J.E. Sawyer releases his own Fallout: New Vegas mod

WorstUsernameEver

WorstUsernameEver

But best title ever!
J.E. Sawyer, project director on Fallout: New Vegas and its Honest Heart DLC, had already told us through his Formspring account that he was working on a mod for his personal playthroughs and would be releasing it for interested people, something that promptly happened today, without much fanfare. Here's the link to the mod (which requires all Fallout: New Vegas DLC to work) and some bits from the "changelog" he wrote on Formspring:<blockquote>* Max level with all DLCs installed is 35.
* XP rate is halved.
* Base player health is quartered and level-gained health is reduced by 25%.
* Base Carry Weight from 150 to 50 (related perks/things have also been adjusted).
* Energy Weapon ammo weighs less than its nearest equivalent Guns ammo.
* Energy Weapon durability is in the same ballpark as Guns durability.
* Medium Armor has a small amount of DR proportional to its DT.
* Heavy Armor has even more DR proportional to its DT.
* Power Armor does not require a perk, but if you have the perk, the weight of the armor is essentially negated.
* Karma/Alignment values adjusted all over.
* H2O/FOD/SLP rates doubled, but the first threshold is moved from 200 to 400 (statuses roll over ever 150 after).
* Water and Food drop rates on NPCs is dramatically lower. It is difficult to stay out of Dehydration/Starvation by looting enemies.
* Water/Nuka-Cola/Sunset Sarsaparilla heal much less, but now all restore H2O (alcohols will as well, but at lowered values).
* Default Stimpaks are uncommon. A new variant, Stimpak, Expired is the default. It is not that great.
* The player's Workbench recipe now makes Stimpak, Homemade. It is better than Expired, worse than default Stimpaks, and has the PE penalty from Healing Powder.
* All Stimpaks have weight.
* Pre-Order items have been adjusted to be more well-balanced and not worth that much if you rush to Chet's to trade them in.
* A bunch of fixes I couldn't make during development because of load order conflicts, time, etc. E.g.: Automatic Rifle spread re-adjustment, putting the Police Pistol on the Cowboy List, Bozar on Grunt, Junk Rounds are now actual ammo variants you can make, etc.
* Some other stuff.

[...]

* fKarmaModKillingEvilActor from 100 to 5
* fKarmaModKillingVeryEvilActor from 2 to 30
* All (known) Feral Ghouls set to Neutral alignment
* Colonel Moore Alignment changed from Neutral to Evil
* Colonel Hsu Alignment changed from Neutral to Good
* Dam Centurion Alignments changed from Evil to Neutral
* Doctor Usanagi Alignment changed to Very Good
* Dixon Alignment changed from Neutral to Very Evil
* Jean-Baptiste Cutting Alignment changed from Neutral to Very Evil
* Gloria Van Graff Alignment changed from Neutral to Very Evil
* Alice McLafferty Alignment changed from Neutral to Evil
* Alice McBride Alignment changed from Neutral to Good
* Squatter Alignments changed from Neutral to Good
* The King's Alignment changed from Neutral to Good
* Contreras' Alignment changed from Neutral to Evil
* Westside Citizens and Militia Alignments changed from Neutral to Good
* Gomorrah Prostitutes Alignments changed from Neutral to Good
* 1E Junkies' Alignments changed from Neutral to Good
* Michelle and Samuel's Alignments changed from Neutral to Good

[...]

Why can't you just add your changes to the game in an official patch?

The short technical reason is ".esm inter-dependencies" and "load order errors". Sorry.

In addition to technical reasons, some of the mechanics changes make the game significantly more difficult (base health / stim changes) or at least more of a hassle (carry weight, stims having weight, H2O/SLP/FOD rate increase). I'd rather have people opt-in to those changes than make them the default in a patch.

Finally, the game's over. The ship has sailed. No one is working on it anymore. No testers, nothing. This mod is just me working in my free time. If I horribly botch something, you can just un-check the mod and go on your way.

Do you plan to reintroduce the armored vault 21 jumpsuit in your mod? If so, would it be by crafting or found?

