[Fallout] Cloudy with a chance of Fallout

Discussion in 'General Game Talk' started by OldSchoolGentleman, Jun 2, 2015.

?

Which Fallout game should Lowco play first?

  1. Fallout 3

    20 vote(s)
    87.0%

  2. Fallout New Vegas

    2 vote(s)
    8.7%

  3. Fallout "4"

    1 vote(s)
    4.3%
Page 2 of 3
  1. MORGsmash

    MORGsmash Lurker

    I've been working on a list of mods for FO3 targeted towards keeping the gameplay as vanilla as possible, but that will also get the game to run and run smoothly, while providing the best lore-friendly graphics possible.

    I used several different resources to assemble the list.
    1. Gopher's YouTube channel, Bethesda's Forums and Steam forums as well as this excellent post on Reddit:
    https://www.reddit.com/r/Fallout/comments/2cywjl/ultimate_fallout_3_graphical_overhaul_mod_list/

    I'm not gonna go into detail on getting the game to run here. I was gonna do a step-by-step on that but ran out of time b4 the dentist.

    Here's the basic list - I'll add links later:

    Essential Performance & Stability:

    • Fallout 3 Large Address Aware Enabler - Allows Fallout 3 to utilize more RAM, up to 4GB.

    • Fallout 3 Stutter Remover - improves frame rate stutter issues. Default settings cap FPS at 30 (can be edited if needed)




      Textures
    • NMC's Texture Pack - High quality re-textures to most in game models, available in varied texture size.
    • Lots of other Textures mods, but this is probably the only one you really need.


      Beauty & Immersion (all Optional really, they just make the game look better & have little imapct on performance on today's PCs):
    • Project Reality - Removes the original green tint layered over the wastes and improves the overall visual appeal of Fallout 3's world. It adds weather and other visual effects to the base game. Note: adds one gameplay change, Radiation Storms. Deactivate in Pip-boy.

    • Fallout 3 Re-Animated – More natural character animations

    • Fallout 3 Redesigned – Improves NPC faces.

    • Realistic Interior Lighting – Better, more realistic lighting.

    • Megaton Lighting Overhaul - Makes the lights in Megaton more realistic.

    • SmoothLight – Included because Project Reality makes darkness darker.

    • Fallout Street Lights – Same as above.

    • Enhanced Camera - Generally creates a more immersive FPS experience.



      Anti-LowcoLost mod:
      • Hi-Detailed Map - High quality Pip-Boy map re-texture. Because Doug had a vanilla map on his Pip-boy :

    Sorry for potato-formatting!
     
    MORGsmash, Jul 28, 2015
    #21
    xdaft_clueless, OldSchoolGentleman and Philou0217 like this.
  2. Lowco2525

    Lowco2525 Administrator Staff Member Moderator WebSub Twitch Sub

    Mods we have decided on:
    Start with FOScriptExtender, Fallout Large Address aware (use this to launch the game), GFWL remover, FO3 stutter remover, and then the unofficial patch, i don't know about the UI or the CASM mod.
     
    Lowco2525, Jul 28, 2015
    #22
    MORGsmash, ChristopherClink, Jackarl and 2 others like this.
  3. MORGsmash

    MORGsmash Lurker

    I'm glad someone mentioned GFWL remover! I meant to include that, also I wasn't sure if the Steam version came with GWFL or not. I also thought FOSE now disabled it, but not sure.

    2 small additions to your install order Lowco:

    1) this is from OSG's excellent post (which I read and enjoyed thoroughly)

    Do this first - VERY IMPORTANT - FO3 would not even run on my Windows 7 64-bit PC until I did this

    Here's the path to the file OSG is referring to :
    C:\users\yourname\Documents\My Games\Fallout3\FALLOUT.ini

    2) corrected install order

    Start with FOSE (Fallout 3 Script Extender) - manual install
    Fake Fullscreen Mode (use this to launch the game) - manual install
    Fallout Large Address aware - manual install (it's an app you run once)
    GFWL remover - not sure if manual or nexus
    FO3 stutter remover- activate w/ Nexus
    unofficial patch - activate w/ Nexus
    CASM - activate w/ Nexus
    Darnified - I think it's another manual install, so order probably does not matter - I am not familiar with this one. It's not on the Nexus (well not in English anyway)


