New Post: Oblivion using Lutris

Reviewed-on: #6

.forgejo/workflows/publish.yaml

@@ -1,4 +1,8 @@
-on: [push]
+on:
+  push:
+    branches:
+      - master
+
 jobs:
   jekyll:
     runs-on: docker

_drafts/fallout3.md

@@ -0,0 +1,161 @@
+---
+     tabtitle: "Fallout 3 on Linux"
+     title: "Fallout 3 on Linux: Setup, Summary, and Suggestions"
+     topics: [gaming]
+     pub: ""
+     short_desc: A relatively comprehensive review of my recent playthrough of Fallout 3.
+---
+
+# Fallout 3 on Linux: Setup, Summary, and Suggestions
+- Objective: Play Fallout 3 with a "Vanilla+" setup of mods. Play through all
+    the DLC, play through the main story.
+
+To-Do:
+- Installation
+    - Game files (Steam, GOG, other?)
+    - Mod Organizer 2
+- Modding
+    - Mods I used, and why
+    - How-to Install and/or Configure
+- Game Review
+    - Main Story
+    - DLC (in order played)
+        - The Pitt
+        - Operation Anchorage
+        - Point Lookout
+        - Mothership Zeta
+        - Broken Steel
+
+# Notes
+
+## Installation
+
+### Base Game
+
+### Mods
+
+#### Mod Organizer 2
+
+#### Mod List
+
+#### Mods of Note
+
+## Review
+
+### Main Story
+
+Overall, I think the main story of Fallout 3 is strong until the very last beat.
+The beginning tutorial, which is the first 10 to 40 minutes of play, takes place
+entirely within the starting Vault. It does a good job of the standard tutorial
+phase: teach the player how to interact with the game; walk the player through
+character creation; setup a few characters to care about. Then, the beginning
+ends, and there's the second phase of play: open world. Arguably, this is the
+remaining phase of all game-play. The player is free to explore, pursuing quests
+or ambitions as they whim. There are game mechanics to aid with decisions,
+generally quest markers and points-of-interest. The entire play time of a player
+could be spent on everything _except_ the main story, and it would still be a
+rewarding and enjoyable experience. However, my objective was to play the story
+of Fallout 3, and so I keep that as my main guiding star. This is not to say I
+didn't do any side-quests. I wandered far and wide; I actually discovered every
+location on the map! I enjoyed exploring the abandoned and ruined metro lines,
+finding small settlements or outposts, and coming across other wanderers and
+survivors who had setup their own little slices of the wasteland.
+
+I want to specifically talk about the setting. The Capitol Wasteland, a
+fictionalized, augmented, scaled-down region around modern-day Washington DC,
+northern Virginia, and Maryland. The "sights" are there: all the monuments and
+museums (well, some _aren't_ there, like the White House!). There are two
+"layers" to the map. The first is the surface. There's the big, open-world
+Wasteland, which spans almost the entire map, excluding some smaller,
+independent cells. Then, there's the underground collection of metro tunnels.
+All of these connect, mostly, and it is fascinating that, once underground, it's
+almost possible to stay underground, at least when around the Mall and within
+DC proper.
+
+I want to touch on one of the strengths of Fallout 3, and the open-world 3D
+environment: environmental storytelling.
+
+### DLC: The Pitt
+
+The Pitt was the first of the DLCs that I played. It was advised as a good
+early-game DLC, if only because it gives some great guns. I hadn't made the
+connection between "Pitt" and "Pittsburgh" until I saw the name of the DLC
+spelled out (as opposed to hearing it simply as "the pit"). I love the hook into
+the DLC: a man, looking like Snake Plissken from "Escape from New York", sends
+out an SOS signal that your Pipboy can pick up. Traveling to the
+northern-reaches of the map, there's a hand-powered rail car that you use to
+travel to "The Pitt." There, according to Wernher, the people are oppressed and
+sick, and their tyrannical leaders hold the cure for their disease but refuse to
+hand it over. Wernher escaped from the slave pits, seeking help in their
+revolution. Granted, it's not all that straight-forward. There are a few hours
+worth of story, during which you learn a bit more about the setting, the
+disease, and the characters. You fight through the slave pits to earn your
+freedom and a meeting with the tyrant, a former Brotherhood of Steel member
+named Lord Ashur. The cure is actually a child that was born with immunity to
+the disease. Conveniently, it's Ashur's kid. His wife, (conveniently) a
+scientist, is working on bio-engineering a cure from the kid. Wernher wants to
+take the kid, harvest it, and distribute the cure himself. Thus the main moral
+conflict of the DLC: do you side with Ashur, saving the kid, but continuing the
+status-quo, and having only Ashur's word that he'll do the right thing when the
+cure is ready? Or do you side with Wernher, kidnapping and probably dooming the
+child, to let him play his power-trip and essentially take over The Pitt for
+himself? I sided with Ashur, killed Wernher, saved the kid, and got some sweet
+guns.
+
+Overall, I enjoyed The Pitt. The setting is phenomenal, the story is engaging
+enough. The characters are good. It has that 80s action-film vibe. The moral
+choice at the end is a good twist, though by no means unforeseen. I do like that
+the game has no karma tied to the final decision; neither one is obviously good.
+I tend to enjoy that in moral decisions, as rarely are any decisions obviously
+"right" or "wrong."
+
+### DLC: Operation Anchorage
+
+Apparently this one is polarizing. (Oh snap, no pun intended). I really liked
+it. It hooked me in, it didn't overstay it's welcome, and it gave me some cool
+loot.
+
+The gist: your Pipboy lets you operate a virtual reality training simulation of
+the invasion of Anchorage, Alaska by the Chinese forces. You start off on a
+cliff, having been one of a few surviving special forces members, to infiltrate
+and destroy the artillery shelling the United States forces. Right away, it set
+a really fun tone with me. I loved the little infiltration angle. After you save
+the day, you return to base camp, where you are given several more missions to
+destroy key resources, before repelling the Chinese forces and retaking
+Anchorage proper.
+
+The stealth mission at the beginning really swings this content in a favorable
+direction, as does the cool rewards. The Gauss Rifle is just fun to use, and the
+player gets the Power Armor Training trait and access to a suit of Power Armor.
+One of the mods I had included several additional sets of armor in the reward
+vault, and I enjoyed them as well.
+
+### DLC: Point Lookout
+
+This one grew on me. When it started, due to the nature of the DLC being more
+open-world and less driven, I felt thrown into another region that I had to make
+my own fun in. However, I was able to relatively quickly find some engaging
+storylines, intriguing storytelling, and the main quest was fun.
+
+Arriving in the Land of the Punga, you have two objectives: one, you were asked
+to find a girl by her mother; two, you are advised to investigate why a manor on
+a hill is smoking. The swamp wasteland is inhabited by inbred swamp-people,
+mirelurks, and the expected cretins. There's plenty of history scattered both
+told and unsaid throughout abandoned tents, terminals, hotel rooms, and ruins.
+This location does a lot to invoke an eldritch horror vibe, and it does so quite
+well at several points. There's a specific side-quest dealing with a tome, The
+Krivbeknih, which is obviously a reference to tomes like The Necronomicon. The
+characters throughout the location are well-written and fun to interact with.
+The main quest covers a lot of ground, sends you on a psychedelic dream-vision,
+and gets you lobotomized! Plus _an entire building explodes_, and that's pretty
+rad. Oh, and the secret Chinese spy submarine!
+
+By the end of this DLC, I was happily impressed, and it took the new top spot on
+my list. There's some cool loot, plenty of neat lore, and more Punga than you
+can shake a shotgun at. And you can make moonshine.
+
+### DLC: Mothership Zeta
+
+Another DLC generally looked at unfavorably.
+
+### DLC: Broken Steel

_drafts/oblivion-full-dlc-playthrough.md

@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+### My Mod List
+
+My most recent mod list had a few objectives. First, I love [Better
+Cities](https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/16513) and [Maskar's Oblivion
+Overhaul (MOO)](https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/42780), and so I'll use
+them. Second, I'm not generally concerned with graphics improvements/overhauls.
+Lastly, despite the first point, I wanted to play with a "Vanilla Plus"
+emphasis.
+
+As before, I recommend reading through the [Oblivion Comprehensive Modding Guide
+by Dispensation](https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/49898). It covers how
+to use all the above installed tools, and walks through mod recommendations for
+every aspect of the game. The Unofficial Official Patches are essential and
+always recommended. The various bug and engine fixes may or may not help out;
+try them out and use the ones which do!
+
+My "vanilla plus" mod list weighs in rather light. _Better Cities_ and _MOO_ are
+the big ones. The remaining mods with significant changes are [Ultimate
+Leveling](https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/49134), to fix some of
+Oblivions leveling problems; [Combat
+Additions](https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/49939), to improve the combat
+aspects of the game; and [Supreme
+Magicka](https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/12466), for some added magic.
+
+I use [Better Dungeons](https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/40392), [Better
+Forts](https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/51897), the various ["Add Some
+Flavor"](https://next.nexusmods.com/profile/gweow/mods) mods from gweow, [Lights
+of Cyrodiil](https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/46131), and [Legion
+Forester Outposts Revistited](https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/51512) to
+spice up the world spaces a bit. A few of the _"Add Some Flavor"_ mods conflict
+in small ways with _Better Cities_.
+
+I add [Thieves Arsenal](https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/9655), and
+[Bounty Quests Fixed and
+Polished](https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/48330) to add some additional
+quests and flavor.
+
+To avoid fast travelling, I use [Cyrodiil Travel
+Services](https://www.afkmods.com/index.php?/files/file/263-cyrodiil-travel-services/)
+to get around easier; and [Traveler's
+Tent](https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/49654) for a mobile base of sorts.

