RUINED-TAIL'S TALE (AKA: Ruin Companion MOD) 


Version 2.02 (Dated as of: 22 March 07) 
By Paul 'Simyaz' Thomson 

E-mail: Simyaz@Bigpond.com
MSN Messenger: Simyaz@Hotmail.com
AIM: Simyaz0


TABLE OF CONTENTS:
==================

I: Features
II: Premise
III: Update Details (0.51 to 2.02)
IV: Known Bugs
V: Installation 
VI: FAQ
VII: Troubleshooting
VIII: Editing and Distribution
IX: Credits and Acknowledgements
X: Walkthrough
XI: Other


I - FEATURES: 
============= 

The Companion:

*NPC Companion "Ruined Tail" (Argonian Battlemage) who will follow you, fight, sneak, loot corpses and everything else you have come to expect from your Oblivion NPC companions. 


The Story:

*Detailed character conversations/storyline. What the player says will directly affect Ruin's development as a character and an NPC, and determine the eventual outcome of his quest. 

*Quest relating to the NPC - As Ruined Tail's tale progresses, he will become involved in a quest. The player can choose to take part in this (and develop the character further) or disregard it and use him as a "meatshield" NPC. The quest itself is long, detailed, engaging, and further enhances the concept that Ruin is not simply an NPC Ally, and more of a definitive companion, with his own personality, needs and fears.

*New encounters/fights - Using some "different" encounter techniques that I've always wanted to try in Oblivion I've incorporated a new fight that I hope can be considered "strategic." Previous players of this MOD will find this fight in the new section of Ruin's Quest.

*Multiple endings - The final conclusion to Ruined-Tail's Tale (added in Update 1.00) features 2 possible outcomes which will ultimately determine who the game progresses once the end has been achieved.


II - PREMISE: 
============= 

The Plan:

In my opinion, Oblivion is one of the most complete games ever, featuring some truly amazing visuals, interactive large-scale quests, a vast world to explore, and multiple path options to take. In fact, the only thing that I truly consider wrong with the game is how lonely it feels. From the outset, you really are the "one-man army," and even in the brief instances when you do side with an NPC for a quest or two you still know that you are in charge, and that in reality the NPC will be gone in a quest or two (Amusai). 

My favourite RPG (and indeed, favourite game) of all time is Baldurs Gate 2, and for one simple reason: Depth of character. In BG2:SoA you are the hero, you are a demigod, yet despite this you depend on your companions, and serve as a teacher, friend and even father-figure to those in your party. They talk to each other, they get mixed up in past affairs, they go crazy and turn evil (at your manipulative advice) and some of them even share romances with you. In truth, the storytelling is what makes BG2:SoA unique. 

With this in mind, I set about to make Oblivion the perfect game (in my opinion), by adding an NPC companion (only one at this point in time) who is more than just a henchman. He has a history (which his quest revolves around), he has questions for you -mostly along the lines of moral, philosophical and therapeutical-, he has flaws and can be a nuisance, yet he is still a loyal companion. He will respond to the things you say to him, and they in turn will shape his persona and eventually his status as a companion class. He is FLAWED, and that is what makes him a true character, and a story-driven companion. 

When I began working on this, I knew what I wanted. I wanted to create an NPC companion with the depth and individuality of Solaufein in Westly Weimers SolaRomance mod for BG2:SoA (http://weidu.org/). I wanted an NPC who players could genuinely like, and I wanted one who did not need you to make his choices for him, but rather simply asked for the players advice. To some extent, the player was to be his conscience, providing moral suggestions without giving specific commands. Westly Weimer captures this perfectly in Solaufein, and used poetry, philosophical references and parables to develop the character into a companion that you genuinely feel for. He is UNIQUE, and DEEP, and will not be forgotten in my gaming history. 

Thus we have Ruined Tail (or Ruin for short.) Somewhat typically he has a dark past that he is tormented by, yet rather than come out and speak to the player directly he will ask subtle questions that tie together to form a coherent  background. Your choices will make or break him (eventually) and whether or not you want to play a valiant Crusader, or a manipulative acolyte, Ruin will be YOUR companion, and no one elses. 

