[REL] Canterbury Commons Interiors : Fallout 3

» Fri Feb 18, 2011 8:39 pm

Populating Canterbury Commons....one interior at a time.

http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=11046

The Wasteland got you down? Sick of listening to the constant echo of voices throughout the entire Rivet City ship? Megaton becoming a bit lawless since someone shot the sheriff? Those pompous aristocrats over at Tenpenny Tower wouldn't even let you in to use the washroom? Plan your exciting vacation to Canterbury Commons now! The home of the wonderous Travelling Caravans and the infamous battleground of the daring Mechanist and the dastardly Antagonizer await you and your family.

Canterbury Commons is a small and secure trading town conveniently located near the edge of the DC Wasteland. For an unlimited time only, the not-so-famous El Nada will be performing his rendition of some of the best not-the-most-memorable hits from pre- and post-war Wasteland at Cup-A-Joe, where you can always get a fresh cup of Joe and a quick lunch delivered with a grumpy frown. While you are here, feel free to visit the Bank of Canterbury Commons and explore your Wasteland investment opportunities(*). Bulk traders and merchants can also find a newly renovated warehouse where you can safely store your excess cargo so you don't have to carry your entire company line with you (**). Don't wait until after the Enclave discovers and conquers this place, book your trip now!

*Please note that account privileges are granted only to select traders and merchants.
**Any rumours and allegations that the warehouse manager is selling customer inventories and pocketing the profits are completely unsubstantiated.

Name: Canterbury Commons Interiors
Version: 1.3
Date: 3/7/2010
Author: Ripple
Source: http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=11046

Requirement(s):
===============
Fallout 3

Description
===========

This mod aims to overhaul Canterbury Commons in a non-intrusive fashion. I intend to 'open up' the buildings in Canterbury Commons that were previously "non-accessible" (by giving them interiors), as well as NPCs (with voice and schedules) who inhabit these buildings. So far, 3 buildings have been 'opened up':

- a warehouse.
- a bank (You can not make deposits at the bank. This may change in a future version).
- Cup-A-Joe

My motivations for this mod:

- Canterbury Commons is a trader hub/stop where the travelling caravans make their "home base." But it has the population of 5 or 6 people. This makes no sense. What is so compelling about this space that the caravans would make it their "home base"? This mod aims to populate Canterbury Commons without 'over-doing' it.

- Adding stuff to exterior space of Canterbury Commons potentially generates game stability and lag issues, expecially when using an extended mod list. I've kept the bulk of changes to interior spaces such that Canterbury Commons itself is not affected. This also maximizes compabitibility with other Canterbury Commons mods. You will, however, see NPCs added by this mod out and about in Canterbury Commons.

Those who wish to see added content in the 'exterior' Wasteland space of Canterbury Commons can try my 'Canterbury Commons Guards' mod (http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=5900).

Install or Update
=================
Unrar everything into the \Fallout 3\data\ directory. Start Fallout 3 Launcher or the Fallout 3 Mod Manager and activate

'CanterburyCommonsInteriors.esp'

It is recommended that you have a savegame in a location away from Canterbury Commons before installing or updating this mod.

Uninstall
=========
1. Start Fallout 3 Launcher, click Data Files, uncheck the 'CanterburyCommonsInteriors.esp'

2. Delete the .esp file from \Fallout 3\data

3. Delete the following directories:
\Fallout 3\data\Meshes\Characters\_male\idleanims\CanterburyCommonsInteriors\
\Fallout 3\data\sound\fx\CanterburyCommonsInteriors\
\Fallout 3\data\sound\Voice\CanterburyCommonsInteriors.esp\
\Fallout 3\data\Textures\CanterburyCommonsInteriors\

In/Compatibility
================
This mod is compatible with any mod that does not alter the door space of the abandoned buildings in Canterbury Commons. It is compatible with my 'Canterbury Commons Guards' mod. Door space have been properly navmeshed for followers. It is -not- compatible with 'Canterbury Commons Embiggened.' It should be compatible with any mod that just 'add' but does not 'alter' anything in the Canterbury Commons exterior space.

