Enhanced Skyrim Followers: Aela the Huntress
By DreamKing
Version: 0.1, 27 February 2012

= Introduction =

This initial testing release of ESF: Aela adds a number of new follower features to Aela the Huntress, of the Companions. It *is* a testing release: that means expect problems and read this document thoroughly, especially the sections on "Installation," "Compatibility," and "Known Bugs" before deciding if you want to use the mod. This is the start of a larger project, which will flesh out Aela'a character and the Companions questline. I'm releasing this limited version, which only includes basic functionality changes to Aela as a follower, for several reasons. One is that this is my first mod, and I want to be sure I'm not doing something horribly wrong before continuing the project. But also, I think the mod as it stands will be genuinely useful for players. There's still a lot more to be done, but I think this is a good start.

If you're curious about where future development will take ESF: Aela, you can read the main project thread at the Bethesda forum:
http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1336512-wipwipz-enhanced-skyrim-followers-aela-the-huntress-of-the-companions/


= Getting It Working =

Installation

Before installing this mod, you must have a saved game ready that meets the following conditions:

1) You have completed the Companions quest "Glory of the Dead," the final quest in the main Companions questline.
2) Aela is not currently following you.
3) Aela is not your spouse.

There are no other mods that are prerequisites for using this version of ESF:Aela. However, future versions will require SKSE, the Skyrim Script Extender.

This mod is packaged in an archive compatible with Wrye Bash's BAIN installation method and with the Nexus Mod Manager.

To install manually, extract ESFAela.esp and ESFAela.bsa from the archive with 7zip (http://www.7-zip.org/) or a compatible program and place them into your game's Data directory. For most users this will be something like C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\skyrim\Data (although if it is, you may want to read up on moving Steam out of the Program Files directory to avoid permissions problems).

Use a load order management tool (Skyrim's launcher, Wrye Bash, Nexus Mod Manager) to ensure this mod loads after any other mods that impact either followers in general or Aela in specific. See the section on "Compatibility" below. I recommend using BOSS (http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=6) to automatically sort your load order in a way that resolves common problems.

I recommend that you keep at least one save game from before you installed this mod, that you can revert to in case of any problems.

Compatibility

- Mods that alter all Nords, all female bodies, all faces, and so forth, should be compatible. Mods that alter Aela specifically--that remove her warpaint or otherwise change her face, or that give her new perks--will conflict. Make sure ESFAela.esp is lower in your load order than these mods, and try using Wrye Bash to create a "bashed patch" that will allow them to work together.
- Mods that alter all followers should be compatible; however, any improvements they try to make will probably not impact Aela. To be safe, again, position ESFAela.esp lower in your load order than any of these mods.

Uninstallation

To manually uninstall the mod, just remove ESFAela.esp and ESFAela.bsa from your skyrim\Data directory.


= Features =

Basic Changes

- Aela has been removed from the default follower system--other followers will join while she is following, and she will join even if others are already following.
- She has also been removed as a potential marriage partner (for now; future versions of the mod will include expanded romance/marriage options).
- The constantly re-appearing Hunting Bow and endless supply of arrows associated with the vanilla followers are now gone.
- She now has both an equippable, "at-hand" inventory, and a "treasure sack," the contents of which she will never equip.
- Her stats--health and skills--will now level correctly with the player, up to a maximum level of 100.
- She should no longer turn hostile from actions you take while in werewolf form.
- She will now sit when the player sits. (She'll pick the closest chair or bench--not barstool, sadly--to where she is standing when the player sits.)
- You can now ask Aela about a variety of subjects. However, she's not one for casual chit-chat or frequent deep personal conversations--after a few queries, she'll get tired of answering your questions. You can ask more in 24 hours; gaining her respect will increase the number of topics you can ask about per day.

Respect

Before Aela will agree to certain requests, you'll need to earn her respect. Respect is earned through combat victories and completing quests while Aela is with you to witness them--victories won while she is dismissed, or waiting, do not count. Also, you may lose respect if you show too much of an interest in spells or thievery while Aela is present.

New Tactical Choices

- Ask to use ranged weapons only, melee weapons only, or a mix (the default).
- Have her attack at will (default), only after she or the player has been attacked (good for sneaking), or never attack.
- Set her follow distance to close (default), medium, or far.
- Beast form: by default, Aela will now use her beast form when the player uses their's, if the player is a werewolf. If the player earns enough respect, they can ask Aela not to use her beast form while travelling together.
- Toggle her as essential (unkillable). Although note that some quests override this; in practice, depending on where you are in the game, it may not be possible to make her not essential. If she is made not essential, she should now use health potions in her inventory (but this needs testing).
- She can light torches automatically when it gets dark (default), only when the player lights one, or only when the player asks that one be lit. If you want her to use torches automatically, you will need to supply her with a torch.

Outfits & Equipment

- The outfit system is much expanded. Aela now has three separate outfits--Combat, Travel & Exploration, and Town. As you earn more of her respect, you will gain the ability to set the contents of each of these in turn, through the "tactics" dialogue. You can also have her change into the appropriate outfit automatically, or only at your command. And you can always continue to put armor in her inventory, which will override the outfits if the gear in her inventory is better than the gear in the outfits.
- You do not need to set all three outfits. You could have just Combat and Town outfits, for instance, and she will use the Combat outfit while exploring.
- Do not put armor you have enchanted or improved through smithing into her outfit slots--it may revert to its default, unimproved form!
- As a matter of personal preference, she will not be willing to use Elven equipment--think about the history of the Companions, never mind recent history in Tamriel--and will also reject any heavy armor or two-handed melee weapons you try to give her as not fitting her talents.
- To go along with this, her default combat outfit is now a version of the Ancient Nord Armor that is light armor, rather than heavy. Because really, does it look like heavy armor?

