Setup

Build and test the TTW setup in small checkpoints so Android problems are easier to isolate.

Guide picker Shonk's Pocket Mojave New Vegas on Android Shonk's Pocket Wastelands TTW on Android

Before you start

GameNative build note

If custom games or the expected drive do not appear, re-check the GameNative build you installed before changing random settings. The home page explains the modern prerelease limitation.

New to these terms?

Use the Glossary when a term is unclear. Do not guess at settings like DXVK, FEXCore, Turnip, present mode, shared storage, or plugin order.

Which PC versions should I use?

GOG is recommended for the simplest Android handoff

Generate TTW from clean, supported English copies of Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas. For the New Vegas installation that will be copied to Android, the GOG release is usually the simplest choice because it is DRM-free.

Steam copies can also work. GameNative can recognize Steam ownership, but a New Vegas folder copied manually from a PC may not be detected immediately.

If GameNative does not recognize a copied Steam installation:

Confirm that GameNative is signed into the Steam account that owns Fallout: New Vegas.
Rename the shared-storage game folder so it closely matches the name shown in the Steam client. Fallout New Vegas is a good example.
Close and reopen GameNative.
Refresh or recreate the game entry or container, then select FalloutNV.exe again.

The folder rename and container refresh worked during my testing, but newer GameNative versions may not need it and the workaround is not guaranteed on every device.

The Epic Games Store versions should also work when the required TTW and Epic preparation steps are followed, but I have not personally tested this Android handoff. GOG remains the recommended first-time route.

These DML instructions are for v0.6.0-beta

DML v0.6.0-beta does not yet have a dedicated TTW game option. Use the Fallout: New Vegas game type with a clearly named Pocket Wastelands profile. This release uses separate manually selected targets for the Data folder and, when needed, the Game Root folder. It does not infer one from the other or validate the complete TTW installation. Plugin files still require a manual handoff to GameNative. This release does not create DML_output, apply INI presets, or manage archive invalidation.

How to troubleshoot setup

Change one thing at a time, then test again.
Write down exact version numbers before changing GameNative, Proton/Wine, FEXCore, DXVK, Turnip, DML, or driver settings.
Test vanilla before adding mods. A modded crash report is not useful if the unmodded game never launched.
When DML asks for the Data Folder, select <Game Folder>/Data. After TTW is deployed, confirm it contains FalloutNV.esm, Fallout3.esm, and TaleOfTwoWastelands.esm.
When DML separately asks for the Game Root Folder, select the parent folder containing FalloutNV.exe and Data. Do not swap the two targets.
If DML rejects a folder or deploys to the wrong place, reselect the correct target and manually check its contents. v0.6.0-beta does not validate the complete TTW installation for you.
If deployment worked before but now fails, Android may have removed DML's folder permission. Select the affected folder again and approve the system access prompt.
A missing DML_output folder is normal in v0.6.0-beta. That automatic export folder is planned for a later release.
Keep screenshots of GameNative settings, DML profile settings, deployment results, the plugin list, and DML's operation log.
Separate the problem into one layer: GameNative, the game install, DML, the mod list, plugin activation, timestamp order, or INI settings.

GameNative setup

Use a simple GameNative setup first. Do not change drivers, wrappers, resolution, and mods all at the same time.

GameNative build

GameNative 1.0.0 latest release.

Resolution

1280x720

Executable

FalloutNV.exe / xNVSE route after the TTW baseline is confirmed.

Wine / Proton

Proton 10 ARM64EC.

Emulator

FEXCore.

Renderer

DXVK.

Driver

Turnip driver matched to your device.

Present mode

Mailbox.

Frame target

60 FPS.

Storage

Shared storage outside GameNative App Storage. Internal shared storage is preferred when possible.

Proton 11 ARM64EC warning

Use Proton 10 ARM64EC for the normal guide target. GameNative Proton Wine releases currently mark Proton 11 ARM64EC builds as testing-only and warn about instability or crashes. Test Proton 11 only when you are deliberately comparing Proton versions.

Device and version profile

Pick the device/profile closest to your setup. The values below are test notes for GameNative and the compatibility layers, not a guarantee that every matching device will work.

Select your device/profile:

GOG launcher notice inside GameNative

If the Fallout: New Vegas launcher inside the GameNative Windows container has greyed-out options, hides the Play button, or says the game needs to be installed even though the files are already on the device, the container may be missing the Bethesda registry entry.

Download GOG's beth_registry.zip fix.
Extract beth_registry.cmd.
Place beth_registry.cmd in the game root inside the container, next to FalloutNV.exe.
Run it from that folder and allow it to update the registry.
Open the launcher again. If the options are still greyed out, report the GameNative build, game source, and exact folder path.

This is not a normal PC setup step. Use it only when the game is already on the Android device and the launcher inside GameNative acts like the game is not installed.

Checkpoint: GameNative works before DML

Fallout: New Vegas launches in GameNative before the TTW archive is deployed.
You can reach the main menu.
You can start a new game and reach Doc Mitchell's house.
If this fails, stop here. Fix GameNative, the game install, or the profile before adding TTW.

