0 of 0
File information
Created by
DavisionByZero and KiaraRedVAUploaded by
DavisionByZeroVirus scan
Safe to use
Notifications
568 comments
I see this mod reached 1k endorsements and I'm speechless.
Considering my other mods not even breeching the 2k unique downloads (or 1k downloads when I was working on Melana), needless to say I wasn't imagining Melana to get this far.
I would like to thank each and every one of you who downloaded, played and took the time to come back here to endorse.
I would like to also thank everyone who did a YouTube video, a replacer, a translation or a compatibility patch.
Special thanks to my friend SerketHetyt who created a high poly face replacer a couple of days after release which I believe pushed both of our mods up to the hot-mods area in our release week.
And of course, very special thanks to Kiara who accepted not only voicing this mod but also adding her own touch when I reached a block at some point. She is not only the voice of Melana, she is Melana.
You guys rock!
V1.1.1
Happy Skyrim release day! (11/11) A good time to release update V1.1.1.
After getting a few complains about Melana being somewhat weak even as a War Maiden, I've noticed I messed up with her stats with focus on her Health value.
For starters, I tried to discover how to modify her level via script (without external libraries) - that would have make my life easier, but with no avail.
I even took a quick glance at AFT's source code but it appears the general concept of leveling there is not so different than what I did with Melana.
So Melana will always stay Level 1 but with higher level stats as she switches to phase II and then to phase III.
So, what do we have in this version:
I've assembled some info about One-Handed Warrior class in level 30 and Two-Handed Warrior class in level 80 plus a bit of lower level Spellsword class and synthesized the stats for Melana's phase II and III.
Her stats are more or less (slightly more) the same than what I've set in previous versions except for Health. You can see a significant boost in her health when she is in phase II and especially on III.
So from now on, when you reach phase II and III, you'll experience Melana even stronger.
Please update MelanaTheBrave, MelanaBalboa or MelanaBalboaTheBrave patches to V1.1.1 if you installed them.
Now for the fun part (let's do it like a Q&A):
Q. Is it safe to update mid-game?
A. From V1.1.0 to V1.1.1 - 100% safe. From an even older version to V1.1.1 - I'm 99% sure it's OK as I designed the updates "mid-game compatible" when I wrote them, but V1.0.1 to V1.1.0 is kind of a bigger change, still I think it should be OK.
Q. I'm already playing with Melana and she is already Melana the War Maiden. How can I enjoy the new values:
A. For this, I've added a dialog option under "Hey Melana" that appears only on phase II and III (as phase I is not changed) which is called "Validate your stats". When you choose that, she'll say "Alright" and in the background, Melana's stats will match the V1.1.1 numbers.
You don't need to select this option if you are new to Melana or just moved from Phase I to II after updating to this version (or even started a new game). This option is for players who are with Melana mid-game and already reached phase II or III.
Q. Oh no! I've update the main file to V1.1.1 but I left my MelanaTheBrave patch on V1.0.1. Will it destroy my game?
A. I thought about that so I made it "clean". This means, the structure of the alias script remains the same and I've duplicated some code to her main follower script (to keep the alias script with the same structure).
So: It won't destroy your game, but I suggest now to update you patch version as well to enjoy the new stat values.
Q. I'm only level 10 and I don't want Melana to be super strong just yet.
A. Use the MelanaBalboa patch and train her when you do want her to be stronger.
If you have additional questions, please feel free to ask.
V1.1.0
In Short
- Revised the intro quest.
- Tackled a few issues raised by players.
In Detail
Since release, I've created a small list of some issues/comments raised by players.
First of all, I would like to thank ALL of you.
At the same time, I myself was bothered with how Melana's intro quest just jumps before all other quests as the game starts.
So, I've decided to tackle some intro-quest related issues plus some quick fixes according to some player comments.
Intro quest:
- Intro quest start: Now the quest doesn't start automatically. It has two ways to start:
a. Go to Bannermist Tower. You will hear Melana crying for help and the quest will start.
b. Go to Dead Man's Drink in Falkreath. You'll "hear" a rumor about a young maiden needing a rescue. The quest just starts there, no one is really talking about it. Maybe some day I'll add an NPC which actually says something about it.
- Intro quest text:
a. Removed the period in the end of the objectives.
b. Stages are now described in first person (like vanilla quest stages).
- Added a patch for Alternate Start users. Nothing big. The player doesn't know what Melana is talking about when she mentions Helgen. That's it.
