X  F  O

Fallout 3 Balance Overhaul

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Included in this rar are several "modular" (you pick and choose) esps.  Overall, the mods rebalance the game, slow leveling, moderately increase difficulty, and enrich the game with greater depth and tactics, as well as provide a more meaningful character-building process.  You don't need a new game, and you can choose new options every time you play!  Read on for more details:

(NOTE: The style-sheet for this readme requires that you are online, and may need a cookie at Beth's official forums!)

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TABLE OF CONTENTS:


1. Mods  <----  What they are and what they do.  Kind-of important   :P

2. Compatibility   <----  MMM, FOOK, patching, and load orders.

3. Changelog  <----  Read this.  Or Santa doesn't bring you presents.

4. FAQ  <----  Read this.  Or I ignore you on the forums.

5. Plans  <----  Where I'm going.  Assuming I don't die.

6. Uninstallation  <----  Not that you'd ever want to!

7. Recommended Mods   <----  Now an important section   :D

8. Like it?  RATE IT!    <----  Remember that a 9 lowers my score   ;)

9. Thanks  <---- This includes you  :)

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MODS:

PlayStyles: Add more differentiation to combat roles and tactics
Pacing: Change the rate at which you level
Skill Points: Change the formula for awarding Skill Points at level up
Weapon Skills: Change the way your weapon skills affect damage and accuracy, and choose weapon damage increase
Item Rarity: Change the rarity of stimpaks, meds, and ammo
The Perk Rebalance: Adds tons of new ranks and changes and rebalances existing perks, adds new perk systems, more character development systems!
Immersion Mods:  Makes you part of a more realistic world, where you will have to address your basic needs, balance the realities of addiction and tolerance, and will receive fewer messages. 
Enemy Rebalance:  Rebalances the HP, stats, skills, weapons, and loot lists for hundreds of enemies! (Not recommended, see compatibility section for better options; cannot be used with MMM or FOOK) 
Miscellaneous Mods: Tons of tweaks,options, fixes, and rebalancing changes.
The Standalone Mod: For those of you who trust me more than you should. ;)  This Mod replaces ALL of the others, and should be used with NONE of them!

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PlayStyles: "XFO_PlayStyles"

As of v0.83b, this is new, and it is in its infancy.  It will grow, expand, rebalance, and modularize; not to worry! Here's the view so far:

Kiting: Backwards running speed has been reduced by 40%. This should reduce one's ability to kite, whether in melee or ranged.

Movement: Melee and Unarmed damage is now dependent on your activity: when moving forward, it is 1.2x; backward, .6x; toward the enemy and jumping, 1.5x. This should add depth and action to your fights in close range, but also reduce the exploit of running backwards while swinging wildly.

Melee Weapons: From the "weapskill" esps, melee already establishes itself as the highest-damage blood-fest playstyle (assuming you have high strength).  However, there was previously no difference between two-handed and one-handed weapons -- now there will be. 
One-handed weapons are the "finesse" solution for wholesale slaughter: due to your quicker hand and better control, you will slowly master the art of striking critical areas just right.  This translates to an increase in critical damage while using one-handed melee weapons.  But because this does require a bit of practice and finesse, your one-handed weapons will have lower critical damage until you get the hang of them.  It will cross Vanilla (100%) at skill-level 50, and by a skill of 100 in melee weapons, your one-handers will be doing hugely more critical damage (50% more).
Two-handed weapons are the "brute strength" solution for crippling your enemies: swinging a sledgehammer with a pneumatic pump for extra pain is just meant to smash someone into a pancake.  This translates to an increase in base damage while using two-handed melee weapons.  Still, it takes a bit of skill to swing these heavy bastards right and really bring them down, so until you get the hang of putting your whole body into your swing, two-handers will do less damage.  Again, it crosses Vanilla values at a skill level of 50, and by 100, they will be doing 25% more base damage than the already-obscene damage they were doing!

Dodging: Unarmed skill is now also unarmored skill. As your skill in unarmed goes up, you will gain the ability to dodge proportionally. Your dodge % is unarmed/2.5, so 0-40%, and it is only in effect when you are unarmed with your hands up (armed while unarmed). When standing still, you are "flat-footed," and your dodge chance is halved, again adding action to your fights. It is also dependent on your armor level inversely: each point of (worn) armor beyond 10DR negates one point of dodge % chance. So ideally, if you're wearing a 10DR piece of armor and have an unarmed of 100, you will have a 40% dodge, and whatever DR you have in addition to that. If, for example, you had a 20DR outfit, you would only have 30% chance to dodge at 100 unarmed; with a 45DR piece of power armor, you'd only have a 5% chance to dodge. This keeps it balanced, as the max is 50% (40% dodge + 10% DR) base ( + med-x, toughness, etc.), which is the same as a good tesla set. But dodging is fun! 
Note that the unarmed damage is drastically lower than previously, across all of XFO; first, it was already badly overpowered (up to +100 damage for a skill of 100), but this play style now makes unarmed a defensive choice.  Melee will still do ridiculous damage, as the offensive choice.
Note also: The only way I could think of to implement a dodge was to force the game to basically ignore damage based on the given percentage; so you will still see the blood splatter on your screen and you will still get the grunt and quick screen shake.  If you are a role-player and desire an immersive explanation, then think of this as a chance to "shrug off pain" through your bodily training, instead of a chance to dodge.  Whatever ;)
Note also also: Yes, you can dodge explosives, but you'll still hurt your legs :P  I may change this in the future, but this was my compromise.

Pistols:  Pistols, those underpowered pea-shooters you were carrying around, are now the "run and gun" solution: as your small guns skill raises (above 40), you gain two fun effects progressively -- first, you will slowly negate your penalty to accuracy while moving (normally 30%, now 0% at 100 SG with a pistol); second, you will, while wielding a pistol, proportionally negate the slower backwards run speed from above. So pistoleers are the "kiters," and the only solution for running and shooting. This balances out their low damage (and, like dodging, running around and trick-shotting is fun)

Energy Weapons: Speaking of balancing out crap damage, energy weapons have not been forgotten, here. They just haven't been spiffy-sciency enough -- they've always felt like crappy regular pistols. Where's the phaser aspect; the sci-fi niftiness? Well, now, as your skill in Energy Weapons increases (and to a lesser extent, Science), you become much better at battery maintenance and weapon upkeep. You can "manually calibrate the phase modulation to offset the isotope decay" or whatever. Anyways, you will use less ammo as you raise in skill (particularly useful if you're using my high rarity mods). At 100 Energy Weapons, you'll only use about one-third as much ammo! Note that you can always make a serious build around this new stuff: with 100 in small guns AND 100 in Energy Weapons / Science, you could use a laser pistol to run around kiting people with less ammo usage.

Rifles: Yes, they will continue to blow up people's heads from a billion miles away, and don't need any further help in being awesome.

Big Guns: Changes to big guns are forthcoming, but they also are quite powerful in their own right.  A playstyle will be developed for them in the near future, probably revolving around (1) encumbrance management, and (2) Rambo-style standing-and-firing-wildly insanity!

Defense: Also not yet a part of the module, defensive maneuvers, from manually dodging to bracing for impact, will be added.  Also, I'm probably going to add DR and dodge modifiers for your movement like I did with melee/ua damage: for example, you may have -5DR while moving forwards, +5 while moving backwards, -10 while jumping, and +10 while blocking.  Just the idea, so far, but I will be working on this.



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Pacing:  "XFO_Pacing"

Mild, Medium, High, and Epic versions for scalable pacing. 

The original experience multiplier is 150.  Mild is 200, Medium is 300, High is 400, Epic is 600.  That means that "Mild" is just a bit slower than Vanilla, Medium is twice as slow, and High is much slower.

For all versions:
Hacking and lockpicking rewards have been cut in half, but exploration has been doubled.
The bonuses for "Hard" and "Very hard" difficulties have been reduced from 50% and 25% to 20% and 10%, respectively.
Various other minor tweaks have been made to the leveling and experience formulas.  This should allow far more exploration and random encounters before "capping" at level 20, and places an emphasis on questing for leveling (keeping you in control).

* Like other scalable mods, pick ONE "XFO_Pacing" mod.


NEW: "Pacing_Extra_Levels"

This is a solution to both get around the level cap and balance out different paces.  Unlike the curved level gain of vanilla, these Extra Levels happen at a linear rate.  You will get an extra level at 2500xp, 5000, 7500, 10k, and every 5k thereafter (every 5k with extras at 2500 and 7500).  This works "on top of" any of the scalable Pacing rate-changing modules, and epic is now recommended.  Here is a handy chart (click to show at full scale):

 

The previous versions of the Standalone all included the "med" pacing scale; it will now include the "high" version.  If you wish to change this, it's easy to do so by loading a replacement Pacing scale mod after the standalone.  Also important to note is the behavior of the game when you change pacing scales.  Say you were playing the previous standalone, with Med pacing, and you had 20k xp.  If you look at the chart, you can see that 20k xp would have you about a quarter of the way through level 12.  On the new High setting, you would only be just about to hit level 11.  But the game won't pull you back a level; instead, it will show your experience bar as not moving until you "catch up" to the new pace.  If you follow the chart up from where you were at (12.3 levels), you will catch up, on the High curve, at around 27k xp; so you'll have about 6k-7k xp to gain before your experience bar starts moving again.  This is perfectly fine, and you'll gain that extra level 5k of your way in, as normal.  If you move DOWN the scale, say from Med to Low, you will instantly gain the levels you are "missing."

The Extra Levels mod is made to work with previous saved games; you will not have to start over to get the extra levels.  You may have a few "waiting" when you first load up.  Because the Extra Levels mod is very slow, you may have to spend 10 minutes getting those levels, especially if you have a lot of experience.  To prevent potential problems, the script only runs every 15 seconds, and takes a couple runs before clicking in the new level.

Your level number will not change (except for about 15 seconds).  Your HP will not change, but you will be able to assign SP and gain new perks.  Your perk level will be one level above your current level (if you gain an extra level when you're level 13, you'll have access to level 14 perks).  Similarly, if you gain an extra level when your next level would give you an extra SPECIAL point via XFO_SPECIAL_DnD, you'll get that point a little early -- but you won't get it twice. 

This has been added to the standalone, of course.

This mod is relatively untested (there's only so much testing I can do myself), so consider it very beta (well, the whole mod's beta, but you know what I mean).  To be safe, when you hear that noise for an extra level, chill out and wait the 45 seconds for the script to do everything; don't go into combat or your pipboy or anything else that might offset it.  It only runs when NO menu is up and when you are NOT in combat.  Experience gained between the beginning of the script and the end of the script (about 30-45 seconds) will be lost.

With all these extra SP, you may want to check the Recommended Mods section for "Skill Workaround" and "Wasteland Mastery" as well as maybe "Level Cap Workaround."  The first two will allow you to invest skill points beyond 100!


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Skill Points: "XFO_SP"

These mods change the way you gain skill points each level.  I felt that characters were given far too many previously, leading to lazy character development.
I include several options, because I was previously unable to do what I wanted.  Now that scripts are possible, I hugely recommend using "SP Fix" or "SP Fix2."

"SP FIX"  This makes INT have half the effect of vanilla (1 SP per 2 INT), base SP/level is 10, and Tag skills are worth 25.

"SP Fix2"  This is like SP Fix (above), except that Tag skills get no immediate bonus.  Instead, investing skill points in Tagged skills is worth double (two points per skill point).  In time, this definitely beats out 25 points.

"SP10 TAG30"  For a greatly reduced 290 total SP (320 with Tag!, plenty more with books).  The base 10 SP in unchangeable: INT is not taken into consideration, as I felt it was by far and away an overpowered stat before, forcing many to pick 10 INT, regardless of character type.  Tag skills require more thought as they are character-defining now.  This was my recommendation before "SP Fixed." 

"SP15 TAG15"  For a balanced approach with more total SP than before, but INT still is not a factor, and the 15 is consistent.  Tag! skills have moderate importance.

"SP20 TAG0"   For many more total skill points (400), but no Tag! Specializations (you don't need them with 20SP per level!).  With the Tags and INT removed, this should be fairly balanced, providing a total of 400 SP.

"SP6 INTx1"   This is similar to the original formula, but with just over half the base SP (11 to 6), and the "vanilla" weight for INT.  Tags are normal (15).

"SP0 INTx2"   This is just another permutation: base SPs are at zero, but INT provides TWO points per level instead of one, ranging from 2-20 possible points.  For you brainiacs that feel ripped off, I guess. :P


* Again, pick ONE.  In the future, I will likely get rid of all but "fixed."


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Weapon Skills and Damage: "XFO_Weapskill"

Mild, medium, and high versions of overall damage adjustment.  For "accuracy not dmg," this affects only the base damage of weapons (and STR modifier to melee dmg), but the others include a higher or lower skill variation effect, as well.  Despite the naming methods, mild is still significantly stronger than vanilla Fallout.  Medium versions range around double to triple vanilla damage.  High versions border on cheats, and are extremely modified, with *average* damage adjustments of around four to six times vanilla values, but potentially higher at high skills (accuracy not dmg is a straight 6x the vanilla value at zero skill).  As of v075b, Melee and unarmed are being looked into extensively, as well.  They will continue to get a lot more love as the next couple of versions come out.

