Talking creatures with base game limits?

[Owrocc]

So I've been creating a quest mod for quite some while now, I just felt like doing it and then it got a bit out of hand, went a bit bigger than expected, but I've usually always managed by myself (I'm obsessed with trigger zones and I think I've added a rather decent amount of scripts to the game, hope I won't surpass vanilla Oblivion when I'm done :wink:). But this one issue drives me mad:

 

I just can't seem to figure how to add a creature with dialogue. I tried some search engines and also searched here on the forums from which I learned that you can transfer an invisible NPC to the creatures position and let it talk, and then people seemed to be arguing about height problems and the like... And there I still want to know how you enter into conversation with a creature at all.

Is there a way within the boundaries of the usual game (without OBSE, second mods etc.)? If someone could tell me, I'd be eternally grateful.

[DrakeTheDragon]

They're right. You need an NPC to talk to. You can put a script onto the creature with an OnActivate block which warps the NPC to its location (MoveTo) and immediately initiates dialog (ForceGreet?), so it'll appear as if you're in fact talking to the creature instead, then when done talking warps the NPC back to its holding cell, so it won't interfere with anything anymore afterwards.

 

I'm not sure about the size issue, but you can set the size of the NPC exactly so the dialog zoom will go to its face as well with some tuning.

I think I've seen this done a couple times already, but it's been several years since and I'm not sure where exactly it was anymore.

[Owrocc]

So there's no way around... I looked again and it seems that when I get both NPC and creature into a constant moveto loop, I can actually get them to stay in the same position, but they are making strange movements then unless I use tcl on them and that's a console-only command. But I guess that will somehow work out, as I only want to make a static actor.

Anyway, thanks for the quick reply. :)

[DrakeTheDragon]

Oh, there is a way to disable collision for an actor. Ghosts for example don't have any, and they're nothing else but regular NPCs either.

I'm not sure the 'moving around' will cause much of an issue though, considering you will neither see the NPC nor will he have a single frame to move in when the conversation is triggered immediately after moving him to the creature's position.

[Sweetlithium]

another option would be a move to location script, like the end of the tutorial were as soon as you step onto a given location a message box pops up. Your creature's dialouge could be in this instead.

[Owrocc]

Edit: ... Edited April 27, 2014 by Owrocc

[Owrocc]

Sorry, wrong thread... On my phone right now, can somehow neither edit nor look right...

 

Edit: Now I figured. And thanks for the help :), but a message box won't do. I'm trying to make a vendor... But as I said, he's just static so I think I will go with moveto.

Edited April 27, 2014 by Owrocc