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About this mod
Samurai Jack is back from the... past? This mod offers a unique NPC that will provide a variety of services to the player, according to their desired level of play. He can do as little as offer humorous and informational conversation, or as much as provide access to perks and a huge inventory of supplies to the player!
- Permissions and credits
Name: BA_SamuraiJack
Author: Shiholude
Version: 1.20
Date: March 19, 2011
Category: NPC
==============
Latest News:
==============
(March 19, 2011)
Updates:
- new version 1.20!
Changes:
- Moved Jack back outside (it's spring time afterall)
- Added a map marker for Jack!
- Updated vendor container (is now properly linked to Jack in case he runs off).
- Fixed quest dialog so that it doesn't go into dumbass
(July 22, 2010)
Updates:
-New version number 1.10r!
Changes:
-Model changes to Jack! He has a new face and wardrobe, thanks to satanslilhelper!! Thank you!
-Modified all versions to reflect changes made by satanslilhelper.
-Modified the Meshes and Textures file to reflect above changes.
-Please download BOTH the "MeshTex" file and the new "1.10r" version!
==============
Description:
==============
Samurai Jack is back from the... past?
This mod offers a unique NPC located just outside of Rivet City that will provide a variety of services to the player, according to their desired level of play. He can do as little as offer humorous and informational conversation, or as much as provide access to perks and a huge inventory of supplies to the player!
The features between the versions:
- Merchant (Limited to Full Inventory)
- Repairer (Up to 56%, or 100%)
- Re-Constructor (Sex, Race, Hair, Face, & Name)
- Trainer (Perks, Quest Perks, Samurai)
- Advice
Oh yeah, and a total of 368 lines of dialog to interact with!
This article contains a TON of useful information (and about ~13.5% useless information). Please read at least 86.5% of this information to gain a full understanding of this mod! I know it's a damn novel, but it is all information that I felt was important to share, so get a hot cup of coffee and have a good time reading!
==============
Background:
==============
"A great warrior has arisen in the wasteland! Samurai Jack, born of noble blood, and cast into the apocalyptic future by an ancient sorcerer, has come to the capitol city region to help restore what little is left of the world to a state of peace. Following the teachings of "bushido" (the way of the warrior), Jack lives his life by a code of honor to help those in need and find a way to defeat the evil that sent him here. Jack was trained by the greatest warriors known to man, learning various forms of martial arts, strategy, Shaolin focus, and Shogun ferocity!"
I have used several mods over time to provide services for me, including convenient access to inventories and perks. This mod was created to duplicate those mods into a single source, and put a fun twist on things.
When I started to think about what I wanted to see in a single NPC, I kept returning to a single thought: I want to improve upon the lack of hand-to-hand and melee abilities in the game. I first thought of Chuck Norris, naturally. But after thinking on his reputation as: Chuck says, "This conversation is OVER" (opposing person instantly dies from the gale-force winds from Chuck's exhaling breath), I felt that he would simply be too overpowered for my taste.
Then it hit me! 'Samurai Jack was forced into the future by an evil sorcerer, and in this future both technology and science had advanced dramatically, but the future was ruled by this evil being.'
"Well I'll be damned!" I said to myself, "This looks awfully similar to Fallout 3's premise".
And so, I decided that Samurai Jack was thrust into the future, and the technology and science is advanced, with lots of robots (remember all them from the series?) and weird things that he doesn't understand, but the world was almost destroyed by the very evil that brought him here. Wha-la!
I had started to provide some amateur voice acting for this mod, using my thirty-something white American male voice, but I personally didn't think it did it justice. In fact, I felt like I sound like a retarded French female midget hooker on steroids. Not... that I... would know what that sounds like... umm. [changes subject by pointing off into the distance] "LOOK, A SQUIRREL!!"
If you have interest in helping me out with the voice acting for Samurai Jack, HOLLA AT ME DAWG! If only Phil Lamarr was available and willing... :)
Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this as much as I enjoyed making it. I easily have over 80 worked hours on this project currently. It has gone from concept, to paper, to development, to trial and error, to development, to almost-throwing-my-PC-out-the-window-in-frustration-of-not-figuring-things-out, to rehashing ideas, to development, to minor success, to major success, and then to the beta version I give you all today, with lots and lots and lots of writing dialog in-between.
This actually is my first mod that I started on about 8 months ago (including a break I took recently to play through Dragon Age a few times). Essentially, I delayed the release of this mod for more than 3 months, as I continually kept adding in additional conversational topics, and wanted to provide both humor and accuracy to the Samurai heritage and Japanese titles. As the Samurai didn't have much in the way of multiple rankings, I've adopted the western-ized Teakwondo ranks, colors, and meanings - mixed with some Japanese "titles" that I felt fit each rank well.
I think I've been able to accomplish all of this in good taste, with (hopefully) funny pop-culture references that fall in line with the feeling of the world of FO3, even if they are not from the same timeframe… but YOU will be the judge of that. :)
==============
File Information:
==============
Samurai Jack is somewhat customizable for how the player wishes to interact with him. I have done this to provide people with as much or as little immersion as they feel they would like. Therefore, this mod is provided in three forms: Apprentice, Expert, and Guru.
FIRST, DOWNLOAD THE MESHES AND TEXTURES FILE IN THE MAIN FILES SECTION. THEN DOWNLOAD THE LATEST VERSION # FROM THE MAIN FILES SECTION.
