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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

Skyrim Modding Diary - 30 January 2022

Well, yesterday actually turned out to be a pretty productive day, didn't it? I have some time constraints today, since once the temperature gets up to close to its high for the day I need to go out and do some snowblowing to clear my driveway, but before then I have a few matters to attend to that are relevant to this blog. My main goals are to package and publish my BHUNP updates the Wench's Wardrobe (I got permissions to redistribute my edits from the author) and to install a few more locatio

Skyrim Modding Diary - 29 January 2022

Hello, everyone. Hope those of you in the northeast USA are keeping warm today with this big blizzard blowing through. Yesterday we started updating the Toys ecosystem to its current version (including a release candidate version of the next framework release). Today we'll wrap up that process and then, if time permits, knock out a few more deliverables.   We started the day with 1,233 mods installed, 1,291 active plugins, and a final load order index of EF.   Toy Story

Skyrim Modding Diary - 28 January 2022

Hello everyone, and happy Friday! Today we are going to have a bit of a themed day, as we'll be focusing on bringing the Toys ecosystem up to its latest versions (though there are a couple non-Toys items we'll be doing first just to clear the proverbial decks). We will also be doing another LOD & occlusion rebuild, but since I covered this recently I will only go into detail if we encounter problems.   We started the day with 1,231 mods installed and 1,290 plugins active. Our last

Skyrim Modding Diary - 27 January 2022

Hello, everyone! Hope your weeks are going well so far. Yesterday we got some new armor and actors into the game and we scouted out a location that'll eventually add a lot of depth to the central part of the map. Today we're going to install some more of our Winterhold locations and then work through some line items on the to-do list as time permits.    We started the day with 1,219 mods installed, 1,281 active plugins, and a final index of EF.   Some Cleanup Work  

Skyrim Modding Diary - 26 January 2022... Part 2

Hi folks, I hope you enjoyed part 1 of today's diary. Since it turned out I had some more free time this afternoon, I wrote up this second part to supplement the earlier entry.   As we touched on in part 1, there are a few things on the docket - some new armor items, an NPC overhaul, and more exterior location improvements in particular. Hopefully we can have a pretty productive day!   We picked up from last time at 1,216 mods installed, 1,279 plugins active, and a last index

Skyrim Modding Diary - 26 January 2022

Welcome back, everyone. Yesterday we installed a few more locations in the Pale; we also moved a village that was conflicting with a nearby location. We added game mechanical support for Kirstia's magical bodily fluids, and finally, we got a number of new armor sets into the game.    Today we're going to finish up with the armor mod by creating a new distribution branch to offer them in lieu of Elven gear for non-Thalmor characters. This not only helps my ongoing effort to make sure th

Skyrim Modding Diary - 25 January 2022

Hi folks, welcome back. After things went kind of sideways with my plan to chop up and repackage Wild Mountain Farm, I moved on to another worldspace item - filling in the Pale and Winterhold in order to cut down on the amount of empty space in those areas. We got three new settlements up and running, but when we went to do the fourth - Dunpar Wall - we found it was occupying the same geometry as one of the other settlements we'd just installed. Today, we'll move the hamlet of Dunstead so it's n

Skyrim Modding Diary - 24 January 2022

Welcome back, everyone. Yesterday we went in and address a number of minor issues that I've observed over the past month. We also dusted off one of my long-neglected modding projects and finished it. You might be wondering why I posted it on the Nexus instead of the Lab. I normally post my SFW stuff on the Nexus and NSFW here - this way I don't have to worry about drama or censorship on my NSFW content, while benefitting from the Nexus' excellent cross-referencing features for my 'safe' material

Skyrim Modding Diary - 23 January 2022

Welcome back, everyone. Yesterday we did some fairly involved outfit integration, but ran into a wall trying to do a mashup outfit without heavy Outfit Studio work. If you followed the comment section, you'll know that I had a sudden insight hours later when I remembered I had made a mod last year that has the potential to exactly solve my problem. Today, we're going to get that outfit set up and also do some bugfixing.   Black Leather Armor - Finishing an Old Project    