"Dmg not accuracy"     This was my original formula, and it's still the one I personally prefer.  This creates additional variance in damage based on skill levels.  This affects you and your enemies.  Not realistic, but it feels more RPG-ish to me.

"Accuracy not dmg"     Skill level and condition now both factor heavily into accuracy (both negatively and positively).  At low levels with a poor weapon, you will shoot all over the place, especially with full auto.  At 100 skill with a perfect-condition weapon, however, you will see much better accuracy than in Vanilla!  The same works for your enemies. 
Unavoidably, the melee skill WILL affect melee accuracy (now; it didn't before) and NOT damage -- get pyro or iron fist, or upgrade your strength for much more noticeable boosts than before.   The testing and tweaking that went into this was obscene; if you feel that you're too inaccurate, repair your weapon or spend some skill points.  Or don't go fully automatic ;)    
The effect in VATS ranges from subtle to gross, but is not as strong as outside of VATS.  In testing, VATS should cross with vanilla with 55-60 skill in a 50-70% condition weapon; below, it will be less accurate than before, but at high levels/condition, it will approach the VATS cap (there appears to be a distance-to-accuracy cap for each weapon). 
Be aware that very high-skill enemies are now capable of sniping a headshot on you from a distance!   In Vanilla, skill had a moderate impact on weapon damage.  It now has NO impact on weapon damage.  This is, obviously, more realistic.

"Dmg and Accuracy"     Skill levels and condition weigh in heavily on both damage and accuracy.  This one is probably the best for those who want accuracy, but don't want the melee skills to be worthless.  May need more testing, but should be the "have your cake and eat it too" alternative.  :p

FAQ: OMG, Why are my melee weapons doing crazy damage?! (This has been largely reduced in v0.80+)

* As always, pick only ONE of these esps!  These are really the "crux" of this whole endeavor, as the modified damage is taken greatly into account with the other parts.  I highly recommend using one of these.

"Weap Rebalance" Fixes balance issues with specific guns.  Mainly, pistols do more damage, as do miniguns.  Miniguns, and SMGs are less accurate.  The Assault Rifle (not the Chinese one) is more accurate.  This esp works IN COMBINATION WITH one "weapskill" esp of your choice.  It can also be replaced by various other weapon rebalances available on Nexus, but be careful: the individual weapon damage will stack (multiply) with the "weapskill" damage formula changes.  This esp is a very early work in progress, and still needs a LOT of work.  It's coming...


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Item Rarity:  "XFO_rarity"

High is ridiculous, mild is pretty easy (still much rarer than Vanilla); I balanced this for medium.  Stims should be pretty DAMN rare now ;)

As of v0.80b, these are separated, and the "high" version of drug rarity is recommended, while the "mild" version of ammo rarity is recommended.  In the near future, drug rarity files will be made much harsher while ammo files will be made more lenient.  It is strongly recommended that these be used with a barter fix (also new in v0.80b) as well as the misc tweaks esp, which will add to medicine skill efficacy and reduce Med-X to +15 DR.  Also in the near future, I will greatly reduce stimpaks found in the real world, but I don't know of a way to streamline this task, so it will take a lot of time.

Loot and vendor tables have been extensively revised and revamped.  I've been playing around with this a LOT and it's important to note that no matter how carefully I fix all of the (very complex) formulas involved, math just never quite relays the "feel" exactly, and I can only playtest so much.  So I'm counting on a lot of feedback here as to how severe (or not) the ammo/stimpak shortage now is.  Scrounger should be scaled appropriately, but let me know if it's too much or too little. Ammo costs more and is worth more now, too, as are drugs.  In fact, while bottle caps are fun, I'm sure that the real currency in this world would be bullets!

NOTE: Vendors will show up no different than before until they restock their inventory.  Wander out into the wasteland and wait for four or five days to force the change.  Also, you may want to dump your current drugs/ammo (pre-mod) instead of selling it off, otherwise you're basically cheating (since it's now worth a lot more!).

* Pick ONE.  Stim "mirages" should be fixed now, and additional balancing has been done.  In the future, I will separate drugs and ammo rarity files.


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Perks:

"XFO_Perk_Rebalance"
"XFO_Perk_Paths"
"XFO_Perk_Flaws"
"XFO_Perk_Special_DnD_Style"

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Perk Rebalance:

The 5/5 skill perks -- Daddy's Boy/Girl, Scoundrel, Thief, Little Leaguer, and Gun Nut -- are all now available at level 2.  They also have five total ranks now (from 3), including the fifth "mastery" rank, which has double efficacy (10/10 SPs, for a total of 30/30).  With the lower SP formulas, this may make these overlooked skills much more worthwhile, as well as giving a bonus to specialized builds.  (In the near future, these will be again rebalanced.  I'm thinking something like 4,4,8,9,10)

Size Matters has been brought down to 10 SP per rank, to keep in line with it's fellow 5/5 perks.  It also now features five ranks, and the mastery rank adds a significant bonus to encumbrance (for hauling around those big beasts!).  The level req has been reduced to 6.

Cyborg has been revamped to give more love to the energy weapons users, who previously had no real way of raising their skill.  It now only gives 5 DR/PR/RR at level one, but gives 10 points to energy weapons for each rank up to five ranks.  Mastery grants the completion of cyberization, bringing the resistances up to 10 (like they were in vanilla).  Level req has been reduced to 8.

Chem Resistance now gives total immunity to chem addictions (it just wasn't worth picking before - this will be changed in the future as I revamp the addiction system).

Finesse now has three ranks, granting +3% (instead of 5%) to critical chance per rank, with an additional percent at mastery for 10% for three ranks.

Cannibal can't be changed, I'm afraid, as it's scripted.  Same goes for Intense Training.  Not having a CS is like fighting your shadow in the dark.  (This isn't quite as true now, but I plan on tackling them when the official SDK comes out "sometime in December")

Lawbringer and Contract Killer, being "fun" skills, have been lowered to a level req of 10.  Child at Heart, for similar reasons, has been lowered to 2.

Nerd Rage has been "beefed up," in consideration of its high level and its low HP requirement.  It now maxes out the player's DR at 85% whenever HP drops below 20% (in addition to the previous 10 STR).

Toughness now has five ranks, for 5% DR each.  With the greatly increased weapon damage, this gives fighters the option to beef up without (or in addition to) armor.  This also balances with lower cyborg DR and lower initial DR.  Five ranks would grant +25% to DR!  Lvl req is 8.

Strong Back now has three ranks, for +30 pounds each.  Lvl req is 10.

Comprehension, being really the most overpowered perk in the game (potentially over 300 SP from it!), has been raised to a lvl req of 16.  I really should remove it, but you can always ignore it.

Educated, also previously badly overpowered relative to other skill perks, now has three ranks, each of which grant an additional skill point at level up.  This still puts each rank as more powerful than other skill bonus perks, and more versatile.  Level req slightly increased to 6.

Life Giver now has three ranks, for 20HP each.  Strangely enough, these ranks were already programmed in the game, just deactivated.

Here and Now was a joke, so I kept it a bit of one: it now requires lvl 19, for some immediate need gratification ;)

Demolition expert now gives +30% explosives damage per rank, with an additional 10% at rank three for a total of double damage.  Puts explosives back where they should be when combined with the splash radius increase from my misc tweaks esp.

In accordance with my radiation increases, Rad Resistance has been increased to 33% (from 25%).

Several perks have had their SPECIAL requirements upgraded where it made sense.  For example, someone should need a high charisma to be a "lady killer" or a "child at heart," and they didn't in Vanilla.  This makes your initial "SPECIAL build" more important, which is also very good for balance.

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Perk Paths:

This file adds 21 new perks, three for each SPECIAL stat, representing specializations and different playstyles.  This is like a "class" system, more typical of RPGs, but is, as always, optional, and meant to add depth, not restriction.  Each "path" starts with a skill typical of that path, with 5 ranks, an "expert" perk that requires level 3 in the base perk, and a "master" perk that requires both the expert perk and rank 5 in the base perk.  Here's a rundown of each path and its perks:


New in 0.84b: The Ninja (AGI)

Base: "As the Night" -- requires AGI 7, 5 ranks, level 4.
Description: Like the shadow of a cloud, you escape the eyes of your enemies.  With each rank in As the Night, you slowly master the elusive art of the ninja: when unencumbered (<50%), unarmored (less than 5 DR from clothes), and wielding only a one-handed (or unarmed) weapon, and sneaking, you will blend in with your surroundings, 10% per rank.

Expert: "As the Wind" -- requires AGI 9, level 10, Night (3).
Description:  You have become one with the elements, and you flow with the wind.  When unencumbered, unarmored, and wielding a weapon in only one hand, you will move 15% faster than normal and sneak 30% faster than normal!

Master: "Assassin" -- requires AGI 10, level 16, Night (5), Wind.
Description: You have become one with the dark.  You have attained perfect understanding of the life-force that flows through all.  You are silent death.  ... Your sneak attack criticals with one-handed melee weapons or unarmed will slay almost anything!


The Jack of All Trades (INT):

Base: "Jack-of-all-Trades" -- requires INT 7, 5 ranks, level 4.
Description: Scientia Potentia Est!  You've got the brains to fill in all the gaps.  With each rank of Jack-of-All-Trades, you gain 1 point in every skill.  (With an extra point for Mastery)

Expert: "Wasteland Wisdom" -- requires INT 9, level 10, Jack (3).
Description: Understanding is worth more than the most intense training.  Twice as much, actually.  (You get two additional SPECIAL points.)

Master: "Comprehension" -- requires INT 10, level 16, Jack (5), Wasteland Wisdom.
Description: You get it!  The whole crazy world has come into focus; and when your light turns on, it stays on.  You learn double from skill books.


The Gunslinger (AGI):

Base: "Gunslinger" -- requires AGI 7, level 4, five ranks.
Description: You're a gunslingin' quickdraw!  With each rank of Gunslinger, you will have more AP to use with pistols. (About one extra VATS shot per rank)

Expert: "Dance!" -- requires AGI 9, level 10, Gunslinger (3).
Description: When using a pistol, you are adept at blowing away your enemies' legs in VATS.  Stop 'em in their tracks, pardner! (Higher accuracy and MUCH higher crit chance on legs)

Master: "Trick Shot" -- requires AGI 10, level 16, Gunslinger (5), Dance!
Description: You've become the Prince of Pistoleers!  At this point, you could shoot the gun out of someone's hands with your eyes closed.  And so you often do!


The Commando (PER):

Base: "Commando" -- requires PER 7, level 4, five ranks.
Description: All that time you spend shooting Nuka Cola bottles off of distant fences will not go to waste!  For each level of commando, your accuracy in VATS while using rifles increases by 10%

Expert: "Tripod Arm" -- requires PER 9, level 10, Commando (3).
Description: Your rifle has become an extension of you and you an extension of the Earth.  Sniper and hunter rifles will no longer waver or spread at all when you are still and crouched.

Master: "Sniper" -- requires PER 10, level 16, Commando (5), Tripod Arm.
Description: At this point, you tend to aim for the pupil of your enemy's eye -- and split it right down the middle!  Sneak attack criticals to the head in VATS will now do significantly more damage.  (Triple damage x Triple damage = 9x!)


The Iron Fist (END):

Base: "Iron Fist" -- requires END 7, level 4, five ranks.
Description: Through relentless training, you have honed your body into a hardened weapon, and honed your mind to ignore pain.  For each rank you will gain 3 points of damage and 5% damage resistance while unarmed.

Expert: "Iron Skin" -- requires END 9, level 10, Iron Fist (3).
Description: You are slowly mastering solidity of form and fluidity of movement.  When unarmed, you will be impervious to critical hits!

Master: "Iron Body" -- requires END 10, level 16, Iron Fist (5), Iron Skin
Description: Upon mastery of the Iron Style, you have pushed the mantra "Mind Over Body" to its limits.   When unarmed, your bones will never break!


The Fighter (STR):

Base: "Fighter" -- requires STR 7, level 4, five ranks.
Description: You prefer a more... personal feel to your battles.  For each level in fighter, you will do greatly increased damage in melee -- but you will be less accurate with guns.  (+20% Melee dmg, -10% VATS accuracy, +20% gun spread.)

Expert: "Berzerker" -- requires STR 9, level 10, Fighter (3).
Description: Pain is the fuel that ignites your rage -- woe to those who stand in your way!  With Berzerker, you will do greatly increased melee damage as your health wanes below half. (From +20% dmg at 50% HP to +100% dmg at 15% HP)

Master: "Slayer" -- requires STR 10, level 16, Fighter (5), Berzerker.
Description: You are a whirlwind of death before a river of blood!  Half of all of your melee strikes from here on will be criticals. (50% crit chance exactly -- IE, don't take with Finesse)


The Charmer (CHA):  NOT YET IMPLEMENTED

Base: "Presence" -- requires 7 CHA, level 4, five ranks.
Description: Everyone loves you; they just can't help it!  With each rank, others' disposition is improved and when your weapon is sheathed, even the meanest will wince to hurt you.  (+10 disposition, +10DR while weapon is sheathed; per rank.)

