Need help with spell scripting, and maybe AI packages (out to either make a limited-range spell, or add packages to creatures/run them with scripts)

[ZeroCore]

Hi.

 

Here's the basis of what I'm trying to do:

 

 

A: add AI packages to a creature that wouldn't normally have said packages, and then execute said packages with a script attached to a spell/lesser power. I only know a very little bit about AI packages, and not many people seem knowledgeable on them, or at least there seems to be few who do know how to make them, add them to something, and then run them via a script who are willing to help others learn how to do it themselves. Nevertheless I consider AI packages to be a potential option.

 

 

and/or

 

 

B: make a spell that goes a certain distance away from the player and then runs a script when it gets to that distance, or hits an object.

 

It should go like this:

 

Player casts spell ---> Spell fires projectile ---> Projectile flies away ---> Projectile either travels a certain distance away from the player or hits something---> spell/spell's projectile goes off and runs a script.

 

I know that spells can have scripts attached to them and I know how to do that. What I want know is this; can you have a projectile spell whose projectile travels a certain distance and then automatically goes off regardless of whether it hits something or not?

 

 

The intention is this:

 

Again, I'm trying to make a flight spell after my previous attempts didn't work right or didn't work well enough. I've tried the invisible stepping stone trick (having invisible activators that are scripted to appear, one by one, in front of the player and when the player moves to the edge of one, the other one moves in front of the player) but this didn't work since the invisible activators would sometimes bug up and not want to move anymore, rendering the spell useless. I've tried messing around with dragon flight packaging, but I could never find anyone who had decent know-how on how dragon flight scripting and AI packages worked who was willing to help me figure it out (I know that dragon flight works because the dragons have the AI packages for flight, namely take off, orbit, hover, and land, that control how the dragon's flight works, and they have the "isAllowedToFly" condition checked, but I don't know how to assign those packages to another type of creature in the creation kit, and don't know how to write a script that can go onto a spell, or rather trio of spells, to activate them, so unless someone can, thoroughly, explain AI packages to me, I don't know what to do).

 

My latest attempt is this: A spell that goes out a certain distance and then stops.

 

How does this help? Easy: the spell goes a certain distance and then stops after a certain point, or when the projectile hits something. When the projectile hits something a script goes off that places an invisible platform below the player that deactivates itself and marks itself for deletion when the player leaves it (the idea is that NPC's could also use this spell and I don't want to have an invisible platform for every NPC that I plan on teaching this to). After the invisible platform spawns, a "translateToRef" script triggers. This script "paralyzes" the player to keep them from moving, and then translates the player, at a moderate speed, to the invisible platform, which they are then standing upon. Then, once there, the player's controls would be restored, and they'd be allowed to move again.

 

I know how to make a "translateToRef" script, at least mostly (I've done it before, and it sort of works most of the time).

 

I know that "translateToRef" can be called on actors, since I've seen mods that have the player "moved" via this command.

 

I know that spells can hold scripts and spawn items into the game world, as I've written spell scripts in the creation kit before that have worked, fully as intended too.

 

Now I just need to know; can a spell "auto-detonate" when its projectile gets a certain distance away from its caster?

 

The reason why I want to do this is because I don't the spell to travel through a solid object, so instead of just spawning a platform a certain distance ahead of where the player is looking and then sending the player to it, which would allow for the player to pass through solid objects, such as, well, walls inside a building, I want to have a spell that will "go off" when it hits something, or, if it does not hit anything, will still go off after it hits a certain distance.

 

So, does anyone know the answer to this? Is it possible to have a spell that goes off automatically if it doesn't hit anything after traveling a certain distance from the player? Are there any resources and/or people out there who know this stuff and are willing to help someone learn Skyrim's AI packages and how to use them that anyone can put a link to (other than the CK wiki; I find that to be lacking the detail that I need).

 

I'd appreciate any help that anyone can provide.

[IsharaMeradin]

AI packages can be assigned to an actor who has been placed into a reference on a quest's alias tab. There is a packages section on the right hand side of the reference alias window.

 

As far as the spell projectile, if you have the spell place an explosion (does not need to be a visible explosion) the explosion can have a script attached to it which can place whatever you need at its location. But this would only work for when the projectile hits something. There is no way to have the projectile stop in the middle of flight and perform actions.

 

I, myself, have barely scratched the surface on AI packages and spells. Thus this is about all the information I have to share on the subject.

[ZeroCore]

  On 3/4/2017 at 4:18 AM, IsharaMeradin said:

AI packages can be assigned to an actor who has been placed into a reference on a quest's alias tab. There is a packages section on the right hand side of the reference alias window.

 

As far as the spell projectile, if you have the spell place an explosion (does not need to be a visible explosion) the explosion can have a script attached to it which can place whatever you need at its location. But this would only work for when the projectile hits something. There is no way to have the projectile stop in the middle of flight and perform actions.

 

I, myself, have barely scratched the surface on AI packages and spells. Thus this is about all the information I have to share on the subject.

 

So, how do I make a new quest in the CK that starts up when the game starts up as well as has the packages, and give it aliases in its alias tab? I've always found the CK's info on quest making on the CK wiki to be vague at best, from what I've read, and the youtube tutorials are, from what I've found and watched, either also too vague or assume that you already know EXACTLY what you're doing except for one or two things (and the only help they give aside from the either ultra-simple or ultra-complex is a link to the CK wiki and assume that that's somehow enough even when it isn't).

 

The other things I'd have to know besides that is how to make a script that can assign the player, or an NPC, to the alias, have them be given the packages, execute them, and then later (after they land or cast a landing spell or something) clear them from the alias. Having an assignment loop that could check which aliases are clear to use would be useful too (something that could measure exactly how many aliases there are and then put the spell's most recent caster into the first available one).

 

 

Do you know of any other way to assign AI packages to a creature? It must be possible, given that I've seen more than half a dozen dragons flying around at once at the summit of the Throat of the World once the main quest is done and Paarthurnax talks to you about how you just defeated Alduin (either that or the quest that controls dragon flight has a ton of aliases and each dragon is assigned a certain alias and no more than one dragon of each type is allowed to be in the game at any one moment, which also can't be right since I've fought multiple frost dragons at once and they were all simultaneously flying).

[IsharaMeradin]

The CK wiki is a good source of information. While it may not always contain every step by step detail it is still a good resource, you shouldn't dismiss it so easily. There are also tutorials which will take you through the process of doing many things. Quest making is one of those things. And this is why many of the third party videos and tutorials do not cover them.

 

AI packages can be applied to an alias that points to an actor. AI packages can also be applied directly to an actor's base record. Packages on an alias are placed at the top of the stack so that they are more likely to be used under the correct conditions. It is the combination of base actor packages and alias actor packages that can allow each NPC to perform differently from each other.

 

As far as making a quest that starts game enabled, it is as simple as creating a new quest record (right click - new) and checking the 'starts game enabled' box. As far as filling the aliases, that really depends on what you are wanting to do.

 

You said in the first post that you want the packages triggered when a spell or power is used, that suggests using a repeatable quest (rather than start game enabled) which will fill its aliases when it starts. The spell or power is what will start and possibly stop the quest. Reading up on the CK's quest alias tab information on the wiki may help.