I just wanted to say this is one of my favorite mods....simple store, but I can clean up all my places and loots, and smithing leftovers, alchemy, and level up crafting really quickly. I like it. Nice to notice that other guy in the shop doubles the sales.
Ok, so I had a second look at the mod, because I noticed I could steal stuff from Septimus' counter and he got pretty upset, but Jaree didn't care. I reloaded the game and stole items from Jaree's table and this time Jaree was upset, but Septimus didn't care. This seemed a bit odd to me, shouldn't they both be upset when I steal items from their store?
I opened the mod in the CK and noticed the ownership of each item was set to a specific npc. Not sure if you are wanting to fix this or not.
There are some simple steps you can implement, to make the NPCs behave more realistically:
Step 1: The first thing to fix is the slightly incorrect Factions list for the NPCs. Remove the CrimeFactionReach and replace it with CrimeFactionWhiterun and also add TownRiverwoodFaction. In the same Factions tab, change Assigned Crime Faction to CrimeFactionWhiterun.
Now that the factions are fixed, the NPCs will report the crimes properly. But they won't rush to each other's aid yet, this is the next problem to be fixed.
Option 1: The easiest fix is to create a Relationship between Septimus and Jaree so they are Allies. And that's it, you're done. It's not the best, but it's the fastest.
Option 2: The more difficult method (and the semi-professional, and I use that term loosely, because I'm sure there is a much more professional way) is to create a Relationship between Septimus and Jaree like the above mentioned (set to Allies), but then to also create a new Faction, and then have that faction own every item in the shop. You would then add this new faction to Septimus and Jaree.
The main benefit of option 2 is that the NPCs will pretty much act aggressively toward the player whenever something is stolen, because both Septimus and Jaree would equally own everything in the store.
Option 2 is based on Whiterun's Bannered Mare, Belethor's store, and some others.
I'd recommend you try and test Option 1 for now, and if you don't like it, then, you can always try Option 2.
Awesome work so far, you are improving beyond belief!
I don't know where to start with the compliments, there are just too many to list. You've cleaned the mod, added a big centurion in a cage, gears on the wall, cluttered up the shop so it looks more real than before, and you've added crafting stations. It's almost like a workshop! Congratulations!
Okay, and now for some suggestions (of course there's suggestions, you can't get off that easy lol): 1. Remove Cashious' and Jaree-Tulm's faction CrimeFactionReach, and use CrimeFactionWhiterun instead (this is what the citizens of Riverwood use).
2. To get Cashious to use the counter lean marker, you have to do some stuff: a) Double-click on the counter lean marker (SeptimusCashiousShopCounter) b) Click on the Ownership tab c) Change Faction to None d) Change NPC to SeptimusCashious e) click OK and you're done with that.
3. Adjust the position of the lean marker so Cashious looks like he is actually leaning on the counter. Below is what I used, but feel free to make your own adjustments. SeptimusCashiousShopCounter (lean marker) Position X: -139.0000 Position Y: 64.0000 (same as before) Position Z: 0.5000
4. You may want to set the ownership of the chair Jaree is standing near, so no one else can sit in it but him. Just double-click the chair, go to Ownership tab, and for NPC make it Jaree.
5. The fire looks pretty big. Almost dangerous lol. I don't know if you want to make it smaller, or just use the same trick as Riverwood's Sleeping Giant Inn, and that's to use three FireplaceWood01Burning in a row.
6. The Arcane Enchanter is a nice touch, but I think the area could use something to make it look more mystical or whatever, it just seems kind of flat at the moment. You wouldn't need to go crazy with it, but maybe some skulls and other things you might find interesting. Maybe check out the College of Winterhold for ideas. The Arcane Enchanter's wall could use something as well to fill it in.
7. Also, one trick I learned was you can take DweIchorGoo01 or FXfireWithEmbersOut and combine it with DweClutterIncenseBrnr01, DweClutterNowlShape01, or Kettle01. You'll need to adjust some of the sizes of course to get everything to fit together, but it can end up looking like a witch's cauldron or embers burning in a pot. You could put something like this near the Arcane Enchanter.
Don't forget about the rugs DweRunner (even though they are torn a bit), but they may look okay in some areas.
8. I mentioned "workshop" earlier, not sure if you thought about adding a small work area where robots are being repaired. Maybe like a table with some tools and one or two broken spider guys, TreasCorpseDwarvenSpider. I forget if they have items the player can loot. If they do drop loot, and you don't want the player to scavenge your robots, then, you can edit their Editor ID to make a new version, and select the box "Use Inventory" which is set to none, so no loot will appear.
I was thinking you could remove the birds and rabbits and put the mini-workshop in that spot, or put it where you have some miscellaneous crates along the wall.
