Are accompany packages broken?

Post » Tue May 17, 2011 3:14 pm

Can anyone get an accompany package to work? I would think it should work like a follow package, but all attempts I make with accompany packages have them working like travel packages. Once the actor with the accompany package arrives next to the player, they just stop never to move again. Just to be sure, I made a test mod with a single NPC (Amata) in a simple square navmeshed room. I gave her 1 topic of dialogue, either she sandboxes or accompanies depending on the dialogue - which works. But once she is on an accompany package, she will approach the player until she is withing the accompany distance (150) and then stop and just stand there. If I talk to her again, she'll sandbox, talk again and she'll approach and stop. I have no flags on the package (though I have tried many combinations) and one condition that checks a script variable running on her. That variable is set in the results script of her dialogue, 1=accompany, 0=sandbox. Yes, I have evp in there too. I thought I understood packages pretty well, but this one just doesn't work.

If I use the console and give her an evp, she remains stuck. If I use resetAI, she'll move towards me again and then just stay put. Its acting just like a travel package. Her GetCurrentAIPackage and GetCurrentAIProcedure are correct, 15/27 for when she's stuck and 15/19 when she approaches. My test Amata is a copy and has been cleaned of every original detail. I originally tried this out with NPCs from my main mod before trying the test environment - both had the same results.

Anybody got a clue what's up with this?
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Saul C
 
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Post » Tue May 17, 2011 3:18 pm

Quoting the wiki:

The actor running the package will "know" the destination of the target and will path towards the target's destination, switching destination as the target does. The actor will also try to maintain the Accompany Distance to the target.

This package is similar to a Follow, but allows a more "loose" formation since the actor is pathing directly to the target's destination rather than just following behind the target.


So how is the NPC to know what the player's target destination is?
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dav
 
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Post » Tue May 17, 2011 2:10 am

Pkleiss, that sounds about right. I have accompany packages on all my wandering caravans, and also used as an option for extended follow on a follower. Not sure why you say it works like a travel package, all I've ever seen is it function exactly like a follow package but with more leeway in terms of how they line up while following. That description is whacked.. I've noticed sometimes the NPC's shift course in parallel due to obstacles or dodging for cover, but there's no way they even can know a destination when there's no specified parameter for it.
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Rachel Cafferty
 
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Post » Tue May 17, 2011 6:35 am

This is what I was hoping for, a follow type of package without the actor's lining up single file. But from my testing, setting an accompany package with the player as the target just doesn't work. If I have at least one NPC on a follow package (following the player) and then set the rest of the NPCs to accompany that one player-following NPC, then it seems to work. If you say you've gotten the accompany package to work with the player as the target, then I am dumbfounded as to why I cannot.
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Rachel Tyson
 
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Post » Tue May 17, 2011 12:57 am

Just throwing this out there, but what if you tried a sandbox package? With the player as the sandbox area? That way they would always just hang out around the player. Not sure if it would work but it might be worth a try. I also dont think they would line up with sandbox.
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Rachyroo
 
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Post » Mon May 16, 2011 11:18 pm

PK,

So I thought I'd give it a shot. I have been interested in having followers not follow like a train of little ducks for a long time and accompany packages had never occurred to me. So, as I am very unoriginal, I tried giving one to Charon in a new esp. I did not get rid of all of his other packages to do this and I set him to 200.

Guess what? I got the same thing you did; with a twist, and I bet Amata would have done this with you as well. So this is what happened. I set it up in a sensible manner; flagged it to run, swim and a couple of things under Fallout options that I use for all follow packages. Gave him a dialogue option to turn it on with and went into the game to try it out. I hired him and he came through the door with me out of the Ninth Circle. So he was accompanying me, but he won't run after me. When checked he is in 15/27 as well, but he just won't run. I went out through both sets of doors to get out of Underworld into The Mall and he "warped" with me through the doors. I'm gonna play with it some more to see if I can get it to work all the way, as it is clearly partially working.

:) llama

Edit: Bonedog, did your packages just work when you set them up like packages are supposed to do?
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Haley Merkley
 
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Post » Tue May 17, 2011 7:24 am

I looked through the Geck for some accompany packages used in the game. The only two I found were setup for the NPC to follow another NPC. I think PoHa has already pointed out the issue in that the player is free from and has no destination to share with NPCs on an accompany package. At least for myself, having one NPC on a follow package and the rest accompanying him does make for a nice looking "group" as opposed to an unsightly "line".

@llamaRCA - I'm glad you were able to reproduce the same issues I had because I am always stressing that I may have some kind of issue that is unique to my setup. I stay up late thinking this all too often.
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Francesca
 
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Post » Tue May 17, 2011 5:57 am

I looked through the Geck for some accompany packages used in the game. The only two I found were setup for the NPC to follow another NPC. I think PoHa has already pointed out the issue in that the player is free from and has no destination to share with NPCs on an accompany package. At least for myself, having one NPC on a follow package and the rest accompanying him does make for a nice looking "group" as opposed to an unsightly "line".

@llamaRCA - I'm glad you were able to reproduce the same issues I had because I am always stressing that I may have some kind of issue that is unique to my setup. I stay up late thinking this all too often.


Ok, so I'm assuming the accompanying NPC gets the destination info from the leader NPC's other packages then, because that info isn't on the Accompany Package. There are more than two of these packages, btw, in the game, and the accompanying NPCs go many places with their leaders that aren't indicated on the Accompany package, since it just gives the leader's ref location.

I love your idea of the one NPC on the follow and the other accompanying so you get a little group. Great way to eliminate the little duckling syndrome.

I was happy to help. It is weird to have something odd happen and think you might be the only one to have it happen.
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Noraima Vega
 
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Post » Tue May 17, 2011 12:42 am

Edit: Bonedog, did your packages just work when you set them up like packages are supposed to do?

For the caravans it did no problem. For the follower it worked well for doors, TPs and such, but I found she didn't really want to tag along (was intermittant) when I didn't have an active quest selected in the quest tab. When I did she seemed to play nice.. no idea why. Another decent alternative to follow is to use a guard package set to guard the playerRef. Can play around with the radius, and whether guarding the ref or the location to get several different looking behaviors that will follow the player at different distances.
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Matt Fletcher
 
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Post » Tue May 17, 2011 5:43 am

For the caravans it did no problem. For the follower it worked well for doors, TPs and such, but I found she didn't really want to tag along (was intermittant) when I didn't have an active quest selected in the quest tab. When I did she seemed to play nice.. no idea why. Another decent alternative to follow is to use a guard package set to guard the playerRef. Can play around with the radius, and whether guarding the ref or the location to get several different looking behaviors that will follow the player at different distances.


Interesting. Thanks.

I've tried guard packages before in that way and didn't really like them. Maybe I should try them again, though, since I cannot even remember what it was I didn't like about them. Good grief.
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luke trodden
 
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Post » Tue May 17, 2011 10:02 am

I found she didn't really want to tag along (was intermittant) when I didn't have an active quest selected in the quest tab.
Probably using your Quest Target as her destination, then.
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Alexxxxxx
 
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Post » Tue May 17, 2011 11:04 am

This is finally starting to make some sense. I think I'll update the wiki page with a caveat about using Accompany Packages with the player.
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Sherry Speakman
 
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