Since the release of Companion Vilja, people have quite often been asking me about housemods suitable for companions. Alas, many house mods that else are brilliant won't work at all well with companions. If there are no pathgrids, no persistant chairs and no beds without ownership, companions won't behave very well.

I've been working on a list of houses that are suitable for companions, and I wonder if you have any suggestions of house-mods that fits well for this - either a mod you have made or a mod you have used.

These are on my list so far, I hope the list can be made longer : (houses marked with *) I haven't tested myself but others have suggested them)

Note: On TESNexus, one can now tag-search for companionfriendly houses. So far, only a few modders have tagged their houses as companionfriendly, so I'll continue with this list for now. I will try to regularly add the houses listed as companionfriendly to this list (unless I have tested them and found that they don't have any sleeping accomodation for companions, in which case I don't feel they belong in the companionfriendly cathegory).
By suggesting Companionfriendly as a tag on your favorite houses for companions on Nexus, you can help to make this Nexus tag-search more useful.

http://www.tesnexus.com/modules/members/index.php?id=8
currently:
Aleswell cottage
Roxey Inn Cottage
Fisherman's Cottage
Bravil Bridge Cottage
Lakeside Home
Waterlily Cottage
Red Rose Manor (with space for 7 companions)

http://www.tesnexus.com/modules/members/index.php?id=29882
currently:
Clamshell Cottage
Millstone Farm
Shadowcrest Vineyard
The Hall of Blissful Dreams *)
Woodcutter's Cabin *)

http://www.tesnexus.com/modules/members/index.php?id=298952
currently:
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=36074
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=36348
Anvil Docks Abode
Christmas Manor
Elven Garden Apartments
Felmor Retreat
Little Waterfront Shack
Mad Mages Manor
Primrose Cottage
Talos Plaza Saga
The Haven of Weye


Everything by Khettienna:
currently
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=32710
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=25876
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=35252
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=29947
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=29609 (SI)
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=18054
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=22869
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=28748 is companion-friendly. The only hiccup is that because its door is an activator and not a real door, companions won't follow you through unless they're scripted to teleport to the player if they get separated.
Also, the private room you get in http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=22135 when you complete the DB quest chain is its own cell, and is companion-friendly.

Most housemods by WhoGuru (list below are companion friendly):
http://www.invision.tesalliance.org/forums/index.php?app=downloads&showfile=2
http://www.invision.tesalliance.org/forums/index.php?/files/file/393-hedge-home/ - An exterior home
http://www.invision.tesalliance.org/forums/index.php?app=downloads&showfile=227 - A Ship home
http://www.invision.tesalliance.org/forums/index.php?app=downloads&showfile=3
http://www.invision.tesalliance.org/forums/index.php?app=downloads&showfile=4
http://www.invision.tesalliance.org/forums/index.php?app=downloads&showfile=120 - A Shivering Isles Home

Several housemods by Princess Stomper (list below are companion-friendly:
http://princessstomper.wordpress.com/2009/05/02/silorn-manor/

http://princessstomper.wordpress.com/2009/11/15/knights-add-ons/ - requires Knights of the Nine
http://princessstomper.wordpress.com/2009/03/01/princess-crate-manor/
http://princessstomper.wordpress.com/2009/03/01/princess-ic-apartment/
http://princessstomper.wordpress.com/2009/02/13/princess-cheydinhal-house-for-sale/



http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=22846 by Vince Bly

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=32737 by jbvw *)

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=32500 by Yevic (at least almost companion friendly, some corners might cause minor problems) *)

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=14714 by Antistar *)

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=34777 by Sylvar/Marek *)

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=20630 by Tchos

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=14601 by dawson.tom

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=9769by Indefiance

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=35485 by Stroti

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=2814 by Pigface

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=36343 by Shezrie/Meek

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=30288 and http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=34320 by Centurion.

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=35894 by Acsiz *)

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=16142 by Carl S *)

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=30013 by ArionT50.

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=33315 by Hickory. *)

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=38029 by Ithlia *)

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=37851 by Majamikol.


Moddermade villages, towns etc with companionfriendly player-owned houses:

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=35908 by Shezrie - There are ten player houses in the mod and all are correctly pathgridded and all have no ownership on any furniture.

http://www.invision.tesalliance.org/forums/index.php?/files/file/594-wellspring-vale/ by WhoGuru - a small village with a companion friendly player home

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=22828 by afk_dwip

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=36619 by Antiscamp





House-related mods:

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=33996 by Andalaybay

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=33475 by Emma

By companion friendly you also mean a bed near where the character sleeps?

If so I don't think Hoarfrost can count. Yes there are plenty of beds but I've slept in the master bedroom to wake up staring at companions standing there where they had been all night.

Or is it that even if they have a bed they will not use it?