Expert: "Commanding Mien" -- requires 9 CHA, level 10, Presence (3).
Description: The Wasteland is a cruel place, but even the hardest inhabitants need someone to lead them.  Mercenaries sent to kill you will turn to defend you instead, and even raiders will fight for you when your weapon is sheathed.

Master: "Harmless" -- requires 10 CHA, level 16, Presence (5), Commanding Mien.
Description: You're the master of your aura, able to expand it or shrink it to your whim, and you know which is best.  With your weapon sheathed and you display no hostility, Super Mutants will ignore you, as a fly on the wall!


The Gambler (LCK):  NOT YET IMPLEMENTED

Base: "Roulette" -- requires 7 LCK, level 4, five ranks
Description: (At random time intervals, you will gain random perks or flaws.  Each rank increases the likelihood of better perks, and decreases the likelihood of flaws.)

Expert: "Favored" -- requires 9 LCK, level 10, Roulette (3)
Description: (Lucky things happen to you, unlucky things to your enemies.  Lots of little things, we'll see about particulars; this isn't done yet.)

Master: "Destined" -- requires 10 LCK, level 16, Roulette (5), Favored
Description: You're too important.  To what, you don't quite know, but it seems that the world won't let you die.  Every time you'd swear you were a dead man, something saves you (you have a 50% chance on death of either healing completely, killing your would-be killer instantly, or being rescued at the last moment, in which case you'll wake up in a bed in Rivet City, BoS headquarters, Megaton, or Tenpenny.)

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Perk Flaws:

"Years of seclusion in a carefully controlled environment have left you fundamentally unprepared for the harsh realities of the Wasteland.  As a result, you are relatively..."

This esp adds character flaws, to balance out some of the specialization and SPECIAL opportunities given by this mod and others, as well as a fun way to add depth to your character.  This idea came out of originally packaging "cost" portions into my new perks (like what's found in Fighter), but I liked the concept of the users' ability to "mix and match" their drawbacks.  This choice will occur once at level 2 (quote above), and once at level 18.  The choices are explained fully ingame and will not cost a regular perk choice.  More will be added in time, but the menu will have to be changed, as I crossed the button limit.

Impatient:  Your itchy trigger finger just won't wait for you to line up that shot.  You have -20% accuracy in VATS.

Dense:  You aren't stupid, it just takes a bit longer to get things through your thick skull.  You have two fewer skill points in every skill.

Creepy:  People get chills even before they see you.  The bad kind of chills.  Others' disposition toward you is cut in half.

Brittle: The pampered, sequestered life of the Vault was nice while it lasted, but it left your body without the harsh testing common to the Wasteland.  Your limbs take 25% more damage.

Scrawny:  You haven't really done too much heavy lifting, and it shows.  Your max encumbrance is lowered by 50.

Clumsy:  You knock things over just by looking at them.  This doesn't make you the best at hiding unseen in the shadows.  Your sneak skill will be permanently reduced to zero.

Impulsive:  You like to shoot first and ask questions later.  Questions like, "What's the best strategy?"  You have twenty fewer Action Points.

Sensitive:  Some people say you're whiney, but you prefer to call it "pain sensitivity."  You have 5 percent less damage resistance.

Shifty:  There's something a bit off about you.  Unfortunately, it makes traders uneasy.  Things cost about 25% more for you when bartering.

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Perk SPECIAL DnD Style

In D&D, a character advances their main stats every few levels, in addition to perk-like "feats."  In this esp, the stat advance won't happen every four level, but every five, at 5, 10, 15, and 20.  This more than makes up for disabling Intense Training and the addition of Flaws.  In the near future, I will have to figure out how to reduce the initial allotment by two, evening this out.


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Immersion Mods:

"Necessities": (Hugely fixed in 0.84!)

FAQ: Why is this mod in a balance overhaul?  /  Why should I use the Necessities mod?

Necessities keeps track of your hunger, thirst, and tiredness.  It does this in part by implementing a new statistic, like HP, called Energy.  Energy dissipates throughout the day, and takes an average of about 16 hours to dissipate completely.  By "completely," I mean zero, but then it will continue to dip into negatives.  Negative energy levels will gradually implement higher penalties to STR and AGI (you slow down and can't carry equipment as well); this will affect everyone's fighting abilities.  Being fully rested will also add a slight +1 bonus to AGI.

Energy: You can only regain energy by sleeping, and how quickly you gain energy depends on how tired you are when you go to sleep.  Several factors change how quickly you gain energy:

- Sitting halves dissipation (sitting to wait is always handy)
- Being in battle will triple energy loss, unless you have high AGI, in which case it will only double it.
- Being hungry or thirsty will speed up energy loss as either increases
- Walking instead of running will lower energy loss (a bit)
- END determines base energy loss rate
- Jet and Nuka Cola increase energy, but will make you unable to sleep for a bit.
- Med-X cancels out the sleeplessness effect of Jet or Nuka cola, and also lowers energy.

Your sleepiness also determines the rate at which you gain health while sleeping.  A catnap will do you very little good.  Also, you will now be unable to sleep when either high on Jet (two ingame hours after use), caffeinated from Nuka Cola (one ingame hour), or Wide Awake (over 65% energy).  You will also automatically wake up now when your energy is full.  Our hero doesn't sleep in!  ;)  At zero energy, which is neutral sleepiness, it should take eight hours to heal completely.

You can check your energy by entering and leaving the 'wait' menu (or the sleep menu; the game can't tell them apart :p) - so pressing 'T' twice on my setup.  Five seconds after the menu is closed (timer to prevent spam), the game will tell you your energy level.  You can also check your effects (EFF) in your pipboy for a verbal indicator of your energy, thirst, and hunger levels, as well as their penalties/benefits.

Energy, just like hunger and thirst, will dissipate during waiting and fast-traveling.  This makes it a good idea to know where beds are located in the field, and to make friends with several factions, since they often have beds available for you.  (I'm currently working on a portable campsite.  Until then, make sure you're at full energy before fast traveling, take a meal with you, and know where some beds are.)

HUNGER: You will become full by eating four pieces of food (all food items are currently equal; this will change).  These can be all at once or spread out as snacks, but once full, you will stay full for two ingame hours (Vanilla rate: 2 RL minutes = 1 ingame hour), and you won't be hungry for four hours after eating.  You will then get hungrier at 8 hours and 16 hours.  You now can't eat during battle or while you are full (beware: the food will disappear, but nothing will happen for you!). The game will let you know as you become hungry or full, or if you ate while hungry but not enough to fill you up.  Hunger reduces INT and CHA (spacey and cranky).  NOTE: Some food (like junk food or snack cakes) with no nutritional quality will not fill you up.  However, these foods CAN be eaten while full or in battle for a few HPs.

THIRST: Thirst increases much like hunger, except that you must quench each thirst level with a drink.  (With hunger, eatting four pieces of food will ALWAYS fill you up, regardless of how hungry you are; with thirst, if you are really thirsty, you will have to drink more; but it only takes one drink normally.)  Thirst affects END and PER.  Neither hunger nor thirst have effects as strong as energy loss.  Alcohol increases thirst, but beer counts as food, and alcohol will get some bonuses from my mods in the near future.
NUKA COLA DOES NOT QUENCH THIRST!  Unfortunately, it seems that "standing bodies" of water don't work, either.  That means lakes, rivers, puddles.  And if you need several drinks from a sink, toilet, or other external source, make sure you activate each time independently: holding the activation trigger down to take several drinks is only being counted by the script as one trigger (and therefore one drink for purposes of this mod.)

Compatibility and bugs: Currently, as a bug, your hunger or thirst level will probably decrease when you discard (from your inventory) either food or drink, respectively.  (This no longer happens, as it once did, while selling either.)  The upside to the method I've used is that it is compatible with EVERYTHING, forever, no matter what, bar none!  The only thing that would "break" my mod would be something else that changes external water sources like urinals, but then you would just have to quench thirst from inventory water sources.  I have touched NOTHING else in the game.  The script just checks for inventory differences and it handles its own variables internally (like Energy).  It also no longer uses


"Addiction and tolerance": Not yet implemented.  Will create a deep and balanced system of addiction and tolerance.  It will also make medicine a much more valuable skill.

Many more immersion mods to come!

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Enemy Rebalance:

IMPORTANT: This is quite likely incompatible with the new MMMF3.  Don't worry, a compatibility patch will be coming.

There's really too much here to go over every change specifically.  As you can see in Windows, this mod is much larger than all of the rest put together.  There are hundreds of changes in this file, and it includes weapons and armor used by enemies, loot lists, stats and tactics, skills and abilities.  But I can go over some key points...

- Super Mutants: According to their "rank," mutant HP has been GREATLY increased.  This as well as their other stats have been balanced according to their weapon, fighting style, etc.  Their weapon lists have been changed to be more balanced, as well as appropriate limitations like speed changes.

- Raiders: Raiders were disproportionately difficult, and that has somewhat been altered.  On the one hand, they are FAR less likely to carry assault rifles or other powerful weapons, but they are now able (and willing!) to snipe from a distance with a hunting rifle, so watch your head.  Their armor will spawn on worse condition, giving them a lower DR, and a much lower ENDurance means fewer HPs.  Some of them have been tactically altered, as well.  They should be more "fun" all-around :)

- Enclave: On the other hand, the Enclave were kind-of a let-down after fighting off raiders and mutants.  They should be a bit tougher now, though more work needs to be done.  In particular, their power armor will spawn at a much higher condition, increasing their DR.

- Talon mercs:  All of you goodies are going to hate me, but I made these guys even tougher.  Mainly, I made their snipers into deadly distance head-shotters.  But don't worry, mercs will get a lot more work in the next release, making them a bit less deadly.  Still, mercs are hitmen -- trained assassins -- and should be avoided as such.  Get back in that sewer and run!

- Ghouls: A few changes, but Glowing Ones are especially scary now.  Not "boss" scary, but creepy, fast, and pretty tough.

- Dogmeat is a lot harder to kill.  Other companions will get a new misc mod soon that will make them into essentials.

- A LOT more is coming in this.  This is just a matter of time and tedium.  :)

- Check the v0.82b Changelog for additional changes.  When this gets a lot of work, I'll update the description here.


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Miscellaneous Mods:


"Stat Changes" 
This file is considered a crux of this mod in general, and is highly recommended!  SPECIAL stats, in general, are now much more important and balanced.
Health per level has been reduced for players, increased for enemies (making top-end enemies tougher).
Base health slightly reduced, putting emphasis on Endurance. 
Health per level was previously 10; now it is 5.  It's higher for NPCs. 
Base health was 100; it's now 70.  Also, health per point of END was 20; it's now 10 -- but this is true for enemies, as well.
Encumbrance per point of Strength raised 50%, base Enc lowered slightly.
Base Action Points reduced with higher multiple for Agility (crossing at 5 Agi with "Vanilla" Fallout3).
AP regen raised a bit.
PERception, which was underpowered previously, now has a strong effect on accuracy for all guns.
CHArisma now has a direct (and pronounced!) effect on prices.
In 0.82b: Base Encumbrance has been lowered and AP per AGI has been raised.

"Barter Fix"
The barter ranges have been greatly increased, making barter a far more important skill and making it much harder to get rich.  This is, of course, more pronounced in the high version, where even at a barter of 100, things will sell for much less than they cost, but at low barter skill, you will feel the harsh cruelty of the Wasteland in yet another facet of the world, which makes sense, really.

"Timescale"
These directly affect the ratio of realtime (RL) to gametime.  Here's the breakdown:
Vanilla timescale: 30x faster than real life; 2 RL minutes = 1 ingame hour
Fast: 12x faster than RL; 5 RL minutes = 1 game hour; 2.5x slower than Vanilla
Med:  6x faster than RL; 10 RL minutes = 1 game hour;  5x slower than Vanilla
Slow: 3x faster than RL; 20 RL minutes = 1 game hour; 10x slower than Vanilla
These will drastically change the feel and effect of the Necessities mod.  Other than that, and maybe the feel of the game in general (especially if you don't fast-travel), it won't affect anything.  If NPC AI is like Oblivion, they may seem more real at slower timescales, since they have more time to complete their objectives.

"Cripple fixes " Movement penalties for crippled limbs significantly increased (from 85% and 75% to 66% and 33%) -- for both you and enemies
The penalties are increased, which means that movement is much SLOWER for one or two limbs crippled.  This really does make for more tactical battle.

"Degradation Fixes " Moderately reduced armor decay and significantly reduced weapon decay.

"Gore Fixes " Odds of dismembering/exploding body parts greatly reduced (to 10%); Bloody Mess left as it was, for those who want a mess ;)

"Weapon Jamming"  Weapons now have a chance of jamming when shooting, and a higher chance of jamming on reload.  This is highly dependent on condition, and won't even start to occur until it's below 40% (below 30% for jamming on shooting).  This affects enemies, as well.  The values are quite small, so it shouldn't be too much of a bother, but it may add another interesting dimension to the game -- and your adrenaline.  ;)

"Karma Changes " It felt like karma was far too easy to manipulate before.  Now the karma range is significantly increased (from 2000 points to 4000 points), and the "Good" and "Evil" are much wider proportionally.  It will be much more difficult to establish oneself as "VERY" good or evil, and MUCH harder to stay that way.  The "wiggle room" for Very good/evil has been reduced from 250 to 50, so performing a good act when Very Evil will cost you your status as such, and vice versa. The karma penalty for stealing has been severely reduced (from -5 to -1).  To eliminate the annoying sounds and messages, check out Reneer's Invisible Karma mod in the Recommended Mods section!

