Fallout 4

About this mod

New creatures come to Nuka-World in the third official expansion for Mutant Menagerie! Encounter classic creatures, exotic beasts, and returning favorites as you explore Bethesda's final expansion for Fallout 4.

Requirements
Permissions and credits
Translations
  • Ukrainian
  • Russian
  • Mandarin
  • Korean
  • German
Mirrors
Donations
This mod has been retired!
All previous iterations of Mutant Menagerie will remain available, but they have been laid to rest by me - the author.
Mutant Menagerie: Life Finds a Way is considered the final version of Mutant Menagerie - replacing all previous versions.












New creatures come to Nuka-World in the third official expansion for Mutant Menagerie! Now you'll encounter new, exotic beasts and returning favorites alike as you explore Bethesda's final expansion for Fallout 4. Track down new recipes, craft new and powerful items, or hunt down and slay the new quantum enemy variants and world-bosses. There's something for everyone, so come on down to Nuka-World and join the Nuclear Safari!










REQUIRES V1.4:


REQUIRES V1.2:











































Mutant Menagerie - Nuclear Safari

"Book your Wasteland Vacation today!"


















Features

1)  Dynamic Spawns

Many of the spawns added in this mod utilize custom leveled actors designed to introduce random, level-appropriate creatures each time the actor respawns. These dynamic levelled spawns are split into predators and prey – with the intent to create fully-fledged and randomized ecosystems throughout the different biomes of the game. Additionally, for the first time in Mutant Menagerie, Nuclear Safari also introduces new dynamic robot spawns!

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2)  DLC & Mutant Menagerie Creature Integration
Thematically-appropriate creatures from other expansions - like Gulpers and Robobrains - have been integrated into Nuka-World. Many of these creatures also come with new variants - like the Acidic Gulper. Additionally, a healthy majority of creatures from Big Game Hunting have been introduced to Nuka-World.  Finally, some lesser used creatures from Nuka-World are also integrated into the dynamic spawns. All creatures have been integrated with careful consideration to the worldspace, ecosystem, and lore. Due to the crowded nature of the worldspace, these spawns are placed VERY sparingly.

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3)  All-New Creatures
Nuclear Safari brings many mutants from the vast repertoires of both Big Game Hunting and Horrors of the Deep Fog to Nuka-World. However, as with Horrors of the Deep Fog, old faces were not enough. Nuclear Safari also adds 12 new mutants to the roster for Nuka-World, and 1 additional new creature for Point-Lookout (if you have Backwater Beasts). Some of these creatures are inspired by cut or classic creatures, while others are exotic zoo animals tainted by radiation. There's plenty for new and returning players alike to discover!

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4)  World Bosses
World Bosses are unique, high-level entities designed as the ultimate challenge for endgame players. Taking most of them on before at-least level 70 is not recommended. Once killed, world bosses are gone from the game - they do not respawn. Additionally, Nuclear Safari's new World Bosses are always level-scaled 50 percent higher than the player. Good hunting.

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5)  Quantum Creatures
Quantum Creatures are a new variation of mutant - a lot like the Fog-Touched from Horrors of the Deep Fog. They are high level, DLC-exclusive variants of creatures that drop special components for crafting. But while the Fog-Touched scaled to the player’s level and were always legendary, Quantum creatures are a bit different. While Quantum mutants aren't legendary by default, they scale 25 percent higher than the player's level. This means every Quantum creature will always out-level the player. The automated level scaling can get pretty nasty in Fallout 4 at higher levels, meaning that these creatures should prove a challenge even in the late game - where gameplay usually becomes its most trivial.
   Most creatures from Nuka-World, and many from vanilla Fallout 4 and Mutant Menagerie, will have Quantum variants. All of these creatures will appear throughout the park at random, acting as surprise mini-bosses for you to battle during your travels.

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6) New Recipes
As with Backwater Beasts, Nuclear Safari hides a number of crafting recipes throughout Nuka-World's worldspace. Much like the Nuka-Cola recipes, these items will unlock a unique crafting recipe (or set of recipes) themed around the expansion. These range from new mods for your weapons to new food items themed around the park - like the Nuka-Burger. Get out there and find them all! 

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7)  Crafting
Just like in Big Game Hunting, Horrors of the Deep Fog, and Backwater Beasts, Nuclear Safari introduces new crafting recipes based on the crafting materials added in the mod. Just like in Horrors of the Deep Fog, new high-level crafting materials can be used to craft powerful endgame items. Everything added in this expansion is themed around Nuka-World and designed to integrate seamlessly into the expansion's zany, nuka-cola and raider-centric atmosphere. And as with previous expansions, many new recipes have specific perk requirements - meaning you may not be able to craft everything right away, or even in a single playthrough. 


[IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER] Some of the new items use models from modders' resources that don't have fully-functioning collision, I've discovered. So don't drop anything you don't need, you may be unable to pick it up! You've been warned!!!

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Details

Regarding "Lore Friendliness"
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Lore - "A body of traditions and knowledge on a subject or held by a particular group, typically passed from person to person by word of mouth." - OxfordLanguages Dictionary

"a particular body of knowledge or tradition" - Merriam Webster

Popular synonyms/similar words include: Mythology, Folklore, Backstory, History, Legends

What constitutes Lore-Friendly is something a lot of people like to argue about, and are very, very opinionated about - often pointlessly so. I say pointlessly because Lore-Friendly isn't really a matter of opinion. Lore is backstory, legend, and history. Things are factually Lore-Friendly, and adhere to mythology and backstory, while other things are not, and contradict mythology and backstory. There is a line where conjecture and open-interpretation must be considered and a judgement call must be made, but that is very rare. The fact of the matter is, whether you like it or not, lore-friendliness is not up to the individual. The following criteria below are my rules on canon, and the criteria that I use to determine whether a creature is, in fact, lore-friendly:

1) The franchise owner/current-producer is the arbiter of canon.
If you own the rights to something, you have the sole right to define (or redefine) its canon and lore. This first rule is important for a lot of you classic Fallout lovers. For my mod, canon is defined by the one holding the keys to the kingdom. That means Bethesda is in charge - like it or not. If they say something is de-canonized, it is. If they make a retcon, that retcon is the new canon. If they add new information to the world, it must be considered and accepted - even the information that post-dates Fallout 4 (IE: Fallout 76). The minute you start picking and choosing what's canon based on which franchise interpretation's take you liked better, that's the minute you lose any objective thought process for determining what constitutes lore-friendly. One popular point of contention here is the Fallout Bible. It has been largely de-canonized by the current arbiters of Fallout's destiny - so it's de-canonized here, too.  

