CURRENT VERSION IS 099f

Changes Since Last Version

99f

- no more hellos/random chats during caravan travel

99e

- changes to address the caravans entering megaton
- big fixes
- ike bot radio bug fixes

99d

- more attempts at fixing crow
- you can now dart the traders themselves without getting in trouble (with the stimpak dart gun, of course!)
- other bug fixes
- npcs carry back-up weapons

99c

- more crow bugfixes/tweaks

======================================

THE ROAD WARDENS

With the drastic increase in hostile activity in the Wasteland of late (MMM Increased Spawns, or what-have-you) the trader caravans have been hard-pressed. The Regulators have come to their aid! One Regulator "Road Warden" and one field medic have now been assigned to each caravan. You can help the Regulators keep the trading caravans safe, and get rewarded in caps or karma.

GAINING THE PERK

If you are level 5 or higher and in good standing with the Regulators and Traders, just talk to one of the Road Wardens escorting a caravan. He will tell you what's expected of you and give you some equipment to help you in your task.

THE ESCORTS

The warden provides extra protection for the caravan, and enlists other wardens to assist in the escort. The medic gives some armed back-up and provides medical services to all caravan travelers.

JOINING A CARAVAN

To join a caravan you must have the Road Warden perk. Come within 1000 units of a caravan and you will automatically be joined (this is customizable; see CUSTOMIZING JOIN AND QUIT RANGES below). A message will appear telling you whose caravan you have joined. The longer you remain in the caravan's vicinity the more credit you will accumulate with the caravan. You will not gain credit while the caravan is stopped at a destination (see DESTINATIONS, ROUTES and DEPARTURES below). If you are engaged in combat while you are joined with the caravan your credit earned during that time will be five times greater. The caravan does not have to be in motion for you to accumulate credit during combat. If the trader or warden is killed your credit will be reduced to zero.

You may leave the caravan at any time. If you leave your accumulated credit will be retained, so you can leave and return freely without a loss of credit. If you move outside of the caravan's vicinity you will still be considered joined with it for three minutes. This should give you enough time and distance to scout, scavenge or clear a path through supermutants. Messages will appear informing you when you have left and joined a caravan. If you stray very far (over 7000 units - also customizable) you will be automatically and immediately un-joined.

You may be joined with more than one caravan at one time, assuming they are close enough to each other to allow it.

When you join a caravan a note will be added to your pip boy informing you of the caravan's next destination. (Look in Data -> Notes). Whenever the caravan updates its destination this note will be updated, and you will receive a new "joined caravan" message.

CUSTOMIZING JOIN AND QUIT AND RANGES

To alter the join and quit ranges used by this mod, pull up the console (~) and use the following commands to alter the variables that control the ranges:

set rwjoinrange to #
set rwquitrange to #

Replace "#" with the number of units you would like to change the given range to - the defaults are 1000 and 7000 units respectively.

These values will be saved with your savegames and should only need to be set once.

REWARDS

To receive caps or karma for the credit you have accumulated, speak to the warden or scout. If you would like to be paid in caps, say so... otherwise be a hero and pass on them for the karma.

Caravans will retain your total credit amount over all escort journeys. This rating is a factor in scout behavior and will become more important in future versions.

Note: I play-tested a trip from Canterbury Commons to Megaton, with several combat engagements along the way I received about 400 caps for my services. I certainly felt I earned it. :)

THE SCOUTS

The optional scout NPC offers the caravan additional armed (or toothed) back-up and will also provide back-up for the player directly. If you have enough credit with this caravan (this is for all trips you've ever taken with this caravan, including the current one) and you diverge from the caravan, the scout will also diverge from the caravan to give you personal back-up. The scout will not leave a caravan under fire. When you approach the caravan again the scout will return to following the trader. A scout who has left the caravan with you will return if the caravan is under fire.

You can speak to the scout to request he (or she) stop backing you up and he will return to the caravan. He will not follow you again until you speak to him and ask him to resume giving you back-up.

If you're at a distance from the caravan and it is holding up after combat (or because you asked them to wait - see DESTINATIONS, ROUTES and DEPARTURES below) and the scout is currently giving you back-up, you can speak to the scout to give the "all-clear" and move the caravan along, rather than running back to the caravan to speak to the warden. The scout will signal the rest to move out, even at a distance.

