I'm planning on starting playing FO3 again soon, but I had never used mods with it before. I'm slightly familiar with some of the bigger mods like MMM, etc... but there's just so much out there I'm a little intimidated by the volume of mods to choose from. I would like for you to suggest the 3 most can't live without mods for me to start with, considering my preferred playstyle:

1. I like the weapons, both the number/variety and the mechanics (iron sights/mods/ammo types) of FO:NV a lot. I'll be using small guns primaily, with a lot of non-vats sneak/snipe tactics.
2. I play on PC, a pretty robust one, so greater demands on my cpu/graphics card from increaed spawns/more detail won't be any problem.
3. I'm not neccessariy concerned about improving the graphical quiality of the game.
4. I do like to spend quite a bit of my gameplay utilizing the vendor network, buying/selling, getting fun new gear and getting rich.

In a nutshell, preferably, the 3 mods you suggest would be the ones that refresh the wasteland and gameplay so it'll feel like I'm playing it for the first time again. Not neccessarily new quests, but a greater challenge and experience overall. I appreciate your suggestions and thank you for your help in advance.

-Gunny out.

I can give you three of my must play with, cannot live without mods. I have more than three, but that happens. The list just keeps growing and growing. I probably have about 20 - 30 mods that I won't play without But since you've asked for three, here are three.

1) MMM - I put it into my first modded game and it's never left my gaming lineup. It's invaluable for revitalizing gameplay after playing vanilla.

2)http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=3388 - Does what it says. It is great fun.

3)I know you said you weren't interested in improving the way the game looks, but I wasn't either until I found this mod. http://members.upc.nl/m.heijndijk/index.html (or something like it). It used to be at Nexus but the modder got banned so has moved on and has his stuff available at that link. Other players use Fellout. URWL modifies the lighting in game and things look much, much better, imo. I can't go back to vanilla. Cannot, will not, would die if I had to do so. Oh, my, the horror!

A lot of players would recommend http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=2761. It's a very extensive overhaul mod. It changes a lot and is configurable and can be quite fun.


Here's a http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1163180-your-personal-favourite-mods/ to a thread someone started asking for players' favorite mods. You might find it interesting too.

Everyone`s different. My best Mods are not someone else`s best Mods. But you could try FWE. More than that I can`t say cos 9 times out of 10 it`s not what the person wants even if they say they want my `best` Mods.

http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=14946

It's a tweaked version of http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=1418 with some bugfixes. 100 new songs that fit in perfectly!

Thanks llama. I figured FWE and MMM would gets lots of votes. I sorta knew about them already. I do have to cop to be lazy though. I went back about 2-3 pages to look for a similar topic, but didn't search. Thanks for the thread link.


OK. That's fair enough. Let me ask this then: What are the 3 you couldn't live without? If they're good enough for you, I reckon they're good enough for me to take a look see.

-Gunny out.

The 3 I can't live without are MMM, FPS Style Grenade Hotkey, and the large gameplay overhaul mod http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1160547-relz-arwens-realism-tweaks-thread-no12/. ART basically defines my whole FO3 experience.

1. I like the weapons, both the number/variety and the mechanics (iron sights/mods/ammo types) of FO:NV a lot. I'll be using small guns primaily, with a lot of non-vats sneak/snipe tactics.
2. I play on PC, a pretty robust one, so greater demands on my cpu/graphics card from increaed spawns/more detail won't be any problem.
3. I'm not neccessariy concerned about improving the graphical quiality of the game.
4. I do like to spend quite a bit of my gameplay utilizing the vendor network, buying/selling, getting fun new gear and getting rich.

Hmmm, my can't live without mods that fit the criteria that you have specified...

I will backup those who have stated their praise of FWE & MMM as they cover a fair chunk of what you are looking for, and are pretty well supported with some other major mods, though as you expected these to have a lot of votes, I will list some others as well here for you to look at since those two are standards basically.

1) http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=3388: I'll back this one up, with llama, since it is all patched up for FWE so it is a great weapon enhancer which seems to be a focus for you.
2) http://fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=10607: It is absolutely refreshing to have some additional weather in the game since it was lacking in the default game really and really enhances the environment and atmosphere of the game.
3) http://fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=1925: The companion overhaul mod, in my humble opinion, and goes great with FWE (and from the sounds of it from Tarrant, more-so on the next update), and makes having any other companion mods in your LO unnecessary.

Other than that, you can take a peek at my LO in the thread that llama linked to in the last post (my most recent LO) as that may spurn some other ideas for you as well.

Thanks. Arwen's was another that I knew a little about. I also know it takes FOSE, and that I am a complete noephyte at this stuff. I hope this stuff ain't too hard for an old jarhead to do.

-Gunny out.

The best advice I can give is to thoroughly read all of the readme files for the mods you choose and follow the advice for installing and configuring them. Make sure you check out the known issues with other mods as well - those should be in the readmes as well.

