Neutral Grey's Fallout Blog

I am Neutral Grey. Welcome to my Fallout blog where I will die on my hill defending Fallout 3. I support all Fallout content and hope you enjoy the blog. And take care! It's a big wasteland! But you'd know that better than me, right?

[neutralgrey-fallout]

I love the idea of what the "consistent Pip-Boy Icons" mod does for the games, cleaning up different resolutions and making it to where all of the Vault Boy images are in an identical art style...

I just think it's unfortunate that the depiction of Vault Boy in that mod is honestly ugly.

[grubhubgaming]

OP some of us are stupid dumbasses please send reference

[neutralgrey-fallout]

This is an image from one of the mod packs.

Again, the idea is not bad. This is part of an ongoing project to make all the icons consistent across Fallout: New Vegas and other Fallout games to which this mod may apply.

Because NV used a lot of assets from Fo3, some of the weapon, armor icons, and perk icons art of Vault Boy is slightly different than the art style of New Vegas' original/new icons. There is also the occasional base-game mismatch of specific icons that have lower resolution than the others for whatever reason or slightly different positioning on one icon compared to another almost identical. So the idea of this developing mod is to clean that up and use a consistent art style and resolution across all icons. To achieve this pretty hefty undertaking, it seems the mod devs chose to make completely original art which can be seen in the examples from the image above.

Something about the art style is just ever so slightly off to me. Like, it doesn't emulate the intended style from Fo3 or NV. This may very well be intentional and I am by no means intending to badmouth the mod or its creator, but the art style of Vault Boy just doesn't look quite right.

[neutralgrey-fallout]

I love the idea of what the "consistent Pip-Boy Icons" mod does for the games, cleaning up different resolutions and making it to where all of the Vault Boy images are in an identical art style...

I just think it's unfortunate that the depiction of Vault Boy in that mod is honestly ugly.

[neutralgrey-fallout]

I always thought it was interesting that in Fallout 3, there's a dialogue option to report Vault 87 as the source of the super mutants of the Capital Wasteland. This is the Brotherhood's main mission under Lyons while in the wasteland (before the Enclave show up)-- eliminate the super mutants. And so the game lets you report this information to an important NPC just before the final couple missions of the main story.

And of course it has no actual consequences because Fallout 3 is Fallout 3. But the way it feels focused on, it feel like it's supposed to be important.

This is all to say, I really like to think about what would have happened post-main story with Vault 87.

I always imagine the BoS take the underground route through Lamplight Caverns. They come across Little Lamplight, and because kids are no match for soldiers in actual power armor, the kids have no real choice but to stand down. The BoS pass the kids off to the protected Aqua Pura caravan routes they have. The children can make contact with safe settlements. Some of the Lamplighters get taken in by kind adults, some manage to fend for themselves among the settlements. Others, like Moriarty, disappear into the wasteland, chasing their mercenary fortunes. Vault 87 becomes a secured research outpost and turns the tide dramatically in the fight against the super mutants. Once the mutant population is under control, the vault 87 post becomes a dreary and bleak "punishment" assignment for irritating Scribes-- just like Scribe Yearling in the Arlington library.

[neutralgrey-fallout]

This might be an unpopular opinion, but I think the Vault Boy from the "Consistent Pip-boy Icons" mods for F3 and NV are just... kind of ugly? Like, he's off in a slightly uncanny way.

[neutralgrey-fallout]

This is why Fallout 3 is objectively the best

[neutralgrey-fallout]

I don't know about anyone else in the modding community, but I never trust radio mods that include a bundle of radio stations.

Like, it's probably irrational because I know there are radio station mods that add multiple stations that are all decent quality, but I always feel like I'm getting a quantity vs quality kind of deal.

Seeing a mod with a single curated station, where all the work has been put into crafting that single station with a single theme makes me feel like I'm downloading content with love put in it.

Plus I feel like having 14 stations to listen to is kinda overkill. Not a bad thing to have variety but there's such a thing as too much. A few dedicated radio stations feels better.

[neutralgrey-fallout]

I think every DLC for Fallout 3 is fantastic and great, and that includes Operation Anchorage and Mothership Zeta.

[leona-florianova]

fo1 and fo2 compillation 

[little-mirror-thoughts]

@neutralgray

[neutralgrey-fallout]

If any of you ever want to mod your Fallout: New Vegas experience, I recommend this mod to enhance the experience of the Strip:

BSO- Brightweight Strip Overhaul

There are a LOT of mods that claim to "overhaul" the Strip but this one is a personal favorite of mine because it illustrates the principle of "less is more" very effectively.

A lot of mods can be off-putting because they almost feel like ghost content, if that makes sense. Lots of world modifiers like this one will add new areas for the player to explore and try to give them new things to do but there's always that uncanny feeling of not belonging. Examples: the textures don't look quite right because they clash with an existing mod or use their own textures separate from the base game, the streets are too clean compared to the base game, the people don't talk or the grammatical structure is completely butchered, the NPC routines are broken or simply not there so the new hordes of people are just bodies to fill up world space, the new sections are always tucked away in corners and don't feel like they blend in well, etc.

This mod adds to the Strip simply by giving the player the illusion they could do more, without letting you actually do more. You enter the Strip and you are surrounded by dazzling lights. You see the Lucky 38, The Tops, the Ultra-Luxe, and Gomorrah. But you can see more! From the Strip you can see other casinos in the distance, such as the Dice Casino seen in the All Roads Comic. You can see Caesar's Palace and the Circus Circus Casino. You see lights and ads for restaurants you can't visit.

