Noggog

Hey all! I'm wondering if anyone knows about a Conscribe (https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/26510/) equivalent for Skyrim? Namely a plugin that adds API for writing/reading from the harddrive? Thanks!

So this is the bug (or feature) that I'm running into in Skyrim/CK: Create a new FormList Add the Cell "DoomstonePineForest01" to the list Make a script that loops over that formlist and prints its contents. Save When I start the game with that setup, the FormList has nothing in it (the Doomstone cell has been removed) I've tested with other cells and they aren't removed and are printed by the script.. but Doomstone (and maybe others out there) are removed. Any ideas why this could be happening? Much appreciated! - Lev

The idea is I am taking common NPCs such as EncWolf, and templating them to LLists containing EncWolf duplicates with different skins applied, so that when it spawns in the world, it chooses from its LList template which skin to apply. All is fine and dandy with that. The issue comes along with existing LLists that contain EncWolf. The LList hates the fact that its EncWolf entry is now templated to a LList. The CK throws the error: "LeveledCharacter contains leveled template actors", telling me to remove the EncWolf entry that is templated. Is this a legitimate issue that will cause problems? Or is the CK just being a baby? I expect it may be worried about LList references being circular, but I feel like it should be able to handle having an entry that's templated to a LList just fine as long as they aren't circular. Any insights to whether this is a valid warning to pay attention to?

Thanks! I figured it out poking around some more with your suggestions. I was confused because I was basing it off the nif file ordering. In the nif file, the BSShaderTextureSet node lists them like this: [68][0m:8s][9] [AV_Nif] 0: textures\actors\wolf\WolfBLACK.dds [69][0m:8s][8] [AV_Nif] 1: textures\actors\wolf\Wolf_n.dds [70][0m:8s][8] [AV_Nif] 2: textures\actors\wolf\Wolf_sk.dds [71][0m:8s][7] [AV_Nif] 3: [72][0m:8s][7] [AV_Nif] 4: [73][0m:8s][8] [AV_Nif] 5: [74][0m:8s][7] [AV_Nif] 6: [75][0m:8s][8] [AV_Nif] 7: textures\actors\wolf\Wolf_b.dds [76][0m:8s][8] [AV_Nif] 8: So I assumed TX00 - TX07 were assigned in this order as well, with maybe 8 being discarded as not used? Anyway, I see now that this ordering doesn't directly map to the TX00-07 records. 8( Gotta break out some more sophisticated code, it seems. I still don't know what Wolf_b.dds is for. Would it be the detail map, maybe? That's the only other available field in TextureSet Thanks again!

I'm working on a project dealing with TXST replacements. Specifically, I'm testing a TXST replacement for Bellyache's wolf textures. I've created a TextureSet(TXST) record for them, but no matter what tweaks I do, I always seem to get an error saying it is "missing a rim lighting map", and the wolves glow purplish. The TXST settings so far are: Diffuse: Bellache's wolf.dds Normal/Gloss: Bellyache's wolf_n.dds Environment: Bethesda's wolf_sk.dds Backlight Mask / Specular Map: Bethesda's wolf_b.dds I've tested almost all combinations of ticking facegen texures/has specular map/has model space normal map checkboxes, but I always seem to still get this "missing a rim lighting map" error. It's confusing as there are no more textures in Bethesda's textures/actors/wolf/ folder that I haven't plugged into the TXST record. I'm not sure what is missing and/or I can tweak to get this looking right without errors. Any pro texturers/modelers know what's causing the error? Thanks ahead of time! - Lev

Yeah, totally makes sense. Until today, I've always just been assuming "texturer knows best" Sweet! I'm pumped to see the results once I'm done with my 1024x mipmap optimization. 8) Hopefully will gain a few sweet FPS numbers back Thanks a ton! We need to start having texturers do this themselves. >8(

Hey, thanks for the feedback. As I've been doing my texture-comb, I've been saving any texture file that looks to have some transparency in it as DXT5 (as a lot of the landscape textures do). If it looks like the texture is 100% opaque coloring, I save it as DXT1. Ah yes, mipmaps, the GFX card uses the smaller versions as they're father away, and then brings the full version in as you get near? Am I correct in my understanding of their use? Are there any tradeoffs to not having mipmaps? Are there be any cases where they shouldn't be present? As for the math, I just took one of my 2048 textures, checked the filesize, did the save, and compared. 8\ Don't know what to say about it being 100% right in theory. I do know DXT1 is less by some degree, at least. Haha

