Sorry to hear about your week
Actually, as far as the dialogue goes, I've not started it yet. I was hoping for a word of advice on the AI, to get that squared away first. If I need to change the scheduling to make things work right, it'd tweak with what I have in mind for the dialogue.
So, no rush in looking at it, really, as this isn't the version I'm hoping to turn in for review
Right now, the two NPCs break for lunch at 2pm, until 3pm, and do a little changin' of the guard, where Relneth stops offering services, and Okan-Shei starts. If the player is in the shop during this shift at 3pm, everything is fine (save the little problem of trespassing...), things go off without a hitch (save the arrests), and it is business as usual (minus one customer...).
If the player isn't physically IN the shop during that shift, Okan-Shei never gets around to unlocking the doors to the shop(Relneth locks them at 2pm, for lunch). I've not attempted to leave Ebbedin and come back, see if that helps, but entering a different Ebbedin interior doesn't do the trick. Not that it would... Anyway, point is I don't know how to get Okan-Shei to unlock the door... He should, by all accounts.
So, I'm hoping there's some tip to be had in regards to getting Okan-Shei to open the doors at 3 without the player being inside the shop, or I'm gonna have to not lock the shop at 2, and simply insert some dialogue about how the shop isn't open for business as they're having lunch. It won't work out quit as well as I'd like, but it should still work out.
Ok. So! I'm gonna find a dialogue tutorial, start figuring out how to set that up, and if anyone has any idea about my little locked door issue, fantastic ^^
If not, I'll have a version with dialogue, some tweaked AI, and one less glass helmet with a 100% chameleon enchantment on it to upload in the near future ^_^
edit: Dialogue is coming along great! I'm enjoying the process of fleshing my two NPCs out =) A few questions as I go on, though.
First, dialogue MP3s. Should I not worry about adding the many silent MP3s to my review presentation, or is this something I should handle? I've not made them before, but I do know how to make them. Judging from what I've got so far, there may be many many of them (I'm really enjoying making the dialogue for this...), and I'm a bit concerned on file-size...
Second, quests... I am interested in setting up some things to give Okan-Shei and Relneth a few quests for the player (gather some ingredients from Cyrodiil for Okan-Shei, for example, or resupply Relneth with more repair hammers, lets say...). I can keep them simple and make them 'Bring X number of Y back' sorta quests, but I was considering doing some slightly more complex things, such as having some conversations with NPCs in Cyrodiil. I don't know if that's alright or not, though... Nothing out of place with the feel of Ebbedin, mind you. Okan-Shei wasn't born and raised in Ebbedin, and simply has some contacts in Cyrodiil that could help in his alchemy hobby. Relneth might want to try and set up some sort of supply line to Reich Parkeep, or Anvil, so he can get something better than old iron and steel merchandise from time to time. Small things like that. Any guidelines?