Man's Best Friend F.A.Q.


Do I have to start a new game to use this mod? Or can it be used with a saved game?

- You do not need to start a new game to use this mod. You should be able to install it and use it with an existing saved game.


How can I tell if this mod is really working?

- Step outside Doc Mitchell's place to see if he still has his original old battered rusted mailbox which looks like it can no longer be completely closed, or a newer one provided by this mod which is a bit steaky and dirty but otherwise in good condition (a copy of Today's Physician should be inside). The mailbox is a short ways down from the front door.  Also see the OId/New mailbox screenshot in the IMAGES section of this mod.

Are there any known conflicts with other mods?

- There are currently no known conflicts.


How do I start this mod? Where do I go and what do I do?

- Go pay a visit to Zeke in Goodsprings. He can usually be found in the Saloon most evenings (sometimes sweeping the floor), or in his small corn field (raking) behind the saloon at that nearby house, or sleeping in the trailer next to that house behind the saloon. Or perhaps he is simply walking to the saloon from the corn field, or to the corn field from the saloon.


Can talking to Zeke be skipped?

- Yes, if you know where to find Little Ripper, you can head there directly. All you miss out on is the story of the quest and some experience points. And of course you save yourself some caps as well.


Are there any other Quests?

- There is an initial quest to discover Little Ripper - speak to Zeke in Goodsprings. Plus a quest to see what happens when feeding him Mentats. I hope to add more quests in the future.


How soon can I start this mod? Can it be done as a first level character?

- Yes, it is designed to be playable immediately after stepping out of Doc Mitchell's place. Although it can be done at a later level as well.


Does this companion count against the regular game limits of 1 Human / 1 Critter?

- No, it is an "extra" companion that still allows (for example) Veronica and ED-E to join you.


I don't have the needed caps to pay Zeke's "Finder's Fee" ... what can I do?

- Do a bit of prospecting / scavenging first; for example, in Goodsprings Cave. Perhaps go clobber some Powder Gangers down around Jean Sky Diving.


I don't have the needed Doctor's Bags to fix up Little Ripper ... what can I do?

- One can be found next to the patient bed in Doc Mitchell's where your character first appears at the start of the game. Others can usually be purchased from the Doc and sometimes Chet over at his General Store. Note that if you have a bug fix mod, that mod may have changed the Doctor Bag at Doc Mitchell's to be a Karma loss if taken.


I don't have the needed Stimpaks to fix up Little Ripper ... what can I do?

- Doc Mitchell has a few on one of his shelves, and others can usually be purchased from the Doc and Chet. But, again, if you have a bug fix mod, that mod may have changed their ownership.


I don't have a high enough Medical skill to fix up Little Ripper ... what can I do?

- As as brand new starting character, if you immediately begin the quest as you step out of Doc Mitchell's place, you will have gained a level by the time you see Little Ripper. Use a few of those skill points, plus a Today's Physician skill magazine, to give yourself a Medicine skill of at least 30. Alternatively, use a Mentat plus the magazine if you do not want to use skill points or are higher level and do not level up during the quest. A copy of Today's Physician can be found on Doc's desk and also outside in his mailbox; there is no karma loss for taking the one in his mailbox.


Does Little Ripper "level up" or get better in any way?

- He will grow in size and abilities over time, leveling up as your character gains levels, to a maximum level of 30. However, his leveling will stop sooner than Level 30 if the player character reaches his/her maximum level. So best to use this mod with a lower level character that still has lots of leveling to do. Additional abilities can be gained by feeding him Mentats.


Does he scale up to my level when he joins me?

- Little Ripper does not immediately scale up to your character's current level - he begins at a low level and only "levels up" as your character gains levels. Which means this companion might not be the most appropriate choice for someone with an already high level character.

Why does this leveling limitation exist? To ensure an opportunity to enjoy his growth from juvenile to adult over time while adventuring. That experience would be ruined if the scripting simply advanced him many levels to match an already high level player character.


What is his maximum level?

- Level 30. That seems plenty high enough; given how much health he will have, his damage potential, and high armor value. But it is subject to change if that proves to be desirable.


