[FO4] How to Make an Interactive Plaque

[Rostagar]

I didn't see this type of tutorial elsewhere. Therefore, I am placing it here for posterity.

How to make an interactive plaque (efficient method):

1. Go to "Miscellaneous > Message" section of Creation Kit and make a totally new message. Make sure that you click the "Message Box" field.

2. Go to "WorldObjects > Activators" section of Creation Kit and drag a "DLC04PlaqueBlank" to where you would want it placed into the world (Note: By now, everyone should have all of the DLCs for this game. If not, there's another method that I'll detail later).

3. In the Reference section of the object, go all of the way to the "Scripts" tag and add the script "DefaultShowMessageOnActivateRef."

4. Click on the properties button and highlight the "Message Const" part underneath the "Required Properties" title.

5. Click the "Edit Value" button. Find your brilliant message object (Did you remember the ID name?) and click on it.

6. Click "OK" to get out of all of the message boxes.

You're done and now you can test out your new interactive plaque so long as you remember to activate the mod in your mod manager.

Anyway, now there's a tutorial for people who want to create plaques that say something.

Edited April 11 by Rostagar
2026-04-11 - Edited for grammar.

[Rostagar]

How to make an interactive plaque ("slightly more cumbersome depending upon the situation" method):

1. Go to "Miscellaneous > Message" section of Creation Kit and make a totally new message. Make sure that you click the "Message Box" field.

Does a plaque already exist where in the worldspace you want it or not?

If "YES, IT DOES":

2. Go to "WorldObjects > Activators" section of Creation Kit and drag a "tempMuseumPlaqueActivator" into the worldspace and place it front of the plaque (making sure to size it appropriately to the same size of the plaque).

IF "NO, IT DOESN'T & I DON'T WANT NO STINKING NUKA-WORLD DLC":

3. (We'll get back to #2 in a moment) Go to "Static > Props" section of Creation Kit and drag a "BrassPlaque" object into the worldspace and place it wherever you want.

Remember #2 back in "Yes, It Does"? Do that step now.

Regardless of whether or not a plaque existed or not in the beginning, both of the paths combine henceforth:

4. In the Reference section of the "tempMuseumPlaqueActivator" object, go all of the way to the "Scripts" tag and add the script "DefaultShowMessageOnActivateRef."

5. Click on the properties button and highlight the "Message Const" part underneath the "Required Properties" title.

6. Click the "Edit Value" button. Find your brilliant message object (Did you remember the ID name?) and click on it.

7. Click "OK" to get out of all of the message boxes.

You're done and now you can test out your new interactive plaque so long as you remember to activate the mod in your mod manager.

Anyway, now there's another tutorial for people who want to create plaques that say something.

Edited April 11 by Rostagar
2026-04-11: Added clarifying words.