It's called Melana_Patch_HelgenWhatHelgen.
Quick fixes:
- Added light foot perk to Melana. If I'm not mistaken, this should make her avoid traps.
- Added Melana to a faction that makes her ignore responding to bards (clapping her hands and so). I don't like it in game-play and it gave me a hard time while testing as well.
- Wait, Relax, Follow and Recruit lines end the dialog.
Updating mid-game:
As this update changes the intro quest, it gives two reasons why not to update mid-game:
a. Changes in a quest.
b. The changes are more intro-quest oriented and if you already did that quest, you won't really enjoy those changes anyway.
The other quick fixes are not super important to justify a mid-game update.
Still, having said that: I didn't delete any records and I tested what happens when you update mid-game (even added a safety to the intro-quest activation triggers), and it worked for me.
So if you insist on updating or happened to get the update automatically, I don't think it can break your game but I cannot guarantee that.
GoreDev: Huge thanks for letting me poke in your mod Gore which helped me with the intro-quest start thingy and the factions and perks thingy.
dem6md: Thanks for the comment about the quest texts. I didn't notice those nuances.
TripTheRift: Apologies and thanks for the comment about goodbyes. I thought the way I did is was better but in the long run - I was wrong. With the goodbye flag on - it is better UX.
V1.0.1
Minor fix of a major bug.
Thanks to Quetzlsacatanango for pointing it out.
I've noticed that in certain scenarios (in my case, if a certain follower is in my party), the combat-end event jumps twice and it is counted as two encounters.
Personally, I don't care if once in a while one combat is counted as two and Melana progressed slightly faster, but it also hid a major bug on my end which caused Melana to jump two phases instead of one when she reached the combat threshold.
This caused (probably) Quetzlsacatanango not to see any dialog and in my test, Melana jumped from Melana the Maid to Melana the War Maiden displaying Melana the Scarred as a name (but acting like Melana the War Maiden).
This issue is fixed in this version.
Why sometimes one combat is counted as two (why am I getting the combat-end event twice)? That requires investigation but the major bug behind it is now solved.
The fix is in one script file alone, thus the ESP remained the same so no translation or replacer is affected by this update.
The script was modified in the execution part only (no variables were changed or deleted) so it is safe to update mid-game (tested).
V1.0.0
Initial Release.
Thank you!
She looks lovely!
In that case, I want to mention ColdSun's lovely replacer too:
You are not allowed to use the voice files within this mod for AI training, splicing or whatsoever!
The VA has put a LOT effort into this mod and so am I, so let's respect that part please.
I really apologize for my way of phrasing things, usually I'm not that aggressive but she's really getting on my nerves.
It's a great mod and I loved training her and seeing her reactions change, how she became more confident over time. Just her last phase really irks me.
I guess I'm on a streak of annoying people today
After two hours of whining I thought of killing her or just leaving her somewhere in a cave. But somehow she grows on you, it's very interesting to see how she evolves. Thanks for sharing 😁
When you say "everything seems to be working fine", you managed to recruit her?
Playing GTS and grabbed her alongside lucien, gore, and auri. She makes a great 4th.
Two questions/requests/etc.
1)Helmets. I wish she would take hers off outside of combat like the others. I'm not at all sure if that's a you thing or a GTS thing so feel free to tell me I'm barking up the wrong tree.
2)phase 3. I wish we had a choice here between 2h and dual wield. I gave her two war axes hoping she'd go full berserk mode but it doesn't seem to be. Is there any way to get her to equip 2 1h? Or maybe I'm just missing something.
Again, love the follower.
Both are on me.
1. Custom-framework follower makers have the choice to append their scripts with helmet removal behavior.
I was:
a. Too lazy to do it.
b. The sparring and the leveling thing I implemented was new to me and my focus was on them and I didn't want to risk it with adding even more functionality.
2. You are right. I gave her the "barbarian" arc and didn't consider dual wield.
I'm adding these two to my list but sadly, it'll take a while until I attend to this list. A "side project" I started a few months ago, was hoping to finish by now, is taking way more time than what I initially planned. Yet, I'm all-in on that one right now.
- Avoid giving the reader of this post the wrong impression.
- Nevermind the amount of time it took me to implement those lines but at least in respect of the VA who recorded all those lines.
This mod has more than 20 lines... We recorded around 600. There are 716 voice files (some are used twice like attack and power-attack).The truth: We recorded around 600. There are 716 voice files.
I wonder why the dialog won't show up...
