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WARNING! BETA! BETA! BETA! Spawn groups of NPCs/Creatures.
- Permissions and credits
-
Translations
- German
===============
Description:
===============
WARNING! BETA BETA BETA
Make a backup of your save before using this (or any) mod!
Spawn groups of NPCs/Creatures.
===============
Details:
===============
Before I begin let's all remember what Spider-Man taught us... With Great Power comes Great Responsibility!
This mod aims to give the player Great Power; it cannot supply the other part. Used with some foresight and common sense this mod has the potential to increase your fun and immersion by letting you tell your own stories and stage your own epic battles. Used carelessly it has the potential to reduce your Wasteland to a ... uh... a wasteland. Read the rest of this document to learn the specific issues that will help you use the Spawn-O-Matic 5000 safely and successfully.
This mod adds four Spawn Points which the player can move at will and use to spawn groups of NPCs and/or creatures on demand.
Each Spawn Point provides the following functionality:
-Configure Spawn: Lets the user define
the Type (faction) of spawn
the general group size - each point of size will produce 1-6 actors
how many waves of this spawn will be generated
at what interval each wave will spawn
-Move the Spawn Point: wherever, whenever
-Assault Point and Assault Mode: The Assault Point can be moved independently of the Spawn Point, and whenever Assault Mode is On any spawns from that Spawn Point will draw their weapons and travel to the Assault Point. Use this to stage your own attacks or to provide an attacking enenmy with a tactical objective, or to simply gather all spawns from the current Spawn Point together for easier use of the...
-Kill Order: Kills all spawns from the current Spawn Point (if they are in the same cell; see Issues below).
-Locator Quest: Can be toggled; shows the location of the Spawn Point and its Assault Point.
-Map Marker: Fast Travel to the Spawn Point.
These functions are accessed by equpping the -Spawn-O-Matic- 5000 item under the Apparel tab. The -S-O-M- is hot-keyable and that is its recommended usage. While you are in your inventory the -S-O-M- is droppable (Not Recommended) and hot-keyable; otherwise it is a Quest Object so it can't be sold, traded, taken from you, or placed in a container.
----------------------------------------------------------
If the (crappy beta) defaults for the settings don't meet your needs, here are some console commands. Change the number 1 to whatever Spawn Point you want to change. Change xx to value you desire.
set zsomMain.iSpawn1Size to xx;Remember that -S-O-M- is designed to spawn groups, so this number is NOT the number of individuals spawned, but is instead the number of passes through the spawn-generation algorithm. Each passe will produce 1 - 6 individuals.
set zsomMain.iSpawn1Waves to xx;the number of waves of size zsomMain.iSpawn1Size the Spawn Point will produce.
set zsomMain.fSpawn1WaveTimer to xx;change the delay (in seconds) between waves spawned at this Spawn Point
set zsomMain.fDeathTime to xx;change the base delay (in seconds) before an actor disables itself (disappears) after it has been killed. Note that a random component is added to the base to determine the actual disable time.
----------------------------------------------------------
Who is it good for?
Anybody who wants to spawn up some Actors to help tell player created stories.
Anybody who has a village, fortress, or personal army mod that needs to be tested in the fires of battle...
Anybody who wants to stage their own Four-Faction (or Five or Six or Seven!) conflict on the steps of the Capitol...
----------------------------------------------------------
Warning! Large numbers of actors will decrease performance.
This mod lets you spawn more Actors than it probably should. Once again the power and the responsibility for its use are in your hands. :)
===============
Requirements:
===============
Fallout 3 Patch 1.7
I'm not sure if it strictly requires 1.7 or not, but that is what it was built on.
===============
Install:
===============
1. Extract the files from the archive.
2. Copy Spawn-O-Matic.esm to (install folder)\Fallout 3\Data\
3. Start Fallout 3 Launcher, click 'Data Files', place a checkmark beside Spawn-O-Matic.esm.
===============
Un-Install:
===============
1. Start Fallout 3 Launcher, click Data Files, uncheck Spawn-O-Matic.esm.
2. Delete Spawn-O-Matic.esm and the readme.
===============
Compatibility:
===============
This mod makes no changes to any Vanilla assets, EXCEPT adding a manhole cover leading to a new (copied) drainage overflow chamber in Springvale. This chamber is the initial location of the Spawn Points, and is where any spawns will be if you should initiate a spawn before moving the Spawn Point.
The lack of changes to Vanilla assets should make this compatible with anything.
