I want to make a mod that sporadically causes the player character to experience migraines. Any pointers?

[salutatien]

Hi, this is my first post to any kind of forum, so apologies if i'm not using the proper courtesies!

 

So it's my first time using the G.E.C.K. (which I'm sure is a statement you guys hear a lot). I want to make a mod that adds an effect of the courier's serious head trauma. Severe migraines are one possible consequence of such trauma, and I figured they would be the most suited to an actual game feature.

 

I was thinking along the lines of a migraine status effect that pops up from time to time, decreasing S.P.E.C.I.A.L. and accuracy values during its active period. Some other ideas I have are using Med-X to alleviate the effects of the migraine (forcing the player to manage their character's addiction level), and adding a visual effect similar to the crippled head effect during the migraine period. However I imagine these are a bit harder to incorporate, so I may have to stick to the basics if I find it's too difficult.

 

Just to make it clear: I'm not asking the forum to make the mod for me, though I'm sure you'd all do a better job than I. Just figured my first step should be to ask more experienced modders if they had any clue as to where I'd start, whether there's a preexisting mod similar to what I described, if they had any interesting ideas to share, or if the mod I have in mind is even possible.

 

Cheers!

Edited July 4, 2019 by salutatien

[dubiousintent]

Welcome to the Community, and good luck with your endeavor.

 

What you describe sounds very similar to the "base effects" of "ingestibles" such as alcohol and drugs. While FNV doesn't have a "magic" system, the GECK uses "spells" to deliver "base effects" for "temporary" (of varying duration) impact on the character. Other "spells" can cancel those effects. Suggest you take a look at how that is done in the game and by other mods which add their own "ingestible" effects (such as "CAM - Chems Alcohol and Meds"). There are at least 50 "chem" based mods already. Suggest you consider looking into how "alcohol" effects are implemented initially.

 

The wiki "Getting started creating mods using GECK" article attempts to provide a starting point for new mod creators by listing various tutorials by subject along with "Tips" from experienced creators to help you understand the less obvious things.

 

You are also going to have to get involved with "scripting". It helps if you have programming experience, but it is not required. That section is the largest in that wiki article. Again, seeing how others implemented similar things is the best guide.

 

When you encounter things you don't understand about the GECK (and you will because we all do), feel free to ask in the "GECK and Modders" section of the forum.

 

-Dubious-

[trashgarbage666]

Hello, and welcome! This sounds like a really fun idea -- although, your project might lean towards medium to high difficulty for a first-timer. But it's totally possible, and there are plenty of talented people here to help!

 

Some advice!

• Decide on a unique prefix for your project, and put it in the name of every spell, item, object, etc., you make. It makes it a lot easier to search for your stuff among the sea of infinite assets that is the GECK.

• If you don't know how to do something, the best way to teach yourself is to try to think of something similar that happens in the game, find it in the GECK, and examine it.

• If you're intimidated by coding, don't be! If you've ever opened the dev console to give yourself an item, perk, spell, or whatever, you already know a little. And if you've never done that before, it's very easy to learn, and great for testing your mod! Google "GECK AddItem" and "GECK CastImmediateOnSelf", then try to use them on yourself in-game.

 

From the sound of it, your mod is going to need either an Actor Effect or Ingestible to be cast on the player, some Base Effects to define what that Actor Effect / Ingestible does, and a Quest set on a timer to cast your Actor Effect / Ingestible on the player.

 

Good luck on your mod! If you have any questions about the GECK in general, feel free to ask!

[Radioactivelad]

Visual Effects (like the Concussion effect) are done with what are called Imagespace Modifiers. They can can be activated with the "imod" function in a script.

 

For periodically triggering the migraine, I would look at the Vault 13 Canteen as an example. On a scripting level it has a lot in common with what you want to achieve.

[salutatien]

@dubiousintent, @punchbattle, @Radioactivelad

 

Thank you so much!! All your tips are super helpful, and the support is really appreciated! I really wasn't sure what kind of response I'd get. I'll try my best and come back when I make good progress, or if I get stuck somewhere!

 

Seriously, thanks!