Companion Mod

[Vagrant0]

Since when does cheating on a single player game matter? So what if you have abilities which render you completely invincible, and can kill anyone with a single touch, run faster than your computer can render, jump high enough to scale the IC walls, stop all opponents in their tracks, make any other NPC temporarily invincible, gain nighteyes and a 2000 radius detect life, teleport to the location of any NPC you can see, become totally undetectable, and make any NPC call you friend and give you all their stuff. Does it really make the game any less fun? No, because those the usage of those things can still be controlled by the person playing, and according to the situation they are currently in. Actually at time such cheats can add a different element to the game that wasn't noticable before, like following Miak as he sprints between Anvil and Leyawin, or sneaking into places the player would normally never be able to enter. You can also see how NPCs fight eachother without being a target yourself. The same is true for companions. They can be used according to how the player wishes, and can add a new element to the game which can keep you interested. Companions can also be an occasional hinderance since the often just rush nto a battle you'd normally approach with stealth or where they would just get beat on by a group of opponents. They can also create complications in the middle of battle by getting in the way of your strikes or your spells, or hitting you with their spells/arrows. Its actually kinda funny to get killed by friendly fire from an overpowered companion.

[Storm Raven]

Generally, I do not start the game with a companion. I wait until my basic attack/defense skills are at a certain level. After my base mods are installed, and working properly, with several good saves before I introduce a companion. In the beginning while, the bad guys are still easy I need the experience to level up. Could be my Morrowind roots sticking out. :smile: I have been known to drag fights out a little to get a few extra blocks in. That blocking skill becomes very important at higher levels.

 

Companions do not seem to get this and kill off the opponents without regard to my subtle strategy. Most companions (from my limited :smile: experience) tend to fall back into a ranged fighting role, and unless you take the darn bow away from them, are as likely to hit you as they are the enemy, so I also like to have a few hit points before I volunteer for target practice. Make sure you get a companion that knows how to sneak, because that is also a useful skill and you don't want your help to constantly be blowing your cover. I don't think companions are cheats, you get some of them (like it or not) on various guild quests. The game was obviously designed for them.

 

But the final decision is up to you, and the fact that you have the ability make that choice is what makes this game, and Morrowind before it so great.

[Jumonji]

You know, companions are not a fixed quantity... if you want companions that hold back more, are more stealthy, or just plain get out of your way - then they can be programmed that way.

 

This is NOT a commercial for Rhianna, but I tried to to give her stealth options that would give you more control over when and where you entered combat. Maybe I didn't do it the way everyone wanted... but the point is, companions are created by modders who can change their behavior to suit your game style.

 

So - if you want companions to behave differently, then just let us know!

 

-Jumonji

[Faivon]

If you are playing a levelled mod you will probably have to rethink the way you play the game. In vanilla Oblivion levelling up could be disastrous until you knew how to control the speed of levelling so your attack and defence skills kept pace with the monsters. If the game is levelled you need to adopt the Morrowind approach and level as quickly as possible (using the main offensive and defensive techiques you prefer as major skills). Some areas of the game need to be approached at much higher levels than before.

Ah, this is what I failed to understand! I just getting used to vanilla Oblivion with mid difficulty setting where basically all things are just the way it is. Now I see from different perspective that we need companion mod to balance our gaming experience. Thanks!

 

Actually, I got something in mind when creating a companion's behavior. Uhmm, I think I'll just PM you instead :)

[Vagrant0]

So - if you want companions to behave differently, then just let us know!

 

-Jumonji

Well, I've been meaning to try a dialogue based system which changes the fighting styles of a companion and maybe affects their skills (so that they only use spells or marksman, or use a specific type of spell over another) maybe increase skills related to what you're having them do when you level, but never really had time to play around with it. I would probably make it as some sort of stand alone mod which could be applied to any companion since dialogues can be controlled through only factions, and dialogues can initiate any of the scripting things which would be required. But never really had the time to go into it. If you ever wanted to try it with Rhianna or make a sort of addition mod, I'd be willing to help go over some of the scripting involved. Or I might just save it for a rainy day when I need to make a companion for something.

 

If the AI was better at doing things when you aren't around, you could even set it up so that the companion breaks away while you're in town in order to buy some new spells, repair their equipment, or whatnot, telling you to meet you at the gate later. But that doesn't really work too well if you aren't there to see it happen, happens even worse when you're trying to do it all without the assistance of a quest script.

[Akulakhan001]

If you want companions, the best way to get them is to download Enrek Sar's mercenaries mod. You can have an unlimited number of mercenaries as long as you have the cash.

 

If the AI was better at doing things when you aren't around, you could even set it up so that the companion breaks away while you're in town in order to buy some new spells, repair their equipment, or whatnot, telling you to meet you at the gate later.

 

In this mod you could order your mercenaries to either make quarters at their current location, to scout the area and to attack on sight.

[SBJuthberg]

If you want companions, the best way to get them is to download Enrek Sar's mercenaries mod. You can have an unlimited number of mercenaries as long as you have the cash.

 

If the AI was better at doing things when you aren't around, you could even set it up so that the companion breaks away while you're in town in order to buy some new spells, repair their equipment, or whatnot, telling you to meet you at the gate later.

