Sexy Bandit Captives © [WIP] Support Thread

[Wolfshrike]

so, out of curiosity, is the latest update and Bethesda foulup severely impacting work on this? I know the CE updated as well. 

[Blackbird Wanderer]

11 hours ago, Wolfshrike said:

so, out of curiosity, is the latest update and Bethesda foulup severely impacting work on this? I know the CE updated as well. 

It did for about a day, but a pristine copy of the game files corrected it and everything with content was backed up.  Also have fully made the jump to SSE (1.5.97) for mod development with the help of a couple of mods to the CK that make it work so much better.

 

Actually churning now on the long promised HPH conversion (via a more direct method that doesn't involve an LE conversion), and AI gen voice files.

 

Preview screenshot of Raen Arius:

Spoiler

[worik]

23 minutes ago, Blackbird Wanderer said:

SSE (1.5.97)

Since I am about to arrange myself for either this or the 1.6.something … Is there any particular advantage? pro/con ?  If it derails the topic here too much, I’d like to read about it gladly somewhere else at a better place 

 

25 minutes ago, Blackbird Wanderer said:

help of a couple of mods to the CK that make it work so much better.

ooooooh! I’d love to read about those too

[Blackbird Wanderer]

2 hours ago, worik said:

ooooooh! I’d love to read about those too

Watching a tutorial video on HPH conversion, and the author began by recommending these two mods.  Total game changer.

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/20061  : SSE CreationKit Fixes

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/17230  : SSE Engine Fixes

 

Was already running the Engine Fix mod, but the CK Fixes mod made a huge difference.  Besides the much faster startup, how about the ability to search the Data list for a mod file name instead of poring over the non-alphabetized but chronological list looking for the one you want?  Huge!

 

2 hours ago, worik said:

Since I am about to arrange myself for either this or the 1.6.something … Is there any particular advantage? pro/con ?

Mostly wasn't interested in the Creation Club content being forced onto the test setup, as well as upsetting the applecart with a new SKSE version to support.  1.5.97, AFAIK, is the last change before that push, and there are several topics afoot on showing people how to downgrade back from the 1.6 series up to and including the AE crossover.  One can only presume they're doing that for a reason and are dissatisfied with 1.6 and the CC stuff.

[EmertX]

Question: Do the captured girls have a unique defined background information?, or does that change randomly based on generation?. I'm asking because I was planning to create the necessary information to integrate the NPCs of this mod with Mantella https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/98631

 

However for it to be worth the effort, each girl would need to have an associated back story (like who she was, how was captured, etc). I remember on the old version of the mod, the backstory changed randomly.

[Blackbird Wanderer]

1 hour ago, EmertX said:

Question: Do the captured girls have a unique defined background information?, or does that change randomly based on generation?. I'm asking because I was planning to create the necessary information to integrate the NPCs of this mod with Mantella https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/98631

 

However for it to be worth the effort, each girl would need to have an associated back story (like who she was, how was captured, etc). I remember on the old version of the mod, the backstory changed randomly.

Random?  No.  Unique?  Sorta.  The current setup is each Captive has a predetermined backstory . . . but there are three versions for each telling (for variation) and they may share the backstory with a couple of other Captives.  With 90 Captives to flesh out, it was a stretch to make each one truly unique.  This was the case in the older versions of the mod as well; the backstories have never been random, though it may have seemed so since what they said on the first pass may have been different due to the random variation within a set of background dialogues.

 

Neat idea with Mantella.

[EmertX]

47 minutes ago, Blackbird Wanderer said:

Random?  No.  Unique?  Sorta.  The current setup is each Captive has a predetermined backstory . . . but there are three versions for each telling (for variation) and they may share the backstory with a couple of other Captives.  With 90 Captives to flesh out, it was a stretch to make each one truly unique.  This was the case in the older versions of the mod as well; the backstories have never been random, though it may have seemed so since what they said on the first pass may have been different due to the random variation within a set of background dialogues.

 

Neat idea with Mantella.