There MIGHT be a problem with MMM affecting the variety of Spawns. Some spawns might not have the variety they should have, but others will have far MORE variety, so it kind of evens out. You probably won't notice the reduced variety, but definitely will notice the increased variety. This version of Spawn-O-Matic should be compatible with MMM or Vanilla, but when v1 comes out I might be making a patch specifically for MMM to take advantage of all the goodness that it offers.
Anything that alters the Actor levelled lists has a chance to intersect with this mod, but since this mod doesn't change any Vanilla lists and most modders aren't adding Super Mutants to the Robot lists, or somesuch, then any intersection with other mods should only serve to increase the variety of spawns from this mod. But it might not. So here's your warning.
===============
Bugs/Issues:
===============
BLOAT
-----
This mod makes extensive use of the PlaceAtMe command for generating spawns. Objects placed by PlaceAtMe can become embedded and unremovable in your saved games, increasing their size unnecessarily. This can lead to corrupt saves. The information I have on PlaceAtMe and how the game handles placed actors is a little unclear, so I have chosen to include my own bloat-fighting measures.
The way this mod fights bloat: Every actor spawned by this mod has a script attached which will delete the actor when they get disabled (in the console sense, not the injury sense). They will also auto-disable themselves after being dead for a short time (this also helps with performance and stability). The player has the option to kill all spawns from a specific spawn point to help with this.
The limitation of this method is that the script doesn't seem to function if the actor is not in the same cell as the player. In big battles and/or with NPC behavior mods, some actors may flee the cell where they were spawned. To overcome this, the Assault Point functionality can be used. After your big battle or whatever, move your assault point to some location where the spawns won't likely find anyone to fight. Then set Assault Mode On and sleep/wait a couple of hours. The script may not work in other cells, but the assault package will. After resting, the surving and scattered spawns should be assembled at the Assault Point and susceptible to their Spawn Point's Kill Order. Using this method I have spawned literally hundreds (Not Recommended) of NPCs/creatures with no bloat to my saved game. (Save after the spawns have disappeared.)
The only case that worries me is that of a spawn dying in a remote cell and being removed by the engine from the world but not from the save. The actors are flagged as quest objects so the engine shouldn't remove them, but I am unconvinced. To be safe, only spawn groups in contained locations and don't have them travel halfway across the wasteland to reach their Assault Point.
Any help researching/eliminating these issues would be greatly appreciated (and is the primary reason for this beta).
SPAWN VARIETY, NUMBERS, and SETTINGS
------------------------------------
All of these aspects will require extensive feedback and tweaking. They are functional now, but with some help, I think I can arrive at values that will meet a wide variety of users' needs.
There is one caveat here: this mod is intended to spawn GROUPS of actors. I doubt that it will ever be able to spawn single individuals.
Let me know what you think!
PERSISTANT ACTORS
-----------------
To users of SCC and/or Groovy Followers or some other "Make any NPC your Follower" mod, these NPCs really aren't suitable for those mods. These actors use levelled lists as base data. It appears that any actor that does so WILL reset when their cell does, regardless of the quest flag. If you do choose to make one a follower, keep them with you, don't give them anything important, and let me know about it! And if you know about a mod that lets you make any NPC your follower besides the two I mentioned, let me know about that too; I love those!
a final note about persistant actors: I really want to include some. I know how, but it would be a lot of work and I'm not sure about the safety of doing so. I think the best time to investigate that functionality is after the variety and default settings have been established. But if this is something you would like to see, stay tuned because I would like to see it too...
NAMES
-----
The actors spawned by this mod will have a name based on the "Faction" they belong to. Ex. Brotherhood of Steel Initiates, Knights, and Paladins will all have the name "Brotherhood of Steel". This has no effect on their stats, AI, Inventory, or anything else, just the display name. If you have MMM and are fighting a Rambler that says its a "Feral Ghoul", rest assured it will be as tough as a Rambler and will drop what a Rambler usually drops.
This issue can be resolved (mostly), but must wait until the actual spawns are finalized.
MAP MARKERS
-----------
Each Spawn Point comes with a Map Marker that is moved whenever the Spawn Point is moved. This is a worrisome feature to me, and I almost left it out.
My concerns: I don't have any of the DLCs and don't know how the Markers will function in those areas. I'm also concerned with moving the Markers into interiors. They don't work indoors, but will work if the Spawn Point is moved back outside. This doesn't seem to break anything, but I don't KNOW that it doesn't.
If these prove to be troublesome I will, of course, provide a version without them.
Anyone with more information on this please let me know.
ESM FILE
--------
Spawn-O-Matic is provided as an ESM to prevent a couple of bugs in the later versions of FO3, and to aid making patches/addons.
