• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

Bethesda Continues to Struggle With Fallout 76, Refunds Now a Possibility

crazyeyesreaper

Not a Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Mar 25, 2009
Messages
9,817 (1.71/day)
Location
04578
System Name Old reliable
Processor Intel 8700K @ 4.8 GHz
Motherboard MSI Z370 Gaming Pro Carbon AC
Cooling Custom Water
Memory 32 GB Crucial Ballistix 3666 MHz
Video Card(s) MSI RTX 3080 10GB Suprim X
Storage 3x SSDs 2x HDDs
Display(s) ASUS VG27AQL1A x2 2560x1440 8bit IPS
Case Thermaltake Core P3 TG
Audio Device(s) Samson Meteor Mic / Generic 2.1 / KRK KNS 6400 headset
Power Supply Zalman EBT-1000
Mouse Mionix NAOS 7000
Keyboard Mionix
With the release of Fallout 76 a week ago, Bethesda continues the tradition of releasing buggy games that are full of glitches and issues. These problems are always expected to come from Bethesda; typically the game is still fun however unlike previous titles, Fallout 76 is has been universally panned by gamers and critics alike. At this point, some of the bugs, exploits, and problems are just hilariously bad. Tools such as Nukacrypt are already available online, using only a partial code it can decrypt the in-game nuclear launch codes drastically speeding up the overall process. Keeping with nuke theme, players working together were able to crash a Bethesda server by launching three nukes simultaneously. There are more glaring examples but when you add them to the laundry list of problems its begins to look pretty bad even for Bethesda.

Then there is Brogadyn on Reddit, who for a week now has been stuck in a semi-god mode. Usually that would be something to rejoice about but in this case, has caused many issues with the game's mechanics as the player is seen to have 0 HP. Worse yet, Bethesda has been dragging their feet when it comes to looking into the problem with Brogadyn speculating that they could reproduce the issue based on the circumstances in which the issue occurred. When you consider all this along with the general bugs, glitches, and problems that are typically a minor annoyance, you end up with a game that likely should have stayed in beta.



In general Fallout 76 is currently such a mess that the game is already discounted by $20 just about everywhere, including from Bethesda themselves. Adding to the problem is the sad fact gameplay is considered quite dull making for a perfect storm where it was only a matter of time before the refund chant would begin which is likely sooner rather than later thanks to Fernando, a user on the Resetera forums, who has supposedly managed to receive a refund from Bethesda directly. Meaning if you bought the game elsewhere you might be out of luck, but if you bought it directly from Bethesda, you might stand a chance at getting your money back.

Still looking at Steam and its current refund policy it is highly likely the game would already be experiencing a massive number of refunds if it was available on that distribution platform. Bethesda's avoidance of Steam on this title means they are in control of refunds which with no clearly defined terms leaves a lot of questions unanswered. That said, considering Bethesda warned everyone how buggy the game would be I guess no one should be surprised by the current events.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site
 
Joined
Feb 18, 2012
Messages
2,715 (0.58/day)
System Name MSI GP76
Processor intel i7 11800h
Cooling 2 laptop fans
Memory 32gb of 3000mhz DDR4
Video Card(s) Nvidia 3070
Storage x2 PNY 8tb cs2130 m.2 SSD--16tb of space
Display(s) 17.3" IPS 1920x1080 240Hz
Power Supply 280w laptop power supply
Mouse Logitech m705
Keyboard laptop keyboard
Software lots of movies and Windows 10 with win 7 shell
Benchmark Scores Good enough for me
My friends kid ordered the $78 game package, I dont know what it comes with, extra stuff I assume. He got a refund from Bethesda. He said the servers are empty.
 
Joined
Mar 10, 2015
Messages
3,984 (1.11/day)
System Name Wut?
Processor 3900X
Motherboard ASRock Taichi X570
Cooling Water
Memory 32GB GSkill CL16 3600mhz
Video Card(s) Vega 56
Storage 2 x AData XPG 8200 Pro 1TB
Display(s) 3440 x 1440
Case Thermaltake Tower 900
Power Supply Seasonic Prime Ultra Platinum
Wasn't their intention of using Creation Engine for all eternity because it would speed up development. Shouldn't the damn engine work after 20 years?