Skyrim Modding Diary - 22 January 2022

Hi folks, welcome back. Yesterday we delved into the possibilities of SPID with a look at Detailed NPCs. We also updated Phenderix Magic World to a new version and we moved the Windhelm ferry to the opposite side of the river. Today we're going to continue working on Phenderix by giving the inhabitants a somewhat less safe for work overhaul; afterwards, time permitting, we'll also customize a mod-added NPC and get some new monsters up and running.   We're starting today with 1,199 mods

Skyrim Modding Diary - 21 January 2022

Welcome back. Yesterday we did some cleanup work, burned a lot of time updating a mod only to throw it out because of incompatibilities, experienced heavy snowfall in Windhelm, and gave Malacath the confidence to ditch his loincloth. Today we're going to first look at a series I've been tracking for a while - Detailed NPCs. After that, if time permits, I have a few other mods only my list that I'll try to get to.   We currently stand at 1184 mods and 1250 plugins, slightly down from ye

Skyrim Modding Diary - 20 January 2022

Hi folks, welcome to my new modding diary blog. Whether you came here from one of my previous blogs or this is your first time delving into my stuff, I hope you'll find this interesting and educational.   A little background first. Skyrim is as much a hobby as it is entertainment for me. I enjoy creating complex, stable load orders and doing lots of compatibility work. I don't pretend to be an expert on every aspect of the game, but by now I have many years of experience and I think so

Homecoming (Kirstia's Adventure, Chapter 22)

The trip south was harrowing - I just don't have a better word for it. By then the Forsworn were clearly aware of our intrusion, and search parties were combing not just the roads but also through the nearby fields and along the clifftops. If the cliff face behind the redoubt had been more forgiving, we could have returned by way of Rorikstead, just like we'd came, but there was no way we would make it up those heights ascending. After several near misses with patrols, we cut further west, climb

gregaaz

gregaaz in Kirstia's Adventure

The Rescue (Kirstia's Adventure, Chapter 21)

"You never did explain how you found me," I said, looking across the bed of the carriage to where Mother was sitting.   She smiled at that, responding, "I suppose I didn't, did I? It was your mercenary friend, Atar, who tipped us off. Both groups were in the employ of the Silver-Bloods, and when the pirates took you they passed right by Atar's company without a word."   "Why didn't they stop the corsairs then?"   "I asked them the same thing, and unfortunately it's

gregaaz

gregaaz in Kirstia's Adventure

An Unexpected Diversion (Kirstia's Adventure, Chapter 20)

Broken Tower Redoubt. Once upon a time, the an Imperial cohort posted in the fortress stood watch over the road from Karthwasten to Rorikstead. Indeed, even as the system of castra stativa crumbled during the late Third Era, Broken Tower - notwithstanding its eponymous third tower - remained relatively well maintained and staffed. Only the Great War finally emptied the garrison, and only briefly; after Madanach's revolt, his own armies occupied the fort and declared it one of his kingdom's borde

gregaaz

gregaaz in Kirstia's Adventure

The Troubles of the Reach (Kirstia's Adventure, Chapter 19)

I spent the next few hours relating to Senna the events that had occurred after the execution - the visit with Thonar Silver-Blood, our false arrest, and our subsequent escape. While we occasionally heard distant sounds of conflict outside, the temple remained untouched. Over time, a few citizens passed within, seeking shelter from the violence, and they brought tales of fighting in the streets between the Forsworn and the city guards - and later, Imperial reinforcements arriving from the nearby

gregaaz

gregaaz in Kirstia's Adventure

Chosen By Three Gods (Kirstia's Adventure, Chapter 18)

It struck me as I left Madanach's chamber that this would be the point where I stopped being an innocent prisoner. Grisvar might deserve what he was getting, but it was still murder. But it was also what my king asked me - ordered me - to do, and I was going to do it. Shortly after that, I caught sight of Runs-With-Sticks and waved him over.   "I'm looking for Grisvar the Unlucky," I said, my words hushed.   "Ohh, you don't want to see Grisvar. He's a creep, and what's worse,

gregaaz

gregaaz in Kirstia's Adventure

I Will Escape Cidhna Mine (Kirstia's Adventure, Chapter 17)

