Renee's Modding Thread Options

[Renee]

You need to find the texture file for the armor. It will be in a *.dds format. Open it with a graphics editor that supports .dds files (not all do). I use Paint.Net. Then just change the color and save it.

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Oblivion example

Begin GameMode

if Gamehour >= 5 && Gamehour < 7 && dawndusk == 0
set dawndusk to 1
elseif Gamehour >= 17 && Gamehour < 19 && dawndusk == 0
set dawndusk to 1
elseif ( GameHour >= 7 ) && ( GameHour < 17 ) && dawndusk == 1
set dawndusk to 0
elseif ( GameHour >= 19 ) && dawndusk == 1
set dawndusk to 0
elseif ( GameHour < 5 ) && dawndusk == 1
set dawndusk to 0
endif

End

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Skyrim example

if ThisActorClosest.hasSpell(BrokenArmorDistr)

elseif ThisActorClosest.isdead()
elseif ThisActorClosest.GetDistance(PlayerRef) >= 50000
elseif ThisActorClosest.GetDistance(PlayerRef) <= 5000
elseif !PlayerRef.HasLOS(ThisActorClosest)
else

do_what_needs_doing_here()

endif

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Any languages would do this, but rarely they've been written differently). Because of this always put the LEAST likely condition first (or possibly the shortest running query, if eg it's from a local function call, or local boolean test). This means the script won't be looked at as often by the game.



This post has been edited by Renee: Apr 9 2025, 05:58 PM

[Renee]

Specific instance of CrimeGold (CG only sets for this one particular instance, rather than every time the Crime Gold's Faction gets triggered.) This can be added to s specific object like a chest.

=----------------------------------------------------------

Faction Property CrimeFactionWinterhold Auto

Event OnActivate(ObjectReference akActionRef)

if akActionRef == Game.GetPlayer()
if IsLocked()

int crimeGold = CrimeFactionWinterhold.GetCrimeGold()
Utility.Wait(2) ;wait for lock picking menu to close
int newCrimeGold = CrimeFactionWinterhold.GetCrimeGold()
int diff = newCrimeGold - crimeGold

if diff > 0 ;player was likely caught

CrimeFactionWinterhold.SetCrimeGold(newCrimeGold + 100) ;add 100 to crime gold

Endif
Endif
Endif

EndEvent

This post has been edited by Renee: Apr 9 2025, 05:35 PM

[Renee]

Making a quest in Morrowind.

I'm outsourcing these tutorials because they're already so comprehensive. There are three links below. First link includes the VERY basic stuff: adding objects to the world, making NPCs, a lot of the window explanations, and so on. Second and third links lead straighter into the quests & scripting.

Construction Set basics tutorial

Morrowind Scripting for Dummies (UESP)

Morrowind Scripting For Dummies (Nexus), includes .pdf files.




This post has been edited by Renee: May 14 2025, 03:51 PM

[Renee]

Adding Mods to Xbox Series X

I'm making a tutorial for this because turns out, putting the mods I want on a console is harder than I thought it would be. Sure, it's easy to just start the game, go into the pause menu, click on MODS or CREATIONS, and there's a list of selections right there. But.... this is a limited selection straight from Bethesda. As it turns out, I wasn't interested in any choices which showed up, so the question is: how do we expand these choices? Maybe download from Nexus instead of Beth.net? Well there are several ways, lots of videos tell us how, but in a lot of videos, stuff is not clearly explained, steps get skipped, or the narrator's mumbling in a funny accent, making him/her difficult to understand.

The first method I'll discuss is getting content from Bethesda.net. Keep in mind, downloading from this website into the game is unreliable. I've been able to get some selections into my games, other times they don't show up in any Mods or Creations menus. . Literally hit or miss, this method is. DLing stuff from any Creations menus in a Bethesda game works better. This is discussed below.

MODDING FROM BETHESDA.NET - WIP

1). if you don't have an account with Bethesda.net, log in and make one on your computer, using Microsoft Edge to gain a bit of streamlining in the next step It's free!


2).For this next part, it helps if your Xbox is linked to your computer, online that is. They should be sharing the same Microsoft account, that is. This just streamlines the process. Here is an outside tutorial for that. Use Microsoft Edge to link accounts/devices if they're not already linked. Again, this streamlines everything.

2). Next step is to start the Xbox itself, and open the 'net. But how....? Here is where several videos failed for me, as this simple task wasn't nicely explained in all the ones I watched. If you're not seeing your Home page, press the Xbox button. On the top left side of the page, select My Games & Apps, okay? Very good. Microsoft Edge should be one of the apps since Xbox is a Microsoft product. If you don't see Edge, select "See All" and you might have to scroll to find the Edge icon. If your devices are linked virtually: PC and console, that is, and you already use Edge on your PC, Edge will ask if it's okay to share passwords and other info between the two devices once it opens: PC and console. I allowed this, which made it so my Microsoft username, email, and other info automatically transferred to the Xbox. 🎮

3). Type Bethesda.net into the Edge browser. Despite transferring info, the Bethesda website did not catch the password I use for this site. Perhaps because I didn't have Bethesda.net set as a Favorite thru Edge. Now I do. I'm noticing a new Favorite icon, for Home.Bethesda.net just showed up on my Microsoft Edge browser's Favorites bar on my computer in real-time. Nice.

