Fallout 3 ELITE Guide (2020): How to optimize for Windows 10:

This guide includes a working Games for Windows Live download link, FOSE integration, Fallout Stutter Remover setup, and a few quality of life changes that will reduce crashes and bring about an enjoyable Fallout 3 experience.

Step: 1

Make sure you have a fresh/clean install of Fallout 3 ready to go
- Just uninstall & reinstall via steam library if necessary. This just may be the most important part of this entire guide. If you've made edits to ANYTHING within Fallout 3's files, please reinstall to avoid unnecessary issues.

Step 2:

Launch the game
- Match the resolution to your native resolution within the options menu. Then click play.



{{{{{{CRASH}}}}}}
- You’ll either get an instant crash-to-desktop with no error message, or you’ll get an "Ordinal 43 error" Either way, you need Games for Windows Live to launch the game properly.

Step 3:

Find a working source file of G4WL
- Nowadays many links and sources of Games for Windows Live are dead ends, or fail to install.
- Luckily this link still hosts a working G4WL download:
https://community.pcgamingwiki.com/files/file/1012-microsoft-games-for-windows-live/
(click the big green button)

Step 4:

Unpack the newly downloaded zip file (I used 7-zip for this)
- Right click the zipped file, hover over 7-zip, and select Extract to "whatever it says".
- This will unpack the file and give you several folders and an executable.
- Run the executable.
- When it successfully installs, close the window. (No need to launch G4WL)
- If you need 7-zip, here's the link: https://www.7-zip.org/

Step 5:

Launch the game again and click play
- If you successfully boot up the game all the way to the title screen, that's the progress we're looking for; but we're not done yet. So head back here and see step 6.


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If you still can't reach the title screen after installing G4WL look into this mod:
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/17209?tab=description
- Manually download, extract, and place the files in your Fallout directory.
- To find the directory, right click Fallout 3 in your Steam Library > Manage > Browse Local Files

Step 6:

The Fallout.ini changes
- The fallout.ini will not appear until you've successfully booted the game all the way to the title screen.
- To navigate to the fallout.ini: Windows C: > Users > "username" > Documents > My Games > Fallout 3 > fallout.ini
- Within the fallout.ini make the changes:
- Within [General]:
- Change the line: bUseThreadedAI=0 to bUseThreadedAI=1 and below it, add the line: iNumHWThreads=2


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Also enabling these two lines within the fallout.ini will help reduce memory related crashes:
↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓
- Within [General]:
Change the line: bPreemptivelyUnloadCells=0 to bPreemptivelyUnloadCells=1
- Within [Background Load]:
Change the line: bSelectivePurgeUnusedOnFastTravel=0 to bSelectivePurgeUnusedOnFastTravel=1
- Save and close the fallout.ini

Step 7:

Install FOSE
- Here's the link: https://fose.silverlock.org/
- Select the first option. Once again use 7-zip to unpack the download.
- Then move all the contents of the folder to your Fallout 3 directory.

***From now on you must launch the game from the fose_loader.exe. So make a shortcut on your desktop.***


If you want your shortcut to look like this then rename it to "F3FOSE", then go to Properties > Change Icon > click "browse" and find your Fallout 3 directory again and select the Fallout3.exe
Apply and save.

Step: 8

Set Compatibility Modes
- Right click Fallout3.exe, FalloutLauncher.exe, and fose_loader.exe, go to properties and change all of them to compatibility mode for Windows XP (service pack 3), and also check the "run as administrator" box.
- Apply your changes each time.

Example:

Step 9:

Manually download Fallout Stutter Remover from Nexus Mods
(You may or may not need to extract these files)
- Within your Fallout 3 directory:
- Within Data:
- Create a new folder called "fose".
- Within "fose" create a folder called "plugins"
- Within "plugins" add the 2 files:

sr_Fallout_Stutter_Remover.dll
sr_Fallout_Stutter_Remover.ini

- Here's the link: https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/8886

Step 10:

(IMPORTANT)
- Within the sr_Fallout_Stutter_Remover.ini:
- Change the 2 lines:

bHookCriticalSections = 1 to bHookCriticalSections = 0
bHookLightCriticalSections = 1 bHookLightCriticalSections = 0

- The stutter remover does exactly what it says, but also causes crashes about every 5-10 minutes without these changes. So change both values from 1 to 0.
- Save and close the .ini

Complete + (side notes)

FINALLY PLAY THE GAME
- Add additional mods at your own risk/discretion.
- These steps have solved the crashes and stuttering in my game, and have brought about a comfortable Fallout 3 experience.