Can Little Ripper be killed?

- Yes, death is a possibility. And is even likely if you have him do all of the fighting for you while still young and recovering from his injuries and starvation. So it is best to stay aware of how well, or how poorly, he is doing during combat. Which means that although he appears to be a tough little guy when you initially find him, be ready to help and heal him if/when Little Ripper has too many bad guys attacking him.

- If fights are simply too hard for Little Ripper in general, then use Ripper's Widget to make him be "More Powerful". And if too easy, then make him be "Less Powerful".


Can Little Ripper be set to Essential so he can't die?

- No, this is not a follow-and-forget kind of companion. Best Friends should pay attention to what is happening and take care of each other.

- I feel that "Essential" is an excuse to not really pay attention to what is happening in combat, to ignore the needs of companions. To my mind the player should be actively aware of what is going on, and do what is necessary to help keep friends alive, just as they are doing their best to help you. That may mean quickly healing someone with a Stimpak, or changing your target to be the specific enemy endangering a particular friend; perhaps you even have them wait elsewhere if an upcoming fight is potentially too hazardous.


How do I feed Little Ripper?

- Have the appropriate food in your inventory. There are then dialog selections when he is hungry.


How will I know when he is hungry?

- Warning messages will appear in the upper lefthand corner of your screen when he becomes hungry, and will occur more frequently as his hunger increases. Also, a dialog selection will become available when he needs feeding, and his status display for the "Let's see how you are doing" dialog will indicate his degree of hunger.


How long do I have to keep feeding him? And why am I doing that at all?

- When you initially find him, he is seriously injured has been suffering from starvation, off and on, for quite a long while. So you must help restore him to health and feed him at intervals until he is well enough to fend for himself. You must do that for five (5) days; after which you no longer need to feed him.


What happens if I decide to not feed him at all?

- He gets hungrier and hungrier and then dies of starvation.


What foods can I feed Little Ripper?

- He will accept uncooked meat from Big Horner, Brahmin, and Gecko. Big Horner satisfies one and a half (1.5) days of hunger, Brahmin is one (1) day, and Gecko is half (0.5) a day. Gecko is easiest to find and readily available in the hills to the south and west of Goodsprings Source.

- Now suppose it has been half a day since the effects of his last meal: he has become hungry again, and that is when you see the first message about feeding him. If he is then fed Gecko meat, his current half-day hunger would be fully satisfied, but he would be hungry again within another half a day. If he is fed Big Horner instead, that satisfies his half-day hunger and also provides an extra full day of satisfaction before he starts becoming hungry again.

- There is no further need for feeding once he fully recovers from his ordeal.


Does Little Ripper ever attack the Player Character when very hungry?

- No. He remains totally loyal to you forever.


Are there any Companion or Player Character Perks?

- Predator Intimidation is a player character perk that is acquired when Little Ripper recovers from his initial ordeal. While Little Ripper is nearby: you gain +15 Barter and Speech skill, plus Terrifying Presence.

- Predator Instincts is a player character perk that is acquired when Little Ripper gains the ability to speak. While Little Ripper is nearby: you gain +3 Perception and see Target Health and Damage Threshold.

- Terrifying Roar is a companion perk that is gained when Little Ripper reaches level 7. It potentially frightens an enemy into running away. Whether fleeing will occur or not depends on the Target's Health and Confidence, plus Little Ripper's current Level. Does not affect Robots, Ghouls, or Abominations.

- Raging Red Rampage is a companion perk that is gained when Little Ripper reaches level 15. Little Ripper begins a Raging Red Rampage (enhanced melee damage and damage threshold) while in combat whenever his health drops below 35%.


My new Best Friend sometimes gets stuck in places and can't move, or simply disappears. What do I do?

- Wait for a little while. Within 5 to 10 seconds a monitoring script will try to unstick him, and will retry as needed. Automatic teleportation to your current location occurs whenever he lags behind for more than 30 seconds.

- Or equip and use the "Ripper's Widget" device that has been placed in your inventory. It can be found in the Weapons category.

