UESP Forums

Hi, I was hoping I could get some help trying to install mods for Oblivion. I used to frequent oblivion boards here quite often, but obviously took a break when Skyrim came out and haven't been here since.

I used to play it on 360 for many, many hours. Got a gaming pc for skyrim, played that, was great, but I feel I'll enjoy Skyrim more after all the bugs and ironed out, instead of playing it and having it slightly better every patch. Example...just FINALLY finished blood on the ice after 170 hours.

Anyway, I hope I'm not seeming lazy, I'm using these links right now...

http://cs.elderscrolls.com/index.php/Oblivion_Mods_FAQ

http://uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Recommended_Mods

but just want to ask some questions while I'm researching this, since I'm not even sure if those are up to date with everyone focused on Skyrim now.

For future reference in case I have some trouble installing mods, I'm on windows 7 pro 64bit.

1. So yeah, are those up to date and I should just follow those links? From what I gather, basically dl OBMM, then DL whatever I want? edit: also need OBSE? But first should dl OBMM?
1a. Now I'm also reading about Wyre Bash and Nexus Mod Manager....
2. Playing this on steam, I assume its up to date with all the official modes automatically like Skyrim is?
3. So far, the only "staple" mods I know of are everything under "bug fixes in the recommended mods list". Are there any other mods that are basically staplers for any Oblivion player that everyone agrees on?
4. My CPU has 8 gigs of ram, 1gb graphics card, and intel i52500k 3.3ghz quad core. I assume I can play on ultra high? The game is so old it doesn't detect my hardware and defaults to medium. Haven't tested since I don't really want to start playing until I dl ALL the mods I want, although maybe I should... I also list this because I'm willing to bet there are tons of graphic enhancement mods that may strain my computer or be impossible to run? Hopefully with this information someone can tell me which graphics mods I can/should use and which my cpu probably can't handle, but are quite popular.
5. Nexudmods is the place to be right?

Thanks for any help!

Answers to some of your questions, which may or may not help you:

A lot of the mod links in the lists you'll find on the UESP are out of date, but the redirects should work ok. For example, http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=4820 will correctly forward you to http://oblivion.nexusmods.com/mods/4820 etc. If a link is flat out broken, your best bet is to just do a search for the correct name.

1. OBMM is good, so yes, get that first and then use it to organize your other mods (the main thing it will do for you is easily setting load order). OBSE is a script extender, not a mod manager. Get it if you have mods that require it, otherwise don't.
1a. I use NMM for Skyrim but OBMM for Oblivion, just because NMM wasn't around back when I actually played Oblivion. You can try it out, or not, but it shouldn't be necessary.
2. I haven't a clue, sorry.
3. The Unofficial Oblivion Patch is the only must-have I can think of, but a bunch of mods will require OBSE (see #1: get it if a mod needs it, or don't if they don't).
4. Just try it an see if you get the kind of performance you're happy with. Probably the mod that's hardest on your system is Qarl's Texture Pack, but I tried it out and then ditched it because I hated the look, not because of performance reasons. And that was with the machine I had before my current one. I just can't stand the look of over-sharpened textures in dungeons.
5. I'd say about 90%+ of mods worth getting for Oblivion are on the Nexus, and it's always my first stop to look for new things.

If you're new to mods, the whole thing can seem a bit overwhelming at first. "I have to spend how long reading through these instructions and setting it up??" But once you get it tweaked to your liking, it'll be so very worth it.

Alright, thanks for the help!!

Installing unofficial oblivion patch

http://oblivion.nexusmods.com/mods/5296

The author says

"After a month or so with no bugs reported, I will upload the large (120+ MB) all-in-one 3.4.1 UOP EXE/7Z/OMODs."

