khulse

Thank you! I was getting pretty irritated trying to figure that out! Would it be too much to ask for them to tell us that in the game?

For anyone else struggling with this who is just as aggravated that they never mention the solution and that every other topic on the subject seems to refer back to this thread as I was for the past three hours: In the nif I was working on, a renamed version of the projectile for the sprigan swarm spray spell I was recoloring, I was getting a green mist/splash effect that I didn't want just like the little flames he menions. I eventualy figured out that there was a NiNode named Mover03 with a BSValue node named AddOnNode77 attached. When I deleted it, the green mist effect went away. Then I noticed that In the creation kit there is a section under special effects called AddOnNode, and an MPSDrainGreenImpact that has an index number of 77. That's where the splash effect was coming from. It appears that in some effect nifs there are NiNodes that have a BSValue node attached. The name of the BSValue nodes are always AddOnNode and a number (such as that AddOnNode77). These refer to addonnode effects in the creation kit. Each add on node has an index number- that's the number in the BSValue node's name in nifscope. To get rid of that extra effect, you'll need to delete the BSValue node that references it from the nif (I just deleted the entire branch, parent node and all). You could also change the name of the AddOnNode to point to a more appropriate effect. Of course, there's the option to recolor the addonnode's nif. Keep in mind, though, that you'd be changing the color of every instance of that addonnode effect. I'm not sure if you could make a whole new one. There are exactly 100 in the creation kit, which suggests to me that there may be a limit on how high the index number can go. I'd experiment, but I've been pulling my hair out over this longer than I wanted to as it is lol

@ ReDragon2013 It works perfectly! I had to fiddle with the settings in the nif for the spell effect I wanted to get it to work as an activator, but now that it's all set up everything works more or less the way I want it to. Thank you for the help! For anyone else that's trying to use a custom spell effect with this: you need to create an activator in the creation kit. Easiest way is to clone the summontargetfxactivator and swap out the mesh for the one you want to use. The nif that I wanted to use (lurkerstompexplosion.nif) didn't work originally. I had to swap out the NiStringsExtraData block in the nif for a BSBehaviorGraphExtraData, then rename it to 'BGED' and put in Magic\IdleOnLoad.hkx in the behavior graph file field. Then I had to rename the NiControlerSequence block to mIdle. A little complicated, but it works. Edit to Add: oh, and of course, I renamed and saved the modified lurkerstomexplosion.nif. It's not a good idea to override vanilla resources if you can help it.

No, they're not, especially for someone who's trying to figure out how to do it without much in the way of scripting skill. I'll try fiddling with your's and see if it'll work the way I want it to. Thank you for the help!!! I could just switch out SummonTargetFXActivator for a different one, I suppose. The only trouble is, SummonTargetFXActivator is designed for this (it self disables), but the effect I want to use isn't there. I need to create a custom activator with the same self disable script attached and the effect I want. I'm not sure how reliable this kind of setup would be at retrieving a custom formID from a mod .esp instead of an .esm. I know filling a variable works, since 99% of papyrus scripts do it that way.

My scripting knowledge isn't much, so I'm having a little trouble. I borrowed the following script from the creation kit wiki's "complete example scripts". I've got it working consistently and so forth. I'd also like to change the spell effect it uses from the generic "SummonTargetFXActivator" to a custom effect that's more appropriate for what the spell is supposed to be doing. Putting the activator for the effect together is no problem, but getting it to use that instead of SummonTargetFXActivator is proving to be beyond my meager programming skills. Anyone have any suggestions on how I can do that? scriptName AAHiveMoveActivatorScript extends ActiveMagicEffect ObjectReference Property YourSummonREF Auto ; An ObjectReference will also work with the summon function GlobalVariable Property aiStage Auto Event OnEffectStart(Actor akTarget, Actor akCaster) Summon(akCaster, YourSummonREF) EndEvent ; GetFormFromFile below to enable 'Global' flag Function Summon(ObjectReference akSummoner = None, ObjectReference akSummon = None, Float afDistance = 150.0, Float afZOffset = 0.0, ObjectReference arPortal = None, Int aiStage = 0) Global While aiStage < 6 aiStage += 1 If aiStage == 1 ; Shroud summon with portal arPortal = akSummon.PlaceAtMe(Game.GetFormFromFile(0x0007CD55, "Skyrim.ESM")) ; SummonTargetFXActivator disables and deletes itself shortly after stage 5 ElseIf aiStage == 2 ; Disable Summon akSummon.Disable() ElseIf aiStage == 3 ; Move portal in front of summoner arPortal.MoveTo(akSummoner, Math.Sin(akSummoner.GetAngleZ()) * afDistance, Math.Cos(akSummoner.GetAngleZ()) * afDistance, afZOffset) ElseIf aiStage == 4 ; Move summon to portal akSummon.MoveTo(arPortal) ElseIf aiStage == 5 ; Enable summon as the portal dissipates akSummon.Enable() EndIf Utility.Wait(0.6) EndWhile aiStage = 0 EndFunction

