Modding Dilemma

[authysus]

I just downloaded a great mod by Abot called Abot's Boats. If you are unfamiliar with it, it allows a scenic version of travelling by boat. There is also a siltstrider and a gondolier version. I love the fact of standing on a boat as it sails around... on to my dilemma.

 

I love the idea, but I wanted to make a way that the boat is timed allowing it to continuously go back a forth on trips so you don't have to talk to anyone, sort of like on WoW. I tried using Abot's models, but I just fall through with no collision. I've tried a regular model from Morrowind, same action. If I make a static, I can stand on it, but can't make it move through scripts. I've tried it as an NPC or creature, but no collision. I've tried a container, has collision, can't make it move. I am beating my head against the desk trying to figure this out.

 

Any ideas?

 

Thanks

[Denina]

Well, I don't know how much help this will be but maybe it will at least get you pointed in the right direction.

 

First, I don't know the finer points of scripting, but I'm not sure it's possible to do what it is you want it to do because when you're not in a cell (either exterior or interior), nothing happens in it. Everything "freezes"in that cell. That keeps the game engine from being bogged down by constant use, making the game lag. Since you don't know when you will be returning to a specific cell, there's no way to script it (that I know of) to 'know' where to be when the PC enters a specific area. And even supposing that is possible, I think you would end up having a case of disappearing boat all the time and with the Morrowind game engine being what it is, unlikely to reappear or reappearing in the wrong places and overall, being extremely buggy, at best.

 

Second, as for the boat having no collision, you should load up Abot's mod in the CS to see how he set up the boat. If any aspect of this mod is possible at all, I would reckon you'd have to do it the same way as he did. I reckon he set it up as an activator but I don't really know so check.

 

Good luck with your project. My knowledge is extremely limited as far as scripting goes, but I do know a few things and I really don't think the scripting is sophisticated enough to handle your idea. If it was, I would think someone would have already made it by now.

[authysus]

Thank you very much for your incite. I am not a scripter by any means, but I never thought about the cell issue.

 

Abot used the boat as a creature on a scripted course. Once you speak to the travel npc, the screen would go black and upon returning, you are on a boat headed to your location of choice. Once on the boat, you cannot move, but you can look around.

 

So maybe I could use abot's idea, but instead, make the boat an activator and upon entering the boat, you would activate it to go along a scripted course to it's destination. My main goal, was to be able to ride a boat, move around on it, and if you fall off, the boat continues to it's destination, without with you.

 

Thanks again, and I will see what I can do.

 

And of course, thanks Abot for the great mod.

Edited December 19, 2011 by authysus