Another week, another set of staff (and guest) picks to present you.
Before we begin the weeks' picks, I just want to clarify that the way we do this is very simple, each staff member chooses a mod of their choice, and then I compile them all and post them up. So when I saw that both Robin and I had picked a mod from the same author I thought it might be seen as favouritism or that we were colluding. Let me assure you; we're not. I guess you can chalk it down to 'great minds' and all that.
Just remember that other mods on the site may do roughly the same thing, so keep your eyes peeled and understand that these are just our personal picks. That said, hopefully, you'll find something you may not have seen before and who knows, maybe we'll even learn a little about each other along the way.
We love to hear your selections, so if you have a mod you would like to submit to the community (not your own), then please check out this new and handy form.
Dark0ne
Mod: HUDFramework
Game: Fallout 4
Author: registrator2000
I'm not too up to date on my modding at the moment, but the little group of modders who welcome me into their Skype group chats talk about the mods being made by registrator2000 like it's the second coming. And I can see why.
HUDFramework sets the groundwork for a range of awesome mods you never knew you needed, and now wonder what the hell Bethesda were thinking by not doing it themselves. From the description, HUDFramework makes it possible for mods to add new UI elements to the HUD. Sounds simple enough, but what are the practical implications?
Companion Status HUD is a great example of what this means for modding Fallout 4. Much to my personal chagrin (see last week's staff picks), followers are very popular with Fallout 4 players. Companion Status HUD will provide you with real-time feedback on your companion's health and stats via a HUD widget made possible by the HUDFramework.
You never knew you needed it until you try it. Well done, registrator2000.
SirSalami
Mod: Line-of-Sight Indicators
Game: XCOM: Enemy Unknown
Author: Tracktwo
Though XCOM 2 is a great game in its own right, I find that XCOM: Enemy Unknown still holds up quite well, especially when you consider the meagre system requirements. The sequel did bring some nice quality of life enhancements to the interface however that are sorely missed with its predecessor, specifically regarding unit's line-of-sight.
When initiating movement of a unit in XCOM 2, it is immediately apparent whether or not that unit will have line-of-sight to an enemy at a known location. This was not the case in XCOM: EU, making unit movement an unnecessarily ambiguous experience at times. Thankfully, "Line-of-Sight Indicators" brings XCOM 2's LOS indicators to XCOM: EU, helping to ensure that you always keep your eyes on the prize.
TerrorFox1234
Mod: EGM - Expanded Galaxy Mod
Game: Mass Effect 3
Author: KkJiro
Where to even begin with this mod? This a complete package for revamping Mass Effect 3. It adds new weapons, new armors, new companions, new missions, new Normandy upgrades and the list just keeps going. You’ll need to read the mod description to get all the details about everything this mod does.
I enjoy replaying most BioWare games. Part of what makes the games so replayable are the choices that span across the entire series. Something you did in ME1 may change an event in ME3. Yeah, we won’t get into the “choice” at the end of ME3. In any case, the point is that I have played and replayed the Mass Effect series enough times now that I’ve experienced most of the choices from all sides. So, what to do? Simply pack it up and never touch Mass Effect again?
Of course not! Mod it! This mod allowed me to approach ME3 again, with a completely fresh feeling. There was plenty to discover just within the new mod functions alone! If you’re looking to step back into ME3, I don’t recommend doing so without grabbing EGM first.
BlindJudge
Mod: Bullet Time - Slow Time
Game: Fallout 4
Author: registrator2000
One of my favourite game series of all time is Max Payne. I remember buying it on a friends recommendation and experiencing bullet-time for the first time. Max Payne was the gaming equivalent of a John Woo movie, and it made for an exciting and incredibly stylish game.
Jump forward from 2001 to 2008 and Fallout 3 is released with V.A.T.S., a system that allows you to stop time and target specific areas of your enemies bodies. It reintroduced that feeling of power as you stopped enemies in their tracks and picked them apart, piece by piece.
The trouble with V.A.T.S. is that it feels a little overpowered to me. It takes away the need to avoid incoming fire and removes some of the 'drama' within a gunfight.
Bring in Bullet Time - Slow Time by registrator2000. The first thing to do when you install this mod is to go to your Pipboy and configure it how you would like from the 'Inventory > Aid' section. I like it to be a little less OP, so I change the time-dilation to be 50% and my AP cost to be 30 or 40 AP/s. That way I'm not running around murdering Raiders while they remain totally stationary.
However you choose to use the mod, I'm sure you will find it a lot of fun. As registrator2000 has put within their mod description. Other bullet time mods are out there and feel free to check them all out and find the one that best suits you.
Right, I'm off to become the Fallout 4 version of Neo... See you in the Wasteland.
(Guest submission)ZZZ02
Mod: Moonlight Tales Essentials Overhauled - Werewolf Halloween
Game: Skyrim
Author: ubuntufreakdragon
Lycanthropy in vanilla Skyrim is meh at best! There are many mods that attempt to rectify the situation, but none handle it better than the 'Moonlight Tales Overhaul Series".
"Moonlight Tales Essentials Overhauled" is a combination of the main features of the three overhauls by 'Spwned' done in a very compatible and lightweight manner. Plus, it also has it's own unique immersion features such as losing control of your werewolf and dropping your gear. The best part is everything is configurable via one mcm, so if you want to go full feral immersion or only have a new fur color then this is the mod for you!
Combine this with real feeding and a perk overhaul of your choice, and you have the complete experience.
Every week, we feature a few mods that have caught our staff’s attention, as well as some that were submitted by you, the Nexus Mods community. If there is a mod you’d like to see on this list, then please check out this quick and handy form.
If you haven’t already, feel free to follow us on our social media channels where we'll keep you up to date with the latest site news, articles and much more.
Thanks, and have fun modding!
16 comments
Comments locked
A moderator has closed this comment topic for the time beingin short its far from pleasant to mod and defiantly not user friendly. Plus the mod selection is fairly limited.
I'm surprised someone had the patience and gumption to make a full galaxy expansion. hell trying to make a brand new skin set for liara broke my game 4 times over.
You can use ME3Explorer to unpack TPF files, and/or install them permanently, where TexMod just added them in memory.
ME3Explorer - Wiki
ME3Explorer - Nexus Mods
However a better alternative has recently appeared, which only installs DDS textures, but is much faster than ME3Explorer, even if you have to use ME3Explorer to unpack the TPF files first.
MEM - Mass Effect Modder - Wiki
MEM - Mass Effect Modder - Release
This is the best Mass Effect Texture Installer yet, for Example the A Lot Of Textures for ME2 package (1000 Textures approx) takes several hours, using ME3Explorer, but about 15 minutes, at most using MEM.
It's that much better, and once the MEM pack is created, it's even quicker to reinstall.
Combine that with the DLC Mods, and using ME3MM (Mass Effect 3 Mod Manager), for easier reinstallation. and Mass Effect modding has never been easier.
Mass Effect 3 Mod Manager by FemShep
IMPORTANT NOTE
Mainly affects the first two games of ME, and Dragon Age, when it was the main site for mods.
The old BSN forums are gone, but information can be found using the Wayback Machine.
The last Snapshot of the active Bioware Forum, was 11th October 2016, (the later ones are the same message you see now, saying EA don't give a damn, about us):
The BioWare Forum
However this will not work for the mod files, and although they are currently available, EA has already announced it will close the site sometime soon, though no date's been set.
So grab the mods you want, before they disappear forever, some are being transferred here, but only with permission. Many will never get moved over.
BSN - BioWare Social Network - Projects