One mastermind Fallout: New Vegas modder is tackling the seemingly impossible - trying to add rideable horses to Obsidian's epic Western RPG.
New Vegas' monumental 2010 release was well over a decade ago now, but players are still finding ways to spice the post-apocalyptic game up today. One such fan is Xїlandro Axeuora, a modder hoping to integrate fully functional horses and horseback riding into the Fallout series' most iconic spin-off. Speaking in an interview with Aftermath, Axeuora provides a more in-depth look at his approach and the lengthy development process underway.
"In my head, I constantly compare what Rockstar developers created," he explains, alluding to Red Dead Redemption 2 and its own impressive horses. "Animations aside, of course - I don't have a horse and a mocap studio." Axeuora, who says his mod has cost him his "sanity," states that he keeps reworking things to meet the standards he's envisioning: "I keep rewriting code over and over again, looking for that 'OK, this feels close enough' moment."
As a programmer on New Vegas, can confirm, this is impressive as hell and everyone should applaud you for itSeptember 4, 2024
As for replicating horses akin to Red Dead's stunning four-legged beasts, Axeuora is doing everything he can to nail "the overall feel of natural horse movement without sacrificing responsiveness of controls." He wants something "natural" rather than hyper-realistic: "It's a living, breathing creature. It can't move and turn like an arcadey tank." Judging by reactions from actual former New Vegas developers themselves - Axeuora is doing a great job.
In a post directed toward the modder, New Vegas gameplay programmer Jonathan Burke praises the work put in by Axeuroa so far: "As a programmer on New Vegas, can confirm, this is impressive as hell and everyone should applaud you for it." Fans of the game agree just as much, too - countless comments celebrate the mod as "fantastic," and I'm inclined to agree myself as both a Fallout stan and a dedicated equestrian.