Install Fallout: New Vegas in shared storage

This is required for the DML route

Do not place the active New Vegas install only inside GameNative App Storage. DML needs practical access to the same folder it will deploy into.

/storage/emulated/0/PcGames/Fallout New Vegas/

Prepare Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas on PC

Install clean English copies of Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas with all DLC on a Windows PC.
Launch both games once on PC so they create their default settings and folders.
Do not use a previously broken or heavily modded install as the TTW source.

Generate Tale of Two Wastelands on PC

Do not generate TTW on Android

Run the TTW installer on PC. Android/GameNative is the play target, not the place to build the TTW output.

Follow The Best of Times for the PC-side TTW generation requirements.
Generate a clean TTW output folder.
Confirm the generated TTW setup launches on PC if possible.
Zip the finished TTW output folder for transfer to Android.

Zip and transfer TTW to Android

Move the finished TTW archive to Android shared storage.
Open Droid Mod Loader.
Create or select a Pocket Wastelands profile.
Import the TTW archive.
Deploy to the Fallout: New Vegas Data folder in shared storage.

Droid Mod Loader v0.6.0-beta setup

Use a New Vegas game type and a separate TTW profile

v0.6.0-beta does not yet include a dedicated Tale of Two Wastelands game option. Select Fallout: New Vegas and use a clearly named Pocket Wastelands profile so it is not confused with a normal New Vegas setup.

Open DML.
Select the Fallout: New Vegas game type and the Pocket Wastelands profile.
When DML asks for the Data Folder, select the TTW/New Vegas <Game Folder>/Data folder.
After TTW is deployed, confirm that it contains FalloutNV.esm, Fallout3.esm, and TaleOfTwoWastelands.esm.
If DML separately asks for the Game Root Folder, select the parent folder containing FalloutNV.exe and Data.
Do not swap those two targets. v0.6.0-beta does not automatically detect Data from the Game Root or validate the complete TTW installation.
Deploy the current state.
Open DML's plugin list, enable only the plugins you installed, arrange the list to match the guide, and tap Write Plugin Files.

Activation, plugin order, and mod priority are different

plugins.txt lists enabled plugins. For TTW/New Vegas, each enabled filename is written on its own line without a * prefix. loadorder.txt records DML's full plugin list in the order shown by the app, including disabled entries.

TTW uses New Vegas's timestamp-based plugin ordering. DML v0.6.0-beta does not change ESM or ESP modification timestamps, so writing or copying loadorder.txt alone does not enforce the real in-game order. Mod priority is a separate list that controls loose-file conflicts.

Checkpoint: TTW archive and DML deployment

DML has a Pocket Wastelands profile using the Fallout: New Vegas game type.
The TTW archive imports without missing-file errors.
The Data Folder target is the TTW/New Vegas <Game Folder>/Data folder in shared storage.
If a Game Root target is configured, it is the parent folder containing FalloutNV.exe and Data.
DML reports that plugins.txt and loadorder.txt were written successfully.
If deployment fails, stop here and fix DML, storage, or the archive before launching GameNative.

Copy DML's plugin files into GameNative

DML v0.6.0-beta does not copy these files into GameNative automatically.

After tapping Write Plugin Files, open DML's operation log. It prints the exact source path for plugins.txt and loadorder.txt.
On most current installations, the files are under DML's profile storage in Android/data/com.shonkware.droidmodloader/files/state/profiles/. Open the folder for the active Pocket Wastelands profile. If DML's log shows a different path, use the logged path.
Use ZArchiver or another file manager that can request access to Android/data through Android's system folder picker. Root access is not normally required for this external app-storage path.
Copy both files into a temporary shared folder that GameNative can see, such as Download/DML Plugin Transfer/. This folder is user-created; it is not the unreleased automatic DML_output feature.
Open GameNative's file manager and copy both files into C:/users/xuser/AppData/Local/FalloutNV/. If your container uses another username, use that user's AppData/Local/FalloutNV folder.
Replace the existing files when prompted. plugins.txt controls activation; loadorder.txt is a readable reference for DML's saved list. Repeat this handoff whenever plugin activation or the DML list changes.

Checkpoint: GameNative sees the plugin files

The plugin files exist in GameNative's AppData/Local/FalloutNV folder.
plugins.txt contains TaleOfTwoWastelands.esm and YUPTTW.esm with no * prefixes.
The ESM and ESP timestamps in the actual shared-storage Data folder used by GameNative match the intended TTW order.
If the game starts as plain New Vegas, stop and check the active profile, plugin-file handoff, and plugin timestamps.

BethINI Pie setup

Use BethINI Pie after the TTW files are in place. Keep settings conservative until the TTW start is proven.

Manual TTW starting quest check

After the first launch, verify that the TTW start behaves correctly before adding more mods. TTW is heavier than plain New Vegas and problems compound quickly.

Tracking performance

Use the GameNative overlay first for a quick FPS check.
Use the same route, weather, time of day, and save each time.
Only switch to DXVK HUD when you need frame time, draw call, pipeline, or memory details.
Turn the DXVK HUD off after the benchmark.

DXVK_HUD=fps,frametimes,drawcalls,pipelines,memory