Optimising Oblivion

[Redapple24]

Thanks, this guide is really helpful to me as a 1st time player of Oblivion.

[nisen]

Hello. I would like to share what I've found so far with oblivion optimization in my case.

 

- The main thing is to make your video card drivers up to date. That really helps, to shut down most of the stuttering.

- Another good idea is to clean your start up, from the unnecessary programs, such as adobe updater's/reader and so on. It will save up a little bit memory of your machine.

- Go to that place where your oblivion.exe is located, and if you are running under windows Vista/7 chose properties-> compatibility tab, and make sure to check "Disable desktop composition" this will change your color scheme to default while you are running oblivion.

 

 

IMPORTANT:

if you're running some Environmental mods such as "All Natural" etc... Make sure to turn them off on your mod manager or waye bash (Why? Because this is one of the most computer/video card memory using modifications, especially if your computer is on low resources)

 

Better cities

Video card memory killers. I suggest you to run this mod only in that case if you are using a strong, duel layer video card, at least 1GB of video memory. Of course you are able to run in whether your machine is, but it will decrease down to 10-15 fps when in cities for sure,

 

The fps can't decrease because some modifications are incompatible with each other. I've tested it on my own computer. Found some incompatibilities then tested it together and the final result was a crash, Not the FPS drop

the point about shutting down background process' is handled by various game booster utilities like 'Game Booster' but theres others

 

Fwiw disabling desktop compostition (the aero transparency) only saves 30-40MB of vram which isnt much on most cards today with 1+GB, neverless ive got a 750MB laptop card and prefer having that reduction, but found you can get the same benefit from windows 7 basic instead of windows classic

 

I didnt realize environment mods were such a burden on resources, will look into it. Are they more cpu or gpu intensive, guessing its cpu with more use of scripts,

 

and not sure what 'dual layer card' means, Ive had no real issues playing Better Cities other than the terrible Waterfront crashing, worst mod component ever and doesnt even make that much difference visually

Edited February 16, 2013 by nisen

[Sonja]

Over the past couple of weeks I have managed to get Oblivion running so stably on my ageing system that crashes have become a thing of the past and happen only on very rare occasions. I have reached the point where I am very comfortable using Bash, Boss, Enchanted Editor, OBMM etc. but I was still crashing roughly on the hour. Given that previous to learning how to use these tools, crashes occurred approximately every 20 minutes, I felt I had made good progress, but I still wanted to see if I could achieve a more or less crash-free state. Of course, dealing with something like this is a bit like going to the doctor with something like an itchy skin ailment; it's very difficult to accurately diagnose and what works for one person might not work for the next, so obviously bear that caveat in mind. To note, I have 96 mods installed (105 if you count those that have been merged into my Bash Patch), amongst them heavy hitters such as All Natural (the full meal deal), AWLS, All Unique Landscapes, and OOO.

My system Specs

 

Win 7 Home Premium

32 bit

Intel Core Duo E6850 @ 3.0 GHz

2 GB RAM

GE Force GTX 550 TI

 

So here is what I have done; much of this I literally stumbled across by fluke. Some, I feel shouldn't make a difference, but on my system it definitely does.

*The first fluke - I was sick and tired of that annoying "Windows is Checking for a Solution" message every time the game crashed, so I disabled it; I found that my CTDs reduced substantially. I have no idea why this would help, but, for me, it does. You can find out how to disable that stupid thing here: http://www.techspot.com/community/topics/disable-windows-is-checking-for-a-solution-to-the-problem-prompt-after-a-program-hangs-up.193376/

*More Messing around, resulted in my turning off the messages informing me that my AV and Anti-Malware were turned off. I *know* this; in order to conserve RAM I always turn them off when gaming. (Go to the little flag icon in the left-hand corner and click on Action Centre) Again, I observed a significant performance increase and fewer CTDs. I have to wonder if that popup message was interfering with the game somehow.

*Fluke Two - I was looking around trying to find ways to stop my Firefox from freezing and came across the suggestion to go into my Global Nvidia settings and switch to: Prefer Maximum Performance (Power Management Mode Setting), and Single Display Performance Mode (Multi - Display, Mixed GPU Acceleration --> Clearly, don't do this if you don't have the setup to match). Those two changes resulted in a massive boost to performance.

*Finally - on the advice of a techie friend, I went into my Power Options (just type it into the start search bar), and changed my settings from Balanced to High Performance.

 

 

After these changes I actually need to check the time when I play because the game will no longer boot me.... :D

Again, there are no guarantees these tweaks will work for everybody, but I figured I'd share, because maybe they will work for some. :smile:

 

In case anyone is interested for reference, I'm including my full list of mods/load order

Edited February 2, 2014 by Sonja

[TheMastersSon]

Good job Sonja. Thanks for the tips.

 

For another possibly major improvement in Oblivion performance, go into Nvidia's control panel/"Manage 3D settings" and change the "Maximum pre-rendered frames" from its default of 3 to 2, or (even better) 1. It will slightly impact overall frame rates, but you'll notice it makes keyboard/mouse movements in Oblivion instantly responsive. Assuming of course you aren't trying to game on a wireless kb or mouse with an inherent lag. You can even set it to 0, but I think most people can't handle *that* much responsiveness. :smile:

 

Also keep your video drivers (and antivirus software etc) up to date. Oblivion doesn't get along well with multitasking or popup messages from other programs.

