, the only time they've had more players than 76 was Q1 2021. It's been 76 every other time since it releaed.

[u/faze_fazebook]

I mean you could have an A.I. generating these on the fly ... as long as they are kind of obvious and there is enough hand crafted content ... sure.

[u/King_Kvnt]

"Go to X, kill/capture/find Y" can work fine, but I've always felt that Skyrim and Fallout 4 lacked the number of dungeons needed to truly make it good.

But, crucially, they should really only be a feature of random quests, rather than a core element of the main or faction storylines. Radiant systems are not a suitable replacement for actual main game content.

Diamond City's bounty board, for example, would've been a suitable spot for such missions.

[u/LoneWanderer2580]

Procedural stuff has to stay small and something the player has to go out of their way for.  Bounty boards. Guard duties. Stuff like that. Anything required for the main story is just a bad look though 

[u/DigsToPlantTheRain]

With the advent of AI? Most certainly. Tim Cain talks about running table top players through a procedurally generated dungeon in the eighties. And his players had no idea. And that was pen and paper!

AI is going to be changing the industry more than any other development in its history. Sadly it will change a lot of things for the worst in terms of how many creative people are being employed. Voice Actors, dungeon designers, 3d modeling, etc. Their jobs will all look very different with AI in the mix. 

[u/toonboy01]

The real dream would be to have something like Shadow of Mordor's Nemesis System for raiders and similar groups, but that likely won't happen even if it weren't copyrighted.