So, since there's been a bit of discusssion of mods, fallout 3, and fallout NV, I figured I'd share my thoughts on some of the mods for those games. This won't cover retextures, patches, lighting adjustments, filters, etc. This is about the gameplay, not the visuals or making everything work right.
Fallout 3:
Underground Hideout
This one has been a longtime favorite of mine, because the player home it adds is, in addition to being a very nice looking and well made space, also very well designed as a player home, not just a character home. That means it has things that are useful to the player, like labeled storage spaces, scripts to automatically sort and store your gear, some very nice display racks and maniques to hold weapons and armor, and it collects some of the useful interactable devices like the wonder meat maker into one place, so you don't need to run all the way down into the jury street metro tunnels to use it. It also adds a bit of a minigame on top of all that, letting you build, upgrade, and defend an outpost on the surface against various enemies, which is a fun diversion. It also adds a handful of new weapons, none of which I'm a particular fan of but I'm sure some people like them.
The one issues I have with it are that with stuff like the meat maker, there's no cost to obtain it, it's just there as soon as you unlock the bunker, it would be nice if you had to at least find the original meat maker before you could unlock the one at the base.
D.C. Interiors Project
A nice little mod that adds some more interiors to the D.C ruins to explore and fight through. Regular D.C. Always feels a little boarded up, if you can enter a building 9 times out ten it's because there's a quest associated with it, and that made the game world feel a little small.
Weapon Mod Kits:
It's funny looking back at where the trend of weapon mods started. WMK was a huge thing back then, but now, with so much customization available (or even with the vastly superior NV version of this same mod), it looks almost dated, with a small collection of identical mods for nearly every weapon (or the rather odd looking double stack of fusion cells for laser weapons with upgraded ammo capacity, a look that I've never quite been sold on). Still, without it we probably wouldn't have the extensive customization and upgradability of the modern games, and we owe this mod a tribute for that.
Unless you're one of those people that used to make weapon mods by carefully designing just one, very nice model, and now find yourself having your workload quadrupled by the need to not just make one model, but make one model with a dozen different options for scopes, stocks, magazines, barrels, muzzles, etc. Those people probably don't like antistar very much.
Fallout Wanderer's Edition:
Much like WMK started the trend of weapon customization, I believe FWE is one of things that started the trend for ultrahard survival game modes in fallout. Fortunately, it also set the trend for those mods being highly customizable, so you can disable elements that make it a little bit too punishing...or make it even harder, if you're into that kinda of thing. The rebalancing and new weapons aspect also helps give you new opitions in gameplay or make other playstyles a bit more viable.
My main issue with it is that even with the rebalance, metal armor is still useless (at least for good characters, since Talon company will still hand you free combat armor on a regular basis, though the deliveryman are a bit more troublesome in this mod). I also have some issues with the new weapons, specifically that it brings back the Bozar from fallout 2. I generally don't like that kind of thing, I'd rather have unique weapons from past games stay in past games, rather than constantly pop up time and time again as shameless nostalgia pandering. It's lazy and takes up time and effort that could be spent on making something new, something special for the current game.
Darker Nights: Technically this is a lighting tweak, but also a gameplay tweak because it makes running around at night in fallout a much harder, more dangerous prospect, because, well, it's a bad idea to run around the post nuclear wasteland when you can't see. I think of it as kind of enforced immersion, where your character has to find somewhere to sleep not because there's a little bar at the bottom of the screen telling you so, but because otherwise you'll be chased down and murdered out in the darkness.
It also makes getting ahold of the night vision gear in FWE that much more empowering, since now you can finally turn the tables on the things out there.
Marts Mutant Mod:
MMR adds new enemies (mostly mutants, hence the name) to the game, to add more variety to the combat, along with new skins for the current set so it doesn't feel as much like there's a cloning vat somewhere in the ruins, spitting out copies of the same 3 ghouls. I have more mixed feelings about this one, while it's fun and it does a lot to make the combat feel less samey, the modelwork on several of the "new" monsters is a bit dubious. Some just look a bit too obviously like the base model with the proportions tweaked, and others just don't make sense. Frank Hogan, as a character, concept, was extremely dubious, it doesn't with the enclaves radical anti-mutant stance to have them strap a set of power armor onto a supermutant and use him as a super soldier, but he was at least a one off. The MMM enclave has a bunch of them, for reasons I cannot easily explain.