Edited February 10, 2014 by TheMastersSon

[TaigaTiger]

Hello everybody!

 

I've been playing Skyrim for quite a while. I changed from Xbox to PC so that I can use all those millions of wonderful mods. I 'finished' Skyrim for the third time now, incl all DLC and Falskaar. It only feels natural now to try Oblivion. My questions now are:

What mods can you recommend for Oblivion to make it look and feel a little better? More 2012 than 2006... Like HD-packs? overhauls? For Skyrim I use and am a big fan of

-all official and uofficial patches

-T3nd0s SkyRe

-Beauty of Skyrim

-TES5Edit as well as several models, immersive packs, races etc.

I'm not using any ENBs because of my limited power: intel i7, 2.2 GHz, 8GB RAM, AMD Radeon HD 6750M

Is it possible to use the NMM at the same time for Skyrim AND Oblivion? What do I have to take care of or watch? what do I have to know and keep in mind?

 

Hope somebody will find and take the time to help with a few tips!

 

Thanks in advance

 

S.

[Striker879]

My standard answer for the improved graphics portion (it does get asked a lot) ... Noob up and running. The latest and greatest for NPCs and player characters is Oblivion Character Overhaul version 2. Note that it requires careful reading of install instructions, readmes and mod comments, is incompatible with almost all previous "beautification" mods (without careful use of a bashed patch and/or editing in the Construction Set) and is very particular about having it's mod requirements met.

 

Yes you can use Nexus Mod Manager with Oblivion, but be prepared for many mods that will not install using it. I don't use NMM myself (never even laid eyes on it) but if it has a way to still see and activate mods that haven't been installed using it you could use it as a replacement for the vanilla game Data Files I suppose. The most universally supported manager for Oblivion is Oblivion Mod Manager (OBMM). Couldn't compare it to NMM myself (no experience with NMM) but it's fairly simple to learn (use the Help topic in the menu) and will work with all but a few Oblivion mods (you will run into some that require Wrye Bash's BAIN installer ... many BAIN mods will also come with support for OBMM's OMOD format). Then there are the ones that require manual installation (Oblivion Script Extender (OBSE) and Blockhead are two that spring immediately to mind). If you read through enough mod comments you'll get a feel for what I'm talking about (e.g. look at body replacers like HGEC and you won't need to scan very far through the comments to find the "why won't this work with NMM" type comments).

[TaigaTiger]

Thank you a lot and sorry for my late reply Striker. i spent some time getting OBSE running for a start and I'm definetely gonna try a lot from the links to posted above!

 

S.

[subtledoctor]

Finally Achieved Stability

 

I figure I should note for posterity the advancements I've made in getting my heavily modded Oblivion installation to work well.

 

THE MODS: I use over 200 mods and patches to make my game as large, deep, and detailed as possible. I'm not going to list them all, but I'll mention ones that tend to adversely affect game stability.

- World Mods: Morroblivion, Silgrad Tower, Elsweyr Anequina, TWMP Hammerfell, TWMP Valenwood Improved. My game world is humongous, and soon I'll hopefully add TWMP Skyrim Improved.

- Mods Within Tamriel: Better Cities, all of the Unique Landscapes, a dozen or so villages, a bunch of Dwemer ruins & Ayleid ruins & dungeons, plus big quests like Lost Spires, and Crowded Roads and Tamriel Travellers. BC is the big performance hog here, but it all adds up when you tack on...

- Visual Mods: Qarl's Textures, Detailed Terrain, All Natural, and RAEVWD. I hate stuff popping into existence, so trees/grass/items/etc. are set to max distance, water reflections are on, plus Vsync and 8xAA. Resolution is a reasonable 900p.

 

Put that all together and it can cripple a decent computer. Mine is a 2012 laptop with a Core i7, 8 GB of RAM, and an nVidia GT 650m with 1 GB of VRAM. Running Win7 Home Premium 64-bit. In early 2015, it strikes me as solidly middle-of-the-road, spec-wise and playing lid-closed with a monitor it is fairly thermally constrained. Here's what I've done:

 

1) Strip out as many running Windows process as you can. Turn off AV, automatic notifications, stuff like that. It's just annoying anyway.

 

2) Followed Tomlong's installation advice over Tescosi/Tesposi. Turns out that install order matters almost as much as load order for Oblivion mods.

 

3) As long as you're 64-bit, hit everything with the 4GB patcher. Specifically Oblivion.exe, TES4LodGen, and TES4LL. (Okay really just those three.)

 

4) Forget NMM. Take 20 minutes to familiarize yourself with OBMM and Wrye Bash. DO NOT choose a favorite - use both. I mostly install via Wrye, but some mods work better as OMODs (DarnUI, Realistic Fatigue, Dynamic Map, a few others). At the proper points in the install process, just close out Weye, hop over to OBMM, install the OMOD. Then go back to Wrye. At the very end, fix your load order with BOSS, build your Bashed Patch in Wrye, run all three TES4LL scripts, and run TES4LodGen.

 

5) Mods I've found to be useless: forget WEOCPS, it didn't do anything for me. Also Streamline. Even properly configured, even using *only* the Streamsight feature, it didn't really help.

 

6) Mods that ARE helpful:

- Oblivion Stutter Remover. Conservatively configured.

- Purge Cell Buffers. I set it to every cell change, because aggressive purging helps my poor overworked video card.

