REWARD FOR APPREHENSION! (Fix that bug)

[ferogain]

To date I have both created and used MANY mods for Skyrim (use WAY more than I made of course). And I recently started playing Fallout 4. I just got hit with the "Cannot Warn Desdemona" bug that so many are getting ganked by.

 

So I make this proclamation. Since the CK for FO4 is coming out this month, YOU, MOD MAKER have the ability to become the Community Hero.

 

First person to make a mod that truly fixes this bug (please don't reference the "Make Glory invul." mod) will get so much love from me it's crazy. I am willing to PAY for this mod as if it was a DLC.

 

The gauntlet has been thrown down my modder brothers and sisters. As soon as it is released, let's make the magic happen.

 

(sadly that level of modding is beyond me. But I know many of you are up to the challenge)

[minngarm]

I will make a fix that auto completes the quest line on pick up, thus fixing the bug. My DLC price is $1,000.00

[PoliteRaider]

I haven't experienced this bug at all. Could you please do me a favour if you still have that savegame where you're experiencing the bug?

 

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3He-h8wHAcbRjJEbndMblVVUlU

 

Here's an attempted fix I just made to test if the bug is caused by what I think it's caused by. If you download this mod, load up that save and at the chemistry workbench craft a "Cassandra Cola" (under the drug category). Drinking this cola while you're experiencing the bug might be able to fix it. (The Cola is just a trigger to run the script I wrote that changes one of the variables this quest uses).

 

If you're willing to give this a try, please let me know if it works as that will confirm if my theory is correct. If this isn't what's causing the problem, then I've got one more idea as to a possible cause.

 

Edit: This is just an experimental version, although if it works it should simply fix the problem and then never do anything again. (Don't go randomly drinking Cassandra Colas during other Railroad Quests though, that might break something). If it works though and my theory is correct, I should be able to write a proper bugfix that stops the problem from happening in the first place. I just need enough information to know I'm looking at the right place.

Edited April 18, 2016 by PoliteRaider

[ferogain]

I am at work, but will try this as soon as I get home. If this works you will be a freaking hero for reals! I could not count the posts I found that discussed this issue and the need for a fix. Well, that and Bethesda's "fix". Can't wait. Will post here as soon as I try it.

 

Thank you in advance for trying.

[PoliteRaider]

You're welcome, I hope it works. It sounds like a really frustrating bug, basically game-breaking at least for one of the factions. If this works, you should be able to just drink the cola, then any time afterwards talk to Desdemona and proceed with the quest as per normal. There's nothing special you should need to do, or particular requirements or console commands or anything strange like the other fixes I've seen people suggest. It changes nothing else in the game, beyond the global variable that the quest script references to track whether Desdemona is busy.

 

I remember seeing it listed in the bug fixes for 4.13 and I'd hoped that it was all solved, but that was probably too optimistic. From what I can see the problem is just that there's so many potential permutations in what order the player character does the different quests for the four main factions and Bethesda didn't quite consider all of them in their script. I'm trying a bit of a brute force solution here but if it works I know I've got the right variable so I can work on a more subtle approach to permanently fix the problem.

 

I've put in a debug notification as well, when you drink the cola a Shakespeare quote will appear in the top left side of the screen to let you know that the script has successfully run. (It's from the scene in Othello where Othello demands that Desdemona speaks to him... yes, I'm a literature geek). Also just to note that this mod should be pretty safe to simply uninstall, just make sure you've drunk any bottles of cola that you've made so there are no empty references in your save. Once you've spoken to Desdemona you don't need this mod anymore to keep the fix working, it's just the only way I have of easily changing a single variable in an active game. (Well, there are some other better ways, but I'm not a good enough coder to do those).

 

If it doesn't work, I'll try my other possible solution, but it seems a lot less likely to be the cause of the problem so I'm trying this one first.

[ferogain]

Was SOOO hoping this would work, but sadly no.

 

Here is where I am, if it helps...

 

-------------------- POSSIBLE SPOILERS -------------------------

 

I have the following quests ,

 

End Of The Line (but I have not talked to Father, he has not given me the quest to kill Des)

 

A House Divided (I don't think this would matter)

 

Here There Be Monsters (again, don't think it would matter)

 

Underground Undercover - Stage 1050. I have been told by Z1-14 to warn my friends at the Railroad that the BoS has found their hideout and is on their way to kill them. The dialogue option is supposed to trigger the end of Underground Undercover, give you the Railroad Rifle and some spikes, and then trigger the BoS attack on the Railroad HQ. In my game, like so many others, Glory is alive and well, and I have not killed off ANY of the BoS on the Prydwen, or the airport.

 

Misc Quest: Check The Detective Cases.

 

I fast traveled to RR HQ, clicked to Des before making your cola, confirmed she was still not letting me talk to her, made your cola (I have no other cola's made or otherwise in my inventory), got the notice (nice ref. btw) and she still would not talk to me. All I get is her "I'm busy" or a number of other responses, not the actual talk to her dialogue. She is highlighted and the quest is live.

 

Prior to this I would console and setstage to 1100. This would complete the quest, and give me the rifle and spikes, but it would not trigger the attack, or let me talk to Des. I noticed that the first quest stage in Precipice of War (the next quest) is also Warn Desdemona (stage 101) but if I setstage to that quest, it still does not trigger the attack.

 

I don't know if any of that helps, but I will give you whatever you need to help troubleshoot this. Thank you so much already for trying. You are awesome!

 

NOTE: I am able (again like so many others) to talk to Father and get the quest stage to kill Des. She WILL talk to me then. I let her know that I was sent to kill her, I tell her I will not kill her or any of the Railroad and she says to stall the Institute and work with Z1-14. But after that nothing. I will go back in and try some other options with your cola and see if anything changes.

Edited April 18, 2016 by ferogain

[PoliteRaider]

Ah, sorry that didn't work. Thankyou though for the useful information, that'll be a great help.

 

Time for another look at the quest script.

[PoliteRaider]

 

Prior to this I would console and setstage to 1100. This would complete the quest, and give me the rifle and spikes, but it would not trigger the attack, or let me talk to Des. I noticed that the first quest stage in Precipice of War (the next quest) is also Warn Desdemona (stage 101) but if I setstage to that quest, it still does not trigger the attack.

 

Hmmm, if you're going via that route what you want to do is first set the RR304 quest (00142FD3) to Stage 100, then set the RR201 quest (000B2D48) quest to Stage 1100, then if RR201 doesn't advance on its own set it to Stage 9000.

 

I can't guarantee that it'll work but this will mirror the way the game handles it in its own quest script a little better.

 

I'm just taking another look to see if I can find out where it's going wrong in the script.

[ferogain]

I made a Batch file with the first 2 setstage commands above. Launched it, and after that didn't progress the quest. Then tried setting the second one to 9000. Still no go. This whole quest stage seems to be borked beyond measure. Guess that's why Bethesda couldn't even fix it. LOL!!

[PoliteRaider]

Hmmm, I've got one more thing to try but if it doesn't work, I've got to admit that I'm out of ideas.

 

I'm just writing another script to test my idea out and see if it has any more luck.