I'm trying desperately to get a quest started.
I created it, set it on "Start Game enabled", even added a script with OnUpdate and wrote registerForUpdate(5) in the startup stage.
My problem is that i want to start the quest after the player has talked with someone. I've written the dialogue, but it seems i still got to add the topic somehow, like it had to be done in the construction set before it could be talked about in the game. But in order to add the topics, I need a script like the questscript in the construction set which runs without needing the quest to be already started. The OnUpdate script I added to my quest doesn't seem to do the job.

Because I haven't seen any other people asking about this problem, it seems I'm missing something elemental concerning quests in the Creation Kit. Can you help me?

Do it like this:

Stage 0: Initialize everything add topics, place NPCs etc, then switch to stage 5
Stage 5: Do nothing (Wait for the dalogue to set the quest to stage 10)
Stage 10: Start the quest for the first time visible to the player.

I've done all this, but the script of Stage 0 just doesn't get activated. I tried it with MessageBox, but no reaction there. Somehow the quest seems to have to be activated from the outside, althoug i enabled start game enabled.

Have you set the "Start Up Stage" flag for Stage 0?

Yes, of course.

And the quest script is compiled as well?

Are you testing with a savegame that was stored before the mod was installed?

yes, I am - does this has any consequence? this might be the bug. i've compiled the script.

No, that's fine. Testing with savegames that were stored with the mod already installed can be a bit glitchy (at least was in previous games)

Let's assume the quest works. Is the topic properly linked to one of the NPC's lines?

http://www.creationkit.com/Bethesda_Tutorial_Dialogue#Scripting_Dialogue

Is your dialogue is in the same quest file as your quest? If so, just add GetOwningQuest().SetStage(X) on the specific dialogue line, then SetObjectiveDisplayed(X) in the stage's Papyrus fragment.

I just found out that the quest actually works in one specific savegame. However, in all the others, it doesn't. I have totally no clue why it's like this, and neither do I have the spirit to furthe pursue any solution. Thank you very much for your help, but it seems there is just something totally wrong with the mod file and I'll have to start all over and see if it works then.