Reference Variables for Nearby Actors

Originally posted on Elder Scrolls Forums by Tegid

I know there have been several people who have wanted to get references for the various enemies and actors in their area. Here are the steps to do this with the current set of Script commands.

First we need to create a new spell. It should be a Script Effect Spell (I named it TargetDetection) with an area of effect of 4-6000 (in practice 4000 is on the edge of fading out on low end systems), 0 damage and check to ignore immunity/resistance, LOS etc. Basically we want this thing to hit no matter what. Oh, and uncheck hostile and auto-calc costs. (This is probably spread across two dialogs)

Now we need our script effect. This one is definitely not perfect (I don't seem to ever hit my ScriptFinishEffect, but it isn't necessary anyhow.)

scriptname EntityFinderEffect

short NotReported
ref self

float timer

begin ScriptEffectStart
  set self to GetSelf
; message "Casting EntityFinderEffect", 20
  set timer to 0
  if (self != player)
    set NotReported to 1
  else
    set NotReported to 0
  endif
end

begin ScriptEffectUpdate
  if (timer > 0)
    set timer to (timer - GetSecondsPassed)
    return
  else
    set timer to 0.5
  endif
  if (NotReported == 1)
    if (EnemyFinderRef1.RefsRequested == 0)
      set NotReported to 0
    else
      if (EnemyFinderRef1.RefsRequested == 1)
        if (EnemyFinderRef1.ref1full == 0)
          set EnemyFinderRef1.ref1full to 1
          set EnemyFinderRef1.reference1 to self
;         Message "Reported to Reference1",1
          set NotReported to 0
        elseif (EnemyFinderRef1.ref2full == 0)
          set EnemyFinderRef1.ref2full to 1
          set EnemyFinderRef1.reference2 to self
          set NotReported to 0
;         Message "Reported to Reference2",1
        elseif (EnemyFinderRef1.ref3full == 0)
          set EnemyFinderRef1.ref3full to 1
          set EnemyFinderRef1.reference3 to self
          set NotReported to 0
;         Message "Reported to Reference3",1
        elseif (EnemyFinderRef1.ref4full == 0)
          set EnemyFinderRef1.ref4full to 1
          set EnemyFinderRef1.reference4 to self
          set NotReported to 0
;         Message "Reported to Reference4",1
        elseif (EnemyFinderRef1.ref5full == 0)
          set EnemyFinderRef1.ref5full to 1
          set EnemyFinderRef1.reference5 to self
          set NotReported to 0
;         Message "Reported to Reference5",1
        elseif (EnemyFinderRef1.ref6full == 0)
          set EnemyFinderRef1.ref6full to 1
          set EnemyFinderRef1.reference6 to self
          set NotReported to 0
;         Message "Reported to Reference6",1
        elseif (EnemyFinderRef1.ref7full == 0)
          set EnemyFinderRef1.ref7full to 1
          set EnemyFinderRef1.reference7 to self
          set NotReported to 0
;         Message "Reported to Reference7",1
        elseif (EnemyFinderRef1.ref8full == 0)
          set EnemyFinderRef1.ref8full to 1
          set EnemyFinderRef1.reference8 to self
          set NotReported to 0
;         Message "Reported to Reference8",1
        elseif (EnemyFinderRef1.ref9full == 0)
          set EnemyFinderRef1.ref9full to 1
          set EnemyFinderRef1.reference9 to self
          set NotReported to 0
;         Message "Reported to Reference9",1
        elseif (EnemyFinderRef1.ref10full == 0)
          set EnemyFinderRef1.ref10full to 1
          set EnemyFinderRef1.reference10 to self
          set NotReported to 0
;         Message "Reported to Reference10",1
        endif
      endif
    endif
  endif

End

Begin ScriptEffectFinish
; if (NotReported == 1)
;   return
; else
;I have never seen the following code execute.
;It isn't necessary anyhow, but
;it was an attempt to directly return the reference
    MessageBox "Activating the EnemyFinder"
    EnemyFinderRef1.Activate self 1
; endif
End