ONLY CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING TO INSTALL
BA_SamuraiJack_Apprentice.esp (Status: Release - Fully Tested)
This file provides a simple Jack, one who will interact with the player through conversation. He will tell stories of his adventures and impart ancient words of wisdom for situations - some useful, and some…well, not so useful. He also has a basic inventory and the ability to repair things. That's about it.
Inventory
He has a basic inventory that has a couple ninja-esc weapons available for purchase. Japanese warriors are well known for their swords, called Katana's. He will offer two such swords for sale, as well as some basic clothing like robes and hoods. I plan to add some throwing knives (called "Shurkins"), but I use Ashara's Batman mod too, so it may be a bit before I take the time to add these (There are a couple other mods that do this already, but need some tweaking to work correctly).
Repairs
He will also offer repair services for the player. Since this is available on several merchants, this is nothing immersion breaking. After all, a master of so many skills would be very effective in the repair of all armor and weapons, even technologically advanced devices…
BA_SamuraiJack_Expert.esp (Status: Release - Fully Tested)
This file does everything the Apprentice file does, plus offers some additional features.
Samurai Training
The player has the opportunity to have Samurai Jack as their Sensei – meaning their master and trainer. Jack will teach the player, over time, what it takes to become "Samurai". Samurai are proud and fierce warriors, able to instill fear into their enemy simply with their presence, but training does not come easily, nor cheap (10K per lesson).
Ranks will only be available when the player has reached certain levels, and each higher rank has the prerequisite of lower ranks before they are able to obtain it. This helps offer some balance along with the cost of training itself. Therefore to become a Master Samurai, the player must pay a lot of caps over a series of levels.
At each rank, the player will benefit from increased stats and skills proportional to the rank obtained. They will given a rank title (name of the perk) and a symbol (a colored headband - no stats) to show their aptitude, making them instantly recognizable to all that they encounter as a student of martial arts!
I realize that a colored sash (let alone a headband) is not in line with the Samurai. However, I wanted to see some other form (symbol) of progression beyond that of a perk. Which is also why I didn't link the bonuses to the headband, it is fully optional to wear. All bonus abilities are linked to the perk itself.
Power Armor Training
Finally, he will offer to train the player in the use of power armor for a nominal price (5K). After all, Samurai are known for their heavy armor, and this would be the modern equivalent to such armor in a technologically advanced futile world. Plus, you might just enjoy going through the process (WINK). ;)
BA_SamuraiJack_Guru.esp (Status: Release - New perks and compatibility issues still need verifying)
This last file is the most involved, and the most immersion breaking. It will provide access to everything mentioned in both Apprentice and Expert, with some additions. First, you will now have access to a huge inventory of supplies. Second, his repair skill will bumped up to 100%. Jack will also have the ability to train additional perks for the player. This version simply combines my original work here with other mods that I've come across into a single entity (see the listing of those mods below).
Inventory (Inspired by grunt3's "Penny Rich" mod)
The inventory will consist of everything from the Apprentice version, as well as ammunition, explosives, chems, medicine, and some specific junk items that can be used to repair weapons and armor via my BA_Repair mod.
Samurai Jack will have 20,000 caps to trade with. He will have 500 rounds of each type of vanilla ammunition, 100 missiles and nukes, and 100 of each type of grenade or mine available for purchase. Lastly, he will have 100 stimpacks, 10 of every chem, 10 steathboys, 10 Nuka-Cola Quantum's, and 100 of some types of junk used in my repair mod.
All costs are standard prices, therefore influenced by your Charisma, Barter skill, and associated perks like every other merchant. His inventory is set to re-spawn as well, so the inventory will refresh every 3 days by default (or is it 4 days?).
Re-Construction
Jack will offer to change the PC's name, race, hair, face, and sex - all for free. Very immersion breaking, and I haven't done extensive testing as of yet. There are reports that changing your sex and/or race removes all current perks, and other replies stating that it doesn't. Then there is the concern for dear old dad and his race if you change yours. His race to yours won't break anything - but I'm not going to run through that whole script at this time to ensure he is changed when you change your race. Sex changes (tee hee) cause instant NPC interaction corrections, meaning that people instantly change from addressing you as "boy" to "girl" or vice-versa. Perhaps I'll mess with the scripts later, but for now just let me know if there are any issues with this.
Perks (ported and modified from SylvanTiw's Perk Trainer mod)
Jack can train you in any skill available to you for a sizable amount of money. This means that whatever mods you have installed that add additional perks to the game will be accessible via this method. Once you purchase the training session, he will give you an item that, once equipped, will allow the player to access these perks via the level up screen - without actually leveling up. It will also freeze you in place and disable you from doing anything besides working your PipBoy and turning around. I haven't tested fast travel, but I wouldn't advise using it while the item is equipped!
In order to offer at least some balance to this feature, I modified the scripting so that when you use the item, you actually level up to your NEXT level (originally it was set up to bump to a very high level - like 700+). In my opinion, giving access to some of the perks not available until many levels later (think of getting Almost Perfect at level 8) was a bit over the top for me - even with the high cost of the purchase to begin with.
Additionally, when equipped, it will boost all your SKILLS by 255 points, essentially disabling the first leveling screen so that you have to select continue to move onto the perk choice screen. I used 255 as a base line number for those that have already boosted their maximum skill point level to 255, and alos use mods like Wasteland Mastery. The skill boost is the only alternative method I have available in order to keep from having to use FOSE for those that cannot / will not use it. What this means is that any perks dependent upon a certain skill level will be overwritten and accessible at any level (granted that the perk itself is available by the level you are fake-moving to).
