Carrying on from the http://www.gamesas.com/bgsforums/index.php?showtopic=633150...


It's been nearly forever, but we are proud to present you with Harvest[Containers], the penultimate version. And beyond that, we're thrilled to be getting it out our door.

Any changes or additions you'd like to see, now is the time to let us know for version 1.0.

Downloads:
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=3979
http://planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=OblivionMods.Detail&id=829

From the Readme:

Description

Harvest[Containers] was designed to allow players to easily see which containers they had already searched. Along the way, that goal turned it into a popular mod for realism fans as well. When you search inside a container, its appearance will change. In most cases this means the container will animate open, but there are a few exceptions as explained in the Details section. Most containers can be manually reclosed by activating them again in Sneak Mode. All containers that are set to respawn will return to their closed state when the cell is reset (3 game days by default). Non-respawning containers will stay open forever unless you manually close them.

What's New

100% of the containers from vanilla Oblivion now have Harvest effects. Yay! See the Details section for information about some of the new additions.
All quest bugs that we were aware of have been fixed.
Optional experimental add-ons to replace handprints on crates and flat-topped barrels.
The harvest effect on containers in player-owned homes is now optional.

Installation for OBMM users

If you use OBMM to install and manage your mods, omod conversion data in included in the archive. To build the omod, just launch OBMM, click "Create" at the bottom of the window, and in the new window click "Add Archive". Browse to the 7z file you downloaded. You'll be asked whether you want to import the omod conversion data. Click Yes. Then just click "Create omod".

When you install the new omod, you'll be given a couple of options with full descriptions. The choices you make at install time are completely reversible if you later change your mind. An readme called "Harvest[Containers] Readme.html" will also be added to your Data folder.

This mod can safely be added to a game in progress.

Important Note if you're upgrading: The main mod filename has changed. The previous file name was "DEJ Harvest - Containers [Combo].esp" for reasons passing all comprehension. It is now simply "Harvest[Containers].esp" and will remain so in all future versions for the sake of sanity. Make sure you've removed the old ESP file, since the new one will not overwrite it.

Manual Installation

For those not using OBMM, you can simply extract the 7z file in your Data directory. If you were using a previous version of Harvest[Containers], some files will be overwritten. Files from other mods will not be affected. This mod can be safely added to or upgraded in a game in progress.

Important Note if you're upgrading: The main mod filename has changed. The previous file name was "DEJ Harvest - Containers [Combo].esp" for reasons passing all comprehension. It is now simply "Harvest[Containers].esp" and will remain so in all future versions for the sake of sanity. Make sure you've removed the old ESP file, since the new one will not overwrite it.

You have some choices to make about which ESP files you want to activate. Add-ons should be loaded after the base mod if used.

Harvest[Containers].esp is the base file. All users need to enable this file.

Harvest[Containers] - Player Home Add-on.esp should be activated if you want containers in your character's own homes to use the Harvest animations. If you do not activate this mod, containers in player homes will behave the same way that they do in vanilla Oblivion.

Harvest[Containers] - Havok Crates Add-on.esp is an experimental alternative for crate-type containers. If activated, it should be loaded after the base H[C] mod. In the base mod, crates that you have searched are marked with handprints which can be "wiped away" by activating the crate again in Sneak Mode. In this alternative mod, sides of the crate will fall open using Havok physics when they are activated and can be reclosed by activating the crate again. This is experimental because Havok doesn't always behave nicely, and the sides that fall down sometimes bounce around uncontrollably. Use of Havok on the crates also uses more system resources and may cause slowing in areas where you've opened a lot of crates. If you try this add-on, we'd really appreciate any feedback you can give us. Note that if you use this add-on, all crates in player homes will be affected by it regardless of whether you use the Player Homes Add-On.

Harvest[Containers] - Flat-Top Barrels Add-on.esp is an alternative for the barrels that have handprints on them in the base mod and in earlier versions of H[C]. If activated, it should be loaded after the base H[C] mod. These barrels will animate open just like the barrels with handles on top. They are in a separate mod because non-havok items such as sacks, candles, or more barrels are often stacked on top of of these barrels, and the animation will clip through such objects leaving them floating where the lid used to be. This problem is partially solved by running mmpld's http://www.tessource.net/files/file.php?id=7920 with H[C]. Neither handprints nor animations are a perfect solution, so it is up to you which version suits you best. Note that if you use this add-on, all flat-top barrels in player homes will be affected by it regardless of whether you use the Player Homes Add-On.

Any of the 3 optional mods can be turned on or off at any time, so you're free to test them and decide which combo you like best. You can also safely merge any of the add-ons with the base mod if you choose. If you do merge, the base mod should be number 1 in your merge list, and the add-on should be 2 or higher.

After extracting the archive, you can delete the folder called "omod conversion data" that will be created in your Data folder.