2) Something is either lore-friendly or it isn't. There is almost never an in-between.
Lore-Friendly simply means that something doesn't contradict lore or break pre-existing canon. Period. It DOES NOT mean whether or not something is tonally or thematically consistent with universe, or whether it breaks with the established conventions of the franchise. That is another issue entirely - and one that allows for the interjection of opinion and artistic interpretation. Whether or not something "works" in a fictional universe, from a worldbuilding standpoint or otherwise, is a very personal discussion that varies greatly based on who's discussing it. But none of those feelings or personal beliefs apply to the discussion of lore-friendliness. The most frequent examples of this debate, being disguised as lore debates, are when people argue that artistic changes from game-to-game are not lore-friendly. In the world of fictional universes, artistic interpretation and lore-friendliness are two separate discussions. You may not like the new power armor design or gameplay changes associated with it, but that argument does not belong in the lore-friendliness debate. Artistic interpretation is an accepted feature of the video game and wider entertainment industry - and especially so at Bethesda. It is important to respect that, rather than be distracted by it.

3) Pre-existing, canonized lore matters, but must be properly interpreted.
Going off of the first point, existing lore is the bulk of how we determine lore-friendliness. In a situation where canon information on a topic exists, you must use critical thinking to analyze the extent of a statement. For example, In Fallout: New Vegas, Robert House states cats are extinct as part of a snide joke about skinning cats. If we didn't know what we knew post-Fallout 4, how would we analyze House's statement from a lore implication perspective? Would we say that all cats in the franchise are extinct? Of course not, because how could Robert House possibly know that? Without evidence or affirmatory statements from others, the most that we could conclude is that cats are either extinct worldwide, extinct in the American Southwest, or exist in such sparse numbers in the American Southwest that one of the smartest men in the world, with an incredibly advanced and well-established surveillance state, could be tricked into thinking they had died out. Since there is no definitive evidence or corroborating statements in-game to verify or dispute House's claim, we cannot call the existence of cats in, say, the Commonwealth, a lore-break from a logical standpoint. It is objectively lore-friendly given the context. We could, however, say that a sudden, healthy population of housecats in the Mojave Wasteland would be lore-breaking - given that it is within House's domain of influence. When in doubt, use the Socratic method.

4) Game lore supersedes out-of-game lore. 
As stated in the first rule, Bethesda defines what constitutes lore - not the old Black Isle devs, not Obsidian, and not Chris Avellone's twitter account. And Bethesda devs have stated numerous times that lore in the game matters more than lore that is not in the games. So when one comes across lore that contradicts itself between game and expanded universe content, the game wins. If you respect their right to interpret the universe how they want, then you must adhere to their methodology as-well. We don't pick and choose here, as that would once again be introducing an inherent bias.

5) If there is no information, it is a blank slate.
This may seem obvious to some, but it must be stated anyway. If no information exists on a subject, then it is an open book. If something is neither stated to exist or not-exist, or simply not mentioned at all, than any interpretation is objectively lore-friendly. If your fan project involves raccoons being extinct, and raccoons have never been mentioned in the history of Fallout franchise canon, then your project is lore-friendly. If your fan project features a mutant species of raccoon as one of its frontrunners, then again, your project is lore-friendly. No information doesn't mean you decide whether something's lore-friendly based on your feelings. It means any  interpretation of the untapped subject is lore-friendly, and you are free to interpret something how you wish. To take this a step farther, let's look at the radtoads from my mod. Radtoads are an established creature in Fallout 76, but their fate after the first 20-something years of the apocalypse is unknown in the lore. So, using the logic we just laid out, determining that radtoads may have mutated further into giant walking tanks 200 years later is a valid, lore-friendly take on the species. Deciding they remain unchanged, have gone extinct, or are exclusive to Appalachia is ALSO a valid, lore-friendly interpretation. Do not argue about what isn't there. You'll live longer.

6) Cut or de-canonized content that hasn't been retconned or replaced is not law, but is still a valid interpretation.
This one is a little tricky, because it requires an understanding of the rules we laid out beforehand. Basically, if something, especially game content, has been declared non-canon, but has not been overwritten, it falls into the category of "valid interpretation". Elements of both Van Buren and Fallout Tactics, for example, have been canonized sparingly in later iterations of the franchise - despite both being separated from the lore by Bethesda. What this means is that while the content of something like, say, the Fallout Bible cannot be used to declare something non-canon, much of it (the bits that have not been overwritten or retconned) still represent valid, lore-friendly interpretations of certain subject matter. Even Bethesda still pulls from the Fallout Bible and other de-canonized material occasionally. What this means is, while it may no longer be canon that wanamingos went extinct after Fallout 2 - as stated in the Fallout Bible - and that information can no longer be evidenced to disprove their existence in future/fan material, if your fan project involves wanamingos going extinct as a major plot point, that is a valid, lore-friendly interpretation of the Fallout universe. 

