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SkyrimNet Beta16 Released

· 7 min read

🎉 SkyrimNet Beta 16 Latest

Overhauled Package Management System @MIn @Naitro2010​

SkyrimNet now manages NPC AI packages (dialogue, follow) entirely through direct engine hooks, bypassing both Papyrus and PapyrusUtil for package writes. This is a ground-up replacement of the previous package dispatch system.

  • Better mod compatibility — Eliminates race conditions where PapyrusUtil's PackageEnded handler would destroy other mods' package overrides (e.g., MARAS, IntelEngine) when SkyrimNet applied its own packages. Both systems now stay in sync automatically.
  • More reliable package application/removal — Direct engine hooks remove the fragile multi-layer dispatch chain (C++ → Papyrus VM → PapyrusUtil → Engine), reducing points of failure for stuck or lost packages.
  • Behavioral change — Followers now properly look at their dialogue targets and can use NPC-to-NPC dialogue packages now apply to followers (previously excluded).
  • This change is scoped to how packages are applied — we're planning further updates to the logic around when packages are added and removed, building on this more robust foundation.

Plugin Configuration System @Galanx​

  • Third-party plugins can now define config schemas via manifest.yaml and appear automatically in the WebUI
  • Plugins can register their own LLM variants with custom endpoints, models, and parameters
  • Plugin settings are hot-reloadable — saving in the WebUI immediately re-registers LLM variants

C++ Plugin API v4 @Galanx @MIn​

New native API functions for SKSE plugins and external DLLs to query SkyrimNet data:

  • UUID Resolution — convert between Skyrim FormIDs and SkyrimNet UUIDs, look up actor names
  • Memories — retrieve NPC memories with optional semantic search
  • Events — query recent events filtered by actor and event type
  • Dialogue History — fetch player-NPC dialogue exchanges and most recent speaker info
  • Engagement Analytics — per-actor engagement stats with configurable recency windows
  • Relationship Data — find related actors via shared event history, directed NPC-to-NPC event pair counts, and comprehensive player context
  • Plugin Config — read any registered plugin's configuration by name or dot-path
  • Diary Entries — query NPC diary entries by UUID with optional date range and limit filters

Published PublicAPI.h header with parameter docs, JSON return schemas, thread safety notes, and initialization timing guidance — shipped in the CppAPI/ directory of the release for easy third-party integration

SKSE ModEvent Notifications @MIn​

SkyrimNet now fires SKSE ModEvents at key lifecycle points — external mods can hook these via RegisterForModEvent() to react to SkyrimNet in real time. Configurable via events.enableOutboundModEvents (enabled by default)

EventWhen It Fires
SkyrimNet_DiaryCreatedDiary entry saved
SkyrimNet_MemoryCreatedNew memory stored
SkyrimNet_SpeechStartedText segment queued for TTS
SkyrimNet_SpeechCompleteFull LLM response finalized
SkyrimNet_AudioStartedAudio playback begins
SkyrimNet_AudioEndedAudio playback ends
SkyrimNet_OnPluginConfigSavedPlugin config saved via WebUI

Each event sends a JSON payload in strArg with context like speaker name, form ID, text content, and importance scores. Example Papyrus usage:

RegisterForModEvent("SkyrimNet_SpeechComplete", "OnSpeechComplete")

Event OnSpeechComplete(string eventName, string strArg, float numArg, Form sender)
  ; strArg contains JSON: {"speakerFormId": ..., "speakerName": "Lydia", "fullText": "...", "targetName": "Player"}
  Debug.Notification("Speech complete: " + strArg)
EndEvent

Silent Narration Hotkey @MIn​

New "Silent Narration" hotkey that lets you type facts or events into the world context without triggering NPC dialogue responses — useful for establishing story context that NPCs should be aware of but not react to immediately. Available from the wheel menu or as a configurable hotkey binding. Very similar to direct narration, though without triggering an immediate response.

MCP Console Commands @MIn​

New execute_console_command MCP tool lets you run arbitrary Skyrim console commands programmatically through the MCP interface — specify a command and an optional target form ID (defaults to player). Functionally, this allows you to ask an agent that is connected to our MCP to do a great many things in game - debugging, fixing issues, adding items, etc.