I figured it out. Sort of. I decided to go ahead and start deleting things to see what happened. The very first thing I deleted was a test cell I had left in because I'm still testing. The cell has no doors, or navmesh, or anything, but it does have several of the spider scroll spiders in residence, since my mod involves them. When I deleted that cell, the problem went away. I can't think of a way to prove this, but my guess would be that the spiders were being moved to my location just long enough to push me forward, but then were being moved back to the cell. Or maybe the game was calculating the physics before actually moving them, then couldn't move them because it couldn't figure out how to get them out of the test cell. Or something. Weirdness. Which raises a point- anyone have any idea how to make an npc- say, a spider, for example- either such a feather wight that it can't push the character and can be pushed out of the way easily? Or maybe a sort of selective collision, so they're solid to the rest of the world but go right through the player?

Good suggestion, but yeah, I checked that. They're still right where they're supposed to be. In fact, nothing in most of the cells where this is occurring is so much as in the same world space as any changes the mod has made. The only change the mod makes that should have ever loaded at this point in this game is a corpse I added to the torture chamber in Helgen Keep as a lore friendly way to provide a few non-modded items. After some experimenting, it seems like the character spawns in up against or very close to the nearest object with collision in a straight line from the door, or a certain distance, whichever comes first. It wouldn't bother me so much except that it's a mod I intend to share. If no one has any ideas what might be causing it I'll be stuck with deleting everything in my mod one at a time and testing in game.

Every time I go through a door that loads my character into a new area, I start out half way across the room, or well past the door when going outside. I just started a new game to test out a mod I'm making, and when I turn off the mod it seems to go away (more testing pending). The mod is fairly straight forward, not much scripting or anything. I saw the issue the first time when going through the first door in Helgen, and nothing in my mod should have been affecting the game at that point. I've searched all over the net to see if anyone else has encountered something similar, I've cleaned the mod with tes5edit and the creation kit and so on, but I can't figure out what might be causing this. Does anyone have a guess what it might be, or how to find out?

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I'm having a devil of a time figuring out how to write a script to do what I want. It's simple in concept, but everything I try has failed. I admit I'm very new to scripting. Basicaly, I have a spell with negative effects that I want to add an item, a faction and another spell, then be dispelled - all when the player sleeps. I'm attaching the script to the magic effect itself. Here's what I've got so far: I admit, I'm a newb at scripting. Anyone have any idea what it is I'm doing wrong? Edit: I got it to compile, but it still doesn't work. Nothing happens when I sleep. I updated the script with the one that compiled.

Well, if I don't need the 'conditional' I'll take it off. I'm still not quite clear on what it means, though. Something like being able to change the variable in another script, or something like that? Sorry if I'm missing something obvious... As for the activator issue, it's not a problem in the script, it's a problem with how I'm starting the quest. I'm activating it with an event node set up in the creation kit. It's some kind of limitation of the engine itself. The first item isn't in the quest script at all, and the quest doesn't start until the event node is triggered. Several of the vanilla quests start that way too. Here's the script- edited to remove spoilers :laugh: Doh! Obviously! I can't use a function that looks for a item to look for a form list! I can't believe that didn't occur to me, since I had to change the property to a form list property to set it in the quest... The script and quest have been tested all the way to the end at this point. Everything is working more or less the way I want it to (except that I still haven't gotten around to making an event node for using an activator). Thank you both very much for all the help!

Tested and working. Mostly. I tested getting multiple at once (no problem), whether or not they have one in their inventory at start (doesn't matter, they still have to pick it up; I'm considering leaving it that way as it makes more sense for the quest that they have to interact with the item), taking items from containers (works fine), and gathering the alchemical items from their respective flora (good to go). The two problems I've run into so far are: If they get the initial item from an activator (the bee, activator being the critter) it doesn't work. I can probably add another event node to handle that. The script doesn't seem able to use a form list- putting items in a list attached to the script does nothing. I can't tell if this is due to the item filter or the additem event. This doesn't much matter as I've changed my mind about one of the items anyway and wont need one, but it's important to note. Not yet tested: getting an item from a merchant; getting an item from a mining vein (relevant with only one of them); getting an item from a corpse (I assume it would work the same as getting it from a container); getting the whole list at once from a single container. To be perfectly honest, I have no idea. All the digging I've done hasn't given me a clear idea what the difference is between 'auto' and 'auto conditional'- the creation kit wiki is not particularly helpful most of the time. I'm using 'auto conditional' because several of the quest scripts I've used to figure this out do. What little I've been able to puzzle out indicates that 'conditional' has to do with setting the property using the properties function in the creation kit or something like that... I'm not a programmer, at least not yet. :unsure:

