THE BETTER ANGELS

THIS MOD REQUIRES THE SOMEGUYSERIES.ESM and Honest Hearts.

DO NOT ACTIVATE THIS PLUGIN UNTIL YOU'VE COMPLETED NVBIII. It won't wreck your game or anything, but it will break the story, so to speak.

Description:
The Better Angels is a small quest mod that is intended to wrap up various plot threads from The Someguy Series. It includes elements and characters from planned but now-cancelled projects like Sinners and Slaves and The Siege of Firebase Zulu. It is a lean project that I produced in a few weeks, so it is free of sidequests and the usual array of dialogue options. It is tight and relatively brief, but it should provide a greater sense of closure for several characters and the series as a whole.

Installation:
Extract the contents of the data folder from the archive into your New Vegas data folder. Ensure you have the Someguyseries.esm in your load order and activated.

Getting Started:
Once the mod is loaded, you will be prompted to wait for a courier, who will arrive after 8-12 hours in-game. Once he delivers his message, the quest mod will begin in earnest.

NOTE: The current build is strictly standalone. Though scripted events are tied to the Someguyseries.esm, I elected to make the quest as accessible as possible for the time being. I have also come to appreciate just how unreliable this engine is after five years of modding, so I favor simplicity. If you are starting a new playthrough, I strongly advise you to de-activate TheBetterAngels.esp until EVERYTHING ELSE is complete. On the other hand, you are now free to throw the strictures of plot and chronological presentation to the wind, should you so choose.

Feedback:
This was a small project, and in a few weeks I will have moved on to Fallout 4, but by all means, lay it on me.

A Warning:
For shit's sake, I swear a lot. Many of my characters swear a lot. Make an informed decision based on your preferences in this matter.

Difficulty:
The minimum recommended level is 35. This plugin is a fine opportunity to employ all the weapons and explosives you've been hoarding for the past five years. Bring everything you can carry, because you'll need it.

Companions:
Bring them if you like. You'll probably need their help.

Overview/Statistics:
- Roughly 500 lines of dialogue
- Includes a new worldspace, "Rorke's Ravine"
- The main quest provides roughly 1 hour of gameplay
- Beginning and ending slideshows

Compatibility:
- No known conflicts to date

Credits:
- The Community: The players and fellow modders at the Nexus sites have been a continuous source of encouragement and support through the months of development.

- You: Yes, you, the player who downloads and evaluates this mod. I depend on you to excoriate any failings and praise the successes.

Dramatis Personae:
Everybody: Someguy2000

Pregnant outfit: Quetzlsacatanango
Crying Baby Sound: the_yura (Freesound)
Mortar Sound: qubodup (Freesound)
Voicework: Someguy2000
Inspiring Rodney's appearance: RangerBoo and Alchestbreach

Testing:
- MasterTouchstone
- Unoctium
- Thenryb
- Khan99
- RoyBatterian
- Stormbringer13
- whatswrongwithmyusername
- grogpole
- FabianBogart
- tact308
- CaughtInTheCrossfire

Permissions:
Do not copy or redistribute this mod without my explicit permission.

Other:
I am known to give out kudos to those who are the first to correctly identify historic, literary, and/or popular fictional references

FAQ's:

Q: Is this mod fully-voiced?
A: Yes.

Q: Is this your final mod for FO:NV?
A: Yes.

Q: Why have you forsaken us?
A: I'm ready to move on from this engine, and quite frankly, I want a fresh start in a new setting.

Q: I ask again, will you mod Skyrim?
A: Maybe. I will need to be in the proper frame of mind for it.

Q: By "Proper frame of mind", you mean drunk, right?
A: Yes.

Q: THE BATTLE CRASHES TEH WORLD! YOU BROKE TEH GAME!
A: Yes, I threw caution to the wind with this one and pushed the engine to its limits. You should disable any ENB for the course of the battle, and you may have to dismiss companions. You can always skip it if all else fails.

Q: [Insert NPC] DIED! HOW DO I SAVE THEM?
A: You can't save everyone, usually. You'll have to make some hard choices and stick with them when it comes to where you defend against the Legion.

Q: WHY ARE YOU MAKING ME ASK QUESTIONS IN ALL CAPS? I DON'T NORMALLY SPEAK LIKE THIS!
A: This falls under the spectrum of "Modder fatigue", wherein reasonable questions and reports begin to appear like the ravings of a madman. In fact, I may be the one going mad.

Q: Will you mod Fallout 4?
A: Yes, provided the toolkit is functional, and I can find some way to work around the voiced protagonist without shattering immersion.

Q: Why do you have so much Wild Wasteland crap in this mod?
A: Because I like adding wacky, nonsensical shit, and WW permits me to do this without agonizing over lore.

Q: Can I bring companions?
A: Yes.

Q: Are you saying that so I'll bring them, only to have them suffer a brutal death that I'm helpless to prevent?
A: No, I'm being serious. It's a rare moment in FAQ's for me these days, but truly - you can bring Ranger Fluffy and Mister Sparkles. They might eat a mortar, but they won't be tortured to death by a conniving madman.

Q: Josey's dialogue offends me.
A: I'm offended that you're offended.
Q: You don't get to be offended. I'm the perpetual offendee. It is written.
A: Nothing is written. I'm now doubly offended.
Q: YOU CAN'T BE OFFENDED! THE PLAYER IS ALWAYS THE VICTIM HERE!
A: Double-secret offense taken.
Q: I WILL UNINSTALL AND UN-ENDORSE YOU SO BAD! I'M OFF TO REDDIT, SOMETHINGAWFUL, AND OTHER FORUMS TO SHARE THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT A MONSTER YOU ARE!
A: Good. I'm at the point as a modder that I actually want to discourage players from downloading my mods, if only to filter out whiners and assholes.

Q: Is this really the grand conclusion you've planned all this time? I was hoping for a little more, honestly.
A: I was hoping to publish a Skyrim mod without smashing my desk and unleashing a feral roar of frustration. We can all dream, right?

Q: Will you make my mod for me?
A: No, and please don't email me intricate design documents and/or try to guilt me into it. That well dried up a LONG time ago.

Q: I'm the lead for [Insert Audacious Fallout 4 mod]. Want to join our team?
A: No.

Q: You don't seem to understand. I made [Insert impressive mod]. So, when will you start?
A: Never.

Q: Why are you so combative?
A: Because I enjoy making mods alone, by and large. Voice acting is something else entirely, of course.

Q: Yes, I see you took the low road of sloth and just voiced everything yourself this time.
A: It had more to do with time, actually. Holding auditions, distributing scripts, and then processing VO takes time. I just wanted this done, so deal with it.

Q: You've become a bitter, bitter man, you know that?
A: Keep calling me bitter, and I'll melt Ranger Fluffy and Mister Sparkles in magm... I mean, thanks for the feedback.

Q: Okay, what the hell is up with all the AlChestbreach references?
A: Jimmy Whistles told me to do it.

Q: You know that you suck at support, right?
A: Yep. I'm not a helpdesk, and I sure as shit can't fix everyone load order. It's nothing personal, but that's how I roll.

Q: The last person I knew that said, "That's how I roll" was a colossal douchebag that used the phrase to rationalize their idiocy. What's your response?
A: Uninstall and un-endorse.

Q: You can't hide behind those phrases forever. One day we'll start endorsing your plugins out of spite. What then?
A: I will give you kudos out of spite.

Q: I will file for kudos harassment.
A: I will drink some more and your voice will go silent. I win!