Imperial Manor Seeks Modeler

[wizardmirth]

So this question is related to the Oblivion remove .esm dependency here, and I did ask on FO3 board but did not get a response yet...

 

Anyone have any idea how to remove an .esm dependency in Fallout 3? I got that in Oblivion using TES4gecko but can't seem to locate a FO3 version?

 

 

Edit: This particular question was resolved.

Edited August 17, 2015 by wizardmirth

[HikariWS]

Hello wizardmirth!

I played Imperial Manor a coupe months ago in my first Oblivion installment. I haven't installed it yet after I restarted the game, but I plan to do so because it's still be best user-made house I've seen so far. It was also the home of a few companions I had and wasn't playing anymore, I love how it is close to the lake and sometimes I visited it and a companion was there taking a breeze! I'm happy you're still working on it.

When I played it before I didn't face any bug. I don't use All Natural.

I can test your new version if you want. I have no expericence in modding but I'd be glad to help enhance your mod.

For multiple Oblivion setups, use Multiple Oblivion Manager. It's highly advised to (after installing MOM) uninstall Oblivion and install a clean setup. Then copy that setup to use it for new installments. I had a lot of trouble reinstalling Oblivion and all mods one by one, but it was very worth it.

[HikariWS]

So a cell never resets unless the player visits that cell (that means the Imperial Dungeon stuff never gets reset?). But, the cell will never reset automatically if the player keeps visiting before the default time expires - you have to use a script. Furthermore, moving actors to a dummy cell and reseting it does not require entry by the player to fully delete all the references? That last one seems wrong to me.

 

If I'm not too brain-fried from all this and then updating and play-testing over the weekend, then maybe I have something pliable here... I just updated Imperial Manor with a lighting and deco overhaul plus bandit siege quest. This quest comes with the option for the staff to loot and remove the bodies once all attackers are dead. Right now I'm doing this by moving them to another cell in the Manor and letting the player know via message spam that bodies will be purged the next time they enter that cell.

 

Ul

 

You can somehow try to test it. I am a bit confused myself, too. But if player first is in the Imperial City dungeon, then leaves it and stays away longer than the reset time, the cell should reset, right? And if player does not need to enter it again (if reset is done by the game just dropping all change data regarding that cell by not saving it again), just having the cell reset by ResetInterior or by waiting for the reset time to pass before re-entering the cell should be enough for it to be reset... right? I think it makes sense. If player does not need to enter the cell again for the game to remove the change data (which makes sense, as otherwise every cell would need to be re-entered for it to reset).

 

 

I don't know about Oblivion modding, but regarding software development, that would be a bug.

 

When we enter a cell and interect with objects and actors in it, all these must be saved so that when we go back we feel the continuity. If we drop a glass or open a container or kill a creature, we expect that to be persistent.

 

But, if every interacted object is saved, the save file would grow too much. Some objects aren't rly needed to be saved, and most places we never visit again. The cell resetting is meat to get rid of this data and keep the save file in a reasonable size. A cell just must not be resetted if we visit it very often, then the few ones we visit frequently shouldn't be resetted at all.

 

Having the cell resetting feature, if we a cell has data and we don't visit it, it MUST reset. If mods create cells that we don't visit and add object data to them and they are never resetted, we get a memory leak.

 

IDK if that happens, Oblivion has a lot of bugs and could pretty much have this one. The easiest way to assure it would be create a simple mod or add a cell to a existing one and test it. Add an item that's easily recognizable if it was resetted or not.

 

You can always load a save file, visit the cell, then not save a new file. Use the "reset everything" technique. Enter some secure cell (there's that Oblivion test area, I don't remember the name, I myself use any owned house's basement) and wait for 4 days and create a new save. This save shouldn't have data for any cell that was previously present. Then you move to your cell and see if the object was resetted or not.

[wizardmirth]

Hello WikariHS!

 

I'm pretty sure I tested the cell by not disabling the bodies and then going into the Well to see if the bodies were gone, which they were. So I'm fairly certain that this method works as intended. And I always wondered when long-term testing my mod why the respawning containers never respawned.... that's because I didn't leave that cell for the default time to respawn. I may have to add a dialogue to one of the staff: "Restock supplies" which would have the hidden effect of reseting the storage cell. Thankfully with mods like Alternate Start by Ship you never have to enter the Imperial Dungeon and bog your save down with all that useless info which I highly suspect stays in your save all the way through your entire play.

 

Well the multiple install directories isn't needed at the moment but it's good to have options.... I discovered this one as well: mTES4 Manager

 

In the meantime, I'm currently working with someone to get a fresh-mesh version of the Green House room complete with proper collision, extended grates, outside chimney, and multiple additional windows installed. This will of course come with a full faked exterior sidewalk, railing, and trees for all All Natural users. (And with a new install of the game I'm currently trying to figure out how to balance Quarl's Redimized, All Natural, UL, and Better Open Cities –- but it's not easy to say the least! For some reason I get some torn land and some missing meshes around Leyawiin where my new character started.