    If you run into unexpected issues, or there's something we missed, here's a good troubleshooting resource :
    ULTIMATE Fallout 3 Setup Guide READ THIS! (by BenWah lead author of the Unofficial Patch)
     
    MORGsmash, Jul 28, 2015
    #23
    xdaft_clueless and OldSchoolGentleman like this.
  4. OldSchoolGentleman

    OldSchoolGentleman Moderator Staff Member Moderator

    Glad you enjoyed the post MORG :D

    Your post came in very handy on the stream yesterday, thanks for linking all those mods.
     
    OldSchoolGentleman, Jul 29, 2015
    #24
  5. xdaft_clueless

    xdaft_clueless Lurker

    Just one question if I may. I have (by mistake) 32 bit windows, so 3GB usable ram and will not stream the game so Fake Fullscreen Mode, Fallout Large Address aware and the manual ini edit is not necessary? And I also use the dvd version of the game (GOTY edition) does this change anything? Had only the unofficial patch installed but you got me curious to see only really necessary mods (playing on laptop and I have some programs that HAVE to run in the background almost all the time).

    p.s.: sorry for the broken English :( Feel free to correct me (I do have to learn to write not only read).
     
    xdaft_clueless, Jul 29, 2015
    #25
  6. OldSchoolGentleman

    OldSchoolGentleman Moderator Staff Member Moderator

    Hey there xdraft_clueless,

    I'll do my best to help you out. It sounds like you have a 32 bit windows, I am assuming that is Windows 7. In that case, Large Address aware is definitely necessary, as is the manual ini edit. Fake Fullscreen mode allows you to run the game in windowed mode, but it will automatically expand the window so it appears to be fullscreen. This is essential if you want to stream because the normal fullscreen mode can crash the game if you try to do an Alt+tab to select another program.

    Also, I believe that Steam can recognize DVD copies of games and turn them into digital copies - I have done that with a game or two. You may find that helpful since steam can keep the game updated/patched.
     
    OldSchoolGentleman, Jul 30, 2015
    #26
    xdaft_clueless likes this.
  7. xdaft_clueless

    xdaft_clueless Lurker

    Thank you! I added the key to my steam account and as expected it was recognized. Edited the ini file and applied the patch. I will have some more time tomorrow to see what happened and if it will run as of today on Windows 10 (just updated).


    p.s.: the ini file was in the fallout directory and called Fallout_default.ini, not in documents directory but maybe because the installation was done from the dvd (diferent installer I guess).
    If something goes wrong I'll just reinstall I guess.
     
    Last edited: Jul 30, 2015
    xdaft_clueless, Jul 30, 2015
    #27
  8. OldSchoolGentleman

    OldSchoolGentleman Moderator Staff Member Moderator

    Oh, interesting about the ini file directory, GL tomorrow!
     
    OldSchoolGentleman, Jul 30, 2015
    #28
  9. OldSchoolGentleman

    OldSchoolGentleman Moderator Staff Member Moderator

    Since we have a bit more time before the FO3 playthrough starts, I wanted to suggest one more mod that I really should have pointed out during the stream as essential.

    RN Ironsights

    As the name implies, this mod adds the ability to look down a weapon's iron sights, which is not possible in vanilla Fallout. Fallout games are about having fun shooting things, and this mod makes shooting things many times more enjoyable. Playing without this mod is a bit like playing rocket league using KBM. It is possible, but it is cumbersome and far less rewarding. This takes nothing away from the vanilla game, it is just a minor tweak to make the game more enjoyable.

