Bethesda is in Trouble Again , This Time it's Plagiarism

Claims that Fallout 76 was just a lazy cut and paste cash grab seem to have been given more validity as Bethesda have been accused of another lazy cut and paste job only this time the cut part was from somebody else's game , yes this time Bethesda are being accused of plagiarism from a D&D adventure called The Black Road which was published in 2016 by Wizards of the Coast.
To be honest it seems like a clear cut case , here's a link to the Evidence

The introduction to "The Black Road" reads, in part:
There's nothing like the desert to make people feel small and insignificant. In every direction, huge dunes roll across the landscape, and an even bigger sky looms above. The oasis of Vuerthyl is a motley collection of sun-bleached tents in the vast Anauroch desert.

Through various means, it has been arranged that you would meet Azam the caravaneer in the large, Calimshan-styled tent that passes for a tavern here. A pair of tieflings, who seem to be unaffected by the heat, eye approaching visitors warily. The dim interior of the tent is a relief from the bright light and wind, though it’s as hot here as anywhere else. The gentle sounds of a stringed instrument fill the air, and the people inside are hunched over food, drink, and conversation. A dragonborn with rust-colored scales greets you, and guides you to a private table. There are a few other adventurers here

Bethesda's game is set in Elsweyr , home of the Khajiiti.

"Elsweyr's" introduction reads as follows:
Nothing beats the desert to make people feel small and unimportant. In every direction enormous dunes roll across the landscape, and an even larger empty air skies above it [sic]. The oasis on the border between Cyrodiil and Elsweyr is a colorful collection of sun-drenched tents in the vast desert of Elsweyr.

In various ways it is arranged that a group of adventurers would get acquainted with the caravan leader named Kar'reem. His big tent is filled with several Khajiit, which seem unaffected by the heat, they stare at you cautiously. The dim interior of the tent is a relief compared to the bright sunlight from outside, even though it is still as hot inside as out there. The soft sounds of stringed instrument [sic] fill the air, and the people are busy over eating, drinking, and conversation [sic]. An Argonian servant escorts you to an empty table.

A promotional Elder Scrolls-themed tabletop RPG adventure released by Bethesda Tuesday contained widespread instances of apparent plagiarism from a Dungeons & Dragons adventure published by Wizards of the Coast in 2016. That adventure was pulled down from the Internet Wednesday afternoon, and Bethesda now says it is "investigat[ing] the source."

Bethesda's pen-and-paper Elder Scrolls "Elsweyr" adventure (archived here for reference) contains text that in total seems only slightly reworded from the D&D adventure "The Black Road," written by Paige Leitman and Ben Heisler as part of Wizards of the Coast's Organized Play program. The adventures are largely identical throughout their texts, aside from sometimes sloppy replacements of certain words and phrases with synonyms and the changing of certain items and locations to fit in the Elder Scrolls setting.

Bethesda's Facebook post announcing the "Elsweyr" adventure (link since removed), which says it comes from "our friends over at Bethesda Netherlands," contains many comments from D&D players complaining about what they see as a rip-off. That includes Paige Leitman, listed as a designer and author on the D&D adventure. She posted a lengthy Facebook thread titled "How They Plagiarized Our Adventure, An Annotated Powerpoint Presentation," highlighting many examples of overwhelmingly similar text in the two works.

Bethesda's fall from grace continues.

I caught this earlier and haven't had time to read the whole story. They do seem to be have been throwing stuff together since fallout 4, and then 76 was released, and it was a right hash. Now this?

a reply to: gortex

I feel sorry for the people who had a true nostalgia for their games when they were art and not stock projections.

Bethesda has in the past few years employed several ethically bankrupt tactics at buffing their margins.

I think the first thing consumers need to do to send a message to these studios is stop pre-ordering games.

a reply to: CriticalStinker

I think the first thing consumers need to do to send a message to these studios is stop pre-ordering games.

Absolutely , I've never seen the sense in paying for something before you know the quality of what you will get.
I've decided not to buy Rage 2 (which looks great) until it goes on sale , given their lust for it I want to give as little money to them as possible.
Bethesda have fallen to the level of EA in my opinion.