I see. Then I guess it would make more sense to just put a generic bio for all of them mentioning they were captured by bandits and locked on enchanted restraints. 

[Blackbird Wanderer]

2 hours ago, EmertX said:

I see. Then I guess it would make more sense to just put a generic bio for all of them mentioning they were captured by bandits and locked on enchanted restraints. 

No, your original idea still seems valid.  They're unique enough that you can rely on their backstories being fixed, if I'm understanding what it is you're trying to do.  Each Captive's story is what it is; it's just that each one has options (3 in most cases) to vary the rendition of the same basic story.

[EmertX]

10 hours ago, Blackbird Wanderer said:

No, your original idea still seems valid.  They're unique enough that you can rely on their backstories being fixed, if I'm understanding what it is you're trying to do.  Each Captive's story is what it is; it's just that each one has options (3 in most cases) to vary the rendition of the same basic story.

Ah, I see. Is there a way to get that backstory for each character?. I assume there are dialogues associated with each character, or are they embedded in some obscure script making hard to get them?

[Blackbird Wanderer]

14 hours ago, EmertX said:

Ah, I see. Is there a way to get that backstory for each character?. I assume there are dialogues associated with each character, or are they embedded in some obscure script making hard to get them?

They're not embedded in a script; that would actually make it much easier.  Checked via SSEEdit and it's difficult to get the entire line.  To get where you want, the best route is the CK, and you're looking for the following Dialogue Branches under the SBCMain Player Dialogue tab:

• SBCBSBlk01_10a
• ___SBCBackStoryBlock01_10b
• SBCBackStoryBlock11_20
• SBCBackStoryBlock21_30
• SBCBackStoryBlock31_40

Each one has 30-ish info blocks, and these are governed by membership in the Faction called SBCCaptiveStory.  i.e., FactionRank 3 = Abducted tavern wench, etc.  That's all there is to how that's set up.  If you need to extract just those lines to feed to your AI, you can either do it manually, or put a custom voice filter in each info block in a working copy of the ESP file and use the CK dialogue extractor to spit out a TXT file of just that voice.

 

Did this help?

[EmertX]

23 hours ago, Blackbird Wanderer said:

They're not embedded in a script; that would actually make it much easier.  Checked via SSEEdit and it's difficult to get the entire line.  To get where you want, the best route is the CK, and you're looking for the following Dialogue Branches under the SBCMain Player Dialogue tab:

• SBCBSBlk01_10a
• ___SBCBackStoryBlock01_10b
• SBCBackStoryBlock11_20
• SBCBackStoryBlock21_30
• SBCBackStoryBlock31_40

Each one has 30-ish info blocks, and these are governed by membership in the Faction called SBCCaptiveStory.  i.e., FactionRank 3 = Abducted tavern wench, etc.  That's all there is to how that's set up.  If you need to extract just those lines to feed to your AI, you can either do it manually, or put a custom voice filter in each info block in a working copy of the ESP file and use the CK dialogue extractor to spit out a TXT file of just that voice.

 

Did this help?

Will take a look. Thanks!!

[Blackbird Wanderer]

More HPH conversion previews.  Viatrix:

Spoiler

 

[kalador]

Just an update to information that I previously posted.

Sexy Bandit Captives DOES work with the Ordinator mod.

I was having problems with script overload/conflicts with other mods that were not showing up as being incompatible in Mod Organizer.

[EmertX]

On 12/24/2023 at 1:47 PM, Blackbird Wanderer said:

They're not embedded in a script; that would actually make it much easier.  Checked via SSEEdit and it's difficult to get the entire line.  To get where you want, the best route is the CK, and you're looking for the following Dialogue Branches under the SBCMain Player Dialogue tab:

• SBCBSBlk01_10a
• ___SBCBackStoryBlock01_10b
• SBCBackStoryBlock11_20
• SBCBackStoryBlock21_30
• SBCBackStoryBlock31_40

Each one has 30-ish info blocks, and these are governed by membership in the Faction called SBCCaptiveStory.  i.e., FactionRank 3 = Abducted tavern wench, etc.  That's all there is to how that's set up.  If you need to extract just those lines to feed to your AI, you can either do it manually, or put a custom voice filter in each info block in a working copy of the ESP file and use the CK dialogue extractor to spit out a TXT file of just that voice.