Console Dialogue Output @MIn​

New subtitles.enableConsoleOutput toggle (off by default) that mirrors all dialogue and narration to the Skyrim console (~) — works independently of subtitle visibility, so you can read dialogue text even with subtitles disabled

Optional Action Parameters @Lemonade8339​

Custom Papyrus quest actions now support optional parameters with default values — actions can proceed even if the AI omits certain parameters. Configurable in the WebUI with new optional/default fields for dynamic parameters.

Papyrus API Additions @MIn @Lemonade8339​

FunctionDescription
TransformDialogue(String text)New — Transform freeform text into player dialogue via LLM, same as the Transform Dialogue hotkey but callable from scripts
TriggerSilentNarration()New — Programmatically open the silent narration input dialog
PurgeDialogue(bool abDeferToCurrentFinished)Updated — New optional parameter: when true, lets the current line finish before clearing the queue
TriggerInterruptDialogue(bool abDeferToCurrentFinished)Updated — Same deferred mode option as PurgeDialogue

Improvements​

NPC-to-NPC Dialogue @Severause​

Fixed NPC-to-NPC conversations incorrectly showing the player as the dialogue target — NPCs now properly address each other. Added lastDialogueTarget context variable for prompt templates, improving conversation flow and target selection accuracy in multi-NPC scenes.

Model Verification & Audio @Dowser​

  • All HuggingFace model downloads now verify file integrity via SHA hashes — prevents silent corruption and version drift
  • Each TTS provider now declares its preferred sample rate; resampling happens at load time via FFmpeg instead of ad-hoc downstream conversion
  • Added try/catch guards around ONNX model loading in Kokoro, PocketTTS, and SileroVAD — corrupt models now produce clear errors instead of crashes

Reusable Character Submodule Blocks @Lemonade8339​

Added render modes for each individual character bio block to allow for targeted rendering

Other Improvements​

  • Interrupt/purge now has an option to let the currently speaking NPC finish their line before cutting off, instead of stopping mid-sentence @Lemonade8339
  • Max memories per actor increased from 1,000 to 5,000 (max configurable ceiling also raised from 10,000 to 50,000) @MIn
  • SkyrimNet hotkeys are now suppressed when the PrismaUI overlay has focus, preventing accidental triggers. Requires the latest version of PrismaUI to work. @MIn
  • CPU, GPU, and RAM info logged at startup to help diagnose performance issues in bug reports @Dowser
  • Build now compiles ESP plugin and Papyrus scripts directly from the SkyrimNet-GamePlugin repo @Dowser

Engine Updates @Dowser​

  • Updated CommonLibSSE-NG from Dec 2025 to 4.2.0 (Feb 2026)
  • Game version and CommonLib version now logged at startup

Bug Fixes​

  • Fixed crash when Kokoro TTS was enabled that was occurring for some users from Beta15 @Galanx
  • Fixed diary entries showing 1970 dates — was using game time instead of real system time for creation timestamps. Fixes this moving forward, does not retroactively correct timestamps for older diary entries. @MIn
  • Fixed crash (CTD) when accessing memory endpoints in the web UI during game load — now returns a "game is loading" message instead @MIn
  • Fixed background memory worker generating memories from "future" events when loading an older save before the timeline continuity check completes @MIn
  • Fixed stale memory search results persisting after a timeline clear @MIn
  • Fixed background dialogue clobbering active player conversations — if you talk to an NPC while they're delivering a vanilla line, your dialogue now takes priority @MIn
  • Fixed memory listing sort not working in the web UI @MIn
  • Fixed config variant overrides not clearing properly on reload @MIn
  • Fixed unconscious/sleeping NPCs being selected as dialogue targets @MIn
  • Fixed raw JSON error details being shown to users — error messages are now human-readable @MIn
  • Removed SlapTarget action that could cause permanent player ragdoll @MIn
  • Fixed file-exists decorator showing unhelpful error messages — now includes the filename and value @MIn
  • Fixed SkyrimNet package overrides getting stuck on dead NPCs @MIn
  • Fixed OmniSight capture slots leaking permanently if a task was interrupted — now uses RAII cleanup so slots are always released @MIn
  • Fixed LLM timeout error messages not showing which variant (dialogue, default, etc.) timed out @MIn
  • Removed two unused config settings (language.defaultVariant and openrouter.max_context_length) that were saved to YAML but never actually used @MIn

Breaking Changes 🚨​

PurgeDialogue and TriggerInterruptDialogue both accept a new optional argument. If you have Papyrus scripts compiled that use either function, you need to recompile them to continue working with this version.