"Radiation Changes " This greatly increases the rate at which you will accumulate radiation (ESPECIALLY when swimming!).  I felt that the fear of radiation was completely lacking from the game.  Other than intentionally for a quest, I don't think I ever had radiation sickness, nor did I *ever* use a Rad-X.  Now "toxic" will *feel* toxic.  And you might get some use out of rad regeneration, too! v05b: Wading has been made a lot more dangerous, as well.  Bwah ha ha ha haaaaa... v06b: Fixed wading.  I was lying before, apparently (forgot to upload the new version).  Also increased radiation again.  Let me know if it gets ridiculous, but it should work out fine.  Keep a suit handy ;)

"Sneak rebalance" From the v0.82b changelog: "The main change from Vanilla is that line-of-sight is, itself, 3x more effective at spotting you.  It really bothered me that I could walk up to someone IN FRONT OF them and still be unseen.  On that same note, *moving* within someone's line-of-sight (and visual distance) will almost certainly get you spotted.  With a high sneak, you may be able to stay still when they turn around, especially if you're partially obstructed by an object, but you won't be able to continue to move towards them!  Second, the effect of armor weight has been tripled, BUT the BASE armor rate has been reduced.  The Vanilla formula for the sound you make while moving was (12 + (ArmorWeight * 0.4)); it is now (1 + (ArmorWeight * 1.5)).  This crosses over at an Armor Weight of 10, so under 10lbs, you will be sneakier than in Vanilla; over 10lbs, you will be less sneaky.   Third, the sound made by a gunshot is much louder than Vanilla (though MUCH quieter than in the fubar'ed v080b). I did make slight changes to the detection base: aside from the line-of-sight changes, it will be significantly easier to "properly" sneak up on someone in the mild rebalance, and a bit harder in the harder version.  Just don't plan on walking up to someone from the front, sneaking in heavy armor, or remaining unseen after a gunshot!"

"Speed increase " Due to requests, the speed changes have been separated from misc tweaks and are now optional.  I like them, personally.  I especially like when enemies use their newfound speed quite smartly to their advantage.  They seem smarter now that they can effectively weave, flank, close for melee, etc.  And it's really just about a 12% change.

"Food Water Changes"  This changes the food to adjust well with the "Radiation changes" and the drug rarity.  It now heals for much more, but it also carries higher doses of radiation.

"VATSdmg" In Vanilla Fallout, players only took 10% damage during VATS, which made it "God mode," effectively.  I love the VATS system, and use it as often as possible, as I find it to be RPG-ish and fitting of the older Fallout flavor.  But I don't like cheating, either ;)  So I *had* raised it to 100%, which makes sense.  Responses and testing indicate that this is imbalanced in the other direction, since the camera behavior often leaves players "hanging" and vulnerable.  I plan to change this behavior, but in the meantime, three levels of VATS player damage are now selectable: 50%, 75% and 100%.  For the time being, I recommend the 50%, though I personally use the 75%... carefully.  Those who like living on the edge can use 100%; used well, it's still the most "correct" option, balance-wise.

"Power armor Revamp" Changes the enchantments and base values on the Power Armor, which I thought was both too weak, and too easily available to any character type.  Now Power Armor provides a bit more DR, and weighs a LOT more BUT (it is powered) it also provides a weight mod enchantment to cancel most of that weight, making them lighter (in "net" weight) than before. 
The base weight should severely restrict sneaking, and slow you down a bit more. Other changes to balance, including replacement of the Tesla Power Pack with the Tesla Shield Emitter, which now only has 15 DR ("only," PSH!) Removed due to compatibility issues.  If you have the old version, it's still fine with just XFO, but nothing else that affects PA.

"MMMF Diff" Changes aspects of difficulty for use with Increased Spawns (aka MMMF); see the changelog for v082b for details. No longer necessary.  See compatibility section.

"Misc Tweaks"
Running will now negatively affect accuracy for you and NPCs!
Med-X now gives 15% DR instead of 25%.  25 was silly, and this also brings it inline with the perk changes.
Explosion splash radius increased by 30%
Increased the level multiplier for "boss" enemies
Repair Costs slightly reduced
Paralyzing Palm chance reduced (from 30% to 10% -- and it's still OP, IMO!)
Player limb damage brought to normal (from 50% to 100%)


* Personally, I recommend ALL of these mods, and they are designed to work together!  They are ALL included in the "Preconfig Standalone" (so they don't go with it).


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"Full preconfig Standalone"

This is the combination of all of the changes and fixes that I find most balanced, and that I have playtested the most.  This is how XFO is meant to be used, and how Fallout 3 was meant to be played!

Pacing (medium), Weapon skills affect accuracy AND damage (medium), Ammo rarity mild, Drug rarity high, barter fix mild, timescale medium, SP Fix, All of the perk mods, all of the rebalance mods, and ALL of the above-listed "Miscellaneous Mods." For those who like to keep their mod list simple!  If you go with this, there's no need to even extract any of the others, they'll just be clutter! 

As implied by its name, this esp is meant to be used ALONE - with no other XFO esps.  However, it *should* be possible to load this file first in your load order, then use anything you want to overwrite it later in the load order.  For example, if this is ABOVE a checked "Weapskill_dmg_and_accuracy_high," that should overwrite the Preconfig file's settings for Weapon Skills.  This is not tested, nor supported, but I don't see why it shouldn't work.

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COMPATIBILITY

Mart's Mutant Mod (MMM): I've included a new patch for using MMM, and the general load order should be
1) XFO files
2) MMM files
3) XFO/MMM compatibility files
PLEASE NOTE that my MMM patch should NOT be used with the MMM patch for FOOK.  If you are using FOOK, use their MMM patch instead of mine.  FOOK makes many of the changes I do; primarily HP adjustments to enemies.  The difference is that the FOOK patch makes creatures and npcs load FOOK weaponry and armor.  Similarly, you'll want to load it last.

"Mart's Mutant Mod - XFO (not FOOK):"  Some of the changes made in my MMM patch:
* Mutants have many more hitpoints than previously, but fewer than in my own enemy rebalance.  Appropriate scaling of stats and speed has been done to all tiers and types of mutants for balance.  For example, a Super Mutant Master with a rocket launcher will be slower and have fewer hitpoints than a Master with a sledgehammer.
* Ghouls have been extensively reworked, largely inspired by the MMM Feral Ghoul Rampage mod.  Feral Ghouls and Feral Ghoul Roamers now have very few HPs, but only take damage in the head.  They move very slowly, but do long, slow poison damage on touch.  Despite their incredibly slow movement, if used with Rampage, these ghouls can overwhelm an unwary adventurer.  Glowing Ones, on the other hand, move very quickly and do radiation damage when they hit.  (I don't want to hear any lore whining about ghouls, but I will separate this out and make it optional in the next version.  Currently, compatibility patches are VERY much a "work in progress," and this is basically a preview.)
* Enclave, BoS, and Outcasts now carry MUCH stronger armor (from previously about 15% health to now about 90% health).
* Most other major creature-types have had their HP, damage, and/or speed adjusted.
* AI and tactics have been reworked for several different types of enemies, particularly raiders.  Raiders will now dodge, bob and weave much more than before, and will seek out and use cover MUCH more often.  Raiders are survivors of the wastes, and now they should act more like it.  They will also coordinate cover fire while melee raiders close the distance.  Ghouls and Deathclaws will be more straightforward and aggressive.  The former are slower in general (including swinging), and the latter are faster.


FallOut Overhaul Kit (FOOK):  My patches for FOOK are basically reworkings of my previous incarnations of the same files, except that they now include the FOOK additions.  FOOK both implements a lot of new ammo types and increases the amount of ammo available throughout the world.  The idea is that with tougher enemies, you'll have to use more bullets, but when you double enemy health AND double weapon damage, you use the same amount of bullets ;)  As always, my ammo rarity rebalances are optional, of course, and you'll have to load them after XFO and FOOK files.  My weapskill patches simply readjust my damage formulas to take into account the much stronger weapon damages included in FOOK.  This is much simpler than actually rebalancing all of the weapons individually.
PLEASE NOTE that any/all FOOK files must be loaded before any/all XFO files.  The load order here should be FOOK files, then XFO files, then compatibility files.  The original Enemy Rebalance, Weapon Rebalance, Power Armor Rebalance, and the new MMM patch are not compatible with FOOK.  Most XFO specific rebalances have been removed from 0.84b as it is no longer a focus of XFO.
NOTE ALSO that XFO's FOOK patches are only made to work with FOOK v1_1b and/or v1_1c.  I will continue to release patches to keep up with future releases of FOOK, but do not use the newer CALIBR-based FOOK with the packaged v0.84b XFO patches!


BOTH (FOOK and MMM):  I imagine that this will be the configuration most people will want to start using, and I can't deny that the next month's-worth of changes in all three will get quite confusing.  Please read the above information about each mod's separate use with XFO.  Here is an example load order for all three:

00 - Fallout3.esm
01 - Mart's Mutant Mod.esm
02 - FOOK.esm
03 - FOOK.esp
04 - FOOK - Balance Changes.esp
05 - XFO_full_preconfig_STANDALONE.esp
06 - Mart's Mutant Mod.esp
07 - Mart's Mutant Mod - Increased Spawns.esp
08 - Mart's Mutant Mod - Hunting & Looting.esp
09 - Mart's Mutant Mod - Zones Respawn.esp
(   - Mart's Mutant Mod - XFO )
0A - Mart's Mutant Mod - FOOK.esp
0B - XFO_rarity_ammo_med_FOOK.esp
0C - XFO_Weapskill_accuracy_notdmg_med_FOOK.esp

Notice a few important things, here:
* The compatibility patches come last.
* The load order for the base mods is FOOK, then XFO, then MMM.
* The STANDALONE stands in for any number of non-standalone mods (since it's all of them); they go in the same place.
* The MMM compatibility mod is the FOOK one, not the XFO one.  Hopefully there will be a combined one in the near future, but I don't think it's my place to make it.  By loading the FOOK one instead, you retain the loot lists with the new weapons/armor/ammo.  The XFO MMM patch can be loaded as well, but if so, it must come before the FOOK one.  It's included in parentheses above because I don't think it will make much of a difference; the FOOK one will basically replace the XFO one at this point.  This is why it says "not FOOK" as it's better to leave it out than to load it after the FOOK patch.
* The two mods that need to be loaded for FOOK compatibility with XFO are one rarity mod and one weapskill mod.  Med are recommended, as high and low are both pretty extreme, but it's scalable for a reason.  :)
* You can't see it, but the FOOK esp and the MMM - FOOK esp are from v1_1b.  Versions after v1_1c will not be compatible with my FOOK patches.  However, if you don't care about the rarity or the weapskill fixes (or prefer the newer FOOK version), go ahead and load the newer FOOK, leave out XFO compatibility patches (rarity and weapskill), load the newer version of FOOK after XFO (so XFO -> (newer) FOOK -> MMM), and when I come out with patches, they'll be compatible "retroactively," so it's no worry.  This isn't supported by me, as it's no longer technically compatible, but this will work.
* You will have to wait for four days (ish) ingame before the new loot lists and vendor lists take hold.  You should do this in an interior cell with no other NPCs in it.  My apologies for the fact that you will then be very thirsty and hungry ;)
* Oh, and this is just an example, of course.  You can choose different MMM or XFO options; just stay away from the FOOK balance changes, or if you really want something they have in it that I don't have in mine, load theirs before any/all XFO files.

There will be much more coming and this is a little messy, so consider it a "hotfix" for temporary use.  Future releases should be able to be made compatible.  As a more general note, if Martigen releases compatibility patches for XFO and/or FOOK, those supercede (should be used instead of) my patch!  I may also release FOOK patch updates separately from the main XFO pack.


