Author: Kris Takahashi

3DNPC v3.01 Beta

Kris Takahashi Releases 19 Comments

2013-09-18_00002

This is the beta release for version 3.01. If all passes muster, I’ll put it up on Nexus. This is mostly to test the experimental player bard options and make sure everything is working properly. It also adds a significant number of fixes for version 3 which are listed below. As it introduces a new vampire as well, the Dawnguard patch has also been updated.

I’ve also come to the conclusion that the Hearthfire patch doesn’t require a separate BSA, since the scripts are identical, only the ESP has properties filled and whatnot. The main version never even uses those scripts so I basically made the BSA with HF just to be safe.

To install:

1. Have v3 installed.
2. Download v3.01 Update and install.
3. Add DG and HF patches if appropriate.

3DNPC v3.01 UPDATE (Beta Until Confirmed Stable) 

Dawnguard Meshes v3.01

Hearthfire Patch v3.01

Release Notes:

Voiced Content

New Miscellaneous Quest – Spell it Out for Me – Cassock in the Winking Skeever in Solitude

Player Bard Options – If you have a flute, drum, or lute in your inventory, or have completed Tending the Flames, you can play a handful of songs with select bards. Having an additional bard in your party, such as Alassea, Skjarn, or Amalee, will result in them joining along in most cases. Still experimental.

If you do not have these items in your inventory and have not joined the Bards College, the result will be less than ideal.

Additional Songs for Alassea and Amalee – Ronja Monto has provided alternate versions of Tears of the Hist and A Warrior’s Life which are unique to Alassea. Anna Castiglioni has added A Warrior’s Life to the list of songs she can play after completing Amalee’s personal quest.

Silent Content – Activate by typing “Setstage 3DNPCenable 1” in the console

Black Robes – Quest that finishes Anum-La‘s story, requires having beaten Bite the Hand that Feeds You.

Marry Alassea  – Once Robber’s Refuge is open for business
Marrying Alassea opens up a bonus conversation and song.

Marry Anum-La – If Black Robes is completed

Bug Fixes
• Players erroneously can start Darkened Steel without first talking to Tikrid in Dawnstar
• Entrance to Shadow’s Gulch not disabled
• Amicus‘ Quest – Bed not teleporting the player back to Ivarstead
• Orondil‘s quest dialogue not showing up in the Way of the Nine if you’ve previously spoken to him.
• HF patch repeated dialogue
• “Dialogue Griffith” quest not renamed and does not complete.
• Amalee joining as follower after playing lute when not previously in follower faction
• Callen not talking – type “setstage dialoguecallen 2” to enable
• Larkspur – “You seem confident with women” loops when talking to female PC
• Zajhirra Placeholder Audio Not Named Correctly
• Ange the Song-Bearer no longer wandering. Re-added packages and will be fixed.
• Fig and Whig – “Tomato” Scene not playing all the way, 2 packages were placed on top of each other, confusing the AI
• Fontaine set to “cowardly”
• Rinori dialogue routed incorrectly
• Sleeping Giant – Fjona‘s lute silent when playing lullaby
• Raven of Anvil – Lundvar can only be given the letter at stage 5 of DialogueLundvar and not stage 6

Tweaks
• Per request, Larkspur’s follow options will now only show up if you’ve listened to the relevant dialogue. If you already have, you might have to click through the “You seem confident with women” conversation again or type “setstage Dialoguelarkspur 12” in the console.
• Added “meet quests” to Among the Hist and Rinori to help facilitate start of Vigilance and Virtue.
• Isobel store options available in vanilla homes, didn’t want to edit the HF cells just yet.

Trailers and Teasers – Ignar the Lucky

Kris Takahashi Other No Comments

One of the things that didn’t make it into version 3 was the re-write of Ignar the Lucky‘s mage story. In retrospect, I felt it showed way too much concern for his fellow sellswords, and Ignar only cares about himself. So, here it is redone and ready for the next update, with Serithi providing the voice.

As I mentioned before, Ignar was somewhat influenced by Jade, in that I didn’t want another character who felt cursed or encumbered by his odd circumstances. Ignar is someone who embraces his situation, and thinks himself the luckiest man alive, even if the people who work with him feel the opposite.

Creation Kit – Making Tikrid Awkward

Kris Takahashi Other 2 Comments

2013-09-17_00004

One thing that has bothered me for a while now has been Tikrid‘s AI. Her character is supposed to be physically awkward but effective, but the standardized animations belie that. She fights normally, she moves normally, as does every NPC in the game. So for the most part, for narrative purposes, I’ve resorted to breaking the cardinal sin, telling you why she’s awkward instead of showing you said awkwardness.

Without being able to alter her fighting style, the best I could do was make her gangly by dropping the weight slider down. There’s also the tan lines I’ve placed on her face – a story I will elaborate on further in v3.01 since most people seem to assume it’s dirt (Basically, when I constructed her face, I thought it’d be typical of her to try on war paint on the hottest and brightest day of the year, and come home with a tan line that stayed on her face for months).

In Darkened Steel, I was able to direct her a little more and have her commit faux pas – knocking urns over, crossing sacred boundaries, and stepping on traps – but she still does them with the same grace that is intrinsic in all NPCs. In other words, she feels a little more clumsy than awkward. After all, she’s bound to the matrix of the game, and the people who designed its animations wanted them to look impressive. For the most part, they succeeded.

However, while explaining this on the Nexus forums, I realized I’ve come across animations that aren’t really utilized in the vanilla game, mostly because they are patently ridiculous. For example, in the video below are the IdleLaugh and IdleGetAtttention – idles that for whatever reason do a head-first dive straight into the uncanny valley.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTGHchsjlNE

There are some animations though, that fall in the tenuous space between the impressive and the absurd. Animations that are just realistic enough to simply be, well, awkward. While it’s impossible to change Tikrid’s fighting style, in the next version I hope to add little touches here and there that unintentionally match her character. Given her background as a guardsmen, the IdleSalute and IdleSnaptoAttention actually fit perfectly, and having her stand at attention whenever you speak to her is one way to show her awkwardness instead of telling it.