I know, it's all very confusing. Just buy the damn item and all will become clear!
Perks (Quests)
In addition to whatever perks you have installed via other mods, I have added and/or modified a few vanilla perks to allow further advancement for the player. These perks are only available through conversation with Samurai Jack, and allow the player access to all quest related perks in the vanilla game (no DLC's yet until I play through them myself).
Many of the quest perks have had some description changes, and even some additional modifications to the perks themselves, based upon common interests from other mods (like the changes in UPP_Original_Perks).
But some quest perks, like the entire line associated with Moria Brown's Wasteland Survival Guide, have been drastically altered. Basically, the player is now able to purchase every single level of the perks available through that quest, giving them access to 15 separate perks instead of only one that you end up with after completing the quest.
Here is the kicker though - I am still testing this part of the mod to ensure that the game won't break (like a CTD) if the player hasn't done one of these quests yet and takes one of these perks, or if they are half way through it and take a perk, or if they blew up Megaton, or if they talked Moria out writing the book to begin with (Dream Crusher). So this part makes this ESP alpha, but since the inventory and base perks both work fine, it's more like beta I figure. I don't THINK anything will happen, but... :)
Regarding the costs for training and perks:
The costs for each perk or level of training is set at 10,000 caps (with the exception of Power Armor training at 5,000 caps). The original Perk Trainer mod only charged 3,000 & 500 caps respectively, which I felt was WAY too low.
"ZOMG! WTFBBQDAIRYQUEEN!!!11!!1! 10,000 CAPS!?!?!"
Now before people go freaking out about the 10,000 cap cost, I'm going to state something up front: I designed this original version of the mod based upon MY gaming experiences - in order to provide some additional balance to my adventures.
First of all, in my games, caps are easy to come by naturally through the progression of things, without cheats - especially since I started to play role-oriented characters. I have a Samurai that focuses on hand to hand, melee, and explosives (through use of this mod), a Magi that uses spells (through use of my other mod soon to be released that allows spells), a Terminator that only uses big guns and energy weapons (through the Cybernetic Dawn mod), and my first toon who is a general gun and explosives expert - master of all skills and abilities. Oddly, my first toon has the least amount of money due to the necessity to retain several types of ammo, weapons, and schematic components. However the others are very tuned towards specific weapons and apparel, and therefore provide me with the ability to sell 95% of what I loot - which adds up very quickly. Generally by level 10, if caps are only spent on basics (stimpacks and ammo), my toons have over 100K on them - and by level 20 they would easily have over 700K, with several areas still unexplored.
"How the eff do you get so many caps?!?"
That is answered through my second reason. I use several mods that boost mob volumes. First is Mart'sMutantMod with Increased Spawns, Feral Ghoul Rampage, and Zones Respawn all turned on. Second, I use the CybeneticDawn mod (with some modifications done by myself to make it a bit more stable), that adds a ton of good and bad characters to the game - all with lots of loot. I even modified the values of the special guns to be 1/10th of what they were originally (now worth 350, instead of 3500). Third, I run the EagleStikesTheNest mod that dumps a crap-ton of Chinese and Talon forces around the wastes.
How many is a "crap-ton" you ask? It's more than a "oh boy", and less than a "GIMME A NUKE! HOLY CRAP! GIMME A DAMN NUKE!!". Essentially, those 6 Chinese Remnant soldiers that ESTN adds to the game just got boosted to about 20 angry Chinamen - all with a wide host of weapons – and all targeting my virgin posterior for annihilation! This, in turn, means that there is a helluva lot more mobs to loot, complete with a plethora of Missile Launchers and Chinese Assault Rifles – not to mention the fact that other areas are re-spawning with multiple opportunities to get even more gear to sell.
Third and lastly, the bonuses for the Samurai training and the specialized quest-only perks that I'm making available need to be balanced out somehow, or else they will simply be God items - and I might as well charge nothing for them in that case.
HERE IS MY COMPOMISE FOR THIS: If you simply don't have the caps, the ability to get the caps, or feel the price is simply too steep to be realistic or functional, then post up a comment and I will supply another version (ONLY if popular opinion dictates it - like LOTS of people). When commenting, please provide a reason why you feel the price should be altered (either up or down), a suggested amount, and why you feel it is fairer to charge that. I appreciate the feedback, and it helps me get a pulse for the community's expectations.
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Requirements:
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Fallout 3 Patch 1.7 (or equivalent fake-ish patch)
No DLC's are required running this mod, but I was sure tempted to put Jack in that spiffy Samurai armor from Zeta. Oh well, that’s for me later on...
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Install:
==============
---FIRST, DOWNLOAD THE MESHES AND TEXTURES FILE IN THE MAIN FILES SECTION---
---THEN DOWNLOAD THE LATEST VERSION # FROM THE MAIN FILES SECTION---
1. Download the files to a secure location. Contrary to some other authors, I do not recommend directly downloading or unzipping directly to your Data folder.
2. Extract the files from the archive to a new folder under its name. This is handy for keeping a record of what version is associated with the mod (if the author properly marked the download file). Once you get to 40+ mods, it will be hell trying to remember when you got the last update for each mod.
3. Inspect the folder contents, including the file names and any corresponding meshes or textures folders to understand what you are about to replace.
4. Read the included ReadMe file for installation instructions or additional information. I understand the irony of including this install step in a ReadMe file for installation that would only be read if someone opened the ReadMe file in the first place. JUST SHADDUP AND DO AS I COMMAND!! :)
5a. If satisfied, copy the associated file(s) and folders to [DRIVE]:[INSTALL PATH]\Fallout 3\Data\ folder.
