Teach me how to mod? what i want to make

[ReaperDragon4]

I would really like some print (aka as a text document) guides on how to get started in Fallout 4 modding. I have some ideas for expansion and experience in writing (4 years creative writing credit courses, 1 year theater over highschool and college, plus amateur fiction writing since the age of twelve). I want to put those to work shoring up things world and storywise that I think Bathesda neglected to fill in. And if any of the ideas I have resemble a mod already in existance, I'd love that too.

 

Quality of Life - Workshop search bar allowing you to quickly search for an item. Also a plant anything mod that lets you raise any plant in the game as a crop in your settlements and make the ceramic planters you find in grey garden, the pridwyn ect a reality.

 

conversation - Why aren't you allowed to argue with Maxson in more detail in blind betrayal? Why can't you confide in Dima about EVERYONE you work with without starting a verbal confrontation? Why doesn't Madison Li ever try to talk to virgil again? Why does Danse NEVER ask you to help him track down how much of his memories are real? Why are the Brotherhood universally against gen 3 synths so say they all when even the institute that made them has some dissent about Gen 3 synths being treated like slaves and a distinctly don't ask don't tell kind of atmosphere when it comes to how you relate to X6 or synths? Why can't you, should you side against the institute without murdering someone, not be able to tell your son that despite disagreeing with him about synth personhood enough to fight against him that you still love him?

 

companions and named characters - you'd think the brotherhood and institute would be checking up on Nate/Nora behind their backs or paying a visit to your settlements to see what you're up to or that your companions might be doing things behind your back. Why then do they almost universally all get along with each other when you aren't there? By rights if you don't keep them happy you should be coming back to find sanctuary shot up and the faction companions you haven't gotten to idol status at each other's throats. But you aren't.

 

But perhaps the things that bother me more than anything else is the lack of develpment of two sub divisions of the four main factions, the BoS scribes and Institute Bioscience.

 

You would think the BoS would be all over Nuka world based on their behavior elsewhere in the game. The Nuka gen replicator for example, is a great technology that they can't move but might be interested in as a way to try and preserve prewar lifeforms and study wasteland monsters, and who doesn't want their own epic strong power armor or cool blue explosions? And what's with there only being one use for fever blossoms? Say what you want about Nuka world being short on rewards for the good guys, there's still plenty of unexplored potential to be had in the lore and setting we find there and Bathesda just lets it sit there. Why not let Neriah loose in Nuka world's safari park or on some of the wasteland workshop, far harbor or vault tec workshop related stuff?

 

Besides all that you have to admit, all those books, all that education, all those dozens of technical documents you collect for Proctor Quinlan and he still learns nothing from Blind Betrayal? WTSF Bathesda!? You would think the most open minded of the brotherhood would be the scribes, but Quinlan either doesn't want to contradict the party line about synths in favor of faction unity or is as badly brainwashed as the Atomites in the Nucleus. There's no attempt on his part to guard against retaliation by the railroad for their attack on his HQ, no comment about Danse believing the whole time he was human when he wasn't, no questioning what was going through your mind, Maxson's mind, or the institute's minds? This IMHO is contrary to the nature of the brotherhood scribes. And what about the poor squires that he's supposed to be teaching? Why should they have to suffer because they have a dumb commander and a coward teacher? They're just kids! The railroad ending means you bring the airship down with them still alive on it. Is Glory's death really worth subjecting children on an enemy side to a terrifying and firey end?

 

The institute's bioscience division meanwhile triggers one of my greatest pet peeves. You see, IRL I'm a very dedicated gardener with a heavy focus on organic techniques including insectiary, fungi and soil based cultivation techniques. In plain english, I try to use interactions between insects fungi and plants to fill the role of pesticides and use microbes, insects, earthworms, fungi and decaying plant matter to try and substitute for the use of artificial fertilizers.

 

The institute's bioscience bay is an instant trigger, although I think there's a lot of potential there and empathize with Clayton's terminal entries hoping for the resources to expand his program, I take one look at the setting he has to work in and the lack of biodiversity among the plant life available and cue a Home alone style scream. No wonder the institute's scientists are so touchy! They're stuck eating nothing but romaine!!!!

 

Besides my opinion that Neriah would make a GREAT rival to Clayton, I feel that its under used. Sure there are side quests for virgil, Madison li and the two rebel scientists that take you to bioscience, but as far as plot or goodies you get for quest completion go there's no real reward for helping them. You just get caps and exp. You don't get to help Clayton expand his synth animal program or improve the institute's diet. The quests are all about becoming part of the community down there, the usual fetch quests and the matter of synth sentience and freedom. There's nothing biosciency about the bioscience division! At least they gave Neriah lab rats! All Clayton has to show for his efforts is his gorillas and growing hydroponic lettuce! He doesn't even get to make any monsters of his own (though you can't blame Virgil for wanting to put a stop to the FEV experiments <3 >:3) nor does he get to make the synth dolphins he expresses wanting to make in his terminal entries.