9. You could add a simple AI Package for Septimus to eat near the table of food. The table looks so nice, it should be used, right? If you do add an Eat Package, then, make sure it is listed above his Default Services Package. Also, the four loaves of bread are clipping through the bowl. If it proves overly difficult to fix then I'd suggest only using three loaves and see how that goes.
10. The Arcane Enchanter is clipping into the wall a little.
11. I'd suggest double-checking the location of the crafting tables. I'm not saying they're in a bad spot or anything, just make sure you're happy with where they are.
12. There are still some issues with the interior cell's navmeshing. I don't know if you worked on it since the last update, but it looks like you may have. I noticed some points of the mesh not connecting to nearby points. Not sure if you know this or not, but you can click on two navmesh points and click Q key (the actual navmesh button looks like three red dots with lines coming to one point), and it will merge the points. Ctrl+F4 has some advanced options that may be useful, like Cleanup, Remove Unwalkable, Simplify Edge Collapse, and you don't have to Finalize it until you are ready. Just double check what it did, because it sometimes does things that make you scratch your head and wonder.
The exterior navmesh you are probably saving for last (and you may get lucky and not have to do it at all, but more on that later). One thing I noticed is that my companion can now walk along the outside of the shop, awesome! But my companion had a hard time following me up the stairs because of the rather large rocks semi-blocking the staircase. I'd recommend you lower those rocks into the ground or angle them so companions can walk smoothly up and down them.
Also, navmeshing the exterior stairs may not be necessary, because companions may prove smarter than I give them credit for. I tested it with a companion, and he did okay (except for the rocks blocking the stairs of course, but I maneuvered him around them). But you won't really know until you finish the interior cell's navmesh and finalize it. Then, you can see if companions follow the player in and out of the store.
13. Lighting is usually the first and last thing you tweak, re-tweak, and re-tweak some more. Why? Because everyone has different monitors and lighting mods. On my computer, your lighting looks fine, maybe overly bright, but someone with Realistic Lighting Overhaul (RLO) may think your lighting could be brighter. The only suggestion I can think of right now, is maybe add some candles near Septimus. Then get feedback from people with RLO and CoT (Climates of Tamriel), or ask them to post screenshots.
14. Shelves and shelves of free Dwarven/Dwemer items next to the entrance. I was able to steal quite a bit without being noticed. I think some changes could be made to help prevent theft. To stop people from stealing the items, you can either move the shelves and items to the back wall where Septimus Cashious is. Or, you could add collision cubes to "cage-in" the goods. Or, leave it as is.
If you want to create collision cubes, then they're really easy to make once you understand how to manipulate them. You can't just create one and then move it like a regular object, nope, you gotta click on its arrows and move one side at a time. Here is quick tutorial if you are interested: http://s29.postimg.org/viwb9lztj/Create_Collision_Cube_03.jpg
In the tutorial I only used five collision cubes, but you could use more if you wanted, for example, you could add a collision cube above your swords to keep them from moving too much (if a player hit them with a Firebolt spell). But five collision cubes did okay, even with a Firebolt spell, but there was some bouncing.
There is one issue with the collision cubes' walls, whatever object is inside cannot be interacted with (for the most part). So, that means when a player hovers his mouse over the dwarven sword, he won' get a message saying it's a Dwarven Sword, because the collision cube is preventing any direct interaction with the mouse. On the plus side, it will certainly prevent the player from stealing items.
These are all just suggestions, take 'em or leave 'em
I think that's all I have for now. As always, add more shelves and clutter
I hope you are doing okay. I know it can be rough when creating your first mod. I was interested in your mod, so I tested it out and also looked at it in the Creation Kit.
The Good: 1. All the NPCs do what they are suppose to do, sell and buy items. This is important, and means you can now concentrate on making your mod pretty.
2. The interior looks good, no clipping or overlapping meshes (from what I could tell), excellent.
3. The exterior and interior of the shop look good. It's a great start.
The Not-so-good:
1. Navmesh issues. Interior has some overlapping and slightly confusing navmesh going on. I would recommend not navmeshing anything until you are 100% done decorating your cell. Navmeshing is something you will get better at through practice. Once you are done, don't forget to "Finalize" your navmesh.
Youtube has some good Navmesh tutorials, or try http://www.creationkit.com/Bethesda_Tutorial_Navmesh
2. Navmesh (part 2)...The exterior has some navmesh issues as well. It looks like you may have raised the land to place your shop. This means the original Skyrim navmesh is now under the ground, preventing NPCs from walking around outside the shop. You will have to raise the navmesh so it's above the ground, and you will probably have to create some new navmesh so NPCs can walk up the shop's stairs. Do NOT delete any of the original Skyrim navmesh, just move whatever you don't want to use deep, deep, deep underground. Connect your new navmesh to the default Skyrim navmesh that is still above ground. You will need to "Finalize" the exterior navmesh when you are completely done with it.
