Remote Control Companions Plus

This is not a companion mod, but a companion control mod. It adds a central control system for up to 8 of your current companions. There are the standard wait, follow, and share options, plus many advanced options like setting up patrol routes, mark and recall, tactical position orders, and a lot more (see the read me below for a complete description of each option).

Since this is a rebuild of RCC, and FWE includes that mod as part of its package, you will have 2 command headsets. Each should work in its own context though. If anyone notices problems let me know so I can fix.

Remote Control Companions Plus

RemoteControlCompanionsPlus.esp

This mod requires the latest version of FOSE (currently v1.2 beta2.7z)
You can download FOSE here http://fose.silverlock.org/

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Change Log
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3/22/10 Finished the Edit Stats to include Special, and all skills now.

Changed the Move To Target package so that it will remain persistent. You can Leave your companion there, and they should stay indefinitely where as before they would Re-Evaluate on cell load or when loading a save. When selecting All in this option companions will form up in a tight group around the Marker location, where as before they would all be trying to get to the same spot.

Also changed the Add a Companion option a little. I was getting a bug occasionally where if I didn't select a companion while the option was running, after some time the shader would stop, and the script would produce an error making it impossible to access the Headset options again. This would also result in the activate distance getting locked in distant mode until the game was reloaded. Now the activate distance is not changed when using this option, so you need to be within activate distance of the companion you want to add.

3/21/10 Adjusted attack target command so if your companion shoots a friendly player it will be considered a crime, and that faction will respond by attacking you and your companions. Crime is ignored if the target of the attack is a player teammate. Don't attack friendly targets with this command if you don't want a war on your hands.

There are now two wait options. Wait (avoid combat) and the normal Wait. Both should remain persistent if you leave your companion for extended periods of time.

Added the option to edit companions SPECIAL stats. Selecting Edit from the view stats menu will open an editing window with the number of stored points displayed on the first line. You must lower a stat to gain stored points. Each time you lower or raise a stat the actors skill and the stored points will be updated to the new value. While you have stored points you will not be able to exit the menus. Spend all stored points so that the stored points shows zero, then you can exit the menu, or edit another actor. Only SPECIAL stats are included in this update, the normal skills will be in the next update.

Changed the first two main menus to have the More button and the third menu has the Exit button.

Adjusted the Companion Tracking option so that when you select a companion to track the Companion Tracker Quest is automatically selected as the active quest.

Added two new options to the Bonus Menu. Bonus Menu is accessed by holding the use/activate button while activating the Command Headset.

1. Print Companions to Console - This option will print the names of actors you have added to the Command Headset Companion List to the console. After using this option open the console (default button is ~) and you will see a list like the following...

1-Jericho
2-Harry
3-Joe
4-

The indicates that that slot is empty and has not has a companion set to it yet. If you have a mod spamming stuff to console you might not see the results. This is basically a work around as currently we can't pass Names into message boxes.

2. Print Locations to Console - Works just like the Companion version, but prints the locations you save with Mark and Recall. If you are upgrading to this version from another version you will need to mark your locations again to have their names stored.

3/16/10 Changed the Attack Target command. Now when using this option your companion will shoot their currently equipped weapon up to 5 times at the target. This may not trigger detection if the distance is great enough. Doesn't work for mele weapons, they will just swing where they are standing.

3/14/10 Busy day I know. Changed the follow packages to make sure they remain persistant. Some people related problems getting actors to follow through doors, so hopefully this will fix it.

3/14/10 Adjusted the speed setting on the Move to Target command so that using the sneak button so slow the movement will stop at the lowest speed. Previously it could go into negative numbers effectively reversing the functions of the move closer, and away buttons, and reverse the speed buttons.

Added a few new stats to the View Companions Stats option. It will now display Vital Statistics for Health, Head, Torso, and Limb conditions in addition to Crit Chance and Defense Rating in their current armor.

3/14/10 Changes to the Move to Target option once again. In addition to the earlier changes I added a way to adjust the height of the Marker Actor when you need it to reach higher areas, or raise it up out of a static mesh. Pressing the attack and zoom button at the same time will raise the Marker Actor, releasing them will let him fall to the surface.