- ENBoost. I dunno how it does what it does (seems to help my video card when new cells with gobs of meshes and textures pop into existence) but it seems to do it well.

- MoreHeap. Ditto.

 

The final change was dropping WEOCPS and Streamline and adding ENBoost and MoreHeap. I'm not sure which of those last two is more effective. But with both of them added, I went from random crashes in the countryside every 90 seconds (the west coast around Anvil and to the north of it, is just vicious with all these mods) to a single solitary crash in the last 20 hours of play.

 

Unfortunately, the presence of ENBoost means o can't use Oblivion Reloaded, OBGE, or the various ENB presets. But for this kind of rock-solid stability, it's totally worth it.

Edited January 7, 2015 by subtledoctor

[lubronbrons]

want to share...

 

after juggling arround like crazy set piece by piece arranging my oblivion using 200+ mods,

for me this is what I think is working...

- QTP3R Reduced Mx : mini version of great texture replacement of Qarls

- use Wrye Bash, OBMM, and MO : this manager have own great feature itself

- Oblivion Polygon Overhaul : I think this increase my fps a bit by 2-3 and not noticing any big difference in my eye

- download all DLC and Unofficial DLC : this fix any bug in official makes oblivion more stable

- don't use OBGE, it kills fps really. I want water from OBGE so for alternatif using Improved water, it cames with Depth of Field great!

- and I'am not using ENB (last time used Cyberdyne 1.0 is decent)

- configure VGA properly, mine use Nvdia GT 750M in laptop

- OSR : using heap setting on so I don't use More Heap mod, fps min limit to 10 & max to 0 unlimited

- weOCPS : prove great I think for notif users in ding sound means you're gonna crash and save game please, even though many people said this mod is bad

- Streamline 3.1 : I'am using this for save manager. modify it a little with TES4Edit to replace F5 F9, so I can fast load save with guarantee. I disable key F5 and F9 by setting oblivoin.ini

- lastest OBSE ver 21 : this is the best ever mother of all great mod

- Jhaeriks Dungeon Fog Remover : this helps me reduce sttuter in interior

- Wisemans Reduced Textures : this is optimized texture pack I think it helps? dunno, but I include it for better fps in mind. there is a doubt about this, but I'am positive this mod helps

- No Refraction Spells : it says magic that cause CTD will reduced, dunno so far I don't have that issue. Just for safe keeping

- Landscape LOD Textures by Xerus : replace LOD to the better one and more dense tree

- Detailed Terrain mod : this is optimized texture pack I think it helps me get better fps in 2-3

- Ayleid Ruins Replacer for NBB2 : I love this one, it makes me motivated. the walls and everything is like milk texture :3 oh..... BTW, this texture pack is gonna make you CTD if you not delete file named 'arvarlastone01.nif' I have tested this again and again this is a case of missing texture meshes something like that. so .... delete it and you Good to go

- Imperial City Reloaded v2 : another texture pack that I love, this makes IC more clean and majestic

- Grass Overhaul 5.1 : use this only with Wrye bash, so this mod remain Deactive but gain benefit of better grass texture and mesh. If you insist activate this grass esp, your choice.... your fps will be blown a little if this mod active

- tweak oblvion.ini use reference http://www.tweakguides.com/Oblivion_1.html

 

OK, now for the list mod that not compatible with me (with description)

- not using OBGE, I admit this is a great mod. but it just don't compromize with my PC, it will give y laptop 10 fps flat oh my.....

- not using personality idle mod as far as I know it cause CTD in short time, I try simulate it repeatedly and still the same

- not using NPCs_yield mod, it crash easily

- not using Apachii_Goddess_Store & Apachii Heroes Store, item missing texture can cause crash. I think this mod isn't properly managed

- not using Antares_Magic_Visual_Ench it will crash in begining sewer

- not using Purge cell bufffer related mod, I think the memory RAM will just mess up with this kind of purgatory

- not using Vanilla Combat mod, I think it crash with Deadly reflex

- not using Auriel Retreat, this mod is expand place in cyrodiil but I don't know how to make it work

- not using Cosmic Night Sky 2, for me this plugin may crashing

- not using Narae pose, it crash in half or one hour of play

 

sorry I'am not gonna listing all my mods because it's hassle, so I just want to share what mod that is works for me, and not works for me

Edited October 21, 2015 by lubronbrons

[B4RD0]

Some suggestions for low end PCs (2022)

 

I'm currently playing Oblivion in an old laptop: Dual core 1.5 GHz, 2 GB RAM, with integrated Intel HD graphics
It runs better than I expected, at 20-30 FPS most of the time.

 

The only settings not available in the game menu, that clearly improved the framerates for me (by editing Oblivion.ini):

* iMinGrassSize=160 ;Higher values reduce the density of grass. Default 80
* bUseRefractionShader=0 ;Disabled refraction effect from chamaleon/invisibility. Default 1

 

Mods that seems to improve performance compared to vanilla:
* Unofficial Oblivion Patch
+ Unofficial Oblivion DLC Patches
+ Unofficial Shivering Isles Patch

 

* EngineBugFixes (obse)
* Oblivion Stutter Remover (obse)
Prevents issues related to stuttering and framerates. The game feels smoother even with low FPS.
-> I use v4.1.0 "StutterRemover_OSR_4-1" with default settings (in my case it works better than other settings or later versions that I tested).
* Oblivion Display Tweaks (obse)
Micro stutter tick fix, high framerate fix, true FOV fix, alt-tab freeze fix in fullscreen, borderless windowed mode.
-> In the .ini I set iTickFix = 0 (I let OSR manage the FPS). I set bUseD3D9Ex = 0, else it clearly reduces performance in my case.
* SkyBSA (obse)
Fixes the way Oblivion handles BSAs versus loose files, so it removes the need to mess around with file timestamps.

