Sorry, but I find remarks like these utterly ridiculous. It's like you all played different games than I did and make Fallout some sort of hallmark for "deep RPGs". It's not and never was. How is dumping 20+ points into "Small Guns" any different from getting 1 rank in "Rifleman" or "Commando", depending on what you want to specialize in? The new system is much more complex than the old system at its core. It's much improved overall and you now have much more flexibility while being able to be much more focused at the same time. You have way more weapons and all of them can be customized. Now it's not a deep crafting system, but it's still a decent addition and allows for a much better progression than any Fallout before. Found a Sniper Rifle? Set for the game. No upgrade, no nothing. Oh, got access to power armor? Set for the game. It makes exploration and leveling quite more enjoyable this time around.
i guess i did play a different game? i really don't know where you're getting your conclusions from given that the focus of world interactivity and character building through your actions is what made the original two fallouts "classic RPGs" in the first place. beyond that, in terms of character builds... are you seriously stating that a game that has a shooter-oriented focus has more depth than a dice roll/classic RPG in terms of builds? like, if you want to argue the aspect of accessibility or enjoyability that's extremely solid ground to work from, but from a depth perspective i seriously cannot imagine how you'd come to that conclusion without only drawing from FO3/NV's system. and even then i'd say it's a flawed conclusion.
rather than considering "well it's 20 points in small guns or a perk point in rifleman", think about it in terms of how you can differentiate characters you'd be building- with NV's system you have the choice of not only 'small guns, big guns or energy weapons' but also weapon types within that category, ammunition types and then perks with specific bonuses to very specific types of weapons. you also have to work with the limitations of your SPECIAL stats and the level limit. for example, a cowboy build is very possible in NV and the game specifically has tons of things that let you build towards it in regards to perks, skill choices, outfits, whatever.
in fallout 4 you make a character that gets stronger over time infinitely with no real goal towards builds and no real strong differentiation beyond player preference between melee or ranged weapons- the categories are so streamlined that i'd imagine most players ultimately end up running with similar weaponsets or builds once they decide their preference between melee or ranged combat.
also just as a weirdo nitpick, fo4 does not have nearly even close to the same amount of guns NV does.there's a pretty linear path of modification beyond the choice of scopes and automatic/semi auto (where applicable) so i don't really think you can use that argument that the number of variable modifiable weapons makes the inherent number of weapons greater than FO3 or NV- they're still the same weapons, but with a range for improvement rather than an entirely different weapon altogether.
NV has (iirc) 4 tiers of guns for every subcategory- off the top of my head in the small arms category you've got: semi-auto pistols, revolvers, shotguns, semi-auto rifles, lever/bolt-action rifles and automatic rifles. this doesn't include uniques, which have their own unique models.
in the same category, fallout 4 has like 9 weapons that could fall under this category. maybe 10 if you really push it, haha. legendary weapons add a lot of variety to this so that's pretty arguable in terms of gameplay differentiation but as a comparison just sheer numbers?
to a degree i feel like the modding actually takes away some of the personality behind the weapons, as bizarre as that statement sounds, haha. it's like.. the difference between lever action rifles and semi-auto rifles in NV was a genuine thing in the way they were designed from a gameplay flow aspect while the progression between a laser rifle modded to do burning damage or have the sniper barrel doesn't really change much in terms of how i actually use the gun. moving from the pipe rifle to the hunting rifle to the gauss rifle didn't feel very different, nor did moving from the combat rifle to the assault rifle... maybe it's just because i go ham regardless of the weapon i'm using
i dunno, i guess you're gonna have to explain your thoughts more because i just see fallout 4's builds being so streamlined that there can't possibly be as much depth to them as the strong specialization you'd find in the BI/obsidian games.
sorry if i come off like a dumb asshole, that's probably just sleep deprivation and internet attitude- i'm trying to argue in earnest 'cuz i feel like i'm missing something here.
also, did you rename all your unique weapons? c'mon, you don't like the 'lil injoke with Le Fusil Terribles? i cracked up when i saw that name and effect since that was my favorite FO3 weapon
Are there no assault rifles (FO 3 version) in this?
nope, the assault rifle you get is different and can be semi-auto or auto depending on your mod choices. remember that there's no 'energy weapons' category so you can also substitute in your energy weapons for automatics if you feel you're missing that gap in your arsenal
you want that sexy Gauss rifle + VATS.
With some of the perk bonuses its a 1 hit weapon
boy howdy is this the truth. shit is ridiculous, especially with a certain mungo mayor's bugged as fuck perk