Removing the Mod

Harvest[Containers] can be safely removed from your game if you choose. In addition to the base esp and any optional add-ons you installed, you can safely remove the following folders:

\meshes\harvest\containers
\textures\Harvest\Containers

Details and Playing the Mod

Harvest [Containers] allows you to easily see what containers you have already searched and makes opening containers more natural and realistic. Containers are animated open so that, for instance, when you activate a cabinet the doors swing open. You can leave the container open as a visual cue that you've already looked inside it or you can close the container again by entering Sneak Mode and activating it again. Any type of container that you'd expect to be able to close in real life can be closed using this method. NPCs using containers will open and then instantly reclose them.

There are a few types of objects with different behaviors where it is more realistic. You can not close an ore vein, for instance. A few containers actually disappear when harvested where that is more natural than opening/closing them. Roast rat is an example of this; rather than open the rat, your remove it from the spit. Sacks are another special case. When you open them, they tip over.

Crates and flat-top barrels (those barrels without a handle on top) can not be animated without causing a lot of clipping. By default, rather than animating open, these containers will be marked with handprints when you open them and wiped clean when you close them in Sneak Mode. Alternative methods are provided in optional add-ons as described in the Manual Installation instructions.

A new special case in this version is the necromancer's altar at Dark Fissure that can turn grand soul gems into back soul gems. The Harvest animation allows you to see the gem transform. To use the altar, place your empty grand gem into it and cast a "Dispel" spell at it just like always. You will see your gem converted into a black gem. Activating the altar again will automatically remove the black gem and put it into your inventory. If you have placed multiple grand gems into the altar, they must be converted to black gems one at a time. Rescripting the altar makes it incompatible with the mod "Easier Black Soul Gems" which allows the altar to be used on any day instead of only once a week. We have included a hidden work-around for users of that mod. If you want to be able to use the altar every day, see the Compatibilities section for an explanation.

The mod does not change the contents of any container or any container's ability to respawn new contents. If the containers was safe for your character to store things before adding the mod, it will still be safe with the mod. Lock Picking will still work the same as in vanilla Oblivion.

By default, containers in player-owned homes will not be affected by H[C]. If you would like containers in your home to use the Harvest animations, you can install the optional add-on for player homes.

Compatibility/Conflicts

Using this mod with OOO

Harvest [Containers] is not compatible with the lock-bashing scripts from OOO 1.3, but the mods are otherwise compatible. If you would like to use Harvest [Containers] with OOO 1.3, you should load Harvest [Containers] after OOO and be aware that you will lose the ability to bash locks. To use lock bashing and Harvest [Containers] at the same time, try adding the http://www.tessource.net/files/file.php?id=4999 by scruggs.
Harvest [Containers] is being merged into the next release, there is a http://www.gamesas.com/bgsforums/index.php?showtopic=675793.

Using this mod with Francesco's Mod

Francesco has provided a compatibility mod for Harvest[Containers] which you can find in the 3rd post http://www.elderscrolls.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=623093. Although the compatibility mod was created for the previous version of H[C], it will continue to work properly with this update. As stated in the link above, your load order should be like this:

Fran's esm files
Fran's optional add-ons
Harvest[Containers]
Fran's HC compatibility mod

Many thanks to Fran for taking the time to address compatibility with H[C] and other mods.

Easier Black Soul Gems

"Easier Black Soul Gems" is a small mod that allows players to use the necromancer's altar at Dark Fissure every day rather than the default one day a week. Since this mod changes the same script as H[C], the 2 mods are incompatible. We have included a work-around for player who would like to be able to use the altar every day. To enable this feature, your character must be wearing a necromancer's hood and robe (readily available in the cave itself) and activate the altar while in Sneak mode. To revert to the default 1 day per week, repeat the same process. The multiple requirements to activate this feature are to prevent unintentionally triggering it, since some players will consider this a cheat.

Other mods

Any mod that adds scripts to all or most of the vanilla Oblivion containers will be incompatible with Harvest[Containers]. This includes lock bashing mods except for Scrugg's http://www.tessource.net/files/file.php?id=4999.

Mods that script only a few types of containers such as Martigen's http://www.tessource.net/files/file.php?id=5276 should be loaded after Harvest[Containers]. You will lose the harvest animation effects on only the containers scripted by the other mod. Mart has kindly offered to provide an H[C] compatibility mod with the next release of Cats & Rats. In the meantime, loading C&R after H[C] only means losing animation effects on some crates and barrels.

Loot mods that alter the vanilla containers to add new contents can be safely merged with Harvest[Containers] for full compatibility. If you don't know how to merge mods, there's a short walk-through in the mod's readme.

Known Issues

On some rare occasions, a container will appear to animate open before you have picked the lock on it. This is due to some shortcomings our ability to test the ownership of the container. While our workaround is a little visually odd, it's the best we could do without making changes to gameplay.

In some places the animations may clip with nearby walls or objects. We've done our best to limit the amount of clipping, but it's not possible to check every container in every cell.