 

Did this help?

 

So, I took a look and it seems that there are dialogues depending on  SBCCaptiveStory = 1, or 2, or 3 etc. But I am lost in the connection of how each girl is given a specific value of SBCCaptiveStory =1  or SBCCaptiveStory =2.  Where can I check that?, I mean, how do I link the different versions of the backstory to each NPC?

Edited December 26, 2023 by EmertX

[Blackbird Wanderer]

2 hours ago, EmertX said:

Where can I check that?, I mean, how do I link the different versions of the backstory to each NPC?

It's part of their Actor record.  Look at the Factions tab in each Actor record and you'll see their FactionRank for the SBCCaptiveStory Faction.  Unfortunately it doesn't show up in the ObjectView because it's not their primary Faction, so you have to drill down into each record.

 

i.e., SBCCaptive005 = Ari who is SBCCaptiveStory FactionRank = 3 which is abducted tavern wench

 

If that's too daunting or confusing I can probably put together a script that would record their FactionRank and output to a text file.

I used to have a text file where all this was recorded but it was lost with a computer crash.

[worik]

On 12/22/2023 at 7:28 PM, Blackbird Wanderer said:

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/20061  : SSE CreationKit Fixes

 Whoooa!

I’m currently setting everything up with 1.6.1130 and that ☝️and it’s AE update are DRAMATIC improvements. ? Thanks a lot for this holy gift!

[EmertX]

On 12/26/2023 at 9:04 PM, Blackbird Wanderer said:

It's part of their Actor record.  Look at the Factions tab in each Actor record and you'll see their FactionRank for the SBCCaptiveStory Faction.  Unfortunately it doesn't show up in the ObjectView because it's not their primary Faction, so you have to drill down into each record.

 

i.e., SBCCaptive005 = Ari who is SBCCaptiveStory FactionRank = 3 which is abducted tavern wench

 

If that's too daunting or confusing I can probably put together a script that would record their FactionRank and output to a text file.

I used to have a text file where all this was recorded but it was lost with a computer crash.

That would be extremely helpful 

[worik]

On 12/22/2023 at 7:28 PM, Blackbird Wanderer said:

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/20061  : SSE CreationKit Fixes

 

 

Since we are at it: 

 

?And a happy 2024 to you all

[devildx]

Any eta on the new update? I am about to start a new game and I realy want a working version fo this mod for the game version 1.6.640.

 

Mod worked fine when I was on the 1.5.97.

[Blackbird Wanderer]

1 hour ago, devildx said:

Any eta on the new update? I am about to start a new game and I realy want a working version fo this mod for the game version 1.6.640.

 

Mod worked fine when I was on the 1.5.97.

Slogging through voice/lip file generation (1,655 done so far), and only about 10% done with HPH conversion.  It'll be a couple of months, more than likely.

[eldritch68]

18 hours ago, Blackbird Wanderer said:

Slogging through voice/lip file generation (1,655 done so far), and only about 10% done with HPH conversion.  It'll be a couple of months, more than likely.

Appreciate all the hard work you're putting in. All the best for 2024!

[Blackbird Wanderer]

More HPH conversion progress previews:

 

Sabrina Arrus:

Spoiler

 

Vigdis:

Spoiler

 

Jastia:

Spoiler

 

Silvia:

Spoiler

 

Edited January 10, 2024 by Blackbird Wanderer

[Balgin]

On 1/10/2024 at 1:41 AM, Blackbird Wanderer said:

More HPH conversion progress previews:

 

Sabrina Arrus:

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Vigdis:

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Jastia:

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Silvia:

  Reveal hidden contents

 

I'll be honest. The lobeless ears bother me. It reminds me of all Farodestin's uploads on the Nexus who all have the same shaped lobeless ears that go straight down into the sides of the neck. Now, I know the Skyrim head models hate ear lobes and make it really difficult to make decent ones but, at the moment, these heads all have remarkably similar ear shapes and that bothers me. It would be nice to see some more variety in natural ear shapes.

