Fallout 4 isn’t even a fortnight old, but the game has already received one of its most anticipated mods — a complete revamp of the interface that replaces the shorthand dialogue opptions with full text sentences.
It’s a collaboration between modders Shadwar and Cirosan, although the latter is reportedly responsible for the English translation only. The idea is pretty simple: instead of having the basic Yes/No/Sarcastic/More Info options, this mod replicates the numbered list of dialogue options Fallout 3/Fallout New Vegas players would have been accustomed with.
There’s full and lite versions available if you want a complete overhaul of Fallout 4’s system. The trimmed down version still provides you with the full text of what your character will say, but it doesn’t overhaul the interface and is more compatible for those playing with a gamepad.
“Thanks to shadwar’s work, it also revamps the interface so that the game will now display dialogue options in a list and use the number keys for input, instead of clustering all of them together and forcing you to use the arrow keys,” Cirosan wrote on the NexusMods page.
To install the mod, you’ll need to extract the files from here — don’t use the full version of the mod in conjunction with the lite version, or things will break — into the Data folder where Fallout 4 is installed.
From there, you’ll need to edit Fallout4.ini (typically found in your DocumentsMy GamesFallout4 folder) like so:
Add “, INTERFACE” (without quotes) to the end of this line, so that it looks like so:
sResourceDataDirsFinal=STRINGS, INTERFACE
And then you’re good to go.
NMM now supports Fallout 4 as well so you should be able to download the software through that, although if you don’t want to use that software you can find everything you need on the mod page.
It’s worth noting that this is still in beta — which is to be expected given how fresh Fallout 4 still is — and as a result there are still some quirks to be cleaned up. Some have posted that scenes with long sentences can occasionally be cut off.
Furthermore, Cirosan (the person responsible for the English port) posted in the threads that the method used “doesn’t require any fluency” in any particular language. “All I need is the .strings files of the foreign version (found in your Fallout 4 directory DataStrings) — the three files in there, from the language the mod is to be translated to. If I have those, I can translate the mod to every language I can – French, German, Spanish, you name it.”
No wonder the port’s available so soon after release. But as Cirosan noted, the majority of the credit belongs to shadwar for the original NewDialog mod. If you’re feeling generous, go shower them and their work with love.
Comments
43 responses to “Fallout 4 Mod Replaces Simplified Dialogue With Full Subtitles”
I usually play the Fallout games with a charisma build. Really dissapointed that they’ve made charisma (and one could argue intelligence) rather pointless in comparison to the old games.
Still having fun with the game overall though. I guess it’s forced me to change my play style which isnt a bad thing.
Charisma was a dump stat in the last two games, the only thing it really affected was companion combat strength. Fallout 4 actually makes charisma useful by including a lot more frequent charisma dialogue checks and tying it to barter prices.
Intelligence is also useful. In previous games its effect on XP gain was wasteful since you were going to hit the level cap one way or the other, it just influenced how quickly you got there. Once you hit cap the benefits effectively ‘ran out’ (this is also why it’s not a good idea to take XP-boosting perks in F3/FNV). In Fallout 4 with no level cap, maximising XP gain from the outset is a solid strategy because the benefit never runs out.
Intelligence was good in 3 & NV as it affected how many skill points you get leveling up. I went in blind to 4 regarding the perk tree though so I whacked up intelligence but now the perks I want aren’t in that category. Live and learn
Maxing Int on your way in still seems like a pretty good idea. I started the game with 9 and took 10 with my first level, and I’ve been levelling up much more quickly than my friends.
There were enough skill books through F3/FNV that you didn’t need to focus intelligence to cap out all your skills, especially when combined with Comprehension (Int 4). In F3 that gave you around 650 skill points just from books, and in FNV it gave 288. In F3 you could max skills with intelligence 4 and Comprehension alone, points were far too easy to come by.
In FNV at Int 4 you get 600 skill points by level cap, plus 45 from tag skills, plus 195 base skill points from initial stats. Add in the 288 from skill books with Comprehension and you get 1128/1300 skill points, only 172 short of capping every skill. Add Educated (level 4, Int 4) for another 92 points and you’re only 80 short (or 94 in every skill) just with Int 4. Up it to Int 6 and you’re only 30 points short by that point. Add in the effect of the medical clinic implants and you’re capped in every skill with no more than 6 intelligence.
Sorry for the long reply, I spent a lot of time planning my last FNV character to make sure I didn’t waste any perks, skill points or stat upgrades.
Fair enough, I never made it a mission to collect every skillbook 😛 Didn’t realise there were so many in 3. I really should plan a build out properly at some point
Ha, yeah I went a bit overboard on my last playthrough. I’d done enough other playthroughs, I wanted to make a ‘do everything’ character that could finish every quest, get every item, etc. I even planned out how to stay friendly with all the opposing factions right up until very late in the game, just to make sure I didn’t close off any options until I’d decided which ending I wanted to chase. Ended up going with the independent option.
after Skyrim it’ll just keep getting simplified to the point the game will be on Auto pilot.
Skyrim brought some complexity back after Oblivion. Fallout has lost complexity in some areas and gained in others. They’re figuring out the best balance for player experience. There’s bound to be some bad decisions along the way.
Hopefully this is one of the Mods that comes to console. I’m not the biggest fan of the new Mass Effect like dialogue options.
