Blockhead not working

[Striker879]

No, more like some sort of time warp mirror, looking at my former self.

[Bongobasher]

I so I have been following the mod install list on page 1 of the thread again and think I have found the problem. I tested every OBSE as I installed them and things were silky smooth. Then I installed moreheap and for some reason that's when the stutter started occurring. Maybe it conflicts somehow with OSR or something? Either way I'm going to leave that one out and continue on with the list and see how I go.

[Striker879]

See you are already learning ... small bites and before you know it the whole pie is gone.

[Bongobasher]

So since my last posts I have installed one by one (checking as I go for fps drops and the like) and uninstalling ones that are not to my taste and they include:

 

Weather All Natural

Improved Trees and Flora

Improved Trees and Flora 2

Treebark HD reduced

Arboretum re texture "for tree hugging crowd"

Grass overhaul

Autumn trees

Mesh Improvement project

AIP's propper torch wield

Enhanced Water

Improved Storm Antrioch

The Imperial Environment 4 in one BAIN

Skeletons (as in meshes, most popular downloaded)

 

 

So far it's all working fine and looking a lot better, with almost no change at all to fps. I'm planning on pretty much working my way through the majority of mesh and texture replacement to bring Oblivion into 2016.

 

My question is: Various mods are listed as OMODs and many suggest using wyre bash not a good idea with them and then other not to use OBMM alongside other stuff like Wyre Bash. I don't want to create issues and want to keep it as clean as poss so plan to only use Wyre Bash. When installing for example OBLIVION CHARACTER OVERHAUL omod, do I simply do the same as I have previously and drag it into the BASH directory and then click install in wyre bash?

 

Thanks for your time and patience, I think I'm over the initial hump, hopefully the coming humps are smaller :D

[Striker879]

Again, I have to admit to no hands on experience with this ... in the WB readme Wrye Bash General Readme.html near the start of the Installing Mods section it says:

 

"The mod is distributed as an OMOD (ie. has file extension .omod). These mods are intended for installation with the Oblivion Mod Manager or Nexus Mod Manager. Such mods usually have a non-OMOD download option: if one is available, download that instead as it is more likely to be compatible. Otherwise, OMOD files can be converted to Projects automatically by dragging and dropping them into the Installers tab."

 

Immediately after that there is a caveat that some OMODs may be structured in a manner that WB can't recognise.

 

Actually OCO v2 doesn't have an OMOD download option. The download is a ZIP compressed file, which extracts to a readme and a Data folder which contains all of the sub-folders and files for the vanilla game (i.e. no body replacers). Simply put the download ZIP into the Installers tab and WB should do just fine.

 

Something I want to impress upon you (comes to mind due to another recent support ticket I've been working) ... the order from top of the list in the Installers tab to the bottom of the list in the Installers tab is very important. WB reconciles all overwrites (conflicts) by allowing the package that is lower on the list to overwrite any conflicting files from a package that is higher on the list. It doesn't care in the slightest what order you used when putting them into the Installer tab (so the one you put in there on Monday will overwrite the one you put in there on Tuesday if the Monday package is down farther in the list than the Tuesday package). In the case of OCO v2 and it's addon downloads pay strict attention to the order it tells you to install them, and replicate that from top to bottom in your Installers tab.

 

For mods that only come as an OMOD and are not structured in a manner that WB recognizes you have a couple of options. One is to install Oblivion Mod Manager (OBMM) and use it to install that particular mod (often that type of mod will have an install script to walk you through it's options, which is in part why it's structured in a way that WB can't recognize).

 

The other option is to use OBMM to extract the OMOD (which is after all just a compression format particular to OBMM, not that dissimilar to ZIP or 7z). You will then need to figure out the folder structure the mod uses vs which are associated with the core parts of the mod and which are for the options the mod offers.

 

I suggest using the first option but by all means feel free to ask for second opinions. Sometimes those mods will have an option to download a version meant to be installed manually (hopefully including instructions for which parts are core and which are optional). A good example of that is NoMaaM BBB Animation Replacer. It has an OMOD download which will walk you through the options or a manual install download and installation instructions. It is also an example of a mod that I believe WB couldn't install even using the manual install download in the Installers tab ... it's folder structure is set up for use with it's install instructions or OMOD install script.

 

Mods are like people ... individuals that require a bit of study to understand. Some you will never want to see again once you get to know them, while others will become best friends.

Edited November 5, 2016 by Striker879

[Bongobasher]

Haha re: unsavoury characters you don't want to see again in a hurry, Moreheap springs to mind! I have read the info on WB I promise, I'm just never quite sure if I'm on the correct path when it comes to the different file types and the correct etiquette.

 

So to summarise:

 

1) Treat OCO v2 as other stuff I have installed in WB (ofc read the readme but it says too use a different program. I suppose I have read between the lines re: the use of OBMM, NMM and such). Others I remember there are different file types and they can be installed by complex, simple and such folder arrangements. Just making sure I don't mess up this time!

