SSE Package Priority

[doticu]

I think packages have to be one of the most useful tools and at the same time one of the most unusable tools in the kit. Can you help me out here? I want to ensure I understand some key features of packages. Whether you can answer any or all questions would be of help:

• is aliasing an actor the only way to dynamically apply a package in the vanilla game?
• with skse and skse plugins, what other ways can one dynamically apply a package (e.g. the package override function of PapyrusUtil)
• what are the options to dynamically feed arguments to a package (e.g. a location reference for sandboxing)
• how can one most successfully override all other packages from all other mods on an Actor? Why does quest priority by itself not always work?
• is pure scripting a viable alternative to packages when out of dynamic options? Or is it too undependable?

Thank you!

Edited November 6, 2019 by doticu

[doticu]

I'm going to try to answer my own questions now that I've had a little more experience:

 

• "is aliasing an actor the only way to dynamically apply a package in the vanilla game?"

It would appear so. Aliases are baked into the system for this purpose, among several other core concepts related to Actors.

 

• "with skse and skse plugins, what other ways can one dynamically apply a package (e.g. the package override function of PapyrusUtil)"

PapyrusUtil is an excellent SKSE plugin, but its override capabilities are not quite as stable as Aliases are, in my experience. Even if they are a pain in the ass to manually manage in large quantities, Aliases are as stable as the game gets. And what other SKSE plugin, if not PapyrusUtil, can dynamically add packages on top of the stack, and stably at that? Who knows.

 

• "what are the options to dynamically feed arguments to a package (e.g. a location reference for sandboxing)"

Impossible so far as I have discovered. One must manually give a unique ObjectReference to a unique Package in order to get the desired effect you're looking for, which is tedious to the extreme. Write around a couple of instances using unique packages, get the behavior you want fine tuned, and then replicate only after you're happy with the result, because every little change later on will be dreadful.

 

• "how can one most successfully override all other packages from all other mods on an Actor? Why does quest priority by itself not always work?"

Make sure to check Combat Overrides are being filled properly, as well as any other package overrides. Don't leave them empty!

 

• "is pure scripting a viable alternative to packages when out of dynamic options? Or is it too undependable?"

Scripting is inherently slower than the Package system, which uses C++ generated code, rather than a language written on top of C++. It's also already built for you, and well tested by the developers of the game. That being said, there's nothing stopping you from developing your own behavior in Papyrus if you really want to.