 

I hope this comes across as constructive criticism. It's not intended to demean the incredible work you're already putting into these.

[Blackbird Wanderer]

2 hours ago, Balgin said:

I hope this comes across as constructive criticism. It's not intended to demean the incredible work you're already putting into these.

Point taken; ears have rarely been a focus and a large proportion are hidden under the given hairstyle anyway.  The question is what to do about it.

 

These are the ears as they come straight out of the Vector High Poly Head mod, and since they're part of the head mesh they are what they are.  A change would have to be applied to each head mesh selectively.  They do have lobes, actually, they're just the attached variety.  Agree that it would be nice to see some diversification, but unless someone wants to volunteer their mesh sculpting talents we're sort of stuck with what we've got.  That might be a good suggestion for someone with the skill to add a RaceMenu slider to the ear shape for this.  Right now you can do all sorts of weird things for elf ear with the top of the ear mesh, but nothing really with the bottom.

 

A quick survey in-game showed pretty much all of the NPCs with attached lobes with the female NPCs largely from the likely suspects: Pandorable and Facesculptor.  At most, some of the non-Pandorable males had a faux detachment painted into their head texture, like Vignar Gray-Mane.  Maybe that's an alternative solution for someone with those skills?

 

A quick troll through earring mods showed about the same.  The single exception noted was this one.  No idea how it was achieved:

Spoiler

 

So I guess the current (low) standard for non-elf or furry ears is: Have Two ✅

 

We can explain it away with head canon and say the complex genetic coding that governs lobes in Tamriel tends towards attached earlobes for whatever obscure reason you can imagine, magical, supernatural, or otherwise.

[Balgin]

Yep. It's unfortunately a limit of the head models. However, lobeless ears are generally less common than lobed ears (unless we're heading considering the orient where they're more common). I can usually tollerate a certain amount of lobeless ears but when they're all like that it starts to look wrong and something in me becomes very uncomfortable. It looks unnatural or unfinished as if some kind of sculptor got lazy in the womb and decided to cut a few corners, skip a few details. It's worse in the case of Farodestin's uploads (which are not Farodestins sculpts but all ports of Special Edition head sculpts by other modders) but it's apparent that Farodestin likes lobeless ears and there are numerous beautiful women with this mutation (think Angelina Jolie, Michelle Pfeiffer or Natalie Portman) but when they all look the same it really bothers me. Especially when the same user keeps uploading something like 4-7 similar mutants every week that all look beautiful but heavily flawed to the point where you have to believe the guy has a specific type.

 

I know that's on me but it does mean I might start to enjoy SBC a lot less once this change is implemented. I do know that I find the ones that go straight into the neck more acceptable than the triangular ones that try to go down the neck towards the shoulders. To add to this, it is, to a certain extent, possible to sculpt more natural looking earlobes in game with racemenu but they don't mirror so you need to sculpt them individually. When adding the sculpting mask to restrict areas it mirrors and allows you to mask around both ears at once but, when you start sculpting, with mirroring turned on, it doesn't apply and you need to sculpt each ear lobe individually which starts to become more hassle than it's worth. And that's with the standard default low poly heads. With High Poly heads it would probably be easier as there might be more nodes to tweak around the appropriate area but those mess with my existing sculpts so I don't use them yet.

 

It's probably much easier to sculpt them out of game anyway with some third party program which I don't have so I'd probably need more information on what to use.

 

Quote

No idea how it was achieved

I have an idea having had to correct the ear lobes on a number of head sculpts. It's possible to achieve a similar (if somewhat cruder and chunky result) with a handful of minutes and lots of tweaking and fine tuning but then you'd need to do the other ear.

Edited January 13, 2024 by Balgin