THIS README
-----------
This is my first mod and therefore first readme (don't worry the mod is way better than the readme ;)), so I've probably left out important stuff that isn't scattered randomly around in here...
If you have any questions or ideas about information that should be included but isn't, please contact me.
OTHER
-----
Please let me know if you find anything else.
===============
History:
===============
.85 10/16/2009 - Initial Release
===============
Contact:
===============
Contact me as Fledermaus on the Nexus.
===============
Recommended Mods:
===============
RTS - Real Time Settler
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=7070
Build your own village! Spawn-O-Matic was made for me to use with RTS. I really can't say enough good things about this incredible Mod. Try it out!
CombatEnhanced-Package
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=6860
This mod changes combat behavior for all NPCs and does it cleanly. I reall like it!
Marts Mutant Mod - MMM
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=1415
The one and only! More spawns and more variety, I can't imagine playing without this. This will improve the variety of spawns from my mod too!
===============
Credits:
===============
Thanks to Bethesda for creating Fallout 3, the Elder Scrolls games, and the editors for those games.
Thanks to InsanitySorrow for ReadMe Generator this readme is based on.
Thanks to ElminsterEU for FO3Edit, an essential tool.
Thanks to the author(s) of FOMM and TESsnip, who I think may be Timeslip, but whose true identity escapes me at the momemnt.
Thanks to all the amazing Modders who have kept me playing games for years after their shelf-lives have expired.
Thanks to you for trying this.
Thanks to everyone I've forgotten to thank.
===============
Tools Used:
===============
GECK
Fallout 3 ReadMe Generator
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=8269
FO3Edit
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=637
FOMM
TESsnip
GECK Script Syntax Highlighter for Notepad plus plus
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=2472
===============
License/Legal:
===============
This file is provided as is and the author holds no responsiblity for anything that may come to happen from using this file.
Please don't create any content based on this beta or post it anywhere; when v1.0 is ready I'll release it with updated permissions.
The only exceptions to this is for translators. If people in your area want to try this, and they understand it is a Beta, then you have my permission to translate it. I allow this because I have enjoyed many contributions from the International modding community and have no idea how to translate it myself. I think it would be better to wait for version 1.0, but maybe testing in other Localizations will help the project.
If you are reading a machine translation of this, don't be sad, this is not any easier to read in English ;)
Description:
===============
WARNING! BETA BETA BETA
Make a backup of your save before using this (or any) mod!
Spawn groups of NPCs/Creatures.
===============
Details:
===============
Before I begin let's all remember what Spider-Man taught us... With Great Power comes Great Responsibility!
This mod aims to give the player Great Power; it cannot supply the other part. Used with some foresight and common sense this mod has the potential to increase your fun and immersion by letting you tell your own stories and stage your own epic battles. Used carelessly it has the potential to reduce your Wasteland to a ... uh... a wasteland. Read the rest of this document to learn the specific issues that will help you use the Spawn-O-Matic 5000 safely and successfully.
This mod adds four Spawn Points which the player can move at will and use to spawn groups of NPCs and/or creatures on demand.
Each Spawn Point provides the following functionality:
-Configure Spawn: Lets the user define
the Type (faction) of spawn
the general group size - each point of size will produce 1-6 actors
how many waves of this spawn will be generated
at what interval each wave will spawn
-Move the Spawn Point: wherever, whenever
-Assault Point and Assault Mode: The Assault Point can be moved independently of the Spawn Point, and whenever Assault Mode is On any spawns from that Spawn Point will draw their weapons and travel to the Assault Point. Use this to stage your own attacks or to provide an attacking enenmy with a tactical objective, or to simply gather all spawns from the current Spawn Point together for easier use of the...
-Kill Order: Kills all spawns from the current Spawn Point (if they are in the same cell; see Issues below).
-Locator Quest: Can be toggled; shows the location of the Spawn Point and its Assault Point.
-Map Marker: Fast Travel to the Spawn Point.
These functions are accessed by equpping the -Spawn-O-Matic- 5000 item under the Apparel tab. The -S-O-M- is hot-keyable and that is its recommended usage. While you are in your inventory the -S-O-M- is droppable (Not Recommended) and hot-keyable; otherwise it is a Quest Object so it can't be sold, traded, taken from you, or placed in a container.
