I've been playing the game for a long time now and I truly believe it's one of the best Alien experiences out there.
I'm mostly interested in the mods that make the game harder, yet not unrealistically so. I play on nightmare whenever I'm not playing the Survivor missions and it's great feeling. But it was always weird to me how the alien just drops down from the vents a lot more frequently and stays in the room you're hiding in a lot longer, yet wont find you if you hid well. I keep thinking if he knows I'm there, how is he not finding me? Doesn't make too much sense to me. :laugh:
The solution for me was the Unpredictable Alien mod that unchains the invisible leash the Alien has to the player. Lets him explore a lot more further and drops down a bit less frequently without making him less aware and aggressive than he is when playing on Nightmare. Now this feels a lot more realistic to me. I see him less but when I do it's because I got careless and it feels like a surprise more and then I die of course. It feels like he is more unpredictable now. I really enjoy this mod, I believe it has a nice balance.
The link: http://www.moddb.com/mods/unpredictable-alien-mod (http://www.moddb.com/mods/unpredictable-alien-mod)
The other thing that was annoying were the loud footsteps. I understand why it was put there and it does make sense for a big creature. I would idly like for the stomps to be a lot more quieter, barley noticeable, but still there, or at least to remove the footsteps without making the Alien completely silent. And I found a mod for that just recently! It's called the Stalker Alien mod and if you only partially use the files you download you can have no footsteps (walking or running) and no pig squeal when he starts running at you. But you still have the hiss when you get seen/heard, all the other smaller growls, movement sounds, screams of pain when he gets shot and the sound of getting in and out of vents. To do that, you only have to replace the ALIEN.BNK files in DATA/SOUND with the ones he provides and that's it. It's a much more tense experience than before. Very refreshing!
Here's the link: http://www.moddb.com/mods/stalker-alien (http://www.moddb.com/mods/stalker-alien)
The last thing I would like to see is just for the Alien to be more aware of his surroundings. I'd like to have him see better, be more sensitive to movement and sound and the flashlight, to react faster to them and to have a much wider field of view. Does anyone know how to do this or if there's a mod for this?
Sometimes he seems half blind. Especially when I'm next to him, his peripheral vision isn't the best. The only mod that seems like it could help, that I've come across, is the Alien Isolation Insane Mod but I haven't tried it yet and don't know if it's compatible with the unpredictable mod. Has anyone here tried it?
The link: http://www.moddb.com/mods/alien-isolation-insane-mod (http://www.moddb.com/mods/alien-isolation-insane-mod)
Do you have any other suggestions for a more intense experience and what are your favorite mods (if you are using any) for the game?
I have two very good ones for you :
1. Alias isolation: antialiasing mod (with cinematic tools) ...you will love it
https://github.com/aliasIsolation/aliasIsolation/releases
2. No Hud Mod by theJanitor (he also make no hud mods for other Games)
http://www.moddb.com/games/alien-isolation/downloads/no-hud
I did hear of a Mod some time ago that completely removes the alien from the game and allows you to just explore and enjoy the station. Completely the opposite of 'Intense' i know but something different non the less.
Thanks for the suggestions! I haven't considered the No Hud Mod, but that would definitely make the experience more immersive, might try that one out. The antialiasing mod sounds wonderful though I'm not sure if my rig would be able to handle it, but I am curious about that one. If I update my rig with better hardware, I'll definitely be checking that one out.
I also heard about the mod that completely removes the alien and it is genius really, because it can help us enjoy the beautiful details CA has worked hard on. I might consider that mod if I want to explore the great detail of the station.
Most of all, I'm just looking for a way to increase Stompy's senses and I was surprised I haven't found any mod that tackles that issue.
For some reason, the Unpredictable Alien mod makes closets and lockers insta-kill for me. The Alien seems to always kill me even though I do everything right (as per the vanilla game). Not sure what causes that for me.
I can't say that that happens to me. Though I haven't hidden in a locker for a long time, mostly under or behind things, I changed my tactics over time. I'll have to hide in a locker again, just to check. It could depend on the level in single player or the map challenge mode. When Stompy gets pissed passed a pint, he will kill us fast.
