Companion Sandbox Mode
V2.3

By Povuholo

Ever annoyed by the fact that if you'd let your companions wait, they'd just stand there like a statue? Now you can make companions go into 'sandbox mode', which allows them to interact with the environment.

Your companions will walk around, sit in chairs, lean against walls, or even harvest a nearby plant or dead animal for food. And possibly some other things.


http://newvegasnexus.com/downloads/images/34955-1-1289749523.jpeg
http://newvegasnexus.com/downloads/images/34955-1-1288440397.jpeg
http://newvegasnexus.com/downloads/images/34955-1-1292680723.jpeg
http://newvegasnexus.com/downloads/images/34955-1-1288447820.jpeg
http://newvegasnexus.com/downloads/images/34955-1-1292680208.jpeg


Right now, there are two different versions.

Version 2:

Adds a new sandbox package to all the companions, and allows you to activate it by talking to your companions and telling them that they can relax. They will respond to this with their own voice, and a little gesture that is different for each companion.

The advantage of this is that the original 'wait here' command can still be used, so that your companions will still stand still if you need them to (for combat strategy reasons).

Also as of V2.1 companions will switch to casual clothing when relaxing. This is optional.


Version 1:

The simple version, only replaces the 'wait here' package with the sandbox package. The advantage is that this didn't require altering the companions, so it is more likely to be compatible with mods that alter companions.

The disadvantage is that if you tell companions to wait while you're in a dangerous area, they might wander around a bit and do something stupid like walking over a mine. When possible, I recommend using Version 2 instead.


Version 2.3 has been released!



http://newvegasnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=34955


(In)compatibility
===============

V2: This version is more likely to be incompatible with mods that change something about companions.

When in doubt, load the other mod later than this one (so that one will definitely work) and then see if using the relax dialogue topic still makes the companions go into sandbox mode. If your companion just stands still right there when you tell them to relax, or they start walking home, it's very likely there's a conflict with that other mod that alters the companion.

If no compatibility patch is made by anyone for the conflicting mod, use Version 1.2 instead.

It should be possible to merge changes that other mods make to the companions with FNVEdit, if you know how.

V1: This version should be compatible with most other mods that alter companions, unless they also change the guard AI package.


Known Issues or Bugs
====================

I'll mention it again: If your companion stands perfectly still all the time when told to relax, or starts walking home, this is because of a mod conflict.

Companions can use all kinds of furniture and 'idle markers'. This means they can sit in chairs, lean against a wall, or hang over a counter, but they can also do strange things. Like gardening, taking over the barman's job of cleaning plates, or other things you wouldn't expect. There isn't much that can be done about this, but it's all fairly harmless (and funny sometimes).

Companions unequip their helmets when they relax and change clothes, but if you come back to them later they may have re-equipped them. I have been unable to find a solution for this.


Permissions
====================

You must contact me and obtain my permission before re-packaging or redistributing any part of
this mod. If I do not respond within 3 weeks, feel free to do whatever you
like with this mod, as long as you give credit where credit is due and include the unmodified readme.

Thank you for this. An easy tweak, but one that really does add to immersion. I set ED-E and Cass to Wait for me in the Ultra-Lux Casino and I honestly had to look around a bit for Cass - I found her at the Roulette Table.

Though I did notice ED-E hadn't moved at all. Is it possible Non-Humanoid Companions have a different AI Package then the Humanoids? Not that I'm really complaining. What would an Eyebot do in a Casino, anyway?

I haven't tested all companions (since I haven't played the game all that much yet) but the sandbox package only really makes NPCs move to find a new object to interact with. Since ED-E can't sit down or anything like that it can't find any interaction points, so it just stays where it is.

I might replace ED-E's package with a wander package instead.

Though it does make some sense for an AI told to 'wait here' never to move from that spot. :brokencomputer:

For an AI, yes. But consider that you're at home (or even at a casino) with a friend, and you have to go out for an hour or two. Do you expect your friend to stand still for 2 hours, when there are chairs nearby?

I could reduce the radius if it turns out NPCs are moving too far.