7) Real-world logic matters when it does, and doesn't when it doesn't.
Fallout is one of those franchises where it takes logic and real-world inspiration incredibly seriously in some places, but is essentially a cartoon in others. For the sake of determining lore-friendliness, it's important to take into account when-and-where the franchise gets serious with logic, and where it gets goofy. Energy weapons, for example, are treated very cartoonishly and purposefully disobey the laws of physics and reality. Lasers can kick like a shotgun when fired because the universe isn't concerned with the realism of many of its more-pseudoscientific elements. Human issues, on the other hand, are usually treated realistically, with questions about politics, ethics, and the human condition being at the core of the Fallout franchise's writing and quest themes - and largely inspired by real events. This all borders very closely on the realm of "artistic interpretation" that we outlined in Rule 2, but uniquely has lore implications when it comes to certain elements.
Creatures, specifically, tend to be taken quite seriously in Fallout. Outlandish designs aside, each creature tends to be consistent with a known real-world counterpart that fits ecologically within an environment. They usually have deep backgrounds, clear real-world and/or pop culture inspirations, and play crucial roles in their ecosystems outside of killing/fleeing from the player. Knowing that the franchise takes the topic of its creatures seriously, we could determine that lore-friendliness is strengthened when adhering to the ecology of real-world animals and creatures. Various exceptions do exist, however. This is primarily because pet stores, zoos, and wildlife sanctuaries exist - allowing for conjecture. In summation, this is a rule that is best used for strengthening lore-friendliness and adherence to tone when creating, rather than declaring something to not be lore-friendly. If your entire argument for declaring something lore-breaking boils down to "Its pre-war counterpart isn't native to this environment and climate," you are going to be disappointed when, as a counterargument, your adversary submits a twenty-page backstory detailing a 200 year-long Galápagos tortoise migration - the ending of which outlines the settling of the species in Washington DC and their sudden turn to cannibalism. Is it ridiculous? Yes. Can you disprove it? No. Because tonally-inconsistent interpretations of the world are still, objectively, lore-friendly interpretations of the world - so long as they adhere to, and exist within the confines of, existing lore. The correct description of this type of content is setting-inappropriate or tonally-inconsistent - not lore-breaking. Breaking a setting or its established tone is different from breaking its lore - IE mythos, history, and/or backstory.



Why Did I Make This Mod?
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Confession – creature mods are my favorite type of mod. I remember when Fallout 4’s creation kit finally was released to the public, I couldn’t wait for someone to release our version Monster Mod or Beasts of Tamriel for Fallout 4. I love these mods for how they rework and integrate custom and publicly available assets into the game and make the world more exciting and organic. Unfortunately, though, those mods never really came. There were a few projects that dabbled in similar areas but, over the years, Fallout 4 never really got its Immersive Creatures or Marts Mutant Mod. I decided I wanted to try and change that. So in 2018, I got to work learning the Creation Kit and studying modding. I built Lokir’s Tomb in the Skyrim SE Creation Kit, studied some of Kinggath’s Bethesda Mod School to fill in the gaps of my knowledge, and watched the singular tutorial I could find for rigging creatures in Outfit Studio at least a dozen times. In 2019, I began working on a proof-of-concept creature mod using publicly available assets and Outfit Studio to see if I could get this off the ground. Now it’s 2021, and I’m ready to release my very first mod to the public - after three years of on-and-off hard work. It’s a little janky, a bit buggy, and nowhere near professional in its quality, but I hope you all enjoy it for what it is, and that these new creatures become a permanent mainstay in your load orders.


 Incompatibilies and Bugs
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Mutant Menagerie was built to be dropped into a load order as a permanent mainstay with very little digital footprint on your game. I'm an art major, not a coder, so I excluded custom scripting of any kind in creating this mod. All spawns exist on their own layers, no interior cells were touched, no vanilla creatures of any kind were modified, no leveled lists were edited or changed, and I’ve regularly error-checked the mod in FO4 Edit, Bash, and Merge Plugins to make sure that the mod is clean and runs smoothly. I run a moderate load order on my lower-mid tier gaming pc and my game rarely ever crashes. The following list below outlines the documented issues and incompatibilities you may encounter when running Mutant Menagerie:


KNOWN ISSUES, INCOMPATIBILITIES, AND FIXES:

- VANISHING CREATURES/ ODD PHYSICS. Certain creatures seem to fade temporarily when affected by status effects that add a visual mask - like acid, poison, or legendary mutations. This issue is being looked into. Additionally, wacky or insane ragdolling with the models may occur upon death. Creatures may continue moving for a few seconds, launch into the air, or stutter and seize. These types of interactions are unavoidable and unfixable, and occur in most custom creature or creature-scaling mods to some extent. If it's too immersion breaking, don't use the mod.

- WORLDSPACE EDITS. Mods that edit and/or add to the vanilla worldspace of Fallout 4, such as custom settlements, Boston FPS Fix, or South of the Sea, may experience issues. Load Mutant Menagerie above such mods to ensure their changes take priority.

- HEADLESS SYNTHS (BLANK ACTORS).  There have been reports of blank actors (headless synths) appearing on some load orders - especially heavy load orders. As far as I am aware, this issue is caused by either circular levelled lists or LChar (leveled actor) files being forced to produce an actor where none exists. Possible solutions to resolving this include sorting masters in your load order via FO4Edit, removing other creature or spawning mods (including mods that use scripted injection), or lightening your mod list to minimize the chance for any odd incompatibilities. The headless synth issue has also been partially attributed to running Mutant Menagerie alongside the mod "Unique NPCs" - although I cannot personally confirm this. 

-INVISIBLE CREATURES. This has proven on at-least one occasion to be symptomatic of using outdated unofficial patches. It may occur as a result of a mod conflict or by mashing various versions of my mods together that don't match. 

