Npc won't use stairs

[grandpauj1]

Ok, I made a three level house and took an NPC (Don't remember who) change the ID, Name Ect. and she will not leave the middle level where I placed her. She has "DefaultSandboxEditorLocation1024" for a Al Package. Is there a trick to getting her to roam around from floor to floor?

Thanks in advance for any help.

[Aragorn58]

Ok, I made a three level house and took an NPC (Don't remember who) change the ID, Name Ect. and she will not leave the middle level where I placed her. She has "DefaultSandboxEditorLocation1024" for a Al Package. Is there a trick to getting her to roam around from floor to floor?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Has the cell been navmeshed?

[JoKelly]

Ditto Aragorn, make sure the cell is Navmeshed first.

 

then I would add two AI packages that send the NPC to different floors following a x marker path. set the schedule for different times and watch them to see if they use it.

 

Sometimes with Sand boxing, the NPC will hang around the editor placement and only use the Idles and furniture markers close by, I have no idea why it happens.

 

I have an NPC I placed in a mod that refused to leave his house. I guess his AI had virtual agoraphobia.

[grandpauj1]

Yes it is. I have made smaller house's (Shack's more like it) before but nothing this big. I didn't know if that was part if the issue. I know I have seen some real big mods, but didn't know if they did the Navmesh different. I was hoping not to use a "set pattern" as it were, I added two more NPC's, one more per floor, but was hoping to use just the one.

Thanks for the reply's. (o:

[MalachiDelacot]

Sometimes it helps if the navmesh diamonds are just above the floor / ground

surface. You might give that a try. If it does not work, feel free to yell

obscenities at me.

[sLoPpYdOtBiGhOlE]

If navmesh is all good, then there is a few ways to get the NPC to sandbox and walk up and down stairs.

 

Some insight to why the NPC doesn't walk up and down stairs when you just set a plain sandbox ai package as you have done.

 

The NPC cylinder vision is restricted by the game settings so they only see 150 units upwards and -50 units downwards from their current position.

the 1024 or any number float radius does not cover upwards or downward (Position Z)

It only covers a horizontal radius with the restriction of -50 ~ 150 on x and y angle (Angle Z = radius, governed by angle x or y can only be between -50 ~ 150)

So the bot just stays on one floor.

 

You could change the game setting for fSandboxCylinderBottom and fSandboxCylinderTop.

(eg: change fSandboxCylinderBottom = -50 to something like -576.0 and changing fSandboxCylinderTop = 150 to something like 576.0)

This is the cheapest and easiest way to make bots wander up and down stairs while sandboxing.

But, it effects everyone in the game world and can have some adverse side effects.

Some minor adverse effects on NPC AI such as:

Indecisive behavior from the npc.

(eg: they head one way and then quickly head another way as if unsure what way they will go)

 

Teleporting to their destination that they see floors above.

(eg: 2 floors up they see an alchemy table and instead of pathing their way there they may just teleport, mainly when it's not a simple path)

 

Teleporting to a test cell for no no known reason.

(I haven't seen this happen personally, but someone else who works on an AI mod has noted it).

 

A proper way to make them sandbox on multiple floors would be to use a custom sandbox AI package or multiple sandbox packages stacked with conditions or times or both and each package you point it to a different reference in the house.

eg:

1st Sandbox package points to an xmarker in the middle of the 1st floor and you set the package to run for 1 hour.

2nd Saandbox package points to an xmarker in the middle of the 2nd floor and you set it for 1 hour.

3rd Sandbox package points to an xmarker in the middle of the 3 floor and you set it also for 1 hour.

 

This way the npc will travel between floors.

The above is just a simple method, but you can make it as complex as you like and add conditions to each package based on different things in the game.

so it doesn't look so robotic and works more randomly.

 

The single custom sandbox AI package is my preference where you add more procedures, stacks and sequences to the AI package.

But it's not for the faint hearted and takes a lot of trial and error to get the way you like and be reliable.

[grandpauj1]

Wow, will have to dig in to this when I have a bit more time. not real sure how to do the " Sandbox package points to" thing, but will try it this weekend.

I will also try the raising the navmesh thing. This has now become a challenge for me, because if nothing else, I love to learn. Thanks to all.

[Aragorn58]

Wow, will have to dig in to this when I have a bit more time. not real sure how to do the " Sandbox package points to" thing, but will try it this weekend.

I will also try the raising the navmesh thing. This has now become a challenge for me, because if nothing else, I love to learn. Thanks to all.

I have used the custom packages as described by @Sloppy for several NPC in a house mod I created for my own use. It is the easiest way to get NPCs to move from floor to floor and give your home a lived in feel. I use idlemarkers and furniture as targets rather than xmarkers but it all depends on what you want your actors to do after reaching the designated floor. These tutorials will help you understand how to make a custom package.

 

http://www.creationkit.com/Bethesda_Tutorial_Packages

 

[soupdragon1234]

One way to check the navmesh is to see whether followers can follow you upstairs easily and quickly, if not theres probably an issue.

 

Wow, will have to dig in to this when I have a bit more time. not real sure how to do the " Sandbox package points to" thing, but will try it this weekend.

I will also try the raising the navmesh thing. This has now become a challenge for me, because if nothing else, I love to learn. Thanks to all.

 

You could use the SandboxMultiLocation template, Hearthfires makes good use of this for the sandboxing packages for teh kids i.e. there are up to 4 sandbox markers in a player house one per floor or wing it works pretty well they will wander all over the house

 

 

 

By comparison some of the vanilla packages are really basic the marriage quest sandbox home package results in spouses seemingly spending most of their time hanging out by Proudspire's basement door despite there being 3 floors to the place:

 

http://i.imgur.com/t6D8tOm.png

Edited August 7, 2015 by soupdragon1234

[grandpauj1]

@Malachi, no obscenities, but it didn't work. Was hoping for a EZ fix )o:

Now I tried the custom package, thanks for the link Aragorn58, She seems to be moving floor to floor now but for some reason I am being asked to leave. I have been using this house for a while already and this is something new. I still have the three NPC's in the house but just did the package for the one on the lower level. She doesn't seem to know how to ready a clock (doesn't follow set times) but that's ok. She does go to the mid level for a bit, kinda wonder around, but when she get's to the upper level where her bed is to sleep, she tells me "you need to leave" and she won't sleep because she is keeping an eye on me. I tried leaving and coming back around 1:00ish and she is sleeping. I thought it might be because I gave ownership of the bed to her, so changed it back to none but still get the "you need to leave". I'm sure it has to do with the way I have it set up. I am going to try moving her out of the house (via the CK) and see what happens. Will keep messing with it as time allows.

@Soupdragon, I will try multi location template on one of the other two and see how that work's. Still going to figure out this custom package thing thou.

As always thanks for all the help, You guy's rock!!! (o;