I wouldn't say 'idiot', you just didn't notice :laugh: I'm not sure if changing the filter at each stage is a good idea or not, but along with the stage check it should cut down on chances that the script will return the wrong results at the wrong time. I'll Anyway, the script wouldn't compile as I posted it. The brackets after the GetOwningQuest turned out to be the problem. I opted to switch out the GetOwningQuest for a specific quest property- mostly because at first I though that was the problem. It compiled just fine after that (and I really should have compiled it before I posted. Oh well.)

Would this work? Note on the formatting: For some reason all the indents most people use make my eyes cross. This is much easier to read for me. Will it still work set up this way? In some game modding it seems to matter, in some it doesn't.

That makes sense. I'll make sure to include an inventory even filter so I don't gum up peoples games with pointless script activity. @IsharaMeridan That's pretty close to what I have managed to put together, but it clarifies several things for me. Thank you very much. @lofgren It doesn't really matter if they remove the items. The idea is that they are 'researching' a formula. Each stage identifies a component, and gives a hint at what the next component needs to be. Once they have everything identified, the player can see the recipe and finish the quest any time they like by making the item. I'll be 'locking' each stage as they go so they don't wind of changing stages every time they pick up one of the items. That would get a little annoying.

Thank you for the quick response! I'm sort of leaning towards #2 myself. A couple of questions- Why is the inventoryeventfilter needed, if you can set the onitemadded to a base object? Or am I missing something? I understand how to set up the onitemadded, but I'm a little fuzzy on what to do with the inventoryeventfilter. Where do I put this in relation to the rest of the script? Do you know of any scripts in the game or good example scripts that have a set up something like this? I'm better at assembling the pieces if I can look at an example. I'm not quite sure I follow your alternative suggestion. Sm event nodes only seem able to activate a quest, not the stages. In any case, thank you for pointing me in the right direction. At least no I have an idea of what I need research :thumbsup:

You know, I think the most annoying thing about papyrus is that the really stupidly simple stuff seems to be the hardest things to figure out. I want to start a quest when an unmodified non-specific vanilla instance of an item is picked up. A bee (critterbeeingredient) to start the quest, to bee specific. Then I want to set the next stage when the character picks up a glowing mushroom. When the player picks up a giant lichen, it moves to the next stage- and so on. Then, the player will craft something and use it. That ends the quest. The problem I'm running into is that I can't figure out how to do this without either specifying a specific instance of an object or having the player talking to an actor (which this quest is not supposed to involve in any way). I think I can start the quest with an sm event node. I know how to set things up so that the quest progresses when the character acquires an alias. So I need to know how to either: 1) assign a base item to an alias without it being a specific base item (ANY glowing mushroom, not the Extra Special Dark Green Glowing Mushroom growing in the left nostril of the king of the falmers). or 2) assign the player to an alias with scrips that will progress the game when a specified non-specific item is picked up or 3) just assign an [if Game.GetPlayer()picksup(anyoldglowingfungusfromanywhere)/ setstage insertmyquesthere 9000/ endif] several times to the quest script itself. Anyone know how to do this? Thanks in advance.

I'VE DONE IT! BUAHAHAHAHAH! Look out Tamriel! The weirdness my imagination has concocted will soon afflict you! Well, not soon, maybe. Now I need to put together the spells, creatures, items, recipes, form lists, armors, weapons, special effects, textures, nifs, and large cups of coffee the rest of the mod will need- but I already know how to do all that. Yes, it is rewarding. An insane-masochistic-artist sort of rewarding, but having something you've made come together after all that work and frustration is a satisfaction like no other! Thanks again for the help.