The Demon that we fail to see is the Demon that lurks inside. 
 

The Revision:

Ruined-Tail's Tale became a thorn in my side as time progressed. It was loved by so many (over 10,000 downloads and still counting) and yet it received so much criticism over such minor issues that eventually I gave up on it, and moved onto other things. I released The Butcher of Armindale as well as a few updates for that MOD, and more or less left Ruin to his own devices.

Any yet, those on the ElderScrolls forums simply would not let me. A few individuals in particular were truly excellent at restoring my faith in both the Oblivion community, and in the Ruined-Tail MOD. Some of those that spring to mind are: Rychek444, Marac, Trent Reznor, Samurai121, Deepfreeze, Cornicer, Ivy, Shoran, Triangulo, Greyfox4000, AndyW, Wizard of Thay, and numerous others. Their persistence in promoting the MOD, and continuing to support my work -not to mention enduring my mounting anger every time I received a negative review- drew Ruin and his story out of the shadows of Abandonment, and back into the light once more.

Thus, update 1.0 has at last been completed. Which resolves all of the minor niggling issues with the MOD that I had simply decided to ignore, as well as further deepening the immersion of the MOD, and adding the TRUE ending to the story as I had always planned it to be.

"Do not stand at my grave and forever cry.
I am not there. I did not die..."


III - UPDATE DETAILS:
=====================


2.02 UPDATE DETAILS:
====================

*Fixed a CTD bug relating to a number of changes in the previous update.

*FURTHER work to fix the "Duplicating Mist" problem.

*Added some new loading screens that reflect that nature of the MOD.


2.01 UPDATE DETAILS:
====================

*Fixed a crippling bug with the final encounter with Ruin.

*Fixed a crippling bug in the Final Shadowscale Lair.

*Changed Ruin's script so that when the player clears his bounty it will also clear Ruin's.

*Fixed it so that Ruin's inventory relocates rather than vanishing should he come to grief.

*Made some changes to the AI pathing in several of the new cells.

*Corrected a few faulty dialogue scripts.

*Made changes to 2 cells in the Final Shadowscale Lair (design, lighting, specific scripts etc.)

*Further work to fix the "Duplicating Mist" problem.

*Changed companion disposition to avoid inventory inaccessibility.


2.00 UPDATE DETAILS:
====================

*Completely rewrote a large number of the core RTT scripts, and reorganised all of the RTT files (within the .esp) so that it has a more "professional" feel and less of a "half-arsed" approach. (Those unfamiliar with the MOD's early stages may not understand the relevance of this.)

*Reworked a number of the sound files attatched to the MOD. Created some new sound files. Deleted a few. Edited others. All for the sake of immersion.

*Updated The CompanionShare so that I'm using an "in-house" version developed and tested by AndyW (a very talented Modder) and myself. Also changed the way that Ruin's AI is handled within the MOD itself. Added the ability to summon Ruin (in case he gets stuck.)

*Completely redesigned the first trip to the Shadowscale Stronghold (with In-Death's-Embrace).

*Completely redesigned the ENTIRE ShadowSeeker encounter. This new section is now less prone to bugs, more immersive, and less reliant on hard-scripting to complete it.

*Changed the final encounter (prior to the 1.0 update to the MOD) so that it has more of a "strategy" element and less of a combat orientated element.

*A few changes to some of the story structure so that it has more continuity, and a few more pieces "link" together.

8. Completely rewrote the "dream" segment of the MOD. It now has greater depth and is both more impacting to the player, and longer. 


1.00 UPDATE DETAILS:
====================

*Added an additional instalment of Ruined-Tail's Tale that follows AFTER the ShadowSeeker Party encounter. This new part is probably the equivalent size to any one of Ruined-Tail's previous instalments, and is -in my opinion- far more deep. Rest assured my friends, this is not a cliche resurrection of the beloved hero... 