Don't go hog wild with them at first. Pick a few, install them one at a time, and make sure your setup is running properly before installing another. It'll make troubleshooting a lot easier if something does go wrong. Don't be like the "kid in the candy store" types who install hundreds of mods at once, many of them with major conflicts with each other, and then post here screaming that their game CTDs on start up.

I was pretty intimidated myself when I started using mods. But if you follow this advice, install a few and play around with them, you'll get the hang of it in no time.

Incidentally, my three must have mods are FWE, MMM and DarnUI.

I'd second the vote for http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1121454-wipzbeta-darnified-ui-f3/. It's lovely. Once you install it you won't be able to go back to life without it.

I forgot about DarnUI, I definitely wouldn't play without that. Ever.

In fact it looks so normal, while the regular UI seems oversized, so I often forget that I have it installed.

In addition to DarNified, I would suggest http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=15790

From the iHUD description

Thanks guys. I'm already thinking about using Darn's mod, as well as adding the GNR mod as additions to the more game changing mods. Right now, I'm leaning towards Mart's, FWE and the weapon mods as the main game changing mods. I like some of the things with Arwens, but there's a few things I saw I didn't like as much, and I assume you wouldn't want to run both FWE and Arwen's at the same time, as they seem to overlap in quite a few areas. Do I have this right? If I ran one or the other, what are the major things I would be missing out on? I'm not terribly interested right now in doing FO3 hardcoe, so it looks like FWE might be the better one for me. Also, would you recoomend the FO3 patch before using any of these? It seems like most folks are running that too.

Edit: A actually stopped being lazy and read the thread about UFO3 patch a few threads down. Question answered.

-Mucho gracias, Gunny

Full FWE install - look at recommended downloads (except Project Beauty if you intent to use body replacers):
http://sites.google.com/site/fo3wanderersedition

Body Replacers (Breezes for males, BOG for females, BOG ghoul females & BOG ghoul males & Exeter type3 clothing replacers)

NMC retexture mod

All Gopher's mods

All Earache mods

I'd back up DUI as well, and recommend using the patch linked in my sig to run it with Revelation Interface. Really gives a different feel to the user interfaces of the game.

1.http://www.moddb.com/mods/cube-experimental
Amazing quest mod. It blew me away.

2.http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=3729
A save file manager that makes saving much less of a hassle.

3.MMM
It deserves another vote.

Oh yes. It felt rather disconnected from the Fallout world but it's fantastic.

FWE is just to amazing, there are so many options, you can tune the game how ever you like, I wish all games have this level of options by default.

Well, my top 3 have been mentioned several times:

MMM
FWE
Weapon Mod Kits

I really wouldnt still be playing if it wasnt for these three.

Anyway since my top 3 have been mentioned several times, I'll come up with 3 more:

http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=7702 May not sound like much, but I was ready to start going postal on everyone who yelled at me everytime I looked at one of thier items. This mod saves lives
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=3729 has been mentioned once. Needs to be mentioned several more times. This mod keeps you from smashing your computer when you just played for 5 hours had a crash and realized you forgot to save.
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=2732 I find I need added firepower from time to time with MMM and FWE installed. Could have been any companion I suppose, but Jessi is the first companion/follwer in any game that actually saved my character instead of getting in the way. Sometimes we'll drag her sister http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=4473 along as well.

1. FWE
2. MMM
3. RH_IronSights

How good are the ironsights? I know I had to dl a mod for NV to fix the ironsight alignments. Is this one dead on?

Also, thanx everyone for their suggestions. I'm still deliberating while waiting for the next NV dlc to come out.

-Gunny out.

I would doubt it is dead on, at least not with every weapon, as FO3 was not designed with Ironsights in mind. Personally, I don't use it myself, as I don't feel like it adds very much to the game (I have a cross hair to aim with, I don't need to look down the gun barrel).

Well, three mods I always have enabled when playing would have to be:
http://fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=5573 - adds a ton of new interior locations and collectibles.
http://fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=4736 - adds interiors to buses and subway cars.
http://fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=4036 - not very well known, apparently, but some fun wearables added to the leveled lists.

I'd say "all of my own" but that rather goes without saying, doesn't it?

Cheers,

Coleen

DC interiors is another I'd heard about. I'll have to check it out. I might like it if it adds something more to the game than just populated interiors filled with npcs that mill about. Off to the nexus........

-Gunny out.

The interiors aren't so much about NPCs as they are about the opening up of more interiors. So, more places to go into and more exploration and more junk, etc. It's a great mod with lots of great detail.

Also, I love Coleen's http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=6338. It's another of my must haves. It has changed my game play forever. All of my characters now obsessively collect coffee mugs and coffee pots. I won't play without it and miss it terribly in New Vegas. Among all of the other things it does, it's how my characters get their coffee fix in the Wasteland.