FOOK:
FWE is a gameplay overhaul done right, where the mod team had a very clear goal and did not lose focus on that goal during the mod design process. There was the the occasional minor excursion to add fan favorite weapons or do some minor bug fixing, but overall FWE had the goal of making a mod that made 3's combat better and harder, make overall survival more difficult, and rebalance the game in service of those two core goals.
FOOK did not have that focus. It's got a bunch of tweaks to the combat system, tons and tons of new weapons, new armor, new visuals, redesigned encounters, new followers, etc, all in service of who knows what end. There doesn't appear to be any clear goal behind these changes. Why did they add a bunch of modern firearms and combat armor so everyone looks all tacticool, and then also add a bunch of stuff that's kinda supposed to fit into the fallout world. What was the intended effect of the various changes they made to the combat system? It feels like the goals was to just make changes, without any clear vision of what they're supposed to be changing the game too.
I think you can tell a lot about someone by how they change and play a game, I think you can probably get a good sense of who I am is based on the mods I have here and what I have to say about them. Applying that same perspective to FOOK, all I get is "ADHD riddled CoD Fanboy".
NV
FOOK - New Vegas Edition
I don't think I'm the only one with a negative view of FOOK, because the NV version of the mod is significantly improved. It's been pared down significantly and now works to overhaul the game work to be a little bit more consistent or integrated (letting DLC weapons work with vanilla perks, changing armor names to reference what faction they're from, not having the GRA DLC just dump a bunch of new weapons into one shop or create two seemingly identical weapons with the only difference being mods, etc), some minor rebalances and bug fixes, and adding in a smaller number of new weapons and armors that actually fit the setting and fill in gaps or provide new tools. IE, there's now a police uniform to go with the vanilla police hat, some weapons that didn't have unique varients now do, etc.
I still have some issues with it, largely related to it being a bit too prone to prone to bringing stuff in from fallout 3 when it shouldn't (the auto axe, for example), but overall the NV version of FOOK is a vast improvement over the version of 3, and it's an excellent mod if you decide to use it.
Project Nevada:
PN is my go to game overhaul, although it's a bit weird. FWE had one, single goal that everything focused toward, making the game harder. Nevada has 3, largely unrelated ones, which it refers to as "modules" because they can be enabled or disabled indpently of one another.
The core module is a combat overhaul, that aimes to bring NV in line with more traditional FPS games. It doesn't quite get there, but it makes a good show of it and the system added or tweaked are quite nice.
A second module allows you to adjust overall mechanics to be harder/easier. things like controlling health, letting weapons bypass DT if you shoot someone in the head and they don't have a helmet, making supplies rarer and harder to find, etc.
The 3rd modules adds new equipment, a mix of new stuff and porting things from fallout 3.
And then there's a system that completely replaces and overhauls fallout NV's cyberware system, changing it from just some purchasabily SPECIAL upgrades into a slot based system containing implants that can, in addition to boosting SPECIAL, boost your stats directly, give you multiple vision mods, EMP burst, regain AP from kills, etc.
Overall, I like most of PN's changes, particular the FPS rework and difficulty controls. Some of the new weapons are a bit dubious (the chinese pistol was garbage back in 3 and that was not fixed by porting it to NV), but some are very nice, the Rail cannon, cryo revolver, Wattz laser rifle, and 5mm SMG being person favorites. The cyberware portion is the one I have the most reservations about. While it works very well and provides powerful tools to the player, the vanilla cyberware clinic was already toeing the line of what I can really consider to be setting appropriate. This crosses that line.
HK G3SG1
Ok, now I realize I'm going to sound kinda hypocritical for complaining that other mods port weapons from past games into the current one, and then come in talking up a mod that brings in a gun that's basically the R91 into NV, but here me out. The real world G3, while obviously the inspiration for the R91, is in reality and this mod a very different weapon. The R91 is an assault rifle, this mod is a battle rifle or, with the scope mod, a DRM. It fills a role that NV doesn't really have a ton of other weapons for, and is definitely not me clinging to a prefered weapon out of stubborn nostalgia.
