Fallout 4: 10 Small Problems That Stop It Being Perfect
8. Settlements Just Aren't Up To Scratch
This just might be me admitting my own inability to build something as grandiose as an AT-AT or an awesome sky-fortress of sorts, but the actual building mechanics for Fallout's settlements are a bit naff, aren't they? Don't get me wrong, it's really cool building something when it does actually work, but nine times out of ten it just... doesn't. The tutorialisation of this mode is practically nonexistent, which then leads into a UI controlled in first-person that feels extremely counter-intuitive, especially when you're trying to assign specific settlers to specific tasks. In addition, walls don't snap where they're meant to, floors rarely line up and things like the power cables don't travel nearly far enough, which kinda takes away from the whole 'post-apocalyptic Minecraft' vibe they were going for. The ironic thing is that even though I don't really care for the settlement building mechanics of the game, it's something I'll always be interested in investing my time and acquired junk in. After all, it's not completely unrewarding - you get to see your settlement thrive in the wasteland and that's actually rather special - it would just benefit from some further refinement.
WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well.
In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.