I haven't tested Hoarfrost myself, but one of my playtesters for Vilja lives there with her, and it works well. She sleeps at another location within the castle.
If your companions are in follow-mode, they will be watching over you while you sleep. If they are in wander-mode, they will sleep if there's a bed around. Many companions can be told to sleep in an adjacent cell, so having plenty of beds in a master bedroom shouldn't be necessary in order to qualify as companion friendly (IMO).
Of course, it might be a good idea for me to list in my list which houses have extra beds only in adjacent cells, glad you pointed that out!

Good list. I realized that I had forgotten to make the houses in Shezrie's Towns companion friendly and intend to fix that for the next update. I took Vilja into Pell's Gate and it was a lot of fun to walk around the town with her, but I realized the town is not optimized for companions.

It would be nice to make all the taverns and inns in my towns companion friendly as well. So I guess this is the same thing, simply make ALL chairs persistant references? Companions will pick the one closest to the player?

Edit! :facepalm: Should have read the part of your first post where you explain about it.

Glenvar Castle has a guest wing where Vilja slept when I owned it. Although, she did not take the room I said was "this is your bed", instead she went and took the last room down the hallway.

One is tempted to wonder if a list of houses that have the extra beds etc. and could be made companion-friendly, but currently are not, would prompt people to do updates? It might also be useful for those folks who are prepared to mod the mods for their own use.

Bite your tongue! I have a favorite mod that I am trying to modify now, been at it for a week, never done it before, and the more I learn the more I want to change other mods to my taste. I just got back into playing after a YEAR of just configuring the perfect game. Now I can see me spending another year of modifying mods to my game. Not going to happen! Well, it should not be too dificult, right? Should be a matter of just modifying the properties of a bed? Or putting in a bed? I could probably look at Emmas "companion friendly inns" to see how it is done, no?

Well I was thinking more of the "prompt the original author to do an upgrade" part, which avoids the need. Especially as some of the problems, like lack of path grids, are thing that need fixing for more than just companion use.

Actually, you don't have to make *all* chairs persistant - just make some that you find suitable for companions persistant. To be perfectly honest, from what I have seen, this "old truth" about persistant references isn't true... Vilja tends to sit also on non-persistant chairs. And sleep in non-persistant beds. As long as they are not marked with any ownership (i.e. chairs and beds don't belong to a faction or a npc or a player) AND accessable. For instance I have seen houses with beds where you are supposed to enter the bed from the left, but the bed itself is one that can only be entered from the right. But, better safe than sorry, so make the beds and some chairs persistant.

Unfortunately, companions will not necessarily pick the chair closest to the player. Instead, they might very well wander off to sit somewhere on another floor. Companions don't appear to have any sence of z-level - height. If a chair is right above them and in the same cell, they might be very determined to go and sit on it.
And at any rate, they might be very determined not to sit at the same table as the player... From what I have seen (i.e. when looking at where companions sit in housemods I have made, myself) they tend to go to the chair that was first added to the cell! Only as a preference, not always. But, it seems they are somehow keeping more track on form-ids than on how close to the player the chair is placed.

(I just have to tell you a fun episode here. With Vilja, one can tell her to go and sit somewhere, and she will do so - this way the player can always sit next to her as she picks chair first. Vince_Bly contacted me because he had concerns about his Mountain Shack mod - a very sweet exterior house on the way to Bruma. Players had reported that when their characters were sitting down, their companions would just wander off and disappear until the player stood up again. So, I promised him to test. I brought Vilja there, sat down on various chairs... and just as Vince had said, Vilja indeed tended to wander off and vanish. After several tries, I told Vilja to sit down (while I was standing) in order to see what would happen.
And indeed... she wandered off! I followed her. She went behind the house, and started to walk a small path between some bushes. After a little while, she reached... the Mountain Shack's privvy house! She opened the door, sat down on the privvy throne and exclaimed: "Finally something interesting!"
I bet that was where all other companions also had went at each occasions the players had sat down. And considering the lack of privvy thrones in Cyrodiil, I guess one has to understand if they, like Vilja, felt that they hada finally found something interesting!)

You can follow my concept to add companion-beds to the inns: I have disabled extra beds in most inns that I enable when the player rent a room. The reason for this is that npcs don't bother with locks... they can walk right through locked doors, especially if there's an inviting bed without ownership on the other side of the locked door. So if you don't disable the companion beds, you might very well find a Pells Gate drunkard sleeping in the bed you had just rented for your companion!

EDIT: Meek, Would you like me to re-post at ORE about this? Maybe it's useful information for house builders?

