Hi - I'm new and I'm just feeling my way around!

[Borderboy]

I have just signed up.

 

I evidently had to sign up for the forums before I could proceed with signing up for the next bit.

 

There may be an area for new comers to introduce themselves but it is not clear where this is if there is an area.

 

Can anyone please point me in the right direction?

 

By the way, I'm an avid Oblivion player. I started off with the PS3 version of the 5th Anniversary Edition, but after many, many hours of play I started experiencing extreme problems, the main one being described to ma as the "Abomb Bug".

 

Of course many of the problems on PS3 cannot be sorted, so after a little research on various forums such as Wiki UESP and Neoseeker and You Tube, it seemed a good idea to ditch the PS3 version and start playing the PC version.

 

It seems that there are more opportunities to keep the game running smoothly on PC. There is more support for one thing and I want to take advantage of this.

 

Unfortunately, I am nowhere near to being an expert and I will need a bit of help - I am a reasonably quick learner and if I can be shown a simple method I can follow it.

 

So, I want to get involved with using OBSE.

 

Where is the best most secure place I can download from that won't involve me messing up my very valuable laptop with pop-ups and creep-ons and being forced to change my default toolbars and browsers? This is something I have been experiencing more and more lately -m the last time I tried to download something my computer was rendered unusable for nearly a week!

 

So what's the next step and what do I do now?

[Striker879]

Best place to download from is right here at NexusMods Oblivion, You can use the Index to browse through the categories ... I like to keep an eye on New files today to stay on top of the latest.

 

The A-Bomb bug also happens on the PC version. I use OAF - Oblivion Animation fixer myself. Couple of points to keep in mind ... the fix isn't permanent, and after you've played a while you'll need to run the fix again. I do so whenever I notice the Legion rider's torch flames getting a bit "funny" (trailing flame behind).

 

Second thing is related to OBSE (once you start using it). After you install OBSE you see that you now have two saves each time you save, one with the .ess extension and one with the .obse extension (e.g. MySave09.ess and MySave09.obse). You run OAF on the .ess save and after it's run you have a fixed save named OAF_MySave09.ess (using my example save name). All you need to do yourself is rename a copy of the corresponding OBSE cosave (so I'll rename a copy of MySave09.obse to OAF_MySave09.obse to match the OAF fixed save).

 

Some further things to keep in mind about saving ... never use quicksave, it's a known corrupter of save files. Either use the save from the Esc menu or named console saves (getting the console to work on some laptops can be a bit tricky however). Don't overwrite saves. Always save in a new slot, and when your Saves folder starts getting full move some to a folder outside of the saves folder (I keep my backups on a separate hard drive). I move all but my most recent 25 saves and a couple I like to keep handy whenever I get up to a couple of hundred saves or so. You can go longer but eventually you'll notice that the menus start getting sluggish opening.

 

Some things to note about OBSE. First it will only work with the latest version of the game (version 1.2.0416 ... version number found at the lower left of the main menu). OBSE will only work with the disk versions and Steam version of the game. If you have any other version (e.g. GameStop or Direct2Drive) I'm afraid you're out of luck. The installation of OBSE differs if you use the disk version of the game vs the Steam version. The install instructions are in the file obse_readme.txt that you'll find after you extract the download (download manually to a temporary folder and extract to that same folder).

 

Good luck and welcome to the site.

[Owrocc]

Introducing yourself? Something I probably should have done too. :smile:

If the little thing I'm working on ever gets finished... I'll most likely just vanish after a few posts... :sad:

 

Well, PC's a great choice. If you ever get bored, you can load any quest mod you like (nexusmods is safe to download from, as far as I know, and you are already using the forum after all :tongue:) or play around with the CS.

 

With mods, Oblivion is way better than Skyrim (my opinion...).

But OBSE is pretty much a requirement for many mods. It's not really a big deal and is widely acknowledged.

[Borderboy]

So is it safe to say that it is better to use OBSE for my purposes given that I don't really want to get that involved with modding?

 

I don't envisage myself going in on a regular basis changing all of the aesthetics. I like the way the game is played out. I was actually enjoying the PS3 version - certainly I was finding the controls a lot easier to use - a game pad has a lot of advantages over a keyboard and mouse!

