Mod restartitis, Cross-infection from the game itself? Options

[ghastley]

I'm finding myself doing with mods what others do with their characters. I'm starting new ones, before I've finished work on the existing ones.

Bear Riders - I built Riders Lodge, added a couple of new NPC's, lots of skimpy outfits, and two or three quests. Got stuck trying to pair up recruits with their bears, and establish the patrols. I'm also having issues getting Unna to train more bears, because I don't know how to attach properties to an Actor.

Thieves Guild Continued - Created a number of new NPC's, the beginnings of the first quest, and added content to Riftweald Manor to open its doors once the Guild takes it over. Got stuck with quest conditions for executing Sibbi. I want to have him chopped by Svidi, but she may be dead, so I need Mjoll (who's essential) to step in for that situation. I just can't get the aliases to fill properly!

Orc Hearthfires - This was going nicely until it started crashing the game as soon as I created the small hut layout.

Elf Kids - I made a high-res head to generate the model-space normals, but can't get that process to work. The tutorial on it requires 3DS MAX and ZBrush, which I don't have. I figured out how to use Blender for the sculpting, but there's some subtle use of MAX that's eluding me. Stuck again.

Alik'r Dancer - still adding more content. It's released, but unfinished. I just made a modified Scimitar model, because I wasn't happy with the hilt on the vanilla one, and I'm working on a high-end one (probably ebony) for variety.

Diablita for Skyrim - She's OK apart from a kink in her tail when idle. It's a problem with one bone in the Bethesda animation, because I can see it in the Khajiit tail, too. It's just a lot more noticeable with a more slender tail. I downloaded the Havok tools to try and fix it myself, but again seem to need other software (like MAX) to use with it.

Hulk out - Actually finished that one! I just have to make myself leave it alone.

And all this is on top of multiple mods for my own use only, just to tweak things for one character. Drelka's getting a new dress like her one in Oblivion, for example.

I'm finding myself going back to my old characters and doing new quests with them. How do I get myself to go back and finish the mods I started?

[mALX]

I'm finding myself doing with mods what others do with their characters. I'm starting new ones, before I've finished work on the existing ones.

Bear Riders - I built Riders Lodge, added a couple of new NPC's, lots of skimpy outfits, and two or three quests. Got stuck trying to pair up recruits with their bears, and establish the patrols. I'm also having issues getting Unna to train more bears, because I don't know how to attach properties to an Actor.

Orc Hearthfires - This was going nicely until it started crashing the game as soon as I created the small hut layout.

Elf Kids - I made a high-res head to generate the model-space normals, but can't get that process to work. The tutorial on it requires 3DS MAX and ZBrush, which I don't have. I figured out how to use Blender for the sculpting, but there's some subtle use of MAX that's eluding me. Stuck again.

Hulk out - Actually finished that one! I just have to make myself leave it alone.

I'm finding myself going back to my old characters and doing new quests with them. How do I get myself to go back and finish the mods I started?

I've got a lot of these too, start some and become so immersed till either I add one too many things and crash the mod or come to a stopping point because of lack of knowledge or ability to perform some obscure function that I really REALLY want in the mod, lol.

Attaching properties to NPCs in Skyrim - I've noticed an obnoxious lack of flexibility on modding character's abilities and personalities, AI packages, Factions, etc - it is like when they made the game they decided not to allow us to mod characters beyond a certain point - or I am missing something?

I would love it if someone would teach me what it is if I'm just overlooking something, because I don't want to make an NPC character unless it can have a unique personality and do something special or different from all the other characters in game.