Movin On Up

[Sabat9]

Here's a teaser shot of what i'm workin on, just to give a visual reference..

 

http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww95/sabat9/ScreenShot1.jpg

 

 

 

 

I may actually end up adding a few more levels onto the top, but before I do, I wanna make sure i'm doin' it rite.

 

I've thought about using the GTS system to make a new location for this structure, but in the end, i'm going to leave it where it is currently...the northeast region of the wasteland.

 

So i've taken a precursory look at how Megaton is structured in the GECK, as in the difference between MegatonWorld files, and the Wasteland Cell files which you see when you stand outside the Megaton gates. I'm not really sure how the technical details are set up, but it's obvious there are multiple "versions" of Megaton, with all the statics copied and pasted into whichever particular cell or worldspace your character happens to be in.

 

Obviously, the inside of Megaton is it's own cell, and the outside is a representation for what is visible in the wasteland cell.

 

Im wondering if i need to take the same approach with this project, despite the smaller scale of NPC/Quest interaction which I have in mind. Now, this structure probably won't have as many things going on as Megaton does (NPC wise) but I do want there to be some life.

 

I've just begun on placing any NPC's at all, with bad results so far, so i gotta read up on that. My main question really has to do with the best way to approach setting up all the cells/worldspaces in the most efficient way possible. So far, in my personal testing and on my computer, I'm having no problems with simply plopping all these statics down in the middle of the wasteland, without lag or any detrimental gameplay effects in the areas on and around the tower. I do have doors in the main part of the structure that lead into interior cells, which i have no difficulty with, this part i have down pat.

 

So, for the sake of framerates and NPC management, do i need to learn how to create a Megaton-style "TowerWorld" cell space to have this kind of mod work properly for the widest range of machines?

[Baelkin]

I think one of the reasons that Megaton, opposed to a lot of other "town" areas, has a separate interior and exterior is because it's much easier to remove Megaton in a certain quest if you only have to remove one GECK object rather than having to remove every single item through scripting. When you "drop the bomb" on megaton, the only thing that needs to be removed is the collection of buildings that make up the exterior version rather than every single object used to make up the interior cell, which would include buildings, NPCs, items and what-have-you.

 

As for making NPCs work, don't worry about it as even Bethesda messed up on that one in Megaton with some NPCs falling to their own violent deaths while having a smoke.

[Sabat9]

that absolutely makes sense.

 

I thought it also might have something to do with managing the stress on yer CPU, which has to compute the actions of all the various NPC's, but thinking about other hi-population areas in the game, there's plenty that are just "in the wasteland." Big Town for instance.

 

So, if it doesn't matter in this aspect, i'll keep pluggin away and not worry about it.

 

Still having problems gettin my NPC's to appear, but that's another topic and some research....8P

 

 

(ps: a falling death from the tower is indeed violent and gruesome. I end every run-thru with one, lol)

[Baelkin]

that absolutely makes sense.

 

I thought it also might have something to do with managing the stress on yer CPU, which has to compute the actions of all the various NPC's, but thinking about other hi-population areas in the game, there's plenty that are just "in the wasteland." Big Town for instance.

 

So, if it doesn't matter in this aspect, i'll keep pluggin away and not worry about it.

 

Still having problems gettin my NPC's to appear, but that's another topic and some research....8P

 

 

(ps: a falling death from the tower is indeed violent and gruesome. I end every run-thru with one, lol)

 

Yep. Another reason for separating the interior from the exterior is that you suddenly won't find your settlement depopulated by a random band of NPCs with bigger guns than the residents - areas like Big Town are fairly insignificant, but I'd definitely be a little miffed if I suddenly found one of the major trading hubs leveled by a single band of Giant Radscorpions because the NPCs are scrubs at taking care of anything more dangerous than a Molerat. We all know how the roving traders have a habit of getting themselves wiped if you don't use mods to bolster them, so having it happen to an entire hub would be rather annoying, even though it'd be cool the first time around.