 

* Wrye Bash
Utility to install and easely uninstall mods. It includes many useful features.
Right click "Bashed Patch.esp" -> Select "Rebuild Patch" -> Check the following tweak options:
Tweak Actors -> Quiet Feet
Tweak Assorted -> Bow Reach Fix, Magic:Script Effect Silencer, No Light Fade Value Fix, Nvidia Fog Fix, No Light Flicker
Tweak Settings -> Magic:Chamaleon Refraction (Zero)

* No More Weapon Litter
Enemies won't drop weapons on death, keeping them in inventory.
OR Weapon Drop Fix
* Spell light patch
Makes static the flash light seen when a spell is casted. FPS improvement with no visual loss.
* Life Detect Reduced
Small tweak to keep the LifeDetect shader from obscuring the NPC face, and look more like breath. Since it no longer screens the view line, it improves the FPS.
* RPG-BlackDragons LowTriPolyGrass BAIN WIZARD
-> I use the option "0-s" (similar look than vanilla, but shorter, and lower poly count). Use a higher number for better performance and lower quality.
* OptimizedLODHeads
Lower polygon heads to improve performance at crowded areas, with only a little decrease in quality (mainly ears).
* Loot Menu (obse)
Allows to view and take the content of containers in real-time (with no loading time, much faster than opening them).

 

My Oblivion.ini changes optimized for slow pc (explaining their effect):

[General]
;Enabled eye reflections (else eyes look odd):
bUseEyeEnvMapping=1
;If disabled, face textures are less customized, and neck seams are more noticeable, but FPS may improve slightly:
bFaceGenTexturing=1
;Distance to draw distant trees (if bDisplayLODTrees=1). Default 15:
uGridDistantTreeRange=15
;Distance to draw distant terrain (if bDisplayLODLand=1). Default 25. Can be reduced to improve FPS:
;(Visibility is also limited by fog, adjustable by mods like All Natural).
uGridDistantCount=25
;Disabled intro videos...
SMainMenuMovieIntro=
SIntroSequence=
;Disabled the borders that prevent you from entering other provinces:
bBorderRegionsEnabled=0

[Display]
;Disabled blood decals:
fDecalLifetime=0.0000
;Disabled shadow settings:
bEquippedTorchesCastShadows=0
;Enabled screenshots with printscreen key:
bAllowScreenShot=1
;Disabled anti-alias:
iMultiSample=0
;Disabled shadows of trees:
bDoCanopyShadowPass=0
;Disabled refraction effect from chamaleon/invisibility:
bUseRefractionShader=0
;Recommended 5 by enhanced camera plugin for 1st person view. Default 10:
fNearDistance=5.0000
;Disabled the sepia colouring shader on the local map:
bLocalMapShader=0
;Default LOW detail settings...
fShadowLOD2=400.0000
fShadowLOD1=200.0000
fLightLOD2=1500.0000
fLightLOD1=1000.0000
fSpecularLOD2=550.0000
fSpecularLOD1=250.0000
fEnvMapLOD2=800.0000
fEnvMapLOD1=500.0000
fEyeEnvMapLOD2=190.0000
fEyeEnvMapLOD1=130.0000
;Disabled vsync (set to 1 if you see screen tearing due to high framerates):
iPresentInterval=0
;Disabled shadow settings...
iShadowFilter=0
iActorShadowCountExt=0
iActorShadowCountInt=0
bActorSelfShadowing=0
bShadowsOnGrass=0
;Disabled window reflections:
bDynamicWindowReflections=0
;Medium textures (better performance). Less detailed at close range, but distant landscape looks good without the need of mods to replace LOD noise or textures:
iTexMipMapSkip=1
;Disabled shadow settings...
bDoStaticAndArchShadows=0
bDoActorShadows=0
;View distance (when bDisplayLODLand=0):
fNoLODFarDistancePct=1.0000

[Water]
bUseWaterReflectionsMisc=0
bUseWaterReflectionsStatics=0
bUseWaterReflectionsTrees=0
;Enabled to see your own reflection (and other actors) in the water surface:
bUseWaterReflectionsActors=1
;Enabled water reflections (sky and terrain, else it doesn't look like water):
bUseWaterReflections=1
;Disabled high resolution water (no much difference in quality or performance for me):
bUseWaterHiRes=0
;Enabled water ripples (very immersive, and doesn't affect performance for me):
bUseWaterDisplacements=1
;Disabled the variation of transparency depending on water depth, else some view angles look very unrealistic (better for performance too):
bUseWaterDepth=0

[Audio]
;Enabled HW acceleration. If disabled, it causes micro-stutter in my laptop.
bDSoundHWAcceleration=1
;Enabled music and sounds. Disabled may improve the performance.
bMusicEnabled=1
bSoundEnabled=1

[HAVOK]
;Increased number of threads as suggested by some guides (I can't notice the difference, but just in case):
iNumHavokThreads=3

