Thanks for the comments, I'm glad you enjoyed the mod.

And thanks for rating it, not too many people bother with it... apparently less than one minute of their time is asking too much (and since they already need to be registered at TES Nexus to download it, what's the problem really?).

Here's my own personnal perception about this fact that many forget or don't make the effort to come back and rate. I've noticed that most ratings are done after descriptions and pictures. There are some mods that render CTDs or contain bugs, but are rated as 10 because of this animation or that sixy armor or that video on Youtube or this complete Web site for the mod (ephemeral/impulsive visual perceptions, or judging the marketing/synergy effort surrounding a mod, while the mod itself can be somewhat drab or common), whereas other mods work perfectly but get lower ratings. eg quest mods that don't necessarily add new meshes/textures and such, even though they bring depth to the lore and hours of pleasant gaming experience - as such, getting high rates is much more difficult when a quest mod is involved, than for a mod adding some new visuals or functionalities to the game... It looks like the modding community criterias for judging a mod, are quite different from the rpg gamers and user stand point... ... In brief: people can't just rate a mod right away (although many do so, especially when talking about new visual items since these can be judged right away from the pictures - that's what we think, until wee actually try it). Personally I'll do it after having completed the "tour" along my game playing experience, which is a little bit more than just installing the mod and going there right away to "judge". For example I've installed your mod 1 week ago, but I haven't got there yet for all sorts of reasons ... One can thus understand why many forget to come back and rate, or even to just remember about this, it's not just a matter of taking "one minute of our time"... It's more like "oh that's the house from that mod... WHat was its name again? Let's track down the file I've downloaded, see it's name for a search on TESNexus, then go there and add my rating..." (especially when the house in question is not kept even though it can be very nice or represents a huge amount of dev. hours).

In the end, I don't give much credibility to ratings. I've seen extremely well designed mods working without any flaws, but get ratings of 8-9.5, whereas other mods that look good, are well presented or are developed by this or that particular modder, get the highest rating even though they have bugs or are just plain common to play with.... Who would be the best modder or what would be the best mod in regards to ratings? Impossible to tell the way it is, which is why I don't give much credit to ratings... Unless I'd be rating the sale's effort, not the mod itself.

Aye, those are valid points. That kind of behaviour by users (not all of them, mind you) is probably more common because of Oblivion's larger player base. Niche RPGs on the other hand generally get less players and mods, but the mods get scrutinized a lot more... this is my personal experience anyway.

I totally agree! Btw I've modified my previous post while you were replying, for stating the same thing as you do (quest mods vs object/functionality/house mods)...

You make some good points, I agree that rating mods based on visuals is easy, and doesn't really do justice to quest mods and other mods focusing on something else than eyecandy.

I think we should return on-topic though, before the thread gets locked for being off-topic.

News - December 2nd: Mountain Tower Patch V1 has been released. This fixes 6 previously overlooked glitches, and is likely the last update for MT. Recommended for all users.

Changelog:

• Corrected the Wine Cellar hatch position
  
• Corrected a chandelier position in the Wine Cellar
  
• Corrected a chandelier position in secret area #02
  
• Corrected the spider webs positions in secret area #02
  
• Corrected the small table name in the Master Bedroom to 'Nightstand'
  
• Corrected the [unlock/lock/missing key] messages for the Arcane Gateway

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=3384
http://planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=OblivionMods.Detail&id=649

Wow! Impressive. Must have been a great deal of work. Thanks a lot!

Not really, it's more of a quick fix than anything else, but as I said, I had overlooked the bugs before.

Update - December 5th: I had some spare time, so I integrated the last patch to Mountain Tower's main archive and re-uploaded it to both PES and TES Nexus. An updated ReadMe containing the patch changes is included. The changelogs at PES and TES Nexus have also been updated, as has the one in the first post of this thread.

Regards,
Sage Rime

Another milestone for Mountain Tower: the combined download counter now shows over 105,000 downloads! Thanks for the continued interested, everyone!

