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About this blog

Greetings everyone! This page contains my various Bethesda blogs. At the time of this update, it contains my troubleshooting playthrough series, my Skyrim modding diary, my mod cleanup case study series, and my Shout Like a Virgin beta test blog. You can access all the entries from the sidebar on the right side of your screen.

 

Playthroughs

I've recently exceeded the 1000 mod threshold, and it's time to start periodically doing brief playthroughs to ferret out hidden conflicts and other bugs. In this series, we'll do shorter, more focused adventures where we try to tell an interesting story and also talk about what problems we ran into them and how we addressed them.

 

  • Charley's Story: Charlotte Ellison survived a nuclear war by spending more than two hundred years in stasis. Now she has to survive in a very new world, facing very new threats. A Fallout 4 playthrough.
  • The Spider's Web: Kirstia's search for answers has taken her to the island of Solstheim. Now she must uncover the secret of The Teacher - also known as Mephala - and continue the journey to master her powerful magical heritage. But can she survive as her enemies, new and old, close in? 
  • The Curious Case of Forrien Hlaalu: A year after she returned to Northpoint, Kirstia is back in Skyrim and looking for answers. The strange events that occured during her search for Sybil Fjotra continue to trouble her, as does the ongoing influence of the strange gods of the Forsworn. After a chance encounter over drinks, a wizard from the College of Winterhold sets her on the trail of a scholar who may have the answers she needs...
  • The Search for the Sybil: Exiled from Skyrim to the remote land of Northpoint, Kirstia Bjissen has fallen on hard times. Just as she hits rock bottom, a voice speaks to her and charges her with a sacred quest that will take her back to her native land - and likely into danger. Can Kirstia find the new Sybil of Dibella before her past catches up with her?
  • Shout Like a Virgin: Miraculously saved from death, Monilee of High Rock finds herself in Skyrim, a land riven by civil war and harboring dark secrets. While she tries to build a new life in this foreign land, she's haunted by half-remembered dreams, and in chasing them she discovers her role in the turning of the ages. However, Monilee has not gone unnoticed by powers outside the mortal realm. Used as a pawn in the struggle between Nocturnal and Dibella, it will take all her wits, endurance, bravery, and stubbornness to reclaim sovereignty over her body and her soul.

 

Modding Diary

This series tracks my modding projects in-between playthroughs and case studies. The main focus will be on the technical processes of cleaning, editing, and integrating mods into a large load order configuration, including managing emergent multi-mod interactions. 

 

Modding Case Studies

This blog reviews the tools and techniques that authors and end users can apply to make their mods as stable and compatible as possible, as well as how end users can integrate complicated mods into a large load order setup. In addition to coverage of well known techniques such as automatic mod cleaning, this blog delves into more complicated issues such as navmesh repair. 

 

Entries in this blog

Distant Opportunities (Charley's Story, Chapter 94)

"The Institute?" Quartercut said, working the words slowly. "This is the mythical group that engineered the Commonwealth Provisional Government massacre, correct?"   Despite the support the power suit gave me, I could still feel my shoulders weighing heavily on me with fatigue. Our escape from the fishery in the wee hours of the morning had left me with precious little energy, but I felt the news of our discovery couldn't wait.    "Far from mythical," I corrected. "I suppose

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gregaaz in Charley's Story IV

Fishy Business (Charley's Story, Chapter 93)

"You can't just ignore the threat. As long as they're still there out there, they're a threat; and on top of that, they have the Vestments."   We'd awoken to a rainy morning, though fortunately Quartercut's people had put down the sleeping backs well away from the open part of her hall's roof. Heather was up before me, scanning the near distance and rather pointedly ignoring the argument that was happening upstairs - but very much in earshot.     "Ugh, what's the r

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gregaaz in Charley's Story IV

Anna's Legacy (Charley's Story, Chapter 92)

"Got a second, Charley?"   I'd awakened just before dawn, and with Heather and Piper flanking me in bed I quickly started to feel uncomfortably warm. After a quick shower, I left the Paisleys' house and started walking around the perimeter of the settlement. Red's people had done a good job building up the defenses, but other aspects of the project seemed to be lagging a bit behind. Of course, the one we noticed most acutely was that the main house hadn't been repaired. So I had a bit

