Notably missing from realism mods: TFE (tejón's Fatigue Effects), which is among other things a hunger and sleep mod. That's my "Other" vote.


"Overhaul" all by itself is generally shorthand for "level scaling overhaul." Mods in this category change how (and whether) the world changes as you level up. Size isn't really a factor, though they're frequently large since new creatures and items are often added to diversify gameplay (particularly after level 20). But for instance, TIE is pretty small.

Overhaul - TIE ( What else :ahhh: )
Texture - Vanilla
City Replacer - Open cities Reborn (Has the best Leyawin and Bruma of all the city mods)
Realism - Other ( I use a combination of theniceone's map marker overhaul + Darnified UI to remove the compass and player icons from all the maps, so the only way to find where you are, is to look at your surrondings, the location of the sun, etc, its really awesome)
Leveling - ngcd V2

I'm just rebuilding my game based on OOO + ROM. I'm very impressed with ROM so far, it does a lot of things I like. not sure it should be counted as an overhaul mod though, it's more like a realism mod, eg including a version of realistic fatigue and drowning, putting restrictions on changing armour during combat etc etc.

Currently I'm using Better Cities complete, but iI sometimes build my game around Open Cities Reborn.

For realism, as I said above, ROM adds a lot. I'm also really pleased to see the very wonderful Simple Essentials as an option (and which I use).

I'm currently using QTP3 Redimized, but in my last build I went with Vibrant Stuff and Bomrets Normal Maps. It's a trade off, something has to give, this time I'm opting to go with QTP and miss out on RAEVWD.

No levelling mod (although ROM alters levelling as well).

Overhaul

I use Fran's. Works best for me and I made a lot of tweaks for it to make it even better (for me at least, like adding a huge amount of new weapons and armors that came out after Fran left, adjusting leveled lists, removing some exploits etc).

Texture Packs

I don't use any. Don't like Qarl's due to the imo really screwed up normal maps. There is also always the problem that some things are not affected by the highres textures, which looks odd. I rather have less loading stutter and a balanced mix of textures.

Cities

Don't like Better Cities - some things look good, but there are quite a few things I don't like at all (like the imo weird looking castles). Apart from that cities are already the most demanding areas in the game and I like good performance. Better Cities kills performance, at least when I tried it once (which was a long time ago). Open cities is nice, but to me it's not worth the compatibility issues. A load door is nothing that kills immersion for me.

Realism mods

Hunger/Thirst/Sleep mods are only annoying to me. I like the basic idea, but there is enough food, water and beds in the game world so all these mods do to my game is make it more annoying. It makes sense in a game like Fallout maybe, but in a rich environment like Cyrodiil it's just annoying. I have to eat! *opens inventory and clicks on one of his 200 food items* - Doesn't improve gameplay for me, it's just a minor annoyance. I use a lot of mods that make the game harder in a way though and I try to kill all exploits in my game.

Leveling mods

Oblivion XP...I think I praised this mod in numerous other threads already so I don't want to do it again. One of the best mods ever made for Oblivion and with the new update it's even better.

I prefer small mods that change things.

I always get bad surprises with Overhauls. Normally Overhauls forces you to play in a restrict way or all is going ok then you find itens too powerfull too easy. If enemy uses it you die, if you find playing automatically the game turn too easy. Oblivion for me is not a game to fight against 5 ou more enemies at same time. Some overhauls love to put you in this situations.

About textures, I like the textures of Vanilla. If you put HDR and (2x AA and 16x AF) by video Driver + TES4LODGen and recomendations of .ini changes. Makes the game beautiful.

About Leveling Mods. I like all. The vanilla skill up is nice, but not the level update (+5, +3, +4 will never get sense for me). Normally I choose one and play a lot until other game take my attention, then I return to Oblivion testing other Leveling Mods. Now I am using Oblivion XP and very happy with it, next I will try nGCD then I will make my own.

Edit: About City replacements. I am on eye on it, just waiting those get more mature, then I will use it.

PS: Sorry my english.

Off topis, but I thought I would respond on this. I find the game bland without an eati/drink/sleep mod. Time passing is more or less irrlevant. The need to sleep makes the game a lot more structured, I have to be aware of the time, how tired I am, and where I'm likely to be able tro sleep. A thirst element requires the management of drink resources ,and balancing the encumberance of carrying bottlers of water with the effects of Realistic Fatigue or similar. I buy every bottle of cheap wine I come across in order to make watered wine so I get the benefits of being well hydrated without the downside of being inebriated (interaction of Simple Essentials and the OOO inebriation stuff). Even with food, I need to remember to keep one eye on my food inventory and top it up occasionally at an inn.

BTW I'm a big fan of yout Phighting Phixes and Deadlier Creatures mods. I haven't added them into my current build yet, but will be doing so shortly. Hopefully they will work with ROM.