-FLOATING CREATURES. There are rare occasions where creatures may not react to collision - as if TCL were toggled via console. I have only encountered this issue while testing different versions of the mod on the same save - especially if bodypart data or rigging is altered significantly between builds. Possible solutions include rebooting the game, a clean reinstallation of the mod, or starting a fresh save game. If problems persist, make sure you do not have any mods that alter vanilla bodypart data, skeletons, etc. of creatures featured in the mod.

PERK OVERHAULS. Mutant Menagerie uses perks as requirements for certain crafting recipes. Mods that remove or disable vanilla perks will conflict with my mod. If perks are outright deleted, the game will freeze-crash or CTD in the crafting menu. Old versions of Creative Perks Plus are known to cause crashes, but as of the latest build of that mod, all issues have been resolved. Update Creative Perks Plus to its latest build first if you are experiencing issues. If a perk is disabled or made otherwise inaccessible by any overhaul mod you have installed, you may be locked out of certain crafting recipes. I personally don't expect this to be an issue with all or even most perk overhauls, but stay diligent!

PREVIS ERRORS. On very rare occasions, installing mods that either break Previs data, or install new/updated Previs data, may produce errors in the mod. Specifically, uninstalling mods that alter Precombined Visual data without removing their updated VIS data WILL cause errors in the mod - THOUSANDS of errors. The mod is designed to work with vanilla or vanilla-adjacent Previsibines. mods like PRP are tested and work fine, but other mods that add their own data may cause errors if not installed, monitored, and/or uninstalled properly. Rebuilding VIS data in the Creation Kit MAY fix issues, but is not recommended for any inexperienced users. As a rule-of-thumb, DO NOT USE MODS THAT BREAK PREVISIBINES WITH MUTANT MENAGERIE.

- BASHED PATCHES. Bashed patches, for some reason, revert levelled list changes made by Mutant Menagerie patches or addons (IE the Exotics Patch). Disable any patches before building the patch, then re-enable them.

-ATLANTIC OFFICES ODDITIES. I've had multiple reports of the Atlantic Offices entrance being blocked for certain users. I've found other mentions online - dating back years - citing this weird bug in some load orders. Apparently, it's related to mods that place spawns or objects in the Glowing Sea. More Spawns Church Bug Fix has been cited as a possible fix for those experiencing this issue.

- BODY PHYSICS CRASHES. Consistent CTDs with larger load orders, or occasionally on light load orders, can occur as a result of certain mod conflicts. If you are experiencing these crashes, it is likely related to incompatibilities with mods that add custom skeletons, body physics, or certain other interactions with skeletons or physics. If you are using Classic Holstered Weapons, disable holstered weapon visibility on NPCs via its INI. Failure to do so WILL result in CTDs. Additionally, use the article linked below by TheSoundofSnow for troubleshooting - specifically the Body Physics Crash, Render Driver Crash, and/or Nvidia Driver Crash sections.

- REGARDING OTHER CRASHES. I have sourced and fixed a few areas where the game may crash - and am always on the lookout for others. If you think you have found another bug I can squash, please double check that it is a result of this mod. The best way to find out if there's an issue or conflict with my mod, would be to follow the following steps:

1) Track down any recurring form ids in your crash logs and verify if the problem elements are from my mod or are touched by my mod in any way. If so, what are they?

2) Run the crash log auto-scanner and read the output in detail. Identify the crash type, find it in the article below, and use your best reasoning to figure out if the issue seems sourced from my mod. 

3) Replicate the crash under different circumstances. If the crash happens again, and log scanner yields similar results, you either have a conflict or you have identified a problem with the mod.


I welcome any help I can get in isolating potential issues with the mod. I want to make it as issue-free as possible. Modding is hard, and I am thankful for the assistance I get from this community.




 

Performance

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  I optimized most of the crazier-quality models that I used in the mod, and use a mixture of 4k, 2k, and 1k textures – depending on the asset. With that said, this mod adds a lot of new spawns to the game. Hundreds of new spawns altogether. That may seem like a lot (because it is), but they are all spread out across the entirety of the commonwealth. Outside of the Boston Ruins, there is not a single area I didn’t touch. This mod is incredibly thorough. Static actor fish swim in ponds, rivers, and ocean waters by the dozens, while new creatures roam every region of the wilderness. I have to assume this may impact lower-end systems in some 
way, though I haven’t seen any FPS impact on my end personally. My PC is a lower-mid tier gaming rig, and I can usually maintain 60 fps with this and a few other mods installed. This mod is an ambitious one, though, and ambitious mods may slow your game down. My best advice is to test and experiment with the mod at your own pace and see if it works for you.

Permissions
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Most of the assets in this mod are either from vanilla Fallout 4, modder’s resources, public access resources like Sketchfab, Turbosquid, Blendswap, or Free3D, or from other independent releases. There are only two models in this mod for which I paid, personally, for the usage rights. These models cannot be used in any other projects or products without purchasing it first from the author. All other assets were merely gathered by me and are being used within their usage rights. I, at most, heavily modified assets to fit the Fallout aesthetic. As such, I obviously don’t care if you use the assets from this mod as long as they are used in accordance with each author’s wishes and with the asset’s usage rights. I am including a detailed credits document with all available links and information on all assets so everyone can pursue the assets directly and understand the usage rights of each individual asset.
     I also don’t mind if people make unofficial patches, addons, or expansions for this mod. Use the spawns I spent three years setting up, throw the mod in a modpack, or just do whatever you please. My only limitation is that I do not consent to this mod being published or republished (outside of translations, obviously) on this or other sites or mirrors without my permission. This is only because, ideally, I aim to control the main pages for this mod on every platform it ends up on (unless I permanently vanish or retire from all modding platforms, in which case do whatever you want and let anarchy reign). Other than that, however, I don’t really believe in keeping a mod locked down or controlled by myself forever. Modding is a community effort that, I hope, will some day be widely accessible to everyone on every gaming platform. I’m far more interested in sharing this mod with all of you than I am lording over it for all eternity in the name of credit, efficiency, or some other third thing. I also want to keep it professional and prioritize player accessibility first-and-foremost, so I will not be removing this mod for political reasons - ever. If things get bad on certain modding platforms, I will at most discontinue updates and direct traffic to another supported mirror. Now that all of this is out of the way, enjoy the mod! Get wild and go crazy! 

