I haven't played in a while. Upgraded the machine a few months back and the whole modding process to make a game of it is not something I enjoy so haven't reinstalled yet. Well, it became clear that Shivering Isles is not really optional any more so I got GOTY by digital download and it sort of automatically installed, but that's as far as it went. Before that it had been probably two years since I changed any mods.

Anyway. The objective is to put together a good game I can play for the next couple years. I love modders but hate the process, so the goal is stable and done in pretty much one swoop.

In previous builds I used Frans. The new machine I'm sure can handle Fran's plus MMM where the older ones couldn't so I'm looking forward to this. I see a new Fran's and that MMM has continued to progress. Any known issues with 5.0 and 3.8 respectively?

Overhaul Gaurd behavior with Reneer's. Stealth...used to use Stealth Overhaul I think, but saw Attack and Hide seems a common choice now. Improvement?

LAME for a playable magic system still a good option? Last time I did this it was that or something that was mostly just more spells while LAME seemed to be more of an overhaul, which I thought was needed. Is there a new overhaul I should look at?

I used AF leveling before. It seems to have faded away as far as support, but the download is still out there. Optionally, Realistic Leveling seems to have stepped in as the preferred overhaul there. Is that true? Am I missing something else? My thoughts on AF leveling are that I liked it the way I set it up, but frankly it had a multitude of options I didn't use anyway accessed through a ring I'd just as soon not have carried. Is it time to move on?

UI Mod...DarN still the primary option I assume.

Lighting has always been a priority issue. Looks like Cava Obscura is the new approach to this problem. I'm leaning towards Original Color Darker Nights for outside. Illumination Within looks compatible. Issues with those? OBSE version of drop lit torches now, and I see a couple of actors with torches things. Needed, not needed but no problems, or steer clear?

That's the mechanics package. I think it covers everything that I used to think was necessary. Frankly I think it replaces pretty much everything, but that's how it goes.

I'll also be taking a look at some content mods this time (stronger machine plus I've played three versions of Oblivion upgraded gameplay but original content already), so any recommendations there I'll certainly look into, but this first stage is mostly about putting together the actual game. Any advice appreciated.

Let me be the first to say "welcome back!" Now regarding the installation process, if you're using Windows Vista or newer (7 & 8) be sure to install the game outside C:\programs to avoid issues with UAC down the road. I'm assuming you have bought steam version of the game otherwise modding will not work. As for desire to install mods in one time I would not recommend. Reason being is that while you're installing huge chunks of mods, you might make a mistake. When you launch the game, either a)it could CTD to desktop b)game starts but you could notice missing resources which will cause CTDs. My advice because I did exactly what you did long time ago is to install the vanilla game, test it out make sure it's working and stable. Then add the unofficial patches which are must haves and then install the simple mods first one at a time. Again, this is to avoid tracking down the missing resources if there's any. Install Frans 5.0 and MMM and test the game. Then if it is stable add more mods one at a time. Be sure to read the readme documents because they contain the information regarding the incompatibility and issues etc etc.

Another thing and this is crucial if you want to play this game for a long time. Forget OBMM, manual installation or NMM. Start off with Wrye Bash and BOSS from the start. These are specifically designed to run mods for Oblivion. There's an excellent beginner's guide at Nexus to use it as a reference. Once you get to know the program, it would be easy to install and uninstall mods. Trust me when I say this because I did not use Wrye Bash also from start. I had no idea what it did and did not care. I made a foolish mistake and had to start from the beginning. Okay here's link to useful information (somewhat outdated but still useful) regarding mods: http://tescosi.com/wiki/Main_Page and for textures and how they work and general information: http://testg.wikidot.com/ and the guide I mentioned: http://oblivion.nexusmods.com/mods/35230/?tab=1&navtag=%2Fajax%2Fmoddescription%2F%3Fid%3D35230%26preview%3D&pUp=1

Good luck and have fun modding.

Edit: for leveling mods it depends on your taste. Realistic Leveling is good. If you prefer old RPG style leveling (meaning you gain xp for quests, kills, discovering new places etc etc) there's Oblivion XP Update. Look for more at the Nexus.

Thanks. When I said 'one swoop' I didn't mean installing them all at once. I know there's a process, which I hate but have suffered through three times before and made stable builds that lasted from six months to two years that made it worth the effort. Wrye Bash is key. This BOSS thing is new but certainly seems like a great tool.

I have to ask about this: "I'm assuming you have bought steam version of the game otherwise modding will not work." I didn't. I wouldn't. I certainly never have before and modded plenty. So what makes you say this?

Sorry I should have made it more clear. If you bought off of Impulse or any other digital service other than Steam, the modding would not work properly well at least OBSE will not work. Got this from OBSE readme. Many good mods out there need OBSE to function.

Ah. Glad you mentioned this though I'd have (probably) caught it in the readme and OBSE is probably the first thing I'd install. Encrypted executable. I have a disk version. I'll just install that over the digital download. No problem. Have to play with the disk in the drive, but I'm used to that.

There have been a lot of steady improvements to the game's mod scene over the last few years while you have been away. If you are recalling Stealth Overhaul, you really should look into http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1470311-relz-sneaking-detection-recalibrated-12. Also, 'http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1093197-running4covers-list-of-stealth-mods-2nd-thread' thread covers the stealth field pretty extensively.

For a relatively easy install overhaul, instead of Fran's and MMM, you might also see if "http://oblivion.nexusmods.com/mods/42780" (MOO) won't suit as well.

It would also be worth your while to dig back through this forum a bit. We get returning players in your situation every week or so, so there are a number of threads asking pretty much the same questions. There are newer replacements for many of the old standby mods as well, such as "http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1285807-relz-enhanced-economy" improving upon "Living Economy", "http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1257335-relz-fundament" replacing "Progress", etc.

LAME is still used by many, as is DarnUI and DarkDarnUI.

However, torches (and other flickering light sources) have been found to be a major source of FPS slowdown, along with large numbers of 'actors' (actually the number of AI packages), so be sure to test that after other priority installs.

-Dubious-