*Changed the manner in which Ruin dying (while following the player -specifically not quest related dying) is dealt with AFTER the ShadowScale Stronghold (as in: After the player has resurrected him.) Ruin is no longer essential after this point, and should he die you can petition to necromancer to resurrect him. This is done for consistency, immersion, and to make the closing stages of the MOD a bit more challenging. This idea was also Wizard of Thay's, and a damned good idea if I do say so myself.

*Resolved the bug with the Switch_Lever01 - This was entirely Wizard Of Thay's work, and I take no credit for it at all. Thanks to his dedication Ruined-Tail's Tale is now free of any such crippling bugs.

*Modified the CompanionShare.esm to resolve the "bloating" bug that has been known to occur. (Thanks to AndyW for that one.)

*Converted the "Ruined-Tail" Walkthrough (previously found online) into a book that the player can acquire in "First Edition." The book is entitled "The Argonian's Tail," and through a narrative text the player can more or less discern the answer to any part of the MOD that they are stuck on. This idea was -once again- Wizard of Thay's. =)

*Changed the entire "necromancer" sequence for consistency (within the game world) and to add a greater depth of immersion to the MOD.

*Changed the structure for Ruin's "core" dialogue tree to make it more efficient. (This has further resulted in some changes to several sound files associated with the dialogue trees.)

*Fixed numerous spelling errors within the dialogue.

*Resolved a few "rarely occurring" bugs in the ShadowSeeker Party encounter.

*Added a few other "subtle" hints to make locating certain NPCs within Ruin's quest easier, and to continue to evolve the story behind Ruin's Tale.

*Minor changes to scripting, file organization and a few other odds and ends to improve overall consistancy (read: neatness) of the MOD.

*Changed the Run Distance in which Ruin follows the player.


0.81 UPDATE DETAILS:
====================

Fixed a few minor bugs that have come to light after the recent major update. The most important one has to do with a recurring bug in the ShadowScale Lair Encounter. If -during the encounter- you found that you were unable to complete it, even using the walkthrough online, it means that you have probably encountered the bug, and should do the following to rectify it.

*Install Update 0.81 over the top of Update 0.80.

*Load up a saved game BEFORE you went into the ShadowScale Lair (You will probably have an Auto-Save moments before you were ported in there.

*Enjoy the now Bug-Free encounter.


0.80 UPDATE DETAILS:
====================

*Added the next and final update to Ruin's Tale, which now concludes the story in a manner that is suitably epic, yet consistant with the story so far. Bare in mind that when Ruin speaks of his dreams, if you do not wish to see the conclusion be sure to select "It is just a dream" else you may find yourself caught off guard when the conclusion arrives. NOTE: I suggest that you read the "HINTS" section at the bottom before entering the 3rd and final segment of Ruin's Tale.

*Added over 100 Voice Overs that give the rest of the characters in the MOD (aside from Ruin himself) a bit more life. This includes a total of 8 characters voiced by 6 Voice actors.

*Added a series of waypoint markers that will indicate where exactly Ruin is at any given time (while FOLLOWING the player.) Note, that in instances where he is NOT following the player, he will NOT be marked on the map.

*Fixed up a bug that would result in Ruin refusing to talk/follow the Player if you dropped his "tainted heart" after the ShadowScale Lair encounter.

*Corrected the DISPOSITION settings for Ruin to avoid him disliking the player even if you are polite to him. If you find he is a bit irritated with you (probably because you struck him in combat) try talking to him a couple of times to rectify the problem.

*Added voiced dialogue for RUIN HIMSELF! This dialogue affects his greeting (when you first meet him) as well as NORMAL conversation topics. His actual quest itself, and all story-related conversations still remain unvoiced.


0.70 UPDATE DETAILS:
====================

*Added the next instalment of Ruin's Tale, which essentially continues from where it left off. HOWEVER, previous players of this MOD will be unable to continue their existing saved games in which the Ruined-Tail's Tale MOD has already been completed. To get the full experience of the MOD you will need to install the updated version and start again. Alternatively you can skip to the second part of the quest using the instructions outlined at the bottom of this README.

