FALLOUT 3 CONFIGATOR
by Rudolf Enberg - Version 1.1
Contents
1.0
- The Basics
Fallout 3
Configator allows players and mod-makers take the most out of Fallout
3's configuration variables. Trough Configator's simple and clean
user-interface it's very easy to configure any aspects of Fallout 3.
The users can also make several different configuration presets and
switch between them in seconds.
1.1 - Changing Variables
To get started, open up the Fallout 3 Configator. The
program will start and you'll see the main window with a few buttons in
it's left side. From up to down, the first four buttons let you browse
different categories which all include different variables that you can
change. The next two buttons - Import
and Export
- will let you export your configurations in a preset and load them
later on. The last button is the Save
button. When you've changed the variables to your liking simply click
the Save
button. You'll see the "Saving settings" -message for few seconds.
After it's disappeared you can close the program and start Fallout 3 -
now it'll start with it's new settings.
The weird-looking square button in the upper-right corner is the
ActionButton. You can configure it ie. to save the settings and start
Fallout 3 automatically. The possibilities aren't endless but there are
more than one at least.
1.2 - The Presets in a
Closeup
The Presets can save you a lot
of time when optimizing or debugging Fallout 3's configurations. A
preset is a set of files that include all of Fallout 3's settings. You
can have many Presets with different configurations in them and load any
of them trough Configator.
When you'll start the Configator for the first time it'll automatically
create one preset for you: "Default Settings". Click on the Import button in
the sidebar and you should see this preset in a list which is probably
pretty empty right now. If you'll click on the "Default Settings"
preset Fallout 3 will be configured to the way it was when you started
Configator for the first time. Pretty handy if you'll accidentally
change something that you cannot fix.
The true fun starts when you have many different configuration presets.
Creating one is not a task - simply set all the variables to your
liking and click Export
in the sidebar. You'll be asked to type in a name for the preset. When
you're done press enter and the preset is saved. Now you can access the
preset any time from the Import
menu.
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2.0 - Customizing the Configator
Configator
is pretty customizable itself. You can edit the data files and add new
variables that you can change trough Configator or play around with the
settings file which let's you customize the way the Configator looks
and acts.
2.1
- Configators Configurations
Open
up the "Settings.ini" file which is located in the same folder as the
"FO3 Configator.exe". It's advisable you make a backup of
this file before anything else. The different variables and their
effects are listed below.
| Variable |
Effect |
| Width (640 - ) |
The width of the user-interface in pixels. Higher values make the window wider. |
| Height (480 - ) |
The height of the user-interface in pixels. Higher values make the window higher. |
| SaveCPU (0 / 1) |
Configator was written with an underpowered programming
language so it may drain up to 90% of your processors resources while
running. When SaveCPU is set to 1 Configator will update it's UI only
when necessary. The processor usage will be 80% lower when the program
isn't actively processing a task. It won't cause any lag to the UI so
it should be always enabled - you'll save lots of energy and processing
time. |
| UpdateInterval (15 - 30) |
Specifies the delay between the main loop updates. Higher
values cause the program to update itself less often and there'll be
lots of lag. This variable should be changed only if run into
performance problems. This variable has no effect if SaveCPU is
disabled. |
| RenderInterval (100 - 1000) |
Specifies the maximum time that can be waited between the UI
renderings. Lower values cause the program to render the UI more
frequently and higher values less frequently. This value should never
be lowered as it causes the program to render the UI even when it isn't
necessary (ie. when nothing has changed). Higher values save CPU usage
when the program isn't in active use. This variable has no effect
if SaveCPU is disabled. |
| PreloadData (0 / 1) |
The Fallout 3 configuration file has about 800 variables.
Reading and analyzing all of them is quite a job and takes time. To
decrease the time it takes to start the program Configator will load
the variables in the background while the program is running. This
works usually pretty well - however it may cause lag on some systems.
Set PreloadData to 1 to disable the background process - this will
eliminate lag but makes the program start slower. |
| Color 1-6 and BGround |
These variables define the colors of the UI. The RGB -standard is used. |
| ConfigPath |
This variable defines the path to the Fallout.ini file.
