What the best or most recommended mods for managing outfit followers?

[Arpin282]

Is there a mod to manage follower outfits so that they keep using what we give them even after we dismiss them?

I want to give my followers a nice outift/armor but they only wear it when with me and when I dismiss them they go back to their default armor.

[anjenthedog]

idk if best or what but Simple NPC Outfit Manager might do what you need. Probably others too.

 

[DirebearCoat]

34 minutes ago, anjenthedog said:

idk if best or what but Simple NPC Outfit Manager might do what you need. Probably others too.

 

I looked at the video, showing how the mod works.  The dialogue looked like AFT (Amazing Followers Tweak).  Do you think that the mod load order was "AFT," and afterward "Simple NPC Outfit Manager?"  Or what am I seeing?

[scorrp10]

I use Amazing Follower Tweaks along with My Home is Your Home.  Which manages up to 64 followers.  Generally if you set outfit for a follower, and then semi-dismiss them (they stay in-framework, but go to hang out at the assigned home), they generally keep the assigned outfit.   

[TenaciousDSquare]

13 hours ago, Arpin282 said:

Is there a mod to manage follower outfits so that they keep using what we give them even after we dismiss them?

A dismissed Follower will return to being a Non-Player Character (NPC). NPCs will keep whatever gear given to them as a Follower equipped as long as you (Player) remain in the same cell as the NPC. Once you leave that cell and return to it the NPC is recreated and will equip whatever is listed as that NPC's default gear. You need an NPC Overhaul mod not a Follower mod to accomplish this. I'm sorry to say I don't have any NPC Overhaul mods to recommend that do this. 

If you don't mind keeping multiple Followers, then I recommend DarkFox127's Busy Follower Framework. It allows 25 Followers and once you no longer need the Follower instead of dismissing you “Send Home” (that is wherever you set home to be for that Follower). It also allows you to have multiple outfits set up so that Followers will automatically change outfits. Example: I have Lydia in Enchanted Ebony when she is out with me (Player). At home, in this case Breezehome, she changes into Fine Quilted attire befitting her status as  Lucia's Nanny Housecarl.

[anjenthedog]

9 hours ago, DirebearCoat said:

I looked at the video, showing how the mod works.  The dialogue looked like AFT (Amazing Followers Tweak).  Do you think that the mod load order was "AFT," and afterward "Simple NPC Outfit Manager?"  Or what am I seeing?

idk. this is a different mod than AFT. It does not manage followers. It only manages what (player selected) NPCs wear. Never watched any video. 

 

[scorrp10]

6 hours ago, TenaciousDSquare said:

A dismissed Follower will return to being a Non-Player Character (NPC). NPCs will keep whatever gear given to them as a Follower equipped as long as you (Player) remain in the same cell as the NPC. Once you leave that cell and return to it the NPC is recreated and will equip whatever is listed as that NPC's default gear. You need an NPC Overhaul mod not a Follower mod to accomplish this. I'm sorry to say I don't have any NPC Overhaul mods to recommend that do this. 

Well, not quite.  A unique NPC will keep whatever changes have been applied to its reference. (Instance).Which includes whatever items have been added to their inventory, any changes to their level, actor values, and what not.   However, when player enters a cell, the game determines how to drss present NPCs very simply - it looks at the 'Outfit' field on the Actor reference, and equips the actor with items in that outfit.    It completely ignores the armor items an NPC might have in their inventory.   In order to actually examine and equip best available gear in their inventory, an NPC needs to be assigned an appropriate AI package, and evaluated.    However, you can use a  function SetOutfit() on an Actor reference, to permanently change their default outfit to something else, and they will be equipping that outfit from then on.     Now, there is no way to edit an Outfit object via script, bur there is a workaround.    One can create a bunch of empty LeveledItem forms in CK, and add them to an Outfit.  Then, one can use AddForm on those LeveledItem forms to populated them.   The big problem here is that this will essentially generate 'Base' items.    I.e. if you take Ebony gauntlets, improve them to the max, and put some massive enchantment on them, and give them to follower - you want the follower to specifically equip those.   But if all you care about is looks, then LeveledItems in Outfit will work.   

Amazig Follower Tweaks (AFT) works this way:   when you enable outfit management on a follower, it will assign an empty outfit to that follower (you can actually see follower become naked for a second), and then manually force-dresses them in gear from their default outfit.   Then, when you actually go to manage their outfit, AFT will maintain a specific list of ObjectReferences and dress each managed actor as they load.    It can be a bit glitchy/slow at times.    I.e. sometimes I would enter one of my homes that houses a few managed followers, and most of those stroll around naked, and it takes a bit of time before AFT dresses them in assigned outfits.