    Check the spoiler below for a bit more about the mod (from my original post)

    Chapter 7: Learning how to hold a weapon

    While just about everything in the Fallout world can be used as a weapon, there is a certain gratification that can only be achieved by looking down the sight of a good old fashioned rifle, pulling the trigger, and watching as your .32 caliber piece of lead finds its target square in the middle of a ne'er-do-weller's grimy face, the resulting contact turning their brain-holder into a Pollock-esque red mist. If you are playing New Vegas, then you are all set to enjoy as many of these glorious moments as you see fit. If you are playing Fallout 3, you won't have true iron-sights, just a slightly zoomed in view of your off-center weapon. Booo. Simply get the RH_Ironsights mod you'll be looking down the right end of the barrel in no time.
     
    OldSchoolGentleman, Jul 30, 2015
    #29
  10. xdaft_clueless

    xdaft_clueless Lurker

    Things seem to work with these mods: http://imgur.com/U9xtmNJ

    You can see my specs (laptop) on the right from the fose window. Hope this info helps. Haven't tried crashes and etc (extensive research tomorrow if I have time but loading time is fast and I hope my framerate will be good enough). Thank you for the help :)
     
    xdaft_clueless, Jul 30, 2015
    #30
  11. Philou0217

    Philou0217 Confused

    Just out of curiosity...Fallout 4 is still a long way ahead *sigh* and we do not know yet if they added new stuff in customization, perks etc but I can't stop thinking about it.....do some of you guys are already thinking about your first build? :D

    I mainly always switched between guns or energy weapons in most of my playthrough but sometimes I liked playing melee a few times. I thought about trying to play more realistically this time. I thought maybe a mix of a steahlty, long range sniper with melee for CQB could do the job. (Could also add a bit of explosives in that to set traps :D)
     
    Philou0217, Jul 30, 2015
    #31
  12. xdaft_clueless

    xdaft_clueless Lurker

    My PC would probably not handle Fallout 4 but if I upgrade I would probably go stealthy and/or intelligence builds.
     
    xdaft_clueless, Jul 31, 2015
    #32
  13. OldSchoolGentleman

    OldSchoolGentleman Moderator Staff Member Moderator

    I might spend a lot of time building up my home/base in my first play-through. I want to try out that new feature of the game. I loved Tower Defense games growing up and I am a big fan of the Wasteland Defense mod for FNV. Cohh had the idea to try to build a base with one of every turret in the game, which sounds like a cool endeavor.
     
    OldSchoolGentleman, Jul 31, 2015
    #33
  14. MORGsmash

    MORGsmash Lurker

    I just remembered. In the modding conversation, did anyone mention ArchiveInvalidated.txt?
     
    MORGsmash, Jul 31, 2015
    #34
  15. OldSchoolGentleman

    OldSchoolGentleman Moderator Staff Member Moderator

    Stability mods specific to Fallout New Vegas can all be found here. They are essentially the same group of mods used to stabilize Fallout 3.

    The only change I would make to that list would be to omit the CASM save manager. Essentially, I think the majority of people with save issues do not have the right stability mods installed, and that is the cause of their issues. Installing CASM might help for a bit, but many people in the comments for that mod report continued save game issues. With the right stability mods installed correctly, fingers crossed, there won't be any save game issues.
     
    Last edited: Aug 17, 2015
    OldSchoolGentleman, Aug 6, 2015
    #35
  16. OldSchoolGentleman

    OldSchoolGentleman Moderator Staff Member Moderator

    To my knowledge, Nexus mod manager will apply the correct settings for ArchiveInvalidated.txt. I have not had to go out of my way to make sure this is anything special done with Archive Invalidation for my last few game setups/play-throughs.
     
    OldSchoolGentleman, Aug 6, 2015
    #36
  17. MORGsmash

    MORGsmash Lurker

    yeah OSG I remembered that myself after that post. Lowco activated it thru NMM on day one before the stream
     
    MORGsmash, Aug 7, 2015
    #37
  18. MORGsmash

    MORGsmash Lurker

    Fallout New Vegas Mods

    Just focusing on the stability & performance ones, leaving gameplay, graphics and UI alone. Loonies, please let me know if I missed anything important :)

    Some New Vegas veterans may notice I've chosen one or two mods here that may not be at the top of the list for most downloaded. But I chose these based on the fact that they've been updated recently and not way back in 2011, so they should also be more compatible with modern systems since they are being currently maintained by the authors. Some of them are updates of older mods, I'll try to point these out as I go.

