How do people make the big mods for Fallout games? Namely 3 and NV?

[flumpergump]

Okay. Let's hypothetically say that I have this whole big quest line written out for an enclave campaign in fallout 3, (Since it's been 10 years without a single complete mod) but I have little experience in the geck. How long would it take for one person to learn and do this? If you mod, how long did it take you? Where should I ask for help, even novice, if it's possible to get any? (I.E. someone who could modify textures, mixing up meshes a la the enclave power armor replacers, scripting and the like.)

 

For scale I'm talking about 12 quests in total, with around 3 new rooms (Bos crane operation room, Enclave civilian quarters, and a small expansion to fort independence) and 4 major locations in the form of a cave, a fort like constantine or wheaton armory, a somewhat large supermutant encampment, and a labyrinth for the BOS meant to serve as an equivalent to the Mobile Crawler, 2 new enemies, wanamingos and mutant troops, unless given permission for use of same creatures already made in other mods.

 

Is this doable?

Edited September 28, 2018 by flumpergump

[blackrat99]

Certainly. You just need to take it piece by piece. Once you know how to make one quest, you can make however many you want. Once you've made one interior, the others are easy, etc. New enemies are harder if you need new meshes, animations etc., but if you can re-use existing creatures somehow it's not a problem. I'd start with the fallout 3 wikis and then look through mods that do some of the same things you want to do. Since you're new it might take a few months for a big mod but it's definitely doable. The only thing I'd suggest though is that large exterior locations can be problematical with fallout 3, so it's best to put as much as you can in interiors.

[TheRealNachoNinjaGnome]

I've been modding for a few months here and there over the years and I'm still learning. It's an ongoing process, especially when it comes to scripting. I don't have any experience with modeling and minimal with texturing (just changing colors of existing textures), so I can't really say too much about that subject. Making interiors is the easiest part of it all and you should pick it up fairly quickly. It can get a little more complicated with exteriors, but the terrain tools are fairly easy to use. When you get into creating your NPCs is when it can start to get a bit tedious. And then scripting has a bit of a steep learning curve, especially if you don't have any programming background, but I was taking programming classes in high school and it wasn't difficult by any stretch of the imagination, just takes time to learn. That's not to say you won't have any difficulty, it really just depends on your own intellectual prowess and your persistence (due to taking breaks, I often have to relearn things I've forgotten). All that being said, it really depends on how complex you want to make your mod(s). I would, highly, suggest that you practice with some smaller mods first, just to get your bearings. Try just making an interior for an existing, boarded up, building at first. Nothing special, just something to explore and loot. House mods can get a bit more complex, but are still relatively simple. I would just exercise caution when beginning to mess around with exteriors as there are so many world objects that you can select and move unintentionally without even noticing. This can make for some peculiar, and obnoxious bugs. Taking all of that into account, there is a wealth of Youtube tutorials out there. And you don't have to stick to just the Fallout 3 tutorials as the G.E.C.K. (Creation Kit) hasn't changed much over the years. So, you can also utilize tutorials for The Elder Scrolls Construction Set (for Oblivion), the New Vegas G.E.C.K. and the Skyrim Creation Kit, which really helps as it will allow you access to greater range of "subjects", as well as "teachers". I would also recommend checking out the official sites, as they can have some helpful literature as well. Also, wikis and forums are going to be another couple of your best friends. I know I've been frequently referencing the list of commands and functions, during my most recent self-teaching of scripting, at the following address:

 

http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Gamebryo_console_commands_(all)

 

If you have questions, it also helps to ask them in more than one place, especially seeing as Fallout 3 is getting pretty old and its forums and wikis don't see as much traffic as they used to. There are many people out there who don't mind lending a hand, and some even enjoy it. :tongue:

[flumpergump]

Cool! I think I'm going to do that for sure, scripting really does seem like the hardest part, so I think I'm going to put the bulk of the practice on that. I want to do computer science anyways. (Wish my high school offered that, you lucky bastard) I can do rudimentary 3d model stuff and make art, so new enemies and models can come later down the line, once I learn how to add animations and texturing. If I ever finish this thing I'll be sure to thank you two.

[blackrat99]

Scripting seems like the most difficult thing at first, especially if you've never done anything like it before, but actually it isn't. Generally you never have to write anything from scratch, just adapt someone else's script, or one that came with the game. And there's plenty of help available. After a while you'll find that scripting takes up the least modding time of any activity. Make a companion and you'll find that scripting takes up 5% of your time, while creating dialogue seems interminable.

 

I would go with the above suggestion and build an internal cell somewhere. It's fun and will get you into modding in a good way and you'll learn the GECK in the process. It doesn't need to be an abandoned house. You need something for your mod so why not start on one of those areas? I'd also suggest not starting out trying to learn scripting. Rather, when you need something for your mod that requires a script, do some research then with similar mods. You'll then be making (more probably adapting) a script for a particular purpose and you'll understand it better. Gradually you'll pick up all these skills as and when you need them for each part of the mod.

[Deleted1205226User]

Never underestimate the Dunning-Kruger effect

Large mods usually take from several months to years to build, especially if there's learning involved.
It depends, of course, of the time you have. Are you going to work 6 hours a day/7 days a week on it or a couple of hours a week? That will make the difference.

Does the Mod you're planning to do involves other softwares than the Game, the Geck and a text editor?
Then you might consider additional time to learn the third party programs (NifSkope, 3D modeling programs, graphic application, etc.)

Your frustration resistance level has to be taken in account. (As MadMongo said: Geck is probably a Vault Tec experiment destined to challenge the sanity of the user). Countless people have started big project not many reached release state.

Is the field of your mod well documented? Then you'll have to find your way among the contradictory statements.
Otherwise you'll have to reinvent the wheel, many times.

How impatient are you? Sometimes, paradoxically, you'll have to let your mod rest to have it progressing.

I'm not trying to discourage you, on contrary, if you are decided to step in, you should be prepared.

So, start small, make a very basic quest, test it, have it tested by others. Then make it a little more elaborate, rinse and repeat till you get the mechanic.
Never hesitate to look at other mods, do some reverse engineering. Like that, step by step, patiently and persistently, you'll be able to see your project alive and to share it one day.

Here's a good place to start with scripting: http://www.cipscis.com/fallout/tutorials/

Good luck!