Helping New Player w/Impulse version, advice?

[EdSurly]

Damn, and I just purchased this game (for the first time) last week. I got the GotY Deluxe edition also. Screw that, I'm going to try and find some workaround. If that means getting an alternate executable or some other crack so be it. I purchased Oblivion in no small part because of the mod community and I feel I got screwed. I am truly astonished that Stardock wouldn't have a workaround up by now for this game. The only reason I didn't purchase it from Steam to begin with is their lack of support for installation across multiple drives. Arrrggghhhh!!!

[Telyn]

You might ask Stardock for a refund or credit. You might complain to both them and Bethesda for putting you in this situation also. This site does not support pirated or cracked versions so if you go that route, nobody here can help you with any problems that may arise.

 

From reading the Stardock boards it sounds like Stardock was not in control of the encryptation decision, Bethesda was. Stardock's security system is different from Steam's. But yes, Stardock should have told people their version is encrypted. It works with most mods, but not all, and OBSE is not available to Impulse or D2D games. BTW, another fairly common reason for OBSE not to work is that the person has a pirated or cracked game. This is from the CS wiki, regarding OBSE.

"Hacks or no-cd patches may also change the checksum of the game, making it impossible to detect the installed version."

Translation: OBSE uses checksums to determine whether or not your version of the game is supported. This is how it knows if you have an unsupported version like D2D, Impulse or, other. If your game's checksum is not on the list of supported checksums, it won't work.

[bben46]

Unfortunately, Impulse and D2D can use the excuse that their version plays the game just as the maker intended. Just like the console versions do. And therefore they do not have to provide any support for mods. Steam took an entirely different direction and decided early on to support modding. They worked with the OBSE team to be sure the Steam version would work with mods. As being modable is #1 criteria for me to buy a game - Guess where I will NEVER buy a game. Not sure about Stardock though as I have not seen any other complaints about them here.

[bben46]

Unfortunately, Impulse and D2D can use the excuse that their version plays the game just as the maker intended. Just like the console versions do. And therefore they do not have to provide any support for mods. Steam took an entirely different direction and decided early on to support modding. They worked with the OBSE team to be sure the Steam version would work with mods. As being modable is #1 criteria for me to buy a game - Guess where I will NEVER buy a game. Not sure about Stardock though as I have not seen any other complaints about them here.

 

As far as pirated version are concerned, you get what you paid for. Not only do we not support stolen content, we cant - as we have no idea what you really have. Who knows what the pirated version left out, or what they added. And many are uploaded from some cracked game that he has already started playing with the changes to make it work on his computer and that he got from some other pirate site without knowing exactly what he was getting to begin with.

 

I ban pirates on principle, but also because their incompetence in trying to make a stolen version work and then whining because it doesn't work like the versions someone paid for wastes my time. :wallbash:

[Telyn]

Stardock got their start by making programs that allowed you to mod the heck out of Windows. The boss over there apparently modded OS/2. They are about as modder friendly over there as you can get. I can't fault them as anti-modding, and I do believe from their boards that Bethesda wanted the encryptation. I am not sure if they understood the encryptation would prevent OBSE use, or that OBSE is really important. They may well have tested Oblivion with mods. The Impulse version does support most mods. I used to use them as my game supplier of choice, but if you want to mod Oblivion, the encryptation does prevent OBSE from being used and that's a game breaker for me.

 

@EdSurly As it turns out, Impulse has been bought by GameStop in May, but apparently Stardock is still handling support so that's a bit of luck. You should still be able to return the game for a refund/credit, although Bethesda has a say in whether you get a full refund. Apparently that is a feature of Reactor. You can "return" your game and they just disable your code. If a game gets pirated from them, they can disable those, too. It should be possible to return the game if it was bought last week. Then just buy it on Steam or get a retail version for about the same price. I think they must know by now that OBSE is an issue with Impulse version of Oblivion, and people have mentioned this on the boards, so they should be including that information in their description. I do fault them for that.

 

Customers are required to go through technical support before requesting a return. Because the third party (Bethesda) has control, you may or may not get authorization from them but you have a decent argument that the lack of disclosure in the download page that the game is encrypted in a way that limits modding is a fault of Impulse. Bethesda would have a hard time claiming Oblivion is not meant to be modded and they do not support modding. The release of the Construction Set indicates they do support modding.

http://www.impulsedr...support/returns

[MarkInMKUK]

I just checked Amazon (purely for ease of access - there are plenty of other sources for the disk version) and it's still available there. A small heads-up - the Fifth Anniversary edition is out this month, and carries a $10 discount coupon for Skyrim purchase.

 

However, if you want the DLC modules as well, the Steam Deluxe version may well be the best choice.

[EdSurly]

Thanks for the replies guy's. After some searching I found COLB and the Mart's Monster Mobs for Oblivion and installed those. I don't feel quite as screwed over now lol Those two mods are great, I guess one of the main things I wanted OBSE for was the "Immersive Interiors" mod and "Natural Weather". So after playing with COLB and MMM installed I think I can live without those two. There are several mods that I don't have access too without OBSE but the game is pretty awesome as is now. The only problem is after installing those two several NPC's are hairless. I can't figure out if it's a loading issue in wrye bash or what. Anyone have any ideas?

[EdSurly]

Oh....My.....Gawd!! I just downloaded and installed Bananasplit's Better Cities mod.....Oh....My.....Gawd...... Why did I wait so long to get this game??? The modders of this game are truly talented. Makes the modders for Total War or the Civilization series look like grade schoolers! Wow, I had no idea this game could look so beautiful. Forget my earlier rantings about the Impulse version not being moddable, forget it entirely. Is there a game out even today that looks this good? I really don't know as I usually don't play first person type games. The last one that was close was Dragon Age Origins....Im usually a strategy and simulation (racing sims mostly) gamer. I can't get over it and I couldn't be happier with my purchase :-D

[Telyn]

There are some games with good graphics, but in terms of what you can do with modding, I honestly think Oblivion is the best until Skyrim comes out. You are going to be completely amazed by the mods available here. Glad you are happy now. :)

[MarkInMKUK]

EdSurly - if you have a good system (and I *MEAN* good), try the Unique Landscapes mods as well, with Qarls Texture Pack 3 (QTP3). You'll need a fast processor (2.8GHz+ and plenty of RAM, and a good graphics card (ideally with 1GB RAM), but the results are visually stunning. Start with the Imperial Isles module, and prepare for the change :) Check for compatibility patches with any mods you are currently using (like Better Cities)