Standalone Mods vs Performance

[maplesmac]

Is it better to use stand alone mods? From a performance standpoint I was thinking they should be but nothing on the net. I get "DayZ" usually when i search.

 

If Standalone are better for performance i was planning on building a new profile but hopefully someone can tell me.

 

Standalone vs Not Standalone?

 

 

[Di3sIrae]

Do you mean "loose files" instead of standalone?

Because Standalone are files that do not replace vanilla files, and this can be anything, from an outfit to a quest mod, so either you are using the wrong word or i don't understand what you're talking about.

If you are talking about Loose files x Packed files (ba2), then the awsner can be a bit complicated. Some people may say that not everything should be packed, but in my personal experience, packing textures do give the game a good improvement. One of the major examples are the Real HD Face mod, which i uploaded ba2 files for it because loose files were giving a lot of stutter in the game for some people. (there is a bit of talk about it and a guide aobut how to create a ba2 on the page).

I also packed almost all of the loose textures that replace vanilla and it all works nice for me, also the ba2 is much smaller in size than the loose files.

 

If you ARE talking about standalone... then it is your choice, nothing about performance. If a clothing mod have replacer x standalone, it is your choice if you don't want vanilla anymore or want the new clothes + vanilla. Nothing more to eb said about it.

 

IF what you wanted to say have NOTHING to do with what i said here, then sorry, but please explain it better so i can know what you are talking about.

[maplesmac]

Heh sucks being 50 and stumbling onto this mod stuff. Imma old jarhead and WOW recovering addict.

 

With FO4, I see standalone mods and I see miss. From what I understand the âstandaloneâ donât add to the game. They simply mashup existing items with items already in the game. As for the other mods I think they are actually adding or altering the game but dependent on the file(s) the mod developer created.

 

If my understandings of the mod types above is correct, is it possible that standalone mods would be less performance hoggs than alien files added to enhance the game?

 

I want to play and enhance the game but efficiently. As I level and build it seems like I get a little more load time as I progress and if the types of mods are affecting it (amongst other things like multiple saves and such) I want alter my new game before I get too far in.

 

Iâve finished it but love changing it. Thank you for reading my wall of text.

[Di3sIrae]

Hah hey, no problem :)

I think now i understood more what your concern is. If a mod uses only vanilla assets, then the game will load vanilla assets only. If a mod add custom stuff, then yes, the game will read vanilla + mod stuff, which will increase the data the game needs to read. Thinking this way, you can say that yes, a standalone mod can decrease performance...

But the game doesn't read everything at all times. So a big quest mod with 3gb of files should not slow down your game, unless those 3gb are scattered around all the places. A mod that adds new things around the places from the main game may decrease performance, like more enemies, more clutter, and so on. So if you walk around Boston in vanilla with 3x the number of NPCs around and let's say, 3x the amount of clutter around, you'll certaintly notice it.

So in the end, it is not even a question of using a standalone mod or not, but which mods you'll use and if they conflict with each other. There is a lot of cool mods around, but try not to mix a high number of NPCs with a mod that changes their behavior, with mods that adds more battles or war of factions...
We must think of the game as a whole thing, and every little part counts. Mods that havce scripts will mostly be what will slow down the game at some point, you want it or not. A lot of mods have cool effects to the player and NPCs, but they need scripts that check for conditions every time, be it a minute, a second or a milisecond. So lots of things monitoring your game at the same time will slow down the engine.

Your concern is very good to avoid problems in the future, but don't be too afraid. Just really think what is most important for your fun, and try to not use many mods that affects the same thing. Always check for compatibilities too, and if a mod does a lot of new things to player and npcs, re-check if you don't have other mods that may also be "heavy" and test if they will slow down the game before playing for real.

Modding with care consumes lots of time and is really tiring, but pays in the end. Better to spend 1 month adjusting and learning than play for 6 months and spend 1 year trying to fix the game.

Just remember that the more things you add, more heacy the game will be, and know the limitations of your hardware. Try some performance mods to help, like Boston FPS Fix, a fix for godrays, or even some tweaks to your graphic card software (at least with AMD some settings seen to help a lot).

Good luck with modding! :)

[maplesmac]

Wow thatâs an incredible reply and you actually cleared up some of my other suspicions I had regarding the use of mods. Iâve really enjoyed being able to change aspects of my character and until recently didnât pay much attention to performance. Abandoned my Mac OS world two years ago for and omen gaming laptop and gave my consoles to my employees. My fist computer was my a Ti 99/4 A and my first Mac was LC 68020 processor.

 

The pc world is so different but clearly the games are better suited for them.

 

Thank you so much for the time you spent explaining. Now I see I was looking at modding at from the wrong angle!

[Di3sIrae]

Haha i left my Playstation 2 behind some good years ago... Never wanted any other console. I was born playing pc games on my father's lap and i think i'll die with a mouse and keyboard on my hands. Never used a mac, windows all the way, but yes, it is what have most compatibility with everything. Oh well, i'm younger, started with win95/98 (i'm from 92), and always desktop. I think my sister uses my notebook more than me... :)

I'm glad it was able to give you some insight, there is indeed a lot to learn, and patience will be your ally when modding. But if you have other questions, just ask. I've been modding games for some years already, and there is always something i didn't know... Of course i also don't know everything, but i like to read and know what i'm doing, so i think i can help a bit with modding the game.