[RELz] Arwen's Realism Tweaks [Thread No.7] : Fallout 3

» Tue May 17, 2011 1:13 pm

Arwen's Realism Tweaks:

My Fallout 3 Gameplay Overhaul, focused on making the Wasteland a much harsher place, where your stats and skills are MUCH more important.

Thread #7 [previous thread http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1079218-relz-arwens-realism-tweaks-thread-no6

Current Version 4.5 (June 02, 2010). Requires FOSE, v.1.1 or later. This is a Major update.

Here are the major changes in v.4.5:

Made extensive edits to my Sneak changes: the NPCs will no longer be alerted quite as easily when you fire a gun. This is very difficult to balance, since there seems to be a very fine line between having the NPCs just stand there, or having everyone come running when you fire your weapon. But my new changes seem to improve this quite a bit (Realism Core).
As part on my Sneak changes, the enemy detection radius was reduced quite a bit, so you will no longer see the orange warning markers until your enemy is quite close. This makes avoiding detection much more realistic, but also more difficult (Realism Core).
Made adjustments to the AI, so NPCs will not be so quick to seek out better weapons while they are in the middle of combat (Realism Core).
Adjusted Movement speeds. I discovered that increasing the Movement Base Speed, changes the animation speed for creatures (which is not a good thing). So I set this back at default, and increased both my Holstered Weapon Bonus and my Movement Run Multiplier. The end result is that my walking and running speeds are nearly identical to what you had with v.4.4, but the creatures movement will be less twitchy, and the NPCs will move a bit slower when they are attacking with their weapon drawn. My movement settings were also balanced to work seamlessly with my new Encumbrance module's dynamic walking and running speeds(Realism Core).
Vehicle health has been reduced to be balanced with the amount of damage inflicted from an actor with an average weapons skill. I neglected to adjust this when I changed from a global weapon damage multiplier to my current skill-based weapon damage multiplier. Cars and other static vehicles should now be easier to damage (it will take less shots to make them blow up), but if your weapons skill is much below average (below 50), it will still take quite a few shots before any signs of damage is noticeable (Realism Core).
Encumbrance module [New for v.4.5]: You now suffer from Strain (which is like fatigue, but totally separate from the default fatigue).
- (see details under "The 4 Modules" section, #3 Encumbrance.)

IMPORTANT!!!.

My mod REQUIRES that you follow my Update/Install procedures exactly . . . due to changes in Object Effects and my new scripts (see Installation section). If you do not follow these procedures, you can permanently mess up you character's stats. (The only exception is if you will be starting a new game.)
My optional Less-Is-More module is best used in a new game. If you use this module in an existing game, your skills are going to take a major hit and I'm not sure what my perk and skill books changes might do (it would depend on what perks and skill books you have used). If you're above a Level 2 (or 3 at most), and you don't want to start a new game, you may not want to use my Less-Is-More module.

Why I Created this Mod:

My Realism Tweaks are my efforts to make game play more immersive, challenging, and more balanced. These are changes that I originally created just for my own game, which were designed to compliment the other mods that I am using (which are all covered at: http://amito.freehostia.com/Fallout/FO.htm). From the first time I played Fallout, there were a number of things that did not feel right to me. I found mods that fixed many things, but there were still a LOT of things that were still not quite right, so I decided to see if I could make my own mod. Oh, before you get the wrong idea, I need to explain what I mean by 'realism.' For me, a RPG is more realistic when I can role-play without having to work at it. My Realism Tweaks are my efforts to make FO3 more immersive and more realistic within the context of Fallout's alternate reality (which is a place where radiation causes mutations as often as death, and where injuries can be healed with a stimpack injection). Since FO3 is actually supposed to be a RPG and not a FPS, one of my goals has been to enhance the RPG aspects of the game, where your Skills and Stats are much more important in how your game will play out for you. If you use my optional Less-Is-More module, you will discover that your distribution of SPECIAL points is MUCH more important than it was in the default game. And, when you leave the Vault, you will now find that the Wasteland may actually feel like a harsh wasteland. This mod is deceptively small, so don't be put off by its small size. It actually includes a LOT of code, which changes more than 1300 records, and makes some rather dramatic changes to the game.

Warning: Do NOT install this mod unless you want the Wasteland to be a harsher, less forgiving place. If you install my Realism Tweaks, you'll instantly have a game that requires you to use a LOT more strategy . . . just to survive. For the best Hard-Core experience, I highly recommend using all four of my modules, along with ALL the mods in my FO3 Journal's Extreme Realism list. You may also want to try my Reduced XPR mod, which greatly slows down how fast you level up in the game.

