Arwens Fallout 3 Journal

Updated February 08, 2010

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Feb 06, 2010:

Sorry for the lack of updates, but my computer has been on the fritz again . . . and I'm NOT happy about it!

It all starter soon after I began a new Fallout 3 game, but I didn't get far before my screen began to have some weird graphical glitches . . . then my game crashed . . . and then my computer shut down and refused to boot up again. My GeForce 8800 GTS graphics card had died (which was a major bummer, since I had only had my computer back for a month, after having sent it back to the manufacturer for repairs).

So, after freaking out for several hours, I decided to order a new graphics card (even though it was NOT in my budget). This time I decided to go with a Radeon, which arrived on Tuesday, but refused to work in my PC . . . so I sent it back and ordered another GeForce card (a GTX 260 Core 216 Superclocked 896MB). It is scheduled to arrive on Tuesday . . . and this one BETTER work!

I'm now running my computer on an old borrowed graphics card, so I can now at least update this site. And I'm working on version 3.4 of my Realism Tweaks mod, since after starting a new game, I found that a few things still needed some tweaking. (My borrowed card cannot run Fallout, so I won't be able to play test my changes until my new card arrives.)

Jan 16, 2010:

I just released v.3.3 yesterday. I'm going to concentrate a bit less on modding, and actually play Fallout 3 for a while (which I have not done since I began modding the game last June). I just began a new game today . . . am I'm finally back to writing my "Trials of a Wasteland Wanderer" again (so far just working on updating my earlier chapters, so they will match my current game). I'm also working on a character build section, which I'm hoping will help people understand how my Realism Tweaks makes things like SPECIAL point distribution a LOT more of a factor then in the default game.

Jan 07, 2010: Happy New Year!

My computer arrived back home on Christmas Eve, while I was away for the holidays, but I had it up and running by Dec 28th.

Since then I've been totally focused on completing v.3.2 of my Realism Tweaks, which was finally released early yesterday morning (at 2:30 am). Version 3.2 is a major update (my biggest yet!). There are now 8 Modules, including my new Skills module. Every single module was modified (some extensively).

I still plan to release a minor update in a week or so to correct any bugs/issues (so far only two tiny ones have surfaced).

But after that, I'm planning to take a break from modding and began a new Fallout 3 game . . . and actually just play the game for a while. Before starting a new game, there are some new mods that I want to play test. So expect my FO3 mod list to grow a bit in the next few weeks.

Once I start a new game, I'll get back to writing my "Trials of a Wasteland Wanderer" again).

Dec 11, 2009:

My computer is vacationing in sunny California and I'm home in NH shoveling my driveway in 17 degree weather, trying to function without it. A word of advice: BACKUP . . . and do it often! It's been a real pain recreating a bunch of stuff that, had I been smart, would have been a very simple restore.

Previous news is in my
News Archive Page

Looking for my FO3 Mod List? . . . you're really close . . . Click HERE

Site Update: In September I changed over to a higher priced hosting package, which should now allow me to keep my site online for the entire month. My website is now averaging over 4000 hits per day, which is 6 times the amount of traffic it was getting just a year ago (50,000 hits so far this month). I'm thrilled about this, but success comes with a price, as I was exceeding my monthly allotted bandwidth (which meant that my site would be unavailable during the last week of each month).

Welcome to my Fallout 3 Journal!

Fallout³ was released by Bethesda on October 28, 2008, and I didn't immediately run out and buy it. The thing is that I just never got very interested in the game, and didn't even follow its development of the forums, like I had with both Morrowind and Oblivion - which were also created by Bethesda (who didn't create the Fallout series . . . just this latest installment of it.) I was just not all interested in Fallout, since it didn't seem to be the type of RPG that I would enjoy much.

But then I made the mistake of checking out the Fallout mods forums to see what mods were now being made for the game, now that it has been out for a few months . . . and I got hooked on some of what I was seeing and reading there. Anyhoo, I ordered the game at the end of February - and guess what? Fallout was a bit of a surprise for me . . . in a good way. I was worried that I wouldn't even like the game, but I found it surprisingly fun to play (once I fixed some of my biggest game issues with mods).

See Playing Fallout 3 - My First Impressions for my short Fallout 3 review.

My Character

Here's a screenshot of my Fallout character, shortly after she escaped from Vault 101. She's more than a little uneasy about suddenly finding herself all alone in a whole new world.

For more about my character and on her adventures in the Capitol Wasteland, you can check out the Trials of a Wasteland Wanderer, which is the fantasy story part of my Fallout³ Journal. (There's also quite a bit there about Fallout3 and the Fallout game world as well.)

Game Of The Year (GOTY) Edition:

On Nov. 12, 2009, I upgraded to the Game Of The Year edition of FO3.

Updating from the original version was a bit of a chore (a bit tricky, but also not as difficult as I feared). If you're about to try installing this over your original Fallout 3 install (yes, it can be done, and you don't necessarily have to begin a new game), you may want to take a look at my GOTY Installation Instructions.

Arwen's Realm

Are you new to Oblivion? Do you need some help with this game? Are you having trouble with MODs? Or do you just have questions or comments about my journal? Or do you just want to join a friendly moderated forum (where members actually respect each other.)

