diff --git a/_drafts/fallout3.md b/_drafts/fallout3.md deleted file mode 100644 index a28d18a..0000000 --- a/_drafts/fallout3.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,161 +0,0 @@ ---- - tabtitle: "Fallout 3 on Linux" - title: "Fallout 3 on Linux: Setup, Summary, and Suggestions" - topics: [gaming] - pub: "" - short_desc: A relatively comprehensive review of my recent playthrough of Fallout 3. ---- - -# Fallout 3 on Linux: Setup, Summary, and Suggestions -- Objective: Play Fallout 3 with a "Vanilla+" setup of mods. Play through all - the DLC, play through the main story. - -To-Do: -- Installation - - Game files (Steam, GOG, other?) - - Mod Organizer 2 -- Modding - - Mods I used, and why - - How-to Install and/or Configure -- Game Review - - Main Story - - DLC (in order played) - - The Pitt - - Operation Anchorage - - Point Lookout - - Mothership Zeta - - Broken Steel - -# Notes - -## Installation - -### Base Game - -### Mods - -#### Mod Organizer 2 - -#### Mod List - -#### Mods of Note - -## Review - -### Main Story - -Overall, I think the main story of Fallout 3 is strong until the very last beat. -The beginning tutorial, which is the first 10 to 40 minutes of play, takes place -entirely within the starting Vault. It does a good job of the standard tutorial -phase: teach the player how to interact with the game; walk the player through -character creation; setup a few characters to care about. Then, the beginning -ends, and there's the second phase of play: open world. Arguably, this is the -remaining phase of all game-play. The player is free to explore, pursuing quests -or ambitions as they whim. There are game mechanics to aid with decisions, -generally quest markers and points-of-interest. The entire play time of a player -could be spent on everything _except_ the main story, and it would still be a -rewarding and enjoyable experience. However, my objective was to play the story -of Fallout 3, and so I keep that as my main guiding star. This is not to say I -didn't do any side-quests. I wandered far and wide; I actually discovered every -location on the map! I enjoyed exploring the abandoned and ruined metro lines, -finding small settlements or outposts, and coming across other wanderers and -survivors who had setup their own little slices of the wasteland. - -I want to specifically talk about the setting. The Capitol Wasteland, a -fictionalized, augmented, scaled-down region around modern-day Washington DC, -northern Virginia, and Maryland. The "sights" are there: all the monuments and -museums (well, some _aren't_ there, like the White House!). There are two -"layers" to the map. The first is the surface. There's the big, open-world -Wasteland, which spans almost the entire map, excluding some smaller, -independent cells. Then, there's the underground collection of metro tunnels. -All of these connect, mostly, and it is fascinating that, once underground, it's -almost possible to stay underground, at least when around the Mall and within -DC proper. - -I want to touch on one of the strengths of Fallout 3, and the open-world 3D -environment: environmental storytelling. - -### DLC: The Pitt - -The Pitt was the first of the DLCs that I played. It was advised as a good -early-game DLC, if only because it gives some great guns. I hadn't made the -connection between "Pitt" and "Pittsburgh" until I saw the name of the DLC -spelled out (as opposed to hearing it simply as "the pit"). I love the hook into -the DLC: a man, looking like Snake Plissken from "Escape from New York", sends -out an SOS signal that your Pipboy can pick up. Traveling to the -northern-reaches of the map, there's a hand-powered rail car that you use to -travel to "The Pitt." There, according to Wernher, the people are oppressed and -sick, and their tyrannical leaders hold the cure for their disease but refuse to -hand it over. Wernher escaped from the slave pits, seeking help in their -revolution. Granted, it's not all that straight-forward. There are a few hours -worth of story, during which you learn a bit more about the setting, the -disease, and the characters. You fight through the slave pits to earn your -freedom and a meeting with the tyrant, a former Brotherhood of Steel member -named Lord Ashur. The cure is actually a child that was born with immunity to -the disease. Conveniently, it's Ashur's kid. His wife, (conveniently) a -scientist, is working on bio-engineering a cure from the kid. Wernher wants to -take the kid, harvest it, and distribute the cure himself. Thus the main moral -conflict of the DLC: do you side with Ashur, saving the kid, but continuing the -status-quo, and having only Ashur's word that he'll do the right thing when the -cure is ready? Or do you side with Wernher, kidnapping and probably dooming the -child, to let him play his power-trip and essentially take over The Pitt for -himself? I sided with Ashur, killed Wernher, saved the kid, and got