Known Issues or Bugs
====================
The plugin has been checked and cleaned in FO3Edit. Report any bugs you find.

Versions
========
1.3 Reorganized the layout of the warehouse for better 'scale.', added Cup-A-Joe interiors.
1.2 New buliding (Bank of Canterbury Commons)
1.1 Removed the lock from a warehouse interior door to prevent players from being locked inside.
1.0 Release.

Contact
=======
My username is "Ripple" on both FO3Nexus and the official Bethesda forums. You can figure out the rest.
Mod support thread on Bethesda's official forum: http://www.gamesas.com/bgsforums/index.php?showtopic=1071840&hl=

Credits
=======
Thanks to pkleiss for the auto-close door script.
Thanks to WillieSea for the trigger script.
Thanks to Umpa for the guitar animations, mesh, and textures.
Thanks to the Oblivion/Fallout 3 modding community for all the guidance and assistance over the years.
Thanks to FO3Nexus.com for the a one-stop-shop modding resource for modders and players.
Thanks to Bethesda for creating Fallout 3.

» Fri Feb 18, 2011 8:10 pm

About a year ago some started something similar and It was nice but a tad on the buggy side. I think 2 buildings were open. It's nice to see someone else working on this because I have to agree that Canterbury should be a bit more developed considering it is a major trade hub. I never did understand why they made it so small and boring.

» Fri Feb 18, 2011 10:37 pm

I know where you are coming from. I've been working on this for a while, much of the time simply devoted to figuring out the GECK. I recently stumbled upon Canterbury Boomtown and realized that if I didn't release this, I probably never will. I probably would not have even bothered to start this project if Canterbury Commons Embiggened was still being developed.

On the topic of why Canterbury Commons seem so 'underdeveloped', I remember reading some speculations that some 'quests' were cut from Canterbury Commons because of time constraint to meet the deadline for releasing the game. There are AI packages for CC traders that are not referenced by any NPCs in the game. There are also references to slavers.

At any rate, I am taking requests and suggestions on what other types of buildings people would like to see. Canterbury Boomtown has turned one of the buildings into a bar, so I am not sure I would bother doing one. I like what rexxumus has done but for the extensive overhaul to the CC exterior space that I don't think is necessary (and will surely lag people on lower end machines, not to mention compatibility/stability issues). I am thinking of just turning the buildings into homes and populate them with families with AI schedules. What I won't do is a 'brothel.' Not for 'moral' reasons....but I just don't feel like it.

» Sat Feb 19, 2011 9:47 am

I was just checking out your mod and, I ran into a little glitch. I was walking around the warehouse, I was able to open the door to the back room but, the women sweeping the floor eventually locks me in. Once she closes the door, it now requires a key so I can't get back out.

just a heads up.

keep up the good work.

» Sat Feb 19, 2011 10:21 am

I was just checking out your mod and, I ran into a little glitch. I was walking around the warehouse, I was able to open the door to the back room but, the women sweeping the floor eventually locks me in. Once she closes the door, it now requires a key so I can't get back out.

just a heads up.

keep up the good work.

Thanks Cev. Part of my inspiration for doing this was the DC Interiors Project. :thumbsup:

You are lucky the only thing she did was to lock you in! Did you miss the "employee only" sign by the storage room door?

How did you get into the storage room if you don't mind me asking? There are only a couple ways.... (Henders is too lazy to actually enforce the policy of the establishment until I figure out how to set areas within the same cell as "off limits").

» Sat Feb 19, 2011 6:05 am

Thanks Cev. Part of my inspiration for doing this was the DC Interiors Project. :thumbsup:

You are lucky the only thing she did was to lock you in! Did you miss the "employee only" sign by the storage room door?

How did you get into the storage room if you don't mind me asking? There are only a couple ways.... (Henders is too lazy to actually enforce the policy of the establishment until I figure out how to set areas within the same cell as "off limits").

