5th anniversary edition

[SupremeMayflower]

This has probably been asked before, but I'm new to modding here, so I feel like I need to ask, I just bought the 5th anniversary edition, does it come with all the patches needed to install mods or should I pay a visit to Bethesda's site to download a few patches?

 

Also, does Nexus mod manager work with oblivion? I use it for Fallout NV and am curious if it's the same, or is there an Oblivion MM?

[beldaran1224]

NMM does work with Oblivion, but is not recommended as many amazing Oblivion mods do not support it. The recommended mod managers are Oblivion Mod Manager and Wrye Bash. If you end up doing a lot of modding, Wrye Bash will become necessary due to its bash patch function. There are many excellent tutorials for Wrye Bash and OBMM has a very soft learning curve.

 

As to the version, check the Oblivion readme in your Oblivion directory. If it says version 1.2.0416 then you're good. I have the 5th anniversary edition and I believe you're good, but check to be sure.

[SupremeMayflower]

Yeah, even the wiki says the 5th anniversary edition installs 1.2.0416, and I only intend to get a couple of mods that being a body replacer and a couple of armors to go with it, nothing big or technical

[Surilindur]

I use the 5th anniversary edition and it definitely works. The main menu should also have the version somewhere in it, I think.

 

People say Wrye Bash has a 'higher learning curve' than OBMM, but I have personally found WB incredibly easy to use and OBMM confusing and complicated. At least after learning to use WB. The main things to note about WB are , if you are new to it, that:

• The tabs at the top house all the stuff
• You can use the ini of WB to make it possible to have mods on another drive or another folder instead of in the WB folder inside the game folder. Just remember to copy the default ini, rename it and the modify the renamed ini. The ini includes the instructions, I think. At least the basic ones.
• Installers tab shows the folders in your mod 'store' wherever that may be and it supports drag-and-drop install order management. Right-clicking a mod there gives options, and if you change order of installed mods, use the 'Anneal' command to make sure the last installed files (later in load order) are the ones in your Data folder.
• Mods tab allows drag-and-drop load order management and the Bashed Patch helps with conflicts (like inventory and leveled lists), as well as allows to change some settings (like how many items need to be in inventory before showing the 'quantity prompt' thing).
• WB basically just handles copying files and removing them for you, so that you do not need to manually copy-paste and delete mods' files when installing and uninstalling them.
• WB has some tools to manage savegames, like removing 'abomb' that causes animations to turn into slow motion after playing long enough (like two hundred hours). Also has face import thing to import player face from another savegame. And much more.

And such. If you are not afraid of spending a few (or more) hours to learn Wrye Bash and possibly change the mod 'storage' folder (I recommend it, if you want to have them somewhere else other than game folder, as it keeps the files in the WB folder by default, causing you to have the mods twice in there - installed in Data folder and as an install-ready 'package' in the place where WB keeps the mods). It will take some patience and you will probably fail a few times (at least I did) when trying to change the mods folder to another drive, but in the end it will be worth it if you succeed. At least in my opinion.

 

If you find OBMM too complicated, that is. At least I find it much more difficult to use than Wrye Bash and it does not make installing mods any easier than WB in my opinion - although some mods come packaged for OBMM. Still most should support Wrye Bash (like normal simple replacers and simple mods) and the BAIN thing (when folders are "00 Core", "01 Optional Something", etc.). And if you end up installing more complicated mods, the Bashed Patch is really a must. But that one is easy to learn if you have learned how to use WB. :P

 

After you have learned Wrye Bash and want to save space in game folder (reason number 1), keep data folder pretty (reason 2) and spend even more time thinking and restructuring mods, Mod Organizer (found in its Skyrim Nexus page) is the best option available. It is possible to use it to install mods and manage install order, but still use Wrye Bash through it for load order management and the Bashed Patch. Also TES4LODGen, CS(E) and others work though it. It should not even be too complicated to get it working with 5th anniversary edition compared to a Steam one (the MO OBSE hook might or might not work). But that is the last option and will take some more time and patience. But I recommend it if you end up modding and playing Oblivion for the next several years. :) For now, Wrye Bash would probably be best. Or OBMM if you manage to learn how to use it also for something other than .bsa creation and unpacking - which I never did. It just felt too clunky. Maybe it was just me and OBMM really is easier. I hope not. :(

Edited July 25, 2015 by PhilippePetain

[SupremeMayflower]

I'll stick to NMM, the body mod I want has a file made for it, and the 3 armors I want hopefully work with it too, they should at least

[beldaran1224]

Yeah, if you're only sticking to a couple basic mods, NMM should do it for you. Just be aware that there isn't really a lot of support for NMM for Oblivion.