New Follower Preferences

[LadyHonor]

I had a major computer crash over a week ago and am having to redo my followers. Thankfully I had backups, but I decided not to restore my database because I had a list of modules in it as long as my arm and I'm kind of ocd. It bothered me...bad...very bad. BUT! I had all my scripts and levels saved to an external hard drive, so it's only a matter of copying, pasting, and remaking a few things. Anyway....

 

Before I get too involved with hiring scripts, I wanted to know if most prefer to level their own followers and selecting their own specializations or do they prefer their new followers to be already leveled when they join the party? One way is just as easy as the other. It's just a matter of copying and pasting.

[MagdalenaDwojniak]

I prefer more control. I would give some XP to level the abilities the way the player wants (unless there is some plot reason for your follower to have - or not - certain skills, cue Oghren and being a berserker or Leliana's lessons of archery with Marjolaine). But it is your decision.

[addictinsane9]

I play with three different difficulty mods with additional modded quests that, by themselves, have a standard difficulty higher than the vanilla game. So by no stretch of the imagination would I be possible to play the game with the crappy stat atribution and specializations that any of the characters start with.

 

To provide an example, just this morning I started a rogue with secondary mage and warrior talents from Quests and Legends. In the Korcari Wilds around Ostagar, I was wielding voice of velvet and a shield with the +20 heraldry (Awakening in the OC mod), Alistair was wearing Blood Dragon Plate, a modded sword better than Starfang and Bulwark of the True King plus the +20 heraldry, Jory had the Battledress with Dragonbone Cleaver, Daveth had Bregan's Bow.

 

During the first Hurlock Emissary fight, my whole party died, and I was left at around 10% hp. I'm dealing around 60-70 damage per hit with my Voice of Velvet backstabs on level 4. Darspawn say it tickles.

 

Don't even get me started on what the werewolves can do to you with these mods.

 

So, yeah, I need my party with the necessary stats to wear the best possible stuff ASAP.

 

EDIT: Also, it is strange that Oghren has berserker since 2h is the warrior who probably benefits the least from it, given how slow their attacks are. And since 2h is so reliant on abilities and sustainables, you never have stamina for final blow, which, even if you did, the ability just blows.

Edited June 30, 2016 by addictinsane9

[LadyHonor]

what I finally wound up doing is giving the player a choice. you get two warriors, one sword and shield, the other 2h. one mage and a rogue. I wanted to do custom specs but mccgoy explained custom specs didn't work well with awakening. so what I did was allow the player to choose how to hire or recruit the party member in the conversation. two followers use custom specs, the paladin and chantry monk specs downloadable here in their auto up templates, but if the player for whatever reason doesn't want to install those mods, they can choose to reset them. the other two followers are a champion and a ranger. they can be reset as well. all 4 of them are player configurable. they are reset to a base of ten attribute points for each attribute and given spend able points depending on the level of the player when they are hired. I believe that gives the most flexibility and *should* make everyone happy...at least as far as hiring them goes.

[addictinsane9]

Yes!!! See, I hate whenever a mod forces a companion on you. However, I'm not sure if setting them at a flat ten for all atributes is a good thing. I thought different races came with different attributes. If you respec the original characters using any mod you want, I think you'll realize base attributes vary between characters. Now, I'm not sure, I may be talking out of my ass, but that's how I remember it.

 

Also, you said something about awakenings. Are you making a mod for awakenings? Nobody makes mods for awakenings. The only awakenings companion I like is Sigrun, so it would be nice to have someone nice enough in the party.

[LadyHonor]

true, but those points are refunded to them as well to be spent however you want. I mean really, why would anyone other than a mage need magic? race based skills like the dwarf are still there tho. my mod tho is for is for the oc. when it's finished I may look into extending it to awakening.

[mcgoy]

Awakening in the OC allows you to get the talents/skills that were added in Awakening. The issue with adding new specializations whether the player wants them or not is that Awakening adds two new specializations. Then if you play Dark Times it adds three. Since there is only room for a total of eight specializations, this is a problem. Depending on load order, any new specializations may not show up.

 

And really there is no need to add a new specialization. Adding a "unique item" allows the player to decide who should have a new specialization.

 

Yes there are a few mods for Awakenings, but most are bug fixes. Ser Gilmore is added through a mod. My Companion mods are probably years from being extended into Awakening

[addictinsane9]

I have Awakenings in the OC installed, but hadn't thought about the problem you discuss. Because of this, I actually thought Dark Times added two specs. XD

[mcgoy]

Yep, it is supposed to add three, for rogues anyway. I don't remember now if the third specialization actually worked, but it did exist.