 

I've given one example that I would need to use OBSE for, (the Abomb Bug).

 

Another example, would be the manner in which items are sold to the various traders. Mercantile skill levels are raised per transaction, regardless of amount. So if I have say 100 arrows for sale, I can either have 1 transaction for 100 or 100 transactions if they are sold individually. On a PS3 this is relatively easy, but using a mouse it could mean a trip to A&E with Repetitive Strain Injury! I understand that there is a mod for this - that is the sort of thing I am looking at.

 

So am I better off with NMM or OBSE?

 

Which is simpler to use - because I am not an expert by any stretch of imagination! The simpler the better, so I can get on with the game!

 

I forgot to mention, I am one of the OCD completionists. This has what has led me down this path!

Edited May 9, 2014 by Borderboy

[Owrocc]

There seems to be a bit of confusion:

 

OBSE means "Oblivion Script Extender" (http://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/37952/?) and is an application that extends the functions in Oblivion scripts (practically documents that determine what happens in the game).

Many mods use it. When you just want to play vanilla (but I tell you, you'll be missing a lot...), you most likely won't need it.

 

NMM is the Nexus Mod Manager and you should NEVER EVER use it for Oblivion. It just works bad.

If you want to install mods, use the Oblivion Mod Manager (OBMM, http://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/2097/?) or Wrye (don't really have experience with that one).

 

About preventing bugs:

They can and WILL happen. Gamecrashing ones included. Welcome to Oblivion.

UOPS (Unofficial Oblivion Patch, http://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/5296/?) can help.

[Striker879]

In addition to Owrocc's advice concerning OBSE ... OBSE is not related to the A-Bomb bug in any way. You will get the A-Bomb even if you never use OBSE (it's a result of playing the same character for a long time). You also don't need OBSE to fix the A-Bomb using OAF. I was merely pointing out that if you do use OBSE you need to keep the OBSE cosave synchronized with the OAF fixed save.

 

If a mod you would like to use requires OBSE it should tell you so in the mod description. No need to install OBSE unless you need to.

 

A couple of links concerning using a controller in PC Oblivion ... Full Controller Support and Xbox 360 UI Mod and Full xbox 360 controller support (I got it working). Probably not beginner level stuff, but keep it in mind for once you get up to speed. You could also look at Oblivirim - Xbox 360 Controls For Oblivion On A PC. I can't vouch for any of it ... I'm an old mouse and keyboard PC gamer myself.

 

Best advice for adding mods ... add one mod at a time and test thoroughly in between. When you add one mod to a working game and then it breaks it's a pretty simple matter figuring out where to start troubleshooting.

[Borderboy]

There seems to be a bit of confusion:

 

OBSE means "Oblivion Script Extender" (http://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/37952/?) and is an application that extends the functions in Oblivion scripts (practically documents that determine what happens in the game).

Many mods use it. When you just want to play vanilla (but I tell you, you'll be missing a lot...), you most likely won't need it.

 

NMM is the Nexus Mod Manager and you should NEVER EVER use it for Oblivion. It just works bad.

If you want to install mods, use the Oblivion Mod Manager (OBMM, http://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/2097/?) or Wrye (don't really have experience with that one).

 

About preventing bugs:

They can and WILL happen. Gamecrashing ones included. Welcome to Oblivion.

UOPS (Unofficial Oblivion Patch, http://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/5296/?) can help.

 

Boy, now you've confused me!

 

Another one added to the list!

 

If I wanted to do what I have stated in my last post what exactly would I need then?

 

It seems that NMM has now been crossed off from the list, so at the moment it's between OBSE and Oblivion Mod Manager. Or am I interpreting this in wholly the wrong way?

 

I think you can see from my ramblings where I stand with my experience and expertise level!

[Borderboy]

In addition to Owrocc's advice concerning OBSE ... OBSE is not related to the A-Bomb bug in any way. You will get the A-Bomb even if you never use OBSE (it's a result of playing the same character for a long time). You also don't need OBSE to fix the A-Bomb using OAF. I was merely pointing out that if you do use OBSE you need to keep the OBSE cosave synchronized with the OAF fixed save.