----------------------------------------------------------
If the (crappy beta) defaults for the settings don't meet your needs, here are some console commands. Change the number 1 to whatever Spawn Point you want to change. Change xx to value you desire.
set zsomMain.iSpawn1Size to xx;Remember that -S-O-M- is designed to spawn groups, so this number is NOT the number of individuals spawned, but is instead the number of passes through the spawn-generation algorithm. Each passe will produce 1 - 6 individuals.
set zsomMain.iSpawn1Waves to xx;the number of waves of size zsomMain.iSpawn1Size the Spawn Point will produce.
set zsomMain.fSpawn1WaveTimer to xx;change the delay (in seconds) between waves spawned at this Spawn Point
set zsomMain.fDeathTime to xx;change the base delay (in seconds) before an actor disables itself (disappears) after it has been killed. Note that a random component is added to the base to determine the actual disable time.
----------------------------------------------------------
Who is it good for?
Anybody who wants to spawn up some Actors to help tell player created stories.
Anybody who has a village, fortress, or personal army mod that needs to be tested in the fires of battle...
Anybody who wants to stage their own Four-Faction (or Five or Six or Seven!) conflict on the steps of the Capitol...
----------------------------------------------------------
Warning! Large numbers of actors will decrease performance.
This mod lets you spawn more Actors than it probably should. Once again the power and the responsibility for its use are in your hands. :)
===============
Requirements:
===============
Fallout 3 Patch 1.7
I'm not sure if it strictly requires 1.7 or not, but that is what it was built on.
===============
Install:
===============
1. Extract the files from the archive.
2. Copy Spawn-O-Matic.esm to (install folder)\Fallout 3\Data\
3. Start Fallout 3 Launcher, click 'Data Files', place a checkmark beside Spawn-O-Matic.esm.
===============
Un-Install:
===============
1. Start Fallout 3 Launcher, click Data Files, uncheck Spawn-O-Matic.esm.
2. Delete Spawn-O-Matic.esm and the readme.
===============
Compatibility:
===============
This mod makes no changes to any Vanilla assets, EXCEPT adding a manhole cover leading to a new (copied) drainage overflow chamber in Springvale. This chamber is the initial location of the Spawn Points, and is where any spawns will be if you should initiate a spawn before moving the Spawn Point.
The lack of changes to Vanilla assets should make this compatible with anything.
There MIGHT be a problem with MMM affecting the variety of Spawns. Some spawns might not have the variety they should have, but others will have far MORE variety, so it kind of evens out. You probably won't notice the reduced variety, but definitely will notice the increased variety. This version of Spawn-O-Matic should be compatible with MMM or Vanilla, but when v1 comes out I might be making a patch specifically for MMM to take advantage of all the goodness that it offers.
Anything that alters the Actor levelled lists has a chance to intersect with this mod, but since this mod doesn't change any Vanilla lists and most modders aren't adding Super Mutants to the Robot lists, or somesuch, then any intersection with other mods should only serve to increase the variety of spawns from this mod. But it might not. So here's your warning.
===============
Bugs/Issues:
===============
BLOAT
-----
This mod makes extensive use of the PlaceAtMe command for generating spawns. Objects placed by PlaceAtMe can become embedded and unremovable in your saved games, increasing their size unnecessarily. This can lead to corrupt saves. The information I have on PlaceAtMe and how the game handles placed actors is a little unclear, so I have chosen to include my own bloat-fighting measures.
The way this mod fights bloat: Every actor spawned by this mod has a script attached which will delete the actor when they get disabled (in the console sense, not the injury sense). They will also auto-disable themselves after being dead for a short time (this also helps with performance and stability). The player has the option to kill all spawns from a specific spawn point to help with this.
The limitation of this method is that the script doesn't seem to function if the actor is not in the same cell as the player. In big battles and/or with NPC behavior mods, some actors may flee the cell where they were spawned. To overcome this, the Assault Point functionality can be used. After your big battle or whatever, move your assault point to some location where the spawns won't likely find anyone to fight. Then set Assault Mode On and sleep/wait a couple of hours. The script may not work in other cells, but the assault package will. After resting, the surving and scattered spawns should be assembled at the Assault Point and susceptible to their Spawn Point's Kill Order. Using this method I have spawned literally hundreds (Not Recommended) of NPCs/creatures with no bloat to my saved game. (Save after the spawns have disappeared.)
The only case that worries me is that of a spawn dying in a remote cell and being removed by the engine from the world but not from the save. The actors are flagged as quest objects so the engine shouldn't remove them, but I am unconvinced. To be safe, only spawn groups in contained locations and don't have them travel halfway across the wasteland to reach their Assault Point.
Any help researching/eliminating these issues would be greatly appreciated (and is the primary reason for this beta).
