Ok, really what I'm looking to do is install a bunch of compatible mods and not spend hours digging through old forum posts and install several different third party tools just to get the game to work.

Is there some sort of stable, executable package of compatible Oblivion mods that I can just quickly install and not worry about? I'm looking to improve the graphics, UI, balance, etc. as well as add new quests if possible.

Yes, I've read the FAQ but it's quite complicated...how is OBMM or OBSE different from WyreBash? Do I need to install all three of them? How do they work together?

Just make your way through readme files (reading them, I mean ), FAQs, and suchlike. Many of these come with mods themselves. It's *very* important to do this. If you don't, you really won't have any idea what you're meant to do, and not to do. SImple as that.

For Wrye Bash, definitely check http://tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=35230 out.

OBMM (or OBMMex, the Extended version, which I prefer, but isn't essential) is pretty simple to get up and running, plus it has documentation anyway.

OBSE is even simpler than either, by far. You just copy and paste key files from that which is unzipped from the obse archive. Mostly, you could either use v19 or v20. At the moment, v20 seems stable enough, IMO. YMMV. But v19 should be quite sufficient for nearly everything.

Techinically, you could get by with only OBMM (or OBMMex), provided no mods you intend on using rely on obse (or Wrye Bash, in a few cases...) - but, as I said above, you really may as well "install" obse, as it's so darn easy. That one will open up options galore, so it's well worth it. Wrye Bash, on the other hand, is not often *essential*, but is extremely versatile and valuable, as tools go. It offers the better mod installation mehod (BAIN), by far, as well. However, the learning curve is steeper than for almost any other mod or modding tool out there, in some ways. The Pictorial Guide is custom built to help alleviate this difficulty.

For modding in general, once you're on your feet already, try http://tesivpositive.animolious.com/ - chock full of good stuff, but not all that intuitive, if you're literally just getting started.

And once you get started, and are reading those things you should be, you can always ask specific questions here, and/or elsewhere, and people will generally be quite glad to help. The thing is, provided you're helping yourself to some extent, you *should* always find that to be true.


edit: The other thing to remember is, don't let your eyes get bigger than your stomach. Which is to say, only install one or two mods at once. Preferably *one* at a time! Install one, test to see if it's working as it should be. Lather, rinse, repeat.

By not doing that you are pretty much dooming yourself to failure and MANY more hours problem solving a stuffed game because you didnt take time out to learn how to mod the game - Its complicated, no getting round it.



No, and such topics get locked on here usually pretty quickly. Management of such a compilation would be a nightmare. Not to mention all the permissions required to combine mods and complications with other mods should you expand further afterwards - Updating such a thing would turn into a permanent job for someone. It has been done before, but they fail.



OBMM and Wrye Bash fall in the same utility bracket - Mod Managers

OBMM can install OMODS (scripted packages for individual mods), it also has some other useful tools in its repertoire - But if you are going to use it use http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=32277 instead, it has been developed a bit further than the original OBMM

Wrye Bash is a bit more advanced in the installation of mods department, but handles loose files like Texture replacers a lot better than OBMM does, via learning how to use (and make) BAINs (Bash Installers)

Wrye Bash is also essential for creating the Bashed Patch and solving a thousand and one game problems, increasing stability. And is NECESSARY for quite a few mods out there these days. Even if you dont use Wrye Bash as your primary mod manager and use OBMMex instead - Wrye Bash is still in-valuable to finish things off and resolve mod conflicts with the Bashed Patch.

BOSS is also another marvellous tool to get your load order correct, another practically essential.

OBSE - Oblivion Script Extender - Only necessary if a mod you are using needs it as part of its requirements.

First I would like to say... http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1111401-introduce-yourself/ Paktu! :wavey:

I suggest that you start with http://lovkullen.net/Emma/index.htm http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1165923-relz-companion-vilja-ver-30-thread-no-9/ and her excellent http://lovkullen.net/Emma/oblivionbyemma.htm mods.
You can use every mod you like, but I wouldn't recommened that because it's rather complicated if you're new to mods. Instead I suggest that you should read every guide there is on this http://tesivpositive.animolious.com/ and use http://search.yacoby.net/ as a mod searcher.

