RTTP: Fallout: New Vegas - Thank God for Mods

[Lazybob]

I needed a break between a series of JRPG's I'd been going through and figured I'd revisit an old favorite for a little while and come back to it between games. I'm playing on PC because mods and the only console I have that can play it is my old PS3 anyway and only a masochist would enjoy revisiting that version (come on Bethesda do something good for once and hook up console players with a decent updated version). Like the fool I am I had deleted the mods I previously downloaded to make space on my PC so lets fix that after revisiting the vanilla game for a bit.

Thirty minutes later... oh god, why did i bother? I hadn't played it since I briefly revisited a year ago on PC and the vanilla game is every bit as janky and ugly as I remembered. I was surprised it even started without any mods this time as last time I tried I think there was some windows update that made it unplayable without a mod to fix it. Anyway, after briefly playing the vanilla game what stood out most to me and how to fix it?

Problems

• Micro-Stuttering + Janky behavior over 60 fps. Already annoying at release and even more so when playing on hardware much stronger then what was around then
• Crashes. Of course I get one within 15 minute.
• Horrendous Textures - I know the games old but damn this shit is blurry as hell.
• NPC's in general don't look great but some look look ugly as hell.
• Have the DLC? Enjoy the 2 minutes of notifications about them when you step ot Doc's house. Great way to integrate them /s
• The yellow color filter you see the works through. It's better then the puke colored filter of 3 but that doesn't mean I like the piss filter.
• Combat. Aside from being vague and unhelpful in saying it just doesn't feel good it's just so much modern shit. The fastest you move is slow as hell, no grenade button etc.

There are no doubt many more things that should be addressed, like bugs in general, but that's the shit the immediately stands out. Thank god we can fix most of that above shit on PC with mods. In case anyone is interested I'll list them below. I'll mention if it can't just be installed easily with the manager. I wanted it to be a short list with only 5-6 mods but a rushed Obsidian game made in Bethesda's engine is a recipe for disaster and needs that much just to address bug/crashes.

Mod Manager: Choose only one. I use Mod Organizer 2 but use what you're comfortable with. This is needed to install most mods unless you want to learn the long boring way.
Mod Organizer - https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/6194 (Yes it links to a page for Skyyrim SE, it doesn't matter it can be used for most Bethesda games.)
Vortex - https://www.nexusmods.com/site/mods/1 (Current mod manager created and maintained by Nexus )
Nexus Mod Manager - https://www.nexusmods.com/site/mods/4 (No longer maintained by Nexus but some of the community maintain it now.)

New Vegas Script Extender: Link below. Necessary for many mods below to work. Downlaod from the link below and extract from the zip folder. In the extracted folder named nvse_5_1_beta4 copy all the dll files and the exe and paste it in you New Vegas Folder. That's it.

New Vegas Script Extender (NVSE)

Fixes for bugs/crashes/stutter (AKA the part you shouldn't need to do but you know Bethesda)

• New Vegas Anti Crash - https://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/53635
• NVTF - New Vegas Tick Fix - https://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/66537
• FNV 4GB Patcher - https://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/62552?tab=files (Download, extract to your New Vegas folder and run FalloutNVpatch.exe.)
• JIP LN NVSE Plugin - https://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/58277
• Yukichigai Unofficial Patch - YUP - https://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/51664
• Unofficial Patch NVSE - https://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/65412

So much more we could add just to fix shit but this is already getting long and thats a good start.


Less Ugly Textures

• OJO BUENO Texture Pack - https://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/39755 (Pick what size you'd want depending on you're PC)
• NMCs Texture Pack For New Vegas - https://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/43135 (Pick what size you'd want depending on you're PC)​

Stop NPC's from hurting your eyes

• Fallout New Vegas Redesigned 2 - https://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/39218 (There's a newer version listed as a seperate mod but that's a PITA for several reasons)

Shut up messages about DLC

• Simple DLC Delay - https://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/62779 (Only the Courier's Stash isn't delayed but I turn those off as they give you too much too early)

Getting rid of the piss filter

• Clarity - An Orange Tint Remover - https://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/62481​

Combat and other gameplay (Just the below is needed for sprint, grenade hotkey and a variety of other gameplay tweaks)

• Project Nevada - https://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/40040

Make sure to sort your load order after installing everything. MO2 and Vortex have a Sort button to do it for you.

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There's so much more I could list and some more complicated alternatives to some of the above which may be preferred but a dozen mods is already a lot for some even if that's nothing to some more invested modders. Those mostly address the initially presented problems at least.

So much more playable now. Now I can kill Caesar without those annoyances.

 

[Luyrar]

i did my first playthrough of this game last year without any mods and had a blast, but damn that piss filter removal alone worth another playthrough.

 

[Lazybob]

i did my first playthrough of this game last year without any mods and had a blast, but damn that piss filter removal alone worth another playthrough.

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It's a big difference. There are other mods that change lighting and therefor remove the filter but they are mostly weather mods that will also change weather and maybe adds some textures for clouds and stuff. Those actually may be preferred but I wanted to keep it simple.

 

[NeoBob688]

Great game with great mod.

