What this?

A Modder resource about adding more materials. It's flagged a master file and imports 130+ material variants for mod creators to use in their own mods. You could use them as components, as raw materials, as recipe items, whatever comes to mind. It is actually a renewal of my old Moniker release from 6 years ago, properly fixed. The old version was made with early versions of xEdit, back in the days when no Creation Kit existed. This does nothing to your game if you just install it, you will need to use it as resource in your own mods. Here's the old description:

"You ever wondered how paste is capable of gluing weapons together? Scraped steel from tin cans? Corroding aluminum? Asbestos in cardboards? You always felt there’s a whole lot of inconsistencies in Bethesdas display of material, and want to have something more coherent in your mods to be used? Seriously, I couldn’t cope with all the opportunities given to me via modding, and accept how wildly the developers threw components together to craft weapons, apparels and tools.

Everything began with my simple adhesive recipe mod, but I quickly figured, there’s much more I want to mod in the game. I want to import a certain metallurgic realism, real chemical coherence, working with materials in an immersive and realistic pre-industrial way, with the wasteland full of recyclable materials, but also raw materials as resources. How would a post nuclear wasteland, with the knowledge of modern society, but the economical equivalent of stone age look like? Well, I will show you in future mods, but this one is the base to make all of this happen.

It imports 130+ new components with their accompanying misc items, sorted in their own material category for any type of workbench. It should be used as master file for any type of mod that wants to utilize components, misc items or workbench keywords, in a “realistic fashion”. You want to make glue from bones, then use EC. Want to make alloys? Then us EC. You want to realistically scrap wasteland resources? Then use EC. How do you make adhesives in real life? Yes, you’ll need a solvent and binder for it, right? EC will give you the opportunity to forward all of this, and more."

How to use and install?

Install at your preference. Only base game is needed. Remember this is just a master tagged resource file, and will add nothing to your game.

Can you give us a material list with the corresponding categories?

Solvents: Alcohol, distilled Water, Ketone, Ethyl Acetate, Gasoline, Turpentine, Universal Solvent
Binder: Resin, Wax, Glue, Paste, Polymer, Linseed Oil, Tar, Bitumen, Casein
Acid: Acetic Acid, Citric Acid, Hydrochloric Acid, Sulfuric Acid, Nitric Acid, Phosphoric Acid, Hydrofluoric Acid
Lye: Sodium Hydroxide, Potassium Hydroxide, Ammonium Lye, Whitewash
Elementals: Iron, Lead, Copper, Tin, Zinc, Aluminum, Gold, Chromium, Cadmium, Manganese, Nickel, Platinum, Mercury, Silver, Titanium, Uranium, Vanadium, Tungsten, Lithium, Sodium, Magnesium, Potassium, Calcium, Boron, Silicon, Arsenic, Antimuonium, Phosphorus, Carbon, Sulfur, Fluorine, Chlorine, Bromine, Iodine
Minerals: Limestone, Gravel, Quartzite, Sandstone, Sand, Slate, Gypsum, Salt, Chalk, Flint, Marble, Granite, Basalt, Diabase, Obsidian, Pumice, Tuff, Dolostone, Loam, Meteorite, Stibnite, Azurite, Chalcopyrite, Malachite, Calaverite, Haematite, Magnetite, Pyrite, Galena, Bog Iron, Braunstein, Cinnabar, Garnierite, Nickeline, Akanthit, Stromeyerite, Cassiterite, Stannite, Ilmenite, Sphalerite, Zinkit, Graphite, Diamond, Asbestos
Plastics: Polyethylene, Polypropylene, PVC, Polystyrene, Polyurethane, PET, Celluloid, Amber, Bakelite, Linoleum, Shellac, Ebonite, Rubber, Galalith
Organics: Black Coal, Brown Coal, Peat, Oil Sands, Tar, Petroleum, Asphalt, Gum, Horn, Bone, Pitch, Charcoal
Materials(other): Glass, Ceramic, Wood, Cloth, Paper Fiber, Cork, Leather

But there are things that are already displayed in game, like cloth, leather and wood?

That’s true, but the recipe overhaul I’m planning, will divide between recycled and newly manufactured materials. This is why I reimported components already existent. If we take steel for example, it can not be recycled in a way you think of it? Turning steel into a useable material, when it already has been processed, is a very difficulty and energy intensive process. You’d bet throughout history, humanity had already steel recycled, if it was that easy. Which for example was the case for bronze. The same is true for some plastics, polymers, minerals and other material variations. For example, you can not recycle asbestos, it’s simply not possible in a way it gets displayed in the Fallout lore.

You left out a lot of elements/materials. Why?

For the first version I took only the most prominent of materials, those that are frequently used throughout human history. Others will be added, by request, or if I personally need them in one of my mods. Just to make sure if we talk about materials. Everything can be categorized into the material types of metal, mineral, ceramic, glas, wood, plastics and cloth. If you look around the world, almost everything is made of variations of those 7 types of material categories. I’m eagerly awaiting your input and exchange of ideas on which categories and/or materials/elements should be added.

But how would I use this? Or how do you use it?

I’m not sure how you would use it, but I use it as comprehensive base for every single of my mods that handles recipes, crafting, building and whatever else comes to mind that could utilize this resource. I’m planning a metallurgy realism mod, that will import ores, which you can smelt, and then forge or cast as weapon/armor resource. I’m planning on a mod that imports a pre industrial chemical production, used to create for example explosives, ammunition, fertilizers etc. You could use it as resource for a mod that imports different variations of precious. You could use it as base for a realistic display of components in your armor/weapon crafting overhaul, the options are endless. I just wanted to give away this option for anyone, because embedded into my mods, you wouldn’t have any convenient access to it.

You mentioned categories? What exactly do you mean by that?

Gameplay wise it means I’ve imported 9 keywords to be used as category on any type of workbench. The categories are: solvent, binder, acid, lye, elementals, minerals, plastics, organics, materials (other). This keywords need to be applied to your recipes as FNAM keyword, so that the category will be displayed on your workbench. Then import your recipes to use the components given to you by this mod. I for example will use it to completely redefine any type of recipe in the vanilla game. The mod will be based on Adhesive Recipes, and very much expand it to be a full fledged crafting/building overhaul.

But how do you know all this stuff? You’re a professional? Did you studied it?

Nope, it’s a hobby, an interest, I’m working with pre industrial materials in my job. I restore furniture, paintings, sculptures, machines, vehicles etc. I’ve learned a lot from my boss, and through him, found my general interest in chemical coherence. The understanding for the physical world around us was previously available. On top of that I’m educated as gardener, painter and florist, and have a master as painter with the extension of a master in old craftsmanship. My general interest in everything else, and my main hobby to mod Bethesda Games, did the rest and brought everything together.

Why must we always read so much on any of your mods?

You are free to just Willy Nilly install, refusing to read just fine.