Why NPCs in long range patrol disappear?

[ImmDsy]

So last time i have made a long range patrol in the game, and remember the NPCs disappear after a certain amount of time (if player not following them).
I was checking on console on their ID-s and it was valid but could not teleport to them. They just vanished.

I've also realized that all long range patrols spawns on given locations and can be never found "patrolling"... (in the base game: patrols like the outcasts and merchants)

So my question would be is there an issue on game engine level where all long range patrols vanish?

So developers made a trick that all long range patrols forced to spawn in given location?

Or what is the cause of this strange type of "vanishing"?

Thanks!

Edited April 12, 2021 by ImmDsy

[M48A5]

They are subject to the same dangers as the player but without the control. Just like caravan guards are killed during a long play-through.

[ImmDsy]

No they have not got killed.

[M48A5]

No they have not got killed.

How do you know? You aren't with them when they cease to exist. The same thing happens to some of the caravan brahmin and guards.

[ImmDsy]

 

No they have not got killed.

How do you know? You aren't with them when they cease to exist. The same thing happens to some of the caravan brahmin and guards.

 

1. If they die - they should respawn. - they didnt respawn

2. There were no enemy spawns in their patrol

[Nagasekofmi2]

1. Respawn - Did you mark or check the box in their npc options to respawn, if blank they won't respawn. If you suspect they "died" wait at least 3 ingame days for them to respawn in their default initial location.

2. Enemies - You said if the player was not following them which means they behave like the caravan merchants. Enemy placement in their patrol route does not matter if you are not in the same cell so they will make the journey normally. It is the primary option to make the caravan merchants to survive is to not be in the same cell they are when an enemy spawn point is available for them to engage in just like the mutants between Rivet City and Project Purity who will attack the caravan going to or from Rivet City as well as the Enclave Patrol Outpost that will attack the merchants when they are coming to or leaving Canterbury Commons as well as the enemy spawn near the plaza. Caravan merchants there live always but chances are if you fast travel to that location you will find them dead or fighting the random encounter that depending your level can be molerats, protectrons or deadly creatures to caravans such as Yao guais, albino radscorpions or deathclaws.

3. Console - you said valid ids. Did you use placeatme or moveto commands to travel where they are? Or to fetch you them if alive or a corpse if dead. They may also rarely suffer from the missing npc syndrome like in megaton and may be wondering below the map in the void either on ground or swimming in the water border floor.

[ImmDsy]

Yes they were set to respawn.

Enemies doesnt matter, since if they would have been dead - they should have respawned.

I used moveto commands and it didnt do anything. Havent tried plaxeatme i think.

[Mktavish]

Yes they were set to respawn.

Enemies doesnt matter, since if they would have been dead - they should have respawned.

I used moveto commands and it didnt do anything. Havent tried plaxeatme i think.

 

If these are your npcs you are trying to moveto ,,, you can work around it.a

But I think the question you are asking is ... do these patrols actually walk there along the terrain by themselves ?

And No they don't is the answer . It is schedule ,zone trigger & script trickery .... err sumthin else .

That the vanilla game uses to make the player think/perceive an actual patrol route is going on with the large scale map outside of uGridsToLoad .

But also the player view ... with scopes ... you can view beyond the uGrid setting .

 

If you can view your patrol going out of normal view . Then watch with a scope .

You will see them walk the same path again and again from the distance of normal ugrid to scope ugrid.

So basically ... they do not exist outside of render. Hence you need to schedule their patrol if you want to see them other places ... err the scripting must make them move ... sorry I can't remember exactly at this juncture.