51 replies to this topic

[Leadpipe]

I've been working this out for a while, but I thought I'd put a thread up in order to track progress, get input and take suggestions on how to fix problems I'll inevitably run into.

This is my first serious attempt at a mod in Fallout 3, or modding in general. As such, it's slow going, and (I fully realize) directly in contradiction of the advice of more experienced modders due to its scale. I understand that advice and realize that I might be biting off more than I can chew, but that's all stuff I wrestled with while digging through what tutorials I've been able to find (and am grateful for). I've been having a fair amount of fun playing around with this stuff, which sometimes leads to me getting a bit out of hand. I'm fairly certain that I'll get through a substantial portion of this done, if not a complete version, but it will take time. If it generates interest, that'll keep me honest, as well.

My intentions with this mod are as follows: 1) Experiment with the existing mechanics of Fallout 3 to try to create a scenario built around moral complexity in which the gameplay relates to the dilemma(s) presented. That is to say that I don't intend to present an interesting moral situation and then send you off on some gopher/gather mission or some other unrelated distraction. The challenge with this, I realize, is going to be keeping it interesting. 2) Get familiar with the range of tools in the GECK in order to make future mods easier. 3) Integrate Nuenen's Plague Doctor Outfit mod. http://thenexusforum...howtopic=113378 4) Possibly explore the nature of the realities of a society 200 years after an apocalyptic nuclear war. I'm sure there others, but I got distracted while writing this, so... sorry. I'll mention them as they come up.

I don't want to get too into the content of the mod unnecessarily, so I'll just draw the broad lines. An exploratory patrol of the BoS gets cut off from the Capital Wasteland and involved in a conflict with a settlement (tenatively) called Perryman. The player will be put in the position of mediating the conflict. That's about all I want to say about it for now.

It's getting late, but tomorrow I'll be back with some screens from the first interior and some questions about some problems I'm seeing.

Any questions/comments are welcome.

[Callighan]

Who' s Perryman?

[neunen]

glad to see its still underway
im still working on the outfit, i imagine that the kinks will be worked out within the time youre developing this.

one quick question though, i noticed you said they get cut off from the capitol wasteland; will you be making a new world space for this to take place in?

cheers,
neunen

[Leadpipe]

Fair question. I'm not entirely sure on the name anymore, but I've got a foggy memory of the story of a sailor or ship captain or pirate who requested that his body not touch dry land after he died. So they filled his coffin with water, sealed it, and suspended it with chains in a cave or grotto in Perryman Cemetery. I believe that this is in Maryland somewhere and I thought it was a cool story so I decided to use its name.

Of course, like I said, I'm not certain about everything I'm remembering here, and much of it might be the product of fabrication. But it's a working title. I'll probably change it before I release it.

[Leadpipe]

@ Nuenen > yes I intend to make a new worldspace for this. Current inventory is 1 Worldspace exterior, 3 major interiors. I'm not sweating minor interiors until I have the more major map spaces in place.

[Callighan]

An exploratory patrol of the BoS gets cut off from the Capital Wasteland and involved in a conflict with a settlement (tenatively) called Perryman. The player will be put in the position of mediating the conflict.

I hope to not invoke spoilers, but I'd like to know what will be the point of interest in the conflict.

try to create a scenario built around moral complexity in which the gameplay relates to the dilemma(s) presented.

I don't intend to present an interesting moral situation and then send you off on some gopher/gather mission or some other unrelated distraction.

explore the nature of the realities of a society 200 years after an apocalyptic nuclear war.

If such is the premise, I'm interested to see how this turns out.

The challenge with this, I realize, is going to be keeping it interesting.

Perhaps it would be more interesting if there's a worthwhile reward of sorts after finishing the scenario. If you have planned something, I'm intrigued to know what it is.

