Would you consider enabling "setessential" on caravans to be

[jimnms]

I just started playing FO3 a month or so ago, but I've had it since December. I've tried not to spoil it by looking things up, so no spoilers please.

 

Tonight while wandering out in the wasteland, I spotted one of the merchants walking by. I ran over and sold a few things to him, then went on my way. A few seconds later I spotted something that looked like I should check out. I was using the scope on my sniper rifle to scout it out before moving in. I did a quick save before moving out. Right after I did the quick save I hear something behind me, turn around and see the caravan being attacked by two giant radscorpions. Before I can get there, the caravan merchant and his guard die.

 

I loaded the save and try to save the caravan merchant, but it's not possible, they're just too far away. The caravan guard gets killed just about the time it takes me to turn around after reloading the save. I've done too much between the quick save and the last save spot to want to go back.

 

This is only the 2nd time I've run into a caravan that wasn't sitting outside a town, so I never gave much though about if they could be killed while traveling. I did a little searching, read up on the caravans on the Fallout3 Wikia site and some forum posts. I saw some forum posts where people would enable the setessential flag on the caravan so they can't be killed.

 

I can't save them without cheating, I've tried dozens of times already. I'm trying to decide what to do from here. I can just accept that he died, loot his stuff and continue the game or I can save the caravan by loading the save, turning around as fast as I can, bring up the console and kill the two radscorpions using the kill command in the console or load the save and enable setessential on all the caravans and not have to worry about them dying.

 

I'm just curious as to what others have done or what you would do, and why.

[gsmanners]

I always make the caravans essential because it doesn't make sense to not have caravan traders. If a caravan trader were killed, I think it's reasonable to say that they would immediately be replaced by someone else. It's just too bad that the game wasn't designed to replace them in the first place.

[VerbalEarthworm]

MMM has a Tougher Traders plugin that will prevent them getting attacked and killed.

 

http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=3211

 

i find the idea of save-games to be a cheat in itself, albeit an essential one for gameplay.

 

i often use console commands to enhance gameplay without it being construde as cheating, and at least i dont have to resort to loading the last save repeatedly.

[Deleted54170User]

They are gone. Since you felt the way we did. Play the game through once without them until you finish. If youi find you want to play the game again and again afterward make them essential.

[jimnms]

I kind of agree with gsmanners. Since there's only 4 caravans, it seems strange that if one gets killed, no one would replace them. It also seems strange that the caravans would have such weak protection.

 

I know about the trader mods, but I'm going to play through the first time without mods.

[Deleted54170User]

I kind of agree with gsmanners. Since there's only 4 caravans, it seems strange that if one gets killed, no one would replace them. It also seems strange that the caravans would have such weak protection.

 

I know about the trader mods, but I'm going to play through the first time without mods.

 

I agree it did seem strange to me when I found the body of one and saw the Brahmin munching on a shrub nearby. In my second or thrid game after Operation Anchorage came out I stripped Crazy Wolf Gang when I found him and his pack brahmin laying dead on the road headed toward the D. C. Ruins. After I stripped them of their goods and got the message I received bad karma I was shocked. It made me feel bad they could be killed and as I was stupified that my character got robbed of Karma I felt the game was robbing my good character play. Since they were both empty I broke my vow of not using the console. Typed < resurrectactor > pointed my mouse arrow at Wolfgang and clicked on him. Tapped the "Enter" key and exited the console, returned and did the same thing for his brahmin. On another occasion I found a brahmin dead, stripped it clean and again found that I was getting the message, "BAD KARMA". To my amazement it ran off in search of Crow and found him.

 

If you decide to do that you should strip the dead first as I think they will lose all the stuff they had on them if you don't strip it off them first and if it is the brahmin is dead pick it clean first. Lose the Karma if you are going for the good guy character.

 

Do yourself a favor though. Leave the console commands alone unless you have absolutely no other choice, as in, if you quit the game and reload the last Save you are out of an hour of game play and you are stuck in a rut so bad, which if you knew the console control function you could get free, kind of situation.

 

I used the console commands in one game I had. One day I realized I may as well have waited and rented the movie that came out later, as that is about how much fun it is if I use the console every time I felt a twinge of console power tweak seeping in on my mind.

[jimnms]

When it first happened, it was kind of sad. By the time I got there, the guard was dead. I took out one of the radscorpions, but the merchant died and the brahman was fighting with the second radscorpion. After I kill the last radscorpion, the brahman runs over to the merchant and starts nudging his dead body and making whimpering sounds. After a few minutes it starts to wander off.

 

I haven't gotten back to the game yet, but I think I'm going to just enable setessential on the caravans because I've read that there can be problems in resurrecting dead caravans. I did check and the other three caravans are still alive.

[Deleted54170User]

the brahman runs over to the merchant and starts nudging his dead body and making whimpering sounds.

 

 

Resurrecting them can cause a problem but not with trading with them. Using the console for setessential is just another way to add a problem to the generic structure of the game. Unless you are going to mod later on I don't recommend you do any console commands, i.e., unless you are modding.

 

Sure the Brahmin did... :wink: :wink: I hope you intend to write short stories too.

[evilneko]

Using the console for setessential is just another way to add a problem to the generic structure of the game.

 

Like what? Seriously, don't see any problem here. And I certainly don't consider setting caravans (among certain other NPCs who like to get killed, Walter in Megaton for instance can fall to his death, though I've never seen it myself) essential.

[Deleted54170User]

Using the console for setessential is just another way to add a problem to the generic structure of the game.

 

Like what? Seriously, don't see any problem here. And I certainly don't consider setting caravans (among certain other NPCs who like to get killed, Walter in Megaton for instance can fall to his death, though I've never seen it myself) essential.

 

 

I like the new pictures by the way. Eyes staring out and gun readied.

 

If we had hit it off on the forum intellectual level I might have enjoyed your blog too.

 

You may not see anything on the surface but when anything is changed in the generic process it has an effect on the rest of the programs. For instance, Uncle Roe not knowing the trader is alive if you revive them and set them as essential.

 

The console commands are really meant for mod makers and it was when I was complaining to myself about the things that I found I did not like, that I realized I had a bit of a modder heart. Instead of complaining I started thinking about how I could use the Construction set to make it better.

 

And I think that it would be nice to have a fifth trader that sells food stuff and let Doc stick to medicine. Oh! And a way side chef at Gramma Sparkle out door diner to sell mirelurk meat to and get it cooked for us.