I got the mod bug again, and as usual it's the smallish hideout/homes that I keep tinkering with.

so what do you look for in such mods?

What features or details do you really look for?

Ree-ah-liss-em.

I can only find it in rare bouts. It must be real hard to scavenge, unlike all those water purifiers and personal vaults which are just about everywhere.


But all jokes aside, I like houses where I can imagine how a post-apocalyptic settler got whatever it is I'm looking at into his house. Some things you see in mod added houses should be impossible to get in there, because they're so big or incredibly complex (like a large computer system). A fridge, stove, bed and workbench should be about as big as it gets before you hit that line.

But it should also be compact - I don't want to have to traverse a thousand miles from my bedroom to my workbench. Two story structures are a stretch, unless it's a repaired pre-war building, and then it should look scavenged and repaired with duct tape and patience rather than a magickal wand. My tastes in specific, I like a single floor house, with a small interior and it should be cramped but comfortable. Or a house that's given the illusion of coziness with walls placed strategically so as to herd the player a certain way through a house.

High tech features should not be included, or at least used with discretion. I'm sorry, but I live in a world where I can run to the store and grab bottled water. But purifying water...my best idea in a survival situation would be to find some spare cloth (like a piece of T-Shirt) and strain the water through it several times, and then boil the hell out of it. And there aren't exactly water purifiers lying about in the wasteland for grabs. So a bit of realism - a machine that takes bad water in batches of four, and purifies it over time (maybe five ingame minutes) with the help of Rad-X or something. And even then the water you get might still have a bit of radiation in it (Fwe's Good Water, for instance. I loves me some FWE.).

Though, I have to say my standards are high, and it would be simply impossible for anyone other than me to nail my wants precisely. I have to say, use your own discretion when you make houses, especially when you're making them for other people. You can't please everyone, so don't feel like you didn't do your part right if people complain. I wish you luck, dude!

Well I do have a bunker mod (sitting on ice while I sketch out the details for the terminal entries and loose notes)

But most are closer to my silo home module, simple and basic. The one I'm working on right now isn't a vault but an old style bomb shelter... that you have to get working with items you salvage/collect from here and there in the world (aka to get power you got to get a fuse, scrap metal, and some purified water and a single fission battery to get the generator repaired and operational to restore power. Working on where abraxo cleaner, dirty water/pure water can turn the old dirty fridge/range to a clean version. Get parts to get the water in the bathroom area purified by repairing the purifier units... etc.)

But yeah I do hate how a sewer lid entrance can lead to a vault with things that shouldn't fit through a 2 ft hole...

Iwas going to chime in and say that that I'm with Ashven on wanting something simple and scavenged, I was going to point ot 2 that I really liked, one is a megaton shack by The Nonsense Factory, the other was your Grain Silo.

I like to explore so I mainly just need a bed and few places for storage. I don't need a lot of fancy stuff, I'd consider a workbench to be an extravagant luxury.

I thought Megaton home armory was a good take on the exsisting home mod, simple and with the story but I don't think he's updating it. I like improvments on the originals but not expansions of them that add alot of extra rooms and such. Labeling some storage like grenade or mine ammo cans is a nice touch.

I have to agree with others in saying that I now look for realism. I do like my teleport homes, but I also want a few homes in the wasteland that look like they were already there before the blast.

Things I look for:
A clean mod - Meaning that no other cells are altered that do not apply to the mod.
Fireplace - I like the feeling of a warm fire on those cold nights (extra bonus if we can put out the fire as well).
Display - Areas that we can add our on treasures on shelves, tables, and other places.
Storage - Containers placed in appropriate places (such as 1 or more by a workbench if one is added).
Bathroom - When you gotta go, you gotta go.
Kitchen - I want to feel that I can cook a nice home cooked meal...even if I really can't.
Cozy - I prefer smaller rooms that have the needs that I need (or don't need but look like it belongs) and not huge rooms with big open floor space.
Realism - If there are broken things (mirror), show shards of glass on the floor, and don't place glasses nicely on a table as if nothing happened. Don't place windows all threw the home, if the exterior only shows 1 window, or non at all.

Wow, I really sound picky I am working on a mod that does just this (slowly) so don't hate me for my reply please.

That is about it

I liked the one you released - I usually don't download "homes" but I liked the simplicity.

I hate immersion breakers like aquariums, oriental carpets etc. I hate game-breaking wealth. I hate "stocked" homes with tons of loot.

I like simple. Clean. Efficient. For example, I like the Tenpenny Room without anything but the bed, footlocker and bobblehead stand - simple and efficient. I don't like the Megaton house because it feels too junky.

I also want the home to be well hidden or in a remote location since otherwise it should have been looted or occupied a while ago....

My .02

J

I think you should make whatever you want to make without trying to please an audience - my "realistic" and "lore-breaking" mods are both equally unpopular, which means that I'm better off just making whatever comes to mind.

Some people just want a functional cell in which to keep their stuff. That's sometimes useful, but not something that appeals to me personally. Regardless of the game, or whether it's something I'm making or something I'm using, I want the sense that I'm moving into a home - no matter how fantastic or realistic that home is. I want a sense of the previous owner - perhaps their trade or background - and the feeling like it's something that's been lived in.

One of the most perfect house mods for Oblivion was by Korana. Take a quick look at this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsBaJ2GolU4 to see just how detailed it is. Even though it's a fantasy game, everything is placed naturally and functionally - as if the owner just popped out for a moment. I'd describe that as the more "realistic" style of house.

By contrast, Korana's http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLW01Vf5KFs mod for Oblivion is a pure flight of fantasy - but as you can see it is just exquisitely beautiful. Although it uses only "vanilla" items, a lot of things are used in inventive ways and there are many functions and features that absolute purists might consider "cheats", although - like having My First Lab in every Fallout 3 home, the vast majority of players would consider it simple convenience rather than annoyance.

(Yes, I've used Oblivion mods as examples, but Korana isn't modding for Fallout 3, and I don't think there's anyone quite of her calibre among us yet - though I've seen some awesome Fallout 3 mods.)

I think one thing that's fun about house mods is there IS such a big range in what people create. I tend to use different house mods at different times over the course of a single character. I love having nothing more than a run down shack with a bed a container when I'm starting out with a character. By the time I've finished the main quest though, I think it's perfectly fitting that I should find more spacious accomodations for myself and/or companion's. Incidentially, I've always built my houses for my characters, from morrowind, to oblivion, and now for fallout. Something about the act of building the thing gives me justification for having it

That said, I prefer house mods that really fit the character of the game and have a consistent feel with the rest of the gameworld. Gigantic palaces with display containers lined up like coffins in rows stretching off into the horizon don't interest me at all. Furthermore, if the floor plan is larger than a few rooms (i.e. Down Under I'm making) it better be as compact as possible, and cluttered enough so that it still feels cozy and lived in. Big empty spaces don't work very well.

I'm also not a fan of lot's of gimmecky (or some might say convienent) features, like auto-sorters. I like having to stash my stuff away by hand and decide how I'm going to keep my living space organized. But I'm sure not everyone feels the same way

Well I'm sure some of you know my oblivion house mods, some are still popular it seems even though haven't had a chance to update or work on them in years (Assassin abode especially)

I tend to try and keep my house mods functional, but realistic in layout and content. cozy but not too cluttered.

Features are where I tend to be lacking, though lights that work.. radios that work like I want them to, and a workbench are likely to be defaults in fallout 3.

The well rested bed and infirmary are going to be moderately common in my works

One of the main problems I have is focusing on details... lord knows my oblivion house mods saw me scream as I tried to get items just where I wanted them... and revision after revision till I was satisfied enough to release a beta.

I haven't tinkered with any house mods personally, but I always renovate a certain bedspace that's .

It has tons of storage with about 5 or so safes, gun cabinet, bed, workbench, fridge and first aid cabinet. It's my home away from home. (I actually like the Megaton house, just wish all of the stuff you could buy for it didn't clog up the living room so much.) The home away from home comes complete with bear traps too, which I reset every time I leave. In addition to that I mine the bedroom and entrance. Also mine the parking lot outside (Enclave like to spawn there frequently.)

This plus the portable infimary is what I usually do.

Storage is my main concern. I also would like at least the Workbench, Infirmary, Jukebox, and lab in my chosen base. Would be nice to have a working bobblehead stand for some reason they never work in the user fashioned bases. Not so worried about the Pristine Nuka-Cola machine. I like to be able to divide things up. Someone from here is redesigning the Megaton House for me in a manner that I described ( endless thanks you know who you are )

Well the only feature of the lab I like is the addiction removal, and I incorporate that into the advanced infirmary I use in the mods where I include it.

