So I bought Oblivion from the Steam sale

[SUPA FRANKY]

Like everyone else, I've seen the trailer for Skyrim ( I'm still picking up the pieces of my head from the floor). So that will definitely be a day one buy.

But the thing is, I've never really played an Elder Scrolls game. I was on Steam yesterday and found Oblivion Game of the Year Edition dirt cheap.

I've made it to the part where Septim gets killed by that cultist guy. Guess this is when the game begins...

So what do I need to know? I've heard about mods, but I just started getting into PC gaming, so I'm really lost. From what I've seen, there are hundred of mods, and I really don't want useless stuff clogging up my hard rive.

So what do I need to know about Oblivion?

Which Mods are good? ( Mods I'd like: Get rid of the uncanny valley faces, probably sex, etc.)

 

[Irridium]

Well, most great mods use the script extender, which is a ***** to get working with the Steam version. I could point you to some good mods. But quite a few don't play too well with Oblivion off of Steam. Neither do the main programs, the Mod Manager and Script Extender.

At least from my friend's experience a year ago. Things may have changed, I don't know.

Again, I'd like to help, but I have little-to-no knowledge of getting the stuff to work with Oblivion off Steam.

It's not really Steam that's the problem, it's just that Oblivion itself is just so poorly optimized and so unstable... getting it to run is a 50/50 chance on its own. Honestly, how this game managed to excape critic and public backlash for being so poorly optimized and so buggy is just dumbfounding.

EDIT: And if anyone uses Oblivion on Steam with mods and it works fine, good for you. But just because you have no problems, does NOT mean they don't exists and that those that have the problems are wrong. Oblivion has lots of issues, and if you manage to avoid them, well good for you. But not everyone has avoided them.

 

[The Dark Umbra]

I dont know much about mods so can't help you there. (If you go and do mages guild first and go to imbue your armor, you can get 100% chameleon on them which breaks the game) Or you can ignore my last sentence and id say go join one of the guilds (id suggest fighters arena cause it think its in the main city). The guild are like the largest amount of quests. Hope this helps u out.

 

[Carbonic Penguin]

Yeah, getting the best mods to work with Steam sounds like a pain. But I had lots of fun with vanilla Oblivion long before I got any mods for it! Just run around, explore and have fun! If you really cant stand the faces, then just search for a beautification mod on tesnexus, or just look in the top 10, i think there's one in there, and you don't need the script extender for that, i'm sure.

 

[ninja51]

Just play the game normally right now. Its a fantastic product and absolutly massive. It isnt oe of those games that needs mods right off the bat luckily, so just enjoy the game as is. Once you've done a playthrough and your comfortable with the ins and outs of the mechanics, then finding mods to improve your experiance will be easy

 

[eyesonflux]

All you need to know about oblivion is: Focus on the side quests main story line is not that long or interesting, i wouldn't mod the game yet if i were you try to enjoy it first without mods and when your enjoyment levels are dropping then use mods to gain more of it.

For sidequests to tackle i suggest Dark brotherhood or whatever it's called story is really good in that one or knights of the nine it was pretty cool for what i can remember of that epic ending.

Arena would be easy way to level up and gain money and fame so you might want to go there too.

One more thing if you like snowy mountains you should head to bruma and start saving money for that house in there it's really neat looking place.

 

[Cavan]

there are a couple mods which fix the game's idiotic scaling, i'd suggest looking for them unless you want to see the same bandits in the same spawns 40 hours later and for them to take exactly the same amount of time to kill, it's actually counter productive to level up in certain isntances because it will scale the difficulty more than the level you just gained.

 

[Kiefer13]

I'm afraid I can't really help you with any Steam-specific issues, since I bought the boxed version not long after release.

However, a good source of mods would be The Elder Scrolls Nexus [http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/categories.php#Oblivion]. You should be able to find most of the best ones pretty easily by going to a particular category and searching by "Endorsements" in a descending order.

One of the very first things I suggest you download is an improved UI mod. Vanilla Oblivion has an incredibly chunky and bloated UI that takes up an unnecessary amount of space while showing not very much information at once. Easily sorted with the right mod, though.

 

[Signa]

If you're new to the Elderscrolls games, you might want to read up on how leveling works, because it doesn't make a lot of sense at first.

A basic rundown is that you have your major skills and your minor skills. If you level your major skills 10 times, you level up your character the next time you rest. This means more HP and attribute points.

