How to install VUI+ on New Vegas - April 2024 tutorial

This guide explains how to easily install VUI+ on Fallout New Vegas with the User Interface Organizer (UIO). It’s based on my experience from developing and supporting this mod for several years, and assumes that you’re using a Mod Organizer 2 or the old NMM from Github.

Installation Steps

Please notice this isn’t just about load order but also about installation:

1. Install xNVSE, JIP-LN, UIO, Stewie’s Tweaks, and JohnnyGuitar.
   
   
2. Install the Yukichigai Unofficial Patch. Always let this one to be overwritten by other mods.
   
   
3. Install the Mod Configuration Menu and then its own bugfix.
   
   
4. Install VUI+ overwriting any files from the previous steps.
   Any guide suggesting otherwise should be considered harmful.
   

If you are installing mods that suggest to overwrite VUI+, such as MUX or Clean Vanilla HUD, do follow their instruction. Any other mod that conflicts with VUI+ must be installed between steps 2 and 3. You should also check out the Addons tab for compatibility patches, especially if you’re using a custom paperdoll.

You can also check out this video which will explain some fine details on how to use MO2 to manually install files:

The video continues on the important subject of file conflict management:

Customization

After installation you may open the Data\Menus\Prefabs\VUI+\settings.xml file with Notepad++ to set additional options.

You may also open the Data\Menus\Prefabs\VUI+\fonts.xml file and experiment with the "Menu-specific fonts" entries.

You can also customize keybinds for various menus. Let’s say that you wish to customize the keys for the Quantity menu to Q for OK and X for Cancel.

First, navigate to the Data\Menus\Prefabs\VUI+\Keybinds folder and open Quantity.xml with Notepad++. Then make the following changes:

<_PCButton_Q> QM_OKButton </_PCButton_Q>
<_QM_OKButton> Q) </_QM_OKButton>
<_PCButton_X> QM_CancelButton </_PCButton_X>
<_QM_CancelButton> X) </_QM_CancelButton>

You can now save your changes and test the game. If everything goes well, you can create a small mod with your custom edits, so that they won’t be overwritten by new VUI+ versions.

Uninstallation issues

If you receive the “Vanilla UI Plus is overwritten” warning after uninstalling VUI+, then reinstall any old UI mod such as the MCM or WMM via right click and “Reinstall”. This happens because old mods such as the MCM will generate copies of some VUI+ files if they are installed after VUI+. These copies produce this message. I know, it’s weird, but it won’t affect you if you follow the recommended installation steps on top of this guide.

Restoring font edits on your Fallout.INI

Some ancient mods suggest that you should edit your Fallout.INI or FalloutCustom.INI files to enable their fonts. This is not a good practice, and if you uninstall such a mod and forget about those edits your game will break.

To fix this problem, go to Tool Plugins > INI Editor in MO2 and restore the [Fonts] section on Fallout.INI and FalloutCustom.INI to the following:

sFontFile_1=Textures\Fonts\Glow_Monofonto_Large.fnt
sFontFile_2=Textures\Fonts\Monofonto_Large.fnt
sFontFile_3=Textures\Fonts\Glow_Monofonto_Medium.fnt
sFontFile_4=Textures\Fonts\Monofonto_VeryLarge02_Dialogs2.fnt
sFontFile_5=Textures\Fonts\Fixedsys_Comp_uniform_width.fnt
sFontFile_6=Textures\Fonts\Glow_Monofonto_VL_dialogs.fnt
sFontFile_7=Textures\Fonts\Baked-in_Monofonto_Large.fnt
sFontFile_8=Textures\Fonts\Glow_Futura_Caps_Large.fnt

It’s actually better to remove the entire [Fonts] section from FalloutCustom.INI -- but not from Fallout.INI.

Other mod managers

I have tested and rejected FOMM, Vortex, ModDrop, and Wrye Bash for this guide. FOMM cannot be recommended because it cannot install NVSE plugins. ModDrop and Wrye Bash do not support C# scripting used in some popular New Vegas mods. I tried the Nexus App once and found it difficult to manage my load order which was essential for mods like VUI+.

However, a guest user posted the following at the comments section:

Manually download this mod from here, then drag and drop the zip archive to the Mods section of Vortex. You will see a section at the bottom labeled "Drop Files". That’s the spot. Vortex will install and deploy. All you need to do from that point is to adjust dependencies, as needed.

So if that helps, great, but please don’t ask me to help you with the Nexus App!