I dislike the jukebox, and prefer the radios instead.

course my current project is one I just sketched out and it's going to be bare bones sorta... but a excellent fit with the game world for sure.

I rarely download other people's house mods these days, seeing as I know how to make my own
To me it has to feel like home - chairs, a sofa (preferably clean), a mini bar with stools, fridge, a decent bed, mats on the floor, pictures on the wall. Most importantly plenty of storage. Not the auto-sorters, I can sort my crap perfectly well all by myself
A couple of lockers, a safe, filing cabinet, a desk with a terminal. I've a mod that changes all the terminals into laptops, so that's pretty snazzy. No Ice Cold Nuka Machine or Jukebox and definitely no maid or butler to invade my personal space :nope:
Oh and a workbench and detoxifier is always good to have. Maybe one first aid kit to stash the chems I collect.

That's what I have in my own small bunker and when I browse the houses around here and Nexus I mainly look for something small with everything I need in it. I'm used to ammo, chems and food being somewhat scarce (FWE) so would rather not have a respawning fridge packed full with all sorts of food and water. Same goes for the first aid station. One stimpak is just fine

I don't care for windows. If it has them, great, if I can see through them that's pretty cool, but if there aren't any I'm not fussed. I can live in a hole in the ground and be quite happy

I'd want a very immersive, atmospheric and spartan starting out camp. It should be available right from the start, situated in Springfield or close to Megaton and basically just have a rundown camper, a refrigator, a burning barrel etc. http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=2115 actually comes pretty close. It should look like something a scavenging homeless has set up for a while.

Basically, I love to check out house mods, but my chars always end up living in the Megaton Home anyway. I'm just like that, with Oblivion and Morrowind as well. Of course, the Megaton home is available very early, but with some chars it might take a while. And my chars are always desperate for a home right from the start. Plus it should be close to "home", i.e. Springfield, Vault 101, Megaton. I tried out an Arefu house mod, which was really nice, but it just felt completely off.

Another thing is that it always feels better if you have to do something to get something. For a small camp it could be killing the former, crazy and aggressive tenant. Small quests are also OK, but one thing about house mods is that you want to check it out ASAP (in order to know if you like it or not) - so involved quest lines can be a bit frustrating IMO, at least the first time.

Anyway, I'd say that for Fallout 3 house mods I prefer ones that goes with the post-apocalyptic style, i.e. rundown, mashup of findings, ruins etc. Doesn't necessarily have to be camps or shacks. I could imagine a cool, spartan home in a large partially bombed out house, for example.

Basically, besides a cool concept, I think it's almost all about detailing, cluttering, atmospheric lighting etc. Well, it has to be practical and compact as well, of course, but it's the detailing that makes it.

I want simplicity. A small place with only the basic things. Too much lights, decoration etc. is annoying and kills my PC's performance.

I also prefer underground houses, or any house whose main functions are in an interior cell. I don't like "personal vaults" since they make absolutely no sense.

I made a post for a suggestion(name is vault home)anyways.
I want a small, vault home with an overseer office, security, kitchen, about 3-6 rooms, bathrooms, entrance, storage and generator system with NPCs because it feels lonely to be the only one in a vault. But not to much space(made weapons and stuff) just vault number and jumpsuit thats mainly it....lol I feel to picky

I like the feeling of it being unique, which is why I tend to make my own.

That's because each bobblehead stand needs to be individually scripted, which can take time.

I've included it in a couple of the mods I've made, but only the feature-rich ones. I also script it so that you can take the bobbleheads off the stand again if you decide to put them into another house - but, again, that's adding a bunch of extra scripts to the game so it has to be used judiciously.

One out on that is to script it to react on pickup to bobbleheads (iirc there is a global value for each) And add them to a non-activator stand. But haven't looked into it myself (it's not a feature I consider too much for my houses... I prefer the simple ones that are more living spaces that lack 'luxury' features and more survial oriented)

A home like Silvers in Springvale, Kitchen/Dinning room combo,Living room,2 bedrooms.1 master, other medium, a few book shelves(I collect pre war books) Wardrobe closet.And a few footlockers. modest furniture semi decent(As decent as you can get after a war) Basicly a home. Companion friendly.