THE MEDICS

If you have engaged in a fight while joined with the caravan, the medic will heal you for free. If you haven't fought for the caravan since your last treatment by the medic, he or she (or it) will charge you as a normal doctor for the service (and the services of radiation elimination and addiction cure). The medic will offer services only to those who have joined the caravan. The medic will heal the others in the caravan after each combat but will not restore crippled limbs until a destination has been reached.

There is a limit to the number of times a medic will heal you for free in a short period of time. If you find that a medic refuses to heal you even though you have fought alongside the caravan recently, wait for a while and try again, or pay him to heal you.

The Stimpak Dart Gun

If you have medical expertise (Medicine skill level 30 or greater) the Medic will supply you with 5 stimpaks and a dart gun which is modified to shoot stimpaks like darts. These darts can be used on the crew (including the brahmin - sorry, no robots!) to both heal them and cure crippled limbs. The NPCs will complain when you shoot them, but will not become angered. Un-equip and re-equip the weapon to reload 5 stimpaks into it. Un-equiping it will change remaining "stimdarts" back into stimpaks in your inventory. The stimpak dart gun checks the Medicine skill rather than Small Guns for proficiency.

Note: Firing this weapon at anyone but the caravan crews will be considered a hostile act by the target.

The "Ike" Bot

Crazy Wolfgang's Medic has a hacked Enclave Eyebot which accompanies the caravan and will dispense stimpak darts to heal you if you are joined with the caravan (future version will heal other crew members as well). Ike starts with 10 stimpaks. If you would like to re-fill the 'bot, activate it while joined with Wolfgang's caravan to access its inventory. Ike will tote some items around for you as well, but be wary: like other Eyebots he has a chance of exploding on death, turning everything he was carrying into slag.

Ike plays GNR by default. If you'd like to shut off the radio completely, or change the station he's playing, remove or swap the radio module in his inventory. Talk to Crazy Wolfgang's medic and she'll give you modules for Enclave and Agatha's radio. The GNR module is on Ike.

Note: If you are joined with Crazy Wolfgang's caravan the Ike bot will shut its radio off for a bit when you sneak.

Note: If you use my "GNR Eyebot Hacking Modules" mod you will need to upgrade to the latest version in my "Robot Hacker" mod if you want to be able to reload stimpaks into the Ike bot.

THE PACK-BRAHMIN

You will be able to access a personal supply bag on the caravan's brahmin for your own use as long as you are joined with the caravan to which it belongs. Simply activate the brahmin while crouching (sneaking). This is not the same container that is accessed with the trader's supply key.

DESTINATIONS, ROUTES and DEPARTURES

The current caravan "destinations" - those points where the medic both heals and restores crippled limbs - are in or nearby the following locations:

Agatha's
Arefu
Canterbury Commons
Evergreen Mills
Megaton
Paradise Falls
Rivet City
Temple of the Union

The caravans move between these destinations whether the player is present or not. Currently it takes three-five hours of game time for the caravans to move from one destination to the next (depending on the caravan, see Schedules and Paths below), regardless of actual distance *if the player is not currently accompanying the caravan*. If the player *is* accompanying the caravan the time taken to move between destinations will depend on what occurs upon the journey.

The caravans take very circuitous routes to their destinations. Headed for Evergreen Mills, for example, you may find yourself passing very close to Megaton, although this is not your current destination and the caravan will not stop here until *after* it has stopped in Evergreen Mills. Check your Notes for the current destination: stick with the caravan long enough and this is where you will eventually find yourself.

If you know where a caravan is bound, you may go to that destination to await it. The caravan will appear on the limit of your actor fade boundary roughly two game-hours after departing their previous destination.

Note: Doc Hoff and Crow both travel in a counter-clockwise direction, like vanilla trader caravans (from Rivet City to Canterbury Commons). Crazy Wolfgang and Lucky Harith move in a clockwise direction (from Canterbury Commons to Rivet City).

