Modding Fallout 3

[Sarafan]

I decided to check how far I can go with modding Fallout 3. After very positive impression from modding Skyrim, I got a taste to try this with other games. Fallout 3 is quite problematic. The game can be unstable even without any modifications. Stability community patches are highly advised. So is a mod that fixes heavy stuttering caused mainly by desynchronization with the screen refresh rate. The GOG version which I'm using has already the 4 GB patch implemented. Thankfully it's also stripped of any Games for Windows Live remains.

I managed to make the game work stable even with the highest possible NMC textures. Didn't have a single crash since I finished modding the game. This article was very helpful: https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/23631?tab=description. Generally, apart of standard visual mods and 4 GB patch, I also use OneTweak for FO3, which enables borderless window mode. This improves stability and prevents from hang ups during game start up after you implement new mods. Also the Fallout Stutter Remover requires a few modifications. Remember to change to 0 the following lines in the mod .ini file

bHookCriticalSections = 0
bHookLightCriticalSections = 0

Without the modification of these values the game crashes frequently. Also there's an alternative for Fallout Stutter Remover, called F3TF, but I haven't tested it myself.

Without further ado, here's the list of mods and the final effect:

OneTweak for FO3
Fallout Stutter Remover (remember to change the values!)
Realism ENB 0_237 (uses the files from original ENB for Fallout 3)
NMCs Texture Pack for FO3 (maximum version)
Hi-Res Weapons v3
Megaton Texture Pack
Rivet City Texture Pack
MGs Neat Clutter
Vandr HD Creatures
HD Smoky Fire and Explosions
Chems and Meds Re-Texture Pack
Better HiRes Skill Books
Rextextured Labels
Improved LOD Noise Texture
PipBoy 3000 HD Retexture
Hi-Res Lunchbox Retexture
Pre-War Money Retexture
Robot Revolution HD - Protectron

As for the actual look and load order:

Not as impressive as Skyrim, but a lot better than vanilla. More screens soon!

 

[Sarafan]

Hmmm, now when I look on these screenshots, something feels a little fishy. It's almost like there's no natural source of light. The game looks a lot better when I play it. It's brighter and the lighting feels more natural. The outdoor screenshots are made in full sunlight and they look like taken on a very cloudy day.

Anyway, the Realism ENB removed the green hue that's present in the base game. The artistic style has changed, but it's more realistic now, closer to Fallout 4. With all the texture upgrades, it looks really cool.

 

[mainer]

The GOG version which I'm using has already the 4 GB patch implemented. Thankfully it's also stripped of any Games for Windows Live remains.

GOG does so many great things like that to make older games stable & playable on modern PCs. As much as I like Steam (where most of my games reside), you don't see them doing anything like that, leaving it up to the player to get an older game playable. I have FO3 on Steam (as well as the original boxed DVD version), but I haven't played it since the Games for Windows Live days when I installed FO3 manually. In the Steam Discussions for FO3 there are numerous posts about not being able to get FO3 to even launch, presumably due to the residue GfWL original requirement. I might actually buy FO3 on a GOG sale, as it seems like the best place to play it.

Hmmm, now when I look on these screenshots, something feels a little fishy. It's almost like there's no natural source of light. The game looks a lot better when I play it. It's brighter and the lighting feels more natural. The outdoor screenshots are made in full sunlight and they look like taken on a very cloudy day.

The detail level in those screenshots is really great, but you're right, when I first looked at them I thought they were taken on a cloudy day, as the lighting seems very diffused and non-directional. I'm not being critical, as I love the shots, it was just my first impression when I viewed them. Out of curiosity, did you try any other ENB presets for comparison purposes when you were modding?

PS: I love these modding older games posts you're making, I think they're very insightful and show how great older games can look & play on todays PCs. It also takes a lot of your time when linking all the mods you use in each initial post, as well as illustrating them with screenshots.

 

[Sarafan]

GOG does so many great things like that to make older games stable & playable on modern PCs.

That's true. It's a shame that publishers are not convinced to the DRM-free market. GOG needs more games, especially the bigger ones.

Out of curiosity, did you try any other ENB presets for comparison purposes when you were modding?

Yeah, I also tried Midhrastic ENB and it was nice, but the aesthetic reminded me of Fallout New Vegas a little. Which isn't bad of course, but I wanted something less similar.

I love these modding older games posts you're making, I think they're very insightful and show how great older games can look & play on todays PCs. It also takes a lot of your time when linking all the mods you use in each initial post, as well as illustrating them with screenshots.

Thank you for the kind words. Unfortunately I have less time now, because I'm on a test period in my new work, so I need to focus on it in the first place. But of course I'll be still visiting the forum.

 

[Sarafan]

Ok, here's another portion of screenshots. Unfortunately I haven't solved my problem with missing light on screens, so it'll have to do. No sunny wasteland. But I'm progressing the story quite decently. Too bad that the game has such a low level cap. It's possible to mod it, but the balance is destroyed in the process as well.

 

[Brian Boru]

No sunny wasteland

Any better if you take a pic of the screen with a phone?

Even as is, looks great.

a low level cap

What's that, a pop cap?

 

[Sarafan]

Any better if you take a pic of the screen with a phone?

Nope. It gets screen and color distortions in the process. It's very hard to make a good photo of things displayed on a screen.

What's that, a pop cap?

Nah, it's only a cap owned by a guy called Level.