_layouts/corrupt_now.html

@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@
       </header>
       <main>
           <article>
-              {{ content }}
+              <h1>Life In Progress, as of {{ page.pub }}</h1>
               <div class="author_info">
                 {{ page.author }}
                 <a href="https://unlicense.org/"
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@
                 This is a <a href="https://nownownow.com/about" id="now">Now Page</a>
                 inspired by <a href="https://sive.rs/" id="now">Derek Sivers</a>.
               </div>
+              {{ content }}
           </article>
       </main>
       {% include cor_menu.html %}

_posts/2015-01-01-Ireland-Log.md

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 ---
      tabtitle: Ireland Log
      title: A Log of My Travels in Ireland
-     topics: other
+     topics: [life]
      pub: "2015-01-01"
      short_desc: "Once upon a time, I traveled to Ireland. It was quite the
      experience. Me, my 3 friends Suf, Chris and Cary, Scion, shenanigans,

_posts/2015-07-09-A-Friends-Father.html

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 ---
      tabtitle: A Good Friend's Father
      title: A Good Friend's Father
-     topics: [philosophy, other]
+     topics: [philosophy, life]
      pub: "2015-07-09"
      short_desc: "A good friend's father died. What can I learn from this?"
 ---

_posts/2020-06-03-post.md

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 ---
      tabtitle: 'An Update'
      title: 'It has been a while.'
-     topics: [writing, other]
+     topics: [writing, life]
      pub: '2020-06-03'
      short_desc: "It has been a while. Here's an update, of sorts."
 ---

_posts/2024-08-19-life-in-progress-august.md

@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+---
+  tabtitle: "Life in Progress: August, 2024"
+  title: "Life in Progress: August, 2024"
+  topics: [life]
+  pub: 2024-08-19
+  short_desc: "Life In Progress update for August"
+---
+
+# Life In Progress, as of {{ page.pub }}
+
+- Learning [Stan Rogers'
+  _Bluenose_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZVpvJsqTMM) on mandolin and voice
+- Building a few games in the [TIC-80 fantasy console](https://tic80.com)
+- Deploying my own ["Pages" server](https://codeberg.org/Codeberg/pages-server/)
+- Building a Forgejo Action for deploying game builds to Itch.io using
+  [butler](https://itch.io/docs/butler/)
+- Building a custom WordPress Docker container that uses SQLite
+- Starting my own business
+
+## Music
+
+Adam and I continue our semi-weekly jam sessions! We've settled on [Stan Rogers'
+_Bluenose_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZVpvJsqTMM) for our first piece. I
+normally pick up lyrics pretty quick, but this song eludes me. We worked on the
+chord progression last week, and I've been actually practicing!
+
+## Game Dev
+
+Still having a blast with [TIC-80](https://tic80.com/).  I made a small farming
+experiment game, to learn [Fennel](https://fennel-lang.org)  some more and also
+nail-down some basic design principles. Some of the ideas in that experiment,
+namely generating the map with a loop and `mset` instead of using the built-in
+map designer, gave me some insight for solving my darkness troubles in
+Nightgolf. I'm still wrapping my head around it, but I think this will be a
+solution.
+
+The farming experiment game lives on
+[Itch.io](https://vagabondazulien.itch.io/farm-experiment-1) and the [TIC-80
+Webzone](https://tic80.com/play?cart=3965).
+
+## Tech Dev
+
+[Forgejo](https://forgejo.org/) continues to be rewarding, and I'm looking
+forward to expanding my deployment of it by deploying my own ["Pages"
+server](https://codeberg.org/Codeberg/pages-server/).  This will allow me to
+deploy my static sites on my own infrastructure. I'm also working on an "Action"
+for leveraging [butler](https://itch.io/docs/butler/) to publish games I publish
+the source code for from my Forge to Itch.io.
+
+In preparation for both my own use, and my business use, I need to learn more
+about Nextcloud. I'm also working on building a custom WordPress Docker
+container that relies on SQLite instead of MySQL.
+
+Hovering about all this is backups and monitoring, both of which I sprinkle into
+my learning voyage. I'm looking forward to writing up some documentation about
+my implementation.
+
+## Entrepreneurship
+
+I'm happy to report I was accepted into New York's Self-Employment Assistance
+Program, [SEAP](https://dol.ny.gov/SEAP). I will be starting a business offering
+managed online services, such as website design and deployment, personal cloud,
+and email. I would like to offer these services to local small businesses and
+not-for-profits. I think of it as "Silicon Valley experience" at reasonable,
+local prices. I'm excited to dive into the parts I'm not very familiar with,
+namely the business side of things. I have extensive technical experience and
+mastery, but I lack any significant business experience.
+
+## Gaming
+
+I've started a new playthrough of [Darkest
+Dungeon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darkest_Dungeon).  It's mildly
+frustrating, but mostly fun. I have fun yelling at the game; it's like stress
+relief. I've been generally successful, but the Crimson Court has been very
+rough to me. It is a game about challenges and loss, though, so nothing
+unexpected.
+
+I've continued my play-through of
+[Sundered](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sundered), though have put it down for
+a bit. I'm playing it on my Steam Deck using [Lutris](https://lutris.net/), and
+it works very well. Lutris continues to impress me, and I want to try writing an
+installer for a game.

_posts/2024-09-24-life-in-progress-september.md

@@ -0,0 +1,106 @@
+---
+  tabtitle: "Life in Progress: September, 2024"
+  title: "Life in Progress: September, 2024"
+  topics: [life, gaming]
+  pub: 2024-09-24
+  short_desc: "Life In Progress update for September"
+---
+
+# Life In Progress, as of {{ page.pub }}
+
+- New hardware: laptop, phone, and NAS
+- **TWO** game jams!
+- Finishing up Morrowind
+- SEAP/Self-Employment Progress
+
+## New Hardware
+
+### Framework Laptop
+
+This new [Framework](https://frame.work) is great! I've only had it for a few
+weeks, but it is wonderful. I've been slowly sync'ing and migrating workflows
+from my various existing options to it.  Being able to work for multiple hours
+without worrying about battery life is nice.
+
+Previously, the Chromebook I have was my go-to remote personal macine.
+Considering its age, and the inherent limitations of a Chromebook, it served me
+better than I ever could have hoped. However, I knew it's time was drawing
+near, and the Dell I got as part of my work severance was not going to cut it.
+Considering I'm starting a business doing technology, I needed a reliable,
+"all-day" machine with Linux. The ARM-based Macs are incredibly tempting, but
+I am not a fan of Mac. I've been eyeing Framework for a bit now, and their
+newest 13-inch model with AMD components checked enough of the boxen for me to
+dive in.
+
+### Phone
+
+For a while I've been eyeing Mint Mobile. In the US, they have a plan offering
+unlimited text and talk, plus 5 GB of data, for $15 per month. I generally use
+less than 1 GB of streaming data, so this seemed like a clearly better option
+than the $30+ I was paying for Google Fi. When I decided to switch, they had an
+incredible deal offering a Google Pixel 9 plus a year's service for a great
+price, so I not only switched carrier, I also snagged a new phone! I had a
+Samsung S21, which was more than sufficient for my needs, so switching isn't
+quite as significant as with the laptop, but it's still a nice new experience.
+The OS and environment on the Pixel is much nicer than Samsung phones, so
+that's quite the plus!
+
+### NAS
+
+I bought a 2-bay Synology NAS from a friend a few months ago, and with the
+myriad other changes, decided to set it up proper. I setup
+[Navidrome](https://www.navidrome.org/) for audio, and [Jellyfin](
+https://jellyfin.org/) for video. I had previously used Navidrome, then
+switched to Jellyfin for both audio and video, but with the new phone comes a
+return to form. I like [Ultrasonic](https://gitlab.com/ultrasonic/ultrasonic),
+and Navidrome plays nicely with it.
+
+The other big additions with the NAS is more backup scripts, and also pulling
+down some YouTube series I like for local copies. More details in a full post.
+
+## Game Making
+
+Two game jams! One for the entire month of September, [Clone
+Jam](https://itch.io/jam/clone-jam-game-a-month), and a
+[Mini-Jam](https://itch.io/jam/mini-jam-167-cyber). For the Clone Jam, I was
+working on building a ray-casting-based dungeon scavenger, similar to "Legend
+of Grimrock", but with less combat. However, while I have made great progress
+understanding how ray-casting works, and how to implement it, I won't have time
+to finish such a game. That knowledge won't go to waste, though! There's a
+game-jam at the end of October where I intend to make use of it. Instead, I'll
+be touching-up and submitting a clone of Minesweeper I made:
+[TICsweeper](https://vagabondazulien.itch.io/ticsweeper).
+
+For the Mini-Jam, I decided to make a "runner" type game: you maneuver your
+sprite to collect and/or avoid certain projectiles. I also made this game in
+the [TIC-80](https://tic80.com). While I didn't pull any all-nighters, focusing
+on a single project for 72-hours with as little down-time as possible is still
+quite exhausting! My submission was called
+[RUNR](https://vagabondazulien.itch.io/runr). It ranked 48th out of 66
+submissions, which is honestly disappointing, but not enough to demotivate me
+from continuing my game-making journey!
+
+## Game Playing
+
+I finally finished my play-through of Morrowind, and one of its two expansions,
+Tribunal. (Note: before "DLC", new game content for existing games was
+distributed like the game itself, on a piece of data-storing media, such as a
+CD. These were called "expansion packs.") I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in
+The Elder Scrolls III, and I definitely understand why many claim it as their
+favorite. I will talk more about my experience in a full post, just like I did
+for my recent Fallout 3 replay (I mean, just like I _will_. I _WILL!_)
+
+## Business Time
+
+Alas, while game making and playing are great uses of my time, they do not get
+me the resources I need to pay my bills. I continue to work on starting my own
+business. I've met with two mentors, one business and one technology, to help
+get me started and provide guidance. In fact, this week marks what I would
+consider the proper beginning of my business. With some dedication, I'll have
+more exciting news to share about this next time!
+
+## That's All For Now!
+
+I think the original intention of a "Now" page is to be less verbose, but I
+find the monthly cadence of a somewhat comprehensive update to be more
+appealing! Until next month!

