Question about the "disable" and "enable" console commands

[braing]

Just curious because I've been using it quite a bit.

 

If I use the "disable" console command on an NPC and that NPC is required for something later, will the NPC be enabled automatically or did I screw myself?

[dubiousintent]

From the "Disable" function description on the GECKWiki site:

Disabled references are not rendered, and disabled actors will not process their AI. Scripts will run on disabled references.

 

(Console commands are just a way to execute GECK functions.)

 

I'm curious why you feel the need to disable NPCs "quite a bit"? (I've never had occasion to do so.)

 

-Dubious-

[JimboUK]

I would stop doing that, things do get enabled if they're called upon but with a lot of NPC's you need to initiate dialogue with them first and you can't if they're disabled. I don't know if Prid refid and then enable would work on a disabled character, that might be one way to get them back.

[Fkemman11]

 

 

I'm curious why you feel the need to disable NPCs "quite a bit"? (I've never had occasion to do so.)

 

You know, it's funny you say that because I don't dislike any characters or have problems with them in FNV/FO3 to even think about disabling them. Even the "bad" characters are interesting....mostly. Can't really say the same for Skyrim and FO4, though, and I do disable some of them that I know are not involved in anything. One question I have is why does the player have the ability to sort of push other characters out of the way in FNV or FO3, but not in later games?

[madmongo]

I would stop doing that, things do get enabled if they're called upon but with a lot of NPC's you need to initiate dialogue with them first and you can't if they're disabled. I don't know if Prid refid and then enable would work on a disabled character, that might be one way to get them back.

 

prid RefID / enable will work for any persistent reference. In other words, as long as the NPC isn't something like a spawned random encounter, it will work.

 

In fact, prid RefID / enable is how you fix the bug of Emily Ortal not appearing, since she occasionally does not enable properly for some reason (probably a script bug in the game).

 

Of course, if the NPC you want to re-enable isn't a part of the vanilla game and doesn't have a wiki page that conveniently lists their RefID, you might have to load an earlier game and click on them in the debug console to get their RefID.

 

Add me to the list of folks wondering why anyone would feel a need to disable NPCs often.

Edited September 5, 2018 by madmongo

[JimboUK]

The item browser has an NPC scanner that lists all the NPCs in your current cell along with their ID's, if you know where you disabled an NPC that could be used to get the ID.