some sweet -guns. - -Overall, I enjoyed The Pitt. The setting is phenomenal, the story is engaging -enough. The characters are good. It has that 80s action-film vibe. The moral -choice at the end is a good twist, though by no means unforeseen. I do like that -the game has no karma tied to the final decision; neither one is obviously good. -I tend to enjoy that in moral decisions, as rarely are any decisions obviously -"right" or "wrong." - -### DLC: Operation Anchorage - -Apparently this one is polarizing. (Oh snap, no pun intended). I really liked -it. It hooked me in, it didn't overstay it's welcome, and it gave me some cool -loot. - -The gist: your Pipboy lets you operate a virtual reality training simulation of -the invasion of Anchorage, Alaska by the Chinese forces. You start off on a -cliff, having been one of a few surviving special forces members, to infiltrate -and destroy the artillery shelling the United States forces. Right away, it set -a really fun tone with me. I loved the little infiltration angle. After you save -the day, you return to base camp, where you are given several more missions to -destroy key resources, before repelling the Chinese forces and retaking -Anchorage proper. - -The stealth mission at the beginning really swings this content in a favorable -direction, as does the cool rewards. The Gauss Rifle is just fun to use, and the -player gets the Power Armor Training trait and access to a suit of Power Armor. -One of the mods I had included several additional sets of armor in the reward -vault, and I enjoyed them as well. - -### DLC: Point Lookout - -This one grew on me. When it started, due to the nature of the DLC being more -open-world and less driven, I felt thrown into another region that I had to make -my own fun in. However, I was able to relatively quickly find some engaging -storylines, intriguing storytelling, and the main quest was fun. - -Arriving in the Land of the Punga, you have two objectives: one, you were asked -to find a girl by her mother; two, you are advised to investigate why a manor on -a hill is smoking. The swamp wasteland is inhabited by inbred swamp-people, -mirelurks, and the expected cretins. There's plenty of history scattered both -told and unsaid throughout abandoned tents, terminals, hotel rooms, and ruins. -This location does a lot to invoke an eldritch horror vibe, and it does so quite -well at several points. There's a specific side-quest dealing with a tome, The -Krivbeknih, which is obviously a reference to tomes like The Necronomicon. The -characters throughout the location are well-written and fun to interact with. -The main quest covers a lot of ground, sends you on a psychedelic dream-vision, -and gets you lobotomized! Plus _an entire building explodes_, and that's pretty -rad. Oh, and the secret Chinese spy submarine! - -By the end of this DLC, I was happily impressed, and it took the new top spot on -my list. There's some cool loot, plenty of neat lore, and more Punga than you -can shake a shotgun at. And you can make moonshine. - -### DLC: Mothership Zeta - -Another DLC generally looked at unfavorably. - -### DLC: Broken Steel diff --git a/_posts/2024-09-26-fallout3.md b/_posts/2024-09-26-fallout3.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..68d4d98 --- /dev/null +++ b/_posts/2024-09-26-fallout3.md @@ -0,0 +1,587 @@ +--- + tabtitle: "My Return to the Wasteland: A Review of Fallout 3" + title: "My Return to the Wasteland: A Review of Fallout 3" + topics: [gaming] + pub: "2024-09-26" + short_desc: "A relatively comprehensive review of my recent playthrough of + Fallout 3, including the mods I used, and how I set it all up on Linux." +--- + +# My Return to the Wasteland + +
+ Contents +
    +
  1. Game Review
    2. + +
  2. Mods
    3. + +
  3. Setup and Configuration
    4. + +
+
+ +Earlier this year (2024) I played through Fallout 3 again. My objective was to +play through the main story and all the main objectives of the DLCs. In total, +this took me roughly 130 hours, played over about 2 months. I did install some +mods, though I wanted a "Vanilla+" setup, so mostly fixes, a few improvements, +but nothing too game-changing. I also played the game on Linux, which was less +of a problem than it would've been previously thanks to Valve/Proton. + +I'll cover the setup, modding, and any additional configuration I did later. +First, I'd like to give my review. + + +## Review + +Fallout 3 gets a lot of flack. To a degree, I understand it. Fallout 1 and 2 are +beloved games. To suddenly have the franchise given to a completely new company, +with completely different writers, will already spark concern. Now take the game +play from an isometric real-time-with-pause RPG to an open-world, 3D action RPG, +and you'll have committed an unforgivable sin! Well, at least that's how some +would put it. Again: I understand this; I feel a similar sentiment (though +significantly less-so) with