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CHANGELOG:

v02b is now Modular!

v03b removed the Cam Centering and Level removal cap, as well as some fluff (for increased compatibility).  Also broke the Skill Point reduction and Perk changes into five different choices for your balancing preferences (or none for the normal formula, of course).  v04b will include many more perk changes, a Karma revamp, and separate radiation esps.  Let me know if you have any other wishes!

v04b is now even more modular and features some changes to the karma system as well as an EXTENSIVE perk revamp!  A lot else has changed, so you may want to read over the changes.  A LOT more still to come :D

v05b starts out by fixing the errors I introduced in 0.4 -- sorry all!  The perks work and the skills aren't wonky.  Also added is a complete revamp of the entire games loot and vendor tables! 
Stimpaks and bullets will by FAR rarer, both in the world and on vendors.  As such, they have also raised in price (which, of course, works both for and against you). 
Included in this new ESP are various other tweaks to go with it, read below for more.  Misc Tweaks now also includes a lower 15% DR for Med-X, to bring it inline with perk changes. 
Many more changes and esp breakdowns are planned, like damage scaling options, but I wanted to get the fixes out asap!

v06b is now MUCH more modular.  I think that I'll have to start separating pieces into folders to make it clear how they break apart and fit together.  By 1.0, I may start using a guided install executable. 
Anyways, lots of changes: damage is now scalable, as is VATS damage (that you take), and pacing.  HP and encumbrance bases reduced ever-so-slightly to fit them in with all of my other changes: my changes will now all "cross" with vanilla's values at "5" for SPECIAL, and, wherever possible, at "60" for skills. 
Also included is my extended version of the sneak rebalance.  Sneaking should be *appropriately* more difficult in non-ideal situations.  In truly ideal circumstances, it will actually be slightly easier to remain undetected.  Boot (armor) weight, actions with sounds (like reloading), light value, and line-of-sight now have much stronger implications.  As stated about the "rare drugs ammo" esp: numbers do not equal "feel," so let me know how this rebalance feels.  I've tried to test it, but testing takes a lot of time.
Also now included is a preconfigured "full" overhaul esp.  DO NOT use it with any of the other esps -- it includes all of my recommended tweaks and values.
v065b is mostly a hotfix for bugs in v06b: the perks now WORK.  Bah :P  Also included is a "fix" of the ammo rarity esp, marked "V2", and I've pulled the food changes out of the drug/ammo esp. 
For those who want to see where I'm headed with perks, check out the gunslinger preview.  I have much cooler ideas in mind that will go along with pushing apart the different "subclasses."

v07bLots of changes, but scripting came out earlier today and I've been playing around with it for at least 12 solid hours -- so most of the changes I wanted haven't come through, but that also means that my abilities for modding have been HUGELY increased! :D
 
First, I made several separations and new files: cripple effects, gore fixes, and degradation fixes (now including hugely decreased weapon degradation) have been separated from the misc file, and a few new misc tweaks have been added.  The VATSdmg files now have significantly reduced "lag" (delay) at the end of the VATS sequence, proportional to the one you pick (ie, there's zero lag for the 100% esp!), and weapon damage in VATS now scales with which one you pick, as well.  Rare drugs and ammo have been fixed, thoroughly revamped, and are now scalable!  The remaining bugs in the perk rebalance have been squished!  Running now negatively affects accuracy - no more kiting! v075b: Under-the-hood changes and bugfixes: Drug/ammo rarity mods have been substantially revamped AGAIN -- I got it this time, I swear!  I went through EVERY container in the game, so nothing escaped my wrath! :P  The damage formulas for the "weapskill" mods have also been extensively revamped, retested, and rebalanced.  Should be a lot more even for melee/unarmed now.  Oh, and there should be fewer 0xp bugs now! 

Also, for fun, I included a preview of where I'm going.  New "Pistoleer" perks (compatible with the other perk esp) include the following: Gunslinger has five ranks, each of which give +20AP for use with pistols only (about 1 extra shot per rank); Dance!  a perk which requires Gunslinger, 8 Agi, and level 10, it allows you to deal double damage to opponents' legs (great with the changed cripple speeds!); Trick Shot, 10Agi, level 16, requires Dance!, give hugely increased accuracy when aiming at opponents' weapons in VATS!  Now you can be an old-west-style gunslinger!  Shoot the gun out of their hands, blow out their legs, blow the smoke off your barrel, and holster your pistol, then walk away whistling ;)  These are the very tip of the iceberg, I promise.

v075b: Mostly bugfixes again, some formula tweaks.
v076b: Melee dropped back down to "reasonable" levels.  LOTS of "under-the-hood" changes, including a bugfix for those pesky "mirage" stimpaks.  You should also notice some accuracy changes.  I spent some time with a graphing calculator to discover that my previous accuracy changes were WAY too strong, on the positive side.  You will now be less accurate below skill-level 50 (than in Vanilla), and increasingly more accurate above 50.  Condition now has a lesser effect on accuracy, in order to even things out.  For those who like math, the Vanilla formula is (0.5 - 0.005x) and mine is now (0.7 - 0.009x) where "x" is your skill level, and positive amounts increase bullet "spread" (decrease accuracy), and negative amounts increase accuracy.  For reference, the modifier for crouching is -0.4, so the -0.2 you will get from a skill level of 100 isn't as ridiculous as before, but is still nicer than the "0" from Vanilla.  And you start at 0.7 instead of 0.5; you will cross at SL 50 @ 0.25.  Obviously, the "spread" units are ambiguous, which is why I had to play around a bit.
Oh yeah, and this nifty HTML readme is included now.  Hopefully, this makes it a BIT easier on the eyes and the brain, but it still needs cleaning up!  :O
v077b: *Sigh*  Why do I never make a clean release?  Well, I screwed up the misc tweaks esp and never bundled a new Standalone.  They're both in here, now, and the sneak rebalances are fixed (messages will appear again in the "mild" version).  There are reports of CTDs (Crash To Desktop).  This could be from improper mod-mixing, but most likely, there's a value in one of my records that's causing it.  Please read the "bug report" section of the "how" FAQ, and submit CTD reports with proper specificity.  Fixing this is my top priority. 
v078b: Included was an important bugfix.  For users of versions previous to v078b, its readme includes how to use the bugfix, but the crash should no longer be a problem in my mod.  I am working on a "Save Cleaner" mod, and it should be out soon. v082b-ish.

v080b:  There are so many changes here that I will inevitably leave something out.  The Immersion "Necessities" mod is new, as is the barter fix, and the Enemy Rebalance; the sneak rebalance has been substantially remade and rethought, the Perk mods got some new friends, including Perk Paths, Perk Flaws, and DnD style SPECIAL growth; the rarity mods have been split and are currently receiving a lot of work (not yet implemented) including going through external "placed" objects.  I've also added a recommended mods section.  I can't too highly recommend Darn's UI mod, even if it is in alpha.
As I've mentioned in several other places, I no longer have a means of testing my mods.  This is just a temporary setback until I fix my computer.  But this means that I'm looking for a lot of feedback. 
v081b:  Sorry all!  I see people weren't too happy with that new sneak rebalance.  It's changed to a formula much like the old one, but still highly reworked according to the full formula that Beth has now released.  It's important to realize a few things about how "sneak" works.  It's a misnomer, really, because the process occurs on the OTHER actor in a two-actor check -- that is, what's really taking place is a DETECTION check, not a sneak check.  You and everyone else are constantly making detection checks on your surroundings.  Also, that detection is ALWAYS happening, whether you/they are standing, running, sleeping, or sneaking.  All sneaking does is applies a big negative (based on skill) to the detection formula.  Being alert (IE, looking for you actively) will apply a positive modifier to their detection check.  But detection is a process that occurs with success or failure regardless of your sneak state.  This happens for you, too, and manifests as compass markers.  For them, it manifests as "aggro."  This is why, by making a much more wide and comprehensive sneak system, people were experiencing SO much more aggro.  When your gun was shooting, everyone who heard it went into an alert state, seeking out the sound with hostility.  That would likely mean, say, every Raider in Springvale Elementary once you fired your first shot.  Unfortunately, while this seems realistic AND balanced to me, it also makes sense that getting 20 Raiders or Mutants jumping on you at once whenever your position is revealed within sight/sound proximity... is too hard.
Also featured in v0.81 is some reworking and tweaking for the Necessities mod, including corrected sleeping health-regen values and NOW... non-factioned beds in the Megaton Common House.  Coming soon will be a portable bedroll.
Keep letting me know what's up, but just so you know: I'm at my girlfriend's parent's place for the next week or so, and she has dial-up.  I don't know how anyone survives on dialup, as it takes seriously about 10 minutes just to load a forum page.  So I'll likely be offline 99% of the time...

v082:  I said I was going to take a break, but I felt terrible -- v081b was a very shaky release, and people's Christmas Breaks are coming up.  At the very least, I not only feel bad about the "omnipotent enemies" (the sneak rebalance problem of too-easy detection), but also the fact that crashes are still happening when updating the Standalone or removing the Perk additions.  This is only partially my fault, but I'll explain in more detail as I flesh out this major bugfix update.  Be sure to at least skip down to the Uninstall Files section -- it's REQUIRED READING for everyone!  :)

First, the sneak rebalances; they were a priority.  I've started from scratch and re-evaluated my intentions with them.  Now, instead of changing anything about the detection process itself, I've only made a few highly-conditional changes.  The main change from Vanilla is that line-of-sight is, itself, 3x more effective at spotting you.  It really bothered me that I could walk up to someone IN FRONT OF them and still be unseen.  On that same note, *moving* within someone's line-of-sight (and visual distance) will almost certainly get you spotted.  With a high sneak, you may be able to stay still when they turn around, especially if you're partially obstructed by an object, but you won't be able to continue to move towards them!  Second, the effect of armor weight has been tripled, BUT the BASE armor rate has been reduced.  The Vanilla formula for the sound you make while moving was (12 + (ArmorWeight * 0.4)); it is now (1 + (ArmorWeight * 1.5)).  This crosses over at an Armor Weight of 10, so under 10lbs, you will be sneakier than in Vanilla; over 10lbs, you will be less sneaky.   Third, the sound made by a gunshot is much louder than Vanilla (though MUCH quieter than in the fubar'ed v080b). I did make slight changes to the detection base: aside from the line-of-sight changes, it will be significantly easier to "properly" sneak up on someone in the mild rebalance, and a bit harder in the harder version.  Just don't plan on walking up to someone from the front, sneaking in heavy armor, or remaining unseen after a gunshot!

Second, the stat changes.  It finally occurred to me how to easily balance SPECIAL stats and make them all very important.  It will now be very difficult for you to choose amongst them!  The main changes are that PERception now has a very strong influence on ranged accuracy.  From about -30% to +30%, crossing Vanilla at a PER of 5.  Also, CHArisma now has a major effect DIRECTLY on prices everywhere; again from about -30% to +30%, crossing at 5 (of course, higher CHA gives lower prices).  Combined with the painful barter fixes, this makes Charisma very attractive to *anyone.*  It still has its previous indirect effect on prices (via disposition), as well as all of its other previous abilities.  AP now has a higher multiplier per point of AGI (than previous releases; MUCH higher than Vanilla); and base encumbrance has been lowered, though STR has a higher multiplier than Vanilla, as well.  END and INT never needed any help ;)

Third, the new enemy rebalance and MMMF esps.  The new enemy rebalance includes some popular requests.  Super-Mutant HP is slightly lowered for standards and brutes, and greatly lowered for Masters and Behemoths (the latter of which is still a God to you).  Also, Raiders now have a much wider range of armors they might be found wearing, and a bit more logical of a gun choice and loot list.  Many more changes in that vein are yet to come.
The MMMF esp is basically a difficulty mod for using XFO with MMMF (Increased Spawns).  Specifically, enemies will do less damage, your actions will take 1/3 less AP (to account for more targets), your VATS damage will be lowered (to 30%), and your limbs will take 1/3 less damage.  If this doesn't fix the "feel" for you, there's a difficulty setting ingame!  ;)   NOTE: this file should be loaded last among my files, so that it can overwrite VATS damage amounts and limb damage modifiers.  It also is NOT included in the Standalone.

Fourth, the Uninstall Files.  FINALLY, you can uninstall my program.  I promise I wasn't trying to force people to stick with it!  :-P  This will, however, require a bit of explanation, as I've fucked up a few things in the past -- take my word that I'll be much more careful from now on.  Okay, the two options (read both to get a better idea of how this works!):
1) To Update to a newer version:  Previously, updating to newer versions of the standalone had been causing problems.  This is the same problem for uninstalling or updating: if Fallout can't find a perk when it tries to pull it up, it crashes.  This is, frankly, stupid and unnecessary, and I hope Bethesda fixes it.  This affects updates because when you change the name of a plugin, it changes the way Fallout references the subrecords in that plugin, breaking the perks just as if you had straight-up removed the file.  As such, the easiest way to update to a newer version is to take any RENAMED files (like the standalone) that contain perks, and rename the new one to the same name as the old one.  For example: you have v080 installed, and you are using the file "XFO_Full_Preconfig_STANDALONE_v080b.esp" while the new version (I won't be renaming them anymore) is named "XFO_Full_Preconfig_STANDALONE.esp" -- just move or delete the old one (with _v080b in the name), copy over the new one, and ADD "_v080b" to the end of the name, giving it the same name as the file it's replacing.  Unfortunately, I made a few mistakes in the old versions, and so the process may not be so simple.  But now you can uninstall the old files and install the new ones; read on for how to do that.  In fact, this may be your best option, since it will mean you'll have the "correctly named" version of the file and won't have to overwrite it anymore after today.
2) To Uninstall (ie, remove) XFO:  Currently, this is ONLY necessary for Perk_Paths and STANDALONE files.  I have fixed all other files to create clean saves.  NOTE: this only works if you manually save a new file, not for quicksaves or autosaves, as the script checks for when you are in the save menu. 
2a) To uninstall the old files, go into the Uninstall folder and find the appropriate uninstall file.  For the v081b standalone, you will have to overwrite the old standalone file with the new one in the uninstall folder.  You must use the appropriate uninstall file WITH the file you want to uninstall (make sure both are checked).  Then, with both of them active, save a game manually.  Now that file is uninstalled and you can remove it or replace it with a file of a different name.  Because "XFO_Perk_Paths" never changed its name, you don't need to use the uninstall folder for anything but the 80 and 81 standalones.  If you want to REMOVE (permanently) the perk paths esp, keep reading.
2b) To uninstall the new files, use the included uninstall files: either "XFO_Uninstall_Standalone.esp" or "XFO_Uninstall_Perk_Paths.esp"
Either of these options will REMOVE all new perks from XFO from your character.  There's just no way around this.  If you are using this from v081 or v080 in order to replace them with the newer files, you may want to RE-add the perks you lost.  To do this, you'll need the EDID of the perks you want.  Since they're different in different files (yes, I know, I'm an idiot, and this won't happen anymore either!), you will have to go into either the GECK, the plugin editor of FOMM (TESSnip), or FO3Edit, and look under the PERK category.  There you'll see the EDID (or Editor IDs) for each perk.  Write down the ones you want, then go into the game, use the ~ key to open the console, and type "player.addperk ########" without quotes, where ######## is the 8-digit hexadecimal "number" of the perk you want.  Multiple ranks just require you to add that perk multiple times.
NOTE: There were a few subrecords with duplicate FormIDs in v081b.  I don't know if those perks would even be possible to acquire in that case, but if you did get one, the game may crash when you load the replacement file for v081b in the uninstall folder.  In that case, you'll have to use the trick above for adding perks, but this time look up the perks you HAVE and type "player.removeperk ########" and save the game with no perks from that file.  Again, sorry for all the confusion, but this will all contribute towards making future releases a lot cleaner.  I won't rename the standalone file, I'll check for duplicate FormIDs, and I'll bundle uninstall files!

