4. Enhance Animation

“Hiii there!”

It’s no secret that Bethesda games have always struggled in the animation department. And while Fallout 4 has vastly improved from Fallout 3—just as Skyrim from Oblivion—it’s still rife with issues. From stiff walk and run cycles, to awkward idle poses, to animatronic lip syncing. Characters will run in wide circles, struggle to pass each other in close quarters, and turn on their heels as they battle with pathfinding. Actors, be they humanoid or massive monster, handle themselves about as well as an awkward 13-year-old in the school cafeteria.

Solution: As this is an issue with both animation quality and pathfinding, it’s a multi-step fix. Idle and cycle animation should be further improved on to appear more realistic. Lip syncing needs to follow the actual spoken syllables rather than mouths flopping open and shut. Bad pathfinding is a scripting issue that causes NPCs to twirl and run around in desperate confusion. Scripts need to be tuned so NPCs don’t freak out so much when navigating interiors and rough terrain.