Optimising Oblivion v2.0

6) Better trees
This is actually a tweak we didn’t see any noticeable improvement in our testing, but have included for completeness because others on the official forums are positive it makes a difference.

bForceFullLOD=1   (default 0)

Forces higher level of detail on trees, may have small performance impact. Also note the following settings:

fLODTreeMipMapLODBias=-0.7500
fLocalTreeMipMapLODBias=-0.2500

These take advantage of negative LOD biases to also improve the image quality of trees. Note that NVIDIA drivers by default prevent negative LOD ranges. To change this set 'Negative LOD bias' from ‘Clamp’ to ‘Allow’. You can find this option under Performance & Quality Settings --> Global driver settings --> View: Advanced settings in the NVIDIA driver properties. Again, on our 7800GTX system this made no measurable difference to image quality, but your mileage may vary.

7) Anti-zoom conversations
It’s a matter if preference but if you prefer not to see up someone’s nostrils while talking set the following:

DlgFocus=4.0000   (default 2.1000)

Or suit to taste, settings from 2 to 5 work well.

8) Bypassing intro movies
Tired of pressing Esc when launching game? Set the following line to be blank like so:

SIntroSequence=

9) Removing annoying prompts
Do you *really* need to know that your game is ‘Loading…’ ? Install the following mod:

Remove annoying text prompts   (download)

10) Reducing HDR exposure
HDR is sweet, but a little overpowering inside. Set the following under [BlurShaderHDRInterior] only:

fBlurRadius=6.0000   (default 7.0000)
fBrightScale=1.7500   (default 2.2500)

11) Tailoring dialog distances
If you find the face to face dialogs too quiet, or too loud, while all other sounds are pefect you can alter the volume here:

fDBVoiceAttenuationIn2D=10.0000   (default 0.0000)

Similarly, if you find conversations at a distace trail off too soon, play with these settings:

fDialogAttenuationMax=35.0000
fDialogAttenuationMin=7.75000

We experimented with different near and far values, and find the defaults best. It really depends on your sound subsytem, and your ears. Note that tweaking the 'max' distance can effectively be a cheat.

12) Field of view
The field of view really is a matter of taste. Some people prefer the default 75, others 90, and others still somewhere in between. Oblivion allows you to change the FOV in game, but it resets after any trasnition (having a conversation, entering a door etc). It can be forced in the ini file, but when the game starts menus are misaligned and the game is unplayable.

In the version 1.0 of this guide we said to keep an eye on the forums for updates on getting this working. Sure enough Scanti's thread details how to set a FOV of 90, and make it stick. It's a little convoluted, but the summary is:

a) Leave fDefaultFOV in your .ini set to 75.
b) Write protect the .ini file (right click on it --> Properties, click 'Read only').
c) Launch Oblivion and load your save game
d) Bring down the console with '`' (more on this later) and type:

SetINI "fDefaultFOV:Display" 90.00

Note this has a different effect than just the command fov 90.
e) Save your game.

Thereafter when you launch Oblivion the menus will be aligned, starting with a FOV of 75. When you load your game, the FOV setting of 90 is initilised, and because the .ini is read only Oblivion can't 'reset' the value between transitions. Or something. It's crazy like that.

With the .ini being read-only, it should go without saying this is the very last tweak you will want to make!