[GamePlay]
;Disabled autosaves (they are not reliable)...
bSaveOnTravel=0
bSaveOnWait=0
bSaveOnRest=0
bSaveOnInteriorExteriorSwitch=0

[speedTree]
;Disabled so detail of trees change with the distance (enable it to get rid of LOD transitions, with similar result than using max fLODMultTrees=2):
bForceFullLOD=0

[LOD]
;Enabled to view distant terrain (high performance impact, I disable it at regions with low FPS, by using "TLL" console command):
bDisplayLODLand=1
bDisplayLODBuildings=1
bDisplayLODTrees=1
;I set them so actors and objects fade out around distance 5000, and items around 2000. Limited by fFadeDistance=12288 (inside current loaded grids).
;(Reference scale: 3.0 - 6.0 - 9.0 - 12.0 - 15.0)
;(Distance scale: 2000 - 4000 - 6000 - 8000 - 10000)...
fLODFadeOutMultActors=7.5000
fLODFadeOutMultItems=3.0000
fLODFadeOutMultObjects=7.5000
fLODMultLandscape=1.0000
;I set it so trees start to use a lower LOD model around distance 5000, and change to 2d model around 10000. Use halved value to increase FPS.
;(Reference scale: 0.5 - 1.0 - 1.5 - 2.0 - 2.5)
;(Distance scale: 2000 - 4000 - 6000 - 8000 - 10000):
fLODMultTrees=1.25
;Default LOW detail settings...
fLODMultActors=1.0000
fLODMultItems=1.0000
fLODMultObjects=1.0000
;With lower values, it takes longer since the models start to fade out until they dissapear completely:
fLODFadeOutPercent=0.9000
;With higher values, larger objects fade out farther. If set to 0 all objects fade out at same distance (defined by fLODFadeOutMultObjects):
;I reduced it so most rocks and structures fade in smoothly rather than sudently popping in (when a new grid is loaded).
fLODBoundRadiusMult=1.5000

[Grass]
;Higher values reduce the density of grass. Default 80:
iMinGrassSize=160
;I set it so grass fade out at distance 5000, same than actors and objects.
;(Reference=Distance scale: 2000 - 4000 - 6000 - 8000 - 10000):
fGrassEndDistance=5000.0000
fGrassStartFadeDistance=4000.0000
;Enabled Grass:
bDrawShaderGrass=1

[blurShaderHDR]
;Disabled HDR:
bDoHighDynamicRange=0

[blurShader]
;Disabled Bloom:
bUseBlurShader=0

[OPENMP]
iThreads=10
iOpenMPLevel=10

 

 

My List of Mods suggested for slow PCs:

Utilities:
* Wrye Bash
Use it to install and easely uninstall mods. It includes many useful features.
Place your downloaded mods in the "Bash Installers" folder, and keep them there.
Install mod: Installers tab -> Right click on packaged mod -> Install
Activate mod: Mods tab -> Left click on check box
Rebuild Bashed Patch (automatically merges conflicting mods that are placed earlier in the loading list):
Right click "Bashed Patch.esp" -> Select "Rebuild Patch" -> Check the following tweak options:
Tweak Actors -> Quiet Feet, Irresponsible Creatures
Tweak Assorted -> Bow Reach Fix, Default Icons, Faction Crime Gold Fix, Magic:Script Effect Silencer, No Light Fade Value Fix, Nvidia Fog Fix
(For better FPS around lights, I suggest to check: No Light Flicker).
Tweak Names -> I use: Armor (BL), Clothes (P), Notes and Scrolls (D), Spells (D2), Weapons (B)
Tweak Settings -> Magic:Chamaleon Refraction (Zero), UOP Vampire Aging and Face Fix
(Optionally modify: Actor Strenght Encumbrance, Timescale, or any other listed game setting [default value])
-> When finished press "Build Patch"
* LOOT - The Load Order Optimisation Tool
Use it to automatically sort the loading order of installed mods:
Launch -> press "Sort pluggins" icon -> press "Apply" button
-> When finished open Wrye Bash and rebuild the Bashed patch
* 4gb Ram Patcher
-> Not needed with GOG (Good Old Games) version that comes already patched, or a PC with 2GB RAM like mine.

Modding:
* TES4Edit
Useful tool to view the content of .esp or .esm mod files, making it easy to edit them:
Launch TES4Edit -> select desired mod file (and any other mod in your loading list that you want to compare to)
It is possible to edit a value by selecting it in the View tab (double-click it) -> Then exit the program to save the changes
* Official Oblivion Construction Set
Official modding tool. The only tool that can recompile scripts. In order to launch it with OBSE support, execute:
obse_loader.exe -editor

Requirements:
* OBSE 0021
-> I use the loader for the GOG (Good Old Games) version "OBSE 0021 Loader - GOG"
* Blockhead (obse)
* MenuQue (obse)

Patches:
* Unofficial Oblivion Patch
+ Unofficial Oblivion DLC Patches
+ Unofficial Shivering Isles Patch
* EngineBugFixes (obse)
* Oblivion Stutter Remover (obse)
Prevents issues related to stuttering and framerates. The game feels smoother even with low FPS.
-> I use v4.1.0 "StutterRemover_OSR_4-1" with default settings (in my case it works better than other settings or later versions that I tested).
* Oblivion Display Tweaks (obse)
Micro stutter tick fix, high framerate fix, true FOV fix, alt-tab freeze fix in fullscreen, borderless windowed mode.
-> In the .ini I set iTickFix = 0 (I let OSR manage the FPS). I set bUseD3D9Ex = 0, else it clearly reduces performance in my case.
* SkyBSA (obse)
Fixes the way Oblivion handles BSAs versus loose files, so it removes the need to mess around with file timestamps.