This is my first serious attempt at a mod in Fallout 3, or modding in general. As such, it's slow going, and (I fully realize) directly in contradiction of the advice of more experienced modders due to its scale. I'm fairly certain that I'll get through a substantial portion of this done, if not a complete version, but it will take time. If it generates interest, that'll keep me honest, as well.

Oh do continue. It's always nice to see quest mods get done.

[Leadpipe]

Ok, stealing some time to post another picture up and answer questions:

Point of Interest: I'm not sure what you mean, exactly, but I'll see if this isn't near the mark. The BoS is camped outside of Perryman on account of an initiate being held inside and accused of a crime. It will be the player's task to a) determine whether or not the initiate is guilty and b) whether that matters.

Premise: I wouldn't describe it as such. It's more my intention. Being new to this, I'm pretty free to dream wildly, but those are my sincere intentions.

Reward: That's something I've been wrestling with since I started this project: a way to motivate the player. Fallout 3 eschews scarcity, which is good as any reward will not unbalance the game, but is bad because anything that anyone offers can be got elsewhere. I've been trying to think of ways to reintroduce the idea of need into this mod, and I think I'll have to steal that script that removes all your gear from The Pitt if I can't come up with a more interesting solution.

Here's the overall layout of the first interior. It's a beast and will probably have to be split up, but there it is for your viewing pleasure.

Attached Files

•  SShot2.jpg   60.17KB   44 downloads

[Callighan]

I'm guessing the settlement is in the metro station, right?

Fallout 3 eschews scarcity, which is good as any reward will not unbalance the game, but is bad because anything that anyone offers can be got elsewhere. I've been trying to think of ways to reintroduce the idea of need into this mod

So I'm thinking a bigger reward would be the experience?

+1 to you pulling this off.

[HugePinball]

Point of Interest: I'm not sure what you mean, exactly, but I'll see if this isn't near the mark. The BoS is camped outside of Perryman on account of an initiate being held inside and accused of a crime. It will be the player's task to a) determine whether or not the initiate is guilty and b) whether that matters.

That sounds like a solid plotline. A thought to add - Traditional BoS would likely just move in and retrieve their Initiate by force. If these are Lyons' BoS, perhaps they're starting to rethink their general benevolence toward "locals". Maybe you're already thinking of including this as part of your storyline.

Reward: That's something I've been wrestling with since I started this project: a way to motivate the player. Fallout 3 eschews scarcity, which is good as any reward will not unbalance the game, but is bad because anything that anyone offers can be got elsewhere. I've been trying to think of ways to reintroduce the idea of need into this mod, and I think I'll have to steal that script that removes all your gear from The Pitt if I can't come up with a more interesting solution.

From the few details you've provided (a settlement with some system of law), removing all the player's gear upon entering would be a reasonable precaution for them to take toward strangers, if you choose to do that. As far as reward, another suggestion would be to offer the player some new and unique weapon, armor, or other useful item. If you're not able to create some additional items like this, maybe look into getting permission to incorporate some existing mods which simply add new items to the game without any context. There might already be things appropriate to what you have in mind.

[Baelkin]

From the few details you've provided (a settlement with some system of law), removing all the player's gear upon entering would be a reasonable precaution for them to take toward strangers, if you choose to do that. As far as reward, another suggestion would be to offer the player some new and unique weapon, armor, or other useful item. If you're not able to create some additional items like this, maybe look into getting permission to incorporate some existing mods which simply add new items to the game without any context. There might already be things appropriate to what you have in mind.

Instead of items as rewards, I think a more appropriate reward for a quest involving moral decisions could be a perk of some sort that bolsters the character's abilities/alters NPC reactions etc. depending on the nature of the solution used. For instance, solving the quest through use of diplomacy could give a perk bolstering speech or bumped NPC reactions favourably, and solving the quest in different ways could have the perk apply to different factions or situations.

In any case, I think limiting rewards to items is pretty 1990's when there are wider possibilities - at least I think perks or even unqiue bodyguards would be much more interesting than items you can download and get through other mods anyway.