The Best Fallout: New Vegas Mods - Week 1

Okay folks, Mr. Vegas here filling in for Mr. Vegas who usually fills in for Mr. Vegas. Let's talk about something we're all anxiously waiting for: Fallout: New Vegas mods. While there's no comprehensive difficulty changer as of yet, there are a number of graphical and game-enhancing mods available right now. That's right, not even one week's passed since the release of Fallout: New Vegas and there are already 537 files hosted over at the New Vegas Nexus. So let's get down to the nitty-gritty and talk about what mods you should be playing Fallout: New Vegas with right now!

Oh, and by the way, don't have Fallout: New Vegas yet? Then you're definitely missing out, particularly if you loved or even just liked Fallout 3. You can grab a copy (cheaper than most places, to boot) on PC here, here on PS3, or on the 360 here. Keep in mind that only the PC and PS3 versions can have mods installed while 360 owners will get exclusive DLC later on.

So without any further ado, onward to our feature presentation! (And this time in descending order!)

1. d3d9 awesome perf fix - Right now, even if you ignore every other item on this list, you have to get this one. It fixes a ton of the performance issues most people have been having with Fallout: New Vegas.

Now, I'm not going to lie, I don't really know how this works. But with that being said, I will testify that it does work. Test it out for yourself, see if it works or not. I know that I gained 16+ FPS when I used it (keep in mind this was on Ultra with a rig built for gaming) and that's why I say there's more to gain than to lose in this case!

2. MTUI - This changes the default UI so that it looks better on resolutions set at 1024x768 and above. It scales up the fonts, makes the trader barter UIs a ton more friendly, and adds a bunch of other stuff. If you're like me, this is a definite must, especially if you don't feel like scrolling through all the items listed in Misc and Aid on your Pipboy 8 at a time.

3. URWL for New Vegas - Realistic Lighting and Color - This is what I consider the "Fellout" for Fallout: New Vegas. I don't know why it is that green seems to be all the rage in Bethesda's Fallouts, but maybe that's just because I don't care for it too much. Either way, thsi is worth playing with, even if it's to add a bit of color (or in this case, take away) to the environment.

4. CONELRAD 640-1240 - Civil Defense Radio - I know Mr. Vegas sometimes sounds like a broken record about the traders not being seen in Nipton and I know you're probably sick and tired of hearing Johnny Guitar, Johnny. So what can you do about it? Add a new radio station that fits the atmosphere of New Vegas!

"What's it add?" you might ask. Well, let's take a look:

2 hours, 20 minutes of Music across 55 tracks
22 minutes of PSAs & Civil Defense
Custom station host dialogue.

In other words, it gives some much-needed relief from the six songs that seem to be present in Fallout: New Vegas' radio stations by default so that Johnny won't be playing that guitar again and again and.. again.

5. FOOK for New Vegas - While it's not a must-have yet considering there's barely any content for it, you know ti will be soon. This is a port of FOOK for Fallout 3 to Fallout: New Vegas, by the same team, so you know it'll be good.

6. Better Binoculars - This isn't a must-have, but if you're like me and wish the binoculars had a bit of zoom, then you need this mod. (To be frank, I threw mine away after I got my first sniper rifle considering they both have the same default zoom.)

Now you can spot those Gecko's from much farther away as it should be!

Fallout 3 Mods for the PC on PS3

This is a tutorial I saved some time back in a text document that's been sitting on my hard drive for some time for adding mods from PC to the PS3. It does not allow for you to add custom content with subfolders (So no new guns, new new armors mostly) to the game.

Also, my apologies in advance because I do not have the source of where I saved this from!

This tutorial will allow you to use mods from the PC version of Fallout 3 on the Playstation 3. CUrrently the mods are limited to plugins that have no subfolders or BSA's. WHat that means is no custom content, such as armors or weapons that are not already in the game.

Requirements:
-PSFreedom
-Backup Manager
-PS3 FTP Server
-FTP Client of your choice on the PC
-A Computer (im using Windows XP in this tutorial)
-Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition backed up on the PS3 (I used an internal hard drive)
*NOTE: I used the Game of the Year Edition. I do not know how/if it would work on the Original with or without downloaded content.

-Your Mod of Choice (http://www.fallout3nexus.com/index.php)
*NOTE: For this Tut I used the "Item Room" mod (http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=5478)

-Plugin Tool (http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=5104)

Assumptions: I am assuming you have PSFreedom installed, backup manager installed (and know how to use it) and the PS3 FTP server installed (and know how to use it as well). I am also assuming you have the PS3 game backup to an internal hdd as well as are using the plain backup manager and not 'stealth' manager.

