Relay: Location List

[JetSteele]

( RETROACTED )

 

( I've made a mod quite a while ago called Institute Network. In principal It allows the player to relay to and from the Institute from a Pip-Boy holotape; some might say, what for? I felt its just something that I wanted to add to the game. The holotape is said to act as a Courser Chip interface that allows you to come and go from the Institute instead of using the World Map. )

 

Hey! It's been forever since I've publically said anything about this mod and I felt that I should repurpose this specific topic for this specific reveal.

 

As those that have played with Institute Network know, the mod is good but there are some draw backs...specifically in how the Relay list was handled. It is what I call a 'Closed System' meaning that any time I want to add a new location to the Relay I needed to go in CK and manually add that location in. There were ways to circumvent that however it would have made the list less understandable (i.e. Location01, Location02...and so on).

 

So obviously I didn't want to go down that path, I have been looking for ways to break my system and turn it into an 'Open System' but for months I had no such luck in finding a way with the current implemented system.

 

Way before Institute Network was created I was working on a mod that I codenamed 'Vault256'. The project was later dropped for so many scripting difficulties.

 

I have since then revived that project and created a complete relay system that is 'Open'. The drawback is that when you Relay out you will find yourself at the exact point where you Relayed in. This allows the player to Relay out to the DLC areas without requiring the DLC as an xMarker is what handles the teleport location.

 

The drawback being that you cannot Relay anywhere you want, however this is also a plus as this drawback is also a balancing mechanic for those that play on Survival difficulty.

 

I have about 3 remaining base features to complete before the mod is going to be ready for release...why am I mentioning this in a topic that is about the Institute Network mod?

 

Because this new Relay system is being used in an updated Institute Network that is being merged with the 'Vault256' mod.

 

The new mod will have quite a few features in it (not revealing what just yet) that should interest the player. I will create a topic about that mod once it's closer to release. This post is a heads up that there is a completed updated version of Institute Network in the works that will be released alongside the resurrected 'Vault256' mod.

 

More Info to Come!

[JetSteele]

TOPIC REPURPOSED.

Now speaks about an updated Institute Network mod and about a resurrected mod project codenamed 'Vault256'.

[montky]

@jetsteele

NEAT!

this will be interesting.

It's a good thing I kept my Institute aligned playthroughs hehe.

 

 

 

did you somehow incorporate the Portal-gun mechanic to the synth relay,

as that portal-ing system sounds awesome for real-time synth-ery.

how did you solve for it?

 

some sort of homeomorphism for the assigning of the arrays?

that will be awesome to understand more about, as that was as you say,

a huge technical component which prevented the realizing of the full vision.

it could have some implications for other mod projects, such as 'better reflective surfaces'

and "rad-ghost flashbacks" or "holograms and damaged holo-emitters" etc.

 

I am hopeful that this will be integrateable with

the Good/Bad institute main quest overhaul,

the University Point Restored

and the Under-Boston mods,

as being able to relay in the way you've suggested, could let me stealth and bypass a few things hehe.

 

 

[JetSteele]

@montky

Glad your interested!

 

 

 

I've solved it by utilizing an xMarker. I built basically a mini QASmoke cell underneath my custom bunker that is inaccessible and contains the markers. When the Relay is activated in the game world, it places the xMarker from that cell at the player's feet and Relay's the player into the appropriate cell. When the player Relay's out, they go to the xMarker and the xMarker is then returned to the cell.

 

This way it doesn't spawn in markers and flood the save file with stuff that would bloat it. It's extremely basic in concept, a more complex way would be a portal gun mechanic. Where once you place your array then you also write a script that would do the same thing as I just did except it places the xMarker at the array (however it won't remove it from there unless the array is deleted from the world).

 

The real trick would be to place the xMarker however a teleport script is fairly simple to write. To rename each array I believe that FO4 Extender would be needed or else the names of the locations would need to be generated by the player beforehand which would render them generic. Which is the reason that I didn't go with this specific method since I wanted to have the mod require only the base game and nothing extra.

 

The big issue would be the naming component, the placing of the teleport locations (if using manually placed locations in the game world) would be fairly simple with a script (though the pain in the butt part is making sure the xMarker is placed at the exact point it needs to be, i.e. ontop of the array).

 

 

[montky]

@jetsteele

dang that is phlupping AWESOME!

you could do so much with that -

"hijack" the teleport, have them 'randomly' be teleported to the 'wrong' place...

map that QASmoke to a Vendor node, say, at a settlement that is a giant elevator between 2 other settlements,

in a scrap scraper.

Combat "Blink" - teleport 5 m in a direction from the present player.

all kinds of stuff with a table like that.

 

 

 

indeed, that is an innovative approach;

xMarker, QASmoke.

that is more like the Power Armor AI (up to 3 'wingman" power armor suits)

they used something like that to set the minimum distance from player, so as,

when you're on a building, they'll still try and land as close to you as they can.

earlier versions had an arbitrary set distance from play calculated once when you called things in...

hence, you had to stay very still, or call them in from a further distance.

whereas, now, you can call them in very close, and still benefit from their attack on entry for area of effect.

 

there are a couple of 'teleport' mods,

but nothing as versatile as this.

there's a throwable synth relay grenade,

a portal gun that will portal between the blue and orange

(my understanding is its basically a placeable "any door to anywhere" temporary door and load)

but, you won't be able to make those as 'floatingpoint-proof' as this approach.

 

I mean, imagine -

you're trying to teleport to another Synth locale,

and that teleport is derailed "Contact" style,

and intercepted by Rad-beings, or

poly-dimensional beings etc... in a nod to Edwin Abbott^2

you could then "teleport" to a 'new lands",

where everything is 'holographic".

 

It's like the Memory Den 'simulation suite/virtual settlements/'holodeck",

but accessible only via relay, and based on a fractal or some other counter...

 

I digress,

you've given me a lot of ideas to think about,

AND an awesome mod to try out down the pipeline!

 

 

Edited March 31, 2017 by montky

[JetSteele]

PIPapps

 

The updated Institute Network framework is released under this mod! The remaining plans for this mod are:

- Complete the Director's Terminal Log Entries

- Complete the 'Fusion Cycler'

- Complete 'PA Fusion'

- Complete the Bethany Base Clutter

 

3 items on this list will be simple to finish, the only task that I am uncertain if it is at all feasible is 'PA Fusion' since it was the original project that ended up tanking this mod. I will do my best to see it through though I am uncertain if that option is actually possible. I don't want to reveal what 'PA Fusion' actually is just yet, as I don't want to disappoint people if it isn't possible to script.

 

After these final tasks are completed I will see about adding other faction related content into the mod. Right now I have a custom base, and Institute content; I will be looking into adding in BOS, Minutemen and Railroad related content later.

 

Enjoy!