» Wed Nov 07, 2012 8:53 am
Regarding the TESCOSI site. On the left should appear a 'navigation bar' that lists the major topic areas of the site. You should read everything under the simple 'http://tescosi.com/wiki/Oblivion' topic (click on the arrow to expand the list of sub-topics), and then follow the step-by-step instructions in the 'http://tescosi.com/wiki/Complete_Installation_Guide_for_Oblivion'. Then you should also read the 'http://www.tweakguides.com/Oblivion_1.html' for hardware oriented configuration suggestions.
Regarding your Wrye Bash problem. Did you install the 'standalone' option or the 'Python library' option of version 301? It sound like you installed the latter, in which case you also need to install the Wrye Python package from the same download page. But suggest you try uninstalling and re-installing just the 'standalone' version. You should also read the 'http://oblivion.nexusmods.com/mods/35230' to get started using BAIN for installing mods and building your 'Bashed Patch'. Everything else is 'optional' and can wait until you find the need to learn about it.
Once you have installed more than a couple of mods, get 'http://code.google.com/p/better-oblivion-sorting-software/' and use it to maintain your 'load order'. This is your primary defense against mod conflicts and crashes. Read, and follow the suggestions in BOSS for every mod. You can ignore the 'Bash Tags' as Wrye Bash' will automatically incorporate them for you when you build your Bashed Patch.
As you might suppose, these sorts of questions get asked frequently. Take some time to look through the forum for previous threads, starting with the pinned ones at the top of this forum.
Some others you definitely should look at:
'New to mods' [http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1395654-new-to-mods%5D,
'OBMM alternative or solution' [http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1368706-obmm-alternative-or-solution%5D,
'Recommended Oblivion Mods' [http://sites.google.com/site/khettienna/recommended-oblivion-mods%5D.
As for 'making it look visually stunning', that gets complicated. The more detail you add, the more stress you put on your hardware capabilities. Unless you have a very powerful system (faster than 3GHz core, more than 4 GB RAM with the LAA patch applied to the game, at least 1GB VRAM), it will be a balancing act between higher detailed textures and dropping FPS (Frames Per Second; effective movement within the game). Read the 'General Information' on 'http://testg.wikidot.com/main' (The Elder Scrolls Texture Guide) site. That site currently has the most complete list of visually related mods for Oblivion. You will also need to read about and choose among the various Utilities listed there. At the very least you will need to use TES4LODGen, an LOD/VWD generator. (Those acronyms are explained on the TESTG Glossary page under 'General Information'.)
Common questions and concerns:
1: Do the mods make it crash?
Yes, either way (vanilla or modded) you will have some crashes to the desktop (CTDs). They are a part of the experience everyone has to live with, but thousands do live with them. Save early, save often, keep your old saves.
2. Should I patch it up before modding or will it run O.K even without that?
You will need Oblivion patched up to v1.2.0.416, at a minimum. (This is what is meant by 'vanilla'.) However....if you buy/bought the game as GOTY or 5th Anniversary Edition and install all included game content then you automatically have v1.2.0.416 and don't need to worry about downloading gamesas patches. (A lot of the patching advice found on the web pre-dates GOTY and can not know it is officially up-to-date.) It is also strongly recommended to install the 'Unofficial Oblivion Patch (UOP)', now at v3.4.2+. If you have the Shivering Isles (SI) expansion, then you should also install the 'Unofficial Shivering Isles Patch (UOSIP)', v1.5.1+. If you install any of the DownLoadable Content (DLCs), such as Knights of the Nine, Vile Lair, etc., then you should install the 'Unofficial Official Mods Patch (UOMP)' v17+, as well. These all fix known problems.
3. What are the best mods to get?
Very subjective, and there are literally tens of thousands to choose from. What sort of characters do you like to play? Before you get into modding the game, definitely play 'vanilla' for a bit to see what you feel the need to change. Mods by definition are designed to change the vanilla game.
4. Any mods I should avoid?
This is more a matter of 'which in combination with what'. Overhauls are more likely to have conflicts with other mods that (perhaps more narrowly) try to alter the same things. But some of the most massive have patches to get them to work together. And it's often difficult to tell which mods conflict just from their descriptions. There are tools available to you that can do that, but they are better to wait on until you have a need and the vested interest in learning them.
Have some patience, you will get there.
Edit: I see you have installed your game under 'Program Files'. If you are using Vista or later versions of Windows, save yourself a LOT of grief and uninstall the game and re-install it to a location outside of the 'Program Files' folder tree, such as 'C:\Games\Oblivion'. The TESCOSI installation guide covers this. See post #12 in the thread "http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1395179-oblivion-and-mods-install-for-win-7-64-any-issues" for my explanation as to why this became necessary.
-Dubious-