Weapon Mods Expanded:
WMX (yes, WMX, not WME. WME is another, IMO inferior, weapon mod mod) is the true successor to the same mod from 3, but vastly improved. Weapon mods fit the weapon better and look they belong there, as opposed to 3 where many of them were clearly just reused assets (such as extended magazines for the assault rifles often being the magazines of other weapons being reused), most of these new mods are customized for each weapon and more or less seamlessly fit into place. It also makes the system much more consistent, every weapon can be modded and every weapon has 3 mods, including uniques and otherwise unmoddable ones. It also adds several new weapons. Most are forgettable, but the M2 borwning HMG is a standout exception, it's an amazing weapon (for reasons explained later) and exactly the kind of heavy weapon that fallout power armor should be using (and indeed, they are using it now in 76).
The one issue is that while ranged weapons are generally excellent, melee weapons are not quite as lucky. While still well done, they tend to be a bit more generic. Lots of very samy looking grips or new blade textures, every blunt weapons gets wrapped in barbed wire, etc. Many of those upgrades also need to be crafted, rather than bought, and while you will almost inevitably be dragged, kicking and screaming, into the hell that is NV crafting, I cannot condone sending people there on purpose.
This mod is also one of the mods that I'll say requires other mods to best use. weapon mod menu is the big one, as it lets you remove weapon mods, which you'll want to have for this because sometimes you won't want to have a scope or similar mod installed. Weapon mod vending machines are also a very good idea, as it let's you bypass the messy melee weapon mod crafting or find a specific mod that vendors are seemingly never selling.
The Someguy Series:
A set of story mods by mod author Someguy, these mods add hours of new content to the game. Fully voice acted, with a handful of unique items, perks, integration with the main game (for example, if you kill a certain legion NPC prior to one of the quests in this series, a friend of that NPC will ambush you to get revenge), etc. I can't speak highly enough of these mods, but I also can't speak too much about them because of spoilers.
Ammo crafting schematics:
Once the need to craft better ammo types drags your into the crafting system, this mod will help you get the most out of it. It won't, and can't, make the crafting system better, but it will at least ensure that it's doing the most that it can do. It's like making sure all the pitchforks you're about to be stabbed with are freshly polished and have handles in good condition, and that the coals you'll be dragged over are the finest, highest quality coals to be found.
Functional Post Game Ending:
Exactly what it says on the tin
Darker Nights:
Same as fallout 3, though now NV is from PN and not FWE.
Underground Hideout:
Yet another mod from fallout 3 that returned in a vastly improved form to NV, most of what was said before still applies. The changes/improvements, however, are considerable, and are enough to have the hideout beat out the Sink for best NV player home. The biggest one is that the hideout will actually change as you unlock quests, adding decorations as you go along. For example, upon completing "Bleed me dry" some hunting trophies appear on the main wall. The same happens as you complete the DLCs. Secondly, it has a much larger display room for armor and various items, almost twice the space as the old hideout. It's also got some kind of scripting to link various containers, so you can transfer crafting supplies between containers instead of having to manually carry them around.
There are also some improvements to how the hideout works as far as drawbacks go. there's an optional system to make the hideout system's consume power, and the need to obtain and buy more fuel for the reactor finally adds a cost to all the benefits the base provides. Just keeping the lights one doesn't drain much, but if you make heavy use of the water purifier, rad scrubber, greenhouse, etc, those will drain power faster. Secondly, some features like the indoor farm don't work at first, you actually need to go out and collect plants before you can grow anything you want. The quest to unlock is also a fair bit harder and you actually have to work at it a bit, rather than just following a bunch of quest markers.
There are some definite issues, however. First off, the hideout is located near spring mountain park. That is, to the direct north of goodsprings, past all the cazadors placed there to stop you from going exactly that way. I do not like it when a player home is located where you cannot easily access it and will therefore have to stash extra gear somewhere else and ferry it over to that home, there's a reason both 3 and 4 gave you a secure place to store gear almost right off the bat (unless you're evil, then you get to try and hike all the way over to tenpenny tower). Secondly, some giant mantises spawn nearby, so you'll frequently have issues with being unable to fast travel away from the area until you clear them out. Third, the aboveground base defense minigame was removed, so once you unlock the base there's really nothing else to do (plus some turrets and guard towers would really help with the mantis issue). Finally, the mod's last update was prior to GRA. so those weapons won't display or auto sort onto the armory racks, nor will GRA ammo auto sort.