Still somewhat modular: it now contains 4 different esps, which are all meant to be used together for the full Tweaks to take effect.:

My Realism Core module (required) is more streamlined and balanced than my more modular version was AND it is a bit less hard-core in some ways.
My expanded Less-Is-More module is now a bit more hard-core (with harsher effects, reduced skill/stat points, tougher economics, gender bonuses/penalties, and my new repair script).
For instance, my reduced carrying capacity still exists in my Realism Core module, but the capacities are considerably greater than they are in my expanded Less-Is-More module. The same is true for my reduced Hit Points.
What I am attempting to do is to address the two types of gamers who make up the bulk of my Tweaks users: those players who want most of my changes (but do not want all my hard-core changes), and those who want ALL of my changes (including all my hard-core ones). So even though there are now only 3 modules, the combination of the Realism Core with the Less-Is-More module will give you a very different gaming experience than what you would have with just the Realism Core.
And the Reduced Quest XPR module will further change the game. Hopefully this new repackaged version will work for most players who have been using my previous versions.

The 4 Modules (esps) - [For the more details on the 4 modules, please visit the http://amito.freehostia.com/Fallout/FO-mods04.htm]
Major changes from the default game:

1.) Realism Core (Arwen_Realism_Core.esp):

Required Core Module (necessary if you want to use Less=Is-More module).
Global tweaks that affect PC, NPCs, and Creatures. For more immersive and better balanced game play, with improved role-playing aspects.
Reduced Carrying Capacity and fewer HPs for PC (both are further reduced by Less-Is-More module).
More immersive and more balanced VATS.
Smarter AI: combat with NPCs is now much more challenging, and sneaking is now much more realistic
Includes my Dynamic Stealth where time of day, weather conditions, and being in an interior cell factors into your ability to remain undetected.
The Wasteland is now a much less forgiving place. Your character is now weaker and much more vulnerable, and the NPCs are stronger and healthier.
Weapon damage is much greater, and weapon skills are now a much greater factor. Some types of weapons will not be usable when an arm is crippled.
Balances armor/clothing values, weight, damage resistance, and "enchanted" effects. Includes my 1.5X AR global modifier.
More realistic explosions, projectiles, grenade physics, and death force effects. Unique weapon effects: Gunshot knock downs, Whack and Blast knockouts.
Enhanced repair lists for both weapons and armor.
Changes the localized body damage effects in a way that balances out game play, while making strategic hits more effective (such as crippling shots, and head shots now do a LOT more damage). Super Mutants are now VERY hard to kill.

2.) Less-Is-More (Arwen_Less-Is-More.esp):

This module is totally Optional, but it does Require that my Realism Core module is installed!
Expands the difficulty and challenge of the Realism Core module, by making your character's stats have a much greater impact on your game play, and by totally changing the economics of the game.
Adds much needed balance to skill points. You will now begin the game with half as many skill points, and your skill points should increase roughly half as fast as in the default game. Reduces amount of Derived Skill Points.
Changes Skill Books and 95% of the default Perks (and adds a few of my own unique perks).
Overhauled Bobbleheads and reduced initial SPECIAL points.
Adds Gender bonuses/penalties, including gender-based weapon skill requirements.
Makes caps, food, weapons, and ammo MUCH less abundant in the Wasteland.
The amount of spawned loot is now based on your Luck stat. For each point of Luck less than 10, the average amount of found loot decreases by 5%.
Bartering was totally rebalanced: the value of all items is half the default value, but merchants will charge LOT more for items, and you'll get a LOT less for what you trade with them (based on your Bartering skill).
Repair has had a major overhaul: items used for repairs will now improve the weapon or armor a bit less, your repair limit is now gender-based (male bonus), and merchants will now be MUCH better at repairing.
Outcasts Rewards are now more balanced (you'll now get less stuff in trade).

3.) Encumbrance moduleArwen_Encumbrance.esp [new for v.4.5]:

This module is totally Optional, but it does Require that my Realism Core module is installed! (It has been balanced to be used with the Less-Is-More module, but it can be used with just the Realism Core.)
You now suffer from Strain (similar to fatigue, but totally separate from the default fatigue).
Your Strain increases when walking with more than 100% encumbrance, and whenever you are running (at any encumbrance).
The higher your encumbrance limits, the shorter distance you will be able to travel, and the more you will hurt yourself if you reach your limit (you’ll lose more HPs when you collapse).
With an encumbrance of less than 60%, you will be able to run for just over 4 minutes before your Stain reaches 100%.
But at 100% encumbrance, you'll only be able to run for about 50 seconds.
When walking with 110% encumbrance, you will last about 2 minutes before you need to rest
But at 150% encumbrance, you will need to rest every 30 seconds.
If your Strain exceeds 100%, you will collapse.
You will lose HPs when you collapse, and the amount you lose is based on your current Strain/second.
So pay attention to your Strain level, and rest before you collapse. (You rest when you stop walking, or when you stop running.)
Your accumulated Strain will be displayed every few seconds whenever your Strain is over 45%, and your character will start breathing hard.
Above 75% Strain, you'll hear a pounding heartbeat, warning that you are near your limit.
Dynamic walking and running speeds: movement speed is now affected by your encumbrance . . . the more you are encumbered, the slower you move. But you also gain a running speed bonus when your encumbrance is less than 60%, as long as your health is no lower than 50%.
[Previously part of my Realism Core. I just moved it here, where it fits a bit better . . . but the settings remain unchanged from what I used in v.4.4.]

