Modding Oblivion Questions

[Dirty Apple]

This is a 2-parter:

1. Will installing a mod destroy or update game I'm currently playing;

2. Which mods do the Escapist community recommend?

 

[Josh Horton]

1. It can break it if you do it wrong, I don't know about forcing a game update though :\
2. I haven't modded it yet since reformatting my desktop about 6 months ago

 

[Hazy]

This is a 2-parter:

1. Will installing a mod destroy or update game I'm currently playing;

It shouldn't, no. Make sure you install Oblivion Script Extender for big overhauls, like Oblivion XP.

2. Which mods do the Escapist community recommend?

Oblivion XP is a main one. It fixes the broken combat system with a more traditional experience leveling.
Natural Environments is also really, really pretty.

Deadly Reflex is pretty cool, it makes combat a lot harder, but you'd better know how to alter load orders before you start it.

 

[Razmas]

In response to your queries:

1. No, mods will not adversely affect your games in any way (unless you install them incorrectly I suppose). You can simply enable or disable mods at any time in the 'Data Files' section of the launcher, even if you disable a mod and then play the save you had it on, the game will just inform you that there is some content that won't be present until you reactivate it.

2. Really it depends on what type of mod you are looking for, but a good site to find them is www.tesnexus.com (sorry if this counts as advertising or goes against the forum rules in any way). I recommend going on there and checking thier top 100. A couple I would heartily recommend myself are 'Better Cities' and 'Middas Magic Spells of Aurum'

 

[Dirty Apple]

-snip-

-snip-

-snip-

Thank you all for your prompt responses. I'll start downloading me some mods toute suite!

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

Use OBMM. It makes installing most mods ridiculously easy to install.

 

[Rawne1980]

No, mods will not update your game for you.

Some mods need the most up to date patch to work but won't actually do the updating on your behalf.

A mod "can" break your game, corrupt saves, crash, freeze and generally make it unplayable if you install them wrong.

If you are new to modding, like never installed one before, you need a few programs to go along with.

OBMM, Oblivion Mod Manager, it sorts out your mods and keeps them in the load order you want. Some mods need to be loaded before others and this allows you to change the position.

BOSS, Better Oblivion Sorting Software. This will tell you what order to load the mods in and if there are any errors.

OBVSE, Oblivion Script Extender. A must have.

Companion Vilja, if you need a companion then get that one. She has a decent quest line and fully voiced. Recognises quests you are on and interacts with other companions and the like. The folks that made this put a good amount of effort in.

Akatosh Mount. Only if you want to use a flying dragon style mount. Yes, yes indeed .. a flying mount in Oblivion.

http://www.nehrim.de/indexEV.html

Only install the above after you have finished with Oblivion. It's a complete conversion and pretty much turns it into a completely different game.

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/

Check that out for a full list of mods.

 

[Sewer Rat]

1. Really this can vary from mod to mod. Some mods such as ones that overhaul the landscape will require you to go into an empty room (such as your house) and then load the mod, or else it will crash on load. Just be sure to read the readme before you install and you should be fine. That being said though, be sure to do the same with any other characters you may have that you may want to go back to... Otherwise you may never be able to play as them again... I know from experience... Not a day goes by I don't miss that guy *sniff*.. anyway where was I? Oh yes, golden rule is, read before you mod.
2. There are so many good mods out there I can't list em all here. Will say though, I have had a lot of fun with Unecessary violence and Deadly Reflex's add a lot to the game, and make playing as a stealth character a lot more fun and rewarding if your into that, and if not still add a lot. Just never been able to get the damned dual wielding to work... Other then that though, I would say go to the Oblivion Nexus, and check out their top 100 list, be sure to check out the ones that interest you, if you like what you see, try it out. Just remember, if you don't like it, you can always uninstall it. A mod manager is a plus unless you really want to put some work in dealing with load order, uninstallation and a lot of other things so definitely get the oblivion mod manager.
Happy Modding!

 

[Wintermoot]

if you aren't sure about a mod backup your data folder.
and I recommend the unofficial patches. It fixes more bugs then Bethesda ever did.

 

[LilithSlave]

more traditional experience leveling.

What do we mean by this? Do we mean like the exp system like "you defeated the opponent and got 300 exp. 56000 exp to level up!"?

By the way, I wouldn't want to mod the lands of Oblivion unless I had really thoroughly explored it already. And then just to see a variation on things that were already pretty.

What should be modded in oblivion is the faces. I don't know much myself yet. But for your own character(won't fix all of the bad faces of other NPCs, sadly), is the tried and true Ren's Beauty Pack. It's one of the most common mods ever. You'll also want to download the Custom Character Fix to start a new game with that character.

These two mods show no problems whatsoever and are two of the most commonly used Oblivion mods in existence. You can certainly start with those.

The faces, jumping, and generally uninteresting battle system, are the only particular areas of modding note that are lacking in the game. Oh, and Bethesda didn't put near enough quests in the game. The main quest can be done in no time, and as a jRPG fan, I'm used to quests that are as long as Tales of Symphonia. And side quests that are as lengthy and numerous as the ones in Final Fantasy X-2.

And sadly, I actually wouldn't be surprised if Final Fantasy X-2 had more side quests than Oblivion.

 

[Hazy]

more traditional experience leveling.

What do we mean by this? Do we mean like the exp system like "you defeated the opponent and got 300 exp. 56000 exp to level up!"?

That's exactly what I mean, though to my knowledge the experience cap stays the same.

I.e tougher enemies give more experience, but you won't need more experience to level the higher you get.

You also get experience for doing things like completing quests, fighting in the arena, and so forth. It really is a much better system than the one already put in place.

 

[Ruwrak]

This is a 2-parter:

1. Will installing a mod destroy or update game I'm currently playing;

2. Which mods do the Escapist community recommend?

1. It will -not- add anything to the game itself apart from the mod content. Some mod content require version xxx.xxxxx.xx by Bethesda though. Not every mod is compatible with every version.

Installing a mod is done by checking the .esp file in the data section of the menu before booting the game. It will then (once you load a save game) apply the mod. It also works in reverse. Turning the modd off and then loading your game will remove the mod completely (including items, stat changers and all things associated with the mod.)

Do note that modding might cause minor instability-issues because the game is unsure how to anticipate (or something like that codewise) on the mod. As with all technology chances are that it will actually break. But this can also happen without mods, but not to often unless the mod is really horrible.

If the load game function says "Save data corrupted" disable all the mods and then try to reload again.

2. None actually. I wouldn't know which one. If it was about Morrowind it was a different story. Plus my knowledge goes back about the time of release so I don't really know the mod scene or what is new or fun. You might want to check out the Elderscroll Nexus website, they have tons of mods and even a community supporting you.

 

[LilithSlave]

That's exactly what I mean, though to my knowledge the experience cap stays the same.

That's awesome. I need to download that right now.

 

[Paladin2905]

I've always found this flow chart to be very useful; it shows the order for installing some popular mods and gives you some choice as to what you want.

http://i.imgur.com/Evdqp.jpg



If you're feeling very, VERY ambitions, you can always attempt installting FCOM, which is a combination of four of the largest Oblivion mods. I managed to do it once, there is an excellent instruction set out there somewhere (can't remember where). It takes a lot of time, but damn does it make that game so much more atmospheric and enjoyable- its like a whole new experience.