A World of Pain:
One of the things that NV is missing compared to 3 is dungeons, that is, enclosed environments full of monsters, traps, loot, etc. AWOP fixes that by adding a number of small to mid sized dungeons scattered around the world much like the ones in 3.....and also a giant, branching, interconnected mega-dungeon that has entrances and exits scattered all over the map. I have spent hours fighting my way through a single path of that dungeon, often transitioning between two or three factions of enemies as a I proceed, before I finally reaching an exit. It's not like the small dungeons where you can, with good aim and diligent looting, come out with more ammo and aid than you started with, the mega dungeon is a test of your preparations and skill, because you will run low on ammo and health and have either fall back or get creative to survive. I've only hand to melee fight my way through a few areas to reach an exit a few times, but it has happened.
This is not to say that there's no reason to go down there, AWOP does have some unique weapons and items, many of which can surpass base game gear. But in my mind AWOP isn't about the loot, it's about the experiences you have with it. I don't remember getting some shiny new gun, but I do remember carefully sneaking through a ruined science lab, low on ammo and meds, carefully picking off enemies one at a time and scounging just enough ammo from each kill to keep my guns loaded, knowing one mistake would start a firefight I couldn't win. AWOP isn't for everyone, but for some people it's probably their favorite mod, myself included. Well, that or Monster Mash, which is by that same author and is basically just AWOP but more so and in a single dungeon.
And yes, this mod is why you need the M2 browning, there are places in AWOP that I cannot understand how you're supposed to beat without such weapons because even with a .50 cal heavy machine gun, it was an incredibly tough fight. Which I do still like, it makes seeking out powerful weapons like the M2 a useful and important task as part of your preparation, and not just a case of you running around with an over the top death machine (That said, the M2 is priced to be an over the top death machine, so you'll probably want to complete Dead Money in order to afford it).
Oh, and speaking of Dead Money, there's AWOP content there as well. It's actually not as bad as the main game, and the AWOP areas in Dead Money have unique vending machine codes that let you buy more things from the machines, most notably a wider variety of ammo.
All of that said, the mod has a few issues. The first is that the mods adds new NPCs, new quests, a new town, etc, but has no voice acting, which is a minor but glaring issue. It also reworks the goodsprings gunfight a bit by making it much harder, and adds a number of heavily armored high level NPCs to towns as guards for.....some reason. As I was writing this I checked the mod and it was actually just updated to try and fix that latter issue, but as I haven't played it myself I'm not sure how well it worked. There are patches to get around that and reset goodsprings to how it was originally, though with the new update they might not work.
Fallout 3:
Underground Hideout
This one has been a longtime favorite of mine, because the player home it adds is, in addition to being a very nice looking and well made space, also very well designed as a player home, not just a character home. That means it has things that are useful to the player, like labeled storage spaces, scripts to automatically sort and store your gear, some very nice display racks and maniques to hold weapons and armor, and it collects some of the useful interactable devices like the wonder meat maker into one place, so you don't need to run all the way down into the jury street metro tunnels to use it. It also adds a bit of a minigame on top of all that, letting you build, upgrade, and defend an outpost on the surface against various enemies, which is a fun diversion. It also adds a handful of new weapons, none of which I'm a particular fan of but I'm sure some people like them.
The one issues I have with it are that with stuff like the meat maker, there's no cost to obtain it, it's just there as soon as you unlock the bunker, it would be nice if you had to at least find the original meat maker before you could unlock the one at the base.
D.C. Interiors Project
A nice little mod that adds some more interiors to the D.C ruins to explore and fight through. Regular D.C. Always feels a little boarded up, if you can enter a building 9 times out ten it's because there's a quest associated with it, and that made the game world feel a little small.
Weapon Mod Kits:
It's funny looking back at where the trend of weapon mods started. WMK was a huge thing back then, but now, with so much customization available (or even with the vastly superior NV version of this same mod), it looks almost dated, with a small collection of identical mods for nearly every weapon (or the rather odd looking double stack of fusion cells for laser weapons with upgraded ammo capacity, a look that I've never quite been sold on). Still, without it we probably wouldn't have the extensive customization and upgradability of the modern games, and we owe this mod a tribute for that.
Unless you're one of those people that used to make weapon mods by carefully designing just one, very nice model, and now find yourself having your workload quadrupled by the need to not just make one model, but make one model with a dozen different options for scopes, stocks, magazines, barrels, muzzles, etc. Those people probably don't like antistar very much.
