lets discuss bringing NPCs to life

[wanderer3292]

Ive been investigating and testing, and i understand the basics but i thought this was worthy of getting opinions from experienced modders.

 

I've added areas to goodneighbor that are floors above the ground area and am looking to make all of the NPCs in the area sandbox better. I've made my own packages and have pulled apart the vanilla packages, but like many other areas of the game Bethesda didnt seem to utilize their tools to the best of their ability. One thing i would like to understand better is the linked refs and patrols. I understand how they work, but am unsure about the best way to implement them. Do i link the specific npcs to furniture and idles, or can i make packages that are linked to the markers, and give those packages to certain NPCs?

 

Right now I have packages with different parameters for different areas, and have given ownership of the furniture and idles to certain npcs.eventually I'd like to allow certain NPCs to enter and exit cells on a schedule. Maybe I don't have a good enough understanding, but It looks like Bethesda did the minimum with vanilla GN NPCs, so studying those packages hasn't been much use.I will keep experimenting in the meantime, but I'd like to hear what others have come up with to make their NPCs sandbox efficiently.

[HadToRegister]

I suppose you already know about the

 

SetGS fSandboxCylinderTop 576
SetGS fSandboxCylinderBottom -576

 

To make NPCS go up and down floors in tall buildings etc

[wanderer3292]

Yes, i have done that, it definitely works but I'm trying to have certain NPCs stay in certain areas. I guess i was just hoping that someone had spent time dialing in more properties and had advice, or if there is just a major limit of how the npc ai can work in this game. Either way i will keep trying and will respond back here if anyone is interested in the results.

[speedynl]

i never did much with packages in fo4, but it prolly works the same as skyrim

 

pack 1 point to xmarker in cell/arena 1, npc work/stay there from xx to xx time

pack 2 point to xmarker in cell/arena 2, npc work/stay there from xx to xx time

ect, i can remember hertz at the lumber mill in skyrim, had like 3-4 packages to work at the mill, chop wood ect

 

to make it short, make xx packages with difrent time tabels

[wanderer3292]

I appreciate the advice speedy. I made sandbox,sleep and eat packages for each npc covering the 24 hour day and it has mostly worked correctly,but not perfect. One of my characters froze into a t pose near the edge of one of the cells, im guessing if i lower the sandbox radius it will stop that from happening, but I'd like for them to use all of the goodneighbor cells like the vanilla NPCs.

 

I feel like there is a more efficient way to control their behavior and what markers they use. In the idles tab in the package properties there seems to be a lot more idles than i have available to put into the cell myself, but when i add them to specifically use, the npcs just repeat them when they arrive at an idle marker I've previously put down in the cell.

 

I still haven't been able to figure out linked refs or xmarkers yet. A patrol seems like it would accomplish my goal more efficiently, but i also haven't figured out how to define the exact markers for them to use when i set up a patrol package.

[speedynl]

from what i can remember from skyrim patrol = lot of markers connect to each other(they are those blue flat 1's with a arrow pointing the way they shoud move)

 

like 1 connecr to 2, 2 connect to 3 ect, you can make a day or night pack depending when you wana follow the patrol route, you only have to point to npc to the start marker

 

fo4 prolly handle patrols they same way as skyrim, but i can't remember exact to long ago that i did something with the ck

 

maybe a good idea to look at some raider patrols in fo4 to see how beth set them up

[wanderer3292]

Yeah i just watched a video explaining the process from the new vegas geck.sounds like the missing piece of info that i need!

[speedynl]

you mention not enough idles, when you just look under markers/idles(i tink) you only see a few, try a search (npc) on all, there are plenty idels in that list then(not all useble)

 

you would say beth putted all idles under marker, but a lot idles start with npcxxxx

Edited February 26, 2019 by speedynl

[wanderer3292]

Yeah there still may be spme hiding that i haven't found. I suceeded in bringing my npcs to life, patrols arent really necessary although it was fun messing with them. After giving everyone multiple packages for the day, directing their sandbox to some xmarkers that are linked together allowed them to use the idles and furniture markers in all the different areas. I even was able to give them specific idles to perform before and after changes of packages so that they really seem like crazy drug users since that is what goodneighbor is supposed to be.

[Perraine]

You know there is a mod called invisible furniture or something like that, that adds a shyte tonne of idle animation makers that you can slap down in workshop mode - things like rail 1, 2, 3, 4, coffee drinking, play with knife, praying etc. (that one is good for the grave sites on Spectacle Island). There is even several cat and dog idles as well.

 

If you use place everywhere you can get real creative i.e. I placed a pool table, then used the 'Rail' makers and placed them as just the right height/depth to get the NPC's to "lean" on the edge of the table and make it appear as though they were checking out the game. There is Noodle and Coffee makers to place around your food/drink vendor, hand warming and 'invisible chair' makers, so you can place a campfire and have NPC's sit on rocks ...