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About this mod
Overhauls the XP and leveling system with a flat leveling curve, level-appropriate XP from kills, and meaningful amounts of XP from all activities.
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Description
XP and Leveling Overhaul, or XPALO, overhauls the XP and leveling system to try to fix the many issues in Vanilla.
Some sample XP values (not an exhaustive list):
Read on to learn more about the problems this mod attempts to solve, or skip ahead to the Installation section to get started.
Background
The vanilla leveling system is sadly pretty dysfunctional. Basically you have two different XP systems, and they do not work together at all.
On top of this, the diminishing returns on your ability to level greatly outpace even the increased XP from kills. As early as level 50, it becomes very difficult to get a reasonable amount of levelups without using cheese strats. Past 100 or so, even the viability of cheese strats is going to fall off more and more.
Finally, even aside from the mismatch between the two systems, XP sources are just not well balanced. Persuasion, for instance, gives 10 XP, which is inadequate even at level 1. Quest XP is disappointing as early as level 5-10. Crafting XP is not even worth mentioning if you just fiddle with your guns from time to time, yet it is probably the easiest way to cheese XP if you abuse it.
Using the limited modding options currently available, XPALO seeks to address these problems and give the game a more functional and satisfying leveling experience.
How it works
As I mentioned, it's hard to fix the issues with the XP system because the flat and dynamic XP sources are at odds with each other — attempting to fix one leads to the other system becoming even more of a problem.
So this mod tries to improve the situation and make things work together as follows.
XPALO uses GameSettings and Global variables to alter the amount of XP gained from all flat XP sources.
Flat XP sources:
XPALO uses the fXPModBase GameSetting to control XP originating from kills. This setting is a multiplier on all XP sources (or almost all — Persuasion is not affected for probably spaghetti-related reasons).
Dynamic XP sources (kills):
Installation
Adding to an in-progress save
For version 1.1.0+, thanks to some console voodoo, installing the mod should ideally not alter your current level, even when you had a very different XP curve previously.
HOWEVER, please do read through the Troubleshooting section, particularly the part about level instability, and follow the steps there to avoid issues when installing onto an in-progress save.
Flavors
There are ten flavors available, which control the rate at which you gain XP from all sources. I recommend starting with Slow1 or Slow1.5. You can always change it later by reinstalling the mod with a different flavor if you want a faster/slower leveling experience.
CCR Version Installation
XPALO requires Console Command Runner (CCR) for the best user experience.
Prerequisites:
Once you have the LATEST VERSIONS of all prerequisites, install XPALO with a mod manager, or manually.
Mod Manager:
Download the installer, install it with your Mod Manager, and simply complete the selections there. Should be very easy.
Manual install:
Non-CCR Version Installation
It's possible to run without CCR, so non-Steam users aren't completely out of luck, but it's considerably less user-friendly.
The installation process is similar to the CCR version. Unfortunately, you will have to manually instruct the game to adopt new fXPModBase values every 10 levels while playing, as this can't currently be automated without CCR. This involves entering a single console command and isn't hard, but of course it's still disruptive to your game to have to do this.
See the non-CCR XPALO article for full instructions.
Uninstallation
BEFORE uninstalling any mod files
XPALO changes Global variables, which are tied to your saves and preserved whenever you save the game. If you want to remove the mod and keep playing from a save that was made with the mod active, you will have to set these back to Vanilla values to fully uninstall the mod.
Repeat these steps for any saves that a) were made with the mod active and b) you want to continue playing on without the mod (ie, if you have multiple playthroughs going, do this on all of them that used the mod).
Uninstalling mod files
Mod Manager:
Simply uninstall with your Mod Manager. Be sure to re-deploy if using Vortex.
Manual uninstall:
Delete the marked files/folders from your Starfield game folder (depending on the version you installed, some of these may not be present).
StarfieldCustom.ini Cleanup
This is only necessary for the non-CCR version.
