Fallout New Vegas Mod Review - New Vegas Enhanced Content


ADDENDUM (2013-Apr-18) - Obviously this review from 2012 refers to an older version of the mod (v 3.0) and it has been updated since, so some / all of this may not apply. We have finished playing Fallout: New Vegas and are not reviewing any Fallout mods at this time.
 
Fallout: New Vegas Mod Review - New Vegas Enhanced Content (ver 3.0)

Score: +1/-3

Summary: Mod compilation.

Why Get This: One stop shop for a mash-up of various mods.

New Vegas Enhanced Content (NVEC) is a mod compilation. There are various components, mostly imported directly and most of which you can get and apply separately. They key separate components are:
  • Cosmetic enhancements - Mostly improvements to the appearance of NPCs. Optional stat and inventory changes.
  • Performance enhancement - Removes unessential static items, thereby reducing computing load and improving performance.
  • Error fixes - Most very minor, but some quite significant.
The rest of the mod is a compilation of mods. You can see the list here.
+ It's a big convenience.
- Not well curated. You get quantity but sacrifice quality. Some mods, such as Snowglobe Perks and Unique Items and Collectibles offer bonuses that are okay on their own, but combined can be unbalancing or troublesome. For example, between the two, you can get a huge movement speed boost (about +30%). On its own, this isn't a huge problem and can be a convenience in crossing long distances. The problem is that the game engine can't really keep up properly. run too fast in an exterior and you will probably see the terrain hasn't caught up in loading and processing, and you're walking on terrain textured as if it were distant terrain. And there's no telling how much game information the game engine has NOT loaded. Also, see  the screenshot below. Some mods are added that not only don't work properly but have unnecessary profanity. (The text in the upper left corner reads, "You must equip a blade before using the Grinding Wheel stupid fuck.")

NVEC Grinding Wheel

- Not well documented. You need to sift through all the mods separately to find out what's included and in some cases, how to activate it.

- Not balanced. There's just no thought to some of the inclusions, which may be those that the mod-compiler has personally added (instead of being drawn from a mod). For example, near the start of the game, you can easily pick up a 9mm handgun that has the high fire rate of a pistol, uses cheap and plentiful ammunition, has a damage splash radius, very low spread (meaning high accuracy for placed shots), AND does damage on par with an anti-materiel rifle. Even at a beginning Guns skill, you can one-shot a lot of enemies by hitting them in the head.

Helpful Tips
If you are handy with the GECK, you can selectively disable features. Otherwise you're stuck with an all-or-nothing. You can use the Console to remove some perks you don't like, but that's the extent of what you can do to remove content.

If you're not that good with the GECK and/or don't mind spending the time, I recommend you instead look through the included mods separately and add what you want on your own. Do this if you only want a few of the features you found in NVEC.

A basic way to remove content with the GECK is to first find out what the content looks like in the game file. In the GECK, instead of loading the file, use the "Details" button to look at a listing of every entry in the mod.
If you highlight an entry and press [DEL], it will modify the file by flagging that entry as "Ignore". It is NOT deleted unless you load the file. But the game won't load it from the mod either. In this way, you can turn content on and off.
To help you find out what to delete, you can download the mod that was integrated by looking up the list here. Use the GECK Details function to look through that mod, then find it in NVEC and disable it. Make a backup in case things get messed up.

If a perk gets added that you don't want, you can look up the FormID and use the removeperk console command instead.

Comments

  1. NVEC author here:

    I'm gonna make all the "lore unfriendly" content optional so this bashing review will soon be false. Oh and fuck you

    ReplyDelete
  2. NVEC author here:

    This review will be fully incorrect and outdated. Especially after releasing 3.2. Would really appreciate this bashing review to be updated.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Also the link to my mod is incorrect. Like your review, you couldn't even get that right.

    ReplyDelete
  4. hey stupid update this review

    ReplyDelete
  5. The bug it mentions isn't even in the mod anymore. Yeah this should be updated big time or taken off since obviously this reviewer just hates NVEC in the 1st place.

    NVEC RULES!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Good and constructive review. Probably in some time it will be fixed too.
    Thanks to the author for anticipating me before i have installed this mod.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Much of it has changed (notice that these things get changed only *after* someone exposes the worst of it). I finished FO:NV a long time ago so I don't know what it's like now. Given the mod author's attitude, I'd advise being very careful. I'm sure there are other less everything-plus-the-kitchen-sink mod compilations that are worth looking for.

    ReplyDelete
  8. @Fantasy Art
    NVEC's coding looks and runs very solid in game. I'd advise to actually give the mod a try before saying anything about it or the author.

    ReplyDelete
  9. What does the author's attitude have anything to do with the actual mod? lol

    ReplyDelete
  10. @Anonymous - I DID try the mod, obviously (and NOTE the particular version indicated here). With any big mod there are bugs that need hammered out, so coding isn't the main thing. It's content choice.

    @Anonymous - The author's attitude affects the CONTENT. Such as deliberately including insulting profanity (subsequently removed in a later version after being reported on the mod hosting site, apparently, and then the author was grudging about it). The NVEC mod author lacks basic maturity and decency, IMO, in including such content. However, if you like the game you are playing to repeatedly call you a "stupid fuck", well, to each his own, I guess.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You couldn't take a joke, get over it. It was removed over a year ago.