They need to ask AMD what glue they are using. AMD's is clearly better.
 
Joined
Sep 29, 2011
Messages
217 (0.04/day)
Location
Ottawa, Canada
System Name Current Rig
Processor Intel 12700K@5.1GHz
Motherboard MSI Pro Z790-P
Cooling Arctic Cooling Liquid Freezer II 360mm
Memory 2x16GB DDR5-6000 G.Skill Trident Z RGB
Video Card(s) MSI Gaming X Trio 6800 16GB
Storage 1TB SSD
Case Cooler Master Storm Striker
Power Supply Antec True Power 750w
Keyboard IBM Model 'M"
I've been playing and enjoying the game. Yes, there is a bit more latency than with Fallout 4. But I'm still enjoying it for the mostpart. I still run into glitches in Fallout 4 that require me to reload a saved game even now, but I haven't run into anything serious yet.
 
Joined
Mar 10, 2015
Messages
3,984 (1.11/day)
System Name Wut?
Processor 3900X
Motherboard ASRock Taichi X570
Cooling Water
Memory 32GB GSkill CL16 3600mhz
Video Card(s) Vega 56
Storage 2 x AData XPG 8200 Pro 1TB
Display(s) 3440 x 1440
Case Thermaltake Tower 900
Power Supply Seasonic Prime Ultra Platinum
Is it really 20 years old? Can't be THAT old..

It was orignially released as NetImmerse in 97, Gamebryo in 2003, and Creation Engine after that. So, technically?
 
Joined
Feb 17, 2017
Messages
854 (0.30/day)
Location
Italy
Processor i7 2600K
Motherboard Asus P8Z68-V PRO/Gen 3
Cooling ZeroTherm FZ120
Memory G.Skill Ripjaws 4x4GB DDR3
Video Card(s) MSI GTX 1060 6G Gaming X
Storage Samsung 830 Pro 256GB + WD Caviar Blue 1TB
Display(s) Samsung PX2370 + Acer AL1717
Case Antec 1200 v1
Audio Device(s) aune x1s
Power Supply Enermax Modu87+ 800W
Mouse Logitech G403
Keyboard Qpad MK80
Joined
Jul 24, 2009
Messages
1,002 (0.18/day)
Yea the thing is this.

Bethesda doesnt actually know how to make games or code most stuff. They never really made engine, they just modified existing one (heavily) and got away with that and hyper buggy editor(s).

Their games for past titles (quite a few) exist solely on shoulders of their modding community, which is always willing to fix their crap, polish it until it shines harder than AAA products and keep rolling more and more stuff into games that would be normally long time forgotten.

I dont think Bethesda truly understands how much value modders have for them. Sadly its quite often shown by them (Bethesda) being pretty unhelpful and often greedy as fck (like Blizz lvl greedy).

Well and F76 shows all that.
 
Joined
Mar 14, 2014
Messages
1,430 (0.36/day)
Processor 11900K
Motherboard ASRock Z590 OC Formula
Cooling Noctua NH-D15 using 2x140mm 3000RPM industrial Noctuas
Memory G. Skill Trident Z 2x16GB 3600MHz
Video Card(s) eVGA RTX 3090 FTW3
Storage 2TB Crucial P5 Plus
Display(s) 1st: LG GR83Q-B 1440p 27in 240Hz / 2nd: Lenovo y27g 1080p 27in 144Hz
Case Lian Li Lancool MESH II RGB (I removed the RGB)
Audio Device(s) AKG Q701's w/ O2+ODAC (Sounds a little bright)
Power Supply Seasonic Prime 850 TX
Mouse Glorious Model D
Keyboard Glorious MMK2 65% Lynx MX switches
Software Win10 Pro
Hey at least they had microtransactions ready
 