Mountain Tower is now 3 ratings short of 200 at TES Nexus and 1 rating shy of 50 at PES, so thanks to everyone who has taken the time to rate the mod!

I just wanted to wish all Mountain Tower users happy holidays and a happy new year in advance!

:celebration: :intergalactic: :celebration:

2009 will be the first year since 2006 without a new release of Mountain Tower, but I hope to get some new projects done instead.

Cheers,
Sage Rime

P.S. Don't maim yourselves with those fireworks.

Another two milestones for MT...

*200 ratings at TES Nexus*
*50 ratings at PES*

Thanks for the continued interest, folks!

Regards,
Sage Rime

Hey Sage, I have a question for you, if you'd be so kind. I downloaded MT 5.0, as I rather prefer fewer secret areas and the old book shelves. But whenever I cast the Dimension Door spell, the game crashes. I'll enter the archmage lobby for a few seconds, then crash. I'm not new to the modding scene, but this has me stumped, and I'm hoping you might be able to help. I seem to recall that 5.0 was patched at some point, but that could just be my imagination.

Masters for: Save 118 - Zavier - City Isle, Level 1, Playing Time 04.23.29.ess00  Oblivion.esm01  Francesco's Leveled Creatures-Items Mod.esm02  Francesco's Optional New Items Add-On.esm03  MD_Saddle_Master.esm04  Oscuro's_Oblivion_Overhaul.esm  [Version 1.34]05  Mart's Monster Mod.esm  [Version 3.6beta3]06  Enhanced Daedric Invasion.esm07  TamrielTravellers.esm  [Version 1.37a]08  FCOM_Convergence.esm  [Version 0.9.9a7]09  Cybiades.esm  [Version 2.0]0A  Kvatch Rebuilt.esm0B  HorseCombatMaster.esm0C  HrmnsOblivionScriptOptimizationv1.0.esp0D  Unofficial Oblivion Patch.esp  [Version 3.2.0]0E  DLCShiveringIsles.esp0F  Unofficial Shivering Isles Patch.esp  [Version 1.4.0]10  Francesco's Optional Chance of Stronger Bosses.esp11  Francesco's Optional Chance of Stronger Enemies.esp12  Francesco's Optional Chance of More Enemies.esp13  Francesco's Optional Leveled Guards.esp14  Francesco's Dark Seducer Weapons Patch.esp15  FCOM_Francescos.esp  [Version 0.9.9]16  FCOM_FrancescosItemsAddOn.esp  [Version 0.9.9]17  FCOM_FrancescosNamedBosses.esp  [Version 0.9.9]18  Natural_Weather_by_Max_Tael.esp19  Natural_Habitat_by_Max_Tael.esp1A  Natural_Water_by_Max_Tael.esp1B  Book Jackets Oblivion.esp1C  Book Jackets DLC.esp1D  aaaBorsBedrolls.esp1E  Dancer_Undress0_6-10194.esp1F  Reznod_Mannequin.esp20  Update My Statue.esp  [Version 1.30]21  Living Economy - SI.esp22  Living Economy - Items.esp23  Crowded Cities 30.esp24  HotkeyCasting.esp25  MaleBodyReplacerV4.esp26  ArmamentariumStaffs.esp27  Defensive_staves_Immersive.esp28  Defensive_staves_Chest_Optional.esp29  JQ-Amulets.esp2A  tkRapiers.esp2B  Wyrmfang.esp2C  Mage Equipment - No Manni.esp2D  MD Saddlebags v3.0.esp2E  ExnemRuneskulls.esp2F  FCOM_ExnemRuneskulls.esp  [Version 0.9.9]30  Bob's Armory Oblivion.esp31  FCOM_BobsArmory.esp  [Version 0.9.9]32  Oblivion WarCry EV.esp33  FCOM_WarCry.esp  [Version 0.9.9]34  Oscuro's_Oblivion_Overhaul.esp  [Version 1.34]35  FCOM_Convergence.esp  [Version 0.9.9]36  