SPAWN VARIETY, NUMBERS, and SETTINGS
------------------------------------
All of these aspects will require extensive feedback and tweaking. They are functional now, but with some help, I think I can arrive at values that will meet a wide variety of users' needs.
There is one caveat here: this mod is intended to spawn GROUPS of actors. I doubt that it will ever be able to spawn single individuals.
Let me know what you think!
PERSISTANT ACTORS
-----------------
To users of SCC and/or Groovy Followers or some other "Make any NPC your Follower" mod, these NPCs really aren't suitable for those mods. These actors use levelled lists as base data. It appears that any actor that does so WILL reset when their cell does, regardless of the quest flag. If you do choose to make one a follower, keep them with you, don't give them anything important, and let me know about it! And if you know about a mod that lets you make any NPC your follower besides the two I mentioned, let me know about that too; I love those!
a final note about persistant actors: I really want to include some. I know how, but it would be a lot of work and I'm not sure about the safety of doing so. I think the best time to investigate that functionality is after the variety and default settings have been established. But if this is something you would like to see, stay tuned because I would like to see it too...
NAMES
-----
The actors spawned by this mod will have a name based on the "Faction" they belong to. Ex. Brotherhood of Steel Initiates, Knights, and Paladins will all have the name "Brotherhood of Steel". This has no effect on their stats, AI, Inventory, or anything else, just the display name. If you have MMM and are fighting a Rambler that says its a "Feral Ghoul", rest assured it will be as tough as a Rambler and will drop what a Rambler usually drops.
This issue can be resolved (mostly), but must wait until the actual spawns are finalized.
MAP MARKERS
-----------
Each Spawn Point comes with a Map Marker that is moved whenever the Spawn Point is moved. This is a worrisome feature to me, and I almost left it out.
My concerns: I don't have any of the DLCs and don't know how the Markers will function in those areas. I'm also concerned with moving the Markers into interiors. They don't work indoors, but will work if the Spawn Point is moved back outside. This doesn't seem to break anything, but I don't KNOW that it doesn't.
If these prove to be troublesome I will, of course, provide a version without them.
Anyone with more information on this please let me know.
ESM FILE
--------
Spawn-O-Matic is provided as an ESM to prevent a couple of bugs in the later versions of FO3, and to aid making patches/addons.
THIS README
-----------
This is my first mod and therefore first readme (don't worry the mod is way better than the readme ;)), so I've probably left out important stuff that isn't scattered randomly around in here...
If you have any questions or ideas about information that should be included but isn't, please contact me.
OTHER
-----
Please let me know if you find anything else.
===============
History:
===============
.85 10/16/2009 - Initial Release
===============
Contact:
===============
Contact me as Fledermaus on the Nexus.
===============
Recommended Mods:
===============
RTS - Real Time Settler
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=7070
Build your own village! Spawn-O-Matic was made for me to use with RTS. I really can't say enough good things about this incredible Mod. Try it out!
CombatEnhanced-Package
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=6860
This mod changes combat behavior for all NPCs and does it cleanly. I reall like it!
Marts Mutant Mod - MMM
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=1415
The one and only! More spawns and more variety, I can't imagine playing without this. This will improve the variety of spawns from my mod too!
===============
Credits:
===============
Thanks to Bethesda for creating Fallout 3, the Elder Scrolls games, and the editors for those games.
Thanks to InsanitySorrow for ReadMe Generator this readme is based on.
Thanks to ElminsterEU for FO3Edit, an essential tool.
Thanks to the author(s) of FOMM and TESsnip, who I think may be Timeslip, but whose true identity escapes me at the momemnt.
Thanks to all the amazing Modders who have kept me playing games for years after their shelf-lives have expired.
Thanks to you for trying this.
Thanks to everyone I've forgotten to thank.
===============
Tools Used:
===============
GECK
Fallout 3 ReadMe Generator
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=8269
FO3Edit
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=637
FOMM
TESsnip
GECK Script Syntax Highlighter for Notepad plus plus
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=2472
===============
License/Legal:
===============
This file is provided as is and the author holds no responsiblity for anything that may come to happen from using this file.
Please don't create any content based on this beta or post it anywhere; when v1.0 is ready I'll release it with updated permissions.
The only exceptions to this is for translators. If people in your area want to try this, and they understand it is a Beta, then you have my permission to translate it. I allow this because I have enjoyed many contributions from the International modding community and have no idea how to translate it myself. I think it would be better to wait for version 1.0, but maybe testing in other Localizations will help the project.
If you are reading a machine translation of this, don't be sad, this is not any easier to read in English ;)