 

2) It is OK to use OBMM for certain mods? This won'y create problems?

 

3) I have been running BOSS every time I install new mods and it comes back with everything green and I assume this means "you're good to go". I thought it automatically adjusts the load order? Do I need to do this manually?

 

[/url]">http://

 

Here's my current load order.

Edited November 5, 2016 by Bongobasher

[Bongobasher]

Ok turns out I was using the editor incorrectly. I was opening "BOSS" not "BOSS_GUI". I ran the "sort plugins" but nothing changed in my load order.

[Striker879]

I'm not at home so I don't have access to my home computer, meaning I'm working from memory.

There are some different ways you can use BOSS alongside Wrye Bash. BOSS can be started from within WB by clicking on the BOSS icon shown along the lower left of the WB window. That doesn't start the full GUI mode of BOSS, but once it runs it will still show the BOSS report.

Wrye also has an option to "Lock Load Order" which has the side effect of requiring you to run BOSS from within WB if you want to change your load order (useful once you have your load order set, or are into using the Construction Set to edit mods). I think you'll find the option in the Mods tab right click context menu. I'd suggest you turn it off for now so that you can either run the full BOSS GUI mode or from with WB and BOSS's load order changes don't get changed by Lock Load Order.

You are correct in the way to use BOSS as you're adding mods ... install a mod, run BOSS and then rebuild your bashed patch (you'll find that option in the context menu on the Mods tab when you right click of the Bashed Patch, 0.esp).

The bashed patch is one of WB's most powerful tools. It is basically a "mod" that WB creates from all of the conflicts between mods in your load order. WB uses certain rules to resolve those conflicts (i.e. to decide which mod is supposed to "win" the conflict) and then places all those resolved conflicts in the bashed patch, which will be placed at the end of your load order. The game works by loading mods from the top of the list down, so whichever mod is at the bottom "wins" any conflicts, so the bashed patch's resolved conflicts are applied.

I believe the reason that Nuska (the mod author for Oblivion Character Overhaul v2) specified Nexus Mod Manager (NMM) in the OCO v2 install instructions was primarily driven by a desire to reduce the number of installation problems. My experience with people who rely on NMM for mod installation is that they will have trouble installing mods as soon as they run into a mod that doesn't properly install via "the Big Green Button". The OCO v2 mod comments is littered with those type of problems (i.e. NMM didn't really make the OCO v2 install any more problem free, mostly because it relies on Blockhead and Blockhead can't be installed with NMM).

Trust me ... you are now on "the one true path". Be patient with yourself, and don't let any set backs discourage you.

While it isn't ideal, you an use more than one mod manager to install mods (so you could use OBMM to add mods that come only as an OMOD). The complication that arises from that is you need to keep in mind which mod manager you used to install which mod when/if you decide to uninstall a mod.

WB is by far the more complete and powerful tool, but as I pointed out it also has some limitations. If you find a mod you'd like to try that only comes as an OMOD download let me know. I don't mind downloading it to check out what it extracts to using OBMM (i.e. checking to see if WB could install the extracted OMOD or nor without some manual sorting out).

- Edit - Looking at the load order you posted I think you may have Lock Load Order turned on in WB ... try turning that off and then running BOSS again. The colour of the check boxes and highlight background of the text is telling you information. Refer to Wrye Bash General Readme.html for an explanation of what the colours mean. I'll be home later this afternoon and will be able to tell more about what it means (I know the red stuff isn't telling you all is good).

 

- Edit 2 - Ok home again ... my interpretation of what WB is telling you with the colour of it's text and boxes.

 

Book Jackets Oblivion - BP.esp ... telling you that a master file required by this ESP is missing (i.e. if you activate it then Oblivion will crash on save load). This is only a load order issue in this case (probably) ... note that Book Jackets Oblivion.esp is right below it and is likely the missing master (click on Book Jackets Oblivion - BP.esp and look in the Masters panel on the right side to see what that ESP's masters are).

 

Grass Overhaul.esp ... my guess is that it has the same file date & timestamp as another mod in your load order (probably either Enhanced Water v2.0 HD.esp or Enhanced Water v2.0 HD - SI Addon.espright below it). Get BOSS working correctly, either from the BOSS GUI with Lock Load Order turned off or from within Wrye Bash with Lock Load Order either off or on and this should be resolved.

 

All Natural - Indoor Weather Filter.esp ... this mod includes a bashed tag (a way that you or mod authors can instruct WB what is best for this mod when resolving conflicts/trying to save space in your load order) and the bashed tag tell WB to not merge this entire mod into the bashed patch (to save load order space some mods can be entirely merged into the bashed patch and then deactivated ... shown by a cross in the box beside the mod). The pink box is saying missing master ... use the same Masters panel to see what it expects as a master (must not be just All Natural Base.esm as it is present and in the correct load order location).

