Oblivion + Mod community = timeless gaming

[arudius]

(Warning: This is simply a post from a happy Oblivion player gushing about mods and the mod community)

 

Lame question: if you were given the choice to only play one game on your computer for the next 5 years, what would it be?

 

My Lame Answer: Oblivion + access to TESNEXUS.com for mods

 

Oblivion, still to this day, strikes me as a timeless game. After having given it a break since about January 2009, I recently just re-installed it fresh and added only a few-but-substantial mods. The game never gets old to me. Each time I start fresh with it, I always find something different to do that makes the experience almost as fun as the first time playing.

 

The mods I'm running are, admittedly, few, but substantially game-changing. Right now I'm running:

 

- OOO 1.33

- Unofficial Oblivion Patch

- ALL Unique Landscape mods

- All Natural (amazing!)

- Quarl and Timeslip's Depth Of Field (also amazing!)

- Illumination within

- Kvatch Rebuilt

- Fran's Leveled Creatures and Items

- Bob's Armory

- Knightly Armory

 

Now this is coming from after having played with FCOM Convergence for a while back in late 2008 and early 2009. It got to a point where I started getting too many crashes, and I had such a bulky Data folder that I decided to just give it a rest. Now, though, I'm happy with those mods. The game definitely feels "new".

 

I highly recommend the All Natural mod as well as Illumination Within. Combined, they create a whole new atmosphere at night in cities that I haven't really felt since playing Daggerfall back in 1997 (the cities always felt cool at night with the windows being lit).

 

The depth-of-field mod has given this a modern sheen. After playing Borderlands for many months now, I've become so used to seeing a depth-of-field effect. I highly recommend that one.

 

The vanilla Oblivion leveling and items system used to really get me down. It always seemed way too easy to go through the arena, though I know you can always shift the Difficulty slider to make things more difficult. With the couple of mods that add items, plus Fran's mod to keep creatures leveled very specifically (maybe it's OOO that's doing it actually), the game feels much more dynamic. I enjoy going into dungeons where I have to save before entering an unknown area, only to find that I have to return to that savegame after discovering that I'm not at all ready to take on whatever enemy lurks. It reminds me of classic RPGs, and also for whatever reason Daggerfall.

 

So anyway, that's it for my gushing. It's good to be back...next thing I know I'll be firing up Half Life 1 and playing through all the way to the end of HL2:EP2...the only other game in recent memory that strikes me like Oblivion does.

 

-Arudius

[Pushkatu]

First of all, let me welcome you back. A one year break, that's a long time. Second, I'm glad you feel that way as it's close to what I feel. There are so many ways you can play this game so you'll always have something else to pick from. With just a few well placed mods you can have a blast IMHO. :D

[eXoduis]

Why dont i have a welcome back too :O i am sad now!! i had a 1 yera break too :confused:

[Leodoidao]

One more for the team--- I´ve spent almost 1 year without playing Oblivion and without modding. All of a sudden I just missed it--- now I´m back, and it is just wonderful how many amazing mods people have been doing!!!

[Megatarius]

I believe it's OOO and War Cry that fixes the leveling creatures. Franscesco's just adds new stuff that levels with you. My first install had just Fransesco's and no OOO, and after a while all the Thieves had glass armor and Goblins were immersion-breakingly hard all of a sudden.

[Yamcakes]

Welcome back! And may I suggest "Bananasplit's Better Cities.".