*Further balancing of Ruin as a Companion, hopefully eliminating any further "Overpowered" problems that have been reported. 

*Fixed up an "equip armour" bug that was causing Ruin to only equip armour given to him when changing city zones. He now performs an armour check every time you select the 'I've...' Dialogue option. (Thanks Rychek444, you're my saviour mate)


0.52 UPDATE DETAILS:
====================

*Added compatibility for Reznod's companion share MOD, allowing the player to give Ruin specific items, and also serve as a "pack mule" to some extents. This has been thoroughly tested with all aspects of the NPC and his associated quest, thus far I have found no major problems. All credit for the COMPANION share MOD (and the associated script used on this NPC) goes to Reznod. Kudos to him for going out of his way to make a modders life easier. Reznod can be contacted on reznod@yahoo.com 

*Fixed up a bug where a certain wall in Anvil was being disabled as a result of a typing mistake.

*Added several lines to the existing scripts which has set up the MOD in a way so that it is ready for the main quest to continue when I get around to adding the dialogue for it. These changes don't mean much to you guys, but at least it is a sure sign that the next instalment of the quest is en-route.

*Performed a bit of NPC balancing on Ruin in order to make it "fairer" on players who are still using fairly low characters. Additionally, some of the opponents no longer where equipment that will make the game way too easy for lower players once looted.


0.51 UPDATE DETAILS:
====================

*Improved two specific encounters towards the end of the mod-so-far. Specifically, better scripting for the final encounter, and a certain group of enemies advancing out of a hiding place in the water rather than simply appearing. Seriously, this is a major improvement over what was there before, and makes it much more enjoyable to play. Even if you have already made good progression through the MOD so far, I suggest checking out the updated version just for the better final stages.

*Mode_Locrian pointed out a minor inconsistency regarding Ruin's name. I fixed that up. 


IV - BUGS:
==========

*Pathing - There are some weird pathing bugs that occur occasionally (especially if you are running along with high SPEED over a long distance. If Ruin runs too slow and gets left behind, when you zone-into another area or quicktravel he should come back.

*Final Encounter AI bug - The Final encounter in Ruined-Tail's Tale (pre 1.0 addition) is occasionally bugged out by the way Oblivion handles AI that results in it being easier than it should be. Sometimes one or two of the enemies will simply vanish (counted as dead) due to an overburden on the pathing and AI handling system.

*Saved-Game Bug - It would appear that the infamous save game bug from Morrowind is back, where saves performed at certain crucial parts of the game will bug out the rest of it (Making a relative quest impossible to complete.) My chief beta tester had only one instance of this happening (where he quicksaved in the middle of the final "showdown" in the MOD) and this resulted in an NPC who was alive when the game was saved, playing dead every time it was loaded. Extensive testing of this has revealed that it is NOT a bug induced my the MOD itself, but rather it seems to be a random "chance to happen" bug that could affect any and all MODs (and indeed the original game itself) regardless of whether or not your have The Ruined-Tail's Tale installed.


V - INSTALLATION: 
================= 

NEW PLAYERS:

1. Extract the contents of the .zip file to your Oblivion directory. If for some reason they don't go into the correct folders, the Ruin.esp and Easy_Companion_Share.esm files need to go into the Oblivion/Data directory, and the Folder containing the sound files (Ruin.exp folder) needs to go into Oblivion/data/sound/voices/ directory. 

2. Start Oblivion, go into "data files" and tick the "Ruin.exp" file, AND the the "Easy_Companion_Share.esm" file to activate the MOD. 

3. Load a saved game or start a new game to test it out. I wouldn't recommend starting in the ARENA since that is where Ruin is located, and I've had some problems with him not spawning if you don't start OUTSIDE of the Arena. 

4. Go find Ruin (by the statue in Arena) and start destroying his lively persona (or cheering him up, if you prefer.) 


EXISTING PLAYERS:

Install over the top of the existing files. Load up any save PRIOR to the final encounter with the ShadowSeeker Party and Ruin (especially before you receive "Ruined-Tail's Tale" and you should have no trouble running the MOD without having to start over. 


