Companion Mods to Learn From

[xdustsmile]

To start, I'm a newb looking to get into modding as a hobby. I'm just now starting to look into the system itself and how things work, looking at all the wikis and all that.

 

But I've already decided what I want my first mod to be: a companion mod. I like the CM Partner and Companion Share and Recruit mods, the systems are great. But I've always wished for more depth. Most CM partner mods are pretty much a face and a name and thats it.

 

What I'm looking to do is sort of compile the attributes of other modders' excellent work. I'd like to take an in-depth quest/relationship system, a la SultericDrums' Saerileth/Viconia, except more lore driven. I want them to look as good as some of Radnurag's, Divine Avenger's, 4GVN's, Gonzoguns', Xtudo's and Urrl's work. I want streamlined AI, like Emma's Vilja, except there will be male and female companions and I'm not sure if it will ever be voiced or have the same amount of dialog. Specific combat styles like with Krisis1451's Midas Companions. Then take it all the way adding new areas (thinking of Valenwood/Summerset), a continuing storyline after you've gone thru all the introductory meet-so-and-so quests, and new gear/items/spells. I want to make something for those of us who have modded up a completed game - so it would be something involving the Fourth Era with provinces revolting, increased banditry, political intrigues, and all sorts of things that would happen to a crumbling empire. Maybe even throw my own spin on the sacking of the IC by Titus Mede and/or the Thalmor retaking control of Valenwood/Summerset.

 

Of course, its all just words and the reality of this dream project is quite ambitious. Its easier for me to start out with the companion side of the house and develop as I gain experience, dissecting other mods first like CM Partners and Companion Share and Recruit and basing my mod off of those, but the mod attributes I'd like to include seem not to be entirely built off those two base mods.

 

LONG STORY SHORT:

 

Are there any other companion mods to which I could learn the scripting of other than Blackie's and Toaster's (and the modified/edited versions)?

[Ferryt]

You might want to look at Ruined Tail's Tale, which was one of the first (and, arguably, still one of the best) companion mods, although it was pretty much a "quest" sort of thing and with a (to me) unhappy ending to boot. My problem with most companion mods is they're about getting people to follow you around and fight with/for you. More often than not, such companions just get in the way, getting themselves injured or killed by "friendly fire". That's not what I'm looking for in a companion mod. I want a "companion" -- not a comrade in arms. A little romance on the side would be a nice addition, too, but those companion mods (with the only exception, I think, being Goranga's Dating System and his soon-to-be-released expansion of that) simply haven't been made, except for specific, individual NPCs.

[NellSpeed]

I'm about half done with a CM companion mod with custom dialogue, mini-quests, a romance, etc, and here's one thing you may want to keep in mind: you can save yourself an incredible amount of time & frustration by planning things out before you ever open the CS. For example: figuring out a naming convention for variables, conversation, etc, will keep you from backtracking and having to fix things later on.

 

(Also, resist the urge to add just One More Feature. That way lies madness.)