Navmeshing an exterior cell can be very tricky, and I would recommend you don't attempt to mess with it until you are completely done with everything else. I would then suggest, you make a backup copy of your mod and put it somewhere safe. Then, begin to make changes to your exterior cell's navmesh. If you make a critical mistake and it's too late to change it back, then, you can always revert to the backup copy you made.
It's also handy to have a backup copy in case you later decide to move your store to a different exterior cell.
3. Septimus Cashious has grey face still because some files are missing. The files can be found:
Data > Meshes > actors > character > facegendata > facegeom > "insert mod name here.esp" > filename.nif
Textures can be found in Data > Textures > Actors > character > FacegenData > facetint > "insert mod name here.esp" > filename.dds and filename.tga
Include those file structures and files in your next update, and it should fix the grey face.
4. Dirty edits. Dirty edits are an unintentional change made in the CK, like accidentally moving a rock outside Breezehome or deleting an NPC like Heimskr. They can be minor to major. In your case, I think they're just minor. If you open the Creation Kit, browse the interior cell's list, you might notice something that looks like aaaMarkers*, BlackreachZCell05*, BlackreachZCell10*, WhiterunBelethorsGeneralGoods*, and WhiterunBreezehome*. I am guessing you copied items from these cells and pasted them in your shop. You may have slightly moved an object while you were copying something. If that's all you did, then it's certainly not the worst thing I've seen, but people still cringe a little when they see dirty edits, even if they're minor ones. There are many ways to "clean" your mod, and I'm not the best person to give advice on it, but TES5Edit or the Creation Kit are good about removing dirty edits. I would recommend you do a little research to see which you prefer and ask more experienced users for advice.
Creation Kit Cleaning Guide (unofficial but works fine) http://www.theengineeringguild.co.uk/node/106
TES5Edit is the better choice, but there is a learning curve.
If you are new to modding, then, I would recommend using the Creation Kit to "clean" your mod, because it is very simple to use.
Also, some edits are necessary, like, changing the navmesh of an exterior cell so it works with your shop. TES5Edit may or may not show this as a dirty edit. As the modder, it's up to you to make sure your mod is "clean" and that all new edits were necessary and intended, so people don't have to use TES5Edit to "clean" your mod, which could cause them to remove something that could then break your mod, like navmesh edits NPCs need to get in and out of your shop. Remember, edits are fine, it's just unintentional dirty edits that are bad.
5. CounterLeanMarker is too high. Take a look at the interior cell WhiterunBelethorsGeneralGoods to see how the CounterLeanMarker is positioned.
6. Interior layout is still a bit odd, because there is so much empty space in the middle. Are you planning on adding more items to fill the emptiness, like chairs, tables, and shelves? Also, the giant pillar in the middle seems a little odd, maybe have two pillars, one on either side of the room? The chandelier looks kinda big, maybe scale it down a little and positioned it so it's more center to Septimus Cashious, kind of how the chandelier is placed center to Belethor in his shop in Whiterun. The Blacksmith Forge is a little out of place, because you already have an anvil that does the same thing and is less obtrusive. You could replace the Blacksmith Forge with a Workbench, an Alchemy Lab, or an Arcane Enchanter. I was also expecting to see more Dwemer influence in the shop besides just the animated cog. I was thinking you could add more cogs above the one you had, so they looked like they were interacting with one another all the way up the wall. And maybe add some more Dwemer items in the shop, from pipes to small items, like Dwemer plates, bowls, and cups. Also, I would recommend replacing the Ebony Armor on the table with Dwarven Armor. At some point, it just comes down to functionality and aesthetics, and you'll have to decide all that, which is the frustrating and fun part.
7. I liked the fire pit and cooking pot you added, but I don't know about the placement of them, because they're in the back and easily missed, which is a shame, because a fire pit can be a great piece for functionality and beauty. I was also thinking you could add an idle marker near the fire pit for NPCs and companions to use to warm their hands, like "WarmsHandsStandIdleMarker".
8. Creation Kit naming convention. There is no rule for this, but generally it's a good idea to use an abbreviation at the beginning of the Editor ID name for all the new items in your mod. For example, aaDoughnut_MerchantFenceJareeSeptimus, aaDoughnut_SeptimusCashious, and aaDoughnut_SeptimusCashiousShopious. As your mods get bigger and more complex, a standard naming convention will help you keep track of all your mod's new items and NPCs.