After a brief discussion of our options, we decided not to confront the Beast immediately. Instead, we proceeded deeper into the mines, speaking to the prisoners in hopes of finding clues to the big Orc's weaknesses - or his desires. Few wanted to talk to us, with our conversations ranging from irritation to concern that we'd bring down punishment on them for talking to us. At length, we entered a partially flooded chamber. From the sound of a pick on metal, I could tell there was someone else d

gregaaz

gregaaz in Kirstia's Adventure

No One Escapes Cidhna Mine (Kirstia's Adventure, Chapter 16)

I didn't see the way to Cidhna Mine - before we left the Shrine the guards pulled a hood over my head and cinched it tight. Moreover, dashing my hopes that my distinctive body paint would draw notice, they wrapped me in a heavy cloak. From the noises and protests I heard, I believe they did the same for mother and Jenassa. We walked a way, and from the hanged woman's ongoing wailing I knew we had crossed the bridge back into Riverside. Then, I felt the ground underfoot change from marble slabs t

gregaaz

gregaaz in Kirstia's Adventure

Punishment and Injustice (Kirstia's Adventure, Chapter 15)

I collapsed almost as soon as we got inside the temple. There were deep cuts across my torso, some from the torture I'd endured I'm sure, but also some from the final, desperate struggle to get free. Evidently, despite my last minute dodge, the butler's dagger had cut deep into my midsection. Senna and a neophyte helped mother lay me down and wash my wounds, first with water and then with more caustic solutions that stung intensely. As this occurred, the neophyte gasped and staggered back. I saw

gregaaz

gregaaz in Kirstia's Adventure

In The House of The Nose (Kirstia's Adventure, Chapter 14)

We napped through the rest of the morning, trying to make up for at least some of our lost sleep the night before. Over a light lunch of bread and cheese, we talked through our options one more time, and settled on Nepos. If there was even a chance that this man was actually an ally to us, I wanted to secure his support before we investigated the Silver-Blood family directly.   Jenassa waved a hand towards the lockers at the back of the temple hall. “Are you going to get your armor?”

gregaaz

gregaaz in Kirstia's Adventure

An Exchange of Favors (Kirstia's Adventure, Chapter 13)

The sun was just cresting the city walls as we entered the Silver Blood Inn. I’d expected the inn to be quieter at this early hour, but many travelers were already rousing and filtering in to the common room to sate their hunger. It was clear right away that the barkeeper and his wife both were too busy for me to question them right now, but I saw their daughter, Sharli, who’d served us when we visited before. She was sweeping up near one of the halls, and I approached her with a smile.  

gregaaz

gregaaz in Kirstia's Adventure

Rough Company (Kirstia's Adventure, Chapter 12)

I woke up in the middle of the night feeling restless and unsettled. The temple lights had been mostly extinguished, leaving only a few small candles to cast shadows about the hall. My motion also awakened Mother, who had been sleeping next to me, cuddled against my body.   "Daughter?" she asked blearily, "do you need something?"   I'd been having a strange dream. I was back in the Warrens, in that passage where the Argonian and his friends had ambushed me. But now I was tied

gregaaz

gregaaz in Kirstia's Adventure

Power Overload (Kirstia's Adventure, Chapter 11)

As the door to Bothela's cellar shut behind us, I had a sudden realization: I'd again completely forgotten to read the note I'd received the night before.    "What's that?" Edippa asked as I pulled the papers out of my satchel.   "A man handed me this note last night. I meant to read it over breakfast, but I got distracted."   Edippa barked out a quick laugh, "distracted, eh, daughter? Is that what you call it now?"   I shrugged, "I mean, I'm not wrong, am

gregaaz

gregaaz in Kirstia's Adventure


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