Fifth, I've done some MORE work on the Necessities esp.  I still can't reproduce any of the problems others are having, but I did find some foods that weren't listed.  Now junk foods also fill you up.  This will be made much more dynamic once I figure out what has been going wrong with people eating!  Let me know if it still isn't working for you, but let me know, too, if it IS now working for you!  It's working for me, and I can't find a problem with the script.  *Crossing my fingers that this was the problem*  ;)

Sixth, by popular demand, the Power Armor revamp now includes even MORE powerful Power Armor.  For one, it now offers FAR more DR than any other armor -- up to 50% more than it did in Vanilla!  It also mostly covers its own weight -- WHEN you're wearing it.  Don't plan on sneaking in it -- in fact, even when you aren't sneaking, power armor will basically give away your position to NPCs.  They do have ears, after all.  Still, it now degrades more slowly, is looted in MUCH higher condition, provides much more DR, and weighs almost nothing while equipped.

Finally, just for a few kicks (because it was fast and easy), I included a couple immersion-helping "nomsg" files.  One removes the [HIDDEN], etc., messages while sneaking (I definitely prefer this, esp now that sneaking is a lot easier); the other removes the [EMPTY] message for empty boxes, in case you don't like having your hand held (I do like having my hand held, so I won't be putting this in the Standalone; the sneak messages will be removed, though).

Whew!  I spent a lot of time on this, so I'm sure there are a lot of things I forgot to mention.  Over the next few days, I plan on (1) responding to new forum/comment posts, (2) Finishing up three or four more perk paths, (3) making an optional file to seriously buff up your companions, and (4) something else I'm forgetting now.  :-p


v0.83b:  Sorry about the month away, all, but I'm finally back, and after a few days of my nose to the grindstone, I've got some serious changes and fixes.  For the most part, consider 0.83 a "hotfix" -- it's mostly here for squashing bugs.  I'm fully aware that several aspects still need to be added or tweaked, like a massive MMMF compatibility suite, as well as the rest of the perk paths promised a very long time ago, and a few important follower mods.  In the meantime, please be sure to check the Recommended Mods section for some mods to fill the gaps I haven't yet closed up, and if you're curious, browse through the Plans section to see some of my ideas for v0.90.  As for this version, here are some of the changes:
* The VATS multiplier in the 50% mod is fixed (it was erroneously 100!)
* The switched Commando levels are switched (though VATS perks are FUBAR right now, so it won't matter until Bethesda does their job).
* The Molerat quest for Moira is UN-broken :P  Finally...
* There is now a CAP on thirst time.  Previously, thirst would continue to add up for as long as you went without thirst.  This had a tendency to result in players "stuck" at "Extreme Thirst."  Now you will only continue to add thirst for 24 hours.  At four hours recouped per drink, you shouldn't ever have to take more than 8 or 9 drinks to return to quenched.  Be sure you (a) aren't trying to quench yourself with Nuka Cola or standing bodies of water, and (b) activate external sources repeatedly (instead of holding on your activation button/key).
* SP_Fix2 has been Fixed.  I don't know what I did, but it was basically an empty file before...
* Greatly lowered Unarmed Damage per skill point.  High levels of UA skill were returning ridiculous amounts of damage.  It should now be balanced for use with PlayStyles.
* Fixed the medicine skill multiplier, which was causing stimpaks to be too powerful.  Checked, tested, and balanced -- meds should now heal for the correct amount!
* Removed limb healing during sleep (in the Necessities mod).
* Fixed the bug that would cause people to "bleed out" and die in their sleep if they went to sleep at very low health (in Necessities).
* Fixed instant-sleep (waking up immediately from trying to sleep with too high an energy level) sometimes causing "Extreme Hunger." 
* Alcohol and Med-X now have stronger sedative effects when the player is at an energy level too high to sleep.  Now you will always be able to go to sleep after drinking or shooting up.
* Added an extensive, but only just started, mod called "PlayStyles."  Please read the appropriate section under "Mods" for information.
* Went nuts on the Recommended Mods section, added a couple entries to the FAQ (yes, I know, it needs a LOT more), rewrote the Plans section, and cleaned up a bit of the readme (also needs some serious help)
* I'm sure I did some other stuff, but I'm pretty inconsistent about documenting.  :P


v0.84b
This really kept getting pushed back, and with FOOK on the edge of revamping to go CALIBR, I'm sure I'll need to release another one very soon.  Here are the big changes to this version:

* Compatibility: Check the compatibility section up top for info on working with XFO, MMM, and FOOK together!

* Necessities: I feel terrible for such a bizarre oversight, but it appears that I packaged an old, buggy, trial version of Necessities in 0.83b by accident.  I was for a long time bewildered by the reports that were coming in that not only had old bugs remained, but new bugs were coming up.  I kept looking at my script and thinking that the reports were impossible.  Then I downloaded 0.83 from the Nexus to see some file info, and noticed that the packaged Necessities was the wrong esp!  In addition to putting the fixed file in, many, many fixes have been made.  While Necessities may look similar ingame, the script is almost entirely rewritten.  Major changes include: sleeping will no longer heal limbs; eating while full will no longer heal the player; players will not die while sleeping; thirst time has a cap at 24 hours; more water sources will count towards thirst; messages come up sooner and are displayed for less time; you can now sleep in a bit; requirements for sleep are a bit more lenient (you can always go to sleep when you're on Med-X, and usually with Alcohol); swapping food/drink through containers, followers, etc., should no longer count as eating/drinking.  Some obnoxious things left over: standing water (puddles, rivers, etc.) does not quench thirst; you must still activate external water sources separately each time you want a drink to count (can't hold on the activate button); food added in MMM does not satisfy hunger (new radroach meat is all I can think of).

* Extra Levels!: I've come up with a way to add extra levels to gameplay while avoiding any imbalance.  You can now use extra levels with epic pacing to have a nearly open-ended, almost MMO-like RPing experience :)  Check the Pacing section under Mods for a full chart and explanation.

* Paths: Path of the Ninja has been implemented, and work has begun on: The Medic, The Tank (big weaps, Power Armor), the Explorer, the Merchant, the Charmer, and the Survivor.  Compatibility is taking up all my time, but I'm excited to get on added a LOT more perk paths.  :)

* Bugs: Numerous bugs have been squashed!  The peskiest were in Necessities, but playstyles also had a bug where having one leg crippled would lead to full movement speed either forward or backward depending on the leg.  Shame on all you cheaters for not telling me ;)

* Readme: It needs a LOT of work, I know, but I think that I've fixed a few errors.  There are lots more.  The only way to get the truth is to read this changelog.  Some things here don't make it up there.  And sometimes I lie :P

* Standalone: Every time I rebuild the standalone (I rebuild it from scratch each time), I discover a huge host of things I've been doing wrong.  Improved practices here mean that I not only squashed a LOT of bugs from all previous versions, but that screwy Perk Paths should work again!



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FAQ


How?s

Why?s

Much more coming, of course. ;)



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Using the Mod:
"How do I install/use this mod?"
"How does the mod work?"
"What can/can't I do with your mod?"
"Can I use XYZ with your mod?"
"I like the way PQR does XYZ better."
"Oh crap, I can't load my savegame without crashing! Help!"


First thing's first: you'll need winrar (free on the web).  I recommend double-clicking the XFO.rar file so that you can see the files inside like a normal window.  Now open your Data folder (typically C:\Program Files\Bethesda Softworks\Fallout3\Data) and drag the esps that you want into the data folder.  You can extract them all, or you can pick and choose.  If you plan on just using the Standalone, then that's all you need to extract.

Secondly: I *strongly* recommend that you download and use Timeslip's Fallout Mod Manager (FOMM), which can be found at http://timeslip.chorrol.com/fomm.html.  (It's also available now at fallout3nexus.com)  It will allow you to drag-and-drop mods in its window in order to alter their load order, which can be important (lower mods are loaded later, which causes them to "overwrite" mods above them when the two conflict in some record or value).  It also will fix the uncheck/recheck bugs that occur with the original built-in mod manager.  Just unzip it into your game's main folder (...\Fallout3).

Finally: Simply check the esps that you want to use (then click "Launch Fallout").  Above in the mod descriptions are warnings as to what mods you can and can't use together; basically, just don't use two of my esps of the same type (like two "Weapskill" esps).

Save Games, New Games: You don't need to start a new game, though it's recommended, especially recommended that you use it with a somewhat new-ish game so you can see and take advantage of the changes made, like new perks and SP formula tweaks.  Whenever you DEselect a mod (esp) that you saved a game with, the game will tell you that your savegame depends on files that aren't loaded.  In general, ignore this.  There is a procedure for "clean saves" that Oblivion fans will know well, but it shouldn't be necessary with any of my mods.  In general, the game recalculates formula tweaks instantly.  There are some caveats, of course.  First off, if you pick new perks from my perks files, then deselect my perk files and load a game, the new perks won't function anymore (in fact, as of writing this, a bug in Fallout3 will cause your game to crash-on-load -- read "Uninstall" above!).  Also, pacing does some weird things if you mess around with it mid-game.  It changes the experience required to level, but doesn't change your current experience.  So say you have 4k experience and you're level five and you'd need 5k to get to level six.  Then you load up my medium Pacing esp.  Now you'll still have 4k experience, which might normally put you at level two with medium pacing, but you'll stay level four.  Still, you might need, say, 10k experience to get to level six.  So until you "catch up" with the new pacing, you won't see your XP bar move.  You will see correct experience values in your pipboy, though.  Similarly, if you then get to 9,900xp, just short of that level five, and you UNcheck my pacing mod, then when you load the game, you might instantly gain a few levels, until you "catch up" with Vanilla pacing.  Other than perks and pacing, though, you should have no problem switching your options whenever you feel like it.  Just ignore the warning.

Mod Changes: Not only can you change your mod options at your whim, but you can also replace existing mods with my updates at your whim (no need for special procedures, just overwrite).  You can't deactivate a perk-bearing mod   You can also rename my mods to your heart's content, if that fits your organizational needs better.  Also, my mods have no required load order internally, so you can re-sort them as you wish, to make it easier on the eyes or easier to remember, or whatever.  Except that if you are trying to use the Standalone with another of my mods (unsupported), then you have to load the Standalone first.

Replacing Mods and Compatibility:  This gets trickier as more mods come out, and as I expand my mod.  For replacement issues, it's generally pretty simple.  Say you like someone else's take on pacing more than mine.  Just don't check mine; check his/hers instead.  The beauty of modularity isn't just that you can pick and choose your options, but also that you can mix and match them (with others).  Same goes for damage, skill points, whatever.  Some things don't mesh, though.  Game settings combine and replace well, but record values don't.  One example might be my food changes.  Say you like my health and radiation values, but you prefer someone else's weights.  Well, they both edit values within the same records, so you have to pick one or the other.  The same is true of my weapon rebalance, though it is (very) unfinished, so you might as well replace it with another one, if you find a good one.  My "weapskill" damage mods are game settings, so just load them after someone else's weapon rebalance (in case they also modify game settings), and they'll work together nicely.  My perks should play nice with other perk mods.  I know they do with QZ's, since he is smart enough to introduce new perks instead of editing old ones.  When possible, I try to introduce a new version of a perk by making a new perk with the same name as the old one, then disabling the old one.  Then if someone does something to the old one, you can load their perk mod AFTER mine, and it will re-enable it, though you may get multiple perks in your perk list with the same name.  I will eventually replace ALL of my perk changes with new formIDs, so it will play nice with all other perk mods.  When the SDK comes out, I will clean up my mod to be incredibly compatible.

