Can't find a guide on creating custom weapon mods

[metallifan]

I've been searching Google and the forums for about an hour now, and I can't find any help guides on how to create custom weapon mods, and add them to vendors in the game.

Basically, all I want to do is create a few more options for some of the weapons in-game using vanilla assets, but I can't seem to find a guide in regards to which .BSA files to extract, what I need to open in Nifskope, what I need to do in GECK... Basically, I can't seem to find a good, straightforward guide on any of it.

As an example, one of the weapons I'd like to add a few more mods to is the Service Rifle. I'd like to add the Assault Carbine's extended mags and see if the Varmint Rifle's night scope would be a good fit as well. I realize I would need to open up the servicerifle.nif and create models that have the scope added and the mag swapped each, as well as one with both. I know how to switch the mags, but I don't know how to add the scope, or what to do afterwards to make the modifications appear as separate items in vendor lists.

 

Any help is appreciated!

Edited March 17, 2014 by metallifan

[Deleted6850917User]

http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/55008/?

[metallifan]

http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/55008/?

Not what I was asking for. But thank you for the link, might try it out some day. Right now though, I would rather try my own hand at it. Hence why I'm asking for help.

Edited March 17, 2014 by metallifan

[ArekkusuStorm]

Edit: Ninja'd :smile:.

 

http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/55008/?

The tutorial Mill made is for creating weapons from scratch, the OP wants to create weapon mods using existing vanilla resources for different weapons.

 

Metal, I don't have any experience in this field, but you would need to extract the 'fallout - meshes.bsa' for the actual attachments (more specifically, from the meshes>weapons>'2handautomatic'&'2handrifle' folder for the service rifle, carbine, and varmint rifle). From the looks of it you need to create multiple versions for the combinations of the mods, so you would need to create a version of the gun with just the scope, with just the ext'd mag, and with both. The vanilla service rifle already has two mods for it so you would need to change one existing weapon mod because the max is 3. After you extract the nif file of the weapons, open up all ones you need, servicerifle.nif, assaultcarbineext.nif, and varmintriflescp.nif. From there you need to copy the blocks of the weapon mods and copy it to the service rifle, and position it all. That's the gist of it for the Nifskope stuff, for the GECK work, I'm assuming the game just swaps between the models of the gun or something after putting in the path to each nif, I don't know.

Edited March 17, 2014 by ArekkusuStorm

[metallifan]

<Snip>

 

Thanks Arekkusu, so it sounds like as far as extracting the BSAs and working with the NIFs then, I'm on the right track. As far as how the game handles the models of modded weapons in game, you're spot on. Each mod combination that changes the appearance is a separate model. I'm still not sure how to edit the GECK registry though. Also, I know there's a limit to how many mods one can put onto a weapon in-game, but -does- that limit extend to how any mods can exist for a weapon in general?

 

For the Service Rifle, for example. Let's say I want to create a mod that reintroduces the cut reflex sight, the cut bayonet, adds the VR night scope, and adds the AC extended mags as options, on top of the choices already there, so that players could pick and choose what to install, but not being able to have -all- of them at once. Is that possible, or would I have to go in and create multiple alternate versions of the SR that would be limited to 3 of the mods?

[WhiskeyRiver2]

 

<Snip>

 

Thanks Arekkusu, so it sounds like as far as extracting the BSAs and working with the NIFs then, I'm on the right track. As far as how the game handles the models of modded weapons in game, you're spot on. Each mod combination that changes the appearance is a separate model. I'm still not sure how to edit the GECK registry though. Also, I know there's a limit to how many mods one can put onto a weapon in-game, but -does- that limit extend to how any mods can exist for a weapon in general?

 

For the Service Rifle, for example. Let's say I want to create a mod that reintroduces the cut reflex sight, the cut bayonet, adds the VR night scope, and adds the AC extended mags as options, on top of the choices already there, so that players could pick and choose what to install, but not being able to have -all- of them at once. Is that possible, or would I have to go in and create multiple alternate versions of the SR that would be limited to 3 of the mods?

 

I'm fairly sure you'd need to make alternate versions of the SR, each with the 3 mod max. That'd be the best course anyway IMHO, as the base SR's massive spread (IIRC it's higher than most pistols) doesn't lend itself to being useful with a scope.

 

I've toyed around with this myself in the past (though with a few of Millenia's weapons rather than vanilla), and each weapon has a hard-coded limit of 3 mods -maximum-. That said, creating new variants is laughably easy, especially if you have FNVEdit.

[metallifan]

 

I'm fairly sure you'd need to make alternate versions of the SR, each with the 3 mod max. That'd be the best course anyway IMHO, as the base SR's massive spread (IIRC it's higher than most pistols) doesn't lend itself to being useful with a scope.

 

 

 

I've toyed around with this myself in the past (though with a few of Millenia's weapons rather than vanilla), and each weapon has a hard-coded limit of 3 mods -maximum-. That said, creating new variants is laughably easy, especially if you have FNVEdit.

 

 

Well, the spread can always be adjusted in the GECK. Editing values isn't what's tough for me. It's trying to create new items that's giving me a headache :tongue:

 

Never used FNVEdit before. What exactly does it do, and is it a better alternative to the GECK for the aforementioned purpose? I checked the mod page but all it gave was an asinine and seemingly arrogant "If you don't know what it is, you probably shouldn't be using it."

Edited March 17, 2014 by metallifan

[alienzerox]

you should take a look @ the structuring of the gun mods from this author they have more than 3 configurations that can be swapped out but not in the conventional sense

 

I have the m110 from this author that does attachments another way which is sorta weird but it works nonetheless ... and the m110 is sweet ... don't have the m24 but currently DLing now

[metallifan]

Dynamic customization is a little out of my league right now, alien. But thanks for the link! I've got my .nif files made for the three different sets of modded Service Rifles I want to try. Now I just need to learn how to set each of the models as a weapon mod for 3 different types of Service Rifle.

[Alexbaratta1]

can someone link me good weapon mods? :p