regards to the Baldur's Gate franchise. Baldur's +Gate 1 may be my favorite RPG of all time, and Baldur's Gate 2 is right beside +it. I remain very hesitant of Baldur's Gate 3, despite the glowing reception and +overwhelmingly positive reviews of the game, only because it isn't the same +franchise I know. Whether the same sentiment applies to those who rail against +Fallout 3, I can't say for certain, but I suspect it's pretty close. + +I often hear complaints about the story and the writing the most. Having grown +up with some of the most iconic RPGs ever made, I can understand the rose-tinted +glasses of past good writing. It amuses me how much Fallout 3 gets put down for +its writing, and then New Vegas gets enthroned for its writing. New Vegas is +great, from what I remember, and I'm looking forward to a play-through of it +soon; but Fallout 3 was no slouch! The main story, though it has some flaws, is +engaging and compelling. The side-stories and characters all feel well-written, +and help immerse players into the desolation that surrounds them. The best +stories, though, are told through the environment. Something that isometric +games just can never capture is the exploration in a first-person perspective of +a ruinous metro tunnel, with derailed train cars filled with briefcases of +whiskey and teddy bears, littered with the skeletal remains of riders, and all +without a single word. What happened here is a question left for the player to +deduce. This is what Fallout 3 brought to the franchise. + +The setting of Fallout 3 is the Capitol Wasteland, a fictionalized, augmented, +scaled-down region around modern-day Washington DC, northern Virginia, and +Maryland. The "sights" are there, all the monuments and museums (well, some +_aren't_ there, like the White House). There are two "layers" to the map. The +first is the surface. There's the big, open-world Wasteland, which spans almost +the entire map, excluding some smaller, independent cells. Then, there's the +underground collection of metro tunnels. All of these connect, mostly, and it +is fascinating that, once underground, it's almost possible to stay underground, +at least when around the Mall and within DC proper. + +Fallout 3 is the first open-world game in the franchise. The player is free to +explore, pursuing quests or ambitions as they whim. There are game mechanics to +aid with decisions, generally quest markers and points-of-interest. The entire +play time of a character could be spent on everything _except_ the main story, +and it would still be a rewarding and enjoyable experience. However, my +objective was to play the story of Fallout 3, and so I kept that as my main +guiding star. This is not to say I didn't do any side-quests. I wandered far +and wide; I actually discovered every location on the map! I enjoyed exploring +the abandoned and ruined metro lines, finding small settlements or outposts, and +coming across other wanderers and survivors who had setup their own little +slices of the wasteland. + + +### Main Story + +I think the main story of Fallout 3 is strong until the very last beat. The +beginning tutorial, which is the first 10 to 40 minutes of play, takes place +entirely within the starting Vault. It does a good job of the standard tutorial +phase: teach the player how to interact with the game; walk the player through +character creation; setup a few characters to care about. Then, the beginning +ends, and there's the second phase of play: open world. Arguably, this is the +remaining phase of all game-play. + +EXPAND THIS MORE + + +### Environmental Storytelling + +One of, if not _the_, strengths of Fallout 3 is the environmental storytelling. +In a game that's surprisingly full of content for being a nuclear wasteland, +Fallout 3 does not have a lot of overt narration. For some of the bigger quests, +especially those involving NPCs, you will get some narration, and relevant +details may be explicitly told to you. For all the rest, there is the +environment. I include things like old terminals and audio logs as part of +the environment too. Some that come to mind: + +1. In a part of the metro near the White House (well, the crater), there is a + sloped causeway. It dips down, and at the bottom is an old busted car. + Someone, sometime, put some sweet ramps up along the car. Following from + where you enter, down the slope, and past the car, up the opposite side, you + find a motorcycle, also ruined. A conclusion: someone did a sweet jump over + this car on the motorcycle. Returning to the car, and looking up, you'll find + a skeleton hanging from a light fixture, wearing a helmet. Seems the + motorcycle did the sweet jump, and the rider did not. + +2. One of the office buildings has several terminals that recount the sudden + panic at the government raiding their office. In actuality, the events + happening outside their building was the rain of nuclear