Bug Reports:  You wouldn't believe how often I hear something like, "I unchecked some of your mods and then I couldn't load my game without crashing!  Help!"  While I don't need to know anything about your system, specifics are important.  The quote I just mentioned does me no good.  Try something like this: "I had a level 10 character chilling in Little Lamplight with her gun holstered and wearing combat armor.  Then before I reloaded the game, I unchecked XFO_Weapskills_accuracy_not_dmg_mild.esp and Sneak_rebalance_mild.esp, and checked XFO_Weapskills_accuracy_not_dmg_med.esp.  When I try to load that game, I get loading screens, but the game crashes to the desktop before actually displaying anything from the save.  I'm also using INSERT MOD NAMES HERE and INSERT GRAPHICS CHANGES HERE, but I didn't change any of them."  Oh, man, that feels good to hear.  Even if I just made it up.  :)
See, I've come to understand a lot about how esm's and esp's work, but I didn't make the game engine, and I've never pulled apart the executable.  I have no idea what goes on at game load, and I don't know for sure what changes I make can cause a CTD.  Bethesda's engines are also notorious for LOVING to crash to the desktop.  They even do it with no mods, on a simple quit and close.  So the way I can find out what kinds of changes cause a CTD is to hear from you.
On this note, please check the v082b changelog for uninstallation instructions.  This readme will be extensively updated in the near future to make these changes much easier to find and to do.


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Why I do what I do:
"In real life, blah blah blah..."
"I shot a guy in the head; why didn't he die?"
"Your esp, XYZ, isn't realistic - shouldn't it be like PQR?"
"I keep dying, why do you hate me?"
"OMG, Why are my melee weapons doing crazy damage?!"

Realism vs. Balance:
From a response I made on the forums:
"1) In REAL life: Everyone would be dead from the secondary effects of fallout; you can't reload; things don't spawn or randomly generate; healing is a slow, slow, and usually ultimately incomplete process (no stims or heal spells, and food doesn't wipe away a bullet wound); one bullet usually kills (please see: "you can't reload"); and no one ever wins the game.
2) Realism is neither balanced nor fun. One character type would exist in a realistic FO3: the sneaky sniper. That's it. The idea of running at someone with your fists when they have a hunting rifle would be stupid, and since you can't reload or heal, well, duh. Since your character doesn't have super powers, a horde of mutants would kill you - there's no question.  Every time.  So that ultimate goal? That main quest? Forget about them. You're in realism now: so sit down on that crappy bed in your new megaton home and think about a job you can get to manage a bite to eat.
3) Realism is not even countered by the complaints made. Supermutants, for example, are a physical invention by the devs. So it's perfectly within the bounds of realism that their skulls are super hard. Maybe they don't need brains to even live (like cockroaches). It's a fictional universe.  For all you know, the humans are much hardier in the hard world they now live in.  We've made it through ice ages, even though that would also kill the average now-living human.  Maybe these ones can take a few bullets and shrug them off.
4) FO3 is an R.P.G.  Stands for role-playing game. The "tank" (for example) is a vital, interesting, and for many, fun, role. For it to be viable for the player, it should also be embraced (successfully) by some NPCs.
5) What's a boss fight with one sneak-attack headshot from 300 meters? Oh yeah, dumb.  :-p
6) Sorry for the numbered rant. It isn't angry or intended to be condescending, just meant to be logical and thorough."

This is even better expressed by a more particular quote and my response to it:
User: "Now while i'm starting even vanilla FO3, I make heavy use of tactics and shotguns. The overall tactic is simple. Draw attention, hide behind something, and let fly with a shotgun shell or two to the head at point blank. It tends to work. I fire a few 10mm in the air to draw attention, then hide behind a corner and wait. It works, but sometimes they survive two or more headshots at point blank range. Irritating."
Me: "Awesome. How lame would a level-one foolproof strategy be?"  IE -- this is the beginning of the game.  Don't fight a tough group; you're young, weak, and, well, you're a noob in the Wasteland!  It's not "irritating" that they survive more than a shot.  You're outnumbered.  If your strategy worked, I'd have to FIX that!  :-p

There are realism overhauls on Nexus (Jaynus' looks good; so does Welcome to the Wasteland); this is the Fallout 3 Balance Overhaul.  ;)   This is why I recommend the damage esps, where weaponskills make guns do more damage.  I also prefer VATS over realtime/realspace.  Because I want F3 to be an RPG with some FPS elements, not the other way around.  So I balance tactics and damage for appropriate difficulty.  Speaking of...


Difficulty:
Fallout 3 was ridiculously easy.  It didn't occur to me until after I kept losing a battle while playtesting my mods that I never had to run away in Vanilla Fallout 3.  Shouldn't you have to run away often in a world like this?  What kind of nutbag runs into the middle of a group of minigun-wielding supermutants?  I never needed tactics, either.  Why shoot them in the legs when I can shoot them in the head for double damage?  Now the legs make sense, as do the arms.
The point here is that decent difficulty adds fun and flavor.  It quickly and simply adds far more dimension to the game that a few number changes intuitively should.  But before you come to the comments page and complain that you fought the same group of Talon Mercs five times and just couldn't beat them, remember that they're well-trained assassins, intending to kill a hero of the wastelands.  How well are you equipped?  What level are you?  Do you have a companion?  What's the terrain like?  Did they assault you after an unwise fast-travel?  Could they be avoided?  You may have to think differently now.
On the other hand, the same thing that makes Talon Mercs tough is making Super Mutants wuss (increased damage).  This will be fixed when I get an SDK, I promise (Bethesda says, "Sometime in December).


Melee Damage:
First off, before I even get to rationales for increasing melee damage, let me explain a difference in mechanics.  For guns, the damage is NOT based on any of your SPECIAL stats, so the damage either stays the same throughout the game (in the case of a "accuracy_not_damage" esp), or gradually increases as you level up and your skills increase.  However, melee damage is highly dependent on Strength.  SPECIAL stats are different from skills in that they can start the game very high (and not increase from there).  Thus, melee weapons may appear to do ridiculous damage in the early-game if you are a high-STR character.  It would be the equivalent of starting the game with 100 in small guns!  However, this will even out as the game goes on and skills increase, bringing guns up towards melee.
Secondly, I *want* melee to do MORE damage.  Lots of damage.  Even for the realism crowd, I'd rather be shot in the arm IRL than swung at with a pneumatically-powered sledgehammer.  Hell, I think I'd rather take a grenade at my feet than a flaming chinese war-sword in my chest -- or a mini-chainsaw (ripper)!  But for balance, it's equally important.  Again, I quote from forums:
"This is quite intentional, and has to do with a lot of factors, playtesting, and a coherent vision for the mod in general. First off, the damage across the board has been raised -- should be about 2x - 3x in the esp you speak of [ed: that is "mild"]. As such, bullets kill often with one shot (especially, say, a sneak crit to the head!); if not one, then few. Melee characters, both PC and NPC, have to close that distance WHILE being shot at! With fewer HP and much stronger bullets, they SHOULD be rewarded once they close to melee. That reward is serious damage. That also provides the PC with incentive to shoot the meleers that are closing in: they can't be ignored while you have sniper fights. This is balanced and makes sense from both sides of the equation. Secondly, though, is that SPECIAL was underpowered relative to skills; now strength has a MUCH stronger effect on melee damage -- you have seven, which is high-ish. Thirdly, I have begun to give more distinct roles to combat styles. Melee is the highest-damage combat style (besides, maybe, explosives and some big guns; but higher than regular guns and unarmed); again, this makes sense: it is the most vulnerable combat style. So while the numbers on their own may look big, in the whole picture, it's even."  I think that, furthermore, strength is the best way to implement another important factor of both balance and realism.  You see that gigantic, muscle-clad supermutant master running at you with a sledgehammer?  You want to know what happens when that thing connects with your head?  You die.  I don't care if you're wearing God's own power armor.  But what if Moira popped you in the head with that same sledgehammer?  You chuckle and ask her not to do that again.  It doesn't matter if Moira's level 20 and the supermutant is level 1...
Finally, it's again important to take differences in systems into account.  Skill damage evens across a complex equation.  However, STR damage is just a straight muliplier added onto your damage.  STR*X added to your base damage.  {X| Mild = 2, Med = 5, High = 10}

The Necessities:
This sure seems like a realism mod, which may look strange to many, especially after I spent a chunk of this very FAQ explaining that this mod is all about balance and not realism.  However, Necessities is actually a balance mod masquerading as a realism mod; it uses realism as the implementation for some much-needed balance.  For example, I made stimpaks rare and expensive, because healing -- especially mid-battle -- was far too easy and far too tempting, to the point of a bad imbalance, in Vanilla.  But with stimpaks rare like gold, the natural next tier is to go to food for health.  Food is plentiful and in my food rebalance, it heals a fair amount of health (albeit at the "balancing" cost of rads).  I still don't want it to be an in-battle cure, nor to be a pile of "weak stimpaks" to carry around.  So realism gives me an excuse for "nerfing" food: realistically, you can't eat mid-battle and you can only cram so much food down your mouth every few hours.  That's exactly the balance needed, and when balance coincides with realism, it has an in-world reasoning for its existence: win-win.  Similarly, sleep was "overpowered," in the sense that you could sleep whenever you wanted, it healed you completely even after one hour, and it healed your limbs.  So instead of hoarding those stimpaks, you might travel home and back over and over again.  Or fight from one bed to another!  This "energy level" also gives a drawback to fast-travel, which was much-needed for balance (though you should get the awesome fast-travel spawn mod listed below in recommended mods!).
What I don't want is tedious juggling; in fact, I would like the player to barely notice this layer of change.  As a result, I will endeavor to continue to make the Necessities mod more intuitive and subtle.  If it feels like you are having to eat, drink, and/or sleep too often, change the Timescale.  I have made Timescale mods, but it's also easy enough to open up the console (the ~ key ingame) and type "Set TimeScale to X" without quotes, where X is the multiplier to real time.  That means that the games default, 30, is 30 times faster than real life.  If you set the TimeScale to 1, you will only have to eat or drink every REAL LIFE four hours (some events, like fast travel, will cause game time to jump forward, still).
If you would prefer another "basic needs" mod, by all means, use it instead!  There are some great ones out there, too.  I will continue development on this to ensure that it fits into my vision and my balance, to eliminate potential incompatibilities, and to be able to expand it into/with the rest of my mods (and the standalone) freely.

Nuka Cola:
It seems to strangely annoy people that in what appears to be a realism mod, I have made a drink that is surely somewhat hydrating into a drink that does not factor into player hydration.  Again, however, balance > realism, and Nuka Cola already increases Energy and adds to health.  Ice Cold Nuka Cola even has few rads.  For some entertaining reading, feel free to browse http://www.bethsoft.com/bgsforums/index.php?s=&showtopic=935879&view=findpost&p=13762640, and a few posts later (150 and 151) for some fun arguing on the topic.  Either way, "there are no phoenix downs here" -- so no OP "potions" ;)


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Plans:  (Missing letters are from things accomplished in 0.83b) (Not updated for 0.84)

1) Fix:

d) Unarmed pansy mutants?
f) Add trade/swap menus to Immersion (like with Barter)
h) Add "standing water" to thirst
i) Fix SP_Fix2 (recompile scripts and check TAG desc)
k) Look into Wasteland Wisdom and Educated (new version)
m) Fix/expand the FAQs in the readme!

2) Tweak:

a) Change END HP mult to 10
d) Sneak rebalance?  (reports: too easy in power armor, too hard in middle skills, too easy in high skills)
e) Nerf Bobbleheads.  Skill = 3sp; Stat bobbleheads = 1 SPECIAL point when all are found.
f) Remove outcast stimpak reward and replace with more fun options
h) lower per-pack numbers for railway spikes and darts
i) Lower Scoundrel level to 2
j) Tweak, extend, revamp loot lists, esp for raiders
k) Make companions essential (and raise incap time to one minute)
l) Move mods around so they show up in the right order in FOMM
p) Find and adjust armor effect on movement speed

 

3) Extend:

a) Revamp readme, make it simpler and easier, and extend it beyond the mod
b) Add a portable bedroll, with chance of spawning appropriate enemies during sleep
c) Add "merits," add additional flaws, fix and clean up this whole system
d) Conditional accuracy modifiers for (hurting) NPCs?  IE -- their acc in low-light, while you're crouching, etc.  (*If I can figure this out, this would be a more "fun" option for lowering difficulty in MMMF3)
e) Finish first phase of perk paths -- add second set:

* STR: Heavy Weapons
Basic: Each level reduces the weight of Big Guns and Power Armor in your Inventory (or equipped)
Expert: Steadfast: While wearing Power Armor and wielding a "Big Gun," your damage in VATS (or while constant-firing and standing still) is halved.
Master: ???

* PER: ???

* END: The Survivor
Basic: Each level increases HP and some regen
Expert: Conditioning: Rad regen, no addiction, other stuff??
Master: Immortal: Max DR = 95

* CHA: The Commander
Basic: Each level increases the number of followers you can have
Expert: Karma Chameleon: Karma doesn't limit your follower choice(s)
Master: ???

