Installation
Download all files. There will always be at least three files to download: "Better Cities #-#-#", "Better Cities Resources BSA #-#-# Part 1" and "Better Cities Resources BSA #-#-# Part 2"
Sometimes we provide an update to the Resources archive rather than re-upload the Resources. These files will typically be named "Resources Update from v#-#-# to v#-#-#"
1) Download "Better Cities #-#-#" which will give you "Better Cities #-#-#-16513.7z"
2) Download "Better Cities Resources #-#-# Part 1" which will give you "Better Cities Resources #-#-# Part 1-16513.zip"
3) Download "Better Cities Resources #-#-# Part 2" which will give you "Better Cities Resources #-#-# Part 2-16513.zip"
3) Extract the two ZIP files into the same folder. This will give you "Better Cities Resources BSA #.#.7z.001" and "Better Cities Resources BSA #.#.7z.002"
4) Use 7-Zip to extract "Better Cities Resources BSA #.#.7z.001" (most users of 7-Zip should be able to right-click the file, hover the mouse over 7-Zip, then click on "Extract Here"). This will give you a folder named "Better Cities Resources BSA #.#" which will contain the file "Better Cities Resources BSA #.#.#.7z"
5) Keep "Better Cities #-#-#-16513.7z" and "Better Cities Resources BSA #.#.#.7z", but delete the other files so far mentioned. These two archives are the ones you need to install the mod, whether creating an OMOD from each, or a BAIN installer from each, or simply manually installing.
Check the http://thenexusforums.com/index.php?showtopic=203148.
Below are three different installation sections, one for OMOD, one for BAIN, and one for manually installing the mod. Scroll down to the section that applies to how you intend to install this mod.
For more information about creating OMODs, read the http://www.gamesas.com/bgsforums/index.php?showtopic=449239 on the Beth forums, and find the section titled "How do I install mods?"
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1 - OMOD INSTALLATION (recommended)
Create an OMOD "Better Cities #-#-#" and the "Better Cities Resources BSA #-#-#" (which you will get by unpacking the 2 parts of the resource), and let the scripts guide you through the installation process.
Do not try to combine the archives together before creating the OMOD, this will break the OMOD installation scripts we provide.
When creating the OMODs, if you receive a message beginning "Warning - this folder contains esp files in sub directories" click YES.
When creating the OMODs, if you receive a message beginning "omod conversion data is available" click YES.
OMOD Installation Walkthrough refer to this if you have trouble installing the OMODs.
A ) Activate the OMOD "Better Cities #-#-#".
B ) You will be asked "Do you want the merged plugins of Better Cities?" If you want the entire mod, choose YES, which will install one ESP with all the Cities merged together, and one ESP with all the IC Districts merged together. If you only want to use some of the cities or IC Districts, choose NO. You CANNOT change your mind later, without going through the entire installation process, then de-activating the OMOD and starting over.
C ) If you have Blood & Mud installed, this will be detected automatically; you will now receive an info box informing you that it has been detected, and the B&M-compatible version of BC will be installed. If you don't have B&M installed, no info box will appear, and the non-B&M version of BC will be installed.
D ) If you selected NO for step B ) then a selection box will appear, titled "Choose the plugin(s) to install". Select each City or District you want to use then click OK. If you select every single one, you should have clicked YES in step B ).
E ) A selection box will appear, titled "Replacer Plugins". This lists mods which are incompatible with BC, where we have been given permission to provide edited versions which are compatible. Select all mods which you already have installed then click OK. NOTE we only provide Replacer ESPs, we do not provide the meshes, textures, sounds etc. for these mods. You still need to install these separately. Also, most of these options will check that you already have the mod installed. If you don't, an info box will appear stating "You need to install the original and to overwrite the esp with this one." This means that the Replacer ESP for that mod will not be installed. If you do install the original mod at a later date, you will need to either re-activate the OMOD, or manually install the Replacer ESP.
Ea ) If you selected "Scribe Supplies" from the "Replacer Plugins" list, you will now be asked "Do you want the intensive version of this mod?" Intense version adds objects to many NPC homes & Guild Halls as well as adding items to some merchant's sale lists. Non-intense version only adds items to some merchant's sale lists.
Eb ) We also provide patches for mods which are incompatible with BC - patches require the original mod's ESP to work. These will be installed automatically if the conflicting mod is detected. You will not receive any message about this.