Frankly, it just amused me greatly to leave Cass and ED-E behind while I went and did a quest, only to come back and find Cass had given into temptation and started playing the tables. Now it would have been even funnier if I'd found her at the Bar, but that was too far for her to roam (I'd left them in the lobby near the Member's Only door.

Awesome.

If left alone long enough, will the companion eventually wander off far away? Like leave town? This mod would go great with something like a little bell that you can ring and they come running back to you

Companions will never leave the "Cell" you leave them on. I dunno what happens if you leave them too long out in the Wasteland proper, but indoors they shouldn't wander off onto another floor or wander outside.

So if you want to put Cass in sixy Sleepwear and have her hang around your Novac Motel room, she won't leave the room. Errr, I mean... >_>

I've changed ED-E's package to a wander package since he can't interact with objects, so he should wander around a bit.

If anyone has any issues or suggestions let me know now, I'll be posting the update later today.


And no, companions will never wander off very far from where you left them.

Version 1.1 has been released!

Changelog:

- Followers in sandbox mode will now attack if a hostile NPC/Creature is nearby, instead of ignoring them.- ED-E will now also wander around a bit, even though he can't interact with furniture and such.

Thanks for this mod. It helps with immersion greatly.

It' a good thing Beth didn't use all these ideas like this from Fallout 3 mods to improve FNV or there'd
be nothing for modders to do!

Well I'd rather work on really cool stuff and leave simple things like this to the developers themselves.

Alright, two things were reported to me.

When it comes to interacting with the environment, the companions don't really have any preferences. If it can be interacted with, they'll do it. This can lead to some pretty odd situations. Apparently someone left his companion to wait outside at Nipton, and when he came back the companion had crucified herself on a cross.


Not much can be done about that. And it's pretty funny at times. A bigger issue seems to be that if you leave two companions waiting at the same location, they'll turn hostile on each other. I'll see if I can come up with a fix for that this weekend. I will also reduce the wander radius a bit.

Someone complained about how the companion they left at their home raided his fridge, so I think I'll disable the eating behaviour.

Version 1.2 has been released!

Changelog:

Hey, can I suggest having ED-E tune into a radio station if he's told to wait? Think it'd be a nice touch. Might require NVSE though

That would probably require editing ED-E himself and I'm trying to avoid that with this mod. But I could have a look later, some new features for the companions would be nice as a new mod.

I'm working on a new release which keeps the original wait package, and makes the sandbox option available through a 'relax' topic for all companions. That way you can have them relax somewhere and walk around when you want to, but also have them stand still in dangerous situations.

It'll be incompatible with any mods that alter the stats or appearances of any of the companions, unless a compatibility patch is made. If you do not use such mods, I highly recommend this new version when it's done. If you do use such mods, the old version (1.3) will still be up for download.

I am wondering.. any chance you and Tarrant could team up for the compatibility? :laugh:

I think Phalanx will already include a similar feature, so I think this mod is redundant if you're already using Tarrant's mod.

Version 2.0 has been released!

Changelog:


I hope you guys like this one.


As usual, let me know if there are any problems.

That's why we have Wrye Flash Nice, i'll be updating right away.

I forgot that that was released. I assume it has a 'Flashed Patch' or something like that?

That would solve the conflicts, yeah.


Funny how I keep releasing updates for Companion Sandbox Mode and Oven Cooking on the same day.

Companion Sandbox Mode 2.0 makes a small change to the wait package, and adds the sandbox package. What Bash Tags do I need to add to the esp for it to merge those? Just Actors.AIPackages? Or also Actors.AIData? I see no option to include CSM in the Bashed Patch if I leave the tags list on automatic.

Sad to report that 2.0 doesn't seem to be working for me. With Cass, I can't get her to go 'sandbox', just the option to 'wait' in the dial menu. There is no option to set sandbox in dialogue with (as there is with NPCs like Veronica). I don't see any conflict with other mods in my load order in NVEdit. Love the idea, just can't get it to work.

[edit]
Come to think of it, I am using a mod that uncaps the limit of human followers you can have based on charisma (doesn't conflict with any entries though). I haven't look through your script but might that be a cause?