death, but all the + office workers were prepping themselves to fight off the raid and protect + their freedom to business! I forget the exact details of what the office did, + but the entire building has desks placed like barricades, filing cabinets + blocking doors, and every desk has guns and ammo. + +3. At Raven Rock (the Enclave base), you can find a mess hall. You can also get + under the floor grates, and there you'll find many utensils. Presumably + eating on a floor with gaps large enough for silverware to fall through is + quite enraging. + +EXPAND THIS MORE + + +### Characters + +TALK ABOUT THEM HERE + +Moira +Liberty Prime +Desmond from Point Lookout +The various characters from Zeta +Fawkes + + +### DLC + +While I had played the base game before, I had never played the DLCs of Fallout +3 before. Looking at the release timeline for this write-up, I was surprised to +see that Broken Steel was released third of five, and that Mothership Zeta was +released last. + + +### The Pitt + +The Pitt was the first of the DLCs that I played. It was advised as a good +early-game DLC, if only because it gives some great guns. I hadn't made the +connection between "Pitt" and "Pittsburgh" until I saw the name of the DLC +spelled out (as opposed to hearing it simply as "the pit"). I love the hook into +the DLC: a man, looking like Snake Plissken from "Escape from New York", sends +out an SOS signal that your Pipboy can pick up. Traveling to the +northern-reaches of the map, there's a hand-powered rail car that you use to +travel to "The Pitt." There, according to ~~Snake~~ Wernher, the people are +oppressed and sick, and their tyrannical leaders hold the cure for their disease +but refuse to hand it over. Wernher escaped from the slave pits, seeking help in +their revolution. Granted, it's not all that straight-forward. There are a few +hours worth of story, during which you learn a bit more about the setting, the +disease, and the characters. You fight through the slave pits to earn your +freedom and a meeting with the tyrant, a former Brotherhood of Steel member +named Lord Ashur. The cure is actually a child that was born with immunity to +the disease. Conveniently, it's Ashur's kid. His wife, (conveniently) a +scientist, is working on bio-engineering a cure from the kid. Wernher wants to +take the kid, harvest it, and distribute the cure himself. Thus the main moral +conflict of the DLC: do you side with Ashur, saving the kid, but continuing the +status-quo, and having only Ashur's word that he'll do the right thing when the +cure is ready? Or do you side with Wernher, kidnapping and probably dooming the +child, to let him play his power-trip and essentially take over The Pitt for +himself? I sided with Ashur, killed Wernher, saved the kid, and got some sweet +guns. + +Overall, I enjoyed The Pitt. The setting is phenomenal, the story is engaging +enough. The characters are good. It has that 80s action-film vibe. The moral +choice at the end is a good twist, though by no means unforeseen. I do like that +the game has no karma tied to the final decision; neither one is obviously good. +I tend to enjoy that in moral decisions, as rarely are any decisions obviously +"right" or "wrong." + + +### Operation: Anchorage + +Apparently this one is polarizing. (Oh snap, no pun intended). I really liked +it. It hooked me in, it didn't overstay its welcome, and it gave me some cool +loot. + +The gist: your Pipboy lets you operate a virtual reality training simulation of +the invasion of Anchorage, Alaska by the Chinese forces. You start off on a +cliff, having been one of a few surviving special forces members sent to +infiltrate and destroy the artillery shelling the United States' forces. Right +away, it set a really fun tone with me. I loved the little infiltration angle. +After you save the day, you return to base camp, where you are given several +more missions to destroy key resources, before repelling the Chinese forces and +retaking Anchorage proper. + +The stealth mission at the beginning really swings this content in a favorable +direction, as does the cool rewards. The Gauss Rifle is just fun to use, and the +player gets the Power Armor Training trait and access to a suit of Power Armor. +One of the mods I had included several additional sets of armor in the reward +vault, and I enjoyed them as well. An understandable complaint is how short this +one feels. The Pitt was probably around 5 hours of content, whereas this one +could be finished up in 1-2 if rushing. Also, while The Pitt is a persistent +location that the player can return to, and it has reason to - the ammo +fabrication - the VR-training simulation is a one-and-done deal. I understand +why it was unfavorably received, but since I got it as part of the Game of the +Year edition, I didn't feel like I was scammed. + + +### Point Lookout + +This one grew on me. When it started, due to the nature of the DLC