Game too short for you? Try this.....

[Trykz]

So..... after 6 short hours on a Saturday, I completed the main quest (and a bunch of side quests, AND on the highest difficulty setting), opting to side with the Minutemen for my first play-through.

 

I was definitely less than impressed

 

Not with the outcome, but at how quickly I was on to a second play-through from a different perspective. So before starting a new game, I went mod shopping over on the Nextard site. Liking what I saw with Arbitration, I started again. Again, it felt like the game was moving far too quickly.

 

I quickly determined that the problem was "experience gain". I mean, you get XP for EVERY freaking thing you do. Like settlement building. Seriously? 6 levels from slapping together junk to build just a basic settlement? XP gains in general (at least from my perspective), were ridiculously calculated in the game's design.

 

I tried a number of mods to try and alleviate the blistering pace of this game, but most fell FAR short. So with much determination, I set out to do something about it.

 

Using FO4Edit, I adjusted everything I felt relevant in a new plug-in. Crafting XP eliminated entirely, base experience cut by around 66%, and all modifiers cut by 50%, This made things a bit too slow, but it made the game much more enjoyable. All I needed was something to compensate for the added use of TJ's leveled lists. So I added No Perk Level Requirements.

 

I also opted for Perk Points Per Level and began fiddling around with that, in an effort to compensate for the now much, MUCH slower leveling pace. Even with 40 perk points to spend at level 2, I chose VERY carefully 

 

After over an hour, I'm barely out of Sanctuary on my latest play-through. I got wrecked by a Black Bloatfly and a Radroach on Survival difficulty because I got a little careless 

 

The mods I mentioned and the simple changes I made in FO4Edit have entirely changed how I play the game now. It's slower paced. I put a LOT more thought into the perks I choose. And I approach EVERY encounter in a much more tactical manner.

 

Best if used with the aforementioned mods. And be sure to install F4SE if you haven't already for PPPL functionality. Just install F4SE, PPPL, and let my .ini overwrite the default. Keep the .esp at the bottom of your load order.

 

Hardcore XP Reduction and Perk Modification.7z

 

Anyway..... if it sounds interesting enough to you, give it a shot. If you find it a little too hardcore on survival difficulty, try adjusting the difficulty to a lower setting.

 

Trykz

[Guest]

Hi.

Thanks for this.

 

Why you don't put it in the download section?

[Trykz]

Hi.

Thanks for this.

 

Why you don't put it in the download section?

 

I'm not so sure too many will like it as is. So I put it here for now for feedback purposes. I may tweak it some or add less hardcore versions depending on that, so it's essentially a "beta" version for the time being.

 

I know 40 perks at level 2 might seem excessively overpowered, but I think users will quickly see the justification in that choice. Especially since it will be quite some time before more perk points are earned LOL

 

Trykz

[Spyder Arachnid]

Neat idea, might give it a try when Survival comes out of Beta.

 

On the subject of game being too short, what I personally do, is build and explore. I use mods like Alternate Settlements, Business Settlements, OCDecorator, Snap'n Build, and all sorts of building stuff. I take my time building everything with the smallest details. Every single time I come across a settlement, I spend hours to days making sure it is highly detailed and stocked. For instance, I started a new game a few days ago, I still haven't even left Sanctuary. I won't leave a settlement area until I have completely finished it, and I am currently only half way through building Sanctuary up. And once I finally finish it, and start actually playing, the first stop I make will be Red Rocket. And then I start building there.

 

As well, I use a mod called Color Map, which shows the locations of everything so you know where places are. Then I just spend all my time exploring each section of the map, making sure I see all the little things and try to find all the collectables and such. If I come across a settlement, I stop what I'm doing and spend the time to build it all up.

 

My gameplay lasts a LOT longer when I actually take the time to make my settlements nice, instead of just throwing down the bare essentials and moving on. I know not many are into the whole building aspect of the game, but give it a try. Let those creative juices flow with some mods (they really do help, much better than vanilla). Once you finally get into the settlement system and start making those trade routes and such, it actually helps extended the game.

 

 

On a side note, I found this image on Reddit awhile back. It has a list of all the quests in the game (though it is missing some, but covers pretty much 90% of them all). Printed up a copy and have been using it as a checklist to make sure I do all the quests in the game as well.

[Trykz]

 

 

 

Neat idea, might give it a try when Survival comes out of Beta.

