I'm trying to set the location alias for a quest objective to "boss chest in nearest unexplored dungeon," but this doesn't seem to be an option on the Location Alias menu.

Am I going about this the wrong way? Perhaps I need to use a reference alias instead of a location alias?

My goal is to have a quest stage where the player must find a specific item that spawns in said random boss chest. Do I need to use the story manager for this, or can I make a simple standalone side quest even though the location will be random?

Are you mixing up Quests and Story-Manger's ability allow your Quests to be "radiant"?

To fill a Quest with "random" (radiant) variables, you use Story Manager. Story Manager lets you select all the "boss stuff", and then allows you to start a Quest ... The Aliases in that Quest are then filled with the data (random/radiant) created by Story Manager

There's a tutorial, of sorts, here: http://www.creationkit.com/Radiant_Story more on Story Manager here: http://www.creationkit.com/Category:Story_Manager and here: http://www.creationkit.com/SM_Event_Node


Have fun

I don't think you can use a location alias for the purpose I think you are describing (putting a quest item in a chest), you would have to use a reference alias for that.

I'm using a story manager node to trigger the start of the quest whenever the player learns a new word of power.

I was able to set up the courier quest, and it's working OK. I'm just not quite clear how to place my "Tempered Aetherium" item in the boss chest of a random dungeon (stage 30). When I try to set a reference alias for the dungeon, I'm not sure which settings to use on the reference alias menu to make it a random unexplored dungeon, or whether I need to make another node in the story manager to identify the dungeon alias.

Here is a list of the planned quest stages:


10. courier visits player, delivers note.
20. when player reads note, script adds book to player inventory and starts quest objective to read book.
30. when player reads book, quest objective changes to retrieve Tempered Aetherium from boss chest in
40. when player retrieves Tempered Aetherium, quest objective changes to obtain Amulet of Talos
50. when player obtains an Amulet of Talos, quest objective changes to visit hidden Shrine of Talos on High Hrothgar
60. when player activates shrine of talos, message box asks if player wishes to craft Amulet of Dovah Mir or locate another source of Tempered Aetherium
70. if player chooses "craft amulet," message box tells player to insert Aetherium and Amulet of Talos inside a container
80. when player shouts at container, message box tells player to retrieve Amulet of Dovah Mir

• Make a Sub-Quest that SM activates when you get to the end of Stage20 (this sub-quest replaces stage 30)
  
• That should (if my memory of this is correct) start your sub-quest AND pass in the actual reference to the randomly-selected chest
  
• Then, make a CREATE-IN Alias, in this sub-quest ... creating a reference of your Tempered Aetherium Object, inside the container (as passed in by SM)
  
• Have an OnContainerChanged event on this Tempered Aetherium Object ... when picked up by the player
  
  • Complete the Sub-Quest (mySubQuest.stop())
    
  • SetStage on your Main Quest to be 40 (still in the script on the Tempered Aetherium!)
    
  • (make sure you check the relevant - final - stage of the sub-quest as Completed Quest)
    
  • Should be all good

Oh wow, thank you so much - a "Create In" Alias seems like it will work.

To make sure I understand correctly, when you say make a sub-quest, you mean make an entirely new quest object, right? Or a sub node of the Player Add Item SM Event Node?

Yes

Although you know (as the designer) that it is a sub-quest of your main quest, it is a completely independant Quest Object as far as the CK is concerned

Note: You could make all of this happen in the one big quest (probably) by Filling the Create-In Alias well before you need it (but the player does not know it is there, because he/she has NOT been given an Objective to it).

But, I think it is easier, logically, to split the quest up (with a sub quest) and do the filling at the point it makes sense in the quest-chain.

This seems like great solution, thanks very much for your help!