GUIDE General Feedback

[Kelmych]

Will do, thank for your advice. I was hoping to report that the super-recent 1.2.16 fixed the issue, but alas...

:facepalm:

 

Incidentally I'll politely disagree with Kelmych about not recommending the optional FWE fast travel modification. Personally I enjoy that FWE makes everything harder, grittier and detail-oriented. Travelling across the Wasteland is supposed to be quite dangerous and require preparation, and safely teleporting across the map (vanilla safe travel) is dissonant with that.

I'll add some comments about this to the guide so users can make their own choices. I like the idea of having a bike like the one that FWE adds or the J3Xified Motorcycle. Personally I don't like having Fast Travel disabled permanently since I need it once in a while. I don't use fast travel to go long distances (except when I'm testing and need it to examine problems). I do use it when I'm in Novac to get the the Chef's house that I use as my player house. It avoids the tedious steps involved in using the elevator (after I own the house). I prefer to leave fast travel enabled but not use it often vs. having it turned off.

 

At least with the bike there's a rationale for this, and you know that safe teleportation is the product of your efforts.

[Kelmych]

Oh good I don't have to do it then. :-) I'll have a glance at the old FWE patch for ZealotLee's MP5 instead if health allows, I think it could use some toning down and being on fewer levelled lists.

 

 

That would be great. The levelled lists use certainly needs fixing; I've noticed that too many NPCs have MP5s and they occur too often in loot; I've also seen some comments on Nexus about this. It would also be good to get more balanced statistics for the all of Zealotlees weapons.

[Kelmych]

Minor bits of feedback about the procedure :

 

- Advanced Recon Thermal Nightvision is there twice :-) (on each side of trap detection)

oops, I'll fix that

 

- In the Dynamic Crosshair explanations, should the puzzling "move open menus" be "remove the menus folder" ? Or should the prefabs folder be created inside the menus folder ?

I'll fix the typo error I made.

 

- Smoothlight (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/18389/?) is a possible alternative to Flashlight - I'd argue it's more immersive but it's just taste.

I'll check it out.

 

- My understanding is that saves *will* eventually get corrupted if CASM isn't used instead of the in-game autosaves, the latter being best completely deactivated. If this understanding is correct it may be worth mentioning it.

Good point. I forgot to include this in the page on Menu selections. I've added it, and I'll also add it in the guide itself since it is important.

 

- The FoMod in Better High Detail Maps and Icon seems to currently be borked with ModOrg - no error message but the first install option screen repeats thrice and the resources aren't visible (the values in map_menu.xml also seem wrong).

Another problem with the new fomod script processor in MO; the Legacy Script tool didn't do this correctly either. Maybe the FOMM - fork tool is still needed for several of the UI mods.

 

- The text isn't clear as to where one finds the "Invincible Enclave" bugfix for Powered Power Armour, and whether it's part of the current procedure.

I included the revised script posted by a user on the Nexus page as a potential fix in a revised version of the PPA plugin. It's in the same archive file as the ACR/FWE fix. I'll add the pointer in the guide itself.

 

-Determining what should be DDSopt'd in UHQ terrain overhaul would be fantastic... but you knew that.

I need to run everything through DDSopt and see which mods seem to need the optimization based on the DDSopt logs. Unfortunately I'm fairly sure all the mods would get at least some benefit from it since DDSopt replaces the mipmaps with much better versions, and I doubt the old textures have mipmaps as good as the ones DDSopt creates.

 

- Metro Carriage Interiors (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/19988/?) is quite comparable to BusWorld, but IMO it's better and I haven't run into stability issues.

That would be really good; I've had a lot of Havoc (items flying around) and other stability problems with Busworld.

 

- When installing Wasteland Clothing HiRes I did not have a choice to untick, perhaps because of a FOMOD/ModOrg issue. I deleted the listed folders from the ModOrg filetree before activating the mod.

I'll check this

 

- The links for the Type3/Mart's Mutant Mod raider mods seem to have been swapped

oops

 

- Isn't there already an AKS-74U in FWE ? I'm semi-sure I ran into some para version of an AK with FWE being my only mod-with-guns running.

There may be; I'll have to check. I like Millenia's weapons.

 

- The version of 20th century weapon on Gamefront is currently unreachable (403 - Forbidden, assuming that there isn't a gateway timeout). Maybe hosting the file somewhere else as a backup would help, since a lot of alternative download possibilities look... iffy in terms of security and spam.

I got it two weeks ago, and I went on the page today and I was able to retrieve it. You need to answer the first question in a survey before downloading it. I got a 504 error during the first attempt, but I went back to the page and it worked for me the second time without making me redo the survey.

[Kelmych]

 

Okay, found the trick -- the 20th century weapons file on Gamefront is geographically restricted. I cunningly disguised myself as an American and it's downloading, no more 403.

It used to be on Nexus but apparently there was some problem that caused the Nexus to remove it.

FWIW, all I could find on various websites smelling of crime and unwashed toilets were v5 and v5.1.

 

Continuing my hopefully helpful notes - is there a reason not to do the 1.32 update for ZealotLee's MP5 pack ? The texture does have problems IME.

I'll add it. This update has one mesh that isn't overwritten; the other 3 meshes and the plugin are overwritten by the Ironsights version.