Joined
Dec 16, 2017
Messages
2,939 (1.15/day)
System Name System V
Processor AMD Ryzen 5 3600
Motherboard Asus Prime X570-P
Cooling Cooler Master Hyper 212 // a bunch of 120 mm Xigmatek 1500 RPM fans (2 ins, 3 outs)
Memory 2x8GB Ballistix Sport LT 3200 MHz (BLS8G4D32AESCK.M8FE) (CL16-18-18-36)
Video Card(s) Gigabyte AORUS Radeon RX 580 8 GB
Storage SHFS37A240G / DT01ACA200 / ST10000VN0008 / ST8000VN004 / SA400S37960G / SNV21000G / NM620 2TB
Display(s) LG 22MP55 IPS Display
Case NZXT Source 210
Audio Device(s) Logitech G430 Headset
Power Supply Corsair CX650M
Software Whatever build of Windows 11 is being served in Canary channel at the time.
Benchmark Scores Corona 1.3: 3120620 r/s Cinebench R20: 3355 FireStrike: 12490 TimeSpy: 4624
He said the servers are empty.

I expected that they wouldn't be very populated, considering all the criticism, but empty? Not even a single die-hard fan running around? Holy cows...
 

FreedomEclipse

~Technological Technocrat~
Joined
Apr 20, 2007
Messages
24,173 (3.74/day)
Location
London,UK
System Name WorkInProgress
Processor AMD 7800X3D
Motherboard MSI X670E GAMING PLUS
Cooling Thermalright AM5 Contact Frame + Phantom Spirit 120SE
Memory 2x32GB G.Skill Trident Z5 NEO DDR5 6000 CL32-38-38-96
Video Card(s) Asus Dual Radeon™ RX 6700 XT OC Edition
Storage WD SN770 1TB (Boot)|1x WD SN850X 8TB (Gaming) | 2x2TB WD SN770| 2x2TB+2x4TB Crucial BX500
Display(s) LG GP850-B
Case Corsair 760T (White) {1xCorsair ML120 Pro|5xML140 Pro}
Audio Device(s) Yamaha RX-V573|Speakers: JBL Control One|Auna 300-CN|Wharfedale Diamond SW150
Power Supply Seasonic Focus GX-850 80+ GOLD
Mouse Logitech G502 X
Keyboard Duckyshine Dead LED(s) III
Software Windows 11 Home
Benchmark Scores ლ(ಠ益ಠ)ლ
Fallout 76 is something that never should of came to be.

I understand if they made it co-op but a barren open world game with no NPCs or storyline and being reliant on other players is such a big no no. Its like they had no clear direction for the game but just decided to run with what they had anyway.
 
Joined
Jan 8, 2017
Messages
9,505 (3.27/day)
System Name Good enough
Processor AMD Ryzen R9 7900 - Alphacool Eisblock XPX Aurora Edge
Motherboard ASRock B650 Pro RS
Cooling 2x 360mm NexXxoS ST30 X-Flow, 1x 360mm NexXxoS ST30, 1x 240mm NexXxoS ST30
Memory 32GB - FURY Beast RGB 5600 Mhz
Video Card(s) Sapphire RX 7900 XT - Alphacool Eisblock Aurora
Storage 1x Kingston KC3000 1TB 1x Kingston A2000 1TB, 1x Samsung 850 EVO 250GB , 1x Samsung 860 EVO 500GB
Display(s) LG UltraGear 32GN650-B + 4K Samsung TV
Case Phanteks NV7
Power Supply GPS-750C
Is it really 20 years old? Can't be THAT old..

Apparently some core bits from it date as far back as Morrowind. Not 20 years, but pretty close.

Old engines aren't exactly the end of the world but only if they receive improvements constantly. For example there are some game braking bugs that occur because the logic of the game is tied with the physics engine that haven't been fixed since Fallout 3.
 
Joined
Aug 20, 2007
Messages
21,542 (3.40/day)
System Name Pioneer
Processor Ryzen R9 9950X
Motherboard GIGABYTE Aorus Elite X670 AX
Cooling Noctua NH-D15 + A whole lotta Sunon and Corsair Maglev blower fans...
Memory 64GB (4x 16GB) G.Skill Flare X5 @ DDR5-6000 CL30
Video Card(s) XFX RX 7900 XTX Speedster Merc 310
Storage Intel 905p Optane 960GB boot, +2x Crucial P5 Plus 2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs
Display(s) 55" LG 55" B9 OLED 4K Display
Case Thermaltake Core X31
Audio Device(s) TOSLINK->Schiit Modi MB->Asgard 2 DAC Amp->AKG Pro K712 Headphones or HDMI->B9 OLED
Power Supply FSP Hydro Ti Pro 850W
Mouse Logitech G305 Lightspeed Wireless
Keyboard WASD Code v3 with Cherry Green keyswitches + PBT DS keycaps
Software Gentoo Linux x64 / Windows 11 Enterprise IoT 2024
Of course, no one wants to play a single player game online..