9. You can take this mod in any direction you want, it's your mod after all. Just have fun with it, experiment with it, and make it look how you want, because odds are, what you really want it to look like, will be more awesome than any of us could imagine. Keep up the great work.
Thanks for that bro! I am working on it right now I just don't know what you meant about including the file structures in the next update. I found them I just don't know what to do with them to get them to work.
Sorry for the confusion. When you press Ctrl+F4 on the npc SeptimusCashious this will generate one mesh and two texture files.
The textures are located in: Textures > Actors > character > FacegenData > facetint > SeptimusCashious.esp > 00003926.dds Textures > Actors > character > FacegenData > facetint > SeptimusCashious.esp > 00003926.tga
and the mesh is located in: Meshes > actors > character > facegendata > facegeom > SeptimusCashious.esp > 00003926.NIF
Step 1: Compress the following folders and files into a .zip: Textures > Actors > character > FacegenData > facetint > SeptimusCashious.esp > 00003926.dds Textures > Actors > character > FacegenData > facetint > SeptimusCashious.esp > 00003926.tga Meshes > actors > character > facegendata > facegeom > SeptimusCashious.esp > 00003926.NIF
Step 2: Post the .zip file as an Optional download. Done.
***Your file names for the .NIF, .dds, and .tga may be different, I just put what I personally got when I pressed Ctrl+F4 on the npc SeptimusCashious
Also, instead of the header "Use At Your Own Risk", you might want to go with something a bit more subtle, like "Work In Progress" and then add "I need your feedback and suggestions to help me make this the best mod possible"...or something along those lines.
Another thing, I noticed all the dirty edits and after thinking about it, I believe TES5Edit might actually be easier to use in your case, because of the sheer number of NAVMesh edits to exterior cells and the number of interiors altered.
If you decide to use TES5Edit, then I can help you out a bit, because I used it to clean your mod already. You can download TES5Edit at http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/25859/?
I like the idea of the mod, and I wouldn't worry too much about any negative feedback. Sometimes you have to release the mod in order to get constructive criticism. It'll make your modding experience more fun and you'll get better at it. Congrats on your first publish!
You're unintentionally promoting even more negative feedback by encouraging him to do something he shouldn't just yet, uploading a mod that's probably not even ready to be tested in -his- game yet, let alone publishing just for the sake of being able to say you have one mod on the Nexus. With a mod in this state and a description such as the one laid out there isn't really a lot of "positive" feedback to give, other than good luck, and wishing someone good luck is not feedback. He can interact with the exact same Nexus community without having to upload anything, and actually have fun -and- get better at it without any of the bad stuff that will most surely follow.
Kudos to the author for at least trying to overcome something he stated he has no idea about, but I think rushing is not the right way to go.
The file can be updated and fixed as much as the author wants. In the mean time, users CAN download and critique the mod. Don't get mad at me for encouraging the author. If you don't like it, or my comment, just move on. Simple.
That's what the forum is for. It's better to put a topic in the forums with a nice description, some images, and maybe a video. Then you don't have to say all the 'this is just me learning' stuff and you can still get feedback. I don't disagree with alpha and beta releases of mods, I just think it's a bad idea to post stuff that is either non-functional or just the modder learning the CK.
Yes, that is a good reason to use the forums. However, the forums are extremely vast, and can be more confusing for new users. There is also no rule for releasing mods that people can test and critique, use, like, or dislike. The author was obviously just nervous about "hurting" downloaders saves and wanted users to know it was his/her first mod uploaded to the Nexus. I understand that you all are trying to help the author and future authors by referring them to the forums first, but sometimes people get frustrated and discouraged from the negativity. Plus, it might work just fine for other users.
I'll say it again. If you do not like the mod, the version of the mod, or anybody's comment-just move on. If you want to dl, critique, use, skip-over or delete the mod- then do that. No one is holding a gun to your head.
Nobody is getting mad here, not sure where you saw that but definitely wasn't from me. I am the kind of person who acts exactly the way you're describing, hence I haven't downloaded this one and thus have not reviewed it. I'm merely pointing out that there -are- people who will give a lot of that Negative Feedback you were talking about -because- there is little to no -good- feedback to give. Now -those- people are people who you are not going to be able to change their minds by simply going "If you don't like it, move along". So why not just bypass a ton of incoming headaches and simply upload the mod once it's a bit more solid? That's all I'm saying, and it's a -suggestion-.
Do you understand now a little better where we're coming from?
Ditto to the author! And as long as he/she gets feedback, whether good or bad, I'm happy. I just don't want people jumping down his/her throat for trying. It's rude and unacceptable. Let the padawan try! Happy New Year! I'm kinda drunk! Haha!
Head discolouration fix.. It's the known grey face bug.