I was a huge fan of the Fallout series (and many of their other titles) and stayed away from 76 until I hung out with my dad while he was playing and got hooked.

I’m loving it

Aesthetically it’s mostly similar to Fallout 4 and the gameplay is as well. But the survival aspect has been notched up and the open world community addition is cool!

Add to that they are constantly updating and adding more to the game from quests, to storylines, and CAMP items as well. They just added vending machines you can place in your CAMP to sale your extra junk and gear



It’s a bummer they get such a bad rap and that probably one or two storyline employees who were not properly managed are causing this latest issue.

I still love Bethesda and believe they are ok!

Try the game at least to level 10

a reply to: raedar

They get a bad rap because they deserve it , Bethesda were my favourite developer even though they don't really release much but the Elder scrolls series and Fallout were enough for me , I played Skyrim for hundreds of hours and could still go back to it.

When 76 was announced I thought it looked interesting but as time went by I saw the reports about the game and quickly went off it , I don't doubt Bethesda will stick with it and make the game they intended but at launch it wasn't ready and shouldn't have been released , money was the motivation from a publisher that isn't short of money thanks in part to the many versions of Skyrim they released.

Glad you're enjoying 76 but it isn't for me , I didn't really enjoy Fallout 4 but thought the Far Harbor expansion was better than the base game.

Bethesda really need to pull the stops out for ES6 or they're doomed , a new game engine is a must.

a reply to: gortex

I do not like these new consoles, disgusting cash cows..

Oh to have a functioning playstation 2.

a reply to: solve

My last console was a Sega Dreamcast , been part of the PC master race since then.

originally posted by: gortex
a reply to: raedar

They get a bad rap because they deserve it , Bethesda were my favourite developer even though they don't really release much but the Elder scrolls series and Fallout were enough for me , I played Skyrim for hundreds of hours and could still go back to it.

When 76 was announced I thought it looked interesting but as time went by I saw the reports about the game and quickly went off it , I don't doubt Bethesda will stick with it and make the game they intended but at launch it wasn't ready and shouldn't have been released , money was the motivation from a publisher that isn't short of money thanks in part to the many versions of Skyrim they released.

Glad you're enjoying 76 but it isn't for me , I didn't really enjoy Fallout 4 but thought the Far Harbor expansion was better than the base game.

Bethesda really need to pull the stops out for ES6 or they're doomed , a new game engine is a must.

You were a huge Bethesda fan, played and enjoyed all up to FO4, and somehow a one off game (76), you haven't even played ruined the entire company to you? A bit much, methinks.

I've played all games Fallout and ES since Fallout 1 and Daggerfall. Some of my most memorable, amazing gaming experiences have been through this companies games. I still remember the awe I felt finally reaching the epic last battle in Morrowind. The atmosphere and build up were unlike anything I'd ever experienced.

C'mon, cut them some slack. They've put out one bad (questionably, I hear it's getting better and better all the time), game, and somehow they are now a pariah to the gaming community?

I say wait and see what they do next. No matter what you think of their games out of the box, the construction tools Bethesda add make for the single best modding community in all PC gaming.

Skyrim out of the box? 7 out of 10. Modded properly the game is a magnificent 10.

a reply to: nightbringr

I think more people are mad about their behavior surrounding 76's launch than the actual game.

Bethesda essentially through middle fingers up while they were getting caught doing shady money grabs.

originally posted by: gortex
a reply to: solve

My last console was a Sega Dreamcast , been part of the PC master race since then.

*says quietly* I own an XB one.

But been PC gaming since PC gaming was invented, built a coaxial network to play 2 player doom!! I've never pre-ordered a game, and never will, these big game company's seem to be making a fortune on pre-orders and look boxes, they need to get back to basics and develop a good story driven game before concentrating on how much money they can make with add-ons and DLC.

a reply to: Kurokage

*says quietly* I own an XB one.

It's OK guy, I have an XB one and enjoy it thoroughly. I even recently stepped up to the one X.... She's nice, I like her.

a reply to: nightbringr

You were a huge Bethesda fan, played and enjoyed all up to FO4, and somehow a one off game (76), you haven't even played ruined the entire company to you?

