Legends - Imperial City Ranch v2.4

by wizardmirth
2/7/13



Please scroll to the bottom to see the latest changes. In addition to some tweaks and fixes, this mod has been auto-cleaned with TES4EDIT and meshes have been PyFFi'ed. Just make sure you have the latest version of "Oblivion Script Extender" before you try this updated mod.

Also please save before using the bell-switch in the Master Suite. Occassionally something may go bonkers and if it does you may have to reload a previous save. I checked and re-checked the scripts but could not find out what the problem is. Thankfully this a rare problem that you will hopefully never encounter.



Requirements
-latest version of Oblivion
-OBSE 20+ (http://obse.silverlock.org)
-DLC Horse Armor (official plugin)
-Universal Silent Voice (http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=16622)


Gameplay Recommendations
-to vastly improve your night sky over the ranch and all of Cyrodiil, use *Cosmic SkyCycling*(http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=21945)
-to keep the camera back in all dialogues use *Talk with your hands* (http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php id=14669)
-for increased enemies and loot, double most vanilla leveled lists with *Fair x2 Spawns*(http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=14376)
-for better steel horse armor, use *Gold Dragon Horse Armor Textures by Zira*(http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=15329)




Imperial City Ranch is a rescue quest and switch game that awards a new player home with its own history, three new companions (complete with custom horses and commands) in a chain-link style, with an extensive underground network of dungeons and caves for you to conquer and explore. Three small subquests, Bandit Lord quest, sleep/swim containers, and special Master Suite switch features all included!

After saving the ranch and paying the back taxes, the new Bandit Lord quest is activated after sleeping in the Master Suite bedroom for several hours. (If nothing happens the first time, keep trying to sleep.)

New in version 2.3: control what the sisters wear as everyday clothing and armor once the ranch is saved. (Previous versions just had control to sleep/swim containers.)




Conflicts
==========
Any mod that alters or adds to the terrain south of the Imperial City may conflict with the appearance of the ranch.


Install
========
NEW
Copy everything in the Data folder to your oblivion/data folder and activate the esp. Otherwise, OBMM conversion data is included, so just open the archive in OBMM.

PATCH (from before v2.0)
Download the main file and update. Remove any items you added to the suite. Deactivate and remove the old Imperial City Ranch.esp. Start Oblivion + OBSE and make a clean save. Install v2.0 and the update over it and start the quest over.

PATCH (from v2.0 to 2.2)
Replace old esp file with new. Nothing in your save game for this mod should be compromised without clean-saving.

PATCH (from 2.2 to 2.3)
Replace old esp file with new. Nothing in your save game for this mod should be compromised without clean-saving. You will not get the updated OBMM conversion data with the patch, not that you need it to play the mod. (If you're a perfectionist like me, then you *should* be able to do a complete reinstall on the full version without clean-saving/restarting the quest but I can't be held liable for any losses you might encounter.)


PLAY
=====
Travel south of the Imperial City Arcane University. The ranch is located across the water on the opposite shore. No map markers or journal entries here. Keep reading below for spoiler info for hints and details as needed. Otherwise, the water's warm!




======
Level
======

This quest is geared towards levels 15-25 but you can try it at any level. At 15+ though, the companion default armor and weapons lists are maxed out. Most enemies are leveled, but some bosses are high-level fixed.


=========
Features
=========

-brave an open-ended quest strategy (rescue companions and defeat key bosses in any order to earn free reign on the ranch house property, or pay the back taxes first to get the master key to many doors on the property, it's your choice!)
-earn a player home with an extensive underground network including custom-made Well-water cave, Fort ruins, and Basement crypt, all with containers that respawn invaluable items)
-buy the player suite complete with "safe" containers, several display cases, and two special command switches
-earn three companions with a progressive chain-link command style based on the story, including ride/wait/home horse commands
-enjoy the auto-renew function for the sisters that replaces all their currently equipped gear with brand new ones whenever you send them into 'wait' or 'home' non-riding modes
-use sleep and swim containers to control what the sisters wear when in those modes, as well as control what they wear as everyday armor and clothing


