Glossary

Quick definitions of important words and concepts.

GECK Terms

Actor

• An Actor is a game object that uses AI and acts in the world on it's own. Creatures and NPCs are both considered Actors. See also: Actor Functions

Base Object

• Base Objects are any objects defined in the Object Window, as well as some objects in the menus in the main GECK toolbar. Some of these objects serve as template objects for References.

EditorID

• The EditorID of an object is the name used in the GECK to identify the object when working with it, and can be used in scripts.

FormID

• The FormID of an object is the unique numerical identifier for that object, in hexadecimal. This is the 'short version' used by the engine while the game is running.

LOD

LOD is Level Of Detail. As an object is farther away, it has less detail. (ex: close range, an object may be 200 pixels; farther away, it may only be 50 pixels. The LOD has been reduced.)

Record

• A Record is any discrete unit of data that gets saved to an .esp file. Base Objects and References are both Records, as are other things such as Game Settings.

Reference

• References are instances of Base Objects that have been placed in the game world in the Cell View Window. References inherit most of their properties from the Base Objects that they are templated on.

File Types

DDS File

• DDS, short for Direct Draw Surface, is the file format used by Fallout 3 to store textures and images. One free .dds editor is Paint.NET, and plugins are available for most image editing programs.

NIF File

• NIF, short for Net Immerse File, is the file format used by Fallout 3 to store models, also known as meshes. NIF files can be worked with using NifSkope and NifTools.
• Note - The NIF files used in Fallout 3 are a different format than those used in Oblivion.

OPL File

• OPL stands for Object PaLette and this file format is used only in the G.E.C.K. to create an Object Palette, a collection of objects that speed up a process of building exterior worlds and interiors.