 

Then there's Paladin Danse, who I absolutely adore the tearing down and exile of. Paladin Danse who I think should have been the biggest trigger for change in the Brotherhood in the entire game and wasn't. I restored cut content and took control of the BoS using a mod solely because I felt the Brotherhood needed the chance as a faction to experience character growth, but also because I believe Maxson's control over the brotherhood to be pretty weak. His dogmatic fervor and raw brawn are the only things keeping him in power. He has no sense of how the brotherhood might perceive him executing danse so quickly nor any sense of empathy when confronted with a vulnerable Danse willing to sacrifice himself both for the brotherhood ideals and the sole survivor's success within the organization. Further, maxson's interpretation of humanism is so narrow, it literally lead to him being compared to adolf hitler by the game's fanbase.

 

But Paladin Danse is the character with the power to change all that, and even with the cut content mod, doesn't! With the data on McDunough and Warwick in hand and the Art vs Art confrontation we can safely rule out any chance of him being an institute replacement. Plus Danse is from the capitol waste, doesn't remember having a mother and father as siblings, and only shows signs of hostile behavior if you destroy or become enemies with the brotherhood of steel. Hell if you kill Maxson when confronted with him in Blind Betrayal, Danse just dies. You can't get him to turn against the Brotherhood. He's been nothing but loyal and shows every sign of someone who's whole world and sense of self has been ripped away in an instant. The mighty have fallen!

 

Yet despite saying he wants answers in his speech checks post blind betrayal, there's no way to give Paladin Danse the answers he seeks in the game as it stands or in the cut content.

 

I think its pretty safe to say that Danse was a synth rescued and mind wiped by the railroad. So two conclusions based on this would actually be a great chance for a character growth mod.

 

1. If Danse could convince Old Man Stockton to speak to him there's a chance, being the oldest railroad operative still alive, that Stockton might remember him coming to bunker hill as a newly escaped synth.

 

2. If Danse went to acadia and voiced his discontent with not knowing, well Dima dislikes the railroad mindwipes I have no doubt whatsoever that he'd be willing to try to reverse Danse's and help him discover the truth for the sake of giving a very stubborn self reliant synth some peace of mind and courage to go forwards.

 

I also mentioned companion interaction. Not only do I feel that companions interacting with and talking to each other would be going on behind the sole survivors back, I'm actually working on an M related fanfic that goes directly into what they do when the sole survivor isn't there.

 

I'd love to do a mod where you have to keep the faction companions happy or they do something destructive or dangerous. It might be infuriating to find your ammo mill or your trophy room wrekt and smoking because Danse and X6 had a brawl over faction alliegances or to have Piper and Nick have to forcibly separate Preston and X6 for X6's comment about the commonwealth dying a slow death with some bruises and black eyes into the bargain nor should the sole survivor be the only one able to have a little romance going on. It shouldn't be all happiness and rainbows at sanctuary while you're gone, into each life a few deathclaws must fall! :3 Not to mention the dynamics are all there for love triangles and jealousy! Imagine if you get caught making out with your romantic companion and another one of them wants you all for themselves! The Drama would be real! Not to mention Nick having a mentorly/fatherly sitdown with X6 over drinks would be amusingly awkward.

Edited August 20, 2017 by ReaperDragon4

[RangerDulann]

Turn your idea into a script. So you'll have a sense of what to mod.

There's no pdfs, only youtube videos. Why? Beats me. Maybe because people are scared of words. Or just plain lazy.

 

 

12 tutorials from texture editing to quests:

 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZX1yLOOr00FkO9DMTSiKIy5obS-f6lmV

[ReaperDragon4]

thanks, gonna mark this... so am i gonna have to format that script into a computer code or something?

 

as for the pdf vs video, if I listen to the playlist enough times it should start to stick. >.> >.<

Edited August 20, 2017 by ReaperDragon4

[Fkemman11]

Yeah. I think you will need to learn some basics before jumping into making mods. I am trying to learn by taking things apart and looking at them, reading some of what known authors post, and watching vids. It is sometimes hard to get an answer from experienced mod authors for whatever reason. Tell you what, as I learn more about what I am doing PM me with questions and I will answer to the best of my ability. I am not the fastest learner though because I am rather lazy about it and I don't like cramming knowledge like I am going to test in a few hours or something. I would recommend you download and use FO4Edit to start looking at files and maybe make some small edits here and there. Most of the earlier mods were made mainly through that tool. Also playing with outfits in Bodyslide's Outfit Studio is another fun way to learn some things. There is the boring wiki page to look at too. Don't pass up info for making mods for Skyrim either. That knowledge can be used in FO4 as well. :smile:

[RangerDulann]

thanks, gonna mark this... so am i gonna have to format that script into a computer code or something?

 

as for the pdf vs video, if I listen to the playlist enough times it should start to stick. >.> >.<

 

No by script I mean a bit like a movie script. A .doc or txt file with your ideas. Helps to keep track of things:

 

Quest title: My Precious

 

Quest summary

Player goes to npc 1

Gets quest for the ring

Goes to other location, kills bad guy, takes the ring

Delivers ring to npc 1, awarded xp and special weapon

 

Scene 1

-Location: wilderness, nighttime, cooridinates x,y

-Setdressing: small bunker, bed, ammo

-NPC 1: Peter Pecker

-NPC 2: Lola Palooza

-Camera: wide center shot

Dialogue

 

etc etc.