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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

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

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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

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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

Quick Visit (Charley's Story, Chapter 82 - Original Version)

Editor's note: This is the original version of Chapter 82 that I published roughly concurrently with my play through these events. In my original outline for Book IV, I didn't plan for Charley to start the mission "Dangerous Minds" until some time later - roughly around chapters 88-90, depending on B-Plot elements - but the game started the quest automatically with a cutscene when I reunited with the relevant characters. At first I thought I could just roll with it and rearrange the sequence of

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gregaaz in Miscellaneous

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

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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. 

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gregaaz in Charley's Story IV

Charley's Story Book 4 Preview Pictures (Updated March 9th)

Hi folks, I'm going to try and consolidate all the previews and spoilers for book 4 as I prep for it into a single thread, and just manage the publication date to manage visibility. Hopefully this will avoid proliferating too many blog posts and make it easy to look over everything as it becomes develops.   March 9th - The Custom Magazines Are A Fun Diversion   March 7th - Red's Rangers & Minutemen Leveled Lists (Phase 1)   March 6th - Museum of Freedom Prog

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gregaaz in Miscellaneous

Past Lives (Charley's Story, Chapter 75)

I arrived back at Abernathy Farm just before dusk on May 30th, and quickly found my self being hugged on both sides by Winter and Piper.    "Welcome back," said Piper.   "I'm glad you're safe," said Winter.   I returned the embrace, though the nature of my position ended up with Piper being on most of the receiving end. "I missed you both," I said.     They hustled me into the homestead and didn't waste any time getting me out of my suit - and n

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gregaaz in Charley's Story III

The Confrontation (Charley's Story, Chapter 74)

It was just my three companions that penetrated into the headquarters building. While the Minutemen had been invaluable in seizing the base, too many people in the tight confines of the central building would just invite heavier casualties. With the boosted strength and resilience of the powersuit, along with Nick and Curies' natural toughness (owing to their metal bodies), I decided that we were the closest thing there to a breach team anyway.   I thought it was inconceivable that Kel

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gregaaz in Charley's Story III

Operation Anthony (Charley's Story, Chapter 73)

"I'd hate to see you put yourself in danger for us, Cosmos, but if you really think it could help... I'm willing to give it a chance."   I had deep misgivings about Cosmos' idea that we could parlay with the mercenaries. At the same time, a lot of lives were on the line, and if there was any chance of settling things without a fight, I had to give it a try. And so, I stood by while Starchild - one of his followers - walked a brahmin loaded with purified water up to the base, promising

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gregaaz in Charley's Story III

Building the Fort Hagen mercenary camp for Charley's Story

If you've been following Charley's Story, then you know that Book 3 is building up to an assault on Fort Hagen by the Minutemen to take out Kellogg's mercenaries. In the vanilla game, Kellogg doesn't have this entourage, and so we'll need to build the mercenary camp ourselves and then turn it hostile using Hostile Workshops. Let's take a look at what we have in terms of terrain.   Here's the north part of the base:      I've already done a little bit of ground work

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gregaaz in Miscellaneous

Once Upon a Time... (Charley's Story, Chapter 1)

Once upon a time, there was a place called America. It was a bastion of freedom in a world that was slowly sliding into tyranny, a testament to the idea that a man or a woman could make their own decisions and steer the ship of their own life. But I never really lived there, not that America. When I was one year old, the first lockdown happened. I don't really remember it, but I remember the second wave. I was ten years old. It was strange seeing my parents, my friends' parents, my teachers, all

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gregaaz in Charley's Story

Diplomatic Opportunity (Charley's Story, Chapter 72)

While Red's rangers started the process of cleaning out and fortifying the motel - and more importantly, building a checkpoint on Speen Street to control any northbound traffic coming out of town - Red followed me into Natick. Nick and Curie followed as well, albeit at a little bit of distance. There was an uncomfortable quiet about, and I wondered if this meant the locals were hiding from me, or if it meant they were getting ready for an ambush.     Ultimately, finding some

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gregaaz in Charley's Story III

Swift Strike (Charley's Story, Chapter 71)

"For fuck's sake, Charley, it's me, Red. Don't you recognize me?"   There's no way she grew all that hair on her own since the last time we crossed paths. So yes, in fact I had not recognized her. And I had so many questions about what I was seeing.    "Sorry, Red," I said, "I didn't. It's the hair, I think. I like the color coordination though - carpet, drapes, and upholstery."   She scowled a little more. "Now you're just trying to embarrass me. But yeah, it's a w

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gregaaz in Charley's Story III

Experimental Vault (Charley's Story, Chapter 70)

"Tell me, Overseer," I asked, "what does the name 'Brotherhood of Steel' mean to you?"   Gwen MacNamara seemed to chew on that question for a while before answering. "Probably not as much as it should. We briefly had contact with them seven years ago, but since then it's all been rumors and second-hand reports. They're based in C.C.," she explained, referring to Columbia Commonwealth, "but they started out further west. They'd have you believe that they're a military order dedicated to

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gregaaz in Charley's Story III

The Road to Chapter 70 - Building up the background of the Eastern Commonwealth

Hi folks, as I mentioned in the comments for Chapter 69, today is going to be an in-service day where my gaming time gets used to work on some aspects of the Fallout campaign that are happening off camera: notably, building up several sites on the Vault 81 side of the Charles River so they not only look right in the story but also behave properly in terms of game mechanics.    Before we head down that way, let's take a quick look at our current settlements and how they're doing. I'll f

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gregaaz in Miscellaneous

Red Alert (Charley's Story, Chapter 69)

Before I tell you what happened next, I should mention a little detail that I learned when I visited Red Tourette's bunker. Remember the church near Sunshine Tidings where Luna had been cleaning up? Concealed under all the rubble was a trap door connecting to a long tunnel - and that tunnel led to the basement of the Federal Ration Stockpile. Consequently, it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that the three of us - Piper, Noelle, and me - were woken up in the middle of of the night when o

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gregaaz in Monywyr's Adventure

Doctor's Orders (Charley's Story, Chapter 68)

Back at Sunshine Tidings, I was struggling a little with the whole Red Tourette situation. The woman had a bizarre, childlike naivete that I caught myself allowing to color my interpretation of her actions. On the other hand, she also had a childlike viciousness to her, like a kid who pulls the wings off of flies and has trouble understanding why it's bad. Talking to some of the members of her gang while I helped them dig new wells, I learned that the reason for the gruesome execution of the mut

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gregaaz in Charley's Story III


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