VI - FAQ:
=========

Q: Ruined Tail keeps on pathing all over the place, what's going on?
A: Good question... Answer: I don't know. Lots of companion MODs have been having similar problems, and modders with more scripting skills that I have are also being challenged by this. We'll figure it out eventually.

Q: Ruined Tail is too deep, he's giving me a headache.
A: Then don't talk to him. He won't care. 

Q: Ruined Tail tried to crack on to me. I'm playing a male character mate, that's just messed up...
A: I couldn't be bothered being selective based on gender. And someone on the Elder Scrolls forums was talking about marrying off her female character to a male Argonian, so I thought that she would probably get kicks out of this concept.

Q: How come he hasn't talked to me in X minutes?
A: There is a time delay on most of the conversations. Others need to be triggered by events or even resting (Hint hint)

Q: What is with the MP3 files that don't play any sound?
A: I get asked this a lot. Okay, the way that the CS works you HAVE to have a sound file attached to EVERY piece of dialogue otherwise it only stays on the screen for about 2 seconds. By attaching a "blank" sound file I can force the text to stay on screen for as long as necessary (in my case 8 seconds) and that is why there are some 700-odd silent mp3 files.

Q: I've heard about bloating problems with some of the Companion MODs. Does this MOD have that problem?
A: To the best of my knowledge, no it doesn't. The original problem was caused by the "CreateFullActorCopy" function, and only occurred if the player gave a item which had an attached script to the NPC Companion. Aside from the fact that this MOD uses a completely different configuration for CompanionShare, there is the additional fact that thus far I've been unable to replicate the bloating issue.

Q: Mate, what is with this ShadowScale lair battle, it's insane!
A: True, it is tough (well, at least I found it tough) but it is definitely not impossible. Here are some hints:

(SPOILERS BELOW)

*Don't use Area Of Effect weapons/arrows/spells (for obvious reasons)

*Use the terrain to your advantage. Remember, the enemy isn't as efficient at jumping/avoiding obstacles as you are.

*Pick out a specific target - There are at LEAST 3 other targets to fight before you go after the boss, and one of those just happens to have something you are after.

*Don't let the enemies corner you or bunch up as a group. If they do, stray hits from the other opponents is going to land you in a world of hurt.

*If you end up with more than 5 duplicates running around, load up a saved game. I never managed to win it with more than 5 being played at the one time.


VII - TROUBLESHOOTING:
======================

Q: I don't hear any sounds in the game, what is going on?

A: If you are actually talking about SOUNDS, then it is because the sound files (all of which are labelled "LEGACY_<soundname>.wav") have been installed to the wrong location. The CORRECT location is: Oblivion/Data/Sound/FX.

If you are referring to not hearing any DIALOGUE, that is because there IS no spoken dialogue. The sound files you see are "silent.mp3s" and are used to force the text to stay on screen for a specific amount of time. You will need to make sure you have SUBTITLES turned on else you will miss out on the dialogue.


Q: The NPCs all talk really fast and it's impossible for me to read the dialogue on screen. Any advice?

A: This means that the VOICE files haven't been installed to the correct location. For the English version of the game, they should be placed in the Oblivion directory as follows:

Oblivion/Data/Sound/Voice/Ruin.esp/<NPC RACE>/<NPC GENDER>/

It is also a known issue that foreign language versions of Oblivion need to have the dialogue files renamed due to the fact that the directory structure is different to the English version of the game.

For instance, these applies to spanish Oblivion needs:

Argonian->Argoniano
Breton->Bretón
Imperial->Imperial (no change)
High Elf->Alto Elfo
Redguard-> Guarda rojo
Nord->Nórdico


Q: After the ShadowScale Lair encounter (with In-Death's-Embrace) I'm instructed to seek out a necromancer in Bruma. I've gone to the exact spot where the necromancer is supposed to be, but he isn't there. What's happening?

