So I feel like playing through Oblivion again, but I don't feel like downloading 200+ mods to make it better, and I don't wanna play it vanilla.

I'm wondering if there's any sort of Mod Compilation I can download that includes a bunch of compatible mods that enhance the game. Or am I just SOL?

Sounds like laziness to me. Yes, there's mod compilations out there, but they tend to violate the authors' copyrights so I cannot in good conscience suggest them. What I can suggest is that you download the mods you want, yourself, or play it vanilla, or don't play it at all. Here's a few mod recommendations:

Unofficial Oblivion Patch
Unofficial Official Mods Patch (if you have any of the DLCs)
Common Oblivion (aka Cobl)

I'd make 'em clickable links, but for some reason I'm feeling too lazy to go find the URLs.

Here's a http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1046272-relz-jason-mcculloughs-ridiculous-oblivion-mod-pack/page__p__15175870__fromsearch__1&#entry15175870 I can recommend. This guy has put together a huge modlist and batch files to make install much easier. You still have to download the mods yourself, but he provides links. And then you run through his install instructions and programs. Not brainless, but certainly easier than doing it from scratch entirely yourself.

An earlier version of this (he updates periodically, which is good) was my first introduction to Oblivion modding. A good experience which I enjoyed immensely and which got me started on an enduringly enjoyable hobby.

gothemasticator

Yes I'm "lazy", I think I pretty much said as much in the OP but thanks for using your astute observation skills to point it out. I'm perfectly willing to either download a compilation, or not play at all. Which is why I thought I'd ask you guys if you knew anything of the sort.

I do thank you though. You mentioned you knew of compilations, that means my quick google search wasn't thorough enough, i'll keep looking. In the meanwhile if anyone's willing to live life on the edge and post a link to one, I'd be much indebted.

Ah, this is interesting. Thank you, will take a look.

EDIT: Link's broken, sadly. Found a mirror here: http://www.quartertothree.com/game-talk/showthread.php?t=55303 Not sure if same version though.

We try to shy away from that because this topic often leads to "fights." We respect the modders here, so supporting projects that do not just does not fit. If you do not feel like installing a bunch of random mods and willing to put in a little more effort than a 1-click installation, try only using mods by a single author or group of authors. Going that route, you can still see much of Oblivion revamped and conflicts will be fewer. Regardless of which mods you install, make sure to grab the Unofficial Oblivion Patch (and the SI equivalent if you have SI.) I do not know how the average compilation mod works, but if any mod or group of mods is replacing original Oblivion files, you need to take care of http://sites.google.com/site/oblivionpoinfo/installation/archiveinvalidation. Get ArchiveInvalidation Invalidated! if you are trying to avoid installing OBMM.

Edit:

The link you found should be up-to-date. It was edited on the 12th of this month. So, you're good to go.

gothemasticator

I suggest you choose 'don't play at all' then. If you will not put a bit of effort into downloading and installing then you are not going to get anywhere. Compilations are not a wise choice. People putting compilations together are...

a ) Violating the wishes of the author.
b ) Have absolutely not idea what they are doing.
c ) Quite frankly they are unintelligent. If they actually rubbed those two unused brain cells together, they may just realize the following...

It is not that modders don't want to make a compilation, it is that it cannot be done. Because:

1) It is impossible to make without conflicts, game crashes and other game killing problems.

2) No ones choice in mods are the same or even close to the same. there is so much variety out there. Take body mods for instance, there are half a dozen and everyone uses different

3) Modders update their works continuously by making improvements, correcting errors and expanding. Updating the mod compilation with updates would be continuous work and require downloaders to redownload the entire compilation on a practically daily basis. Other wise you get errors and conflicts *see point 1* Especially as more mods are added.

If you see a large compilation that someone has thrown together and that is not authorized or supported by the actual authors, do yourself a favour and don't download it unless you want your game to go BOOM. Resulting in you having to completely reinstall and search for single mods anyway. Mod compilations simply do not work.

If you think my assessment of 'mod compiler thieves' is harsh, try getting a barrage of emails asking for help because some idiot put together a compilation with your mod and does not have the know how to even try and fix the inevitable errors, so people come looking for the original author.

Do yourself a favour 'say NO to compilation thieves' or if you insist on going with an unauthorized mod compilation at least take some screenshots of when your game goes BOOM so we can all have a good laugh.