4.) Reduced Quest XPR Module(Arwen_Reduced_QuestXPR.esp):

This module is totally Optional, AND completely independent - It was made to complement my other two modules (and my Reduced XPR mod), but it does NOT require that my Realism Core or my Less-Is-More modules are installed.
I released this as a separate independent module (instead of including these changes in my Less-Is-More module), as it needs to load early, before any mods that modify any of the default quests
In-game activation message explains what module does:
Reduces the experience points rewards (XPR) for all default quests by 90%. For instance, you will no longer instantly level up to Level 2 when you escape from Vault 101, but will now only gain 20 XPs (instead of 200), so you won't level up until you earn all 200 XPs.
Changes Timescale to 4 after you exit Vault 101 (since a Timescale faster than 8 or so, does not work very well with my new dynamic stealth). But also includes instructions on how to set it to the Timescale you prefer.
Gives the player character a little reward for making it out of Vault 101.
Reduced some global XPRs . . . you'll now receive fewer points for some minor quest accomplishments.

Optional Files - These files are not included in the archive, but must be downloaded separately (under "Optional Files"):

Arwen_Realism_Tweaks_MMM_Patch (Arwen_MMM_Patch.esp): compatibility patch for "Marts Mutant Mod - RC 5." This patch REQUIRES that you have Marts Mutant Mod-RC5 installed in your game, and loaded BEFORE my Realism Core module. My Realism Tweaks mod has always been compatible with MMM (in the sense that there are no real conflicts), so this patch is not required (at this point). What this patch does is it removes all MMM's AI scripts, which should eliminate any AI balancing issues between MMM and my Realism Core module, and should improve gameplay a bit.
Arwen_Realism_Tweaks_EVE_Patch: compatibility patch for my Realism Core module and EVE - Energy Visuals Enhanced. This patch REQUIRES that you have EVE - Energy Visuals Enhanced installed in your game. My Realism Tweaks mod has always been compatible with EVE (in the sense that there are no real conflicts, but you lost my tweaks for a few explosions, if you loaded EVE after my mod. There is also a second esp that covers both EVE and "RH_Ironsights – FOSE" (Basic Edition only) (Arwen_EVE_RH-IS_Patch.esp) See the archive's ReadMe for details and load order.
Arwen_Realism_Tweaks_RiPnO_Patch (Arwen_RiPnO_Patch.esp): compatibility patch for Real Injuries/Primary Needs (Orfevs' Patched version), plus a RI/PN/Better Living Through Chemicals (BLTC) version (Arwen_RiPnO+BLTC_Patch.esp). Enables your Luck stat to alter the amount of RI's spawned loot . . . stuff like stimpaks, Morphine, Healing Powder, bandage packs, and water. The RiPnO/BLTC version also includes all BLTC's spawned chems and alcohol. This patch REQUIRES that you have Real Injuries AND Primary Needs installed, PLUS RiPnO - Real Injuries Patch, AND that my Less-Is-More module is activated. [See the archive's ReadMe for details and load order]

Compatibility:

I've attempted to make all my mods compatible with all the mods on my FO3 mod list.
Fully compatible with MMM
Fully compatible with EVE - Energy Visuals Enhanced (with my Arwen_Realism_Tweaks_EVE_Patch).
Fully compatible with RH_Ironsights–FOSE (Basic Edition only)
Fully compatible with all the DLC, in that they should not cause any conflicts. But there could be some minor balancing issues (I'm currently working on some large GOTY patches).
My Reduced Quest XPR module should be compatible with most other mods, just load it BEFORE any mod that makes changes to any of the default quests.
For more mods that I have personally tested for compatibility, visit http://amito.freehostia.com/Fallout/FO.htm)

Incompatibility:

