Finally going to play oblivion

[HEYMANWTF]

Okay so summer is here, and I have time to play oblivion.(Had the game for a very long time accross multiple platforms never touched it) I have logged countless hours on skyrim and other bthesda games like fallout ect... And the thing I love most about them is modding them. I have the basics the script extender and the unoffical patches and other UI tweaks. But I want my game to look stunning, as my Skyrim and fallout games at first glance look as if they were real photos. I am fairly new to modding oblivion so I do not know what mods to use to get the look that I am going for. So if anyone could give me some pointers to the best graphics mods, Improved face models, Better meshes ect... I would really appreciate it. I have looked through the nexus at the most downloaded files but I feel new mods may have been created that are better but just don't have the hits because of the game's age.

[Guinefort1]

Bear in mind that Oblivion is an old game, so achieving a photo-realistic look would be very difficult, maybe impossible. But, here are some things to look up that might be up your alley:

 

Oblivion Character Overhaul (essential for decent looking people)

 

Oblivion Graphics Extender or Oblivion Reloaded

 

All Natural, Atmospheres, or Natural Environments (weather overhauls)

 

Other than that, I suggest checking the Top Files list or the Meshes and Textures subcategory for things to try.

[Daiyanae]

I just started playing Oblivion (kinda again) too. I had started it on the PS3 after 3 playthroughs of Skyrim, but then got a new computer so I am chompin' at the bit! Got most of the Mods I want, and it's rockin'! And so far I think it's STILL a fab game. (I so love Bethesda)

 

I haven't downloaded Oblivion script extender yet, and the game seems to be working fine with what I have: Natural Environments, UOP and UOP for DLC, Official 12416 and Weapons Expansion.

 

Just curious though, if I start having problems will I have to uninstall everything I have at this point and then install SKE, or can I install it over the other stuff...? And on second thought, this is probably not the forum for an answer to this.

 

 

[Deleted3624098User]

Don't forget a good mod manager and preferably WryeBash.

I have been away from Oblivion a while and started bravely to install older mods - that I knew from before Skyrim - as you maybe understand that was a giant killer:-)

Now I spend more time on proper installs. Checking all the mods with TES4Edit, zip them before installing with the mod manager (Oblivion Mod Manager, choice by old habit I guess, but OMOD has never let me down) and continuously cleaning after deinstalls.

I love good looking NPCs and jiggling whatever, good textures, not allways the highest resolution, at least I save that to where it gives most to the game feeling.

Here are some of my installs:

I use everything "jungly" from Betty (Elbethien) - MrSiika has contributed all the way as have Stroti and momo77 (momos baskets) - Sofas and Chairs by Xiamara - Colourwheel the underwear - HG EyeCandy Body, RAIAR and Madcat221 by }{ellKnight - HGEC Bouncing Stock Clothing Project by russader - Darnified UI Darn - Bodysuit and Garter by Nailflan - See You Sleep LogicDragon - Companion Share and Recruit by The Talkie Toaster - High Rez Skin Textures by Ozmo and ziher - NoMaaM BBB Animation Replacer by fore .

Good luck with Oblivion! It is a fabulous game after all these years. There are still some serious modders contributing to make it even better!

[Aurasoma]

This advice was given to me when I asked about house mod. All of them are good but the one you make yourself is the best for you.

 

Now while its a out of date the Beautifying Oblivion the Complete Guide posted by camartin001 over at the steam forums is a good start. Take in mind that it was posted in 2008 and many of the links are out of date. So be ready to use Google and the Nexus search function to find a number of the mods.

Also the main thing to remember is be ready to take a step or two from any advice that your given and try different mods. And be ready to search about any errors, glitches or DC's you might encounter. Some of the best mods out there aren't compatible with out a patch or three and many people have all ready encountered the same issues.

[LeiYingLo]

Same for me. I have bought the GotY edition on steam many years ago but rarely played it. The hassle with all the mods just always destroyed my motivation to really get into it. But the vanilla game is just not that good.

 

Now, finally I have the motivation to really get into it though it's still frustrating learning all the neccesary stuff about Wrye Bash, instal orders, compatibilities etc.

 

Here's my WIP mod list so far. Maybe you can draw some inspiration from it. It's centered around making the game look as good as possible while remaining a playable performance. Furthermore I include a few gameplay additions to buff the vanilla experience.

 

 

Overhauls
---------

Oscuros Oblivion Overhaul
Maskar's Oblivion Overhaul


Quest Mods
----------

Lost Spires
Kvatch Rebuilt


Atmosphere / Immersion
----------------------

Natural Environments or All Natural
Common Oblivion
See You Sleep
Basic Primary Needs
Living Economy
No Psychic Guards
Arena Alive
Idle Dialogues
Harvest Containers
Persuasion Overhaul


Graphics
--------

QTP3 Redimized + Compatibility Patch for UOP
Bomrets SI Pack
Grass Overhaul
Detailed Terrain
Landscape LOD generator
Oblivion Reloaded
Illumination Within
Really AEVWD
Book Jackets
Alluring Potion Bottles
Real Lava
Real Lights
Improved Fires and Flames
Improved Signs
Improved Trees and Flora
Better Nightsky
VAs Better Gold
ENB or Sweet FX (?)


