Followers Stuck in Sandbox AI Mode. SOLVED

[buglover]

REPOSTED FROM NEXUS FORUM (Need all the help I can get at this point!)

 

Greetings, all!

 

I have a problem that has been randomly manifesting itself since I started playing Skyrim. I've done numerous searches looking for a solution, found many others with the same problem, but not a single post with a solution. So far, the ONLY solution I've found was to go to a previous save.

 

Problem: Followers enter sandbox mode and for some reason never leave it even though they have been given other commands.

 

Details: This problem has eventually occured on almost every follower I've ever used in the game, including vanilla followers, Inigo, Vilja, Selene Kate, MInerva, etc. Whenever I go to a location that has ANY ilde markers, be they a chair, a rail-lean location, a forge, even the tankard/drink animation, and followers are set to sandbox for any reason, eventually one of them will get stuck doing so.

 

By stuck, I mean that they will take commands, but only partially act upon them. For instance, if I tell them to follow me they will do so, but at a distance and ONLY walking. They will immediately try and use the nearest Idle marker again. They will NOT stealth--In fact this is my main indicator a follower is broken, when they will not stealth for any reason. I suspect that the problem has something to do with saving while they are in sandbox mode.

 

This problem seems random in who it effects, they only requirement is that they were in sandbox AI mode.

 

NONE of the console commands fix it, including toggling off/on AI (tai), combat AI (tcai), resetai. I even tried killing them with the "Kill" command and resurrecting them (they were STILL sandboxing after a death!). Recycle actor has no effect other than stripping the follower. Disabling the .esp for the effected follower, loading,saving, reactivating esp doesnt work.

 

I've been suffering from this issue with numerous mod loadouts, and even NO mods--the Vanilla game with no mods does this to me as well.

 

Over the years I've tried AFT, UFO, EFF, Immersive AFT, MHIYH 4.3, Simple Multiple Followers...and more importantly, NO mods! Followers break eventually regardless of framework used.

 

As a result of this issue, I've never actually completed a full playthrough of all the DLC as I eventually encounter the issue and break my game further trying to find the source of the problem. Serana has broken in this way EVERY time.

 

After facing this issue for so long, I'm about to throw in the towel and just delete Skyrim and everything associated with it. Any help would be appreciated (with the fixing part, not the deleting... )

 

Although a means of clearing the stuck sandbox AI from a follower would be enough for me to keep playing, a solution to prevent them from getting stuck in the first place would be Ideal.

 

Thanks in advance,

Bug

[buglover]

Problem was related to hitting the AI cap for NPCs (cap=20).

 

Example: I enter the Inn with 6 followers, and there are already 12 npcs in the Inn. This means the cap is already reached.

 

Another npc enters the Inn, and the first follower loaded in that cell(just happens to be a follower) when I entered is now booted from the sandboxing AI list, effectively breaking the follower as there is now nothing to re-add it to the list of AI controlled npcs.

 

SOLUTION:

 

Either use a bashed patch to alter the AI cap, or use TonyCubed2's "Artificial Intelligence Limit Increaser" mod ( http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/50823/? ) to increase the cap to 100 npcs controlled by AI at any given time. Simple fix for a REALLY annoying problem.

 

Ciao!

Bug