Most reliable way to make NPCs follow schedule?

[ErianDragonborn]

Hi!

For a mod I'm working on, it is essential that the NPCs follow a quite tight scedule. I've devided it in blocks of 1 hour and have them for example walk from one place to the next in an hour (a distance they can make when walking fast), have them have a conversation or say something and then move on.

 

I've encountered 2 problems with this.

 

1) NPCs stop walking and just stand there.

This is a bug that is mentioned a lot, but I was wondering if there is a way to make it happen less frequently. I've noticed it most often when NPCs are moving from the Temple of the Divines in Solitude. If I am in the temple with them and walk out with them, there are often at least some that will stand still in the bit where the marriage will take place. They don't do anything. If I then walk to where they have to go to (it's usually half an hour later) and wait for 23 hours, they do all turn up at their destination.

 

2) Packages start at an unreliable moment (or not at all).

a) Some packages require an NPC to say something quite long. It will take a full in-game hour. I can't devide it into sentences, since that would sound very bad. But when I enter the temple at 12.15 and someone should start speaking at 12.00, they will just stand in the right place and be quiet. (I use the 'say' package and have them speak to themselves)
b) Also, if they have to move from the Temple to the market from 12.00 to 13.00 and I use wait to arrive at 12.30, they will often start leaving the temple at 12.30, giving them 30 minutes less to get to the market, which might not be enough.

Is there any way to make the schedule more reliable? I know that it's Bethesda NPCs and they are not quite easy to work with but I want to make the best of it.