Managing Plugin Load Orders in Video Game Modding Using Directed Acyclic Graphs - A Case Study of Skyrim

Sep 21, 2026

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Modding extends the longevity of video games by adding user-created variations, but large mod collections create complex plugin integration problems. When hundreds or thousands of plugins are enabled, managing the “load order” becomes error-prone and often causes unintentional data overwrites, localized bugs, and crashes to desktop. This paper presents a graph-theoretic method that models plugins as vertices and dependencies or conflicts as directed edges in a Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG), enabling stable load sequencing through topological sorting.

LanguageEnglish

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Pages8

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Introduction

Theoretical Framework

Graph

Managing Plugin Load Orders in Video Game Modding Using Directed Acyclic Graphs: A Case Study of Skyrim Faishal Ahmad Nurdin-13525027 Program Studi Teknik Informatika Sekolah Teknik Elektro dan Informatika Institut Teknologi Bandung, Jalan Ganesha 10 Bandung E-mail: [fanoflegend@gmail.com](fanoflegend@gmail.com), [13525027@std.stei.itb.ac.id](13525027@std.stei.itb.ac.id) Abstract—Modding is one of the key components that extend a video game longevity. It offers more variation of the game to the player that can keep them engaged for along time. One of the video games famous for its mods is The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. However, when players install a large collection of mods, they need to integrate increasingly large collections of user-created plugins. Because of this, managing the "load order"—the sequential execution of these modifications—becomes a complex and error-prone challenge. Improper load orders frequently result in unintentional data overwrites, localized bugs, and catastrophic application crashes. This paper proposes a robust, graph-theoretic approach to automate and optimize plugin management using Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAGs). By mapping individual plugins as vertices and their inter-dependencies, prerequisites, and conflict-resolution rules as directed edges, we mathematically model the modding environment. Applying topological sorting algorithms to this DAG ensures that all master files and requisite modifications are loaded in a computationally stable sequence. Keywords: Video Game Modding, Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAG), Dependency Management, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Load Order Optimization. I. INTRODUCTION Over the past two decades, video game modding—the practice of players modifying game software to alter gameplay, graphics, or content—has evolved from a niche hobby into a cornerstone of the interactive entertainment industry. User-generated content such as modding not only normalized game development but also highly increases the commercial lifespan and player retention of major software titles. An example of this phenomenon is Bethesda Game Studios’ The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011) . Skyrim has tens of thousands of user-created modifications (mods) that players can use for free available on websites such as Nexus Mods and Steam Workshop. However, this flexibility introduces significant technical complexities, primarily centralized around how the game engine handles external data integration. In Skyrim’s game engine, the Creation Engine, modifications are packaged as discrete plugins. Because multiple plugins frequently attempt to modify the same base game data—such asI altering the attributes of a single non-player character (NPC) or modifying the geometry of a specific landscape—the engine relies on a strict sequential loading mechanism known as the "load order."Under this paradigm, conflicts are resolved via the "Rule of One," where the plugin loaded last overwrites any conflicting data from previously loaded plugins. As end-users increasingly curate massive collections containing hundreds or even thousands of active plugins, managing this sequence manually becomes computationally intractable for a human operator. An incorrect load order results in broken dependencies, missing assets, logic errors, and severe application crashes (frequently referred to as CTDs, or "Crashes to Desktop") . While community-driven heuristics and manual conflict-resolution patches exist, they lack a formalized mathematical framework to guarantee stability and prevent circular logic errors. To address the inherent fragility of manual plugin sequencing, this paper proposes framing load order management as a graph-theoretic dependency problem. By abstracting the modding environment into a Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG), this can rigorously and automatically resolve plugin sequences. In this graph model Vertices (Nodes) represent individual game plugins and Directed Edges represent the categorical

FAQs

Why does plugin load order become difficult when many mods are installed in Skyrim?

Skyrim’s engine resolves conflicts via the sequential “load order” rule, so with hundreds or thousands of active plugins, manual sequencing becomes computationally intractable and increases the risk of dependency and conflict errors.

How does the paper model the modding problem for automation?

It frames load order management as a graph-theoretic dependency problem, mapping each plugin to a vertex and representing prerequisites, dependencies, and conflict-resolution rules as directed edges.

What role does topological sorting play in the proposed Directed Acyclic Graph approach?

By applying topological sorting to the Directed Acyclic Graph, the method generates a mathematically valid, conflict-free load sequence, while also flagging cyclic errors such as circular dependencies.

Sep 21, 2026

Upload by Jiven