4). After entering the password if you have to, click on the three lined "icon" on the top left of the page. Scroll the page down. The bottom left is where mods and Creations are >>> although this could change in the future, Beth's site has changed several times over the years.
Now select the game you're wanting some changes in. I'm choosing Fallout 4. The left joystick on the controller acts as a rather clumsy mouse, while the right joystick scrolls the entire page up and down. There we go, a much larger list of mods can be seen now, BANG CRASH!! ... IF we don't see what we want, use the Search at the lower-top-left of the page. Categories can also be narrowed on the left side of the page (see, this is no longer true, categories are now somewhat to the top, so just look all over the page if Categories aren't immediately seen.)

5). If searching on Xbox, type what you want to see with the clumsy in-game keyboard (or a real keyboard, if this is allowed), press the Start button or ENTER, which should begin the search. Some searches take longer than others.
I just searched for Sinks in Starfield, hoping to find more usable water sources. Did not find any dedicated drinkable sink mods, but found Working Water Cooler, instead. Close enough. ⛲ Well actually it promises sinks should become functional: Replaces nearly all water coolers and sinks found in the world and ships with working versions based on my mod Functional Decor.


I also selected Landscape as a Fallout 4 Category and found "Spring in the Commonwealth", which pretties up the Commonwealth.

5). Whatever you want, click on the Favorite button for that mod, which is a heart icon. 🖤 (note, I'm not seeing this icon in the year 2026, now there's only Bookmark and Subscribe buttons). Click also on the download/Subscribe button, this saves the mod into your Library, which is (citations needed>>>>) in the Xbox app on your computer, if this has been installed. The app can also be found on the Xbox by pressing the main Xbox button and then pressing My Games & apps. 2). Highlight a game (but don’t select it). 3). Press the Menu (what used to be called Start) button on your controller, and then select Manage game and add-ons.
Select the game tile, and then select each checkbox for which items you want to install.
Select Install, to confirm the installation.
Note that games and add-ons will install automatically to your console’s default storage device. To learn more about managing your storage devices, go to:

At the top-right of this window is our avatar, which is Profile & system. Move the underline_cursor under Profile & System then go > Settings > General > Power options to adjust your power mode settings.
Go to Profile & system > Settings > System > Updates to adjust your system update settings.
=\. If you're in the Creations menu you may need to purchase the mod itself, which is an option below the Bookmark button.

6). Any mods should be in the game's Creations menu. If not seen, press the Options button on your controller (this used to be called the Start button, to the right of the main X button) and choose "Download all Creations in my Library". To see/manage them further, scroll up the Bethesda.net page and select My Mods (light gray) instead of All Mods.

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MODDING FROM CREATIONS MENU (Starfield or Fallout 4)

1). Open the game from the main Xbox window, or any icon which launches the game.

2). Select Creations. A disclaimer might pop up, telling us some legal stuff about the dangers of adding stuff to our games, yea whatever,,, but then, the Creations menu should fill your screen. If a message saying "cannot save to Bethesda.net" shows up, see the Troubleshooting section below. Otherwise, a huge list of choices should show, with the most popular mods of all at the top of the page, I assume. Press the left bumper to open the Search option, if stuff needs to be narrowed down.

3). Enter what you want in the search. Again, type what you want to see with the clumsy in-game keyboard (or a real keyboard, if this is allowed), press the Start button or ENTER, which should begin the search. After the search is done, press the left trigger to open a bunch of options, we can glance into our current Library of mods , for instance.
Again, I searched for Sinks in Starfield, hoping to find more usable water sources, this time using the game's Creations menu, as downloading from Bethesda.net didn't work. Found the exact same mod, Working Water Cooler, except this time I could download straight from the water cooler's page without losing the file somewhere between my game and its Library. 8.73 megabyates. "Are you sure you want to Download Working Water Cooler?" Hell yes! Sometimes we'll need to pay for the creation. Downloading takes time, sometimes. Be patient!

Often, there's an option to look at other work from the same author a choice or two below the Download button.

4). Downloading the mod automatically installs it, but to be sure, press the Y button. This shows the current mods in your game, and also the way they've been arranged. Console players who've never modded on PC who might be reading this: "Load Order" is very important. Some mods can clash with others, and sometimes overwrite changes; whatever's at the bottom of the order "wins". If I installed something into Starfield which made sinks and water coolers non-functional for instance, I'd better make sure it's not below Working Water Cooler when the game launches. Use the left bumper to move stuff up or down.