My Realism Tweaks will overwrite any mods that make any of the changes I have listed here.
Do NOT use my Realism Tweaks with other balancing mod that make changes to the same game elements, as this will unbalance the game play (by making some things too easy, while making others too difficult).
My Realism Tweaks are not compatible with mods that alter the specs of default armor/clothing (but should be compatible with mods that ONLY add cosmetic changes).
My Realism Tweaks are not compatible with mods that alter the specs of default weapons or default projectiles . . . although it should be compatible with mods that only make cosmetic changes to weapons (the exceptions are non-blade melee weapons, shotguns, and the few ranged weapons that my mod alters).
My Realism Tweaks are NOT compatible with FOOK or FWE (even though my earlier Smarter AI module is integrated into FWE).
My Realism Tweaks are NOT compatible with the Elite Edition of RH_Ironsights–FOSE

Load Order:

In order to insure that all my Tweaks are being applied (and that other mods are not overriding any) put the esps near the end of your load order (generally AFTER any mods that make changes to same portions of the game).
The Arwen_Realism_Core.esp MUST load BEFORE the Arwen_Less-Is-More.esp. And the Arwen_Reduced_QuestXPR.esp should load before the Arwen_Realism_Core.esp.
Also, the Arwen_Reduced_QuestXPR.esp should BEFORE any other mods that make changes to any of the default quests (otherwise, the other mods will not work).
See compatibility section for load order with some specific mods.

Known Issues or Bugs:

If you load a game which was saved while your character was unconscious, your character will likely have to endure all sorts of really weird and humiliating graphic effects (such as their body melting, stretching, falling through the game mesh, or being launched through the air). If they somehow manage to survive this ordeal, their body should return to normal. I know of no way to correct this, as it seems to be a game bug. My suggestion is simple: don't load a game that was saved while your character was unconscious.

Credits:

Bethesda Softworks, for making Fallout 3.
The Fallout Script Extender team for making http://fose.silverlock.org/
IAR80 and taylorsd for http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=6860, which my Smarter AI module was initially based on.
ALL the great guys over on the The G.E.C.K. forums . . . who freely gave of their time to guide a clueless, whining, rookie script-writer-wanna-be.

Download link: http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=7565

Other Mods by Arwen:

http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=7674
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=7318
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=7400
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=9558

» Tue May 17, 2011 9:59 am

Version 4.3 is nearly done.

This will be a minor update that fixes a number of bugs/issue and improves the economic balance a bit.

Bug fixes:

Opposing NPC factions should now interact properly (as in attack, instead of just ignoring each other).
Repair menus should now function correctly (part of my repair overhaul).

Changed a couple of the quest rewards, so that caps received are now more inline with my reduced caps in the Less-Is-More module.

Reduced some global XPRs (in Reduced Quest XPR module)

» Tue May 17, 2011 2:02 pm

Looking forward to it!

Any idea how long DLC patches will take? I assume the hard work of scripting is mostly done so it'll just be a case of adding effects to the weapons and such. Out of interest how do your tweaks currently affect the dlc if at all?

» Mon May 16, 2011 11:48 pm

Replies from former thread (which was locked before I could reply):

Posted by Xepha:

You've already commented on this Arwen, but I think that what ever causes this to happen, you should leave in (or perhaps even improve upon), because it seems to be more of a happy accident rather than an unintentional side effect.
The way I'm interpreting this (without actually having tried this version yet) is that it's like trying to fix something you don't understand/don't know how to fix. Which, if you were to try this in real life, would invariably end up in you breaking something. I don't know, kinda like trying to knock a screw in with a hammer, because you have no comprehension of screwdrivers...
Just a thought.

The problem was caused by the fact that any changes made to the repair skills were not applied correctly until the repair menu was refreshed. This was difficult to fix because the changes needed to be made in the Menu Mode part of my repair script, but I received some scripting help, and my new script includes a work-around that fixes the problem. It would be sort of nice if I could include a random effect, where your repair attempts would sometimes damage your gear when your skills were low. Doing that might be beyond my scripting ability, but I may give it a try at some point (right now I just want to get v.4.3, with its bug fixes released).

Posted by thorbjoern:

Thanks for the heads up. I couldnt wait for 4.3 so I started a new game from Vault 101 using 4.2 with all three modules activated. Only found time to play for an hour last night, but it's looking good so far. The wasteland actually felt really dangerous when I emerged from the comfortable safety of the vault. Nice.
On a side note: Considering the way you've totally reworked the economics and made it a lot harder to earn caps, the Silver incident in Springvale seems a little unbalanced. I could easily get 300 caps from her (400 if I had told Moriarty what I really think of him). Worth looking into? Also, I didnt have time to pick the floor safe in The Brass Lantern so I dont know if you already have done this, but the amount of caps you can get from it or the skill needed to pick the lock might need a tweak?