_posts/2024-09-26-fallout3.md

@@ -1,587 +0,0 @@
----
-     tabtitle: "My Return to the Wasteland: A Review of Fallout 3"
-     title: "My Return to the Wasteland: A Review of Fallout 3"
-     topics: [gaming]
-     pub: "2024-09-26"
-     short_desc: "A relatively comprehensive review of my recent playthrough of
-     Fallout 3, including the mods I used, and how I set it all up on Linux."
----
-
-# My Return to the Wasteland
-
-<details>
-  <summary>Contents</summary>
-  <ol>
-    <li><a href="fo3_review">Game Review</a></li>
-    <ul>
-      <li><a href="#fo3_review_main">Main Story</a></li>
-      <li><a href="#fo3_review_env">Environmental Storytelling</a></li>
-      <li><a href="#fo3_review_npcs">Characters</a></li>
-      <li><a href="#fo3_dlc">DLCs</a></li>
-      <ul>
-        <li><a href="#fo3_dlc_pitt">The Pitt</a></li>
-        <li><a href="#fo3_dlc_oa">Operation: Anchorage</a></li>
-        <li><a href="#fo3_dlc_pl">Point Lookout</a></li>
-        <li><a href="#fo3_dlc_zeta">Mothership Zeta</a></li>
-        <li><a href="#fo3_dlc_steel">Broken Steel</a></li>
-      </ul>
-      <li><a href="#fo3_review_gp">My Experience</a></li>
-      <li><a href="#fo3_review_end">Conclusion</a></li>
-    </ul>
-    <li><a href="#fo3_mods">Mods</a></li>
-    <ul>
-      <li><a href="#fo3_mods_necessities">The Necessities</a></li>
-      <li><a href="#fo3_mods_pretty">The Pretty Ones</a></li>
-      <li><a href="#fo3_mods_content">The Content Ones</a></li>
-      <li><a href="#fo3_mods_gameplay">The Game Play Ones</a></li>
-    </ul>
-    <li><a href="#fo3_setup">Setup and Configuration</a></li>
-    <ul>
-      <li><a href="#fo3_setup_linux">Installation on Linux</a></li>
-    </ul>
-  </ol>
-</details>
-
-Earlier this year (2024) I played through Fallout 3 again. My objective was to
-play through the main story and all the main objectives of the DLCs. In total,
-this took me roughly 130 hours, played over about 2 months. I did install some
-mods, though I wanted a "Vanilla+" setup, so mostly fixes, a few improvements,
-but nothing too game-changing. I also played the game on Linux, which was less
-of a problem than it would've been previously thanks to Valve/Proton.
-
-I'll cover the setup, modding, and any additional configuration I did later.
-First, I'd like to give my review.
-
-<span id=fo3_review />
-## Review
-
-Fallout 3 gets a lot of flack. To a degree, I understand it. Fallout 1 and 2 are
-beloved games. To suddenly have the franchise given to a completely new company,
-with completely different writers, will already spark concern. Now take the game
-play from an isometric real-time-with-pause RPG to an open-world, 3D action RPG,
-and you'll have committed an unforgivable sin! Well, at least that's how some
-would put it. Again: I understand this; I feel a similar sentiment (though
-significantly less-so) with regards to the Baldur's Gate franchise. Baldur's
-Gate 1 may be my favorite RPG of all time, and Baldur's Gate 2 is right beside
-it. I remain very hesitant of Baldur's Gate 3, despite the glowing reception and
-overwhelmingly positive reviews of the game, only because it isn't the same
-franchise I know. Whether the same sentiment applies to those who rail against
-Fallout 3, I can't say for certain, but I suspect it's pretty close.
-
-I often hear complaints about the story and the writing the most. Having grown
-up with some of the most iconic RPGs ever made, I can understand the rose-tinted
-glasses of past good writing. It amuses me how much Fallout 3 gets put down for
-its writing, and then New Vegas gets enthroned for its writing. New Vegas is
-great, from what I remember, and I'm looking forward to a play-through of it
-soon; but Fallout 3 was no slouch! The main story, though it has some flaws, is
-engaging and compelling. The side-stories and characters all feel well-written,
-and help immerse players into the desolation that surrounds them. The best
-stories, though, are told through the environment. Something that isometric
-games just can never capture is the exploration in a first-person perspective of
-a ruinous metro tunnel, with derailed train cars filled with briefcases of
-whiskey and teddy bears, littered with the skeletal remains of riders, and all
-without a single word. What happened here is a question left for the player to
-deduce. This is what Fallout 3 brought to the franchise.
-
-The setting of Fallout 3 is the Capitol Wasteland, a fictionalized, augmented,
-scaled-down region around modern-day Washington DC, northern Virginia, and
-Maryland. The "sights" are there, all the monuments and museums (well, some
-_aren't_ there, like the White House). There are two "layers" to the map. The
-first is the surface. There's the big, open-world Wasteland, which spans almost
-the entire map, excluding some smaller, independent cells. Then, there's the
-underground collection of metro tunnels. All of these connect, mostly, and it
-is fascinating that, once underground, it's almost possible to stay underground,
-at least when around the Mall and within DC proper.
-
-Fallout 3 is the first open-world game in the franchise. The player is free to
-explore, pursuing quests or ambitions as they whim. There are game mechanics to
-aid with decisions, generally quest markers and points-of-interest.  The entire
-play time of a character could be spent on everything _except_ the main story,
-and it would still be a rewarding and enjoyable experience. However, my
-objective was to play the story of Fallout 3, and so I kept that as my main
-guiding star.  This is not to say I didn't do any side-quests. I wandered far
-and wide; I actually discovered every location on the map! I enjoyed exploring
-the abandoned and ruined metro lines, finding small settlements or outposts, and
-coming across other wanderers and survivors who had setup their own little
-slices of the wasteland.
-
-<span id=fo3_review_main />
-### Main Story
-
-I think the main story of Fallout 3 is strong until the very last beat. The
-beginning tutorial, which is the first 10 to 40 minutes of play, takes place
-entirely within the starting Vault. It does a good job of the standard tutorial
-phase: teach the player how to interact with the game; walk the player through
-character creation; setup a few characters to care about. Then, the beginning
-ends, and there's the second phase of play: open world. Arguably, this is the
-remaining phase of all game-play. 
-
-EXPAND THIS MORE
-
-<span id=fo3_review_env />
-### Environmental Storytelling
-
-One of, if not _the_, strengths of Fallout 3 is the environmental storytelling.
-In a game that's surprisingly full of content for being a nuclear wasteland,
-Fallout 3 does not have a lot of overt narration. For some of the bigger quests,
-especially those involving NPCs, you will get some narration, and relevant
-details may be explicitly told to you. For all the rest, there is the
-environment. I include things like old terminals and audio logs as part of
-the environment too. Some that come to mind:
-
-1. In a part of the metro near the White House (well, the crater), there is a
-   sloped causeway. It dips down, and at the bottom is an old busted car.
-   Someone, sometime, put some sweet ramps up along the car. Following from
-   where you enter, down the slope, and past the car, up the opposite side, you
-   find a motorcycle, also ruined. A conclusion: someone did a sweet jump over
-   this car on the motorcycle. Returning to the car, and looking up, you'll find
-   a skeleton hanging from a light fixture, wearing a helmet. Seems the
-   motorcycle did the sweet jump, and the rider did not.
-
-2. One of the office buildings has several terminals that recount the sudden
-   panic at the government raiding their office. In actuality, the events
-   happening outside their building was the rain of nuclear death, but all the
-   office workers were prepping themselves to fight off the raid and protect
-   their freedom to business! I forget the exact details of what the office did,
-   but the entire building has desks placed like barricades, filing cabinets
-   blocking doors, and every desk has guns and ammo.
-
-3. At Raven Rock (the Enclave base), you can find a mess hall. You can also get
-   under the floor grates, and there you'll find many utensils. Presumably
-   eating on a floor with gaps large enough for silverware to fall through is
-   quite enraging.
-
-EXPAND THIS MORE
-
-<span id=fo3_review_npcs />
-### Characters
-
-TALK ABOUT THEM HERE
-
-Moira
-Liberty Prime
-Desmond from Point Lookout
-The various characters from Zeta
-Fawkes
-
-<span id=fo3_dlc />
-### DLC
-
-While I had played the base game before, I had never played the DLCs of Fallout
-3 before. Looking at the release timeline for this write-up, I was surprised to
-see that Broken Steel was released third of five, and that Mothership Zeta was
-released last.
-
-<span id=fo3_dlc_pitt />
-### The Pitt
-
-The Pitt was the first of the DLCs that I played. It was advised as a good
-early-game DLC, if only because it gives some great guns. I hadn't made the
-connection between "Pitt" and "Pittsburgh" until I saw the name of the DLC
-spelled out (as opposed to hearing it simply as "the pit"). I love the hook into
-the DLC: a man, looking like Snake Plissken from "Escape from New York", sends
-out an SOS signal that your Pipboy can pick up. Traveling to the
-northern-reaches of the map, there's a hand-powered rail car that you use to
-travel to "The Pitt." There, according to ~~Snake~~ Wernher, the people are
-oppressed and sick, and their tyrannical leaders hold the cure for their disease
-but refuse to hand it over. Wernher escaped from the slave pits, seeking help in
-their revolution. Granted, it's not all that straight-forward. There are a few
-hours worth of story, during which you learn a bit more about the setting, the
-disease, and the characters. You fight through the slave pits to earn your
-freedom and a meeting with the tyrant, a former Brotherhood of Steel member
-named Lord Ashur. The cure is actually a child that was born with immunity to
-the disease. Conveniently, it's Ashur's kid. His wife, (conveniently) a
-scientist, is working on bio-engineering a cure from the kid. Wernher wants to
-take the kid, harvest it, and distribute the cure himself. Thus the main moral
-conflict of the DLC: do you side with Ashur, saving the kid, but continuing the
-status-quo, and having only Ashur's word that he'll do the right thing when the
-cure is ready? Or do you side with Wernher, kidnapping and probably dooming the
-child, to let him play his power-trip and essentially take over The Pitt for
-himself? I sided with Ashur, killed Wernher, saved the kid, and got some sweet
-guns.
-
-Overall, I enjoyed The Pitt. The setting is phenomenal, the story is engaging
-enough. The characters are good. It has that 80s action-film vibe. The moral
