SangRahl

It may be nothing, or just my happenstance solution, but eventually any idea that works isn't a bad idea... ---> Turn off the Steam Overlay before launching. I swear, I've done every tip, trick, and hokus-pokus-ey gimmick to get FO4 back up an running for the last two days... And even after a complete "feckitall" wipe and re-install I wasn't getting past a 3-second black screen before getting dumped back to desktop. I noticed that the gameoverlay executable was hanging out a bit after the crash on the Task Manager, so I unticked the option in Steam (Properties > General > "[..] Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game"). The next launch went smoothly, and I'm back in business. (...with a few hours ahead of me of tracking down what mods NMM decided to botch in the Profile re-activation.) Good luck, and I hope _your_ solution ends up as simple, and as easily overlooked.

It may be nothing, or just my happenstance solution, but eventually any idea that works isn't a bad idea... ---> Turn off the Steam Overlay before launching. I swear, I've done every tip, trick, and hokus-pokus-ey gimmick to get FO4 back up an running for the last two days... And even after a complete "feckitall" wipe and re-install I wasn't getting past a 3-second black screen before getting dumped back to desktop. I noticed that the gameoverlay executable was hanging out a bit after the crash on the Task Manager, so I unticked the option in Steam (Properties > General > "[..] Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game"). The next launch went smoothly, and I'm back in business. (...with a few hours ahead of me of tracking down what mods NMM decided to botch in the Profile re-activation.)

The violin/fiddle isn't bad, but after a day of keeping the radio station on 'just in case', I realized that a perfect opportunity presents itself. How many good/great Bostonian Bands/Performers are there out there? Personal favorites are the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Dropkick Murphys, Aerosmith, The Cars, Lemonheads, and even Dick Dale ("Miserlou" surf rock remade famous in Pulp Fiction). Anyways... just a thought.

Had a pair of happenings in my last session... 1) Coming out of the Yao Guai Tunnels after a successful spelunking expedition (took a lot of frag grenades and mines, and I was barely holding out at 1/4 life), I'm sitting crouched outside the gate for a short breather when I see the decapitated head of a mole rat come rolling down the incline to come to a rest at my feet. My guess is a random corpse-launch from loading the cell, but the trajectory was perfect... I ended up creeping out of the cave entrance, afraid that there was a Deathclaw on a mole rat-killing rampage out there, or something. 2) Still extremely low on health (I try and keep from just spamming StimPaks to full health when in combat, or even in an occupied area until after I've cleared all threats and can "take time" to heal up... and, in this case, I simply forgot to use any stims since I left the Yao Guai Tunnels), I exit Lucky's Shop to meet a quad of Talon Co. mercs... I try and swap to my last dozen 'nades while simultaneously attempting to sprint around the corner to get a little breathing room and I get stuck on something along the side of the building. A few more wasted moments of trying to move and I'm finallly cut down by the combined onslaught automatic fire and 12ga rounds. The funny part is what I figured out AFTER reloading that AutoSave a few times until I could finally finish them off with VATS grenade kills... You can't run around the back of the building. About 3/4 of the way around, you run into the invisible wall that surrounds the Capital Wasteland's map. Try as hard as I might, there was no way I could have sought refuge around that corner. And, to add insult to injury, while listening to "Warning...warning...warning...warning... Pipboy shutting down." ('Talking User Interface' mod) and looking down at my mangled corpse, I could see the rain begin to fall. (I've had 'Enhanced Weather - Rain' running for days now, and I've yet to see a single drop, except for that single moment while staring at my own corpse. GAH.)

Actually, he was referring to the Ghoul Mask... Ledoux's quest isn't part of his broadcast, but the is.

Don't let the impatient ones get ya down, Skree... I'm not a huge HALO of BF2142 fan, and I can't wait to see them all in-game. Heck, I've never even played BF2142, and I played HALO1, for the first time, less than 6mos ago on the PC, because it was dirt cheap and everyone said that the series was the greatest EVAR (their spelling, not mine). Then I got to see that HALO2 is Vista-required, and HALO3 will likely never see PC release... Bah. (And I really did/do want to see the storyline through the series, I really was hooked, there... but Microshaft got a burr in their tuchus about trying to shift gaming away from the PC, so I guess I'll just have to leave it behind.) Keep on chugging on your projects, and we'll be here to 'ooh' and 'ahh', and cry to the heavens when they are released. Intil then, we just 'ooh' and 'ahh' at your updates, and wait for the day to come. (some more patiently than others... heheheh)

*Update* Damico's been tromping about the wastes and has finally moved on from his scrounged Recon Armor... As well as scoring a handy suit of preserved tech for scouting... New to the wastes is Danica (yeah, completely missed the fact that the name was so similar to my last character... whoops), a scrapping meleer with good looks, but a nasty demeaner. (She cracked the skulls of the whole Tunnel Snakes "gang" before walking out of the G.O.A.T. exam...) She's also not the most strategic of thinkers, but when you can swing a bat like Indy cracks a whip, it doesn't matter so much (and knowing the difference between a proximity trigger and a timed fuse doesn't hurt, either... *BOOM*). Sunblinded and fresh out of the Vault... ...and ready for anything. A bit more experienced and prepared for life in the wastes, alone with her Junkblade, 'Job'*... *Lawnmower Man reference... it'll mow down just about anything. -Mods of note- Both: BlackWolf Backpack; Kikai's Equipment; Backsteppo's Some Poses Damico: Self-made Leather Armor reskin; Weapon Mod Kits/Weapon Mod Kits - Unique; Sunglasses Collection; Stealth Helmet Retex Danica: Luchaire's TypeV Body/Armor Conversion; Shoulderpads; Junk Metal Schematics; Megaton Tweaks

During my last playthrough, Bryan Wilkes was a perfect decoy for dealing with an MMM-bolstered Raider Camp at the S.D.Mart. He come trotting over the hill, and all 15+ Raiders open up on him. A few get blown up by the cars that they shot up in their haste to get the invincible kid, and the rest I'm able to snipe from behind as they chase him down the street. Heheheh.

