Slepana's questing showcase

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(Reply #1) Posted on Wed, 2019-02-06 18:12

slepana

Joined:
2019-02-02 18:33

Last seen:
1 year 1 month ago

I'm implementing The Exiled Duke's Affair as my showcase. It was probably supposed to be simpler than that, but I wanted to try out a bit of everything. If something doesn't fit, it can be removed, I'm not touchy about that.

Description:
"You know of Phyrios Mattimus, the exiled Duke of Deshaan? There's a rumor going on that he's having a love affair with a Dunmer commoner. And not just any commoner--a convicted thief who's being held in the Legion dungeons!" -> there's a Dunmer woman in the dungeon whom the Duke supposedly fancies, could be a social quest there. The thief stole something from the Duke’s chambers; the Duke caught her red-handed and fell in love at the same time. The thief’s in the dungeon cell, showered with fancy gifts. She isn’t into him.

What I actually did:
(maybe don't read this if you want to play the quest blind)

The quest can be started either by talking to Beru Vesuri (the commoner in question) or by hearing the rumor (you will still need to talk to Beru though). The Duke doesn't mention his affair because I though that would be weird, but if you have the topic already you can ask him about it.
Beru will ask for help beginning the first stage of the quest. You need to ask an alchemist to make you a drain personality potion and bring it to her. She'll ask you to wait a day, fail and begin the second stage.
Second stage is you talking to people around Old Ebonhear (Ebon Tower's fine too) and spreading rumors about her. You need to all the different responses, they're random, but there're only 3 of them so it's not too hard. This will fail again and the last stage begins.
The last stage is you beating her or using a really strong drain fatigue spell to render her unconcious, you then wait another day and it actually works, you go to Raleth and get your reward (amulet with constant effect fortify personality 10 pts. and a thank you note).

During any of the stages you can try to rat her out to the Duke, but it will only work if she told you about the last stage plan, but you didn't go through with it yet. It's supposed to be this secret little ending for people who try these sorts of things. The reward is 500 gold and 25 disposition with the Duke.

Also edited the rumors to reflect what's going on.

Things that I'm not sure about and other notes:

I don't know how I feel about giving "drain personality potion" dialougue to every alchemist in the game, it works great and makes sense, I just hope it won't cause issues with other mods. Also it might not make sense for some people to be helping you.
While Beru doesn't fight back after she asks you to hit her, she still yells hurtful things like "You n'wah!". I'd like her to stop, but I don't know if that's even possible, looks hardcoded.
I added a condition to "His grace Phyrios Mattimus, Duke of Deshaan, came to visit the Ebon Tower palace some months ago and he's still here. Can't say I blame him. His duchy, the Deshaan District, is inhabited by unruly Dark Elves who have no respect for the Empire. It's better to be an exiled Duke than a dead one." rumor, but I'm not sure if that's okay because it's a bit outside this quest. Still, it didn't make sense to me that one rumor acknowleges his death and another ignores it.
I used Raleth as the person to give you the reward because he's not involved in anything else and poor people knowing each other makes sense.
I'm not sure if the quest is balanced well (prices, rewards, that sort of thing), it would totally work for me, but I'd like more opinions.

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affair_1.ESP	53.26 KB	2019-02-06 18:12

(Reply #2) Posted on Thu, 2019-02-07 19:06

slepana

Joined:
2019-02-02 18:33

Last seen:
1 year 1 month ago

Uploading the second version.

Changes:

Fixed a ridiculous amount of typos. Changed phrasing in a few places. Replaced potion with poison almost everywhere for the sake of consistency. I finally figured out that Wrye Mash allows to export dialogue so with the help of spell checkers this version should be much better in that department.
Altered Beru's script, all the whooshing low-level players have to do was annoying enough already, now she falls in one hit.
Beru doesn't say hurtful things after telling you to hit her anymore, added an empty attack sound to fix it
Duke now says hurtful things if you help Beru or kill her during the quest, also guards appear at the gates of Old Ebonheart to tell you to speak to him. If you've spoken to the guards but failed to speak to the Duke in 7 days, you're given a 1000 gold bounty.
It's now possible to start the quest through the Duke and get permission to enter from him or bribe the jailor to let you in.
Changed disposition requirements as the old ones made no sense to me.

