Cheydinhal Petshop NPC Dialogue Fix: How To

[Maigrets]

CHEYDINHAL PETSHOP DIALOGUE FIX

EDIT: Please note as Arthmoor mentions below this doesn't work on an existing save with this mod having been active.

I see this question asked a lot and it's rarely answered. I found this solution posted on a forum years ago, but I don't know when or where or who, so thanks to the poster for the solution.

I've changed a few lines of the original text to correct some spelling and clarify a few things. The Cheydinhal Petshop mod accidentally changes the global setting for how long NPC speech is delayed before it plays.

The default setting is 5 and it seems to have been changed to 35. Because of this it seems like the NPCs aren't speaking, although they continue on with their animations and other AI.

There shouldn't be any reason for the change to Global settings and if so it should only be for the mod's own NPC's. So this is how to fix it.

The issue here is there is no good way to remove a change made by a mod once it's already been done. If you delete it or revert it to the correct setting as though it had never happened the record is still there, you just can't see it any more. Plus, this adds another unwanted change to the mod.

What you need to do is make the game IGNORE the change totally. It's very easy to do and doesn't require any advanced CS knowledge.

SOLUTION

1. Load the Construction Set. Go to the File then Data menu. In the window that appears you will see a list of mods much the same as when you use the game launcher. Or if you have no other mods it will be Oblivion ESM and this mod you're wanting to fix.

2. Select the Cheydinhal Petshop.esp. You don't need to put a check in the box. Just highlight the name. Next, click the "Details" button at the bottom of the window, and wait a few seconds.

3. A new window will appear with the list of records and settings changed by the selected mod (in this case, Cheydinhal Petshop). Click the 'Type' column header at the top of the window twice to sort the records alphabetically by type to easily find the record you're looking for.

4. Scroll down until you can see the settings of type GMST. There are only two, and you can see in the EditorID column that one is sCantEquipGeneric (not the one we want to change), and the other is fAISpeechDefaultMult (this is the problem record).

5. Select the GMST record called fAISpeechDefaultMult so that it is highlighted in the window, and press the Delete button on your keyboard, above the arrow keys. You will get a message that "You have chosen to toggle ignore one or more records..."

What that basically means is if you do this it will be as if the selected changed record does not exist (the game will completely ignore it). This is exactly what we want, so say OK.

6. Close the Details window, which will take you back to the Data files window, with the Cheydinhal Petshop esp still selected.

Put an X in the check box next to it, then click the 'Set As Active File' button (to tell the CS that this is the file you want to edit), then OK to load it into the CS.

7. When the file is loaded, you don't need to do anything except SAVE the esp by going to File/save. You can then exit the CS.

8. After all that it would be a good idea to keep a backup of the fixed esp for future reference so you don't need to do it again at some point.

I hope this is helpful in some way to anyone having NPC dialogue issues and they are using this mod.

[Arthmoor]

I can't find the thread at BGS where this was discussed at length, but it was found that getting the ESP to remove that record will not fix the problem on any saves made after the change was introduced. Your fix will correct it from happening in a new game though.

The problem is that the fAISpeechDefaultMult value gets recorded in the save game and there's no way to revoke it from the saved game since nobody has crafted a savegame editor.

[Maigrets]

I wasn't aware of that, thanks Arthmoor.

I only found that bit of info ages ago when I was using the Cheydinhal Petshop mod, not long after version 7, I think, was released with the problem. I haven't used it since though.

I'll edit my post to say not to use with an existing save.

[DsoS]

Very nice. wish I had known about this a year ago, lol

since nobody has crafted a savegame editor.

After 4 or 5 years, you'd think someone would have done this already... I guess its just a hard thing to do

[Arthmoor]

Unfortunately the save game format is not the same as the format for ESM/ESP files like it was in Morrowind. Too bad too, because it would have been nifty to be able to load a save into tes4edit and clean up junk records.

[HeyYou]

Gotta agree with ya there Arthmoor. I am rather surprised it hasn't happened yet..... would be an extremely useful tool......