X-Com: Enemy Unknown [PC Strategy] - Still have a disk and DX10fix for it around here, somewhere. Final Fantasy [NES] - Nothing like spending 10 levels making 4x BkMages constantlyrun away, and then turn around for the rest of the game and 1-2round kill near everything after. Raise your hand if you ever stocked up on a few dozen Cabins and leveled up on Dino/ZomBull peninsula, before even saving the Elf Prince... ::raises hand without hesitation or shame:: Barren Realms Elite / BRE (Pronounced: "Bree") [ASCII BBSdoor Multiplayer Strategy] - Used to partner with my best friend for this one... Although it was more fun because he was so bloody good at this game. "Ah, I love the smell of a GOOEY in the morning... Smells like VICTORY. Or... certain death."

Two words for you... Frank. Horrigan. Soldier turned Super Mutant turned Power Armor-encapsulated Super Soldier killing machine... This is seriously cool. I wanted to BE him back when I first played through FO2. (And then I just wanted to crush his armor with my Super Sledge, but that's another thing...) *edit* Whoop... just realized omgwtf666 mentioned him already... heheheh.

No problem, Skotte... I'm guessing that I'm at a dead end. The problem being that the original author has explicitly stated that in no way will he alter his original and ongoing work for the benefit of anyone seeking to make cosmetic changes, and he will not allow his mod to be duplicated for re-release (any changes must be dependant on his original mod). But, due to how the TextureSet and StaticModel data is attached to items, there's no way around directly editing the item data, which would require it to be integrated directly into his mod, due to how stacks mods interract (or rather, how they don't interact, but simply attempt to overwrite one another)... Perhaps there is a way to attempt what I'm trying... and I know I'll keep looking. (I've yet to figure out how to import/replace data using FO3Edit... Perhaps if I can find a simple enough method to do that, it would be a matter of the end-user completing the necessary changes?)

No, I feell like an idiot... and I understand why they use Hex-address limiting for .esp masters. So, new question... Is there a way to make an .esp file "patch" the preceding .esp file automatically. (Yes, a user could open FOMM, open both .esp's in TESsnip, and replace the needed info via copy/paste... but having to go through all of that, just to customize the look of a few weapons, seems a bit much to me. And what if they don't actually use FOMM? I understand there are a bunch of new mod managers coming out lately... not that I'd be switching from FOMM.) What I've run into is that I'm not messing with any stats, but actually replacing (in every case I'm actually adding new) textures for models created by the initial mod. But, in doing this outside of the original mod, the formIDs of the original items are identical, but NOT, as the hexaddress is now off by '1'... ::sigh:: I read through the VERY informative post, and it was enlightening... but I'm afraid it doesn't help in creating a mod that is distributable, for what I'm attempting to accomplish. Even if I could have the original mod as an .esm, I'm afraid the formID values would still get changed and the items get borked. (just conjecture and likely a little lack of sleep on my part...)

Well, I'm taking a look at FO3Edit to help in my building of the mod... Will see how well it goes. I'm thinking that I may end up removing the Mastery once finished, to negate the load-order issue. (Currently the Master is '5D'... I don't see the majority of players reaching or exceeding that many active mods. Heheheh.) That does seem an odd setup, though: to set Mastery to the Hex-address, and not the Mod's NAME. But... oh, well. I guess we'll see.

I think I may end up just having to go with the old 'file precedence' system. I can't see a way to have the GECK refer EVERYTHING back to the Master, EXCEPT the cosmetic changes I've made, as these cosmetic changes require the use of new TextureSets and StaticModelObjects that the TextureSets apply to... and, as such, require the editing of the actual Item characteristics. (What was once only a single StaticModelObject and TextureSet is now 3 of each...) Oh, the fun of trying to fix Art Department laziness... I may end up using FOMM to merge my current WIP .esp with what will end up being my Final .esp... That way I don't have GECK screwing with FormIDs every time I load up the "master plugin" and my "WIP plugin" at the same time. Well, back to the GIMP grindstone. Thanks, again, for your prompt assistance in consolidating my theory that my initial idea is pretty much an impossibilty. Heheheh.

You helped quite a bit, but I may need asome clarification about a few points. (Sorry, I try to be thorough, and I don't like having to retract a release or not keep promises made.) Okay.... about FO3Edit option: In #2, you say they'd need the same load order location... as in: in relation to each other, or in relation to the actual load order hex value? With my ungoldly list of mods that I'm using, the load order might be unatainable with people of more... discerning tastes. Heheheh. Now... about the FOMM option: This would just ensure that the new mod is starting from an identical base, and then can be changed in the small portions, as needed. I may consider this, but I'm really hoping that I could find a way that the GECK recognizes the Master file on loading the new plugin. Finally... TES4Gecko: This may be the best option, but it'd mean more direct cooperation by the original author... and likely adding a step or two to his current workload. (not to mention that it might invalidate current savegames for users already playing with the original mod installed) Thanks for the swift reply... Now back to trying to figure out where the corner wall went from the inside of my Megaton House. (A completely unrelated mod conflict... and have been away from the house for so long, I have NO idea which mod decided to remodel for me. Heheheh.)