-choice at the end is a good twist, though by no means unforeseen. I do like that
-the game has no karma tied to the final decision; neither one is obviously good.
-I tend to enjoy that in moral decisions, as rarely are any decisions obviously
-"right" or "wrong."
-
-<span id=fo3_dlc_oa />
-### Operation: Anchorage
-
-Apparently this one is polarizing. (Oh snap, no pun intended). I really liked
-it. It hooked me in, it didn't overstay its welcome, and it gave me some cool
-loot.
-
-The gist: your Pipboy lets you operate a virtual reality training simulation of
-the invasion of Anchorage, Alaska by the Chinese forces. You start off on a
-cliff, having been one of a few surviving special forces members sent to
-infiltrate and destroy the artillery shelling the United States' forces. Right
-away, it set a really fun tone with me. I loved the little infiltration angle.
-After you save the day, you return to base camp, where you are given several
-more missions to destroy key resources, before repelling the Chinese forces and
-retaking Anchorage proper.
-
-The stealth mission at the beginning really swings this content in a favorable
-direction, as does the cool rewards. The Gauss Rifle is just fun to use, and the
-player gets the Power Armor Training trait and access to a suit of Power Armor.
-One of the mods I had included several additional sets of armor in the reward
-vault, and I enjoyed them as well. An understandable complaint is how short this
-one feels. The Pitt was probably around 5 hours of content, whereas this one
-could be finished up in 1-2 if rushing. Also, while The Pitt is a persistent
-location that the player can return to, and it has reason to - the ammo
-fabrication - the VR-training simulation is a one-and-done deal. I understand
-why it was unfavorably received, but since I got it as part of the Game of the
-Year edition, I didn't feel like I was scammed.
-
-<span id=fo3_dlc_pl />
-### Point Lookout
-
-This one grew on me. When it started, due to the nature of the DLC being more
-open-world and less driven, I felt thrown into another region that I had to make
-my own fun in. However, I was able to relatively quickly find some engaging
-storylines, intriguing storytelling, and the main quest was fun.
-
-Arriving in the Land of the Punga, you have two objectives: one, you were asked
-to find a girl by her mother; two, you are advised to investigate why a manor on
-a hill is smoking. The swamp wasteland is inhabited by inbred swamp-people,
-mirelurks, and the expected cretins. There's plenty of history scattered both
-told and unsaid throughout abandoned tents, terminals, hotel rooms, and ruins.
-This location does a lot to invoke an eldritch horror vibe, and it does so quite
-well at several points. There's a specific side-quest dealing with a tome, The
-Krivbeknih, which is obviously a reference to tomes like The Necronomicon. The
-characters throughout the location are well-written and fun to interact with.
-The main quest covers a lot of ground, sends you on a psychedelic dream-vision,
-and gets you lobotomized! Plus _an entire building explodes_, and that's pretty
-rad. Oh, and the secret Chinese spy submarine!
-
-By the end of this DLC, I was happily impressed, and it took the new top spot on
-my list. There's some cool loot, plenty of neat lore, and more Punga than you
-can shake a shotgun at. The NPCs are well written and voiced, the quests are
-engaging, and you can make moonshine. Of all the DLCs, this one felt like a
-proper expansion. Desmond earns a high spot on the list of best NPCs in the
-game.
-
-<span id=fo3_dlc_zeta />
-### Mothership Zeta
-
-Another DLC apparently looked at unfavorably. While exploring the wasteland, you
-follow a mysterious signal to a crashed alien ship, and get abducted by the
-mothership in orbit. As is tradition, you get probed, and then dumped into a
-holding cell with another wanderer from the wastelands. After some mischief, you
-free yourselves, then free some other captives, and begin fighting your way
-through alien jerkwads to claim the ship and save the planet! There are a _ton_
-of audio logs, many of which I didn't listen to, but all of which deal with the
-various abductees on the mothership. All the aliens, as well as most of the
-pick-ups, are cool energy weapons, and if the Metal Blaster wasn't so gosh
-darned over-powered, I would have used the weapons from this DLC for the
-remainder of the game.
-
-I enjoyed the setting, and the story. There are some allusions to other
-alien-themed media. You find some NPCs from other time periods that were
-abducted, and interacting with them is pretty fun. It definitely has a
-pulp-science fiction feel to it, and it runs with it hard but well. You get to
-space-walk. You also get to shoot the massive spaceship laser beam and save the
-planet, by blowing up another alien mothership. And that is most definitely rad.
-Once it's all done, you get a home base, of sorts.
-
-Overall, it was fun. It fell well short of the other DLCs, but was still worth
-the time. Getting it as part of the Game of the Year bundle is great; I don't
-know that I would regret buying it, though, especially if the price was fair. It
-was very pretty, but also a bit repetitive. Aside from the kind-of home base,
-there's no reason to return to the ship. Plus, after the finale, most of the
-ship is closed off. Restoring free-roam of the ship would be a great mod,
-because there is a lot of content that can be missed, and it's also really quite
-pretty!
-
-<span id=fo3_dlc_steel />
-### Broken Steel
-
-The post-game DLC. Broken Steel changes the ending and continues the story of
-the wasteland wanderer to clean-up the remnants of the Enclave. It also raises
-the level-cap to 30, from the start, which is great. By the time I started
-Broken Steel, I was in mid-to-late 20s, and Broken Steel brought me to 30
-comfortably.
-
-Of all the DLCs, this one feels most like a mission. You start off at the
-Brotherhood of Steel base in DC, with the first mission to follow Liberty Prime
-to an Enclave outpost and destroy it. While there, Prime gets blasted with space
-lasers, and the focus shifts to finding and stopping the orbital cannons from
-firing again. Along the way, you get a Tesla Cannon, essentially the same weapon
-as Liberty Prime's face-laser. You assault the Andrews Airforce Base, find a
-massive mobile-platform Enclave base, and eventually blow it all up using the
-space lasers from before.
-
-What I remember most from this DLC is combat. So much combat. That's not a bad
-thing, but it's unremarkable. There's some good lore, and fun story, but overall
-it's just an assault mission. Everything else that the DLC adds - the level-cap
-increase, some perks, the fricken LASER - counts for much more. Well, and any
-chance to hang with Liberty Prime.
-
-<span id=fo3_review_gp />
-### My Experience
-
-Did I have fun? Was my experience a positive one? How did I play?
-
-Exploring the wasteland, discovering the hidden stories in the environment, and
-experiencing the more obvious ones of the inhabitants or the remnants was
-incredibly enjoyable. Part of why I returned to Fallout 3 was because I had not
-actually played the DLCs, and so in addition to my memories from near-launch of
-the base game, I had many new adventures. Despite playing on my decade-old
-desktop, I could stream the game to some friends on Discord, and that enhanced
-the experience overall as well.
-
-My play-style was almost the most stereotypical of Bethesda game experiences:
-the "stealth archer." I really wanted to use "small guns," and eventually
-pivoted into energy weapons. I was stealthy, and overall I'd say my theme was a
-special forces infiltrator. I didn't fast travel, and some mods made this
-manageable. I was basically addicted to Nuka Cola. I played solo, without any
-companions, until relatively late game. I didn't explore the junkyard where
-Dogmeat is until late, and then shortly thereafter I got Fawkes.
-
-Talking specifics: playing _The Pitt_ relatively early got me "Infiltrator", and
-then "Perforator", which I used for probably two-thirds of the game; and the
-"Metal Blaster", which I used for the entirety of the game, because it is
-**broken powerful**. From _Operation: Anchorage_ I got the "Gauss Rifle," and
-the Stealth Armor from one of the mods I installed. I also got the Winterized
-T51-b Power Armor, which I did use for a bit, specifically the helmet (with a
-mod) for nightvision (and thermal vision, though I rarely used it.) Eventually I
-found the Stealth Armor helmet, and completed my look.  Perk-wise I opted for a
-build that emphasized small-guns damage, action points for VATs, and eventually
-some extra VATs goodness like "Grim Reaper Sprint."
-
-Generally, combat was: if I'm far away, Gauss Rifle sneak attack victory. If I'm
-close and still undetected, Perforator VATs. Else: Metal Blaster. It worked out
-well.
-
-<span id=fo3_review_end />
-### Conclusion
-
-Fallout 3 is still a gem. It's a game well worth revisiting if you haven't in a
-while, and if you've never played it, it will be a treat. The environment is
-still awe-inspiring and captivating, the NPCs are engaging and charming, the
-combat can be hectic, and the stories are memorable. It's a game that's best
-when played without a guide or goal, just allowing yourself to wander the wastes
-and discover what it holds. Whatever aspersions you may have heard of it, I'd
-wager you'll still have fun, and arguably that's most important. Plus, these
-days, even a decade-old ~~potato~~ computer can run it, and it's often on sale
-for around $10 (for example: at time of writing, GoG is selling it for $7!).
-Plus, to make even the most current super-computers bend knee, there are mods
-that can make the game look absolutely stunning. Not to mention the remainder of
-the thriving mod community. Speaking of which...
-
-<span id=fo3_mods />
-## Mods
-
-If you were to ask an outside observer what my preferred way to play Bethesda's
-open-world games is, they would tell you I don't play them. They would explain
-that I spend an inordinate amount of time _preparing_ to play them: modding
-them, configuring them, etc.. And that, by the time I'm done preparing, I have
-satisfied whatever urge it was that brought me to the game in the first place,
-and I move on. That didn't happen with this play-through, specifically because I
-had a goal to actually play the main story and DLC stories. Further, as I wanted
-to keep things "Vanilla+", my mod list is quite reasonable. Also, I played on my
-decade-old ~~potato~~ desktop, and so eschewed the more heavy-weight graphics and
-overhaul mods.
-
-<span id=fo3_mods_necessities />
-### "The Necessities"
-
-As with every Bethesda game, there are the patches and optimizers and
-cut-content-restorers. I would wager that these don't need any explanation