Schedules and Paths

(Home = Beginning location)
(Loiter = Time at each destination, in game hours)
(Journey = Time between destinations when player is not present, in game hours)
(RC = Rivet City, CC = Canterbury Commons, PF = Paradise Falls)

Trader, Home, Direction, Loiter, Journey

Wolfgang, CC, RC - CC, Two, Five
Crow, RC, RC -> CC, One, Three
Hoff, PF, RC -> CC, Two, Five
Harith, Arefu, RC - CC, One, Three

If you are awaiting a caravan's departure from a destination, you may either literally wait or use the 'w'ait menu. If you use the 'w'ait menu the caravan will depart promptly after you have finished waiting one hour.

Using the 'w'ait menu while the caravan is in motion, however, will send that caravan along toward its next destination.

A Note on timescale: by default 2 minutes of real time = 1 hour of game time. If you have this value modded Road Wardens will take this into consideration.

Holding Back the Caravan

If you have 50 or more units of credit from a caravan you can ask them to hold back for five minutes while you clear, scavenge or scout. Talk to either the warden, scout or trader to request a hold-back. They will depart again in 5 minutes. If you would like them to move-out sooner, talk to one of the NPCs again (or move close to the warden) to give them the "all-clear". Note: this is 5 *real life* minutes. You can also 'w'ait for one hour to move them along.

Caravans will automatically hold back for one and a half minutes after combat if you are joined with them. As with a requested hold-back, speak to the scout or trader, or move close to the warden, to give the all-clear and depart immediately.

Note: If you find the caravan is just standing around, seemingly for no reason, they might actually be loitering: try approaching the warden.

Suggesting a Destination

If you have ever earned over 350 points of credit from a caravan you will be allowed to suggest a change of destination once per day. Talk to the trader to suggest a new route. Note: this may take the caravan along paths it has never taken before (including through subways) so beware! I've done this a few times and made it through just fine, but this feature should be considered experimental. As always, if you find the caravan is stuck somewhere, try 'w'aiting them along to their destination, or just abandon them and they will eventually move on.

NOTES ON PLAY

This mod is meant to be used alongside mods like MMM Increased (or Increased Increased) Spawns, in order to give the traders a fighting chance. This mod will work with MMM's Tougher Traders, but works fine without it. I personally use MMM TT all the time.

You will need to load this mod *after* other mods that modify the traders.

Caravans have a tendency to get split up during combat. As a warden it's your job to stick with the trader himself. Usually the rest of the group will show up after some time. You may notice that if NPCs in the caravans get very far away from each other, they will be repositioned closer to the caravan.

Remember that the caravans will remember what you do for them even if you leave, and may still have rewards for you later in the game.

You can no longer access a caravan brahmin's trader supply container while sneaking with this mod installed. You must be standing. This is to allow you to both access your personal supply bag and the trader's supply bag if you have the corresponding trader's supply key.

REVIVING THE CARAVANS

You can pull up the settings/revive/update menu any time by using the following console (~) command:

set rwrevive to 1

This will pull up the menus you see when you upgrade, allowing you to revive the caravans and set essential on the various crew members. If you change your mind after reviving the caravans, just don't save!

Note: This will also return the caravans to their home locations (see DESTINATIONS, ROUTES and DEPARTURES above).

Important Note: This is NOT the same thing as un-installing and re-installing the mod, and will not work in place of doing a full re-install!

INSTALLATION

The archive contains three .esp files and one .esm master file (aside from the readme): RoadWardens.esp, RoadWardensUnInstall.esp, RoadWardensMMM.esp and RoadWardens.esm. Drop these files into your Data folder. Activate *both* RoadWardens.esm and RoadWardens.esp in your mod manager to start the mod. If you are using Mart's Mutant Mods and want faction protection support, activate RoadWardensMMM.esp as well (see MMM Support below for more info and the necessary load order).

Important Note: Be sure to load RoadWardens.esp after any other mods that may change the traders.

MMM Support

This mod includes an add-on patch for Mart's Mutant Mod. This add-on will give the caravans MMM protection (they will not be attacked) if you are not joined with them. If you would like all caravans to be vulnerable to attack, do not use this add-on or the new MMM Tougher Traders add-on.

