Hey all,

I'm wanting the everyone's opinion.

For about 6 years or more I've been using Darnified UI for FO3/FNV and Oblivion. I think we can all pretty much agree that it's been the apex of UI mods for the aforementioned games, integral to the majority of mod user's load orders.

Well, as some of you know, earlier this year, axonis released Vanilla UI Plus over at the Nexus. I've been tracking it ever since its release. Now that I'm in the process of reshuffling my load order ready for a 2018 playthrough, I wanted to check out Vanilla UI Plus, but I wanted your opinion first. Whether those that have tried it out prefer it to DarnUI or whether DarnUI will always reign supreme.

I was thinking of using a combination of Vanilla UI Plus with either Vanilla HUD Remastered (4K) by BmanBlazer or Vanilla HD HUD by CUtePOiSOnPT.

So what's your verdict, folks? DarnUI or the new Vanilla UI Plus? And what are the pros and cons? Vanilla UI Plus looks to be more compatible from what I can tell, but there's no information from the mod author on how it works with Project Nevada (the grenade hotkey, for example).

May as well make this a poll, too.

Let me know, guys

My load order generally contains mods which I believe enhance the game while not changing it too drastically. This makes Vanilla UI Plus a much more viable option for me because it enhances the interface while keeping various elements of the original still intact, such as the fonts and overall look. I used to use MTUI but I saw a post by Axonis where he criticized MTUI and pointed a few flaws of it, and seeing as Vanilla UI Plus looks much more similar to the vanilla aesthetic I was going for anyway, it made the switch to VUI+ much more justified.

Another minor factor that impacted my decision to use VUI+ instead of any other interface was the fact that changing the HUD and Pipboy colour in the menu actually changes the colour of the text on the main menu, load screen and pause menu. Because I use TTW, amber doesn't exactly go as well with Fallout 3 as green does, so it's a minor nitpick but it just makes TTW that much closer to replicating the original feel of Fallout 3.

I use Darnified for some of my playthroughs mostly because it makes the HUD much more subtle and well, I can view many more items in the inventory than I could with any other interface mod. It also is great for font customisation. I know I already brought up the default fonts of the mod, but you can change them to other fonts, which is always good. The problem I have with Darn, is that I have found no way to get back Monofonto, the default font that fits the game best imo.

TL;DR VUI+ is just much better in my opinion as it improves the vanilla interface not too drastically by changing the entire look of the interface itself.

Thank you for your response @Corvo. Your explanation has given me a lot to consider. Do you use the HD interface mods I mentioned alongside VUI+?

@TheHermit I currently use Vanilla HUD Remastered by BmanBlazer. I have used Vanilla HD HUD in the past, and while it is a great HUD, I believe it strays too far away from the original HUD's aesthetic. It attempts to look more modern while taking away a lot of resemblance to the original HUD, a reason why I instead use VHR instead.

I recommend both, but for someone like me who wants to keep a lot of the game looking the same, I would recommend VHR much more.

Currently, I am using Vanilla UI Plus along with the Vanilla HUD Remastered (same setup with Corvo). I don't use DarnUI anymore because it strays away from the original aesthetic and it has a an option to use "Hardcore Compass". Its a pretty good deal.

First post here, greetings!

I'm the author of Vanilla UI Plus. I found this thread via web search, although I've been reading this forum from time to time.

I think Darnified UI is a great mod and I sometimes envy its beautifully crafted HUD and the number of items that fit in various menus.

However it uses a different font, and in some cases style. If you like it, it's a no-brainer. It's very well developed and everyone supports it. In fact you may find mods that practically require Darnified. So, don't hesitate to use it even if its old. It works fine.

But what if you prefer the vanilla font & style ? Well, then you have 4 options: original vanilla, PipWare, MTUI and VUI+. I don't need to expand on vanilla and I have written my opinion about PipWare and MTUI at a reddit post called "People are still using MTUI ?"

VUI+ was written because I think none of these mods was comparable to the plethora of features and sheer quality of Darnified UI. I feel that it now stands equal against it, not as a contender but as a great option for users that prefer the original look and feel.

first I've heard of vanilla ui plus, will likely try it for my next load order.

Darnified UI I feel adds a really nice neat look to the game and lets you process a lot more at once, but overall I prefer VUI+ as it keeps to the original aesthetic and keeps the New Vegas *vibe* for me while also improving the vanilla HUD significantly. I think it's just down to personal taste, both mods are great though.

I had forgotten to reply to this point:

Quote :

there's no information from the mod author on how it works with Project Nevada (the grenade hotkey, for example)

There's no need for extra instructions for PN because VUI+ works perfectly with any extension supported by UIO, as long as they work with the vanilla interface. Project Nevada is such an extension and therefore the installation instruction is to simply overwrite PN by VUI+. That's it.

I know that many installation guides make things really hard for users but I tried to make my mod as compatible as possible. See here for an example based on PN.

Darnified UI is a must have for me, feels so clean like the good feeling of cleaning a room.

DarnifiedUI is easy on the eyes(at least for me) so it is a must have.

Vanilla UI Plus, better optimized and still got that vanilla feel.

I've been using DaRN since FO3, and I had it working with VUI+, but because of the encouragement on this thread, I'm going to try VUI+ solo with VHR for this playthrough. Change is good, and if I find I prefer DaRN, it's still right there.

I personally always Darnified I've tried Vanilla UI + and while it's a great mod and it require less work to get it all working I still prefer Darnified. The reasons why are I like the slick new fonts more so than Vanilla UI + I like how it adds the red texture for the exit game textures a neat feature in my eyes.

That it is kinda annoying having to download like 4-5 mods to have it affect everything such as DT and the Traits menu but it's a must have for me can't play without it.

Thin Hud + Darnified looks the bets in my opinion