Wastelander Barb 2.0

Netherworks · October 3, 2017

Hey all, just wanted to drop a post to let you know that after some absence, I'm back to working on some of my older mods. For the last month (ish), I've been working on an update to my Wastelander Barb (additional) companion. She is now at version 2.0, with tons of new features and improvements.

Requires MCM which you can use to apply many tweaks to customize her behavior.

>> Wastelander Barb Mod Page <<

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Origin:

Barb is a fiesty scavenger (she would use the word "wastelander") who has been on her own since she was just a child. She grew up in a family of farmers but never really took the farming life. Barb was always more interested in digging up treasures from the past in scavenging sites and repurposing what she could to create something new. On her 14th birthday, after being allowed to go scavenge for the day, her family was mercilessly killed by raiders. After finding their remains, she fled deep into the wastleland, vowing one day to return to the area and make the raiders pay.

Barb spent the next 10 years scavenging and trading her finds with any towns she'd come across. She learned how to jury-rig items to improve them, increasing their usefulness and value. She became rugged and fearsome over time, honing her skill in fighting and learning how to get around and scavenge without being noticed.

The sole survivor happens upon Barb in Concord, where she's set up a temporary base in an old house while she scours the area for quality goods. Unlike other times in the past, this plan hasn't gone so well. The town has been cut off by a newly arrived group of raiders and she's too stubborn to let them just take the place. Barb has managed to pick a few of them off but more arrive and their numbers keep growing. She joins up with the sole survivor to make a stand against them. She might stay with him (her) for a while thereafter, intrigued by the stories of a long ago, golden age.

Summary:

Barbara (or Barb) is a wastelander follower than can be found right at the edge of Concord at the first house at the right fork (from Sanctuary). Fully realized: Voiced (300+ lines), can be used in addition to other followers, good
in a fight (but not OP), has affinity/romance and awarded perk, has her own custom armor and weapon (derived from existing models), and much more! Requires MCM.

Requires:

MCM Framework (version 1.1 or higher) for setting her companion options. Will work without but you will not be able to customize her behavior. No exceptions.
Alternatively, version 1.6.3 of Wastelander Barb is available that doesn't require MCM but is missing all the new features of Barb 2.0. It fixes an "issuing commands" bug and when she is in power armor, it doesn't take damage.

Updating:
If updating from a version of Barb prior to 2.0, Dismiss then immediately Recruit Barb to get all the features settled (mod is self-adjusting). You could also elect to disable the mod, load the game and wait one hour, save the game, then re-enable
the mod - However it will reset everything including affinity.

Full Features: (Features specific to Barb 2.0 are followed by an asterisk *)

Uses her own Custom Follower System and can be used in addition to any other followers or companions you have with you.
Has a short intro Scene/Quest when you find her (Location, below) but there is interaction before you recruit her.*
You are notified in game of Barb's version when updating or installing for first time.
She has all vanilla companion features.
- Can be fully equipped with different armor or weapons. Will not expend ammo or grenades.
- Ignores friendly fire.
- Can be stimpaked in combat.
- Can be asked to exit power armor.
- Can be sent to any settlement and be assigned tasks.*
- Can enter and exit vertibirds.*
Fully-voiced follower using over 300+ lines from the Female Boston voice.* (Previously 220)
- Has general idle comments and comments based on the current environment.
- Comments when player levels up, mods items, picks up junk that she finds interesting or is stimpaked in combat.*
- Can ask her for her general thoughts and how she feels about your relationship.*
- Sound files are optimized as .fuz, making the mod much smaller than before.*
She has advanced follower features.
- Will not break stealth and can sneak with the player.
- She can be tracked on the map (MCM toggle).*
- She sandboxes when idle. Can be toggled via MCM menu. You can also set her to only sandbox in towns and settlements (MCM).*
- You can turn on and off idle comments (MCM toggle). You can set the frequency of idle comments (default is 1 hour game time, MCM).*
- You can set her follow distance (Close, Medium, Far) via the MCM menu.*
- Has a Catch-Up Warp where she teleports to you if at a great distance (out of combat). Can be toggled via MCM menu.*
- Will give the player gifts from time to time - stimpaks, ammo, valuable junk, chems or adhesives.
She has advanced combat features.
- Has her own custom class.*
- Uses offense and cover efficiently.
- Tough in a fight, for a human, but not overpowered.
- You can set her combat distance from you (Close, Medium, Far) via the MCM menu.*
- She can stimpak you or herself (sooner than vanilla, for the latter) when hurt.*
Barb has her own Affinity and Romance system.
- Affinity accumulates over time spent with her and can increase if you find cool junk or defeat opponents.
- It only takes a few hours in real time to reach max Affinity with her.
- Awards the Wastelander Justice perk at the highest Affinity level. This allows the player to afflict 10% additional
- damage to human targets and 10% additional experience when defeating them.
- She is romanceable at the highest affinity rank. Speak to her and ask about your relationship. After a short scene between you both, you are awarded the Lover's Embrace perk when sleeping near her. Dialog responses change
- after romance. *
She has unique craftables, that can be built at the Chemistry station, under Miscellaneous.
- You can build a Translocator device to teleport her to you at will (she must be your follower for it to work). You can turn off its special FX via the MCM menu.*
- You can build a Command item to issue remote commands to her.*

Personality: Fiesty and a tinkerer (her own weapon and clothing). Doesn't back down from a fight. Glad to accompany and help the vault dweller. Easy going - has no issue with your character's choices.

Location: Concord, right at the fork, first house on the right on the porch (right near the welcome to Concord sign). If fast traveling to Concord, turn around 180 and it will be the 2nd house on your left. Location facilitates new playthroughs.

Weapon: Barb comes with her own 10mm pistol that has been converted to full auto (like a micro uzi in "style" but there is no actual visual difference). 24 clip capacity, damage equal to 10mm.

Armor: Customized version of the Ratty Dress that allows the addition of armor pieces and ballistic (railroad) modification. Has +1 PER/AGL stats. Is already slightly armored.

Voice: Barb uses a custom voice type based on the Female Boston voice. Does NOT modify any core quests. She is voiced when trading, talking, during combat and idle chatter. Voice (sound) should work in Non-English versions of the game.

Look: She uses vanilla assets for look and will benefit from any modifications you use, such as texture changes, hair color
changes, makeups and bodies (CBBE for example). You should be able to use Face Ripper to change her looks.

Built with the Creation Kit and Cleaned in FO4Edit.

Caveats:

Does not come with a custom body and will use whatever body system that you use.
Her advanced stimpak feature is AI Package dependent. That means that it isn't sure-proof.
Her vertibird boarding feature has the same limitation as above.
Existing Barb users, prior to 2.0, will not get the intro quest.

Resources:
Seddon4494's Companion Tutorial (this deviates a lot but a good primer), Fallout 4 Voice Reference Tool, Lazy Voice Finder, Looks Menu, Face Ripper.

Screenshots:
CBBE Body, Darker Clothes and Armor, Young Female Face Texture (highly recommended), True Storms, my own custom ENB, Dynavision.