I can't find that file though, so I guess he just hasn't gotten around to it? So I'll have to install 3.2.0 (can't find 3.4.0) and then install 3.4.1 update?

edit: installed 3.2.0 omod version since the FAQs say it's much easier to deal with. But these updates are kind of confusing me. I do or do not need arthmoor's UOP supplemental? It's packed with 3.2.0 now right? So all I need is 3.4.1 update? I'm installing it right now, but in "select additional tasks" for installing the update, it asks "install plugin for changes from Arthmoor's UOP supplemental moved to a separate ESP so that they may still be used". Do I check this? I would think no, but then the supplemental is part of what I have now, so I do need it??

dtmwerks wrote:Alright, thanks for the help!!

Installing unofficial oblivion patch

http://oblivion.nexusmods.com/mods/5296

The author says

"After a month or so with no bugs reported, I will upload the large (120+ MB) all-in-one 3.4.1 UOP EXE/7Z/OMODs."

I can't find that file though, so I guess he just hasn't gotten around to it? So I'll have to install 3.2.0 (can't find 3.4.0) and then install 3.4.1 update?

edit: installed 3.2.0 omod version since the FAQs say it's much easier to deal with. But these updates are kind of confusing me. I do or do not need arthmoor's UOP supplemental? It's packed with 3.2.0 now right? So all I need is 3.4.1 update? I'm installing it right now, but in "select additional tasks" for installing the update, it asks "install plugin for changes from Arthmoor's UOP supplemental moved to a separate ESP so that they may still be used". Do I check this? I would think no, but then the supplemental is part of what I have now, so I do need it??

The supplemental was merged into the UOP. All that option does is install the Supplemental as a separate ESP rather than it being a part of the main UOP ESP file. You don't need to download the supplemental separately.

Ty!

So I installed the update, but nothing has changed in OBMM. Do I need to convert the 3.4.1 patch to omod format? Or does it automatically change my 3.2.0 patch that I already have in OBMM?

Not really sure if I need to import the 3.4.1 upgrade into OBMM...

edit: while installing unofficial shivering isles patch, got this prompt "unexpected arguments after function "installplugin" on line 32. Should I be worried?

dtmwerks wrote:1a. Now I'm also reading about Wyre Bash and Nexus Mod Manager....
2. Playing this on steam, I assume its up to date with all the official modes automatically like Skyrim is?
3. So far, the only "staple" mods I know of are everything under "bug fixes in the recommended mods list". Are there any other mods that are basically staplers for any Oblivion player that everyone agrees on?
4. My CPU has 8 gigs of ram, 1gb graphics card, and intel i52500k 3.3ghz quad core. I assume I can play on ultra high? The game is so old it doesn't detect my hardware and defaults to medium. Haven't tested since I don't really want to start playing until I dl ALL the mods I want, although maybe I should... I also list this because I'm willing to bet there are tons of graphic enhancement mods that may strain my computer or be impossible to run? Hopefully with this information someone can tell me which graphics mods I can/should use and which my cpu probably can't handle, but are quite popular.

Just realized I could give some insight on these.

1a. Wyre Bash is a tool I highly recommend. Installing mods with Bash is quite a bit simpler than doing it with OBMM (although if a mod says "use OBMM to install" or comes only in omod format then I'd use that instead) and much preferred over manual installs for ease of uninstallation should that be necessary. It also helps you manage your save games so easily purge old saves that are just clogging the list as well as repair the Abomb bug if you find yourself playing the same character for long enough.

While we're on the subject of other tools, there's one tool that hasn't come up in this thread that every Oblivion modder should have. BOSS. This is a program that simply references a list of known mods and rearranges your load order to be the most ideal. All you have to do is run it and boom. Done. Completely eliminates the potential nightmare that load order management could potentially be.

2. Steam Oblivion comes with the latest patch pre-installed. You can only get the official DLC if you bought the GOTY edition (Shivering Isles and Knights of the Nine only) or the GOTY Deluxe edition (all the DLC). I have the latter myself.

3. Many Oblivion players will agree that at least one or two out of the following three things are wrong with the game. The UI, the leveling system, and the enemy level scaling.

The problem people have with the UI is that with a lot of things, space get wasted. Certain UI elements are bloated and gigantic for no apparent reason. Each individual item entry in the inventory has such a large clickable space for no real reason and thus getting around your inventory can take forever with all the extra scrolling you have to do. The most well known and most used mod the remedy this is Darnified UI. Which shrinks things down so more can fit on the screen at once and makes some other customizable changes to the HUD.

