Introduction
It's (nearly) summer! Where did the year go? We've only got a few more days until Starfield Direct. I am super excited. Are you?
One of these days, I'm going to actually sit down and write about modding instead of load orders. There's a lot to talk about, but I've also got a lot of work to do both mod-related and in-real-life. We had a flooded crawlspace to take care of that ate up a lot of my time after spring rains poured water on us, and due to financial difficulties at Christmas, we had no power for a while in December. So I wasn't able to finish the Christmas mod I'd been working on, or do much of anything, really. Recovery took a few months, but we're still here. (I do plan to release the Christmas mod at the end of this year though. Hopefully, someone will like it enough to add it to their load order.)
As far as the Changelog, I've added a few minor edits to the Survival Guide here and there since March, but they were not large enough to really warrant a full post. Unfortunately, I did not write them all down. I did make little announcements on Discord when I did things so you can find them when searching the Parent Server.
One of the major takeaways from this month's changelog is: Boston FPS Fix VD AIO is not currently compatible with Xbox retail version headers for Far Harbor so it re-introduces the Far Harbor previsbine bugs that the Unofficial Patch Team had issues with for a while there. Boston FPS Fix has been updated for Xbox to Previsibines Repair Pack by Starhamster/Ben. Be aware of the file size and plan your Framework around it.
Let me be clear, this is an incompatibility with Xbox Far Harbor. We simply do not have a way to access the Xbox headers, which is the problem that the Unofficial Patch team had. We're very grateful to BetaVirus for the original proof-of-concept mod. Anyone who is playing on PC should have already transitioned from Boston FPS Fix to Previsibines Repair Pack.
Grab the latest Framework Template to get you organized outside the game. I poked around with it in February, but I cannot remember if I let people know it got an update. Apologies all around.
Survival Guide Updates
Useful Links
Added direct links to Bethesda's help site for technical support. We had questions on the Parent Server, and I figured direct links might be helpful for specific situations that are unrelated to load orders.
Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Bethesda Game Studios or any of their affiliates in any way. I am a fan of their games and do this because I want you to have fun.
Framework Template Categories Definitions
This section starts on page 39. There are now links directly to the titles of each of Fallout 4 Load Order Framework Categories that start on page 153. The first section is the same summary you'll find here on the website while the Framework starting on page 153 features example placement of mods to give players examples to work with.
The sections have additional information available regarding ports and information for porters and bundled mods that contain inter-mod communication patches with other mods. FYI - choosing mods that do not have the same form IDs as their PC versions won't work with already-ported patch mods and some patch mods communicate with other mods to script inject their patched information. So be sure to read the descriptions thoroughly.
What Are Mods and What is Load Order?
The section expanded to explain master files and dependencies after it became apparent in a few conversations that too much focus has been placed on the categories themselves and not the why you're placing them in a certain order.
Website Updates
Article Updates
The What is Load Order article received a new introduction, and you'll have more information on how things work and why load orders are not just sorting orders where you focus on what goes here. It's the why it goes there. The information is replicated here from the Survival Guide with the two key concepts of Install Order and the Rule of One.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask on Discord or use the website contact form. If you find the article useful, share the link with friends. They might find it useful too.
Twitter Derpage
I've been tweeting (sporadically) on Twitter for over 10 years and have decided that since Twitter API integration with Discord is no longer available through the free applet/bot service we were using (plus it is now considered a Premium service via Zapier), I'll be transitioning to my Ko-fi account to make public "New Article" announcements. I am at the maximum amount I can spend each month on this project. I am tapped out if I'm being honest. This is not something I am happy about, but it is out of my control. (over. 10. years.)
I'll be using Ko-fi like Twitter, just to announce Survival Guide Changelog updates, load order articles, modding articles, etc., to those who do not have or do not wish to have a newsletter or website membership subscription. The benefits of a Ko-fi page are that since Ko-fi is designed to generate income without ads, there's no third-party spam. There's also more room to write so I can have more space to market my posts here. And for me, the fees are quite reasonable compared to other sites of similar nature. I'm a writer so Patreon doesn't really work all that well for what I do or my website.
I do not have that many followers on Twitter so I am not expecting many on Ko-fi. This is just to let people know that's what I'm doing, and why there will be Ko-fi.com links on my mod pages along with the Twitter link. I remain committed to having information publicly available for everyone to use and keep them free of crap ads.
In case someone is curious about donating, donations to the Ko-fi and Patreon accounts and paid subscriptions here help to keep this site ad-free, and it helps me personally when finances are borked. If anything is left over, it goes to charity, whether it be helping other mod authors or giving locally. Oh, I do have membership tiers set up if you want to access the channel I never talk within on Discord. >_> (There are cobwebs... and I'm shy.)
Thank you
If you find any of my articles useful, share the webpage links with your friends! Thank you for your support and patronage. I hope you're able to customize Fallout 4 to your liking and have great games. If you have any questions, feel free to email me or join the chats on Discord!
Reading along on the website? Follow the Journal to receive new articles directly in your email. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Have fun. :)