You can also adjust the speed at which the Marker Actor moves to and away from you. Pressing the run button will increase the speed, pressing the sneak button will lower the speed. The adjustment is very gradual to allow fine tuning for PCs of different performance. It may be necessary to hold the appropriate button for 10 seconds or more to notice a change.

Also added a way to rotate the Marker Actor. Your companion will face the same direction as the Marker Actor when they reach the Move to area so this adjustment will orient them in the direction you want them to face. Pressing the Grab key rotates the actor clockwise. It may be helpful to make this adjustment before setting the distance because as the Marker Actor gets further away it may be difficult to tell his actual facing direction.

NOTE: For best results make sure the Marker Actor is not burried is a static mesh. Slightly adjusting the height should move him to a good position on the mesh if he is burried. If you give an order for your companion to move to a location where the Marker is burried they will not be able to reach the exact spot which will result in them standing near the area, or frantically moving about trying to get to the spot.

3/13/10 Changed the way the Move to Target option works. Selecting this option will place the Blue Marker NPC in front of the player. The Marker NPC will stay in front of the player, and the attack and zoom controls will be temporarily disabled to allow the attack control to move the Marker NPC away from the player, and the zoom button will move it closer. When the Marker NPC is in position pressing the use/activate button will open the menu that lest you select the speed your companion will move to the target, walk, run, or sneak, then you will select which companion to execute the order. To cancel the order after pressing activate just select the exit option. The attack and zoom buttons will be restored after making a selection from the menus.

3/12/10 Adjusted the radius of the package used in the Move to Target command so that actors remain in one place when arriving at the location instead of wandering in a small radius. Of course combat behavior will effect this as they will move about to target threats.

Changed the wait command so that if the player is sneaking when giving the wait order companions will sneak also while waiting (no smoking). They will then remain in sneak mode until given another command.

Added smoking idles to Patrol Points option. If the NPC has cigarettes they will smoke while patrolling. Smoking actors will occasionally pause for a few seconds at certain points of their assigned path.

3/6/10 Fixed an issue with the follow and wait orders not working properly when selecting a single companion.

3/4/10 Added a new command in the Mark and Recall option that lets you warp your companions to your current location. Added smoking idles to the Follow, Follow Long, and Wait options. If your companion has cigarettes in their inventory they will smoke while following or waiting.

3/1/10 Added new commands Relax, Sit, Eat, Drink, and Sleep. See Instructions and Description of Selections for details.

2/28/10 Added missing Pip-Boy textures and a new command to remove script packages. This new command should be used if you elect to use your companions default control options instead of the Command Headset options. Some companions will fail to respond to their default control system after giving them a command from the Command Headset, so this option will fix that.

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Intro
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This is a rebuild of my Remote Control Companions mod that lets you use the command features on any companion, not just the vanilla Fallout 3 followers. Companions are added to a list using the "Add a Companion" selection. Then you assign a numbered position to that companion for use when issuing commands. Companions must be set to "Player Teammate" to be added to the companion list. You can have up to 8 companions on the list at any given time.

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Instructions
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When you start the mod an item will be added to the inventory called Command Headset. Bind the Headset to a hot key for best results. If you don't use a hot key and choose to activate the headset from the inventory by clicking on it you will have to exit the inventory to continue.

Activating the Command Headset brings up the following selections.

Share
Follow
Follow Long
Wait (avoid combat)
Wait
Add a Companion
Remove a Companion
Select and Lock Companions Gear
Unlock Companions Gear
More

Selecting More will show the following options. You can also shortcut to this menu by holding down the block/zoom button when activating the Command Headset.

Attack Target
Move to Target
Patrol Points
Mark and Recall
Companion Tracking
Resurrect Companion
View Companion Stats
Essential and Quest Item Settings
Remove Script Package
More

The bonus menu is now back and includes the following commands. This menu is currently accessed by holding down the activate button while activating the Command Headset. This menu does not include the all command for multiple followers, but it will loop back to the command options after selecting an option and follower.