Remove the reference to the XPALO bat file from your StarfieldCustom.ini in "Documents\My Games\Starfield". This will be located in the sStartingConsoleCommand line. You can remove the whole line if you have no other mods referenced there. Otherwise, just remove the XPALO portion. For example,
Becomes
If you have been playing with the mod for a while, you may have way less XP than the game expects for your current level when you go back to a Vanilla XP curve, giving you a lot of negative XP. See the instructions in Installation about how to change your XP to correct this.
Compatibility
XPALO is generally not going to be compatible with anything that alters the same values (in other words, any mods addressing the XP curve or XP income from different sources). It should be compatible with mods that change other aspects of leveling (eg, a mod to give more perks every level).
Troubleshooting
Level Instability
It's possible for your level to get messed up if your level is recalculated using the wrong XP curve. We want to make sure your level is always calculated using the correct values when your save is loaded, but the modding situation right now does not make this easy. The game is rather bad about ensuring GameSettings always remain on the values we want.
This problem occurs if you load a save before all XP-curve-determining variables have been properly set. So far, I haven't been able to prevent all situations where this might occur in normal play. If this happens to you, try these steps to prevent it.
CCR version
All versions
If you're still having issues, make a Post and I'll do my best to look into it. Please include any helpful info, such as CCR/non-CCR, mod manager you installed with (if any), etc.
Join me in trying to fix this game; give my other mods a look :)
Description
XP and Leveling Overhaul, or XPALO, overhauls the XP and leveling system to try to fix the many issues in Vanilla.
- Flat leveling curve: 1000 XP for every level whether it's level 2 or level 200. No more extremely diminishing returns on your ability to continue leveling.
- Rebalanced XP from all sources: Different sources should give worthwhile and meaningful XP, especially quests.
- Level-dependent kill XP: Combat XP is retuned to give consistent returns and not break the flat leveling curve.
Some sample XP values (not an exhaustive list):
- Medium Main Story Quest – 600 XP
- Medium Faction Quest – 450 XP
- Medium Side Quest – 300 XP
- Expert lock – 60 XP
- Persuasion – 80 XP
- Map marker – 25 XP
- Level-appropriate kill – ~25 XP
- Level-appropriate ship kill – ~50+ XP
Read on to learn more about the problems this mod attempts to solve, or skip ahead to the Installation section to get started.
Background
The vanilla leveling system is sadly pretty dysfunctional. Basically you have two different XP systems, and they do not work together at all.
- Flat XP sources: everything that's not a kill gives a flat amount of XP, but the XP you need per level continually goes up. This make every XP source other than kills (or cheese strats, such as massive industrial crafting) increasingly stingy. It all becomes basically worthless pretty fast.
- Dynamic XP sources: Higher level enemies give more XP. Would work fine in a different game, but it makes it much harder to address the issues with point 1 here. If we try to go for a flat XP curve without doing something about this, you will level up faster and faster at higher levels.
On top of this, the diminishing returns on your ability to level greatly outpace even the increased XP from kills. As early as level 50, it becomes very difficult to get a reasonable amount of levelups without using cheese strats. Past 100 or so, even the viability of cheese strats is going to fall off more and more.
Finally, even aside from the mismatch between the two systems, XP sources are just not well balanced. Persuasion, for instance, gives 10 XP, which is inadequate even at level 1. Quest XP is disappointing as early as level 5-10. Crafting XP is not even worth mentioning if you just fiddle with your guns from time to time, yet it is probably the easiest way to cheese XP if you abuse it.
Using the limited modding options currently available, XPALO seeks to address these problems and give the game a more functional and satisfying leveling experience.
How it works
As I mentioned, it's hard to fix the issues with the XP system because the flat and dynamic XP sources are at odds with each other — attempting to fix one leads to the other system becoming even more of a problem.
So this mod tries to improve the situation and make things work together as follows.
XPALO uses GameSettings and Global variables to alter the amount of XP gained from all flat XP sources.