Pretty much. My brother had me buy this game on the promise his guild would play it, who are usually fun guys to play around with.

Unfortunately, I aparently learned the hard way that sitting at a terminal ties it up for everyone, by getting more or less an angry lynch mob around my person. Unfortunately for the angry mob, they could only shoot at me for being an ass and not do damage because I wasn't PvP flagged. When I got out of the terminal, I had to apologize to like 13 players for READING THE FUCKING STORY.

WTF?
 
Joined
Jul 5, 2013
Messages
28,260 (6.75/day)
Pretty much. My brother had me buy this game on the promise his guild would play it, who are usually fun guys to play around with.

Unfortunately, I aparently learned the hard way that sitting at a terminal ties it up for everyone, by getting more or less an angry lynch mob around my person. Unfortunately for the angry mob, they could only shoot at me for being an ass and not do damage because I wasn't PvP flagged. When I got out of the terminal, I had to apologize to like 13 players for READING THE FUCKING STORY.

WTF?
Yeah, I feel ya. Been there a few times. Tried to give a few games the benefit of the doubt only to be let down and given a ribbing by friends.
 
Joined
Aug 20, 2007
Messages
21,542 (3.40/day)
System Name Pioneer
Processor Ryzen R9 9950X
Motherboard GIGABYTE Aorus Elite X670 AX
Cooling Noctua NH-D15 + A whole lotta Sunon and Corsair Maglev blower fans...
Memory 64GB (4x 16GB) G.Skill Flare X5 @ DDR5-6000 CL30
Video Card(s) XFX RX 7900 XTX Speedster Merc 310
Storage Intel 905p Optane 960GB boot, +2x Crucial P5 Plus 2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs
Display(s) 55" LG 55" B9 OLED 4K Display
Case Thermaltake Core X31
Audio Device(s) TOSLINK->Schiit Modi MB->Asgard 2 DAC Amp->AKG Pro K712 Headphones or HDMI->B9 OLED
Power Supply FSP Hydro Ti Pro 850W
Mouse Logitech G305 Lightspeed Wireless
Keyboard WASD Code v3 with Cherry Green keyswitches + PBT DS keycaps
Software Gentoo Linux x64 / Windows 11 Enterprise IoT 2024
This could be saved actually by letting people host private servers with friends, you know? Not a bad idea.
 

rtwjunkie

PC Gaming Enthusiast
Supporter
Joined
Jul 25, 2008
Messages
14,019 (2.34/day)
Location
Louisiana
Processor Core i9-9900k
Motherboard ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming 6
Cooling All air: 2x140mm Fractal exhaust; 3x 140mm Cougar Intake; Enermax ETS-T50 Black CPU cooler
Memory 32GB (2x16) Mushkin Redline DDR-4 3200
Video Card(s) ASUS RTX 4070 Ti Super OC 16GB
Storage 1x 1TB MX500 (OS); 2x 6TB WD Black; 1x 2TB MX500; 1x 1TB BX500 SSD; 1x 6TB WD Blue storage (eSATA)
Display(s) Infievo 27" 165Hz @ 2560 x 1440
Case Fractal Design Define R4 Black -windowed
Audio Device(s) Soundblaster Z
Power Supply Seasonic Focus GX-1000 Gold
Mouse Coolermaster Sentinel III (large palm grip!)
Keyboard Logitech G610 Orion mechanical (Cherry Brown switches)
Software Windows 10 Pro 64-bit (Start10 & Fences 3.0 installed)
I dont think Bethesda truly understands how much value modders have for them.
Oh they know. They recognize how much modders want to make their games into their own and that is one of the reasons they are so open to letting their games be modded.

It may have the side effect of fixing broken stuff (along with transforming their games into new ones), but the reason they allow it is for the goodwill it creates.
 
