[WIP] Unique Weapons Collector Quest

[Pellape]

I have decided, that no matter what Karma the player has, it will be possible to join Butch's gang, making him a companion if the player give him his Toothpick back. That sure made an impression on Butch, even if he is a brat. The topic for hire him with karma that is not neutral, will only show up during after the Toothpick is given to him and if the player do not have any other original companions.

This must be the most advanced quest I have ever made, and still, in game, it will be over fast.    I did had a minor laugh when I wrote the dialogue between the player and Butch, but I will not reveal anything about it. It is not much text, but more about what is said between them and I sure feel I know the Butch character by now, how he would react in different situations. It is rare that I manage to make something that makes me laugh.    I do hope the players will like it as well.    All interactions between the player and Butch are cool and fun.

Edited October 30 by Pellape

[Pellape]

It was a pain in the butt to play-test the Toothpick quest, checking the quest variables at each stage, see so they did change properly and they did not. I think it took me an hour or 2 even to get it right, as there is so many checks that must be done in the right moment. Well As I was done with my 2nd visit top vault 101, Butch where already at Rivet City, so maybe I made this for nothing? If he is in the vault and the player has not solved the problems there, that pops up later in game, I am not sure Butch's will be able to get there, as how would he? Can he open the vault door?   I do not dig deeper into this as you do not need to meet Butch's to complete the quest and you can always cancel any quest, except 1 so far.

• Colonel Autumns weapons
• Butch's 10mm gun

Butch's is careless, now he lost his gun as well. I had already starting to make the quest when I noticed, it is not so unique as it is his follower weapon and it is only named 10 mm gun in game, but still, it will be some fun dialogues around it. He is among the few living creatures that loose unique weapons so far, the rest is dead or you have to kill them. I copy and paste the Toothpick quest in F3Edit, which make it easier when I load it in GECK. Ahh, damn, If I rename a quest or any object, the option comes top make a new object (does not work). Damn, I did that yesterday with some other forms and that will work on quests.   This time I decided to place it in the Capitol Post office building, in the L'Enfant area, which is not quest related and I have not been there, so that will be perfect and fun really as otherwise, I think it is a bit boring to visit cells that is not quest related honestly - A bit pointless even as a char at this level, that completed the MQ will not be poor, will not need more junk to sell, will not have any reason to go there what so ever really. Why would you risk your life to go somewhere when you do not need too?

Edited November 1 by Pellape

[Pellape]

What about Sam Colts stats?  Well he is level 30, master all weapon skills, is aggressive and is in the playerfaction. I really like to watch him fighting as I had to study him to see how he reacts as a companion and as I do not use male companions often, I was surprised over some things, like his comments when fighting and I might keep him after the quest chain is completed but as I can have 12 followers, I sure can switch between the ones I have. The Underground Hideout have an option to emulate attacks to it, so 3 companions are guarding it, + Hired guards. I check the outside every morning in game, and time to time, 5-10 raiders, Talons or Enclaves pops up charging in.    How common is it that you will have a companion with so many quests?  I did had issues making him look good, so I might need some help with that part if someone is interested to give it a try.

He first looked like this:

 

I took a screeny yesterday in Rivet City, not a good one, but still one, after I made some changes to his head in GECK:

I really like the look of Butch, but I do not want to copy it as it might give to much expectations that he would maybe act like Butch. Sam Colt is much more confident and not a brat, even if he can get irritated at the player, when you click some options in the dialogues. He does not look to bad, but I am sure he can look better and more handsome. He sure looks like a fighter, almost like a raider.

Edited October 31 by Pellape

[Pellape]

It is much easier to make someone to look good in F4 and Skyrim, like my char in F4 and my chars in F3 and FNV looks terrible and I worked a lot with them, with no luck at all:

When it comes to light and highlights, it is maybe the best screenshot I have taken, as it sure makes her to look real and alive.

My Char Skyrim:

 

It is almost impossible to make good looking chars in F3 and FNV but llamaRCA made the most good looking NPC's ever for FNV, Willow and also Heather Casdin for F4. Otherwise, I think Sarah from the Brotherhood is the best good looking NPC there is in F3 and FNV. I bet all here knows about llamaRCA's companions as they are highest ranked Companions for those games here at Nexus.

Here is a nice interview with llamaRCA and I really enjoyed to listen to her, her thoughts, about her ADHD, well I loved this one. llamaRCA has such a great humor and I like the immersion that she is making in game a lot. Her quests are also fun and original.

