Beginners questions for modding

[SamuraiGordon]

Hi i'm a newbie and i have some questions,

 

First is it okay if i DL from steam, will i still be able to mod/ wont get in trouble with steam. Should i get a disk from the store?

Second i read that there were programs to DL that helped with modding, what are these and what do they do?

Third I don't want to mess up the game so can i take mods out once i install them?

 

Sorry if This has been posted already.

I'm really looking forward to moddin i previously had an xbox version and got really bored and i wanted to get into the modding.

 

Thanks

[ub3rman123]

Steam shouldn't have any problems with mods. It's mostly a problem with the D2D version that can't run OBSE.

 

Depends on what you want to do.

 

Modeling: Blender

Building: The Elder Scrolls Construction Set

Texturing: GIMP

Retexturing: NifSkope

There's also a ton of smaller utilities for specific functions, like the DDS Converter, the Texture Replacer, the GIMP Normal Map Plugin, etc.

 

Yes, you can. You can simply uncheck the box beside a mod that you don't want and it'll no longer be active. If you want to be really thorough, you can go back and delete the files associated with it.

[SamuraiGordon]

Is there a program that can help with installing mods? like you said you can just uncheck the box? where

im not really interested in making them yet. Sorry i meant how to download them.

 

and wahts a D2D/ OBSE?

[ub3rman123]

Ah.. That. You're looking for OBMM.

 

It helps you by automatically installing files that are in the OMOD format. To install Oblivion mods, most require you to install them by hand. No worries, though. It's a very simple process.

 

Here's a tutorial on how to install Oblivion mods.

 

D2D isn't Steam, it's something else. Dunno what it is exactly. OBSE is the Oblivion Script Extender. It's used by a few mods to increase the scripting capacity of the engine.

 

I don't know much about other problems for installing Oblivion mods, like Bash and BAIN, you'll need to find someone else for those. I kind of skipped the modding the game phase and moved straight to making mods.

[Megatarius]

D2D is Direct 2 Drive. Do not use this. It uses a special kind of installer and launcher that assumes the game is fine the way it is, and you wouldn't want to mod it. I don't know exactly how it works, but I do know it doesn't work with OBSE, which you want.

 

Just get the hard copy disc version. The lack of issues will be worth the wait if you order it online. Try to find it for cheap on ebay or something. If you find the Game of the Year Edition in the store, go for it.

 

 

After you install the game, you will need to download both the Offical Patch from Bethesda's official site of the game, and the Unofficial Oblivion Patch from this site.

 

Important note on the Official Patch: The Game of the Year Edition is already fully patched, officially. Go straight to the Unofficial Patch, which is actually a really big mod that fixes hundreds of stupid little problems that Bethesda was too rushed to fix. Stuff like quests not working right sometimes and floating rocks and trees. I sometimes wonder how much QA this game actually had before shipping. :rolleyes:

 

If, however, you do not get the Game of the Year Edition, and get an older version like I have, then you need to make sure you download the latest Offical Patch. If you get Shivering Isles as well, like I have, then there is an issue with the Official Patch. You will see two versions on the game's site: A version for Oblivion, and a version for Shivering Isles. They are labeled badly. The Shivering Isles version is not for Shivering Isles, it's for Oblivion with Shivering Isles. If you have installed Shivering Isles, you should download the Shivering Isles Official Patch.

 

At the end of all this, you should have:

 

Oblivion (with or without Shivering Isles)

The Official Patch, which is number 1.2.0416 - If you see a different number at the bottom of the screen during the main menu, you are not ready to mod this game.

The Unofficial Patch.

 

Next, download OBMM, Oblivion Mod Manager. It's better than the game's own Launcher, because of the way the game looks at mods. The Launcher loads them in alphabetical order. OBMM lets you choose the Load Order. This is important because the game loads mod files (.esp) by making the lower ones take precedence over the ones above them. You really want to be in complete control of this. For example, a mod that makes caves darker by getting rid of extra lights will be useless if, somewhere below it, is a mod that edits caves but keeps the lights. The game will think the lights were "put back" because the lowest one contains them again. This is a conflict I had last night in fact. I had to move the darker caves mod lower down in my load order to restore the super dark caves. This is just one of many things that OBMM will help you fix. The Launcher would have made that impossible because the mod that "put the lights back" started with a letter towards the end of the alphabet.