This may sound limiting but given those "ghost" problems I mentioned a lot of mods have, this mod effectively accomplishes the intent of many overhaul mods while never letting the player experience that jarring reminder that the content you're experiencing is "fake." You don't have to worry about "why" the in-world NPCs would never acknowledge these extra places-- by seeing them but not reaching them, you just simply acknowledge those are places in the city that aren't relevant to the story.

The Strip feels more alive. The Strip feels bigger. It feels more important. It feels like the "Rome" Caesar covets. It feels like the city House desperately wants to keep in his own hands. It's an extremely clever take on "less is more" and I definitely recommend it if you want your game to feel more alive without the lifeless attempt many ambitious mods unintentionally have.

[neutralgrey-fallout]

Just look at some of these shots from the Nexus.

[neutralgrey-fallout]

If any of you ever want to mod your Fallout: New Vegas experience, I recommend this mod to enhance the experience of the Strip:

BSO- Brightweight Strip Overhaul

There are a LOT of mods that claim to "overhaul" the Strip but this one is a personal favorite of mine because it illustrates the principle of "less is more" very effectively.

A lot of mods can be off-putting because they almost feel like ghost content, if that makes sense. Lots of world modifiers like this one will add new areas for the player to explore and try to give them new things to do but there's always that uncanny feeling of not belonging. Examples: the textures don't look quite right because they clash with an existing mod or use their own textures separate from the base game, the streets are too clean compared to the base game, the people don't talk or the grammatical structure is completely butchered, the NPC routines are broken or simply not there so the new hordes of people are just bodies to fill up world space, the new sections are always tucked away in corners and don't feel like they blend in well, etc.

This mod adds to the Strip simply by giving the player the illusion they could do more, without letting you actually do more. You enter the Strip and you are surrounded by dazzling lights. You see the Lucky 38, The Tops, the Ultra-Luxe, and Gomorrah. But you can see more! From the Strip you can see other casinos in the distance, such as the Dice Casino seen in the All Roads Comic. You can see Caesar's Palace and the Circus Circus Casino. You see lights and ads for restaurants you can't visit.

This may sound limiting but given those "ghost" problems I mentioned a lot of mods have, this mod effectively accomplishes the intent of many overhaul mods while never letting the player experience that jarring reminder that the content you're experiencing is "fake." You don't have to worry about "why" the in-world NPCs would never acknowledge these extra places-- by seeing them but not reaching them, you just simply acknowledge those are places in the city that aren't relevant to the story.

The Strip feels more alive. The Strip feels bigger. It feels more important. It feels like the "Rome" Caesar covets. It feels like the city House desperately wants to keep in his own hands. It's an extremely clever take on "less is more" and I definitely recommend it if you want your game to feel more alive without the lifeless attempt many ambitious mods unintentionally have.

[neutralgrey-fallout]

Been replaying Fallout: New Vegas and I've decided Dead Money is amazing, actually.

[neutralgrey-fallout]

I think the only thing I didn't like about the DLC campaign was near the end, when you have to rush down to the casino vault. There are so many "blow your head off" speakers that practically require a level of brutal trial-and-error, that I feel like my character surviving the experience was immersion breaking lol

[neutralgrey-fallout]

Been replaying Fallout: New Vegas and I've decided Dead Money is amazing, actually.

[neutralgrey-fallout]

I think the only thing I didn't like about the DLC campaign was near the end, when you have to rush down to the casino vault. There are so many "blow your head off" speakers that practically require a level of brutal trial-and-error, that I feel like my character surviving the experience was immersion breaking lol

[neutralgrey-fallout]

Been replaying Fallout: New Vegas and I've decided Dead Money is amazing, actually.

[neutralgrey-fallout]

Concept for a Fallout perk: We have straight/gay perks in Fallout 3, NV, and 4 that give you special dialogue options like Lady Killer, Black Widow, Confirmed Bachelor, and Cherchez la Femme and gives you a 10% damage bonus to the selected sex. I want a bisexual perk that gives you a 5% damage boost against everyone but unlocks the special dialogue options taking both the gay and straight coded perks would give you. You have all dialogue options but lose out on a bit of the damage bonus as it spreads to everyone. Call that shit "Best of Both Worlds."

[neutralgrey-fallout]

Fallout 3 Writing Project: Ending Slides styled after New Vegas Part #2 of 2

[neutralgrey-fallout]

Fallout 3 Writing Project: Ending Slides styled after New Vegas Part #1 of 2

Details: I tried to adhere strictly to only the choices you could make in Fallout 3. I wanted these ending slides to hopefully feel as well thought out as New Vegas' detailed endings, without diving into creating fan fiction that relies on content that doesn't exist. The one exception to this rule is for companions. Since Fallout 3 has no companion quests or trust buildup system of any kind, I thought it might be cool to change the companions' potential endings simply by how much time the player hypothetically invested in keeping them around.

[neutralgrey-fallout]

So I wrote out a complete epilogue to Fallout 3 in the style of New Vegas-- that is, it goes over the companions' fates, most major settlements (assuming there was a primary quest or a companion attached to said settlement), and provides some details to the ending, etc.

Would anyone be interested in reading such a thing?