Talk:Reference

Starts Dead

This flag simply kills the actor when the cell is loaded and it prevents Resurrect - Actor from reviving the actor. One way to tell if an actor was loaded with this flag set is that they will always have full health and will not return a killer from GetKiller - Actor. --Rasikko (talk) 2021-08-01T05:31:08 (EDT)

Reference Editor ID in the (old) CS

Hello.

I have some questions to understand the new scripting language.

In the CK you could make an persistent reference by using the Editor ID and activating the Persistent Ref option.

How do I do that now?

For example I place a unique NPC with a Reference Editor ID in the editor. How can I now reference to him in, let's say a script attached to an item (not in NPC inventory), since there are no persisent references?

Now for quests. I read the alias tutorial. I have a hard time to understand something there. If I have various quests that basically never stop and the scripts in them also should never stop, imo, it is easier to do that with persistent reference and use it inside the quest script like in the CK. Because alias won't be useful in this scenario. As the alias would never end. Wouldn't it conflict if two quests and two aliases on the same unique NPC are in effect?

Dog 02:46, 9 February 2012 (EST)

Unless the quests are applying conflicting scripts on the npc, multiple aliases to the same unique NPC are fine, and in fact, is done numerous times by the game itself without modification. A great example would be Delvin Mallory of the Thieves Guild, who can have aliases from the Dark Brotherhood quest line, The Litany of Larceny, and one of his small job Radiant Quests all at the same time, and that's only considering quests that you actually see in the journal, and even then there's probably the possibility of a few more. Tails 21:08, 2 May 2012 (EDT)

Reference Editor ID in Scripts

I found this, don't know if anybody else knew.

When you open the reference window, you can give the object a id/name.

Lets say you call it "MyReferenceEditorIDName"

Now if you have a script that uses that object or many other objects, it can be a big job to pick each object with the pick reference tool.

but if you call your reference the same as the EditorID in the script.

like so:

ObjectReference Property "MyReferenceEditorIDName" Auto

then the only thing you need to do is hit the "Auto-Fill All" button in the script's properties window and wupti! all your ObjectReferences are filled out.

This is very similar to the way ReferenceIDs were handled in the GECK.

--VampireMonkey (talk) 2014-04-21T20:25:29 (EDT)

CK UI tabs and options

First, we need to define some terms.

item

A base form of any of the following types: Ammo, Apparatus, Armor, Book, Constructible Object, Ingredient, Key, LeveledItem, Light, MiscItem, Note, Potion, Scroll, Soul Gem, or Weapon.

marker

A base form that meets any of these criteria: it's a TESBoundObject with flag 1 << 23 ("Is Marker") set; it's an Activator and its model path is EditorMarker.NIF; it's a Light with an empty model path; or it's a TextureSet or Idle Marker.

The following tabs are present on refs.