 

I made some changes to Sam Colt and as you can see, he looks great in the GECK editor, but less great in game. It might be some mods I am using that changes the appearances of the NPC's and the player that make him look different than in the editor as it sure is so for my Oblivion setup, which makes all NPC's to look much better in game than they do in the CS. I like this black outfit, so I keep it. The ordinary Leather Armor looks awesome, no doubt about that, and I ship him with it as this is my setup and the player will dress him up as they see fit too, as you open his inventory from the dialogues. If you want him to just use a towel, fine. 

 

[Pellape]

I think I know what I am not happy about with Sam and it is his hair as he looks good when he is using a helmet. But now it looks okay...  I cannot make up my bloody mind...     I did darken his skin more here, which look much better.

Edited November 1 by Pellape

[Pellape]

Mutilated Organs? What do we do with them?

We give them to Sam Colt, for him to study them, to gain his medicine skills. He rewards the player with 10 exp, a karma and 10 caps each. Maybe the exp is to high, maybe not? There is 5 different kinds of mutilated organs for him to study so now you have a reason to collect them. You do not need to give him all at ones, as you can only give him 1 in a time anyway. I was bored after I gave him 20 organs.     But his medicine skill starts with 5 I think and is now 38. I did check his Stimpack count, and it ticks down slowly but steady, so he is using them.

Butch's Gun

Butch gun is not playable, so you cannot pick it up, so I made a new Butch's 10 mm Unique gun instead, with some better stats that the player and Sam Colt can search for, The option is gain to teas Butch for his carelessness in Rivet City for double of everything in reward, same as you get when you give him the toothpick

[Pellape]

I do get more respons at the FNV forum, well not in my WIP there, but still... 

I might have one voice actor hooked up. That is good. We see how it goes. 15 quests made.

I also did solve a bug in the FNV GECK. Well a workaroud though. Yet, it did work. FNV GECK, Facegen crashes.

Edited November 6 by Pellape

[Pellape]

Me and Sam Colt doing a mission. I thought, why not show off what happens in game? First I want to show him fighting, so I had to find a target, back off, letting companions do the dirty work, then I took over. The monsters in this video where all simple, but there are much more dangerous foes to fight than this. The whole point is to show off how the companions acts in action.

Each NPC and Creature, has their own AI. I only set the rules, like who to like and who to hate, assist the player, follow the player, stay, setup Shop here and so on. In a similar game, Oblivion, I did write a lot of code for fighting, but that is not necessary really. It just works perfect as it is right now. The quests are a different story, as there I must code every step and point the team or the player should take to succeed. The thing is, we have never been down here and I have never been where this weapon is located. I added it where it makes most sense to add it, and right now, we are going there in game.

Dogmeat and my other dog, Sam Colt and a crazy robot, inside Rivet City, south of Washington D.C

 

Edited November 7 by Pellape

[Pellape]

Making the quest, the Experimental MIRV have taken days but it has also been fun. I would not have done it if it was not for this quest if I am being honest.

1. Collect all Holotapes from the Keller family, 5 separate quets
2. Get the MIRV

So the final quest in this series, has 11 steps, guiding the player in detail to the goal of the MIRV. Is it so special? Well, there is a lot to think about when making such quest, with so many stages, specially how to trigger the next step and it is so easy to miss something on the way. Then I have to close down the game, go to GECK, scratch my head and make adjustments, test again and so on. I know right now what I have missed, which I will go back and correct, like checking in which cell the player is in and at what stage in the quest. Damn..  But so fun and challenging. This might be the best quest of them all.

So why did this never become a quest at all?  Good question as we cannot add scrips to a Holotape, nor we can sense if the player really look at them in F3 or even in FNV, so the trick is to not give a damn if the player listen to it, as that is entirely up yo you, and have nothing to do with the quest progress. I assure you I did have a debate with CoPilot AI about this. So if the player gets in distance of 300 units from the Holotape. BANG, next stage. But for the immersion, just listen to it and debate it with Sam Colt. Do as you want. 

[Pellape]

I should turn Danielle Fay into a ghoul and place her at the Light House, for a stroll and picnic ride. We need first to find her book and read the case file in a terminal, trying to find someone or something that can tip us of where she can be. But does not Sam Colt know her story and cannot he lead them to her? Yes he can. Well then we go there and return the book to her, simple as that.    Problem solved.

Video for myself, in case I cannot find it again. 

 

 

Edited November 11 by Pellape