If the path is incorrect the program can't load the variables or change
them and it won't even start. Example of a correct path: C:\Documents
and Settings\<Username>\My Documents\My Games\Fallout3\ |
| ActivateImportedPreset (0 / 1) |
When you'll import a configuration preset it will be automatically activated so you don't need to click Save
to use the settings. Setting this variable to 0 will disable this
behaviour. (You can also temporarily disable this by pressing down the shift key while selecting a preset) |
| FastPresetActivation (0 / 1) |
When you'll import a preset it's first loaded into the
program, then saved to the FO3 configuration files. You can make the
latter process 99% faster by settings this variable to 1. Instead of
analyzing the configuration file and changing the variables one at a
time the preset file will simply be copied over the configuration file.
It's way faster but if the preset file is corrupted the configuration
files will break too. If ActivateImportedPreset is set to 0 this
variable has no effect on anything. |
| ActionB_Run |
When the ActionButton is clicked the file or program in this
path will be executed. If you specify a sound it will be automatically
played trough the Configator. The path must be "quoted" if it has any spaces in it. |
| ActionB_Save, Minimize, Exit (0 / 1) |
These variables define the actions that take place when the ActionButton is pressed. |
2.2 - The Data Files
The variables that Configator can change are listed in the data files that are found in the Data folder. Tweaking them is pretty simple.
Categories
The different categories for the variables are listed in the
"Categories.ini" file. You can change the order and the names of the
categories and even add new ones. Just remember to rename the actual
data files as well.
Data
The variables are listed
in the data files, "Audio.txt" and "Graphics.txt" for example. All of
these data files include a list of different variables, their names,
their descriptions etc. Adding a new variable is pretty
straight-forward. Find an empty line and type in these lines:
Name = Name of this variable
Config = The configuration name for this variable. This one will be found from the "Fallout.ini" file.
Format = The format of this variable. This can be ONOFF, VALUE, VALUE2 or DECIM. More about this later.
Range = If the variable isn't just a simple ON/OFF variable you can
define a range for it, the minimum value and the maximum value. OPTIONAL
Image = You can define an image that will be displayed with this
variable. The image should be in the "Data\Images"
folder. Example: MyPicture.jpg OPTIONAL
#After you've defined the name and the format etc. you can give the
variable a nice description that tells what it does. The description
will start with # and can have multiple lines. OPTIONAL
The format is either ONOFF, VALUE, VALUE2 or DECIM.
ONOFF means the variable must always be 0 or 1.
VALUE can be anything between -99999 and 99999
VALUE2 must be a value in the power of 2, ie. 128, 256, 512, 1024 and so on.
DECIM is like value but it has decimals. -99999.0 - 99999.0
If the format is something else than ONOFF you can define a "step"
value for it. The step value must be separated from the format with the
< : > mark.
Example: Format = DECIM:2.5
The step value in the example is 2.5. This means that when you're using
Configator you can change this value with buttons < and >. Every
time you click a button the value will increase or decrease by 2.5.
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3.0 - Troubleshooting / FAQ
Q: Error! "Code 001: Can't locate the folder that contains the user accounts. Please specify the path in the 'Settings.ini' file."
A: The Configator can't find your
My Documents
folder to locate the "Fallout.ini" file. Open the "Settings.ini" file
(in the same folder as the Configator) and change the
ConfigPath
to point to the folder that has the "Fallout.ini" in it. Example:
ConfigPath = C:\Documents and settings\UserName\My Documents\My
Games\Fallout 3\
Q: Error! "Code 002: The configuration file was not found. Please specify the path in the 'Settings.ini' file."
A: Check the result above.
Q: I've changed some variables and Fallout 3 isn't working anymore!
A: You've probably enabled a
setting that your system can't handle or something similiar. You can
restore your original settings by clicking
Import and
Default Settings.
Q: My problem isn't listed here, what now?
A: Please contact me in the comments or via PM at Fallout3Nexus.com. My username is Ruuttu.
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4.0 - DISCLAIMER
I take no responsibility of any harm(s) the use of this program may or
may not cause. The program comes with no warranties: You'll use this
program on your own risk!
This program may be freely distributed as long as the program and the
data files with it stay intact. Any file or part of the program may not
be modified or changed in any way.
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