About this mod
Adds a few features to power armor, some of it inspired by Fallout 4... the good ones, hopefully. Self-carry weight, lower dehydration in hardcore mode... and super jumping! Extensively configurable.
- Requirements
- Permissions and credits
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Translations
- Spanish
- Mandarin
- Changelogs
This mod has been a project I've been refining on my end for a long time, not daring to release it due to the market for power armor mods being quite saturated already. But I figured I've managed to implement some features (well, more like one) which are quite fun for me to play with and which don't exist anywhere else, so I might as well showcase them to the world.
All features in this mod are customized from the MCM, or from a configuration file, so I'll list them in the order they appear in them:
- By default the new features only apply to the player, but they can be made available to either companions, or to all NPCs. Note that they are controlled from an active effect script and as such distributing it to dozens of NPCs will tend to affect performance for the worse. Also, NPCs for the most part are unable to recognize the new advantages power armor brings, so it's mostly useful to them for the passive bonus.
- As well, to work on the player character, pretty much all features require that you have the vanilla Power Armor Training perk, even if another mod is making wearing power armor possible without it. But you can disable this requirement. A playable version of the perk is added, which can be taken at level 10 with skill scores of 40 in Repair and Science, and which all it does is adding the real perk when taken. So the vanilla perk is not altered, retaining compatibility with other mods that may change it.
- Power armor now provides a carry weight bonus, equal to a percentage of its weight (configured in the MCM). Done with a perk instead of by altering the armors' active effects (those are totally untouched BTW), it will adapt to any and all armor weights, and include the helmets' weight when wearing a matching suit. If you use the Recon Under Armor mod, the weight of your undersuit is also granted, and the weight of worn Recon Helmets is carried by the T-45 armor as well.
This feature also works for companions (make sure you update to JIP LN 54.36+ or you may see weird stuff™), within some minor limitations. The first 10 companions with a power armor equipped in your entourage shall also not be burdened by it. I doubt you'd ever need more than that number, but if you ever did, look at the perk and figure how you can expand it ;^)
This feature is also found as an engine patch in lStewieAI's Tweaks. The main difference with the scripted version here would be that this mod supports undersuits from the Recon Under Armor mod, but other than that, you might prefer deferring to it and save some processing power.
- Power armor can now prevent damage from falls, completely. Forget about dangerous ledges, jump from Hoover Dam, you name it, you're now a walking tank impervious to gravity impacts. What's more, enabling this feature also allows for what I consider the best feature of the mod: super jumping!
NOTE for other mods: this feature works by resetting the actor's fall timer, so scripts that check for the time falling with the 'GetFallTimeElapsed' command will fail to work if the actor has power armor. However, before resetting it the timer's value is added every frame to an auxiliary variable on the actor. You can check for his fall time with (actorRef.AuxVarGetFlt "*_PAFallTime"). It's a public variable, so no mod dependency with this mod is needed.
Again, this feature is also found as an engine patch in lStewieAI's Tweaks, though the scripted version here is still needed for super-jumping.
- You can super jump in power armor by jumping while crouched in sneak. By default you'll jump with 3 times as much vertical impulse as normal jumping, greatly expanding your range of tactical maneuvers! However, the cost is 75% of your total AP each time. You can send your AP below 0 if jumping with less than that, but you'll have to wait for them to rise above 0 to jump again. You can also enable a bonus to your horizontal impulse, but this will lock your movement speed while in air (which is quite realistic but can be somewhat frustrating). All of this customizable of course.
- By default, wearing power armor prevents you from using any Unarmed weapon. But it makes up for it. Your "bare" punches gain a 25 damage bonus, and have a chance to knock down equal to half your critical chance. Holstering your guns and going medieval on lowly raiders and critters becomes a much more feasible option to save your ammo and weapons' condition.
- When power attacking with a melee or unarmed weapon while in power armor, you can move and even send flying movable objects like corpses, crates, or cars that you hit. This is to somewhat represent that power armor was supposed to be a substitute for tanks. Though it is more for laughs than anything.
This only works on non-living things, since I didn't want to go overboard with unbalancing changes to combat. If you displace a big enough thing like a car to smash it into NPCs, it may cause damage and even kill them, though you won't be recognized as responsible for it. Also, you may get harmed if you are too near when it blasts off. Overall, good luck finding things that can be moved around with this feature (there aren't that many I'm afraid).