[Surilindur]

If you have a non-AN version with all the exteriors and everything done, adding AN support that only activates with AN loaded should be ridicilously easy if all that needs to be done is adding rain boxes outside windows and making the cell act like exterior, with the proper AN weather. So that if it is only missing rain and sky and such, but is otherwise like AN version, making it use AN features if AN is loaded should be easy. So that there would then only need to be one version that supports both vanilla and AN without needing AN as a master.

 

I tried checking your AN version, but it would be handy to have a non-AN version to just add AN support to. But how much is there in the AN version that cannot be achieved without AN (not counting interior weather, rain boxes, and transparent windows)?

 

When there is a non-AN version that is only missing rain boxes and weather, it should not take too many hours to add AN support to it without any additional master dependencies. If you have such a version, I might be able to do it for you, I think. Unless, of course, you do it yourself. The idea was presented earlier in this thread, if I remember correctly.

[HikariWS]

I saw mTES4 Manager too, and used its guide to reinstall Oblivion. But I saw ppl complaining it has bugs and saying MOM does the same thing and is more stable.

[wizardmirth]

If you have a non-AN version with all the exteriors and everything done, adding AN support that only activates with AN loaded should be ridicilously easy if all that needs to be done is adding rain boxes outside windows and making the cell act like exterior, with the proper AN weather. So that if it is only missing rain and sky and such, but is otherwise like AN version, making it use AN features if AN is loaded should be easy. So that there would then only need to be one version that supports both vanilla and AN without needing AN as a master.

 

I tried checking your AN version, but it would be handy to have a non-AN version to just add AN support to. But how much is there in the AN version that cannot be achieved without AN (not counting interior weather, rain boxes, and transparent windows)?

 

When there is a non-AN version that is only missing rain boxes and weather, it should not take too many hours to add AN support to it without any additional master dependencies. If you have such a version, I might be able to do it for you, I think. Unless, of course, you do it yourself. The idea was presented earlier in this thread, if I remember correctly.

It was mentioned but I think I said that I would need all the AN versions of the Blackwood Company interiors or have the user download AN just to get those files. Or I would have to get permission to repack those files with my mod. That's why I initially posted this page topic here so that I could get someone versed in nifskope to bust out some transparent windows for me and get more outside windows to match the inside.

 

The other thing was that I would need is a script to detect if light or heavy rain is outside currently. AN seems to know how to do this but I haven't looked at their code. If you know how to do this then you are quite welcome. And after that the rest is cake.

 

I saw mTES4 Manager too, and used its guide to reinstall Oblivion. But I saw ppl complaining it has bugs and saying MOM does the same thing and is more stable.

That's good to know, I'll keep that in mind. Anyway, let me know what you think of the newest version!

[HikariWS]

I will. But it's gonna take some time, I'm currently doing Vilja's quest together with mages and thieves guilds. And I was installing Emma's houses and doing everything Vilja is able to do in each, but stopped because it was getting repetitive and I was wasting trips because Vilja never wanted to do stuff because it was raining or at night or... lol.

 

I think you shouldn't spend so much time trying to make weather work in the windows. Your manor is the only one I know that has servants. You should add more actions to them, create things to do with them. Create reasons to stay on the manor.

 

Even after playing some other houses yours is still the best I've seen. It only loses to Benirus Manor, because of its hidden necromancer chamber and Rosalinda with here sweet voice lol

[HikariWS]

Well an even better idea. It was really fun when Imperial Manor was my main home and I visited it and there was a companion close to the lake. It was possible because of its good placing and Neeshka had an AI package for walking outside house.

 

IM is already big, has many beds and has the lake. It's "just" a matter of adding extra AI to companions. I know it can be done because Emma did it on Vilja and some of her houses.

 

So, instead of adding AI to its servands, add it to companions. Have them do stuff on the house, walk inside and outside it, use its features, protect it against bandits, bath, gardening, etc. I'd bring all companions back and add more if I could see them having fun on the manor :D

[wizardmirth]

It is definitely possible the only question is will I be motivated to do it lol. Truth is I've been more motivated to design a container sorting system for things like ingredients based on potion type but i may have that one in my head longer to mull over the design and layout. Unfortunately I tend to be all over in my projects and so i never quite finish anything.

 

This is not to say your idea is not a good one. I am intrigued by it but might need some help from better scripters than me to evaluate my approach. I will follow shortly with a basic approach. When I do you will be able to comment on general content while modders (if willing) can help me with my coding!

 

Seriously though I wouldn't hold me breath for this one. I tend to mod for myself but only want to share. Maybe if i had more better feedback it would motivate me but so far I don't really feel it that way.