Overhauls: FCOM of course, looking forward to a new release of TIE4Mods to spice it up even more.
Graphics: Base is QTP3 Redimized, but I've layered selected parts of Koldorn's, Ampolx and assorted item/food replacers over top, with liberal use of cosmetics for pc/npcs. I only use a very few selected UL mods, especially if I'm unlikely to travel a particular area, as fewer .esp's generally mean better performance. But Elsweyr is essential to avoid claustrophobia.
Cities: Vanilla + ImpeReal Cities/Castles ... Bravil has the heaviest touch with Blood&Mud + Bravil Docks. Sacrificed Better Cities to the frame rate god.
Leveling: Started out with Kobu's but switched to nGCD foreverago (but I confess I haven't updated to the newest version). Tried some of the others, not looking to change.
Realism: IMO food and drink is a prominent part of the game, especially with COBL. I don't use Alchemy much at all, so... it has to have some purpose, right? But I prefer a very light touch to realism--perception rather than harsh reality--or, enough to remind me of basic needs, but not enough to put a serious hurting on my character in an extended dungeon crawl. After trying them all, Simple Essentials is the closest fit, and provides a one-plugin approach (eat sleep and drink all in one) ... tejon, I'd like to give TFE another whirl if you included drink as part of the package. But as it stands, I can't justify giving up an extra slot to Real Thirst (and I didn't like it when my character was always coughing anyway).

I generally play with as few mods as possible, as I prefer making mods to using them! The ones I run are generally those that could require accommodation in mine (e.g. OCC/OCR mean placing things in both worldspaces) so I can test that compatibility, and it also means that I play both with and without them at different times. It's often a case of adding a mod that might impact one of mine, testing for a while, and then removing it again.

See, to me, standing in one place for 72 hours waiting for a cell to reset is a serious exploit. I use "needs" mods to provide a meaningful sense of time. And on that note --


I honestly have no interest in doing this, because thirst adds nothing mechanically. TFE is about gameplay and immersion, but not realistic simulation; hunger and exhaustion just happen to be great, familiar, immersive concepts to use in representing the gameplay effect I'm after. The need for sleep makes you pay attention to your uptime (particularly when traveling); the need to eat makes you pay attention to your downtime (if you spend too much time doing nothing, you'll starve). When it comes down to it, thirst is just more hunger; from a gameplay perspective, it's redundant.

There are plenty of other thirst mods if you want it for the simulation aspect, so I'd rather keep TFE lean and niche-specific. And I don't mind at all if you're not using it because of that. There's obviously a very wide range of tastes and opinions on this subject, and one size does not fit all.

Let's see here...

Overhauls: none. Overhauls have never appealed to me, for some reason. Possibly because they're such large mods which change so much (obviously the point of an overhaul!)--but I'm a bit of a control freak when it comes to mods, and prefer more specialized control. I may one day try a game with OOO, just to say I've tried it, but it's not high on my list of priorities.

Texture packs: again, the control freak in me rears her head. The only large-scale texture pack I use is Bomret's SI. Other than it's all smaller packs (for vegetation, Ayleid ruins, lava, etc.). I like to pick and choose; what can I say. (I do the same with Morrowind, typically installing a major overhaul like the Visual Pack first as a base, then rampantly overwriting it with individual retextures.)

City replacements: other. Bravil Blood & Mud and http://tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=19589. Blood & Mud is interesting. As a city expansion it's pretty good, but not so much as a quest mod. (Mostly because I'm having trouble hearing the voice actors, even with headphones and the volume cranked up, and frankly the English translation is terrible.) I absolutely love ImpeREAL City, though. It's become a staple in my game already.

Realism mods: Real Thirst & Hunger (Cobl editions) and Real Sleep Extended. I also voted for other, since I use a few other mods I consider "realism" mods, if only for what they add to immersion and role-playing: Enhanced Economy, Cava Obscura, Curseman's Anti-Extinction Mod, Dungeon Actors Have Torches, Real Lights (from All Natural), Enhanced Weather.

Leveling mods: nGCD for me. Still using an older version due to laziness in regards to upgrading to v2.

Waiting for a cell to reset is itself not immersive - it's a game function, and thus shouldn't be subject to "realism". But that's just IMO.

As for my votes:

FCOM + TIE Integration

QTP3R + various smaller texture replacers

Better Cities (Used to use OBC, had too many problems, so I went with straight BC; like someone said, a short load screen at the gate isn't that immersion-breaking).

I like immersion, but I'm not *really* into realism; I have SM Encumbrance and Fatigue, Less Healthful Rest (you don't regain health while waiting), and Realistic Force. I try to find a place to sleep at night, but that's as far as I'm willing to go to service my character's "needs".

Realistic Levelling

Voted again on fixed poll.
Overhaul, Still OOO+MMM
Textures and cities, Vanilla
Realism mods, TFE and Fizzle.
Leveling, nGCD v2.

I like things lightly modded, only adding more as I see the need arise. I tend to favor the command console and a fertile imagination when they can do the job. Because I write so much Oblivion-based fanfic, I like my game to look a lot like vanilla to keep a common perspective with readers.

Overhaul: None.

