No, Fallout 1st players aren't getting all the new items for free. They have to pay, using the Atoms they get from the subscription.

Let's get this out of the way. I do not work for Bethesda. Please, please read my other posts. This has been covered many times.

I simply leak things in MMOGs that I find interesting. So this will be my last post for a while. I just can't deal with all the anger, hate, and other issues people are sending my way. I do this for fun, and some of you make it hell.

I have a few leakers that tell me things on the condition that I don't reveal who they are. That is all. To think or believe anything else, is moronic.

So to answer the #1 question I have been getting - no, not all new things will be given to Fallout 1st members free or charge. There will be Fallout 1st exclusive items that you have to spend Atoms on. 

Yes, that means there will be exclusive items that Fallout 1st subscribers get to purchase for Atoms. 

As of now, even vaulted items are being considered, as well as plenty of new gear. They are even discussing a "try it first" program, where Fallout 1st players get to buy things before anyone else.

Fallout 1st will have a trial eventually. Right now a week long trial is planned, although that could change. This trial is not coming for some time, since the overall subscription sales have been excellent. In regular Bethesda fashion this has already been given away as the "test entitlements" issue became known. 

Finally, there is an internal memo going around Bethesda condemning this site and a few YouTubers for "fanning the flames". Staff are told not to speak to anyone without HR having the final say. Seems like they are taking the BioWare approach to handling their game when it comes to communication. 

I am still told that the community has a lot of impact on how Fallout 76 turns out, so don't quite down and let them get away with whatever they wish, otherwise full P2W may be on the way. In fact, Bethesda will be introducing a few items that they consider "borderline" in the next few months. If the community remains quite about these pay to win utility items, Bethesda will just keep going.
The power is in your hands. Speak with your wallets or accept whatever they deem appropriate.

More "utility" items coming soon to Fallout 76. Expect an update to Fallout 1st to make it even more "attractive".

Another quick Fallout 76 update.

Fallout 1st subscriptions continue to exceed expectations, especially the 1 month sub statistics. They are now actively looking at changing the bonus outfit every few months to keep people interested. Those that subscribed for a year would get every outfit as it becomes available.

Bethesda is also looking at other ways to increase year long subscriptions. More "utility" items may be coming to Fallout 1st, as well as some sort of "subscriber rewards program", and a few ideas of additional "unique subscriber only benefits" are being tossed around.

Finally, more "utility" items are coming to the Atomic Shop. They are checking Reddit and "other communities" to see what people want, and will be trying to "fit it in".

Cross play was briefly brought up and shut down internally. It is very unlikely that it will happen. PC is the culprit here. A console only cross play idea was floating around, however my source does not know what became of it. I am told to not expect cross play of any kind unless the community really pushes for it, and even then - it is highly unlikely due to the work involved.

Fallout 76 will be missing its 2019 Steam debut, which was supposed to occur with the launch of Wastelanders. It is still coming to the platform, and will launch along side or shortly after Wastelanders.


Got fails? - mmogfails@gmail.com

Fallout 76 and the Fallout 1st fiasco. It could have all been avoided if they just stuck to the original plan.

A quick and short update today.

So I won't be writing much about what Fallout 1st is and how it came about, but what I will say is that Bethesda was planning to release the subscription service in tandem with Wastelanders.
However, Wastelanders was delayed and Fallout 1st has been ready for a while, so the decision was made to "just launch the damn thing already".

The goal of Fallout 1st was to ensure that all future development for Fallout 76 is "self sufficient". What this means, is that Bethesda will be using the money it gets from Fallout 1st to fund all future content updates/fixes for Fallout 76.

The response on social media, Reddit, and gaming sites has been pretty negative, but internal metrics reveal that a "much larger than expected" amount of players bought the one month membership, with "a bit more than what we thought" amount of players buying the year long membership.

Right now, Bethesda is taking a "wait and see approach", and may change some features of Fallout 1st depending on how "big of a deal people make about it".
For now, they are busy fixing the bugs that Fallout 1st introduced and their continued work on Wastelanders (which I am told is shaping up to be "pretty frigging amazing").

From my short conversations with a few of the people at Bethesda, I got the impression that most are disappointed with the way Fallout 1st was launched and is being handled. Seems management is just being management yet again.


Got fails? - mmogfails@gmail.com

Some additional Anthem information, mostly to clear up what you saw on the stream.

FIRST: no compensation will be given to those of you that bought the game full price, and no, there is nothing I can do about it.