A: This is an OLD problem, and one that I don't often hear about. After rigorous testing back when the problem first started occurring, we determined that it is DEFINATELY caused by a MOD conflict. As to which MODs are causing the problem... Trial and error will provide the answer you seek.


Q: Whenever I enable the Ruin.esp file, Oblivion crashes at the main title screen. Is the MOD bugged?

A: No, it's not bugged, this problem happens when you have Knights of the Nine installed. The solution is to change the load order of the MODs, placing KotN either before or after Ruin.esp (the opposite to however you had it set up before.)


Q: I'm having a strange bug that hasn't been covered in the README so far. What should I do?

A: First of all, DISABLE any MODs you are running and load up a save BEFORE the bug occurs. Try running RUINED-TAIL'S TALE from there and see if the bug repeats itself. If it DOES, then I suggest you send me an E-mail at Simyaz@bigpond.com OR drop by THE LEGACY forums on elderscrolls.com.forums (just do a search for Simyaz to find my thread) so that myself, Wizard of Thay, or AndyW can try and resolve the problem.


VIII - EDITING, USING, DISTRIBUTING: 
==================================== 

I really don't care where or how you distribute this MOD provided that you don't change this ReadME or take credit for it. Feel free to use my script and NPCs all you want, but PLEASE don't plagiarise my story/dialogue. Obviously I can't do anything to stop you, but seriously, there can be no justifiable reason to steal my writing. 


IX -CREDITS/ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
=============================

Current Development Team:

Paul 'Simyaz' Thomson - Writer/scripter/creator/Voice Actor (Gloom and The Necromancer)

AndyW - For his assistance with post this MOD, and The Butcher of Armindale -specifically providing me with the script to counter the "Bloating" problem known to happen in Reznod's Companion Share. Furthermore, it is his advanced CompanionShare script that has now replaced the former Reznod's CompanionShare.

Dev_Akm - Assisted me with the Companionshare dependencies and has helped to promote this MOD in an invaluable way.


Former Development Team:

Rychek444 - invaluable assistance with correcting the armour scripting bug, and going out of his way to arrange hosting for this MOD. Voice Acting for Twilight.

Wizard of Thay - For his invaluable work in resolving the SwitchLever01 bug, as well as presenting numerous ideas to enrich this MOD (several of which I ended up using), not to mention his support for my work in general.


Voice Acting Team:

Agro - Our current "voice" for Ruin (still a work-in-progress) for lending us his vocal talents to give Ruin life.

PersianPaladin - Voice Acting for Shade.

Wynne - Voice Acting for Midnight.

Shido - Voice Acting for Adir and Olov Mraddeg 


Playtesting Team:

Arilitia


Credited work:

Robert Frost - Whose poetry is used in this MOD. 

William Shakespeare - A quote or two of his were also purloined. 

Melinda Sue Pacho - An excerpt from her poem "I did not die" was used in this ReadMe, and in the MOD itself.


Additional:

Westly Weimer - Creater of the SOLAUFEIN MOD for BG2. The greatest RPG Modification ever created in my opinion. (Actually, two conversation topics with RUIN were taken directly from his MOD. Check out the masterpiece at: Weidu.org )
 

X - WALKTHROUGH:
================

The WALKTHROUGH for this MOD can actually be found in-game when the MOD is running. Go to "First Edition" in the Market District of the Imperial City, and look atop the coffee table near the bookshelf. There you will find 3 versions of "The Argonian's Tail" which contain a WALKTHROUGH in Story-form. Bare in mind, each of the versions contains approximately 1/3 of the entire quest, so if you want to save yourself the trip back to First Edition, I'd suggest taking all of them at once.


XI - OTHER:
===========

Other MODs by SIMYAZ:

The Legacy (Multi-layered Quest MOD with COMPANION) - http://tessource.net/files/file.php?id=8356

Ruined-Tail's Tale (COMPANION MOD with story-driven Quest) - http://tessource.net/files/file.php?id=3027

The Butcher of Armindale (Malevolent COMPANION MOD with story-driven Quest) - http://tessource.net/files/file.php?id=5781

