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About this mod
With Vanilla Plus New Vegas one can experience a new Fallout: New Vegas playthrough that feels fresh without compromising the original feel and vision of the base game. This mod rebalances perks, weapons, loot locations, traits, hardcore needs, S.P.E.C.I.A.L., the barter system, and even dialogue. It also adds ending slides when you die.
- Requirements
- Permissions and credits
OVERVIEW
With Vanilla Plus New Vegas one can experience a new Fallout: New Vegas playthrough that feels fresh without compromising the original feel and vision of the base game. This mod rebalances perks, weapons, loot locations, traits, hardcore needs, S.P.E.C.I.A.L., the barter system, and even dialogue. It also adds ending slides when you die, which vary depending on the circumstances of your death. Fast travel is removed without having the necessary perks. The DLC quests and Courier's Stash items are no longer given to the player at the start of the game. DLC quests will be granted to the player based on level, and the Courier's Stash items can be found in lore friendly locations in the Mojave Wasteland. The option to rebuild your character after leaving Goodsprings has also been removed. This mod is meant to be played on the 'VERY HARD' difficulty and was balanced with the idea that you are a veteran of the game in mind. Personally, I like to do one life or 'Iron-Man' playthroughs but this mod does not force that upon the player. Other rebalances often seek to make bullets realistically one shot headshot both the player and enemies. I find that this completely destroys game balance. This is NOT one of those mods. This mod will make the game more fresh for people who are used to power-gaming the new vegas system by nerfing key exploits like breaking the bank at casinos, abusing the in game barter economy, removing the information surrounding dialogue checks, and removing loot that is extremely OP and out of place.
PERKS AND TRAITS
Almost all perks and traits have been changed in some way. It may be an increased level requirement or other constraints for the very overpowered perks, or a reduced level requirement/buffs for the underpowered perks. Some perks are left unchanged if I felt that they were already well designed in the base game. I would estimate that about 50% of the perks and traits have been modified in some way. Some examples will be listed below, and the full list of changes can be found in the readme file when you download the mod. Four new perks were added aside from the ones listed below. They are all variations of the 'Cowboy' perk.
Cannibal is now a trait instead of a perk
Terrifying Presence is now a trait instead of a perk
Jury Rigging requirements have been changed: Previously they were Level 14, and 90 Repair. Now they are Level 30, 100 Repair, and 5 PER. (Jury Rigging is quite possibly the single most game breaking/game changing perk in the base game)
One new perk, 'Great Hair' has been added. Requirements: Level 4. Perk effect: Whenever the player is not wearing headgear which covers their hair, their charisma is boosted by 2. (this was done in an effort to make it possible to have a character who does not wear headgear and actually gets an advantage from it.)
One new trait which returns from the classic fallout games 'Gifted' has been added. Trait Effect: The player gains +1 permanently to all S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats, but suffers -5 to skill points awarded per level.
The perk 'Long Haul' now allows the player to fast-travel, which is disabled completely without this perk.
Weapons
Most of the weapon changes are extremely moderate damage or spread changes. The most important change to the weapons of the game are the GRA weapons which were previously copies of the base game weapons. These weapons are now merged with the base game weapons, which accept the GRA mods. The full list of weapon changes can be found in the readme file when you download the mod.
Loot Locations
Various loot locations have been modified or removed in order to make power gaming harder. The ones that immediately come to my mind are the Courier's Stash items which have been placed around the map in lore friendly spots, the free Van Graff combat armor at the sacked caravan has been removed, and Orris' revolver has been changed from a Hunting Revolver to a .357 Magnum Revolver (it was too easy to kill orris and still be rewarded by the king without even doing his quest, allowing the player to keep 200 caps and get a free high end weapon with no consequence). The full list of loot changes can be found in the readme file.
Hardcore Needs
Hardcore needs now come into play more often. Dehydration, Hunger, and Sleep Deprivation now increase at about 1.5X their normal rate.
The Barter System
Any veteran of New Vegas knows how easy it can be to break the in game economy. Simply pick up all the good loot on your way to Vegas, gamble until all the casinos kick you out, sell your loot to the gun runners, crimson caravan, van graffs, and you're basically set for the rest of the game. This is no longer possible. That's because barter plays a much greater role in your buying and selling with merchants. At the base barter level of 15, prices are almost 3X what they would be in the base game. At 100 Barter, prices are 1.15X the value of the item in most cases, being 1.10X the value of the item in base New Vegas. This makes barter a much more useful skill. In addition to the change to buying and selling, casinos will now kick you out 3 times faster, and the Omertas will not reward the player with a suit of combat armor. They will grant the player a unique business suit with added DT instead, which is far less overpowered than the combat armor they normally give while still being useful.