    Lowco - this should be very similar to your fallout 3 setup, but slightly easier.

    SETUP GUIDE
    Step 0)
    a. Launch the game once after install to autodetect hardware etc.
    b. in the Launcher options, make sure "Mode - Windowed" is selected
    c. Close the launcher

    Step 1)
    Edit Fallout.ini

    a. Open up the fallout.ini file in: Documents\My Games\Fallout New Vegas\
    b. Find the line:

    bUseThreadedAI=0

    change it to:

    bUseThreadedAI=1

    Add another line after it and insert:

    iNumHWThreads=4 (because your Intel Core i7 4770K is a quad-core CPU, so 4)

    c. Save and close the file

    Step 2)
    Install NVSE (New Vegas Script Extender)
    a. Go to http://nvse.silverlock.org/
    b. Download (stable version 4.5): http://nvse.silverlock.org/download/nvse_4_5.7z to your desktop
    c. Extract the files to your Fallout NV directory. This is usually in your Program Files folder under \Steam\SteamApps\common\fallout new vegas\. If you see files named FalloutNV.exe and FalloutNVLauncher.exe, this is the correct folder.
    d. Launch NV once via nvse_loader.exe. Enabling the Steam Community option (enabled by default) will allow you to launch the game via Steam's standard UI.

    Step 2a) NVAC - New Vegas Anti Crash
    e. Install the NVAC - New Vegas Anti Crash plugin for NVSE
    i. download manually at http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/53635/?
    ii. Extract nvac.dll to your \Data\NVSE\Plugins\ folder

    Step 3)
    Fallout New Vegas 4GB UPDATED (update of an older mod)
    http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/55061/?
    This file is a must. This allows Fallout: New Vegas to use more then 2GB of memory. *Requires Manual Install*

    Basic Install:
    a. Download Manually from NMM to your Desktop
    b. Extract to your \Steam\SteamApps\common\fallout new vegas\ folder
    c. In that folder, right-click on "fnv4gb.exe" and select "Copy". On your desktop, Right Click and then "Paste Shortcut"
    e. Right-click on the shortcut you just made and select Properties, then click on Compatibility and check "Run this program as an Administrator" (You can also rename the shortcut if you wish)

    To run the game, first make sure Steam is running, then use the "FNV4GB" shortcut you just made to launch your game. It should load NVSE and update Steam hours played properly too.

    and... the hard part is over! The rest are download/activate with NMM

    Step 4) Fake Window Mode (update/replacement for an older mod)
    http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/59266/?
    OneTweak - One To Tweak Them All! NVSE plugin for Borderless Window Mode

    Installation / Usage:
    Download with NMM and activate. You should already have set default game launcher to "Mode - Windowed" under Options (see step 0)

    Step 5) New Vegas Stutter remover
    http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/34832/?
    Download NVSR 4.1.36 with NMM and activate.

    Step 6) Yukichigai Unofficial Patch - YUP
    http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/51664/?
    community fixes for a host of bugs, no gameplay changes
    Download with NMM and activate

    Step 7) Have another epic playthrough!

    Disclaimer: this guide does not offer help with, nor take responsibility for, any gravity-assisted deaths which the user may experience.
     
    MORGsmash, Aug 17, 2015
    #38
    Cicero_Wolfe likes this.
  19. MORGsmash

    MORGsmash Lurker

    forgot to mention - after New Vegas is installed and Nexus Mod Manager has auto-detected it, go into NMM and make sure Tools > Archive Invalidation is checked
     
    MORGsmash, Aug 18, 2015
    #39
  20. chrisdash

    chrisdash Lurker

    Thanks a ton for the guide, OSG! I just started playing FO3 and with your INI hints it went from crashing every 10 seconds to stable, smooth 30 fps :)
     
    chrisdash, Aug 22, 2015
    #40
    OldSchoolGentleman likes this.
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