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affair_2.ESP	71.5 KB	2019-02-07 19:06

_{Your flesh is an insult to the perfection of the digital.}

(Reply #3) Posted on Fri, 2019-02-08 07:26

slepana

Joined:
2019-02-02 18:33

Last seen:
1 year 1 month ago

Whoops, missed one error in a dialogue result, should be fine now.

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affair_2.1.ESP	71.5 KB	2019-02-08 07:26

_{Your flesh is an insult to the perfection of the digital.}

(Reply #4) Posted on Sat, 2019-02-09 10:53

slepana

Joined:
2019-02-02 18:33

Last seen:
1 year 1 month ago

Third version.
Changes:

Changed phrasing in a few places again. Altered dispositon changes with the Duke to make more sense. Fixed some minor bug that I don't remember.
Altered scripts because they were failing in some conditions (beru's fatigue would go back up if you reloaded before hitting her, she would teleport out of her cell if the duke is dead which I didn't like, etc.)
Bribing the jailor removes gold properly.
Spreading rumors completely remade, now you need to talk to at least one person of a certain class (the predefined OE ones: poor, common, rich, tower) It also uses journal entries instead of global variables which plays better in my opinion.
Duke's guards have NoLore now and a special greeting when you speak to them again.

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affair_3.ESP	79.73 KB	2019-02-09 10:53

_{Your flesh is an insult to the perfection of the digital.}

(Reply #5) Posted on Sat, 2019-02-09 13:19

slepana

Joined:
2019-02-02 18:33

Last seen:
1 year 1 month ago

Apparantly there was another list of guidelines hidden in the forums, so I've made a few small changes to keep the journal tidy: added ClearInfoActor where appropriate and revised finished/restart flags. Also somehow forgot to test one combination, and of course, this condition was missing in the script.

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affair_3.1.ESP	81.16 KB	2019-02-09 13:19

_{Your flesh is an insult to the perfection of the digital.}

(Reply #6) Posted on Sat, 2019-02-09 22:14

slepana

Joined:
2019-02-02 18:33

Last seen:
1 year 1 month ago

Fixed a typo, a bug in Duke's dialogue, changed journal entries to make more sense, added another source of rumors: every thieves guild member in The Empress Kateriah will give you a rumor and start the quest unless you've started the quest already.

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affair_3.2.ESP	82.65 KB	2019-02-09 22:14

_{Your flesh is an insult to the perfection of the digital.}

(Reply #7) Posted on Tue, 2019-02-12 16:42 (Reply to #6)

Arvisrend

Joined:
2014-01-02 23:57

Last seen:
1 hour 26 min ago

For ease of reviewing:

---------------

tr_m3_oe_dukeaffair Stage 0

The Exiled Duke's Affair
QUEST NAME: The Exiled Duke's Affair

tr_m3_oe_dukeaffair Stage 1

I've heard rumors that Phyrios Mattimus, the Duke of Deshaan, is having an affair with a Dunmer commoner. She's a thief and is being held in the legion dungeons.
FINISHED!

tr_m3_oe_dukeaffair Stage 5

I've spoken to Phyrios Mattimus and offered to help him impress Beru Vesuri. I need to go to the legion headquarters where I will find the entrance to the dungeons. Once I'm inside I need to show the papers he gave me to the jailor.
QSTR: Quest_Restart:1

tr_m3_oe_dukeaffair Stage 8

I've spoken to Beru Vesuri, who's being held in the legion dungeons, about a Duke's affair with her. She refused to even consider accepting Phyrios Mattimus' offers.
FINISHED!

tr_m3_oe_dukeaffair Stage 9

I've spoken to Beru Vesuri, who's being held in the legion dungeons, about a Duke's affair with her. She explained to me that she would like to stop Phyrios Mattimus' advances toward her. I've decided not to interfere.
FINISHED!