I'm trying to stay away from actually altering the default quests themselves, so there will be some quests where you'll receive rewards that may seem a bit unbalanced, but I don't totally see this as a bad thing, since it will add a nice little bonus occasionally (and these quest bonuses will come in handy, since my mod makes purchasing gear so much more difficult . . . plus you really won't be able to buy all that much, even with 400 caps, to really unbalance the game).

The new changes that I'm adding to v.4.3 which will reduce the amount of caps you receive from some quest rewards were done by just changing their global modifiers (so the quests themselves are unchanged).

» Tue May 17, 2011 12:07 am

Arwen, me again with a request on the next version if I may- bottled water should be made more abundant- imho-

looking at your mod list-- you use RI primary needs correct? well I think so do most of us who use your mod--- well I use simple needs with some tweaks but anyway

So I was thinking again-- maybe make most of the bottles dirty water if thats possible, so we can have some empty's to refill and take with us on longer journeys

at the present -bottled water- is hard to come by early on, and is really more of a annoyance for me more than a survival issue- because there are fire hydrants and sinks every where along with empty liquor bottles laying around but I cant catch water to take with me?

or just give us some bottles to start with so we can catch some H2o for the longer journeys? but purified water should still remain rare

I hope I have been able to make my self clear and understandable enough for everyone and again just my opinion just trying to help out with my point of view

thanks for listening Arwen

» Tue May 17, 2011 6:09 am

Hey kingsheart,

Thanks for the suggestion, but I just cannot support every mod out there, which is why I put together my own FO3 recommended mods list . . . which contains the mods that I try my best to keep my mod compatible with. And since, as you mentioned, I am using RI/PN, that is the only "needs" type mod I am currently supporting. I'm also using Orfevs' Real Injuries Patch, which makes filling empty water bottles easier and adds more bottled water (from dirty to pure) to the game. So I have no issues with being able to carry enough water.

I do understand that you are not using PN, but there seems to be a bunch of bottle water mods, isn't at least one of these compatible with simple needs?

» Tue May 17, 2011 12:40 am

I really like your mod here. Amazing immersion, and unfortunately incompatible with FOOK2. I'm running FOOK2 1.0 still and I was hoping to find out if there are any of your modules from 4.1 which would not entirely interfere with the workings of FOOK. I know you say it doesn't work, but I really like all of your modules, with the exception being Less is More. Too much realism there

Is it a global issue that affects your mod and FOOK2? Or are some modules untouched?

Oddly enough, besides the odd crash here and there on cell loads, your mods worked perfectly (frankly, I don't think your mods were the culprit, but then again, you did say they don't work well together).

Thanks for any answers you can provide.

» Tue May 17, 2011 8:11 am

The thing is that even if you find a single module from the old separate ones that is not incompatible with FOOK, the mods are so different that it's probably not going to make the game any more balanced.

» Tue May 17, 2011 11:30 am

I really like your mod here. Amazing immersion, and unfortunately incompatible with FOOK2. I'm running FOOK2 1.0 still and I was hoping to find out if there are any of your modules from 4.1 which would not entirely interfere with the workings of FOOK. I know you say it doesn't work, but I really like all of your modules, with the exception being Less is More. Too much realism there

Is it a global issue that affects your mod and FOOK2? Or are some modules untouched?
Oddly enough, besides the odd crash here and there on cell loads, your mods worked perfectly (frankly, I don't think your mods were the culprit, but then again, you did say they don't work well together).

I really don't get why so many seem to think that two different overhaul mods would be compatible. And being able to run two mods at the same time, without the game crashing, does not mean that they are compatible. Compatibility is as much about game balance as game stability . . . and installing two different overhauls that alter many of the same game settings (generally in very different ways) will make your game totally unbalanced. I thought that I made this clear in my mod's description and in its ReadMe:

Do NOT use my Realism Tweaks with other balancing mod that make changes to the same game elements, as this will unbalance the game play (by making some things too easy, while making others too difficult).
My Realism Tweaks are not compatible with mods that alter the specs of default armor/clothing (but should be compatible with mods that ONLY add cosmetic changes).
My Realism Tweaks are not compatible with mods that alter the specs of default weapons or default projectiles . . . although it should be compatible with mods that only make cosmetic changes to weapons (the exceptions are non-blade melee weapons, shotguns, and the few ranged weapons that my mod alters).
My mod is NOT compatible with FOOK or FWE ((even though my earlier Smarter AI module is integrated into FWE).

My Realism Tweaks and FOOK are NOT compatible, so there is NO WAY that the two are going to play well together. You need to decide which one you would like to use and use it.

» Tue May 17, 2011 1:46 am

Looking forward to it!
Any idea how long DLC patches will take? I assume the hard work of scripting is mostly done so it'll just be a case of adding effects to the weapons and such. Out of interest how do your tweaks currently affect the dlc if at all?