 

Next, download OBSE, Oblivion Script Extender. This adds many useful functions to the games scripting language that makes new things possible. Even if you don't think you want this, you do. A number of really awesome mods make use of it. Mods that rescue the game from the depths of jocktastic XBOX mediocrity.

 

There! You are ready to mod and unlock the true potential of this great game. Here is a list of my top 25 mods to get you started:

 

These are mods that improve the game itself, make changes that should have been there in the first place, and might have been, if they hadn't rushed it for the XBOX 360 launch date.

 

 

1. Better Music System http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=26892

The crown jewel of Oblivion mods. People say Deadly Reflex, with very good reason, but this is something much more subtle and awesome. Music is so important. The quality of the music in the game is very good. But whoever programmed it didn't have nearly the inspiration that Soule did. If you haven't gotten it, get it. The first thing it does is vastly improve how battle music works. Do we really need epic trumpets and battle drums for every f'ing wolf in the forest and crab on the beach? Really? It's a much more improved system now. Also, do we actually even need battle music at all? How can it not get annoying and immersion breaking after a while? Well, now you can completely disable it!! You can add your own music to other locations as well. Each different kind of ruin. Each guild. Inns, Homes, Castles. It's a travesty that the namesake of the game, the Oblivion Realm, gets the standard dungeon music. :rolleyes: Not anymore. This mod changes the game in ways not obvious at first glance.

 

2. Automatic Difficulty Increaser http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=28589

This little gem forces the difficulty slider to remain in a certain position that changes as you level up. Customizable in an .ini, but no longer can you break immersion by divinely affecting how strong everyone else is. Those Orc vampires in the Azura Shrine Quest are some bad-ass Samuel L. Jackson m---f---ers. Where's the satisfaction in defeating them if you weren't actually scared to death to face them? Also, cranking it up for 100 hits on a mudcrab just so you can farm your blade skill? Come on. Just use the console to raise your skill at the start if you're character was already a bad-ass before getting arrested. There's no shame in it then.

 

3. Let there be Darkness http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=22819

Torches practically burn forever, they're all over the place and free, and you never even need them! Maybe for Namira's Shrine, but I wouldn't know because I was already using this mod before that. It's just plain more fun when everything you find has a real purpose, you know?

 

4. Actors have Torches http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=11169

This adds a lot to dungeons.

 

5. Enhanced Quest Roleplaying http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=12828

Doesn't affect every quest, but basically you have more options now. No longer will your Thieve's Guild character who wants nothing more than to be the Gray Fox jump at the opportunity to help the nice honest working shopkeeps get rid of Thoronir. Now you can select "Maybe Later", instead of "Start from the beginning!", like you actually care :rolleyes: . It's a dog eat dog world you guys. Deal. This is just one example. It makes a lot of difference if you like role playing.

 

6. Stolen Horse Ownership http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=4243

Stealing a horse in Chorrol, riding it to Cheydinhal, getting off in front of the stable and guards, changing your mind, and getting back on, will no longer result in everyone psychically knowing you stole it.

 

7. Merchants Buy Stolen Goods http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=7983

One of the most unrealistic parts of the game, merchants somehow knowing that you stole something. There is no explanation, short of magic, that would make stealing a silver jug from a basement in Leyawiin and not being able to sell it in Bruma believable. The fences in the Thieves' Guild can still be useful in a world where merchants aren't psychic, simply because the Thieves' Guild is an organization that controls a black market and if you want to rise in the ranks, you better chip in.

 

8. Actors Can Miss Now http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=17706

Just a nice little mod that makes anyone shooting at you actually miss sometimes.

 

9. Denock Arrows http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=9670

Canceling your bow attack? Oh yeah, of course you'd be able to do that! It makes so much sense! This seems to be a German version, but it doesn't matter. It's just pressing the grab key. Nothing to read.

 

10. Reneer's Name Mod http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=26369

The man who fixed the guards also fixed NPC interaction in a very nice way. I can't remember the last time I knew somebody on the street's name before introducing myself to them.

 

11. Spell Delete and Item Remove http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=23069

Get rid of those unwanted old spells and quest items just cluttering up your inventory.

