User:Kelmych/Fallout3 ControlPanelMenu Settings

Introduction

Fallout 3 doesn't have the Mod Configuration Menu (MCM) mod that was added for Fallout New Vegas. Instead there are Control Panel menus accessed through the Pipboy Item menus and/or through hotkeys. The following is a list of all the menus added by the mods in theFallout 3 guide, and some recommendations on parameters that are worth changing from their default values.

Control Panel Menu List

This table includes the mods with Control Panel Menus and how the menus can be activated.

The list of all Control Panel menus added and the mod that added the menu is provided below. In addition to the menus in the Item menus, the menus for some mods are available through a hotkey. Some Control Panel menus are available through both a hotkey and an item menu.

The FWE mod provides most of the settings menus for FO3. However, as DanielCoffey notes, these menus are not available until after exiting Vault101 or the Alternative Start shack. The menus for repairing limb damage aren't available until then; be careful with limb damage until then.

Mod

Advanced Recon: Apparel Menu < Adv. Recon Settings >
Dynamic Crosshair: Apparel Menu < Configure Crosshair >
Fallout 3 Wanderers Edition: Apparel Menu < FWE Control Panel >
Flashlight: Apparel Menu < Flashlight Options > ; Hotkey (default is 'B', recommend changing to 'L')
Triage (FWE): Apparel Menu < Triage >
Powered Power Armor: Apparel Menu [PA] - config ; Hotkey (default is 'P')
MMM options: Apparel Menu
CASM: Aid Menu: CASM Options Menu
Enhanced Weather: Aid Menu, Enhanced Weather Settings
Dragonskin Tactical Outfit: Aid Menu [DTO Bonus Menu] (available on Pipboy exit)
RH_IronSights: Aid Menu [Gun Oil]
Bullet Time function (FWE): Misc Menu {Bullet time}; Hotkey (hotkey set in menu)
Sprint function (FWE): Hotkey (hotkey set in menu)
JIP Selective-Fire: Hotkey (default is 'B')
JIP Realistic Weapon Overheating: Hotkey ('Shift' + 'Backspace')
Stimpack Counter: Hotkey ('Right-Shift')
Adjustable HUD (aHUD): Hotkey (default is 'F6')
Immersive HUD (iHUD): Hotkey default is 'I' held 2 seconds)
Darnified Menu Options: Main Game Menu DUIF3

Darn UI Combat Indicator

As mentioned in Arwen's Mod List for Fallout 3 this page DarnUI includes a Combat Indicator. The default for this indicator is off, but it can be enabled by changing the following line in DarnUI Support for FWE: menus\prefabs\DUIF3Settings.xml with Notepad++. This parameter is not available as an option in the DUIF3 menu, it needs to be changed in the settings file. Having this parameter enabled can reduce immersion. change

<_HUDShowCI> 0 </_HUDShowCI> to
<_HUDShowCI> 1 </_HUDShowCI>

Menu Comments

Perk Menu during level up

The Educated perk adds 2 skill points (when using FWE) at every level up. It reduces game balance by adding too many skill points during the course of the game. It was removed in Fallout NV because of this issue. It is recommended that this perk not be taken in Fallout 3.

FWE Options

Fallout 3 Wanderers Edition full description of FWE menu options

The FWE mod provides most of the settings menus for FO3. However, as DanielCoffey notes, these menus are not available until after exiting Vault101 or the Alternative Start shack. The menus for repairing limb damage aren't available until then; be careful with limb damage until then.

Recommended changes from Default FWE settings; otherwise the recommendation is to use the default values

Experience Control Panel Options ( > Character > Experience )

Option 3 - Fast leveling (iXPBumpBase = 300), requires 60-90% more XP across all levels. The change is for balance for Level 30 Cap vs. the Fallout 3 default (Level 20 Cap which assumes no DLC).

Skill Increases

Option 2A: Moderate Skill Increase - 7 Skill Points at Level Up. With FWE installed, tag skills add 2 skill points for each point expended, so getting 7 points at level up vs. 10 points helps to balance this. With 3 tag skills adding a maximum of roughly 30 points per skill to yield roughly 60 points of skill increase per skill. Divide the roughly 90 additional skill points by 29 levels to get approximately 3 points per level decrease needed to balance the skill increases to the alternative of 10 skill points per level with tag skills receiving only 1 skill point per level up point (as in vanilla)).