I did notice a problem with hiding in closets and lockers a long time ago, before I got the mod. The first times I played the first DLC map, the one with Ransome, I also constantly died when I hid in closets and lockers. First I thought it was a glitch but then I saw what I was doing. I was pressing the prompts in the wrong order. I first leaned back and then I tried to hold my breath, instead of the other way around. When I first lean back, I can't hold my breath and then I die. When I followed the prompts correctly, things were back to normal. So maybe that's it?
Another tip, when you're in closets and lockers, there's still a way for Stompy to not notice and zero in on you. First, don't bring up the motion tracker, he can hear it, if not even see the light a bit. Second, if you lean left or right, so as to avoid the line of sight with Stompy, he almost certainly won't come. If you can't see him, he can't see you. This last bit really helps, I suggest you try it.
Quote from: Still Collating... on Apr 11, 2018, 07:19:01 PM
Most of all, I'm just looking for a way to increase Stompy's senses and I was surprised I haven't found any mod that tackles that issue.
Probably not what you're after, but there is an Aggressive Alien mod. I haven't tried it, so I don't know if it heightens his senses or just puts him in a permanent state of agro.
Personally, I'd love to be able to replace the sounds for the Alien but it unfortunately doesn't seem possible. I found one mod that gets rid of the ridiculous foot stomping and growling, but it's a shame we can't replace those sounds with something more suitable.
God, I really miss the days of modding.
Does anyone here have experience with the mod Life Savers v1.0 or the newer bundle of mods from the same creator called Alien Ultimate Nightmare? I'd like to here someone's opinion of it before I install it.
Quote from: Apollo on Apr 11, 2018, 03:48:41 PM
I did hear of a Mod some time ago that completely removes the alien from the game and allows you to just explore and enjoy the station. Completely the opposite of 'Intense' i know but something different non the less.
Yeah I've heard the same aswell. The working Joes are awful enough to deal with.
Could there be a mod which removes the Alien, the human enemies (which are the worst thing for me, I didn't sign up for this shit) and the hostile Working Joes?
I love the game, I've completed it two times on Normal, but now I just want to hang around on Sevastopol, the environments are so fascinating, poetic, powerfully evocative... The times when I was the most happy in the game were the times when there wasn't any danger, not by hate of the pressure and tension (I love pressure and tension), but by simple love of this weird abandoned space terminal.
Unpredictable Alien
https://www.moddb.com/mods/unpredictable-alien-mod
Realistic Weapon
https://tinyurl.com/Realistic-Weapon
No Lensflare
https://tinyurl.com/No-Lensflare
Arcade Cabinet
https://tinyurl.com/Arcade-Cabinet
Exit Option
https://tinyurl.com/Exit-Option
Didn't know of the last two mods. Really nice, thanks.
It seems strange to me that there's no mod that produces extreme senses for the Alien. I love the Unpredictable Alien mod, tried the Lifesavers, I'm trying now the Aggressive Alien mod, saw a few clips of the Insane mod, but they all still have the same problem. I can hide in a corner half a meter away and the alien wont notice me at all if he isn't facing me and just passing by. I wonder how difficult it is to widen the vision cones, sound and motion sensitivity, especially of the peripheral vision. I really want to be punished for hiding in a corner, without cover, literally in touching distance of the alien.
After that, the thing that bugs me the most is that I shouldn't be allowed to peak even for a moment if the alien is facing me, but you can always do that for at least a second. Not to mention how easy it is to "hide" behind a table/object that is shorter than you crouching. You clearly see the alien, but he doesn't see you because you're behind it, even when he's facing you. Those are all tiny exploits of the AI, and I can't not use them when I know how to and it makes the encounters easier than it should be for me. It breaks the immersion. And since I've seen these different mods make small changes to the alien's senses, I just wonder why isn't there an extreme version that fixes these problems?
Maybe I'm just a huge masochist, but damn this game makes me like getting punished. :laugh: I wonder how then can I make those changes in a relatively simple way. I know there are mod tools and some instructions, but it still seems like all very complicated to me.
As for Cauchemar, I found the mod you're looking for!
https://www.moddb.com/games/alien-isolation/downloads/friendly-alien-and-working-joes (https://www.moddb.com/games/alien-isolation/downloads/friendly-alien-and-working-joes)
Though it doesn't remove them and there are a few bugs that crash or block the game. I suggest you read the comments on the site to see how to get past them.