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(side note 1)
- Be sure to disable all 3 autosave functions: (rest, wait, travel) in-game to avoid potential crashes.
- Don't forget to quicksave and hardsave often.


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(side note 2)
- If you want Steam to record your hours of playtime for Fallout 3:
- Press play within your steam library to open the menu box, then open your FOSE shortcut from your desktop and fully launch the game on top of the first menu box.
- Steam only counts fallout 3 time when the initial menu box is open, not when you're in-game

Example:

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(side note 3)
If you want G4WL disabled and not appearing within the main menu of the game:
- Manually download Games for Windows Live Disabler from Nexus mods.
- Extract and run the executable.
- Just select disable then close.
- Here's the link: https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/1086


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(side note 4)
If you're a stickler for aesthetic like me, and would like to remove the blue and yellow shield from your F3FOSE desktop icon AND disable Admin Permission pop-up boxes when booting up the game follow these steps:

(These changes will affect everything running in Admin mode on your computer, not just Fallout 3 so change at your own discretion)

- Enter gpedit.msc in the start search bar to run Local Group Policy editor.
- Navigate through the following branch:
Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Local Policies > Security Options

- Locate the following policy:
User Account Control: Behavior of the elevation prompt for administrators in Admin Approval Mode
- Set its value to Elevate without prompt.

- Locate the following policy:
User Account Control: Detect application installations and prompt for elevation
- Set its value to Disabled.

- Locate the following policy:
User Account Control: Only elevate UIAccess applications that are installed in secure locations
- Set its value to Disabled.

- Locate the following policy:
User Account Control: Switch to secure desktop when prompting for elevation
- Set its value to Disabled.

This is the shield removal step, repeat if the shield ever happens to re-appear in the future
↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓
- Locate the following policy:
User Account Control: Run all administrators in Admin Approval Mode
- Set its value to Disabled.
- Restart your computer when done to apply the changes.
- When you're booted back up, right click your F3FOSE shortcut on the desktop and "Open File Location".
- Then create a new shortcut from fose_loader.exe
(you'll notice the new shortcut has no shield)
- Follow Step: 7 again to change the name and icon to the Vault Boy.
(you can just delete the old shortcut with the shield)
- Now you need to re-enable "User Account Control: Run all administrators in Admin Approval Mode" then restart again once it's enabled.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
(yes it's bizarre and repetitive but it works) But make sure you go through with it all the way (re-enabling and restarting) or you could face errors with Vortex, FOMM, or other applications.

Now the new shortcut has no shield, won't display a prompt when opened, yet still runs in Admin mode. It's a lot of work, I know. (and it's totally optional) I just find the shield and prompt annoying.

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(side note 5)
Often times this game will run better with a “less is more" approach.

The only additions I’ve made to my game that boosts performance is the Fallout Stutter Remover, and FOSE to support it.
(This guide showed you exactly how I went about it. No unofficial patch, no 4gb patch, etc, and my game runs at 60fps at all times)

If you’re primarily concerned with having a stable 60fps VANILLA experience, consider limiting how much power you’re giving to the game, instead of trying to feed it more.

This game was designed to run on MUCH older hardware and software compared to what is considered average nowadays. Maxing out your game to have access to as much power as possible may not always be the answer.

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End:

[2av1]

oh a tutorial pre-update how great, now you can no run fallout 3 with fose loader

[voodoo clone]

This guide is likely outdated, I haven’t been able to tend to it for quite a long time so take it as you will. Thanks to all the supporters and those who’ve benefited from its use so far.

[🥰 Based Femboy 💞]

I just downloaded it and it works fine on Windows 10, if it didn't work on Windows 10 it probably would've worked fine on Linux though (that solved all my problems with Fallout New Vegas).

[Moggy]

Alternatively wait almost 13 years since release for them to patch it

[house arrest hvher]

it's truely sad how common color vision deficiency is nowadays; god bless your soul. [i.imgur.com]

[zeepacna]

betheasda needs to make a fallout 3 remake for noobs like me

[zeepacna]

i got to step six
then i tested it, it worked, then i exited the game and now it crashes every time

[Palocles]

Just went all the way to step 10 and am still getting an error when using fose_loader.exe to run the game.

error message says:
Fallout3.exe - Ordinal Not Found
The ordinal 43 could not be located in the dynamic link library C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\xlive.dll.

Any further help?

[Warbenny]

wow thanks! it used to just show the little menu and do nothing after clicking play but now it shows a black window for 5 seconds and then closes! what a waste of money!

[LSNF]

game still freezes when im trying to get to some buildings like the washington monument