 

[mainer]

Unfortunately I haven't solved my problem with missing light on screens, so it'll have to do. No sunny wasteland.

There is that diffusion, or haze feeling to the light, but it feels appropriate for a post-nuclear landscape as it seems like there would be a perpetual haze to the sky even years after the war. There aren't sunny fields of wildflowers or pristine waters in FO3, just ruins and destruction. I think it also helps accentuate the details of the environment, which are really great for a game released in 2008. And that ENB is really good with interior regions, as I love that 5th shot with the ventilation fan.

Out of curiosity, since you're progressing in the game, did you save or destroy Megaton?

 

[Sarafan]

Out of curiosity, since you're progressing in the game, did you save or destroy Megaton?

This is my second playthough of the game, but I didn't want to blow Megaton. Maybe I'll do it on my third playthrough with an evil character some time in a distant future.

 

[Sarafan]

Finished the main game. Only Broken Steel and Mothership Zeta left. The main questline is quite short. Memory has played a trick on me and I remember it to be longer. Anyway, it was nice to revisit the game and experience how better it is in terms of role-playing than Fallout 4 (which is also a great game BTW!).

 

[Pifanjr]

I really liked Mothership Zeta because it worked really well with a stealthy playstyle, which is one of my favourite ways to play. Operation: Anchorage was great for that as well.

 

[Sarafan]

All DLCs are fine, but I especially liked The Pitt. Wonderful atmosphere. Too bad that it wasn't bigger. I felt the story was unnecessarily rushed. I'd love to see something similar in the franchise again. Maybe starting as a slave would be good idea for the next Fallout game?

 

[Pifanjr]

All DLCs are fine, but I especially liked The Pitt. Wonderful atmosphere. Too bad that it wasn't bigger. I felt the story was unnecessarily rushed. I'd love to see something similar in the franchise again. Maybe starting as a slave would be good idea for the next Fallout game?

I personally didn't like Point Lookout as much as the other ones, though I don't remember why. It's been quite a while since I last played it.

 

[Sarafan]

I personally didn't like Point Lookout as much as the other ones, though I don't remember why. It's been quite a while since I last played it.

Point Lookout was very hard. I used half of my 80 stimpack pool while trying to defend some particular villa...

 

[Sarafan]

Today I finished Broken Steel for the first time and I must say that it was a disappointment. The DLC focused on slaughtering dozens of Enclave soldiers. Where did they come from? The only good thing I have to say about the add-on is that it raised the level cap by 10. Even the new perks were a little disappointing. Definitely the worst DLC. Anyway, my complete playthrough of Fallout 3 is now finished and I don't regret returning to the game. I'm wondering whether to move to Fallout: New Vegas straight ahead or take a break. I already downloaded all of the mods that I'll be using, so it's only a matter of installing the game and configuring the mods with Mod Organizer 2.

 

[ZedClampet]

I decided to check how far I can go with modding Fallout 3. After very positive impression from modding Skyrim, I got a taste to try this with other games. Fallout 3 is quite problematic. The game can be unstable even without any modifications. Stability community patches are highly advised. So is a mod that fixes heavy stuttering caused mainly by desynchronization with the screen refresh rate. The GOG version which I'm using has already the 4 GB patch implemented. Thankfully it's also stripped of any Games for Windows Live remains.

I managed to make the game work stable even with the highest possible NMC textures. Didn't have a single crash since I finished modding the game. This article was very helpful: https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/23631?tab=description. Generally, apart of standard visual mods and 4 GB patch, I also use OneTweak for FO3, which enables borderless window mode. This improves stability and prevents from hang ups during game start up after you implement new mods. Also the Fallout Stutter Remover requires a few modifications. Remember to change to 0 the following lines in the mod .ini file

bHookCriticalSections = 0
bHookLightCriticalSections = 0

Without the modification of these values the game crashes frequently. Also there's an alternative for Fallout Stutter Remover, called F3TF, but I haven't tested it myself.

Without further ado, here's the list of mods and the final effect:

OneTweak for FO3
Fallout Stutter Remover (remember to change the values!)
Realism ENB 0_237 (uses the files from original ENB for Fallout 3)
NMCs Texture Pack for FO3 (maximum version)
Hi-Res Weapons v3
Megaton Texture Pack
Rivet City Texture Pack
MGs Neat Clutter
Vandr HD Creatures
HD Smoky Fire and Explosions
Chems and Meds Re-Texture Pack
Better HiRes Skill Books
Rextextured Labels
Improved LOD Noise Texture
PipBoy 3000 HD Retexture
Hi-Res Lunchbox Retexture
Pre-War Money Retexture
Robot Revolution HD - Protectron

As for the actual look and load order:

Not as impressive as Skyrim, but a lot better than vanilla. More screens soon!

Just curious, but are you playing the GOTY edition? Because the original Fall Out 3 on Steam has been abandoned and is unplayable without a lot of tweeks.

 

[Sarafan]

Just curious, but are you playing the GOTY edition? Because the original Fall Out 3 on Steam has been abandoned and is unplayable without a lot of tweeks.

I was playing the GOTY edition from GOG. It has a few tweaks and should work right out of the box, but due to heavy modding I had to apply some stability patches mentioned in the first post. Right now I started Fallout New Vegas and was able to get an even better result through modding. I'll probably play the game in phases though because I still remember a lot from my previous playthrough.