Tips of Modding Followers

[AwesomeJohn22]

So I'm basically an amateur as far as modding goes, and I'm trying to put together a follower based on one of my player characters who is a one-handed conjurer swordmage. Theoretically he would summon up an Atronach or two, and then either charge into battle with shield and sword, or conjure up his Bound Bow to pick off distant enemies. This, however, presents some problems. Using the preset combat behaviors available in Creation Kit, he seems periodically unwilling to cast while he has a shield in his inventory or completely unwilling to use his shield (depending on which behavior I have set), and completely unwilling to use his Bound Bow regardless of how I set him up. Does anyone have any idea how I could fix this?

[Mujuro]

If you're talking about the CombatStyle presets, you'll most likely need to create a custom one and, even then, it may not always work the way you intend (there's a built-in randomness factor). Also, bound bows are known to be glitchy. If you've tried fiddling with the sliders for ranged, magic, etc., already and none of that is working, you can try doing custom AI packages for 'cast spell' to force the spell.

[AwesomeJohn22]

If you're talking about the CombatStyle presets, you'll most likely need to create a custom one and, even then, it may not always work the way you intend (there's a built-in randomness factor). Also, bound bows are known to be glitchy. If you've tried fiddling with the sliders for ranged, magic, etc., already and none of that is working, you can try doing custom AI packages for 'cast spell' to force the spell.

Thanks or the tips. I figured I might need to create a custom combatstyle but I'm reluctant to do so given my limited experience. Maybe I'll check Youtube for a tutorial.

[Mujuro]

If you're talking about the CombatStyle presets, you'll most likely need to create a custom one and, even then, it may not always work the way you intend (there's a built-in randomness factor). Also, bound bows are known to be glitchy. If you've tried fiddling with the sliders for ranged, magic, etc., already and none of that is working, you can try doing custom AI packages for 'cast spell' to force the spell.

Thanks or the tips. I figured I might need to create a custom combatstyle but I'm reluctant to do so given my limited experience. Maybe I'll check Youtube for a tutorial.

The best way to learn is to experiment around a bit. :) I'd recommend starting by making your own 'copy' of what you consider to be the closest baseline style (e.g., csSpellsword) and then fiddling from there. Forr example, if you want more use of the bow, move the 'ranged' slider to the right.

[AwesomeJohn22]

If you're talking about the CombatStyle presets, you'll most likely need to create a custom one and, even then, it may not always work the way you intend (there's a built-in randomness factor). Also, bound bows are known to be glitchy. If you've tried fiddling with the sliders for ranged, magic, etc., already and none of that is working, you can try doing custom AI packages for 'cast spell' to force the spell.

Thanks or the tips. I figured I might need to create a custom combatstyle but I'm reluctant to do so given my limited experience. Maybe I'll check Youtube for a tutorial.

The best way to learn is to experiment around a bit. :) I'd recommend starting by making your own 'copy' of what you consider to be the closest baseline style (e.g., csSpellsword) and then fiddling from there. Forr example, if you want more use of the bow, move the 'ranged' slider to the right.

Thanks. Your suggestions help a lot. Now does anyone know how to keep followers from having a gray face when I run them?