FCOM_RealSwords.esp  [Version 0.9.9]37  Mart's Monster Mod - More Wilderness Life.esp  [Version 3.6Beta3]38  Mart's Monster Mod - Looting NPCs & Creatures.esp  [Version 3.6Beta3]39  Mart's Monster Mod - Zombies for Body Meshes.esp  [Version 3.6Beta3]3A  Mart's Monster Mod - Foxes.esp  [Version 3.6Beta3]3B  TamrielTravellers4OOO.esp  [Version 1.38]3C  ShiveringIsleTravellers.esp  [Version 1.38]3D  FCOM_TamrielTravelers.esp  [Version 0.9.9]3E  FCOM_DiverseGuardUnity.esp  [Version 0.9.9]3F  FCOM_BobsGuardUnity.esp  [Version 0.9.9]40  ArmoryLab.esp41  Cheydinhal Petshop.esp42  FuseSnailRacing.esp43  AdensesBetterWaterfront.esp44  MountainTower.esp45  Your_Personal_Museum_Updated-9300.esp46  The Black Cat Jewelry Store - Daedric Statues.esp47  UnfathomedTower.esp48  VaultsofCyrodiil.esp49  The Imperial Vaults.esp4A  Cybiades.esp  [Version 2.1]4B  CybiadesDungeon.esp  [Version 2.1]4C  The Lost Spires.esp4D  MannimarcoRevisited.esp4E  MannimarcoRevisitedOOO.esp  [Version 0.1]4F  Mart's Monster Mod - City Defences.esp  [Version 3.6Beta3]50  Enhanced Daedric Invasion.esp51  FCOM_EnhancedDaedricInvasion.esp  [Version 0.9.9]52  xuldarkforest.esp53  xulStendarrValley.esp54  xulTheHeath.esp55  MMMMWL-TheHeath patch.esp56  XulEntiusGorge.esp57  KvatchAftermath-EntiusGorge compatibility patch.esp58  xulFallenleafEverglade.esp59  LostSpires-Everglade patch.esp5A  xulColovianHighlands_EV.esp5B  xulChorrolHinterland.esp5C  mythsandlegends.esp5D  xulBeachesOfCyrodiilLostCoast.esp5E  xulBravilBarrowfields.esp5F  xulLushWoodlands.esp60  xulAncientYews.esp61  xulAncientRedwoods.esp62  xulArriusCreek.esp63  xulPatch_AY_AC.esp  [Version 1.1]64  xulRollingHills_EV.esp65  MMMMWL-RollingHills patch.esp66  xulPantherRiver.esp67  xulRiverEthe.esp68  LostSpires-DarkForest patch.esp69  Kvatch Rebuilt.esp6A  Kvatch Rebuilt - OOO Compatibility.esp6B  Kvatch Rebuilt - Leveled Guards - FCOM.esp6C  Natural_Vegetation_by_Max_Tael.esp6D  Harvest [Flora].esp  [Version 3.0.0]6E  Harvest [Flora] - Shivering Isles.esp  [Version 3.0.0]6F  DecoratorAssistant with OBSE v1.1.esp70  gardening.esp71  JQ-Backpacks.esp72  Soul Edge 2h.esp73  AT Prison.esp74  abyss_staves.esp75  TheDarkArts.esp76  kikaibookbelts-tail.esp77  Leviathan Soulgems.esp78  Leviathan Trophy Soulgems.esp79  ReneersGoldMod.esp7A  Quest Award Leveller.esp  [Version 2.0.1]7B  RealHungerv1.4.esp7C  RealisticFatigue.esp7D  RealSleep.esp7E  PetrifyandStoneSkinSpells.esp7F  SupremeMagicka.esp  [Version 0.85]80  SM_ShiveringIsles.esp  [Version 0.85]81  SM_OOO.esp  [Version 0.80]82  SM_MMM.esp  [Version 0.82]83  bgMagicEV.esp  [Version 1.62EV]84  bgMagicSpellTomes_for_WryeBash.esp  [Version 1.62EV]85  bgMagicBonus.esp  [Version 1.62EV]86  bgMagicEVAddEnVar.esp  [Version 1.62EV]87  qazFingerSnap.esp88  Multiple Enchantments.esp89  RenGuardOverhaul.esp8A  RenGuardOverhaulShiveringIsles.esp8B  DeadlyReflex 5 - Combat Moves.esp8C  SM_DeadlyReflex.esp  [Version 0.86]8D  Remove Mouse Scroll 1.4.esp8E  Oblivion XP.esp  [Version 3.0.1]8F  ElaborateEyes.esp90  Bashed Patch, 0.esp91  Streamline 3.1.esp