Yes. It is for sale in Sarah's store at Vault 21. Both it and the Armored Vault 13 Jumpsuit now use the RepairVaultSuit list and have 200 CND. The Armored Vault 21 Jumpsuit grants 12 DT, +1 LK, and costs 2000 caps.

Will your mod add any removed/unfinished quests?

No.</blockquote>
 
Things like these are really commendable; a pure love for the game and mindfulness of the fans. :clap:
 
I'll probably use this mod on my next playthrough if only because the Stimpak/Food balance is great.
Considering most of the stims you come across were made centuries ago it makes a lot of sense for good condition ones to be very rare.
Hope Sawyer works more on the chems like removing Jet from pre war areas and making Buffout only found in pre war areas as it sounds like the sort of thematic thing he would do.
 
Damn, that's a nice list of changes. When I replay New Vegas I will be sure to check this out, but for now I'm kinda burned out on the game.
 
what a cool guy. Looks like he plays my kind of game. Only mod I would add is killable/no auto heal after combat companions.
 
Well it's really nice of Sawyer to release his own mod to tweak the game but it's kinda too little too late.
Game's been out for a year now, a lot of mods have been created, and most likely the PC players already have their games modded to suit the gameplay they want.

Like me, I modded stimpaks and caps to have weight.
I made chems more expensive.
I got Project Nevada so I can alter the experience rates, lower the H2O, FOD and SLP so they don't bother me anymore (as I just found them tedious), so that I don't get "any" health per level at all and so that I have a 1:3 perk ratio.
I modded every single level up perk in the game to fit a 1:3 perk ratio.

And well. I've finally gotten my perfect balance.
No health apart from base health, drugs and Lifegiver.
1:3 perk ratio with beefed up perks to suit the ratio.
Less experience points and less skill points so that lvl 50 isn't such a bad thing.
No more annoying H2O, FOD and SLP.

Again, it's nice of him to release this mod, but honestly, if you're a PC gamer and you found the balance to be lacking or completely broken, chances are you've already tweaked the gameplay already with other mods, like me.
 
If you read his Formspring account he says he already knows that most people will have modded the game with those things in mind. This is a mod he just worked on in his own time that he released, it isn't designed to get more people to buy the game or anything.
 
Nor did I expect his mod to draw in more players.

I was just saying that I appreciate that he took time to make his own mod but that I won't use it as it's too late and I already have my perfect set-up.
 
His mod suits me well, because I don't use anything else than a few tweaks and stuff from myself and of course the unofficial patch.

I really like the changes to the stimpaks. It even made me wonder if I should add this to my Fallout 2 mod as well.
 
Mr Fish said:
Well it's really nice of Sawyer to release his own mod to tweak the game but it's kinda too little too late.
Game's been out for a year now, a lot of mods have been created, and most likely the PC players already have their games modded to suit the gameplay they want.

Like me, I modded stimpaks and caps to have weight.
I made chems more expensive.
I got Project Nevada so I can alter the experience rates, lower the H2O, FOD and SLP so they don't bother me anymore (as I just found them tedious), so that I don't get "any" health per level at all and so that I have a 1:3 perk ratio.
I modded every single level up perk in the game to fit a 1:3 perk ratio.

And well. I've finally gotten my perfect balance.
No health apart from base health, drugs and Lifegiver.
1:3 perk ratio with beefed up perks to suit the ratio.
Less experience points and less skill points so that lvl 50 isn't such a bad thing.
No more annoying H2O, FOD and SLP.

Again, it's nice of him to release this mod, but honestly, if you're a PC gamer and you found the balance to be lacking or completely broken, chances are you've already tweaked the gameplay already with other mods, like me.
Click to expand...


What?
Theres still a big amount of people that don't mode and theres no way of knowing if they liked the released rebalancing mods so far. I know, I didn't.

Little less with the "I" thinking, dude.
 
