50_Steps To CTD (Almost) Free FCOM+++ Game : IV - Oblivion

» Tue Mar 29, 2011 11:17 pm

Excellent guide. I was wondering if there was a way to install a "definitive" Oblivion on my computer and I think your guide pretty sums up. Of course, Bethesda forums went down the exact second I uninstalled my old Oblivion and wanted to reinstall a new one...

One thing I'm not sure about, though: you say that you PyFFI your Oblivion bsa. No problem so far. But then you say that you omoded it! Last time I PyFFIed those meshes, I rebuilt a bsa file with OBMM. Is there a difference?

Yes. First off, for building bsa's, I recommend BSA Commander. You can specify the flags with it. OBMM uses common flags which are not correct, according to the vanilla bsa's. The main advantage of OMODing or BAIN packaging is ease of deinstallation. I read somewhere that bsa's have advantages besides cleanliness and compression, but I don't know what they are. Someone more knowledgeable than me may know.

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 8:55 am

Yes. First off, for building bsa's, I recommend BSA Commander. You can specify the flags with it. OBMM uses common flags which are not correct, according to the vanilla bsa's. The main advantage of OMODing or BAIN packaging is ease of deinstallation. I read somewhere that bsa's have advantages besides cleanliness and compression, but I don't know what they are. Someone more knowledgeable than me may know.

Interesting. I didn't know the problem about the flags. But I have a question: how come that Oblivion is still able to use the resources in the PyFFIed omod? I mean, when it installs itself, Oblivion has a bsa witht those files. If I undertstood the process well (and that might be where somebody will be able to point out my mistake), you unpack the bsa (after making a backup of course), PyFFi the files inside and then repack them in an omod. But then, you don't have the bsa anymore and Oblivion has to understand he has to use the omod instead, right? How that's possible? (it's for my education, I like to learn new things

)

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 6:32 am

Interesting. I didn't know the problem about the flags. But I have a question: how come that Oblivion is still able to use the resources in the PyFFIed omod? I mean, when it installs itself, Oblivion has a bsa witht those files. If I undertstood the process well (and that might be where somebody will be able to point out my mistake), you unpack the bsa (after making a backup of course), PyFFi the files inside and then repack them in an omod. But then, you don't have the bsa anymore and Oblivion has to understand he has to use the omod instead, right? How that's possible? (it's for my education, I like to learn new things

)

Well, you should keep your meshes bsa in the data folder. But by default Oblivion looks in the data folders before it looks in the bsa's. So if you have two identical meshes (or textures or XML's - whatever), the files that are in the data folders will take precedence over the files that are in the bsa's. Fallout 3, on the other hand, doesn't do this by default. You have change a setting in the Fallout.ini to make the engine look in the data folders first.

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 8:18 am

Well, you should keep your meshes bsa in the data folder. But by default Oblivion looks in the data folders before it looks in the bsa's. So if you have two identical meshes (or textures or XML's - whatever), the files that are in the data folders will take precedence over the files that are in the bsa's. Fallout 3, on the other hand, doesn't do this by default. You have change a setting in the Fallout.ini to make the engine look in the data folders first.

So, for the sake of my full understanding :

1- I unpack the bsa (as it is safe, I don't have to rename it)
2- I PyFFI the meshes according to the guide
3- I pack those meshes in a omod (I guess I have to call it Oblivion - meshes.omod right ?)
4- I activate the omod in OBMM while letting the bsa in the folder just to keep it at hand if necessary
5- and voila !

right ?

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 5:20 am

Yep, that's it. Keep the Oblivion meshes in the bsa in the data folder just in case there are some meshes that did not get PyFFI'd for whatever reason. And there should be some because PyFFI doesn't play nice with certain nifs.

» Tue Mar 29, 2011 9:07 pm

Yep, that's it. Keep the Oblivion meshes in the bsa in the data folder just in case there are some meshes that did not get PyFFI'd for whatever reason. And there should be some because PyFFI doesn't play nice with certain nifs.

Thank you very much for your very complete answer ! :goodjob:

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 8:09 am

Thank you very much for your very complete answer ! :goodjob:

No problem.

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 4:35 am

If anyone gets a bug where corpses turn green just rename MMM.bsa to
FCOM_Convergence - MMM.bsa and this should fix it.

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 10:51 am

If anyone gets a bug where corpses turn green just rename MMM.bsa to
FCOM_Convergence - MMM.bsa and this should fix it.

