The biggest and best guide for getting the most from Oblivion, organised by priority and function. A massive community effort compiled and rated for easy modding.
MOD LIST UPDATED:28/4/06, 30/4/061/5/06, 11/5/06(look for UPDATED and NEW entries)
IMPORTANT 1.1 PATCH INFORMATIONThe new 1.1 beta patch from Bethesda impacts the display of texture packs and the operation of mods. Fix both with the following:
* The patch updates the compressed textures .bsa file, causing it to have a newer date than your texture replacement mods, and giving the textures in the .bsa file priority. This can be fixed by either:
1) Ensuring you have an up-to-date 'ArchiveInvalidation.txt' file. An excellent tool to automatically create this for you is the Oblivion Content Validator [ download ]2) Re-set the date on 'Oblivion - Textures - Compressed.bsa' back to its original date (24th Jan 2006). A handy tool for changing file dates is, funnily enough, FileDate Changer [ download ] (credit goes to Koroush Ghazi of Tweakguides for this link)
* Oblivion.esm, the master data file, will have a new and recent date after the patch, causing it to appear near the end of your mod load order. As a parent file it shouldn't be an issue but to avoid possible problems:
1) Grab the Oblivion Mod Manager if you aren't already using it [ download ]2) Set the view to 'Load order', click on 'Oblivion.esm', then click on 'Move up' until it's back at the very top. Tip: you can hold down Enter to speed this up!
See Page 10 of this guide for a discussion on mod load ordering.
This feature is Part 3 of our Optimising Oblivion v2.0 guide (be sure to read and follow this so the game runs smoothly and beautifully), but is posted seperately because it's just so darn big. In fact, this piece has been in production since Oblivion was released, and we've been holding off posting it until the modding community was well underway.
And now is just about right.
The art of Oblivion moddingJust to set the scene for what mods are and what they can do for you: it's been just over a month since Oblivion was released, and there are already over 500 mods available. That's an average of 17 a day, produced by a legion of fans with nothing but the game and the official Construction Set in hand.
This modding community comprises talented, intelligent, passionate gamers who each bring to the game their own specialty and style. It goes without saying that not all mods appeal to everyone - some are just a bit of fun, some are a matter of taste, but many of them are carefully constructed additions to the game that enhance the visuals, performance, or gameplay of Oblivion. So much so, in fact, that playing without them is to miss a more enjoyable experience of the the game.
If you're a passionate, play-it-as-pure type of gamer who doesn't want to mess with Bethesda's release by tainting it with mods, you are in fact the perfect candidate to use them - many of the mods covered here fix known bugs, enhance the original experience in line with the vision of the game, or add to it in ways that even a lobotomised zombie (and that's saying something) could see changes it for the better.
Why mods?First up, an introduction to mods for those new to the concept. The biggest question you're probably wondering is what all the hoohah on mods is all about. Do they really make a difference?
Consider this: the ability to modify game content is now essential to a game's success. If you chart the path of any game in the history of, well, the entire universe you'll note that those that have allowed players to tweak and add their own content have prospered way beyond their creator's dreams.
Valve did the right thing with Half Life by making tools and SDKs available to let others create their own games, but we'd wager even this landmark company didn't expect the success mods helped the game achieve. Half Life is still played today, and not because it's fun to run around as Gordon time and again. Counter Strike started as, and remains, a mod for Half Life. And its public success has culminated in a monetary return for Valve.
Games only have so much replayability before they are put down and forgotten. Developers who release tools to allow gamers to change or create their own content extend the life of their game, their brand, and ultimately their company.
Bethesda, like Valve, has seen the value in allowing gamers to create content for their games. The precursor to Oblivion, Morrowind, was so wonderfully open to modding that we daresay it's the most modded game in existence. There are thousands of mods available for Morrowind and, like Half Life, it's still played today even with Oblivion on the shelves.
So in this day and age of Shader Model 3.0 cards and mutli-gigabyte games, why do people still play these older games and their mods? They do so because it's all about the gameplay, and there are no greater experts on gameplay than the gamers themselves. Give them the tools to create, and you're guaranteed to be amazed.
That's the why, now let's get onto the how. And, of course, the Atomic recommended mods list!
Issue: 107 | December, 2009