-beyond what the mod pages offer. One I will highlight is the "Stupid bullet
-sponge enemies nerf" mod, which is essential for late-game and DLC enemies; I'm
-looking at you albino radscorpion.
-
-- [Updated Unofficial Fallout 3
-  Patch](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/19122)
-- [Goodies](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/25239)
-- ["Stupid bullet sponge enemies
-  nerf"](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/25750)
-- [Fallout 3 Ending Restored](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/23979)
-- [Vanilla UI
-  Plus](https://www.moddb.com/mods/vanilla-ui-plus/downloads/vanilla-ui-plus-fo3)
-
-There is a "Script Extender" for Fallout, and some additional mods that depend
-on it:
-
-- [Fallout Script Extender (FOSE)](https://www.fose.silverlock.org/)
-- [IStewieAI's
-  Tweaks](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/23561)
-- [Command Extender](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/23682)
-- [Enhanced Camera](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/20183)
-- [Iron Sights Plus](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/24995)
-
-If using the Steam version, you'll want [Fallout Anniversary
-Patcher](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/24913). I should
-also note that something with Stewie's Tweaks gave me trouble, and I had to
-disable it at times for the game not to crash, but generally nothing here caused
-trouble.
-
-<span id=fo3_mods_pretty />
-### "The Pretty Ones"
-
-I'm not generally too concerned with making Bethesda games look pretty. That
-being said, I love when I can enhance the environment. In Oblivion, for example,
-I love the mod that adds light posts along the main road ways. In a similar
-vein, these mods enhance the environment. Of note: Fellout removes the green
-tint from the game; that's a personal preference, but I preferred seeing
-clearly. The Street Light mods add (mostly) working street lights throughout the
-wasteland, which significantly enhanced the ambiance for me. Combined with the
-incredibly dark nights that Fellout gave me, these lights became actual beacons
-in the night, and some of the only sources of light during the night. The
-Megaton mods make the settlement a bit more visually interesting and also easier
-to navigate. 
-
-The two audio mods I included added quite a bit of ambiance as well, and on
-several occasions would put me on alert while I traversed the wastes.
-
-Then, the truly ostentatious mods: Fallout 3 Redesigned makes the models look
-better, specifically the faces; FO3 Flora Overhaul is highly customizable, and I
-used it to litter the wasteland with dead trees and shruberies and such. 
-
-- [Fellout](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/2672)
-- [Fallout Street Lights](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/8069) and
-  [Fallout Street Lights -
-  Wasteland](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/10045)
-- [Megaton Walkway](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/25267) and [Lighting
-  Overhaul](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/7875)
-- [Ambient Wasteland](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/12602) and [ATMOS
-  Ambient Sound Overhaul](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/24574)
-- [Fallout 3 Redesigned](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/6341) and
-  [patches](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/25785)
-- [FO3 Flora Overhaul](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/19864)
-
-<span id=fo3_mods_content />
-### "The Content Ones"
-
-Since I'm aiming for a "Vanilla+" play-through, I went very light on the content
-mods. The only two I included were D.C. Interiors and Metro Carriage Interiors.
-Both add not only some content, but really enhance the immersion by making more
-buildings in the overworld, and all the train cars in the metro tunnels, actual
-places to explore. I find they do a great job keeping with the environmental
-storytelling.
-
-- [D.C. Interiors Project](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/5573)
-- [Metro Carriage Interiors](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/19988)
-
-I also added this neat armor, because I was playing a bit of a sneaky character.
-It didn't seem imbalanced or over-powered, and it looks pretty rad. The
-nightvision mod turned out to be essential for the surprisingly dark nights and
-tunnels. The T51-b mod just adds nightvision to that helm, as the other power
-armor helmets have.
-
-- [Advanced Recon Stealth Armor](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/2654),
-  [Advanced Recon Thermal
-  Nightvision](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/15653), and [Advanced
-  Recon T51-b Winterized Helm](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/20750)
-
-<span id=fo3_mods_gameplay />
-### "The Game Play Ones"
-
-Interestingly enough, the mod which inspired me to play Fallout 3 again is
-Fugacity. Advertising itself as a "vanilla-plus balance and difficulty" mod
-basically does much of the work for me. I used it as the starting point, and
-built my mod list up around it. Conveniently, the mod page includes a list of
-mods recommended by the mod-author; it may look quite similar to this list!
-
-- [Fugacity](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/25558)
-
-The remaining mods helped to complete my immersion. I had already decided
-against fast-traveling throughout the wasteland, and the caravan-based
-fast-travel helps make this much more manageable. Having recently played
-Morrowind, I think it does fast-travel by default best of the Bethesda
-open-world games. This mod implements what I would consider to be basically that
-system in this world. Finally, I prefer food slowly regenerating health over
-time, instead of eating 20 cabbages with alarming speed and instantly restoring
-health. Notably: stim-paks still restore instantly, and so it provides a nice
-game play decision - can I take the time to heal, or do I spend a rarer
-resource?
-
-- [Caravan Fast Travel with Random
-  Encounters](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/24972) (Requires FOSE)
-- [New Vegas-Style Food
-  Mechanics](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/24477)
-
-<span id=fo3_setup />
-## Setup and Configuration
-
-As with the other Bethesda games, getting everything modded, configured, and
-functional can become the real game. Luckily, with a moderately small mod list,
-this was not the case. This time. The process for running on Windows or Linux
-are almost the same, except for some Proton shenanigans. I used [Mod Organizer
-2](https://github.com/ModOrganizer2/modorganizer) to handle all the installation
-and management of the mods themselves. For the game version, I did use the Game
-of the Year version from Steam. However, any version should work. When I do
-eventually play Fallout 3 again, I'll plan to try the GoG version with Wine
-instead of Steam and Proton.
-
-Full list of non-game applications (that is, non-mods):
-- [Mod Organizer 2](https://github.com/ModOrganizer2/modorganizer)
-- [Fallout Script Extender (FOSE)](https://www.fose.silverlock.org/)
-- [Fallout Anniversary
-  Patcher](https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/24913)
-
-<span id=fo3_setup_linux />
-### Installation Process on Linux
-
-To make running the various Windows-only applications easier, I made an alias
-for myself. You'll need to replace `<YOUR STEAM INSTALL PATH>` with the
-directory path for your Steam Library, aka where you installed Fallout 3 through
-Steam. By default it is `~/.local/share/Steam`.
-
-```
-alias fo3-run='STEAM_COMPAT_DATA_PATH=<YOUR STEAM INSTALL PATH>/steamapps/compatdata/22370 STEAM_COMPAT_CLIENT_INSTALL_PATH=<YOUR STEAM INSTALL PATH> ~/.local/share/Steam/compatibilitytools.d/GE-Proton8-6/proton run'
-```
-
-1. Download **ALL THE THINGS!**
-2. Run the game at least once to generate the initial configuration files. Take
-   this opportunity to also configure graphics. Start the game fully, then exit.
-3. If installing the Game of the Year version from Steam, use the "Fallout
-   Anniversary Patcher":
-    - Extract it to the game directory (`<YOUR STEAM INSTALL
-      PATH>/steamapps/common/Fallout 3 goty`)
-    - Run "Patcher.exe" from the game directory with the above alias: `fo3-run
-      Patcher.exe`
-    - It should say the game was patched successfully, and any following runs of
-      the Patcher should report that the game is already patched.
-4. Extract FOSE to the game directory (`<YOUR STEAM INSTALL
-   PATH>/steamapps/common/Fallout 3 goty`)
-5. Mod Organizer 2 has two options: you can download a 7z archive, or the
-   installer. Either extract the archive somewhere you want to work from (I
-   advise _not_ the game install directory), or run the installer with the
-   alias.
-
-At this point, you'll do everything through Mod Organizer 2. Again, to simplify
-my play a bit, I created an application entry for use with the KDE menu. This
-may be different for other window managers/desktop environments. As with the
-alias above, replace `<YOUR STEAM INSTALL PATH>` with the directory path for
-your Steam Library, and `<YOUR MO2 INSTALL PATH>` with the directory path for
-where you installed Mod Organizer 2. Optionally, if you have a picture to use
-for the launch icon, provide it on the `Icon=` line; else remove the line.
-
-```
-[Desktop Entry]
-Type=Application
-Name=Fallout 3: Moddeded
-GenericName=Fallout 3
-Comment=Fallout 3 but with mods too
-Keywords=Fallout 3
-Exec=STEAM_COMPAT_DATA_PATH=<YOUR STEAM INSTALL PATH>/steamapps/compatdata/22370 STEAM_COMPAT_CLIENT_INSTALL_PATH=<YOUR STEAM INSTALL PATH> ~/.local/share/Steam/compatibilitytools.d/GE-Proton8-6/proton run <YOUR MO2 INSTALL PATH>/ModOrganizer.exe
-Icon=<AN OPTIONAL PATH TO AN IMAGE FILE>
-Categories=Game;RolePlaying
-```
-
-Either launch MO2 with that application entry, or use the `fo3-run` alias above
-to launch it; or add it as a shortcut in Steam, or to Lutris, or really any
-number of other options. Actually _using_ MO2 is beyond the scope of this post,
-but it's relatively straight-forward. Download the mod archives and install them
-using MO2. Some configuration may require editing an INI file, which _can_ be
-done through MO2 or any other text editor. Most importantly: **you'll run
-Fallout 3 from Mod Organizer 2**. You will no longer launch the game via Steam,
-or whatever other game manager you may have used to install it. Assuming all
-works as intended, you'll now have a means for interacting with the Fallout 3
-install (via the alias above), an easy-to-access application menu entry (via the
-Desktop entry above, or a similar launcher setup), and a hostile wasteland
-awaiting your exploration. Good luck out there!

