So I have just started Oblivion for the first time, my brother played it years ago and told me of a mod called Oscar's Oblivion Overhaul which he felt improved the game. I've heard it is a fairly well know mod and I was wondering if you good folks think it is worth installing on a first run or if it is something I should save in case I wanna play the game again in a different way?

Also what are some of the major things that it changes?

Thanks!

I highly recommended. I've been playing Oblivion off and on since the release and I probably wouldn't be if it wasn't for OOO.

Many game changes, and I think improvements, including: reduced level scaling, super-bosses (for example Mannimarco is no longer a wimp, and the vampire Ancient Lord Volmyr is a force to be feared), some nice hand placed items, some quests - marked and unmarked - like a good alternate quest for the poor Paladin in the Molag Bal's quest, new items like armor, rebalanced combat, improved factions, etc etc etc. Beware, it make the game much more challenging, particularly at lower levels.

This thread describes it in much more detail:

http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1119240-relz-oscuros-oblivion-overhaul-133/

I also highly recommend using it with the Martigen's Monster Mod, which adds may interesting new creatures. Thread is here.

http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1116296-relz-martsmonstermod37b3-public-release-3-relz/

I agree with Savlian. OOO and MMM are two extremely good mods

From what I've heard OOO is good although I prefer Vanilla Oblivion but it's up to you. I would start out with Vanilla Oblivion 1st so that you get used to playing the game then after you beat it in a 100 hours or more, start up a new file and use OOO from the beginning.

Well if you just started playing it then you should probably play it vanilla for a little before tackling an overhaul... but then again... what do I know I play on xbox

Well, if this is your first time I say go for it. It will be challenging yes, but you will adapt to it much easier, since you are constantly faced with the challenge. And if it gets to be too much the Difficulty Slider can help.

I really recommend playing vanilla for a while, before installing mods. If you haven't experienced the unmodified game, how do you really know what mods will appeal to you?

Play OOO for me! I'm on console and stuck with the vanilla version. I watch youtube vids of OOO and it looks AMAZING!

This is exactly what I would do. I don't install any mod unless/until I know exactly how it compares to vanilla and what it is that I am changing and why. Most novice players find the 'vanilla' game quite challenging. With lots of time and experience, it becomes easy, but by then you know what you want to change and why. Just my two septims.

Yes, this is exactly the same advice I also always give to people. Start with vanilla so you'll know exactly what you're changing. That said, one mod that you might want to use right of the bat is http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=5701. There are many quests that reward you with items based on your level so if you want the best rewards you have to delay doing the quest until you're level 25 or so. With this mod however lower level versions of the rewards in your inventory are replaced with higher level versions whenever you reach a high enough level. This allows you to simply play the game without having to worry if your level is high enough to get the best reward for your quest.

Play vanilla first so you can familiarize your self with the game, and because OOO is very difficult in the beginning. Also OOO can be very tedious and immersion breaking because you will quite often find your self reloading to previous save. Only play OOO if you want extra challenge.

Once you've played with it for a while, you can learn to not die so quickly.

I also vote play vanilla first, and then get hooked on OOO after your have played the vanilla game through. (OOO has been in my LO since '07, which is basically when I first started using mods.)


Happy gaming!
- Tomlong75210

Thank you for the feedback everyone, I think I am gonna go vanilla for a while, but with the quest award leveler, once I get a good feel for things I'll probably start tweaking it, that's how I played Fallout New Vegas and I had a good experience that way.

I recommend playing vanilla for a while. That is what I did; bought it last spring, played vanilla (well some mods, but not any major overhaul mods like OOO and MMM) all last summer till I got tired of the game. Took a break from playing. In Dec I installed OOO + MMM as well as some others, and I am enjoying it a lot. It is a quite a bit harder than vanilla, so I think getting the feel for the game in vanilla first is wise. Plus you can actually 'redo' a lot of the stuff in vanilla and it is quite a bit different = multiplies your hours of fun.

It is true that OOO 1.33 does both of fixing what was broken and injects enjoyment aplenty. That said, unless you have a killer machine then kiss RAEVWD goodbye. I have an Intel Core2Duo, 4GB RAM, and an HD4890. For me, I must choose between the two to keep. The answer is obvious, RAEVWD must go.

I love the OOO mod. :wub:

I also run the Lost Spires mod and find they compliment each other quite a bit.

If your anxious for Skyrim, there are some things in it that are "Skyrim-ish", in an Oblivion sort of way. I know that doesn't make much sense, but you'll understand if you try the newest version of the mod.

Lots of great quests, new factions, weapons, armor, and creatures...and it changes the level scaling. You will have to run away and fight another day in some situations if you're fresh out of the sewers!

I highly recommend it.

ETA: I also recommend playing vanilla Oblivion for awhile before installing the OOO mod.

I would definitely not recommend it for a first playthrough, but then again I never liked that mod very much, I just didn't have the patience or knowhow to gain levels with it active. Everywhere I went I met something badass that wiped the floor with my poor lowly character.

Absolutely, yes!

I played vanilla, or with just a couple of very small mods for a few years and a month ago I went back and installed a lot of great mods. After playing hardcoe mode in New Vegas, I decided to try some of the Oblivion survival mods - lots of fun.

Here is a list of my favorite mods - they all work well together if installed properly. Oblivion now looks beautiful and I'm getting decent frame rates on my laptop in 1920x1080, all detail settings maxed (and i'm using a Steam installation)

(1) FCOM/Oscuro's/Martigens/Francesco's/Warcry

(2) Real Hunger COBL

(3) Real Thirst

(4) Real Sleep Extended

(5) Bananasplit's Better Cities

(6) Qarl's Texture Pack 3 (4k HD Textures)

(7) Oblivion Graphics Extender v2 (OBGEv2)

(8) ENBSeries Shaders

(9) Advanced Windows Lighting System

(10) Tamriel NPCs Revamped (finally the NPC faces don't look like crap)

(11) Supreme Magicka

(12) Less Annoying Magic Experience (yes they both work together)

(13) Ren's Beauty Pack

(14) HGEC Body Replacer (AA cup is best one)

(15) Elaborate Eyes

(16) Oblivion Stereo Overhaul

(17) Immersive Oblivion (sound mod)

(18) Enhanced Economy

(19) Mystic Elves (playable race)

(20) COBL Races



Depending on your playing style, your first playthrough can last years. I have never completed the main quest, in fact.

I'd recommend to play at least a few weeks vanilla before installing major mods. The survival stuff is a lot of fun, though, and the beauty mods/Tamriel NPCs Revamped, make the NPCs look a lot more realistic and get rid of that deformed Jay Leno chin.