Embarking on a journey that merges the iconic worlds of Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas? Tale of Two Wastelands (TTW) is a massive mod that allows you to play Fallout 3 within the updated engine and mechanics of Fallout: New Vegas. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the installation process, ensuring a smooth and successful setup. Follow these steps to bring the Capital Wasteland to your New Vegas experience.
Installing Tale of Two Wastelands
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Download the TTW Installer: Begin by downloading the Tale of Two Wastelands Installer. Extract the downloaded archive to a location outside of your default Windows folders to avoid potential permission issues.
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Open Mod Organizer 2 and Access Mods Folder: Launch Mod Organizer 2 (MO2). At the top of the MO2 interface, locate and click the button that allows you to access MO2’s folders. From the dropdown menu, select Open Mods folder.
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Create TTW Folder and Copy Path: Within the Mods folder, create a new folder and name it Tale of Two Wastelands. Once created, copy the path to this newly created folder. You will need this path in a later step.
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Close Mod Organizer 2: After copying the path, close Mod Organizer 2. This is important for the installer to correctly recognize the mod installation location.
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Run TTW Installer as Administrator: Navigate back to the extracted TTW Installer folder. Right-click on the TTW Install.exe file and select Run As Administrator. This ensures the installer has the necessary permissions to modify files on your system.
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Verify Game Paths in Installer: In the TTW Installer, carefully check if the file paths for both your Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas game installations are automatically detected and displayed correctly. Ensure these paths point to the actual installation directories of your respective games.
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Paste MO2 Mods Folder Path: In the installer window, locate the last text field, which requests the mod output path. Paste the path you copied in step 3 into this field. This directs the TTW installer to place the mod files directly into your Mod Organizer 2 mods folder.
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Review Installation Paths and Install: Double-check that all paths in the installer are accurate, mirroring the example provided in the installer itself. Pay close attention to ensure the paths for Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, and the MO2 mods folder are correctly specified. Once verified, click Install to begin the installation process.
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Installation Time: Be patient, as the TTW installation process can be lengthy. The audio encoding phase is particularly demanding on your CPU. While it might take around 40 minutes on a Ryzen 5 5600x, slower CPUs could extend the installation time to several hours or more.
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Minimize CPU Usage: To expedite the installation and prevent slowdowns, it is highly recommended to close any other CPU-intensive applications running on your computer during the installation process.
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Troubleshooting: Should you encounter any errors during the installation, consult the FAQ section for solutions to common problems and troubleshooting steps.
Activating and Size Check in Mod Organizer 2
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Open Mod Organizer 2: Relaunch Mod Organizer 2.
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Locate TTW Mod in MO2: After a successful installation, you should now see the Tale of Two Wastelands mod listed in the left pane of Mod Organizer 2.
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Activate TTW Mod: To enable the mod, click the checkbox next to “Tale of Two Wastelands” in the left pane. Upon activation, the right pane of MO2 should populate with the plugins included in the TTW mod.
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Open TTW Folder in Explorer: Right-click on the “Tale of Two Wastelands” mod in the left pane within MO2 and select Open in Explorer. This will open the TTW mod folder in a Windows Explorer window.
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Check Folder Properties: In the Explorer window, right-click anywhere within the TTW folder (avoid selecting any specific file). From the context menu, choose Properties.
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Verify Folder Size: In the Properties window, check the Size of the Tale of Two Wastelands folder. The size should be approximately 17GB. If the folder size is significantly different, it indicates a potential issue during installation.
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Reinstall if Necessary: If the size check fails, it is recommended to reinstall Tale of Two Wastelands. Begin by deleting the contents of the current “Tale of Two Wastelands” folder in your MO2 mods directory. Then, repeat the installation steps outlined earlier in this guide to perform a clean reinstall.
By following these steps, you should have Tale of Two Wastelands successfully installed and activated, ready to offer you a unique and expansive Fallout experience.
