Ingredient Storage Shelves Readme

Ingredient Storage Shelves

Description

This mod adds ingredient storage shelves that act as containers to the 8 buyable homes in Oblivion. The shelves are scripted to search through your inventory and grab every ingredient you have, whether the ingredient was added by a mod or is part of vanilla Oblivion. While the esp is a playable mod, it's mostly meant as a way of sharing the meshes and script.

Requirements

This mod requires OBSE (Oblivion Script Extender) v0008. I can't know whether future versions will remain compatible. If they don't, I'll have to update.

If you have not used OBSE before, you can find more information on this forum thread or this Wiki topic.

Installation for OBMM users

If you use OBMM to install and manage your mods, omod conversion data in included in the archive. To build the omod, just launch OBMM, click "Create" at the bottom of the window, and in the new window click "Add Archive". Browse to the 7z file you downloaded. You'll be asked whether you want to import the omod conversion data. Click Yes. Then just click "Create omod".

When you install the new omod, you'll be given a couple of options for which style shelf you prefer. An HTML readme (Ingredient Storage Shelves Readme.html) will be added to your Data folder in addition to the regular mod files. The readme includes info about using this mod as a resource.

Manual Installation

If you do not use OBMM, extract the archive in your Data folder. It contains the mod esp, the HTML readme, and unique mesh and texture folders. Nothing will be overwritten. The archive also contains some files specific to OBMM. You can safely delete the following:

- Ingredient Sorter Shelves_readme.rtf
- The folder <Data>\DeleteMe (it's a few screenshots)
- The folder <Data>\omod conversion data

By default, the Skingrad and Chorrol houses use this mesh. If you'd like, you can change either of those houses to use the glass jars or the cream and green ones. To change the mesh, open the <Data>\meshes\pa\IngredCupboard folder. You'll see paIngredShelfUCChorrol.nif and paIngredShelfUCSkingrad.nif. These are the filenames that will be called by the mod. If you want to replace one or either of them with the green ceramic jars, copy paIngredShelfUCAnvil.nif and rename it to the same filename as the one you want to replace. If you want to use the glass jars in either or both houses, copy paIngredShelfUCGlass.nif and rename it to the same filename as the one you want to replace. If this is not clear enough, please use the omod installer method. It will be done automatically. I haven't the heart to spell it out in more detail.

If you want to play the esp, don't forget to enable Ingredient Storage Shelves.esp. ;) I always forget that.

Details

I hate clicking. I really do. I normally store all of my ingredients in a cupboard, but clicking each of the in my inventory and then "How many?" drove me bonkers. The regular ingredient sorters had 2 drawbacks... they couldn't sort ingredients added by mods, and they were made up of separate containers for each ingredient type which meant even more clicking when I want to take things out again. I think the jars are pretty, but I don't like the way they function.

I made myself a simple OBSE script to take every ingredient item (even mod-added ones) out of my inventory and put it in a container. Once I had the script, I wanted a mesh that looked like the pretty jar mods but without the hassle. The jars on my shelves are just decorative. They can't be moved and the script could be called from any type of container.

The script works like this: When you activate the shelf, you will be asked if you want to put away your ingredients. If you say No, the container will simply open. If you say Yes, the script will search through your inventory, removing every ingredient you have and placing it in the container. A side effect is that any stolen ingredients will have the stolen tag removed. I don't know if I can fix that and I really don't care. Sorting though your inventory takes a few seconds, so your controls will temporarily be disabled so you don't click again or leave the cell while the script runs.

Because I am lazy, too lazy to write or alter quests, the shelves in the mod are not purchased individually. Instead they are included with one of the existing buyable packages. The shelf comes with the Storage Area package in the IC, Bravil, Cheydinhal and Leyawiin. In Bruma it comes with the second floor storage area. And in Skingrad and Chorrol it comes with the Dining area. The Anvil shelf, like all other Anvil furniture, is already in the house. The "haunted" version of the shelf can not be used, as the jars are toppled over.

There are 5 shelf styles, placed according to the style of the player home. The lowerclass shelf (Bravil, IC Shack, Leyawiin) is a small shabby collection of pots. The middleclass shelf (Bruma, Cheydinhal) hangs on a wall because I couldn't find free floor space in either house. Anvil has an upperclass shelf with cream and green jars , and there's a "haunted" version of this style as well. Skingrad and Chorrol have upperclass shelves with tan and dark red jars. These can be exchanged for the glass jars as explained above.

Use as a resource

Like I said, this is a functional mod but it's mostly intended as a way of sharing some resources. You are welcome to use or alter any part of it in any way, including retextures, chopping up the meshes, or placement in your own modded home. I hope you'll share what you make with it. Here's what you might need to know...

If you want to use the sorter script, it's called paIngredMover. Place it on any sort of container. There's no need to make the container a persistent reference.

The meshes are all stored in the folder <Data>\meshes\pa\IngredCupboard

- paIngredShelfLC.nif is the Lowerclass mesh
- paIngredShelfMC.nif is the Middleclass mesh
- paIngredShelfUCAnvil.nif is the cream and green ceramic Upperclass mesh
- paIngredShelfUCRed.nif is the tan and red ceramic Upperclass mesh
- paIngredShelfUCGlass.nif is the Upperclass glass mesh
- The others are redundant or haunted ;)

The textures are all in the folder <Data>\textures\pa\IngredJars, and I imagine you can figure out what belongs to what. :D For the glass shelf, all the textures are Bethesda's.

Known Issues or Incompatibilities

This mod may conflict with any other mod that adds things to or moves things around in the player houses, depending on whether I used the same floor space as another modder. I have no way to know. OBMM or other conflict detectors will report a conflict with mods that change the player houses in any way, even if they don't really conflict. All I can say is try and find out.

I tried really hard not to move anything in the player houses while adding my shelves, but those houses are packed pretty tight. In Chorrol, I had to remove one tapestry in the dining area. In Skingrad, I had to remove one tapestry and one bench from the foyer. I just couldn't find other space. If you had placed anything on the bench in Skingrad's foyer, it may now be stuck inside my shelf, or it may fall to the floor. In fact in any house, it's possible that you've placed an object where I added the shelf.

If you have already bought the furnishing package I chose to associate with my shelves, and you load a game where your character is in the house at the moment, the shelf won't show up right away. Similarly, if you visit the house and then go buy the package that contains the shelf, it may not be if you return right away. This is because the cell data is cached. After you wander around for a bit or enter a few more buildings, the shelf will appear. Consider it a shipping delay. ;) If you have unhaunted Anvil's manor and are standing in it when you first load this mod, you may get the haunted version of the shelf. Same shipping delay, I'm afraid. It takes a while to scrub the ghosts out of those jars.

Credits

Thanks to everyone at #TESModdersDen on QuakeNet for encouragement, opinions and silliness. Come hang out with us if you need some help or thought about your project.

Many thanks to Dejunai for the script that enables the shelves when they ought to be and the idea to add them to player homes. I got completely lost when using a Parent object didn't work the way I'd hoped.

Shelves are modified Bethesda meshes. Jar meshes, textures, sorter script and tedious nif muxing by Phoenix Amon.

Praise and burning of incense to everyone contributing to the OBSE project. I am in awe. And as always thanks to the NifSkope team, without whom Oblivion would be well past dead.