Option B0: every two points of INT provides 1 additional skill point (FWE Default)

Flashlight: Menu Options

change flashlight color (if desired)

change hotkey (changing hotkey to 'L' is recommended)

Ability/Hotkey Menus

Stealth Field

Stability Settings

Change the Stealth Boy mode to Default (2) when using a Stealth Boy and to (1) when using armor with a stealth field.

Unfortunately the default is not the Stealth Boy default mode, so when starting the game change this.

Afterwards this value needs to be changed every time you switch between a stealth field from armor and a Stealth Boy.

Immersion Menus

Timescale

FWE default of 1:5 is more reasonable than the very fast 1:30 default game setting.

If this is changed from 1:5 the Powered Power Armor energy use settings need changes

To check timescale in game use console command "show timescale"

Primary Needs Configuration

Needs

Set sleep need to 8 hours

Other needs can be changed as needed; try the default values and see if they seem reasonable to you.

Recommended settings would be for eating and drinking need to occur several times a day.

Compare what food and water consumption is neededit over the course of a game day to reduce hunger and thirst levels to 0 with what would be needed in real life.

Abilitiy/hotkey settings

Explosive Entry

Item descruction settings

Items Cannot be destroyed (0)

Immersive HUD

Immersive HUD Menu (hold hotkey for 2 seconds to get this menu)

Activation Options

Hitpoints

Activate on combat - change toggle to 1

Activate with right mouse - change toggle to 1

Compass

Activate on combat - change toggle to 1

Activate with right mouse - change toggle to 1

Action Points

Activate when weapon out - change toggle to 1

Activate with right mouse - change toggle to 1

Ammo & CND

Activate when weapon out - change toggle to 1

Activate with right mouse - change toggle to 1

Crosshair

Activate when weapon out - change toggle to 1

Activate with right mouse - change toggle to 1

Sneak Meter

iHud activated

Fading Options

General

6 seconds

Hitpoints

8 seconds

Compass

15 seconds

Action Points

8 seconds

Ammo & CND

8 seconds

Crosshair

8 seconds

Target info

6 seconds

iHud Compatible Mods

Darnified UI

Clock

Activate with right mouse - change toggle to 1

General

Nightvision and Stealth field

Activate with right mouse - change toggle to 1

Adv. Recon Thermal Nightvision

Activate with right mouse - change toggle to 1

RH_Ironsights

As mentioned in the ULTIMATE Fallout 3 Setup and Mod Guide, the gun sway needs to be reduced for weapons using IronSights. Select the Aid Menu [Gun Oil] to access the RH_IronSights menu.

Powered Power Armor

Set Scaling to disabled.

This might not be needed with the script change mentioned in the guide, but if it is not used this helps reduce the invincible Enclave soldier bug (some Enclave soldiers can't be targeted with VATS and have so many hit points that they can't be killed. It is caused by the game engine not properly handling software tokens used by mods.) If the timescale is set to a value other than 1:5 (see FWE Immersion menu above) then the Power Armor energy use parameters need adjustment. Note that many users find that the Invincible Enclave soldier bug present even with the script change and with Scaling set to disabled; the mod should not be used if this happens.

Mart's Mutant Mod (MMM)

The default MMM configuration parameters make a number of the game monsters more challenging. The parameters below are for a less challenging game. Even those who want the increased challenge might want to use these less challenging parameters at the beginning of the game. Some game quests that are intended to be done in the early part of the game are too dangerous with the default MMM settings, particularly any quests that involve travelling into DC through subway tunnels. After reaching level 10 or so the default MMM parameters can be restored for those who want more challenging monsters.

Increased Spawns

No increased spawns

Other Spawn Options

Reduced Wasteland Spawns ON

Reduced Wasteland Spawns 25%

DLC Increased Spawns OFF

New Behemoth chance OFF

Feral Ghoul Rampage OFF

Ghoul Rise chance 0

New Monster Options 1

Turn Wanamingos OFF

Turn Floaters OFF

New Monster Options 2

Turn Stalker creatures OFF

Special Features

Soft unleveling OFF

DPS OFF

An Evening with Mister Manchester

After the main quest portion is complete and you have an MTS-400: when the Options menu is open click the FWE toggle to on (i.e., 1).