Flat XP sources:
- Flat leveling curve: every level requires the same XP, so these sources will no longer fall off. Finishing a quest at level 1 or 100 will give you the same XP, and the same % of a level.
- Rebalanced: every source (except crafting) gives meaningful XP. I've spent considerable time trying to get these values right.
- No more crafting XP: sorry to those who like it, but it's simply impossible to balance. It's very easy to abuse even if you get 1 XP per craft, yet that amount is still insulting low for someone who just wants to craft a bit without exploiting the system. With boosted XP amounts, someone who wants to muck around with outposts might inadvertently find themselves gaining 10s of levels they don't want. I don't think there's a good way to make this functional without a massive redesign.
XPALO uses the fXPModBase GameSetting to control XP originating from kills. This setting is a multiplier on all XP sources (or almost all — Persuasion is not affected for probably spaghetti-related reasons).
Dynamic XP sources (kills):
- A new fXPModBase setting is used every 10 levels to ensure that XP from level-appropriate enemies remains approximately the same.
- At low levels, you will optimally get ~25 XP per kill from enemies your level. At high levels, you will still optimally get ~25 XP per kill from enemies your level. Enemies below your level will give less, and those above will give more.
- Level 100 is the highest value used, as the game does not seem to include leveled enemies above 100. Thus, even at level 150 and beyond, kills will continue to give you meaningful XP income. Your combat capability should not be going up past level 100 anyway, so this should work fine.
- This also affects XP from ship kills, which tend to give at least 2x as much XP as ground-unit kills.
- All flat XP sources are scaled to give the correct amounts after the fXPModBase setting. For example, if we want to get 60 XP from every Expert lock, a value of 30 is used when fXPModBase is 2.0, and a value of 120 is used when fXPModBase is 0.5.
Installation
Adding to an in-progress save
For version 1.1.0+, thanks to some console voodoo, installing the mod should ideally not alter your current level, even when you had a very different XP curve previously.
HOWEVER, please do read through the Troubleshooting section, particularly the part about level instability, and follow the steps there to avoid issues when installing onto an in-progress save.
Flavors
There are ten flavors available, which control the rate at which you gain XP from all sources. I recommend starting with Slow1 or Slow1.5. You can always change it later by reinstalling the mod with a different flavor if you want a faster/slower leveling experience.
- Slow5 - 12%
- Slow4 - 20%
- Slow3 - 30%
- Slow2 - 50%
- Slow1.5 - 60%
- Slow1 - 75%
- Standard - 100%
- Fast1 - 125%
- Fast2 - 150%
- Fast3 - 200%
CCR Version Installation
XPALO requires Console Command Runner (CCR) for the best user experience.
Prerequisites:
Once you have the LATEST VERSIONS of all prerequisites, install XPALO with a mod manager, or manually.
Mod Manager:
Download the installer, install it with your Mod Manager, and simply complete the selections there. Should be very easy.
Manual install:
- Download the installer. We won't use it as a FOMOD, but it contains all the files we need.
- Extract it somewhere it won't make a mess, not in your Starfield folder.
- Copy the contents of the aio folder to your Starfield folder (where your Starfield.exe and Data folders live). You want the Data folder inside the aio folder to merge with your Starfield Data folder.
- Copy the contents of your chosen flavor in the flavors folder to the same place, next to your Starfield.exe and Data folders. Pick and install only one. Again, you want the Data folder inside to merge with your Starfield Data folder.
- Enjoy :)
Non-CCR Version Installation
It's possible to run without CCR, so non-Steam users aren't completely out of luck, but it's considerably less user-friendly.
The installation process is similar to the CCR version. Unfortunately, you will have to manually instruct the game to adopt new fXPModBase values every 10 levels while playing, as this can't currently be automated without CCR. This involves entering a single console command and isn't hard, but of course it's still disruptive to your game to have to do this.
See the non-CCR XPALO article for full instructions.