The following assets were purchased, and cannot be used without also purchasing the license:
- Ghoul Sharks
- Mingos
- Nighthunters
- Radhammers
- Rad-Parrots
- Wastewolves


Credits
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A mod like this uses a lot of publicly available assets. I have done a lot of work on these assets and put a lot of effort into overhauling everything to feel cohesive within Fallout 4, but the REAL credit goes to all the content creators who have released their work to us on public platforms. For this reason, I have created a document crediting the authors of these assets and providing links to all available assets. If you think something in this mod is cool, go track down the author of the asset and show them some love.


FULL MUTANT MENAGERIE CREDITS DOCUMENT




Donations
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If you like my work, and want to support me and my endeavors, feel free to use the link below. HOWEVER, please use the above doc to check out the creators that made this mod a reality. They all deserve your support just as much (but honestly much more so) as I do!! The link below is for supporting me directly (because bills and community college loan debt are a thing). Please do not feel pressured to donate - your support and enjoyment of the mod is more than enough. 


 



FAQ
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Q: How can I remove creatures I don't like?
A: I recommend using the CK, activating the ESP or ESM, and doing it that way. From the CK, you can directly delete any creatures you want gone, and the mod will adjust itself and its files accordingly. You also have much more leeway in how you go about removing creatures. You can remove their spawns from the game world and/or and LChar lists, or just delete the actor files outright. You can also use XEdit, though this is trickier and riskier. You have to ensure that, if you're deleting an actor, that you delete the uses of that actor as well. If you don't, bad/weird things may happen.
If using the Creation Kit, check the "show only active forms" box after loading the ESP or ESM, search "Del20_", and sort by Form IDs to view all files in a cohesive and organized manner. If you want to outright delete a creature, find its actors (all actors should have 'enc' in the name) and hit the delete button. All instances and uses of that actor will be purged. Do that for all of that creature's actors (there's usually between 3 and 6 of them) and your work is done. Save, exit, and test. You could also create a separate ESP using my mod as a master, make these edits, and thus create a patch. This is a bit more advanced, as you will need to delete all world references as well, but allows you to activate/deactivate your changes at will. Be sure to right click the actor, click "use info" and load up/delete all references in the game world - failure to do so will cause crashes. Save often during this process - the Creation Kit likes to crash while hopping between cells. Once finished, you can release it as an unofficial patch, if you so choose, without needing to overwrite the main ESM.

Q: Can you remove or alter this creature or element of your mod, or make a patch for X, Y, or Z?
A: Users are free to develop their own unofficial patches for the mod at will - through use of the CK or XEdit. You may release patches without my permission - and with my full support. I will continue to develop my mod on my own time, and create the mod I want to play. I will not devote full-time hours of work to fulfill every user's request or desire. When modularity through an MCM or similar tool isn't an option, the only way to fulfill every request would be creating an individual patch for every request. If you think this is a reasonable request to make of a mod author who is working hard in their free time to create something entirely for free, then you are a bad person. Get off my mod page and go self reflect.

Q:  I have a creature request. Can you add this creature or this model?
A:  I am always open to creature requests. Please post creature requests or suggestions in the comments. Just remember that I can only use modder's resources that can be used in or ported to Fallout 4, or models published under Creative Commons. Also, I tend to prioritize models that aren't iconic for, or representative of, another game or franchise. If I implemented a Fiend from the Witcher 3 as a Sheepsquatch, for example, I could make it visually line up to the Sheepsquatch from Fallout 76 - sure. But, unfortunately, it would be instantly recognizable as a Fiend from the Witcher - breaking immersion for a lot of players. Lastly, keep in mind I have to be able to rig the model to an existing skeleton and animation set. So, for example, I can't easily do things like large, avian enemies that switch from fighting on the ground to flying in the air on a whim. 

Q: Is it safe to remove this mod mid-playthrough, or switch to another version of the mod? 
A: I get forms of this question quite a lot, and the answer is: NO. As time goes on, and the mod gets bigger and bigger, various issues with switching versions mid-game have been recorded. Removing the mod will leave orphaned scripts and other oddities, while changing versions may cause some creatures to act independent of physics and collision. Stick to one version of the mod per playthrough, and clean your save file if you uninstall the mod.

Q: I'm having issues with the mod in my heavily-modded game. Can you help?
A: Short answer: Oh, God no! Long answer: this mod will never be free of conflicts or issues in heavily-modded load orders. There are elements that are susceptible to being touched or messed with by other mods. It doesn't alter vanilla or DLC files or leveled lists, but it does USE a lot of them. A lot of mods make unhealthy edits entirely by accident. Modding is a lot, and mistakes are easily made. Installing a lot of mods, in general, will make the game unstable. If you or I cannot replicate the issue in a light load order, then I will not be able to help you. Quality assurance and technical support ends when you have hundreds of mods installed. I'm not saying you can't enjoy Mutant Menagerie in a heavily-modded playthrough, only that - if you run into unique issues - you're on your own. My recommendation for modding is to always keep it tight and light - especially if you want to use larger mods.

