Francesco's Creatures and Items - Version 5b1

Find a full description, screenshots and download details of the mod on TESNexus
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=40190

Uses a BAIN install wizard, with FCOM and MMM versions. Completely safe to use with an existing install of either Frans or FCOM, just uninstall the old version of Frans first.
This is a beta, although is stable to use on a normal install. I am looking for suggestions and bug reports in order to fix as we go along through the release.

Changelog:

• EXE installer removed, BAIN wizard added.
  
• Easy install route for FCOM and MMM users.
  
• MOBS stats updated to 2.0.
  
• Ingame menu removed, INI file added.
  
• Outdated options removed, newer alternatives are suggested in the wizard.
  
• Files cleaned.

Previous thread: http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1154742-francescos-leveled-creature-item-mod/
Back again: http://www.gamesas.com/bgsforums/index.php?showtopic=882017
And again: http://www.gamesas.com/bgsforums/index.php?showtopic=855620
Once more: http://www.gamesas.com/bgsforums/index.php?showtopic=840943

Sweet! I'm doing a Frans+MMM build this week. Will let you know if I have any problems or suggestions. Thanks for the work on this!

Thanks for the update.

Quick questions... So no need to do a clean save? Is this still using the original textures and meshes or the http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=34830 by Arthmoor? Does it incorporate any of the http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=17621 on Nexus?

And one suggestion, split the .esp/doc from the resources. Would be easier to update and people won't have to re-download a huge archive every time. Also FCOM users won't be using the creatures resources.

No real need for a clean save, no.
Optimised meshes are being used.
None of the patches have been incorporated for this release, however fixes will be added for Beta 2 depending on what bugs remain. Patches are still 100% compatible with this version if the user needs them, however I'd like to be informed so I can incorporate the fix.
This is the only big package that needs downloading, and only once. Every new release will have an "upgrade" version which omits the BSA files. FCOM users don't need the creatures resources, but they're tied into the BAIN installer, as as that includes an FCOM option anyway it's not too much of a deal. Like I said, the "full" package only needs to be downloaded once

Thanks a lot, good sir.

Be sure that you Wizard screen is fairly large else this will happen..

The apply selection is not viewable because window itself is hiding it

http://www.bild.me/bild.php?file=9079189frans6.jpg

Added a note in the description, thanks. That might be a suggestion for the WB team..

Thanx mucho for rejuvenating this golden oldie, SWG.

Can you provide an alternate download location? Lots of people (like myself) can't download files from the Nexus for some stupid reason. Thanks.

Edit: n/m, I figured it out. Downloading now.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/24966007/Francesco%27s%20Creatures%20and%20Items%205.0.7z

Something I've wondered--is it possible to have the creatures and items from Frans by themselves, in "traditional" leveled lists like MMM and Armamentarium? I've always assumed no, that the overhaul part is not optional, but I thought I'd ask just to be sure.

I think I've found an error in the ini file. Under Loot Settings, two of the variables are "Set FranLoot. NPCVampire" and "Set FranLoot. NPCConjurer", while the others have no spaces in them. Also, would this conflict with another mod (like Enhanced Economy) that tweaks the chance of getting loot from a container?

spaces should be fine
something is wrong with "Look for water", default is not 15.

; Look for water; Animals will sometimes go look for water. Values between 0 and 35, where 0 is a 0% chance. Default is 15.Set FranAddOnCreaFindWater to 0

Could change the wizard? I am using FCOM with Duke Patrick's Combat Melee/Archery, and I don't want MOBS or Combat Tweaks.

+1 to the suggestion neither MOBS nor combat tweaks from Lyrondor be default. (if that is how I'm reading the above post that is)

This will reduce compatibility issues as there are now more than just a couple of mods that alter combat through scripts rather then purely by stats. I look at it this way - there are two methods for modding combat mods.
A. The tried and true weapon stat adjusting and using the CS and altering the existing scripts to alter combat behavior.
B. The newer (well somewhat newer) method of altering both weapon stats and combat behavior purely through scripts and more extensive use of OBSE.

