On Modding Original Oblivion and some starting points

[DedZedNub]

Ok, so I left a post with smr1957 who handles the Help & References threads for over a decade on Skyrim pages here on Steam (both Oldrim and Skyrim SE), and he suggested these two links as best places to start:

1 ) https://www.afkmods.com/index.php?/forum/359-tes-iv-oblivion/

This I had seen referenced also recently in a few of the better posts on original Oblivion in the last month or so on YouTube. So not just his suggestion. It has an old history this site, I believe, and existed well back probably near the time of Oblivion's release and was the last survivor for modding Oblivion. Of course Nexus Mods also exist, but this should be specific to the Oblivion series.

2) https://help.bethesda.net/?#en/search/The%20Elder%20Scrolls%20IV%3A%20Oblivion%20Remastered

This links to the current main section of Bethesda's Main forums on Oblivion Remastered and it should get use near to the original Oblivion as well.

Just in case here is smr1957's actual reply copied here just in case I confuse things up for you: I'll edit it in here in a moment

** I"m actually finding much of these resources are confusing and teach a mix of old ways vs new ways, and there is a serious jolting break between the two methods. So I will radically revise my suggestions within a week. But I have to test this stuff and find a good, easy, succinct way to explain this all, thus the wait. 6-10 easy mods, and a few simple steps before and after, save time for people who want something like Skyrim like gameplay, as a starting point. **

[DedZedNub]

Originally posted by smr1957:

Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch (USSEP) Version 4.3.4 is now live.

For complete changelog, see:
https://www.afkmods.com/index.php?/topic/10216-relz-unofficial-skyrim-special-edition-patch/

For Download locations see:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/489830/discussions/0/1741090847739345133/?ctp=22#c521957463060180783
(In the PINNED TOPIC Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch (USSEP))

[DedZedNub]

Of course, as a Guide to the Oblivion Game there is the great UESP.net :

https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Oblivion

That link will send you to the Oblivion section. This has so much info on all of the Elder Scrolls Series, and it is written in a great accurate style. No matter what game of the Elder Scroll, if you want to know something specific about how the game works, this is the place, in my opinion to go.

[DedZedNub]

I'm no expert on Oblivion, so can't help that much otherwise, have played it many hours a decade back and more. But I thought the discussions were asking so many questions and wanted to give you guys new to the older game, some places to start. Hopefully, some other original Oblivion GOTY players with more experience will add info perhaps in this thread and help get you going.

But in the interim, there you have it.

[DedZedNub]

Terran Ghost suggests using NORTHERN UI for CONTROLLER SUPPORT for Original Oblivion GOTY . This is available at Nexusmods and probably also afkmods sites.

Below is the link, though Steam may flag it as dangerous, nobody who mods believes Nexus Mods is dangerous. I would however always do a virus check on any download from there, however, that's standard practice, before opening up the file:

https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/48577

[lonetrav]

Regarding "starting points": Why use mods in the first place? I suppose the goal is to improve the game (whatever this means for you). Do you know what exactly you want to improve? Then go searching for a mod / mods improving it.
If you just want to add as many mods as possible, search for the biggest modlist (or use several in parallel).

[DedZedNub]

You don't have to use Mods, it just can avoid certain problems.

It really becomes a three stage process. First, you can just up the graphics by messing with the original Oblivion Launcher, it's quite easy. Basically pick the Ultra Preset down at the bottom right. This then turns on the longer view with decent Level of Details out farther, and bumps it up from 640x 480 to 1024x768. Then you can also go up into the resolution and pick your native monitor resolution, like 1920x1080. That's all with no mods, even works for 4k monitors at least on some YouTube videos. Then you can once in the game, make all the sliders for things go to max, if you want, and turn off bloom and turn on HDR. Looks better, much better now.

Changing the leveling and xp system, so that you have more Skyrim like Leveling is just one mod, you pick it or set it up as you want.

But with less than say 8 GBs of more disk space used, you can easily to a complete visual and QoL overhaul to original Oblivion and get it to be basically on a Skyrim standard level. At that point, original Oblivion competes with the remaster. Nice style Leveling, DarNified UI that looks as good as the Remasters and as functional.