I've put together a place called Arwen's Realm, and this is my personal invitation for you to become a member.

I Need My Shades

. . . because the Wasteland is a very harsh place.

One of My New Object Effects
(one of my own unique ImageSpace modifiers)

Without Sunglasses Wearing Sunglasses

When I put on my sunglasses in my game (by activating them), the glare from the sun is actually reduced. This does not happen in the vanilla game. My VisionFX mod simulates wearing real sunglasses by reducing the harshness of the lighting when you equip a pair. This was done by creating my own unique ImageSpace modifiers, which kick in when you put on a pair of the game's default sunglasses. The cool thing is that these work like real auto-tinting sunglasses, so they also work indoors. The effect only works fully if you have HDR enabled in your game. I also created a different effect for reading glasses. And, as a bonus, I fixed all the default eyewear so that you can wear them with most hats and helmets.

Playing Fallout 3 - My First Impressions

March 5, 2009:

Fallout was a bit of a surprise for me . . . in a good way. I was worried that I wouldn't even like the game, but I found it surprisingly fun to play.

Yes, I have same major issues with some parts of the game (such as the excessive blood and gore), but I was expecting that. What I wasn't expecting was such an interesting game world. And some things, such as the world not leveling up with you, are definite improvements over vanilla Oblivion. So far I've only met a few characters after completing the vault tutorial (other then the ones who were only interested in killing me). But the characters that I have interacted with in Fallout 3 have been a very welcome improvement.

I also love the fact that I have some actual dialog choices in the game, so I can often pick a response that is at least somewhat in sync with my character.

March 29, 2009:

I tried playing the vanilla game just to see what it was like, and to see if I could handle it. In order to grow, one needs to push the comfort walls every now and then (and I have trouble handling violence). As expected, I didn't last very long at all and began adding mods to my game. Reducing the gore was one of my first priorities (right after adding a larger section of hair styles for my character).

I'm now playing a heavily modded version of the game, and have been able to fix most of my own issues that I had with the vanilla game. These mods have transformed Fallout 3 into a more realistic and much more immersive game. I've basically taken what I learned with improving Oblivion, and have applied it to Fallout 3 (but with some very different specific focuses, since the two games are quite different). Most of the mods that I've added were chosen because they were made to improve realism and immersion, but I was also able to mod out much of the gore (that I really didn't need). If you're interested, my Fallout 3 mod list begins HERE.

Arwen Note: I'll only be able to support the PC version of the game, and I won't be including any mods that rely on any of the DLC add-ons (at least for a while).

April 13, 2009:

Now that I've been playing for exactly one month, I figured that it was time for a bit of an update. Basically I'm having a blast! My biggest complaint is that I'm not able to play nearly as much as I would like (due to being near the end of my final semester at my university). I'm now playing a rather heavily modded version of the game (~ 60 mods), which has made some major improvements on what was already a pretty amazing RPG. Yes, there is way too much focus on combat (yeah, I know, the wasteland is a harsh place, so this isn't supposed to be a walk in the park) but the immersion factor has been incredible for me.

Ok, so I have a pretty good imagination, but this is what actually happened to me a few nights ago. I had played the game for an hour or so just before going to bed - and after my computer had been been off for a few minutes - just for a second I began wondering where Dogmeat (my canine companion in Fallout) had disappeared to. The funny thing was that I had just noticed that I no longer heard him panting, so I felt like I had to look for him in the real world. Ok, so the feeling only lasted a second - and way too many nights in a row without getting nearly enough sleep likely was a factor - but I've never had a game experience follow me into the real world to that extent before. So just saying that Fallout 3 has been an immersive game experience for me is a bit of an understatement.

Below is a very recent screenshot from my modded game. Dogmeat and I had just had a very rough day in the Wasteland, trying to get to and from the National Archives. We were both hurting and tired and I was limping rather badly and really needed to get to a doctor (or at least find some more bandages soon). I took this shot just outside of Megaton (where I just aquired a house). I was taking a short break under a full moon, with my furry best friend (who tries his best to protect me.) And we're a pretty awesome team.

I'll try to add a daytime shot soon, as this one is rather dark (well, it is the middle of the night and there aren't many artificial lights out here).

Fallout Links (off site)

Arwen's Realm (my forum) - The is usually the FASTEST way to contact me. If you are new to Fallout and need some help with this game, or are having trouble with mods, or just have questions or comments about my journal - just drop in and post a message. I've put together a place called Arwen's Realm, a friendly little moderated forum community (where members actually respect each other) - and this is my personal invitation for you to drop by and become a member.

Fallout 3 Nexus - Arwen Note: this is my favorite place on the net to find Fallout 3 mods.

Official Fallout³ Site - Bethesda Softwork's Fallout³ home page.

The Vault (Fallout Wiki) - "a community that aims to create the best resource for the Fallout series of games, including Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout 3 and their spin-offs."
Arwen Note: this is a great place to find Fallout resources, such as lore (for the entire series), maps, and much more.

NEXT: "Trials of a Wasteland Wanderer" Index Page