scripter wannabe

[Terraz]

hi guys, I just wanted to learn some fallout scripting skills to make something useful, i looked up for some tutorials and info but with scarce results...the official wiki is pretty useless for a beginner since it lacks a fundamental tutorial to learn the syntax of the scripts. i'm not new to programming and can learn pretty fast, but i don't have much time to spare in this :( i would like to know how you learned to script in fallout and if a well-done tutorial exists at all! thanks, Terraz.

[PaladinRider]

Learn how to script? Here's what I did:

 

Download the Oblivion Construction set.

Tinker with mapbuilding for a while. Looked at script functions ( GECK Script Functions).

Tried to make some scripts.

Take two years of programming (2 more to go) at university.

Get fallout new vegas. Learn it has a GECK and experiment with newfound knowledge.

 

 

Seriously though, GECK uses a simplified scripting language, but if I had spent more time with it I'm sure I could have picked it up quick. Scripting at first can be very difficult because you sometimes cannot physically see if its working.

Assuming that you understand programming basics (such as if/elseif/endif, etc). Then you can just tinker with some really simple functions first.

Try using activators that uses the ShowMessage function (see linked page). This is so that the player can activate the object to run the script ingame. If you start the script with

 Scriptname YourScriptNameHere

begin OnActivate
  ;place your code here
end

 

Try making some persistant reference NPC and try some of the functions (IE>

MyNPCsReferenceID.disable

 

For syntax, look at the function page on the wiki - it will tell you.

Edited July 5, 2011 by PaladinRider

[Terraz]

Learn how to script? Here's what I did:

 

Download the Oblivion Construction set.

Tinker with mapbuilding for a while. Looked at script functions ( GECK Script Functions).

Tried to make some scripts.

Take two years of programming (2 more to go) at university.

Get fallout new vegas. Learn it has a GECK and experiment with newfound knowledge.

 

 

Seriously though, GECK uses a simplified scripting language, but if I had spent more time with it I'm sure I could have picked it up quick. Scripting at first can be very difficult because you sometimes cannot physically see if its working.

Assuming that you understand programming basics (such as if/elseif/endif, etc). Then you can just tinker with some really simple functions first.

Try using activators that uses the ShowMessage function (see linked page). This is so that the player can activate the object to run the script ingame. If you start the script with

 Scriptname YourScriptNameHere

begin OnActivate
  ;place your code here
end

 

Try making some persistant reference NPC and try some of the functions (IE>

MyNPCsReferenceID.disable

 

For syntax, look at the function page on the wiki - it will tell you.

 

 

thanks for the advice, actually i'm at the third year of java and C programming so it should be no problem to understand (i hope so!) ;)

[drakeelvin]

I found the easiest way to learn scripting was to spend time playing the game, then when I saw something neat I'd go into GECK and try to find it and reverse engineer the scripts. I learned a lot that way.

 

Also, spending time on the GECK Main Page and learning to navigate it both for turotials and for its reference guide. Using it as a reference guide is a hard learning curve at first but I'd recommend that when you see a function used in a script and its obvious what it does, go try to look it up anyhow. The more familiar you are with the reference guide in the long run the better, and you learn more about what functions can do that aren't obvious.

 

I think the first script I learned in this fashion was the NCCS companion script, and the second was the water breathing aparatus from Nellis and I learned a lot more than I bargained for on the rebreather script ... don't tell anyone but New Vegas has SPELLS that get cast on player and NPC alike. Just don't tell anyone they might cast a hex on us lol.

Edited July 6, 2011 by drakeelvin

[PaladinRider]

If you've done C you'll pick this up in no time..

 

but get the Geck Powerup (for the latest game version). Without it, you can't see where your errors are :thumbsup:

[Terraz]

thanks to you all! yeah, understanding of the code is not difficult, what a begginer like me should have to start is a class documentation, on the wiki i've found only the functions (methods)one...i wanna try some reverse engineering but there's a problem: i have geck opened with NV and a plugin i want to see loaded, i go in the script editor (pencil icon) now how can i find the only plugin related scripts?

 

thanks for mentioning the geck power up....bethesda should put it in the official release!

...talking about geck powerup: which version should i download? i've read in comments that it's no longer usable with latest geck version...

edit: found power up update for 1.3 :)

Edited July 6, 2011 by Terraz

[PaladinRider]

It can be hard sometimes to find scripts belonging to a plugin. Anything that has an asterik after its name has been edited by the active plugin.

[Terraz]

It can be hard sometimes to find scripts belonging to a plugin. Anything that has an asterik after its name has been edited by the active plugin.

 

 

i'm looking at the scripts of the "more perks" plugin but none of them have asterisks...

[tunaisafish]

i'm looking at the scripts of the "more perks" plugin but none of them have asterisks...

On the 'Open' popup of the GECK, select a plugin and choose the 'Details...' button.

That will list all the added/edited items.

 

The asterisks are also sometimes hard to spot when in the GECK (column width can hide them).

I wish it actually had a separate column for those.

 

Some objects contain embedded scripts (or logic in conditions) - so 'more perks' may only add/change 'Perk' objects.

 

FNVEdit is also a good tool to use, as you can compare the changes that many plugins make to a single resource side-by-side.

[Terraz]

i'm looking at the scripts of the "more perks" plugin but none of them have asterisks...

On the 'Open' popup of the GECK, select a plugin and choose the 'Details...' button.

That will list all the added/edited items.

 

The asterisks are also sometimes hard to spot when in the GECK (column width can hide them).

I wish it actually had a separate column for those.

 

Some objects contain embedded scripts (or logic in conditions) - so 'more perks' may only add/change 'Perk' objects.

 

FNVEdit is also a good tool to use, as you can compare the changes that many plugins make to a single resource side-by-side.

 

 

thanks a lot! you really helped me guys :)