Ahh, now that is very useful to know. Thank you very much! Thanks to another tutorial, I think I know how to force a player into a set of actions via a quest. I think I have most of what I need to start experimenting with a little more success then the last time-and the one before that, and before that, and... Why I do this to myself I can't imagine, but I think at least some of the people here can relate :laugh: . I'm willing to do the coding, if that's what it'll take. This papyrus stuff confuses my poor unlogical brain- I've mostly dealt with xml, and I'm not sure if that counts as real scripting. I'll just have to do what I did then. Off to find some food, some sleep, then some good tutorials on using papyrus. Or for any moder's resources that I can use freely and bend to my will. That might be a better route to go. Again, thanks for the help, and if you (or anyone) can think of anything that will get me past this problem easily and get me back to the parts of modding I enjoy, please let me know. There needs to be some kind of interactive animation for this, and I think the vampire one fits well, but I'm not all that picky.

Ok, code it is. Oh well. Actualy, I intend to use the animation for when the target is sleeping. In the CK that seems to be called by That's where I run face first into my ignorance, and what I'm having trouble figuring out. I have the code, I just don't know what to do with it. Can I just drop that into an activator perk? Do I need to set up a quest? I know how to filter targets in the spell and perk system, but do I have to define that in the code? There's so many bit's and pieces floating around to all of Bethesda's stuff that I can't make heads or tales of what is doing which. And everything I find online is either doesn't apply or assumes someone is already a professional programmer and doesn't need to know how to use the code, just what needs to be in it. That, or they don't know how to use the creation kit at all and aren't ready for this sort of thing yet. My problem is that I know how to do just about everything in the creation kit- except the code. When it comes to that, I'm lost. I can quote lines from books 20 years after I read them, sculpt a work of art, discuss complex philosophical questions, and come up with entire worlds in my head in a matter of minuets- but for some reason I just can't wrap my head around code. :blush: Thank you for the help. I've got a few ideas I'm going to try.

I'm kind of thinking along those lines at this point. I did manage to find what looks like a good tutorial that sort of backs this up, but I haven't had a chance to watch it yet. 'Tagging' is actually very easy- there's a way to use just about anything as a tag, up to and including what spell effects they have on them! I'm sorry. I didn't intend that to be taken all that seriously :sad: I did look through the tutorials for FNIS; they don't seem get into much detail on what I need. I also know how to use nifscope, Blender (I'm poor), have FNIS and a few animation mods already. I mentioned them because I am familiar with them- they just don't have what I'm looking for. My mention of them was mostly intended to convey in a humorous fashion that I was already familiar with these things and hadn't found what I was looking for. I just didn't want to have to tell people what I had already tried. I'm fairly certain jobvandam was joking. My 'severely mocking' him (or her) was playing along with the joke- a real 'severe mocking' would look a lot different. I really do apologize if any of that offended you. By the way, I'm not comfortable with coding because I suck at it. I'll do it if that's the only way, but it would probably take a week just to manage this one simple thing. PS: This is what a severe(ish) mocking would look like, just for illustration: /sarcasm "Yeah, I mentioned all those things because I didn't know what they were. Thank you ever so much for pointing me in the wrong direction. Here's yer sign" :devil: (Edited because my initial reaction was... caustic. I had a rough night at work. Sorry to anyone that read it before I changed it.)

:laugh: I hereby severely mock you. Seriously, though, can't anyone point me to a good tutorial or something. I can't be the only one that's asked this question!

In either the magic effects or the enchant, I'd try putting in a condition like "haskeyword vampire == 1. The question would be whether to set it to 'target' or 'subject'. Harkon's sword is set to 'target'.

I can't seem to figure this out, and I can't seem to find an answer. Which is odd- it's never been that hard in any other modding I've done! So, on to the problem. I'm making a mod, and in this mod I want the PC to play a certain vanilla animation (vampire feeding) on a target (tagged but non-specific npc) either on interaction or on command (such as by casting a spell, activating an item, ect.). I need to set up my own trigger for this because I don't want the other effects of vampire feeding involved (should not be a crime and should not have anything to do with being a vampire, to be exact). I'd rather not have to deal with code unless that's the only way, and would prefer not to deal with the (in my experience) clunky and bug prone dialogue or quest systems unless the only alternative is coding. As near as I can tell pulling apart other, similar things in the creation kit the only way to do what I want is all three- just to play a simple animation... a bit frustrating, to say the least. I already know how to do almost everything else I want to do, just not this. Is there an easier way to get the PC to preform an animation? If so, how? If not, what is the least bug prone, least breakable, most efficient way to set it up? Any help would be deeply appreciated. WARNING (given based on sad experience): I want to TRIGGER an animation ALREADY in the game. I am not trying to make, import, alter, or implement a custom animation. Any attempt to recommend 3d rendering programs, nifscope, FNIS, animation mods, and so on will be severely mocked.