Oblivion: mods
Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2007 9:31 am
seeing as how the original oblivion thread died, and i just now got into oblivion mods, i'll just start a new topic on that.
anyways, we all know halo can be more fun with mods, but what about oblivion? personally, i think it's a million times better, and fixes all the annoying things in the game. because i play for realism = immersion = fun, here's the mods i've got running, and that i HIGHLY suggest. (also, feel free to post your own favorites and links to them, maybe we can get a good list of mods started.)
all mod names are bolded to make the list easier to read. must-have mods have a red asterisk in front of them.
cities alive at night | link | = makes cities look lived in at night, so when you're heading back to chorrol after a run through a dungeon, there will be lights on in the city.
darker dungeons & darker nights | link | = makes nights and dungeons darker, thus giving torches a real purpose, and making you feel like you actually are out in the dark.
attack & hide | link | = allows for you to sneak attack enemies more than once, because when you're invisible and hit them with an arrow 100 feet away, they shouldn't be able to automatically find you.
deadlier traps | link | = makes the traps in dungeons MUCH deadlier, because living through some of them is just unfeasible (like the floor block that shoots you up into spikes)
fading torches |can't find link =( | = makes torches gradually fade from their brighteset when you first use them to rather dim when they're about to die, again giving torches a purpose.
*Illuminated Within Revived (and IWR optimised) | IWR optimised | | IWR original | = illuminated within lights up windows at night, because walking through any city at night and seeing every single house dark is dumb. the optimised version of this is a must have, because it is significantly lighter on the CPU than the original, so it's same great effect at about 1/10 of the lag. NOTE: if you want to run optimised, you MUST download the original and install it.
chase camera mod | link | = if you like using the 3rd person camera, but hate how bouncy it is, etc., then get this. it smooths out the 3rd person camera alot, and is a must-have for anyone that plays often in 3rd person.
days & months | link | = just adds the english name for months and days behind the default game ones, so you finally know what day and month it is instaed of all this "WTF is frost fall" nonsense.
get wet | link | = makes characters look wet when it rains or after they swim around a bit. the droplets are OK, but lok ugly on arms because they get stretched, but it's all right.
P1D keychain | link | = to reduce inventory clutter, it groups the hundreds of keys you'll collect in one item called the keychain. it causes some lag when opening the inventory, but i personally thing it's worth not having to scroll past a hundred things i don't need to see.
VA_BetterGold | link | = makes the gold coins' mesh and texture in the game much better. not a huge mod, but when you see gold lying on a table, it's totally worth it the other times you don't get to see it in action.
realistic force | link | = haven't looked too deep into this one, but gives bodies more realistic physics, as opposed to when you kill someone and their corpse flys in the air slow-mo style.
*phinix-waterfix | link |= re-does the water in oblivion. it looks better from land, and is much clearer underwater, although still sort of foggy, because seeing forever under water is dumb, but so is seeing only 5 feet. it's a bit too clear underwater for my tastes, but it's one of the better water mods out there.
real lava | link | = makes the lava in oblivion look better than just red water. MUCH better.
Inebriation | link | = makes drinking actually effect your vision, and drinking too much will make you pass out
badder spell FX | link | = makes the spell effects look better than by default.
more realistic encumberance | link | = haven't done much at all with this one, but makes the encumberance more realistic as well as making fatigue more realistic (regenerating fatigue while running is dumb, so this fixes that)
weather inside | link | = downloading this one now, it's supposed to make it so when you're in a house or cave, etc., stay consistent with the weather outside, so if it's raining outside, you should hear rain when you're also inside.
*immersive interface | link | = if there can be only one must-have, it's this. the minimalistic HUD it offers helps you get immersed in the game and really feel like you're a part of it, while still offering all the info you need.
== INSTALLING THESE MODS ==
all these mods require installation (except for VA's mods, he skillfully give you a self-unpacking .exe) here's how to install and run them. don't worry, it's a LOT easier than halo.
1: download the mod you want
2: unpack it into your C:\Program Files\Bethesda Softworks\Oblivion\Data folder. if the mod's directory structure starts with a Data folder, just go into that folder and get the .esps out of it. some mods have meshes and textures, so make sure you preserve directory structures!
3: once the mod's files are successfully unpacked, start oblivion.
4: when the splash screen comes up, notice the "Data Files" option. click it and use that menu to select the mods you wish to use.
5: some mods are modular, so sometimes you'll get 3 or more .esp files in one mod, and you should only enable one of them depending on the desired effect. for example, the IWR optimised mod requires taht you have the original IWR mod installed, so i just have the original IWR files in the data folder as well as the optimised one, and only enable the optimised one.
