I wouldn't be too comfy with b) either, as it sounds like a complete unicorn. At best, it's hard to know the "quality" of that backing and even then there are ethical and legal liabilities.
"site" does work still, I think, just plus a lot of irrelevant drivel - standard Google fare, you see it on Youtube too.
I'd consider the most basic case to be, specifically, the "quotes for verbatim results", which definitely do not work anymore. Neither does + for a positively (hue hue) required term, a close second.
To be fair, back in the day you could get better results by relying on Google with site:foobar and the Boolean/"power user" stuff. A lot of built-in search boxes on sites were a bit dodgy, or at least less flexible than AND/OR/NOT and other "power user tricks".
Of course, these days those seem to be ignored wholesale and even "verbatim quotes" are an utter crapshoot, this was back when Google didn't fucking blow.
Nothing at all, if it's been maintained and "upkept" much better than theirs has. But, y'know.
Starfield is starting to seem pretty spackled together, and the engine was already sort of infamous for bugs. It's not just BSW being sloppy about content (although they are), it's also the engine and tooling. The CKs tend to look... grim.
[looks vaguely in the direction of Japan]
Five... four... three...