Quests/Quest Design

[pepperman35]

For whatever reason, I have been intimidated by quests/quest design in my modding endeavors and have avoided them like COVID-19. Realizing this is a major shortcoming, I want to overcome this with my current mod. I know many of you don’t suffer from this limitation; thus, I come seeking wisdom and enlightenment. Plus, I have spent several days watching and reading about quests…knowledge is power, right? Anyways, here what I would like to do with a quest and welcome your thoughts on setting it up.

 

Within a new settlement I have a nonfunctioning computer terminal which once enabled will provide increased functionality to the settlement. To enable said terminal I envision a player having to assess the state of the computer terminal, finding a master motherboard/circuit board, installing the master motherboard, activating a primary power source, and initializing the computer terminal. Based on this it seems my quest needs several objectives:

1. Assessment
2. Locate a motherboard
3. Install the motherboard
4. Activate the main reactor
5. Initialize the computer terminal

Sounds simple enough, but yet I struggle. First, how to kick of the quest. I’d prefer the quest NOT start until after the settlement is located, the settlement workshop is claimed, and the access door to the room holding the nonfunctioning computer terminal is unlocked (either by key or terminal TBD). These are likely conditions but where do the conditions get applied (e.g., in the quest itself, in a script attached to a trigger box in/or around the computer terminal, etc). Welcome your insight.

 

[DocClox]

Sounds simple enough, but yet I struggle. First, how to kick of the quest. I’d prefer the quest NOT start until after the settlement is located, the settlement workshop is claimed, and the access door to the room holding the nonfunctioning computer terminal is unlocked (either by key or terminal TBD).

 

It's useful to draw a distinction between the quest starting running in engine terms, and the player getting notified about it. From a player point of view the quest doesn't start until they get their first objective, but the quest as a software entity can have been running for some time before that.

 

What you can do, is stick some clutter item in the cell where the quest is going to start and give it an OnLoad event, and start the quest running from there. That way it doesn't start until the player is in the area. Then, when the player reads the appropriate terminal entry, you can run a script fragment to advance the quest stage, and give the player an objective, and that will start the quest from the player perspective.

[Zorkaz]

Or even better start it with a trigger and triggerscript, since this one can delete itself without problems.

 

Basic tips:

You need to set up objectives, maybe using quest aliases so you can pinpoint what to do.

 

For a really basic then quest use

 

Setobjectivedisplayed(Number)

Setobjectivecompleted(PreviousNumber)

 

for quest stages fragment

 

 

Again the whole quest script is very useful

https://www.creationkit.com/index.php?title=Quest_Script

[pepperman35]

Thanks for the advice/tips/input, much appreciated.

[pepperman35]

Well after watching Seddon’s and Kinggath’s quest-related videos on youtube and following the advice from fellow modders posted here, I have been able to make my first quest. Granted, my little non-dialogue quest isn’t anything extraordinary but it has served as a wake-up call for me. Thus far, I have tried two new things in my current mod: 1) created a new settlement, and 2) incorporated a quest. Experienced modders reading this will probably chuckle but I thought I’d share the accomplishment nonetheless. I enjoy learning and my journey through modding F04 has certainly been enlightening. Lastly, I would also like to give a huge shout out to those who are willing to help (answering forum posts, making tutorials, etc). You all rock!

[Zorkaz]

Cool. Little steps can take you far.