* No More Weapon Litter
Enemies won't drop weapons on death, keeping them in inventory.
OR Weapon Drop Fix
* Spell light patch
Makes static the flash light seen when a spell is casted. FPS improvement with no visual loss.

User Interface:
* NorthernUI (obse)
Improved UI: menus, HUD, 3rd person movement, enhanced alchemy menu, configurable quantity prompts. It also adds native support to play with a gamepad.
* Loot Menu (obse)
Allows to view and take the content of containers in real-time (with no loading time, much faster than opening them).
* Enhanced Camera (obse)
Improved 1st person camera view, with a visible body.
+ See You Sleep DLL (obse)
* Enhanced Mounted Combat (obse)
Enables combat while riding a horse.
* Enhanced Hotkeys (obse)
Fully configurable extra hotkey functionality.
* Map Marker Overhaul (obse)
Allows to add new markers and custom tags to the map (ie to mark explored dungeons), with many configurable options related to visibility of markers.
* Display Stats (obse)
Displays extra stats in the item popup menu.

* Colored Quests - Updated
Colored quest icons for each of the main questlines.
* SpewBoys Cyrodiil Map
+ Used Old Map for Shivering Isles
Colored maps with relief (same size and labels than vanilla).
OR Dynamic Map (obse)
Makes the world map display correct terrain for the active mods you have. However, when active, I notice some delay to open the map menu.
-> I use "Terrain Map" (some other maps are not compatible with NorthernUI).
+ Cyrodiil terrain map
Fully featured map with names and places (much larger size than vanilla).

Sounds:
* Symphony of Violence - Combat Sound Enhancement
Compilation of the best combat sounds.
* Consistent Beggar Voices
No more mid-dialogue voice changes.

Environment:
* Weather - All Natural (obse)
-> I use the full version with all weathers and "Real Lights", Redbag fog values, and darker nights.
I'd say it affects performance more than any other mod in my list, but not that much, and I find it essential.
Noticeable FPS drop when raining, and at rooms with several light sources. Sky textures much larger than vanilla.
+ All Natural Rain FPS Patch by laulajatar
Improves FPS in interiors by removing the ability to see rainfall outside of windows.
+ Weather - All Natural Real Lights - Candelabra pathgrid fix
Fix to prevent characters from getting stuck in a candelabra added by "Real Lights".
+ Immersive Interiors
+ Immersive Interiors Landscape AddOn
+ Immersive Interiors - Imperial City
+ Immersive Interiors - Bravil Leyawiin New_Sheoth
+ Immersive Interiors Fixes
These addons let you see the exterior throught the windows, in every city. I only notice a FPS drop in some buildings like cathedrals.
* Animated Window Lighting System (obse)
It makes cities feel alive at night. I activate all features, with hardly noticeable FPS hit.
* Lights of Oblivion - Road Lanterns
Adds exterior light posts to all the main roads, and lanterns to settlements and inns.
Noticeable FPS drop at night, but playable if I enable "No Light Flicker" tweak in Wrye Bash.
* Water 17
More realistic water, specially in dungeons/sewers and underwater. Same performance than vanilla.
-> I use natural version "Water 17 REBORN v4.0b - Type 1", and I disable bUseWaterDepth=0 in oblivion.ini.
Water waves look a bit fast at the default timescale, but there is a fix:
+ Tweaked Water 17 esps for default timescale
OR Enhanced Water v20
The most popular water mod. It looks realistic even with bUseWaterDepth=1, but water is completely opaque in deep areas, and very transparent in dungeons.
* RPG-BlackDragons LowTriPolyGrass BAIN WIZARD
-> I use the option "0-s" (similar look than vanilla, but shorter, and lower poly count). Use a higher number for better performance and lower quality.
+ Smooth Grass
+ DoofGrass
Improved grass textures (same size than vanilla) that blend better with the ground, and fix the "neon glow" effect (at least for me).
* Harvest Flora (obse)
Flora change their appearance in a realistic way when you harvest them.
+ Area Harvest - Gather Nearby Plant Clusters (obse)
-> I use the optional "Lower Harvest Chance", that reduces the chances to 40% of their original (between 1/10 and 1/3).

* Enhanced Nightsky
More realistic night sky texture, without nebula nor colored stars. Larger size than vanilla, but still smaller than "All Natural" skies.
* Skygazer Moons for Oblivion
Retexture of the moons, with added normal and specular maps. A bit larger size than vanilla, but still lightweight.
* Realistic Dazzling Sun
Retexture of the sun glare, with a realistic sunbeam effect. A bit larger size than vanilla, but still lightweight.
* Better grass texture without tiling
Reduces the tiling of grass ground texture, keeping the same quality and size than vanilla (other non-tiling mods reduce the detail or increase the size).
* Visually Relistic Lava
-> I use "Deadly" version, that kills instantly.
* Alive Waters (obse)
Adds grass and fishes to underwater landscapes. The extra fishes may affect performance.
+ Alive Waters Updated
-> I don't use the 2 included Addons (similar fishes already added by MOO), just AliveWaters.esp.
(I don't use "Alive Waters No Fish" version, because it creates worse grass and ground patterns).
+ Alive Waters Grass Bug Fix
* Aurora in Motion Everywhere (obse)
Northern lights visible at night, with no FPS hit.
* Falling Stars (obse)
Random falling stars at night, with no FPS hit. There is a minor visual glitch when a star crosses an "Aurora in motion".
* Better Rainbows (obse)
Rainbows may appear when weather change from rainy to clear. No noticeable FPS hit.
* Falling Leaves
-> I use the default light version, and I notice just a minor FPS drop. There is a version for "Unique Landscapes" too.

Characters:
* Roberts Female Body v13
Female body replacer, compatible with many other clothing and armor mods. There is also a male body replacer from the same author.
* Oblivion Character Overhaul v203 (obse, blockhead)
-> and "Roberts Female Body replacer texture compatibility addon" (there are also compatibility addons for other body replacers).
Better looking characters. It uses models and textures much larger than vanilla, but it is another essential mod for me.
+ Oblivion Character Overhaul - Advanced Edition
Cleaned all dirty and wild edits as well as stats changes. I use the version with "Vanilla Hairstyles".
* Protective Female Armor replacer
Reworked female armors to be as protective as male versions, while fitting a female figure.
* OptimizedLODHeads
Lower polygon heads to improve performance at crowded areas, with only a little decrease in quality (mainly ears).

* Life Detect Reduced
Small tweak to keep the LifeDetect shader from obscuring the NPC face, and look more like breath. Since it no longer screens the view line, it improves the FPS.
* AIP's Proper Torch Wield
Alters how the players hold torches so they are more realistic. Torches no longer bob in and out of the center of the 1st person view.
* Faster Horse Dismount
A simple animation replacer that allows dismounting your horse almost twice as fast.

Gameplay:
* Maskars Oblivion Overhaul (obse)
+ Wrye Bash Wizard for Maskar's Oblivion Overhaul
Fully configurable overhaul mod, improving many aspects of the game, while maintaining the overall feel of the game and ensuring compatibility with most other mods.
-> I suggest to change the following settings in the .ini:
set MOO.ini_savegame to 0 ;(else, your savegame will stop working if you decide to uninstall MOO. It disables many cool features, but you may enable it later when you are sure to keep it installed).
set MOO.ini_actors_awareness to 0 ;(else, you will end up fighting all the enemies in the area at once. It is realistic, but bad for low end pcs or novice players).
* Ultimate Leveling (obse)
Changes how the player character levels, removing the need for efficient leveling and making character development more diverse.
-> I change the .ini to use the "realistic skill usage leveling":
set ULVL.ini_leveling_system to 1
* MOBS - Medieval Oblivion Equipment Balance System
It rebalances the stats of weapons to feel more realistic, as if your weapon is actually hitting the target.
-> I use "MOBS Shivering Isles" and "MOBS Knights DLC Fixed 2b", to update the stats of every official DLC.
-> I also use the included "MOBS Optional Combat Settings", that rebalances some combat settings, and makes running backwards slower.
+ MOBS patch for Maskar's Oblivion Overhaul
* Better recoil and stagger
Simple animation replacer that decrease the chance of being staggered and the length of the recoil animation, for both players and NPCs.
* Adventurer Torches (obse)
Allows to drop lit torches with a hotkey (essential when using the default dark dungeons from "MOO", or the dark nights from "All Natural").

* Deadly Reflex - Bow Sway (obse)
Adds a skill based bow sway to make archery more interesting.
-> I don't use "Breathing Motion & Head Bobbing"
* Block Parry and Cancel Attack v2 (obse)
I like vanilla combat with MOO settings and this simple timed parry script. If you want a combat overhault I suggest:
OR Vanilla Combat Enhanced (obse)
(MOO automatically adjusts its settings for better compatibility).
* Spell Effect Caps (obse)
I like vanilla magic with this simple script to cap overpowered spell effects. If you want a magic overhault I suggest:
OR Balanced Magic (obse)
(works better with Vanilla Combat Enhanced installed, from the same author, else magic damage would be too high with MOO default settings).
+ Balanced Magic Unofficial Patch
+ Complete Enchantment Overhaul
* Stealth Redone
It rebalances 4 game settings to make sneaking a bit more challenging.
OR Greed Vision (obse)
More realistic and challenging sneak detection system. It optimizes some settings that may improve performance.
Enemies with Night eye or Detect life ability can bypass light or line of sight, making it hard to sneak pass them even with chameleon/invisibility.
* Simple Primary Needs (obse)
Adds simple bonuses for sleeping (fortify fatigue), and eating/drinking regularly (minor HP regeneration when not in combat).
OR Fatigue Effects (obse)
Fully configurable fatigue settings, with optional visual blur caused by low fatigue and/or health, and extra fatigue caused by lack of sleep and/or food.

* RadiantAI - NPCs Alive - Cyrodiil
Gives more interesting behaviour to most citizens of Cyrodiil, making it more likely to see NPCs randomly around town, in shops, or taverns.
* Dungeon Surprise Attacks (obse)
Adds randomised themed spawns to dungeons, so enemies can appear at areas you've already cleared.
* Complete Clutter and Container Ownership
Adds ownership to all random clutter and containers in cities and settlements, so they are no longer freebies.
* Aoshis Stealth Entrances
Adds secret entrances for the 5 cities that didn't have a stealth alternative. There is a version for "Unique Landscapes".
* Imperial City Canal Overhaul
Connects all small ponds in Imperial City districts into a full circular canal, that can be used to travel between districts.

