OK, so I'm slaving away adding new NPC's, aliases, and packages. But, I'm running into a problem as I test out new stuff as I add it. Let's say about 1/2 way through my quest, I decide to add a couple of new NPC's and want to enable them by a quest stage like stage 90 or whatever. I place my NPC's, set up their alias, and add "Alias_MyNewNPC.GetReference().Enable()" to my stage fragment. The stage is triggered by dialog thusly, "GetOwningQuest().SetStage(90)" and the stage sets properly. However, my new NPC does NOT enable if I test my work from a save I make just before initiating the dialog that sets the stage I need. The stage sets fine via the dialog because I usually use a debug notification to tell me so.

The only way I can get these new NPC's to enable like they should is to start from the very beginning from a save without my plugin loaded. Then it works fine. Is there no way to make changes like adding new NPC's and test it from a save made very close to the point I need them enabled? I'm wasting a crap load of time having to slog all the way through my quest time after time, just to make sure ONE damn NPC is doing what they're supposed to.

Please tell me there's something I'm missing. This is really a pain.

Welcome to developing mods. If you miss something you will have to start everything again and it won't work.

It wasn't like this with the GECK, but it didn't use aliases, and a different scripting method that loaded the scripts with the esp, not when the game loads. I guess that's the problem.

Kia Ora

Was this way with Oblivion,. and its to do with save game data saved in the char save file

You need to use a clean save, but you DON'T have to do your quest. You can just advance its stages using a batch file.

You put a text file with the extension .txt, for example test.txt, in your Skyrim folder (not the Data folder), and in it you put console commands. such as

setstage MyQuest 30

Then, ingame, you'd enter the console command

bat test 

or whatever you'd named the file (without the txt extension).

Using console commands to advance your quest isn't a good testing method either. It needs to be tested the way a player would encounter it.

So yes, any time you add a new alias you have to go back to the start and do it all over again. Aliases only fill once when the quest starts.

None of the previous games had this problem since they didn't use aliases and it was easy to make incremental fixes as you tested, though it was still a good idea to retest from the start once you were done.

I agree with the second sentence, but not the first. Console commands save a huge amount of time when you're getting things roughly into shape, but of course they have to be playtested afterwards.

I think you can also use console commands to fill an alias that has been created after the quest has started.

ssq sets a quest as the scope of subsequent console commands, and
ForceRefIntoAlias will force the selected actor into that quest's alias.

I agree completely with the importance of fully playtesting a mod just as users will experience it, but during a development rather than testing phase, the above may be useful.

I always use the savegame command and savegame mystage10, etc so I can minimize testing. Of course once its completed I test it with a new character from a-z but along the way I use my save games.

You could make a quest to update your aliases and then disable/delete it when your done to save time.

Without question, I always play test my mods dozens of times from start to finish once they're completed, as well as probably dozens upon dozens of times during development. I certainly wouldn't release a mod without extensive testing, lol. This one I plan on soliciting beta testers before it's released as well. There's just too much that can go wrong not to.

The hardest part is that much of this stuff I'm making up as I go. I'll be adding one section and the lightbulb will go off in my head about something else that I'll add in later. I wish I was one of those who could write the entire mod from beginning to end, know exactly what to create and dive in and get busy. Unfortunately, I ain't that guy, lol, so I'm sometimes flying by the seat of my pants.



Thanks.

What I would do is place an actual ref of your NPC where your alias would spawn. This way you can coc/saveGame test it for AI and whatever else. Once you get it all in-line, then delete that ref in your plugin and playtest the quest-driven stuff/etc. I suppose you may have to make a temporary clone of the baseObject for that actor and tweak it though - if some of the AI or items/etc are quest/alias driven...

[EDIT: I would also make a separate copy of the plugin file itself for this type of testing. Then once you have it all figured out, apply the changes to a 'clean' version of the plugin, to avoid 'missing this-that and the other thing' errors or other dirty stuff.]