Q:  Where should I put the mod in my load order?
A:  My advice? Hang em' high. Mutant Menagerie uses an ESM for a reason. This mod is primarily an additive one, meaning it's generally okay to let mods that edit files to go below it - especially if you want those edits in your game. Load worldspace mods, rebalances, texture mods, or other types of content that may alter files this mod utilizes lower in the load order. The spawns and creatures from my mod should still work as intended. 

Q: Is this mod compatible with X?
A: You'll have to try it out and see. It's hard to tell which mods will play nice with this mod unless you know exactly how that mod works under the hood. Game-wide overhaul mods will probably work, but will have their fragile balancing broken by my creatures and their custom leveled lists. Overall, you will likely run into game balance or functional incompatibilities. Take this into account when building your mod lists, and always check my mod against others in XEdit when hunting for conflicts.



Final Note: If you made it this far, you now know everything you need to know for this mod! I always recommend downloading the mod and going in blind for the full, author-intended experience. After you're done exploring, feel free to check out the Bestiary below for lore on all the new critters. If you check out the Bestiary below before playing the mod, be warned - there are many spoilers below. Enjoy the mod!









Part 2: The Bestiary
“Once you learn what's out there, you might just find you prefer the raiders...”









GAME (AMBIENT) CREATURES
"Considering the overcrowding their ancestors faced in that zoo, I imagine gamma radiation and minor mutation's a small price to pay for a wide-open, free-range habitat."

Spoiler:  
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Dart Frogs (Requires Backwater Beasts)
"So cute, so colorful, so... vaguely horrifying."

The Dart Frogs of Nuka-World are much larger than their pre-world counterparts. Escapees from Safari Adventure, radiation has left them with elongated limbs and morphed proportions. Their iconic, colorful appearance remains intact, as does their potent venom. As such, they are often harvested by the Park's raider gangs for their venom. 
 

Giraffes
"Long, long neck."


The Giraffes of Nuka-World are relatively unchanged from their pre-war ancestors. Other than the obvious radiation damage, these gentle giants practice very-much the same lifestyle as they did 200 years ago. Like other animals in the park, Giraffes originally escaped from Safari Adventure during the initial chaos of the Great War. Today, raiders hunt these huge mammals for their fur and meat.


Mingos
"
Don't rightly know why Floridians dropped the first part of the critter's name. I mean, how'd they like it if we just called them "Oridians"?"

 Mingos are heavily irradiated American Flamingos that have escaped from Safari Adventure. At a first glance, they look very much like regular flamingos. Upon further inspection, however, various changes to their anatomy can be observed - such as an extra set of eyes. Despite their somewhat-haunting appearance, Mingos are no threat to anyone. In fact, they are usually hunted by the raiders of Nuka-World for fun and sport.


Rad-Parrots
"They bring some much-needed color into this dour world."


Rad-Parrots are mutated Amazon Parrots that escaped from Safari Adventure during the Great War. Though the vast majority of their feathers have been lost, those that remain can come in an array of vibrant colors. These tiny, irradiated husks tend to keep to their own, wandering the park in a rather aimless fashion. Since they lack the proper plumage for flight, Rad-Parrots tend to fall prey to the Park's many, many carnivores rather easily.

 

Zebras
"What color are they, really?"

Zebras are escapees from Safari Adventure, like most of the other exotic creatures in Nuka-World. They wander the dusty old amusement park in small groups, feeding on whatever vegetation they can find. Aside from minor radiation damage, Zebras are largely unchanged since the Great War. Many of the raiders hunt them for food or sport, while many of the Park's super predators value the creature as a food source. They can be found far and wide throughout Nuka-World.

Other Ambient Creatures Added to Nuka-World:
- Foxes
- Opossums
- Pheasants
- Radhorners
- Skunks
- Waterfowl (Ducks, Loons, Geese)
- Wasteland Iguanas

  




HYBRIDS
"Take a picture or two, sure. Just don't get too close - and NEVER use flash photography!"

 
Spoiler:  
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Elephants
"Maybe don't try your luck with these ones. Trust me."


Before the war, African Bush Elephants were the largest land-mammal on earth. Nowadays? Well, that's a bit uncertain. The elephants of Nuka-World, however, still pack one heck of a wallop if you manage to tick em' off! These minorly irradiated monstrosities are the definition of large and in-charge. Despite being one of the most dangerous beasts in the park, they aren't initially hostile. Like many other mutants roaming the park, these behemoths were originally crammed in Safari Adventure before the bombs fell. Either someone liberated them in the chaos, or they merely escaped captivity themselves. Today, the largest and oldest among them may sport extra pairs of tusks - a sign of post-war mutation progressing in the species.


Other Hybrids added to Nuka-World:
- Crawdads (Horrors of the Deep Fog)
- Ghoulrillas (Docile and Feral variants)
- Hellcats (Big Game Hunting)
- Radcoons (Big Game Hunting)
- River Rats (Big Game Hunting)
- Wild Boar (Big Game Hunting)







HEAVY HITTERS

"You're about to find out exactly why it behooved the raiders to mass-produce those shovel-guns."

Spoiler:  
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The Rats
"We're gonna need some really big house cats..."

The Rats of the world come in all shapes and sizes. Hell, some of them aren't technically even rats. Nuka-World seems to be infested with the damn things. You've seen Molerats and Rad-Rats before, sure, and that's all fine and dandy. Unfortunately for you, however, that's really just the tip of the iceberg. Each species of rat brings something different to the table. Together, they operate as a cohesive whole with one shared goal in mind - make your life a living hell.

Rad-Shrews
"They're small, sure, but they're also just too damn fast."

These ones are less heavy-hitters and more little leaguers, but they more than pull their weight in battle. They may be small and easy to bat away, but they move fast, attack in quick-succession, and possess the same potently poisonous bite as other rats. Little more than mutated shrews, these feet nibblers will attempt to swarm and overwhelm you while your attention is focused on the larger, more-immediately-threatening rats.