How many attribute points you get is where things get a little complicated. Every skill you have, major or minor have an attribute associated with them. Strength with your swords, speed with your running, etc etc. You can find out which does what by mousing over them and reading the info. This is important, because the skills you leveled before you got your tenth major skill level adjust how much you get to increase your stats.

On the level up screen, you get to choose 3 stats. Ideally, you will want to choose the stats that had the most bonuses on them, but you may want to consider dropping a point into luck, because that never gets more than a +1 on it. The sooner you level it up, the more you will have in the end. You can choose to be totally OCD about your stats and try to the get maximum +5 on 3 stats, or you can just goof around and level as you see fit. Just be warned that the game will start to feel like it's punishing you if you aren't getting more than a few +2s here or there. Thankfully there's ways to break the game in your favor if it gets broken against you.

Also, don't be scared to try out a second character after you learn the ropes. I don't think I ever got my first character "right" in an Elderscrolls game because there is so much to take in all at once.

 

[SUPA FRANKY]

Thanks guys, you really helped me out alot. Now I think I know everything that I should know at this point. I like the game so far, so if you'll excuse me, I'll be lost for the next 500 hours.

 

[thelastmccabe]

I just want to second what other people have said about being aware of the leveling system and the way it interacts with the level scaling. It sort of ruined the game for me on the PS3 version because my guy got a lot weaker as I leveled and I didn't want to tweak the difficulty slider. If you don't get any mods, you will need to either (1) never level (your skills will still improve), (2) design a character for optimal leveling and do optimal leveling, or (3) level willy nilly like I did but then be willing to adjust the difficulty slider when your character gets weaker as you level up.

If I were you, I would just never level up.

 

[94samWOW]

When I played Oblivion, I played the xbox version (I know, I know... Such blasphemy), and I thoroughly enjoyed it mod-free. I think it's a great game even without mods and I wouldn't let the fact that they're there deter you from the features that Bethesda threw in on their own. That being said, the creepy faces and glitchy combat can go without much remorse, if you can find something for that. The leveling system isn't horribly unlivable, but you might want to get rid of it if you're easily frustrated by that sort of thing (Once again, I never modded, so I have absolutely no idea what mods are out there for this one).

 

[chromewarriorXIII]

Well, most great mods use the script extender, which is a ***** to get working with the Steam version. I could point you to some good mods. But quite a few don't play too well with Oblivion off of Steam. Neither do the main programs, the Mod Manager and Script Extender.

I've only ever had one problem with getting mods to run on the Steam version, and that was because of the mod itself.

The annoying thing is that it's a much longer process to get to the Data folder that is needed to install mods, but the path is: C:>Program Files>Steam>steamapps>common>oblivion>Data

Once you know that, it's the exact same as installing mods in the stand-alone version.

As for mods, I suggest the following:

2nd to 1st Person [http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=4132]
Advanced Water Modification [http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=2734]
Alive Waters [http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=6914]
Alternative Start: Arrive by Ship [http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=11495]
Creature Diversity [http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=26634]
Deadly Reflex [http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=8273]
Hemingweys Capes [http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=29012]
Kvatch Rebuilt [http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=15412]
Midas Magic Spells of Aurum [http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=9562]
Natural Environments [http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=2536]
The Well of Minlorada [http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=38816]
Streamline [http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=10400]
DarNified UI [http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=10763]

You're also probably going to want this to ensure that all your mods work: OBSE (Oblivion Script Extender) [http://obse.silverlock.org/]

Okay... that's quite a few, but those are just ones that I feel really improve the experience of the game or add good quests (Kvatch Rebuilt and Minlorada).

If you need more mods then go to TES Nexus [http://www.tesnexus.com]. They've got so many mods that you're bound to find what you're looking for.

 

[Rooster Cogburn]

I have modded my Steam version of Oblivion extensively. All you need to know about the Steam version is where the Oblivion/Data file is located and how to get Oblivion Script Extender working with your version. ChromewarriorXIII has detailed the file path for you above. Follow the instructions in this link to get OBSE working. This thread is a sticky at the top of the official Steam forum for Oblivion. You can get virtually all mods to work with the Steam version, you just need to account for the different file path.

[link]http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=900993[/link]

My advise is to not worry too much about mods at the moment. Play vanilla (unmodded) for a while, maybe for one complete play through. This will give you an idea of what mods you want in the future. There may be some things you want to change right off, such as the user interface and the way attribute points are distributed. I recommend Realistic Leveling ([link]http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=13879[/link]) and DarkUId DarN ([link]http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=11280[/link]). You can find mods on [link]tesnexus.com[/link].