Pressing X in the Creations window opens options to purchase credits sometimes, for some games, because some Creations do cost money. 💰💰💰 Oddly, I got the water cooler mod working and installed in my game even though it said I don't have enough credits on my Xbox account, though maybe since I signed up & paid for GamePass a month ago, this allowed me to purchase Working Water Cooler, sweet! 💦💧

5). Finally, press the View button (to the very left of the main Xbox button), now there should be options to save or Restore the load order to Bethesda.net. We'll want to SAVE. This is important because in the future, if we need to uninstall our game, we can also Restore those mods we had in the past in one easy step, by pressing the View button button and selecting Restore. Voila 🍷

Starfield will confirm 'the load order has changed' or some such, after exiting the CREATIONS menu. Get in the game!

Keep in mind, loading Creations into the game sometimes disables Achievements, as it'd be all too easy to cheat by using some mod to get these without working for them. But so what, right? I'd rather customize my game than see artificial plaques go up in the game's Achievements wall, that's an easy tradeoff for me.



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TROUBLESHOOTING

If you get a message saying "unable to save current load order to Bethesda.net" when selecting Creations in the Start menu that's not in the game, this could be why..... Firstly, even if this message occurs, sometimes the Creation menu may still open. If so, here's some info I got from Googling:

1). If you are unable to save your current load order to Bethesda.net on Xbox, make sure your device is loaded to the proper account. Exit the game, open the 'net and make sure you're logged into Bethesda.net. Another possibility is: it may be due to an upcoming update; December 2025 was the last one. these will reset the mod load order. To avoid complications, it is recommended to save your console load order before the update. Here are the steps to save your load order:

2). Navigate to the Creations Menu and select the Load Order Menu. Or just press the Y button on an Xbox controller.

3). At the bottom of the Load Order Menu screen, select "Load Order Archive", or the View button on your controller. Now, any mods or creations you've selected should be on your monitor or TV. Select these one by one by pressing A, or delete by pressing X.

4). Press the View button (to the very left of the main Xbox button), now there should be options to save or Restore the load order to Bethesda.net.
Select "Save Load Order to Bethesda.net." Duh. If the "unable to save current load order to Bethesda.net" still occurs, and you've saved in the past,


5). Confirm by selecting "Yes," on a controller. If the Unable to save load order to Bethesda.net" message still pops up, it may be due to a game's update or a glitch. Here are some steps you can take to troubleshoot the problem:
1). Power cycle your console by pressing and holding the main power button on the Xbox itself until the monitor screen and Xbox button powers off. Now press & hold until it powers on, you may need to hold the main Xbox button on the controller too. This can help reset the game and resolve any temporary glitches, getting successfully into the Creations menu from the game. THIS HELPED ME, 12/24/2026. I could also save the FO4 load order to Bethesda's servers. Voila 🍷 If you're still stuck, continue steps below.

2). Disable mods: Try deactivating all your mods and then attempt to save your load order again.

3). Use the Load Order Archive: Navigate to the Creations Menu, select the Load Order Menu, and use the "Load Order Archive" option to save your current load order.

If After saving and exiting the Creation menu, if a message saying something like "The Creation selection/load order has changed", this is okay. Press OK. Load or Continue a gamesave. The game (Fallout 4 for me) should confirm that your "load order has changed", and you'll be able to activate whatever creations you've chosen, indicating the process is complete. Start the game and load a save. There should be a final confirmation message to activate any mods or creations. YES please, goshdammit!

]If there's a message saying "Could not log into Bethesda.net servers" when trying to select the Creations menu in the game,
1). Check your Server Status: Before proceeding, verify if there are any server outages or maintenance activities by checking the Bethesda Support Twitter account or their official website.

2). Ensure that your username and password are correct by logging into the Bethesda.net website thru your Xbox menus, Microsoft Edge the appropriate browser. If you have not verified your account, do so now.






https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ba6tBM7TQT8

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aknl_ze...ME/edit?tab=t.0

This post has been edited by Renee: Today, 01:53 AM

[Renee]

STARFIELD TUTORIALS


Rather than write up some guides to learn this game I'll link to some of the better tutorials and guides I have found.

A no-fuss Guide to Starfield Space Travel -- Doesn't go into enough detail in print, but this site includes some helpful pictures,

Flying tutorial -- The in-game flying tutorial is too short in my opinion.

Starfield Pilot's Guide & HUD tutorial -- Another video. I figure if I watch/read enough of these I'll finally get the hang of flying in this game. This vid is somewhat annoying with the jam-boy music in the background but it's the most comprehensive tutorial I've found so far. He at least explains everything Vasco/Bethesda don't.

Docking our spacecraft to other space stations (video)

Building spacecrafts video

This post has been edited by Renee: Jan 21 2026, 01:27 AM