 

The text for Essential Retex goes "Higher resolution retextures of Higher resolution retextures", which is approved by the Redundant Ministry for Redundancy. :-p

oops

 

Why install MG's Neat Clutter after Retextured Labels ? Doesn't it overwrite almost everything ?

Someone previously commented that the textures in MGs Neat Clutter were better. Retextured labels still provides the Abraxo label

 

When installing T3TforFWE's ZealotLee Weapons Pack, I assume that the ACR .esp should be made optional since a FWE-friendly patch was already installed previously ?

I haven't added the one I created to the guide since I wanted to have it tested a bit. I'll assume it has been (I've tested it myself and noone else has commented on it). so I'll add it and mention that the T3T one isn't needed.

 

Shouldn't the DDSopt link point toward https://wiki.step-project.com/Guide:DDSopt/Fallout instead  ?

OK. I's been moved since the guide was written.

 

Three ALIVE .esps are considered as masters by 20th Century weapons Reborn for FWE. Looks like a problem :

20th Century v5 ALIVE (Chinese Ghoul).esp

20th Century v5 ALIVE (SuperMutant).esp

20th Century v5 ALIVE (TEST Container).esp

The instructions for 20th Century weapons Reborn for FWE say to move the 3 plugins with ALIVE in the name to Optional ESPs. If this is done these 3 files aren't masters.

 

Incidentally I took roughly eleven hours to go through everything, with a reasonably fast connection and a basic understanding of all tools - except the DDSopt stuff which I still have to do because DDSopt is scary. Mind you, I'm sick as a dog and wasn't going to anything productive today, so... But it could be useful info for newbies.

I'll add a comment at the beginning.

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions, and I hope you get better soon.

[GrantSP]

- The FoMod in Better High Detail Maps and Icon seems to currently be borked with ModOrg - no error message but the first install option screen repeats thrice and the resources aren't visible (the values in map_menu.xml also seem wrong).

Another problem with the new fomod script processor in MO; the Legacy Script tool didn't do this correctly either. Maybe the FOMM - fork tool is still needed for several of the UI mods.

 

I don't know what you two are doing wrong but this fomod installs perfectly for me.

[EssArrBee]

I don't know what you two are doing wrong but this fomod installs perfectly for me.

Which version of MO did you install? Installer version or the archive version?

[GrantSP]

I always use the archive version, I'm a bit wary of any installers, I like to know exactly what gets placed and where.

 

BTW, I PM @Reunion, the Legacy Script author, and asked if he would be able to look into writing/assisting with a new plugin.

[Kelmych]

I had the problem with Better High Detail Maps and Icons even with MO 1.2.14 (archive version) and the Legacy Script support mod. It was the only fomod that didn't work properly. I haven't tried the other two problems myself yet with MO 1.2.16.

[GrantSP]

There must be something about the location of the temp folder that is created then when that legacy script runs. We all must have different set ups and the locations for me must be working more often than for you guys. Since according to the legacy mod page it only added that function it couldn't really be anything else could it?

[Kelmych]

Since there was a question about using DDSopt on the UHQ textures mod, I ran DDSopt on the it. I set the resolution limit at 2048x2048 and there were a small number of 4096x4096 textures that were reduced to 2Kx2K. Most of the textures are small terrain textures; for these DDSopt added the missing mip-levels since they didn't have them. As DDSopt always does, all the existing mipmaps were replaced (DDSopt provides better quality versions of the mipmaps). Adding the missing mip-levels allows the GPU to process the textures more quickly (vs. computing them on the fly).

There must be something about the location of the temp folder that is created then when that legacy script runs. We all must have different set ups and the locations for me must be working more often than for you guys. Since according to the legacy mod page it only added that function it couldn't really be anything else could it?

For Fallout 3 my setup is fairly straightforward. I don't have the MO folder in the Fallout 3 GOTY folder, but otherwise the MO setup uses default locations.

[EssArrBee]

Since there was a question about using DDSopt on the UHQ textures mod, I ran DDSopt on the it. I set the resolution limit at 2048x2048 and there were a small number of 4096x4096 textures that were reduced to 2Kx2K. Most of the textures are small terrain textures; for these DDSopt added the missing mip-levels since they didn't have them. As DDSopt always does, all the existing mipmaps were replaced (DDSopt provides better quality versions of the mipmaps). Adding the missing mip-levels allows the GPU to process the textures more quickly (vs. computing them on the fly).

For Fallout 3 my setup is fairly straightforward. I don't have the MO folder in the Fallout 3 GOTY folder, but otherwise the MO setup uses default locations.

I don't have MO in the game folder either. I keep it in C:\Games next to my Steam folder.

[Kelmych]

Like SRB, my MO folder is in D:\Games and Steam is in the same folder.

[Nozzer66]

The issue I had with Better Maps I fixed by simply changing MO's Fomod installer. Set one way it repeats 3 times and borks. Set the other way it works fine.

[GrantSP]

hmm... well that throws that idea out of the window. I too have my Fallout 3 in C:\Games\. 

 

So Nozzer66 you and I have MO set to Fomod Installer == preferred is false

[Nozzer66]

I change that setting as needed, as a first point of attack if something borks. Let me quickly check what it is now...

 

Currently I have it as true. But that would be cause it needs to be true if you use that new Dynamic Third Person camera mod (Which is very nice, BTW Kelmych.) and I just dropped that in Friday.

 

So yes, normally I'd have it on false.