I saw the mod and would like to contribute.
I have used TES4Files to package it in BSA form.
This is easier to install and remove.
I tested it in BSA form it works great.

Congrats Sage on a fine mod!

If you don't package it yourself using TES4Files,

This mod comes highly recommended, from a couple of people whose opinions I respect. Since I'm just getting back into playing Oblivion (after having set it aside, shortly following its original release), I will definitely try out this house mod, first.

A couple of quick questions, if I may:

[qoute]To use the Automatic Book-Placement in the upper Library, go into sneak mode and activate one of the bookshelves. A menu will pop with your options...[/quote]

Am I right in thinking that you have two different methods in place for book placement? One that uses a bookshelf as a container (not my preferred type), and one that automates placement (really nice, and presumably similar to what was used in the Marc Mori Estate Mod for Morrowind)?

If you do use automated placement in two bookshelves, will it also place books added through mods, from Daggerfall and Morrowind?

Thanks for all your work, Sage. The images are wonderful, and I really look forward to affording the payment for the thing.

Generally I don't like discussing/supporting old versions of my mods, but I do recall hearing about an engine bug that would crash the game if you tried to teleport from the Shivering Isles worldspace. Other than that, I don't think I've ever heard of that bug before. You can test it if it's an engine bug by disabling all other mods than MT temporarily and trying to use the spell then.


Thanks, but it's pretty simple as it is: all you need to delete to uninstall it are two folders and an esp file. I don't really see any reason for that alternative packaging, because it doesn't change anything about the mod's performance or function.

I would like to ask you the remove that mirror of MT, as I didn't ask for such. Next time PM me about such things before re-uploading anything, please. Thank you.


Yes, there are indeed two methods, the very same you mentioned in your post. The look-a-like containers are in the lower library, and the scripted (automated) bookshelves in the upper library.

The scripted bookshelves have support for vanilla Oblivion and Shivering Isles books, but not others due to script limitations.

Sage, thanks for the quick reply. I will indeed use the mod, and also check out your Skyrim Armory, as well.

No problem. I hope you find the mod to your liking.

I see that you have tried to keep it simple with...

Meshes
>>>MountainTower

and

Textures
>>>MountainTower

But I don't have to tell you that deleting two files in the same directory,
a BSA and ESP which are together, beats the crap out of weeding through
Meshes and Textures for what not you may not know is even there.


What *disadvantage* would packing it with TES4Files create?
I don't even require mention in a readme, if that's bothering you.

I don't see any reason for that re-packaging/upload, because I know that the mod is simple enough for anyone who reads the ReadMe. If I'm satisfied with the mod's current state and distribution, I don't see how anyone else should be dissatisfied?

My first post on this really says it all, so I'm not going to repeat myself further.

Thanks for the interest.

Regards,
Sage Rime

Another milestone for MT, this time the combined download counter has ticked over 110,000 downloads!

Thanks for the continued interest, folks.

There was a bug with Mountain Tower's rating at TES Nexus a while ago, but it's fixed now, thanks to buddah. Your votes should count correctly now.

Mountain Tower collected its 215th rating at TES Nexus a while back, so thanks for the interest, folks!

Wow this looks awesome!
Normally I don't download housemods, but this looks to damn good to pass :drool: