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

[Borderboy]

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.

 

 

Just to confirm, I am running the 64-bit version of Windows 7 Home Edition.

 

So it sounds as if I have my hands full for a while!

[Borderboy]

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.

 

Keep your ear to the ground on that one, (the PS3 save).

 

Hell that would save a lot of angst!

 

I put over 800 hours into that game before it when pear shaped!

 

I have sent my save files to Bethesda, (last week) on their request. I have yet to receive a response. I'll post when hear something.

[Striker879]

May want to keep any discussion about PS3 save fixing to private messages (PMs) so you don't run afoul of any of this site's rules regarding modding console games.

[bben46]

OBSE and OBMM are completely different things - and they work together so no reason to not have both.

 

Re keyboard - there are 102 keys on a standard keyboard ( mine has another dozen or so.) Then, using the fn, ctrl and alt keys you multiply the number of possible keys up to several hundred. AND, using mods or add on programs, any of them can be redefined to do something in the game. You are not limited to just the keys in the vanilla game - and not limited to just those functions allowed by the vanilla game - Using a pad you lose all of that extra functionality. Then the mouse is not just a direct replacement for a joystick - it has a bunch of buttons also - the number will vary by mouse. most have at least 3 plus a wheel. - mine has 7. And you can teach your mouse tricks a pad never dreamed of. I use one of the side buttons on my mouse to be another alt key for changing the function of other keys on the fly. Then, the mouse is a much more accurate pointing device. This is why you don't see multi player games with console players against PC players - the console players will loose nearly every time.

Here is a link to an explanation - http://www.rahulsood.com/2010/07/console-gamers-get-killed-against-pc.html

 

You will get used to it if you keep using it. But if you don't need or want this extra functionality - there is no reason not to use your pad - there are mods that make it fully compatible.

[Borderboy]

bben46,

 

Actually I have no intention of replacing my keyboard and mouse with a game controller or gamepad, (of the Xbox or PS3 ilk). I have resolved not to do that with my PC.

 

The point I am trying my best to make is that when I am selling items with the traders in the game, at the moment and whilst my mercantile skill remains low, I want to find a quicker more importantly less painful, (in the respect of RSI), of selling multiple items such as arrows one at a time. Selling one at a time means you are conducting each sale as a separate transaction. Each single transaction raises your mercantile skill. If you sell 100 arrows at one time, that is taken a single transaction where if you sold them singly it would effectively be 100 transactions.

 

Conducting this with a mouse without a mod takes an pointless inordinate amount of time and it hurts! My swollen right wrist is testament to that already!

 

Mentioning the gamepad method was meant only to highlight this difficulty.

 

That said, I have read your article "Oblivion reinstall procedure" with a view to doing just that so that I can at some point utilise the capabilities of modding etc.

 

I'm getting a little lost and confused I'm afraid - I think it is the cross over between XP and Windows 7 that I am trying to get my head around - can you nurse me through?

 

I am running in Win7 64-bit Home Edition as supplied with the computer.

 

The game when I installed it has, as you state in your article, automatically planted itself in the C:\Program Files (x86) folder. The folder route is as follows:

 

C:\Program Files (x86)\Bethesda Softworks\Oblivion

 

There is another folder here named "Data". This contains 4 folders, (Music, Shaders, Textures and Video), 2 text documents, 11 BSA files, 2 ESP files and 1 ESM file.

 

Of those files, 4 BSA and 1 ESP file are associated with Shivering Isles. There is 1 BSA and 1 ESP file associated to Knights (of The Nine).

 

Do I need to back anything up from here?

 

You mention backing up save files and mods. I have no mods as yet but I do want to try and protect the progress I have made so where exactly are my save files?

 

Are they in C:\users\my username\My Documents\My Games\Oblivion\Saves? Is this where I back them up from? There are 7 files in all in this folder:

 

autosave.bak

autosave.ess

quicksave.bak

quicksave.ess

Save 1 (description/time etc).ess

Save 2 (description/time etc).ess

Save 3 (description/time etc).ess

 

Is this what I am supposed to preserve?

 

When I am uninstalling, what is the procedure given I have also installed the Shivering Isles, (if I remember correctly I was asked to insert the second disk when I first installed - I presume the 2nd disk is the Shivering Isles content).

 

Do I have uninstall all of this too and does it all uninstall using the 1st disc or do I need the 2nd disc to perform any part of the uninstall?