S.P.E.C.I.A.L.
In base New Vegas one thing is pretty clear to any veteran. Perception is a dump stat. This mod changes that by making almost all vats related perks require at least 5 perception if not more. Strength is also changed, and no longer has as great of an effect on carry weight because base carry weight has been lowered. Some may consider Charisma to be a dump stat but I do not. It is invaluable in a base game 'Iron-Man' playthrough due to the fact that it increases Companion Health, and save scumming to bring them back to life is not allowed in an Iron Man run. For this reason I have left charisma unchanged.
Dialogue
In base New Vegas all dialogue checks are represented in brackets like so [Speech 19/25] followed by what your character is actually going to say if you choose that option. The dialogue box will also be surrounded with a red outline in the event that one does not meet the requirements for the check. If you choose to attempt a dialogue check the NPC you're speaking to will respond accordingly, and their response will be captioned with [SUCCEEDED] or [FAILED] depending on whether or not you passed the check. These mechanics or 'hints' about dialogue checks have been completely removed with my mod. While the dialogue checks are still present, the game will no longer tell you the requirements for the check, or color code the border of the text box based on whether you're about to succeed or fail. NPC response captions will also no longer include [SUCCEEDED] or [FAILED]. This is true for all of the dialogue in brackets, with the exception of <lie> and christine's miming dialogue. NOTE: the player will still receive experience for successfully completing checks.
Death Slides
This change is a callback to the classic Fallout games. When the player dies they will receive a death slide ripped from the old games, which will vary depending on the circumstances of your death. (Health damage, Radiation, or hardcore needs)
Apparel and AID items
Some apparel has gone through a DT or enchantment change in order to nerf or buff its power. Almost all clothing now features an enchantment which makes the player slightly faster, as well as a SPECIAL bonus to make it worth wearing 'clothes' over light armor. Leather armor has been nerfed so that it is no longer the obvious early game choice. Instead it competes with the 'Merc' armors as well as basic clothing and Metal Armor. Other changes can be found in the readme. For aid items, chems and Stimpaks/Radaway now weigh 0.5 each, along with various other changes which can be read in full in the readme.
Compatibility
This mod should be compatible with anything that does not modify the base game balance. It requires all the DLC and nothing else to function. Personally, I play with the YUP unofficial patch on, and load my mod last. That patch is not required but it is my preference to play with it on, because my mod does not fix any engine bugs.
Player Feedback
I really would appreciate some player feedback on this mod. I have done 3 test playthroughs but i still haven't tried every build this mod makes possible. Leave me a comment and let me know what you think worked and didn't work.
With Vanilla Plus New Vegas one can experience a new Fallout: New Vegas playthrough that feels fresh without compromising the original feel and vision of the base game. This mod rebalances perks, weapons, loot locations, traits, hardcore needs, S.P.E.C.I.A.L., the barter system, and even dialogue. It also adds ending slides when you die, which vary depending on the circumstances of your death. Fast travel is removed without having the necessary perks. The DLC quests and Courier's Stash items are no longer given to the player at the start of the game. DLC quests will be granted to the player based on level, and the Courier's Stash items can be found in lore friendly locations in the Mojave Wasteland. The option to rebuild your character after leaving Goodsprings has also been removed. This mod is meant to be played on the 'VERY HARD' difficulty and was balanced with the idea that you are a veteran of the game in mind. Personally, I like to do one life or 'Iron-Man' playthroughs but this mod does not force that upon the player. Other rebalances often seek to make bullets realistically one shot headshot both the player and enemies. I find that this completely destroys game balance. This is NOT one of those mods. This mod will make the game more fresh for people who are used to power-gaming the new vegas system by nerfing key exploits like breaking the bank at casinos, abusing the in game barter economy, removing the information surrounding dialogue checks, and removing loot that is extremely OP and out of place.
PERKS AND TRAITS
Almost all perks and traits have been changed in some way. It may be an increased level requirement or other constraints for the very overpowered perks, or a reduced level requirement/buffs for the underpowered perks. Some perks are left unchanged if I felt that they were already well designed in the base game. I would estimate that about 50% of the perks and traits have been modified in some way. Some examples will be listed below, and the full list of changes can be found in the readme file when you download the mod. Four new perks were added aside from the ones listed below. They are all variations of the 'Cowboy' perk.
Cannibal is now a trait instead of a perk
Terrifying Presence is now a trait instead of a perk
Jury Rigging requirements have been changed: Previously they were Level 14, and 90 Repair. Now they are Level 30, 100 Repair, and 5 PER. (Jury Rigging is quite possibly the single most game breaking/game changing perk in the base game)
One new perk, 'Great Hair' has been added. Requirements: Level 4. Perk effect: Whenever the player is not wearing headgear which covers their hair, their charisma is boosted by 2. (this was done in an effort to make it possible to have a character who does not wear headgear and actually gets an advantage from it.)
