[WIP] Hired Guns Companion Mod - getting started

[MasterMagnus]

Hello all. I am starting work on a fairly ambitious mod I'm calling "Hired Guns".

 

I am creating new NPCs you can travel with as companions. I'll continue to develop this while waiting for the GECK to be released.

 

Pre-GECK I plan to deliver: New NPCs, String Table with names you can apply to anyone in the game, A small number of outfits tailored for the new NPCs, batch files to accomplish recruiting and dismissing the new NPCs (unless I figure out how to make them recruitable through the typical system).

 

Post-GECK I plan to add: New quests involving new factions, some new weapon models, hopefully with full integration and no need for console commands/batch files.

 

I have experience with creating 3d art assets (models and textures in Blender and Photoshop), programming (Visual Basic back in the day), and modding (from back in the hex editing days). I plan to accomplish this solo, but would greatly appreciate any help you great folks here can provide.

 

I would like to release several 'editions' of this mod, the first will be about the American Wild West, specifically Tombstone Arizona and the people involved in the famous 'Shootout at the OK corral'.

 

PLEASE NOTE: This should definitely be considered CHEATING. Being able to add companions like this un-balances the vanilla game play as intended. Just adding IgnoreFriendlyHits (which is a purchasable perk for the player) is un-balancing alone.

 

So here goes, my work so far on...

 

HIRED GUNS 1: Tombstone Legends

 

Step 1: Making a Settler a Companion

Using console commands (in a batch file) I've found a method that seems to work. If I put these commands all in one file it seems to throw an error after calling 'ForceRefIntoAlias Companion'. So I split this up into two batch files with some comments as instructions. I've pre-pended my filenames with b_ to keep them all in the same place near the top of my folder, you could name them any way you like.

File: b_spawn.txt

setconsolescopequest followers
player.placeatme 1BF0B2
plr
;***************************
;**  FOLLOW THESE STEPS   **
;**<enter> = hit Enter key**
;***************************
;TYPE: ForceRefIntoAlias Companion <enter>
;TYPE: bat b_companion <enter>

You can use 'ForceRefIntoAlias DogmeatCompanion' instead to put the NPC into your 'dog companion' slot. Be aware they will behave much like dogmeat, running in front of you instead of behind if you assign them to the 'dogmeat slot'.

 

File: b_companion.txt

setplayerteammate 1
setignorefriendlyhits 1
setpv bCommandable 1
setpv ballowmove 1
setpv ballowcaravan 1
setpv dialoguecommandplayer 1
addkeyword playercanstimpak

I've also used this line (added after all the others):

attachpapyrusscript companionactorscript

Although that line doesn't seem to hurt anything, I'm not sure that it actually does anything. I'm probably using it incorrectly. Bottom line, I don't think you need the attachpapyrusscript command, but I thought I'd note my experiments with it seemed to show no ill effects.

Following this procedure makes the Settler your companion. The dialogue wheel options work, except 'Talk' only causes them to say "huh?" and doesn't open the next dialogue menu. Which means you can't get to the Dismiss or Exit Power Armor options. This is a downside I'd like to figure out how to handle more gracefully.

A companion added in this way will speak much less than a normal companion but they will say things at appropriate times, mostly in fights. I.E. "Here we go!" "Look at all the blood!" "It's over...for now." "I think I'm gonna be sick!" etc.

Big Downsides:

The lack of a Dismiss option, and Exit Power Armor make this inconvenient for normal play. If you recruit a built in companion the 'hired gun' will be dismissed and you should be able to select where they go normally. If you have not unlocked any settlements a dismissed 'hired gun' seems to move back to the location where you first spawned them and then wander about randomly.

 

NOTE: Instead of spawning a Settler you can click on any NPC (not a default companion) in the console, use the commands SetConsoleScopeQuest Followers, then ForceRefIntoAlias Companion, and then run the batch file above (b_companion) to make an existing NPC your companion. Be aware I have not spent much time in-game testing existing NPCs as companions, who knows what could happen?

 

Step 2: Changing the name from Settler to something custom

All you need for this is the command SetActorFullname and a RefID for a 'MESG string' in the game files. To add my own names I created a 'string table' .esp file by copying an existing MESG ("Codsworth likes that." for example).

 

I've been travelling with renamed settler companions for a while in-game and this seems rock solid. It is saved across sessions and as long as the .esp/mod stays in the same 'load order' position this works great. Using built in strings would be even better, but limited.

 

Downsides:

Custom names from an .esp seem to work great, the only issue is the 'load order' and knowing what the RefID is on a users machine based on their load order.

 

Step 3: New NPCs by copying and editing existing NPCs

I've created a new .esp file with a copy of Strong's template, edited Name, Race, Model, Voice, Factions, Weapons, CombatStyle and Affinity messages (using a custom 'string table' as mentioned in 'Step 2').

 

Then following the procedure in 'Step 1' (but spawning my new NPC instead of a built-in Settler) the Companion seems to operate properly (with the noted lack of Dismiss menu option) and actually sends Affinity messages when appropriate.

 

----

 

I believe I'm well on the way here. I've done re-textures for a couple of outfits, but stepped back to work on the coding first.

 

Any tips would be greatly appreciated. And feel free to take anything you see here and play with it yourself. If you do, I would appreciate you returning here and commenting on your findings as well!

 

Also if you're interested in Tombstone and the 'Shootout at the OK corral' here is a (current subject to change) list of the characters I plan on making for phase 1. I have a larger list of people involved when the GECK comes out to create quests/story lines.

 

Wyatt Earp

Virgil Earp

Morgan Earp

Doc Holliday

Bat Masterson

John Behan

Fred White

Curly Bill Brocius

Johnny Ringo

Tom McLowry

Frank McLowry

Billy Claiborne

Ike Clanton

Billy Clanton

 

If anyone has lore concerns, I'm calling this mod a 'Psycho-Jet induced, history based, memory den delusion'. You read a book about Tombstone, got stoned on Psycho-Jet, and took a memory den trip that feels totally real!!

Edited March 29, 2016 by MasterMagnus

[wintermuteai1]

I see this is on bethesda mods but not here on nexus? Can you upload to nexus please?

[wintermuteai1]

For something like this as well, adding a custom hire quest seems like the way to go. If you look in the CK at Maccready, he has as part of his quest that you hire him for 200 caps.

I've been looking into a way to properly do custom companions with settler options as well.

[MasterMagnus]

Oh wow, thanks for asking. I thought there was just no interest over here.

 

I don't have a custom quest yet, I'm just using a control holotape to spawn and dismiss them. This thread was started before CK was released and I was just learning, I went a different way than initially talked about here.

 

I want to update my mods to use the holotape naming convention mentioned in another thread here. So my mods 'play better' with sorting mods.

 

And I need to package them up for Nexus, I haven't ever done that yet.

 

It may take me a few more days, but I'll bring Hired Guns over here too.