* INT: The Tinkerer
Basic: ??? (Ammo reduction for EWs added to playstyles)
Expert: Universal Remote: Allied to robots and turrets
Master: (???): Can repair above 100% (?)

* AGI: The Ninja
Basic: Each level improves sneaking when unarmored and <50% encumbrance
Expert: As the Wind: Increases AP and speed when unarmored and <50% encumbrance
Master: Master Assassin: Instant kill with melee/unarmed while in sneak mode (+ no alert to nearby)

* LCK: Depends on what I can do with FOSE...

f) Make a LITE Standalone
g) MORE MORE MORE work on Necessities.  This is the least favorite part of the mod, but essential for balance and integration, as well as immersion.  It needs to be UNobtrusive, intuitive, simple, and NOT difficult!  It needs a lot of work to blend in and stay well under the hood.  Lower penalties?  Subtler feel...
h) Remove in-world stimpaks (there are almost 300!)
i) MMMF3 compatibility patch

 

4) Invent:

a) Make an ingame-modifiable standalone.  It'll kill compatibility, but I can use QZ Keys to hotkey an ingame menu and make all values modifiable from within.
b) Create a complex and fun addiction system, with levels of each drug and varying effects, withdrawals, and serious addictions.
c) Create an optional "class" system based on perk paths, but "on top of" the perk system, like the flaws.  Pick a class and instead of wasting perks on it, you'll gain levels in that class as you gain levels, gaining slowly the abilities of the same perk path, with bonuses relative to your appropriate SPECIAL stat. 
d) Plenty of other ideas in this category, but I don't want to risk getting people excited over things that I don't know are possible...

 

 

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Uninstallation:

For all mods: Only "manual" saves will be clean -- that means that quicksaves and autosaves will likely crash your game if you try to load them without the mods with which they were saved.  This is because FO3 will crash if a mod includes a perk that the game can no longer find.  To work around this, I delete all mod-based perks whenever you bring up the save menu, and re-add them when you leave that menu.  This way, the perks aren't in the manual saves; they are "clean."

Only "Perk Paths" and "Standalone" should need to be manually unistalled.  For this, I've included  "XFO_Uninstall_Standalone.esp" and "XFO_Uninstall_Perk_Paths.esp."  Both of these uninstall esps "clean" your saves in a way much like the above.  They will delete all mod-based perks you have gained.  You must activate the uninstall esp WITH the appropriate esp to be installed, then save the game.  Now you may de-activate the appropriate esp: Perk Paths or Standalone.

For more details, see the 0.82b changelog section, under Uninstall.

* v0.84 will introduce an uninstaller for Necessities, to ensure that you don't get the "stuck" modifiers.


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RECOMMENDED MODS!


UTILITIES:

Fallout Mod Manager:  Consider this THE required mod for all mod-users. http://timeslip.chorrol.com/fomm.html or http://fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=640

ArchiveInvalidation Invalidated: Makes adding new textures, sounds, and other replacements MUCH easier!  Also really a requirement for mod-users.  http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=944

Unofficial Fallout Patch:  Essential patch that fixes hundreds (and will eventually fix thousands) of bugs, errors, texture problems, and everything else about FO3.  Quarn picks up Bethesda's slack.  He's the maker of the Unofficial Oblivion Patch, and I can't even fathom the time that went into that one!  Always load UFP before any other esps.  http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=3808

LOOK and FEEL:

Darn's UI mod!  In previous versions of this readme, I stated, "I'm sure this will develop into something amazing!"  I meant that it would by the time it went live, but it's still alpha, and it's already AMAZING.  An absolute must-have, I couldn't play without it now.  http://www.bethsoft.com/bgsforums/index.php?showtopic=949858
(Note: I strongly suggest you read about the huge array of customization options available to you.  Some of the non-default options, like dynamic HUD colors, are really cool!
Note2: Make sure you go to the latest thread.  As of the making of this readme, the thread linked to above was almost full.)

NMC's AMAZING retextures: Seriously, these improve the look and feel of the game 100-fold.  Ridiculously, embarassingly better than Bethesda's graphics.  If you don't want to take my word for it, check the example pictures that I've linked underneath each terrain retexture.  Note: Only use the higher resolutions if you have plenty of VRAM!
Rivet City:
main page: http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=3612
example pic: http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/images/3612-1-1233690294.jpg
Megaton:
main page: http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=1662
example pic: http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/images/1662-1-1229466157.jpg
Terrain Retex:
main page: http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=774
example pic: http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/images/774-1-1227711930.jpg
Rocks Addon:
main page: http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=866
example pic: http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/images/866-5-1227981013.jpg

Weapon retex: "Hi-Res Weapons v3" isn't nearly as impressive as NMC's general re-textures, but it's still quite good and the best weapon retex I've seen.  A real necessity so that your weapons don't look like pasting something from your NES next to the retextures above.  http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=481
(Note: Not compatible with FOOK's retex, which is now recommended, though I haven't compared the two side-by-side.)

Sound Overhaul (Mixtape):  Can't replace the textures without replacing the sounds!  With this, the game is made incomparably more immersive.  This is a "mixtape" (author's description) of some of the best sound effects mods, taking the best from each.  An excellent idea!  http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=2169

Reneer's Invisible Karma Mod:  Such a simple idea, but so highly needed; especially for those of you with sticky fingers!  This not only eliminates the obnoxious karma messages from the game, but also gets rid of that annoying sound that plays every freakin' time! http://fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=246

Enhanced Blood:  This was the first mod I added to my own FO3 experience; in fact, it was the only mod in my first play-through.  The shorter-time, higher-rez version seems like such a trivial detail, yet adds so much to the bloody feel of the game. http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=101

Enhanced Night Sky: Pretty. http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=442

(Note: I don't personally use the next three, because they don't fit my personal feel and vision of the game, but they're awesome, and definitely worth checking out; and I may add them in the future.)

Fellout: Talk about changing the feel of the game!  This mod removes the green tint from the game, and, wow, I had no idea it was this strong.  Brings out vibrant colors and lighting, and a completely different feel.  I would love to see this mod-maker simply reduce the green tint; this change is pretty heavy to get used to!
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=2672

Evergreen:  Another mod that steers heavily away from the irradiated wasteland feel of Fallout.  This one adds lush greenery to the world, with grass and full-bodied trees!  There's even an autumn option.  Again, I personally can't handle this severe change to the game-world, so I don't use it, but it could be especially fun with Free Play After MQ!  http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=3256

Taking out the Trash: Just removes all the litter from the game.  Combining this with the two mods above, you can really change the Fallout world into a clean and beautiful place.  Weird... http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=3711


GAMEPLAY:

Mart's Monster Mod for FALLOUT!:  Oblivion players know the name "MMM" as one of the biggest and most awesome must-have mods for Oblivion, and part of the main FCOM bundle.  The beta 3 of Mart's full-featured mod is out.  New creatures and NPCs, improved and diversified AI and combat, configurable spawn changes, the list goes on... Get it!  http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=3211
(Note: Please see the Compatibility section of this readme)

FallOut Overhaul Kit (FOOK): Another must-have, this thing is to items what MMM is to enemies.  This adds more than: 120 New weapons, 80 new apparel items, 40 weapon retextures, 20 apparel retextures, 25 clutter retextures, and full loot-list rebalancing and integration!  http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=4448
(Note: Please see the Compatibility section of this readme)

Ultimate Perk Pack: WOW, this thing has evolved!  It was huge to begin with, but TheFakeEmpire has a vision!  Over 44,000 downloads, so you probably have it.  If not, you aren't really modding yet ;)  http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=1409 (Note: Changes to original perks are not compatible with XFO)

Weapon Mod Kits: As the number one rated mod at the Nexus, you've probably already heard of this awesome game-expanding masterpiece.  If not, well, the title says it, and in case you're wondering, this is a well-made and clean mod.  You can change your weapons by making weapon-mod kits at the workbench!  http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=3388 
(Note: Compatibility unknown.  I'll look into this, but compatibility is more likely to come via FOOK.  Load it early to reduce conflicts, but no guarantees from me on whether it'll work with FOOK.  Otherwise works with XFO.  Also potentially very unbalancing, but that's up to you.)

Alternate Start: Take a great idea -- the ability to skip that awful, long, boring game start sequence -- and make it so much better!  This allows a host of "roleplayer" histories, which come with special abilities and flaws, pros and cons, and different starting areas.  Play the game as a Raider, an Escaped Slave, a Brotherhood Outcast, and tons of others.  Gives SO much more replayability to the game, so much more roleplayability to the game!  http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=1784

QZ Mods: This is the kind of thing you can do when you know a LOT more about FO3 coding than I do.  A great suite, and QZ Keys will eventually be a required download for XFO.  http://fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=1836 (Note: Changes to original perks are not compatible with XFO)

Robco Certified:  An instant classic from an Oblivion big-wig -- give your geeky characters a new way to greet their enemies: robot allies.  You can deactivate, fix, build, and command robots with progressive science perks!  http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=712

Wasteland Whisperer: It's like RobCo certified, but with animals!  (Well, you can't build them; sorry.) http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=1610

Owned!:  Ever wonder why you can't sleep in someone's bed after you've killed them?  Or why you still get karma loss for "stealing" the items that no longer belong to anyone?  Now you can own what you earn.  (Made by the same busy mod-maker as Evergreen and Taking out the Trash!)  http://fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=1516

FTE: Random encounters during fasttravel!  I love this mod, and I would have done it myself if I knew how.  Highly recommended for fun, realism, and balance.  Be careful with Mart's increased spawns!  :O  http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=3280

FO3 Phalanx: I have many plans for balancing out followers in the harsh, post-XFO, post-MMO world, but I may not have to with this mod out.  This is the best followers mod I've found.  I'd like to see it use charisma or perks for expanding the follower count, but it also adds some great behavioral and command changes, as well as a very well-though-out "battle-hardened" process to replace death. http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=1925

Free Play After MQ:  This is another mod that I must assume everyone's already heard of, but if not, there's just no reason not to have it!  (Unless you're already past the Rotunda...) It does just what it says.  Now if we can only figure out the awful post-level-20 bug...  http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=586

Repair Rethought:  One of my favorite mods, very simply fixing up a head-scratcher from the original game.  Now repair makes a lot more sense.  http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=1250
(Note: May not be compatible with FOOK.  Load it first to be safe.)

Treasure Maps: What a neat idea!  I just love it when people think outside the box, and a lot of mods like this in your mod list just add to the depth of the game.  These maps can be found in various locations and give vague hints to the location of special treasures! http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=2090

Buildable Bots:  Voice.  Acting.  'Nough said.  http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=1625

Level Cap Workaround: Allows you to keep "re-gaining" level 20.  http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=121

Skill Workaround: Allows you to spend skill points past 100 (though you will continue to see "100") http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=165

Wasteland Mastery: Creates effects for spending points beyond 100 on your skills (via the above mod) -- otherwise nothing special happens, as effects aren't programmed into the game. http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=2045


Overhauls (NOT compatible with XFO!)

Fallout 3 Wanderer's Edition: The whole shebang!  This is the mother lode, my friends, and it ports many aspects of XFO over to it.  The author appears to be starting on the old "FCOM" idea early, which should make compatibility a lot easier to maintain.  In other words, this takes dozens of re-balancing, re-thinking, and re-something-else-ing mods from all over the Fallout modding community and unites them into some giant crazy mod of awesomeness.  Of course, I still have to mention for my own sake that this isn't XFO, nor does it retain all of XFO or XFO's modularity and scalability.  But it is the next best thing ;)  http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=2761

Jaynus' Realism Overhaul: As I've said, this is the balance (NOT realism) overhaul, but Jaynus is apparently working in the other direction, for those who want it.  Great mod! http://fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=506

Welcome to the Wasteland: Another excellent difficulty-enhancing and rebalancing overhaul mod.  I'm flattered that my mod is often compared to this one.  http://fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=388


Others:

Well, I only have so much time to fish around the Nexus -- so let me know what I'm missing and keep me up-to-date on developments.  The "proper" way to do so would be through PM's at Bethesda's Forums (the Forums link up top).  Just because I don't have a mod in here does not mean I don't like it -- I may have somehow missed it, or intended to put it in here and totally forgot.  A lot of obvious mods, like Enclave Commander, are left out due to their heavy lack of balance, but that doesn't mean that they aren't awesome and/or fun!

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THANKS!:

Thanks SO much to Martigen.  He's been an incredible help in revealing to me previously-unknown abilities of FO3Edit that will become major time-savers.  He is to recent editions of XFO what qzilla was to early editions:
Thanks to qzilla for helping me sort out my FormID mess in my perk mod, and for his awesome work on the wikia record structure XML.  His help in general has been crucial to this mod!
Thanks to everyone who has made suggestions and criticism to help me better my mod for all.
Thanks to my fellow modders at the forums for their patience with me in trying to figure out how to implement my ideas and fix my errors.
Thanks to everyone who rated me up.
And, of course, thanks to you, and everyone else who has downloaded this, for giving it a try, and for being the whole reason this was made! ;)


I hope you enjoy the mod!







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