I REALLY need some help...

[MetalFingers87]

I'm extremely new to modding. Well, besides modding Morrowind a little bit ages ago...

 

Anyway, got an upgraded PC that isn't TOO great, so I wanted to play Oblivion and Fallout: NV again, this time modded! I first tried with Oblivion, but the whole process seemed SO complicated! I heard Fallout was a bit easier, so here I am... The problem is, I've no idea where to start! I keep seeing different 'mod managers' and have no idea what to install or download first. I've looked at various guides, but they sidetrack onto other details so often, I get totally lost!

 

I read a topic in another sub-forum here that suggested downloading LOOT, Wyre Bash, and FVEDIT? (I may of got the name wrong there). Yet, I see no other mention of these tools in other guides.

 

I mainly want to improve the look and atmosphere of the game. Make it all look better. I like the look of the enhanced first person camera too! Also, improvements to combat and fixes in general are nice. And lastly, though not important, I sometimes dabble in machinima, so mods that add realism are nice. Maybe even direct me towards some lewder mods... (Would love to recreate some Mad Max scenes...)

 

I'll accept any advice, even if it's just to get me started with one or two mods and helping me learn how to figure the rest out. Hopefully this experience will make modding Oblivion make a bit more sense to me!

[888mikem888]

 

This guys got a good list of mods you'll need to get started with. For more details as to how to install them:

 

 

Hope it helped.

[DoctorKaizeld]

Get LOOT. Link in my signature below. Lots of older guides dont mention it because BOSS was its predecessor and it came for Skyrim originally.

 

You dont need any of the other tools. But you should use NMM. You can use the fallout mod manager as it works fine but i personally dont care for it. Mod wise i will have to get my computer to help with that. So I'll hop on later if someone doesnt beat me to it.

[PushTheWinButton]

Mod Organizer >> NMM (for now anyway - fingers crossed)

[dubiousintent]

Playing a modded game is much more involved than simply installing a mod and plunging into play. Most video based guides I've seen just talk about the basics of installing a mod or several that the author recommends. They do not go into how to set up your game properly, or what to do when the mods conflict with each other. The written guides tend to cover this better.

 

The mere fact that some mods work together for one author is no indication they will work together for you. Your system (hardware and software) is not the same as theirs, virtually guaranteed. There are just too many variables, which is why major software vendors (like Microsoft) still have problems after release. Therefore, you have to know enough to figure out how to get them to work together for yourself, with some help from the game community. That means you are going to have to do some reading and learning. It also means you will need to acquire and use some tools necessary to resolve those issues. Above all, you are going to need patience.

 

The good news is that what you learn here will indeed carry over into Oblivion, at least in the broad sense. The core issues are the same: Install order, load order, conflict resolution, etc. The tools are often at least similar if not the same as well. LOOT works with Oblivion (though many feel BOSS still does a better job for the moment) for sorting your "load order". Mod Managers make the installation and "install order" manageable. FNVEdit is actually "xEdit" but is also known as TES4Edit, TES5Edit, etc. as it is renamed for the game it is being used with as the way to tell it which set of "rules" to utilize. (One tool, several names.) It's purpose is to allow you to examine and (within limits) make changes to plugins.

 

The wiki article "FNV General Mod Use Advice" is written as an introduction to someone new to modding PC games. The intent is to give you some basic terminology, what things are most important in the beginning, and where to go from there. It only recommends mods to get a stable basic game setup.

 

Many things like which "mod manager" to use are extremely personal choices. Everyone suggests their personal favorite, but remember: most people stop looking as soon as they find one they feel they can understand. They do not look any further (much like looking for keys), and may miss out on a "better fit" (as in "the right keys"). Once you find the right mod manager, spend some time learning how to use it properly. It will become a central part of your gaming experience and worth the time invested. For example, I learned to use and became comfortable with "Wrye Bash" for Oblivion. I found it painless to switch to the FNV version ("Wrye Flash"). That does not mean there is anything wrong with Mod Organizer, FOMM, or NMM. I looked them over and didn't find anything that convinced me it was worth my time to relearn one of them to as much familiarity as I already had with WB/WF. This is typical behavior for everyone. So the lesson is: you will tend to stick with what you first learn well, so take the time to choose well.

 

Mods to suit your tastes and play style are something to consider after the basics of a stable game are in place.

 

-Dubious-

Edited November 14, 2016 by dubiousintent

[MetalFingers87]

I'm still having trouble. I tried following the video posted in the first reply, but I couldn't figure out how to edit an ini file with it, as the video suggests. So, I tried to use Mod Organizer, but I can't see any of the mods I've installed coming up as activated, the way it should in the video. On top of that, Mod Organizer is a slightly different version. Any idea what I'm missing here?

[dubiousintent]

Not all video tutorials are equally "good". All too many make unspoken assumptions as to what you will know. That "Mod-Kit" video is covering too much ground in a 20 minute session to give you a good intro to MO. If that one didn't cover how to activate mods, then try the "Official Mod Organizer Video Series". And there is always something in the manual not covered in videos.

 

The basics shouldn't change that much between versions, so you should be able to find things with a little looking around on the actual program when the video doesn't match. Sometimes you just have to think "where would they logically move it"?

You edit INI files with a text editor like Windows Notepad, outside of your mod manager. More than likely the video didn't mention that you would have to add the text editor as a "third-party tool" to be able to use it from within MO.

 

There are three INI files you need to edit: "Fallout_default.ini", which is found in the game root folder (i.e. <Steam install path>\steamapps\common\Fallout New Vegas"). The other two are "Fallout.ini" and "FalloutPrefs.ini" found in your "C:\Users\<YourAccountName>\Documents\My Games\FalloutNV" folder.

Note that if you are currently or have used "Mod Organizer", MO uses its own copies of "Fallout.ini" and "FalloutPrefs.ini" (from when the MO profile was created), located in "\Steam\steamapps\common\Fallout New Vegas\Mod Organizer\profiles\<Your Profile Name>". These files need to be changed as well.

-Dubious-