- Select power armor now somewhat replicates the stated capability to recycle human waste. For T-51b and superior models, your dehydration progression in hardcore mode will be lowered by 25%, allowing you to last alive longer, Bear Grylls style. This feature is also provided by a few other non-PA equipment by default, like hazardous environment and special ops suits from the base game, DLC and TTW.
- Tesla armor is now properly electrified, and any enemy close enough to it will start suffering 5 points of electrical damage per second. This requires wearing a matching Tesla armor and helmet (or using armor defined to work without such a requirement).
- Plus, the Fallout 4 perk Pain Train is also implemented. If keeping your movement speed above a threshold for a short time, a message will inform you that the Pain Train is ready. You can potentially send flying and damage enemies you run into. Though note this isn't automatic, it's based on your Strength score vs. theirs. Power armor effects usually include a STR increase, but don't expect to easily knock down a supermutant if you're still a wimp in PA. You can only attempt a knockdown on the same enemy every 6 seconds.
By default this feature requires you to take the new Pain Train perk, available at level 18, but you can customize its STR requirement, make the feature work without the perk, or disable it completely.
To run at a sufficient speed to trigger the Pain Train, you'll typically need a sprinting mod of your choice. I recommend the sprinting feature from the Just Mods series. You can also trigger it if you are falling at enough speed of course, in which case you can trigger the Pain Train on everyone in a hefty radius around you, so you get some more tactic out of super jumping!
- Select power armor allows you to sleep in it. By default, this feature is provided by the Enclave power armor models, and by the Prototype Medic PA from TTW. If you are standing (not in sneak mode), hitting the rest/wait menu will allow you to sleep instead, lowering your sleep deprivation in hardcore mode, but at 50% the rate from sleeping in a bed by default.
- You can restrict companions from wearing power armor. They'll either be completely unable to, or require that you have the PA Training perk to teach them how first. If they can't, they'll drop the armor pieces to their feet, and re-open their inventory to evaluate what other equipment they can wear. A list is provided for companions who are exempt from the restriction: Arcade, Veronica, Christine, and paladin Cross from TTW by default.
As for non-MCM features, there are a few more:
- Wearing a matching PA helmet and suit now provides you with a rebreather effect so you won't suffocate under water. Included is Roy Batty's restoration of the Rebreather sounds, so you don't need that mod with this one. This also applies to several other full body hazard suits from the game.
- When landing from a jump in power armor, nearby enemies will be alerted to your position, depending on the power armor's weight. If falling from a potentially damaging distance, or from a super jump, the mod defines a sound to be played in this circumstance, which plays the sound files under the 'Data\sound\fx\palanding\' folder. You can add your custom sound files here to be played, like those from this mod, or even this FO4 one.
Aside from customization in the MCM, it's also possible to tailor how the mod recognizes matching pieces of equipment for helmet+suit features, what constitutes a tesla armor, etc. Refer to the included article.
To somewhat showcase the customization possible, I've added a few optional files:
- The cut Scorched Sierra PA helmet is restored and integrated as a T-45 helmet. It is dropped by Colonel Royez.
- Or, use the patch for JSawyer Ultimate Edition, which adds the very same thing. Plus, it patches its Chinese Stealth Armor effect (see below).
- A plugin that integrates a suit of T-60 armor by Unoctium in my mod, which you must install separately if you wish to use it (that mod's esp file is not needed). You'll find it for sale at Knight Torres' inventory once you're in good graces with the BoS.
- Alternartively, a plugin that integrates the original mod's T-60 armor variants as is.
- And my version of the detached Chinese suit helmet, by Gloops, which again you must install the resources of separately. With this file, the helmet provides rebreathing and a stealth field effect when sneaking, only when wearing also the suit.
- A plugin for The Frontier, after some quick test of how its new power armors look like. Companions America and Scrapz are tagged as power armor-trained.
Compatibility with the DLC, TTW, and PN is managed automatically, adding their stuff to the relevant lists.
I hope all this has been clear enough, since you'll likely need to refer to it if you have doubts. Credits for features included in this mod go to:
- darthbdaman for his work on the Power Armor Distribution Overhaul mod, and as the coauthor of this mod.
- Roy Batty for the Swimming and Rebreather Restoration mod.
- Unoctium et al for the T-60 Power Armour mod, integrated through an optional patch.
- Gloops for the Chinese Stealth Armour Helmet Detached, integrated through an optional patch.
May you have fun with this, and feel free to reuse as you see fit.