Fallout 4's crafting system has reduced economy exploits
Fallout 4 leverages all that junk lying around in the world in a massive expansion on Bethesda's past crafting and creation systems.
In a new Fallout 4 video, creative director Todd Howard discusses the RPG's extensive crafting system, in which players can break down everything they find.
"The main gist of it is that we have all this junk around the world. It sort of started like if you look at alchemy in Skyrim, but imagine that was on everything," he said.
Players can take components and build anything from modest customisations to weapons to entire towns with power and trading routes - but it all starts from breaking down junk.
"Stuff in the beginning of the game that you just think is crap and lying around you would then realise 'Oh I need the baby bottle, because it has X,'" Howard said.
"Not everything has components. You don't have anything that just has like, 'my only existence is I am worth two caps.' We have nothing like that," he added.
All this has had an interesting knock-on effect. Howard said at this stage in the development of a big Elder Scrolls RPG the team would normally be working very hard to balance the economy and close money-making exploits. This time, they haven't had to do that.
"People on the team who are playing it are hoarding all the crap instead of selling it," Howard said.
There's a lot more detail in the video below.
Fallout 4 launches on PC, PS4 and Xbox One on November 11.