5b. If unsure of the contents, or to learn more about the mod, transfer ONLY the .esp file to the Data folder, and use FO3 Edit to inspect the contents.
6. When ready to play with the mod, open your Fallout 3 Launcher (or mod manager - I suggest Timeslip's FOMM), place a checkmark beside the .esp file, and run the game.
7. Enjoy this fine product from Shiholude!
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Un-Install:
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1. Open your Fallout 3 Launcher (or mod manager), and uncheck the .esp file.
2. Delete the files/folders associated with the mod.
3. Run your "Master Update" again if you're using FO3edit.
CAVEAT:
There are some potential problems involved with uninstalling this mod if you have taken certain perks that have been altered. Specifically these perks are the Wasteland Survival Guide Assistant, Expert, and Guru bonuses. These perks are not meant to stack together; rather only one is active at any given time if you helped Moria - depending on the way you responded to dialog.
BUT ALL IS NOT LOST!
"KEEP FIGHTING LITTLE TIMMY! YOU CAN MAKE IT!!"
The simplest way to work around this is the "Player.RemovePerk" console command. When I become more versed in overall scripting and eraser tokens, this process will become easier. However, until that day arrives, you will need to remove all these perks manually prior to loading a game without this mod active (if you took the perks). I don't think that anything more than a CTD will happen, but if any fluffy bunnies are brutally slaughtered as a result of this rule not being followed - know that I gave fair warning, and that you should be the one that feels the guilt of cute, furry, innocent rabbit genocide...
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Compatibility:
==============
The deity version uses the same practices as some other mods (listed below), but I have created entirely new ID's for every item, NPC, device, tweak, and perk - so you will be able to use them in conjunction with any corresponding mods without issue.
The only other compatibility concern is dealing with the Moria Brown quest line perks as already mentioned. At this point in time, I can only think of four possible suggestions:
1) Don't do the quest line at all, or stop where you are in the quest line, and buy the perks instead. (This would drive me nuts personally)
2) Do the quest line to completion, and THEN buy the perks that you don't have (she gives you a perk at the end based upon your answers you gave her to complete the book). I RECOMMEND THIS OPTION
3) Purchase away and see what happens (if anything). If you go with option 3, my feeling is that the quest line will simply break if she goes to give you perk that you already have. I don't think you will CTD, but I'm still learning all this stuff, and with the number of unexplained CTD's I've experienced myself, anything is possible. You may crash your game, your system could explode, or the FBI could knock down your door for secretly hacking into a global company and planting a worm that steals fractional pennies from every transaction and places it into a local account that you just set up at the same exact moment you purchased this perk! Hey, it could happen... :)
4) Strategically plan on when to purchase the perks. This means that once you've obtained the Survival Expert level, the Assistant Survivor perks "should" be available without recourse. Likewise, the same would apply for the Survival Expert perks once you get your final Survival Guru perk, but then the quest is over and you would be able to grab them all as option #2 suggests. Please note the word: "SHOULD". (Untested)
==============
Bugs/Issues:
==============
All known issues fixed as of v1.20. Please let me know if you find something else wrong.
==============
History:
==============
0.67b 1/16/2010
- Initial Release
0.72b 1/17/2010
- Upgrade to version 0.72b
- Added the meshes and textures for the bandana's to the file that I totally missed! (Thank you "the_dissent")
0.76b 1/28/2010
- Upgraded to version 0.76b
- Corrected Samurai rank purchase exploit.
- Fixed speech response choice by Jack, so that if player is of insufficient level or without prerequisites, those are triggered before checking their monetary level.
- Separated meshes/textures from ESP files in download section (total of two main download files now, both are needed to function properly, but this will save download times for future updates to ESP files only).
0.76b 2/7/2010
-Added several screenshots to the gallery.
1.00r 4/3/2010
-Changed version to a stable release version "1.00r"
-Added pictures of Jack's new location
-Deleted pictures of Jack's old location.
-Moved Jack from the exterior of Rivet City into the main level stairwell area. This change should eliminate his spontaneous attacks on local enemies, which caused a bug where his inventory was inaccesible.
-Changed ownership of inventory items to help negate Jack swapping out clothing. This *should* fix this issue.
-Corrected issue where Jack would use the combined values of both of his vendor containers (the first one is used in the Appretice and Expert version, whereas a different container is used in the Guru version).
1.10r (July 22, 2010)
-Model changes to Jack! He has a new face and wardrobe, thanks to satanslilhelper!! Thank you!
-Modified all versions to reflect changes made by satanslilhelper.
-Modified the Meshes and Textures file to reflect above changes.
-Please download BOTH the "MeshTex" file and the new "1.10r" version!
1.20r (March 19, 2011)
- Moved Jack back outside (it's spring time afterall)
- Added a map marker for Jack!
- Updated vendor container (is now properly linked to Jack in case he runs off).
- Fixed quest dialog so that it doesn't go into dumbass
==============
Contact:
==============
SHIHOLUDE
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Mods/Tools Used:
==============
FOMM
GECK
FO3 Edit
Fallout 3 ReadMe Generator
Other References:
Corum, J. (2003, November 17). Estimating the Airspeed Velocity of an Unladen Swallow. Retrieved from http://www.style.org/unladenswallow/
- You'll just have to find out on your own where this reference applies!
