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About this mod
A simple, lightweight mod that alters the Silent Running perk to be acquirable by players at the beginning of the game for a slightly higher stat requirement. My hope is that this change alters the early game of New Vegas for sneaky melee characters for the better - without being unbalanced.
- Permissions and credits
Simple Description:
This mod alters the Silent Running perk.
Reasoning:
Silent Running is a powerful but niche perk, one of the only ones I've ever felt would do much better if it were acquirable earlier in the game for those who truly needed it. While its effects on enemy detection can be helpful at any range, the perk only truly shines at very, very close ranges where an enemy's ears become significantly more likely to give the player away, even if they've equipped extremely lightweight gear.
Even with the perk, however, it can still be difficult or even impossible for players to close in to melee range on an enemy without being detected if they have allies nearby, making the tactic dangerous and situational - if powerful. Many mods that alter or overhaul sneaking make silent footsteps (or significantly poorer perceptive power when out of sight) a large component of them by default, removing the silent running perk altogether.
Because of all of this, (as well as a similarly-existing mod for Fallout: 3) I thought it was weird that a simple mod like this didn't exist on the Nexus for quick pickup. So, I decided to open up the GECK and do it myself. To compensate for the lower level and further emphasize the specialization the perk would cater to, I've increased the level of AGI needed to get the perk by two. V.A.T.s ambushing, SMG and pistoling, sneak attack chaining characters would probably be going for a heaping helping of this stat anyways.
If you agree with the section above, then this change shouldn't negatively effect gameplay balance in any significant way.
Installing/Uninstalling:
Installing and uninstalling this mod isn't unique compared to most other mods. The archive has only two files; an .esp, and readme file for convenience. To install, add the .esp to your data folder. To uninstall, remove the esp from your data folder.
Any mods that target the Silent Running Perk may clash with this mod, so be sure to control your load order if that is the case.
This mod alters the Silent Running perk.
- The level at which the player is able to acquire Silent Running is now 2, from 12
- The agility requirement for Silent Running to be available in the perk menu is now 8, from 6
- The Sneaking skill requirement for the perk (50) remains the same
- The guts of the perk and how it alters detection rate of enemies remain unchanged
Reasoning:
Silent Running is a powerful but niche perk, one of the only ones I've ever felt would do much better if it were acquirable earlier in the game for those who truly needed it. While its effects on enemy detection can be helpful at any range, the perk only truly shines at very, very close ranges where an enemy's ears become significantly more likely to give the player away, even if they've equipped extremely lightweight gear.
Even with the perk, however, it can still be difficult or even impossible for players to close in to melee range on an enemy without being detected if they have allies nearby, making the tactic dangerous and situational - if powerful. Many mods that alter or overhaul sneaking make silent footsteps (or significantly poorer perceptive power when out of sight) a large component of them by default, removing the silent running perk altogether.
Because of all of this, (as well as a similarly-existing mod for Fallout: 3) I thought it was weird that a simple mod like this didn't exist on the Nexus for quick pickup. So, I decided to open up the GECK and do it myself. To compensate for the lower level and further emphasize the specialization the perk would cater to, I've increased the level of AGI needed to get the perk by two. V.A.T.s ambushing, SMG and pistoling, sneak attack chaining characters would probably be going for a heaping helping of this stat anyways.
If you agree with the section above, then this change shouldn't negatively effect gameplay balance in any significant way.
Installing/Uninstalling:
Installing and uninstalling this mod isn't unique compared to most other mods. The archive has only two files; an .esp, and readme file for convenience. To install, add the .esp to your data folder. To uninstall, remove the esp from your data folder.
Any mods that target the Silent Running Perk may clash with this mod, so be sure to control your load order if that is the case.