C2B said:
Mr Fish said:
Well it's really nice of Sawyer to release his own mod to tweak the game but it's kinda too little too late.
Game's been out for a year now, a lot of mods have been created, and most likely the PC players already have their games modded to suit the gameplay they want.

Like me, I modded stimpaks and caps to have weight.
I made chems more expensive.
I got Project Nevada so I can alter the experience rates, lower the H2O, FOD and SLP so they don't bother me anymore (as I just found them tedious), so that I don't get "any" health per level at all and so that I have a 1:3 perk ratio.
I modded every single level up perk in the game to fit a 1:3 perk ratio.

And well. I've finally gotten my perfect balance.
No health apart from base health, drugs and Lifegiver.
1:3 perk ratio with beefed up perks to suit the ratio.
Less experience points and less skill points so that lvl 50 isn't such a bad thing.
No more annoying H2O, FOD and SLP.

Again, it's nice of him to release this mod, but honestly, if you're a PC gamer and you found the balance to be lacking or completely broken, chances are you've already tweaked the gameplay already with other mods, like me.
Click to expand...


What?
Theres still a big amount of people that don't mode and theres no way of knowing if they liked the released rebalancing mods so far. I know, I didn't.

Little less with the "I" thinking, dude.
Click to expand...

Do either of us have any clear number of which is the majority?
The ones who has modded their games compared to those that haven't yet?

I never said "everyone" has modded their game, just that if you're a PC gamer it's more likely you use a couple of mods. But I never said that everyone has mods.

And from the PC gamers of FNV that I've talked to most of them has a mod or a dozen to tweak the game in their direction of gameplay.

But me saying that "most" people use mods might be inaccurate, just as you saying "a big amount of" people don't use mods.
Until we have clear definite numbers from a poll that includes all PC gamers of FNV, past and present, then we can't decide on which the majority is.

So maybe I'm wrong in my statement, but so are the chances that you are.

[edit]

It was just a general statement towards the balance mods and PC gamers.
There are tons of mods out there to customize the game to your preference, and this mod Sawyer made already exists as far as I know.
So that if somone wants a mod that makes Power Armor not require perks there probably is one.
If someone wants a mod to raise the H2O, FOD and SLP meters then there probably is one.
If someone wants a mod that makes stimpaks have weight then there is one, I should know as I made one.

All of these balancing tweaks in his mod most likely already exists.
Apart from the 'Stimpak, Expired' thing.

So anyway, scratch the "most likely PC gamers use mods" thing and replace it with: Most likely the PC gamers who want to use balancing or gameplay tweaks mods already has them.

Cause that's kinda what I meant, that I, who am interested in balancing mods and tweaking mods, have had the game for a long time and have been searching for the mods to suit my gameplay and found them.
Considering the amount of mods on Nexus it's very probable that if another PC gamer wants mods to tweak and balance the game in their preference that they already found them.

So that Sawyers mod, which I appreciate for his effort, isn't all that special.
That a developer released his own mod that is special, but the content of the mod is not, for me.
 
I don't think Sawyer was concerned with popularity. He only released the mod because people repeatedly asked him to, to know what the lead developer plays with.

That's all. You should stop being negative.
 
Sawyer said he only used it for his own playthroughs, he only released it because people kept asking him to, you are drowning in a glass of water here.
 
So anyway, scratch the "most likely PC gamers use mods" thing and replace it with: Most likely the PC gamers who want to use balancing or gameplay tweaks mods already has them.
Click to expand...

So freaking what? Your entire line of thought "Somebody else has done it before, therefore no point in trying to improve anything" is completely wrong as far as I am concerned.

That a developer released his own mod that is special, but the content of the mod is not, for me.
Click to expand...

Well good for you. Move along. Your posts aren't special either :smugoticon:
 
Pretty interesting. I like the stimpack changes, and the Power Armor ones too.

@Mr. Fish

What exactly is wrong with the guy releasing the modifications he uses on his personnal game? if somebody doesn't like it, it's their problem. If it's been done before? tough luck. Mods aren't exactly meant to be completely unique. They just tailor your play experience to what you like the most. If Sawyer likes these settings, good for him, who the hell cares that they have been done before. If other people (such as yours truly) like these changes and want to use them, why not?
 