No , I was a fan of Bethesda but over the years their lust for money , underwhelming FO4 , cash grab that is 76 and their response to gamers who complained , the tatty helmet they sold with the ultimate edition and the canvas bag that wasn't a canvas bag has sullied their reputation for me and many others , now the obvious Plagiarism has turned me against Bethesda.

Most of the technical problems withFO4 and 76 stem from their insistence of sticking with the ancient , yes I know it's updated ,Creation Engine but that doesn't take the blame for FO4's ridiculous story.

I don't hate Bethesda and hope they can redeem themselves but I think change is needed at the top , Bethesda seem to me to be rudderless at the moment and banging into rocks left and right..

its a big corporation. the writer might have stolen the ideas, and the producer never even knew.

thats one problem, and then the main company gets all the grief.

this happened on one of the late night comedy shows, where a staff writer was stealing jokes.

when you hire an artist, you assume they are doing the work.

ive seen it with logos. ive seen people rip off odd logos from around the world, and even use it for big time events. and im betting the house those events did not do research. i am an artist so i do research logos. but trust me, some exec has no clue what or how logos work, let alone bother to look at logos from around the world.

good artists are influenced by everything. but outright stealing, ugghhh. those guys are just lazy.

a reply to: gortex

The last rage game was disappointingly short. Hope this one is longer

a reply to: gortex

They have done this a number of time's, there was a mod for New Vegas called Autumn Leaves which they more or less ripped off completely for there far Harbor Brain Dead quest though according to most whom have played both the NV mod by Autumn Leaves by a mod maker calling himself BaronVonChateau is far better.

Here is the mod for those of you whom may have the far superior New Vegas still on your system's, we can thank Obsidian for it still being the far better fallout game for that and actually not Bethesda whom have since refused to let them have another crack at creating a fallout game - perhaps because they showed just how lazy Bethesda had become.
www.nexusmods.com...
To be fair the Elder Scroll's remain among the best fantasy RPG's out there with Skyrim rightly having become a legendary title - though let's be fair that is partially because of a good game made brilliant by a massive modding community that span's the globe.

You should try out Ultimate Skyrim if you fancy a very well modded version.

Game is completely changed and feels brand new.

It took me about 20 hours to install all the mods and get it up and running the first time, but since then, they have released it through Automoton and it took me about 2 hours all in from starting to playing.

Be warned though if you do try it, it's very different and much MUCH harder.

That was supposed to be a reply to gortex!

originally posted by: Dem0nc1eaner
You should try out Ultimate Skyrim if you fancy a very well modded version.

Game is completely changed and feels brand new.

It took me about 20 hours to install all the mods and get it up and running the first time, but since then, they have released it through Automoton and it took me about 2 hours all in from starting to playing.

Be warned though if you do try it, it's very different and much MUCH harder.

That was supposed to be a reply to gortex!

Ultimate Skyrim VR is even better

Or if I might butt in there Enderal created by German Creators, it's a total conversion but a far better story line even than Bethesda have come up with that just uses Skyrim and it's assets as a base engine, real magic and steam punk fusion with some very nice plot twists even if at time's it feel's a little on the rails and a bit less free than Skyrim but still a vast open world though it could do with a few more quests, those it has are better than Skyrims.
sureai.net...



Also on the theme of Mod's for Skyrim another and perhaps my favorite being a very long time Elder Scroll's fan is one that brought back a little previous elder scroll's lore.
Not sure what happened to the original version of this great mod by MannyGT but the SE version is still up.
www.nexusmods.com...
It's not a total conversion but a quest mod with a huge new location to explore.

If we'd just stop buying lazy cash grabs these developers would be forced to make games for the players again.

Almost every AAA title ships incomplete. Broken mechanics, missing content, unbalanced game play, etc. EXCEPT for the online shop. Those always work flawlessly at day 1. Think Anthem, Fallout 76, COD, Red Dead Redemption. Ready to extract more money from us via a broken game the day it comes out. But months to fix the actual game.

As consumers we deserve this garbage till we stop putting up with it. Support developers who support their fans not their corporate overlords and bottom lines.