Fallout 3

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Last updated

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Created by

MistakenMystic and Deadmano

Uploaded by

MistakenMystic

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About this mod

Adds descriptions to icons seen in your Pip-Boy.

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Permissions and credits
Translations
  • Spanish
Changelogs
Descriptive Icons for Fallout 3
by MistakenMystic & Deadmano


Descriptive Icons for Fallout New Vegas (under construction).


Description
 
Your PipBoy is supposed to be the one tool that provides you with ALL the vital information about the world you find yourself in. Yet on many occasions it seems to make judgement calls about what is, or isn't, of use as you try to survive in the wasteland.

We've all been there, scrolling through the list of items in our inventories when, although your PipBoy tells you what it is, it gives you a picture of 'junk', as though it's saying; "why did you pick that up?".

Or you see a note but nothing about the contents is shown or anything to indicate what the note actually says. Or after receiving some weapon or armour that looks just like every other piece of armour you have, you have to examine the details to determine if it is worth keeping or not.

Well no more, using DIFF (Descriptive Icons for Fallout 3), means every item found in the wasteland will now be shown in your PipBoy as it appears in the
world. Additionally the icons themselves will have some descriptive text attached to add to the data you need to survive. Notes or scrolls or other items that should tell you something, will. (still to do.) Unique weapons or armour will tell you where, or who, it came from and what makes it 'unique'.

DIFF is inspired by the great work done by modders such as:
The 3rd Type - T3T Misc Item Icons
Mikael Grizzly - Fallout3 Item Descriptions
BlackJRajder - Fallout 3 DLC Item Descriptions
weedking - Pipboy Item Descriptions Mod

Mods like those go a long way to making the game more enjoyable. Credit must be given to those great modders, and if you haven't already, endorse any of their mods or otherwise give them kudos for their work.


What does DIFF do?

Unfortunately, those aforementioned mods are suffering from some serious setbacks.

There are numerous glaring spelling mistakes, odd grammar and phrasing, some inaccuracies regarding the details (particularly regarding weapons) and they don't cover all the DLCs.

Those mods also include icons from 3rd party mods, I wont be including those icons in the main mod. Any extra mods that are deemed necessary might be added later.

As for T3T's work, well it goes without saying his is the standard that all others are judged by. I will, where necessary, be using the icons he has done, and only creating new ones if necessary, but of course the finished work will be DIFF's since they will also contain descriptions to match his excellent graphics
work.

I did PM T3T a few years back about updating his FO3 stuff withhis FNV work, since nothing has happened despite his response to 'look into it', I'll assume what you see now is what there is and any 'new' stuff will be by others, ie. me.

What is actually changed?

All the items that previously had the generic: item_junk.dds graphic now have their own graphic complete with description. Even the 'junk' has a description.

Since the game expects these to be called 'item_junk.dds' there is obviously a plugin to redirect to the new icons.

There are some exceptions to this such as the mutilated body parts found in those 'Gore bags' at Super Mutant locations. Why? Two reasons. Firstly I can't see any reason to have those parts in your inventory and secondly I can't decide whether to go with a stylised version, such as with the VaultBoy figure, or an actual representation based on the *.nif model.

All unique armour or weapon now has its own icon so this requires the plugin to redirect the game engine.

What is still to do?

Many different items share the same image and where it is deemed necessary there will be individual icons created for these. That applies to
things like: notes, passkeys, scrolls, etc.

Many mods are still to be added to the collection, if I get around to doing them there will be additions to the list.

hishutup has kindly added the Weapons Mods Extensions plugin and that can be found in the "Optionals" list.

Deadmano has completed a version the takes the 'Vault Girl' icons and gives them the 'DIFF' treatment.
Please head over there and grab yourself a copy of that. Complete Vault Girl Interface Descriptive Icons For Fallout 3!

Installation

If you don't already use Mod Organizer, I suggest you do so, it makes installing, and un-installing, mods like this much easier as nothing is overwritten and hence nothing is lost.

Regardless though of which way you install DIFF, simply make sure these textures end up in the Fallout 3 Data folder.
The archive has them stored in the full path that the game engine is expecting and the DIFF plugin is edited to see.

Upgrading

It is best to completely remove any prior versions before installing the latest. Any name changes to textures or deletion of previous icons from the package may result in orphaned textures.

Credits:
As mentioned earlier
The 3rdType
Mikael Grizzly
BlackJRajder
weedking
Darkcide666
majormodder


Also to someone I knew from our days modding Civ V, DonQuiche, but never knew created a great tool for modding Fallout, for his Pipboy Description Generator.

Nexus - for hosting a wealth of mods.
Bethesda - for the games, obviously!
S.T.E.P. - for a great bunch of guys that truly know their stuff.

Hosting

I do not give permission for the re-hosting of this mod on any other site or any file sharing page.
Exceptions to this may be given after details explaining why this would be needed are provided to me.

Tools

xEdit
Paint.NET
Inkscape
Pipboy Description Generator
Mod Organizer
XnView
MultiCommander
BSAopt/DDSopt
7Zip