Oblivion script fixes- in the making

[SubjectProphet]

Recently, there has been an increased number of problems in the scripts, as mods are begining to take form into this. A simple Oblivion plugin is probably all that's needed to repair this. Which is why I am working on a script fix; something that will help in fixing those errors you might come across. Very minor, and hardly noticable, but it will help keep you're game on balance. It'll be my first mod, and it's won't really be a mod, but I'm just wanting to help out.

 

It works by getting the plugin active. Some of the scripts (like how sometimes it takes 4 days for SI to appear in you're journal) wll be edited and copied twice to make sure the active script is the ONLY active script. But like I said, you probably won't even notice it. I'm currently in the progress of getting it formed together.

 

What do you think of the details?

[David Brasher]

The design parameters of the mod sound a bit nebulous to me. You might wish to expound upon your mod idea and make your idea for the mod clearer.

 

Plugins are active when their boxes are checked in the mod manager. If you are talking about "active" as in loaded into memory and processing, then they are active when the mods are activated. Magic effect scripts only process when the spell is cast. Begin GameMode object scripts only process when the object is loaded into memory by being in the same interior cell as the Player or the same exterior 5 x 5 block of cells. Quest scripts run constantly, every 5 seconds by default. (While the quest is active by "Start Game Enabled" or StartQuest, but before the execution of StopQuest.) You cannot tell Oblivion to only run one script at a time. Oblivion runs dozens or hundreds all the time, because that is how it is built. Making multiple copies of scripts that do exactly the same thing is not a good thing to do. It will waste processing power and generate strange bugs and perhaps CTDs as the cloned scripts all compete for the right to do the same task.

[SubjectProphet]

Didn't explain that well enough did I?

 

The copied scripts isn't easy enough to explain. All I really can say is it won't quite do what you think it will do. And I'm not telling Oblivion to run one script at a time, or else the game wouldn't work. I may be new to modding but that doesn't mean I don't know what I doing.

 

Or if still think everything I'm doing will completly destory the game, then I'll stop the plugin, because so far it works fine to me.

[Septfox]

What I'm taking from your first post is as above; copying the script, then running the copy(s) in parallel to make absolutely sure the changes they make go through. But all that would do is cause even more conflicting with other scripts that change the same things. Scripts that make changes to settings or variables will do so when they run, without any regard for other scripts that change the same. It's not a matter of a certain type of script dominating other types, it's just simple timing.

 

I have to agree with David, a more detailed description is really needed to make a better call. "edited and copied twice to make sure the active script is the ONLY active script" is a bit vague, since like he said, quest scripts run every 5 seconds (unless overridden by fquestdelaytime, set in the script itself) while the quest is running. And every running script in the game is "active" at all times, running parallel to one another. Whichever script that has its questdelaytime float set lower will be the one that sets the target setting/variable the most often.

 

 

I'm a pretty big fan of optimization and reducing bugs (running on an old Pentium 4, can use all the optimization I can get), so please, do outline your idea a bit more.

[SubjectProphet]

Alright, here's a breif explanation: (if this doesn't make sense still, I give up)

 

The plugin will edit most of your scripts so they always work (like in my first post, the Shivering Isles might take 4 days before the rumor quest pops up, it's only suppossed to take 1) when they're suppossed too work. The copying scripts thing is pretty hard to explain, considering it has a lot to do with "what you're saying doesn't make sense" and stuff like that, but it WON'T use useless usage (say THAT 5 times fast), that's all you should really care about. Also, the plugin should enable backup scripts for certain scripts that hate you completly.

 

You really don't have to understand this. I'm good at working with scripts, I know the do's and don'ts. If you still don't understand it, then don't care, it's not suppossed to be noticable, but it will help out with speed and script crashes.

[JackTownsend]

I think, what I would like to see, if possible, would be a "Script Manager" that allows you to select the timed implementation of certain scripts following a load. From what I ascertain, the scripts seem to "Fire off" in different sequences separate form the plug-in load order, when the scripts are implemented into sequenced gameplay. That might be rubbish, I don't know much about scripting, but I believe there were any way to manually overhaul the loading of scripts a lot of the problems of compatibility would be easily tweaked or manipulated.

 

I'm not sure if that's even possible. Probably too many variables at play occurring instantaneously and simultaneously.

[David Brasher]

Redo from start. Cannot parse this statement.

 

Now what is it that your mod does and precisely what method are you using to do it?

[WarRatsG]

Hate to burst your bubble mate, but this has already been done. Its called something like script optimization, and tbh it sounds a lot simpler and stabler, primarily because it overwrites the scripts instead of creating multiple copies.