Fallout 3 - CALIBR: Community Ammunition Library

Fallout 3 - CALIBR: Community Ammunition Library

The Community Ammunition Library (CALIBR) is an attempt to standardise the ammunition used by different weapon addons and modifications.

Two mods that add weapons in the same caliber will not otherwise be able to use each other ammunition (assuming they do not use existing FO3 ammunition), leading to conflicts or duplicated but incompatible ammunition.

An example: modder A adds the M14 rifle, which uses 7.62x51mm NATO ammunition. Modder B adds the FN FAL, which uses the same caliber.

Even though they are able to use the same bullets in the real world, in Fallout 3 they cannot.

The mod does not modify existing weapons, ammunition, or other aspects of the game, and if no CALIBR compatable mods are installed it will not affect the game at all. There should be no risk of conflicts with other mods, or official DLC's.

+ Contents +

Description

What it does NOT do

Mods using CALIBR

How to make a mod CALIBR compatible

How to safely add items and ammo to an existing merchant

Calibers added so far

FormID list

Ammunition Request Form

A note on energy weapons

+ Description +

This is a mod sprung from discussions back in november, that never quite died down.

Basically it's an ESM file containing a lot of AMMO forms, and not much else. If no compatible mods are installed it does nothing at all, no existing information is changed. Modders can use the library when designing weapons mods to make their weapons comlatible with others using the same caliber, which saves the players from having different versions of the same ammunition in their inventory. Mods using the library can themselves distribute ammunition for their guns, and it will be usable for all weapons using the same caliber that are CALIBR compatible. Overhaul mods using the library will also compatible with separate player-added weapons.

If you have a weapon mod, or are making one, please consider making it CALIBR compatible, for your users' sake. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

+ What it does NOT do +

Change weapon damage.

Change weapon range.

Change weapon anything.

Change textures.

Add anything into the game, loot lists, merchants etc

It doesn't change anything at all actually.

There was a lot of concern in the original thread that the library would lead to ammunition the player couldn't use found in loot, overflowing merchants and other problems. As the mod is made it does not change anything in a vanilla FO3 installation, leaving this to mod-makers instead to insure as much compatability as possible.

+ Mods using CALIBR +

FallOut3 Overhaul Kit: FOOK

FO3 Wanderers Edition: FWE

Maintaining a complete list was never possible, instead use the advanced search on the Fallout Nexus and search for CALIBR in the "Description contains" field.

+ How to make a mod CALIBR compatible +

When loading your mod in the GECK, check the CALIBR.ESM as well. Edit your weapons to use the CALIBR-prefixed ammunition types (if you aren't using standard FO3 calibers that is). That is all it takes.

If you have a mod that is already depending on more than one master (eg Fallout3.esm and Anchorage.esm) you will also have to change bAllowMultipleMasterLoads to 1 in GECKCustom.ini, located in My Documents\My Games\Fallout3.

+ How to safely add items and ammo to an existing merchant +

Short explanation: Create a new container, fill it, and place a persistent (important) copy owned by the merchant in the "VendorChestsCell" cell.

Longer explanation:

Open the Geck as usual, and load the mod you will be using to add the ammunition (or make a new mod). Make sure you also check the CALIBR.esm.

In the Object Window, look up World Objects->Container. Find a suitable container, "Footlocker01Empty" for example.

Write a new ID in the ID slot. It's a good modding habit to choose ID names with a unique prefix, CALIBR uses "CALIBRx" as it's prefix for example. This will make it easier to find your custom objects later. You can leave Name unchanged if you want to.

Make sure Respawns is checked, and that the other boxes are unchecked.

Empty the Item List if necessary, and add the items and leveled lists you want to add to the merchant.

Click OK. The Geck should now ask you if you want to create a new form, choose Yes.

In the Cell View window, find the cell "VendorChestsCell".

Put your container in this cell, anywhere is fine.

Double-click the container in the Render Window, click the Ownership tab, and make sure the merchant you intend to give the ammunition to is selected.

Important: Make sure Persistent Reference is checked. This will allow the merchant to 'find' the chest when calculating inventory.

Click Ok.

Save your mod as usual.

Activate the mod and start the game to make sure everything is configured correctly.

The merchant should now stock the new items in his/her store, without conflicts with other mods.

Merchants commonly use leveled lists, and nested leveled lists (lists within lists), with various settings to make sure they have a seemingly random inventory. Explore the existing vendor chests by filtering for "VendorChest" in the Object Window, and clicking the Container menu (or *All at the bottom) for examples of how Bethesda does it.

+ Calibers added so far + Version 1.2

Rifle Rounds:

4.73x33mm Caseless (H&K G11)

.50 BMG (Barrett M82)

5.45x39mm (AK74)

7.62x39mm (AK47, AKM)

7.62x51mm (H&K G3, M14, FN FAL and many more)

7.62x54mmR (Dragunov, PKM)

9x39mm (Russian silenced cartridge)

.30-06 Springfield (M1 Garand, common hunting cartridge)

.30 Carbine (M1 Carbine)

.416 Barrett (Barret M99)

12.7x108mm (Russian HMGs and anti-material rifles)

14.5x114mm (Russian HMGs and anti-material rifles)

7.92x57mm Mauser (Common hunting cartridge)

6.8x43mm Remington SPC (New intermediate cartridge)

20x102mm (20mm cannons...)

.303 British (Extremely common in WW1&2)

Pistol/SMG rounds:

9x19mm (SIG Sauer P226, Beretta M9, various Glocks and many more)

9x18mm (Russian alternative to 9x19, several pistols and SMGs)

7.62x25mm (Tokarev and others)

.50 AE (Desert Eagle, not many others)

.45 ACP (M1911, Thompson SMG etc)

.38 Special (many revolvers)

.380 ACP (MAC-11 SMG)

.357 Magnum (first "magnum" caliber)

.357 SIG (semi-auto caliber comparable to .357 Magnum)

.45 Long Colt

.40 S&W

.32 ACP (Walther PPK as used by James Bond)

Multi-purpose rounds

.22LR

.44-40 Winchester

.32-20 Winchester

.30-30 Winchester

5.7x28mm (FN P90)

4.6x30mm (H&K MP7)

Others

40mm Grenades

Rocket Propelled Grenades

From earlier Fallout games:

14mm (14mm Pistol)

2mm EC (Gauss rifle and pistol)

HN Needler Cartridge (Needler Pistol)

+ FormID list +

Link.

+ Ammunition Request Form +

I need some information to type into the GECK when I add a new type of ammunition, please use this form to make it easier for me:

Name:

Short name:

Value:

Clip Rounds:

Example of standard FO3 10mm ammo:

Name: 10mm Round

Short name: 10mm

Value: 1

Clip Rounds: 12

Name is typically "Xmm Round", while short name is just "Xmm", with a few variations.

Value is typically 1 for most ammunition, 2 for more powerful rounds like shotgun shells and .44 Magnum, 3 for sniper bullets and between 10 to 250 for the really rare and powerful types.

Clip Rounds is how many bullets you get from a box placed in the world, outside of a container. This ranges from 100 (BB's and minigun ammo), 24 (rifle rounds) 20 (energy cells), 12 (pistol and shotgun shells) down to 1 for the rarest types.

Other fields, like icons and models I leave to the modders using the ammunition. I use the same icon for all entries and assign them the same brown cardboard box, and leave the fancy modelling to others.