Fallout Wanderer's Edition:
Much like WMK started the trend of weapon customization, I believe FWE is one of things that started the trend for ultrahard survival game modes in fallout. Fortunately, it also set the trend for those mods being highly customizable, so you can disable elements that make it a little bit too punishing...or make it even harder, if you're into that kinda of thing. The rebalancing and new weapons aspect also helps give you new opitions in gameplay or make other playstyles a bit more viable.
My main issue with it is that even with the rebalance, metal armor is still useless (at least for good characters, since Talon company will still hand you free combat armor on a regular basis, though the deliveryman are a bit more troublesome in this mod). I also have some issues with the new weapons, specifically that it brings back the Bozar from fallout 2. I generally don't like that kind of thing, I'd rather have unique weapons from past games stay in past games, rather than constantly pop up time and time again as shameless nostalgia pandering. It's lazy and takes up time and effort that could be spent on making something new, something special for the current game.
Darker Nights: Technically this is a lighting tweak, but also a gameplay tweak because it makes running around at night in fallout a much harder, more dangerous prospect, because, well, it's a bad idea to run around the post nuclear wasteland when you can't see. I think of it as kind of enforced immersion, where your character has to find somewhere to sleep not because there's a little bar at the bottom of the screen telling you so, but because otherwise you'll be chased down and murdered out in the darkness.
It also makes getting ahold of the night vision gear in FWE that much more empowering, since now you can finally turn the tables on the things out there.
Marts Mutant Mod:
MMR adds new enemies (mostly mutants, hence the name) to the game, to add more variety to the combat, along with new skins for the current set so it doesn't feel as much like there's a cloning vat somewhere in the ruins, spitting out copies of the same 3 ghouls. I have more mixed feelings about this one, while it's fun and it does a lot to make the combat feel less samey, the modelwork on several of the "new" monsters is a bit dubious. Some just look a bit too obviously like the base model with the proportions tweaked, and others just don't make sense. Frank Hogan, as a character, concept, was extremely dubious, it doesn't with the enclaves radical anti-mutant stance to have them strap a set of power armor onto a supermutant and use him as a super soldier, but he was at least a one off. The MMM enclave has a bunch of them, for reasons I cannot easily explain.
FOOK:
FWE is a gameplay overhaul done right, where the mod team had a very clear goal and did not lose focus on that goal during the mod design process. There was the the occasional minor excursion to add fan favorite weapons or do some minor bug fixing, but overall FWE had the goal of making a mod that made 3's combat better and harder, make overall survival more difficult, and rebalance the game in service of those two core goals.
FOOK did not have that focus. It's got a bunch of tweaks to the combat system, tons and tons of new weapons, new armor, new visuals, redesigned encounters, new followers, etc, all in service of who knows what end. There doesn't appear to be any clear goal behind these changes. Why did they add a bunch of modern firearms and combat armor so everyone looks all tacticool, and then also add a bunch of stuff that's kinda supposed to fit into the fallout world. What was the intended effect of the various changes they made to the combat system? It feels like the goals was to just make changes, without any clear vision of what they're supposed to be changing the game too.
I think you can tell a lot about someone by how they change and play a game, I think you can probably get a good sense of who I am is based on the mods I have here and what I have to say about them. Applying that same perspective to FOOK, all I get is "ADHD riddled CoD Fanboy".
NV
FOOK - New Vegas Edition
I don't think I'm the only one with a negative view of FOOK, because the NV version of the mod is significantly improved. It's been pared down significantly and now works to overhaul the game work to be a little bit more consistent or integrated (letting DLC weapons work with vanilla perks, changing armor names to reference what faction they're from, not having the GRA DLC just dump a bunch of new weapons into one shop or create two seemingly identical weapons with the only difference being mods, etc), some minor rebalances and bug fixes, and adding in a smaller number of new weapons and armors that actually fit the setting and fill in gaps or provide new tools. IE, there's now a police uniform to go with the vanilla police hat, some weapons that didn't have unique varients now do, etc.
I still have some issues with it, largely related to it being a bit too prone to prone to bringing stuff in from fallout 3 when it shouldn't (the auto axe, for example), but overall the NV version of FOOK is a vast improvement over the version of 3, and it's an excellent mod if you decide to use it.
Project Nevada:
PN is my go to game overhaul, although it's a bit weird. FWE had one, single goal that everything focused toward, making the game harder. Nevada has 3, largely unrelated ones, which it refers to as "modules" because they can be enabled or disabled indpently of one another.