being more +open-world and less driven, I felt thrown into another region that I had to make +my own fun in. However, I was able to relatively quickly find some engaging +storylines, intriguing storytelling, and the main quest was fun. + +Arriving in the Land of the Punga, you have two objectives: one, you were asked +to find a girl by her mother; two, you are advised to investigate why a manor on +a hill is smoking. The swamp wasteland is inhabited by inbred swamp-people, +mirelurks, and the expected cretins. There's plenty of history scattered both +told and unsaid throughout abandoned tents, terminals, hotel rooms, and ruins. +This location does a lot to invoke an eldritch horror vibe, and it does so quite +well at several points. There's a specific side-quest dealing with a tome, The +Krivbeknih, which is obviously a reference to tomes like The Necronomicon. The +characters throughout the location are well-written and fun to interact with. +The main quest covers a lot of ground, sends you on a psychedelic dream-vision, +and gets you lobotomized! Plus _an entire building explodes_, and that's pretty +rad. Oh, and the secret Chinese spy submarine! + +By the end of this DLC, I was happily impressed, and it took the new top spot on +my list. There's some cool loot, plenty of neat lore, and more Punga than you +can shake a shotgun at. The NPCs are well written and voiced, the quests are +engaging, and you can make moonshine. Of all the DLCs, this one felt like a +proper expansion. Desmond earns a high spot on the list of best NPCs in the +game. + + +### Mothership Zeta + +Another DLC apparently looked at unfavorably. While exploring the wasteland, you +follow a mysterious signal to a crashed alien ship, and get abducted by the +mothership in orbit. As is tradition, you get probed, and then dumped into a +holding cell with another wanderer from the wastelands. After some mischief, you +free yourselves, then free some other captives, and begin fighting your way +through alien jerkwads to claim the ship and save the planet! There are a _ton_ +of audio logs, many of which I didn't listen to, but all of which deal with the +various abductees on the mothership. All the aliens, as well as most of the +pick-ups, are cool energy weapons, and if the Metal Blaster wasn't so gosh +darned over-powered, I would have used the weapons from this DLC for the +remainder of the game. + +I enjoyed the setting, and the story. There are some allusions to other +alien-themed media. You find some NPCs from other time periods that were +abducted, and interacting with them is pretty fun. It definitely has a +pulp-science fiction feel to it, and it runs with it hard but well. You get to +space-walk. You also get to shoot the massive spaceship laser beam and save the +planet, by blowing up another alien mothership. And that is most definitely rad. +Once it's all done, you get a home base, of sorts. + +Overall, it was fun. It fell well short of the other DLCs, but was still worth +the time. Getting it as part of the Game of the Year bundle is great; I don't +know that I would regret buying it, though, especially if the price was fair. It +was very pretty, but also a bit repetitive. Aside from the kind-of home base, +there's no reason to return to the ship. Plus, after the finale, most of the +ship is closed off. Restoring free-roam of the ship would be a great mod, +because there is a lot of content that can be missed, and it's also really quite +pretty! + + +### Broken Steel + +The post-game DLC. Broken Steel changes the ending and continues the story of +the wasteland wanderer to clean-up the remnants of the Enclave. It also raises +the level-cap to 30, from the start, which is great. By the time I started +Broken Steel, I was in mid-to-late 20s, and Broken Steel brought me to 30 +comfortably. + +Of all the DLCs, this one feels most like a mission. You start off at the +Brotherhood of Steel base in DC, with the first mission to follow Liberty Prime +to an Enclave outpost and destroy it. While there, Prime gets blasted with space +lasers, and the focus shifts to finding and stopping the orbital cannons from +firing again. Along the way, you get a Tesla Cannon, essentially the same weapon +as Liberty Prime's face-laser. You assault the Andrews Airforce Base, find a +massive mobile-platform Enclave base, and eventually blow it all up using the +space lasers from before. + +What I remember most from this DLC is combat. So much combat. That's not a bad +thing, but it's unremarkable. There's some good lore, and fun story, but overall +it's just an assault mission. Everything else that the DLC adds - the level-cap +increase, some perks, the fricken LASER - counts for much more. Well, and any +chance to hang with Liberty Prime. + + +### My Experience + +Did I have fun? Was my experience a positive one? How did I play? + +Exploring the wasteland, discovering the hidden stories in the