 

In this mod you could order your mercenaries to either make quarters at their current location, to scout the area and to attack on sight.

 

Currently I have Red Sonia installed, I used to have Rhianna, but have not re-installed her after I re-installed my game after getting Shivering Isles.

 

Anyhow, I don't think it's cheating to have a companion, but they do tend to get extremely annoying to me in spite of the niceness of having company in ones journeys.

 

The reason they annoy me so much

 

1.) They will ALWAYS get in your way in combat, there's just no way around it it would seem. For Rhianna, who has a preference of using spells it would mean she blew her self up when hitting me and my enemy with a big AoE-spell. And I usually end up with a high amount of Reflect Spell on my gear. Sonia will generally get in my way in melee, in spite of my telling her to go ranged. And of course all Enemies seems to think that Sonia is hotter than Lilieth and go for her over me...

 

2.) they ALWAYS fall behind when travelling. I don't use fast-travel much, and I don't generally use horses either until I got my Athletics Skill to a minimum of 75. I found that in my latest game, even though she has higher Athletics and Speed than I do, that Sonia would inevitebly fall behind, and that's with her in Light Armour and me in Heavy. So I kinda ditched her in my home to keep me company on the few occasions I'm actually spending time there. Using the console to set their Athletics to 100 helps temporarily(Until you switch Screen). Using Items with bonus to Athletics seem not to do anything, and Fortify Spells is to much of a bother to me.

 

3.) In dungeons, as I will always go for stealth, they act as a veritable Monster Magnet. Though it's nice having them come to you for a change, it's can be a bit to much of a nuisance to deal with.

 

So in conclusion, I use Companions mainly as decoration and, on occasion, as a traveling mate. Main reason I don't keep 'em with me at all times is that they fall behind, and have trouble keeping out of sight when required.

[LoginToDownload]

2.) they ALWAYS fall behind when travelling. I don't use fast-travel much, and I don't generally use horses either until I got my Athletics Skill to a minimum of 75. I found that in my latest game, even though she has higher Athletics and Speed than I do, that Sonia would inevitebly fall behind, and that's with her in Light Armour and me in Heavy. So I kinda ditched her in my home to keep me company on the few occasions I'm actually spending time there. Using the console to set their Athletics to 100 helps temporarily(Until you switch Screen). Using Items with bonus to Athletics seem not to do anything, and Fortify Spells is to much of a bother to me.

There are a few companion mods now that teleport your companion to you if they get too far away while following, and "summon companion" spells are getting outright common.

 

3.) In dungeons, as I will always go for stealth, they act as a veritable Monster Magnet. Though it's nice having them come to you for a change, it's can be a bit to much of a nuisance to deal with.

I've seen a few companion mods that auto-sneak when you do, (I recall one even using Chameleon/Invisibility magic) and there's always good old "wait here". Fun for ambushes.

 

I'm not a huge fan of companions myself, but it seems to me you're generalizing a bit...

 

EDIT: Heh heh... Traveling mate... *runs*

[wizardmirth]

Modding and using mods by nature is a process for customizing your game. You choose the difficulty level when you balance in mods that help you, mods that make the game harder, and setting the difficulty slider. Some people just want to kick ass god-mode style but that quickly gets boring. Most people want a customized experience that is still challenging. If the question is about beating Vanilla Oblivion then the answer is obvious.

 

Ever since I got Oblivion I’ve been play-testing hundreds of different mods with several different character types and haven’t even beaten the main quest yet. I’m at the point now where I’ve found my favorite character and game play customization (or at least 95% there). This includes a greater number of enemies spawn rate mod, exnem-class armors (mostly for fun but some of the rates are good), companions mostly used for filling up homes, and difficulty slider at full. I particularly like the kind of challenge that forces me to use as much magic and potions as possible to survive and win the battle—I play a Breton mage-sign Mage-Thief for maximum magicka. When going against, say, 4 mod-tricked vampires more powerful than the highest difficulty slider alone would allow then it might help to have a companion there to help draw some of the fire and not get flattened in the first ten seconds of battle. The point is my character can still get easily killed if I’m not careful.

[Iapetus]

Y'AI NG'NGAH

YOGH-SOTHOTH

H'EE-L'GEB

F'AI THRODOG

UAAAH

 

Well, I don't use companion mods, but I don't really think they could be considered anywhere near cheating. Take a look at some of the mods out there, the one's that add some crazy spell that kills every enemy, or some super-armor that reflects all damage. Those are cheatery, a pal to help you out is not.

I've never used any because my character is involved in various shady dealings and less than virtuous pursuits. I'd rather not have someone looking over my shoulder when I raid someone's house, or when I launch an assault on a few guards patrolling the Black Road.

I can see the appeal. Taking on some huge hulking monstrosity or a group of bandits or goblins certainly seems easier if you have someone to help you, and simply having an ally you can count on would be nice...

Well, I've just talked myself into downloading a companion mod...

 

OGTHROD AI'F

GEB'L-EE'H

YOG-SOTHOTH

'NGAH'NG AI'Y

ZHRO