I made this script that captures enemies by placing a cage around them. It works magnificently, except every time you turn around the prisoners became escapees. And I mean every time.

If you're looking at them, they don't clip through. I've done dozens of trials waiting for minutes at a time, and they don't escape. But if you look away and run for a few seconds, invariable they are out of their cages.

It is SUPER annoying. The only solution I see is maybe placing collision markers around their cages. Inelegant, but I want this to work.

Well, the navmesh determines where they can go when they're not on screen I imagine. You need to script some collision boxes that enable/disable when you activate their cage doors or whatever. Look at WhiterunDragonsreachWorld for an example, especially the "L_NAVCUT" boxes, which, I assume dynamically interrupts the navmesh.

The problem with that is, I don't believe what I call "abstract" objects like trigger boxes or collision cubes can be PlaceAtMe'd or they don't have any size. I could use a MoveTo, but I want this spell to be able to catch multiple actors, and I'd have to move tons of them around to accomplish this. Also, keeping ObjectReferences as sustained properties I've noticed causes save game bloat. So, it isn't a great option.
Is there a way to create a collision cube around an object ad hoc?
EDIT: Thought of a less elegant, but functional solution.

int i = 0while i < 45  if (LongCage2) && T.GetDistance(Prison) > 25 && T.GetDistance(LongCage2) > 25   T.SetPosition(X,Y,Z)  elseif T.GetDistance(Prison) > 25 && !LongCage2   T.SetPosition(X,Y,Z)  endIf  Utility.Wait(1)  i=i+1endWhile

lol

I noticed that the game engine sometimes moves NPC's to their package location or the nearest door marker, so I don't think, collision boxes and stuff will do the trick. A possible solution was to give them a StayAtCurrentLocation package, which could be done with an alias. You could start a mini quest when they are caught in the cage and ForceRef the alias to the captive. Just stop the quest when the cage door is opened and they will continue with their normal packages.

Meh, then I'd have to create a boatload of different aliases for if you cast the spell on up to X enemies simultaneously. I wound up just making the script move them back to inside the cage if they get too far away from it.

Do the NPC's packages tell them to go somewhere outside of the cage? If so then it isn't collisions that are the issue, the game is teleporting them. If an NPC is running along a navmesh (like in an open room) and fails to move for a certain period of time, they are teleported forward a bit. This is to prevent NPC's from being permanently stuck on 'bad' navmesh. I assume the game is simply waiting for you to look away so the player doesn't see them teleport.

Perhaps make the NPC's you're trapping alias's and give them a 'stand still' package? That would stop them from teleporting towards their packages current destination.

EDIT: Doh, I see that was just suggested.

I had a similar problem, sandboxing NPCs were teleporting past locked doors to reach the markers within their sandbox radius. I had to modify the package to cover a smaller area.

I also experienced this but with an object floating in the water. Calculating the Z position of a certain item in water when the player is not looking at it results in a value several units below what I received when I was looking at the item -- probably because the item wasn't actually floating if not in LOS of it. I solved this by placing the item in front of the player when it is created, which seemed to work. In my situation I just had to look at the item at least once when it is initially loaded in order for collision to work properly.

You could also try using !PlayerRef.HasLOS(ObjectRef) to do something if the player isn't looking at it. This was my initial idea for my problem but I decided the above solution was easier.

Perhaps disabling the objectRef's ai while the player is not looking then re-enable when they are, would this stop their packages temporarily and in turn the backup teleport mechanism?

- Hypno

If you dont want to deal with aliases and packages, I think you can have an npc call KeepOffsetFromActor on themself and it will effectively make them sit still until you call clearoffset.