The issue with the leveling system is well documented on wiki page for Oblivion's Leveling. It's tedious. It's grindy. It's micro-managey. And it ultimately discourages you from using the skills your chose to as a part of your class. It only gets worse when combined with the level scaling the game has. It's not a huge point of contention as many people are used to this system from Morrowind, but I still think it's pretty terrible. Since you say you've played Skyrim, I'm going to suggest Realistic Leveling. It makes become derived from skills so you don't have to worry about which ones to focus on every level, it also makes every skill you have capable of leveling you up so that you don't end up feeling penalized for using your major skills (which still get a bonus to how quickly they grow). It's eerily similar to Skyrim's system while still being Oblivion in its own way.

Finally the level scaling. This is the most common point of contention, with a lot of people saying that level scaling in any RPG is a sin. Personally I like the fact that they included the level scaling so that I didn't feel as railroaded as I do in Morrowind, but I still find Oblivion goes a bit too far. Pretty much all the NPCs in the game get leveled according to your own level, this includes all the gear on them. As a result the difficulty is incredibly... consistent, as in too consistent IMO, for the first levels of the game and late game actually starts getting far harder, in addition to the weirdness of occasionally getting for 100 gold by bandits wearing full Ebony/Glass Armor. There are a number of solutions to this and they are very detailed so I'm not to explain them right now, but the most popular ones are Oscuro's Oblivion Overhaul, Francesco's leveled Creatures and Items, and FCOM: Convergence. I personally like Fran's as it's the lightest and doesn't ultimately change the game too much, but I'll let you read up on them yourself.

I'd suggest you play the vanilla game first for a bit so you know what parts bother you and you want modded. Jumping right into big mods without playing the base game a bit first just seems like a smarter idea to me.

4. Even without knowing the model of your graphics card I can tell you that you can most likely max the game and see no difference in performance from lower settings. Just know that this is a horribly unoptimized game and that occasional frame rate drops and stuttering are normal even on the best of machines.

So I installed the update, but nothing has changed in OBMM. Do I need to convert the 3.4.1 patch to omod format? Or does it automatically change my 3.2.0 patch that I already have in OBMM?

Not really sure if I need to import the 3.4.1 upgrade into OBMM...

Unfortunately, I don't know. When I installed the UOP I used the EXE installers. One thing you can do to check is to load up the game, and after character creation you should get an item called "Unnofficial Oblivion Patch" If you use that then the menu that pops up will have the active version number of your UOP on it. If it says 3.4.1 then you're golden.

Is the abomb bug something I have to fix with a mod before it happens? Or can I fix it after it happens? Also, I thought one of these many patches I'm downloading would've fixed it.

I got the deluxe edition, everythings up to date!

edit: so i ran it to test some things, everything was in working order, got the UOP thing in my inventory. Said 3.4.1 so I guess I'm up to date. However, when I alt tabbed, my mouse disappeared. Also, when I exited the game, it said it crashed and I still couldn't use my mouse! Any advice?

Also...do I need to have OBMM running when I play oblivion?

dtmwerks wrote:Is the abomb bug something I have to fix with a mod before it happens? Or can I fix it after it happens? Also, I thought one of these many patches I'm downloading would've fixed it.

I got the deluxe edition, everythings up to date!

The Abomb bug is an engine issue that causes the game's animations to slow to a crawl after a certain amount of playtime. It only really comes up if you play the same character for 200-500 hours but if you do manage to play one character close to that long then you can use Wrye Bash to "reset the timer" as it were. Since it's an bug in the hardcoding of the game, mods can't fix it.

Sacred Nym wrote:

dtmwerks wrote:Is the abomb bug something I have to fix with a mod before it happens? Or can I fix it after it happens? Also, I thought one of these many patches I'm downloading would've fixed it.

I got the deluxe edition, everythings up to date!