I find the Mass Effect dialogue was more accurate to what Shep was going to say than what this one is. Even the lack of a pronoun in the option in some cases has had my character saying completely the opposite thing to what I thought she would (ie. talking about herself when I thought the comment would be in relation to the person she’s talking to)
Yeah sorry, I only put maybe 4hrs into Mass Effect so I really shouldn’t have made the comparison, I guess I was going more of the visual side of things. I will agree that within those 4hrs I felt Shepards responses were pretty accurate though. My issue is what you have mentioned, choosing a dialogue option and then just sitting there thinking ‘WTF?’
It’s still a legit comparison where what the text says compared to what the character says is often pretty disconnected though. Maybe I just found the way ME’s worked was easier to figure out? Or even just slightly more obvious?
But yeah, the number of times in FO4 I’ve been left thinking “well, that’s the opposite of what I meant to say” is increasing with each conversation.
I actually thought it was done much better than Mass Effect. The amount of times in the Mass Effect games Shep said something completely different to what the text option was or what I thought it would be was pretty annoying, yet I’ve honestly had no issues with Fallout 4’s dialogue options (having finished around 70 quests including the main story)
@piratepete A fix is here!
Yay! I thought we would have to wait for mod tools, cant wait to try it out. Between this and the other mod that fixed most the technical problems I was having with the game i’m a pretty happy camper.
The only thing left is to get the game working properly at 144fps.
This game is a blast to play!
Same I was really expecting at least 6 months for this. I’ll be using the lite version just to stay as vanilla as possible.
So now you get to read the whole dialogue…. Then listen to it. Voice acting kinda redundant.
That’s what I was thinking. If this mod ties in or expands to include cutting out the voice acting then it’d be worth while, as it is it’s just listening to your character repeating yourself after reading what you’re about to say which is one reason why they probably did it like this in the first place
Exactly.
“Exactly”
Honestly i turn on subtitles and just click through once i’ve read it. The VA isn’t amazing and the goofy looking lip sync in combination with terrible facial animation down plays it even further. Guess i’ve just been spoilt with the witcher 3.
EDIT: My biggest problem is that as i’m clicking through dialogue i consistently shoot ppl in the face really annoying that i can’t bind skip dialogue to e or something instead of left click -.-
I have had to reload many saves due to knocking someones head off with a baseball bat while trying to make them hurry up.
To be honest. This will kill the entire Silver Shroud quest. Nothing beats “speak like Silver Shroud”
been that way since forever.
Only now you know what you’re going to say 😉
BEsides you can get the no voice mod to turn off your characters voice acting so it feels like you’re playing your own character.
I’m happy with it as is, but each to their own. Having the choice is no bad thing in this case.
I appeciate this. When can I mod on PS4?
Not for a fair while.
Sigh. Most likely after i’m finished. Thanks, Alex.
Welllllllllll after you’re finished. Mods for Xbox One won’t come out until early next year and then the whole process of getting it sorted for PS4 will kick off. There’s no ballpark figures available but I’d be surprised if you get any movement on this at all in the next six months.
Lol. Will file in under “Ah, dang”.
The GECK hasn’t been released for PC modding yet and I believe that’s due for January or February. Mods on the Xbone shortly after that and PS4 when they get it working or an (unofficial(I’m being cynical)) timed exclusivity with Microsoft runs out
Yeah, i feel your cynicism.
don’t hold your breath for console mods.
I started playing for the first time yesterday, and when the first dialogue choice appeared, my thought was “That interface will get modded quickly”.
As an aside, the vanilla game already let’s you use numbers to choose dialogue options. Top is 1, left is 2, right is 3 and bottom is 4.
Wasn’t KOTOR or SWTOR like this? You could read the whole dialogue option, then you choose it and the character says it. Didn’t bother me much in those games, very happy to see a fix for this already, will mod my game asap.
Having that disconnect between what you think your character will say and what they actually do say is really immersion breaking. Makes it more that you’re sitting along and watching what your character does rather than it being what you do and your actions. Have noticed that in comments from lets players already, they start talking about what the character is doing rather than what they did without even realising.
KOTOR was silent protagonist but SWTOR suffers the same criticism as F4.
Hmm..wonder what game I was thinking of then. I remember one with dialogue options that the voice acted character would say word for word after you chose it.
“Excuse me, kind young sir, can you help me across the street?”
A – Sure
B – No
Y – What is a street?
X – Sarcastic
*Selects option A*
“Oh, I’ll help you across the street… Right after I KILL YOU AND EAT YOUR FLESH”
Strong likes that
Actually I’m even more of a dick now. I literally pick pocket everyone with more than 50 caps.
Goes like ->More money -> Even more money -> MAXIMUM MONEY -> Pickpocket.
ahaha im not the only one doing that.
The profit is unreal. I have no perk in extra caps and bullet from exploring so I have to maximum the profit :P. After playing close to 48 hours I finally have 12k bottle caps!
I’d have 12K if I hadn’t wasted money on the Diamond City house. Seriously, why. It can’t be connected to the settlement network so any resources you need there have to be brought there yourself. if I’d known it was literally just a shack and not connectible I wouldn’t have bought it.
Lol you know… I’m 48 hours in and I’m not in Diamond City yet 😛 I’m level 42 too
Thank christ.
now i can finally make an educated decision on a consequential move that i would normally have barely any clue what words that are gonna come spilling out of my characters mouth…..