When are quest variables filled)? (and related questions

[primem0ver]

I am wondering how this issue might be affecting my playtesting. Since I am trying new things I have been testing my mod as a I build it. I am wondering if this is a practical approach. Here are my questions that would affect the answer:

 

1. When are quest variables filled? When the mod is first added or when the quest actually starts?
2. Most quests have 0 as the "startup" stage but many do not have anything that happens in this stage. Is this stage automatically set at the beginning of the game?
3. When that happens is the quest started and variables filled? Or does the start of the quest occur when the Start() command is called from papyrus?
4. If I add a quest to a mod and rebuild the SEQ file, will the quest work if I don't do a clean save?

Edited September 13, 2015 by primem0ver

[duude98]

By quest variables, do you mean stages? Or variables in the scripting sense? Or Aliases? I assume you mean stages, (as that is kinda how they are used) or aliases, but if you mean in scripts, then I can't help you, and I apologize for a useless answer.

 

1. The aliases are filled as soon as the quest is started, unless you put in some conditions on the alias that would keep it from filling right away.

2. 0 is just what is usually used as the first stage. You can put things to happen there, but I just have 0 empty and use 10 to start things, as a buffer. You are supposed to incriment stages by tens to make it possible to add things in between stages later if you realize you forgot something and need to go back. Just good practice.

3. I personally have never used the .Start() command, but that sounds right. I always use Quest.SetStage(x), where x is the stage at which your quest begins. This of course only works if you are having multiple quests, one after another.

4. I believe that it should be fine, but I am not certain. This is pretty easy to test, though. You can access the console from the title screen, and from there type COW Tamriel/whatever worldspace your quest starts in, with the coordinates following. BUT, if your quest is not ticked as start game enabled, meaning the player actively talks to someone or activates something, then you should not even need a SEQ file in the first place. I don't know what your quest looks like, so I can't answer that one for you.

 

I hope I helped! And, if not, just ask, obviously.

[primem0ver]

Thanks a bunch. That was exactly what I was looking for... geesh my post format was so messed up. Forgot to put numbers... thought I did that. And the title...I couldn't fix that.

Edited September 13, 2015 by primem0ver

[primem0ver]

Ok.. I have another related question.

 

I am trying to use a players name in a topic prompt for dialogue. However, the alias is not filled until later in the quest since the player selects the person for this alias through dialogue. I am using ForceRefTo in a papyrus fragment to fill the alias.

 

Using the console I have determined that the alias IS being filled correctly. However, the name shows up as [,,,]. The creation kit says that this means the alias has not been filled; yet the console shows that the correct character reference that I chose is in the correct alias. The flag 'stores text' has been enabled on the alias.

 

So this raises the question: can the text only be filled/stored at the beginning of the quest? (i.e. does it only work on pre-filled references?) Or should this be working?