 

If a mod you would like to use requires OBSE it should tell you so in the mod description. No need to install OBSE unless you need to.

 

A couple of links concerning using a controller in PC Oblivion ... Full Controller Support and Xbox 360 UI Mod and Full xbox 360 controller support (I got it working). Probably not beginner level stuff, but keep it in mind for once you get up to speed. You could also look at Oblivirim - Xbox 360 Controls For Oblivion On A PC. I can't vouch for any of it ... I'm an old mouse and keyboard PC gamer myself.

 

Best advice for adding mods ... add one mod at a time and test thoroughly in between. When you add one mod to a working game and then it breaks it's a pretty simple matter figuring out where to start troubleshooting.

 

I understand that the Abomb bug is a phenomenon experienced after many hours of play - tell me about it - I reckon I got over 800 hours in when it hit me on PS3 and I've been backwards and forwards with emails to Bethesda Support ever since, (to no avail might I add).

 

Oblivion is the very first game I have played on PC. I was attracted to some of the videos on You Tube where magically players were customising their screens and doing things in the game that weren't only not available to me on PS3, I didn't even know it was possible to do that to a something that I believed to be copyrighted and fixed in stone - I was thoroughly amazed and envious that I didn't possess the necessary skills to emulate this.

 

I really appreciate your help, god knows I need it, but I struggle to grasp jargon and I need things explaining in simple, easy to understand terms. For instance, what does OAF mean - do you see how early you lost me?

[Owrocc]

There's not really that much to know.

I would suggest you to just download and install the unofficial patch (+ the ones for the addons if you have some, Shivering Isles is not bad and adds a whole new world with many new creatures but please don't buy the horse armor, for sanity's sake, don't buy the useless horse armor for real money...)

 

If you should ever actually encounter something like the A-Bomb bug, you can use something like OAF (Oblivion Animation Fixer, http://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/5127/?) or anything else that will help you fix it. You're on a PC and there have been (and apparently still are) many modders for this game so you should usually find a fix for anything.

 

And by the way, there seems to be a method to fix the A-Bomb bug on savegames, so your PS3 save could probably also be saved. I just heard about it and don't know any more though.

[Striker879]

Not a problem. I remember well how overwhelming it can be.

 

OAF is Oblivion Animation Fixer, a simple to use utility for fixing the A-Bomb bug on PC Oblivion. In case you weren't aware, you can click on the words OAF - Oblivion Animation fixer that are highlighted in my original post and it will bring you to the NexusMods Oblivion site page for OAF, where you can click the FILES tab and download it by either clicking the words "download manually" or the words "OAF_v1_2" (pretty sure it's the latest version not the one that is listed above it as "Animation Fixer").

 

You won't have any need of OAF for a while yet. What you do need is some advice on getting your game installed in a proper location so that you don't run into some of the common pitfalls when you want to start adding mods.

 

When you say you're running on a laptop I'll assume it's a fairly recent model and as such is running Win 8, Win 7 or Vista as an operating system. Oblivion is an old game that was last updated long before any of those operating systems were around. Those newer operating system come with a security feature called User Account Control (UAC) that helps prevent unwanted changes to files that are in the locations that it's designed to protect. Unfortunately for Oblivion, one of those protected locations is the very place that the default game wants to install to ... C:\Program Files (x86) or C:\Program Files. The result is that UAC interferes with mods when Oblivion is installed to C:\Program Files (x86) or C:\Program Files.

 

The solution is simple, just create a folder C:\Games and install there. You can do that right from the install dialogues. When you get to the part that prompts you where to install the game just carefully highlight the "Program Files (x86)" or "Program Files" part and then type in Games (single click in front of the P in Program Files to unhighlight it first and then left click hold and drag to get the entire part you want to replace highlighted). In case you already have the game installed in the default location here's a link to Bben46's wiki article Oblivion reinstall procedure. If you use the Steam version of the game don't miss the link near the top about moving your Steam install location, and also don't skip the registry cleaning step.

 

Of course if you are running WinXP operating system you can safely ignore all that, as it doesn't have UAC and the game will work perfectly fine when installed in C:\Program Files on WinXP machines.