Uninstallation
BEFORE uninstalling any mod files
XPALO changes Global variables, which are tied to your saves and preserved whenever you save the game. If you want to remove the mod and keep playing from a save that was made with the mod active, you will have to set these back to Vanilla values to fully uninstall the mod.
- Load the save
- Open the console and enter this command. Note that this doesn't actually uninstall the mod, and just returns all XP-related settings to Vanilla values. Include the quotation marks.
bat "Data/bat/xpalo/uninstall" - You should see a bunch of entries changing settings appear in the console, which means it worked.
- Save your game.
Repeat these steps for any saves that a) were made with the mod active and b) you want to continue playing on without the mod (ie, if you have multiple playthroughs going, do this on all of them that used the mod).
Uninstalling mod files
Mod Manager:
Simply uninstall with your Mod Manager. Be sure to re-deploy if using Vortex.
Manual uninstall:
Delete the marked files/folders from your Starfield game folder (depending on the version you installed, some of these may not be present).
.
├── Starfield.exe
└── Data/
├── SFSE/
│└── plugins/
│ └── ConsoleCommandRunner/
│ ├── xpalo.toml <--- Delete
│ └── xpalo_base.toml <--- Delete
└── bat/
└── xpalo/ <--- Delete
StarfieldCustom.ini Cleanup
This is only necessary for the non-CCR version.
Remove the reference to the XPALO bat file from your StarfieldCustom.ini in "Documents\My Games\Starfield". This will be located in the sStartingConsoleCommand line. You can remove the whole line if you have no other mods referenced there. Otherwise, just remove the XPALO portion. For example,
[General]
sStartingConsoleCommand=bat otherMod1; bat "Data/bat/xpalo/xpalo_base"; bat otherMod2;
Becomes
[General]
sStartingConsoleCommand=bat otherMod1; bat otherMod2;
If you have been playing with the mod for a while, you may have way less XP than the game expects for your current level when you go back to a Vanilla XP curve, giving you a lot of negative XP. See the instructions in Installation about how to change your XP to correct this.
Compatibility
XPALO is generally not going to be compatible with anything that alters the same values (in other words, any mods addressing the XP curve or XP income from different sources). It should be compatible with mods that change other aspects of leveling (eg, a mod to give more perks every level).
Troubleshooting
Level Instability
It's possible for your level to get messed up if your level is recalculated using the wrong XP curve. We want to make sure your level is always calculated using the correct values when your save is loaded, but the modding situation right now does not make this easy. The game is rather bad about ensuring GameSettings always remain on the values we want.
This problem occurs if you load a save before all XP-curve-determining variables have been properly set. So far, I haven't been able to prevent all situations where this might occur in normal play. If this happens to you, try these steps to prevent it.
- Be sure you have fully uninstalled any other XP-affecting mods.
- Never quit to the main menu (this resets all GameSettings). Close and restart the game instead.
- Try loading your save twice in a row to make all the correct GameSettings take hold.
- If a save is still forcing levels on you upon loading, follow this process to try to prevent it.
- Restart Starfield, but don't load your save right away.
- Open the console with ~, and WAIT until text appears in the console, indicating that commands from XPALO and any other mods you have installed have had a chance to load.
- Only then should you load your save.
- If your level and XP are correct at this point, I recommend immediately making a save in a new save slot.
CCR version
- Make sure you have the most recent versions of all Prerequisites installed.
- Make sure you are launching the game through sfse_loader.exe (eg, launch Starfield through your mod manager).
All versions
- Installing with a Mod Manager is the best way to avoid any issues with the installation itself.
- Make sure you have Deployed if using Vortex (obvious, I know, but this can be easy to forget sometimes).
- If your XP/level doesn't update right away, try gaining XP from any source and see if that corrects it. You can use this command to give yourself 1 XP.
player.modav experience 1
If you're still having issues, make a Post and I'll do my best to look into it. Please include any helpful info, such as CCR/non-CCR, mod manager you installed with (if any), etc.