environment, and +experiencing the more obvious ones of the inhabitants or the remnants was +incredibly enjoyable. Part of why I returned to Fallout 3 was because I had not +actually played the DLCs, and so in addition to my memories from near-launch of +the base game, I had many new adventures. Despite playing on my decade-old +desktop, I could stream the game to some friends on Discord, and that enhanced +the experience overall as well. + +My play-style was almost the most stereotypical of Bethesda game experiences: +the "stealth archer." I really wanted to use "small guns," and eventually +pivoted into energy weapons. I was stealthy, and overall I'd say my theme was a +special forces infiltrator. I didn't fast travel, and some mods made this +manageable. I was basically addicted to Nuka Cola. I played solo, without any +companions, until relatively late game. I didn't explore the junkyard where +Dogmeat is until late, and then shortly thereafter I got Fawkes. + +Talking specifics: playing _The Pitt_ relatively early got me "Infiltrator", and +then "Perforator", which I used for probably two-thirds of the game; and the +"Metal Blaster", which I used for the entirety of the game, because it is +**broken powerful**. From _Operation: Anchorage_ I got the "Gauss Rifle," and +the Stealth Armor from one of the mods I installed. I also got the Winterized +T51-b Power Armor, which I did use for a bit, specifically the helmet (with a +mod) for nightvision (and thermal vision, though I rarely used it.) Eventually I +found the Stealth Armor helmet, and completed my look. Perk-wise I opted for a +build that emphasized small-guns damage, action points for VATs, and eventually +some extra VATs goodness like "Grim Reaper Sprint." + +Generally, combat was: if I'm far away, Gauss Rifle sneak attack victory. If I'm +close and still undetected, Perforator VATs. Else: Metal Blaster. It worked out +well. + + +### Conclusion + +Fallout 3 is still a gem. It's a game well worth revisiting if you haven't in a +while, and if you've never played it, it will be a treat. The environment is +still awe-inspiring and captivating, the NPCs are engaging and charming, the +combat can be hectic, and the stories are memorable. It's a game that's best +when played without a guide or goal, just allowing yourself to wander the wastes +and discover what it holds. Whatever aspersions you may have heard of it, I'd +wager you'll still have fun, and arguably that's most important. Plus, these +days, even a decade-old ~~potato~~ computer can run it, and it's often on sale +for around $10 (for example: at time of writing, GoG is selling it for $7!). +Plus, to make even the most current super-computers bend knee, there are mods +that can make the game look absolutely stunning. Not to mention the remainder of +the thriving mod community. Speaking of which... + + +## Mods + +If you were to ask an outside observer what my preferred way to play Bethesda's +open-world games is, they would tell you I don't play them. They would explain +that I spend an inordinate amount of time _preparing_ to play them: modding +them, configuring them, etc.. And that, by the time I'm done preparing, I have +satisfied whatever urge it was that brought me to the game in the first place, +and I move on. That didn't happen with this play-through, specifically because I +had a goal to actually play the main story and DLC stories. Further, as I wanted +to keep things "Vanilla+", my mod list is quite reasonable. Also, I played on my +decade-old ~~potato~~ desktop, and so eschewed the more heavy-weight graphics and +overhaul mods. + + +### "The Necessities" + +As with every Bethesda game, there are the patches and optimizers and +cut-content-restorers. I would wager that these don't need any explanation +beyond what the mod pages offer. One I will highlight is the "Stupid bullet +sponge enemies nerf" mod, which is essential for late-game and DLC enemies; I'm +looking at you albino radscorpion. + +- [Updated Unofficial Fallout 3 + Patch](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/19122) +- [Goodies](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/25239) +- ["Stupid bullet sponge enemies + nerf"](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/25750) +- [Fallout 3 Ending Restored](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/23979) +- [Vanilla UI + Plus](https://www.moddb.com/mods/vanilla-ui-plus/downloads/vanilla-ui-plus-fo3) + +There is a "Script Extender" for Fallout, and some additional mods that depend +on it: + +- [Fallout Script Extender (FOSE)](https://www.fose.silverlock.org/) +- [IStewieAI's + Tweaks](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/23561) +- [Command Extender](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/23682) +- [Enhanced Camera](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/20183) +- [Iron Sights Plus](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/24995) + +If