Very odd that so many people actually think that I have anything to do with EA or BioWare. I basically take what I hear (mostly from low level employees) and write it down in this blog. Sometimes I try to do some hacking if I hear a game did something really dumb (like placing too much trust client side). Nothing else.

I have no ability to fix bugs or get you compensation for anything, and to think any differently is a little absurd.
As you can see, I didn't even put the Got fails? - mmogfails@gmail.com line at the end of my last post because of how many e-mails I was getting.

So if I do not respond to you, please don't write me an e-mail a few hours later threatening me... And then again a few hours hours later apologizing... Only to threaten me again a few hours later. This was an actual example from someone. Four e-mails in a span of ten hours, with some severe bipolar tones to it.
When things like this happen, it really just makes me want to stop leaking, and makes me feel even worse for what the BioWare community folks have to deal with.

With that rant out of the way I can actually tell you that the topic of making things right with their early adopters was already brought up and quickly put down (by leadership). This will change if the game goes F2P and some compensation will be given to those that own the base game.

Here are some more answers to common questions that I saw in my inbox:

- Yes, the Cataclysm is a time gated, timed, and score based PQ-like event.
   - A new map has been specifically designed for the event. The map will open up as the six week Cataclysm progresses. The map will then be "re-purposed" once the Cataclysm is over.
   - Higher score = more currency rewards.
   - You have to use currency earned to buy chests that contain loot. This is in addition to loot that will still be dropped. New leveled items will only be available in the chests for now. This may change during the Cataclysm.
   - When the event is over, the new item levels will carry over to the base game.
   - PTS is in fact coming to consoles. At least eventually. A lot of work went into getting it set up for the console already (on the PlayStation), and I doubt they will just discard it.
   - The PTS will be a social experiment of sorts, and BioWare will in fact take the recommendations made by these players to heart. So be civil and play nice. You actually have a chance to improve the game.

- With luck removed, MOST players will now have a much higher chance of getting Masterwork and Legendary items. Yes, this equates to better overall loot drops. Internal testing has shown this change almost doubled the speed in Legendary item acquisition and almost tripled the Masterwork item acquisition for the AVERAGE player.
Those that were running luck builds before, will still be impacted by this change because all GM difficulties across the board had a slight increase to purple drops (and above). Factoring in the luck change, more purples = more Masterwork and Legendary items FOR ALL.

- The communication embargo has been lessened. BioWare and EA want to hype up the Cataclysm (trust me, this is a good thing, keep an eye on SM). As long as players aren't hostile to them, I don't see a reason as to why they would not keep communicating.
I said this multiple times already, but please have some decency towards these people.

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask them. Otherwise more leaks as I get them. Oh and cut it out with the demands and threats please. It's getting really old now.


Got fails? - mmogfails@gmail.com

Relax, Anthem will get a plethora of content in the upcoming months.

A lot of you are e-mailing me pleading for information. Since BioWare is giving you nothing with their stupid communications embargo, I will provide.

As I previously said, EA and BioWare are not giving up on Anthem. Not yet at least. These guys brought SWTOR back from the brink of extinction, and they may do it for Anthem as well. EA is very confident in BioWare's ability to fix the game.

Other than some utterly stupid leadership decisions on BioWare's end, things are progressing.

Right now (no, really literally right now, simultaneously in crunch mode) they are working on the following:

- Bug fixes
- QoL improvements
(A patch with both bug fixes and QoL improvements is ready but is being held back to allow for at least some new content).
- Multiple new strongholds
- A stat screen
- Cataclysm
- Mastery System replacement (I am told it may or not be called the Mastery System)
- Guilds
- Leaderboards
- New story
- New lore
- New Freeplay content
- New missions
- New challenges
- New enemies
- New loot system
- Balance changes
- Yes, new Javelin ideas are being tossed around. The team is NOT yet working on new Javelins.
- A pilot level increase is being discussed

Probably more that I am forgetting.

To be fair, a lot of the items were already at least partially completed, but better late than never.

As you can see, this is stretching them fairly thin. To the point where multiple low level employees told me they wish they could focus on just one or two things.

The next few months will be pretty interesting for the game. Where it goes from there, is anyone's guess.

Side note: Yes, the BioWare and EA are aware there are things that won't be met on the current May road map (all of them), however management decided to keep this page as is instead of updating it.

BioWare leadership is out of touch with their customers, fans, and most importantly - their employees.