_posts/2025-01-03-life-update.md

@@ -0,0 +1,110 @@
+---
+  tabtitle: "Life in Progress: January, 2025"
+  title: "Life in Progress: January, 2025"
+  topics: [life]
+  pub: 2025-01-03
+  short_desc: "A retrospective of 2024, up to the beginning of 2025"
+---
+
+# Life in Progress: January, 2025
+
+My [now page](/now) is growing too verbose. Instead, I'll leave that page as a
+summary of what this/these page(s) will explore. I'll start with a retrospective
+of 2024, up to now, the beginning of 2025. Maybe a bit of ambitions too.
+
+## 2024 Retrospective
+
+2024 was a significant year. The most notable change being that I was laid off
+in April. The remaining 8 months were quite nice. Before April, the year doesn't
+feel much different or significant. From what I remember, I was stressed,
+unhappy, and overall dissatisfied with my situation. I was in the process of
+saving money to leave, when I was laid off and paid a generous (enough)
+severance. It's nice when the universe solves problems.
+
+Much of April and May was time spent decompressing. A bit too much drinking,
+from what I recall. I began receiving unemployment payments, and looking for
+jobs, though only half-heartedly. I was already decided I would start my own
+business. I also started my playthrough of **Fallout 3**.
+
+At the end of May, I entered into a game jam, and made my first video game,
+[L4-N-DER Training Simulator](https://vagabondazulien.itch.io/lander). One thing
+I do remember from the beginning of the year was speaking with some friends
+about trying to publish a video game on Itch. I made the game using
+[Fennel](https://fennel-lang.org/) and the [LÖVE 2D game
+engine](https://www.love2d.org/). It was incredibly rewarding, and a great
+learning experience. This game would be the first of 5 that I published on my
+Itch page this year.
+
+Much of the summer was spent procrastinating starting my own business, and
+golfing. At the beginning of summer, in June, my grandmother passed away. She
+was about 2 weeks from her birthday, and so we round up and say she lived to 98.
+I spent some time helping to clean and clear up her house too. In the beginning
+of July I traveled to New York City to see Rezz. I also started properly
+exploring WordPress, and working to understand better the business I was still
+going to start. Around August, I began playing **Morrowind** for the first time.
+
+In the fall is when I "got serious" about my business. I signed up for the New
+York State Self-Employment Assistance Program (SEAP), and through them signed up
+with SCORE to speak with a mentor and begin some small business training. I made
+my first WordPress site, for a relative (and for free). I also entered into 3
+more game jams during this period, publishing
+[TICSweeper](https://vagabondazulien.itch.io/ticsweeper) (a Minesweeper clone
+mde with the TIC-80); [RUNR](https://vagabondazulien.itch.io/runr) (another
+TIC-80 game); and [Escape The
+Crash](https://vagabondazulien.itch.io/escape-the-crash). _Escape_ was based on
+some work of mine over the summer to better understand and implement ray-casting
+in the TIC-80, which I then translated for use in Fennel and LÖVE. At the end of
+fall, my remaining grandmother severely injured herself, placing her in town
+through the end of the year. For the second year in a row, much of the holidays
+would be spent visiting a rehabilitation center (the same one as my first
+grandmother's). Since the pandemic, I don't think I've had a "normal" holiday
+season.
+
+At the end of the year, I formally started my business, [Niblock Technology
+Solutions](https://www.niblock.tech), and began working on websites for two
+additional clients. Exploring this new world has been exciting, and there are a
+lot of new challenges. I love working with others to solve problems, and I'm
+looking forward to it. I'm also beginning work on a second business idea for a
+game shop. I want to build a community space for people to play games, enjoy
+company, and relax. Rounding the year out was my first playthrough of **Deus
+Ex**.
+
+## Now: January, 2025
+
+Now. Plenty of plans and ambitions.
+
+Easiest: I started a playthrough of **Oblivion**. Similar to **Fallout 3** and
+**Morrowind**, my goal is to complete the main story and all DLC's. This time
+around, I explored a new modding setup, using [Lutris](https://lutris.net/) to
+install and manage the game (from GOG), and all the modding tools. For all three
+of these games I want to write up a brief retrospective about my experiences and
+any of the setup required for playing them on Linux. I already have two articles
+for Oblivion ([Part 1](/2021/11/20/oblivion-linux.html), [Part
+2](/2021/12/09/oblivion-linux-2.html)) detailing using Steam and Proton. I think
+the Lutris approach is a bit nicer.
+
+_Escape The Crash_ was fun to make, but it's not done yet. I want to add in a
+floor, sound effects, a skybox, and objectives. And an actual ending condition.
+
+Game-making in general I want to continue. I've started looking into the
+[DragonRuby game engine](https://dragonruby.org/). I also want to learn (more)
+Godot. I have no shortage of ideas, only my regular struggles with motivation
+and focus.
+
+I've fallen into a few bad habits, and my health is worse for them. Its absurdly
+easy for me to put on weight, and equally as difficult to lose it again. At my
+heaviest I was over 320 pounds, and I'm now at a much better 240. I want to
+bring that number down to 200, but I also want to remove as much significance
+from that number as I can. It should be a metric, not a grade.
+
+I've also set for myself several music goals. I want to get better at
+sight-reading, and so I have a goal to read a new piece of music each week. I
+also want to explore music production, and try making my own 45-60 minute mix.
+
+There are the business goals. I need to have an income that supports my
+lifestyle, which means more clients and (hopefully) more businesses!
+
+Finally, I want to write more. I think about writing, but rarely follow-through.
+As all my other ambitions develop, sharing them with the world will help me
+formally catalog my successes. Plus, if I have something useful and helpful to
+share, then I want to!