Sorry, I missed tis earlier. There's a LOT of stuff that is added in the 5 DLC's that is very unbalanced when used with my Tweaks. So it is going to take some time for me to wrap this up, once I have a stable semi-final version to work with (probably at least a couple of weeks) . . . it all depends on how much free time I have to work on it. If v.4.3 turns out to actually be as good as it seems to be in my play testing, and I have more free time than I expect to have . . . I could possibly have the GOTY patches ready sooner.

» Tue May 17, 2011 11:48 am

@Arwen - Okay. Sorry about inquiring for further details. I guess there was just a lot of stuff I liked which your mod did so well. I found another mod (GTO) which handles stuff much the same, but not nearly as well, with the only difference being it is compatible with FOOK. Still isn't the same though

I loved the limb damage and slowdown effects you had created.

Nonetheless, I wish you the best with your mod, and maybe sometime in the future, they will both be compatible.

» Tue May 17, 2011 4:04 pm

Version 4.3 is now available: http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=7565

Here are the major changes in v.4.3:
- Opposing NPC factions should now interact properly . . . as in attacking each other, instead of just ignoring each other (Realism Core).
- Repair menus should now function correctly . . . part of my repair overhaul (Less-Is-More).
- Outcasts Rewards are now more balanced . . . you'll now get less stuff in trade (Less-Is-More).
- Reduced a couple of the quest rewards, so that caps received are now more in line with my other economic changes (Less-Is-More).
- Reduced some global XPRs . . . you'll now receive fewer points for some minor quest accomplishments.

If you're updating from version 4.2; you can just reinstall v.4.3 over the previous version.

If you're updating from v.4.1 or earlier, please follow the install instructions in my ReadMe.

» Tue May 17, 2011 2:02 pm

Using 4.3 - should I be able to use a plasma rifle with a low energy weapon skill but high small guns? Because I can :huh:

Edit - ah, reading back I see why. Your script checks for the animation type to determine skill and the plasma rifle and the gauss rifle have automatic animations. Unfortunately I use ironsights so changing the animation type means the rifle is in the middle of the screen (there's probably other problems too that would also affect non-ironsight installs by changing the animation type but I didn't get that far).

I imagine that there must have been a reason for you to use the animation type rather than the weapon skill type in your script but having a look around there is a 'Player.GetWeaponSkill rEquipped' function that might fit the bill. However this would lose the functionality of differentiating between pistols and rifles.. hmm, beginning to see why.

Any thoughts or further ideas of a workaround?

» Tue May 17, 2011 1:33 pm

Using 4.3 - should I be able to use a plasma rifle with a low energy weapon skill but high small guns? Because I can :huh:

Edit - ah, reading back I see why. Your script checks for the animation type to determine skill and the plasma rifle and the gauss rifle have automatic animations. Unfortunately I use ironsights so changing the animation type means the rifle is in the middle of the screen (there's probably other problems too that would also affect non-ironsight installs by changing the animation type but I didn't get that far).

I imagine that there must have been a reason for you to use the animation type rather than the weapon skill type in your script but having a look around there is a 'Player.GetWeaponSkill rEquipped' function that might fit the bill. However this would lose the functionality of differentiating between pistols and rifles.. hmm, beginning to see why.

Any thoughts or further ideas of a workaround?

Once you narrow down the skill required, you can use GetWeaponType to differentiate between one and two handed weapons:
http://fose.silverlock.org/fose_command_doc.html#GetWeaponType
http://fose.silverlock.org/fose_command_doc.html#Weapon_Type

I'm doing the same type of checking for something else - auto-ammo for small guns or energy weapons

set rPlayerWeaponREF to Player.GetEquippedObject 5				if (rPlayerWeaponREF)			set iPlayerWeaponType to GetWeaponType rPlayerWeaponREF			set iSkillRequired to GetWeaponSkill rPlayerWeaponREF			set rPlayerAmmoREF to GetweaponAmmo rPlayerWeaponREF			if (rPlayerAmmoREF)				set iPlayerAmmoCount to Player.GetItemCount rPlayerAmmoREF			endif			if ((iPlayerWeaponType >= 3) && (iPlayerWeaponType <= 7))				if ((iSkillRequired == 41) || (iSkillRequired == 34))					set iPlayerAutoAmmoOK to 1				else					set iPlayerAutoAmmoOK to 0				endif			else				set iPlayerAutoAmmoOK to 0			endif		endif

» Tue May 17, 2011 2:04 pm

Once you narrow down the skill required, you can use GetWeaponType to differentiate between one and two handed weapons:
http://fose.silverlock.org/fose_command_doc.html#GetWeaponType
http://fose.silverlock.org/fose_command_doc.html#Weapon_Type

