‘Fallout 4’ Online Character Builder Allows Fans To Plan Their Skills Ahead Of Release, Microsoft Talks More About ‘Fallout 3’ Backwards Compatibility

For players wanting to get a head start on figuring out what stats and perks they want in Fallout 4, a community-driven fansite for the game has built an online character planner that gives players the ability to figure which skills they’d like to have in the upcoming fourth installment of the popular apocalyptic series.

As pointed out in a report by Kotaku, the Fallout 4 build planner gives gamers the chance to fully customize the gameplay stats for their in-game characters. In addition to designating points into any of Fallout 4‘s seven S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes, fans can also set the gender and name for each character build created through the planner.

Furthermore, the character builder also lets fans allocate the perk points. The creators of the tool gathered information for each perk from the recent Fallout 4 leaks that the Inquisitr first reported on earlier this week. With a total of 270 perks available to acquire in Fallout 4, gamers can end up spending lots of time simply planning a character before even getting a chance to try out the game once it launches next week.

With the official release of Fallout 4 fast approaching, Microsoft’s Larry Hryb also further discussed how Xbox One owners will receive a backwards compatible version of Fallout 3 by pre-ordering the game. On his Major Nelson blog, Hryb confirmed that the digital edition of Fallout 3 will become available to download next Thursday for anyone who picks up a copy of Fallout 4 on Xbox One. This special offer is being extended to both physical and digital pre-orders alike.

“As you get ready for the awesome, post-apocalyptic goodness that is Fallout 4 on Xbox One, don’t forget that for a limited time it comes with its direct predecessor, Fallout 3 – available first on Xbox 360 and then on Xbox One after November 12 when Xbox One Backward Compatibility becomes available. Whether you pre-order or purchase the game physically, digitally, or as part of the Xbox One Fallout 4 Bundle, you’ll definitely want to pick up Fallout 4 now if you haven’t already to grab your free copy of Fallout 3 (limited time offer).”

Hryb points out that Fallout 3 is a great bonus to give to Fallout 4 fans. After all, Fallout 3 was the first entry in the series to be developed by Bethesda Game Studios. The third entry of the franchise was also the first game to introduce the Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System, or V.A.T.S. for short.

This is worth mentioning because V.A.T.S. will once again be returning in Fallout 4. However, just like plenty of other gameplay elements, the strategic targeting feature has evolved in the franchise’s latest installment. While players can still use V.A.T.S. in Fallout 4, it will no longer completely pause the game. The tradeoff is that users now have control in when they can score critical damage on an enemy.

“Fallout 4, V.A.T.S. has been even more refined to work seamlessly with the shooting – not stopping time entirely, but slowing it down and flowing directly from the player’s other shooting. The difference in Fallout 4, too, is that using V.A.T.S. is limited by a rechargeable bar; you can only use it so often, but the good news is that you can choose when and where a critical hit will score, so it’s even more powerful than it used to be.”

Fallout 4 launches on the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC on November 10. Xbox One players will also be able to download a digital copy of Fallout 3 on November 12 when support for backwards compatibility goes live on Microsoft’s current-gen console.

Do you plan on trying to figure out what kind of character you want to be in Fallout 4, or will you simply figure it out as you play?

[Image via Fallout 4]