Immersion/survival mods for daily living in the wastes

[Pthalo]

IMCN was a favourite of mine for Fallout 3, though I hope with 4, these overhaul type mods are made a bit more modular, for compatibility. Drugs and food could stand to be handled in separate chunks.

 

 

What would be hardline realism and potentially !!FUN!! would be a drug mod for 4 that causes chems to go through different stages during use. Not all drugs hit instantly, and might see their strongest effects far later after a subtler bonus/warmup period. The peak would be full effects of the chem as listed in inventory (i.e. "up to +3 strength"), though the time it lasts varies per chem. A comedown stage with lesser, or negative effects might add a tactical element.

'Withdrawal' would then be a fourth stage after drug consumption with worsened or distinct penalties from the comedown. It would eventually fade, but over a much, much longer period of time. Coldturkene or medical visits would still be practical to consider. Overly complex? Maybe. I'm still unfamiliar with the system in place for 4's chem function.

 

It would encourage players to experiment with chems outside of their immediate use - things like psycho and jet would still hit instantly, I imagine, and remain mid-combat items. Slower chems might include painkillers, mentats, rad-x, or buffout. We might be encouraged to pop more chems before the last dose wore off, if the comedown is lame. I don't know if addiction is a cumulative-use chance, or pure random chance, but I'd imagine avoiding the less-potent comedown could become a fast-track ticket to addiction.

 

Taking more of the same drug should have a cumulative buff/penalty, and not just re-set the duration timer. That might get really complicated, but imagine this: You take some buffout to beef yourself up before an anticipated fight - but a bunch of feral ghouls ambush you before the drugs have kicked in to full effect - you could make due, or take more buffout mid-combat to try and up your strength earlier. At potential detriment to yourself further down the road, but it's the lesser of two evils.

 

Drug stages would also prevent that lightswitch-rave effect where you go from drugged to sober the magical instant your alcohol times out. If there's one thing I don't like, it's having all my chems last/wear off at the exact same speed/moment, probably in the middle of combat. Sobriety doesn't ambush anybody like that, unless they spent the entire comedown period passed out.

 

With the addition of screen visuals or the potential to overdose (BLTC had drugs that caused torso damage if I recall?), the player might not realize they've gone overboard until the varying drugs peak. Good way to catch you by surprise, and discourage "oops, a deathclaw, better pop every chem in my inventory" behaviour.

 

Maybe I just like dying a lot. But I know from - let's call it 'experience' and leave it at that - that you don't always know how deep the water is until you're way in over your head.

Edited November 12, 2015 by Pthalo

[WoodElfMagefemale]

Don't forget to incorporate clothes and weapons needing repairs!

 

This game is clearly designed with new players in mind. I also assume that they assumed we would mod it... kind of a shame.

[Pthalo]

Yeah, and I can kinda understand that. Not everybody wants to be prevented from moving or having fun because they can't heal their crippled legs without xyz resources. (Me? I still find it weird that I can walk off such injuries in minutes.)

 

At the same time, the game seems to make some key assumptions that I already know how the Fallout world works, which is really weird and hard to catch at times. I got stuck in my damn power armour and had to google how the heck to get out again, for instance. Did I just miss a notification?

 

The UI stands out most as "it'll get modded anyway". But I'm more accustomed to legible UI's and really clonky voice acting - so to have the inverse from Bethesda is kind of an interesting change. ... not to mention the UI is infinitely easier for a modding community to edit than vocal audio work.

Edited November 12, 2015 by Pthalo

[WoodElfMagefemale]

I saw the tip the first time I was in power armor... the tips are way too brief to be helpful. I am trying to absorb the game and i am suppose to catch a 0.5 second game tip... come on...

 

 

Not sure it is the assumption that the game thinks you know everything... maybe it is just as easy to say the game assumes you know nothing and provides you with nothing... But the tips are there, just too quick to be useful.

[Pthalo]

Okay, yeah. I also made my pip-boy and notifications a nice retro amber-yellow, so they don't pop as much against the atmosphere as neon green. I'm usually watching the center of my monitor to aim/hit things. Upper left corner might as well be invisible with my ability to multitask (which is also notably fleeting and hard to find!). Thanks for pointing that out!

 

 

Hmm, I still want my drug/medical survival mods over clothing repair mods. I'll admit though, I do miss robbing mercs of the same gun I own, if only because it's slightly less wrecked. It added another level of individuality to found items. Together with modular crafting, item repairs would just be insane.

[c1g3]

nice request... I realy hope for an "hardcore" =)

I agree totally. Bethesda are idiots to not give OPTIONAL hardcore mod. In NV it was awesome to be able to CHOSE if player want to play as casual thus easy game or chose to use realism approach and true survival thus very challenging game!

[cianalexander]

I'm not even playing it until a hardcore mode comes out. I can't, I've been ruined by it. It's too much fun. I don't want to "waste" any of the game without it.

[Poacher886]

I'm not even playing it until a hardcore mode comes out. I can't, I've been ruined by it. It's too much fun. I don't want to "waste" any of the game without it.

This is exactly how i feel, indeed, i have not even peeked at it ,and likely will not until GECK and said mods arrive..would'nt want to spoil the 'Honeymoon' period with the game before it becomes an RPG to begin with.

Edited November 12, 2015 by Poacher886

[bleakwood]

Absolutely needs this. I've played it for 60 hours ingame and I just dont care what happens to my char(yea, "MY CHAR", thats how detached I feel!).

 

Crippled? Drug addicted? Radiated? Bare registers with me. It just dosnt matters. I'm not having fun with this.

 

These things CRITICALLY need to be made relevant for play. That and sleep/eat/drink mod as I used in NW.

 

Oh, and plz remove that gawddamn radar indicator that shows me where locations are, ffs! I can "explore" without even seeing where I am going. Its insane!

 

The idea about having settlers pick junk for you is brilliant, that would make them actually useful! (so far I have no idea what I am suppose to use these settlements for, they dont generate ANYTHING except potentially some minutmen to help me out!).

 

Anything else that tightens the belt, such as loot tables, or otherwise adds immersion is crazy welcome.

 

I just CANT play the game anymore until some serious immersion rework. Its just cant get into it. And I regret having played it as much as I have. At least I should have forgotten a fair deal by the time the mods come out.

 

Since its my first post(been a member a while) I would just like to say that I know nothing about modding myself but sure have used a lot, and I insanely appreciate the work people put in.