What is the deal with MO for Oblivion?

[Murielkai]

A while back I read that Mod Organizer doesn't work (fully) with Oblivion. I believe the reason was that it wouldn't read Omods or something so you had to basically set up your mod folder structure yourself. I recently decided to give it another shot and was wondering if any more progress has been made on MO compatibility?

 

So far all I have gleaned is that I need to use Mod Organizer v1_2_18 from the Skyrim page to make it work. Any other advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

[Surilindur]

Writing it all over again is getting tiresome, so here are some quick points I have noticed while using MO with Oblivion:

• Version 1.3.11 seems to work just fine, the latest one (at the time of writing) on the Skyrim page. For me at least.
• OBSE plugins need to be installed manually into the game folder, and one has to make sure the actual mod does not overwrite the config files copied to the game folders (as in, ini files from the mod overwriting the manually copied and edited ones).
• OMODs and BAIN-wizard mods might need to be manually restructured and added to MO, but I AM NOT SURE, you should check the plugins that come with MO, it had some installer support plugins last I checked.
• With Steam version, OBSE should be used, with the launch mechanism of MO set to Script Extender in the workwarounds tab. The game should be launched from Steam, and OBSE will load MO. The Oblivion Launcher will not list any of the new files, since MO is hooked when the game launches (not the launcher).
• Some esp files might apparently have different order when loaded into the game by MO (use the savegame features from Wrye Bash to see the order), I am not sure why this happens, but it happens to me.
• You can disable DLCShiveringIsles.esp and use the archive management features from MO if you are sure you know what you are doing (some people have apparently messed up Skyrim mod stuff when using it wrong somehow, although it should not really be THAT difficult if manually sorting both load order and mods list).
• Remember to use the "date back BSAs" feature from the workarounds tab if using the Steam version or else mods like DarN UI and texture replacers will either work partially or not at all (because the bsa archives are dated too recently).
• Avoiding OBMM would probably be best, and Wrye Bash should be used through MO. Using solely MO to install mods (with OBSE plugins installed manually) would make OBMM redundant for anything except unpacking OMODs. Wrye Bash has Bashed Patch, load order sorting and savegame management, but that is it.
• The locked load order txt file can sometimes have old plugins in it, unlocking load order, closing MO, cleaning the file and restarting MO, then re-locking order might help. Of course load order lock might be one culprit behind the plugins changing order.
• Remember to unlock load order in Wrye Bash if you have it locked, it should not matter, but just to avoid any odd sorting conflicts.

Of course there might be all sorts of issues and all that, some people have not managed to make MO work with Oblivion. I have not had any major issues with it myself, and am extremely happy with it. The way I have been doing things is to manually download, extract, restructure (as in, "install" to a folder) and add all mods to MO. All the "wizards" make me nervous. :tongue:

 

And those are just my observations, there might be people with actual knowledge around, too, that could know better. If someone with more knowledge reads this, please enlighten me, I might have missed something relevant. Also, where was it said to use 1.2.18 instead of the latest one? Just curious, in case there are some pressing reasons (for example if it does not have some issues I have mentioned)? It has been so long since I used 1.2.18.

 

If you run into huge issues with MO for Oblivion, people have been recommending Wrye Bash as an alternative. It also has drag-and-drop install order and all that. The only major reason to use Mod Organizer for installing mods (instead of Wrye Bash) would probably be the virtual install feature. Wrye Bash is always necessary, too, even with MO. Before switching over to MO, I used Wrye Bash, and the only reason I switched to MO for mod installation was the virtual installation feature and nothing else - Wrye Bash already had everything I needed, but the virtual installation helps me keep my game folder tidy. OBMM on the other hand is an unintuitive monstrosity that I have not used for years and will never recommend to anyone. :laugh: But some people have said it is easy and straightforward, so it might be an option, too.

 

Edit: And if someone notices any mistakes, feel free to point them out. Also typos, I seem to make lots of them.

