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PSA: Fallout 4 PC Console Commands Could Break Save Files
One of the advantages of playing games on PC versus console is the ability to modify the game. While we typically think of these in terms of community-created elements installed to change the way the game works, there's another way PC players can tweak a game's performance that is accessible, but not always safe.
Many titles include what's known as "console commands." The console is used for debugging, but crafty players have been known to take advantage of the feature to dislodge themselves from troublesome world geometry, quickly summon back a wayward companion, or in the case of the original Doom, turn on "god mode." While Bethesda has earned itself a solid reputation for allowing and supporting user-created mods, the developer is warning against the use of console commands for the PC version of Fallout 4.
Bethesda vice president of PR and marketing Pete Hines has been tweeting responses to fan inquiries regarding the use of console commands, stating that Bethesda does not support them and will not be adding command console options to the Xbox One and PS4 versions of Fallout 4. According to Hines, the possibility of console commands breaking your save file isn't just hypothetical – it has already happened. "...we have been sent save files that are clearly messed up from console cmds," Hines told one user via Twitter.
Last week, Bethesda outlined its update plans for Fallout 4, which will be rolling out patches to the PC version first, followed by consoles shortly after. Like previous Bethesda games, Fallout 4 has no shortage of bugs for the developer to work on fixing, so we're guessing problems caused by using the forbidden console commands aren't high on the priority list. Consider yourself warned.
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