The core module is a combat overhaul, that aimes to bring NV in line with more traditional FPS games. It doesn't quite get there, but it makes a good show of it and the system added or tweaked are quite nice.
A second module allows you to adjust overall mechanics to be harder/easier. things like controlling health, letting weapons bypass DT if you shoot someone in the head and they don't have a helmet, making supplies rarer and harder to find, etc.
The 3rd modules adds new equipment, a mix of new stuff and porting things from fallout 3.
And then there's a system that completely replaces and overhauls fallout NV's cyberware system, changing it from just some purchasabily SPECIAL upgrades into a slot based system containing implants that can, in addition to boosting SPECIAL, boost your stats directly, give you multiple vision mods, EMP burst, regain AP from kills, etc.
Overall, I like most of PN's changes, particular the FPS rework and difficulty controls. Some of the new weapons are a bit dubious (the chinese pistol was garbage back in 3 and that was not fixed by porting it to NV), but some are very nice, the Rail cannon, cryo revolver, Wattz laser rifle, and 5mm SMG being person favorites. The cyberware portion is the one I have the most reservations about. While it works very well and provides powerful tools to the player, the vanilla cyberware clinic was already toeing the line of what I can really consider to be setting appropriate. This crosses that line.
HK G3SG1
Ok, now I realize I'm going to sound kinda hypocritical for complaining that other mods port weapons from past games into the current one, and then come in talking up a mod that brings in a gun that's basically the R91 into NV, but here me out. The real world G3, while obviously the inspiration for the R91, is in reality and this mod a very different weapon. The R91 is an assault rifle, this mod is a battle rifle or, with the scope mod, a DRM. It fills a role that NV doesn't really have a ton of other weapons for, and is definitely not me clinging to a prefered weapon out of stubborn nostalgia.
Weapon Mods Expanded:
WMX (yes, WMX, not WME. WME is another, IMO inferior, weapon mod mod) is the true successor to the same mod from 3, but vastly improved. Weapon mods fit the weapon better and look they belong there, as opposed to 3 where many of them were clearly just reused assets (such as extended magazines for the assault rifles often being the magazines of other weapons being reused), most of these new mods are customized for each weapon and more or less seamlessly fit into place. It also makes the system much more consistent, every weapon can be modded and every weapon has 3 mods, including uniques and otherwise unmoddable ones. It also adds several new weapons. Most are forgettable, but the M2 borwning HMG is a standout exception, it's an amazing weapon (for reasons explained later) and exactly the kind of heavy weapon that fallout power armor should be using (and indeed, they are using it now in 76).
The one issue is that while ranged weapons are generally excellent, melee weapons are not quite as lucky. While still well done, they tend to be a bit more generic. Lots of very samy looking grips or new blade textures, every blunt weapons gets wrapped in barbed wire, etc. Many of those upgrades also need to be crafted, rather than bought, and while you will almost inevitably be dragged, kicking and screaming, into the hell that is NV crafting, I cannot condone sending people there on purpose.
This mod is also one of the mods that I'll say requires other mods to best use. weapon mod menu is the big one, as it lets you remove weapon mods, which you'll want to have for this because sometimes you won't want to have a scope or similar mod installed. Weapon mod vending machines are also a very good idea, as it let's you bypass the messy melee weapon mod crafting or find a specific mod that vendors are seemingly never selling.
The Someguy Series:
A set of story mods by mod author Someguy, these mods add hours of new content to the game. Fully voice acted, with a handful of unique items, perks, integration with the main game (for example, if you kill a certain legion NPC prior to one of the quests in this series, a friend of that NPC will ambush you to get revenge), etc. I can't speak highly enough of these mods, but I also can't speak too much about them because of spoilers.
Ammo crafting schematics:
Once the need to craft better ammo types drags your into the crafting system, this mod will help you get the most out of it. It won't, and can't, make the crafting system better, but it will at least ensure that it's doing the most that it can do. It's like making sure all the pitchforks you're about to be stabbed with are freshly polished and have handles in good condition, and that the coals you'll be dragged over are the finest, highest quality coals to be found.
Functional Post Game Ending:
Exactly what it says on the tin
Darker Nights:
Same as fallout 3, though now NV is from PN and not FWE.