Pig Rats
"The reason shotguns were invented."

Pig Rats are the ones you have to look out for in a pack. These bruisers can really take a beating, and will most likely charge to the front in a fight. Since they eat ammunition for breakfast, they may allow other rats an easy opening if you're not careful. As the name suggests, Pig Rats are a hybrid species of rats and pigs. They've been present in the wasteland since the early days after the bombs fell, and share similar origins to Molerats. Beware - the larger, tougher Pig Rats may sport tusks, and can pack a serious punch if they charge. 

Cave Rats
"Those jaws are death. Just instant death."

Cave Rats are the toughest of the rats. Like Pig Rats and Molerats, their presence in the wasteland dates back to the early days of the apocalypse. Also like Molerats, these giant brutes are capable of burrowing to catch their prey off-guard. Cave Rats possess unnaturally large heads with powerful jaws and rows of razor-sharp teeth. Of all the rats, these ones are capable of the most damage. They may not be as comparably tank-like as the Pig Rat, but their aggressive nature more than makes up for their lack of durability. After all, the best defense is a good offense - and those jaws are about as offensive as it gets...



Hyenas
"They'll run literal circles around you - cackling all the while."

Hyenas are predatory varmints from Africa. After the bombs fell, these giggly beasts escaped Safari Adventure and now run amok across the Park. They're fast - really fast - but are also quite cowardly. A pack of them can overwhelm you, but they're at their most dangerous when they run with other predators. Sometimes they can be seen with wild dogs or wolves, acting as fast-moving reinforcements to tougher species of predatory canines.



Nighthunters
"Mountain Lion Rattlers. Just what the wasteland needed..."

A rare, dangerous mutant, Nighthunters are an unholy union of rattlesnake and big cat. These vaguely reptilian cougars are beasts of unknown origin - though their hybrid appearance has caused some to theorize that maybe, just maybe, they are the descendants of one of McDermot's failed experiments. This theory isn't held in high regard, however, since not much is known about McDermot's first two creations - and both were thought to expire shortly after birth. Regardless, these apex predators stalk the hills and wilds around the park - largely electing to avoid most urban areas of Nuka-World. When they engage potential prey, they use both their powerful bite and potent poison to wear down their victims. Most raiders tend to avoid Nighthunters if they can, but occasional ambushes in the foothills have proven to be an unavoidable fixture of life in the Park. 



Wastewolves
"Most first-hand accounts all share one commonality - a haunting, mournful howl ringing out just before an attack." 

Wasteland legends tell of mutant wolves that possess a feral, vaguely humanoid appearance. Some claim they resemble hyenas, others say they're bulky beasts similar to the Yao Guai, but most agree that they, at-least loosely, resemble wolves. The earliest sightings of Wastewolves, from what most can tell, originate in the Capital Wasteland - that is, the region around Washington D.C. These early sightings are from the early years after the bombs fell, and vary greatly. Since then, many throughout the inland areas of the continental united states have reported sightings of heavily mutated wolves - capable of moving on two legs or all fours, and attacking with unrivaled speed and ferocity. Many traveling caravans have given detailed accounts of attacks by packs of feral hounds and wolves - lead by large, wolflike super predators.
      The truth behind these stories is that Wastewolves are quite a rare mutation. No one is exactly certain what causes it. They could be the product of FEV, or it could just require an immense amount of radiation. Some even believe this mutation is genetic. Whatever the cause, Wastewolves are defacto-leaders of whatever pack they integrate themselves into. Their intelligence, though animalistic, appears to be greater than that of dogs or wolves. This, combined with their size advantage, allows them to bully packs of similar mutants into organized raiding parties. One or more Wastewolves - when left unchecked - can be a major problem for towns and settlements. Overall, it may be best to purge these mutants wherever you find them.



Swampjaws (Requires Backwater Beasts)
"Before the war, the ecology of crocodilians was much more reasonable."

The Amercian South is rife variations on mutant crocodilians - especially that of the American Alligator. Nuclear war wreaks havoc on a planet's atmosphere, and the dings to the Earth's ozone layer allowed for drastic changes in climate around the world. Even closer to the equator, where these changes are a bit more subtle, the year-round heat increase has made it possible for cold-blooded critters to migrate far from their traditional habitats. The Swampjaw is no exception. Like the Gatorclaws of Nuka-World and the Snapjaws of Florida, Swampjaws are large, heavily-mutated American Alligators. Their bodily mutations, combined with the changes in climate, have allowed these mutants to be at-home throughout the various wetlands of the American South. Swampjaws and similar mutants are found throughout the southern states - as far south as Georgia and Alabama and as far north as Kentucky and parts of Maryland. They prefer fresh water, and tend to relegate their populations to swamps, bogs, and wetlands - hence their name.
Swampjaws are larger than Deathclaws, but often struggle to compete with the FEV-enhanced reptiles for territory. As such, the largest Swampjaw populations are found where Deathclaws are not. As Deathclaws continue to spread across nearly all parts of post-war America, the future does not bode well for species of mutants like Swampjaws. Since they occupy the same niche in their respective ecosystems, it's likely they will be driven to endangerment or extinction in the coming decades/centuries. For now, however, they remain a very potent threat throughout the American South.



Other Hostile Creatures Added to Nuka-World:
- Boombugs (Big Game Hunting)
- Gulpers (Far Harbor - includes new Acidic Gulper variant)
-Honey Beasts and Mutant Bees (Big Game Hunting)
- Leeches (Big Game Hunting)
- Raddlers (Big Game Hunting)
- Radrachnids (Big Game Hunting)
- Radtoads  (Big Game Hunting)
- Ravagers (Big Game Hunting)
- Riverlurks (Big Game Hunting)
- Robobrains (Automatron)
- Scrapbots/Junkbots (Automatron)
- Stinkbugs (Big Game Hunting)
- Ticks (Horrors of the Deep Fog)
- Vicious Wolves (Far Harbor)
- Wendigos (Horrors of the Deep Fog)






QUANTUM MUTANTS
"Nuka-Cola Quantum may be one of the most insidious inventions of pre-war society. ...Other than the nukes, of course."
 