Mr Fish said:
Well it's really nice of Sawyer to release his own mod to tweak the game but it's kinda too little too late.
Game's been out for a year now, a lot of mods have been created, and most likely the PC players already have their games modded to suit the gameplay they want.

Like me, I modded stimpaks and caps to have weight.
I made chems more expensive.
I got Project Nevada so I can alter the experience rates, lower the H2O, FOD and SLP so they don't bother me anymore (as I just found them tedious), so that I don't get "any" health per level at all and so that I have a 1:3 perk ratio.
I modded every single level up perk in the game to fit a 1:3 perk ratio.

And well. I've finally gotten my perfect balance.
No health apart from base health, drugs and Lifegiver.
1:3 perk ratio with beefed up perks to suit the ratio.
Less experience points and less skill points so that lvl 50 isn't such a bad thing.
No more annoying H2O, FOD and SLP.

Again, it's nice of him to release this mod, but honestly, if you're a PC gamer and you found the balance to be lacking or completely broken, chances are you've already tweaked the gameplay already with other mods, like me.
Click to expand...

I don't create my own mods and generally I'm pretty cautious about what mods I download. It is very easy to screw up your game with a poorly made mod. If I went looking for a New Vegas mod and had the choice to get one made by the developer himself it would jump to the top of my list. While it may not be perfect, I would have more trust that it is competently made and in keeping with the designers intent for the game.

Not sure why him releasing a mod that was originally only intended for his own use is such a big deal to you.
 
Whatever.

I was just speaking my mind.
His mod's contents has been made already and I personally see no improvements that others haven't already made.
I was not saying he isn't allowed to release his mod nor that it's useless.

Just that the game has been out for a while and the contents of the mod has mostly been made already by others and that I saw no purpose in his mod for my personal experience.

I did not mean that his mod doesn't serve any purpose to any others, maybe some players feel his mod hits the spot perfectly to their gameplay.

That's the point with that post. He is of course allowed to release whatever kinda mod he wants to, if he wants to release 40 variants of No Power Armor Training Required mods with tiny variations to each one he can do that. (Dunno if he's allowed to release that many under the same username though)
His changes are not unnecessary or useless.

I was just stating that they've already been made and his mod doesn't add very much that is new and that those who use tweak and balance mods probably already have those they need.






Besides, when did I ever say he wasn't allowed to release his own mod?
And when did I ever say that it was useless to everyone and not just in my opinion?


Cause I've said it several times already that I appreciate his efforts.
I was just making a statement towards that the changes has already been released.
You guys are very quick to become very defensive.

[edit]

Hm, so it was his mod that he uses for his gameplay?
That's interesting, but doesn't change my opinion about the contents.
It's nice of him to share his mod though.

[edit2]

That makes me confused actually.

I mean I guess it would be interesting to play through the game once with his mod and see how Sawyer likes to play the game.
So from a curiosity POV I can see the appeal, from a gameplay POV I don't see the appeal.

I mean, with other mods you can piece by piece customize the gameplay, like say you wanted the no PA Training Required mod and a mod that makes EW ammo weigh less but you don't want stimpaks to have weight or be less common?

But again, just my opinion on it, maybe others see more of an appeal to it.

[edit3]

Though I suppose if someone doesn't want to spend hours searching for mods it's a nice easy way to get a bunch of random tweaks in one simple to find and download package.

And with that I found a great purpose to this mod.
 
Plenty of people hold opinions like Sawyer, but almost never do they make their ideas a reality. This is gold. To see someone make balance changes in a single player game when really multiplayer is assumed to only worry over stuff like that.

He did it for personal reasons, but now all of us can enjoy it.

:ok: ,
The Vault Dweller
 
"Too little too late" usually doesn't have the implications you are now trying to attribute it Mr. Fish. I'm just assuming you didn't do that on purpose, so now your opinion is clearer, but the reactions to your post are perfectly understandable.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top