Wikipedia.org. (2010, January 5). Mako (actor). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makoto_Iwamatsu
- Makoto-san was the voice of Aku in the Samurai Jack series, and passed away back in 2006 from esophageal cancer. He is truly missed by me. I loved him as The Wizard Akiro in the Conan series, plus the countless other roles he played in - including Aku.
Author: Shiholude
Version: 1.20
Date: March 19, 2011
Category: NPC
==============
Latest News:
==============
(March 19, 2011)
Updates:
- new version 1.20!
Changes:
- Moved Jack back outside (it's spring time afterall)
- Added a map marker for Jack!
- Updated vendor container (is now properly linked to Jack in case he runs off).
- Fixed quest dialog so that it doesn't go into dumbass
(July 22, 2010)
Updates:
-New version number 1.10r!
Changes:
-Model changes to Jack! He has a new face and wardrobe, thanks to satanslilhelper!! Thank you!
-Modified all versions to reflect changes made by satanslilhelper.
-Modified the Meshes and Textures file to reflect above changes.
-Please download BOTH the "MeshTex" file and the new "1.10r" version!
==============
Description:
==============
Samurai Jack is back from the... past?
This mod offers a unique NPC located just outside of Rivet City that will provide a variety of services to the player, according to their desired level of play. He can do as little as offer humorous and informational conversation, or as much as provide access to perks and a huge inventory of supplies to the player!
The features between the versions:
- Merchant (Limited to Full Inventory)
- Repairer (Up to 56%, or 100%)
- Re-Constructor (Sex, Race, Hair, Face, & Name)
- Trainer (Perks, Quest Perks, Samurai)
- Advice
Oh yeah, and a total of 368 lines of dialog to interact with!
This article contains a TON of useful information (and about ~13.5% useless information). Please read at least 86.5% of this information to gain a full understanding of this mod! I know it's a damn novel, but it is all information that I felt was important to share, so get a hot cup of coffee and have a good time reading!
==============
Background:
==============
"A great warrior has arisen in the wasteland! Samurai Jack, born of noble blood, and cast into the apocalyptic future by an ancient sorcerer, has come to the capitol city region to help restore what little is left of the world to a state of peace. Following the teachings of "bushido" (the way of the warrior), Jack lives his life by a code of honor to help those in need and find a way to defeat the evil that sent him here. Jack was trained by the greatest warriors known to man, learning various forms of martial arts, strategy, Shaolin focus, and Shogun ferocity!"
I have used several mods over time to provide services for me, including convenient access to inventories and perks. This mod was created to duplicate those mods into a single source, and put a fun twist on things.
When I started to think about what I wanted to see in a single NPC, I kept returning to a single thought: I want to improve upon the lack of hand-to-hand and melee abilities in the game. I first thought of Chuck Norris, naturally. But after thinking on his reputation as: Chuck says, "This conversation is OVER" (opposing person instantly dies from the gale-force winds from Chuck's exhaling breath), I felt that he would simply be too overpowered for my taste.
Then it hit me! 'Samurai Jack was forced into the future by an evil sorcerer, and in this future both technology and science had advanced dramatically, but the future was ruled by this evil being.'
"Well I'll be damned!" I said to myself, "This looks awfully similar to Fallout 3's premise".
And so, I decided that Samurai Jack was thrust into the future, and the technology and science is advanced, with lots of robots (remember all them from the series?) and weird things that he doesn't understand, but the world was almost destroyed by the very evil that brought him here. Wha-la!
I had started to provide some amateur voice acting for this mod, using my thirty-something white American male voice, but I personally didn't think it did it justice. In fact, I felt like I sound like a retarded French female midget hooker on steroids. Not... that I... would know what that sounds like... umm. [changes subject by pointing off into the distance] "LOOK, A SQUIRREL!!"
If you have interest in helping me out with the voice acting for Samurai Jack, HOLLA AT ME DAWG! If only Phil Lamarr was available and willing... :)
Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this as much as I enjoyed making it. I easily have over 80 worked hours on this project currently. It has gone from concept, to paper, to development, to trial and error, to development, to almost-throwing-my-PC-out-the-window-in-frustration-of-not-figuring-things-out, to rehashing ideas, to development, to minor success, to major success, and then to the beta version I give you all today, with lots and lots and lots of writing dialog in-between.
This actually is my first mod that I started on about 8 months ago (including a break I took recently to play through Dragon Age a few times). Essentially, I delayed the release of this mod for more than 3 months, as I continually kept adding in additional conversational topics, and wanted to provide both humor and accuracy to the Samurai heritage and Japanese titles. As the Samurai didn't have much in the way of multiple rankings, I've adopted the western-ized Teakwondo ranks, colors, and meanings - mixed with some Japanese "titles" that I felt fit each rank well.
I think I've been able to accomplish all of this in good taste, with (hopefully) funny pop-culture references that fall in line with the feeling of the world of FO3, even if they are not from the same timeframe… but YOU will be the judge of that. :)
==============
File Information:
==============
Samurai Jack is somewhat customizable for how the player wishes to interact with him. I have done this to provide people with as much or as little immersion as they feel they would like. Therefore, this mod is provided in three forms: Apprentice, Expert, and Guru.
FIRST, DOWNLOAD THE MESHES AND TEXTURES FILE IN THE MAIN FILES SECTION. THEN DOWNLOAD THE LATEST VERSION # FROM THE MAIN FILES SECTION.
ONLY CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING TO INSTALL
BA_SamuraiJack_Apprentice.esp (Status: Release - Fully Tested)
This file provides a simple Jack, one who will interact with the player through conversation. He will tell stories of his adventures and impart ancient words of wisdom for situations - some useful, and some…well, not so useful. He also has a basic inventory and the ability to repair things. That's about it.