_posts/2025-01-09-oblivion-lutris.md

@@ -0,0 +1,307 @@
+---
+  tabtitle: "Oblivion on Linux: Lutris Edition"
+  title: "Oblivion on Linux: Lutris Edition"
+  topics: [gaming]
+  pub: 2025-01-09
+  short_desc: "Modding Oblivion on Linux using Lutris and Wine, without Steam."
+---
+
+# Oblivion on Linux: Lutris Edition
+
+I love Oblivion. I've written before about setting up Oblivion on Linux using
+the Steam version, Proton and a handful of aliases: [Part
+1](/2021/11/20/oblivion-linux.html) covers most of the tooling setup, and [Part
+2](/2021/12/09/oblivion-linux-2.html) covers some mods I liked. This setup
+works, though it is a bit of a hassle to manage. It requires running the tools
+individually through aliases from a terminal, which can be intimidating and
+unfriendly. It also requires the Steam version of Oblivion.
+
+When I recently decided to return to Cyrodiil and close some gates, I wanted to
+review my setup, and also my mod list. I discovered that Wrye Bash now does have
+a native Linux application (as does LOOT!). However, I opted to stick with using
+Wine and Windows versions of these applications due to a complication of modding
+Oblivion in general: the case-sensitive nature of the filesystem. On Linux, the
+filesystem is case-sensitive; on Windows, the filesystem is **not**
+case-sensitive. For modding, this means if you extract an archive with a
+`Data/meshes` folder, but your current setup has a `Data/Meshes` directory, on
+Linux you'll end up with two directories: `Data/Meshes` _and_ `Data/meshes`.
+There are solutions to this problem on Linux, namely using an EXT-4 filesystem.
+I don't feel like reformatting my disks, and so I'll let Wine handle it. It may
+mean a slight performance hit, but it's Oblivion - there are **always**
+performance hits. If there aren't performance hits, then you haven't modded the
+game enough yet.
+
+## Setup: Game
+
+I'll be using [Lutris](https://lutris.net) to handle installing and launching
+the game. No more terminal aliases! I'm also using the [GOG version of
+Oblivion](https://www.gog.com/en/game/elder_scrolls_iv_oblivion_game_of_the_year_edition_deluxe_the).
+Lutris allows you to link your GOG account, and easily install games using Wine
+(or native versions, if available!). In Lutris, I install the game to my
+preferred destination, using the default GOG Wine install script. After
+installation, I launch the game once to generate some initial configuration
+files, and verify things work as expected. Before the next steps, there is a
+significant change: the Wine version. In order to use the latest version of Wrye
+Bash through Lutris, I had to change the Wine version from my Lutris default,
+_wine-ge-8-26_, to my latest system version, 9.22. There seems to be a Windows
+API which Wrye Bash relies upon which isn't handled well in Wine versions
+previous to 9.
+
+Lutris can also install from downloaded GOG installers, without having to link
+accounts. Make sure to download all the parts (for Oblivion, there are 3: a
+small EXE, and two BIN files). When installing, make sure all the downloaded
+files are in the same directory. In Lutris, click the `+` button to add a new
+game, and select "Install a Windows game from an executable." Name the game as
+you wish, and add identifier
+`the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-game-of-the-year-edition-deluxe` for the GOG
+version. It'll pull down nice looking images. On the next screen, click the
+`Install` button next to "Setup file", choose your desired directory, and then
+select the EXE downloaded from the three files above.  Lutris will create the
+Wine prefix, and load the GOG Installer. Make note of the directory you chose
+above for installation (default will be in the Lutris game library directory,
+`Lutris Hamburger Menu` -> `Preferences` -> `Storage` -> _Game Library_), and
+substitute it accordingly below.
+
+Assuming everything is setup and running, the last step here is to note where
+Lutris installed the game. The path to the directory will differ, but the
+directory structure should be similar to the below. The Lutris "Directory"
+(Right-Click -> Configure) value will bring you to the Wine directory (with
+`drive_c`), and from there will be the `GOG Games` directory (or possibly
+renamed; this can be changed during the GOG install process), and then the
+`Oblivion` directory.
+
+```
+Lutris
+ |-> gog
+  |-> the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-game-of-the-year-edition-deluxe
+   |-> drive_c
+    |-> GOG Games
+     |-> Oblivion
+      |- Data
+      |- Oblivion.exe
+      |- ...
+```
+
+### xOBSE
+
+- [Project Link](https://github.com/llde/xOBSE)
+- [Nexus Links](https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/37952)
+
+The Oblivion Script Extender is required for many mods, and should be considered
+essential for anything beyond a strict vanilla playthrough. Download the latest
+version, and extract it to the `Oblivion` directory. When you launch Wrye Bash
+(covered next), in the lower-left corner, on the icon bar, should be a green
+checkbox.  Hovering over it will notify you that OBSE is enabled. Clicking that
+box will toggle OBSE. Generally, make sure it is enabled (checked).
+
+At this point, before any other tools, when you double-click/Play Oblivion, it
+will launch the purely vanilla Oblivion that was installed above. To use OBSE,
+right-click Oblivion in Lutris, choose _Configure_, and on the "Game Options"
+tab, change the _Executable_ by clicking the button with three dots (labeled
+"Select a file") to `obse_loader.exe`. Save the changes, and re-launch.
+
+## Pre-Setup: Tools
+
+Before setting up the modding tools, it is required to run Oblivion once. This
+will generate the INI file.
+
+I also recommend adding the Wrye Bash `bash.ini` file detailed below before
+running Wrye Bash for the first time. By declaring where the executable for
+Oblivion is, Wrye Bash won't try to automatically find it, which can cause some
+troubles or confusion.
+
+## Setup: Tools
+
+I'll be using the following tools. When possible, download the stand-alone
+version of the tool. To make things easy, I use the `GOG Games` directory for
+all the tools.
+
+```
+drive_c
+ |-> GOG Games
+  |- BethINI
+  |- LOOT
+  |- Mods
+  |- Mopy
+  |- Oblivion
+  |- TES4Edit
+```
+
+### Wrye Bash
+
+- [Project Link](https://github.com/wrye-bash/wrye-bash)
+- [Homepage](https://wrye-bash.github.io/)
+- [Nexus Link](https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/22368)
+
+Mod manager, and **everything else** launcher in this setup. One of the most
+exciting results of this setup is handling almost all modding management through
+the Wrye Bash UI. From the Project Link, download the stand-alone executable
+from the releases. I extract it to the `GOG Games` directory, which will create
+a `Mopy` directory. Within that will be the executable, `Wrye Bash.exe`. Next,
+in the `Mopy` directory, copy the `bash_default.ini` file to `bash.ini`. Make
+the following changes (or replace `bash.ini` with this information):
+
+```ini
+[General]
+; -- Path to mod directory.
+;    These are relative to the Oblivion directory.
+sOblivionMods=..\Mods
+sBashModData=..\Mods\Bash Mod Data
+sInstallersData=..\Mods\Bash Installers\Bash
+
+; -- Path to the Oblivion directory.
+;    "C:" here is drive_c on our filesystem.
+sOblivionPath=C:\GOG Games\Oblivion
+
+; -- User directory stuff.
+;    "C:" here is drive_c on our filesystem.
+;    Make sure to replace YOUR-USERNAME with your username
+sUserPath=C:\users\YOUR-USERNAME
+sPersonalPath=C:\users\YOUR-USERNAME\Documents
+sLocalAppDataPath=C:\users\YOUR-USERNAME\AppData\Local
+
+[Tool Options]
+; -- TES4Edit
+;    Path is relative to the Oblivion directory.
+sTes4EditPath=..\TES4Edit\TES4Edit.exe
+
+; -- TES4LODGen
+;    Path is relative to the Oblivion directory.
+sTes4LodGenPath=..\TES4LodGen\Tes4LODGen.exe
+
+; -- LOOT
+;    Path is relative to the Oblivion directory.
+sLOOT=..\LOOT\LOOT.exe
+```
+
+In this configuration, the relative paths are relative to the `Oblivion`
+directory (where the game executable is). For all remaining tool setup, modify
+the paths in this configuration to match the paths for the tool executable (or,
+rename the tool directories, which is what I prefer).
+
+This is where the magic happens: within Lutris, right-click Oblivion and choose
+_Configure_. On the "Game Options" tab, change the _Executable_ by clicking the
+button with three dots (labeled "Select a file"), and choose the `Wrye Bash.exe`
+executable in the `Mopy` directory. Save the configuration, and
+double-click/Play Oblivion. This time, Wrye Bash will start up (**Remember:**
+This will not work on versions of Wine older than 9!).
+
+At this point, when you want to play Oblivion, you will open Lutris, and launch
+"Oblivion." This will launch Wrye Bash. You can then click the Oblivion icon in
+the lower-left icon bar to launch the game. As additional tools are configured,
+they will appear in the lower-left icon bar (everything except BethINI). To use
+the tool, you'll run it from Wrye Bash.
+
+### LOOT
+
+- [Project Link](https://github.com/loot/loot)
+- [Homepage](https://loot.github.io/)
+
+LOOT handles mod load order. Another application with a native Linux version. I
+had previous run into some bugs, but everything looks to work as expected now.
+Despite that, I still download and use the stand-alone Windows version (the
+archive from the releases, not the EXE). I extract it to my `GOG Games`
+directory, and rename the directory (or edit the `bash.ini` file) so the
+executable is where my Wrye Bash configuration expects it.
+
+If setup properly, when you run Wrye Bash, in the lower-left corner will be a
+bar full of icons, one of which will be a little treasure chest. Clicking it
+will launch LOOT. From there, sort the order, and then close LOOT. Wrye Bash
+will refresh, and you can continue on. LOOT will also notify you of any "dirty"
+mods, which can be cleaned using TES4Edit (see below).
+
+### TES4Edit
+
+- [Project Link](https://github.com/TES5Edit/TES5Edit)
+- [Homepage](https://tes5edit.github.io/)
+- [Nexus Link](https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/11536)
+
+I'm still not a mod creator, so my uses of TES4Edit are limited to "quick
+cleaning." From the project page or Nexus, download the latest version, and
+extract the archive to the `GOG Games` directory. Rename the directory or edit
+the `bash.ini` file so Wrye Bash can find it; restart Wrye Bash to verify. Wrye
+Bash doesn't include a dedicated short-cut for the "Quick Auto Clean" option,
+instead you have to right-click on the TES4Edit short-cut (or the TES4LodGen
+short-cut), and choose "Quick Auto Clean". Choose the mod to clean from the
+list, click OK, and let the program do its work.
+
+### TES4LODGen
+
+- [Project Link](https://github.com/TES5Edit/xLODGen)
+- [Homepage](https://tes5edit.github.io/docs/16-xLODGen.html)
+- [Nexus Link](https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/15781?tab=description)
+
+This will generate LOD files ahead of time, allowing for more distant objects to
+be shown as you adventure around Cyrodiil. Download the archive, and extract it
+to where Wrye Bash expects it, either changing the directory name or updating
+the `bash.ini` file accordingly. After mod installation is complete, click the
+icon from the icon bar to generate the LOD files.
+
+### BethINI
+
+- [Nexus Link](https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/46440)
+
+`BethINI` helps manage the "oblivion.ini" file, providing sane options and a
+wizard for configuration. This is the only tool that is not run from Wrye Bash.
+However, it's still pretty easy to work with. Download the stand-alone archive,
+extract it to the `GOG Games` directory.
+
+To run the tool, in Lutris single-click on Oblivion. A bar should appear with
+some additional details about Oblivion, including some buttons: one will say
+"Play", and one will look like a wine glass; each will have a small button with
+an up-facing arrow. Click the arrow button next to the wine glass button, and
+select "Run EXE inside Wine prefix." Navigate into `drive_c`, then `GOG Games`,
+and into the directory you just set up for BethINI, and select `BethINI.exe`.
+
+Wrye Bash does allow for custom application short-cuts, but it requires creating
+a Windows shortcut `.lnk` file, and I cannot figure out an easier way to do
+that than to just run it from Lutris.
+
+## Post-Setup: Tools
+
+Verify each tool runs as expected. Conveniently, all the Bethesda DLCs are
+"dirty," so LOOT will notify you, and then you can clean them. Run BethINI,
+generate LOD files, and run the game from Wrye Bash. Praise Todd.
+
+## Mods
+
+Wrye Bash on Windows can install mods from an archive, but with this setup that
+functionality is unreliable. Instead, I extract the mod archives manually before
+installing them with Wrye Bash. For each mod that I want to use, I'll create a
+directory in the `Mods -> Bash Installers` directory, and extract the mod
+archive into that directory. Then, within Wrye Bash, on the "Installers" tab, I
+can install mods as expected.
+
+For actually using Wrye Bash, I recommend [laulajatar's
+guide](https://www.shrine-of-kynareth.de/wrye-bash-for-beginners-part-1-installation-and-installers-tab).
+Obviously, you can skip the installation steps for both Wrye Bash and OBSE.
+There is also the [Wrye Bash
+Manual](https://wrye-bash.github.io/docs/Wrye%20Bash%20General%20Readme.html).
+
+## Lutris Setup: Problems
+
+The significant problem with this setup is no way to alt-tab away from the game.
+To make things even more inconvenient, playing in a windowed mode also doesn't
+work, and shows only a black screen with audio. I haven't done an exhaustive
+trial of options and mods yet to try and fix this, because it isn't a major
+problem to me.
+
+The second inconvenience is as I mentioned above, with Wrye Bash not installing
+mods directly from archives. Again, not a major problem to me.
+
+I suspect that both of the problems can be resolved with some Wine tweaks.
+
+## Lutris Setup: Benefits
+
+What this setup gets right is ease of use, and ease of replication. All tools
+(except BethINI, for now) and the game are run from Wrye Bash. No juggling
+multiple application entries, aliases, or special setups. Plus, all tools, mods,
+and the game itself are all within the Lutris directory, making multiple setups
+a breeze: just copy the directory. In Lutris, you can then duplicate the entry
+(Right-Click -> Duplicate), and edit the executable (Right-Click -> Configure ->
+"Game options" tab -> _Executable_) to point to the new directory.
+
+## Lutris Setup: Next-Steps
+
+The most useful next step would be automating this process, by building a Lutris
+install script. Also, resolving the alt-tab and windowed problems above.