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gregaaz in Charley's Story IV

Religious Experience (Charley's Story, Chapter 91)

The next morning, while Piper went downstairs to give Tony Savoldi the bad news about the mattress and pay him for a replacement, I thought more about how we were going to track down Cabot's package. I assumed it had already been missing at least some time before Deegan met us at Bunker Hill, and in turn several days had passed since that meeting. That meant that unless the courier was dead in a ditch and the package just abandoned, we weren't going to find it in the immediate area of Lynne Wood

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gregaaz in Charley's Story IV

Cabot House (Charley's Story, Chapter 90)

With all the drama that surrounded donning my power suit complete, we left Kendall Hospital northbound towards the Mystic River. From there, the plan was to follow the river east and then swing down in to Bunker Hill. Based on when we arrived, we'd either scout the immediate area, following the loop of the Freedom Trail on that side of the Charles, or we'd press south to Cabot House. Personally, I was inclined to take a more systematic approach and start with the Bunker Hill area, but Heather an

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gregaaz in Charley's Story IV

North or South (Charley's Story, Chapter 89)

I'd spent June of 2288 on what was increasingly feeling like a wild goose chase. First we'd gone to Cambridge looking for an MRI machine, but that had turned into a protracted expedition that looked like it was going to take Susan Cain and her team weeks before they got any results. Then I'd met the Brotherhood of Steel's leadership and hammered out what I hoped would be a framework for coexistence... maybe. I knew that this was an important accomplishment, but I still felt very ambivalent about

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gregaaz in Charley's Story IV

Executive Session (Charley's Story, Chapter 88)

If I'd been feeling a little calmer, the smart thing might not have been to go directly to McDonough's office. My armor had gotten fairly beaten up in the tussle with the would-be ambushers and I was low on ammo and stimpaks. If things went badly and I ended up getting thrown out of Diamond City on the spot, I wouldn't be well equipped for a march west to friendlier environs. But what had started as anxiety and self-doubt had been quickly converting to anger. The change started when Sullivan let

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gregaaz in Charley's Story IV

Looping Back (Charley's Story, Chapter 87)

Despite the pleasant activities that preceded my rest, I didn't sleep well. A series of disturbing dreams about Piper haunted me, with various enemies I'd made in the past - raiders, super mutants, synths - putting her in peril while I was paralyzed, unable to help her. In the final dream, Brotherhood of Steel vertibirds were descending around her, loudspeakers droning 'abomination' and 'degenerate.' In slow motion, power armored knights descended from the sky, and I could only stand there, root

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gregaaz in Charley's Story IV

Ghoul Factory (Charley's Story, Chapter 86)

"Knight Tara Astlin, Brotherhood of Steel Recon Team 429 Alpha. It's been three hours since I set my distress pulser. There's been no word from the Paladin or Ferris. Their objective was a satellite array on the coast; they may be out of range. My orders were to hold this position at all costs, but the entire site's been overrun. Without the password to override the bunker's security door, I won't last much longer. Paladin Brandis, sir... it's been an honor, sir."   Heather had found t

gregaaz

gregaaz in Charley's Story IV

Wolfe Tracks (Charley's Story, Chapter 85)

It pretty quickly became clear that the quarry wasn't going to be the sort of job that Winter and I could handle on our own. Unlike the site near Concord, the raiders here seemed to have set up a much more defensible position - and more problematic, they had at least one suit of power armor. I knew from past experience that even with Winter in the power suit, we'd have some difficulty facing that sort of firepower one-on-one. On the other hand, I also clearly remembered the battle near Natick an

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gregaaz in Charley's Story IV

Reaching Out (Charley's Story, Chapter 84)

"So... what do you think? Do you want me to find out if the Minutemen will set up an outpost here? Even if they say no, I bet I can get the Rangers to send some volunteers."   Wiseman seemed to mentally chew on my question for a while. I'd been bringing him up to date on everything we'd been doing out west - things he's only heard scattered rumors about with the roads mostly shut down. He was excited to hear that the Minutemen were rebuilding, but he didn't seem so enthusiastic about t

