Fallout3.5 -Entire Mission Mods.-

[TheOldDM]

 

 

This is my first foray into the Nexus. I hope that I am not treading on old bones here. If this has been posted before and I have just repeated it, please don't cut me up and feed me to DeathClaws.

 

As the title queries, has it been done? Or can it? If I had the skill (and the gaming rig to do it) and thus could make my own entire missions (including monsters and other mods) or DLC type mini games what would it take? Like, what kind of gaming rig set up? What skills do I need before hand? Surely I don't need to be well versed in computer software programming do I?

 

I like many of you have a ton of ideas, only my ideas stretch beyond weapon/enemy/armor mods. Sure, those would be included, but I mean to design entire dungeons and surface wasteland areas that would be fenced in by mountainous terrain. ( you know the kind;) Has this been done? Can it? I am dying to know folks. Please reply kindly. Thanks.

[Nadin]

It's been done before, but not nearly often enough.

To do it, you'll need the GECK, FOMM, and probably Fo3edit. The GECK is a royal pain in the neck to learn, but once you have it, it's incredibly powerful.

If I understand you right, you want to create new locations with a medium-sized quest and a couple smaller ones throughout. This will require learning how to:

Script

Make quests

Navmesh

Worldspace creation

Static/item placement

NPC data

AI data

Creation of various objects

 

...Which really isn't all that hard, despite the length.

Most of the tutorials for all that can be found at the Bethsoft GECK wiki, or local articles here on the nexus. You should also ask some of the more helpful veteran modders around here, of which there are many.

If you're lucky, you can also get a few people to help you. It takes a lot of work to do something like this yourself.

 

You'll need a decent computer, if you plan to make large areas in the GECK. Not a really high powered one, (Although that helps) but...generally, if you can run fallout on at least medium settings, you can handle the GECK, depending on what you plan to do with it.

 

FOMM allows you to change things like load order and compress files into .BSA format, so it's generally useful to have around. It's intuitive enough to be used without any real tutorials, although I'm sure there are some floating around.

 

Fo3edit allows you to alter scripts, undo changes that have already been saved, remove any conflicts between files, and so forth. It's confusing at first, but you'll get the hang of it eventually. There's a tutorial available for download on Fo3nexus as well ad Fo3edit itself, although the tutorial is honestly pretty confusing. There's a miniature version included in Fo3edit itself, so I'd just read that if I were you.

 

I can't really help you any more unless I know more about what you plan. Do you want to have objects with new models or textures? Do you want companions? And so forth.

 

Please, let me know if there's anything else I can do to help. And welcome to the nexus!

[TheOldDM]

Thanks Nadin! I will admit right away that I am a code programming newb. I have no idea how to even begin such a venture. BUT- I do have the ideas one such as yourself may be able to put into reality. I am very glad and thankful that you replied with such a level of techie know how. (that's a compliment) Do you know of anyone here who actually knows how to do all this and do it as a labor of love? Yourself included. ;-)

 

It'd be great if the fans could make something that might almost rival a Bethesda creation. Anyone interested in adding to this would get all due credit, and it would be an awesome place to put your special armor/weapon/super enemy into our little version of a Fallout3.5. Maybe the big shots would take notice? Again, I thank you Nadin.

 

Anyone else like to add? I would love to get my ideas made into reality and have the help of many talented artists.

 

Wouldn't you?!

[Nadin]

Well...yeah. I can do most of that.

I'm a mid-level scripter, and I have trouble with world-building. I can't place statics or objects to save my life, and navmesh is just gibberish to me. But the rest, I can do.

 

One mod that may capture your interest:

http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=5573

This was done primarily--if not entirely--by one man. It's one of the most popular mods on nexus, and also one of the largest. Consider it a source of inspiration, or motivation, if you will.

 

I must warn you, however, to tread carefully. A lot of people come here with this "Really great idea" that they pitch to everybody, but they ask others to do the work. Let me say right off the bat that that has NEVER worked. If you want to make a mod, a GOOD mod, you'll have to pitch in with the rest of us.

 

Now, please, tell me what this idea of yours is.

[TheOldDM]

I'll get to my idea(s) in a minute, but first let it be known that I have no clue when it comes to computer programming. When you said navmesh, my head spun. I realize it is a program used to design worlds, but how to use it is beyond me. I am no kind of programmer! I would HAVE to have the help of talented individuals such as yourselves for this endeavor. What I can bring to the table is an nearly inexhaustible stream of ideas. Oh, and I can draw out the maps on paper as well as enemies, weapons, armors, and so on. But to translate all of that into code per say, is well beyond my ability. I myself am a so-so artist. Not great, but I can draw well enough to get ideas across. (Anyone that has drawn comic book characters would be ideal here.) As for dungeon/level maps, I am your man. Wasteland area maps, I am your man. (I will draw all this up and send it to you and any other willing to help to "code into the game".) I am sure that there are those that are better than me at drawing and designing and if they are willing to pitch in, by all means please do so!!!