In any case, if you want to console advance her, you have two options:
The cleaner option:
set DZ08_MelanaCurrentCombatInPhase to 9999 if you use the "faster" patch and 199 in normal.
Then, just go fight a wolf or something and she should change phase due to reaching her combat upper limit (unless you use the patch which makes her change phases only through training).
The dirtier option:
set DZ08_MelanaCurrentPhase to 2or 3 if you want to move from phase 2 to 3.
But doing so won't update her stats, so you'll have to go to "Hey Melana" and "Validate Stats" option.
She'll just say "OK" but her stats will match the phase she is now in.
Hope that helps.
Edit:
And reading people using this mod several times really warms my heart!
Thank you!
I could write short stories about the unique ways I've added her into my gameplay. She has just enough generic "hellos" that the possibilities are nearly limitless. Personally, I prefer these types, I include Melana in with the greats like Auri, and Remiel. I really like when voiced followers allow ME to "write my own stories" with their voice in my own imagination. In SO many ways, she is a "feature rich" as my imagination can make her. Of course, if you ever add more content, I will appreciate that as well :D I know she is "always the same" but each time my own head cannon makes her as unique as the first exciting moment I added her into my game. Thank you for sharing this wonderful creation.
EDIT One last thing. I am curious about. if I use ssedit and set the sparring count to something like 6 to get her to scarred stage, could I then set it back to the original, none 50% faster, after she updated her title? I suppose I am asking if it is possible to have a different curve. An easily progression to get into leather, then much more training to get into plate? I haven't messed with that because I don't know what kind of impact that might have in the game. Thank you.
Also "the cleaner option" worked perfectly! Thank you!!!
Thank you so much!
The reasons I try keeping my mods thin are:
1. Technical compatibility with other mods.
2. Non-technical compatibility with each player's vision.
I am so glad Melana fits different roleplay scenarios and I love the "bandit becoming good" gameplay. I did it once myself (along with the thieves guild questline). It was my longest play.
Also glad to hear the cleaner option worked.
As for your question:
The sparring/combat upper limits are checked every time a spar or a battle ends, so yes, you can SSEEdit them and put them back.
Because they are checked on spar/battle end, suppose you reached 7 spars and set the limit to 6 in SSEEdit, she won't change phases immediately, but only after a spar.
Maybe it is really a good idea to make her Melana the Scarred faster and Melana the War Maiden slower. I'll add this to my list.
Also, future FYI:
I made a mistake making these globals (the upper limits) constant, and later in the future, I'll release a version where all the patches are options inside the main ESP and these globals will not be constant anymore.
But first, I have a game to release and I'm only 4/10 done.
Would a port to Xbox be possible? ...as your other two follower mods are on there..
Xbox is kinda limited on custom voiced follower mods.
Thanks for your time!
I specifically wanted this mod to be SKSE free to be able to port it to xbox some day.
I don't have an xbox myself and the friend who helped me port the other mods to xbox is a bit away from Skyrim these days (at least last time I checked), so I don't have a way to do it. I do have a Beth account and I can do it blindly myself but I don't like publishing something I cannot test.
I downloaded the "Model" patch now, bc even tho she was wearing a set of heavy armor (vanilla steel plate) apparenlty she needs to wear a helmet too for it to count? This gave me quite a bif of confusion and frustration tbh, i hope you can set your check for armor keyword to maybe only the body armor in the future? (Or maybe the 3 slots: body, shoes, gloves? im sure a lot of ppl play without helmets to actually see their followers facial expressions when they speak)
I tried other armors first but they all had the correct keywords
Armor Type: Heavy Armor
KWDA Keyword: ArmorHeavy [KYWD:0006BBD2]
So i tried with vanilla and she only stopped remarking on it when i gave her a helmet.. she never did complain in P1, that she was wearing a Wig which is light armor tho and no complaints about not wearing a light helmet in P2.
I actually do like the system and how she progresses though armor types as well, but that inconsistency gave me quite the headache tbh :)
Thank you!
These are the conditions checked for the heavy armor example:
WornHasKeyword ArmorCuirass == 1 And
WornHasKeyword ArmorHeavy == 1
I have no idea why giving her a helmet made her stop complaining.
If I have to guess, I would wonder if you're using a mod which modifies vanilla armor entries.
In any case, issues like this one is the reason I made MelanaTheModel. Glad you're using that patch. Good move
You can use the optional ESL MelanaTheModel to disable her armor-related complaining.