Blacksmith animation and AI help

[Striker879]

I had trouble getting NPCs to read while sitting. I looked over as many vanilla NPCs who read sitting as I could find. If I recall correctly (I don't have access to my gaming computer right now) I succeeded by Use Item At targeted on the chair I wanted to use as a location (chair must be a persistent reference to work) and the item is a specific book I put in their inventory.

[icecreamassassin]

Well that's kind of odd because Umbacano doesn't have any books in his inventory, AND he is sitting while reading most of the time and he appears to be governed by the standard AI packs and doesn't make any reference to a special animation or anything

[GreatLucifer]

I suggest you try an Escort-package, in which you tell the guy to escort the book to the chair.

 

On the one hand, this is a surefire way to get him to read sitting down (which indeed already exists and is quite standard).

 

On the other hand, if they have a book in their inventory, not just UseItemAt (which does make them read, not pick up btw) should work, but even wander should make him read occasionally (with low energy settings, he'll try to sit down while wandering. When sitting, he *might* decide to read for a bit. This decision-part is unfortunately hard-coded).

 

I suggest you try a UseItemAt-package with NO flags checked as well. This is what I regularly do, and it works like a charm. Only thing it won't work on is bows, as they'll more often than not play animations without actually shooting arrows.

[icecreamassassin]

Ok so I added a book to his inventory and that worked :P can't explain how Umbacano does it, but oh well. So what is needed is:

 

"UseItem at" near a location (persistent reference of a chair) and have the target be "books" for the item to use and have a book in the inventory.

Edited July 31, 2011 by icecreamassassin

[GreatLucifer]

Hurray :dance:

[fore]

Ok so I added a book to his inventory and that worked :P can't explain how Umbacano does it, but oh well. So what is needed is:

 

"UseItem at" near a location (persistent reference of a chair) and have the target be "books" for the item to use and have a book in the inventory.

 

Wow. The more we look into Oblivion, the more I have respect for what the developer have accomplished. Let me tell why I thought that's not possible with available animations, and why it apparently is.

 

Oblivion always merges different animations. For standard animations for example: idle and weapon animations, stagger and combat, onehand and (shield) block. I have had a lot of unexpected results with making BBB animations before I understood.

 

On top of that it's always possible to add an idle animation based on conditions. I once made a "hands up" pose idle which was merged with an NPC's walk/run as soon as you forced him to do so. Thats's done with the animations' bone priorities. In the "hands up" I used high prio for upperbody and VERY low prios for lower body bones, while standard walk only uses low priorities.

 

But I never thought it was possible to merge 2 idle aminations. And since there is only one standing reading animation, and no sitting and reading, I was so definite in my comments. But as it appears, with AI package IT IS possible to merge 2 animations. The sitting animations activated by "Location" (Bed Chair), the reading animation by "Use Item At" and "Target" (Books, which are definded as generic AnimObject).

 

The merging of both animations (sitting, reading) is done via priorities: Sitting has all bones defined with prio 23 (except the head with 93, probably to avoid head tracking). Reading has lower body bones with 13, upperbody with 33, head again 93. So when the character sits and reads he will gett sitting lower and reading upper body.

 

Sorry for being too ignorant before. :blush: Apparently I don't play the game enough.

 

Hey, that means you could even make a "lazy blacksmith", which hammers while sitting (or even sleeping). :biggrin:

[icecreamassassin]

Now that would be funny, hehehe.

 

So on to the next segment... I've built a boat that can travel around (simple enable/disable and door swap out commands) but I need a ship wheel to use as the activator. I looked around but couldn't find one. I also posted this as a separate topic.

 

I also am having a minor issue with an NPC not casting a script-based spell that I give him. Is there a special trigger or condition which the NPC will use to determine which spells to cast and when?