I renamed it DLCShiveringIsles.BSA and that worked. But Mart's Monster Mod - .BSA did not work. Never undertood how these things work...

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 9:49 am

Well if your doing an FCOM install calling MartsMonsterMod - anything at all.bsa is not going to work.

It has to be an esp that is active and with FCOM the main marts Monster mod esp is not active while the SI.esp is.

Mine is called FCOM_Convergence_Mart's Monster Mod.bsa and it works. Many hours of of play and many MMM encounters to confirm that - and I know that these files are not loose either since all previously loose MMM files were removed with BAIN. ... in fact yep just checked all previous to bsa MMM files not loose and so that rename works.

I've not really had green blood since the bsa.

hope that helps.

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 9:15 am

Blade Of Mercy, could you post your mod download order? It will be rather handy to have this in this topic =)

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 8:40 am

Download order makes no indifference.

» Tue Mar 29, 2011 11:12 pm

Heh, usually I post my LO in post 2 (check previous tread.)
However, ATM am playing with my 3-days old PC and Windows 7 and am trying to befriend them

So, when am ready and satisfied with the stability of the build, will post it in post#2.
Probably will take me a week more though...

» Tue Mar 29, 2011 8:59 pm

Yes, BOSS rules download order now) But download order can also show optional plugins which are instaled with big mod such OOO.
*starts to find previos thread... in a new forum*
Must say that link "pyffied optimized meshes" are realy outdated and there are problems with opening them in blender.So it's easer and safer to pyfffi them by hands.

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 9:50 am

Yes, BOSS rules download order now) But download order can also show optional plugins which are instaled with big mod such OOO.

I think I misunderstood you. What you mean is "mod load order", I guess.

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 3:55 am

Sorry for my bad english=) Yes it is, I mean "mod load order".

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 3:41 am

I gotta say, this guide helped me a lot and I'm not even running FCOM..!

In particular cleaning the esps seems to have made quite a difference.

That and activating one at a time!

Cheers to you modding Gurus!

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 8:38 am

Sorry for my bad english=)

It's much better than my Russian.

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 9:54 am

Hi guys I'm trying to PYFFI the architecture folder but 12 hours passed and isn't finished.

I can PYFFI the subfolders of the architecture folder one by one?

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 6:58 am

Hi guys I'm trying to PYFFI the architecture folder but 12 hours passed and isn't finished.

I can PYFFI the subfolders of the architecture folder one by one?

Yes, you can, as long as you put them back in the same place they were before. I know the architecture folder is veeeeery long to PyFFI. Mine didn't take more than 12 hours, but still around 7 hours ! :brokencomputer:

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 7:39 am

Yes, you can, as long as you put them back in the same place they were before.

I don't understand this passage what implies.

I'm not moving those sub-folders, as I said they are in the main architecture folder

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 11:25 am

Your advice has been a great help in my Oblivion rebuild. However, I am struggling to get MMM bsa working properly.

The FCOM installation OMOD script suggests [ FCOM_Convergence - MMM.bsa ] ... which worked for me before but doesn't seem to work for UFCOM.

The UFCOM readme suggests [ FCOM_Convergence_Mart'sMonsterMod.bsa ] ... (no spaces) which doesn't seem to work ...

And you say you are using [ FCOM_Convergence_Mart's Monster Mod.bsa ] ... (with spaces) which doesn't seem to work for me either.

Any ideas? Thanks in advance

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 9:26 am

I don't understand this passage what implies.

I'm not moving those sub-folders, as I said they are in the main architecture folder

That's what I imply ! Don't move the sub-folders when you PyFFI them one by one and everything should be allright!

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 1:10 am

@ bigredbus:
If you download The Nice One's cool MMM installer v. 1.3, it clearly states: This is for MMM, not FCOM
It requires MMM.BSA containing archive + MMM 3.7.3 esp & esm files containing archive and OMOD Installer containing archive (total 3)

For FCOM
Download FCOM, UFCOM, FCOM OMOD Installer 1.1 Do not unpack archives.
Open OBMM, click on Add Archive, then: 1) Add the archive with FCOM + 2) Archive with UFCOM + 3) Archive with Entropic Order Rebalance +4) FCOM OMOD Installer 1.1 - total 4
MMM.BSA has no place for FCOM installation.

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 11:05 am

16.) Installed Armamentarium Complete 1.35 (Resources, files, meshes for body replacers) + Artifacts 1.1 and the meshes for body replacers; topped up both with EVE and Robert stock replacers

What meshes for body replacers are you talking about here? Do you mean http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=24078