New Here: A Plethora of Questions and Recommendation Requests

[jetsman5ian]

Hey guys. First off, I'm new here and am having a lot of fun looking around and trying to figure all of this out. I played Fallout 3 and New Vegas multiple times on the 360 but have just recently discovered the modding community have decided to buy the games for PC and mess around with the customization aspect.

 

 

I have a few questions as to the relevance and compatibility of some mods.

 

Firstly I have heard some negative things about FOOK2. Is this mod still stable and safe to use? Also, is it compatible with Fallout Wanderer's Edition?

 

Next, I'm wondering if Fellout is compatible with other weather effect mods?

 

Lastly, is BOSS still viable as a way for me to not have to worry about sorting my mods out?

 

Basically, if you guys could point out any HUGE compatibility issues or general warnings I need to know when downloading mods I would appreciate it. (And I know the basics, such as not installing to Program Files and using FOSE and FOMM so don't bother with all that.)

 

 

Now, I'm going to ask you guys for recommendations if you don't mind.

 

- What are the best mods for modding the weather and environmental effects (aside from Fellout)?

- What are the best mods for character texturing and model enhancements?

- What are the best mods for weapon/armor modding/customization?

- What are the best mods for updated interfacing?

 

Now, I know a lot of that is subjective but I've been browsing the web for hours and hours and can't find any comprehensive lists that lay out what mods are good for what and what I will need to get the optimum Fallout 3 experience.

 

Also, I'm looking for lists of good Follower mods, Quest mods and Hideout mods.

 

 

Having played the games multiple times on the consoles I'm really looking for a new and eye-opening experience with the help of mods. Anything you guys can do to help me develop a plan of attack for attaining such an experience I would really appreciate.

 

Thanks guys, and don't feel pressured to answer every little question I put forth. If you only have time for one every little bit counts!

[bethjunkie]

I can't speak on FOOK2's stability as I've never used it but no, it's not compatible with FWE. They both make huge changes to many of the same things. FWE is a good and stable way to get your modding feet wet with a lot of changes. After using it for a few hundred hours, I now prefer to pick and choose individual mods but FWE is a great overhaul and I would recommend it to anyone.

 

Fellout can be used with some other weather mods like Enhanced Weather. Just read the Readmes and adjust your load order accordingly.

 

BOSS recognizes a lot of popular mods but it's an ongoing process of getting mods added to the masterlist. It's not as advanced as its Oblivion counterpart but it does a pretty good job.

 

Weather-wise, I like Wasteland Moods combined with URWL and Pure Water.

Body-wise, BlackBlossom's Type 3 HiRez Replacer is very popular for females and also has the largest selection of compatible armors and clothing. Breeze's Males is the most popular male body.

Lings Coiffure includes nearly every hairstyle available and dozens of eyecolors or you may prefer to use Project Beauty which also modifies NPCs.

 

Other fun-to-haves:

Weapon Mod Kits

DarNified UI - ok, this one is a must-have

 

Quests:

Anything by Puce Moose

Vault 101 Revisited

Crimson Caravan/Arefu Expanded

 

Followers:

Charon Improved

Sydney Follower

Jessi

 

Houses:

Underground Hideout

Mini Hideout

RR Companions Vault

The Yard

Maintenance Shed

The Club House

[shiholude]

Jets,

 

The truth is, anytime you start to mod or use mods, you raise the risk of game complications and errors which will cause your game to lag - or more likely CTD. Let's face it, even the vanilla game has enough of its own issues to cause such problems.

 

Also, I never like to say that any two mods are "incompatible" with each other, because with enough tinkering, everything can work together nicely and actually provide you with an enjoyable playing experience for several hours without issue. Yes, in their base form (without any work from you) they will not mesh well and cause much frustration. However, if you take some time to learn about FO3Edit and the GECK, you will be able to start molding addons to your own liking, and merge such large mods together cohesively.

 

Lastly, there is no ONE dinfinitve method for load order. This is the most subjective of topics, and it truly depends on what mods you download. Your build, even if close to someone elses, could have 1-2 mods that throw your load order for a loop. Most of the time, this is trial and error, but such programs as BOSS, FOMS, and FOMM's built-in sorter will get you 60% of the way there. The rest is up to you. Often times you can find information within the mods themselves for suggested load order, but there is no possible way for us modders to predict how the other 1000's of mods with interact and behave with our little slice of modding heaven... :)

 

I welcome you to the REAL world of gaming: PC gaming - where you will expereince hours of fun downloading and playing with new features that make games like Fallout replayable over and over again. One down, millions to go...

 

-Shiholude

[jetsman5ian]

Thanks guys. I really value both of your inputs.

 

I've looked into a lot of those mods beth and they all look good. I can't wait to try all the extra quests and check out all the hideouts.

 

Shiholude, I hear everything you're saying. Trust me, once I find and buy a cheap, good computer I will be spending a lot of time figuring all this out. I guess I'm just one of those nervous control-freak types who wants to have a guarantee, but if there is none I guess the best I can hope for is for my trial and error to lead to a good outcome.