The Abomb bug is an engine issue that causes the game's animations to slow to a crawl after a certain amount of playtime. It only really comes up if you play the same character for 200-500 hours but if you do manage to play one character close to that long then you can use Wrye Bash to "reset the timer" as it were. Since it's an bug in the hardcoding of the game, mods can't fix it.

So I can get wyre bash after the bug happens? I remember talking about this issue in Oblivion (xbox) and there obviously not being a fix for it for console users.

edit/update for organizational purposes

list of questions

1) While installing unofficial shivering isles patch, I got this prompt "unexpected arguments after function "installplugin" on line 32. Should I be worried? Googling the issue took me here

http://forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?/ ... e__st__130

with one suggestion being "Open the script in OBMM and delete the True after InstallPlugin "USIPS Additional Changes.esp", that should make the exception go away."

However, for other people, the script error meant that USIP.esp just wouldn't install. Both USIP.esp and USIPS Additionalchanges.esp are installed, but I don't know what that installplugin error does and don't really want to go changing scripts since I don't even know what the problem is/what I'm doing.

2) Boss is auto run right? I'm not sure which plugins I have to click and drag into the data folder of oblivion. An older guide told me to do that but I think BOSS is working properly?

3) When I run boss, i see stuff like this

-- DLCBattlehornCastle.esp Active

Contains dirty edits: 13 ITM, 74 UDR records. Needs TES4Edit cleaning: http://cs.elderscrolls.com/constwiki/in ... ning_Guide

DLCBattlehornCastle - Unofficial Patch.esp Version 1.0.4 Active --

That is kind of intimidating, do I have to manually "clean up" these "dirty edits"? Wasn't the whole point of these custom plugins to fix the original errors? I don't even know what ITM and UDR stand for >.<

4) Midas Magic looks appealing, do I have to dl both the "latest version" and the patch A?

5) There was no OBOM version so I dled the normal version and extracted it to the data folder like it asked me to. Am I supposed to extract just the .esp file? or also the .bsa and .txt to the data folder in Oblivion with all the plugins so far. I only see .esp files and unnamed ones there...

Or am I supposed to do none of this, and just create an OBOM file myself using these instructions

Launch OBMM
1. Click create
2. Click add archive
3. Browse to the mod archive you want to convert and open it (this will import the files from the selected archive)
4. Check to make sure the data files were added with correct paths (switch to the Data Files view and make sure the file paths start with "Meshes\", "Textures\", etc.
5. If the mod uses a plugin, right-click the main .esp file and select import mod details (this will usually fill in most of the fields for you)
6. Fill in any blank fields (most are optional, except for name and version)
7. Click create omod

If so, I need to warn you I lack sufficient knowledge to understand many of these terms...
Mod archive, is this the zip file I dl initially? It will import all the files? I tried and it just imported the .esp
Data Files view? What is that?
Correct paths???

1. Can't help you here unfortunately, I used the EXE install so I'm not aware of any issues witht he OMOD.

2. Once the BOSS Log pops up in your browser, BOSS has finished its job until you run it again. As long as all your plugins are listed in the log then everything's just fine.

3. Dirty Edits within the official DLC are handled by the Unofficial Mods Patch. Don't worry about that.

4. From the looks of things, yes. Install version 0995 and then the patch.

5. From the Midas Magic post at the nexus:

Installation
----------------------
Unzip in your Oblivion Data Directory and add the mod. Make sure you are running Oblivion 1.2 or higher.

The directory in question will be \Steam\steamapps\common\oblivion\Data, the first part being wherever your Steam installation is.

Re: Terms

Mod Archive is the zip/rar/7z file you downloaded.
Data Files view... I don't know. I find installing mods that don't have ready made OMODs or an OMOD conversion data subfolder to be a headache and a half. I handle any mods I can with Wrye Bash where I can drop the archive into one folder, find it in the Installers tab, right click->install, and then just check the ESPs as active in the mods tab. More manageable than manual and much less of a headache than OBMM IMO.
Correct paths just means "Is everything going into the right folders/subfolders?" Mesh files go into Meshes, Textures go into Textures, BSAs and ESPs go into the root of the Data folder, blah blah blah.