Well for obvious reasons I like to check out other interiors mods. I went in and, was just looking around, talked to the merchant. I did see the sign but, the door wasn't locked so I just went in to take a peek. next thing I knew I was locked in, no one got mad or told me to get out, I was just stuck.

If you need any help feel free to PM me, and, if you want in my "A Cuppa Joe's" I've retextured the coffee cups to have the corpret logo and, retextured the can of beans to be "A Cuppa Joe Brand Coffee" feel free to use them as resources if you want. I guess if you plan on doing the A Cuppa Joe in Canterbury.

I also have some fairly extensive Object Editing Pallet lists if they would help you out. List consist of All Office peaces, All factory peaces, All Statesman peaces, and many many more list packed up for easy reference. If you would like them just let me know.

» Fri Feb 18, 2011 6:21 pm

Love it, but the two people in the warehouse just kinda creeped me out. They look exactly the same and they walk together everywhere...

I got locked into that back room too, but I just noclipped out.

» Fri Feb 18, 2011 9:34 pm

Well for obvious reasons I like to check out other interiors mods. I went in and, was just looking around, talked to the merchant. I did see the sign but, the door wasn't locked so I just went in to take a peek. next thing I knew I was locked in.

That's weird, that door should be locked. I just thought you might have snuck in during the brief moment when the warehouse staff accessed the door as part of their schedule. I'll have to check the version I uploaded.

If you need any help feel free to PM me, and, if you want in my "A Cuppa Joe's" I've retextured the coffee cups to have the corpret logo and, retextured the can of beans to be "A Cuppa Joe Brand Coffee" feel free to use them as resources if you want. I guess if you plan on doing the A Cuppa Joe in Canterbury.

Thanks Cev, you read my mind. I was planning on asking but hadn't decided on how

When I was doing this I was frustrated that I could not find the "appropriate" interiors for the buildings and wish I had DC Interiors as a resource to work with.

[edit] I just double checked and that door should be locked with key requirement....this is weird, I tested in game and was not able to access it except when the npcs would open it briefly as part of their schedule (or by killing the npc with the key).

» Fri Feb 18, 2011 8:27 pm

I'm pretty sure she had just opened the door when I went in. Maybe if you could shorten the amount of time it takes for the door to close?

» Fri Feb 18, 2011 8:44 pm

update: I've removed the lock on the backroom door until I figure out a better way of 'discouraging' players from going there (which of course, has little to do with whether players will or will not go there) :whistle:

.

» Fri Feb 18, 2011 7:48 pm

Am I blind, or is there no link to the download in the OP?

Can I assume that it's on FO3Nexus and just search it out myself (until you add said link

)?

» Fri Feb 18, 2011 11:25 pm

Oops, sorry. I was tired when I updated the post and forgot to include the link. Fixed.

» Sat Feb 19, 2011 4:56 am

update: I've removed the lock on the backroom door until I figure out a better way of 'discouraging' players from going there (which of course, has little to do with whether players will or will not go there) :whistle:

.

Well, I think you should make the Employees Only sign a bit easier to see so nobody will go strolling in there. If it were really obvious it would justify the NPCs going hostile when you go in there.

» Sat Feb 19, 2011 1:27 am

New building added. Canterbury Commons now has a....bank! Right now the bank's clientele is exclusive. I am not sure there is a point in allowing the player to make deposits and withdrawls (interests, and all that) since caps are plenty and have no weight. Why are caps used as a currency in the DC Wastelands to begin with? Meh. This may change in the future.

Now, if you are going to try to rob the bank, you should first download my http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=5900 mod. But you shouldn't rob the bank. It's illegal and uh...stuff.

To do list:
- redesign the warehouse to provide a better sense of "scale" that matches the exterior.
- open Cup-A-Joe.
- a clinic in Canterbury Commons, maybe?