When in CK, go to Actors in Object Window, select the actor's name and press Ctrl + F4 to import face gen data for Mr. Cashius.
If you want the mod to be lore-friendly and finish the clutter, don't make a massive superhuge empty hall of nothingness. Make a small little cell, like an abandoned Dwemer warehouse near one of the bigger ruins. If you cannot build cells with CK, start by duplicating an existing cell and modifying that to see how the modular kits work.
AND BY THE GODS LEARN TO USE CK FIRST, FINISH YOUR WORK AND THEN PUBLISH IT.
If you haven't got anything good and ready to publish, there is no reason to rush to do so. Your "I am learning CK and I came up with this one and it's basically me trying out how to make stuff in CK..." lessons are not really worth sharing with us. I'm not saying it's crap, I'm just saying if it's so broken an unsure to even work then why are you uploading it?
Well said Elianora. I'm all for people learning modding, I encourage people to try these projects out for themselves. But don't release it if it's a test or something you used to learn. Improve it or make a new enhanced one and release that. There's no rush, the mod community isn't dying any time soon.
It's not broken I just didn't know what was going to happen when other people try to use it and I didn't want a bunch of hate mail coming my way if for some reason their game is all jacked up and it might not even be from my mod.
The advise is quite sound, nonetheless. GIven how easy it is to irrevocably break savegames in skyrim, and how long small errors can take before big consequences can pop up, when publishing, it is usually good policy to be a perfectionist. And even then know that you will likely have to go through some quick patches once the mod goes into the wild. Skyrim breaks in weird, whacky ways. It's a slogan you could print up and hang on a plaque, if plaques the plaques behaved properly and didn't do weird, crazy things when you hang stuff in them. Friggin plaques.
It's rough, but not a bad idea. do learn the CK first, it doesn't have to be in-depth, inside and out, learn ALL the things! but you do have to be familiar. It will go a long ways. Don't rush it out the door! Even Bethesda can't get away with doing that. Skyrim and we will be here. I'll be watching and waiting for the finished version, and when it comes, I would love to check it out.
Honestly, The1Doughnut, for such huge lack of confidence, and if you know the mod is so so very early in development, you should probably just work on it until there's something actually solid about it. When you repeat so many times you absolutely have no idea what you're doing, then follow it with -It could break your game- I don't think there's a single reason to "rush" it out
28 comments
Just wanted to say its a good one, thanks.
I opened the mod in the CK and noticed the ownership of each item was set to a specific npc. Not sure if you are wanting to fix this or not.
There are some simple steps you can implement, to make the NPCs behave more realistically:
Step 1:
The first thing to fix is the slightly incorrect Factions list for the NPCs. Remove the CrimeFactionReach and replace it with CrimeFactionWhiterun and also add TownRiverwoodFaction. In the same Factions tab, change Assigned Crime Faction to CrimeFactionWhiterun.
Now that the factions are fixed, the NPCs will report the crimes properly. But they won't rush to each other's aid yet, this is the next problem to be fixed.
Option 1:
The easiest fix is to create a Relationship between Septimus and Jaree so they are Allies. And that's it, you're done. It's not the best, but it's the fastest.
Option 2:
The more difficult method (and the semi-professional, and I use that term loosely, because I'm sure there is a much more professional way) is to create a Relationship between Septimus and Jaree like the above mentioned (set to Allies), but then to also create a new Faction, and then have that faction own every item in the shop. You would then add this new faction to Septimus and Jaree.
The main benefit of option 2 is that the NPCs will pretty much act aggressively toward the player whenever something is stolen, because both Septimus and Jaree would equally own everything in the store.
Option 2 is based on Whiterun's Bannered Mare, Belethor's store, and some others.
I'd recommend you try and test Option 1 for now, and if you don't like it, then, you can always try Option 2.
I don't know where to start with the compliments, there are just too many to list. You've cleaned the mod, added a big centurion in a cage, gears on the wall, cluttered up the shop so it looks more real than before, and you've added crafting stations. It's almost like a workshop! Congratulations!
Okay, and now for some suggestions (of course there's suggestions, you can't get off that easy lol):
1. Remove Cashious' and Jaree-Tulm's faction CrimeFactionReach, and use CrimeFactionWhiterun instead (this is what the citizens of Riverwood use).
2. To get Cashious to use the counter lean marker, you have to do some stuff:
a) Double-click on the counter lean marker (SeptimusCashiousShopCounter)
b) Click on the Ownership tab
c) Change Faction to None
d) Change NPC to SeptimusCashious
e) click OK and you're done with that.
3. Adjust the position of the lean marker so Cashious looks like he is actually leaning on the counter. Below is what I used, but feel free to make your own adjustments.
