XB360 Oblivion modding

[Oddbrother]

Okay, here's my idea:

 

With a new product called XNA Game Studio Express coming out soon, you are able to create games. But how about to modify some.

 

Here's my opinion, what if you were able to use this product to make modifications to a current Xbox 360 Game, such as Oblivion.

 

Here are my reasons:

 

It gives the game infinite play value, depending on how many mods are made by the time being.

It's single-player, so it does not cause any harm from hackers and what-not, and hopefully doesn't void any policies.

It gives Bethesda Softworks more work to foil around with in order to prevent more bugs and such...

It, for legal reasons, and unto my suggestion if any possible mods are activated, does NOT affect Achievements. Bethesda could create a method that allows you to transfer or read your mods from your computer like your music and pictures via Windows Media Connect, also it goes through validation to make sure that the obvious code does NOT change or unlock any Achievements. (cheaters)

It gives better opportunities to make the game more challenging, or anything to satisfy a player's wants and needs.

If any mods replace any specific Oblivion files, those files are not overwritten, but instead replaced in order to be brought back when the mods are removed/deleted. That is, if Oblivion is updated frequently (High-res graphics, anyone?)

It gives less performance bashing if your computer is (almost 75% are) weaker than your Xbox 360 console.

It stretches replay value by KILOMETERS!

You have the ability to use the Master file from the Oblivion DVD. If you deactivate it because you have a total conversion mod, it will only read little data from the DVD, making load times possibly faster.

If Bethesda did create one, you would be able to manage and delete your mods using the Mod Manager via the Games Menu before activating the DVD to transfer your data files from your mods.

You never know. That "Unofficial Oblivion Patch" could fix more bugs than we think if this feature were possible.

[Demon88]

i dont think that it is posible to mod any other than pc games, because the data file is on the disk, not the hard drive like on pcs. there may come a time where you can do something like that but i dont think that it will be posible as of yet... correct me if im wrong tho ;)

[Oddbrother]

Even though the data file is on the DVD, the mods can still be run from the hard drive that takes place with the DVD's files since, if it is true, they are put in a BSA file to avoid being overwritten. When you get rid of the mod you want, the DVD can go back to reading its original file.

 

So even though the DVD's files can't be changed, they can still remain static like the files you install onto a Hard Drive, which should NEVER be changed as well.

[Demon88]

on the pc, when you add a plugin, you just put it all into the data folder. this incorporates it into the game. i dont think that you can do that on the xbox. if the mod is placed on the hard drive, they will need to be in with the data folders of oblivion, which is on a read only DVD.

 

if there is a way of getting the folder from the DVD and onto the hard drive and still beable to read it, you will always have to put in the disk to play the game with the original data folder which i think overwrites anything else.

 

if it is true that BSA avoids the data from being overwritten, is there a certainty that it will be in the right place. e.g. on the pc it has to go into the data folder, so will it actually be recognised with the oblivion game or just recognise it with every other game as well as oblivion.

 

getting rid of the mod will be a pain because when you want to play it again, you will have to put it all back on there as you found it.

 

i may have complicated things here XD

 

again, correct me if im wrong with any of this...

[Tiberiu911]

Quoted from cs wiki:

 

Will my mod work on the Xbox 360?

 

Fan-created plugins will only work on the PC version of Oblivion. In general, official plugins will be available for download on both PC and Xbox 360 via Xbox Live's Marketplace.

 

Without huge console fonctionement knowledge, I doubt it. However, please note that Besthesda accually realeased mods for the X360, therefore confirming it posible. If one is to attempt the same thing, he must first look at the way Besthesda did it. I do not own a X360 so I cant confirm my facts. However, if it has been done once, it is ment to be done once again, eventually.

 

So lets say you did it, you figured it out. How will you get your mod into your X360 without violating laws? If I remember right, you need illegal hardware & software. I know they have those for Xbox, I belive they have them for X360 as well. Besthesda uses Xbox Live Market place to distribute their mods. You would probally be forced to burn a dvd, wich wont play in the xbox without some help. Long story short, your in trouble, again.

 

And then again, if you somehow succed to immitate Besthesda, it would probally include a very complicated process on getting in work, wich only half the people would understand, and even less accually try it. But then again, if it works, it will be a new hope for X360 players.

 

Returning to the quote above, perhaps X360 Oblivion is conceived in such a way it will simply not accept .player made plug-ins. Someone with a more vast knowledge on the subject could perhaps explain more.

 

English is not my native language, so please forgive my syntax and spelling errors.

[WarKirby3333]

First Post

 

Nice list of reasons, but this is a mod forum. You don't need to convince us

 

 

 

Even if you could mod on the Xbox360, it would take forever to get anything done with a pad. You would need to get a keyboard and mouse to plug into it.

 

 

 

The mods that bethsoft makes are developed on PC's with Xbox360 devkits. I'm not sure if it's legal for non professionals to even own thwm.

 

 

 

WarKirby

[GBHis]

"Modding Oblivion (v. XBOX)

Two ways which *might* be possible:

1 - Extract the iso image from the XBOX DVD, crossing fingers that they use a format you understand. Then you would have to get some info about the core structure of the XBOX. Which Assembler commands/DLL calls (It prolly' doesn't use DLLs, but some kind of code libraries?) it understands, etc. Then decompile the program - again crossing your fingers that this executable is in a language/format we already know.

In the process of this, you will have broken a long list of laws/rules. And really, it's a bit overkill just to get a housemod...

2 - Find out how the XBOX version loads the official mods. Prolly' the easiest and "most" legal, but I wouldn't count on normal people being able to do mods this way. Another problem would be distribution. How many XBOX users know how to transfer files to their XBOX harddrives/DVDs?

 

3 -- Something leads me to believe that the guys at Bethsoft uses the CS (our CS ;)) for these official mods for the XBOX. As WK says, they probably have some sort of converter for getting the mods to "talk XBOXish".

 

@WK:

Of course it is... The problem is getting them. (Building them yourself might be an option, but I doubt that much more than ½% of the forum members here will be able to do that.)