Alright, I just about am ready to install some mods (after some kind suggestions regarding texture replacements from a previous thread.) To be perfectly honest, I have been out of the mod game for quite some time, but I do remember the basic install orders and what not, and am probably going to do something along the lines of FCOM or OOO+MMM or something of that nature. I am curious though if anyone knows of any good, up-to-date, installation guides. I am looking for something with a general walk through, or possibly a mod list with walk through.

Here are some examples of what I am looking for (yes, I already have found a few.)

http://www.overclock.net/pc-games/143344-oblivion-modding-faq.html
http://knotstheinane.blogspot.com/p/oblivion-modding-guide.html
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18247684

I am hoping to use the guides as a template, or guideline to installing my own mods, but am trying to find some more to choose from.

I used http://knotstheinane.blogspot.com/p/oblivion-modding-guide.html guide as a guideline, and it worked wonders, definitly the best I've found for walking you through the installs and mod lists. Its not an absolute though, you can install many other mods that will be compatible, just make sure to read the ReadMes.

http://sites.google.com/site/ballofflame/balloffire%27soblivionmodlist list is also very good, there are some incompatibilities, unstable and outdated mods, so be careful. (Then again, this was a few months ago when I installed all my mods, I rushed through and didnt read the ReadMes, so that was probobly my own fault). You can also check out the http://betteroblivion.com/alist.php mod lists, but I have never used it so I can`t comment on its usefullness. For FCOM, http://devnull.sweetdanger.net/convergence.html is a fairly good guide, but a little out of date I believe so it won`t replace the current ReadMes. After all that, just take a few hours and browse the various sites with lists of mods, occasionally you find that hidden gem.

One last thing, I can`t stress enough how important it is to read every ReadMe! It will save hours in headaches.

Thank you for the information. The Knostheinane guide is one of them I linked in my initial post. I do appreciate the additional information and extra links though. I remember from my previous days of modding that one should read the ReadMe files. The last time (been a few years) I added mods, I ran into a few problems (like the yellow exclamation point and what not.) I figured the more guides I had, the more I would be able to have some sort of inkling as to what order things should go in, and possibly compatibilities and incompatibilities (like mods that add additional towns, homes, etc.) But thank you again for the links you listed, it is much appreciated.

I know exactly what you mean. I did the same thing a few months ago aswell. I found it better to more or less follow one, once you get the big overhauls and mods done, you can search the other lists and large sites for other mods you may want. Checking compatibility and Readmes first. And for order, BOSS is your best friend, it also updates the tags for Bashed Patch, which will be neccessary for the bigger overhaul mods you want to include. But in general, get the big stuff done first, and after any big overhauls, run boss, rebuild the Bashed Patch, Archive Invalidation if needed and start your game and make sure it runs! Same thing after installing many smaller mods. That way if you do find incompatibilities, or you find something that doesnt work, you know exactly what it is, and can fix it.

Good luck in your installations!

This one seems the most sound, to me: http://tescosi.com/wiki/Main_Page

That said, there really is no (worthy) alternative to the persistent application of logic and common sense. Reading documentation for yourself (along with the relevant portions of current mod threads), and following the "source" (as opposed to derivative/secondary) instructions therein, will set you up with a far stronger foundation than could any guide (or combination of guides).

The best of them can, however, be useful for a variety of things, such as lists of important mod tools, commonly used acronyms, handy links, or the like. I do not, therefore, advocate shunning them altogether, but rather, utilising them judiciously, and only if truly required.

Thanks for that link. Now that it has been mentioned, I remember seeing that in the forums as well. I typically do read mod documentation, and agree with your assessment that following the source may be the better way of building your mod foundation, but I have been out of this for so long, that I honestly would feel more comfortable following a guide, reading the readme.txt of the source files, and adding additional mods after I have a solid base install. I do appreciate your input, and thank you for that.

Also, thank you MasterBomarc, thanks for the reminders in your last post. Most of the 'tools' out now, were out when I played last time, with the exception of BAIN (gonna have to read into that a bit.)

No problem. I more or less used Knotstheinane for the base of my last modded build, then sprinkled a bunch of other mods ontop, and its working wonderfully (well, except for OBGE, but I can never get that thing working). Ive never used bain, and got everything working with OMM and being careful with the manual installs. If you do want to use bain, I would also suggest the http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=35230 for a quick run through on how to use it. Arafel is right though, the guides can provide excellent bases, but with all the new mods and updates, they often get outdated quickly. Always look for a new version when following the links, or alternative versions, as often then can be better (or worse). Take it slow and be careful and you shouldn't have any problems.

Holy Crap, I forgot how involved FCOM actually was to install. I am completely lost. The more I read into it, the more work it looks like. I think I now remember why I always ended up just going with OOO+MMM, the whole FCOM thing was always a bit much. I guess I am gonna check out the FCOM thread and a few more guides to see if this is something I am gonna be able to do, else I will just go with OOO+MMM and just be done with it. Thanks again for the help though.

Well, i did it a short time ago, but many things have been improved a lot, as you will notice, when at it.
it is not as much work when you are at it... only preparation and reading is a lot of time consuming business, but sets you in the right focus, and mood...

Just continue your quest!

Good Luck..

Regards,

Oddball56

As opposed to creating a new thread, I figured that I would just post my question here.

I read somewhere, can't remember where now, that if you have the Steam version of Oblivion, that the dates will be wrong on the esp/esm files of the original game, and would need to be 'reset' as to avoid mod conflicts. I don't remember where I seen that or what to do to make sure they don't conflict with mods and what not, can somone direct me to what to do to change the dates of the files?