Clearly I have some debug code in there you can uncomment etc. Now, you can see it references variables in an EnemyFinderRef1 that we don't know about. Well first, let's define the script that defines those variables.

scriptname EnemyFinder

ref AskingRef
short RefsRequested
ref reference1
ref reference2
ref reference3
ref reference4
ref reference5
ref reference6
ref reference7
ref reference8
ref reference9
ref reference10

short ref1full
short ref2full
short ref3full
short ref4full
short ref5full
short ref6full
short ref7full
short ref8full
short ref9full
short ref10full

ref temp
ref self

short doonce

Begin OnActivate
  if (doonce == 0)
    set self to EnemyFinderRef1
    set AskingRef to GetActionRef
    set doonce to 1
  endif
;The code until the sets is supposed to deal with the ScriptEffectFinish code
  set temp to GetActionRef
  if (temp != AskingRef)
    if (temp != player)
      AskingRef.Activate temp 1
    endif
  endif
  set ref1full to 0
  set ref2full to 0
  set ref3full to 0
  set ref4full to 0
  set ref5full to 0
  set ref6full to 0
  set ref7full to 0
  set ref8full to 0
  set ref9full to 0
  set ref10full to 0
  set RefsRequested to 1
  float xval
  float yval
  float zval
  self.moveto player, 0.0, 0.0, 100.0
; set xval to (self.getpos x)
; set yval to (self.getpos y)
; set zval to (self.getpos z)
; MessageBox "Moved to (%.2f, %.2f, %.2f)", xval, yval, zval
  cast TargetDetection Player
End

Again I have some debug code there. Basically this is a script that will store the references and the checks to see if they are full. It goes on an object (an Activator is a great choice) and each time it is activated, it moves to roughly the actors location and casts the spell at the actor(it does no damage and isn't hostile, I just needed a target for it). Right now you can still hear the spell go off, but I didn't worry too much about that for this Proof of Concept (I named the spell TargetDetection remember?).

Now, I make a new activator with the TrigZone01.nif model (to create a new Activator you need to unpack your Oblivion - Meshes.bsa file to have access to the individual files.) Then I add the EnemyFinder script to the object.

At this point I add a copy of it to the world map outside of the Sewers at the beginning of the game. I make that copy a persistent reference named EnemyFinderRef1 (hence the name in the file above).

Now all that must be done is to Activate EnemyFinderRef1. I added a script to an Iron Bow to test it, but you could put it on anything, or you could make the EnemyFinderRef1 run in GameMode instead of on activate and go off every X seconds as you decide. I will include the script I have which is object agnostic (it isn't bow specific) and you can take the code and modify it as you see fit. I've included printouts that aren't perfect but work to the script code. You'll get the first two message boxes (if there are two nearby references) right now since I didn't bother to fix the MessageBox chain. I tried to print the reference values but that failed.

scriptname RangeTest

float timer
short doonce
short player_owned

ref actorfinder
ref myself

Begin OnActivate
  if (IsActionRef player == 1)
    set player_owned to 1
    set actorfinder to enemyfinderref1
    set myself to this
    Activate
  else
    long distance
    ref actor
    set actor to GetActionRef
    set distance to (GetDistance actor)
    MessageBox "I am %.0f distance from %.0f", distance, actor
  endif
End

