NPCs not moving after being enabled

[ub3rman123]

In a few spots in my dungeon, I have NPCs that are enabled when the player reaches a certain point. Here's the example I'll use: A gate guard enabled after a door is opened.

On the door is a small chunk of script:

WSGatePirate.enable

WSGatePirate.evp

I'm certain the script isn't the cause. Now, even with evp, he just stands there staring at me when he's enabled. Next example is an orc told to kill the player. The player gets transported to an area, a group of NPCs is enabled, and after some dialogue, the following script is run in a result script.

enableplayercontrols

WSGuptaREF.startcombat player

WSPirateGuardREF1.setghost 1

WSPirateGuardREF2.setghost 1

WSPirateGuardREF3.setghost 1

WSPirateGuardREF4.setghost 1

WSDuvalierREF.setghost 1

WSGuptaREF.setfactionrank WSPirateGuardFaction -1

WSGuptaREF.setfactionRank WSpirateFaction 2

The main one to be concerned with is WSGuptaRef, although the Pirate Guard refs have the same problem later when they're setghost 0 and told to attack.

Here's Gupta's AI and stats:

When he's first enabled, he is in a faction friendly to the player, so he won't try to kill you before he's told. Then in the result script he's changed to a faction that is unfriendly and told to startcombat. But he just stands there.

[WillieSea]

I can see a few possible issues.

1. You did not put path-grids in your cell. Just about everything will stand still not knowing where to go.

2. You used the AI package 'BanditGruntWanderExterior' and the NPC is in an interior space. So this package will not be picked so the NPC goes nowhere.

3. You should do the 'StartCombat' as the 'last' command on the NPC. It can be a buggy command and changing the NPC's factions after this might mess with combat.

[ub3rman123]

It's definitely not the first, and probably not the second. I'll toy with the third and see if that's the cause.

[WillieSea]

4. Another possibility is you have too many NPC's in the cell. The game engine can only handle the AI to around +/-15 NPC's. If you have more than that, the 'extra' will just stand still doing nothing. The number goes up or down based on the CPU power of your computer, but also the limits of the game engine.

[ub3rman123]

That could very likely be it. I'll take a count, and split the cell if necessary.

Okay, there's 19 in there. Probably does need a chopping of size. Is there any way to move the reference IDs in a cell to another without having to go through the trouble of rewriting them?

Edited October 24, 2010 by ub3rman123

[WillieSea]

Not that I am aware of.

Another solution might be to 'initially disable' some of them until the player gets nearer to them. You could then enable them with a trigger zone at a good section of your mod.

[ub3rman123]

It's that that is causing it, I believe. As said at the beginning,the only ones I'm having problems with are in the latter half of the dungeon, who won't do anything even when told by script. Without them all enabled, there's only about 5 at a time the player sees or is in combat with.

All of the NPCs that I gave examples of are enable children of the door guard, who is enabled when a door is opened.

Edited October 24, 2010 by ub3rman123