Relax
Sit
Drink
Eat
Sleep
Print Companions to Console
Print Locations to Console
Exit


Before you use any of the commands you have to select "Add a Companion". After making this selection any actor you target will play a shader effect. Green actors can be added by pressing the activate button, pressing activate while targeting a red shaded actor will give a message saying the actor can not be added to the list. Only actors that are set to "Player Teammate" can be added. Most companions should be set to player teammate. When you add a green shaded actor you will see a menu with buttons numbered 1 - 8. Select a numbered position and that number will be assigned to that companion for the rest of the menu selections.

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Description of selections
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Share - Opens the selected companions inventory

Follow - Sets the selected companion to follow mode

Follow Long - Sets the companion to follow at a greater distance

Wait - Sets the companion to wait at their current location

Add a Companion - As stated above this is used to set your companions to a numbered slot in the menus

Remove a Companion - This will remove a companion from their current slot, and remove script packages added by this mod

Force Companion's Gear - This option opens an empty container where you can add items you want your companion to equip. Just transfer items from your inventory to the empty container and your companion will equip those items, and be unable to remove them. Only works for wearable items and weapons. With forced gear you will be unable to remove the items your companion has equipped when using the share items option. To unlock those items so that they can be removed use the following command "Remove Force Companions Gear".

Remove Force Companion's Gear - This will over ride the above command that locks the companions gear, and open his inventory so that you can remove/add items with out them being locked in equip mode.

Attack Target - Order your companions to take up to 5 shots at a target with their current weapon from their current position. Won't cause detection is some cases if the distance is great enough.

Move To Target - This option will place a blue shaded actor into a position near your cross hair. This actor represents the relative position that your companion will try to reach when giving this order. Pressing the attack button will increase the distance of the Marker NPC, and the zoom button will decrease the distance. When the Blue shaded actor is in a position you want your companion to move to, press the activate button then order your companions to Run, Walk, or Sneak to the location. Use this as a type of tactical order to get your companions into positions you want them in. This option can be used even in combat to have your companions move to another location while laying down cover fire, or even retreat if you select an area far away from the fighting. Additional adjustments can be made to the Marker Actor. Holding the Attack and Zoom buttons will raise the Marker Actor. This can be used to set him at levels higher up that he could not normally reach (of course if the area doesn't have a clear path that your companion can navigate to the location they may not try, or they may take an unusual path determined by the pathgrid, so use your common sense). Pressing the Grab key will rotate the Marker Actor clockwise. When your companion reaches their destination they will face the direction the Marker Actor was facing, so you can use this to orient them properly. Lastly you can adjust the speed at which the Marker Actor moves to and away from you by holding down the run key to increase the speed, and the sneak key to decrease speed. The adjustment is very gradual so it may take more than 10 seconds to notice a difference.

Patrol Points - With this option you can set up 4 different patrol paths, and have your companions use them. You have the choice of 2,3,4 or 5 patrol points which you place by pressing the activate button for each point. Once you set the path up you can select one of your followers to start patrolling the points you have laid out immediately, or you can select abandon which leaves the path points in place, but doesn't assign an actor to patrol them. Select the next command "Use Existing Patrol Points" to get actors to follow patrol points already set up. You can set these up out side your homes, or where ever you need, and they will remain there and usable with the use existing patrol points option. You can relocate them at any time also.

Mark and Recall - Works like most mark and recall options, but this lets you set eight different locations. You have the options to warp to marked locations alone, with your companions, or select to warp only one or all of your companions. If you choose to warp with your companions only companions that are about 50 feet away will warp with you. Companions warped by themselves will be given a wait package set to expire after 100 days so they should stay put until you need them again. When placing markers leave enough room for your companions to warp there with you. They form a pretty tight circle around the player if you warp with more than one, but care should be taken to leave ample room to avoid getting stuck in small areas. This function now has an additional selection to "Send Companion to my Current Location" allowing warping a companion to you with less clicks.

Companion Tracking - Lost track of your companion? Not a problem, select the Companion Tracker quest as your active quest, then select Companion Tracking from the options menu to choose from a list of your followers. The follower you select will then be marked with a quest arrow to make them easy to locate. You can use this to locate followers you haven't acquired yet too, as it will show their current locations also. If you haven't completed the quest that returns you to Vault 101 then butch won't show properly as he is disabled until that quest is over.