tr_m3_oe_dukeaffair Stage 10

I've spoken to Beru Vesuri, who's being held in the legion dungeons, about a Duke's affair with her. She explained to me that she would like to stop Phyrios Mattimus' advances toward her. I have agreed to help and she asked me to find her a drain personality poison.
QSTR: Quest_Restart:1

tr_m3_oe_dukeaffair Stage 11

I have changed my mind and agreed to help Beru Vesuri. She asked me to find her a drain personality poison.
QSTR: Quest_Restart:1

tr_m3_oe_dukeaffair Stage 15

Beru Vesuri suggested I should ask an alchemist about a drain personality poison.

tr_m3_oe_dukeaffair Stage 20

I have a drain personality poison. I should bring it to Beru Vesuri and see if her plan works.

tr_m3_oe_dukeaffair Stage 30

I have given Beru Vesuri the poison. Now I should wait a day, and then return to see if she's still in her cell. If not, I should speak to Raleth.

tr_m3_oe_dukeaffair Stage 40

A day has passed. I need to check on Beru Vesuri.

tr_m3_oe_dukeaffair Stage 50

Beru Vesuri's plan failed. Now she wants me to talk to people in Old Ebonheart and spread rumors about her.

tr_m3_oe_dukeaffair Stage 55

Beru Vesuri's suggested that I am more likely to succed if I spread rumors in different parts of the city.

tr_m3_oe_dukeaffair Stage 60

I believe I've spoken to enough people. I need to return to Beru Vesuri and see if her plan worked.

tr_m3_oe_dukeaffair Stage 70

The plan failed again. Now Beru Vesuri wants me to render her unconscious. I could use a spell or simply hit her with my bare hands until she faints.

tr_m3_oe_dukeaffair Stage 75

I have told Phyrios Mattimus about Beru Vesuri's plan. He asked me to go along with it for now and return later when he can confirm that what I said is true.

tr_m3_oe_dukeaffair Stage 80

Beru Vesuri is unconscious. Now I need to leave and wait long enough for someone to notice her.

tr_m3_oe_dukeaffair Stage 85

Enough time has passed, surely, Beru Vesuri managed to escape or fail to. I should speak to Phyrios Mattimus now.

tr_m3_oe_dukeaffair Stage 88

I have returned to Phyrios Mattimus and he rewarded me for my efforts.
FINISHED!

tr_m3_oe_dukeaffair Stage 90

Enough time has passed, surely, Beru Vesuri managed to escape or fail to. I should speak to Raleth now.

tr_m3_oe_dukeaffair Stage 100

Beru Vesuri was too afraid to thank me personally or mention her destination. She left me a note with an enchanted amulet as a reward.
FINISHED!

tr_m3_oe_dukeaffair Stage 110

One of Phyrios Mattimus' guards approached me near the city gates. He told me the Duke wishes to speak with me and explained that I will likely be punished if I fail to comply.
QSTR: Quest_Restart:1

tr_m3_oe_dukeaffair Stage 120

I've spoken to Phyrios Mattimus. He told me that he is aware of my involvement in Beru Vesuri's disappearance. He has decided not to punish me now, but if I ever get in his way again, there will be consequences.
FINISHED!

tr_m3_oe_dukeaffair Stage 200

Beru Vesuri is dead.
FINISHED!

tr_m3_oe_dukeaffair Stage 201

One of Phyrios Mattimus' guards approached me near the gates. They told me the Duke wants to speak with me and explained that I will be punished if I fail to comply.
QSTR: Quest_Restart:1

tr_m3_oe_dukeaffair Stage 202

I've spoken to Phyrios Mattimus. He told me that he is aware of my involvement in Beru Vesuri's death. He has decided not to punish me now, but if I ever get in his way again, there will be consequences.
FINISHED!

tr_m3_oe_dukeaffair Stage 210

Phyrios Mattimus is dead.
FINISHED!

tr_m3_oe_dukeaffair Stage 300

I have failed to speak with the Duke in reasonable time and was likely charged for my crimes.
FINISHED!

---------------

tr_m3_oe_da_common Stage 0

The Exiled Duke's Affair
QUEST NAME: The Exiled Duke's Affair

tr_m3_oe_da_common Stage 1

I've convinced a tradesman in Old Ebonheart that Beru Vesuri has done something horrible.

