Fallout 3 newbie needs modding help!

[ceryni]

Lets start with admitting im a complete newbie to modding. there, i said it. ive tried time and again to mod my fallout 3 but i always mess something up.

ive tried to use all of the pinned topics to help too. went right over my head. ive also spent ages on the geck using the tutorial to find out how it works.

BUT i still find it extremely hard to mod my fallout 3. in fact i have no mods. i recently downloaded these armour mods, and weapon mods etc. they are RAR files, and i have no idea what to do with them to put them into the game. Also i might add, that im running my fallout 3 through an ISO file on Daemon tools, but ive already installed it through this.

i have none of the expansion bits like broken steel etc. yet.

 

Please help me guys!

[ub3rman123]

An ISO? That's really bad.

[ceryni]

you think i should just go back to using the CD/DVD whatever then? how easy is it to mod if you are installing it via Disk to program files?....

[ub3rman123]

If you install it via disc it's much easier, as the file structures are the same as what's needed for modding.

 

Anyways, here's some instructions to install a mod.

 

First, run Archive Invalidation, a program that can be found on FO3Nexus.

 

Next, open the zipped file. Make sure you can see a .esp file, and maybe a textures folder and a meshes folder (Not all mods have them).

 

Move those 1-3 files into the Fallout 3 Data folder. BY default the folder is at Program Files, Bethesda Softworks, Fallout 3, Data.

 

When all 1-3 of the files are in there, open the Fallout 3 launcher. Go to Data Files, and click the tick box beside the mod you want to activate.

 

Launch the game, it should be there.

[pkleiss]

and... DON"T install to \Program Files. Use C:\Games instead as this will keep you from running into UAC issues with your mods later on.

[rickerhk]

And, if you install FOMM, you don't need to have your DVD in the drive to launch the game.

[Fonger]

And, if you install FOMM, you don't need to have your DVD in the drive to launch the game.

Um

 

Bethesda gave us all a Christmas Present

 

You don't need FOMM for this either.

[falloutperson416]

Here, look at these tutorials: I made these for people who need help with modding.

 

My Tutorials

 

I hope these help you in some shape or form, buddy :)

[a10miletooth]

reinstall the game with your cd/dvd

 

next get the archive invalidation. FOMM helps a lot but you dont really need it unless you have to tweak the load order of your mods or have really complex mods that have many .esm and .esp files and are required to be in a particular order to function properly, or they use other .esm files like the CrossModData.esm and that needs to be loaded first. things like stand alone item replacers or unique items that just add one thing to the game don't need to be in any specific order and you don't need to worry about that, just drag and drop the .esp/.esm into the data file folder.

 

***before you download anymore mods you need to get WinRar. it's free and lets you open the .rar files that the mods come in. it works the same as the windows explorer. you can drag and drop directly into the fallout folers without having to go through the unzip process***

 

i also recommend making a shortcut to your fallout data folder on your desktop so you dont have to go through everything every time you want to add a new mod or if you plan on adding a bunch of mods all at once but decide to test each one to make sure the game still runs with the mod added.

 

there's a couple ways to install a mod but you want to do it right, some people will say just export the data folder into your fallout3/data file folder. that sometimes creates duplicate file folders inside folders. you can end up with stuff like "fallout3goty/Data/data/Textures/Characters/characters...." and so on. i know because thats how i was doing it at first and didn't realise it was happening, after about 5-6 mods they get all mixed up and everything starts to break. my data folder was so crazy i couldn't even clean it up, i deleted the whole game and had to download it again from steam. so put things in manually! it takes longer but but not long enough to feel like you're actually doing work, it's quick and simple and shouldn't really need any explanation. the only time it's really safe to just export an entire file folder is if it doesn't already exist in your fallout3 directory. like the Jessi folders for the companion mod, you can just grab the folders and drop them in the respective places they need to be.

 

hope this helps!

[BadPenney]

I have found that installing mods with FOMM avoids many of the problems mentioned above, especially if the mod author was kind enough to turn his mod into a FOMOD. Then all of the meshes, textures and such are installed in the right folders and when you want to uninstall the mod they are all selectively removed again without touching files belonging to other mods, even if they are in the same sub-directory.

 

Non-FOMOD mods can be made into FOMODs after download with a little effort, if the author has not provided it in that form.