using the Steam version, you'll want [Fallout Anniversary +Patcher](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/24913). I should +also note that something with Stewie's Tweaks gave me trouble, and I had to +disable it at times for the game not to crash, but generally nothing here caused +trouble. + + +### "The Pretty Ones" + +I'm not generally too concerned with making Bethesda games look pretty. That +being said, I love when I can enhance the environment. In Oblivion, for example, +I love the mod that adds light posts along the main road ways. In a similar +vein, these mods enhance the environment. Of note: Fellout removes the green +tint from the game; that's a personal preference, but I preferred seeing +clearly. The Street Light mods add (mostly) working street lights throughout the +wasteland, which significantly enhanced the ambiance for me. Combined with the +incredibly dark nights that Fellout gave me, these lights became actual beacons +in the night, and some of the only sources of light during the night. The +Megaton mods make the settlement a bit more visually interesting and also easier +to navigate. + +The two audio mods I included added quite a bit of ambiance as well, and on +several occasions would put me on alert while I traversed the wastes. + +Then, the truly ostentatious mods: Fallout 3 Redesigned makes the models look +better, specifically the faces; FO3 Flora Overhaul is highly customizable, and I +used it to litter the wasteland with dead trees and shruberies and such. + +- [Fellout](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/2672) +- [Fallout Street Lights](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/8069) and + [Fallout Street Lights - + Wasteland](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/10045) +- [Megaton Walkway](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/25267) and [Lighting + Overhaul](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/7875) +- [Ambient Wasteland](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/12602) and [ATMOS + Ambient Sound Overhaul](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/24574) +- [Fallout 3 Redesigned](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/6341) and + [patches](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/25785) +- [FO3 Flora Overhaul](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/19864) + + +### "The Content Ones" + +Since I'm aiming for a "Vanilla+" play-through, I went very light on the content +mods. The only two I included were D.C. Interiors and Metro Carriage Interiors. +Both add not only some content, but really enhance the immersion by making more +buildings in the overworld, and all the train cars in the metro tunnels, actual +places to explore. I find they do a great job keeping with the environmental +storytelling. + +- [D.C. Interiors Project](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/5573) +- [Metro Carriage Interiors](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/19988) + +I also added this neat armor, because I was playing a bit of a sneaky character. +It didn't seem imbalanced or over-powered, and it looks pretty rad. The +nightvision mod turned out to be essential for the surprisingly dark nights and +tunnels. The T51-b mod just adds nightvision to that helm, as the other power +armor helmets have. + +- [Advanced Recon Stealth Armor](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/2654), + [Advanced Recon Thermal + Nightvision](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/15653), and [Advanced + Recon T51-b Winterized Helm](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/20750) + + +### "The Game Play Ones" + +Interestingly enough, the mod which inspired me to play Fallout 3 again is +Fugacity. Advertising itself as a "vanilla-plus balance and difficulty" mod +basically does much of the work for me. I used it as the starting point, and +built my mod list up around it. Conveniently, the mod page includes a list of +mods recommended by the mod-author; it may look quite similar to this list! + +- [Fugacity](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/25558) + +The remaining mods helped to complete my immersion. I had already decided +against fast-traveling throughout the wasteland, and the caravan-based +fast-travel helps make this much more manageable. Having recently played +Morrowind, I think it does fast-travel by default best of the Bethesda +open-world games. This mod implements what I would consider to be basically that +system in this world. Finally, I prefer food slowly regenerating health over +time, instead of eating 20 cabbages with alarming speed and instantly restoring +health. Notably: stim-paks still restore instantly, and so it provides a nice +game play decision - can I take the time to heal, or do I spend a rarer +resource? + +- [Caravan Fast Travel with Random + Encounters](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/24972) (Requires FOSE) +- [New Vegas-Style Food + Mechanics](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/24477) + + +## Setup and Configuration + +As with the other Bethesda games, getting everything modded, configured, and +functional can become the real game. Luckily, with a moderately small mod list, +this was not the case. This time. The process for running on Windows or Linux +are almost the same, except for some Proton shenanigans. I used [Mod Organizer +2](https://github.com/ModOrganizer2/modorganizer) to handle all the installation +and management of the mods themselves. For the game version, I did use the Game +of the Year version from Steam. However, any version should work. When I do +eventually play Fallout 3 again, I'll plan to try the GoG version with Wine +instead of Steam and Proton. + +Full list of non-game applications (that is, non-mods): +- [Mod Organizer 2](https://github.com/ModOrganizer2/modorganizer) +- [Fallout Script Extender (FOSE)](https://www.fose.silverlock.org/) +- [Fallout Anniversary + Patcher](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/24913) + + +### Installation Process on Linux + +To make running the various Windows-only applications easier, I made an alias +for myself. You'll need to replace `` with the +directory path for your Steam Library, aka where you installed Fallout 3 through +Steam. By default it is `~/.local/share/Steam`. + +``` +alias fo3-run='STEAM_COMPAT_DATA_PATH=/steamapps/compatdata/22370 STEAM_COMPAT_CLIENT_INSTALL_PATH= ~/.local/share/Steam/compatibilitytools.d/GE-Proton8-6/proton run' +``` + +1. Download **ALL THE THINGS!** +2. Run the game at least once to generate the initial configuration files. Take + this opportunity to also configure graphics. Start the game fully, then exit. +3. If installing the Game of the Year version from Steam, use the "Fallout + Anniversary Patcher": + - Extract it to the game directory (`/steamapps/common/Fallout 3 goty`) + - Run "Patcher.exe" from the game directory with the above alias: `fo3-run + Patcher.exe` + - It should say the game was patched successfully, and any following runs of + the Patcher should report that the game is already patched. +4. Extract FOSE to the game directory (`/steamapps/common/Fallout 3 goty`) +5. Mod Organizer 2 has two options: you can download a 7z archive, or the + installer. Either extract the archive somewhere you want to work from (I + advise _not_ the game install directory), or run the installer with the + alias. + +At this point, you'll do everything through Mod Organizer 2. Again, to simplify +my play a bit, I created an application entry for use with the KDE menu. This +may be different for other window managers/desktop environments. As with the +alias above, replace `` with the directory path for +your Steam Library, and `` with the directory path for +where you installed Mod Organizer 2. Optionally, if you have a picture to use +for the launch icon, provide it on the `Icon=` line; else remove the line. + +``` +[Desktop Entry] +Type=Application +Name=Fallout 3: Moddeded +GenericName=Fallout 3 +Comment=Fallout 3 but with mods too +Keywords=Fallout 3 +Exec=STEAM_COMPAT_DATA_PATH=/steamapps/compatdata/22370 STEAM_COMPAT_CLIENT_INSTALL_PATH= ~/.local/share/Steam/compatibilitytools.d/GE-Proton8-6/proton run /ModOrganizer.exe +Icon= +Categories=Game;RolePlaying +``` + +Either launch MO2 with that application entry, or use the `fo3-run` alias above +to launch it; or add it as a shortcut in Steam, or to Lutris, or really any +number of other options. Actually _using_ MO2 is beyond the scope of this post, +but it's relatively straight-forward. Download the mod archives and install them +using MO2. Some configuration may require editing an INI file, which _can_ be +done through MO2 or any other text editor. Most importantly: **you'll run +Fallout 3 from Mod Organizer 2**. You will no longer launch the game via Steam, +or whatever other game manager you may have used to install it. Assuming all +works as intended, you'll now have a means for interacting with the Fallout 3 +install (via the alias above), an easy-to-access application menu entry (via the +Desktop entry above, or a similar launcher setup), and a hostile wasteland +awaiting your exploration. Good luck out there! diff --git a/src/styles/corrupt_layout.css b/src/styles/corrupt_layout.css index 165272c..adbcf8b 100644 --- a/src/styles/corrupt_layout.css +++ b/src/styles/corrupt_layout.css @@ -79,6 +79,20 @@ main pre.highlight { main ul { padding: 0em 4em; } +main details { + overflow-x: auto; + color: white; + background-color: #2B2B2B; + margin: 0em 4em; + padding: 1em; + border-top: 2px solid black; + border-left: 2px solid black; + border-bottom: 2px solid var(--hilite); + border-right: 2px solid var(--hilite); +} +main details ul { + padding: 0em .5em; + list-style-type: square;} @supports (display: grid) { .cor_page {