Alright, so I recently purchased Oblivion the 5th year anniversary edition for PC. I have played Oblivion on PS3 a lot and sense I just got into PC gaming and heard so many good things about Oblivion on PC I just had to pick it up. So I haven't downloaded anything yet besides Oblivion Mod manager. At the moment I'm just looking for mods that make the game look as best as it can. So I thought I would start with Qarl's Texture pack III? So do i need 7zip for this mod or just Oblivion Mod Manager or neither? I've read the FAQ quite a few times but I'm still a little confused? Any help would greatly be appreciated!

Dont start with OBMM, never think about it, its just a step onward to the real tool, wyre bash.

Use wyre bash, start slow, take around 10 - 15 mods

- Unoffical Oblivion Patches
- Enhanced Economy
- TIE
- Duke Patricks combat archery and melee combat
- quarls texture pack redimized, the light version
- darkUid Darn
- HGEC Body replacer and roberts male v4, plus vanilla race overhaul 2
- and probably obge v3 for the start, since its easy to install, but you probably need help picking the right shaders. (ask at the shader club..err thread)

USE WYRE BASH!

Thats enough to play around with a while ( not to solve the game, but to learn configuring different mods)

OK, now I'm really confused. If I get Wyre Bash do I need 7zip still?

Yes, you will need an application to deal with archives (e.g., 7zip, Rar, Zip, etc.) http://www.7-zip.org/ (<- link) itself is an excellent choice, and is freeware besides. But if you already have something like WinZip, that is okay too.

Oblivion Mod Manager is fine, if you don't want to install very many mods, or much beyond retextures (like QTP3, say).

Just make sure that, whether you use OBMM, BAIN, or both, you apply archive invalidation - but once only. So, either use Wrye Bash OR Oblivion Mod Manager to do Archive Invalidation. You can use either one, or both, to install/configure mods, however.

Feel free to ask more questions, if you need to. The first thing to remember, though, is: read readme files and other documentation thoroughly, and follow instructions to the letter.

You'll be fine, if you do that.


edit: Also, if you are running Windows 7 or Vista? Make sure you install Oblivion somewhere outside of the usual places (maybe try C:\Games\Oblivion or the like). This is very inmportant! Uninstall and reinstall, if need be.

I don't really plan on installing more than 10-15 Mods. QTP3 is already in a OMOD, so do I still need 7zip? Also which one do I install just the first one? http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=18498

You will need 7zip (or an equivalent program) at some stage, I can almost guarantee. It will be a quick and painless installation, and they are not the kinds of apps that get in the way when you are not using them.

Unless you have already downloaded all those parts, maybe try this instead (all in one file) -> http://www.fileplanet.com/189421/180000/fileinfo/Qarl%27s-Texture-Pack-III-Full-v1.3-OMOD

But no, you do not (always) need an archiver to deal with omods. Except if they are zipped, for example...

Like, for instance, that ".rar" I just linked to. Archivers are incredibly useful, to say the least. I think you will find it very handy, beyond just Oblivion and its mods.

Alright, I clicked on mirror and their is a full installation of it. I'll get 7zip then try and install Qarl's.

7 Hours!? Is it suppose to take this long?

It is something like 1.7GB, from memory. So, depending on connection speed, yes it could - or longer!

About Archive Invalidation... It really is essential, if you want to use new textures and so on (like QTP3). Luckily, it is very easy to make it happen, with OBMM (or Wrye Bash). With OBMM, click on Utilities, select Archive Invalidation, and click on Update. That is it; done. You need only do it the once (... per fresh installation, anyway).

And regarding the installation directory, it is vital that Oblivion is not beneath Program Files, or Program Files (x86). You will have issues, if it is one of those places (i.e., the default). If necessary, uninstall Oblivion entirely, then reinstall it somewhere like maybe C:\Games\Oblivion (or whatever else you prefer).

I installed Oblivion in my documents is this OK? After it finishes downloading, what is the first thing I do? How exactly do I unzip it. Also I didn't change where the mod downloads to I just kept it at default, I hope that's fine. I heard by dragging the file to my desktop will unzip it for me, is this true it was in a video? (like from the down loader when it's finished).

You have one heck of a computer, you can enjoy some nice textures like QTP3. Just suffer through the download times. You can google around to see if you can find a faster download speed (planet elder scrolls and Elric are pretty fast, but in the end it depends on your speed).

7-zip you should have as a matter of a basic computer install IMO. Very small and as you get into OB on the PC you will use it.

OBMM can convert omod files to an archive for a BAIN install with Wrye Bash so you will need 7-zip to move some directories around in the archive to make it BAIN friendly at some point.

Unzipping (or extracting content from Rar, 7zip, etc., files) is often done by right-clicking on the archive directly, and choosing (something like) 7-Zip -> Extract Here from the context menu. If you want the contents right there. Otherwise, choose - I think it is - Extract Files... instead, and tell 7Zip where to extract to.

I am uncertain about installing Oblivion to My Documents\___ - it seems a little odd. But if it works, then good.

OH. my bad. I think it's under games because that's where it say's under my programs. Once it downloads I'll probably ask what to do next, sorry for all the questions.

Okay. Could you try this, then? Double click on Computer from the desktop, or click once on Computer from the Windows start menu (either one is fine). Double click on the C: drive, double-click on Program Files (x86), and have a look for a folder named Bethesda Softworks or similar. Is there one? If Program Files (x86) does not even exist, double-click on Program Files instead, and the same applies.

Oh, and if Windows bothers you about viewing protected areas or whatever, just tell it that you are sure, or whatever it is you need to do to shut it up for a while, and let you "explore".

Anyway. If that "Bethesda" folder is there, you need to uninstall Oblivion, and when installing it again, let it know you want to install somewhere different. You will need to get rid of the default location it offers up, and in its place type in the full thing (e.g., C:\Games\Oblivion - just for example). Then continue the install as normal.

If the folder is not there, you might not have anything to worry about, with regards to this potential trap.


Note: Edited in case you are not using 64-bit Windows.

It wasn't their.