FALLOUT4 MO2 and Fallout 4 - Custom.ini versus fallout4.ini and prefs.ini

[Stefan]

Hey guys

I have a question if someone can help me please, thank you. I am using MO2 and Fallout 4, used MO2 before with SSE and FNV without issues.

I have been told that the fallout4custom.ini from MO2 can't overwrite the fallout4prefs.ini or the fallout4.ini with many if not most values that are supposed to be in those 2 vanilla ini files. This wasn't the case for SSE or FNV, as far as I have noticed, I mean the values I were interested in were always edited.

Is this the case for Fallout 4? The fallout4custom.ini from MO2 (printscreen to be sure https://prnt.sc/19kwkqp) can't do that? So I have to edit the vanilla inis directly (in MO2 ini editor of course)? Since it's a major thing I want to be 100% sure that I don't see placebo stuff by editing the custom ini.

Here is a list of variables that can't be used on MO2 custom ini, but people on discord also confirmed the theory:

https://www.afkmods.com/index.php?/topic/4316-fallout-4-useful-ini-settings/ (CTRL F "List of variables that will not be overwritten")

Thank you

Edited July 8, 2021 by Stefan

[DoubleYou]

Fallout New Vegas is the oddball. Fallout New Vegas does not natively support a custom.ini file, but just about everyone uses the JIP LN NVSE Plugin mod for Fallout New Vegas, which adds the ability to use a FalloutCustom.ini file to overwrite any and all INI settings set in Fallout.ini or FalloutPrefs.ini.

For the rest of the games, the order is game.ini, gameCustom.ini, custom plugin INIs (INI files that accompany a mod plugin), and then gamePrefs.ini. In other words, gameCustom.ini will overwrite any setting in the main game.ini file, but not any setting that is validly placed in the gamePrefs.ini file. However, only a select few settings of the many thousands of available INI settings are valid in the gamePrefs.ini file. You can see the lists of valid settings for each of these games within BethINI, or through our wiki guides, or my several threads listing all valid INI settings for each of the games.

Here is the one for Fallout 4 for instance: 

 

Therefore, since iLocation X and iLocation Y are invalid within Fallout4Prefs.ini, as long as a plugin INI file is not overwriting the values, it will use the value assigned within FalloutCustom.ini. If you are unsure at any time if an INI setting is being applied by the game, you can easily verify it in the console with the following commands:

getini "setting:section"

An example in this case would be:

getini "iLocation X:Display"

Which should return 0 if you are using the setting displayed above.

[Stefan]

Thank you very much.