Re: Wrye Bash and Abomb
Yeah you can do that. Whether or not you've had Bash at any given time prior is irrelevant to being able to to fix the Abomb, though just to be safe I'd repair it at least at the 100 hour mark just so you don't have to deal with its effects, though that's assuming you play a single character that long.

Cool thanks!

Are there any mods that have to be installed before I play? I kinda want to see oblivion before/after I install oblivion natural environments.

Also, when you click on the key item or whatever it is called "UOP" or "USIP" ingame, it brings up the version and list of things you can activate. I'm confused...some of them say things like "fix ______ bug (on or off)" kinda thing. Why would I have the feature of having those bugs kept in the game? Shouldn't they be fixed without me having to activate the fix?

Most mods will work fine in existing games, so don't worry about having to add everything right away.

As for the UOP and USIP menus. The Vampire feeding fix apparently can cause performance issues when turned on due to the way the fix works. Hence why it defaults to off. The trespassing fix is actually renaming a stat that previously went unused so turning it off will, as in vanilla, make the game not keep track of how many times you trespass. Matter of taste. Poison Apple warning is much the same way.

UOP Changelog wrote:The player will now receive a warning/confirmation dialog upon eating a Poisoned Apple, as the similarity of controls (click vs. Shift-click) made it too easy to accidentally eat one when trying to drop it (the apple will return on exiting menu mode, but if the player continues to eat apples on purpose without exiting the inventory screen they will be lost)

Some might consider that hand holding.

Regarding the USIP side of things, the excessive ambient issue is only relevant if you have older sound hardware. Better sound hardware has no issues with the ambience. As far as Escort fast travel goes...

USIP Changelog wrote:Fixed both Escorts not fast-traveling to follow the player; it appears that all companion fast-travel was disabled in the Shivering Isles as normal companions will not fast-travel if PlayerInSEWorld is set to 1. As this fix uses game-mode scripting to keep the Escorts close to the player (thus they may pop into view in third-person mode if they get too far behind) it is off by default and can be toggled on or off with the menu (see above)

So basically the menus are for toggling fixes that may have detrimental side-effects, may become irrelevant with new hardware, or are simply a matter of taste.

Alright, that puts my mind at ease, was wondering why on earth some fixes were "optional"

Anyone got any advice with the line 32 unexpected arguments prompt when installing USIP? It still installed, and i THINK it has something to do with overwriting things between UOP and USIP as it was said in the description, but it wasn't specific so I can't be sure.

edit: so I'm a little confused, this OBSE that everyone keeps talking about only has 43000 dls http://oblivion.nexusmods.com/mods/37952

but one mod that needs it has 1 million dls (deadly reflexes) http://oblivion.nexusmods.com/mods/8273

speaking of that deadly reflexes mod, I need to dl all this?! "Oblivion/Shivering Isles build/patch 1.2.0.416, Oblivion Script Extender (OBSE), Oblivion Graphics Extender (OGE), NifSE, 1st Person Legs mod, HUD Status Bars mod, Drop Lit Torches Obse mod, Oblivion Mod Manager (OBMM) or Wrye Bash" -_- this is going to take a while

Most people get linked to the main OBSE website to download it, rather then getting it from the Nexus. I didn't even know there was a Nexus page for it.

Hmm I see. So I have about 30 tabs open for different mods and it would seem that if I'm serious about it, I need, before anything else, OBMM, OBSE, and Wyre Bash?

Am I right to assume that OBSE is a one time thing for my purposes? I don't have to "add" it to OBMM since it does work behind the scenes so to speak? But regarding OBMM and Wyre Bash, reading the descriptions, they seem kinda similar, yet mods need one or the other or both....

Will they conflict?

dtmwerks wrote:Hmm I see. So I have about 30 tabs open for different mods and it would seem that if I'm serious about it, I need, before anything else, OBMM, OBSE, and Wyre Bash?