SeptimusCashiousShopCounter (lean marker)
Position X: -139.0000
Position Y: 64.0000 (same as before)
Position Z: 0.5000
4. You may want to set the ownership of the chair Jaree is standing near, so no one else can sit in it but him. Just double-click the chair, go to Ownership tab, and for NPC make it Jaree.
5. The fire looks pretty big. Almost dangerous lol. I don't know if you want to make it smaller, or just use the same trick as Riverwood's Sleeping Giant Inn, and that's to use three FireplaceWood01Burning in a row.
6. The Arcane Enchanter is a nice touch, but I think the area could use something to make it look more mystical or whatever, it just seems kind of flat at the moment. You wouldn't need to go crazy with it, but maybe some skulls and other things you might find interesting. Maybe check out the College of Winterhold for ideas. The Arcane Enchanter's wall could use something as well to fill it in.
7. Also, one trick I learned was you can take DweIchorGoo01 or FXfireWithEmbersOut and combine it with DweClutterIncenseBrnr01, DweClutterNowlShape01, or Kettle01.
You'll need to adjust some of the sizes of course to get everything to fit together, but it can end up looking like a witch's cauldron or embers burning in a pot. You could put something like this near the Arcane Enchanter.
Don't forget about the rugs DweRunner (even though they are torn a bit), but they may look okay in some areas.
8. I mentioned "workshop" earlier, not sure if you thought about adding a small work area where robots are being repaired. Maybe like a table with some tools and one or two broken spider guys, TreasCorpseDwarvenSpider. I forget if they have items the player can loot. If they do drop loot, and you don't want the player to scavenge your robots, then, you can edit their Editor ID to make a new version, and select the box "Use Inventory" which is set to none, so no loot will appear.
I was thinking you could remove the birds and rabbits and put the mini-workshop in that spot, or put it where you have some miscellaneous crates along the wall.
9. You could add a simple AI Package for Septimus to eat near the table of food. The table looks so nice, it should be used, right? If you do add an Eat Package, then, make sure it is listed above his Default Services Package. Also, the four loaves of bread are clipping through the bowl. If it proves overly difficult to fix then I'd suggest only using three loaves and see how that goes.
10. The Arcane Enchanter is clipping into the wall a little.
11. I'd suggest double-checking the location of the crafting tables. I'm not saying they're in a bad spot or anything, just make sure you're happy with where they are.
12. There are still some issues with the interior cell's navmeshing. I don't know if you worked on it since the last update, but it looks like you may have. I noticed some points of the mesh not connecting to nearby points. Not sure if you know this or not, but you can click on two navmesh points and click Q key (the actual navmesh button looks like three red dots with lines coming to one point), and it will merge the points. Ctrl+F4 has some advanced options that may be useful, like Cleanup, Remove Unwalkable, Simplify Edge Collapse, and you don't have to Finalize it until you are ready. Just double check what it did, because it sometimes does things that make you scratch your head and wonder.
The exterior navmesh you are probably saving for last (and you may get lucky and not have to do it at all, but more on that later). One thing I noticed is that my companion can now walk along the outside of the shop, awesome! But my companion had a hard time following me up the stairs because of the rather large rocks semi-blocking the staircase. I'd recommend you lower those rocks into the ground or angle them so companions can walk smoothly up and down them.
Also, navmeshing the exterior stairs may not be necessary, because companions may prove smarter than I give them credit for. I tested it with a companion, and he did okay (except for the rocks blocking the stairs of course, but I maneuvered him around them). But you won't really know until you finish the interior cell's navmesh and finalize it. Then, you can see if companions follow the player in and out of the store.
13. Lighting is usually the first and last thing you tweak, re-tweak, and re-tweak some more. Why? Because everyone has different monitors and lighting mods. On my computer, your lighting looks fine, maybe overly bright, but someone with Realistic Lighting Overhaul (RLO) may think your lighting could be brighter. The only suggestion I can think of right now, is maybe add some candles near Septimus. Then get feedback from people with RLO and CoT (Climates of Tamriel), or ask them to post screenshots.
14. Shelves and shelves of free Dwarven/Dwemer items next to the entrance. I was able to steal quite a bit without being noticed. I think some changes could be made to help prevent theft.
If you want to create collision cubes, then they're really easy to make once you understand how to manipulate them. You can't just create one and then move it like a regular object, nope, you gotta click on its arrows and move one side at a time. Here is quick tutorial if you are interested:
http://s29.postimg.org/viwb9lztj/Create_Collision_Cube_03.jpg
In the tutorial I only used five collision cubes, but you could use more if you wanted, for example, you could add a collision cube above your swords to keep them from moving too much (if a player hit them with a Firebolt spell). But five collision cubes did okay, even with a Firebolt spell, but there was some bouncing.