Joined
Mar 16, 2017
Messages
2,160 (0.76/day)
Location
Tanagra
System Name Budget Box
Processor Xeon E5-2667v2
Motherboard ASUS P9X79 Pro
Cooling Some cheap tower cooler, I dunno
Memory 32GB 1866-DDR3 ECC
Video Card(s) XFX RX 5600XT
Storage WD NVME 1GB
Display(s) ASUS Pro Art 27"
Case Antec P7 Neo
They have to be feeling the squeeze. They’ve been advertising this one on TV during football games. That airtime can’t be cheap, and it runs during most every break.
 
Joined
Apr 3, 2010
Messages
800 (0.15/day)
Location
US
System Name Desktop
Processor AMD Ryzen 5 5600X [3.7GHz/4.6GHz][6C/12T]
Motherboard ASUS TUF Gaming X570-PRO [X570]
Cooling Cooler Master Hyper 212 RGB Black Edition
Memory G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series 32GB [DDR4 3600][2x16GB][16-19-19-39@1.35V]
Video Card(s) ASUS KO GeForce RTX 3060 Ti V2 OC Edition 8GB GDDR6 [511.65]
Storage [OS] Samsung 970 Evo 500GB | [Storage] 980 1TB | 860 Evo 1TB | 850 Evo 500GB | Seagate Firecuda 2TB
Display(s) LG 27GL850 [27"][2560x1440@144Hz][Nano IPS][LED][G-SYNC Compatible][DP]
Case Corsair Obsidian 750D
Audio Device(s) Realtek ALC S1200A High Definition Audio CODEC
Power Supply EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 G1+ [+12V: 83.3A 999.6W][80 Plus Gold]
Mouse Logitech M570 Trackball
Keyboard Corsair Gaming K55 RGB
Software Microsoft Windows 10 Pro [21H1][64-bit]
I'm really glad I didn't buy this game, though I still may pick it up in the future if it is $10> or drastically improved.
 
Joined
May 18, 2009
Messages
2,986 (0.52/day)
Location
MN
System Name Personal / HTPC
Processor Ryzen 5900x / Ryzen 5600X3D
Motherboard Asrock x570 Phantom Gaming 4 /ASRock B550 Phantom Gaming
Cooling Corsair H100i / bequiet! Pure Rock Slim 2
Memory 32GB DDR4 3200 / 16GB DDR4 3200
Video Card(s) EVGA XC3 Ultra RTX 3080Ti / EVGA RTX 3060 XC
Storage 500GB Pro 970, 250 GB SSD, 1TB & 500GB Western Digital / lots
Display(s) Dell - S3220DGF & S3222DGM 32"
Case CoolerMaster HAF XB Evo / CM HAF XB Evo
Audio Device(s) Logitech G35 headset
Power Supply 850W SeaSonic X Series / 750W SeaSonic X Series
Mouse Logitech G502
Keyboard Black Microsoft Natural Elite Keyboard
Software Windows 10 Pro 64 / Windows 10 Pro 64
I've been playing and enjoying the game. Yes, there is a bit more latency than with Fallout 4. But I'm still enjoying it for the mostpart. I still run into glitches in Fallout 4 that require me to reload a saved game even now, but I haven't run into anything serious yet.

I stepped off the back of a car in Fallout 4 - that means I was less than 2 feet off the ground....I died mid air before my body hit the ground. Full health? Yes. Does it matter? Apparently not.
 
Joined
Aug 10, 2007
Messages
4,267 (0.67/day)
Location
Sanford, FL, USA
Processor Intel i5-6600
Motherboard ASRock H170M-ITX
Cooling Cooler Master Geminii S524
Memory G.Skill DDR4-2133 16GB (8GB x 2)
Video Card(s) Gigabyte R9-380X 4GB
Storage Samsung 950 EVO 250GB (mSATA)
Display(s) LG 29UM69G-B 2560x1080 IPS
Case Lian Li PC-Q25
Audio Device(s) Realtek ALC892
Power Supply Seasonic SS-460FL2
Mouse Logitech G700s
Keyboard Logitech G110
Software Windows 10 Pro
There's at least one part I'm happy with... scratches an itch leftover from FO4.

home-sweet-home-fo76.jpg

That's not to say I'm unhappy with the rest of the game, just that I knew to take my time with this one. Should Bethesda progress faster than me, so much the better.
 