I'm doing the same type of checking for something else - auto-ammo for small guns or energy weapons

set rPlayerWeaponREF to Player.GetEquippedObject 5				if (rPlayerWeaponREF)			set iPlayerWeaponType to GetWeaponType rPlayerWeaponREF			set iSkillRequired to GetWeaponSkill rPlayerWeaponREF			set rPlayerAmmoREF to GetweaponAmmo rPlayerWeaponREF			if (rPlayerAmmoREF)				set iPlayerAmmoCount to Player.GetItemCount rPlayerAmmoREF			endif			if ((iPlayerWeaponType >= 3) && (iPlayerWeaponType <= 7))				if ((iSkillRequired == 41) || (iSkillRequired == 34))					set iPlayerAutoAmmoOK to 1				else					set iPlayerAutoAmmoOK to 0				endif			else				set iPlayerAutoAmmoOK to 0			endif		endif

Nice. Alternately, Arwen, it would be a shorter script for energy weapons if you use GetWeaponAmmo and use small energy cells for pistols and microfusion cells for rifles. I wonder if this would also have the effect of limiting big gun specialists to conventional (non-energy) big guns? Would make sense to me anyway but it would mean more requirements for using a gatling laser for example, but seeing as big energy weapons are the most powerful in the game I think it's a nice bit of balancing if this were so. Doing this would also enable modded in energy weapons to work.

Edit - Doh, big energy weapons don't use microfusion cells. It looks like ammo and skill type should work ok for rifles only then.

» Tue May 17, 2011 6:44 am

This is mostly a cosmetic thing, but as far as I can see the changes to S.P.E.C.I.A.L are not reflected at all in the ingame description. For instance it still says that a high "Luck" attribute raise all your skills a little.

» Tue May 17, 2011 7:43 am

Hey Arwen,
I've found a very infamous/absurd bug in the script that affect the differences between male and female, in particular the health differences. It make the health to regenerate at very fast rates when you take damage, no matter how much damage you get, it will simply restore your life until max.

I've maked a little try by removing the lines regarding the health boost (like set HealthEnduranceOffset to -1.2 ; female health points: (25*END) + [100 + (-1.2*25)] (95 to 320 HPs)) and the problem is dissapear. So the problem is indeed in the formula or in something related to it. Homever, can you fix it with a fresh mini-hotfix?

» Tue May 17, 2011 8:08 am

Nice. Alternately, Arwen, it would be a shorter script for energy weapons if you use GetWeaponAmmo and use small energy cells for pistols and microfusion cells for rifles. I wonder if this would also have the effect of limiting big gun specialists to conventional (non-energy) big guns? Would make sense to me anyway but it would mean more requirements for using a gatling laser for example, but seeing as big energy weapons are the most powerful in the game I think it's a nice bit of balancing if this were so. Doing this would also enable modded in energy weapons to work.
Edit - Doh, big energy weapons don't use microfusion cells. It looks like ammo and skill type should work ok for rifles only then.

Thanks Zenball, I do appreciate your efforts with this, but I just have not had any free time lately to spend with the script. Hopefully I'll have a chance before the end of the week, as I would like to add these changes to my next update.

This is mostly a cosmetic thing, but as far as I can see the changes to S.P.E.C.I.A.L are not reflected at all in the ingame description. For instance it still says that a high "Luck" attribute raise all your skills a little.

Thanks Thorbjoern, but I did add changes to 17 (I think) of the loading screens.
And I changed, " Raising your Luck raises all of your skill values, and improves your Critical Chance with all weapons."
to "Raising your Luck improves your Critical Chance with all weapons, but it no longer raises all your skill values. [Arwen's Tweaks)"
Did I miss one?

Hey Arwen,
I've found a very infamous/absurd bug in the script that affect the differences between male and female, in particular the health differences. It make the health to regenerate at very fast rates when you take damage, no matter how much damage you get, it will simply restore your life until max.

I've maked a little try by removing the lines regarding the health boost (like set HealthEnduranceOffset to -1.2 ; female health points: (25*END) + [100 + (-1.2*25)] (95 to 320 HPs)) and the problem is dissapear. So the problem is indeed in the formula or in something related to it. Homever, can you fix it with a fresh mini-hotfix?

Can you give me a bit more details on this (like how fast it happens), as I did not see this at all in my play testing (and I'm obviously playing as a female character), and you're the first person to report this as an issue/bug. Does it happen with all weapons, or just certain ones?

» Tue May 17, 2011 7:29 am

Thanks Zenball, I do appreciate your efforts with this, but I just have not had any free time lately to spend with the script. Hopefully I'll have a chance before the end of the week, as I would like to add these changes to my next update.