Sound (need to be checked for compatibility with eachother)
------

Sounds of Cyrodiil
Oblivion Stereo Overhaul
Oblivion Sound Sets

Performance
------------

Oblivion Stutter Remover
Operation Optimization


Character Models
-----------------

Blockhead
Robert's Male + Female Body
Oblivion Character Overhaul v2

World Modifications
---------------------

Better Cities
Unique Landscapes
Better Dungeons


Companions
------------

 

Vilja

Misc
----

DarkUI by Darn
Loading Screens Themed Replacer
Elven Map Redux
AF Leveling Mod
Keychain
Oblivion - Enhanced Camera

 

[Palpenious]

Two overhauls at once? Isn't that overhaul overkill?

 

Anyway, I started playing again recently too! Something in the air? I painstakingly sorted through my download history to get the game resembling how I played it before. I can say that when I started modding my game (originally), it was not big things that really made it feel different, but many little things. I found enhancements to things like book covers, potion/alcohol bottles, the Septim (retex of the single gold coin) and other little tweaks like that made it feel fresh. I was coming to the PC version after spending a year or so on the 360, so the game was already familiar and besides character enhancements like Beautiful People, which did make a world of difference, those small changes helped a lot more than shaders, or enhanced graphics did for me.

[LeiYingLo]

I wouldn't say it's an overhaul overkill. Especially since MOO adds to OOO. Haven't really played yet though. I'm still struggling to get my game stable. But at least I have basically a complete mod list now of what I want to use. When I've got my game stable to play I'll post it here. But first I want to see if everything works as it should.

 

I agree that the little things can improve the feel of the game quite a bit. You'll notice them more because you'll know exactly what they do and can check it out in game right away. The big things are sometimes hard to see right away. For example if you use OOO you'll probably won't notice much of it at the start or you don't recognize it as part of it because it's hard to keep in mind what a mod does if it does so many things and you're using many mods at once.

[shinobi2008]

Same for me. I have bought the GotY edition on steam many years ago but rarely played it. The hassle with all the mods just always destroyed my motivation to really get into it. But the vanilla game is just not that good.

 

Now, finally I have the motivation to really get into it though it's still frustrating learning all the neccesary stuff about Wrye Bash, instal orders, compatibilities etc.

 

Here's my WIP mod list so far. Maybe you can draw some inspiration from it. It's centered around making the game look as good as possible while remaining a playable performance. Furthermore I include a few gameplay additions to buff the vanilla experience.

 

 

Overhauls

---------

 

Oscuros Oblivion Overhaul

Maskar's Oblivion Overhaul

 

 

Quest Mods

----------

 

Lost Spires

Kvatch Rebuilt

 

 

Atmosphere / Immersion

----------------------

 

Natural Environments or All Natural

Common Oblivion

See You Sleep

Basic Primary Needs

Living Economy

No Psychic Guards

Arena Alive

Idle Dialogues

Harvest Containers

Persuasion Overhaul

 

 

Graphics

--------

 

QTP3 Redimized + Compatibility Patch for UOP

Bomrets SI Pack

Grass Overhaul

Detailed Terrain

Landscape LOD generator

Oblivion Reloaded

Illumination Within

Really AEVWD

Book Jackets

Alluring Potion Bottles

Real Lava

Real Lights

Improved Fires and Flames

Improved Signs

Improved Trees and Flora

Better Nightsky

VAs Better Gold

ENB or Sweet FX (?)

 

 

Sound (need to be checked for compatibility with eachother)

------

 

Sounds of Cyrodiil

Oblivion Stereo Overhaul

Oblivion Sound Sets

 

Performance

------------

 

Oblivion Stutter Remover

Operation Optimization

 

 

Character Models

-----------------

 

Blockhead

Robert's Male + Female Body

Oblivion Character Overhaul v2

 

World Modifications

---------------------

 

Better Cities

Unique Landscapes

Better Dungeons

 

 

Companions

------------

 

Vilja

Misc

----

 

DarkUI by Darn

Loading Screens Themed Replacer

Elven Map Redux

AF Leveling Mod

Keychain

Oblivion - Enhanced Camera

 

I was looking at your mod lists and I would recommend few things and maybe others might find it useful as well:

 

Drop Living Economy and grab Enhanced Economy by TNO(I would highly recommend all mods created by TNO, Arthmoor, Maskar to name a few). It basically does the same thing with bug free and more. You don't need Real Lights if you choose All Natural or you can choose to only use Real Lights from All Natural and use another weather mod. Drop Keychain... DarkUI will do the same thing. Drop Operation Optimization... outdated and not necessary and it will only lead to crashes. You don't need Real Lava if you choose to install Oblivion Reloaded as it will only overwrite its textures over and eat up your mod slots. I think everything else is good to use. Have fun. :)

[HikariWS]

Don't forget Vilja. She's the best.