» Sat Feb 19, 2011 3:00 am

Nice, reminds me of DCInteriors in a way - in that it's trying not to conflict or "overhaul" the town, just expand.

Why are caps used as a currency in the DC Wastelands to begin with? Meh.

"Bottle caps are backed by The Hub merchants in the Core Region. The reasoning for their support is that the technology to manufacture bottle caps and paint the surface has been lost in the Great War, which would greatly limit any counterfeiting efforts. Secondly, there is a limited number of bottle caps, which would serve to preserve their value to some degree. There is no explanation whatsoever given for the use of bottlecaps in DC. It may be because the Nuka-Cola Plant is located there, along with large shipments of Nuka-Cola, which have a bottle cap on each bottle."

» Fri Feb 18, 2011 10:39 pm

Nice, reminds me of DCInteriors in a way - in that it's trying not to conflict or "overhaul" the town, just expand.

Thanks, T'was my inspiration for doing this.

"Bottle caps are backed by The Hub merchants in the Core Region. The reasoning for their support is that the technology to manufacture bottle caps and paint the surface has been lost in the Great War, which would greatly limit any counterfeiting efforts. Secondly, there is a limited number of bottle caps, which would serve to preserve their value to some degree. There is no explanation whatsoever given for the use of bottlecaps in DC. It may be because the Nuka-Cola Plant is located there, along with large shipments of Nuka-Cola, which have a bottle cap on each bottle."

Yeah I know. What I was commenting on was why it was a form of currency in the DC Wastelands which is outside of the Hub Merchants's operating influence. Not only that, but caps were abandoned in FO2 in place of gold currency. The caps in the DC Wastelands are not backed by any governments or financial institutions, it's not pegged to anything yet the value of the cap is consistent. It's like the post-Apocalyptic world suddenly returns to the Bretton Woods system. There really is no reason why the inhabitants of DC Wastelands would recognize the cap as a local currency, If the Hub had an outpost in the DC Wastelands, that might start to provide some explanation for this. Hmmm....

» Sat Feb 19, 2011 2:29 am

I'm pretty sure it was just a case of scrambling to find ways to tie it to the previous games. Also, they'd get flogged if they used something else in the DC are as currency... like Declaration of Independence pages.

» Sat Feb 19, 2011 3:33 am

I agree, and now if you'll indulge me in some late night/early morning, post-pizza 'while I am modding' and 'I've given waaaay too much thought to this game' musing....

Most genre of games (eg. RPG, RTS) do not handle economics very well (or at all) for good reasons. People who want to be innundated by complicated economic considerations in their games will likely go for trading/economic strategic simulation games. RPGs tend to shy away from that sort of complication in order to focus on things like combat, character development, NPC interactions, and storyline (although I think the 'storyline' component was missing from FO3 as well). Oblivion's economy was just as simplistic as FO3's, but less noticeable because Cyrodiil was not a post-nuclear Wasteland (although I would be hardpressed to actually characterize the economy in Oblivion as 'feudal'...). More players would probably be annoyed if they could not sell all the loot they found after a trip to the local dungeon/ruins than by the fact that there are 'vendor NPCs' who buy tons and tons of stuff that they can never hope to consume, resell or recycle. Most Oblivion players who cared about this sort of thing downloaded creepyfellow's "Living Economy" mod which tried to integrate a supply/demand system of pricing. After all, this is a game. Sometimes too much attention to 'realism' just gets in the way of good fun. That said, I don't think it should be that hard to -simulate- at least a 'sensible' or convincing economic system for an RPG. Nothing truly complicated, just something that is sufficiently immersive to the game setting that it 'makes sense'--if that makes any sense.