 

Also, as well as not being able to identify where my save files are stored, I cannot see the file you mention called Oblivion.ini - where is this? Does it exist for me given I have no helper programs installed yet?

 

I have attempted, using Windows Explorer to open C:\Documents and Settings but I am getting a message box stating that the location is not available and access is denied. So if there is any data stored here I can't get at it to delete anything. Do I presume correctly that this is to do with Windows XP and not Windows 7?

 

I haven't ventured any further than installing the game, (i.e. I do not have any of the helper programs you refer to). I have played it for about two weeks off and on.

 

I think you can see its fair to say I'm in a bit of a muddle!

 

If you can help me in a step by step way I would really appreciate it - I am not anywhere near an expert and if you can keep it really simple, I will be able to follow you.

Edited May 10, 2014 by Borderboy

[Borderboy]

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.

 

Stryker879,

 

Thanks for this, hopefully this will help.

 

I am not running the Steam version. At least I don't think I am - I didn't have to set up a Steam account when I first installed anyway.

 

I think I have a Steam copy which is included with the Anthology Edition which is still sitting in my computer cupboard unopened!

 

I have had a look bben46's article and I think I am going to give it a try. I'll have to read thorough it a few time to make sure I am going the right way. If I lose my saved stuff, it won't be a disaster as I am only a couple of days in to the game on PC anyway. Having already got well past where I am on PC with the console version, it does give you an awareness advantage as though you have already played through so it won't be too hard to catch up.

 

I am unsure about all the other housekeeping stuff he mentions though. For instance, I read somewhere that Windows 7 actually does disc clean and defrag automatically.

 

As we all know now Microsoft are no longer supporting XP so because it is not safe to do so I don't use it for internet access.

 

My laptop is running Win7 64-bit Home Edition. I have an Intel i5 processor, 4GB RAM and a 500GB hard disc. The graphics are very good and I can run games like Assassin's Creed no bother and attach an Xbox controller to boot, which seems fraught with Oblivion.

[Owrocc]

About mouse and keyboard, note that Oblivion has the keyboard's up and down arrow keys function as activators in menus. Should make thinks like buying and selling a little easier (or was it because I have a UI mod installed? Losing track of my own mods...).

 

And installing the game in your program folder should be no big issue as long as you run Oblivion (and any application you want to have access to your "Data" folder) with administrative rights (approximately solves about 80 % of all Windows problems :tongue:).

 

Auto-defrag in Win7 is adjustable but I wouldn't know how that could influence anything. At least nothing happened to me...

Edited May 10, 2014 by Owrocc

[meathead013]

after what ive suffered through while modding oblivion i would strongly recommend preparing your pc for a complete OS reinstall. that means backing up all your data and settings and knowing exactly where your OS/restore disks are

 

my experience appears to be rare but it was real: oblivion modding can fubar your pc to unrecoverable status. dont say i didnt warn you

[Borderboy]

after what ive suffered through while modding oblivion i would strongly recommend preparing your pc for a complete OS reinstall. that means backing up all your data and settings and knowing exactly where your OS/restore disks are

 

my experience appears to be rare but it was real: oblivion modding can fubar your pc to unrecoverable status. dont say i didnt warn you

 

I don't intend doing that much "modding".

 

As I have said, all I really want to do is try and get my game to run smoother, i.e. be able to iron out the glitches and create a method to sell items individually (as a starter).

 

To what extent have you modded which has caused your system to need such drastic reparation?

 

I hate messing with the operating system to be honest. Its like you are fiddling around with the natural order of things - a bit like genetics - perhaps I'm exaggerating!

 

I intend seeking advice on every mod I make just to be safe. Oblivion has been going for a while - I appreciate there is a wealth of experience out there that hopefully I can draw on, so I'm not flying completely blind!

[bben46]

Simple back up

Back up (copy it somewhere else) the entire data folder

The save games are located in a wacky place - just like all Gambryo engine games. :pinch:

for win 7 it will be C:\Users\your user name\my documents\my games\Oblivion\saves

 

Again, just copy it somewhere else - The Oblivion.ini file is here also - it is in the \oblivion folder that contains the \saves - be sure to copy it as well - especially if you have made any changes to it.

 

As for a way to sell entire stacks, or control the amount of an item you are buying or selling - I use The mod Toggleable Quantity Prompt - Updated ( often abbreviated to TQP)

http://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/12859/?