Thanks for the help guys. I actually used to mod Morrowind http://planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Mods.Detail&id=1618 but Oblivion seems to have much greater complexity.

One more question. I'm starting by installing the most basic and essential mods (the unofficial patches) and I see that they have both an executable and OMOD version. Which one do I want to use?

Grab the OMODs, for sure. Unless you wish to install using BAIN (i.e., Wrye Bash), just load them up in OBMM, double click them once they're there, and done!

Be sure to grab the "supplementals" archive or omod, as well. That's the most recent update for all the unofficial patches.

Oh, and before you install anything, unofficial patches included, be sure to install the latest *official* patch (for vanilla *or* for Shivering Isles, if you're running that). Not necessary if you're using the Game of the Year version, or something like that. Sorry if you've already taken care of this - but many people do forget, or don't know in the first place.


edit: And the other other thing ;) I always try to remember mentioning is archive invalidation. This is a must. One very easy way to do it is, open up OBMM or OBMMex, Go to Utilities -> Archive Invalidation -> Update Now. That's all it takes.

:) And dont be seduced by the darkside - There are two methods that work, BSA Redirection and BSA Alteration - The latter of those can occasionally give you an unsolveable problem. BSA Redirection is used by default in OBMM and Wrye Bash; Keep it that way, there are mods out there which advise using alteration, its not necessary anymore when redirection does the same job just as well.

From what I've read so far, it sounds like Wyre Bash is a much more powerful tool than OBMM. Can I use Wyre Bash to load OMOD files?

Nope. It's the native format for OBMM. But what you can do, in most cases, is use OBMM to convert them to archives (i.e., 7-zip [.7z] files), then use those archives in BAIN. But for complex (read: weird directory structures) and/or scripted omods, this won't work.

There are some cases, even now, where some conversion work would have to be done. Thankfully, very few indeed. *Many* modders are making specifically for BAIN (as well as OBMM), or their mods are compatible anyway.

I'd suiggest installing both, regardless. You can always not use one of them! Or yeah, uninstall one or the other, if it offends or distresses you that much in the end.


edit: Definitely grab Better Oblivion Sorting Software (BOSS) too. Pretty much an essential.

And don't forget http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1179974-relz-boss-better-oblivion-sorting-software/, because some mods is not gonna to work if you didn't have BOSS installed.

In my guide Breton Paladin linked, have a look at the description, I dont know if everything will be to your taste but I have listed on TESNexus a fair few BAIN Ready/Friendly mods that are out there for use with Wrye Bash, basicly you just drop the zip in the bash installers folder and load up wrye bash to install them. I am obviously biased, but pretty much the only thing I use OBMMex for these days is extracting OMODS to make BAINs . It has a few other useful tools aswell which still come in handy occasionally though.

What's OBMMex/where do I get it, and why have I never heard of it before??

What has it improved over OBMM??

Its here http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=32277

Quite a lot of improvement, Scentree has done a really good job of carrying on the torch so to speak, have a look at the documentation. It has a Launcher which it installs too, which will detect other things you have installed such as Wrye Bash, TES4Edit etc, so all utils can be launched from the one icon, aswell as OBMMex ofc. It will launch Oblivion too (not sure if it will detect and launch an OBSE'd Oblivion ... I need to look into that)

Edit: The launcher has a nice little touch of background music from Morrowind too, bit of nostalgia

My best advice is learn by doing, after installing the key components of OBMM, Wrye Bash and OBSE, then the unofficial and official patches, try downloading a "simple mod" that doesnt require a Bashed Patch or maybe even one thats in OMOD format. For example, try installing a house mod, follow the basic instructions for installing it using OBMM, Activate the file, then start up the game and see if its working. This will at least help with the terminology used by these programs as well as give you a better understanding of what you need to do. For my first few months of modding i simply ignored the real complex installation mods and stuck to things that were OMOD's, maybe try doing the same?

Many thanks

DL'd and installed

Forgot to mention theres an auto-ghost feature which is a bit hidden if you want to turn it off ...


Edit: Thats for OBMMex - Auto-ghost feature is on by default. If you use the similar function in Wrye Bash for auto-ghosting esp/esm's - they work differently but things could get confusing if you use both utilities.