 

[Survivortype]

I played both FO3 and FO:NV without mods.

What am I missing? I've heard about dirty faces....

 

[Lazybob]

I played both FO3 and FO:NV without mods.

What am I missing? I've heard about dirty faces....

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What issues did you have? Visuals? Some aspect of gameplay? If there's a problem someones probably already tried to address it and you'd have missed out on fixing that. Plenty of options for overhauling NPC's. Some more drastic then others. Aside from that there are many quest mods and stuff if you wanted to experience something fresh.

 

[Deleted member 1003]

Excellent game, played first on PS3 and it was a chore. I'll check it out on PC.

 

[Deleted member 2317]

So I've played around 200+ hours of this game but that Clarity mod is where it's at, thank you so much for sharing! Really looking forward to making my next playthrough take advantage of the extra video RAM I can dedicate to it now, compared to the first few times when it released. 😆

The following are some mods I really love as well:
Populated Casinos - Adds NPCs to the casinos.
Puce Moose Tweak and Balance - various ways to tweak the game such as slower movement when you're stepping backward, randomly explosive robot remains, deadlier combat, etc.
Classic Interface Mod - UI conversion.
JSawyer's mod - A rebalance of the game's mechanics to be harder, especially in the beginning, made by a central designer on the team.
Increased Weapon Jamming - it's the wasteland! Why not?
DLC Weapon Integration - lore friendly placement of generic versions of DLC weapons.
Realistic Repair - gives vanilla items multiple uses for more versatile repair options.
Real Recoil - add some needed spice to combat

 

[Poodlestrike]

You're welcome, I - oh.

 

[Bradford]

Nevada Skies and Weapon Animation Replacer are wonderful. I think there's also a mod called Open Strip or something like it that is really excellent.

I once compiled a list of ultra-realistic survival and weapon damage mods that made the game into a nearly stalker-esque experience where a single bullet could straight up kill you or pretty much any enemy in the game, which was a really fun and surreal experience.

 

[Hawkster]

BTW, quest mods are your best friend in case you hunger for more content in your modded New Vegas playthrough

 

[wandering]

Awww - wait. Oh.

 

[Lazybob]

You're welcome, I - oh.

Click to shrink...

Awww - wait. Oh.

Click to shrink...

I guess you mods are alright too :)

So I've played around 200+ hours of this game but that Clarity mod is where it's at, thank you so much for sharing! Really looking forward to making my next playthrough take advantage of the extra video RAM I can dedicate to it now, compared to the first few times when it released. 😆

The following are some mods I really love as well:
Populated Casinos - Adds NPCs to the casinos.
Puce Moose Tweak and Balance - various ways to tweak the game such as slower movement when you're stepping backward, randomly explosive robot remains, deadlier combat, etc.
Classic Interface Mod - UI conversion.
JSawyer's mod - A rebalance of the game's mechanics to be harder, especially in the beginning, made by a central designer on the team.
Increased Weapon Jamming - it's the wasteland! Why not?
DLC Weapon Integration - lore friendly placement of generic versions of DLC weapons.
Realistic Repair - gives vanilla items multiple uses for more versatile repair options.
Real Recoil - add some needed spice to combat

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It's a real big difference with and without Clarity. I would not play without it or some weather mod to remove the piss filter.

Nevada Skies and Weapon Animation Replacer are wonderful. I think there's also a mod called Open Strip or something like it that is really excellent.

I once compiled a list of ultra-realistic survival and weapon damage mods that made the game into a nearly stalker-esque experience where a single bullet could straight up kill you or pretty much any enemy in the game, which was a really fun and surreal experience.

Click to shrink...

Yes Nevada Sky's is good too. Just didn't use it since Clarity isn't compatible. Would use open strip but I know from experience it can be have bad performance in New Vegas' dated engine.

BTW, quest mods are your best friend in case you hunger for more content in your modded New Vegas playthrough

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yup. Didn't list or install them in this run but the New Vegas Bounties series is great and is one I'd recommend.

 

[asmith906]

I played this game on y ps3 and oddly enough I only encountered a few bugs and crashes. I also replayed it on pc and loved it. New Vegas is my favorite in the series. I really need to replay it with mods.

 

[Bradford]

I got lucky I suppose -- Open Strip has never given me any performance issues. Trying to think of other awesome mods, the one that makes night actually dark and installs street lighting is incredibly excellent. Basically makes it so that there needs to be actual light sources forwlight to generate, making flashlights and other lighting tools necessary while amping up the post apocalypse atmosphere.

 

[Swiggins]

A tale of two wastelands is a fun little playthrough, though it absolutely fucking destroys any semblance of game balance.

 

[Pargon]

Great post, thanks. I'll bookmark this for the next time I inevitably play New Vegas again.
I tend to keep things as vanilla as possible outside of general fixes though.

I played both FO3 and FO:NV without mods.

What am I missing? I've heard about dirty faces....

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If nothing else, the tick fix/stutter remover mods are essential for anything running on that engine.
The tickrate is fixed at 64Hz, which means the games are always going to stutter without the mod (technically they might not if you use a 64Hz display).

Here's a short comparison I recorded from Oblivion recently: