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About this mod
A weight overhaul for Fallout New Vegas. Changes the way player weight is calculated to something more similar to the Dark Souls franchise. Changes have also been made to Action Points and player movement speed.
- Requirements
- Permissions and credits
- Changelogs
WELCOME TO
BEAST OF BURDEN
A WEIGHT OVERHAUL MOD
FOR FALLOUT NEW VEGAS
The orange sections are important, so please read them.
See Future Development for latest update info.
BEAST OF BURDEN
A WEIGHT OVERHAUL MOD
FOR FALLOUT NEW VEGAS
The orange sections are important, so please read them.
See Future Development for latest update info.
1.Introduction
2.Description
2.5 A Note on the Strength SPECIAL
3.Weight System
4.Action Point Tweaks
5.Movement Speed
6.Requirements
6.5 A Note on Hardcore Mode
7.Installation
8.MCM Menu
9.Future Development
10.Credits
1.Introduction:
Beast of Burden is a weight overhaul mod for Fallout New Vegas that was born of my frustration with the game's weight system. New Vegas (like all the bethesda RPGs) teaches you to become a hoarder, then it slaps an arbitrary weight limit on you, and kills your movement speed along with your ability to fast travel. I don't know about you, but I sure don't feel like that is a system that adds to the fun of the game. It just feels insignificant at best or arbitrary and frustrating at worst to me. Playing Dark Souls and it's sequel over the past few years I would often find myself wishing that more games would implement a system similar to that of the Souls franchise. If you're not familiar with the Souls games the only items in your inventory that count toward your weight are the items that you currently have equipped. Beyond that the Souls franchise also emphasizes mobility vs protection. In other words the stronger/heavier that the armor you have equipped is the slower you will move. It's a very interesting system, that I feel adds an extra dimension to the gameplay by forcing players to really think about just how much mobility they are willing to sacrifice for that nice big suit of armor that could save their life when they get hit hard. Beast of Burden aims to implement a very similar system in New Vegas, and turn the games weight system into an enjoyable mechanic that complements the overall game.
Beast of Burden is a weight overhaul mod for Fallout New Vegas that was born of my frustration with the game's weight system. New Vegas (like all the bethesda RPGs) teaches you to become a hoarder, then it slaps an arbitrary weight limit on you, and kills your movement speed along with your ability to fast travel. I don't know about you, but I sure don't feel like that is a system that adds to the fun of the game. It just feels insignificant at best or arbitrary and frustrating at worst to me. Playing Dark Souls and it's sequel over the past few years I would often find myself wishing that more games would implement a system similar to that of the Souls franchise. If you're not familiar with the Souls games the only items in your inventory that count toward your weight are the items that you currently have equipped. Beyond that the Souls franchise also emphasizes mobility vs protection. In other words the stronger/heavier that the armor you have equipped is the slower you will move. It's a very interesting system, that I feel adds an extra dimension to the gameplay by forcing players to really think about just how much mobility they are willing to sacrifice for that nice big suit of armor that could save their life when they get hit hard. Beast of Burden aims to implement a very similar system in New Vegas, and turn the games weight system into an enjoyable mechanic that complements the overall game.
2.Description:
The aim of Beast of Burden is to implement a weight system in Fallout New Vegas that is similar to the one found in the (Dark) Souls franchise. If you are unfamiliar with the Souls franchise or need a refresher on the basics of it's weight system I have provided a brief overview of it's main concepts in the introduction section. This mod affects FNV in three areas. The primary area is the weight system. It also makes changes to the Action Point system and to the Player's movement speed as they relate to the player's weight.
2.5 A Note on the Strength SPECIAL
Normally in New Vegas Strength is a borderline useless SPECIAL for non melee characters. While Strength does have an effect on your max carry weight that was never really enough of an incentive to make a ranged character put any points into it, and honestly you could easily afford to take out a couple of points. Beast of Burden aims to change this by greatly reducing your carry weight capacity, and in turn making the affects of each point of Strength on your carry weight that much more noticeable. This is explained in more detail in the next section.
The aim of Beast of Burden is to implement a weight system in Fallout New Vegas that is similar to the one found in the (Dark) Souls franchise. If you are unfamiliar with the Souls franchise or need a refresher on the basics of it's weight system I have provided a brief overview of it's main concepts in the introduction section. This mod affects FNV in three areas. The primary area is the weight system. It also makes changes to the Action Point system and to the Player's movement speed as they relate to the player's weight.
2.5 A Note on the Strength SPECIAL
Normally in New Vegas Strength is a borderline useless SPECIAL for non melee characters. While Strength does have an effect on your max carry weight that was never really enough of an incentive to make a ranged character put any points into it, and honestly you could easily afford to take out a couple of points. Beast of Burden aims to change this by greatly reducing your carry weight capacity, and in turn making the affects of each point of Strength on your carry weight that much more noticeable. This is explained in more detail in the next section.
3.Weight System:
The main change made to the weight system is that the player's weight is now calculated based on what they have currently equipped (hotkeyed items are included as well by default), so if you have a Hunting Shotgun (7.5wg), Remnants Power Armor (45wg), and a Remnants Helm (5wg) your weight would be 57 (actually 57.5) assuming you have no items hotkeyed. It won't matter if you happen to have 30 Fat Mans in your inventory as well, your weight will still be 57. Consequently the player's carry weight has been changed as well since you'd never have to worry about encumbrance otherwise, and the aim of this mod is not to keep you from ever getting over encumbered. The Vanilla game gives the player a base 150 carry weight plus 10 extra points for each point of strength, so if you leave your strength at the default 5 you'd start the game with 200 carry weight. Beast of Burden is much less generous in this regard. The player's base carry weight with Beast of Burden installed will be 10 with an extra 9 points added for each point of strength, so even with 10 strength you'll only end up with a carry weight of 100. You might think that this enough to equip any loadout in the game and still not be overburdened, and generally speaking you'd be right though hotkeyed items could easily run you over 100. However, just because your under your max carry weight doesn't necessarily mean you won't be feeling that burden on your back. That brings me to Beast of Burden's tiered weight system. No longer is weighing 1wg the same as weighing 300wg as long as your under your carry weight as it is in Vanilla. With Beast of Burden you will experience changes to both you movement speed and action points at 4 different weight levels: Minimal, Low, Normal, and High. Minimal is anything below 25%, Low is from 25-49%, Normal is 50-74%, and High is above 75% until your over encumbered. The benefits and penalties of these levels are explained in the Action Point and Movement Speed sections. BTW if you think the default carry weight values are too harsh (or not harsh enough) know that they are adjustable through the options menu like most everything in this mod.
The main change made to the weight system is that the player's weight is now calculated based on what they have currently equipped (hotkeyed items are included as well by default), so if you have a Hunting Shotgun (7.5wg), Remnants Power Armor (45wg), and a Remnants Helm (5wg) your weight would be 57 (actually 57.5) assuming you have no items hotkeyed. It won't matter if you happen to have 30 Fat Mans in your inventory as well, your weight will still be 57. Consequently the player's carry weight has been changed as well since you'd never have to worry about encumbrance otherwise, and the aim of this mod is not to keep you from ever getting over encumbered. The Vanilla game gives the player a base 150 carry weight plus 10 extra points for each point of strength, so if you leave your strength at the default 5 you'd start the game with 200 carry weight. Beast of Burden is much less generous in this regard. The player's base carry weight with Beast of Burden installed will be 10 with an extra 9 points added for each point of strength, so even with 10 strength you'll only end up with a carry weight of 100. You might think that this enough to equip any loadout in the game and still not be overburdened, and generally speaking you'd be right though hotkeyed items could easily run you over 100. However, just because your under your max carry weight doesn't necessarily mean you won't be feeling that burden on your back. That brings me to Beast of Burden's tiered weight system. No longer is weighing 1wg the same as weighing 300wg as long as your under your carry weight as it is in Vanilla. With Beast of Burden you will experience changes to both you movement speed and action points at 4 different weight levels: Minimal, Low, Normal, and High. Minimal is anything below 25%, Low is from 25-49%, Normal is 50-74%, and High is above 75% until your over encumbered. The benefits and penalties of these levels are explained in the Action Point and Movement Speed sections. BTW if you think the default carry weight values are too harsh (or not harsh enough) know that they are adjustable through the options menu like most everything in this mod.
4.Action Point Tweaks:
According to the player's weight level changes will be made to their *total amount of Action Points (AP) and to their AP Regeneration Rate. At the Minimal weight level player's will receive a 10% bonus to both their total AP as well as their AP regen. At the Low weight level player's will receive a 5% bonus to their their total AP & AP regen. At the Normal weight level player's total AP & AP regen will be the same as Vanilla. At High weight level player's will receive a 10% penalty to their total AP & AP regen. If you wish you may also change the bonuses and penalties at each level through the Beast of Burden MCM menu. Bonuses and penalties of up to 30% can be applied.
According to the player's weight level changes will be made to their *total amount of Action Points (AP) and to their AP Regeneration Rate. At the Minimal weight level player's will receive a 10% bonus to both their total AP as well as their AP regen. At the Low weight level player's will receive a 5% bonus to their their total AP & AP regen. At the Normal weight level player's total AP & AP regen will be the same as Vanilla. At High weight level player's will receive a 10% penalty to their total AP & AP regen. If you wish you may also change the bonuses and penalties at each level through the Beast of Burden MCM menu. Bonuses and penalties of up to 30% can be applied.
5.Movement Speed:
The player's *movement speed multiplier is also adjusted at each weight level. From High to Minimal the values are 75%, 100% (Vanilla), 125%, and 150% movement speed. This multiplier will affect every type of movement, so it doesn't matter whether you're walking, running, sneaking, weapon holstered, weapon out, etc. It even seems to affect the sprint feature of project nevada if you have that installed. Just like with the action points you may adjust these values to whatever you wish through the MCM menu. Bonuses and penalties of up to ~100% (scale is 1-200%) can be applied.
The player's *movement speed multiplier is also adjusted at each weight level. From High to Minimal the values are 75%, 100% (Vanilla), 125%, and 150% movement speed. This multiplier will affect every type of movement, so it doesn't matter whether you're walking, running, sneaking, weapon holstered, weapon out, etc. It even seems to affect the sprint feature of project nevada if you have that installed. Just like with the action points you may adjust these values to whatever you wish through the MCM menu. Bonuses and penalties of up to ~100% (scale is 1-200%) can be applied.
6.Requirements:
NVSE - Anyone playing New Vegas should have this installed, and NO I cannot make a version without it.
MCM or CASM & MCM - Technically Beast of Burden should work fine without having MCM installed; HOWEVER you will be restricted to the mods default settings and VANILLA SETTINGS WILL NOT BE FULLY RESTORED UPON UNINSTALL!
6.5 A Note on Hardcore Mode:
It has been brought to my attention that Beast of Burden is not entirely compatible with the game's hardcore mode. This is due to the game tracking ammo weight in hardcore and recalculating player weight after every bullet fired. Unfortunately, that means my script has to recalculate as well after every bullet fired, and this can potentially cause slowdown. Therefore, I recommend NOT using the game's hardcore mode, and instead using mods like Imps More Complex Needs and Stimpaks Heal Over Time for NV. These mods, or similar mods, along with Beast of Burden will give you a similar hardcore experience without using the game's hardcore mode. Rest assured, if I am able to come up with a solution that makes Beast of Burden compatible with the game's hardcore mode I will update the mod accordingly.
7.Installation:
It's just an .esp file, so you can either extract it from the archive it comes in and pop it in your FNV Data directory manually or just use your favorite mod manager. Of course make sure it's checked in your load order once you've installed it.
It's just an .esp file, so you can either extract it from the archive it comes in and pop it in your FNV Data directory manually or just use your favorite mod manager. Of course make sure it's checked in your load order once you've installed it.
