Trade Run Caravan Mod - Is this even possible?

[devinpatterson]

@xItzLegitzx94 Maholix IronAlpha

Glad you guys like the concept, feel free to suggest additonal ideas and help to expand and detail the mod. It's appreciated.

 

If the player starts at Goodsprings and will build his Caravan Company Headquarters there,

 

Goodsprings is a decent choice. Plenty of fresh water (although the Brahmin and other mounts wouldn't have any trouble drinking irradiated water) and it has some commerce.

 

The best would be inside New Vegas itself, but since that's probably not possible, if you could swing freeside that would be a close second. And I think something like teh CC compound or actually inside freeside should be the ultimate prize to shoot for in teh mod.

 

Another good choice might be Nipton road rest stop or pit stop, ie anything near the Mojave outpost should see a lot of trade. Brooks tumbleweed ranch would have ample space and be the first stop for people using the I-95 to come south into the Mojave. Hunters farm might see some action since it's at a junction, same with fields shack.

 

Personally I like Wolfhorn Ranch. It has some fortifications, a coral, a garden/small farm field. It has a windmill and a trough so that's almost proof positive it has a well. It's also located at a junction, but it's probably not a very busy one.

 

There's a map here that will help.

 

The amount of caps you earn from being a merchant probably depends a lot on your location.

 

how do you foresee the structure? Do you think it is possible to make a compound just lying there, non-operational, dormant until the player decides to purchase it? Or perhaps have it build like "ala RTS Style" (although that could be buggy and might take much time).

 

I would add a bunch of items to an existing location, including everything that could be an option. But have them disabled to start (so they are invisible in game). And as the player buys, steals, builds or otherwise acquires them a feature of their home base I can enable them. This would also mean that each location is different, and would have individual advantages and disadvantages.

 

So lets use Wolf Horn Ranch as an example. It's water pump is broken, so you have to go to the wind farm to retrieve some spare parts (and fight the cazadores that live there). When you come back and install the spares the windmill will start spinning, the trough will fill up with water and 3 days later more corn will start sprouting in the garden/field. So each little enhancement can be a mini quest.

 

There could be NPCs you can interact in the world that could be hired to perform some function.

 

Sure I don't see why not. But keep in mind, that for me dialog is a little more time consuming than other aspects of modding.

 

But having a right hand man/woman could be very handy as an "interface" for fixing up your base. If you want something done it can be initiated through dialog with your assistant NPC. You pay the cash and shortly after whatever you bought will be available. It would probably be the most realistic "menu" for adding items.

 

I think all the people you mention are certainly possibilities, but depending on how in depth we make their dialog and actions, they may arrive in the mod later in the modding process. Some can be made right away, like the waterboy. Just have a little patrol setup as he wander from brahmin to brahmin. Others like the recruiting officer may be more time consuming.

 

The Courier's Caravan Headquarters is not militaristic but more of a ranch style with a little bit of improved security. In there, If we can borrow the Goodspring Shack and incorporate it in the Caravan HQ, the player might have a good resting are in Goodsprings.

 

Absolutely. Plus you could make deals with Trudy to supply alcohol at a small profit, and Chet for trade goods. Maybe Sunny might work as a guard with Cheyenne.

 

Also you will this Mod be named DIY Caravan v2? It still doesn't have a name hehehehe. I hope you can think of one.

 

I think that's a good working title, but in the end I bet we can come up with a better one.

 

Please don't remove Black Bart, that cow has been with me through a lot. I stuffed him with junks and everything I can sell. Though he follows you even on the interior of the location, he is very Iconic. The black caravan cow.

 

I wouldn't dream of it. Sometime this week I'm going to work on their script. Add in things like a IsInInterior function so that black bart won't follow you into a building, and other requests from the DIY Caravan v1 mod.

 

Keep the ideas coming. I'm going to try to rig a cart to one of the brahmin so they can haul stuff. I'm surprised it hasn't been done yet, but if it's possible it will really add to the atmosphere of a real caravan to see it being hauled around.

[CrameKnight]

Devin, I am browsing some mods and I came across this (http://newvegas.nexusmods.com/mods/47407). Is it possible to have the pack animal some radio equipped on t dangling together with the lamp. It would be lovely if it can play songs like Country Road Take Me Home - John Denver, Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd etc. It would add to the ambience.

