Fallout 3 Quest Mods Review #6 by TrickyTrack00
Mod Name: Heritage Home Part 2
Mod Type: Quest/Location
Original Creator: RaffTheSweetling
Original Link: Heritage Home Part 2
So, if someone need TL DR - it's good for exploring and interesting narrative, but quest structure is disgusting. You can try it, but don't expect balanced experience between combat, exploration and narrative.
And now for more proper impressions.
I like this style of unmarked quest mods, I completed every work from PuceMoose and JW1, which also used similar structure of finding clues and reading notes. And initialy I was very looking forward to play "Heritage Home", because I thought that in this style of gameplay, creator can write the most deep and nuanced narrative. But this time, even this subgenre of quest mods may has serious flaws. But let's start with good parts and, without a doubt, strongest aspects of this project.
As for the positive sides: All new locations, created by RaffTheSweetling, look good and unique in some ways, without breaking immersion in Fallout game. You can see details in interiors and exteriors like with Raider's Corvega camp. It was a good work and successful implementation of ideas for new places. The Vault also is beautifully crafted and, from the environmental design perspective, one of the most unique Vaults from any mod that I've seen.
All notes and terminal logs is well-written with different styles of grammar and stylistic features, depending on character's skills. You can easily understand which notes wrote raider and which more educated person.
All new retextured clutter is also very appreciated and nice to have new things to see, even if it was just small re-colouring.
And now for the negative sides, which are too many to not to talk about.
First of all, I understand what gaming background creator had, and I also liked old quests like Myst, Escape From Monkey Island and I Have No Mouth But I Must Scream. But you also need to understand that RaffTheSweetling tried to re-create this gameplay structure on a bizarre creation engine. And that is when your beautifully crafted composition started to fall down.
Even if design of new locations was amazing, so much clutter, models and nps is too much for engine to handle. Which is why, if you gonna run in, for example, Corvega offices with Pip-Boy light on, frame rate is gonna jump from top to bottom, depending on how much things you'll see before you. And don't even think about starting intense gun fights or use explosives, you'll regret this decision very fast. To be more concrete, yes, new locations are good to look at, but not to explore them. This is also why more isn't always good than less.
Same goes for key/note structure. Look at the "Apartment On New York Avenue","A Note Easilly Missed" or AQFH series. There is a perfect balance between immersive exploration part of gameplay and finding next clue or key to progress through story. But in this project author went "full-throttle" with locked doors, safes and desks. I'm a very patient person when it comes to this style of quests structure, but this time it was too much.
I understand that author spent "4 years" to complete his project and his intention to encourage players to explore new environment, see every detail and so on. But in the end, this decision damaged his own pacing of the story by literal too much gate-keeping every time, when you'll find new location. Also too much backtracking like with Eddie's safe and Corvega's offices. In the end, nobody needs to pay attention, if you spent on your creation 2 or 10 years, if you're intentionally tried to prevent player from playing at his own pace with enormous amount of gate-keeping.
There is need to be a balance between exploring, looking for next clue and tedious searching enormous environment for another little key in the pile of trash.
Also I must warn potential players that "walkthrough", mentioned by creator, in download section, even after 8 years from initial release, only consists of hints about what to do in the 1st part of "Heritage Home". And RaffTheSweetling didn't even think for a second about updating this "walkthrough" (also, let's be honest, it's "tips and hints", not a walkthrough) after so many years. So, if you'll stuck in 2nd part in Vault sequence, well, good luck to you. In my playthrough, after another 14th time when I needed to find next useless key, console commands like "tcl" and "unlock" became the only solution.
Overall, there are good parts of beautifully designed new interior cells and well-written storytelling through note/logs method, but main gameplay structure of the quest, in the end, killed all pacing and engaging script.
Should you try this mod in 2023? Can't recommend, only if you aren't satisfied with PuceMoose's quest and JW1's projects, only when you may try this quest mod. But don't expect the same good balance structure like in mentioned mods.
Still endorsement from me, but it could be so much better.
Interesting Fact: Some time ago original creator replied to my review of his quest in the comment section on Nexus. And, well, even though I mentioned many positive and objectively good aspects of Heritage Home mod, his reaction was a bit "emotional" to say the least. After many months I still didn't change my mind and my final verdict about this quest and if creator of any piece of media can't handle the smallest type of criticism, that's not my problem. I stand by my words till this day like any other content creator who not only write reviews, but also created and translated dozens of mods already.
