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WhiskyTangoFox
WhiskyTangoFox

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DevBlog: Carry Weight.

Carry Weight in FO4 is a terrible mechanic.

For starters, encumbrance is just bad - it takes the game's most boring mechanic (movement) and makes it more boring. And don't even get me started on how janky this shit is under the hood. If I could rip out the entire system and just replace it with a grid system like Stalker or Diablo II, I would. (Side Note: I've always love the runeword system from D2, and I'm sad nobodies figured out how to include it in a bethesda game). Sadly, that's just not an option in the creation engine.

I just release an update for the [Load Out](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/78015) mod that completely reworks that mod's functionality, that is probably about as close as I can get to "fixing" the system. Being encumbered causes fatigue to accumulate (based on how much you are carrying), investing in Strong Back makes traveling longer distances while encumbered easier, and carrying a backpack increases the amount of stuff you can carry but doesn't decrease the amount of fatigue damage you take. The amount of design time and iteration on this system took to figure out was way more than I normally spend on this kind of this.

The final piece of the puzzle now before I can send out a Pre-Release is figuring out what to do with Backpacks, specifically the ones from Backpacks of the Commonwealth. That mod is something of a bloated mess due to feature creep, and it's not really designed with survival in mind. I'd remove it entirely, but I suspect the first thing everyone would do is add it back in. I've previously gone through a couple iterations of reduxing the mod, but nothing is quite where I want it.

Comments

Ah yeah guess rads are the equivalent, didn't think about that. Very early game I always had a hazmat suit on me for any rads situations, but with how many rad chems I get now I just deal with it and take meds. Idk how lethal you could make rads or adding more drawbacks to allowing it to build or whatnot, but I feel like there is something there.

Dangitman102490

Yeah, I've considered stuff like this, but honestly I'd prefer to avoid the power creep. The vanilla game doesn't have backpacks, and using pocketed mods inherently means you're giving up something else- whereas doing anything with a backpack is giving something for free to the player because it's not a choice of this-or-something-else. BotC already does a bunch of shit like this, and honestly it's the kind of bloat I'd prefer to avoid.

WhiskyTangoFox

Yeah, the equivelant of Cold in skyrim in FO4 is Rads- and you don't wear backpacks on your face, and trying to add like, an air tank to gas masks feels really shoe-horned in. Otherwise that is exactly the kind of gameplay mechanic I'm looking for.

WhiskyTangoFox

That is basically what I'm already doing, tbh. The cleaning on BotC is pretty deep to get it to where I want it.

WhiskyTangoFox

I've found backpacks with stats (one had agility) but also the ones now are a bit boring. Find a 30 slot and you just ignore all the rest. Like, I found a beer keg backpack but it was the same size but heavier. I think the idea of backpacks playing into playstyles could be fun. Beerkeg giving alcohol a buff (I'm not sure what it takes for all this mind you lol.) Always considered Frost mod for skyrim a cool goal if feasible. Have ponchos and stuff that take the back slot to prevent getting wet which makes you cold /susceptible to illness and such. Backpack or protection.

Dangitman102490

Would it be hard to just borrow models from the mod and create new backpack items more suitable for LitR?

Dead Grem

Just to add to this, you could just make them have the legendary system placed on them. So you could find a backpack that autoinjects a stimpack etc.

Lokii

How about giving backpacks a modifer besides the carry weight they do? Like ammo backpack give 5% reload speed or something really minor. I would say make ammo lighter but everyone would run it and fuck trying to work out the carry weight system. Survival backpack: 5% slower hunger/dehydration. The other option is to give them +1 Special stat per different backpack, something minor to keep them in the list without worrying about people asking to add them back in. Giving them a Placebo effect would warrant the removal of extra carry weight on them.

Lokii


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