Vanilla NPC Quest Dialog issues.

[primem0ver]

I am new to skyrim/elder scrolls modding but not to modding in general. This is a repost of a previous topic with a new name since the name seemed to make people think I was asking about an old problem and no one was viewing it.

 

I downloaded the Creation kit a week or so ago and tried it out, just to see what it was all about. I didn't change anything, Well... actually I think I tried but they were just minor changes to existing mods. Everything worked fine.The creation kit loaded without any errors except to tell me that one of my installed mods was not of the correct file format. (This was NOT one of the ones I played with).

 

Then I tried making my own mod. I wanted to add a new quest to an EXISTING NPC. I spent almost an entire day following the procedures for making quests, items, etc... placing a new NPC (the bad guy) and attempting to add my quest dialog to the existing NPC (Vivienne Onis). I followed the guides on the offical creation kit tutorial pages as closely as possible for my mod ideas though I may not have added features in the exact same order. Even the quest itself was similar except that it added a "waiting" step about halfway through. I did NOT skip any details for adding dialog.

 

When I felt like I was finished enough to try it out I was not expecting perfection the first time through, Especially because my "waiting part" was very experimental. I WAS expecting to see the initial dialog option. I loaded up Skyrim making sure the mod was included, went to find Vivienne on my existing character and tried to talk to her. The dialog option I added was not there. So at first... I decided to try troubleshooting the problem by removing the quest stage check from the dialog conditions and left only the check for Vivienne (so that the dialog only appears on Vivienne).

 

As soon as I loaded my mod this time I got the MASTERFILE: LOCALIZATION: Lookup failed for ID:0x00012584 from strings file:STRINGS/Skyrim_ENGLISH.DLSTRINGS.

 

This had never happened before. I assumed it was a problem with my mod. (Though today I tried to start over and now I can't load even the skyrim.esp without getting that error.)

 

Back to yesterday... I went back to the tutorial and realized I had not created the SEQ files in one of the NOTES! that I usually skip (since most don't apply and are not issues even when I do read them). Obviously I should have read this note. I followed the instructions and tried the mod again. (starting from the point where I had gone to solitude to talk to Vivienne... a save made AFTER my mod was installed). I tried the dialog again and it is still not there.

 

I have also tried starting from scratch, this time following the method used in the skyrim master file itself and using aliases and GetISAliasReference rather than the GetIsID. This actually worked! But now whenever I load the game again from a savefile in which the mod was installed, Skyrim CTD's. I only added a single dialog line and quest to see if it would work.

 

 

So a few questions have arisen out of this experience.

• I have tried adding the sLanguage=ENGLISH (I am an English speaker) to the SkyrimEditor.ini file and that has not worked. Did my mod cause this problem since it started after trying my mod? I.e. was the Skyrim file corrupted by something I did since I am adding dialog to existing characters?
• Did not creating the SEQ file before I tried the mod make it so that I cannot have the dialog? I am going to go back to try and load a save that was made without the mod installed and see if that changes things because of the newly existing SEQ file... perhaps loading the mod before the SEQ file was made created the problem so that the dialog never starts... but I want to post this just in case that isn't the issue.
• I cannot find any tutorials on adding quests to existing characters. Does this need to be done differently than the instructions in the creation kit tutorials? If not...(and if its not a matter of loading an uncorrupted save)... the instructions are not working and I am not sure if I can trust them. Overall this has been a lousy experience. I had ideas for a nice mod too...now I wonder about its feasibility...
• Should I use GetIsID or GetIsAliasReference?

 

 

[AlexP4]

Yeah, in the ck, there is a chance if you are unlucky that the mod you are doing won't work... This happens a lot of time, even if you followed every steps... :(

So for the first question, no, I don't think it's even possible to "corrupt" the skyrim master :wink: I had this error one time, and the language line fixed that, it's weird for you... What version of skyrim are you using and what's the version of the CK ? This error shows up only if you load your esp or even with skyrim.esm alone ? And are you sure to set your esp as active file when loading it ?

 

The seq file is really important, but I don't think it matter if you created it before or after... How did you generate the seq file ? With cmd, steam or tes5edit ?

Maybe try to disable your mod, make a new save and re-enable it. Also there was a trick where you put yourself in front of the npc,and then quickly save and load; sometimes it makes the dialogue work.

 

Maybe you can send your esp and we'll see if it's corrupt or if it works...

 

Good luck ! :smile:

Edited April 29, 2013 by AlexP4

[BotOwned]

 

• Should I use GetIsID or GetIsAliasReference?

That will depend on what NPC you wish to have the dialog available for. GetIsAliasReference will always make it so what's filled within the reference alias is the one who will have this dialog line and GetIsID will always allow the Object ID to say the Line regardless of if they are attached to the quest or not (Dialog Conditions are checked against in all dialogues as long as the quest is running so if you were to have no conditions then it will show the line for all NPCs when you chat to them.)

 

Personally though I try to use GetIsAliasReference when possible over GetIsID.

Edited April 30, 2013 by BotOwned

[primem0ver]

Thanks to those who have tried to help so far.

 

I am brand new to Skyrim itself (not just to modding Skyrim) and so I have the latest and greatest. I am using updated files with all the official (and many unofficial) esm's. Version 1.9.32.0 if I rememober correctly for Skyrim and I just recently used steam to download CK so I can't imagine it being anything other than the latest version. Still... I checked and it is the same version as the game. The errors show up even if select only the master files and load them as if I was starting a new mod. (Which I recently did because I wanted to do it a step at a time to make sure I got each step right).

 

All I did so far in the newest attempt was add 1 quest, 1 dialog piece (with only the intro topic), 1 step, and 1 alias, the latter three inside of the former as demonstrated in the CK tutorials. As explained above, the dialog worked properly the first time I ran it. But now anytime I load a savegame from after the point I talked to the person I get a CTD when it first draws the scene. So I changed the reference back to an GetIsID and now it works... even if I load a save from after I initially talk to the person.

 

So what about using a reference instead makes it crash? That doesn't make any sense to me. Especially if that is the way it is supposed to be done. I am uploading for you to try... I suppose an explanation is in order.

 

Skyrim is the first game that I have played in which you can actually get married. That is a really cool idea but I am annoyed by the whole "window dressing" style in which suitors are done unless they happen to be a follower. A marriage partner should be a companion, not someone to occasionally spend time with when I am weary and want to relax (although I understand that not all marriable women are combat ready).

 

I also don't like the unrealistic looking/barbie doll-too easily won follower/marriage companions of other mods. Also I noticed there are many more available men in the vanilla game. This mod is to try and use a number of the plenty of single women in the vanilla game and possibly a few more realistic extras in mods I have found, both marriable and unmarriable and make them into following "suitors" (eligible for marriage) with prerequisite, lore friendly quest lines. Some may like you just after being rescued but I wanted to give them some more depth, It will also change certain available suitors into followers as well so that ultimately there are plenty of choices of all types and not just housecarls, too masculine women (all the current follower suitors are too masculine except Lydia who is just plain annoying), and the flighty window dressing.

 

P.S: I would like to attach the file as you suggested, unfortunately I cannot find a way to do that. I see a place to attach files from my media but not a place to upload actual media.

Edited April 30, 2013 by primem0ver