Insane A.I Modification's now patched.
A recent one, really? I know there was an old one (no pun intended...) but people were still complaining that it was buggy, that the game was crashing cause of it.
Last month, 2019.
Nice, thanks for the heads up! I've been playing with the aggro alien mod, and even though it's not realistic how Stompy's always on us, it was definitely a thrill playing the game like that.
It came down in places it never did before, half of my long practiced tactics didn't work anymore. Such a thrill, I was constantly on the move and dreaded being near the loud bugger. I might play with it a bit longer, but now I'm eager to try the Insane mod.
I prefer the Unpredictable Alien modification myself.
It's pretty easy to fiddle with the AI values (such as the alien's 'leash' radius and lurking duration) and weapon/health properties yourself, FYI. Just need Notepad and the .bml converter (https://www.moddb.com/mods/alien-isolation-extractors/downloads/alien-isolation-bml-converter).
If you're interested, I'm lazy myself.
Quote from: Vertigo on Jul 12, 2019, 08:06:47 AM
It's pretty easy to fiddle with the AI values (such as the alien's 'leash' radius and lurking duration) and weapon/health properties yourself, FYI. Just need Notepad and the .bml converter (https://www.moddb.com/mods/alien-isolation-extractors/downloads/alien-isolation-bml-converter).
That easy? I always found it a bit daunting...
I'm interested in trying, but I've never modded before. I'm mostly interested in changing the values of the senses though. Expanding the vision and hearing cones, especially widening their angle, heightening Stompy's vision, hearing, motion sensitivity, even maybe his smelling to an extreme degree. It's kind of a bummer that most difficulty mods play around with the leash, drop frequency and gun values but rarely change anything for the senses and when they do, it's not noticeable enough.
I do have some free time on my hands, so I just might try and fiddle around with modding the thing to my masochistic liking.
I hope you do.
Quote from: Still Collating... on Jul 12, 2019, 10:51:50 AM
Quote from: Vertigo on Jul 12, 2019, 08:06:47 AM
It's pretty easy to fiddle with the AI values (such as the alien's 'leash' radius and lurking duration) and weapon/health properties yourself, FYI. Just need Notepad and the .bml converter (https://www.moddb.com/mods/alien-isolation-extractors/downloads/alien-isolation-bml-converter).
That easy? I always found it a bit daunting...
I'm interested in trying, but I've never modded before. I'm mostly interested in changing the values of the senses though. Expanding the vision and hearing cones, especially widening their angle, heightening Stompy's vision, hearing, motion sensitivity, even maybe his smelling to an extreme degree. It's kind of a bummer that most difficulty mods play around with the leash, drop frequency and gun values but rarely change anything for the senses and when they do, it's not noticeable enough.
I do have some free time on my hands, so I just might try and fiddle around with modding the thing to my masochistic liking.
Yeah, I'd modified most of those values before my hard disk died a few weeks ago. I think you'll be able to figure it out without too much trouble, it's just time consuming.
Most of the values for enemy senses are in the difficulty levels' .bml files. You can find them in Steam/steamapps/common/Alien Isolation/data/difficultysettings/. Convert the .bml files to an editable format (using the tool I linked to above), change the settings in a non-rich text editor such as Notepad, convert them back again. (Best to make a backup of the original file first.)
Each difficulty level has its own set of sense values for each enemy type. So if you want to change the senses of every enemy at every difficulty level, that's a lot of numbers to change!
The closest things the alien has to a sense of smell are its leash, and the duration you can be in a vent before it comes to find you. The difficulty level .bml files do have
modifiers for that, but the core values are in the alien AI .bmls located in /data/alienconfigs. That folder has a different .bml for each state of alien aggression (eg. 'mild' is when the alien is
present but rarely appears, 'intense' should be San Cristobal or the server farm, 'backstage' is when it's hanging out in the ceiling for long periods). So again, if you want to change its 'smell' for each state of aggression, that's a lot of numbers to change.
There's a pretty comprehensive guide here (https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=423489181), everything you want should be covered in section 1. I'm actually in the process of installing the game right now, so don't think I can offer any better help than that at the moment.