There are a few major overhauls that you can get with installer versions. This gives you maximum modding with minimum challenge. These include Oscuro's Oblivion Overhaul (OOO) and Francesco's Leveled Creatures and Items. Be warned, these overhauls (particularly OOO) can make your game extremely challenging! As always, read the ReadME to understand how they change your game!

As far as I can tell, Oblivion has the largest and broadest modding community out there. There are more great mods than you could use in a lifetime. You should always use the ReadME for each mod. This should be enough to get you started if you read carefully and take your time. If not, ask for help here, on the official Elder Scrolls forums, or on tesnexus.com. Modding seems tough at first, but it is very rewarding. It can be just as much fun to mod the game as to play it. You will be stunned and amazed what you can do with mods.

Finally, I'll mention some advanced concepts. Don't touch Wrye Bash yet or any mods that require it. This is for experienced modders. If you feel comfortable with it, you should use Oblivion Mod Manager instead. If you spend a lot of time looking for mods, you will probably hear of FCOM. This is a compatibility super-mod that allows several major overhauls to run together. This requires Wrye Bash and is intended for experienced modders only. Do not attempt to use FCOM until you are much more experienced. FCOM will eat you alive and spit out your bones.

 

[WhiteTiger225]

Well, most great mods use the script extender, which is a ***** to get working with the Steam version. I could point you to some good mods. But quite a few don't play too well with Oblivion off of Steam. Neither do the main programs, the Mod Manager and Script Extender.

At least from my friend's experience a year ago. Things may have changed, I don't know.

Again, I'd like to help, but I have little-to-no knowledge of getting the stuff to work with Oblivion off Steam.

It's not really Steam that's the problem, it's just that Oblivion itself is just so poorly optimized and so unstable... getting it to run is a 50/50 chance on its own. Honestly, how this game managed to excape critic and public backlash for being so poorly optimized and so buggy is just dumbfounding.

Really? It has nothing to do with Steam using a special file set which makes oblivion for steam near impossible to mod? Just all Bethesda's fault even though presteam Oblivion ran fine and was easy as cake to mod and get the script extender to run on with little problems especially when you used WryeBash to ensure the optimal load order of mods to ensure nothing overlaps anything else or loads before something it needs?


WARNING: Realistic leveling mod has been mentioned, but interferes with MANY other mods. You have been warned.

 

[Knusper]

Well once you're in the proper world, I recommend assassinating a civilian and going to sleep, great things will follow (if you weren't caught). The guilds offer the best quests, except for the Fighters Guild, which is basically just "go down into cave, kill some trolls, find treasure, return home".

In terms of mods, I find that Oblivion Script Extender (OBSE) is quite hard to get working for the Steam version, so use Oblivion Mod Manager (OBMM). Just explore TES NEXUS to find the best mods - there are loads out there.

 

[Continuity]

PLay vanilla, once you've worked out what annoys you go find a mod that fixes it. Other than that you will want mods that improve the visuals, its not a bad looking game but you can make it look substantially better with the right mods (cant remember off the top of my head which).

The only mod I remember actually needing was something to do with the sound file for my horse's foot steps.. cant remember exactly what the problem was, I think it was game breaking lag when riding the horse.. all caused by a sound file having a problem with my sound card or something like that.

 

[chronicfc]

Like everyone else, I've seen the trailer for Skyrim ( I'm still picking up the pieces of my head from the floor). So that will definitely be a day one buy.

Already Preordered

Personally I just pick a theme to RP, Jedi, Assassin, Templar ect. I quite like joining the dark Brotherhood or Thieves Guild, but I'll leave it to you to find your best way through

 

[Llil]

There's a couple of mods that, in my opinion, are pretty much mandatory. They don't change anything major, but they fix the biggest problems I had with the game.

Spoiler: links

Attack and Hide [http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=36465] (fixes sneaking)
No Psychic Guards [http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=11911]
Monsters NOLVL [http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=1891] (monster levels don't scale with the player)
Arrow Velocity [http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=1793] (faster arrows)
And some mod that increases bow damage, for example:
Bow Damage Balanced [http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=8181]

 

[Popadoo]

Pro Tip for playing Oblivion: Explore everywhere. There are loads of quests you'd miss out on if you just stick to the main cities.