Begin OnDrop
 
 set player_owned to 0

End

Begin GameMode
  if (player_owned)
    if (doonce == 0)
      set timer to 10
      set doonce to 1
    endif
    if (timer > 0)
      set timer to timer - GetSecondsPassed
      long distance
      short button
      ref actor
      if (timer < 5)
        set EnemyFinderRef1.RefsRequested to 0
      endif
      if (EnemyFinderRef1.ref1full == 1)
        set actor to EnemyFinderRef1.reference1
        set distance to (GetDistance actor)
        MessageBox "I am %.0f distance from Reference 1 %.0f", distance, actor
        set EnemyFinderRef1.ref1full to 0
      endif
      set button to getbuttonpressed
      if (button > -1 && EnemyFinderRef1.ref2full == 1)
        set actor to EnemyFinderRef1.reference2
        set distance to (GetDistance actor)
        MessageBox "I am %.0f distance from Reference 2 %.0f", distance, actor
        set EnemyFinderRef1.ref2full to 0
      endif
      set button to -2
      set button to getbuttonpressed
      if (button > -1 && EnemyFinderRef1.ref3full == 1)
        set actor to EnemyFinderRef1.reference3
        set distance to (GetDistance actor)
        MessageBox "I am %.0f distance from Reference 3 %.0f", distance, actor
        set EnemyFinderRef1.ref3full to 0
      endif
      set button to -2
      set button to getbuttonpressed
      if (button > -1 && EnemyFinderRef1.ref4full == 1)
        set actor to EnemyFinderRef1.reference4
        set distance to (GetDistance actor)
        MessageBox "I am %.0f distance from Reference 4 %.0f", distance, actor
        set EnemyFinderRef1.ref4full to 0
      endif
      set button to -2
      set button to getbuttonpressed
      if (button > -1 && EnemyFinderRef1.ref5full == 1)
        set actor to EnemyFinderRef1.reference5
        set distance to (GetDistance actor)
        MessageBox "I am %.0f distance from Reference 5 %.0f", distance, actor
        set EnemyFinderRef1.ref5full to 0
      endif
      set button to -2
      set button to getbuttonpressed
      if (button > -1 && EnemyFinderRef1.ref6full == 1)
        set actor to EnemyFinderRef1.reference6
        set distance to (GetDistance actor)
        MessageBox "I am %.0f distance from Reference 6 %.0f", distance, actor
        set EnemyFinderRef1.ref6full to 0
      endif
      set button to -2
      set button to getbuttonpressed
      if (button > -1 && EnemyFinderRef1.ref7full == 1)
        set actor to EnemyFinderRef1.reference7
        set distance to (GetDistance actor)
        MessageBox "I am %.0f distance from Reference 7 %.0f", distance, actor
        set EnemyFinderRef1.ref7full to 0
      endif
      set button to -2
      set button to getbuttonpressed
      if (button > -1 && EnemyFinderRef1.ref8full == 1)
        set actor to EnemyFinderRef1.reference8
        set distance to (GetDistance actor)
        MessageBox "I am %.0f distance from Reference 8 %.0f", distance, actor
        set EnemyFinderRef1.ref8full to 0
      endif
      set button to -2
      set button to getbuttonpressed
      if (button > -1 && EnemyFinderRef1.ref9full == 1)
        set actor to EnemyFinderRef1.reference9
        set distance to (GetDistance actor)
        MessageBox "I am %.0f distance from Reference 9 %.0f", distance, actor
        set EnemyFinderRef1.ref9full to 0
      endif
      set button to -2
      set button to getbuttonpressed
      if (button > -1 && EnemyFinderRef1.ref10full == 1)
        set actor to EnemyFinderRef1.reference10
        set distance to (GetDistance actor)
        MessageBox "I am %.0f distance from Reference 10 %.0f", distance, actor
        set EnemyFinderRef1.ref10full to 0
      endif
    else            
      Message "Looking for Actor Range", 1
      actorfinder.Activate  myself 1
      set timer to 10
    endif
  endif

End

Clearly you could make your timeout value a global or set it to something different based on the situation. Also you want to pull the references out from your script as soon as possible so that you can make sure you don't miss the one you want due to a one not being able to report in time because the registers are full.

While having this go off every ten seconds had no appreciable effect on frame rate, having it go off on activate allows you to use it from all kinds of scripts and on command rather than having to wait for it to go off on it's own. For instance. Assume you are scripting a quest with several NPCs and they are preparing to attack all the other people in the area. You could activate the EnemyFinderRef1, identify the references that aren't your party and then have the NPCs start combat with those references, effectively picking targets at random and starting to attack. By leaving it on activate you give yourself extra flexibility.

I hope this is helpful to someone and that you haven't all figured this out already or I'll feel dumb for having spent a few late nights working on it.

See Also

Dynamic Storage - may be useful in keeping track of the list of actors