Reverse Engineering XRE Cars New Vegas for Fallout 4 (theories and logic)

[genolune]

I know there has been a lot of talk that occurs about people wanting cars. I know that XRE Cars had a working system in Fallout New Vegas. So near as I can tell, the general logic would be to look at the ESM and ESP and duplicate the general theory and logic for Fallout 4 vehicles, preferably for a motorcycle since that's frequently requested and the narrow streets/alleyways of Boston would better suit a motorcycle. I know Ermeso required NVSE so probably F4SE would be needed (though I'd really need to have a guess at the script or find a way to view it or what's added by the script extender dlls).

 

So ideas off the top of my head:

a) Probably would need to link up with the Automathrone & Car Bot modders

b) Message Ermeso

c) Link mesh & textures of motorcycle as an object that can be activated, and motorcycle sounds would need to be imported since they probably don't exist anywhere in game

d) Reading Ermeso's addon guide for additional clues on how it could be done: http://xre.ermeso.com/addonguide/index.html

e) For simplicity's sake, instead of the scope of Ermeso's mod, for now, no quests or anything, but just one drivable motorcycle at the Red Rocket you start off near that way the mechanics can be honed and refined.

 

Anyone else have some ideas to have a legitimate motorcycle experience? I figured if nothing else, it would be something good to talk about and get new ideas on things that could be made.

 

EDIT: Some ideas thrown around are located here: https://forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?/topic/3436460-one-thing-i-really-want-a-working-motorcycle/

[werr92]

Not familiar with scripting for FNV, but it's different since Skyrim. And if we're talking about F4SE, it doesn't provide that much of functionality for now.

[genolune]

More ideas off the top of my head. Thinking back to my Introduction to Programming class, it may help to layout the Input-Process-Output model for variables and equations with basic ideas (its been awhile since I've programmed anything so my logic will be fuzzy to say the least).

 

Input

forward

backward

left

right

Activation key (to ride the motorcycle)

Deactivation key (to get off the motorcycle)

Horn (if you want it, not necessary in the beginning at least)

 

Process

if user presses left, then turn handles & forward wheel x degrees left per cycle and move in that direction

if user presses right, then turn handles & forward wheel x degrees right per cycle and move in that direction

if user presses forward, then move in that direction

 

while user presses backward check to see whether they are going forward, are stopped or are going backward.

if user is going forward, slow down by x amount per cycle until stopped

if user is stopped, go into reverse by x amount per cycle

if user is going in reverse, accelerate reverse speed by x amount per cycle

 

if user pushes activation key, transition to riding motorcycle animation

if user pushes deactivation key, stop vehicle and dismount

 

if user pushes horn key, play horn sound from hornSound.fileExtension

 

Output

Unsure at this time

[FiftyTifty]

I've not looked at the mod's innards, but I'd wager it's done by rigging the car and wheel meshes to the player (made invisible? Race change with edited motion data?), which are attached to the player as havok ball-and-socket constraints, or some such. Trick is to make it all play nicely in-game.

[montky]

@genolune -

thanks for this thread!

and, thanks for taking more interest in

making a standalone, Vanilla base game level

of Motorbike mod for FO4.

 

I think a key feature is -

making the mod not reliant on any of the DLCs.

 

- due to extensive modding of Red Rocket North Concord,

changing the location of the bike to a less-modded location would be better

to reduce mod-conflicts -

if your bike loads in the same place as a wall or Basement Living...

it can cause CTDs etc hehe

 

-----

using XRE vehicles and Automa-throne as a guide will be awesome.

maybe it is a very literal port of the drivable forklift?

the forklift is the same end-to-end length as the rocket-bike.

 

The Motorbike, making it uses fusion cores or Mr Handy Fuel or Oil as fuel source,

so duplicating the block from Power Armor might be a way to make the mod function...

 

or, using the vertibird so as a basis it can be flyable,

similar to the FONV flyable vertibird mod...

the Rocket-bike is actually a ground-effect craft, which flies close to the ground...

 

-----

what does the rocket-bike sound like?

"lub-lub-lub-lub", or more like a vespa and scooter from some 50s?

does the 'fusion rocket' make a sound on top of that?

 

if the player goes off a jump or strikes a wall at top speed -

do they get sent flying?

does the bike explode?

do parts fall off the bike like on a Mr Handy?

 

if a player rides the bike into some waters, and the bike is based on power armor...

is it possible to use the rocketbike underwater? or, will you get stuck and unable to leave,

like the Mama Murphy Automathrone?

 

------

my code-fu is not strong, so I am limited in how I can aid on that front.

yet, I can use audacity or other sound to aid with some SFX or so...

 

I look forward to reading what other modder think of this projet...

[genolune]

I've looked at his Addon Guide and honestly I felt like I was reading an Elder Scroll. I seen scribbles, went blind, possibly even a little mad. I don't know the difference between the two games, but in New Vegas it seems to get physics working right, Ermeso had invisible projectiles to propel the vehicle (if I understand it right).

 

Also, I looked at the Fallout 4 Creation Kit and it's scripting looks a lot different than say the Visual Studio I normally use for C#. Hopefully I can still create variables and assign them to objects and values in the CK.

[RavenRages]

i looked into the files on the Fallout: new Vegas G.E.C.K and this is everything for the cars i found i only have where the files are held not what they did (I'm new to modding).

 

what i found in the G.E.C.K

 

World objects

Movable static

XRocket

Static

XRocket

Activator

XRocket

Door

XRocket

Light

XRocket

Items

Misc Items

XRocket

Static

XRocket

Key

XRocket

Weapon

XRocket

Special Effects

Impact Data

XRocket

 

I don't think they are in order but that's how i found them

[Bwones]

Hey genolune,

 

​Don't mean to be a downer and do love the idea of it. When I get back into Fallout 4 I will be setting up the Fusion Flea as a vehicle using the same logic as the Automathrone.

 

​I think the main issues will be the fact the Creation Kit will not let you have functions based on keyboard events and the animations. If you are a first person player though do you see the wheels move? I guess that would only be an issue if you opened it up to everyone having a vehicle.

 

Good luck with it though.

[SlashSgt]

Not to shoot down this idea, I just always thought it would be easier to do the following.

Rather than try to create and implement a whole new mechanic, take advantage of the Power Armor stuff. Instead of entering the PA and running that animation sequence, it would run a player opening the car door and sitting down (or getting on a motorcycle or whatever). An alternate/modified PA gauge system would show up to display as the car's "dashboard". Then rather than using the PA running animations, the player's movement speed would simply be greatly increased (and if we're really fancy the wheels will move). Headlights will work same way as headlamps on PA. Carry capacity would obviously be increased just as some of the PA pieces do.

I'm just saying, taking a more Fallout3 Monorail of armor being implemented approach but using Power Armor makes sense to me...

[genolune]

These are all very good ideas. The end goal, is to make it work. However it does, doesn't really make a difference. I don't know if Ermeso's work can be duplicated, particularly since it's so complicated, but we can get close to a playable form. After playing with the scripting system during the making of my children of atom settlement, it's definitely not like visual studio. If I played around with the New Vegas GECK and seen what he did maybe I could see what has changed. I think Ermeso is an engineer in real life based on his addon guide and how technical it is. That sucks for me, because I'm not terribly mechanically inclined.

 

In the end the Power Armor stuff maybe better. The animations could be swapped out, theoretically. I like the headlights idea. Instead of carry capacity increased, how about some type of container mounted to the motorcycle for storage?