      Delete
    2. And this blog post was written a year ago too. DUH. Do you people not understand how blogs work? Your criticism is like pulling out last year's newspaper and saying all that information is outdated. DUH.

      Delete
    3. Do you not understand what denial and avoidance means? Because that's what you're doing and we see the date, it's noted lol.

      Delete
  11. The latest version has very few bugs and even unnoticeable in game. I never encountered any profanity and seeing how you don't like his "attitude" the mod is balanced so it has nothing to do with it. Sorry but I'm a fan and you just sound like a typical hater towards the author and the mod :(

    No offense but it's a coward thing to do to say things like that about the author behind his back lol. I guess that's just how haters operate :(, or maybe you're afraid to actually talk to him?

    ReplyDelete
  12. This review was WAY back in June 26, 2012 and it sounds like you stopped using it around v3.0. If you're still offended from my understanding then isn't time to get over it and stop whining lol :D

    ReplyDelete
  13. Profanity is only not allowed in the comments for the Nexus. Many mods use profanity, for example New Vegas Bounties 1 + 2. Are you going to report those mods too? :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The profanity in the screenshot is directed at the PLAYER through the fourth wall. Not at the player CHARACTER through in-game roleplay dialogue. There's a huge difference.
      It's like the difference between:
      (1) Reading a novel where the main character is called a "stupid fuck" by another character.
      (2) Reading the author's foreword to his novel where he calls the READER of his novel a "stupid fuck".
      If you genuinely don't understand the difference, well...

      Delete
    2. THERE'S PARTS IN NEW VEGAS BOUNTIES WHERE RANDALL CALLS YOU NAMES BY CUSSING AT THE PLAYER. Oh oops I was typing like you :(

      Delete
    3. Do you really not understand the difference between "player" and "player character"? Do you run around with a Gauss Rifle in real life?

      Delete
  14. I find NVEC to be an essential mod, considering FNV's 120-140 mod limit. It adds a ton of great content to the game, greatly reducing load orders of all those tiny awesome little mods you can't live without. Nearly all of the content I have seen added are suggested by the community, although the mod author does have the final say on what is included. The Bug Fixes and Reduce CTD portion of the package work great, and the mod author has included patches for most other essential mods, such as FOOK, Project Nevada, Weapon Mods Expanded (WMX) and Mission Mojave - Ultimate Edition (MMUE). Included in the Enhancments portion of NVEC are popular mods such as New Vegas Bounties 1 and 2, Energy Visuals Enhanced (EVE), and many, many more.

    This review hardly does the mod justice, and I suggest anyone reading it actually visit the mod site and give it a try for yourself. With over 1,600 endorsements (placing it in the top 30 mods on the host site), NVEC has proven itself to be a favorite mod on the host site. Experienced modders find it an essential mod, while those new to modding will enjoy a lot of great content wrapped up in one package.

    As for bad language, those with their panties in a bunch about it should go play My Little Pony or something. This is a mod for a Fallout game, and Fallout games are filled with foul language, drugs, sex, cannibals and a whole lot worse, and that's in their vanilla format. NVEC hardly adds anything worse, but it does add a whole lot of great content that the end user will appreciate.

    ReplyDelete
  15. @Everyone - Pay attention to the DATE of the blog post and the VERSION NUMBER of the mod. Your criticisms of this particular blog post are like saying the information in last year's newspaper is outdated. Well, DUH.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Then update it or remove this review. Could it reviewed by someone else instead? :)

      Delete
    2. No. LOL.
      Someone else can review the latest version of it.

      Delete
  16. @Fantasy Art

    I am well aware of the date of the review, but considering the mod review is still drawing comments, I thought potential users may get the wrong impressions, and therefore decided to add my own mini-review. NVEC is a fantastic mod, and the review and some comments here (including yours) hardly do the mod or it's hard working author justice.

    I understand your desire to defend what I assume is your review, but to continue to diss the mod and the author when you haven't played it in it's current version does a disservice to the readers you wrote the review for to begin with.

    We all understand how blogs work, and I assume you do as well. By having comments enabled and open to the public, this blog is open to feedback from those who read it. I am merely providing mine, in hopes that those who read the poor review will also read the comments below and perhaps give NVEC a shot. For an end user to miss out on the awesome work done in NVEC due to this outdated review benefits only your own ego.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. @Befo - It is continuing to draw comments because people are stupid.
      Think about it -- Does Nexus delete old comments and endorsements? Does it wipe the slate every time a modder updates their mod? No. Because reasonable people look at the date and version number and accordingly weight their opinion.

      As for continuing to "diss them mod" -- Read the comments carefully, please. I am explaining what I wrote in the mod (again, based on that particular version). All this is based on information and observations at that particular point in time. That is how blogs and news works. It's always things that happened at the time. A blog isn't just about letting people comment on your opinion. All reviews are based on timeliness, and there is an implicit understanding that for certain things -- things that change, get updated, become obsolete, etc... -- time is a factor and at some point a review becomes obsolete.

      There are two types of Anonymous persons commenting here -- People who are trolls and people who, maybe, genuinely don't get certain points, like the issue of cussing at player versus at the player CHARACTER.

      Since you have politely stated your opinion, I will add a note for everyone who is obviously blind or stupid, to the top of the post.

      Delete

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