6: play oblivion and marvel at how well it does mods. i've got about 15 different mods running right now without conflictions!
anyways, now you guys get to discuss what you think about oblivion mods, making them, using them, the good ones, bad ones, etc.
anyways, we all know halo can be more fun with mods, but what about oblivion? personally, i think it's a million times better, and fixes all the annoying things in the game. because i play for realism = immersion = fun, here's the mods i've got running, and that i HIGHLY suggest. (also, feel free to post your own favorites and links to them, maybe we can get a good list of mods started.)
all mod names are bolded to make the list easier to read. must-have mods have a red asterisk in front of them.
cities alive at night | link | = makes cities look lived in at night, so when you're heading back to chorrol after a run through a dungeon, there will be lights on in the city.
darker dungeons & darker nights | link | = makes nights and dungeons darker, thus giving torches a real purpose, and making you feel like you actually are out in the dark.
attack & hide | link | = allows for you to sneak attack enemies more than once, because when you're invisible and hit them with an arrow 100 feet away, they shouldn't be able to automatically find you.
deadlier traps | link | = makes the traps in dungeons MUCH deadlier, because living through some of them is just unfeasible (like the floor block that shoots you up into spikes)
fading torches |can't find link =( | = makes torches gradually fade from their brighteset when you first use them to rather dim when they're about to die, again giving torches a purpose.
*Illuminated Within Revived (and IWR optimised) | IWR optimised | | IWR original | = illuminated within lights up windows at night, because walking through any city at night and seeing every single house dark is dumb. the optimised version of this is a must have, because it is significantly lighter on the CPU than the original, so it's same great effect at about 1/10 of the lag. NOTE: if you want to run optimised, you MUST download the original and install it.
chase camera mod | link | = if you like using the 3rd person camera, but hate how bouncy it is, etc., then get this. it smooths out the 3rd person camera alot, and is a must-have for anyone that plays often in 3rd person.
days & months | link | = just adds the english name for months and days behind the default game ones, so you finally know what day and month it is instaed of all this "WTF is frost fall" nonsense.
get wet | link | = makes characters look wet when it rains or after they swim around a bit. the droplets are OK, but lok ugly on arms because they get stretched, but it's all right.
P1D keychain | link | = to reduce inventory clutter, it groups the hundreds of keys you'll collect in one item called the keychain. it causes some lag when opening the inventory, but i personally thing it's worth not having to scroll past a hundred things i don't need to see.
VA_BetterGold | link | = makes the gold coins' mesh and texture in the game much better. not a huge mod, but when you see gold lying on a table, it's totally worth it the other times you don't get to see it in action.
realistic force | link | = haven't looked too deep into this one, but gives bodies more realistic physics, as opposed to when you kill someone and their corpse flys in the air slow-mo style.
*phinix-waterfix | link |= re-does the water in oblivion. it looks better from land, and is much clearer underwater, although still sort of foggy, because seeing forever under water is dumb, but so is seeing only 5 feet. it's a bit too clear underwater for my tastes, but it's one of the better water mods out there.
real lava | link | = makes the lava in oblivion look better than just red water. MUCH better.
Inebriation | link | = makes drinking actually effect your vision, and drinking too much will make you pass out
badder spell FX | link | = makes the spell effects look better than by default.
more realistic encumberance | link | = haven't done much at all with this one, but makes the encumberance more realistic as well as making fatigue more realistic (regenerating fatigue while running is dumb, so this fixes that)
weather inside | link | = downloading this one now, it's supposed to make it so when you're in a house or cave, etc., stay consistent with the weather outside, so if it's raining outside, you should hear rain when you're also inside.
*immersive interface | link | = if there can be only one must-have, it's this. the minimalistic HUD it offers helps you get immersed in the game and really feel like you're a part of it, while still offering all the info you need.
== INSTALLING THESE MODS ==
all these mods require installation (except for VA's mods, he skillfully give you a self-unpacking .exe) here's how to install and run them. don't worry, it's a LOT easier than halo.
1: download the mod you want
2: unpack it into your C:\Program Files\Bethesda Softworks\Oblivion\Data folder. if the mod's directory structure starts with a Data folder, just go into that folder and get the .esps out of it. some mods have meshes and textures, so make sure you preserve directory structures!
3: once the mod's files are successfully unpacked, start oblivion.
4: when the splash screen comes up, notice the "Data Files" option. click it and use that menu to select the mods you wish to use.
5: some mods are modular, so sometimes you'll get 3 or more .esp files in one mod, and you should only enable one of them depending on the desired effect. for example, the IWR optimised mod requires taht you have the original IWR mod installed, so i just have the original IWR files in the data folder as well as the optimised one, and only enable the optimised one.
6: play oblivion and marvel at how well it does mods. i've got about 15 different mods running right now without conflictions!
anyways, now you guys get to discuss what you think about oblivion mods, making them, using them, the good ones, bad ones, etc.