Tab Name	Description	Condition
Teleport	Load door options	Present if the base form is a door. If the base form is set to use random teleport destinations, then the tab will be named "Teleport Ref."
3D Data	Coordinates and scale	Always present.
Primitive	Primitive bounds and shape	Present if the ref was created with primitive data.
Leveled Actor	Difficulty modifier	Present if the base form is an Actor.
Persist Location	Set the ref's persist location.	Present if the base form is an Actor.
Ownership	Owner faction/NPC	Present if the base form is an Actor, Container, a Door with no random teleport destinations, or apparently anything besides a Tree.
Bound Contents	...	Present if the ref was created with multibound data?
Map Marker	Set the map marker name, radius, icon, and flags.	Present if the base form is MapMarker.
Bound Data	Control the size of a roombound or multibound.	Present if the base form is MultiBoundMarker or RoomMarker.
Patrol Data	...	Present if the base form is XMarker, XMarkerHeading, a Furniture, or an IdleMarker.
Lock	Control whether the ref is locked and, if so, how difficult it is to pick the lock	Present if the base form is a Container or Door.
Extra	Various configuration options	Always present.
Spawn Container	Make the item place itself in a container ref when spawned.	Present if the base form is an item.
Leveled Item	Make the ref spawn with a base form chosen from a leveled list.	Present if the base form is an item.
Reflects	In games prior to Skyrim, a scenery ref would only be visibly reflected by the surface of a placed water ref if the two refs were associated with one another.	Present if the ref is a water activator.
Water Lights	In games prior to Skyrim, a light ref would only affect the surface of a placed water ref if the two refs were associated with one another. Some user reports online claim that in FO3, light refs that were associated with placed water could only light that water, but I can't confirm that.	Present if the ref is a water activator.
Water Current	Control the linear and angular velocity of the water current.	Present if the ref is a water activator. Also present if: the base form is a Static or Movable Static and if TESForm::QHasCurrents returns true for the base form; or if the base form is WaterCurrentZoneMarker and that base form's "Is Marker" flag is set.
Light Data	Control light emitter parameters.	Present if the base form is a Light.
Lit Water	In games prior to Skyrim, a light ref would only affect the surface of a placed water ref if the two refs were associated with one another. Some user reports online claim that in FO3, light refs that were associated with placed water could only light that water, but I can't confirm that.	Present if the base form is a Light and isn't flagged as "Dynamic."
Reflected by	In games prior to Skyrim, a scenery ref would only be visibly reflected by the surface of a placed water ref if the two refs were associated with one another.	Present if the base form isn't an Actor, a Light, a water activator, an item, or a marker.
Linked Ref	A map of keywords to other refs.	Always present.
Linked From	A list of all other refs that list this ref as a linked ref.	Always present.
Activate Parents	...	Always present.
Enable Parent	...	Always present.
Emittance	Borrow lighting parameters from a Light or Region form.	Always present.
OP	Occlusion plane data.	???
Location Ref Type	...	Always present.
NavMesh Import Option	Override the same option present on the base form.	Present if the base form is an Activator, Container, Static Collection, Static, or Movable Static.
Attach Ref	...	Present if the base form is an Activator, Container, Door, Movable Static, Static, Tree, or Flora.
Scripts	Papyrus script data.	Always present.

The following checkboxes are selectively enabled or greyed out:

Label	When available
Inaccessible	The base form is an Activator, Door, Static, or Tree.
Is Full LOD	The base form is not an ActorBase or a Light.
Motion Blur	The base form is a Movable Static.
No AI Acquire	The base form is an item, or any form capable of having an inventory (i.e. an ActorBase or Container).
Reflected by Auto Water	The ref's parent cell is an exterior cell. (This makes sense: "auto water" is the water planes in exterior cells.)
Respawns	The base form is not an ActorBase or Container.
Starts Dead	The base form is an ActorBase.
Turn Off Fire	The ref has a 3D model whose BSX flags include flag 1 << 4.
???	The base form is not flagged as "visible when distant."
???	The base form is a Dragon Marker (as defined in the Default Objects window).

The following options are also conditionally available:

Tab	Field	When available
Extra	Alpha Cutoff	The base form is not a marker, and the model contains at least one NiAlphaProperty with flag 1 << 15 set.
Extra	Charge	The base form subclasses TESEnchantableForm.
Extra	Count	The base form is an item.
Extra	Health %	The base form subclasses TESHealthForm.
Extra	Horse	The base form is an ActorBase.
Extra	Radiation	Always disabled. This is a Fallout leftover that Bethesda never bothered to remove from the UI.
Extra	Radius	The base form is not any of: Activator, ActorBase, Container, Door, Furniture, Idle Marker, Talking Activator.
Extra	Sky Marker	The base form is a marker and is not a Light, and the ref is placed in an exterior cell.
Extra	Soul	Always disabled. This is an Oblivion leftover that Bethesda never bothered to remove from the UI.
Extra	Time Left	The base form is a Light and is flagged as carryable.

DavidJCobb (talk) 02:58, 28 December 2025 (EST)

Primitive

• If the base form is CollisionMarker, then the default collision layer is L_TRANSPARENT. Otherwise, it is L_ACTORZONE.
• The checkbox to allow player activation just forces the layer to L_NONCOLLIDABLE.
• You can only select L_WATER if the base form is a water activator.
• If the base form is an Activator, then the CK goes out of its way to offer the L_NONCOLLIDABLE option (with underlying value 15, as one would expect) even if no such Collision Layer form exists. This is probably because the aforementioned checkbox depends on it.
• If the base form isn't a Static or Activator, then the drop-down for the collision layer is disabled.

DavidJCobb (talk) 20:50, 14 August 2026 (EDT)