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gregaaz in Charley's Story IV

Bunker Hill (Charley's Story, Chapter 83)

I woke up just before dawn, and all I felt was self-loathing. Here I was, cuddling in a relatively comfy bed with Winter while Piper was facing who-knows-what out there in the wasteland. No matter how hard I tried to reality check myself, I just felt pathetic. I was sure I could have pressed on through the night; hell, she'd probably stayed there at Bunker Hill and was just now setting off north. If I'd been more dedicated, I thought, if I'd cared more about her than about myself, I'd be with he

gregaaz

gregaaz in Charley's Story IV

Chasing Piper (Charley's Story, Chapter 82)

Morning eventually came around, as it tends to, and we set about getting Winter back into her suit. I'd thought about switching with her now that we knew I wouldn't be getting my checkup for a while, but I remembered the request from the cabinet for me to keep my use of it to a minimum. Moreover, Winter didn't have the unusual healing factor that I'd acquired, and having her inside the suit made it a lot less likely that she'd get hurt if (when) we ended up in another fight.   Heather

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gregaaz in Charley's Story IV

Uneasy Alliance (Charley's Story, Chapter 81)

Maxson was waiting when I made my way down to the command deck.   "Outstanding work at Fort Strong," he said. "I knew I could count on you."     "Thank you. I wish it had been Institute we were raiding, but that situation with the nukes was too close for comfort."   "I agree. We're transferring all the warheads to the Prydwen, and we'll deploy troops to occupy the site and screen the coastal approaches to the airport. And don't worry about the Institute -

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gregaaz in Charley's Story IV

Wild Ride (Charley's Story, Chapter 80)

"So report to the flight deck, an operation is about to launch and I insist you be part of it."   I'd expected a lot of different complications that might come up during this visit, but getting drafted into fighting for the Brotherhood wasn't one I was expecting.    "Elder Maxson," I said, "I appreciate the opportunity to prove my good intentions, but I have to ask for some details about this operation. As much as I'd like to forge an understanding with you, I'm not willing t

gregaaz

gregaaz in Charley's Story IV

The Young Elder (Charley's Story, Chapter 79)

"I'm sorry, Ms. Ellsion. I didn't recognize you outside your armor. Have you been monitoring frequency AF95? We've been trying to contact you."   It seemed that things had gotten a bit better for Haylen since I last saw her. Back at the Cambridge Police Station, after we'd fought off that ghoul attack, she'd looked tired and haggard. Now? Well, she still looked a little worn down and she obviously needed a shower, but there was more light in her eyes and she was walking with more confi

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gregaaz in Charley's Story IV

Medical Tourism (Charley's Story, Chapter 78)

I wasn't sure what to make of Heather Casdin at first. She had a pleasant, even bubbly personality, but beneath the surface I could sense some tension. It was like she was putting on a practiced, public face and hiding what she really felt. Regardless of what she was hiding though, she hadn't been lying about knowing her way around the Commonwealth. Casdin guided us around a few different hot spots and we made good progress towards the Mystic River.      We did stop at one p

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gregaaz in Charley's Story IV

Native Guide (Charley's Story, Chapter 77)

I needed a nap after my therapy session with Doctor Cain, but I only rested for maybe an hour before rousing for a snack and to continue the conversation about my health.   "How did you feel after talking about your experience with the cabinet?" Cain asked.    "Honestly? Too early to say. But in any event it's probably healthy to talk about my feelings."   "That's true," she agreed, "and since I'll be traveling with you I'd like to continue having these talks regula

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gregaaz in Charley's Story IV

Cabinet Meeting (Charley's Story, Chapter 76)

I woke up the morning of June 10th, 2288, and I felt empty. Almost eight months had passed since I emerged from the vault, and Shaun felt further away than ever. And in the meantime, what had I accomplished? In theory, I'd become the ruler of a 20 mile strip running from Concord to Natick; a respectable little fiefdom by medieval standards. But I didn't want to lead a fiefdom. I wanted to rebuild what we'd lost, and make it better. And I wasn't sure how much progress I'd made on that account. 

gregaaz

gregaaz in Charley's Story IV


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