Teleportation

- If Aela gets lost, you can use The Ring of Blood Call (which you should take from her inventory) to teleport her to you--at the cost of 20 Health. If the player is a werewolf, you can also use the Ring to teleport yourself to Aela. This is meant to be used only when one of you is lost or stuck; using the ring as a solution to puzzles may break quests and is not recommended.
Wait Here/Relax Here/Meet Me Elsewhere
- In addition to the vanilla "wait here" option, there is now also a "relax here" option, which will put Aela in a "sandbox mode" where she will sit, eat, move around, and otherwise interact with her immediate environment.
- She will stop waiting for you and return to her usual schedule after only 1 day (24 hours) when using these options. Other followers wait 3 days; Aela isn't that patient.
- In addition to resuming her default duties back at Jorrvaskr, you can now ask Aela to meet you at any of the default player houses you own, or any of the Inns in habitations that you have visited. She will stay there for 7 days before getting tired of waiting around, and resuming her normal Companion activities.
- There is a facility to add up to three houses from other mods to the list of houses you own, that you can meet Aela at. In practice however few house mods are currently supported. For this to work, a house mod must follow the vanilla system where 1) the house has its interior cell set to be owned by the player and 2) that cell must be defined as a Location with the keyword LocTypePlayerHouse. While in such a house, you will see an option to tell Aela about it in the "about this place" dialogue.


= Known Bugs =

- When using the carriage system, Aela won't arrive at your destination with you--you'll have to wait about 20 seconds for her to catch up.
- If you try to give Aela armor she won't wear (Elven or heavy) multiple times, her body may disappear until you close the Inventory screen.
- Outfits can be erratic. If you make a change to an outfit and it doesn't "stick," try entering a new cell--something that triggers a load screen. Also, don't put more than one type of any item into an outfit.
- For some reason the game considers standing and stirring a pot to be sitting, so if the player sits and a cookpot is closer to Aela than any chair, she may start stirring it. The main room in Breezehome is one place this can easily happen.
- Certain calculations--like Aela's level--are only made once every 24 hours in gameworld time. If you see that she is a level behind you, don't worry, she should catch up soon. Respect also calculates once every 24 hours; you can force a recalculation by asking her to stand guard, then follow you again.
- Every now and then Aela will say something out of character--like "I'm getting out of here" when she sees a fight. I hope to figure out how to selectively prune those comments; the alternative will be disabling them entirely.
- I haven't been able to buy Hjerim in my game because of bugs, so it is available as a destination for Aela as soon as you get the key--which can happen before you are actually able to use it as a residence. This will be fixed in future versions, once I get that far in my own game.
- Aela still uses her human voice while in werewolf form. I haven't decided yet if this is a bug or a feature--I think of it as the voice the player hears in their mind, knowing that the beast is Aela.


= Contact =

If you have problems, suggestions, or questions about the mod, the best way to get in touch is via the thread for the mod in the Skyrim Mods area on the Bethesda Forum (http://www.gamesas.com/forum/183-skyrim-mods/). One of the reasons that I'm releasing this testing version is to see if there are any problems; I'd like to hear from you. As of this writing, the current Forum thread for the mod is:

http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1336512-wipwipz-enhanced-skyrim-followers-aela-the-huntress-of-the-companions/

You can also send me private messages as DreamKing (preferred) on the Bethesda Forum (http://www.gamesas.com/) or on the Nexus Forums (http://forums.nexusmods.com/) as DreamKingMods.


= Disclaimer =

Use of this mod may lead to broken quests, corrupt or bloated save games, and other issues. Make sure you keep a save game from before you installed this mod, than you can revert to in case of any problems. Use of this mod will increase load on your computer components; make sure they are adequately cooled, supplied with power, etc.


= Legal, Distribution, and Use of Assets =

In part or in whole, you may not upload, re-host, or otherwise make this mod or an edited version you derive from it available at any other location under any circumstances, except as specified here.

This version (0.1) of the mod is authorized for release on the Skyrim Nexus (http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/) only. If you downloaded it from an unauthorized location, be advised that there may be newer versions of the mod available with important fixes and additions posted on authorized sites.

I'll be making the source of the scripts used by this mod available as a separate download; feel free to use these scripts as a base for creating follower mods for NPCs other than Aela, which you may release as you wish. I apologize for the sloppiness of the scripts and their lack of generality: I was learning as I went. You may release scripts that you derive from my work, provided that you properly credit me and remove all references in the scripts to ESFAela. I welcome suggestions for improvement of the scripts.

If I do not respond to attempts to contact me via the methods listed in the "Contact" section of the latest release of this mod for 6 months, and have not given prior notice of planned absence, then consider this mod and its assets released to the community.


= Thanks and Credits =

Anyone who has used follower mods in previous Bethesda games will quickly see that very few of the ideas I'm implementing here are original: I'm combining features from follower mods that I enjoyed. Most notable influences in this release are Emma and CDCooley's Vilja for Oblivion, RickerHK's Brisa for Fallout 3 and Wendy Gilbert for Fallout: New Vegas, and llamaRCA's Willow for Fallout: New Vegas. Much thanks and credit to these modders; if you play those games, I recommend those mods.

Thanks to Ethatron for the BSAopt extraction tool, and Agnahim for FUZ Extractor, which together allowed me to begin editing the voice files before the Creation Kit's release.

Thanks to the Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages (http://www.uesp.net/) for being a frequent and valuable reference.

Thanks to the Nexus Network (http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/) for providing a platform for mods and the community that exists around them.

And of course credit and thanks go to Bethesda Softworks, for releasing and supporting modding tools for their games--without which this mod could not have been made.