8.MCM Menu:
As of 1.03 Beast of Burden has a total of 15 options in it's MCM menu. All options and their descriptions are listed below. I'll always be looking to add new options/ change existing defaults based on community feedback. This isn't an exact science I just try to tailor the defaults to what seems reasonable and what I hear from the users.
Debugging - You only need to use this if you find a bug in the mod, and after reporting it to me I specifically ask you to use this option. This option will generate a file in your FNV directory (not Data) as well as a lot of console spam.
Uninstall - USE THIS BEFORE UNINSTALLING BEAST OF BURDEN AND MAKE SURE TO SAVE AFTER! This will make sure all the vanilla game settings have been restored to normal before you uninstall. If you uninstall without using this first your carry weight will not return to normal and you may also have problems with movement speed and your AP.
Hotkeys Contribute to Weight - If this option is enabled any items you have in hotkey slots 1 - 8 will count towards your weight in addition to your equipped items. Enabled by default.
Carry Weight Base - This option sets your base carry weight before strength is factored in. Default is 10.
Carry Weight Strength Multiplier - This option sets how many extra points of carry weight you will get for each point of strength you have. This value will be multiplied by your strength and then added to your base carry weight to get your actual carry weight. Default is 9.
Heavy Armor Movement Penalty - The movement speed penalty you receive for wearing heavy armor. By default Beast of Burden doesn't impose a penalty based on armor type. Vanilla is 15%.
Medium Armor Movement Penalty - The movement speed penalty you receive for wearing medium armor. By default Beast of Burden doesn't impose a penalty based on armor type. Vanilla is 7.5%.
High Burden 75% Speed Multiplier - This is your speed multiplier when you are at/above 75% burden. You can change it from 1-200%. The default is 75%.
Normal Burden 50% Speed Multiplier - This is your speed multiplier when you are at/above 50% burden. You can change it from 1-200%. The default is 100%, same as Vanilla.
Low Burden 25% Speed Multiplier - This is your speed multiplier when you are at/above 25% burden. You can change it from 1-200%. The default is 125%.
Minimal Burden <25% Speed Multiplier - This is your speed multiplier when you are under 25% burden. You can change it from 1-200%. The default is 150%.
High Burden 75% Action Point Cost/Regen - Changes AP Cost and Regen Rate when at/over 75% burden. Default is -10% intended high burden penalty.
Normal Burden 50% Action Point Cost/Regen - Changes AP Cost and Regen Rate when at/over 50% burden. Default is 0% same as Vanilla.
Low Burden 25% Action Point Cost/Regen - Changes AP Cost and Regen Rate when at/over 25% burden. Default is 5% intended low burden bonus.
Minimal Burden 25% Action Point Cost/Regen - Changes AP Cost and Regen Rate when under 25% burden. Default is 10% intended very low burden bonus.
9.Future Development:
May 2021:
Surprise! I'm still alive, and I was recently inspired to go back and remake the core of this mod to be closer to my original vision for it. The changes are all behind the scenes so it should be a very similar experience to Beast of Burden except that it will be more efficient and more compatible with other game systems and mods. I still need to implement the secondary systems and do more testing, but I am hopeful the new mod will release sometime this summer.
May 2021:
Surprise! I'm still alive, and I was recently inspired to go back and remake the core of this mod to be closer to my original vision for it. The changes are all behind the scenes so it should be a very similar experience to Beast of Burden except that it will be more efficient and more compatible with other game systems and mods. I still need to implement the secondary systems and do more testing, but I am hopeful the new mod will release sometime this summer.
10.Credits:
Darkgametrain (aka gamedude711 on LoversLab you can see my other mods there)
Ladez - advice on UI updating and various other scripting issues
Roxxas21 - extensively tested all my failures
Bethesda Game Studios - resurrected the Fallout franchise
Obsidian Entertainment - Developed Fallout New Vegas
FromSoftware - Developed the Souls franchise which provided the idea for this mod
Craig Petersen - Strong Back Vault Boy image
Rolling Stones - Beast of Burden, great song enough said.
THANK YOU FOR PLAYING!