Lets Begin

Method 1, Overwrite an existing DLC. aka the quick and easy way.
1. Run PS3 FTP Server on your PS3
2. Connect to the PS3's IP.
3. Browse to the folder 'dev_hdd0/game/LAUN12345/GAMEZ/BLUS30451/PS3_GAME/USRDIR/DATA' on your PS3 using the ftp client on your PC.
4. Decide which DLC you dont care to use anymore, then on your PC rename the .esp mod file to the name of the DLC you do not care to use. (I USED THEPITT.ESM, DO NOT USE ANY OF THE FALLOUT ESM's)
5. Overwrite the DLC with the mod you renamed.
6. If you have NEVER played FO3 on the PS3 you are doing this, then just shut down the PS3 FTP Server and play.If you have played FO3 on your PS3 it will have installed data and you will need to overwrite one more file so continue to 7.
7. Browse to 'dev_hdd0/game/BLUS30451/USRDIR/DATA/' on your PS3 with your FTP software.
8. Overwrite the DLC again with your renamed mod file.
9. Exit the PS3 FTP Server and load up the game backup. Your mod SHOULD work.

Method 2, Merge a mod with a DLC. aka the method you will use if you are fond of the expansions but would still like a mod too, and/or you want to use a few mods.

1. Create the folder path 'C:\Program Files\Bethesda Softworks\Fallout 3\Data' on your PC. If you have FO3: GOTY installed on your PC it will already be there. If not, just create empty folders.
2. Run PS3 FTP Server on your PS3
3. Connect to the PS3's IP.
4. Browse to the folder 'dev_hdd0/game/LAUN12345/GAMEZ/BLUS30451/PS3_GAME/USRDIR/DATA' on your PS3 using the ftp client on your PC.
5. Decide which DLC you want to merge a mod with, Copy it over ftp to the folder we created on the PC.
6. Place your mod in the same folder on the PC.
7. Run the plugin tool, click file on the top left and then click open. Select the ESM that you copied from the PS3.
8. Then click file again and select Merge Plugins and choose your mod.
9. Upload your ESM back into the 'dev_hdd0/game/LAUN12345/GAMEZ/BLUS30451/PS3_GAME/USRDIR/DATA' folder. If you have run the game ever, you will need to upload the ESM to the 'dev_hdd0/game/BLUS30451/USRDIR/DATA/' folder as well.
10. Close the FTP Server on the PS3 and load the game from the backup manager and play. The Mod should be active.

The 5 Best Fallout 3 Graphics Mods

For a game that came out in October 2008, Fallout 3 still looks as beautiful as the day it was released (with a little help, of course.)

Below are my detailed picks for the five "must have" graphics mods, and as to this date, the 5 best Fallout 3 graphical mods.

5. Fallout 3 Re-Animated - I'll be frank, sometimes the default Fallout 3 animations just look whacky. This mod, developed by a professional animator as a project of his spare time, aims to correct that. In the 80 animations this Fallout 3 mod includes, every one of them makes the game look tremendously more natural.

The original "idle aiming" animation from Fallout 3 is on the left and the altered version is ont eh right. Needless to say, one looks much more natural.

4. Fellout - This mod removes the "green" light effect apparent in almost every part of the environment in Fallout 3. It lets the actual environment shine through clearly and seem much, much more realistic than before. It also allows for the environment to display more contrast, which gives a better overall graphics experience.

Pictured on the left is Megaton without Fellout installed and on the right with Fellout installed.

3. Enhanced Weather - Rain not "rainy" enough? Fog not "foggy" enough? This mod attempts to make the weather in Fallout 3 looks realistic. For example, your field of vision's outer reaches become foggy in a heavy rainstorm and likewise with a snowstorm.

Not only does it make these graphical changes, it also makes weather progressive. Instead of weather abruptly stopping, it first becomes cloudy and grey, with some thunder roaring before the rain cuts loose.

As would be the case in a real case of hard rain, your character's field of vision becomes limited when the storm finally hits.

2. EVE (Energy Visuals Enhanced) - EVE adds a whole new level to energy visuals. You know that energy pistol you picked up during Moira's quest int he supermarket? Now you have a reason to have fun using it. If I were to make a simplified (and potentially dangerous analogy), EVE upgrades Fallout 3's default energy visuals like the upgrade in visual effects that the 2009 Star Trek film provided for the 1966 Star Trek series without the horrendous change in story.

Not only do the lines produced by energy weapons look better, a "misty glow" is added to hit objects making for an even more entertaining sight.

1. NMCs_Texture_Pack_for_FO3 - NMC, the author of this mod, took a year to remake Fallout 3's textures by hand. This is why by most, inclusive of myself, this is considered one of the best texture mods to date. The textures included in this pack are 400% the size of the original Fallout 3 textures. The difference is not only in the resolution of the textures, but in the details.

For example, many "effect" textures, such as tree damage, paint flakes from bricks, and even junk piles have been completely redone so that they are in fact more detailed and more interesting to look at.

Many textures, trees included, take on an entire new life of their own with NMC's Texture Pack.

That's it; the five best Fallout 3 graphics mods. Some mods require FOSE and a Fallout 3 memory boosting program (such as FO3 Ram Boost) to be installed to work properly. While having your settings on maximum with all of these mods installed and simultaneously activated requires a top-of-the-line PC, there are also some low-hi-res options available in to mods like NMC's texture packs for medium-end PCs.

In closing, I have but one thing to say: Fallout 3, with mods, can be equatable to Crysis a few years back in terms of being top-of-the-line graphics. Installing just graphics mods can make the entire Fallout 3 playthrough experience revived in terms of fun for anyone who has played every possible class and back-story combination!