Well, since the Construction Set is released as part of the game's package, the modding element of this game is one of the things that makes Elder Scrolls games so playable for so long. Although I'm not really into making them myself (I lack the patience to add all the detail that makes a good mod) theres thousands of people out there who are.
Mods range from simple things that mildly alter the game, such as turning down the agression on wild creatures so they only fight when you attack them, to complete reworkings of the whole game. I've already seen discussions about total conversions to both Middle Earth and the Star Wars world. There was an extensive Middle Earth mod for Morrowind that was nearing completion when it was shut down by legal action from the Tolkien estate. Seems a bit daft if you ask me since its merely a fan-based creation, not made for commercial release, but anyway.
I thought I'd start this thread because there are already some decent mods appearing. There is the temptation for people to make uber-mods which really distort the game, but these tend to be in the minority, since most modders tend to want to add to the game rather than detract from it. Some mods actually make the game harder by reducing the rate at which you level up etc. Theres a few sites out there which collate all the major mods and have them available for download.
The one mod I'm now using is this one, Skingrad Cottage. All it does is add a little cottage just outside of Skingrad, to the north of the stables a little way. The cottage looks like an empty house should look, with weeds growing by the front door and everything. Theres a little wall around the front garden to stop your horse running away, and inside theres a bed and a few storage items, including two chests, a cupboard and some display cases. It also has a place marker on the map for quick travel once you've found it. I like it because it gives you a house for free in which to store all your stuff that you don't want to sell, and a bed you can always return to when you need to rest/level up. In my opinion, this doesn't distort the game in any way, but makes it a little bit more playable. Mods will appear soon with more lavish and bigger houses, and are likely to include manniquins for displaying all your armour on and different chests for different types of items. The house I had in Morrowind was fantastic, and I had the complete sets of every armour available.
I'll post some screenies of the cottage later on, so you can see for yourselves. I think you need to register to be able to download it, but if you want I can just email you the zip file instead.
I'll add more to this thread as and when decent mods become available, but please add to it if you find any yourselves.
To use a mod you need to download the zip files, and unzip them so that the .esp file sits in the C:\Program Files\Bethesda Softworks\Oblivion\Data directory. Then, when you open the startup screen for the game, go to the Data Files option and you can load/unload the mods then. A word of warning though, once you've started playing with a mod and saved the game, to remove the mod and then load up said game again may cause problems, which is one of the reasons I only tend to go for the less intrusive mods.
Oblivion Mods
Moderator: Forum Moderators
This mod is win. It makes the text in your inventory and quest windows smaller and makes the map windows bigger.
You only need to copy the menu folder into your oblivion/data folder, the other stuff is optional.
You only need to copy the menu folder into your oblivion/data folder, the other stuff is optional.
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FatherJack
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Thanks Lat and Lee, they are useful little mods.
Here's some more I think are interesting:
Quick Start (new games skips to the end of the tutorial section)
No Intros
Here's some more I think are interesting:
Quick Start (new games skips to the end of the tutorial section)
No Intros
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FatherJack
- Site Owner
- Posts: 9597
- Joined: May 16th, 2005, 15:31
- Location: Coventry, UK
- Contact:
Skingrad Cottage - put stuff in various locations, but the spells I put in the desk, and the gems I put in the cupboard were gone when I returned, everything else was still there, though.
When I went outside for the first time, there was another guild thief in the garden, so it was probably him that nicked them, despite the guild code.
When I went outside for the first time, there was another guild thief in the garden, so it was probably him that nicked them, despite the guild code.
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Sticky Label
- Polar Bear
- Posts: 285
- Joined: October 25th, 2004, 22:46
- Location: Oxford
- Contact:
I've found a mini-image which works rather well
Size: 4.18 GB
Size on Disc: 2.10 MB
Takes up less space than a small thing and stops you having to put the dvd in, so it stays shiney and new. Let me know if you want it and I'll email it to you.
I've also found a mod-pack which contains a large number of very useful looking mods:
<strike>I may also have the .esp file for the hourse armour plugin for those that want it.<strike>
Size: 4.18 GB
Size on Disc: 2.10 MB
Takes up less space than a small thing and stops you having to put the dvd in, so it stays shiney and new. Let me know if you want it and I'll email it to you.