 

On the subject of game being too short, what I personally do, is build and explore. I use mods like Alternate Settlements, Business Settlements, OCDecorator, Snap'n Build, and all sorts of building stuff. I take my time building everything with the smallest details. Every single time I come across a settlement, I spend hours to days making sure it is highly detailed and stocked. For instance, I started a new game a few days ago, I still haven't even left Sanctuary. I won't leave a settlement area until I have completely finished it, and I am currently only half way through building Sanctuary up. And once I finally finish it, and start actually playing, the first stop I make will be Red Rocket. And then I start building there.

 

As well, I use a mod called Color Map, which shows the locations of everything so you know where places are. Then I just spend all my time exploring each section of the map, making sure I see all the little things and try to find all the collectables and such. If I come across a settlement, I stop what I'm doing and spend the time to build it all up.

 

My gameplay lasts a LOT longer when I actually take the time to make my settlements nice, instead of just throwing down the bare essentials and moving on. I know not many are into the whole building aspect of the game, but give it a try. Let those creative juices flow with some mods (they really do help, much better than vanilla). Once you finally get into the settlement system and start making those trade routes and such, it actually helps extended the game.

 

 

On a side note, I found this image on Reddit awhile back. It has a list of all the quests in the game (though it is missing some, but covers pretty much 90% of them all). Printed up a copy and have been using it as a checklist to make sure I do all the quests in the game as well.

 

 

That's cool, except that I'm not really big on settlement building. I like it as an added feature. But for me, it's not the "meat" of the game. The atrocious XP gain you get from it just kills it for me. Which is why I removed it entirely. It's actually MORE enjoyable when I'm not distracted by racking up levels and perks from it. And TJ's mod REALLY adds to the intended ambiance of the Commonwealth being a "dangerous wasteland". Leveled mobs make NO sense to me in a RPG. Especially when they were obviously there LONG before I thawed out 

 

Trykz

[Spyder Arachnid]

Agreed on the xp gain from building, thus why I just use God Mode when building. You get no xp with it turned on (though you have to turn it off if you plan on putting in a shop as it caps your caps at 999). Plus, with all the detail I go into, God Mode really helps lol. Otherwise, I'd be collecting materials for years.

[AsariX]

Try building your minimalistic settlement without console or godmode materials. By the time you have all the materials, the 3-12 exp from placing a wall hardly matters anymore and becomes just a "nice extra".

If you didn't get tired from walking back and forth between the salvage areas and the settlement before that.

Around level 30, you'll barely get a level from filling out a settlement meter from near zero to full anymore.

 

So overall, I see experience from building as a nice extra, it helps, but isn't enough to make the game too easy. And in case stuff does become too easy, just move further south on the map.

Walking instead of fast travel increases the game time, especially if you move off the beaten paths and constantly try alternative routes.

Eversince I switched off the radiant quests, I found my experience gain drop considerably as well (no more easy kills, nor quest experience from those missions), while giving me much more time to explore around.

[Trykz]

Try building your minimalistic settlement without console or godmode materials. By the time you have all the materials, the 3-12 exp from placing a wall hardly matters anymore and becomes just a "nice extra".

If you didn't get tired from walking back and forth between the salvage areas and the settlement before that.

Around level 30, you'll barely get a level from filling out a settlement meter from near zero to full anymore.

 

So overall, I see experience from building as a nice extra, it helps, but isn't enough to make the game too easy. And in case stuff does become too easy, just move further south on the map.

Walking instead of fast travel increases the game time, especially if you move off the beaten paths and constantly try alternative routes.

Eversince I switched off the radiant quests, I found my experience gain drop considerably as well (no more easy kills, nor quest experience from those missions), while giving me much more time to explore around.

 

I'm using the "portable" series of workbenches at the moment. Primarily the armor and weapon ones, so I can scrap/modify armor and weapons whenever I get close to being encumbered. The portable workshop lets you build little camps wherever you want, which is really cool. You can bring materials from the surrounding areas rather quickly for very basic camp setups.