Textures: Nothing global. My character has a body by BAB and some nice clothes/armor. She has some cosmetic mods for appearance. Her horse gets some cosmetic help too from Slof and others.

Cities: Vanilla. When my character gets ready to help Savlian Matius rebuild Kvatch, we will look at a mod to help support that.

Realism: My character is quite aware of when she needs to tend to her physical needs without mods. One mod we use that I suppose might fit into this category is a portable campsite mod - which we love dearly.

Leveling: No mods. We just play how we like. When it comes time to level up, we may use the command console to tweak attributes to suit our leveling requirements.

Levelling:

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=9914



How does this one fair with FCOM? Is there compatibility pathces or something? Trying to keep my just-built game clean and true to FCOM, but I have to get this one if possible.

Wow! Thanks for the great input again

I've revised the poll again to include many options suggested.

In case you voted other and want to get the actual option, please delete your vote and revote.

Frankly, that realism mod question is just getting weird - many of the options are NOT alternates - you can use all of them for all I know. Isn't Enhaced Economy a realism mod? How about Duke Patrick's many mods? I think they all add more realism to the game, so the question is too broad not very nicely framed. Still, I'll continue with what we have.

Yeah I think that realism section should be split into two. One for realism on the PC himself and one for gameplay mechanics. EE and MMO are mod that alter gameplay mechanics or dynamics in my mind, whereas stuff like realistic fatigue adds "realism" from the PC point of view.

Unfortunately I think this is really skewed now because a lot of people probably voted before and haven't come back. Making a good poll is hard, eh?

Overhauls: OOO( oo: )+MMM and Stealth Overhaul
Textures: Mtgr and some minor texture replacers for items, horses and so on (Only one person uses like me Mgtr? I can't believe this. It's relatively lightweight for a texture replacer and it is awesome in the look just changing the color saturation, fully customizable with the combination you prefer for cities :toughninja: . I personally like more this one than QTP3, but it is a matter of tastes... :rolleyes: )
City Replacements: Open Cities Reborn, which is the best one in my opinion :flamethrower:
Realism Mods: Enhanced economy, SM Encumbrance and Fatigue, Deadlier Creatures and Map Marker Overhaul. I also use http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=8766, Harvest Flora and some other pretty things I don't remember
Leveling: nGCD V2
Well, those are the mods I plan to put in my next install, but I already played the 80% of them.

EDIT: typos

Unfortunately I think the poll already has the maximum number of questions, so we may as well consider it a Miscellaneous category. I noticed that RoflLizard listed Fizzle under realism, and that mod changes the spellcasting mechanics. Hard to be realistic with something that, by definition, isn't real! Of course, I was very happy to see Fizzle mentioned anyway.

JOG's Stealth Overhaul doesn't belong in the overhaul list. Though it is a nice mod, if a bit outdated.

I agree, just that someone listed it as their overhaul mod. I thin it is more of a gameplay stealth tweak, IIRC.

I'm an FCOM-er, but those screenies from WAC REALLY make me wanna try it! Surely is possible to Bash it all together?

I'm no realism freak, but I do use Real sleep extended, just so I actually do some sleeping. My char was staying up for days on end! Plus I changed Realistic leveling to only level you when you sleep.

As for retextures, I've so many I can't remember them all. What I've been doing is installing them, and if I like them I incorporate them into my heavily modified BSA's, so after that I've no record of whats there. I ticked what I thing I've got, but it could well be all of them, except the QTP varients.

Actually, I have something well over 300 esps in my data folder, so lots of mods, too many to mention really...

I'm finding it rather ironic that the eat/sleep/drink category has as many votes as it does. As far back as I can remember that's been one of the biggest complaints about RPGs - the need to deal with that stuff. I personally can't stand to waste time on things like that. I don't want to be bothered by the need to eat/drink/sleep when I'm playing a game to get involved in the story and the world in general. Having to do all that detracts from the experience in a very negative way for me. So I'm pretty happy most games no longer include those functions and just leave the food and drink for roleplayers to have fun with if they want.

Well that's what modders are for. XD To make those sorts of realism mods for those who do want to play with it. Never used one myself until the last couple days and, while it's amusing hearing my tummy gurgle and growl at me, it's not my style. Never has been. :lmao: But to those who love these mods and there's more than I thought, more power to you.

I rather agree. I'm not so concerned if the game automatically feeds the player/party as long as food is carried, but the hassle of having to feed and water them myself is just a waste of my time in my opinion. Sleep I find a little bit more reasonable, though not if you can't carry your own bedroll and take a nap wherever you are, instead of having to go find an un-owned bed or bedroll first (yes, there are mods allowing you to carry a bedroll in Oblivion). Personally I do not use any eat/sleep/drink mods for Oblivion at all.

I did once try such a mod (a while ago, they're more refined now and what happened to me won't happen with most such mods now) and I died of tiredness or thirst before I'd finished the tutorial dungeon.

:rofl: Best tutorial dungeon death yet. :bowdown: