Fallout: NV - Step-by-Step Mod Guide @ PC Gamer

PC Gamer describes how to set up Fallout: New Vegas in 2022:

How to have the best Fallout New Vegas experience in 2022

Our definitive step-by-step guide to setting up and playing this classic RPG.

Combining the best of Fallout 3's 3D open world with the nuanced roleplaying of the original two isometric games, Fallout: New Vegas is one of those classic PC RPGs that must be played--just not in its original form, unless you happen to enjoy suffering, frustration and confusion. Notoriously buggy and unpolished at launch, New Vegas improved a lot through updates and top-notch DLC, but there was still work to do.

Thankfully, Fallout fans are a strange and extremely dedicated bunch of rad mutants, and years later they're still hammering out the minor kinks. Thanks to some recent advances it's easier than ever to play a properly polished, tuned and debugged version of New Vegas. That said, it's still a surprisingly convoluted process, so wrap up tight and prepare for sandstorms as I help you chart the course to the very newest New Vegas experience, no gambling required.

[…]

More information.

Well, with all the mods out there, it can't hurt to have a starting point.

Without guides like these I'd never be able to figure out how to mod, so I for one appreciate the input. Not sure when or if I'll ever replay this game, yet if I do I'll be considering this a valuable resource.

Originally Posted by Couchpotato
Installing mods and modding a game are two different things.

One is simply downloading an already made mod and clicking a simple button to install. It's not rocket science. I'm amazed at the amount of user made errors players get.

Some madders are tired of the community of idiots with simple instructions.

This is bullshit.
While most mods are simple enough to install that the modder should have no problem taking the time to include the one or two sentences of instruction, many don't even bother.
And not all mod installs are "clicking a button"
Some require a certain updated version of the game.
Some games, such as Skyrim, come in several different editions that require a mod. Some have to be installed thru Steam, others can't use Steam.
Some require an installer mod-manager or other pre-requisite mods to be installed first, etc….

They are easy to install so once again it's user error. I must be lucky as I don't use 100+ mods to alter the game engine that need three third party programs just to work.

I just use texture mods and mods that add game content. Never had any major issues.

Originally Posted by Couchpotato
If you need a guide to help you install and choose mods you are either a noob, or an idiot. Then again I've read millions of help posts on Nexus Mods for common errors.

Wow, I've been coming here for more than a decade and rarely comment. But sometimes someone makes a statement that shows what a complete and total asshat they must be in life….. reading couchpotato's comment, this is such a time. As someone with a learning disability, guides are quite helpful to me and step-by-step guides especially.

Originally Posted by revjwh
guides are quite helpful to me and step-by-step guides especially.

I get you, but this PCGamer isn't really a step by step guide. It doesn't even have any form of instruction for most of the mods it lists nor does it even tackle load order for even the mods it recommends simply stating:

Modern mod managers are smart enough to point out conflicts and handle some of the ordering, but this is still largely the user’s job.

Originally Posted by bjon045
I get you, but this PCGamer isn't really a step by step guide. It doesn't even have any form of instruction for most of the mods it lists nor does it even tackle load order for even the mods it recommends simply stating:

From what I read, he does give step-by-step instructions, but of course he doesn't copy the individual instructions when there's a link to them.

Isn't the mod order he gives the correct one? I have no idea since I never used mod for this game.

Originally Posted by Redglyph
Isn't the mod order he gives the correct one? I have no idea since I never used mod for this game.

If it is then that is okay. But in my experience those texture mods are in the wrong order if that is the case.

I guess different people have a different view on what a step by step guide should be. I would want all the instructions on the page in order and not have to dig around in the nexus to find them. But I do see your point - it's probably a good middle ground since the instructions might change over time and they probably don't want to keep this guide up to date constantly.

Use Vortex for the first time. Add 20+ mods to Fallout 4 and Skyrim. There are not many people on this Earth that would get it right the first time without watching one YouTube video.