_topics/life.html

@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+---
+    title: life
+    tabtitle: "Life Posts"
+---
+
+{% include topics.html %}

_topics/other.html

@@ -1,6 +0,0 @@
----
-    title: other
-    tabtitle: "Other Posts"
----
-
-{% include topics.html %}

now.md

@@ -2,104 +2,20 @@
   layout: corrupt_now
   tabtitle: Now
   author: Bill Niblock
-  pub: 2024-09-24
+  pub: 2025-01-03
 ---
 
-# Life In Progress, as of {{ page.pub }}
+- The Holiday Spirit made me a bit too jolly! After many cookies and cocktails,
+  it's time to get active, and fix some bad food habits. Again.
 
-- New hardware: laptop, phone, and NAS
+- My business, [Niblock Technology Solutions](https://www.niblock.tech),
-- **TWO** game jams!
+  continues to move forward. I have a second client! Next, I want to work on
-- Finishing up Morrowind
+  expanding my offerings, and improve my coverage.
-- SEAP/Self-Employment Progress
 
-## New Hardware
+- I've begun a playthrough of one of my favorite games, **The Elder Scrolls IV:
+  Oblivion**. I'm very happy with the modding setup I've got this time around,
+  and look forward to writing up the details!
 
-### Framework Laptop
+- I have a goal to improve my music sight-reading skill, and plan to do so by
-
+  reading a new piece of music each week. I've started off with some Bach, and
-This new [Framework](https://frame.work) is great! I've only had it for a few
+  will likely continue with him for a bit.
-weeks, but it is wonderful. I've been slowly sync'ing and migrating workflows
-from my various existing options to it.  Being able to work for multiple hours
-without worrying about battery life is nice.
-
-Previously, the Chromebook I have was my go-to remote personal macine.
-Considering its age, and the inherent limitations of a Chromebook, it served me
-better than I ever could have hoped. However, I knew it's time was drawing
-near, and the Dell I got as part of my work severance was not going to cut it.
-Considering I'm starting a business doing technology, I needed a reliable,
-"all-day" machine with Linux. The ARM-based Macs are incredibly tempting, but
-I am not a fan of Mac. I've been eyeing Framework for a bit now, and their
-newest 13-inch model with AMD components checked enough of the boxen for me to
-dive in.
-
-### Phone
-
-For a while I've been eyeing Mint Mobile. In the US, they have a plan offering
-unlimited text and talk, plus 5 GB of data, for $15 per month. I generally use
-less than 1 GB of streaming data, so this seemed like a clearly better option
-than the $30+ I was paying for Google Fi. When I decided to switch, they had an
-incredible deal offering a Google Pixel 9 plus a year's service for a great
-price, so I not only switched carrier, I also snagged a new phone! I had a
-Samsung S21, which was more than sufficient for my needs, so switching isn't
-quite as significant as with the laptop, but it's still a nice new experience.
-The OS and environment on the Pixel is much nicer than Samsung phones, so
-that's quite the plus!
-
-### NAS
-
-I bought a 2-bay Synology NAS from a friend a few months ago, and with the
-myriad other changes, decided to set it up proper. I setup
-[Navidrome](https://www.navidrome.org/) for audio, and [Jellyfin](
-https://jellyfin.org/) for video. I had previously used Navidrome, then
-switched to Jellyfin for both audio and video, but with the new phone comes a
-return to form. I like [Ultrasonic](https://gitlab.com/ultrasonic/ultrasonic),
-and Navidrome plays nicely with it.
-
-The other big additions with the NAS is more backup scripts, and also pulling
-down some YouTube series I like for local copies. More details in a full post.
-
-## Game Making
-
-Two game jams! One for the entire month of September, [Clone
-Jam](https://itch.io/jam/clone-jam-game-a-month), and a
-[Mini-Jam](https://itch.io/jam/mini-jam-167-cyber). For the Clone Jam, I was
-working on building a ray-casting-based dungeon scavenger, similar to "Legend
-of Grimrock", but with less combat. However, while I have made great progress
-understanding how ray-casting works, and how to implement it, I won't have time
-to finish such a game. That knowledge won't go to waste, though! There's a
-game-jam at the end of October where I intend to make use of it. Instead, I'll
-be touching-up and submitting a clone of Minesweeper I made:
-[TICsweeper](https://vagabondazulien.itch.io/ticsweeper).
-
-For the Mini-Jam, I decided to make a "runner" type game: you maneuver your
-sprite to collect and/or avoid certain projectiles. I also made this game in
-the [TIC-80](https://tic80.com). While I didn't pull any all-nighters, focusing
-on a single project for 72-hours with as little down-time as possible is still
-quite exhausting! My submission was called
-[RUNR](https://vagabondazulien.itch.io/runr). It ranked 48th out of 66
-submissions, which is honestly disappointing, but not enough to demotivate me
-from continuing my game-making journey!
-
-## Game Playing
-
-I finally finished my play-through of Morrowind, and one of its two expansions,
-Tribunal. (Note: before "DLC", new game content for existing games was
-distributed like the game itself, on a piece of data-storing media, such as a
-CD. These were called "expansion packs.") I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in
-The Elder Scrolls III, and I definitely understand why many claim it as their
-favorite. I will talk more about my experience in a full post, just like I did
-for my recent Fallout 3 replay (I mean, just like I _will_. I _WILL!_)
-
-## Business Time
-
-Alas, while game making and playing are great uses of my time, they do not get
-me the resources I need to pay my bills. I continue to work on starting my own
-business. I've met with two mentors, one business and one technology, to help
-get me started and provide guidance. In fact, this week marks what I would
-consider the proper beginning of my business. With some dedication, I'll have
-more exciting news to share about this next time!
-
-## That's All For Now!
-
-I think the original intention of a "Now" page is to be less verbose, but I
-find the monthly cadence of a somewhat comprehensive update to be more
-appealing! Until next month!

src/styles/corrupt_layout.css

@@ -79,20 +79,6 @@ main pre.highlight {
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-main details ul {
-    padding: 0em .5em;
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