 

12. Nirnroot Quest Mod http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=2322

Changes the standard Nirnroot quest reward into something much more interesting, I think. However, I am willing to admit the regular reward is good too. It depends on your playing style really, and I personally think this is a vast improvement.

 

13. Rowboats http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=6690

Actually use the rowboats on the shore. It's a little clunky. Maybe could have been done better, but it's still very nice. But why use them though, when you can just swim across the bay with all your heavy armor?

 

14. No Encumbered Swimming http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=3331

I love this mod. It unfortunately does not affect NPC's, but it's still leagues better. Water is almost like lava now, to certain characters. Now you have to locate a rowboat to get across, or even better, use a walk on water spell that actually means something now. Changing the value at which you sink is kind of a pain, but I posted in the comments section how to do it. The readme is misleading.

 

15. More Staffs at Rendir http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=16716

You know that shop in IC Market that sells staffs? Me neither.

 

16. A Bloody Mess http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=11182

Really adds to the game. It has some limitations due to the game's design, so read all the documentation carefully. This is one of those mods you need to educate yourself on backwards and front, but it's worth it. Also, the cleaning rags are very hard to find. They aren't at nearly enough vendors. Just so you know.

 

17. Keychain http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=3409

Just something nice to reduce inventory clutter.

 

18. Natural Rings Limit http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=8635

Of course you don't want to wear all rings and become a god, but only one on each hand?

 

19. Third Person Animations in First Person View http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=18617

One of my favorites. I grew up with Doom and Duke Nukem 3D and all those old 3D games had way better first person. Oblivion's first person looks like a floating camera with a sword and shield glued to it. Combine that with the crosshair and I feel like I'm in an editor, not the game. Buggy, but works with Deadly Reflex. The Shield Bash move breaks the skeleton, and the duck move makes the camera go below the ground. None of these are a problem if you fight in 3rd person. Why use this mod then? Well, for all the times you do want first person, it still makes a world of difference.

 

20. Improved No Crosshair http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=2260

If you turn off the crosshair, you can't see the other icons. This keeps those icons, but gets rid of the immersion breaking crosshair. I don't need it to aim a bow, and I certainly don't need it when walking around town or using a sword. It works with DARNified UI and Immersive Interface as long as you load this crosshair after installing those.

 

21. Hand to Hand Idle Stance http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=24587

Ever get tired of seeing your dainty female mage in an elegant silk dress putting up her dukes in the menu like she's spoiling for a bar brawl? This mod fixes the hand to hand "weapon drawn" pose to be the regular idle so you don't roll your eyes every time you press tab. As for actual hand to hand combat, your character will be standing normally after you raise your fists, but it's a small price to pay since any character that looks silly like this in the menu isn't likely to be engaging in fistfights anyway.

 

22. Perfect Working No Quest Markers http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=8680

The simplest of the No Quest Marker mods. Just a straight file replacer. It gets rid of the purple custom marker too, which is kind of a pain, but in a good way I think. There are other mods, but this is the one I use. The less .esp's the better. Now God will no longer tell you where to go.

 

23. Running Revised http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=7484

Nice little mod that allows you to sprint for short periods, as well as modify how the fatigue bar reacts to all running. I've tested it with two different fatigue mods, Tejon's Fatigue Effects, and Loup Sombre's Fatigue and Sleeping.

 

24. Cancel Attack http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=25316

Press Block in the middle of your attack animation to cancel it. It's of course realistic that you're wide open and defenseless while attacking, but combine that with Besthesda's oftentimes laughably slow attack animations and what do you get? Crappy fights, that's what. Well, no longer! Works with Deadly Reflex!

 

25. Side's Backpacks http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=29120

Where am I actually storing all these swords and cuirasses and ingredients if I only have two hands? Why do they suddenly appear out of nowhere when I equip them? If they're appearing out of nowhere, why am I being affected by this arbitrary and unrealistic encumbrance limit? Oh I know! They're in this awesome backpack I'm wearing! From the maker of Better Music System himself, no less. What really makes this mod great is not that it adds a backpack so you can pretend your items are in it. No, they actually are in it. You can drop them all at once before entering the water so you don't drown, and best of all, you can store more items in the backpack then you would normally be able to carry outside of it. Carrying too much outside of it can result in not being able to run or fight, sort of like your minor encumbrance limit. The newest version is practically perfect thanks to his attention to comments despite a busy schedule. :thumbsup: