Fallout 3

About this mod

Fallout 3 Wanderers Edition (FWE) is a major gameplay overhaul that improves the challenge, immersion, depth of gameplay while emphasizing balance, choices, role-playing and fun. FWE integrates over 50 individual mods together with new content, resulting in a seamless package!

Requirements
Permissions and credits
Translations
  • Spanish
  • Italian
  • German
  • French
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Please read this if you have any questions before asking in the comments section!
FWE compatbility list And please read this before asking if mod XYZ is compatible with FWE.

New 6.03 HOTFIX is out! Find the full changelog here!

*** You MUST install both PART 1 and PART 2 of the install files AND the patch. DO NOT FORGET THIS

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Fallout 3 - Wanderers Edition (FWE)

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Version: Master Release 6.03
Date: 09/13/2010

FWE Website

Project Team : Mezmorki (lead), Kai Hohiro, jjgun, delamer, The 3rd Type, schlangster, xquake



*********************** IMPORTANT ****************************

The follower mods/utilities are required for FWE:

* Fallout Script Extender (FOSE)

* CRAFT (included in the FWE 5.0 download)

* CALIBR (included in the FWE 5.0 download)

*The Fallout Mod Manager (FOMM) is HIGHLY recommended for properly installing and setting up FWE.


Other FWE Resources:

* Fallout Interoperability Program (FOIP)
Compatibility patches Martigen's Mutant Mod (MMM), Weapon Mod Kits (WMK), Project Beauty and Energy Visuals Enhanced (EVE)

* Darn UI
Darn UI greatly improves the interface and has additional HUD features when used in conjunction with FWE. Download the most recent version (Alpha 11 + the hotfix) from the above link AND the Darn UI - FWE Patch from this page.

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Overview of Changes

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Fallout 3 Wanderers Edition (FWE) is a major overhaul mod for Fallout 3 that changes underlying game mechanics and adds new features to the game. The aim of the mod is to improving the challenge, sense of immersion, depth of gameplay, and range of options compared the vanilla game. Generally, you'll find the wasteland to be a more dynamic but far less forgiving place.

FWE's development is guided by two objectives. The first is to enhance the First-Person-Shooter (FPS) elements of the game (while still preserving non-FPS options). This includes making combat faster paced, exciting, and more player-skill based. The second objective is to enhance the role-playing elements of the game by emphasizing choices and consequences, balance, character development, immersion, and the range of viable options. Both these objectives aim to increase the replay value of Fallout 3.

In FWE 6.0 MANY of FWE's features from prior versions and new to 5.0 are now customizable or ON/OFF toggle-able. Configurable changes will be highlighted in the description below.

For a comprehensive description of changes and usage, please refer to the full documentation provided in the FWE download. This is located in the "FWE Docs" folder of the download files.

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OVERALL GOALS
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  • Richer character development + RPG experience where SPECIAL, skill, and Perk choices matter more
  • Faster paced and more unforgiving combat for an enhanced FPS experience
  • Greatly improved the "survival" aspect of the game, including injuries, loot rarity, and daily needs
  • New equipment and a complete rebalance of all weapons, armor, and other gear
  • Improvements to the diversity, character, and behavior of many actors, factions, and creatures
  • Overall a more immersive game experience
  • In-game "Control Panel" and optional modules allow you to configure FWE to your preferred playstyle
  • Compatiblity support for other popular mods including MMM, WMK, EVE and Project Beauty

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CHARACTER
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  • Built-in alternative start option
  • Slower experience, leveling, and pacing choices (configurable)
  • SPECIALS's made more important to your character's skills and abilities
  • Adjusted carrying weight capacity (configurable)
  • Major rebalance of existing perks and new FWE-specific perks
  • Tagged skills are more important
  • Reduced skill points overall, so characters can't be a master of everything (configurable)
  • Skills matter more to your performance in most situations (configurable)
  • Adjusted bobblehead bonuses and functionality (configurable)
  • Additional lockpicking + hacking choices (bypassing terminals, explosive entries)
  • Sneaking made more realistic and challenging (configurable)
  • Improvement to the karma system
  • Changed health formulas for the player for better balance (configurable)
  • Improved barter settings for a more balanced economy (configurable)
  • Skill books now provide unique perks instead of skill points