There is one issue with the collision cubes' walls, whatever object is inside cannot be interacted with (for the most part). So, that means when a player hovers his mouse over the dwarven sword, he won' get a message saying it's a Dwarven Sword, because the collision cube is preventing any direct interaction with the mouse. On the plus side, it will certainly prevent the player from stealing items.
These are all just suggestions, take 'em or leave 'em
I think that's all I have for now. As always, add more shelves and clutter
Keep up the hard work, you're doing great!
I hope you are doing okay. I know it can be rough when creating your first mod. I was interested in your mod, so I tested it out and also looked at it in the Creation Kit.
The Good:
1. All the NPCs do what they are suppose to do, sell and buy items. This is important, and means you can now concentrate on making your mod pretty.
2. The interior looks good, no clipping or overlapping meshes (from what I could tell), excellent.
3. The exterior and interior of the shop look good. It's a great start.
The Not-so-good:
1. Navmesh issues. Interior has some overlapping and slightly confusing navmesh going on. I would recommend not navmeshing anything until you are 100% done decorating your cell. Navmeshing is something you will get better at through practice. Once you are done, don't forget to "Finalize" your navmesh.
Youtube has some good Navmesh tutorials, or try http://www.creationkit.com/Bethesda_Tutorial_Navmesh
2. Navmesh (part 2)...The exterior has some navmesh issues as well. It looks like you may have raised the land to place your shop. This means the original Skyrim navmesh is now under the ground, preventing NPCs from walking around outside the shop. You will have to raise the navmesh so it's above the ground, and you will probably have to create some new navmesh so NPCs can walk up the shop's stairs. Do NOT delete any of the original Skyrim navmesh, just move whatever you don't want to use deep, deep, deep underground. Connect your new navmesh to the default Skyrim navmesh that is still above ground. You will need to "Finalize" the exterior navmesh when you are completely done with it.
Navmeshing an exterior cell can be very tricky, and I would recommend you don't attempt to mess with it until you are completely done with everything else. I would then suggest, you make a backup copy of your mod and put it somewhere safe. Then, begin to make changes to your exterior cell's navmesh. If you make a critical mistake and it's too late to change it back, then, you can always revert to the backup copy you made.
It's also handy to have a backup copy in case you later decide to move your store to a different exterior cell.
3. Septimus Cashious has grey face still because some files are missing. The files can be found:
Data > Meshes > actors > character > facegendata > facegeom > "insert mod name here.esp" > filename.nif
Textures can be found in Data > Textures > Actors > character > FacegenData > facetint > "insert mod name here.esp" > filename.dds and filename.tga
Include those file structures and files in your next update, and it should fix the grey face.
4. Dirty edits. Dirty edits are an unintentional change made in the CK, like accidentally moving a rock outside Breezehome or deleting an NPC like Heimskr. They can be minor to major. In your case, I think they're just minor. If you open the Creation Kit, browse the interior cell's list, you might notice something that looks like aaaMarkers*, BlackreachZCell05*, BlackreachZCell10*, WhiterunBelethorsGeneralGoods*, and WhiterunBreezehome*. I am guessing you copied items from these cells and pasted them in your shop. You may have slightly moved an object while you were copying something. If that's all you did, then it's certainly not the worst thing I've seen, but people still cringe a little when they see dirty edits, even if they're minor ones. There are many ways to "clean" your mod, and I'm not the best person to give advice on it, but TES5Edit or the Creation Kit are good about removing dirty edits. I would recommend you do a little research to see which you prefer and ask more experienced users for advice.
TES5Edit Cleaning Guide http://www.creationkit.com/TES5Edit_Cleaning_Guide_-_TES5Edit
Creation Kit Cleaning Guide (unofficial but works fine) http://www.theengineeringguild.co.uk/node/106
TES5Edit is the better choice, but there is a learning curve.
If you are new to modding, then, I would recommend using the Creation Kit to "clean" your mod, because it is very simple to use.
Also, some edits are necessary, like, changing the navmesh of an exterior cell so it works with your shop. TES5Edit may or may not show this as a dirty edit. As the modder, it's up to you to make sure your mod is "clean" and that all new edits were necessary and intended, so people don't have to use TES5Edit to "clean" your mod, which could cause them to remove something that could then break your mod, like navmesh edits NPCs need to get in and out of your shop. Remember, edits are fine, it's just unintentional dirty edits that are bad.
5. CounterLeanMarker is too high. Take a look at the interior cell WhiterunBelethorsGeneralGoods to see how the CounterLeanMarker is positioned.
