Fallout 3 - Classic Fallout Music v0.2

Fallout 3 - Classic Fallout Music v0.2

This addon brings the classic songs and music from Fallout 1 and 2 to the Fallout 3 world. All the songs are carefully chosen to match the environment and setting.

Fallout 3 CLASSIC MUSIC MOD v. 2

compiled by Quemaqua

Original music from Fallout (1996) and Fallout 2 (1998) by Mark Morgan

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I. A Word About the Mod -

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In short, this mod replaces a few of what I thought to be unappealing, generic, or inappropriately-themed tracks from Fallout 3, mostly a few that play in the Wasteland. I know that sounds nitpicky, and it is to a degree; I think Inon Zur did a fairly decent job on the Fallout 3 soundtrack overall. There are, however, a few low points that stood out to me, most particularly the obnoxious "crying babies" dungeon track and the several very Jeremy Soule-esque orchestral tracks that play during wasteland exploration, sounding generally too bright and peaceful for the tone of the game. I thought I'd throw a couple of the old Fallout tracks in just for fun, and quickly found that I really liked having some of the old music mixed in with the new. Fallout 3 emulates the old-school Fallout atmosphere really well, and the old music was a perfect fit without question (particularly because it's just so effing good). So I selected a few tracks to throw out, a few to go in, and the end result is what you just downloaded.

This is version 2 of the mod, and I have tested it for tone extensively over many hours. This is why there are a number of classic tracks that I feel are just too iconic or too specifically evocative of their classic Fallout locations to be included, or just don't quite fit the tone of the new game perfectly. This is most obviously personal preference, but I have tried to simply stay as true as I can to what feels right *within Fallout 3*, instead of just tossing every track I could find in there. I think this will ultimately feel very consistent and appropriate for the average user, and even if you've never played the past games, your experience should be improved.

To be clear: I have no rights to the music here, and I had nothing to do with the creation of any of it. Inon Zur is the creator of Fallout 3's soundtrack, which belongs to Bethesda Softworks, and Mark Morgan is the creator of the original Fallout's soundtrack, which belongs to Interplay. I feel safe in providing these tracks given that they're widely available for free all over the Internet and have been for years. I absolutely do not want to step on the toes of any company related to the franchise, as my intention will releasing this is respect and a hope that many more people will head over to GOG.com to purchase Fallout, Fallout 2, and Fallout Tactics.

Please note also that if you use this mod, you're doing so AT YOUR OWN RISK. I'm not liable for your game dying or your computer exploding or your marriage disintegrating or for you electing another egomaniac to the presidency. There should be little risk given the nature of the mod, but if you don't make a backup of your original music directory, you've no one to blame but yourself. *Consider yourself warned!*

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II. How to Install -

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Installation of the mod is a snap. However, before you go unzipping this stuff, I'd highly recommend that you make a BACKUP COPY of your original Fallout 3 music folder in case you want to restore it to its original state at some point later. Don't simply rename the folder, as this mod doesn't contain the entirety of the game's music, only the replacement tracks which will overwrite a few of the original songs. This isn't a modular-style modification like we're used to getting with Bethesda games since there aren't any mod tools for Fallout 3 yet.

***** If you have already installed the first version of the mod, PLEASE RESTORE YOUR ORIGINAL FALLOUT 3 MUSIC BACKUP BEFORE UNZIPPING THESE FILES. There are a few filename changes and additional tracks (plus one old one added back in), so to get the complete experience you'll want to start fresh. *****

If this is the first time you're installing this mod, make yourself a COPY of the Music folder (Fallout3/Data/Music or similar), and call it MUSICBACKUP or MUSBACK or whatever is easy for you to keep track of. Then:

1. Unzip this file into your Fallout3/Data directory (and include subdirectories). Allow it to overwrite the files it wants to overwrite.

2. Uh... go play the game. You're done. This isn't an .ESP or .ESM as normally associated with mods using the Oblivion engine, you're merely replacing and adding files that the game will automatically pick up and use after they're unzipped.

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III. What's Replaced and Added? -

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* Dungeon_04 is replaced by the Cave music.

* Dungeon_06 is added: the Vats music.

* Dungeon_07 is added: the Desert music.

* Explore_04 is replaced by the Brotherhood of Steel music.

* Explore_05 is replaced by the World Map music.

* Explore_06 is replaced by the Junktown music.

* Explore_07 is replaced by the Boneyard music.

* Explore_08 is added: the San Francisco music from FO2.

* Explore_09 is added: the New Reno music from FO2.

* Explore_10 is added: The Glow music.

* Public_06 is added: the Car music from FO2.

* Public_07 is added: the Shady Sands music.

* Public_08 is added: the Redding music from FO2.

And that's about it. I felt the other songs were worth keeping around because they were a little different and some had a pretty cool vibe. The battle music does what it does well enough for what it is, and the town themes felt appropriate and unique enough. I also didn't try to change the overall tone of any given area too much with exception of the Wasteland, which I think is improved by leaps and bounds with the classic music since it feels more appropriately dangerous and... uh, Wastelandy. The Dungeon stuff is mostly just for fun.

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IV. Contact -

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And that's about it! This mod has been tested only by myself, and it appears to work without issue. If, however, you have any problems or suggestions, feel free to shoot me an email at [email protected]. I might check it because I'm an antisocial recluse, but I might not because... I'm an antisocial recluse. I don't think it's necessary to bother doing another of version of this that completely replaces all of Fallout 3's music with that of the first two games, but I might consider it if there's interest.

Anyway! Thanks, and I hope the mod brings you many happy memories of your first days with Fallout. And if you haven't played the originals:

***** GOG.com, baby. Twelve bucks and you can have both, all DRM free, and the forums there even have links to community patches and mods. Twelve bucks for two of the best RPGs ever made... hard to go wrong, kids. Hard to go wrong. Support GOG, support Interplay, and more than anything else, support Fallout! *****

- Q