Would a packages "Observe Combat Behavior" flag not being checked be the reason an NPC occasionally flees a combat area saying the "none of my business" line?

Is it possible to run a package on the player?

Is there any script commands or functions that can be used to force player input controls like walk forward or jump? (I know you can do turning)

How could one set up an invisible ref object so that it always stays a fixed world distance directly in front of the player (while moving & turning), based on the heading angle, but not tied to the players camera (no z axis)? any ideas?

Is it true that a map marker object (the placeable blue M box) has to be enabled at game load for its 'show on map' functions to work properly? (disabled = no worky even if you enable it)

On an objects property window, what's the significance of the "On Local Map" checkbox? I can't find any info on it... specifically, does it do just that and what are any caveats/limitations...

Thanks

1. The flag, if removed, causes the NPC to ignore any combat that unless of course he is attacked himself. For example, the two Enclave goons during Autumn-James scene have the flag unchecked so they wouldn't start shooting Janice. (When making my Enclave mod I enabled the flag for the soldiers, causing them to flee in fear).
2. Yes and no. You can run packages on the player using AddScriptPackage, but its functions are limited to animations. Enabling flags on player's packages will have no effect.
3. Not that I know of. For one, there is no such an instance in the vanilla game nor the DLC. The best you got is animations, which with first person view look like your character is moving. (See arriving at Point Lookout, or using the train in Broken Steel).
4. Don't know about that one. But Enclave Commander did something like that with its landing marker.
5. I'm not sure. Jefferson Memorial's marker does disappear after the Enclave invades it and is enabled again after Take It Back! Which means markers should work regardless of when they're enabled.
6. It will appear on the local map :shrug: Some big clutter like lockers would be seen on the map while for example blood decals should not be set visible.

Yes, i've had this issue numerous times on a follower, even when confidence was set to foolhardy, aggression 1 and assistance 1. It would ALWAYS happen during the 'Take it Back' Battle on the bridge. That was a couple of games ago and i've since un-ticked that box and have not had the flee behavior happen at all anymore.

Well, there's one answer

It can be done but as for "Always".... I don't think you really mean that. You wouldn't want something to just keep constantly being updated for this I don't think?

In Phalanx I have a script which causes an invisible intercom to appear a few feet in front of the player's face, and then I force him to activate it. It's part of the PFM that makes the player's Pip-Boy behave as though it has a 2-way radio built in. I always make it appear a specific difference from the player's face and a specific height because I actually use it as an intercom. The player's vision zooms in on it and I want the zoomage to look a certain way. I make the invisible intercom disappear shortly after the player is done with it.

The method you would use to create what you are thinking about would resemble this.

The code segment looks like this (the script is longer than this but this is the segment). It is a quest script.

float fAngleXfloat fAngleZfloat fDistancefloat fPosXfloat fPosYshort iPlayerHeightfloat fPlayerHeightbegin gamemode	PhalanxPipBoyIntercomLinkREF.enable; this segment from the GECK wiki useful scripts page, modified by Pelinor and Tarrant    set fAngleX to Player.GetAngle X    set fAngleX to abs fAngleX    set fAngleZ to Player.GetAngle Z * -1 + 90    if Player.IsSneaking        set iPlayerHeight to 78    else        set iPlayerHeight to 118    endif    set fDistance to iPlayerHeight * cos fAngleX / sin fAngleX    if fDistance > 128        set fDistance to 128    endif    set fAngleX to Player.GetAngle X * -1    set fPosX to fDistance * cos fAngleX * cos fAngleZ    set fPosY to fDistance * cos fAngleX * sin fAngleZ    set fPlayerHeight to iPlayerHeight	    PhalanxPipBoyIntercomLinkREF.MoveTo Player fPosX fPosY fPlayerHeight	PhalanxPipBoyIntercomLinkREF.activate player 1end

I was unaware that "observe combat behavior" worked like this. I don't even feel convinced after reading it. I'd have to try it myself and see.

But I know that in general, with assistance set to 1, you'd have followers primed to fight for the player. You want assistance 0 and, probably, aggresion 0, if you are trying to affect that kind of thing.

I know that script packages are used in a couple of places to force 1st person animations to play on the player, such as in the birth scene at the beginning of the game, but I don't know what, if any, special conditions are required for packages to work on the player.

FOSE's http://fose.silverlock.org/fose_command_doc.html#TapControl can be used for this. Otherwise, you'll need to find some otherway way to cause or fake the action.

I put an example of something like this up on the GECK Wiki a while ago after seeing it asked a few times. Here's a link - http://geck.gamesas.com/index.php/Useful_Scripts#Forced_Relative_Orientation

Cipscis

The behavior occured when there were a lot of actors involved in combat - during 'take it back', inside the capitol building with the Behemoth, and another time with a lot of BOS and SM fighting. I don't know what the root cause of the behaviour was - if it's a vanilla thing or something caused by MMM. I just know that when I unticked the box, the issue has never re-occured in these places in the last few games.

Awesome! Thanks very much guys.. every bit of that is helpful.

@RickerHK - The issue is indeed with a follower. On very rare occasions when I cross the line between seeing an enemy on radar, and when they have detected me, my follower spouts lines like "aint none of my business" and retreats in a full run to a long ways back, and stays there until the enemy is dead, then returns. I've spent ages trying to track it down in her faction relations and can't find the conflict. Was wondering if using that flag would nullify what appears to be a reaction to combat between 2 factions she's neutral or friendly with. I've even seen her do it when only a single molerat detected me, but it happens so rarely and so inconsistantly that it's hard to pin anything solid to it so I can say "ahh haaa, that's why".

@Tarrant & Cipsis - The ref object question is part of an idea I had to have my follower essentially "take point" when roaming the wasteland. Rather than attempt to script out all the angles and whatnot, and deal with what happens when an obstacle gets in their way (if it's even possible), having them follow an invis ref fixed in front of the player with a single package would be quite effective (destination troubleshooting and using the navmesh). Yes it could be enabled/disabled depending on her menu selections.. I'm thinking a holding cell/MoveTo setup based on the old summon rat method. I'd also like to set it up so that the refs position isn't updated if the player isn't moving.. that way one can look around without having your follower run circles around you. Much thanks for the code and linkage as examples of usage are much easier to work with, and that covers the bulk of the hurdles. Only thing I can think of at the moment that might be a problem would be steep/uneven terrain and how, if possible, to adjust the z position height based on the terrain under the refs location. I can see standing on a steep incline and having her trying to get at the ref hovering in mid air, or the opposite of trying to dive underground to get to it. Maybe have the ref use its own invis MoveTo object, a heavy non-rolling havok object dropped from several feet above the ref, a short pause, then match z pos and recall the drop object... repeat every few seconds or so.. yes? no?

@Pistolero - The issue I had with the portable map marker was it would not show no matter what IF it had been disabled prior. If I had it enabled at game load then no problems.. it did what it should and responded to both console and script based "show-hide-travel to" updates. It sure seemed though that once the object itself (not it's built in show functions) was physically disabled it ceased to be able to show itself on the map. I'll back track through that quest/stages and see if there's anything in there that might help. Thanks.

@Cipsis - Thanks.. yeah I was afraid there was no real control over player input, though the TapControl might be able to pull it off.. I dunno. This and also the player package question was related to a half-baked idea I had for an auto-pilot travel option for the player. Instead of interactively holding keys to walk somewhere, or using FT which kills the immersion, I thought it might be cool to set a destination and have the player be able to walk/run there without supervision, just like an NPC would. Not holding my breathe on this one...

Thanks