6. Interior layout is still a bit odd, because there is so much empty space in the middle. Are you planning on adding more items to fill the emptiness, like chairs, tables, and shelves? Also, the giant pillar in the middle seems a little odd, maybe have two pillars, one on either side of the room? The chandelier looks kinda big, maybe scale it down a little and positioned it so it's more center to Septimus Cashious, kind of how the chandelier is placed center to Belethor in his shop in Whiterun. The Blacksmith Forge is a little out of place, because you already have an anvil that does the same thing and is less obtrusive. You could replace the Blacksmith Forge with a Workbench, an Alchemy Lab, or an Arcane Enchanter. I was also expecting to see more Dwemer influence in the shop besides just the animated cog. I was thinking you could add more cogs above the one you had, so they looked like they were interacting with one another all the way up the wall. And maybe add some more Dwemer items in the shop, from pipes to small items, like Dwemer plates, bowls, and cups. Also, I would recommend replacing the Ebony Armor on the table with Dwarven Armor. At some point, it just comes down to functionality and aesthetics, and you'll have to decide all that, which is the frustrating and fun part.
7. I liked the fire pit and cooking pot you added, but I don't know about the placement of them, because they're in the back and easily missed, which is a shame, because a fire pit can be a great piece for functionality and beauty. I was also thinking you could add an idle marker near the fire pit for NPCs and companions to use to warm their hands, like "WarmsHandsStandIdleMarker".
8. Creation Kit naming convention. There is no rule for this, but generally it's a good idea to use an abbreviation at the beginning of the Editor ID name for all the new items in your mod. For example, aaDoughnut_MerchantFenceJareeSeptimus, aaDoughnut_SeptimusCashious, and aaDoughnut_SeptimusCashiousShopious. As your mods get bigger and more complex, a standard naming convention will help you keep track of all your mod's new items and NPCs.
9. You can take this mod in any direction you want, it's your mod after all. Just have fun with it, experiment with it, and make it look how you want, because odds are, what you really want it to look like, will be more awesome than any of us could imagine. Keep up the great work.
The textures are located in:
Textures > Actors > character > FacegenData > facetint > SeptimusCashious.esp > 00003926.dds
Textures > Actors > character > FacegenData > facetint > SeptimusCashious.esp > 00003926.tga
and the mesh is located in:
Meshes > actors > character > facegendata > facegeom > SeptimusCashious.esp > 00003926.NIF
Step 1: Compress the following folders and files into a .zip:
Textures > Actors > character > FacegenData > facetint > SeptimusCashious.esp > 00003926.dds
Textures > Actors > character > FacegenData > facetint > SeptimusCashious.esp > 00003926.tga
Meshes > actors > character > facegendata > facegeom > SeptimusCashious.esp > 00003926.NIF
Step 2: Post the .zip file as an Optional download. Done.
***Your file names for the .NIF, .dds, and .tga may be different, I just put what I personally got when I pressed Ctrl+F4 on the npc SeptimusCashious
Also, instead of the header "Use At Your Own Risk", you might want to go with something a bit more subtle, like "Work In Progress" and then add "I need your feedback and suggestions to help me make this the best mod possible"...or something along those lines.
Another thing, I noticed all the dirty edits and after thinking about it, I believe TES5Edit might actually be easier to use in your case, because of the sheer number of NAVMesh edits to exterior cells and the number of interiors altered.
If you decide to use TES5Edit, then I can help you out a bit, because I used it to clean your mod already. You can download TES5Edit at http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/25859/?
TES5Edit Cleaning Tutorial
Have a good day
Kudos to the author for at least trying to overcome something he stated he has no idea about, but I think rushing is not the right way to go.
I'll say it again. If you do not like the mod, the version of the mod, or anybody's comment-just move on. If you want to dl, critique, use, skip-over or delete the mod- then do that. No one is holding a gun to your head.
Do you understand now a little better where we're coming from?
Best of luck
When in CK, go to Actors in Object Window, select the actor's name and press Ctrl + F4 to import face gen data for Mr. Cashius.
If you want the mod to be lore-friendly and finish the clutter, don't make a massive superhuge empty hall of nothingness. Make a small little cell, like an abandoned Dwemer warehouse near one of the bigger ruins. If you cannot build cells with CK, start by duplicating an existing cell and modifying that to see how the modular kits work.
AND BY THE GODS LEARN TO USE CK FIRST, FINISH YOUR WORK AND THEN PUBLISH IT.
If you haven't got anything good and ready to publish, there is no reason to rush to do so. Your "I am learning CK and I came up with this one and it's basically me trying out how to make stuff in CK..." lessons are not really worth sharing with us. I'm not saying it's crap, I'm just saying if it's so broken an unsure to even work then why are you uploading it?
Good luck though.
EDIT: I sent a Kudos your way for at least trying