 

Onto my big idea. ;-)

 

FALLOUT 3.5

 

Firstly, there is a lot of room for ideas and criticism here. This idea is very rough as yet. I have been brainstorming on this while at work and haven't put anything on paper yet. But here goes.

(I post this trustingly. Please don't steal my idea readers!)

 

The adventure starts out with the Wanderer having paid his 3000 cap passage across the wastes in an "armored transport vehicle". This retrofitted city bus has been rebuilt and made to run again after 200 years of rusting and rotting. This armored bus is taking our hero to a brotherhood fortress just outside of New York City. Or what's left of it anyway. The area the bus traverses is extremely irradiated since N.Y. caught hell in 2077.

 

Also, the area in which the transport speeds through is rife with gargantuan beasts* like mega radscorpions*, super mutant behemoths*, legendary deathclaws*, and new beasts like, feral super mutants (think zombie super muties), also, ultra deadly red radscorpions justly called "crimson death".(these are the size of the usual giant radscorpion)

(I have more ideas to put out there for enemies but it can wait.)

(*gargantuans implies 50ft tall and in the case of radscorpions, 120 ft long!)-you've seen the mods!

 

The journey is uneventful until (of course) the bus is hit on it's side by something huge. (the only thing capable of keeping up with the bus would have to be a mega radscorpion.) The bus slows from 60mph to keep from turning over just as this huge stinger punches through the armor and kills a few people. The brotherhood on board open up on it with their gatling lasers and guns just to buy the driver time to punch the gas. After barely escaping the beast the new worry is the radiation flooding in. The lead lined armor now has a hole 2ft in diameter in it. Luckily, the fortress isn't far but by the time they arrive more than half the people are dead from rad poisoning and our hero is out cold having barely survived thanks to a brotherhood medic hitting him with some 'rad away' just in time.

 

Awaking in the fortress much like you did in the Citadel, you are greeted by medics and some senior staff who begin the questions. (ideas are welcome here) You are in the fortress for the beginning of this mod game. (Fallout 3.5 working title) You can traverse anywhere in the wastes you like, but it's your own damn fault if you run into a level 30 enemy and you're only level 5! 'Stay close to home' is the line the brotherhood give you. "The Long Road" on which you traveled here is far too irradiated to adventure in or to until you have something like,"RadArmor" (+200Rad resistance) and a healthy level (25-30+) plus two companions and some bad ass super weapons! There be dragons here!

 

Another part or rather mission idea I had would be to hold off a ghoul/deathclaw/super mutant attack on the fortress. (hundreds attacking. If we could get the game engine to run it.) Once through that heart racing nightmare you'd have gained two to three levels and be more ready to advance into the interior of NYC. Which is where the meat of the game lies....

 

More ideas to come. What's your two cents?

[Nadin]

Conceptually, I like it. It's nice, cinematic, and so forth. NYC is a large, familiar area, and a lot can be done with it. Well done.

Technically, it gets a bit more difficult. NYC is, as stated, a large area, and it will take a good deal of work to render it. It's possible, but it will take a while.

Plus, there's already a semi-existent NYC mod:

http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=5542

Although there's also a basic new york map that's been uploaded as a resource, meaning that you could use it as a base for your mod. Seen here:

http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=7010

So, there's that. I don't know if you can round up enough modders to work on this, considering the number working on New Vegas.

Oh, and by the way, navmesh isn't coding. Basically, once you have an environment, you draw little triangles and squares all over it that show the AI how to interact. If you can assemble the worldspace, you can do the navmesh. Trust me.

Also--minor detail--the "Gigantic" creatures can be done pretty well.

For the "Hundreds attacking" idea...it depends on how you did it. If it was in an enclosed space, with attacks in waves of fifty or so, and the bodies were disabled a little bit after death, it could be done. But I don't see any other way, sorry.

Also, the bus can be done, but I don't think the radscorpion attack is really doable. Too much animation involved.

 

The short answer is, yes, this can be done, but you have to be prepared to be more than just the "Idea man". And it's going to take a LONG time.

[bombshell66]

Nice i like it very much A BrotherHood Fortress, heavyli radiaated area's Super Mutant Ghouls ( tuff lorewise ) if you brainstorm a little more than this could get interesting----putting something one paper or textfile usaly helpe's a lot for me so i can expand on my own ideas--------

 

 

Bombshell66

Edited April 18, 2011 by bombshell66