Some questions about FCOM...

[RetroNutcase]

So I've been trying out FCOM, and I'm rather impressed with the sheer amount of new stuff it adds, though I am curious about a few things.

 

#1-Compared to Vanilla Oblivion, it's hard. REALLY hard. Even if I follow the recommendations of focusing on a certain character type (combat/magic/stealth) I find myself getting royally owned. Sneaking in particular feels worthless because after I land one hit, EVERYONE knows where I am. Can anyone recommend some ways to make the gameplay less...Well, harsh? There's a challenge, then there's this.

 

#2-Should random wildlife like wolves be able to have Chameleon effects? I find it rather odd that I can encounter wolves with the ability to turn completely INVISIBLE.

 

As far as alternatives, I'm thinking FCOM, despite all the toys it adds, is not the kind of overhaul experience I'm looking for. What I basically want out of an overhauled Oblivion mod setup is....

 

-More weapon variety. How about some polearms like spears and tridents?

-Dual wielding. Seriously, why can't you do this normally? Dual wielding is one of the most stylish means of combat there is.

-Better sneaking. I want to be able to attack from the shadows and NOT have every enemy magically know where I am afterwards.

-No ridiculous level scaling. When I level up, I want to actually feel like I'm getting stronger. Having generic bandits running around in Daedric Gear at level 20 kind of ruins the experience, as does the fact Oblivion is actually easier when you DON'T level up.

-Prettier graphics. I've heard there's some good graphic/texture overhauls out there, where would I start?

 

And above all, I don't want anything that would take away from the feel of this being Oblivion, as opposed to other RPGS. Warcry kind of ruined it for me when I was encountering Fallen Ones from Diablo II (Which would explain why Warcry isn't on the Nexus...).

 

Anyone got any input for me?

[MrJim]

Hahaha welcome to the world of pain.

 

I would highly recommend installing "Deadly Reflex Combat Moves" to assist you with your lower level dungeon raids. Nothing bypasses the obscene amount of health that some of your enemies have than a nice, swift decapitation.

 

Your problem to do with invisible wolves is due to a missing texture file, I'm willing to bet that the wolf you are talking about is thw White Tail Wolf? You will probably find that the version of MMM you have is not the full version, ensure that you have the correct version complete with meshes and textures as the version hosted on this site is incomplete and contains only the master file and plugins.

 

Try this one http://planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=oblivionmods.detail&id=4226

 

Follow the instructions here and you shouldn't be bothered by any more invisible wolves.

 

With FCOM installed correctly you will have pretty much everything on your wishlist, I would also recommend "All Natural" to make the game prettier.

 

I'm using FCOM, MMM, OOO, Fran and Cobl at the moment and have it running relatively smoothly so let me know if you have any further troubles as the chances are that I may have had similar problems myself and know how to fix them.

[RetroNutcase]

No, this wolf had the chameleon effect, it wasn't invisible. You could BARELY make it out, like when someone casts Chameleon. When I killed it, it was fully visible.

[RetroNutcase]

Anyone? I've concluded that FCOM is definitely not for me, especially with lore breaking (and copyright violating) stuff from WarCry like the Fallen Ones. Monsters from Diablo don't really merge well with Oblivion's world.

 

I don't want to feel like I'm playing a different game, so much as I want to feel like I'm playing a better balanced Oblivion with the issues I mentioned in my original post handled. The big ones for me are sneaking not feeling worthless (SM Combat Hide seems to be a step in the right direction), guards not being able to magically detect crimes from anywhere (Seriously, you kill one solitary guard out in the wilderness, and suddenly EVERYONE knows you did it?), and a bit more variety in weapons. Oh, and no ridiculous level scaling.

[Smooth613]

I suggest TIE - Tamriel Immersion Experience. My favorite overhaul. It only uses vanilla resources to work it's magic, but it's so brilliantly done. No level scaling, everything is static.

 

WEPON A recently released armory style mod. Integrates and adds weapons.

 

Armamentarium Complete and Artifacts. Tons of weapons and armor to choose from.

 

Adonnays Elven Weaponry

 

Mythic Animals and Creatures. Doesn't add new types of mobs but retextures them nicely.

 

That should get your going in the right direction for what you desire.

[lonewolfkai]

I recommend Unnecessary Violence for the DW style, but make sure you READ the readme. It's very complicated, but well worth it. A version 2 of it is due out any week now also btw.