F ) A selection box will appear, titled "City Defences Plugins". City Defences is an optional addition we created which adds archers to the wall tops of the cities (excluding the IC), as well as unusable doors to show how archers get up onto the walls. If you select "Full City Defences" then one ESP will be installed with all seven City Defences ESPs merged together. If you select "None" then no City Defences will be installed. If you select "Separated City Defences" then another selection box will appear, titled "Separated Plugins for City Defences". Here you can select whichever ones you want. NOTE if you chose YES in step B ) you MUST select "Full City Defences" here.
G ) You will be asked "Do you want to install the FPS Patches?". The FPS patches remove objects from the cities to try to help improve FPS. You should only use the FPS patches if you actually need them. If you click YES, and you also clicked YES in step B ) then one ESP with all the City FPS patch ESPs merged together, and one ESP with all the IC District FPS patch ESPs merged together will be installed. If you click YES and you clicked NO in step B ) then a selection box will appear, titled "Choose the FPS Patches you want to install". Here you can select whichever ones you want. NOTE if you select one for a City or District you didn't select in step D ) then you will receive an info box for each bad selection, and that FPS patch will not be installed.
H ) You will be asked "Do you want to remove the flood in Leyawiin?". BC raised the water in Leyawiin around the castle and the lower class houses. Choosing YES here will install an ESP dropping the water height down and removing the flooding. NOTE if you choose YES but chose NO in step B ) and didn't select Leyawiin in step D ) you will receive an info box for the bad selection, and the No Flooding ESP will not be installed.
I ) An info box will appear reminding you to install the BC Resources pack (and Resources update if one exists). Clicking OK will complete the installation of the OMOD "Better Cities #=#=#".
J ) Activate the OMOD "Better Cities Resources BSA #-#-#".
K ) If you have Blood & Mud installed, this will be detected automatically; you will now be asked "Do you use the Qarl's Texture Pack 3 patch for Blood & Mud?" If you don't have Qarl's Texture Pack 3 installed at all, click NO. If you do have QTP3 installed, but do not have the QTP3 patch for B&M installed, click NO. Otherwise click YES. Our recommendation is to select NO even if you do have the QTP3 patch for B&M, as the QTP3 patch for B&M reverts most of the darker texturing from B&M back to vanilla. Your answer here determines which of the two versions of our Bravil Docks resources get installed. NOTE if you don't have B&M installed, then our standard Bravil Docks resources will be installed instead. NOTE allow it to overwrite ALL files it wants to (you will only be asked to if B&M is installed).
L ) If you have Grumblepunk's Shipyard installed, this will be detected automatically. This determines which of the two versions of our Shipyard resources get installed. No info box will appear to tell you if Grumblepunk's Shipyard was detected.
M ) Activate the OMOD "Resources Update from v#-#-# to v#-#-#" if we have provided a Resource Update. Allow it to overwrite ALL files it wants to.
2 - BAIN INSTALLATION
BAIN is an automated mod installer which is part of Wrye Bash.
Install the Better Cities Resources.esm
You will find it in the 00 Core folder.
Choose if you prefer merged Plugins or Individual Plugins.
In the folder 01 Separate you will find a plugin for each City or District. This will allow you to choose only the ones you actually want (in case some don't appeal to you, or conflict with other mods). This also allows you to use other mods which overhaul an entire City or District, such as Open Cities or Open Better Cities.
You must only use one Bravil version (regular or Blood & Mud Edition which is dependant on Blood & Mud and requires you to have this mod installed).
In the folder 01 Unified you will find the merged plugins with:
- Better Cities Full.esp: Anvil, Bravil, Bruma, Cheydinhal, Chorrol, Leyawiin and Skingrad are merged in this plugin.
- Better Cities Full - B&M Edition.esp: Anvil, Bravil - Blood & Mud, Bruma, Cheydinhal, Chorrol, Leyawiin and Skingrad are merged in this plugin. So this plugin requires to have Blood & Mud installed.
Only choose one of the above two.
- Better Imperial City.esp: Contains all the 10 districts of the Imperial City merged together.
Choose your City Defences
In the folder 02 City Defenses Separate you will find a plugin adding guards on the city walls, one for each city.
Or in the folder 02 City Defenses Unified you will find the merged plugin for all the City Defences. Only use this if you are using all the Cities (Anvil, Bravil (whether using B&M or not), Bruma, Cheydinhal, Chorrol, Leyawiin and Skingrad)
Choose if Leyawiin is to be flooded
Bananasplit designed Leyawiin as a flooded city. This might not be to the liking of everyone so we provide a plugin that will remove the flood in this city which you can find in the 03 Leyawiin Flood Removal folder.
Choose your Replacer Plugins
All the Replacers are in the folders starting with 20. Use them to replace your current ESP of other mods which conflict with BC. You still need to have all the resources (Meshes/Textures/Sounds) from the other mods and just use the ESP we provide as Replacer for the ESP from the original mod.
The Load order for the Replacers is:
- Replacer ESP
- Better Cities ESPs.
Choose your Patches
All the patches are in the folders starting with 30 & 31. Use them in addition to the original mod's ESP which they are patching.
The Load order for the Patches is:
- Mod to Patch
- Better Cities ESPs
- Patches
In the folder 31 you will find 2 ESP. Choose the one you need depending upon whether you are using Blood & Mud or not.
If you are using Halcyon Island:
- Install the original Halcyon Island resources
- Install Halcyon Island_LowConflict.esp and rename it Halcyon Island.esp (as the patch is based on the Halcyon Island_LowConflict.esp)
Install your Resources
The Resources archive contains one ESP (Better Cities .esp) which you will need to activate the BSA archives so install and activate it.
Core: Both of these sub-packages must be installed.
* 00 Core: The main resource files. (2 BSA to install: Better Cities - Meshes.bsa & Better Cities - Textures.bsa)
* 01 Core English: English language resources (voices, signs, etc.) (2 BSA to install: Better Cities - Sounds EV.bsa & Better Cities - Textures EV.bsa)
Bravil/Blood & Mud: From the next group, install only one of the following sub-packages that is appropriate for you (1 BSA to choose from one of these folders):
* 11 Bravil - Default: If you're not using the Blood & Mud mod.
* 11 Bravil - Blood & Mud: If you are using Blood & Mud, but are not using QTP3. (Also install the meshes folder)
* 11 Bravil - Blood & Mud QTP3: If you are using Blood & Mud, and QTP3. (Also install the meshes folder)
Shipyard: From the next group, install only one of the following sub-packages which is appropriate for you (1 BSA to choose from one of these folders):
* 12 Shipyard - Default: If you're not using Grumblepunk's ship retexture.
* 12 Shipyard - Grumblepunk: If you are using Grumblepunk's ship retexture.
You must have 6 BSA installed.
3 - MANUAL INSTALLATION
A ) Extract "Better Cities #-#-#" to a temporary location.
B ) From the folder "00 Core" copy the file "Better Cities Resources.esm" into the Oblivion\Data\ folder.
C ) Choose whether you want to use the merged ESPs or the separate ESPs.
Ca ) If you want the separate ESPs (so you can choose not to use all parts of Better Cities) then from the folder "01 Separate" copy each ESP you want into the Oblivion\Data\ folder. Only select ONE of the Bravil ESPs. If you use the mod Blood & Mud, then copy "Better Cities BRAVIL - Blood & Mud.esp", otherwise copy "Better Cities BRAVIL.esp".
Cb ) If you want the merged ESPs (so you can use the entire mod with as few ESPs as possible) then from the folder "01 Unified" copy "Better Imperial City.esp" into the Oblivion\Data\ folder. Copy ONE of the "Better Cities Full" ESPs into the Oblivion\Data\ folder. If you use the mod Blood & Mud, then copy "Better Cities Full - B&M Edition.esp", otherwise copy "Better Cities Full.esp".
D ) Optional: If you want to have archers on the City walls, choose whether you want to use the merged ESP or the separate ESPs. If you don't want archers on the City walls, skip to step E ).
Da ) If you want the separate ESPs, then from the folder "02 City Defences Separate" copy each ESP you want to use into the Oblivion\Data\ folder. Don't copy any City Defences file meant for a City you didn't choose in step Ca ).
Db ) If you want the merged ESP, then from the folder "02 City Defenses Unified" copy "Better Cities - Full City Defences.esp" into the Oblivion\Data\ folder. Don't use this unless you are using every single City from step Ca ) or you are using one of the two "Better Cities Full" ESPs from step Cd ).
E ) Optional: If you want to remove the flooding from Leyawiin, then from the folder "03 Leyawiin Flood Removal" copy "Better Cities - No LEYAWIIN Flooding.esp" into the Oblivion\Data\ folder.
F ) Optional: Look at all the folders whose names begin "20 " and if you are already using any of these mods, you need to install our Replacer ESP for that mod, replacing the original mod's ESP. Otherwise, skip to step G ).
For example, if you use WillieSea's Clocks of Cyrodiil, then from the folder "20 Clocks of Cyrodiil" copy "ClocksOfCyrodiil_BC_OBC_OC_OCLR_Vanilla.esp" into the Oblivion\Data\ folder and DELETE the original Clocks of Cyrodiil ESP (back it up somewhere else).
Fa ) If you use Scribe Supplies, only copy ONE of the ESPs from the folder "20 Scribe Supplies" to match the version of Scribe Supplies you already use.
G ) Optional: Look at all the folders whose names begin "30 " or "31 " and if you are already using any of these mods, you need to install our Patch ESP for that mod, to be use as well as the original mod's ESP. Otherwise, skip to step H ).
Ga ) If you have Halcyon Island, use the original mod's ESP "Halcyon Island_LowConflict.esp" but rename it to "Halcyon Island.esp". Then add our patch from the folder "30 Halcyon Island".
Gb ) If you use Unique Landscapes: Bravil Barrowfields, then from the folder "31 UL Bravil Barrowfields" copy only ONE of the two ESPs. If you use the mod Blood & Mud, then copy "BCBravilB&M-Barrowfields patch.esp", otherwise copy "BCBravil-Barrowfields patch.esp".
H ) Optional: If your game suffers from low FPS after installing Better Cities, then from the folder "40 FPS Patches" copy the appropriate ESPs into the Oblivion\Data\ folder.
Ha ) If you chose to use the separate ESPs in step C ) then select only the ESPs from this folder which correspond to the Cities and Districts you chose in step Ca ).
Hb ) If you chose to use the merged ESPs in step C ) then select "Better Imperial City Patch.esp" for the Imperial City, and ONE of the "Better Cities Full" ESPs. If you use the mod Blood & Mud, then copy " Better Cities Full - B&M Edition Patch.esp", otherwise copy " Better Cities Full Patch.esp".
I ) Extract "Better Cities Resources BSA #.#.#" to a temporary location.
J ) From the folder "00 Core" copy all three files ("Better Cities .esp", "Better Cities - Meshes.bsa", "Better Cities - Textures.bsa") into the Oblivion\Data\ folder.
K ) From the folder "00 Core English" copy both files ("Better Cities - Sounds EV.bsa", "Better Cities - Textures EV.bsa") into the Oblivion\Data\ folder.
L ) Select only ONE of the following three options:
La ) If you use the mod Blood & Mud, but don't use "Qarl's Texture Pack 3 patch for B&M", then from the folder "11 Bravil - Blood and Mud" copy the file "Better Cities - B&M.bsa" and also the folder Meshes into the Oblivion\Data\ folder. Allow the Meshes folder to overwrite anything it wants to.
Lb ) If you use the mod Blood & Mud, and also use "Qarl's Texture Pack 3 patch for B&M", then from the folder "11 Bravil - Blood and Mud QTP3" copy the file "Better Cities - QTP3 for B&M.bsa" and also the folder Meshes into the Oblivion\Data\ folder. Allow the Meshes folder to overwrite anything it wants to.
Lc) If you are not using the mod Blood & Mud, then from the folder "11 Bravil - Default" copy the file "Better Cities - Bravil Docks.bsa" into the Oblivion\Data\ folder.
M ) Select only ONE of the following two options:
Ma ) If you use the mod Grumblepunk's Shipyard, then from the folder "12 Shipyard - Grumblepunk" copy the file "Better Cities - Grumblepunk Shipyard.bsa" into the Oblivion\Data\ folder.
Mb ) If you are not using the mod Grumblepunk's Shipyard, then from the folder "12 Shipyard - Default" "Better Cities - Shipyard.bsa" into the Oblivion\Data\ folder.
N ) Check that you now have 6 BSAs installed. If you have less than or more than six, return to step I ).
O ) Extract "Resources Update from v#-#-# to v#-#-#" to a temporary location if we have provided a Resource Update.
P ) From the folder "00 Core" copy the file "Better Cities - Complement.bsa" into the Oblivion\Data\ folder.
Q ) Repeat steps K ) through M ) for this archive. Some steps may need to be skipped for Update archives.
R ) You may now have 7 BSAs installed.
S ) Launch Oblivion Mod Manager or Wrye Bash, enable the Better Cities ESM and every single Better Cities ESP (especially "Better Cities .esp").
T ) Adjust your load order so that all Better Cities ESPs are near the end of your load order. All Replacer ESPs should be BEFORE the Better Cities ESPs. All Better Cities Patches should be AFTER the Better Cities ESPs. Vorians highly recommends using http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=20516 (Better Oblivion Sorting Software) for this.
» Fri Feb 18, 2011 10:23 pm 