What is fundamentally missing from FO3 is the recognition that there -is- no economic system in place after the nuclear fallout. Most communities that are sedetary would have to be self-sufficient in order to survive, such as Vault 101, the tribal community that the Lone Wanderer was from in FO2, the Enclave (west and east coast), or even Rivet City which apparently grows its own food. These communities have no real need for trading. They certainly wouldn't buy 10 suits of raider armor for 50 caps each--or whatever else that does not meet their immediate needs--from someone who just trotted into their settlement. I am not saying there would be no trade--in fact, trading is the only economy left, where people would trade for goods or services they need with goods and services they can provide, not buy junk with phantom currency that has no intrinsic value. The only people exempt from this system are non-sedetary communities, raiders and scavengers--but even they engage in some trading--if not goods or services, then slaves.

Canterbury Commons is an interesting mix in this broken game economy because it is home to the travelling caravans. These folks faciliate the flow of goods. They would be the only people who really need a form of currency since they deal with so many groups of people and need to peg some consistency to the pricing of their goods. If there is a local currency whose value is recognized and accepted by the DC Wasteland human/ghoul settlements, it would be established through them.

When I was still conceptualizing CC Interiors, I had some vague ideas about doing something that would address this. I didn't come up with anything tangible that didn't required some overhaul of some major aspect of the game. When you mentioned The Hub, I was reminded of one of those vague ideas, which was to turn Canterbury Commons into an 'outpost' for the Hub traders. That's not something I am going to follow through in this mod. Although perhaps as a 'next project.'

» Fri Feb 18, 2011 11:15 pm

Sounds like a very fair anolysis you have there, and I agree. I suppose that's one of the reasons why Canterbury Commons was so disappointing for me - it wasn't just that it was empty, but that it was actually taking something away from the game's world. It was built up by other NPCs to be the trading hub of DC, and all you'd get was a caravan occasionally sitting outside.

» Fri Feb 18, 2011 7:18 pm

I know where you are coming from. I've been working on this for a while, much of the time simply devoted to figuring out the GECK. I recently stumbled upon Canterbury Boomtown and realized that if I didn't release this, I probably never will. I probably would not have even bothered to start this project if Canterbury Commons Embiggened was still being developed.

On the topic of why Canterbury Commons seem so 'underdeveloped', I remember reading some speculations that some 'quests' were cut from Canterbury Commons because of time constraint to meet the deadline for releasing the game. There are AI packages for CC traders that are not referenced by any NPCs in the game. There are also references to slavers.

At any rate, I am taking requests and suggestions on what other types of buildings people would like to see. Canterbury Boomtown has turned one of the buildings into a bar, so I am not sure I would bother doing one. I like what rexxumus has done but for the extensive overhaul to the CC exterior space that I don't think is necessary (and will surely lag people on lower end machines, not to mention compatibility/stability issues). I am thinking of just turning the buildings into homes and populate them with families with AI schedules. What I won't do is a 'brothel.' Not for 'moral' reasons....but I just don't feel like it.

Perhaps you could re-use some of the things from canterbury commons embiggend?
Like the Bazaar traders?

» Sat Feb 19, 2011 5:46 am

This is my favorite Canterbury mod simply because it doesn't try to do anything too extreme that would conflict with relatively unrelated mods. Keep up the great work.

» Sat Feb 19, 2011 3:03 am

Thank you.

Has anyone tried to rob the bank yet?

» Sat Feb 19, 2011 1:13 am

Yeah, I have. Only thing I didn't like was that the employees didn't have keys on them (but once I left the bank I saw a bunch of other Bank Employees at the diner, so maybe one of them had one).

Also, the entire diner is empty. No tables, just the counter. No oven/fridge or whatever either. Just the counter and the bed.

» Sat Feb 19, 2011 6:00 am

Thank you.

Has anyone tried to rob the bank yet?

Perhaps you could add some street traders?
(like the ones from CCE)

» Fri Feb 18, 2011 10:06 pm

I am not sure if you know about it or even care but there is a conflict with a rather large mod (that I have not seen talked about on this forum) called "The Foundation" based on the Asimov science fiction books.
One reason it might not be fodder for discussion here is its author (starts with a G) who has a history of modding Oblivion. I just thought I would let you know in case it comes up.