So, I was going through my texture packs and reducing the rediculous 2048x2048 textures down to 1024. As I was doing this, I noticed there were a few ways of saving these dds files (I'm using Photoshop with Nvidia's DDS converter): DXT1 - no alpha DXT3 - explicit alpha DXT5 - interpolated alpha I noticed a great deal of texture packs had textures that had absolutely -no- transparency saved in dds versions that support alpha masks (DXT3/5). Why is this an issue? Because supporting alpha masks increases their file size a good amount. A 2048x2048 texture in DXT3 is ~ 2.7MB, while a 2048x2048 DXT1 version is 2MB, a file size decrease of 25% (Not to mention: a 1024x1024 DXT1 is only .5MB, a file size decrease of 80% :tongue: ) Am I right in thinking that textures that are completely opaque can be saved as DXT1 to reduce filesize without any bad side effects? I've done some testing in-game, and this seems to be the case. I haven't noticed any strange anomalies. If so, a lot of these texture packs out there need to do some tweaking, because they're wasting user's precious FPS away for nothing.

Talent: Scripting Skill: good. I encourage you to take a look at my work and judge for yourself, as that's a better indication. Languages: Gamebryo (Oblivion), Java, C++, C#, others. Projects: Dynamic Leveled Lists - Complex setup that improves on and allows user control of the Oblivion spawning system Has a lot of probability theory, Gamebryo coding, Java coding and GUI design, binary file processing, and tricking Oblivion into doing what I want. Automatic Patrols - Script that puts its owner on an automatically generated patrol route around the area. Absorbed into DLL. Talent: Texturing Skill: good. I've done a lot of Photoshopping, but most of it is off of the nexus. Work: An old graphic design resume of mine. Don't use the email listed there as it's offline) High Resolution Loading Screens - Created a high resolution "wrapper" and overlay for other load screen mods. Vectorized Djangos Tattoos - Vectorized a tattoo mod I loved to make the designs crisper. Talent: Audio Skill: decent mixing/editing. Work: Ambient Wasteland - A simple but powerful injection of tons of ambient noises into the FO3 world Band work under the name Afterimage. We recorded/mixed our own stuff, so I have a lot of experience editing sound (wasn't the song writer, though). Quit in 2009 to pursue Computer Science. *pushes up glasses* Contact through my email: Afterimage1753@gmail.com or PM me

Ah.. I get the picture. It's for the lists around the entrance to the gates.. not inside them. 8) Wasn't thinking about those, 8o Awesome, thanks a ton! Kudos!

Thanks for the reply, but I'm still wondering if it's useful. Why would the LList keep spawning if the gate that contained its spawnpoint was non-existent? The only time spawnpoints spawn their LLists is when the cell is reset and the PC enters for the first time, which would never happen if the gate was closed, non-existent, since the PC couldn't re-enter. I interpret to script as saying: "if you enter the area and it is non-existent, don't spawn anything." Which is an impossible paradox. Also, what does destroying a LList even do? LLists are just "lists" referred to by spawnpoints to find out what they should place. The spawnpoint is what should be deleted. Deleting a LList, in my understanding, would mean no other spawnpoints that used it could spawn. Are you seeing something I'm missing?

I was wondering if anyone could help me understand what this script does, and if it is still usefull/necessary to have on all the daedra LLists. The script in question is DaedraLeveledListSCRIPT (0000A8EE) scn DaedraLeveledListSCRIPT ; this script marks the leveled lists as destroyed when the parent is destroyed short doOnce ref myParent short tempdestroyed short temphaveparent begin OnLoad set doOnce to 0 end begin gamemode if doOnce == 0 set doOnce to 1 set myParent to GetParentRef if myParent > 0 set temphaveparent to 1 if myParent.getdestroyed == 1 setdestroyed 1 set tempdestroyed to 1 else setdestroyed 0 set tempdestroyed to 0 endif endif endif end Currently, I have a mod that manages LLists. As a precaution it ignores (doesn't manage) any LList that has a script, as it could do special things that I don't forsee and might screw up. However, this means it manages almost NO daedra LLists because of this script... but this script seem very useless. It seems like it might have been an early attempt at LList garbage collection that was depreciated. If it is indeed useless, I would like to be able to mark it as a "safe script" and manage LLists with it in my mod. Any ideas as to whether it's safe to remove?

Ah yes, compression hadn't crossed my mind. 8) The problem that remains is that I'm trying to make a dynamic "processor" application that detects what people have in their mods, and acts accordingly. I could uncompress it myself by hand, but that would only work for that single mod for me.. and not for the mass population. 8\ Is there somewhere I could find out the compression protocols? I'd like to "crack the code" so I can process the information as it naturally occurs in mods. I know tes4edit can do it, as it displays the NPC_s as normal. Do you know why it's only the NPC_ records that have compression?