Weapons and armor:
* Enchantment Restore Over Time (obse)
Makes your equipped weapon restore its charges over time.
-> I don't use "EnchantmentRestore_Wells"
OR Weapon Enchantment Tweaks - Recharge Over Time and Balanced Azura's Star (obse)
* Simple Set Bonuses (obse)
Adds skill bonuses for wearing a matching set of light or heavy armour.
* Town Ceremonial Armor
Adds new heavy armor sets, available for purchase at the local smith after buying a house in the town.
* Immersive Weapons
Adds hundreds of new weapons (compiled from other mods). Found in stores, loot and NPCs. There is a patch to balance them with MOBS stats:
+ Immersive weapons for OOO (MOBS)
OR Artifacts II
Adds a new shop with lots of weapons and armors for sale. Models similar to vanilla, and stats balanced with MOBS stats.

Inventory (sort and store):
* Automagic Bags (obse)
Portable sacks that can automagically fill themselves with items of the appropriate type from your inventory.
* Book Tracker Updated (obse)
Keeps track of all the books you have read, appending "Read" to its title.
* Book Looting Spell (obse)
Adds a spell which allows you to pick up all the books on a bookshelf with one cast.
-> I don't use "Companions Treaty" (obsolete by MOO features)
* Custom Potion Naming (obse)
Customisable method of renaming potions for better inventory organisation.
OR Potable Pastiche (obse)
Compilation of mods related to potions, including menu icons, sorted names, model retexture, and some new scripted effects.

* Static Alchemy and Ingredient Storage (obse)
Adds automatic shared ingredient storage, and static alchemy apparatus, to Mages Guild halls and other places.
* Rosethorn Display (obse)
Adds lots of new containers designed to easely display your weapons, in the house buyable at Skingrad.
* Reznod Mannequins (obse)
Adds buyable mannequins that can be used as containers to display your armors and weapons.
-> I use the textures from "ArmoryLab-Manikins"
OR ArmoryLab V3.3 Modular (obse)
Adds a room designed to store your items and display armors and weapons. It includes mannequins, and a lab with an automatic ingredient sorter.

Quality of life:
* No More Wild Goose Chases - Re-Patched and UOP Fixes Applied (obse)
Provides helping map markers for the "wild goose chase" quests: The Collector, A Venerable Vintage, and the Daedric Quests.
* Automatic Timescale
Changes the game's timescale dynamically, depending on where you are and what you do. Includes a configurable "fast wait" key to increase timescale manually.
* AoG Is Anybody Home
Adds a spell that allows to knock a door to force the owner to get out. Useful for quests where you stand by the door waiting for the owner to appear.
* Mercantile Progression Fix (obse)
Customizable way to fix the method of gaining experience in Mercantile, so you don't have to sell items one at a time instead of in a stack.
* Practical Training
Makes unused training sessions rollover into the next level, and makes training costs dependent on the trainer's disposition and skill.
* Knights of the Nine - Improved Infamy System
Removes the infamy reset from completing the pilgrimage added by Knights of the Nine, whilst exactly preserving all other infamy-related features.

Distant LOD landscape:
* Landscape LOD generator tes4ll-v5
-> I only use the pregenerated "Vanilla mid resolution meshes" (there is a version for Unique Landscapes)
Noticeable better quality (no gaps between grids, better shore lines), and I'd say also better performance, than vanilla meshes.
* Realistic Normal Maps with Faked Terrain Shadows
-> I use "Vanilla and Elsweyr 1024 pack". There is a version for "Unique Landscapes".
Shadows of distant terrain more realistic than vanilla, but a bit larger size that might affect performance.
* Koldorns LOD Noise Replacer
Reduces the pepper effect on distant terrain. Recommended when video options are set to "Large textures" (not needed for "Medium textures", that look good with vanilla noise).
-> I suggest "Light" version (Stronger might look better, but distant colors will look more different than closer textures)
* VWD for Leyawiin
Leyawiin was the only city where no building can be seen inside the walls from outside. This mod adds low res buildings as the other cities.
* Light VWD
Adds VWD (visible when distant) models for the most prominent structures of Ayleid Ruins. Includes DistantLOD files for vanilla (no need to generate them with TES4LODgen).
I can't notice any drop of FPS, it is a really lightweight mod.
OR J3 Atlassed VWD 2
Adds optimized VWD/LOD models for the most noticeable exterior objects. The models share an atlas textures (better for performance).
Noticeable FPS drop (from 30 to 25 or so, in my case) even when enabling only Ayleid and Fort ruins. But the mod seems well optimized and might be playable in some low-end pcs.
+ TES4LODGen
Tool required to regenerate the DistantLOD files, else the new models does not appear in game.
+ Water FPS Boost
Hides water at places where you can't see it, so game will not calculate reflections on its sutface.
Reflections in water are supposed to be a cause of low performance when using VWD mods. In my case, I can't notice any improvement, but I use it just in case.

Recommended mod lists:
* Oblivion Comprehensive Modding Guide by Dispensation
* Through the Valleys - PushTheWinButton's Vanilla Plus Modding Guide

 

 

Edited June 8, 2022 by B4RD0