Help With Building My First Vault (And Mod)

[sneakattack]

Hello, I am new to this forum as well as to the GECK.

 

I have however completed the first two tutorials featured within the Bethsoft GECK tutorial. I'm familiar with moving around within the render window, placing kit pieces and locking them together. I've built myself a decent beginner vault, however I lack the necessary knowledge to do certain things I already have in mind.

 

One of these things, is to have my vault gear door animate like it will in the game vaults, meaning to have it open when activating the gear door control panel.

I've already tinkered around with modifying certain aspects of in-game items but have had no luck figuring out how to get the gear door to work. I can only surmise that there must be some coding/scripting involved, something with which I only have a basic understanding of, meaning that I took programming in highschool and remember very little.

I've tested out my cell within the game via the console, but since I had placed the gear door in the closed position I was permanently locked in the entrance area.

 

The second thing I had in mind, but can't figure out, is how to create custom weapons using the appropriate in-game item (such as a weapon) without changing the stats and name of every weapon like it in the game. I have already accidentally changed a few weapons via other self-created plug-ins, so I at least know how to perform the editing of a given item, I am just having difficulties making said item independent of the Fallout 3 originals.

 

Finally, any tips you can think of for a beginner I would love to hear them. I'm sure many of you have poured hours of hard work into the GECK already, and I know you're bound to have found some interesting things.

 

Any help that you can provide, even if it is just a nudge in the right direction, would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, that is to say anyone who reads and replies to this, very much for your time and help.

 

-SneakAttack

[niccolo]

I shall answer your questions in no particular order.

 

First, your weapon-naming thing. If you go to edit an entry, when you save it there should be an option "Would you like to save this as a new entry?" or something similar. Say [Yes]. What this does is it duplicates the item you edited and then saves your changes to the new one, rather than the old one.

 

In theory. You should be able to right-click on an entry and say "duplicate", but I've forgotten how the GECK works - I'm running off TES here, but they're pretty similar.

 

 

Secondly, your door: Fire up the GECK and cheat! Go to the cell with a working door - i.e., go to Vault 101 - and look at how they do it. Look at what scripts are attached, fiddle with it and find out what kind of object it is (It'll probably be different from a static object like the broken vault doors) and just poke around.

 

 

Thirdly, and thse are general tips:

1) Fire up the GECK and play around. Test out different functions, explore the scripts (and see how they do stuff) and play with the objects. This is one of the best ways to learn - it's how I learned, it's how the others here learned, and it's certainly how some of the best modders on the site here learned.

 

Learn how to make things required, learn to make NPCs essential, learn also how to make your ESP dependent on other people's ESMs. And if someone's moddoes something interesting, ask them how they did it - or download their mod and tear it to pieces tosee for yourself! Lord knows I did that often enough.

 

2) When you post your first mod, make it an interesting one. Not something like "This makes an overpowered shotgun that fires nuclear teddies LOL" since we have umpteen billion of them. And a locker with a thousand grenades just outside 101 is also not that interesting.

 

Whatever your first mod is, it should be interesting enough to make people click the link out of curiosity. A lot of people habitually ignore about fifty percent of the mods posted here, since this site suffers from a little bit of Sturgeon's Law.

 

Retextures are always a good place to start - or, if you have the skill and the cajones to give it a try, go for remodelling. Alternatively, build a miniature dungeon, perhaps with a nice unique pistol or piece of armour at the end of it; these are best if you make the armour something from another mod (to keep it interesting, but with permission), your own work (a little advanced) or perhaps something amusing.

 

3) Don't get disheartened when you get less than a hundred downloads of your first mod. It takes time for your name to get out there.

 

4) For the love of God, don't say anywhere in your description "This is my first mod, please go easy on me." Nothing sends people running faster than that - most modders nowadays use that instead of saying "My mod actually sucks since I threw it together by wiping my ass with the keyboard." You can say "For my first mod, I decided to start small and try ___" since you're not using it as an excuse.

 

5) Rely on the packs out there like FOOK, CALIBBR and CRAFT! CALIBR is especially good if you make a custom weapon, since it contains all the ammo types you will ever need.

[maximusnz]

Ok, I have spent the last 2 weeks doing the Vault74a Tutorial, I have laid out my vault and started to light it, and add Clutter, Before I go any further I want to test it in game..

 

So I have refered to bethsofts Tut on how to do this via the console

 

Heres What I have done..

 

Ensured my esp file is in Data Folder - check.

Created a Custom.ini file which states - STestFile2=SecretUndergoundLair.esp - check

Have ticked the appropriate box in the data checklist in the fallout launcher - check.

Run FO3

Open Console via ~ key

Type in, COC SecretUndergroundLair

hit enter

 

This Is what I get..

 

 

Scripts:Script 'SysWindow CompileandRun',line1

Expected end of line.

Compiled Script not saved!

 

 

Can you tell me the exact process you used to enter your mod in game, please.. I have tried the tutorial to the letter but am not having any luck with it..

 

Thanks..

[sneakattack879]

To maximusnz:

 

If you're still having troubles with testing you're vault let me know, though I'm sure by now you have solved the puzzle xD sorry I took so long to reply!

[sneakattack879]

To niccolo:

 

Thank you so very much for your awesome and so very detailed reply! I apologize for taking forever to reply, though I did read the post when you first replied, and your tips and pointers were extremely insightful and very helpful so thank you again!