Opening scene dialouge mod/edit. Need help.

[Deleted16872254User]

Hello. I want to do a simple edit of the opening scene in Skyrim.

What I want to do is remove two audio files from when Alduin makes his first appearance. It's when you are at the chopping block about to be decapitated.

 

They are lines which are misplaced and the timing is off.

These are the lines:

 

"Sentries, what do you see?"

"It's in the clouds."

 

This is for original skyrim but I'd like to do it for special edition as well.

 

I've spent several hours looking at creation kit tutorials and I still don't know what I am doing.

I have saved an esp file for me to edit in creation kit but that's about it.

I have no idea how to find the files to edit so they aren't played in the game. I know what the file is in BSopt or whatever it's called and I tried looking at tutorials to unpack the Voices BSA. delete those two files and then pack it again using archive.exe but I can't get it to work. There are so many tutorials and to many things pointing me in too many different directions. If someone can help me solve this I would be very greatful. I don't plan on modding the game further, and there is just too much information for me to go through to just learn how to do one simple thing.

Again if you can help me with this I will be greatfull.

 

I know there is an opening scene overhaul but I don't like it. I just want this simple fix.

[Kroekr]

I am far from an expert in this (read "less than newby") but I would think you would have to alter the script for that sequence to remove those lines.

[Deleted16872254User]

I do know what scripts are sorta. I know there is a script folder in the skyrim directory. Beyond that I have no idea. I'm a noob to the max. After spending 4 hours trying to figure this out I've become lost... and hungry lol. Need to take a break but I wanted to try and reach out for help. I basically want to remove those lines from being spoken and appearing in subtitles.

[eastwindOrig]

In skyrim, scripts have to be "compiled". You edit the source file, which has a file type of .psc (papyrus source) and compile it using the papyrus script compiler which produces a papyrus executable file with a filetype of .pex. The .pex files are generally in Data\scripts and the .psc files in Data\scripts\source.

 

I suggest:

a) install Mod Organizer so you can experiment without corrupting your base install

b) download and install under MO the mod Skyrim Unbound because it messes extensively with the scripts run during the opening

c) look at what that mod is doing to help you find the script you need to modify and get ideas on how to do it. It includes source for it's scripts.

 

In the end, you might decide to just add a SetStage() call to the script in question to skip over the stages that play the sounds. Or perhaps you can actually fix the timing by changing, adding or removing some wait() calls.

 

Make some kind of really obvious change first so you can make sure you've learned how to run the compiler and get your changes picked up by the game.

[IsharaMeradin]

Actually, what you are looking for is a scene. Scenes are part of quests. This particular scene is MQ101AlduinAttackScene1 on the MQ101 quest. No scripting involved that I can see. All you need to do to remove them is to right click on the relevant actions in the scenes tab and choose to remove them.

 

Then all you need worry about is that any mod you install in the future does not re-introduce them by providing their own edited form of the quest record.

[Deleted16872254User]

First thing I tried was something I found on Nexus. It's called Voice File Reference Tool. I used that to find the two files that are in Skyrim - Voices.bsa that I want to remove. I just want to remove them. I don't want to try to edit them in anyway. The two lines that I listed in the first post are the ones I am trying to remove. I was able to extract the bsa file but I when I compressed it back the file size was only 3.1 MB or something close to that. My voice bsa's actual file size in the game folder is 1,424,370 KB, which is roughly 1.4 GB if I'm not mistaken. I used BSopt or whatever it's called to compress the file but I read that you need to use the archive application that's in the game folder but I don't know how to use it.

[Deleted16872254User]

Actually, what you are looking for is a scene. Scenes are part of quests. This particular scene is MQ101AlduinAttackScene1 on the MQ101 quest. No scripting involved that I can see. All you need to do to remove them is to right click on the relevant actions in the scenes tab and choose to remove them.

 

Then all you need worry about is that any mod you install in the future does not re-introduce them by providing their own edited form of the quest record.

 

I will look for that in Creation Kit. I figured it was a scene with a particular sound file attached to it. I will look for it. Actually....you wouldn't know where to find that scene in CK would you?

[Deleted16872254User]

For the life of me. I don't understand why Bethesda didn't have the part of the scene fixed in the first place.

The lines there when the dragon appears is so off timing and balance it makes me want to throw things at the screen.

[Deleted16872254User]

Yes!! Thank you @IsharaMeradin.

I was able to find the scene, delete those two lines and save the esp to add to my load order. I don't use any other mod that edits the opening scene. I tested the game out and started a new game with just those two lines removed. The only thing you hear is:

"What in Oblivion is that!"

-pause-

then the dragon comes down, impact the tower, then you here:

"Dragon!"

 

This is more impactful. It pauses for dramatic effect, and it doesn't introduce the poor timing of those two lines which are not needed anyway. It would take a whole lot of work to edit it further. And I'm not getting paid to do it so...

Bethesda should have done so much more for this game....then again....i know...Bethesda. The only other thing wrong with the scene that I don't want to tackle is when the imperial captain shifts/ or glides a little back and to the left just before she uses her foot to push that stormcloak into position to be beheaded. I swear I have a love hate relationship with this game.

[IsharaMeradin]

That shifting you see is most likely due to how the interaction markers are set up and where the NPC ends up when told to walk to there in the first place. Not much you could probably do with that anyway.