---------------

tr_m3_oe_da_tower Stage 0

The Exiled Duke's Affair
QUEST NAME: The Exiled Duke's Affair

tr_m3_oe_da_tower Stage 1

I've convinced a person in the Ebon Tower that Beru Vesuri has done something horrible.

---------------

tr_m3_oe_da_rich Stage 0

The Exiled Duke's Affair
QUEST NAME: The Exiled Duke's Affair

tr_m3_oe_da_rich Stage 1

I've convinced a rich person in Old Ebonheart that Beru Vesuri has done something horrible.

---------------

tr_m3_oe_da_poor Stage 0

The Exiled Duke's Affair
QUEST NAME: The Exiled Duke's Affair

tr_m3_oe_da_poor Stage 1

I've convinced a person from the poor parts of Old Ebonheart that Beru Vesuri has done something horrible.

(Reply #8) Posted on Sat, 2019-02-16 04:43

slepana

Joined:
2019-02-02 18:33

Last seen:
1 year 1 month ago

Ah, I hope me constantly missing things isn't too anoying, but I noticed two more issues that I had to fix. I added 1 dialogue entry for stage 80 (otherwise dialogue made little sense if you've sided with the Duke already)

@ 0 "Duke's affair" 12458244823210228816 "TR_m3_Phyrios Mattimus"
I have to admit, it wasn't going as well as I had hoped. Why are you bringing it up?

And fixed nolore conditions on 2 dialogue entries
@ 0 "latest rumors" 1728158861144528186
The guards over at the Tower have recently caught a thief -- not a Guild one, just some poor elf -- supposedly rummaging around Duke Phyrios Mattimus's quarters. That's the Duke of Deshaan, "on leave" in the Ebon Tower. She's being held in the dungeons now. Rumor has it the Duke has developed a ... personal interest in her, if you get the meaning.

@ 0 "latest rumors" 698084433224028766
The guards over at the Tower have recently caught a thief supposedly rummaging around Duke Phyrios Mattimus's quarters. That's the Duke of Deshaan, "on leave" in the Ebon Tower. She's being held in the dungeons now. Rumor has it the Duke has developed a ... personal interest in her, if you get the meaning.

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affair_3.3.ESP	82.94 KB	2019-02-16 04:43

_{Your flesh is an insult to the perfection of the digital.}

(Reply #9) Posted on Sun, 2019-02-24 14:51

slepana

Joined:
2019-02-02 18:33

Last seen:
1 year 1 month ago

Fourth version.

Changes:

Replaced timer scripts.
Removed empty attack entry, now Beru has noattack variable instead.
Altered drain personality potion dialogue to make it more obvious that home-made potions won't work. Added dialogue to other alchemy-related classes to tell the player they won't make the poison. Poison dialogue won't apear if you have the poison already.
Added conditions to spread rumors lines so that they only appear when the quest needs them.
Added new dialogue for high-ranking legion members to get the keys from the jailor. He will also only give player the keys once.
Moved Duke's angry responses to greeting 1.
Gave Raleth a special reply to spread rumors.
Fixed a few typos.

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affair_4.ESP	87.52 KB	2019-02-24 14:51

_{Your flesh is an insult to the perfection of the digital.}

(Reply #10) Posted on Mon, 2019-03-04 19:19

Rot

Joined:
2014-03-16 17:45

Last seen:
2 years 1 week ago

Played the last version without issues, recommended for promotion

Not a claim review! By the way a cell ownership bug can be added to merging instructions

chest_small_02_gems Ebon Tower, Legion: Cell 3917 3997 13924 "no ownership, full of jewels"
chest_small_02_gems Ebon Tower, Legion: Cell 4587 4155 13963 "no ownership, full of jewels"

More can be done in the claim if needed, for instance duplicates with same text and different choices can be combined, instead of 4 entries one can have the results of all 4 like this

As always with the generic topics you can make khajiitspeak variants or not (ajira is an alchemist! but there's already one in OE so anything more would be easter eggs)

(Reply #11) Posted on Mon, 2019-03-04 21:39

Jani