Hi all,

I've been trying to follow an install-order guide (tesposi[dot]animolious[dot]com/wiki/Oblivion:A_General_Order_for_Installing_Mods) to make sure everything works the first go-around. However, I'm not really sure on which of the linked categories some of my mods fit into.


1.) I have the "Exterior/Dungeon Actors Have Torches" mod downloaded; does this count as a tweak, or something else listed on that page? Similarly, what about Crowded Roads/Cities - are they under the "Companion/NPCs" section, or is it more of a gameplay tweak?

2.) Koldorn's LOD Noise Replacer - would this be considered a "City & World Aesthetics" mod, or a "Texture Replacer"?

3.) Should Streamline be loaded before or after Shivering Isles?

Also and finally, a question regarding conflicts: do I want to use CaptNKILL's Non-Tiling Textures Mod with Qarl's Texture Pack 3: Redimized, or are they incompatible? It doesn't seem to say in the readme of either mod.


Thanks a million, in advance! I can't wait to try Oblivion again after so long - with mods and with graphics on High, this time!

Use Boss.

Thanks; I'm glad to know about that - sounds like it will save a ton of trouble. However, doesn't installation order still matter?

It's a texture replacer, but this distinction doesn't matter if you're using BAIN to install, configure and uninstall you mods.

As stated above by Nephenee13, use BOSS to correct mod load orders.

Using BAIN renders this kind of question totally irrelevant. Install QTP3R with BAIN, and whether that other mod you referred to is sorted higher or lower in BAIN, any potential conflict (i.e., over-writing) with QTP3 - or indeed, any other mod of any kind that you have already installed via BAIN - will automatically show up under the relevant tab.


Wrye Bash (of which BAIN is but a part) and BOSS are irreplaceable and, with certain mods, or simply a high enough number of mods, also unavoidable anyway. So, you might as well learn to use them (BOSS is considerably more easy, suffice it to say), sooner rather than later, when an unholy mess will otherwise inevitably occur.

The http://oblivion.nexusmods.com/mods/35230 is the best way to learn, and I thoroughly recommend working your way through it.

Also, mod readmes are there for a very good reason... but it seems you have already adopted that most excellent habit. Kudos!


edit: When not using BAIN, installation order does matter a great deal, yes. Not so, when using the best tool for the task. More to the point, you can rectify any installation order issues with the greatest of ease, in BAIN, whereas without it, it's likely to be a nightmarish undertaking... at best.

Thanks for the tip. I have seen mention of this tool, but unfortunately, the guide I read told me it was nightmarishly complex. From this thread and another one I've been browsing, I've learned that this isn't so.

As a result, I've already installed OBMM, and installed a few mods with it. Will using BAIN now necessitate starting over - uninstalling these, uninstalling Oblivion, reinstalling all? I'm not willing to start all the way over unless it turns out there is an awful conflict - I'd like to try to do it all "by hand" and with OBMM first, if a restart would be required. If so, please tell me where Actors Have Torches and Crowded [Roads/Cities] go in install order, if you've an idea!

(It might save me trouble later, but right now I'm pressed for time as it is! If I end up using 20-30+ mods, I'll probably end up using BAIN anyway, but I don't know if I ever will.)

Just uninstall the OBMM mods and reinstall them with BAIN. You can leave the OBMM mods, certainly, but don't forget that if you do you must not then delete the OMODs, as that will automatically remove the installed files.

Forget ordering "by hand" though, it's a complete waste of time when you are starting out. Just run BOSS, it will do everything for you and warn you of any conflicts - it's fairly comprehensive, and if it doesn't pick a mod up report it and the guys will look into it.

For install order (as opposed to load order) I created a kind of template that I generally follow (been working well for Skyrim/Fallout too)

found in my BAIN thread http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1084204-bain-mod-installation-projects/page__view__findpost__p__15797993. If you use BAIn you can create markers with these sections so that when adding packages it is easier to sort them.

Respectfully, I have to disagree a bit on these points. While BAIN makes it much easier to manage the install order, the order you install files does still matter. In the case of conflicts, the latter, higher numbered install file (lower on the screen) still wins. Particularly in the case of textures and meshes, replacers are overwriting specific files in existing paths. (If they are going into their own unique folders then they are not 'replacing' anything.) So, the last installed file wins, always. "There can be only one."

As for the OP's questions: the above considerations should govern your decisions. Those categories are an aid to help you group mods that make similar types of changes together, so you can then more easily decide which should win in the case of direct conflicts. Therefore many of those choices are discretionary. BAIN shows you (in the upper right-hand portion of the display) how many files from other mods conflict the currently selected one (under the 'General' tab), and exactly which files are conflicting from which particular mod (under the 'Conflicts' tab). That helps you decide if you need to re-order or re-categorize your mods. It all depends upon which mods you want to win. (Don't forget to 'Anneal' after changing the install order.)

(BTW: when looking to identify which files are 'missing', look under both the 'missing' and the 'mismatched' tabs. They are totaled together on the 'General' tab.)

Personally, my responses to those decisions would be: (I based on the IO categories at http://tescosi.com/wiki/A_General_Order_for_Installing_Mods.)
1) "Exterior/Dungeon Actors Have Torches": 05 Gameplay Changes and Tweaks.
2) "Koldorn's LOD Noise Replacer": 11 Large Mesh Replacers.
3) "Streamline": 02 Utilities.
4) Crowded Cities/Roads: 09 Companions and NPCs. (Primarily because too many NPCs in an area can cause FPS hits, so that's what I want to look for to disable when testing it's impact. But '16 City & World Aesthetics' is a possibility as well.)
But there is plenty of room for disagreement, and perfectly compatible placement in other categories.

As you can see, there is no reason you can't create your own categories and sub-categories. I number mine so they sort properly and help me tell which category will override the lower numbered ones. I have 23 major categories and more than that in sub-categories (mostly 'pre-' and 'post-' certain significant mods), but that's just to help me make decisions.

And, anticipating another question, I tend to simply place mods within a category in alphabetical order unless there is a need otherwise (such as a conflict winner preference). In practice, I don't have many conflicts within a category ... outside of replacers.

-Dubious-

If time is an issue, OBMM plus BOSS should be just fine for most uses. If you're doing things that require complex overwriting (or the deliberate lack thereof) such as merging overhauls or trying to use multiple custom races/hairs/that sort of thing, then you'll pretty much have to learn BASH/BAIN. Short of that though, it should be just fine, and since learning BASH/BAIN is a fairly long process, it's something you're better off doing at your own pace, rather than trying to bull your way through it so that you can play ASAP. With OBMM and BOSS, all you have to do is learn how to create an OMOD (for the mods that don't already have one) and which buttons to push on which program when, and you're ready to go. Then, later, when you have more time and more need, you can set about learning all the ins and outs of BASH/BAIN.