Many mods are dependent on other mods and some use mod hooks and script extenders. Fallout NV always seems to have something go wrong when modding it. I've used hundreds of mods for dozens of games and there are a few games out there that are a pain in the ass to mod.

If I enjoy a game and there are mods, I will always try them out. Sometimes it doesn't go smoothly and I have to check the instructions or watch a YouTube video. I must be a fucking moron.

Originally Posted by bjon045
If it is then that is okay. But in my experience those texture mods are in the wrong order if that is the case.

If that's the case, it's not a very useful guide.

I'm often impressed by how many mods can be applied and still work together, it's no surprise that the order is important. It's strange nobody made a all-in mod here, since that's generally how it ends up with famous games.


@Hastar I think we've all been there, not all guides and instructions are well made.

Originally Posted by Hastar
If I enjoy a game and there are mods, I will always try them out. Sometimes it doesn't go smoothly and I have to check the instructions or watch a YouTube video. I must be a fucking moron.

My biggest fear with mods is that they might introduce a game breaking bug that you might not find till you are many hours into your playthrough. I always like to have a "clean" playthrough the first time I play something unless the mod is super stable and 10k+ people have used it.

The only exception to my rule was for Kingdom Come: Deliverance, brilliant game but mods were almost mandatory in my opinion. It just wasn't enjoyable without them for me.

If you need a guide, Viva New Vegas is pretty decent for FNV.

It's actually never been a better time to get into FNV modding. The quality of mods these days is quite high, thanks in no small part to an ever expanding suite of [mod] function libraries that allow some crazy, streamlined things to be accomplished by hooking into the game engine directly. And the game can can run better today than it did on launch.

I don't see what you guys are referencing as far as order of texture mods, but the only thing that matters with texture mods is that files overwrite other files, so whatever you want to be the version in your game should be installed last. Textures mods rarely have plugins, and so load order doesn't apply to them. Usually you use a mod that broadly changes textures as a base, and then if there are smaller scale mods with textures you prefer for certain things, you install those over it.

So my posts were deleted by myself since it was deemed offensive, and we can't have that on RPGWatch according to Mods. So apologizes to the offended party and so on..

Meh moving on.

I love mods, but yea, some are a huge hassle and I stay away from the overly complicated ones because they often add bugs to the game.

Mods I tend to favor are simple but add a lot to the game, like a mod that extended the Fallout 3/Fallout New Vegas dialogue box to allow for more text and less scrolling. Very simple mod, but to me it is great.

I also like mods that bypass mini games like in Fallout 3 I have mods that unlock locks 100% -no silly lockpicking mini game needed, and also same for hacking, 100% hacking success without having to do the hacking mini game. (can you tell I don't like mini games in my rpgs? )

I also like mods that cheat a bit, like in Fallout 3 I have a mod, kinda like buried treasure, with $100,000 dollars in a safe hidden out in the wasteland, lol. So I go to that safe whenever for 20,000 game currency or so each time until it runs out.

Same with weight cheat mods, I always mod out weight restrictions in my games.

Anyway, the vortex on nexus mods is good and easy to use, so I can recommend that for modding.

Don't feel bad I love to cheat in games as well. I also hate mini-games and weight restrictions in RPGs. Also yeah Vortex or the old Nexus mod manager make installing mods easy. So hows that for a nice gentle post from this old grognard asshat?

Originally Posted by bjon045
My biggest fear with mods is that they might introduce a game breaking bug that you might not find till you are many hours into your playthrough. I always like to have a "clean" playthrough the first time I play something unless the mod is super stable and 10k+ people have used it.

The only exception to my rule was for Kingdom Come: Deliverance, brilliant game but mods were almost mandatory in my opinion. It just wasn't enjoyable without them for me.

Yeah, I always play through a game once before I use mods. I use a lot of mods for strategy games. They really extend the life of those games. Wake of the Gods, Fall From Heaven, and New Horizons are some of my favorites.

So after all these years, I'm still playing HoMM 3, Civ 4, and Eador Genesis. Also, will give a shout-out to Circle of Eight (Co8) for Temple of Elemental Evil.