One new trait which returns from the classic fallout games 'Gifted' has been added. Trait Effect: The player gains +1 permanently to all S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats, but suffers -5 to skill points awarded per level.
The perk 'Long Haul' now allows the player to fast-travel, which is disabled completely without this perk.
Weapons
Most of the weapon changes are extremely moderate damage or spread changes. The most important change to the weapons of the game are the GRA weapons which were previously copies of the base game weapons. These weapons are now merged with the base game weapons, which accept the GRA mods. The full list of weapon changes can be found in the readme file when you download the mod.
Loot Locations
Various loot locations have been modified or removed in order to make power gaming harder. The ones that immediately come to my mind are the Courier's Stash items which have been placed around the map in lore friendly spots, the free Van Graff combat armor at the sacked caravan has been removed, and Orris' revolver has been changed from a Hunting Revolver to a .357 Magnum Revolver (it was too easy to kill orris and still be rewarded by the king without even doing his quest, allowing the player to keep 200 caps and get a free high end weapon with no consequence). The full list of loot changes can be found in the readme file.
Hardcore Needs
Hardcore needs now come into play more often. Dehydration, Hunger, and Sleep Deprivation now increase at about 1.5X their normal rate.
The Barter System
Any veteran of New Vegas knows how easy it can be to break the in game economy. Simply pick up all the good loot on your way to Vegas, gamble until all the casinos kick you out, sell your loot to the gun runners, crimson caravan, van graffs, and you're basically set for the rest of the game. This is no longer possible. That's because barter plays a much greater role in your buying and selling with merchants. At the base barter level of 15, prices are almost 3X what they would be in the base game. At 100 Barter, prices are 1.15X the value of the item in most cases, being 1.10X the value of the item in base New Vegas. This makes barter a much more useful skill. In addition to the change to buying and selling, casinos will now kick you out 3 times faster, and the Omertas will not reward the player with a suit of combat armor. They will grant the player a unique business suit with added DT instead, which is far less overpowered than the combat armor they normally give while still being useful.
S.P.E.C.I.A.L.
In base New Vegas one thing is pretty clear to any veteran. Perception is a dump stat. This mod changes that by making almost all vats related perks require at least 5 perception if not more. Strength is also changed, and no longer has as great of an effect on carry weight because base carry weight has been lowered. Some may consider Charisma to be a dump stat but I do not. It is invaluable in a base game 'Iron-Man' playthrough due to the fact that it increases Companion Health, and save scumming to bring them back to life is not allowed in an Iron Man run. For this reason I have left charisma unchanged.
Dialogue
In base New Vegas all dialogue checks are represented in brackets like so [Speech 19/25] followed by what your character is actually going to say if you choose that option. The dialogue box will also be surrounded with a red outline in the event that one does not meet the requirements for the check. If you choose to attempt a dialogue check the NPC you're speaking to will respond accordingly, and their response will be captioned with [SUCCEEDED] or [FAILED] depending on whether or not you passed the check. These mechanics or 'hints' about dialogue checks have been completely removed with my mod. While the dialogue checks are still present, the game will no longer tell you the requirements for the check, or color code the border of the text box based on whether you're about to succeed or fail. NPC response captions will also no longer include [SUCCEEDED] or [FAILED]. This is true for all of the dialogue in brackets, with the exception of <lie> and christine's miming dialogue. NOTE: the player will still receive experience for successfully completing checks.
Death Slides
This change is a callback to the classic Fallout games. When the player dies they will receive a death slide ripped from the old games, which will vary depending on the circumstances of your death. (Health damage, Radiation, or hardcore needs)
Apparel and AID items
Some apparel has gone through a DT or enchantment change in order to nerf or buff its power. Almost all clothing now features an enchantment which makes the player slightly faster, as well as a SPECIAL bonus to make it worth wearing 'clothes' over light armor. Leather armor has been nerfed so that it is no longer the obvious early game choice. Instead it competes with the 'Merc' armors as well as basic clothing and Metal Armor. Other changes can be found in the readme. For aid items, chems and Stimpaks/Radaway now weigh 0.5 each, along with various other changes which can be read in full in the readme.
Compatibility
This mod should be compatible with anything that does not modify the base game balance. It requires all the DLC and nothing else to function. Personally, I play with the YUP unofficial patch on, and load my mod last. That patch is not required but it is my preference to play with it on, because my mod does not fix any engine bugs.
Player Feedback
I really would appreciate some player feedback on this mod. I have done 3 test playthroughs but i still haven't tried every build this mod makes possible. Leave me a comment and let me know what you think worked and didn't work.