I've also found a mod-pack which contains a large number of very useful looking mods:
You can install as many or as few of them as you want, so its quite nice really. Just waiting in the queue to download it now from here.Whoever put the pack together wrote:
OBJECTIVE
=========
The objective of this ModPack is to give users a package that includes all of the mods that I think are very nice to have for every user. Most of the mods included have little or no impact on actual gameplay. There are a few exceptions; see the "Mod Categories" section below for details. I created this package because I found it to be quite challenging to find good mods at the current time. This is because of how slow tessource.com has been running recently, as well as the chaotic and unorganized nature of the mod forums at elderscrolls.com. Hopefully this package will save some users a headache. I do not expect everyone to just install all of the mods in this pack off the bat. You should read through the mod list below and pick the ones you like the sound of, and install them individually. I'm not saying "Everyone should use the mods I use."
VERSIONS OF THIS MODPACK
========================
There are two versions of this ModPack. The "full" version and the "lite" version. The only difference between the two is the lite version does not have a couple visual mods because those mods are gigantic. The whole point of this ModPack is supposed to be convenience, and a 100mb package as the only option didn't make sense.
WHAT I DID
==========
- I gathered all of these mods in to one location.
- I created readmes for all of the mods that did not come with them. Mod authors: ALWAYS include readmes! The readmes have links to the thread which describes the mod.
- Renamed some readmes to have a similar name as the .esp files, that way they
will show up next to each other when sorted by name.
INSTALLATION
============
This pack is not meant to be just installed so that you have all of the mods instantly. You still have to install each mod individually. Luckily, installing most of these mods is super easy. Most mods have an .esp file and a readme file. To install these mods, simply extract them to your Oblivion\Data directory. Then when you start the launcher, click on the "Data Files" button and check the box next to the mods you want to use. Some mods come with more than one .esp file. For these mods, you must read the readme to learn what the different versions do. Most of the time, you should NOT activate all of the .esp files at the same time. An example is the "Attack and Hide" mod - it comes with three .esp files which each represent a different difficulty level that the mod can run at. Finally, some mods do not use .esp files. This is only the case with a handful of mods, and it's usually only on visual tweaks or UI mods. For these mods, you need to read the readme and follow the instructions given there.
MOD CATEGORIES
==============
I have split the mods in this pack in to folders, which represent categories.
Here is an explanation of the categories:
- Bug Fixes: These mods simply fix bugs in the game. There is no reason not to
run all of these mods because all they do is fix something that shouldn't be
broken in the first place. When an official patch for Oblivion comes out,
hopefully these mods will no longer be needed.
- Game Mechanic Tweaks: These are mods that change game mechanics, but only in
a very small way that I believe makes the game better. These are mods that I
don't think many people would mind running. None of these mods should make
the game measurably easier or harder.
- Game Mechanic Mods: These mods are very similar to the Game Mechanic Tweaks,
except that they change the game mechanics in a more substantial way, such
that some people might feel they unbalance the game. I don't include many
of these mods as the goal of this pack is to have little impact on actual
gameplay. The mods that appear here are mods that I feel really improve the
game, even if it makes it a little easier. Not for everyone.
- New Content: These are mods that actually ADD something to the game, rather
than simply change a mechanic. Right now there are very few of these mods
released.
- UI Mods: User Interface mods do not change gameplay at all. They simply
change the way certain information is presented to the user. I feel all of
these changes create a much more pleasant gameplay experience.
- Visual Tweaks: These are mods that only change a visual aspect of the game
not related to the UI. This category contains significantly less mods in the
"lite" version of this pack.
MOD LIST
========
Bug Fixes
---------
- Fathis Fix v1.1 by Johnny
Fixes several bugs with the "Fathis" character, like the fact that he
sleeps in the wrong house!
- Safe Archmage Storage v1.1 by johnmedgla
Fixes some bugs with the chest at the foot of the archmage's bed.
Game Mechanic Tweaks
--------------------
- Additional Spells v1.0 by supernoob
By default, the spells "Damage Attribute" and "Drain Attribute" ONLY exist
on a couple leveled lists, which means there is a possibility you will
never see them in the game. This mod simply adds those spells to two of the
vendors in the Imperial City.
- Alchemy Perks v0.9 - More Potion Effects by dysesothymteric
Adds a new alchemy perk that allows you to drink more potions at once as
your alchemy skill increases. Masters can have 6 effects, up from the
default 4, so it's not a huge change.
- Birthsigns NoMax v1.1 by SkyRanger-1
Birthsign attribute bonuses no longer count against your limit of 100 in
each attribute. So, if you're born under the sign of the steed, your
maximum speed is 120, not 100.
- Deadlier Traps v1.1 by Mechanus
Makes traps in dungeons a lot deadlier. Most of the traps will insta-kill
now. Without this mod you can always survive getting hit by a trap and just
heal afterwards. Now you actually have to be careful!