Edited August 15, 2016 by Contrathetix

[nicktheduke]

Just use Wrye Bash in conjunction w OBMM (for Darn and for any OMOD exclusive mods) + BOSS

[Murielkai]

Writing it all over again is getting tiresome, so here are some quick points I have noticed while using MO with Oblivion:

• Version 1.3.11 seems to work just fine, the latest one (at the time of writing) on the Skyrim page. For me at least.
• OBSE plugins need to be installed manually into the game folder, and one has to make sure the actual mod does not overwrite the config files copied to the game folders (as in, ini files from the mod overwriting the manually copied and edited ones).
• OMODs and BAIN-wizard mods might need to be manually restructured and added to MO, but I AM NOT SURE, you should check the plugins that come with MO, it had some installer support plugins last I checked.
• With Steam version, OBSE should be used, with the launch mechanism of MO set to Script Extender in the workwarounds tab. The game should be launched from Steam, and OBSE will load MO. The Oblivion Launcher will not list any of the new files, since MO is hooked when the game launches (not the launcher).
• Some esp files might apparently have different order when loaded into the game by MO (use the savegame features from Wrye Bash to see the order), I am not sure why this happens, but it happens to me.
• You can disable DLCShiveringIsles.esp and use the archive management features from MO if you are sure you know what you are doing (some people have apparently messed up Skyrim mod stuff when using it wrong somehow, although it should not really be THAT difficult if manually sorting both load order and mods list).
• Remember to use the "date back BSAs" feature from the workarounds tab if using the Steam version or else mods like DarN UI and texture replacers will either work partially or not at all (because the bsa archives are dated too recently).
• Avoiding OBMM would probably be best, and Wrye Bash should be used through MO. Using solely MO to install mods (with OBSE plugins installed manually) would make OBMM redundant for anything except unpacking OMODs. Wrye Bash has Bashed Patch, load order sorting and savegame management, but that is it.
• The locked load order txt file can sometimes have old plugins in it, unlocking load order, closing MO, cleaning the file and restarting MO, then re-locking order might help. Of course load order lock might be one culprit behind the plugins changing order.
• Remember to unlock load order in Wrye Bash if you have it locked, it should not matter, but just to avoid any odd sorting conflicts.

Of course there might be all sorts of issues and all that, some people have not managed to make MO work with Oblivion. I have not had any major issues with it myself, and am extremely happy with it. The way I have been doing things is to manually download, extract, restructure (as in, "install" to a folder) and add all mods to MO. All the "wizards" make me nervous. :tongue:

 

And those are just my observations, there might be people with actual knowledge around, too, that could know better. If someone with more knowledge reads this, please enlighten me, I might have missed something relevant. Also, where was it said to use 1.2.18 instead of the latest one? Just curious, in case there are some pressing reasons (for example if it does not have some issues I have mentioned)? It has been so long since I used 1.2.18.

 

If you run into huge issues with MO for Oblivion, people have been recommending Wrye Bash as an alternative. It also has drag-and-drop install order and all that. The only major reason to use Mod Organizer for installing mods (instead of Wrye Bash) would probably be the virtual install feature. Wrye Bash is always necessary, too, even with MO. Before switching over to MO, I used Wrye Bash, and the only reason I switched to MO for mod installation was the virtual installation feature and nothing else - Wrye Bash already had everything I needed, but the virtual installation helps me keep my game folder tidy. OBMM on the other hand is an unintuitive monstrosity that I have not used for years and will never recommend to anyone. :laugh: But some people have said it is easy and straightforward, so it might be an option, too.

 

Edit: And if someone notices any mistakes, feel free to point them out. Also typos, I seem to make lots of them.

Jesus, that is enough to scare me off from using MO. OBMM, Wrye Bash, and BOSS have worked just fine up until now. They will continue to work as far as I am concerned. =P

[Surilindur]

Okay. My post was not meant to scare anyone off from using MO. Mod Organizer does work with Oblivion, I use it myself, but there are some things one needs to be aware of and keep in mind when using it. Some points in that list were actually "for" MO (like the archive management). Tannin in a genious, creating a tool like it. It is invaluable for Skyrim, too. :smile:

 

Wrye Bash is great, though, and I do not think you will miss out on anything relevant for Oblivion if not using MO. Excluding, of course, the virtual installation feature. Happy modding. And sorry, I did not realise you were actually used to modding Oblivion. :sweat:

 

The new MO 2 is apparently making some progress over at Github (the MO repository has some beta releases for it), and maybe it will improve upon things eventually. Something to keep an eye on in the future, it seems, at least I will be keeping an eye on it. Lurking in the shadows, ready grab it when there is a reliable one available. :ninja:

Edited August 16, 2016 by Contrathetix

[ArtInPinkerton]

I can't go without Mod Organizer. It is not even an option.