 

The xp you get from this is pretty quick. Too quick for my liking, which is why I opted to make this to remove crafting xp entirely, and slow things down significantly. My first play-through made me see just how small the Commonwealth really is. Avoiding fast travel really does make it feel much larger though. My primary goal here though was to slow things down, to make some choices matter much more. Especially in the encounters I partake in, and the perk choices I make. From level 2-5 I've gained only a single perk point with the .ini settings I opted for. And I spent nearly 10 minutes weighing out where to spend it   I'll earn perhaps one more before level 10, at which time I'll get 10 more, with one every two levels until level 20 when I get 25. Beyond that, the drop in perk gain is significant. One perk every 4 levels until level 30 (no additional perks), and one every 8 levels from there on 

 

So far I'm finding the slower pace and increased level of danger with de-leveled spawns quite enjoyable..... the game is actually MUCH harder.

 

Trykz

[Kimy]

Correct me if I say something stupid, but doesn't the rate of XP gain have next to zero influence on the pace you're completing the game with? The hours you need to complete the main quest are pretty much exclusively determined by the amount of time you need to play the quest, no?

[Guest]

Correct me if I say something stupid, but doesn't the rate of XP gain have next to zero influence on the pace you're completing the game with? The hours you need to complete the main quest are pretty much exclusively determined by the amount of time you need to play the quest, no?

 

Yes and no.

 

If get more XP, you get more level ups. More level ups, more easy to complete the quests.

So at the end less XP means more time required to complete.

[Kimy]

 

Correct me if I say something stupid, but doesn't the rate of XP gain have next to zero influence on the pace you're completing the game with? The hours you need to complete the main quest are pretty much exclusively determined by the amount of time you need to play the quest, no?

 

Yes and no.

 

If get more XP, you get more level ups. More level ups, more easy to complete the quests.

So at the end less XP means more time required to complete.

 

 

Oh right. I thought all FO4 mobs were leveled. In which case it shouldn't matter if you attempt a certain quest at L15 or L35. I guess my assumption was wrong then?

 

[Guest]

 

Oh right. I thought all FO4 mobs were leveled. In which case it shouldn't matter if you attempt a certain quest at L15 or L35. I guess my assumption was wrong then?

 

 

I played the game for a long time.

It was not too much difficult. I completed it in 3 ways (never did a BOS.)

 

But when my character was around level 60, then there was no match anymore against any opponent.

 

P.S. The only mods I was suing were CBBE and a couple of texture replacements for the paintings. Never used any of the "facilitators" mods to give you more resources or make easier to build settlements. Just plain vanilla.

[Trykz]

 

Oh right. I thought all FO4 mobs were leveled. In which case it shouldn't matter if you attempt a certain quest at L15 or L35. I guess my assumption was wrong then?

 

 

They are. Mostly. In a non-modded vanilla game.

 

TJ's leveled lists (linked in the OP) removes that. So I randomly encounter mobs much, much higher level than me. Like Super Mutant Masters and whatnot. Encountering mobs in a "post apocalyptic environment" should be a highly dangerous experience from an immersion perspective. Which is the FIRST thing I look for in any RPG. De-leveling the game immensely reduces the FPS feeling this game is widely noted for, and makes it feel much more like the RPG a Fallout game should feel like.

 

It's an incredibly dangerous wasteland. Not a theme park shooting gallery 

 

Slowing down the XP gain forces you to put much more thought into perk point expenditure. I tweaked this yesterday right before I uploaded it, and am about 8 hours into a fresh play through. I haven't done a single quest yet (outside of the vault intro stuff), and I just got level 5 right before writing this post from exploring and killing stuff. I'm currently in Boston Common near Wilson Atomatoys, about to partake in a 3-way firefight between me, some Super Mutants, and a sizable group of raiders. It's in my own best interest to see that the raiders win by a slim margin 

 

Trykz

[Monsto Brukes]

I'm not so sure too many will like it as is. So I put it here for now for feedback purposes.

 

 

Fuck 

All

That.

 

Look . . . I rolled my eyes at your 6 hour shenanigans and all that. Yeah right. But I absolutely applaud your use of tools to make the game your own.

 

No modder ever knows how anyone is going to like their mods. But in the end you make stuff for those that do want it. If someone doesn't like your mod, fucking ignore them and move on.

 

Don't stop yourself from doing something because someone might complain.

 

Guaranteed: you have more people in this thread that would appreciate it in the DL section than people that will complain about it. Therefore, you're doing a disservice to potential fans by not putting it there. Too many fucking whiners in the world, man, fuck them.

 

Slap your shit up on the downloads section. That's what it's there for. And use your "fuckit" attitude upside the faces of any complainers.