No probs, that fixed up script I sent you works perfectly in my game anyway - at least with the plasma rifle, not sure about the gauss rifle.

Arwen, your tweaks combined with Real Injuries and the patch is so awesome. It's like a whole new game. It feels like the old Fallout! I'm pretty much crippled much of the time after fights but so long as I have medical braces I'm ok. My repair skills are rubbish. My speech skills are rubbish so I'm finding new huge chunks of the game that I bypassed with a too easy speech check the first time round. I genuinely feel like some scientist's kid from a vault who has very little experience but is learning the hard way. It's great! Have you tried the RH_ironsights mod out - I'm guessing no due to lack of free time, but when you do give it a playtest and let me know what- it adds a surprising amount to the feeling of immersion.

» Tue May 17, 2011 1:34 pm

Can you give me a bit more details on this (like how fast it happens), as I did not see this at all in my play testing (and I'm obviously playing as a female character), and you're the first person to report this as an issue/bug. Does it happen with all weapons, or just certain ones?

I'm playing as male character and didn't try with a female one, so I don't know if it happen even in this case or not.

It happen even if I'm completely naked (without any type of weapon) and at very fast rates, like 40hp at second; and as I said before if I remove the parts of script concerning the health differences it will happen no more.

P.S. Of course I've maked this tests by removing first all other mods that may conflicts.

» Tue May 17, 2011 9:12 am

Thanks Thorbjoern, but I did add changes to 17 (I think) of the loading screens.
And I changed, " Raising your Luck raises all of your skill values, and improves your Critical Chance with all weapons."
to "Raising your Luck improves your Critical Chance with all weapons, but it no longer raises all your skill values. [Arwen's Tweaks)"
Did I miss one?

Hmmm...strange. I mean the Pip Boy menu description (in Status -> S.P.E.C.I.A.L.).

» Tue May 17, 2011 2:12 am

I'm playing as male character and didn't try with a female one, so I don't know if it happen even in this case or not.
It happen even if I'm completely naked (without any type of weapon) and at very fast rates, like 40hp at second; and as I said before if I remove the parts of script concerning the health differences it will happen no more.
P.S. Of course I've maked this tests by removing first all other mods that may conflicts.

This still makes no sense (I'm not doubting that it is happening to you), because my script should not affect health regeneration in any way.

The two lines:
"set HealthEnduranceOffset to -1.2" (for females) and
"set HealthEnduranceOffset to -2.0" (for males)
just changes the value that determines how many HPs you receive. They do not add HPs over time (which is what you have to do to have health regenerate)

The formula is: Health = fAVDHealthEnduranceMult *END Points + Base Health [Base Health = 100 + (fAVDHealthEnduranceOffset * fAVDHealthEnduranceMult)]

If you eliminate these two lines, the HealthEnduranceOffset just defaults to -1.0 (which is what is is set in my Realism Core module).
And in versions v.4.1 and 4.2 my Survival module set the HealthEnduranceOffset to -3 (which worked fine).

Are you sure that you don't have another mod that is causing this (or that an older mod did not mess up something)?
I'm guessing that you have something else going on here, as no one else has reported this as a bug, and I never had it happen in my play testing (and I tested both genders).

» Tue May 17, 2011 8:43 am

I can confirm that I've not had that issue in my games using your mod. Must be something else interfering.

» Tue May 17, 2011 3:13 am

This still makes no sense (I'm not doubting that it is happening to you), because my script should not affect health regeneration in any way.

The two lines:
"set HealthEnduranceOffset to -1.2" (for females) and
"set HealthEnduranceOffset to -2.0" (for males)
just changes the value that determines how many HPs you receive. They do not add HPs over time (which is what you have to do to have health regenerate)

The formula is: Health = fAVDHealthEnduranceMult *END Points + Base Health [Base Health = 100 + (fAVDHealthEnduranceOffset * fAVDHealthEnduranceMult)]

If you eliminate these two lines, the HealthEnduranceOffset just defaults to -1.0 (which is what is is set in my Realism Core module).
And in versions v.4.1 and 4.2 my Survival module set the HealthEnduranceOffset to -3 (which worked fine).

Are you sure that you don't have another mod that is causing this (or that an older mod did not mess up something)?
I'm guessing that you have something else going on here, as no one else has reported this as a bug, and I never had it happen in my play testing (and I tested both genders).

No, I've deactivated all other mods before try and re-try, and the problem is always there. But they (in the Fallout 3-Way) can interfere even if they are completely deactivated.

I will move all the not needed esp and esm files to another directory to see if the problem is in someway related to others mod, but more than this I don't know what to do...

» Tue May 17, 2011 1:50 am

Is this mod compatible with Phalanx?