The game engine has problems figuring out when things come up against each other ("collision detection"), so objects and NPCs can sometimes sink down into (or below) surfaces. When this happens to Little Ripper, he can become stuck and unable to continue following the Player Character. The problem eventually goes away as Little Ripper grows larger.


How do the Aggressive and Passive settings work?

- There are initially two combat modes: Aggressive and Passive. They can be set using dialog and the Companion Wheel.

oAggressive - your friend attacks relentlessly until combat is over, or you switch him to Passive. If he gets too far away, he will automatically stop fighting and return to you (at least temporarily). His arms will be raised, ready to fight, when this mode is set.

oPassive - your friend will not fight until you change him to Aggressive. His arms will usually be lowered when this mode is set and he is following you around, but may be temporarily raised during combat in case you decide to let him fight instead.

- There are eventually two more combat modes. They can be set via dialog.

oPassive Until Threatened - he will wait and not attack until you or he are actually threatened by enemies.

oPassive Until Injured - he will wait and not attack until he is notably injured (health falls below 75%).


Why does he have his arms raised, ready to fight, even though I have him set for Passive?

- He is ready to fight in case you decide to switch him to aggressive. He may remain that way until combat is over; at which time he lowers his arms.


Sometimes when combat is over, Little Ripper is still acting aggressively, even though he is suppose to return to being passive again. Why is that? Is it a bug?

- Even though the fighting is seemingly over, there may be enemies still actively seeking you. So as far as the game is concerned, if that is happening then you are still "In Combat". Once enemies are dead, and no one is trying to hunt you down, combat officially ends and Little ripper will return to being passive again, as appropriate. That after-fighting-ends interval can sometimes be as long as several minutes after the fighting seems to be over.


What do the movement choices mean?

- There are two types of movement styles that can be selected for following. They are effectively the same with regard to Little Ripper keeping up with the player; just different presentations.

oRun whenever possible; don't dawdle - he will always be in run mode, even for very short movement distances.

oWalking is okay when nearby, no need to run - he will walk whenever reasonably nearby, but will transition to running when lagging too far behind.

- There are also two types of following behavior that can be selected for when your friend is set to Passive and not currently in combat. They do not apply when he is set to Aggressive.

oKeep Up - your friend will simply follow you.

oTake Your Time - this is more "life like" in that your friend will occasionally pause to rest, sharpen his claws, and so forth. Choose this for a more realistic kind of behavior, but choose it only if it won't worry you that he may take a while to catch up with you now and then. When combat begins, the Keep Up type will automatically be used instead and then reverts back to Take Your Time when combat ends.


After the first day there is a message that says Mentats can be fed to Little Ripper. What does feeding him Mentats actually accomplish?

- They raise his Intelligence and enable special abilities:

oTwo (2) Mentats raises his Intelligence from 3 to 4 and grants him a new Passive mode for combat: he will wait and not attack until you or he are actually threatened ("In Combat"). It is most useful for situations where you wish to shoot bad guys at long range (sniping) without the annoyance of Little Ripper charging forward to spoil things, but still want him to be able to join the fight.

oA total of four (4) Mentats raises his Intelligence from 4 to 5 and grants him another new Passive mode for combat: he will wait and not attack until he is notably injured (less than 75% health remaining). This is most useful for situations where you are fighting in small areas (e.g. building interiors) and do not want him blocking the way ahead needlessly. Note, however, that if this setting is used and he is not in combat and his health is already less than 75%, he will then begin fighting as soon as combat begins (since the release criteria have already been met). So you may want to heal him as soon as combat ends.

oA total of six (6) Mentats raises his Intelligence from 5 to 6 and enables him to speak, rather than just gesture and growl. At that point he also provides the Predator Instincts perk.

- Twenty-four hours must pass after consuming a Mentat before it can have an effect. So, for example, eating the fourth Mentat does not raise his Intelligence to 5 until the day after it is eaten.

- When it is time to feed a Mentat to Little Ripper, a special dialog option will appear and you can then select that dialog option to give him a Mentat (or not). The dialog option is this: "Here, eat this Mentat, it's good for you ...".


How come I can't have Little Ripper carry some of my stuff? Or can I?

- He hasn't any place to put things. But ... once he fully recovers from starving in that cage ... you will be given the option to allow or disallow him carrying stuff.


Will he use any of the things that I place in his inventory?

- No, he will not consume, or otherwise mess with, anything you give him to hold for you. Or ... at least he shouldn't.


Can he wear armor or other gear?

- No, he can't do that. Besides, Deathclaws in general think they'd look rather silly if they did, and Deathclaws who suspect that others think them silly become extremely angry and very very dangerous to everybody (including you) - trust me on this, you don't want that to happen. However, as he levels up with you, his armor rating (Damage Threshold) will increase with each new level.


Can he use a weapon?

- No, sorry, he can't do that either. However, as he levels up with you, the amount of damage that he can inflict will increase over time.


Little Ripper seems to be too powerful, can anything be done about that?

- If he is currently set for "More Powerful", then give him a Teddy Bear to play with.  Do that via dialog, don't just place it in his inventory. Or use Ripper's Widget.  But realize that he *is* a Deathclaw -- the toughest and most fearsome creatures in the wasteland -- and so will eventually become very powerful regardless of the selected setting.


Little Ripper doesn't seem to be powerful enough, can anything be done about that?

- If he is currently set for "Less Powerful", then give him a Dino Toy to chew on; do that via dialog, don't just place it in his inventory. Or use Ripper's Widget.


Is there a way to control how far away he will go to attack enemies?

- You can use the "About chasing bad guys ..." dialog option for either "Don't get too far away. Stay nearby." or "Pursue the bad guys - hunt them down." For "Nearby" the range will vary depending on whether a Close or Far following distance is selected. Pursue is effectively unlimited range.

- If you see that he often runs only part of the way to an enemy and then comes back to you, but you usually want him to keep going instead, then change his setting to be "Pursue the bad guys" -- it is usually the best setting when outdoors. And for indoor locations, "Don't get too far away" is aoftenbetter.


What happens when I tell him to wait? And leave him there too long?

He will wait there until you return for him. He may walk around a little bit, but will never leave on his own.


Where does he go when I decide it is time to split up?

He goes "home" to the map marker at the location where you originally discovered him. He will wait there outside until you return for him. He may walk around a little bit, but will remain until asked to rejoin you - which he will happily agree to do.


What's this Ripper Widget device?

- It is a tool that enables the player to teleport Little Ripper to the player's current location as well as reset his AI; for use if/when his scripting becomes overly confused.

- It also enables the alteration of certain companion characteristics. Note that the changes do not "stack" - multiple clicks do not further alter his size to be decreasingly smaller than shoulder height, nor will extra clicks continue to make him ever more powerful.

oStay Small - grow to be no larger than shoulder height.

oGrow Large - grow to be terrifyingly large.

oLess Powerful - sets normal values for such things as health, damage dealt, and damage resistence.

oMore Powerful - enables bonuses to help him survive more challenging conflicts provided by other mods (such as AWOP and MoMod).

oCarry Stuff - allows him to carry things. Only available after he recovers from his initial ordeal.

oDon't Carry Stuff - disables the ability to carry things; all gear is transferred back to the player.

oEnraged Effects - special visual effects will be shown for Ripper when he becomes enraged.

oNo Enraged Effects - visual effects will not be shown for Enraged.


Is a Perk given to the Player when Little Ripper becomes a Companion, and if so what is it?

- Yes, but he must be at least Level 10 and also be fully recovered from his prior confinement. Predator Instincts: +3 Perception and see target Health and Damage Threshold. Little Ripper must be in the area for the Perk to be active.


What about the new areas in DLCs? Can this companion go with me to those places?

- Yes, it can; or happily remain behind and await your return if told to do so.


Where can he be found again after being dismissed?

- Outdoors, just outside the Not-Quite-Abandoned Hideout which you enter to discover him initially.


Is there a romance scenario or quest?

- Ummm ... errr ... no.


[end]