OOO/FCOM is type A.

Problem is that having type A the default will cause more issues when used Type B approaches. I consider type B the more bleeding edge of the two approaches.

[edit] what I get for posting before downloading - seeing CorePC picture above I see that MOBs and Lyrondor are optional be default.

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In the opening post you say this can be used with a current install but that you should remove the older first. In that do you mean a clean save?

Congratulations on the release

Ha! Today I shall download and install. BAINified Francesco with other improvements - a dream come true. Several years ago I started my Oblivion overhauling with Francesco and now I can get back to it. Thank you, tankyouthankyouthankyou.

The items are tied in as part of the Frans overhaul. Removing the items out and putting them into vanilla lists isn't something I'm planning on doing.
Spaces are fine. And no those options don't conflict with other mods, they just modify the new frans levelled lists within. Enhanced Economy might touch on it but not to the point where both will be incompatible, by far.

Yeah, that should be 15. It's so rare an occurrence anyway it won't have a huge effect, but that's fixed for the next release.

As of now the FCOM option won't be changed because of the 99% of FCOM users that do use MOBS and the combat tweaks. You can either do a normal install, following the "old" frans guide in the FCOM topic on what to install, or you can extract the archive and edit the following lines of "wizard.txt":

If you have SI, remove lines 85 and 86, if non-SI, remove lines 93 and 94.

@Psymon: A clean save shouldn't be needed. Just the old one uninstalled first.

Dumb question about the MOBS inclusion. I downloaded 3 MOBS files covering vanilla, SI and Knights/DLC http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=28537. If I install the MOBS from the new Frans in addition to its other elements, does that mean I now only have to install the Knights/DLC MOBS separately for all the vanilla weapons to be covered? TIA!

Glad to see this out. I'll have something new to check out later

Would the awful caliper bug be fixed? That would be a lot of work as far as I know since it would require to rebuild the levelled list in a way similar to FCOM (or maybe the bug that make the item selection script go loco can be squished directly).
A nice work thus far, I appreciate your effort and will probably download it when I've sorted some unrelated wrye bash problem.

Yeah, I've merged the latest MOBS into the core files. So you'll only need the DLC MOBS, every vanilla and SI weapon is covered.
I've never experienced that bug myself. If I do get it, or a lot of people still get it I'll look at some kind of fix for it, however as it seems a bit rare I'll get everything else done first unless it flares up again.

I am confused about something. Install guides say order of installing things is important because certain things overwrite each other. But if it's safe to uninstall Fran and install the new one, doesn't that mean the install order doesn't matter?

Also, thanks for continuing your work and finishing a new version!

You haven't added any new item or creature;that's perfect because I'll just have to update the italian translation I'll upload it during the weekend

With the public releases, order does matter. However with the new, upcoming versions of all the mods all the resources are in BSAs, so order doesn't matter. Same applies here. Order doesn't matter with this frans even in an existing install now as everything is neatly packed in a BSA.
However bear in mind there are a lot of internal changes here, mainly to stats of weapons, INI loading and cleaning. This is also a beta, so it's going to have a few bugs and will be updated quite a lot.

Just a note about compatibility with Enhanced Economy. EE's item removal feature checks the container/dead actor the moment you activate it, and then decides whether to remove items or not. I assume Frans work like most mods, in that they control the leveled lists for the containers/actors, and if so, the content added by the mods get there when the cell gets (re-)spawned, which is long before EE does anything with the containers.

In other words:
1. mods (including Frans) control the items placed inside containers/actors the moment the cell respwans.
2. Enhanced Economy removes some of those items (if Item Removal is enabled) when you open the container.

So there is full compatibility, and if you have Item Removal enabled with, say weaponAdjustment set to 50, you will get half of the amount of weapons placed by Frans (and other mods), just as intended.