Resurrect Follower - Companion died and you are sad? You must have one each Med-X, Buffout, Jet, and Stimpak to resurrect your companion.Target the downed teammate with your cross hair and use the resurrect option. You must be close enough that you can activate them for this to work. Make sure to take any items you gave them before using this option in case their inventory gets reset. I am removing their items to a safe container, then replacing them after they are resurrected so you may not have to remove their stuff, but better safe then sorry. It has been reported that resurrecting actors can cause crashes in some cases so make a save before you resurrect them if you have any doubt. This option will reset some variables relating to the death of the follower to ensure nothing is broken by resurrecting them. It will also set them to follow default mode when resurrected.

View Companion Stats - Lets you view your companions S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes, Skills and Vital Statistics. You can also edit your companions stats from this menu by selecting Edit under the skill set. This Edit option will track the points you have removed, and added. You must first remove a point to be able to add it somewhere else. Stored points are displayed on the first line of the menu, and if greater than 0 you will not be able to exit the menus until you spend those points. Only SPECIAL edits are added in this version.

Essential and Quest Item Status - Lets you toggle both of these settings on or off on your companion. Essential means the companion can't die, but can be knocked out for a brief period of time. Quest Item will give your companions priority when the player is changing progress states, like moving through a load door. It will also prevent dead companions from being removed from the game if the cell they are in is reset. This can give you time if you want to resurrect them but don't have the chems. Most of the companions are not quest items so use this setting to change that.

Remove Script Package - This option will remove script packages added by this mod. For some companions it may be necessary to use this option if you elect to use your companions normal commands instead of using the Command Headset. If you use your companions normal commands after using a command from the Command Headset, and they do not respond use this option to force them back into their default behavior.

Relax - This is a sand box package that has a radius of 2000 game units (about 100 feet). This package will allow your companion to wander around and use random idle markers if they are present in the current cell. This command is not persistant so it should only be used when you are in the same cell as your companion. If you reload a save or the actor re-evaluates their packages it will be removed.

Sit - Should allow the actor to sit if a chair is near their location.

Eat - Actor will eat iguana bits. Most times they will try to find a place to sit when eating. If they don't have iguana bits it will be added for the package.

Drink - Actor will drink a Nuka Cola, or a beer based on a random percent. Again they will try to find a place to sit when drinking, and a drink will be provided for use in the package.

Sleep - Actor will sleep if a non-owned bed is near.

Print Companions to Console - This option will ptinr the names of actors you have added to the Command Headset Companion List to the console. After using this option open the console (default button is ~) and you will see a list like the following...

1-Jericho
2-Harry
3-Joe
4-

The indicates that that slot is empty and has not has a companion set to it yet. If you have a mod spamming stuff to console you might not see the results.

Print Locations to Console - Works just like the Companion version, but prints the locations you save with Mark and Recall.

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Installation
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Extract the contents of this archive to the Fallout 3 Data folder. Select the RemoteControlCompanionsPlus.esp in the data files section, and launch the game. A few seconds after the game starts a Command Headset Item will be added to the players inventory. Equipping the Command Headset will open the options menu (I suggest adding the Command Headset to a hot key for fastest performance).
Patrol Path videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xa1K1E2_IU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8yQVtfpP4w

Mark and Recall video2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WmOC2HLvG0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeazCxvzwWw

Download
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=11444

Sounds good! After using the one in FWE I wanted my own follower to be included as well. Now he can!
I'll certainly be trying this out :hehe:

Any plans of integrating this new one into FWE? Gonna download this now.

Since I probably won't be playing for the rest of the day, is there anything physically distinguishing this from the original in the Pip-Boy menu?

If the FWE guys want to use it they can after some initial testing to make sure I find any errors or fix things people notice.

Since I used RCC as a base the item is identical. If you have both versions installed for some reason it will show 2 Command Headsets, but they have different initial menus so it should be clear which is which.

I really wanted to use the same method I did in my Oblivion version of this mod where the companions actual names are inserted into the buttons instead of using numbered locations, but since this message box function doesn't allow variables to be used for buttons that's what I'm stuck with.