Joined
Jun 15, 2016
Messages
1,042 (0.33/day)
Location
Pristina
System Name My PC
Processor 4670K@4.4GHz
Motherboard Gryphon Z87
Cooling CM 212
Memory 2x8GB+2x4GB @2400GHz
Video Card(s) XFX Radeon RX 580 GTS Black Edition 1425MHz OC+, 8GB
Storage Intel 530 SSD 480GB + Intel 510 SSD 120GB + 2x500GB hdd raid 1
Display(s) HP envy 32 1440p
Case CM Mastercase 5
Audio Device(s) Sbz ZXR
Power Supply Antec 620W
Mouse G502
Keyboard G910
Software Win 10 pro
Fallout 3 :nutkick: F76

;)
 
Joined
Aug 13, 2009
Messages
3,254 (0.58/day)
Location
Czech republic
Processor Ryzen 5800X
Motherboard Asus TUF-Gaming B550-Plus
Cooling Noctua NH-U14S
Memory 32GB G.Skill Trident Z Neo F4-3600C16D-32GTZNC
Video Card(s) AMD Radeon RX 6600
Storage HP EX950 512GB + Samsung 970 PRO 1TB
Display(s) HP Z Display Z24i G2
Case Fractal Design Define R6 Black
Audio Device(s) Creative Sound Blaster AE-5
Power Supply Seasonic PRIME Ultra 650W Gold
Mouse Roccat Kone AIMO Remastered
Software Windows 10 x64
I hope enough people request a refund that Bethesda finally gets the message that releasing obscenely buggy games is NOT ok after 24 years. I am looking at you Arena and Daggerfall, both of which I obtained legally.
 
Joined
Sep 17, 2014
Messages
22,673 (6.05/day)
Location
The Washing Machine
System Name Tiny the White Yeti
Processor 7800X3D
Motherboard MSI MAG Mortar b650m wifi
Cooling CPU: Thermalright Peerless Assassin / Case: Phanteks T30-120 x3
Memory 32GB Corsair Vengeance 30CL6000
Video Card(s) ASRock RX7900XT Phantom Gaming
Storage Lexar NM790 4TB + Samsung 850 EVO 1TB + Samsung 980 1TB + Crucial BX100 250GB
Display(s) Gigabyte G34QWC (3440x1440)
Case Lian Li A3 mATX White
Audio Device(s) Harman Kardon AVR137 + 2.1
Power Supply EVGA Supernova G2 750W
Mouse Steelseries Aerox 5
Keyboard Lenovo Thinkpad Trackpoint II
VR HMD HD 420 - Green Edition ;)
Software W11 IoT Enterprise LTSC
Benchmark Scores Over 9000
Is it really 20 years old? Can't be THAT old..

Creation = Gamebryo = NetImmerse = 1997.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamebryo

Basically you're just playing an upgraded Morrowind.

They have to be feeling the squeeze. They’ve been advertising this one on TV during football games. That airtime can’t be cheap, and it runs during most every break.

I'm not sure what was in their minds honestly, did they think they'd launch the next PUBG or CoD killer?

Well given the super cheap development they do, I'm sure they'll survive. If you think of it, this fiasco is actually positive because it severely hurts the successrate/outlook of continuously developing on that same shitty engine. There are now hidden costs involved that can be directly attributed to it - both in fixing the problems and the damage to brand image. With FO4 you could still be in denial of it, now you really can't. This really is the perfect lesson in humility for them.

The takeaway here is that their idea of a single player online game *might have even worked out* simply because it carried the Fallout tag, but they've destroyed that advantage now simply and only by the production quality of it. So we can rest assured they won't be doing that again, at least not in this way, nobody will believe them if they try it again. Its typical how all of the recent Bethesda ideas to monetize their IP fall flat. This audience is clearly not up for these jokes, I love seeing it. They should just be focusing on their core business: nice immersive RPG with expansive lore and gameplay. Its very clear there is a real place and demand for single player content.
 
Last edited:
Top