- Quest Award Leveling v1.3 by Namegduf Live
Makes it so that quests rewards (items, spells, whatever) level up as you
do. Most quests give a different reward depending on what level you are
when you complete the quest, which means you can get screwed out of a
really good item simply because you did a quest at a lower level. Now the
item/spell will upgrade to the better version as you gain levels.
- Retroactive Health v1.0 by SkyRanger-1
Changes the way you gain health when you level. By default, when you level
up your max hitpoints increases by a fraction of what your CURRENT
endurance is. This means that it's important to get your endurance up as
quickly as possible at the low levels so you gain the full benefit from it.
I believe that it shouldn't matter WHEN you get your endurance, and that's
exactly what this mod changes.
- Guild Item Ownership v1.2 by Tandem
This places faction/rank flags on every item in the guildhouse, so you must
be of a certain standing in order to grab an item without punishment. This
gives you more of a sense of your overall rank in the guild. Also adds a
chest to each guild hall that provides you with some basic supplies as well
as provides a safe place to store items.
Game Mechanic Mods
------------------
- Attack and Hide v2.0 by Talonhoff
This mod makes it so the NPCs and creatures will 'search' for you after an
attack or when you are spotted in line of sight or sound. Without this mod,
line of sight doesn't seem to affect enemies at all, and there's no way to
attack from the shadows and stay hidden. It's a lot more satisfying to play
a stealth character with this mod, although it does make the game easier.
- No Psychic Guards v1.2 by Talonhoff
Changes it so that when a person calls for the guards, only the guards in
yelling distance will hear the cry for help. If no guards are nearby, then
no one comes to help.
New Content
-----------
- CallSteed v2.5 + Saddlebags v0.91 by MaboroshiDaikon and mcallon
This is two mods in one. CallSteed adds "Call Steed" and "Summon Steed"
spells to the game, which you can purchase at the Mystic Emporium in the
Imperial City. They do what they sound like: Call Steed makes your horse
run to you, and Summon Steed teleports your horse nearby.
Saddlebags adds saddlebags to your horse. If you sneak and press spacebar
on your house, you can access the saddlebags. I do not feel this unbalances
the game because if you have access to your horse, then you could just
fast-travel to a store anyway. This just removes the need to go to a store
in between EVERY cave you enter.
- Perception v2.1 by EvilGrinch
Adds a new mysticism spell to the game that allows you to judge the
strength of your targets. Once cast, NPCs will glow different colors
depending on their relative level to you.
UI Mods
-------
- BTMod v2.20 by the BTMod Team
The mother of all UI mods. This mod changes many of the UI windows to show
a lot more information. Your spellbook can show a LOT more spells per page;
the map takes up the whole screen and can be zoomed out; containers, your
inventory, and stores show a lot more items per page. Buffs and debuffs now
show a numerical timer above their icon. It's just a ton of tweaks across
the entire UI that make for a much more pleasant playing experience.
- Chase Camera Mod v1.01 by Woodman
Changes the way the camera behaves in third person. It makes the camera a
lot more rigid which makes it easier to play. Some people experience motion
sickness with the default third person camera, so this would be useful to
them as well.
- Potion Sorter v1.0 by Deathbane27
Renames the potions in your inventory so that when they are sorted, similar
potions appear next to each other. Instead of "Strong Healing Potion" and
"Weak Healing Potion" they will be "Healing Potion, Potent" and "Healing
Potion, Diluted"
- Spell Ranks v1.0 by moho
Similar to Potion Sorter, Spell Ranks renames all of the built in spells so
that similar spells appear next to each other. The spells have names like
"Flare" "Flare II" "Flare III"
- Thacadian's Colored World Map v1.1 by Thacadian
Adds color to the world map. This is a different mod from the popular
"Color World Map" mod out there. This one has less vibrant colors and feels
more like a real map.
- Vanity Camera Smoother v1.01 by Woodman
When you hold down mouse3 to activate the "vanity camera" this mod will
GREATLY slow down the speed at which the camera moves around your
character. If you've ever tried to use it without this mod, you know that
it's super sensitive by default.
Visual Tweaks
-------------
- Visually Enchanted Weapons Customizer v1.0 by DarkTyrian
Adds new visual effects to enchanted weapons. For example, fire enchanted
weapons will appear actually on fire. There are 3 versions for each
element, along with screenshots showing what each effect looks like. You
choose which effect you like best for each element.
- No More Annooying Messages v1.2 by MackeMan
Removes some of the annoying messages that commonly appear, such as
"Loading..." and "Your horse is stabled..."