Edit: I really hope they fix the forum, it just logged me out and posted my post with the code.

I understand Meek's points entirely. However,...

I would like to point out that the particular compilation under discussion is not what he is talking about at all.

• The thread I linked to is here on this very forum.
  
• No actual mods are included. You must download them all yourself.
  
• The author has created batch files to make installation easier.

No thievery is going on here.

gothemasticator

Hopefully it didn't come across like that, no of course that particular link is not a problem, that is not even the files themselves, you still have to download the files. I am refering to the 'all in one file pack' that the OP is hoping for.

I have to agree with what Meek said. I wouldn't play the game if I had to use someone else's load order. It is not just that I like some mods more than others, the problem is that some mods would make the game even worse than the vanilla game for me. Whether it's an armor that I feel doesn't fit into the game or whether it's a gameplay tweak that I dislike. Why bother using mods if they make the game worse for you?

The only way to set up the game how you want it to be is to choose the mods you like and install them. No one is forcing you to download and install 254 mods at once. All you need are a few mods that get rid of the most annoying things in the game for you. Then maybe pick a few 'add-ons' (quest mods, house mods, armor mods) you like and start playing. You can install most mods while you already play the game (with a bit of effort you can probably install every mod without starting a new game), so you don't have to stick with the same mods for the entire game. If you use a mod list from someone else you will only be annoyed by things that didn't exist in the vanilla game and you will miss out on a lot of great mods that would make the game so much better for you. Just looking at the mod list of the compilation I can assure you that I would never want to play with some of the mods in there (some of them are even outdated, there are better alternatives available).

If you don't want to spend an hour to install a few mods I wonder why you play the game anyway (not that installing the compilation wouldn't take a long time). That would mean you waste your spare time on something you absolutely don't care about. Good game? Bad game? Don't care, just need to spend my time somehow. Your life must be pretty boring if you do that.

I've mentioned that hronk's installation package was my introduction to modded Oblivion, but I thought I'd flesh that experience out a little...

I'm an old rpg junkie. I love gaining xp, planning character builds, crunching numbers, etc. For years after Oblivion came out I didn't have a computer that could run it, so I waited. (I'm also always a budget gamer, so I am used to playing the hot new thing years after everyone else.) By the time the game became affordable and I had the rig to run it, I had read plenty about the leveling system and other aspects that I knew would not appeal to me. I had also read about all the mods available.

So, I got the game and started looking for mods. Being a noob, I was overwhelmed and confused by the whole scene. It really is hard to start out. The main thing is that it can take a while to sort out which advice is good advice to follow when you're just starting out. When you don't know nothin', it ain't easy to tell who does know what they're talking about.

Then I happened upon hronk's big mod installation package. Following his download links, I learned a ton about where to find good mods. I started learning the names of some good modders. I started being able to tell which sites are reputable. Running through his install process, I started to learn about load order. I learned the various utilities. I learned how important it is to be methodical. I learned how complex a big load order really is. Once I had the thing installed, I got a taste of heavily modded Oblivion that it would have taken me a long long time to reach on my own.

I played long enough to be amazed by the variety of mods and to see what I did and didn't like. After the initial amazement wore off and my own tastes rose up, I was much more ready to start over and do it my way. I was hooked, too.

My point: hronk's setup was a good intro to all this for me. And it can be for others, as well. If it appeals to someone, I just don't think we should all just poo poo it and insist that everybody do it the hard way.

People are different and learn differently. I think hronk's setup is quite a good option for some people just starting out. And, it's most likely a good option for those it initially appeals to.

gothemasticator

Just download OOO (Oscuro's Oblivion Overhaul) on TESNexus. That's what I started with back in '07 (on a 1.8 GHz PC with radeon 9000 :celebration: )

Plenty of changes for everyone's tastes bliviongate:

One compilation I played around with only did a visual and sound overhaul, plus a few other things. It was beautifull. Never CTD or crash on exit, the person did a stand up job. I even added FCOM and it worked well. Here is the link:

http://planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=OblivionMods.Detail&id=5345

Or Google gor 'oblivion oavo' to find it.

Here's another forum thread with a bunch of useful mod links: http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/790175-bgs-list-of-base-mods/