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COMBAT
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  • Greatly increased the global damage multiplier for damage taken and dealt (configurable)
  • Significantly lessened the effect of auto-aim
  • Adjusted the weapon spread (accuracy formula) for better gameplay (configurable)
  • Unarmed skill provides a "dodge" bonus when wearing lighter armors
  • Implemented body-part location based damage specific to each NPC/creature type
  • Reduced limb explosion + dismemberment rates
  • VATS balancing, including increased player damage and adjusted hit %
  • Optional VATS real-time and half-time modules
  • Movement speed increased
  • Backwards movement speed dependent on agility
  • Integrated Bullet time feature that consumes AP's (configurable)
  • Integrated Sprinting feature that uses AP's (configurable)
  • Adjusted Action Point pool size and recharge rates (configurable))
  • Built-in FPS-style grenade hotkey mod (configurable)
  • More realistic falling damage (configurable)
  • Greatly increased velocity and range of projectiles

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EQUIPMENT
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  • Over 40 new weapons added from prior fallout games and to the gameworld
  • Over a dozen new armors added, appropriate to the fallout setting
  • Missing unique weapons + armor added to the wasteland
  • Complete rebalance of all weapons, all weapons now have a viable purpose
  • Complete rebalance of all explosives for greater stopping power and realism
  • Explosions and super sledges now have a knockdown effect
  • Complete rebalance of all armor for greater range of viable armor choices
  • Power armor overhaul, making PA potentially more powerful but more difficult to acquire
  • Power armor + recon armor helmets have night vision capabilities
  • Weight of armor is reduced when equipped
  • Adjusted weapon and armor wear rates (configurable)
  • Weapons more likely to jam on reload or firing when in poor condition
  • Greatly expanded the repair parts lists for fixing weapons + armor
  • Added many new CRAFT'able items to the workbench
  • Ammo is significantly more rare (configurable)
  • Ammo now has weight so you can't carry mountains of it around (configurable)
  • Rebalanced the value and weight of misc items
  • Optional worn weapon's module makes good condition weapons much rarer
  • New portable lab kits and infirmaries for sale
  • New bedroll, water purifier, and portable grills for sale

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SURVIVAL
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  • Over 40 new chems and drugs added to the gameworld in vendor and loot lists
  • Significantly increased the negative effects of crippled limbs
  • New healing system (Triage) for fixing crippled body parts (configurable)
  • Stimpaks and other drugs are much more rare (configurable)
  • Complete rebalance of all drug and chem effects. Chems how have weight.
  • Stimpaks heal over time instead of instantly
  • Morphine and certain other drugs allow you to temporarily ignore crippled effects.
  • Radiation is much more dangerous and accumulates faster (configurable)
  • Sleeping recovers health/condition depending on time spent sleeping (configurable)
  • Built-in Primary Needs feature, requiring you to eat, drink, and sleep on a regular basis (configurable)
  • New drug visual effects (configurable)

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ACTORS
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  • Improved enemy AI and combat performance
  • Complete overhaul of faction equipment lists for greater faction diversity and character
  • Most creatures have one or more perks, making them tougher and more dangerous
  • Improved the survivability and look of trade caravans
  • Optional enhanced follower module adds multi-follower support and expands their functionality
  • Most repair vendors have a higher repair skill
  • Tweaked NPC/Creature health formulas and base health

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IMMERSION
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  • Many standard containers now respawn across the wastes
  • Slower timescale (configurable)
  • Increased the global respawn timer to 7.5 days (configurable)
  • Vendors respawn independently of the global respawn timer (configurable)
  • Fast travel can be disabled (configurable)
  • Optional fast travel alternative system, including a new fast-travel motorcycle and travel caravans
  • Built-in weapon scanner mod to display accurate weapon stats in the pip-boy (configurable)
  • Skill books don't "disappear" after being read
  • New bobblehead stand and fully havoc'd bobbleheads
  • Tracers removed from most projectiles (optional)
  • Improved the balance and of range of choices for the outcast tech quest reward quest

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SUPPORT
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  • Support for all DLC's, new features and balance changes extended to all DLC content
  • Support for Weapon Mod Kits (see FOIP)
  • support for Mart's Mutant Mod (see FOIP)
  • Support for Energy Visuals Enhanced (see FOIP)
  • Support for Project Beauty (see FOIP)


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INSTALLATION

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Install Instructions
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Fallout Wanderers Edition is also distributed as a "FOMOD-ready" install package, allowing you to make your own FOMOD or manually install the file. It is HIGHLY recommended that you still use the Fallout Mod Manager's "Package Manager" feature to install FWE. Following this method will make FWE much easier to uninstall as well.