Am I right to assume that OBSE is a one time thing for my purposes? I don't have to "add" it to OBMM since it does work behind the scenes so to speak? But regarding OBMM and Wyre Bash, reading the descriptions, they seem kinda similar, yet mods need one or the other or both....

Will they conflict?

There's nothing wrong with using both Bash and OBMM. I have both installed and have used them both in the past, though I find myself in Bash far more often.
OBSE, especially for the Steam version, is plug and play. Just follow the installation instructions and make sure that the Steam Overlay is enabled for Oblivion.

Ok, first I gotta move steam out of program files yes?

http://wiki.tesnexus.com/index.php/Obli ... _procedure

This link tells me all I need to know about it, but says that steam users just need to move steam. Do I still need to clean up registry and all that?

Aw [&@%!] I should've caught that one earlier. I tend not to think about that one too much because I'm still on Windows XP.

Anyway, I'm 99% sure that all you need to do is move the Steam Installation using the method in the Steam FAQ (linked to on that wiki page). Steam itself should handle the rest.

Damn, some other guy on oblivion.nexus forums said I should clean up registry, uninstall oblivion, defrag, disk clean, and reboot! Oh well....at least my computer should be a little bit more organized...

Windows XP eh? Damn that's old school!

Well Steam is in it's rightful place, I think i'll just reinstall the mods instead of using the backup or whatever. Also hope configuring my xbox controller goes smoothly should I opt to use it.

Should be fairly safe to install wyre bash, OBMM, BOSS, then anything else i want in whatever order?

Also, another speedbump

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Contr ... or_Windows

I dled it and got to the step of copy and pasting all that code into "a file named Xbox360.xpaddercontroller and save it in your Xpadder folder."

I couldn't even find a file named that, and when I tried to open xpadder.exe, I find out it doesn't support windows 7! Is the guide out of date? What should I do?

Yeah my comp's pretty dated. Oh well.

It doesn't matter what order you install all those tools in.

Xpadder, at least the most recent version, is supposed to work not only on Windows 7 but even on Windows 8. Best thing I can suggest to you is to update your Xpadder to the most recent 2012.05.01 build.

As for that file, I think you misunderstood the directions, that or they aren't worded very well. You're supposed to copy all that code into Notepad and save the file as Xbox360.xpaddercontroller. There won't be any existing file of that name.

Oh I see, hmmmm I played through the tutorial on the keyboard. Someone on nexus forums warned me that xbox controllers for oblivion on PC was often far from perfect. Got any opinions on that?

Keyboard was hard to get used to and there is so much to consider.

a) played skyrim on keyboard and got used to it completely fine almost. which makes me consider switching oblivion keys to skyrim keys. but some people have said that the defaults actually work well with the UI and how the game was designed. all I know is I want a take all option and space = jump!

b) The official xpadder site charges for their software (the 2012 one you speak of). Wary of the free versions on piratebay and other sites that might be harmful to my computer...but haven't searched thoroughly enough tbh.

dtmwerks wrote:Oh I see, hmmmm I played through the tutorial on the keyboard. Someone on nexus forums warned me that xbox controllers for oblivion on PC was often far from perfect. Got any opinions on that?

Keyboard was hard to get used to and there is so much to consider.

a) played skyrim on keyboard and got used to it completely fine almost. which makes me consider switching oblivion keys to skyrim keys. but some people have said that the defaults actually work well with the UI and how the game was designed. all I know is I want a take all option and space = jump!

b) The official xpadder site charges for their software (the 2012 one you speak of). Wary of the free versions on piratebay and other sites that might be harmful to my computer...but haven't searched thoroughly enough tbh.

I answered (a) in your other thread as I saw it there first.

I can understand the difficulty of getting used to first person controls on the K&M, though I suppose I got off easy with my entry game being Portal, but again, controls are configurable in game. This is true of 90%+ of PC games. Everything I've read about setting up Xpadder for Oblivion on an X360 controller tells me that its a lot of hassle, and from all the things I can tell, you can't get the same functionality with X360 controller on PC that you get just playing on X360. There always seems to be one or two things left out. You'll have to play around to see what works for you.