Published on

Fallout: New Vegas modder wields 'creative freedom' to add rideable horses to Obsidian's epic Western RPG

A new Fallout: New Vegas mod is in development, allowing players to ride horses, offering a Western flair to the post-apocalyptic RPG, a fitting addition considering the game's setting and the developer's creative freedom.

Cover

Fallout: New Vegas, originally released back in 2010, is still getting new community-made mods to this day. This time, the beloved Obsidian RPG is about to get a whole lot more Western. 

Modder Xilandro Axeuora is working on a creation that allows the player character, known as the Courier, to ride a horse. It might seem like a simple addition to a game already packed with content, but sometimes something simple is just what the doctor ordered.

This took... a lot. But mostly my sanity 🫠🚬 pic.twitter.com/SDmpe7800YAugust 22, 2024

Originally, Axeuora says they were working on a mod for cars in Fallout: New Vegas, but evidently dropped it to work on this far funnier and more thematically appropriate idea. The modder said on Twitter, “I also very much hope everyone who really wanted those damn cars, wasn't [an] ass about them, and understood why I dropped them, will be satisfied with this far more fitting means of transportation.”

Alright, answers to some burning questions about horses."Chris Avellone said horses are extinct, you know that, right?"Yeah, but then he took his words back. Either way, I have creative freedom bc I'm making a mod."Is this oblivion horses port/restoration?"No, 100% custom.August 26, 2024

Axeuora took to Twitter to field some other questions about the mod, confirming that this isn't a horse model lifted from The Elder Scrolls games, it's "100% custom." They also brushed off an old comment from New Vegas writer Chris Avellone, who once said horses are extinct in the world of Fallout, stating "I have creative freedom because I'm making a mod." If Thomas the Tank Engine can soar through the skies, I think a horse is fair game. 

While this is a tremendous undertaking and one Axeuora has been working on for a bit (alongside other people such as rigger and animator Hitman47101 and coder Kormakur), it’s not out just yet. They hope to release it by the end of the year, but no promises. Whenever this horse mod drops, we’re ready to put our cowboy hats on and ride into the sunset.

Fallout New Vegas director Josh Sawyer explains why the RPG's opening is a perfect example of respecting the player's skill choices.