Credits and Blame

This mod was built and tested by the TESModdersDen Team. You can join us at #TESModdersDen on Quakenet if you'd like to join the team or have another project you'd be interested in working with us on. Specific credits for the initialed contributions in the mod are:

Dejunai ( DEJ, aka Dejaside)
mmmpld ( P1D )
XMarksTheSpot ( XMS )
PhoenixAmon ( PA, aka Daleth)

Special thanks to the beta testers for this release: Sheathana'ich and Redfirebird87

Thank you to all other beta volunteers and to everyone who has participated in our many forum topics about this mod. Because of your suggestions and encouragement, this mod has grown into more than we ever imagined.

Permissions for Reuse

Meshes and scripts from H[C] may be freely reused or dissected. If you want to add the Harvest effect to your custom containers and need help with the scripting you can join us on Quakenet (IRC) at #TESModdersDen or send a PM to Dejunai. If you're trying to learn animations, you may find XMS's http://cs.elderscrolls.com/constwiki/index.php/Basic_Animation_Tutorial a good place to start.

Future Plans

The future development of Harvest[Containers] is uncertain... we've been working on it for a long time and all have other projects we'd like to give some attention to. However we still have ideas for H[C] that we'd like to implement if we can. Here are some of the things we've been discussing lately:

Silent auto-open animations for all containers so that you don't hear or see then open when you re-enter a cell that you've already searched.

Random static contents for containers (visuals only) to make them look less bare when opened.

Reworking of the major scripts.

Splitting of major scripts to an ESM file for easier reuse by other modders.

Thanks for starting the new thread, Pld.

thanks again for this great modification!

will any work be done for SI?
also, has the bug been fixed that would make all containers still open after i closed them all (IE major slow down because of this in the market district)

Will this mod replace the need for the Realistic Flora mod I currently use? The animated avatar of one user shows corn effects, but effects for flora doesn't really seem to be addressed anywhere else that I could find.

Yes, there's work in progress on the new containers added in SI. There aren't many new ones. I can't answer the question about the bug. I've never even heard of it before.


This mod is specifically about containers. Harvest Flora is another project entirely.

Any word on when the bugfix version (not necessarily the SI version ) will be "officially" released? Newcomer24 is waiting on the final "fixed" version before releasing an HC compatibility patch for Francesco's, so people like me that can't do without your mod are stuck unable to update Fran's at this point.

I have had no issues with the bugfix you released, just curious if this is going to be "officially" finished soon.

Seconded! Please free us of our misery!

So I'm still seeing a number of broken animations with the new version. In the Mage's Guild in Chorrol, I came across a number of containers that would have disappearing drawers, doors looking like they're falling off their hinges etc. And when I reloaded a game, many of these would reset to the default graphics and no longer be animated. Have you considered just starting from scratch and rebuilding it with the new patch/toolset in mind? It might be easier than trying to fix what's been broken.

I would also like an answer. Consider this a bump. I know OOO 1.32 Beta is now out, 1.32 RC1 should be out by the end of the weekend, and possibly final out in the next week or two. Harvest Containers is now integrated and not even optional with 1.32, so a "final" fix would be great. Thanks for you hard work!

I just checked every container in the guild and everything animated fine. Check you installed the new meshes to the right place.

Strange, they were definitely in the right place. Could it have something to do with the fact that I was running Francesco's? I know the two mods aren't compatible, but I was running Harvest after Francesco's in the load order thinking it would just override it.

H[C] should run fine loaded after Fran's. Try re-downloading from a different mirror in the second post (in case one of the uploads is the wrong file) and re-install.

where can i get Fran's HC compatibility mod? link on Fran's page above is dead.

He doesn't have one for his latest version yet.

OK I did that and I now have 99_08b, is that the right one?

Sounds right to me.

In which way does it interfere with Fran's then? Surely there's still a compatibility patch by Fran needed, right? Or can I use the latest beta + Fran's without running into trouble? It's just that I don't wanna miss out on chests or stuff as I never really understood where the potential conflicts lie

Thanks!

If you load HC after Frans without a compatibility patch you lose all changes Newcomer made to containers, including adjusted loot tables, scripts for lock adjustments, etc.

This is why we need a non-beta release of HC so Newcomer can make his compatibility patch.

Crossing my fingers and hoping for the best.

I guess for Fran's you can't just install the resources from the latest HC beta because he has them all in a different path? Or is there some other problem?

[I think] the Fran patch is really a H[C] esp replacement with Fran's changes applied, so people running the current version of Fran's patch will loose new H[C] features (insta-open) and new Fran features (security stuff). Shouldn't be any problems using the new meshes.

So I definitely had the wrong version first time around, I see some files that I didn't have before. And I tried out the Puff crates add-on but it seems to still need some work, the animations were kind of all over the place. If any kind of object got into the panel's way it seemed to mess them up. It didn't seem to be a 1.2 issue, just the way they've been implemented. I think I'll stick with the hand print for now.

Tell me if I'm wrong, but does that mean we could use the new meshes plus Fran's "old" H[C] esp replacement without problems or losing anything?

Only with the old version of frans.

The new version of frans will need a new compatibility patch to update with the changes he has made with containers.

Unfortunately I'm stuck with frans 4.2 until this is finished and newcomer makes an update to the compatibility patch.