Tutorial on how to create custom names for NPCs

Written by:
drdanzel (2015-12-06)
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/users/935126
 
Required software and files:
FO4Edit: http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/2737/
Settler Renaming: http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/2017/

1. Download and install FO4Edit
Start by downloading and installing FO4Edit from the link above. Follow the installation instructions listed on the mods page. When the installation is done, launch FO4Edit.exe. It should look something like this along with any other plugins you've installed.

2. Load files
Check the checkboxes for Fallout4.esm and SettlerRenaming.esp, uncheck any other plugins and then click OK. FO4Edit will take a moment and load all necessary files. When you see the message "Background Loader: finished" in the message tab on the left you can continue.

Fully expand SettlerRenaming.esp and its Message group by clicking the + in the tree view to the left. It should look like this.

3. Copy a MESG record and create a new plugin
The records listed in the Message group are what the game uses to show text in the game, and also what is used together with the SetActorFullName console command to change the name of an NPC. The records contain a FormID, an EditorID and a Name. What these mean is explained in the next section.

Right click any of the MESG records (messages) in the list, for example srFarmer at the top, and click "Copy as new record into...". Here's an image showing where to click.

A big warning sign will pop up saying "Warning! You are about to edit a module file.". Click "Yes I'm absolutely sure" to continue. Another pop up will then ask you to change the EditorID for your new message. I suggest you use something similar to the name you want to give the NPC. In this example I'll use the name "Daniel".

The next pop up will ask which files you want to add the new record to. Select <new file> and then click OK. In the next window, choose the filename you want for your plugin without. I'll be using "CustomNames".

Now, check the bottom of the tree view on the left. Your new plugin should have been created and added to the list of .esp files. Expand your new plugin like you did before, and the MESG record you created should be there. Here's an example of how it looks for me.

4. Edit MESG values
You can now edit the FormID, EditorID and name of this MESG to whatever you wish.

FormID
This is the ID for the MESG that you will referring to when setting up your bat file or using the console from within the game. This is a hexadecimal number that you can set yourself, but I highly recommend just leaving it as it is since FO4Edit will ensure that it isn't overriding any IDs used by other records in the game.

If you really want to change the FormID, you can do so by clicking the record in the tree view and clicking F2 on your keyboard.

Editor ID
This is the editor name of the MESG, which can be seen as the "internal" name for the MESG. In this case it doesn't really matter what you name it, but in other situations it can be useful in order to distinguish between different objects that use the same names. In this case I have just named changed my EditorID to the same thing as I'll be using as name, Daniel.

Name
This is the actual text you’ll see while in game, the name you want to give your settler. To edit this, click on the value "FULL - Name" in the field to the right and click F2. This will let you change the name to whatever you wish. When you're done, just click Enter and the name will change.

When you've done all your edits it should look something like this.

5. Finish and save your plugin
To add more names than one, copy your newly created MESG record by right clicking it and selecting "Copy as new record into...". Use a new EditorID and repeat the process from before, but click your new .esp instead of creating a new file.

For the new records to show up, collapse and expand the Message group.

When you feel like you're done and want to save your file, click Ctrl+S. A pop up will show up asking you which files to save. Make sure your new plugin is marked, and click OK. After this you can safely exit FO4Edit.

6. Load it into your game
The last step is just to either activate your .esp in Nexus Mod Manager or add its filename to plugins.txt found in your AppData\Local\Fallout4 folder.
 
When this is done, launch the game and approach the settler you want to rename. Open the console, click on the settler and make sure you see its ID on the top of the console. Then write SetActorFullName ########, but replace the ######## with the FormID the name was assigned. The settler should now have the name you made!

If you forgot the FormID, you can also search for it in the game using the help command. If I for example would be looking for the MESG record with the name Daniel, I'd write "help Daniel 4", and it would pop up in the list of found records.