I suggest watching A.I & Video Games video about it before you go tinkering.
Thanks for the suggestions guys. It'll really help. I'm gonna be finishing some levels with the Aggressive Alien mod out of curiosity, then try the updated Insane mod, but by the end of next week I'm most certainly gonna try and fiddle with the values.
If the smell is the leash, then I'm not gonna play with that. So my work will be in the difficulty files. I literally just want to change those senses for the alien. So he can hear me and see me better, faster, farther, react to my motion and so forth. One way or another, I'm gonna make it impossible for me to peak around or over an object when the alien is looking in my direction. That's usually hilarious how long it takes for Stompy to notice, I'd like to get that to an instant reaction (as an apex predator would do), and enhance its peripheral senses so that I can't hide in corners anymore for instance when Stompy enters a room and I just lean against the door it came in, if it's not looking directly towards me, Stompy will never notice me, never, on any difficulty. Its peripheral senses really do suck.
If I can do half of the things I'd like, I'll be thrilled. If I do all of these things by some miracle, the game will be perfect for me.
Let us know your results.
Of course.
Just finished the final story missions with the Aggressive Alien mod and it was fun. A lot less annoying than I thought it was going to be cause of the more frequent drops, but after adapting my play style by always being on the move, it was quite a breath of fresh air for me knowing how long I've been using the wonderful Unpredictable Alien mod.
Next up is the Insane mod before I start my own tinkering.
Good luck.
Just a heads up - MattFiler has made a proper mod tool suite with a GUI, so should be easier and faster to use than the old extractor + text editor method.
https://www.moddb.com/mods/alien-isolation-mod-tools
Thanks! I've seen it before but the way things are explained seemed a bit confusing for me, but I'll probably try his tool first.
P.S. Playing the Insane Mod, survivor missions, and it's a blast! The alien still roams far enough so he's not too annoying and on me every second but he's super sensitive to sight, and sound especially. Walking when he's just one room away is a death sentence. I've tested the peaking thing and works almost perfectly the way I'd like it to. Fast reaction, almost instant when he's facing me and super sensitive to motion. I'm really liking it, the mod is making me stay away from him at all times, now I fear if I can see him that he'll sooner or later see me. I was hiding under a desk and as he walked in front of me and away, I was prepared for action. He turned like I feared and before he might not have seen me from that angle cause I was so low and he was severely blind before to be honest, but now he spotted me right away and I had no choice but to use the last of my flame fuel.
Very fun and challenging. Feels a lot more realistic like this. I'm gonna replay all the survivor missions with this mod. Anybody who likes the sound of this and are looking for more of a challenge and an Alien with realistic senses, I recommend trying this mod out.
https://youtu.be/LJSAeCsUfXU (https://youtu.be/LJSAeCsUfXU)
Alien: Isolation - Requiem Edition. ::)
Although I like it. It looks atmospheric, but it doesn't look too comfortable. For the eyes as well.
What a name
Quote from: Drukathi on Jan 11, 2021, 01:47:53 PM
Alien: Isolation - Requiem Edition. ::)
Although I like it. It looks atmospheric, but it doesn't look too comfortable. For the eyes as well.
Where can this be seen? I can't mod my PS3 game, but always curious to see where others take the game. After all these years, I've gradually shed my fear of "dying" and can now boldly try things without cowering in the lockers and dreaming big dreams.
I have not seen it either.
I envy people who can make mods. There are YouTube tutorials on making
Resident Evil 3 Remake mods, and I assume that the same method could be used for this game. While it's something that I'd like to try when I have time, there's more that I'd like to alter besides the appearance of the protagonist, which I haven't found a tutorial for. It must've taken a lot of work to get a character to act differently, or to get different camera views.
I found this mod. After completing the game in first person, I think trying this one would make it a new experience.
On a somewhat related note, I can totally see a cinematic Predator thrown into this game. As you traverse the spacestation, a Yautja is on the hunt for Xenomorphs and if you're not welding any weapon other than a blowtorch, you might not get killed by the predator. Since this game is so cinematic, Predators could fit nicely in the dark hallways and would be seen rarely because they would only be around when a xeno is around. The pace would still be slow like Alien Isolation.
Alias Isolation is all you need.