Edited November 6, 2016 by Striker879

[Bongobasher]

Ok so I realised I had been missing most of the point of WB and not creating and updating a "bashed patch". I now understand the BOSS error too. So I bashed after BOSSing and double checking the load order. I considered auto cleaning dirty edits in Book Jackets but then saw how complex the process is and how dodgey it is so have avoided that for the time being. Since I lat posted I have imported a buttload of new textures and some more mods.

 

Here is my installers page:

 

https://postimg.org/image/d9dg51p2r/

 

Here's the mods page:

 

https://postimg.org/image/etv6yvy43/

 

After seeing how awesome "A tweaked ENB" looked and the awful experience I had trying to install OR I gave ENB a go. After some setbacks, I managed to get it working and was absolutely blown away at how effective it was. Well, I installed it before I bashed my patches and had overwritten more textures.

 

When opening with my latest setup (after making sure the save was ok - I used the downloadable clean save end of sewers and it came up blue in WB) I saw this:

 

https://postimg.org/image/t4izsed0z/

 

So before bashing the patch the textures were a bit haphazard but meshed whereas now I have a minecraft style blockworld! I tried a fix I saw online. I saved a backup of the oblivion.ini file within documents\games\oblivion folder and changed the iMaxGrassTypesPerTexure value from 2 to 4 and then to 8, all of which does nothing to fix this. Any ideas?

[Striker879]

I'm downloading that same Quarl's you have installed so I can check it out right now, but as I'm sure you know, it'll take a while. My old machine has a video card with only 896 MB video RAM so I haven't ventured into these waters before (all my PerNPC Blockheading has already put more strain on the poor thing than it really likes). What I'm wanting to try to figure out is whether or not the UOP Quarl's patch is still required or not (Carlos444's part of the mod description says yes, the original down below that says no, as far as I can tell).

 

The red box shown on your Installers tab for Quarl's is telling us that "Some or all of the files in the package are not installed as configured" ... that is likely at the root of what you show in your screenshot. While you are in the Installers tab, if you single left click on the Quarl's package (to move the focus highlight there) the different tabs in the pane to the right upper corner will give more details to help figure out what that general red box is warning about.

 

The orange text background shown for The Imperial Environment is telling us that "The install is dirty. This will occur for packages for which the configuration has been altered (either by altering active sub-packages and esmps, or by altering the package itself). This can be repaired by running Anneal or Anneal All". I'd like to see more details on why Quarl's is displaying it's error before trying any of those suggestions on Imperial Environment (another mod I have zip experience with ... could you provide the mod number as it doesn't show in the Installers tab screenshot you posted ... i.e the numbers shown after it's name if you drag the right hand pane border over to show it, for Quarls the number was 45666). That way I can download it to check out once the Quarls and UOP Quarls patch are downloaded.

 

The white box on the Visually Improved Staffs package (Staffs version 1_1-38438-1-1.7z) leads me to think you perhaps didn't select any of the components when you installed (or perhaps you only selected 00 Core but didn't select either 01 Optional glowing or 02 Hrormirs Ice Staff ... though I don't see why that would result in the white box in the Installers tab).

 

As you can probably tell I'm learning alongside you on this one. Quarl's is almost half downloaded ... patience required.

 

- Edit - I'd leave the cleaning or not cleaning mods until a later point in getting your game modded up to your standards. From my understanding the main reason for cleaning is to help with game stability. I guess if you added a mod that testing showed gave you grief in the stability department, but was one of those you really really wanted to have, you could try the cleaning to see if it helped.

 

I have used TES4Edit to clean mods before (both manually and using it's filters) but in all cases it was to correct errors I'd introduced when editing an ESP in the Construction Set (aka fixing my screwups). None of my current load order (or previous character's load orders) has ever been run through any of the "recommended" cleaning. Yup, my game will crash from time to time, and nope, I can't run for hours on end without crashing. Those aren't on my expectation list, in part because of the game's reputation for liking to crash, and in part because of choices I have made with some mods I use that aren't recommended by the mod's author but that offer gameplay changes that I like and want to maintain (aka it crashed because of me).

 

I'd still advise holding off on cleaning, and once you start cleaning mods use the same methodology as we're using installing ... clean one at a time and test thoroughly in between.

 

- Edit 2 - Gorgeous Indian summer day here and I have some rather messy work to do on some old wood from my boat to get it ready for varnish (and that is best done outside). The downloading part is finally done, but it will be evening before I can dig into the figuring out stage. I tend to be like a dog with a bone ... once I start gnawing on a particular bone the world fades from view (i.e. all I'll be seeing for a while is draw scrappers. sandpaper and the mess they create blowing in the breeze).

Edited November 7, 2016 by Striker879