Command NPCs - Order your followers and allies

1.51 UPDATE Added trade with all followers as a setting in Gameplay Options. Sorry, should have been in 1.5!

PLAYSTATION UPDATE AND 1.16.236.0 (FREE LANES) COMPATIBILITY The mod required no changes for the update, but while testing I took the opportunity to make a couple of additions. You can now choose the displayed name for the command option on NPCs in Gameplay Options, either command, order or request, which may be handy for anyone using other mods with similar activation names. The mod now comes with a slate to remove and re-add the activation option whenever needed, which should be more convenient than having to visit CJ in New Atlantis each time.

DESCRIPTION This creation helps restore the ability to direct your followers to perform certain actions, which was possible in previous Bethesda games either directly or through dialogue. It's something that has been mentioned since the game launched in relation to cut features and dialogue. This mod was built in the Creation Kit and integrates the command into the UI, so no console commands needed.

HOW TO USE Followers, crew, outpost personnel and the members of Constellation will now have a COMMAND prompt next to their existing TALK prompt. This should use the key you have bound to reload by default, R on keyboard and X on an Xbox pad.

Selecting this puts the NPC into a "command" state. Your reticle will change, and you can now select the target that you'd like them to interact with, such as sit on a chair, gather resources from a creature, loot a dead enemy or just click on the ground somewhere to have them move there. They will then remain doing whatever you instructed them to do until you pick the release option; when released, they'll return to normal sandboxing/following. Text in the upper right of the screen will show when the NPC is waiting for you to pick a target for them, when they have been released, or when the command cannot be carried out.

You can only command one NPC at a time. Picking the command option on another NPC will automatically release the first. Fast travelling or leaving an interior cell will also release the NPC. Unnamed crew and outpost specialists now have a trade option, allowing you to equip them with outfits, weapons etc. like you can with named crew.

Please take a look at the two demonstration videos linked (see QR codes if in-game). The first shows a few situations where command can be used, and the update video highlights that the COMMAND prompt changes to RELEASE while active, and also hides invalid options.

ACTIVATION NAME OPTION AND SLATE Version 1.5 adds a setting in Gameplay Options to allow you to choose the displayed text for the command option, you can pick command, order or request. A slate has also been added to allow you to remove and re-add the command option on NPCs without needing to visit CJ in New Atlantis.

TECHNICAL The COMMAND option will show for any NPC in either the ConstellationFaction or the AvailableCrewFaction. That covers everyone at the lodge and all named and unnamed human crew that you can recruit, as long as they have been hired by the player. It should work for custom followers as long as they are in at least one of those factions. The trade option will appear for NPCs that are in both the AvailableCrewFaction and CitizenGenericNPCFaction.

Note that in Starfield, the activation menu for NPCs can show TALK and three additional options. This mod adds one option for COMMAND, and another for TRADE with unnamed crew (optionally for all followers, see Gameplay Options). If you use other mods that also add activation options to NPCs, you may not be able to access all the options if there are more than three additions in total. For example "SKK Stalkers and Followers" (optionally) adds one more option, so this will work fine with Command NPCs as that makes three additions in total. But if you then install another mod that also adds one or more options to NPCs, you may be unable to access one or more of those options.

CAVEATS AND TIPS As a cut feature, there will inevitably be a few places where it doesn't work entirely as intended.

◇ If you see "Select target for [ ... ]" in the upper right instead of it showing the NPC's name when commanded, visit CJ's in New Atlantis and use the uninstall option Curtis has. Then save your game, and reload that save. That should reset the quest and correct the text.

◇ If for whatever reason the NPC gets left behind (such as you command them to sit somewhere, and walk away) you can fast travel, or exit the building if you're in an internal cell, and the follower should return to you.

◇ If your own character is using a piece of furniture or a marker when you meant to order a follower to use it, it's because you are too close to the furniture/marker. Try standing a little further back.

◇ When commanding an NPC and they're waiting for a target, if you activate anything with your own character (like using furniture yourself, opening a door, etc.) the NPC then cannot be given a target. Release the NPC, and command them again.

◇ You cannot talk to an NPC while they have been commanded to do something, as shown in the demonstration videos they must be released first before they can have a conversation. The NPC may decide to sandbox rather than remain where they are while talking to you.

◇ If you order a follower to loot a dead NPC or a container it will add the items to their inventory and you can trade with the follower to retrieve them. But if you order them to pick up a single unowned item, it will appear as stolen in their inventory. If you order someone who doesn't have the trade option to loot an item/container, such as one of the non-follower members of Constellation at the lodge, you won't be able to retrieve those items.

◇ Sarah and Barrett have voiced dialogue for when they're being commanded, which gives you a little more feedback. For example, Sarah may say "How am I supposed to get there?" which can mean she's unable to find a path to wherever you've asked her to go. If you think there's a pathing problem when giving a command, you can try commanding them in a series of steps instead. Move them a bit closer to what you want them to do rather than all the way in one command, that will often work. Where two different habs meet on a ship can be a common problem area, and probably hasn't been helped by the addition of the ship decorator. You can try ordering them to stand just short of the doorway between habs, then order them over the threshold into the next hab.

◇ NPCs will refuse certain actions, like if you ask them to steal or direct them to an NPC while not in combat. You'll typically get a message in the upper right to tell you when this has happened. Some markers and pieces of furniture are marked as "owned" by an NPC or a faction. The player can use these, but if a follower is directed to use them they will refuse. Unfortunately NPCs will say the same dialogue when asked to use owned furniture as when they simply can't path to it.

◇ Cora and Sona can be commanded the same as other NPCs, but the game does not check whether any furniture you've asked them to use is suitable for a child. Any furniture with the FurnitureScaleActorToOne keyword will cause Cora or Sona to grow to adult size to use them. They should return to normal size when they exit the furniture, but there was previously a bug in the game that prevented this from happening, leaving them larger. If this happens, leaving them at the lodge and sleeping on Venus for a day will fix it.

◇ During the four personal missions of your Constellation teammates, as well as certain parts of the main quest, the game may repeatedly have them follow, then unfollow the player during scenes. It's probably not a good idea to try and command them during those sequences. Also when it comes to Vasco, although he can be commanded he cannot interact with most furniture for obvious reasons.

◇ This mod attempts to hide them, but in some rare situations it's possible for an NPC while commanded and waiting for a target to have CANCEL and TRADE options, as shown in the demo video. These are remnants of the game's own cut command feature and don't work properly. Just give the NPC a target or release as usual and ignore them. The working TRADE option is the one that appears on unnamed crew, and will not show while they are in a commanded state.

◇ If you have just commanded an NPC and given them a target but have not yet released them, then look at a friendly NPC (such as another member of your crew) from a distance, you may see an ATTACK option instead of TALK for them. Using it will actually just initiate talk with the NPC as usual.

◇ While an NPC is being commanded, you will be unable to hold and move an item (pressing and holding E on PC, or A on Xbox). You can still pick up items as normal. When the NPC has been released, you will be able to hold and move items again.

UNINSTALLATION Go to CJ's in New Atlantis (residential district) and you'll see that Curtis Julien has an "uninstall command NPCs" option. If you activate this it will remove the ability to command NPCs from the player. Follow the instructions you'll see in-game to either reset or remove the mod.

CREDITS I can be reached at Nexus Mods.