Spoiler:  
Show
 

The possible Quantum creatures you may encounter in Nuka-World Include:

- Ants (Nuka-World)

- Bloatflies

- Bloodworms (Nuka-World)

- Cave Crickets (Nuka-World)

- Cave Rats (Nuclear Safari)

- Deathclaws

- Gatorclaws (Nuka-World)

- Gulpers (Far Harbor)

- Pig Rats (Nuclear Safari)

- Raddlers (Big Game Hunting)

- Radrats (Nuka-World)

- Radroaches

- Radscorpions

- Radtoads (Big Game Hunting)

- Stingwings

- Vicious Dogs

- Vicious Wolves (Far Harbor)

- Wastewolves (Nuclear Safari)

- Wendigos (Horrors of the Deep Fog)

- Yao Guai









WORLD BOSSES
 "When you let a bunch of raider slackers take control of a place like this, there's bound to be some oversights. In Nuka-World's case, the oversight involves dangerous mutants growing, hunting, and evolving unchecked for years on end."

Spoiler:  
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Experiment 03: Diablo
Creature Type: Gatorclaw
Location: Safari Adventure Region

In desperation and fear for his own survival, one Doctor Darren McDermot, a biologist working at Safari Adventure, would perform a reprehensible act that would seal his fate and unleash a fresh terror unto the wasteland. Though this fact is veiled in secrecy, the raiders of Nuka-World tell their own tales of the "first Gatorclaw" - which is said to lord over its territory surrounding Safari Adventure. Said to possess tall horns, a more primal and physically devolved physique, and a ceaseless carnivorous appetite, some of the raiders have taken to referring to the legendary creature as "Diablo". Some have even attempted to track down and slay the beast in the name of respect and renown - but none have returned. Of course, this could just be due to the regular Gatorclaws running loose throughout the region - who can tell? 

Blood-Starved Shadow
Creature Type: Wastewolf
Location: Mystery Mansion Region

The Pack like to tell stories of a racenous beast that preys on anyone who wanders too far from Nuka-Town. They describe a huge, black beast with razor-sharp teeth and glowing red eyes. It's said to be fast, powerful, and have a penchant for human prey in particular. Knowing the Pack, however, this could just be a hoax made up by a gang of mutant idolizers. Still, the fact remains that multiple raiding parties have vanished near the edges of the Park - only to be found in scattered pieces days later. Perhaps, beyond all the smoke, there is fire after all?

Ol' Speartooth
Creature Type: Nighthunter
Location: Power Plant Region

Nighthunters are a mystery to the people of Nuka-World. Where did they come from? How did they come to be? Among the rumor and lore surrounding these strange cats, there are scattered sightings of an elder Nighthunter with a dark blue coloration - similar to that of a Raddler. Some also claim it to be the largest Nighthunter in the park. It's gained such an enthusiastic cult following, in fact, that some locals have dubbed the beast "Ol' Speartooth". It's believed to roam the hills around the park - preferring elevation. Sightings of Ol' Speartooth date back to when Nuka-World was still an independent trading hub - free of raider rule. Whether there's truth to the rumor and fanfare, however, remains to be seen.

Quantum Hermit Crab
Creature Type: Hermit Crab
Location: Nuka-Station Region

During the chaos of the Great War, many of the Park's critters crawled or ran to freedom from the overcrowded Safari Adventure. As the story goes, some of the crustaceans eventually made their way to a neighboring attraction - seeking refuge in a river of Nuka-Cola Quantum. The Nukalurks of the Park are living proof that some crustaceans, at some point, found - and were further mutated by - The World of Refreshment. Whether or not one of Safari Adventure's hermit crabs made it so far during the chaos of total atomic annihilation, however, has yet to be proven fact.










FUTURE PLANS

This will be the last big expansion for Mutant Menagerie before its ultimate release - the end is in sight... kind of. This might be bittersweet to some, but I promise this is actually something worth getting excited for. Because what comes next will be the culmination of a crazy mad science project I've poured 4 years of my life into. 
   The final release of Mutant Menagerie isn't just going to be a repackage. You've been given hints as to all the things I want to accomplish in this final release, but there's a LOT I've also kept under wraps. Here's a small list of some (but not all) of the things I'd like to include in the final AIO release:

- Taxidermy and Creature Cages.

- A Script-integrated overhaul of Fallout 4's creature encounters and creature factions.

- An expansion to the recipe and crafting system Mutant Menagerie has slowly been building.

- Unique 'Legendary Animals' - 1-time killable animals with unique hides and rewards (similar to RDR2).

- An in-game bestiary scattered throughout the world, adding a scavenger hunt element to the mod.

- New World Bosses for the Commonwealth.

- Unique perk rewards tied to progression in the mod, similar to New Vegas's challenges (think Lord Death perk).

- Final passes on all the neglected creatures and rigs I haven't touched in years.

- A FOMOD installer for added modularity (if it doesn't prove too difficult).
Keep in mind that this list is subject to change, but this is where we are right now in terms of planned content.

   The final release of Mutant Menagerie will be an expansion all its own - building on everything I've been establishing in my mods over the last year. And even when the final release is out, I might still release the occasional update. After all, just because a mod is finally complete, does not mean it is finished. I have plenty of ideas that I may want to implement someday, even if they aren't possible right now.


Finally, I hope this add-on enhances your experience with Nuka-World in some way - big or small. Enjoy the mod!