Maybe add a Smoke command? Never the less, the Patrol command sounds awesome

We don't plan on integrating the new version of RCC into FWE right now. But . . . as mentioned by b3w4r3, you can run this mod alongside FWE. We changed the FWE headset back to a non-quest item, so you can drop the radio in a drawer or throw it into the Potomic and just use the one from this new version =)

That's very cool

I could probably do that.

I added the smoking, and a new command to the Mark and Recall that allows you to warp companions to your location with less clicks. The smoking is just added to the follow and wait packages now if the companion has cigarettes in their inventory. Adding a separate command to make them smoke seemed unnecessary and I think it's better this way. Here is the change info from the readme.

3/4/10 Added a new command in the Mark and Recall option that lets you warp your companions to your current location. Added smoking idles to the Follow, Follow Long, and Wait options. If your companion has cigarettes in their inventory they will smoke while following or waiting.

3/1/10 Added new commands Relax, Sit, Eat, Drink, and Sleep. See Instructions and Description of Selections for details.

2/28/10 Added missing Pip-Boy textures and a new command to remove script packages. This new command should be used if you elect to use your companions default control options instead of the Command Headset options. Some companions will fail to respond to their default control system after giving them a command from the Command Headset, so this option will fix that.

This is brilliant, Dogmeat is staying where I told him instead of running off to Vault 101 when I leave alone too long. The only problem I've had is a similar type that was reported in another mods thread, if the mod is active at the start of the game the item is removed from your inventory by the time you get your pipboy given to you.

Well in this version I don't modify the followers wait time so he will return to vault 101 eventually. In the version I did for only vanilla followers I keep setting the follower wait time to 100 days every time the Headset is used. I didn't add it to this version because some people might not want that, and honestly it's probably best handled by a mod that removes follower wait timer completely, or keeps adjusting it. If you use Dogmeat's wait command from his dialogue, or any of the vanilla followers for that matter, they will return to their wait location when the timer runs out, usually 7 days, unless they are in your Megaton home or the Tenpenny Tower home.

If the Headset gets lost when starting a new game just reloading the mod (on a clean save without the mod active) will add it back.

I noticed that last night after I'd just activated and set up the mod. One of my followers I spoke to, the other I used the headset on, and he exited Moriarty's with me but wouldn't keep following. According to his details in the console he was still set as waiting.
I hadn't noticed anything else, though I haven't used very many options yet.

A sit option? Is that by itself and can be used outside of Wait? I had been trying to figure out how to get my custom follower to sit when I did, like what happened by default in Oblivion, but couldn't figure it out.

Thanks for the update, will grab it now

This mod uses script packages exclusively to control companions. Script packages sit on top of an actors editor added packages basically overriding them. They aren't meant to be permanent, but by setting up the flags properly some of them can be made to be persistent. So when the Command Headset adds one of these packages it can only be removed by using the removescriptpackage function, or adding another script package in its place. In oblivion it wasn't much of a problem because the majority of companion mods also used script packages, but with the addition of vanilla followers Bethesda used editor packages, and script variables to control them. Many people making companions for FO3 try to emulate what Bethesda did so their companions default dialogue commands won't respond when a persistent script package is added. I try to add enough commands so that users can use the Commands from this mod exclusively, and get good performance out of their companions, but I'm sure some will still want to use the dialogue commands also. So that's why the remove script package command is there.

The sit command is by itself yes. If you tell them to sit, and there is a chair nearby they should remain seated until you give them another command. It uses furniture as the target of the package so if there is a bed nearby also it may not be reliable. At least that's the way it is in Oblivion, sometimes they will sleep instead of sit :/ As far as getting them to sit when you do, that would require a script constantly running to check if the player is sitting, and add a package. The scripts in this mod (with the exception of the tracking script which can be turned off) only run for a few frames when the Headset is used. I won't add anything that has to run constantly as it's my experience with Oblivion companions that they already have a lot of checks running in a game mode block, and I really don't want to add to it.

Make sure to browse the readme for tips on short cutting to menus. The most used options are in the top level menu, but you can access the second level menu by holding the block/zoom button while activating the headset (this is the same menu you get by selecting "More") and the bonus menu with sit and stuff is accessed by holding activate while activating the Headset. That is the only way to get the bonus menu as there is no "More" option to take you there.

