Since being released just a couple of weeks ago, Bethesda’s online multiplayer gameFallout 76has faced a lot of criticism. Players have been upset about the technical issues that have crashed the game’s servers as well the post-launch price cuts that led to Bethesdagiving people compensation. However, the latest issue that people have found with the game may come as somewhat of a surprise.
On social media, fans have been pointing out thatFallout 76’s bobby pins - which are used to pick locks in the game - weigh a lot more than they do in real life. In the game, they weigh 0.0999 pounds. In comparison, in real life, you could buy a box of 100 bobby pins that weighs 2.4oz and this includes the weight of the pins as well as the packaging. The following calculations were done by a Reddit user: 2.4oz divided by 100 is 0.024oz or 0.0015lbs and 0.0015lbs x 66 = 0.0999 (when rounded up to 0.1). Therefore, a bobby pin in the game weighs 66 times more than it does in real life. They also weigh more than ammo in the game.
Fans aren’t interested inFallout 76for its realism. The game allows players toblast each other with nukesand they face off against all manner of mutated creatures. These are the charms of the post-apocalyptic wasteland. And while there are some familiar elements of the real world here, the game was never promoted as one that would offer tons of realism. In short, the lack of realism isn’t the issue here.
Rather, why some are upset is because the bobby pins are weighing them down so heavily. In theFalloutseries, when players are over-encumbered and go over the weight limit, there AP is drained, which gives them a disadvantage in combat. The game does featurePerk Cardsthat boost a player’s Strength stat, or, they can ditch heavy items in order to lighten the load. But it is frustrating to have to drop useful items (such as weapons) to quickly offload weight when items such as bobby pins are weighted in the way that they are.
Bethesda has yet to respond directly to this issue. However, it did previously confirm that it would beincreasing stash sizesat some point (no specific date for this update has been provided). And while this may not solve the problem of being over-encumbered, it will at least give players somewhere to store those bobby pins instead of just flinging them onto the ground.
Fallout 76is available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
