So I've owned Oblivion for a year or... two? And I recently purchased Fallout 3 Game of the Year Edition.

I find myself playing a game with a ton of potential... And Bethesda's trademark duck-up written all over it. Less than a few hours into the game I can already tell the world is leveled to my character (which I hate, especially endgame-wise), levelling goes way, way, way too easy (which is annoying) and things in general go unpunished when they really should be (Murdering out an entire settlement? Cleaning out a dark, infested subway system? All at level 2? Surely thou jest!). This sounds like a job for... The modding community!

For those of you who've played Oblivion, you probably already know what I'm talking about. But I'll just lay out some basic pointers for what I'm looking for regardless:

- Mods that make the world 'static', when my character is level 1 I expect him to get buttwaped when strudding into DC in his vault uniform. Not mop the place up with a baseball bat. This'll probably be an Overhaul of sorts, feel free to throw em in.
- Mods that make the world more realistic. I'm not in the know-how of anything Fallout, so go nuts on suggesting stuff. If you think it makes Fallout feel more real, throw it at me!
- Mods that make the world more beautiful. Or in this case, more ugly I guess. Or destroyed... More Fallout. You know what I mean. Corelates with the above.
- NOT a mod that adds a ton of useless new content. I don't care about this supar awesum lazer gun, or this wowzerz cool underground base of epic, or a bajillion new critters to clutter up the world. If these come along with an overhaul though, I'll give it a look. OOO for Oblivion pulled this off very nicely for instance, added a lot of new content that didn't feel overwhelming and merged very nicely with the game.
- NOT an advlt mod. This doesn't need explaining I trust.

Feel free to call me lazy as well, but I am actively looking for mods myself and you should know how the nice gems are always hidden in the deepest parts of the turd-stack. Hence I like to ask the veterans here for some advice. Plus, it's a great way to shamelessly advertise your own mods if you have any! Merchandising, merchandising, merchandising!

Turn your difficulty up.

• The game doesn't level up with you the same way Oblivion did. Many areas exist within a potential level field (say, level 4-12). When you first enter the area, The levels of the NPCs and monsters are fixed within that range. So, perhaps you are level 1, and they are level 7. They can kick your butt, but you can run away, level up to 12 and come back and they will still be level 7. You need to play a bit and learn how this is in FO3 before treating it the same as Oblivion.
  
• Realism: I suggest Arwen's Realism Tweaks (ART). She's got a good brain on her and has been developing a realism themed modular approach to making the game harder and much more choice-and-consequence RPG - and less shooter.
  
• More beautiful (destroyed). Look for DC interiors, wasteland lighting, destructible environments, wasteland moods (can't quite remember this one's name, but I think "moods" is in the name), and, strange as it may strike you "Project Beauty" - which really improves faces throughout the game (beautifies mostly in the sense of wasteland-appropriate).
  
• Sounds like you should stay away from FOOK

You may also want to look at FWE, MMM, WMK, EVE, RobCo Certified. May I also suggest that next time you ask for help you try not to sound so critical of the game itself and certain types of mods. You are, after all, approaching for help a community that likes the game itself and likes mods of all types as well.

How is he being too critical? hes given criteria on how he would like to mod his game.

Pruvan, you may want to take a look at my http://amito.freehostia.com/Fallout/FO.htm, which I just updated.

Thanks for the plug, Gothemasticator. V.5.2 of my Realism Tweaks should be available in a day or so.

For "beauty", I rather like some of the retexturings out there, and sorta shader effects, or similar. Weather, certainly. Otherwise, nothing really springs to mind there. Except, yeah, on the cosmetic level, like Project Beauty (etc.), as mentioned above. 4Aces, with some options, if you like hi res and kinda "gritty".

For most of the rest of it, ART.

Or, if you prefer a (somewhat) OOO-like approach, perhaps FWE* will appeal more. I'd say it's a bit closer, in a number of ways. ART, on the other hand, strikes me as more like TIE++ (with a few more pluses). Or closer to that, at least. *Much* lighter (check out the file sizes, in both cases!), certainly harder by default, and just... a rather different philosophy, really.


* Fallout Wanderer's Edition. Also good, just very different. If using that, I would suggest tacking on a bunch more difficulty- and realism-increasing mods, for good measure.

If you're looking for realism, try my needs mod, http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=11418. The New Vegas version is the most endorsed needs mod for any Fallout game, and the FO3 version isn't far behind (though it still seems to be absent from most mod lists). It's similar in form to Primary Needs, but gives foods realistic nutrition info like calories, protein, and nutrients that all effect your character, from skills and special stats to body fat percentage and skeletal muscle.

There's also http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=13361. If you're the power armor type, it'll make you feel like you're operating a machine rather than just sporting thicker plate, with things like upgrades, overheating, recharging, and distinct power supplies. Also the most endorsed power armor overhaul.