Setessential: How do you get the Actor ID?

[creedofheresy]

Okay, so it used to be if you needed to have the BaseID of an NPC in order to set them as essential/non-essential, you had to click on them in the console, enter in GBO or GBID or something, I don't really remember at the moment, not important, and it'd give you the other ID, the one that does NOT show up by simply clicking on the NPC.

 

I need to stress this: THE ONE THAT DOES NOT. I am referring to the OTHER ID, the one you would use for setessential. So please don't answer me telling me I just need to click on them and enter that ID in, because that's not the case, I need people who know what they're talking about for this. Sorry if that sounds testy; I've been all over the friggin' place on Steam and the Fallout wikia pages and everyone keeps answering that, and it's not. F*cking. Working. It never has worked that way, and it isn't working that way now, either.

 

In fact, it's just simply not working, period.

 

I have three settlers at Outpost Zimonja who are synth infiltrators. Darkangel13's Settlement Institute Synth Spy Detection mod is to be thanked for me knowing how to find this out. In other settlements, when I've found them, I've gone through the steps and killed the synths. But at Zimonja, suddenly, for some reason, the settlers are flagged as essential (or at least some of them are), so I can't kill the synths since they're among those set as essential, and since now they're hostile [part of how the mod functions does this, it's so you can kill the synths without your other settlers freaking out and thinking you're just a murderer], they just get gunned down, go "unconscious," they get back up again, get gunned down, repeat ad nauseum. So I tried to remove the essential flag the way it used to work: console, click, GBO or GBID [one of those two, I'm almost positive] to get the ID that is not the one that comes up when you click on an NPC, so that I could use the one you get from that command to SetEssential [iD] 0/1.

 

That no longer works. SetEssential is, as far as I can tell, completely useless. It tells me I need the Actor ID, but I have looked everywhere and I can't find anything in the list of known console commands that provides an Actor ID. Clicking on the NPC and entering in the ID provided doesn't work. Clicking on the character and just typing setessential 0 makes it tell me that 0 is not a valid Actor ID.

 

So, is it even possible to get an Actor ID?? Is there any way to actually remove the essential flag via console, or has Bethesda just completely removed that function? And yes, I know, you can open the .ini file and enter in that one command line that makes it so essential NPCs can die...but that means ALL of them, companions and other characters included, meaning I'd have to go to the .ini file, type that line in, start the game, kill the synths, close the game, delete the line, restart the game, and then do this again at the next settlement which inevitably will have synths there, too, which will be tedious, time-consuming, and is going to really kill my Fallout boner.

 

So. Any ideas, anybody? Cuz I'm grinding my teeth in frustration, here.

[Ethreon]

Everything in game has a baseID and a refID. Setessential requires baseID, and you can find that out thru wikia.

[OlrunZaal]

I was also searching for how to get baseIDs from static objects yesterday and today. I think GBO was a function of Script Extender in past games. I am not sure if its enabled in FO4 SE, yet (haven't started using it). You might try SE and let us know, here (no documentation yet).

 

I have been attempting to learn more about how the game works through looking up static objects' Reference IDs in xEdit, then looking at various Form ID's, etc. to determine how the objects function and the build process from base form to the object I originally found interesting in-game. It works sometimes, when I can get a refID. Its frustrating when I see a great working light in perfect condition and no refID comes up in-game... , but I have plenty to learn for the mod projects I have in mind.

 

Ethreon, I am looking forward to your mod and any videos/tutorials you release on modding.

[Ethreon]

Now, how did you know I'll release a mod? I don't remember mentioning to anyone..

 

Anyway, GBO is part of script extenders. F4SE doesn't have it implemented yet, though emailing the guys over there and asking about how the baseID/refIDs are determined might help :)

[creedofheresy]

s#*!, that's why, then. I was afraid of that. Well, looks like I'm just gonna have to deal with .ini-hopping for a while until the FOSE guys finish working their magic.

 

Honestly more than anything else I just wanted an answer as to why it wasn't working. *lol* Monkey at a keyboard syndrome: PUSH BUTTON. BUTTON DO THING. PUSH BUTTON AGAIN. BUTTON DO THING. PUSH BUTTON AGAIN. BUTTON NOT DO THING, NO UNDERSTAND WHY. PUSH BUTTON AGAIN. STILL NO WORK, NO UNDERSTAND WHY. GET MAD. SCREAM. FLIP TABLE. THROW FECES. HOO HOO HOO HAAH HAAH HAAH!!

 

i mean uh

 

im civilized

[OlrunZaal]

Now, how did you know I'll release a mod? I don't remember mentioning to anyone..

 

Anyway, GBO is part of script extenders. F4SE doesn't have it implemented yet, though emailing the guys over there and asking about how the baseID/refIDs are determined might help :smile:

I think you mentioned something about it on Snap n' Build comments or another thread.

 

Glad we sorted you out, CreedofHeresy. These day, even us monkeys live in open-world zoos and have playmates, instead of glass houses! Speaking of zoos - there is another theme that would write itself for a FO4 mod. Maybe a good many of us will work together on such a project in the coming months.

[creedofheresy]

Tame/sedate Deathclaws and put them in a zoo settlement?

 

...Yes.

 

ALL of the yeses.

[OlrunZaal]

A zoo themed mod quest using the Franklin Park Zoo / Zoo New England as the setting. We will definitely need the GECK for adding new zoo animals gone wrong. The storyboard would start out:

 

Some of the zoo animals survived the Great War due to both genetic mutations and a dedicated group of zoologist caring for them, while working with the CDC, et al. on genetic cures for rad poisoning. Curie or another new NPC would have the opening dialog telling us about rumors of the survivors possibly having a rad cure.

 

Story develops around the area we are told houses the zoo and we meet a genetically mutated Chimp who can speak and has escaped the "Franklin House of Horrors", as some of the intelligent animals took to calling their zoo turned prison camp and experimental rad lab. The zoo is in ruins and its former friendly animals have been relocated with the remaining descendants of the zoologist, who have themselves mutated and allegedly bred with some of the higher apes.

 

Two hundred years later, the main zoo is in ruins, however some of the predators remained near the old site. They bred there due to it being their home and initially being taken care of by the benign zoologist of old. We need to search the site to find the Franklin House of Horrors location. We assign our team of modders tasks including, a huge rad poisoning gene altered snake, alligator, tiger, and some higher apes, etc. Plenty of leeway to see what the team comes up with and wind it into the story.

 

Eventually, we find the Franklin House of Horrors and the scientifically altered and ape bred monstrosities of two hundred years in a real Hades come to Earth. The zookeeper is herself over 100 years old... She has the intelligence brought on by her zoologist heritage and the heart and killer instincts of a beast. She captures you and one of the animals has to release us prior to experimentation and mating.

 

I write and could on with this and dozens of other storylines, so if anyone is interested getting together and starting work on this or another quest/story mod keep in me in mind! I need uptraining on xEditing and 3d editing to bring more to the team and future projects. I am more than capable of doing voice overs and scripting everything, while working with a team to make sure they have plenty of creative input to keep it fun for everyone. I imagine it would be a some fun seeing where it took a skilled team working on such projects.

[creedofheresy]

Most I could provide is VA support, I've done some of it in the past and it's been well-received. Only downside is the primitive methods at my disposal for voice recording. I need to get some better stuff, whenever I can afford it.