There are the old Unofficial Patches, one for the main game, on for Shivering Isles, and one for Knight of the Nine, one for the Downloadable Mods like Horse Armor etc.

Those just avoid some likely quest bugs, fix terrain issues, make sure the stats on gear etc are corrected, that sort of stuff. That's old school modding, but can the Unofficial Patches take up some disk space.

You also have newer mods that chan

But there are some very good texture and mesh mobs now in just one download, so called Visual Overhauls, and they are really good. No seams at the neck, replace all the armors with a nicer mesh, better skin textures and hairs, all that. One Mod, so not much to worry abou there, but you will need a half or up to a gigabyte of disk space to do those. You even have a simple mod to the Camera which allows you to easily switch 3D view, so that your character aims the bow without blocking the view in Third Person with his head, and you can switch shoulders. You have the old Leveling Method Mods, all kinds, so that you don't have to worry about the old Leveling System with the Attributes and Minor or Major Skills nonsense.

You also have newer mods that change how combat works, how characters move, even for how to dual wield I believe.

Also, you know how in Skyrim they talk about ENBs and all that, for like Water, or the Weather or the look of all that. Original Oblivion has all of that also now. Yep. And that's new school.

Now, I don't consider all of the above necessary, but the point is the game itself is 5.8 GB disk space. The mods above are under 6 GB, not counting special Screenspace Shaders, not counting ENBs which don't take much, not counting the 4GB LLA RAM USE patch (both of which take little drive space) and all that. So for under 12 GB TOTAL drive space, you have about the same looks, or at least good quality Skyrim SE competitive looks.

Cost is zero, but it does take time, and some minor learning. Actually not much, if the dang modding scene wasn't so old school explaining a ton more than you actually need.

If you stick to like 5-10 mods, you can expand Original Oblivion to have virtually no bugs, the kind of look you want, more quests and enemies if you want, a different leveling method that you pick, and it looks and acts a lot, in terms of mechanics as Skyrim. It would be like making Skyrim have an Oblivion game right into it.

No need for the Remaster, no need even to wait for Skyblivion, although I'm sure those will have some things some will like more, and all that.

But I had to get up to speed, and I have to test all that myself, and there is SO MUCH NOISE OUT THERE. Many Modding Experts of Scions, they moved no, and there are now multiple ways to mod things, and the ability to know this, it isn't clear unless you stayed in the community. I wasn't really aware of that until about the last 48 hours. I found a few videos and comments, and I realized the way it is being presented in many ways isn't palatable for the average gamer. It's a mess. Worse than the Skyrim modding scene is, even though overall the same capabilitiies and newer methods are there for Oblivion also.

So, even though this was a rabbit hole I didn't want to get into, I'll try and put some short summary up later. Up to now, I didn't realize that the old explanations are actually not the way to present this. It is just too complicated, so much of this is already packaged right in some few mods that are all configurable, it isn't worth the crap.

Just want to test it myself some more and so on. And I have a life, and I don't like modding that much, as I feel I could play another game better like Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon, or even Dragon's Dogma 1 in the meantime -- but I also believe in value and customers not getting screwed over -- there is value in value and self-sufficiency.

[DedZedNub]

So at some point within the week, I think I'm going to revise extensively the original post and other things. I know what I want to do basically, and I doubt I'll need even 8-10 mods to do it.

I just want the Player Characters and NPCs to look a bit more Skyrimish -- that's one mod really.

For me, the buildings and terrain are good enough.

I want a leveling method mod, there are several good ones.

I want the Unofficial Patches to avoid bugs etc.

I want some QoL Camera, movement, combat fixes.

I want probably to add in something (optionally) like Maskar's -- which is a nice overhaul that adds in tons of enemies, even dungeon extensions, additional features etc , and that looks promising.

I then want to make it relatively simple, know the right load order, be able to explain it easily or mention the YouTube Videos that make it clear, and so on.

And I have to test it myself, and learn from the mistakes.

I've Modded Oblivion and every Bethesda game before, but I don't enjoy the huge loss of time to do so usually. But I feel now I have to just do it (since I'm doing it for myself anyway) and just do these basics, make a good starting resource for the person wanting the option to go Orig Oblivion with Mods vs remaster -- for a new average gamer.

And that's it, nothing more. I do have a life.