Datamining is the process of examining game files to obtain information about items, people, locations, dialog, sounds, textures, and other aspects of the game. Information obtained through datamining can include not just information that is in the final released version of the game, but cut content, upcoming content, or even content from other Fallout games.
Notable examples[]
- Vault 120 is a cut Vault from Fallout 4. Although parts of its data was located in Fallout 4, a complete level layout for this Vault was located in Fallout 76
- Diamond City and the model for The Prydwen were found in Fallout 76's files and subsequently spawned into the game by hackers.
Dataminer Discord[]
Nukapedia, the Fallout Wiki is proud to affiliate with the Fallout 76 Datamining Discord. You can join the datamining discord to learn how to datamine, or just spend time with people who enjoy digging through the game files. You can join the discord here. (Please note this is separate from Nukapedia's discord).
Tools[]
Fallout 1/2[]
Dat Explorers[]
The DAT Explorers are used to explore files found in the game. Text files, Data files, files required to make Fallout 1/2 have content
Fallout Tactics[]
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Bethesda era Games[]
xEdit[]
xEdit is used to explore ESM files. ESM files are similar to databased with records, groups of records, and groups of groups. xEdit allows the data in these records to be read in a human readable way and for the data to be extracted. All Fallout games from Fallout 3 to Fallout 76, as well as Oblivion and Skyrim, use ESMs to store game data and settings. As a result, the same xEdit can work for all these games.
You can find the official version of xedit on Nexus mods under various game-specific names.
- Fallout 3: FO3Edit
- Fallout New Vegas: FNVEdit
- Fallout 4: FO4Edit
- Fallout 76: FO76Edit
- A more up-to-date version of FO76Edit is known colloquially as EcksEdit, named after programmer and dataminer Eckserah who maintains the branch of code specific to Fallout 76. This is the best, and most up-to-date version to use for Fallout 76. The latest release can be found on the Fallout 76 Dataminer's Discord.
- Oblivion: TES4Edit
- Skyrim: TES5Edit
- Skyrim: Special Edition: SSEEdit
NukaCrypt[]
NukaCrypt allows for records to be searched and display records from Fallout 76's ESM files. It's available through through its website.
BSA Browser[]
Textures, audio, animation, models and similar content is held in Bethesda Archive files. These can be extracted using the BSA Browser.
The BSA Browser can be downloaded from Nexus mods.
The files extracted through the BSA browser will then need to be accessed with another tool appropriate to the tool type such as:
- Images/Textures: Paint.net, Gimp, Photoshop
- 3D models: Nifskope
- Audio: .Fuz files will need "UnFuzer" to turn them into .wav files which can be opened with most audio programmes.
- Flash animations: JPEXS Flash Decompiler.
Nifskope[]
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Mappalachia[]
Mappalachia is a mapping project by Reddit user AHeroicLlama.
In late 2020, the project was re-released on GitHub as an open-source map-making tool.
Mappalachia also has its own dedicated Discord server