======
HINTS
======

-When starting the quest, have some sort of water-breathing magic handy and lots of gold.
-The only safe containers to store items in are inside the Ranch Suite.
-Companion dialogue is often randomly chosen, so talking through the same topic enough times can lead to new responses. Disposition and quest status might also be factors.
-When Raena's following and Zeff is nearby, ask Briala to get Zeff.
-When Raena's following or waiting near her horse, ask her to ride. Then step far away from her because she doesn't want to run you over.
-Use the containers in the dungeon prison area to control what the sisters wear (once ranch is saved) as everyday armor and clothing, just wait for them to either be sleeping or swimming
-If a weapon or armor piece goes to 0 health on a companion and they unequip it, you will have to repair the item yourself. (Check the clothing and armor boxes in the dungeon prison area where you first met Raena whenever the sisters are either sleeping or swimming to access these items.)



=========
OVERVIEW
=========

The Imperial City Ranch is in total disarray. The previous owner has long since died and Black Bow bandits have taken his children and servant prisoner. Undead haunt the deeper recesses of dungeons and caves below, guarding forgotten treasures. Who will rescue the ranchers, defeat the bandits and ghoulies, and pay all the back taxes in order to restore the ranch to its former glory with you as its one true lord and master? Any reflective surface should reveal the answer!

Please note that all underground areas are custom-made and hand-decorated, with the exception that some of the fort ruins rooms were copied from the vanilla game to save time. In all such cases I added my own touches, whether new paths and/or all-new lighting and decoration.


=========
Progress
=========

Raena is your central contact for solving the quest in a total of two stages and gathering all NPC's into follow/wait/home modes. You have to defeat 3 bosses and rescue all 3 ranchers (Raena is one of them) in order to get free rein over the territory, and you have to speak to Raena in order to secure this. Same with Zeff--speak to him again so he knows he's free. In order to get the Master Key which can help unlock certain doors, some pickable some not, you need to pay the back taxes.

Rescuing Briala is the most difficult out of the three since it involves setting off not one but two switches, finding a key, and defeating one of the three bosses. Just keep talking to the NPCs to open up new dialogues and sub-quests - sometimes this depends on quest progress and disposition.


Thanks for playing,
-wizardmirth
(http://www.tesnexus.com/modules/members/index.php?id=402275)




=================
CREDITS & THANKS
=================

-RK912345 for *RK9s Dogs Modders Resource* (http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=29102)
-Alien Slof for *Slofs Dogs* (http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=24318)

-Bethesda for such a fun to mod game
-OBSE Team for expanding the means to expand the game even further
-TES Nexus and all the Admins who help keep it going




Changelog
=================================
v1.0
12/26/09
-established all ranch property with enemies and basic companion framework

v1.1
12/27/09
-created deed and placed it in the Imperial Ranch Suite
-added horse ownership to Briala and gave Zeff a horse as well
-added boss chest to Imperial Ranch Well
-stopped Raena's Help dialogue from appearing after the fact
-other general clean-up and improvement

v2.0
1/11/10
-overhauled/added dialogue/script
-added ride/wait/home/dismount horse commands
-added three minor sub-quests
-expanded suite and suite switches
-added suite control notes
-fixed Zeff follow
-added companion services
-added auto-replace current equipped feature to simulate repair and recharge on the sisters
-added/tweaked some interior/exterior designs

v2.1
1/16/10
-sister bedrooms completely done up
-minor additions to dungeon and suite
-added sleep and swim containers for npc package use

v2.2
1/19/10
-fixed 'follow' bug when asked during sleep or swim packages
-corrected/added placement of some objects
-fixed bell switch 'summon' bug
-added 'defeat imperial bandit lord' quest to eliminate bandit bodies/respawning

v2.3
11/22/10
-unlocked all sister boxes so player can have full control of clothing, armor, sleep, and swim wear and deleted the sleep and swim box scripts
-unlocked some mistakenly locked topics for Raena on "Life"
-removed repair armor and restore enchantment sounds from sisters (these were really just for testing anyways)

v2.4
2/7/13
-added script command to 'clear the ownership on the companion dungeon containers' once ranch is saved
-added new streamlined repair scripts for companions
-cleaned .esp file with TES4EDIT
-optimized the dog meshes with PyFFI
-cleaned some Briala dialogue
-fixed/added off-center/missing ceiling tiles in Shanty basement
-added moveto marker command for Raena when locked in cell and she is not yet free