Note: If you use this add-on and then later disable it, caravans may remain unattackable until you join with them once.

Note: There may be a delay after quitting or joining before creatures in the area realize something has changed (so they might not attack right away).

Be sure your mods are loaded in the following order:

1) RoadWardens.esm & Mart's Mutant Mod.esm (order not important)
2) Mart's Mutant Mod.esp
3) Optional Mart's Mutant Mods (like Increased Spawns and Hunting & Looting)
4) RoadWardens.esp
5) RoadWardensMMM.esp

Upgrading

1) Go through the procedure for Un-Installation (see below). Note: if you have an older version installed, use that older version's uninstall to remove it.

3) Deactivate the RoadWardens.esm, RoadWardens.esp and RoadWardensUnInstall.esp mods with your mod manager (also deactivate the MMM Addon and the original MMM TT if you have them)

4) Restart the game and load the save you made when un-installing.

5) Re-save again and quit. You've just made a savegame without the mod's features and creatures.

6) Put the NEW .esp file(s) into your Data folder, copying over the old one(s).

7) Activate RoadWardens.esm and RoadWardens.esp with your mod manager (and, optionally, RoadWardensMMM.esp - note the load order *must* be: MMM Mods, RoadWardens, RoadWardensMMM).

8) Start the game and load the save you made in step 5.

9) Revive the caravans when it prompts you.

10) Mosey.

UN-INSTALLATION

The mod comes with an automated un-installer - RoadWardensUnInstall.esp, included in the archive. Put this file in your Data folder (if it's not already there) and activate it *along with* the original RoadWardens.esp and the next time you load a savegame it will offer to remove the mod for you.

I do not *believe* the load order matters, but loading the UnInstall mod after the game mod is recommended.

After it tells you it has removed the mod, re-save your game and quit. You can then safely deactivate the mod without corrupting this savegame.

Be sure to deactivate RoadWardens.esm, RoadWardens.esp and RoadWardensUnInstall.esp after saving and quitting! You will also need to deactivate RoadWardensMMM.esp if you are using it.

ISSUES

There are several issues surrounding the Jefferson Memorial and the caravans. I intend to re-route them so they avoid the Memorial completely in a future version. Luckily there is a perfectly feasible alternate route to Rivet City that avoids the Memorial altogether (perhaps you've noticed). Meanwhile it's best to either escort the caravan directly across or stay very far away as they cross themselves. If the Memorial fades out of range before the actors do while they are crossing over it, they will fall through the scaffolding into the water. This is a side-effect of the way the game engine functions. If this does happen in your game the caravan will eventually be forced along its route again, so fret not, although if they get stuck in the water you might want to 'w'ait them along or leave them behind as I'm not entirely sure they won't eventually drown.

NPCs may occasionally freeze and refuse to move. I have fixes in for this and haven't seen it happen in my own game for a while, but if it does happen in yours try saving and reloading, 'w'aiting or just leaving the npc far enough behind that he/she/it is outside the active world. You can also just wait for the frozen character to drift far enough behind the caravan (assuming it's neither the trader nor warden that is frozen) that the auto-gathering code collects them back to the caravan. Their AI will be reset at this time and this (usually) fixes the problem as well.

The caravans may get stuck or caught up on terrain or objects. If this happens consistently in one spot let me know and I'll add a patch to the path at that location. I have followed all four caravans all over the map and have had only one consistent problem which I patched, but something else is bound to pop up.

If you sit and watch a caravan ride away, you may notice some strange behavior as they attempt to path out of the active world. This is usually due to an encounter of some sort just outside the visible range. You can simply ignore this, as they will eventually be forced along their route once you leave them behind. Alternatively, you can help them clear up whatever creatures might be hanging them up there.

Pathing in a detailed, dynamic world like the Wasteland is a complicated thing, and there are many oddities to the caravans in the vanilla game. As far as I know nothing I've done with this mod has made any of the oddities any odder.

BUG REPORTING

If it's not already mentioned in ISSUES please report the bug on this mod's page on the 'Nexus. Please be sure to include the location and which caravan you were with.

PERMISSION & USE STUFF

Go for it. Give me credit if you use anything recognizable as being from this mod.