[devinpatterson]

Devin, I am browsing some mods and I came across this (http://newvegas.nexusmods.com/mods/47407). Is it possible to have the pack animal some radio equipped on t dangling together with the lamp. It would be lovely if it can play songs like Country Road Take Me Home - John Denver, Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd etc. It would add to the ambience.

 

Sure we can add some radio equipment. I actually did an expanded version of the soundtrack for Darkdill that randomly plays half a dozen tracks. But I think what your looking for is actually subtly different. The my soundtrack mod plays when you go into combat, and I think what your looking for is a set of songs or a radio station that plays while your traversing the dusty roads of the Mojave.

 

But we could definitely do that. Make a version that has a certain number of tracks that would be palyed in order or shuffled (random order). Half a dozen, dozen, two dozen etc, we want to provide fair amount of variety. I can make the default dummy tracks a split second of silence, that way if the player only copies 6 songs and has 24 slots, he/she most likely won't notice much of any pause between songs.

 

Then when you go over to the brahmin with the radio, one option on activating your pack animal would be to turn the radio on or off. And it would just play until you switch it off. It would be nice because the player would get to completely customize, their tunes.

 

Excellent idea CrameKnight, it's creativity like that, that will make this mod really shine :thumbsup:

 

I'v been lazy over the holiday weekend, and it's a big social thing so I havn't had much time to mod, but I'll try and work, a little, on the pack animals today.

[devinpatterson]

Also if we can find a tape recorder model, or use a phonograph we could have two different types of music items. The phonograph (or tape recorder) on your pack animal could play your personal mp3's, and a pack animal with the radio model could play a radio station. You could have both in a brahmin train.

[maryberry01]

I'm going to try to rig a cart to one of the brahmin so they can haul stuff. I'm surprised it hasn't been done yet, but if it's possible it will really add to the atmosphere of a real caravan to see it being hauled around.

 

How about rigging the cart to a brahmin, but make it a RIDEABLE brahmin! One that you can control where it goes! :D

 

That would be AMAZING.

 

 

And how about for a name, maybe something like Shot in the Head (S.H.?) Caravans, or something else that references the Courier's past ;)

[devinpatterson]

How about rigging the cart to a brahmin, but make it a RIDEABLE brahmin! One that you can control where it goes! :D

 

I rigged it to a hipbone on the brahmin and it was a disaster. When the brahmin would run, the hip and thus the cart would swing/jerk back and forth spasmodically :down:

But, if I can get it rigged to a scene node (if something like that even exists) then it should just move along with the brahmin (or other pack beast). If that works out then adding teh rideable creatures script to it will be easy.

 

 

And how about for a name, maybe something like Shot in the Head (S.H.?) Caravans, or something else that references the Courier's past ;)

 

So your thinking that advertising a major head trauma is going to encourage faith in your skills to haul other peoples valuable wares :P

[CrameKnight]

Bart is a Black Brahmin... What about Black Brahmin Caravan? Although you have a lot of pack animal concept, Black Bart is iconic or Wasteland Express.

 

 

I also have an idea, have you played Fallout Tactics? There is a perk there which is the RoadWarrior Perk (No penalties when firing and piloting at the same time). I'm thinking if tweaking this perk to benefit either attack or survival so that the Courier would have this perk if he is rolling a Caravan Run.

[devinpatterson]

Black Bart is iconic or Wasteland Express.

 

I'd love to see if there is a function that lets you enter in your own name for the company, just like when choosing your chracters name.

 

I also have an idea, have you played Fallout Tactics? There is a perk there which is the RoadWarrior Perk (No penalties when firing and piloting at the same time). I'm thinking if tweaking this perk to benefit either attack or survival so that the Courier would have this perk if he is rolling a Caravan Run.

 

Sure I don't see why we couldn't have caravan specific perks :thumbsup:

[CrameKnight]

I already forgot about this thread but today I watched a 70's classic film Mad Max 1 and 2 and I remembered Fallout New Vegas once again. How is this Mod doing now? Any beta release? :thumbsup:

[devinpatterson]

How is this Mod doing now? Any beta release? :thumbsup:

 

I'm afraid all of my projects are on hold due to RL issues stealing all my free time. I'm just trying to complete projects that involve partnerships with other mod authors (not fair to make them wait on me). I don't see that changing for at least a couple of weeks.....maybe longer.