Underground Hideout:
Yet another mod from fallout 3 that returned in a vastly improved form to NV, most of what was said before still applies. The changes/improvements, however, are considerable, and are enough to have the hideout beat out the Sink for best NV player home. The biggest one is that the hideout will actually change as you unlock quests, adding decorations as you go along. For example, upon completing "Bleed me dry" some hunting trophies appear on the main wall. The same happens as you complete the DLCs. Secondly, it has a much larger display room for armor and various items, almost twice the space as the old hideout. It's also got some kind of scripting to link various containers, so you can transfer crafting supplies between containers instead of having to manually carry them around.
There are also some improvements to how the hideout works as far as drawbacks go. there's an optional system to make the hideout system's consume power, and the need to obtain and buy more fuel for the reactor finally adds a cost to all the benefits the base provides. Just keeping the lights one doesn't drain much, but if you make heavy use of the water purifier, rad scrubber, greenhouse, etc, those will drain power faster. Secondly, some features like the indoor farm don't work at first, you actually need to go out and collect plants before you can grow anything you want. The quest to unlock is also a fair bit harder and you actually have to work at it a bit, rather than just following a bunch of quest markers.
There are some definite issues, however. First off, the hideout is located near spring mountain park. That is, to the direct north of goodsprings, past all the cazadors placed there to stop you from going exactly that way. I do not like it when a player home is located where you cannot easily access it and will therefore have to stash extra gear somewhere else and ferry it over to that home, there's a reason both 3 and 4 gave you a secure place to store gear almost right off the bat (unless you're evil, then you get to try and hike all the way over to tenpenny tower). Secondly, some giant mantises spawn nearby, so you'll frequently have issues with being unable to fast travel away from the area until you clear them out. Third, the aboveground base defense minigame was removed, so once you unlock the base there's really nothing else to do (plus some turrets and guard towers would really help with the mantis issue). Finally, the mod's last update was prior to GRA. so those weapons won't display or auto sort onto the armory racks, nor will GRA ammo auto sort.
A World of Pain:
One of the things that NV is missing compared to 3 is dungeons, that is, enclosed environments full of monsters, traps, loot, etc. AWOP fixes that by adding a number of small to mid sized dungeons scattered around the world much like the ones in 3.....and also a giant, branching, interconnected mega-dungeon that has entrances and exits scattered all over the map. I have spent hours fighting my way through a single path of that dungeon, often transitioning between two or three factions of enemies as a I proceed, before I finally reaching an exit. It's not like the small dungeons where you can, with good aim and diligent looting, come out with more ammo and aid than you started with, the mega dungeon is a test of your preparations and skill, because you will run low on ammo and health and have either fall back or get creative to survive. I've only hand to melee fight my way through a few areas to reach an exit a few times, but it has happened.
This is not to say that there's no reason to go down there, AWOP does have some unique weapons and items, many of which can surpass base game gear. But in my mind AWOP isn't about the loot, it's about the experiences you have with it. I don't remember getting some shiny new gun, but I do remember carefully sneaking through a ruined science lab, low on ammo and meds, carefully picking off enemies one at a time and scounging just enough ammo from each kill to keep my guns loaded, knowing one mistake would start a firefight I couldn't win. AWOP isn't for everyone, but for some people it's probably their favorite mod, myself included. Well, that or Monster Mash, which is by that same author and is basically just AWOP but more so and in a single dungeon.
And yes, this mod is why you need the M2 browning, there are places in AWOP that I cannot understand how you're supposed to beat without such weapons because even with a .50 cal heavy machine gun, it was an incredibly tough fight. Which I do still like, it makes seeking out powerful weapons like the M2 a useful and important task as part of your preparation, and not just a case of you running around with an over the top death machine (That said, the M2 is priced to be an over the top death machine, so you'll probably want to complete Dead Money in order to afford it).
Oh, and speaking of Dead Money, there's AWOP content there as well. It's actually not as bad as the main game, and the AWOP areas in Dead Money have unique vending machine codes that let you buy more things from the machines, most notably a wider variety of ammo.
All of that said, the mod has a few issues. The first is that the mods adds new NPCs, new quests, a new town, etc, but has no voice acting, which is a minor but glaring issue. It also reworks the goodsprings gunfight a bit by making it much harder, and adds a number of heavily armored high level NPCs to towns as guards for.....some reason. As I was writing this I checked the mod and it was actually just updated to try and fix that latter issue, but as I haven't played it myself I'm not sure how well it worked. There are patches to get around that and reset goodsprings to how it was originally, though with the new update they might not work.