Inventory
He has a basic inventory that has a couple ninja-esc weapons available for purchase. Japanese warriors are well known for their swords, called Katana's. He will offer two such swords for sale, as well as some basic clothing like robes and hoods. I plan to add some throwing knives (called "Shurkins"), but I use Ashara's Batman mod too, so it may be a bit before I take the time to add these (There are a couple other mods that do this already, but need some tweaking to work correctly).
Repairs
He will also offer repair services for the player. Since this is available on several merchants, this is nothing immersion breaking. After all, a master of so many skills would be very effective in the repair of all armor and weapons, even technologically advanced devices…
BA_SamuraiJack_Expert.esp (Status: Release - Fully Tested)
This file does everything the Apprentice file does, plus offers some additional features.
Samurai Training
The player has the opportunity to have Samurai Jack as their Sensei – meaning their master and trainer. Jack will teach the player, over time, what it takes to become "Samurai". Samurai are proud and fierce warriors, able to instill fear into their enemy simply with their presence, but training does not come easily, nor cheap (10K per lesson).
Ranks will only be available when the player has reached certain levels, and each higher rank has the prerequisite of lower ranks before they are able to obtain it. This helps offer some balance along with the cost of training itself. Therefore to become a Master Samurai, the player must pay a lot of caps over a series of levels.
At each rank, the player will benefit from increased stats and skills proportional to the rank obtained. They will given a rank title (name of the perk) and a symbol (a colored headband - no stats) to show their aptitude, making them instantly recognizable to all that they encounter as a student of martial arts!
I realize that a colored sash (let alone a headband) is not in line with the Samurai. However, I wanted to see some other form (symbol) of progression beyond that of a perk. Which is also why I didn't link the bonuses to the headband, it is fully optional to wear. All bonus abilities are linked to the perk itself.
Power Armor Training
Finally, he will offer to train the player in the use of power armor for a nominal price (5K). After all, Samurai are known for their heavy armor, and this would be the modern equivalent to such armor in a technologically advanced futile world. Plus, you might just enjoy going through the process (WINK). ;)
BA_SamuraiJack_Guru.esp (Status: Release - New perks and compatibility issues still need verifying)
This last file is the most involved, and the most immersion breaking. It will provide access to everything mentioned in both Apprentice and Expert, with some additions. First, you will now have access to a huge inventory of supplies. Second, his repair skill will bumped up to 100%. Jack will also have the ability to train additional perks for the player. This version simply combines my original work here with other mods that I've come across into a single entity (see the listing of those mods below).
Inventory (Inspired by grunt3's "Penny Rich" mod)
The inventory will consist of everything from the Apprentice version, as well as ammunition, explosives, chems, medicine, and some specific junk items that can be used to repair weapons and armor via my BA_Repair mod.
Samurai Jack will have 20,000 caps to trade with. He will have 500 rounds of each type of vanilla ammunition, 100 missiles and nukes, and 100 of each type of grenade or mine available for purchase. Lastly, he will have 100 stimpacks, 10 of every chem, 10 steathboys, 10 Nuka-Cola Quantum's, and 100 of some types of junk used in my repair mod.
All costs are standard prices, therefore influenced by your Charisma, Barter skill, and associated perks like every other merchant. His inventory is set to re-spawn as well, so the inventory will refresh every 3 days by default (or is it 4 days?).
Re-Construction
Jack will offer to change the PC's name, race, hair, face, and sex - all for free. Very immersion breaking, and I haven't done extensive testing as of yet. There are reports that changing your sex and/or race removes all current perks, and other replies stating that it doesn't. Then there is the concern for dear old dad and his race if you change yours. His race to yours won't break anything - but I'm not going to run through that whole script at this time to ensure he is changed when you change your race. Sex changes (tee hee) cause instant NPC interaction corrections, meaning that people instantly change from addressing you as "boy" to "girl" or vice-versa. Perhaps I'll mess with the scripts later, but for now just let me know if there are any issues with this.
Perks (ported and modified from SylvanTiw's Perk Trainer mod)
Jack can train you in any skill available to you for a sizable amount of money. This means that whatever mods you have installed that add additional perks to the game will be accessible via this method. Once you purchase the training session, he will give you an item that, once equipped, will allow the player to access these perks via the level up screen - without actually leveling up. It will also freeze you in place and disable you from doing anything besides working your PipBoy and turning around. I haven't tested fast travel, but I wouldn't advise using it while the item is equipped!
In order to offer at least some balance to this feature, I modified the scripting so that when you use the item, you actually level up to your NEXT level (originally it was set up to bump to a very high level - like 700+). In my opinion, giving access to some of the perks not available until many levels later (think of getting Almost Perfect at level 8) was a bit over the top for me - even with the high cost of the purchase to begin with.
Additionally, when equipped, it will boost all your SKILLS by 255 points, essentially disabling the first leveling screen so that you have to select continue to move onto the perk choice screen. I used 255 as a base line number for those that have already boosted their maximum skill point level to 255, and alos use mods like Wasteland Mastery. The skill boost is the only alternative method I have available in order to keep from having to use FOSE for those that cannot / will not use it. What this means is that any perks dependent upon a certain skill level will be overwritten and accessible at any level (granted that the perk itself is available by the level you are fake-moving to).
I know, it's all very confusing. Just buy the damn item and all will become clear!