I had a chance to catch up with someone from BioWare. This is the same person that told me about Anthem finally looking promising after years of being stuck in indecision limbo.

This is more venting than anything else, but it does not paint a good picture of the still out of touch leadership. I will just list some bullet point takeaways without my usual commentary.

- SWTOR and Anthem are now handled by virtually one team and there is competition for resources.

- The SWTOR expansion is not in good shape at this time and management's expectations are too high.

- While Onslaught is a large expansion, it is still not (and will not be) on the same level as Rise of the Hutt Cartel.

- Onslaught and Anthem are both in the crunch phase as leadership wants to recapture the old BioWare Magic.

- SWTOR has a lot more active players than Anthem. The numbers are not even remotely comparable.

- BioWare leadership wants to rekindle interest in SWTOR.

- Anthem player base is at an all time low even though this month saw an influx of new players.

- Anthem has issues with player retention. This is something they are very interested and motivated in improving.

- BioWare leadership is unhappy with the Onion articles. They feel the game is being mocked unjustly.

- BioWare leadership thinks not talking about Anthem is working wonders, as negative comments about the game have decreased across all forms of social media.

- Leadership also thinks that everything the Kotaku article exposed can be fixed with team building excersises and events.

- The live team is very unhappy and disappointed about missing deadlines and breaking promises to their fans. They are also unhappy with how leadership is choosing to deal with it.

- A patch with QoL improvements and fixes is ready but is being held back by leadership because they want at least some content in it. New content will most likely be dropping with said patch, as well as in the next few weeks.

- Expect nothing on Anthem's May road map to be completed this month.


Got fails? - mmogfails@gmail.com

This blog follows MMOGs and their failures. Enough with the death threats please. Oh and no, Anthem will NOT be at E3.

So, I am not entirely sure why my Anthem post is getting so much hate. I simply write about what I hear in the gaming industry, with a bit of my own sarcasm thrown in for good measure.

The blog is not monetized and it never will be. I am doing this just to track all the issues with the industry as a whole, especially when it comes to MMO games.

I have been doing this for quite a while now but never received so many outright vicious e-mails.

Let me share one with you, as it is my favorite so far. Not quite a death threat, more like a death wish, and a funny one at that. Obviously written by a preteen fan of the game that also likes to watch YouTube videos and take them at their word.

To keep in line with the letter, I am going to use ALL CAPS SO IT LOOKS LIKE I AM YELLING. 

FIRST OF ALL, EA AS A WHOLE WILL NOT BE AT E3 (SOME GAMES WILL BE SHOWN, BUT NOT ANTHEM). I AM NOT SURE WHY SO MANY OF YOU ARE TELLING ME EA WILL BLOW US ALL AWAY AT E3 WITH LOTS OF ANTHEM NEWS. THIS IS 100% FALSE. 

INSTEAD, THEY WILL HAVE AN EA PLAY EVENT ON JUNE 8TH AND 9TH THAT WILL ALLOW PEOPLE TO TRY OUT THEIR NEWEST AND CURRENT GAMES.

THE MAIN FOCUS WILL BE EA'S OTHER OFFERINGS WITH ONLY MINOR UPDATES AND PROMISES FOR ANTHEM.

LOTS OF "CONTENT CREATORS" WILL BE SHOWCASING EA'S GAMES IN A "LIVE STREAM EXTRAVAGANZA".

I SPOKE TO A FEW PEOPLE AT EA AND MORE THAN ONE VOICED ACTUAL CONCERNS OVER THE EXPECTATIONS PEOPLE HAVE FOR ANTHEM AT EA PLAY. 

IN FACT, SOMEONE FAMILIAR WITH WHAT IS BEING PLANNED RIGHT NOW FOR AT LEAST A FEW OF THE GAMES, ANTHEM INCLUDED (THIS CAN ALWAYS CHANGE) SAYS "NOTHING THAT WAS NOT ALREADY ON THE ROAD MAP WILL BE SHOWN". 

SO THERE YOU HAVE IT. 

SIDE NOTE. THE PEOPLE AT BIOWARE ARE STILL HARD AT WORK ON FIXING THINGS AND ARE GETTING A PATCH READY (MOSTLY FIXES), HOWEVER IT HAS NOT EVEN BEEN SUBMITTED YET, SO IT WILL NOT BE READY THIS WEEK. THERE IS ALSO TALK OF HOLDING IT BACK UNTIL SOME CONTENT CAN BE INTRODUCED WITH IT, AS THE LAST PATCH WAS "VERY POORLY RECEIVED".