I'd posted a thread about it in the GECK forum and others told me that there wasn't a way to check if the player is sitting. Maybe there are ways around it, as you've done, but I'm no scripter so wouldn't have figured it out myself

I remember with my Mystic Elf companion, I wondered why at a campsite she'd go and sleep in nearby tent when I sat on a stool, even though there was another chair near me. Although once she did sit in the same chair I was currently occupying. That was a bit weird

Thanks!

You can certainly tell if the player is sitting using "if Player.GetSitting == 3".

I think with furniture objects, at least in Oblivion, actors will choose the one with the lowest (or maybe highest) formID to use. If that happens to be an unoccupied chair they sit, if it's a bed they sleep. If she sat in the chair you were already in maybe it was an issue with loading a save game where you were sitting.

I've not used dogmeats default dialogue after initially getting him to follow at all, just the headset to tell him to wait and after 11 days in dc he's still at megaton, I'm not complaining I was just surprised that he was still there. Also the headset being lost at the start of a new game happens without fail so I dont activate RCC until just before leaving the vault.

That's handy to know. I'll remember that for my next follower or even try and add it to my existing one. Thanks

Edit: I've been using the updated version and have a small problem, perhaps. Maybe it's not meant to happen, I don't know. I assume that followers only smoke if they have a cigarette, a carton or a pack in their inventories? I'm finding Charon and Harkness have become chain smokers even though they have none of those on them. It's only while waiting. Not following. Don't know about any of the other options as I haven't needed to select any of them yet.

I do like that warp option. I loathed it in Oblivion, probably because it was automatic. I came out of a drainage chamber and one follower got left behind. Ordinarily I'd use prid [NPC ID] moveto player to bring them back to me, but I now prefer the less cheaty way of the command headset. It works nicely, too. They don't arrive in the exact same spot I'm standing, which is great :hehe:

I uploaded a fix for them using the smoking idle when waiting if they don't have cigarettes. I just forgot to edit the package correctly, should work as intended now. Thanks for pointing it out.

BTW MystykStar would you be willing to upload a save game of this character http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/52/53043770.jpg ? Saw her in the Screen Shot thread a few weeks ago and thought she would make a good companion for me to test features on. I don't see it released in your mods anywhere so if you would rather not it's cool, just wanted to ask.

Thanks

I can do that. I don't use her anymore she was mainly for Primary Needs and Real Time Settler. When I got FWE I started a whole new character, as I do

Edit: Just PM'ed with the link to the file.

Thanks MystykStar, now I just have to wait for GaryBash to add the face exporter

I added a small patch to the optional files for people using Sharing and Caring Companions. That mod adds tokens to the companions that prevent any other mod from adding script packages to those actors (not a good thing IMO). I just commented out the sections that run in game mode and keep setting their packages back. It was unnecessary anyway and seemed to be problematic as an actor could have different tokens telling him to use different packages at the same time. It shouldn't affect the functions of SCC at all other than to let companions execute packages added to them from this mod (or any other mod that adds scriptpackages to actors) instead of being stuck in whatever command SCC gave them.

Uploaded a new version that fixes broken follow and wait commands from the Headset. When adding in the smoking idles I introduced some errors in the code that prevented individual follow and wait orders from working. Should be good to go now, and I did some limited testing with the Sharing and Caring Companions mod with my patch for that mod, and it also seems to be working nicely.

Are there any specifics for what a SCC companion should have to work? Because I have an old man as a companion and he works like any other companion but I can't add him to the command.

Open the console, click him, and type setplayerteammate 1.

Ok I'll give that a shot. Thanks.

I just thought of something.
You could do what I do when I re-use an old character. It works pretty well, too. Cynna has been re-used twice, now, but you'd never know
As long as the race is the same it seems to copy over perfectly. Apart from the hair, of course. I'm pretty sure Charlee is Caucasian.

http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=4094

If you ever used Facegen2Ob Converter for Oblivion it's like that, without the extra screens. You just put in the source face (Charlee) and the output face (New Save) and click Transfer and it's done. If you get an error it may be because the Special, Skills and Name haven't been set. But just something temporary is alright.

While waiting for the GaryBash feature to be included I've found it's a suitable alternative