Perks (Quests)
In addition to whatever perks you have installed via other mods, I have added and/or modified a few vanilla perks to allow further advancement for the player. These perks are only available through conversation with Samurai Jack, and allow the player access to all quest related perks in the vanilla game (no DLC's yet until I play through them myself).
Many of the quest perks have had some description changes, and even some additional modifications to the perks themselves, based upon common interests from other mods (like the changes in UPP_Original_Perks).
But some quest perks, like the entire line associated with Moria Brown's Wasteland Survival Guide, have been drastically altered. Basically, the player is now able to purchase every single level of the perks available through that quest, giving them access to 15 separate perks instead of only one that you end up with after completing the quest.
Here is the kicker though - I am still testing this part of the mod to ensure that the game won't break (like a CTD) if the player hasn't done one of these quests yet and takes one of these perks, or if they are half way through it and take a perk, or if they blew up Megaton, or if they talked Moria out writing the book to begin with (Dream Crusher). So this part makes this ESP alpha, but since the inventory and base perks both work fine, it's more like beta I figure. I don't THINK anything will happen, but... :)
Regarding the costs for training and perks:
The costs for each perk or level of training is set at 10,000 caps (with the exception of Power Armor training at 5,000 caps). The original Perk Trainer mod only charged 3,000 & 500 caps respectively, which I felt was WAY too low.
"ZOMG! WTFBBQDAIRYQUEEN!!!11!!1! 10,000 CAPS!?!?!"
Now before people go freaking out about the 10,000 cap cost, I'm going to state something up front: I designed this original version of the mod based upon MY gaming experiences - in order to provide some additional balance to my adventures.
First of all, in my games, caps are easy to come by naturally through the progression of things, without cheats - especially since I started to play role-oriented characters. I have a Samurai that focuses on hand to hand, melee, and explosives (through use of this mod), a Magi that uses spells (through use of my other mod soon to be released that allows spells), a Terminator that only uses big guns and energy weapons (through the Cybernetic Dawn mod), and my first toon who is a general gun and explosives expert - master of all skills and abilities. Oddly, my first toon has the least amount of money due to the necessity to retain several types of ammo, weapons, and schematic components. However the others are very tuned towards specific weapons and apparel, and therefore provide me with the ability to sell 95% of what I loot - which adds up very quickly. Generally by level 10, if caps are only spent on basics (stimpacks and ammo), my toons have over 100K on them - and by level 20 they would easily have over 700K, with several areas still unexplored.
"How the eff do you get so many caps?!?"
That is answered through my second reason. I use several mods that boost mob volumes. First is Mart'sMutantMod with Increased Spawns, Feral Ghoul Rampage, and Zones Respawn all turned on. Second, I use the CybeneticDawn mod (with some modifications done by myself to make it a bit more stable), that adds a ton of good and bad characters to the game - all with lots of loot. I even modified the values of the special guns to be 1/10th of what they were originally (now worth 350, instead of 3500). Third, I run the EagleStikesTheNest mod that dumps a crap-ton of Chinese and Talon forces around the wastes.
How many is a "crap-ton" you ask? It's more than a "oh boy", and less than a "GIMME A NUKE! HOLY CRAP! GIMME A DAMN NUKE!!". Essentially, those 6 Chinese Remnant soldiers that ESTN adds to the game just got boosted to about 20 angry Chinamen - all with a wide host of weapons – and all targeting my virgin posterior for annihilation! This, in turn, means that there is a helluva lot more mobs to loot, complete with a plethora of Missile Launchers and Chinese Assault Rifles – not to mention the fact that other areas are re-spawning with multiple opportunities to get even more gear to sell.
Third and lastly, the bonuses for the Samurai training and the specialized quest-only perks that I'm making available need to be balanced out somehow, or else they will simply be God items - and I might as well charge nothing for them in that case.
HERE IS MY COMPOMISE FOR THIS: If you simply don't have the caps, the ability to get the caps, or feel the price is simply too steep to be realistic or functional, then post up a comment and I will supply another version (ONLY if popular opinion dictates it - like LOTS of people). When commenting, please provide a reason why you feel the price should be altered (either up or down), a suggested amount, and why you feel it is fairer to charge that. I appreciate the feedback, and it helps me get a pulse for the community's expectations.
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Requirements:
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Fallout 3 Patch 1.7 (or equivalent fake-ish patch)
No DLC's are required running this mod, but I was sure tempted to put Jack in that spiffy Samurai armor from Zeta. Oh well, that’s for me later on...
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Install:
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---FIRST, DOWNLOAD THE MESHES AND TEXTURES FILE IN THE MAIN FILES SECTION---
---THEN DOWNLOAD THE LATEST VERSION # FROM THE MAIN FILES SECTION---
1. Download the files to a secure location. Contrary to some other authors, I do not recommend directly downloading or unzipping directly to your Data folder.
2. Extract the files from the archive to a new folder under its name. This is handy for keeping a record of what version is associated with the mod (if the author properly marked the download file). Once you get to 40+ mods, it will be hell trying to remember when you got the last update for each mod.
3. Inspect the folder contents, including the file names and any corresponding meshes or textures folders to understand what you are about to replace.
4. Read the included ReadMe file for installation instructions or additional information. I understand the irony of including this install step in a ReadMe file for installation that would only be read if someone opened the ReadMe file in the first place. JUST SHADDUP AND DO AS I COMMAND!! :)
5a. If satisfied, copy the associated file(s) and folders to [DRIVE]:[INSTALL PATH]\Fallout 3\Data\ folder.