I've been picking through the binary of .esp files and thought I had it figured out. Most of my findings look like this You can see the different sections described in the CREA page: http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Tes4Mod:Mod_File_Format/CREA It's like this for most records that I know of. However, when I get to the NPC records, it's absolute gibberish Even though the same UESP site doesn't mention any major difference at all: http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Tes4Mod:Mod_File_Format/NPC Anyone know if the NPC section is just in some other encoding scheme? Or is there something else I'm missing?

Thanks! But I'm looking for a way to make sure this specific script block runs every time a PC enters a cell, not just once, but every time it happens.

Is there a way to tell whether an object (or maybe the cell the object is located in) is loaded in memory? I want to make sure an OnLoad block will run, as it won't run if it's already loaded in memory. Any ideas?

Alright, that's useful to know. I guess I was just hoping it would trigger the onPackageDone block, as I want more scripts to be run once it gets to the target. Is there a way to trigger that it's succeeded without doing a gameMode block distance if statement?

This week seems to be my newb questions week: I can't figure out how to get my AI package to trigger as finished. I have an AI package set up to: Travel Location Near Reference, with a radius of 100. The sheep that I attached it to walks to the specified reference correctly, but then walks through it and back, as if it's going between the two closest pathgrid nodes, trying to get to the reference it's passing nearby all along. Along with this, none of the onPackageDone setups I've tried have worked. Is there something I'm missing? I thought the parameters for the AI package to be complete was to be within 100 "units" of my target reference.. Something I know is happening, but the AI isn't triggering as done. Any ideas?

Sweet. I must've missed that function on my function list runthough. That's the missing piece, I believe. Onwards and upwards! 8) Thanks! PS, apparently I already gave you kudos.. 8o

Heya, I've started a mini-project to make a script that would analyze a dungeon's Path grid, randomly pick a few that make a "patrol route", and then send the creature running the script on that patrol route. I think I have the systems for creating the route theoretically sound, but I don't quite know how to "order" my creature to move to a location. One option would be to make an AI package, of course... but that would require that AI package to be placed ahead of time on EVERY creature I want to use my patrol script. I'd like to find a way to move my creatures around without using AI packages (that or have OBSE come out with an "attach AI package" command; I didn't see one?). Any ideas would be appreciated! 8)

Complicated doesn't bother me 8) Whether or not it's CPU heavy in the end is what I'd be concerned with. Thanks for the link! I'll take a looskie! 8)

Heya, I'm trying to make a script that will evaluate which of several points is the farthest, based on pathing distance, rather than absolute distance. This would mostly be at work indoors where the farthest pathing distance could be a room right below the entrance that isn't actually a long absolute distance away. Is this possible? If so, what's the best way to go about this?

So, if I have a script that is attached to a creature. Is there a "this" functionality that will let me get a reference to the creature that called the script? For example.. how would I do a simple script that would kill the creature that called the script?

I hear you. I was in your shoes 4 or so years back. Trying to play Oblivion and things just went wrong all the time. Honestly, though.. Oblivion + Modding is all about persistence and knowledge. If you know how to use Tes4edit, CS, wrye bash, and friends.. you can start tinkering and learning to see a problem and know where to start looking to find the bug/issue. One procedure that has helped me immensely, when I've exhausted all others, is to just start disabling my mods in halves. Disable half your mods.. see if the bug/crash/incompatibility is still there. If it is, you know that the mods you deactivated weren't causing the issue. If it disappeared, you know that they were responsible. Then, you cut the remaining mods in half, and test again.. after a while, you'll end up at one mod that controls the presence of the bug. Knowing which mod it is is half the battle. Now that you know which mod it is, you can start investigating why it's causing the issues it is. I can't just look at your mod list and tell you what's wrong. You'll have to notice the issue and go on safari yourself. 8) Hope that all helped a little towards your modding initiation.. XD

You can try out my mod: Dynamic Leveled Lists. It will give you ungodly amounts of control over the spawning behaviors of the creatures you do have. Add in a few monster mods, and you've got a party. 8) Some settings I would suggest to get a more unpredictable feel: LowTierCutoff = 15ish HighTierCutoff = 15ish SpawnCountmax = 5 SpawnCountBaseRate = 35ish This will make creatures +- 15 levels around you spawn, and give a 35% chance that more than 1 creature will spawn at once, up to a max of 5. 8) And no, it doesn't matter what mods you have. It'll work with anything. You can also set the Tier cutoffs to 0 to basically get what you're asking; ignoring your PC level and spawning everything equally (will give it a WarCry/WAC feel)