Using Elisif as a test case, I removed all of her AI packages, and added one sandbox package. I added the current follower -1, potential follower 0, and potential marriage 0 factions / ranks. I deleted all other relationships, and added one with the player as child, lover status.

The AI package removal bit worked, she immediately started wandering around. The faction bits did not seem to work, as getinfaction for both 5c84d and 19809 returned 0. The relationship bit also seemed not to work, as getrelationshiprank 198c1 returned 'acquaintenance'. So I added the factions and relationship bits via console.

Elisif had no follower dialogue before or after the console adds. Can anyone explain this behaviour? In terms that a novice can understand?

i find there are many things that are impossible to test without:

a) a custom debug room (especially for testing ai packages)
b ) a "virgin" save file (no trace of any plug-in or game data), or it's better to COC your debug room without loading any saves

(Sigh...) Laziness reared its ugly head, that and my own inexperience. If I make a test cell, how do I put Elisif into it? Without messing up her other dialogues / relationships to the program, please, as the point of this excercise for me was to better understand the database relationships between the NPC, the environment and the actions...?

And to point B, can you please expand on that a bit?

Yes, I am a novice, one that will need a bit of handholding...

since you are editing a vanilla npc in an existing sandbox cell, you can just type COC SolitudeBluePalace in the main menu by bringing up the console without loading any save game.


creating a "virgin" save would be using the above method, but have no plugins active, then save the file. quit, load the game with plugin active and load the untarnished save game. every time you re-test the new changes to your plug in, you must load the virgin save


you can't test stuff like AI packages with existing game saves because there is so much information in the save file that will alter or conflict with any changes you make on the fly with your plugin, so you must always load a clean save or COC a test cell

OK, let me repeat it back to you to see if I've got it....

1. Unload all plugins.
2. Start game, immediately coc solitudebluepalace, then what... Wait for starting sequence to finish, maybe ask Elisif a question, something like that, and save?
3. make (or re-load) my test mod, then see how it works.

OK, now what? How do I go about de-bugging this?

then check your factions, relationship levels etc.

but also keep in mind elisif is tied to several quests that involve thaneship/relationship rank-climbing etc.

setting her initial relationship level with the player could possible be overwritten by a quest starting up.


what exactly is the final result you are trying to accomplish? get elisif to act as a common citizen (recruitable/marryable/etc)

"...but also keep in mind elisif is tied to several quests that involve thaneship/relationship rank-climbing etc.

setting her initial relationship level with the player could possible be overwritten by a quest starting up."

THAT'S what I am trying to understand... the WHY'S behind, for instance, Irileth can follow, marry, etc., when she has quite a bit more involved in-game interaction than, say, Elisif...

Once I understand the inter-relationships, then I can start to write meaningful quests that can actually fit into the whole game fabric, and not just a new dungeon...

Edit...

The first goal, if I can get my head around how this works, would be a quest starting at the 'peace conference' with Elisif asking the DB to teach her ONE shout - so that she might exact revenge for her husband's death. Sort of a quest within the fabric of the game, with Elisif contributing to the fighting of the civil war, culminating with her getting her revenge. Or not, as the case may be. (And I've tested the shout bit, Ulfric can be killed that way without breaking the ending of the quest.)