Got fails? - mmogfails@gmail.com

Anthem is coming to EA Access and free to play is still on the table. The game sold almost 3.7 million copies!

Just a few small nuggets of information from a source within EA.

Anthem should be coming to EA Access around or slightly after the time the service will release for the PS4.

I was also told that the leadership at BioWare is actually blaming the players (their customers) and the "vitriol" they spew as the reason of why the game is not selling as well as it should.
They are also blaming EA for saying the game can be patched later because of the GaaS model. Neither EA nor BioWare expected the push back and hostility they received for delivering a product in such an unfinished state while selling it for full price.

In a bit of surprising news, Anthem sold pretty well, almost 3.7 million copies between digital and physical.

EA is still very committed to the game because "it fills a gaping hole in our offerings". So if patching and EA Access do not give it a much needed boost, F2P is still very much on the table.
For now, BioWare is "working like mad" to try and fix bugs, bring QoL improvements, as well as new content.

Bonus news: a stat screen is in the works! Eventually you will be able to see all of your javelin's statistics in one place.
Don't expect an update from BioWare this week, other than "there is no update", and quite possibly "we still support Anthem, here is what our leadership says".
Please take it easy on Jesse Anderson. What he will (not) share is 100% completely not up to him. Blame management. He has had his hands tied and pretty much told to "shut up".

Now for some good news: a loot re-design is also in the works, however we should not expect it "any time soon".


Got fails? - mmogfails@gmail.com

Want a job at BioWare Austin? Now is the perfect time to apply.

Seems EA is already cleaning house, with plenty of careers suddenly opening up at BioWare.

There are also quite a few positions being shifted around internally, and a switch to free to play "has been mentioned more than once".

The Anthem team lost multiple leads, including Jonathan Warner (who was one of the main reasons Anthem was stuck in development limbo), Mark Darrah and Michael Gamble. It is currently being lead by Ben Irving.
I am told that Darrah (and other members of the Anthem team) were moved to work on Dragon Age 4, which has a while ago been rebooted from a single player focused RPG to Anthem with Dragons.

I am also hearing mixed and conflicting information about what EA is planning on doing with Anthem. One source says that it may be joining EA Access, another that it will receive free cosmetics with the service. Nothing is currently 100%, so I don't want to say more than that

The following positions are now available at the Austin branch:

Art
Department Director – Art & Animation (155183)
VFX Artist Contract (154851)

Game Design
Systems Designer II (155357)
Systems Designer I (155358)

Game Product Management
Senior Systems & Monetization Designer (155360)
Senior Game Product Manager (155123)
Product Director (152420)

Software Development
Platform Engineer (153455)


Got fails? - mmogfails@gmail.com

BioWare, as we know it right now, is done for.

I had a chance to speak to a few sources within EA about Anthem and all the issues it has been having.

Things are not looking good for BioWare, with multiple people confirming that a "restructure" is most definitely happening, and that EA is placing the "whole Anthem mess" squarely on BioWare.

All current BioWare projects are being "looked at", as are the teams responsible.

All in all, this has not been a great week for the once beloved developer.



Got fails? - mmogfails@gmail.com

Anthem is a disaster of epic proportions. Even the developers think the game is a giant meme.

Lots of you asking me questions about BioWare and what is happening there. I only have one source in the company, and they are a bit worried about outside contact at this time.

A recent internal memo told them to not talk to anyone unless they have something good to say, so I will respect that.
As you may recall from an article I wrote over a year ago, BioWare had management issues, I just didn't grasp how bad things truly were, and memos like that prove that nothing changed.

So one of the big things EA wanted from Anthem, was to make the game "Unmemeable". That didn't quite succeed, and is in itself a meme.

If you play Anthem, you probably already know about one of its main problems.
Basically, the running joke is that the loot system broken and there is no excitement when opening a chest.
Simply put: loot drops are generic junk with no fix in sight.
In a recent live stream of upcoming content, the developers themselves opened a chest, and one could be heard saying "Open the chest and jump away from it."

So as you can see, the developers know too well that the loot is garbage, and the game is nothing but a giant meme. All of this is made even more troubling by the fact that Anthem's entire road map has been delayed indefinitely. One can't help but wonder how EA is feeling about all of this and what their reaction will be.





Got fails? - mmogfails@gmail.com