Peter, do you know if she also sits in chairs and if she seems to be following you around without problems and without getting stuck in furniture or disappearing? If so, I could probably add Glenvar Castle to the list. (Or maybe someone else can confirm, too)

I don't know if you want to include this in your list, but my Imperial Furniture Renovated mod has companion friendly furniture. Basically the player could choose to furnish the vanilla houses with IFR and companions will sleep in the beds or sit in the chairs. I just fixed the single bed so that the player can configure it properly so that the companion can use it. IFR also has double beds. I have done limited testing with this and the NPC's at Battlehorn don't have a problem using the furniture, but I don't play with companions. I have been told by other players that it works though.

Thank you, I'll add it

Thanks! Now to get the new version released...

All of mine are companion-friendly - path grids, at least some persistent seating, and two places to sleep (minimum one double bed, if not two beds). My best-loved character has a best-loved companion, so generally I build "for them".

Full listing (in addition to http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=25876 and http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=32710):
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=35252
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=29947
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=29609 (SI)
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=18054
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=22869

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=28748 is companion-friendly. The only hiccup is that because its door is an activator and not a real door, companions won't follow you through unless they're scripted to teleport to the player if they get separated. Most are these days, though, I am finding.

Also, the private room you get in http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=22135 when you complete the DB quest chain is its own cell, and is companion-friendly.

Most of these I have tested with Vilja as well; all except the tent, BDBS (she's too nice for that), and Rosethorn.

Thank you for compiling this list! :celebration:

Thank you!

I suspected all your mods were, so I'm not surprised to hear this. I've updated my list above with them all now.

You can add most of mine to the list as well. I always have at least one companion tagging along with me so they've all been tested for friendliness.

http://www.invision.tesalliance.org/forums/index.php?app=downloads&showfile=2
http://www.invision.tesalliance.org/forums/index.php?/files/file/393-hedge-home/ - An exterior home
http://www.invision.tesalliance.org/forums/index.php?app=downloads&showfile=227 - A Ship home
http://www.invision.tesalliance.org/forums/index.php?app=downloads&showfile=3
http://www.invision.tesalliance.org/forums/index.php?app=downloads&showfile=4
http://www.invision.tesalliance.org/forums/index.php?app=downloads&showfile=120 - A Shivering Isles Home
http://www.invision.tesalliance.org/forums/index.php?/files/file/594-wellspring-vale/ - a small village with a companion friendly player home

From what I recall everything seemed fine but I did not spend too much time there. I did see her use one of the benches (it is quite a big castle). I did not see her stuck. Wish I could test more but I am not getting a new game ready for my Christmas vacation (starting new character with hopefully Vilja v3 and hope to get 160 hours of play. I plan to get Glenvar castle in that game also as it is a pretty good castle with a nice quest. So I can report more then.

Thank you
I added also your list to the first post.

I know there are plenty of such houses - houses where there are extra bed but these are not accessable for npcs, houses where the pathgridding makes it impossible for companions to function. Yes, even houses where the pathgrids are *outside* the house itself, which means that the companions will neer show up.
I've edited several such houses myself, as I really, really enjoyed the houses but didn't want Vilja to be prohibited to be there.

Question is: can one make such a list without the authors feeling offended? I don't know, and I wouldnt want that to happen. In some cases, I know they are retired from modding from now (or at least I believe so), so I doubt they would step up.

Ahh that just made sense of something that was puzzling me. Everytime I take Vilja into the Roaming Spirits Inn in my Pell's Gate town and sit down, she always runs upstairs to sit on a chair which I know is not a persistant reference, but which I am pretty sure is the very first chair I placed in that cell.



That is hilarious! :laugh: Slightly off topic, I took Vilja into a cell that has a hidden passage. When you enter the cell you get a message box pop up saying, 'There is a draft coming from somewhere in this room.' Suddenly I hear a blowing sound behind me! I turned around and Vilja was blowing! It tooks quite a few moments before I realised she was actually trying to whistle, not responding to the message box about the draft. :lmao: Her timing was so perfect for the situation though, that it was spooky.



Thanks for all the information, I shall get my houses and towns companion friendly. Please do post it on ORE, I think it would be very useful for the house modders there.

I would never think someone would be offended by a list. It is only a statement of fact as to compatability. Now, modifying their mod, well, that has been talked about enough for my taste
Patches I would say would be OK, but that is only my opinion, and I am not a fan of patches. Half my game plugins are patches!

Possibly just making people aware of the importance of making their mods companion friendly and telling them how to make their mods companion friendly, then the list of those houses that are proven companion friendly, would be best. Might not be so good to make a list of those that aren't, regardless of the best of intentions. :shrug: I think a list of those that are not companion friendly would be taken the wrong way.

For ORE, I am still trying to find a suitable icon to place besides those houses that are proven companion friendly. Once I have that I can get that going on ORE and also add a passage on how to make your houses companion friendly to the front page.

Yes, that's my thoughts, also.



A hug icon like the hug smiley?

Any further suggestions?

If I'm not mistaken, Dwip made http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=22828 companion friendly as well.