 

After many years of messing with mods and dealing all the other tools, I can't overstate how much I will never go without MO again for Oblivion again. It has greatly simplified my testing of mods. Adding and removing mods is as simple as check a box as opposed to Bashes installers that have to go through everything, uninstall, anneal,etc which can take some time with a lot of mods. When you are talking about hundreds of mods, it can make a huge difference.

 

Yes, there is a learning curve...but not much of one and at worst no more so than Bash. IMHO, MO is just superior in the mod management aspect by far. It is so much easier and less messy to add and remove mods and most importantly troubleshoot problems. Add in profiles, I have 7 different Oblivion profiles that I can switch mod sets on the fly (Oblivion vanilla, lightly modded, Morroblivion, Coremods, Max mods, Oblivion for VR, Kidblivion) and even easily transfer them to other computers.

 

Lastly, I have had vastly LESS problems with MO as a mod manager than I have had with Wrye Bash. Bash frequently bugged out and did weird things with my mod orders. NOTE: I'm only speaking on the use of Bash as an Installer/Mod Manager...it's still vital for everything else.

 

- Martin

Edited August 18, 2016 by Pinkertonius

[Surilindur]

 

<snip>

 

 

I would say the same, definitely invaluable, and will never mod Oblivion without it again. Installing and uninstalling monsters like QTP3 and others only take one fast tick of a checkbox, and no files are ever left behind in the Data folder. Definitely invaluable tool, it helps save space on my games drive and also makes it easy to keep every mod project and all of its assets in a tidy folder. And I can have subfolders full of stuff in the project folder, since none of those will have to be copied anywhere. I have even written a small Python plugin for MO that makes it possible to clean up the Oblivion data folder if something would actually end up in there and all that.

 

However, I am not going to recommend it to people as eagerly as I might have before, since almost everyone who I have recommended it to have failed to make it work for whatever reasons they may have had. The fact that I have it working fine does not help those people, and I do not want to have them spend hours of their time trying to figure out why it does not work only to fail to get it working, when I myself have no idea why they failed to make it work when they tell me they followed instructions and all that. All my attempts at helping people make it work have ended up in "I have tried everything but it still does not work" sort of situation when that other person has just decided to use either Wrye Bash or OBMM instead.

 

So YES, Mod Organizer is, in my opinion (as well), the best tool there is for installing mods also for Oblivion. However, since people apparently just cannot make it work, something I absolutely cannot understand (like many other things on the Internet), they will probably be happier with a "good enough" alternative that might not necessarily require as much thinking, manually doing stuff and all that.

 

Besides, those who really want to use MO with Oblivion would probably just download it and try it out themselves, one would think.

 

Sorry for the rant, I hope it makes some sense. :blush:

 

Also, if you do not mind me asking: how have you take care of the issue with OBSE plugins? Or do all the profiles use the same ones?

[ArtInPinkerton]

Great point...there are one or two things with MO that take extra care. I do however, have MO installed in 4 separate games...I just wish it worked with Morrowind. It has made my life SO much easier. Shame some can't get it to work.

 

Setting up for Oblivion works differently than other game in that you have to launch the game with Steam as opposed to MO. BUT if you want to change game settings, you have to use the launcher from within MO. (i.e. In MO launch Oblivion, set settings etc, quit, then launch game from Steam and don't touch setting in that version of the launcher.) If you use the disc version, they you load from the OBSE_Launcher. I did some google-fu and watched Gopher's video on the tool.

 

For whatever reason, MO just won't do DLLs..not sure why. Yes all my mods use the same DLLs since I only use the ones that I deem must have, such as Oblivion Reloaded, See You Sleep, MenuQue, Pluggy, OSR, etc. AND they have to be installed manually and are relatively painless to uninstall if needed.

 

 

- Martin