Please follow the install instructions carefully:
  • Download FWE and save it to your harddrive.
  • Ensure that FOMM and FOSE (Fallout Script Extender) are up-to-date and properly installed.
  • Launch FOMM and choose the "package manager" option.
  • Select the "Add New" option and browse to and select the Full Package file you downloaded. Once you have selected the file, it may take a few minutes to build the FOMOD package.
  • Once the FWE package shows up in the list of packages, activate it and the FWE setup menu will appear. Select all optional components you wish to install.
  • Adjust the load order of loaded mods according to the suggested load order guide (below) in FOMM.
  • Be sure to enable both the FO3 Wanderers Edition - Main File.esm and FO3 Wanderers Edition - Main File.esp file, as well as any of the DLC support files.
  • Turn on any desired optional files as well.
  • Launch fallout via FOMM


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Load Order
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Refer to the "Load Order + Compatiblity" Section Below

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Starting the Game
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When you start a new game, after the opening video, the "birth scene" will begin playing normally. Towards the end of the birth scene you will be prompted to "continue dreaming" (which will allow you to play through the remainder of the Vault 101 starting sequence) or "Wake Up!" If you choose to wake up, you will find yourself in an empty shack (not in Vault 101). This is the begenning of the integrated "Alternative Start" mod.

There is a computer you need to activate that will let you choose your initial name, SPECIAL, skills, starting karma, race, and your "history." The different histories determine where you start the game and what equipment you have. While setting up your character, a number of scripts will be initializing in the background. The primary needs scripts in particular will eventually prompt you to define the configuration settings. See the "RI - Primary Needs readme.html" readme in the mod-readme folder for more information.

After setting up your character, sleep on the mattress and you're new Fallout 3 experience will begin!


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INCLUDED FILES + PLUGINS
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FO3 Wanderers Edition contains a number of different files that are required or optional.

Once you extract FWE archive, you should see the followig files and folders in your fallout3\data folder:
  • FO3 Wanderers Edition - Main File.esm
  • FO3 Wanderers Edition - Main File.esp
  • FWE Docs (Folder contains readme files and other helpful documentation.)


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Optional Modules
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There are a number of optional modules and support plugins for FWE. These are described more extensively in the "Detailed Description" section of the readme. A brief description is provided here:
  • FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC Anchorage
  • FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC The Pitt
  • FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC Broken Steel
  • FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC Point Lookout
  • FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC Mothership Zeta

  • FO3 Wanderers Edition - Alternate Travel ...... Links fast travel to the use of new motorcycle feature
  • FO3 Wanderers Edition - Followers Enhanced ...... Module containing all of the changes to, and new features for, followers. There is both a Broken Steel and a non-Broken Steel version. Use only one.
  • FO3 Wanderers Edition - Optional Restore Tracers ...... Restores many of the bullet tracer effects to projectiles.
  • FO3 Wanderers Edition - Optional VATS Halftime ...... VATS is 1/2 of realtime speed.
  • FO3 Wanderers Edition - Optional VATS Realtime ...... VATS animations play in realtime.




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Load Order / Compatibility / Fallout Interoperability Program (FOIP)
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Compatibility
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FWE is a large overhaul, and changes many aspects of the game. Gamesettings, weapons, armor, equipment, ammo, and many other types of records are modified by FWE. In general, remember that if two mods edit the same thing, which ever mod load later in your load order will "override" the mods that load before. If you are worried about FWE's compatiblity with another mod you are using, here are some suggestions:
  • Load mods that you think might conflict with FWE before FWE in your load order to ensure that FWE's changes are functioning consistently and correctly, unless you know that the mod doesn't conflict at all with FWE, or you know what it changes and you want it to override FWE changes.
  • Load your mod list in FO3Edit and loook through each new mod that you add to understand what it changes and what potential conclits might arise.
  • Post on the FWE nexus page or on the Bethesda forums mod section to ask about specific compatibility settings.

    FWE is designed to work alongside other popular mods, including Mart's Mutant Mod, Weapon Mod Kits, Energy Visuals Enhanced, and Project Beauty. For complete coverege using FWE alongside these mods, please refer to the Fallout Interoperability Program at the Fallout3 Nexus. In addition, the load order section (below), provides a sample load order to get you started using FWE with other major mods.

    In addition, you can refer to the FWE compatbility list for specific mod issues.


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    FWE Master Release - Recommended Load Order
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    Includes: FWE, Project Beauty, Weapon Mod Kits, Mart's Mutant Mod, and EVE


    Fallout3.esm
    Anchorage.esm
    ThePitt.esm
    BrokenSteel.esm
    PointLookout.esm
    Zeta.esm

    CRAFT.esm
    CALIBR.esm
    Project Beauty.esm
    ---------------------------.esms from all other mods (except follower and weather mods!)
    FO3 Wanderers Edition - Main File.esm
    Mart's Mutant Mod.esm
    --------------------------- .esms from Follower and Weather mods
    DarNifiedUIF3.esp
    Project Beauty- Broken Steel.esp
    Project Beauty- Point Lookout.esp

    --------------------------- .esps from other mods (except follower and weather mods!)

    FO3 Wanderers Edition - Main File.esp
    FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC Anchorage.esp
    FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC The Pitt.esp
    FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC Broken Steel.esp
    FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC Point Lookout.esp
    FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC Mothership Zeta.esp
    FO3 Wanderers Edition - Followers Enhanced.esp (Choose BS OR Non-BS Version) (OPTIONAL)
    FO3 Wanderers Edition - OTHER OPTIONAL FWE MODULES

    FO3 Wanderers Edition - Project Beauty.esp (FROM FOIP)
    FO3 Wanderers Edition - Project Beauty (Followers Enhanced).esp (FROM FOIP)

    WeaponModKits.esp
    WeaponModKits - FWE Master Release.esp (FROM FOIP)
    WeaponModKits - FWE Optional Worn Weapons.esp (FROM FOIP, only if using using F3 Wanderers Edition - Optional Worn Weapons.esp!)
    WeaponModKits - OperationAnchorage.esp (FROM FOIP)
    WeaponModKits - ThePitt.esp (FROM FOIP)
    WeaponModKits - BrokenSteel.esp (FROM FOIP)
    WeaponModKits - PointLookout.esp (FROM FOIP)
    WeaponModKits - Zeta.esp (FROM FOIP)

    EVE.esp
    EVE Operation Anchorage.esp
    EVE - FWE Master Release.esp (FROM FOIP)
    EVE - FWE Master Release (Follower Enhanced).esp (FROM FOIP)
    EVE Anchorage - FWE DLC Anchorage.esp (FROM FOIP)
    EVE - FWE with WeaponModKits.esp (FROM FOIP)

    Mart's Mutant Mod.esp
    Mart's Mutant Mod - DLC Anchorage.esp
    Mart's Mutant Mod - DLC The Pitt.esp
    Mart's Mutant Mod - DLC Broken Steel.esp
    Mart's Mutant Mod - DLC Point Lookout.esp
    Mart's Mutant Mod - DLC Zeta.esp

    Mart's Mutant Mod - Project Beauty.esp (FROM PROJECT BEAUTY)
    Mart's Mutant Mod - FWE Master Release.esp (FROM FOIP)
    Mart's Mutant Mod - Project Beauty + FWE.esp (FROM FOIP)

    --------------------------- .esps from Follower and Weather mods

    --------------------------- Your merged patch


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    Changelog
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    Credits + Contributors
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    LEGAL + CONTACT INFORMATION

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    Legal Information
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    You may NOT redistribute Fallout 3 Wanderers Edition in any form, including its original form, in a modified form, or as part of a compilation or other package. FWE contains the work and assets of other modder's, so unauthorized use of FWE also goes against the wishes and preferences of FWE's contributing authors.

    You ARE free to make any modifications to FWE for personal use, provided they are not re-distributed in any format or manner.

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    Contact Information
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    If you have any questions, please contact (PM) me at the Official Bethesda forums or on the Fallout 3 Nexus forums.

    Official Bethesda Forum
    PM @ Mezmorelda

    Fallout 3 Nexus (Download)
    PM @ Peekaboom