5b. If unsure of the contents, or to learn more about the mod, transfer ONLY the .esp file to the Data folder, and use FO3 Edit to inspect the contents.
6. When ready to play with the mod, open your Fallout 3 Launcher (or mod manager - I suggest Timeslip's FOMM), place a checkmark beside the .esp file, and run the game.
7. Enjoy this fine product from Shiholude!
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Un-Install:
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1. Open your Fallout 3 Launcher (or mod manager), and uncheck the .esp file.
2. Delete the files/folders associated with the mod.
3. Run your "Master Update" again if you're using FO3edit.
CAVEAT:
There are some potential problems involved with uninstalling this mod if you have taken certain perks that have been altered. Specifically these perks are the Wasteland Survival Guide Assistant, Expert, and Guru bonuses. These perks are not meant to stack together; rather only one is active at any given time if you helped Moria - depending on the way you responded to dialog.
BUT ALL IS NOT LOST!
"KEEP FIGHTING LITTLE TIMMY! YOU CAN MAKE IT!!"
The simplest way to work around this is the "Player.RemovePerk" console command. When I become more versed in overall scripting and eraser tokens, this process will become easier. However, until that day arrives, you will need to remove all these perks manually prior to loading a game without this mod active (if you took the perks). I don't think that anything more than a CTD will happen, but if any fluffy bunnies are brutally slaughtered as a result of this rule not being followed - know that I gave fair warning, and that you should be the one that feels the guilt of cute, furry, innocent rabbit genocide...
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Compatibility:
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The deity version uses the same practices as some other mods (listed below), but I have created entirely new ID's for every item, NPC, device, tweak, and perk - so you will be able to use them in conjunction with any corresponding mods without issue.
The only other compatibility concern is dealing with the Moria Brown quest line perks as already mentioned. At this point in time, I can only think of four possible suggestions:
1) Don't do the quest line at all, or stop where you are in the quest line, and buy the perks instead. (This would drive me nuts personally)
2) Do the quest line to completion, and THEN buy the perks that you don't have (she gives you a perk at the end based upon your answers you gave her to complete the book). I RECOMMEND THIS OPTION
3) Purchase away and see what happens (if anything). If you go with option 3, my feeling is that the quest line will simply break if she goes to give you perk that you already have. I don't think you will CTD, but I'm still learning all this stuff, and with the number of unexplained CTD's I've experienced myself, anything is possible. You may crash your game, your system could explode, or the FBI could knock down your door for secretly hacking into a global company and planting a worm that steals fractional pennies from every transaction and places it into a local account that you just set up at the same exact moment you purchased this perk! Hey, it could happen... :)
4) Strategically plan on when to purchase the perks. This means that once you've obtained the Survival Expert level, the Assistant Survivor perks "should" be available without recourse. Likewise, the same would apply for the Survival Expert perks once you get your final Survival Guru perk, but then the quest is over and you would be able to grab them all as option #2 suggests. Please note the word: "SHOULD". (Untested)
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Bugs/Issues:
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All known issues fixed as of v1.20. Please let me know if you find something else wrong.
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History:
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0.67b 1/16/2010
- Initial Release
0.72b 1/17/2010
- Upgrade to version 0.72b
- Added the meshes and textures for the bandana's to the file that I totally missed! (Thank you "the_dissent")
0.76b 1/28/2010
- Upgraded to version 0.76b
- Corrected Samurai rank purchase exploit.
- Fixed speech response choice by Jack, so that if player is of insufficient level or without prerequisites, those are triggered before checking their monetary level.
- Separated meshes/textures from ESP files in download section (total of two main download files now, both are needed to function properly, but this will save download times for future updates to ESP files only).
0.76b 2/7/2010
-Added several screenshots to the gallery.
1.00r 4/3/2010
-Changed version to a stable release version "1.00r"
-Added pictures of Jack's new location
-Deleted pictures of Jack's old location.
-Moved Jack from the exterior of Rivet City into the main level stairwell area. This change should eliminate his spontaneous attacks on local enemies, which caused a bug where his inventory was inaccesible.
-Changed ownership of inventory items to help negate Jack swapping out clothing. This *should* fix this issue.
-Corrected issue where Jack would use the combined values of both of his vendor containers (the first one is used in the Appretice and Expert version, whereas a different container is used in the Guru version).
1.10r (July 22, 2010)
-Model changes to Jack! He has a new face and wardrobe, thanks to satanslilhelper!! Thank you!
-Modified all versions to reflect changes made by satanslilhelper.
-Modified the Meshes and Textures file to reflect above changes.
-Please download BOTH the "MeshTex" file and the new "1.10r" version!
1.20r (March 19, 2011)
- Moved Jack back outside (it's spring time afterall)
- Added a map marker for Jack!
- Updated vendor container (is now properly linked to Jack in case he runs off).
- Fixed quest dialog so that it doesn't go into dumbass
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Contact:
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SHIHOLUDE
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Mods/Tools Used:
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FOMM
GECK
FO3 Edit
Fallout 3 ReadMe Generator
Other References:
Corum, J. (2003, November 17). Estimating the Airspeed Velocity of an Unladen Swallow. Retrieved from http://www.style.org/unladenswallow/
- You'll just have to find out on your own where this reference applies!
Wikipedia.org. (2010, January 5). Mako (actor). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makoto_Iwamatsu
- Makoto-san was the voice of Aku in the Samurai Jack series, and passed away back in 2006 from esophageal cancer. He is truly missed by me. I loved him as The Wizard Akiro in the Conan series, plus the countless other roles he played in - including Aku.