- Light Spell Color Pack v1.0 by DarkTyrian
Provides four options for what color you would like your light spells to
produce. A lot of people are not happy with the default green light in
Oblivion. I suggest the yellow one.
- Harvest v0.51 by -Dejunai ( aka XmirroR )
Changes the way plants look after you harvest them. Many types of plants
will simply disappear (like mushrooms) but a few actually use a changed
graphic (when you harvest grapes, the vine stays but the grapes on the vine
disappear.)
- Darker Dungeons v1.0 by teenk
Makes the dungeons darker. If you think the dungeons are too bright by
default, install this!
- Darker Nights With Burning Kvatch v1.5 by teenk
Makes the nights outside darker. It's not so dark that it requires a torch,
but it feels much more like night. Although, if it's storming you will need
a torch or light spell. Burning Kvatch is optional, and makes Kvatch look
like it's burning from the outside of the town.
- Vagabond's Better Gold v1.0 by Vagabond
Replaces the texture on the gold coins with a much higher resolution
texture.
- Short Grass v2 by Slig
Shortens the grass by a good degree. Some people feel that the grass is way
too tall by default, and this is for them.
- Better Nightsky v1.0 by Omicron- aka AnnoyedOne
** NOT INCLUDED IN THE LITE VERSION **
Changes the textures of the two moons in the sky. By default, they have an
ugly black border around them that makes them look pasted on to the sky.
This mod has 4 different choices for what the moons look like, including
one that is just a cleaned up version of the default moons.
- Landscape LOD Replacement v1.0 by shaja
** NOT INCLUDED IN THE LITE VERSION **
Replaces the original 1024x1024 landscape LOD textures with improved
2048x2048 textures. Makes the far-off terrain look much less blurry and
doesn't seem to cause a performance hit!
- LOD Normal Map Replacement v1.0 by Loreroth
** NOT INCLUDED IN THE LITE VERSION **
This replaces the normal maps for the distant land (this determines the
shadows). Makes the far-off terrain look much better and is best combined
with shaja's Landscape LOD Replacement mod.
- Natural Faces v0.7 by Maboroshi Daikon
** NOT INCLUDED IN THE LITE VERSION **
Adds a higher resolution base texture for many of the races. Makes the
faces look nicer.
<strike>I may also have the .esp file for the hourse armour plugin for those that want it.<strike>
Also, this mod makes some relatively minor adjustments to weapon/armour stats, but far more interestingly adds a blackjack to the game. When playing as a thief, I've often thought it would be good to be able to knock people out rather than have to kill them, and this weapon adds this function. You've got to hit them on the back of the head for it to work, and it'll knock them out for 10mins (realtime) or until you attack them. You can "pickpocket" them as normal when they're knocked out without waking them tho. Its a mod aimed at thieves and the blackjack can only be bought from a certain thieve's guild friend.
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Sticky Label
- Polar Bear
- Posts: 285
- Joined: October 25th, 2004, 22:46
- Location: Oxford
- Contact:
I've gathered together a fairly large collection of mods now, and am looking into a way to collate them all together and have them available for 5punkers from one location. When I've got the time I'll put together a list of them all along with a brief description of each. I'm planning to keep adding to this since new mods are constantly coming out, but it may be a couple of weeks before I can make any progress on it.
The mods I'm picking are just the ones which I think add to the gameplay and will be only a small fraction of the ones available - however they will not be things which change the game in any drastic way, just make it more enjoyable. I'm not really one to go for mods which give you armour with 100% resist magic and resist normal weapons enchantments or chests with millions of septims in them, but rather ones that give you a small cottage for free or tweak some of the more annoying aspects of the game.
Please let me know if there would be much interest in this kind of project or if people would rather just get mods from elsewhere themselves.
The mods I'm picking are just the ones which I think add to the gameplay and will be only a small fraction of the ones available - however they will not be things which change the game in any drastic way, just make it more enjoyable. I'm not really one to go for mods which give you armour with 100% resist magic and resist normal weapons enchantments or chests with millions of septims in them, but rather ones that give you a small cottage for free or tweak some of the more annoying aspects of the game.
Please let me know if there would be much interest in this kind of project or if people would rather just get mods from elsewhere themselves.
I'd be interested and I'm of the same opinion as far as mods go, if they make the game too easy or can be discribed as cheats then I'm not interested. The cottage is a good example as it doesn't give you any major advantage, it's just is useful. Plus anything that means I don't have to read through reams of text gets my vote 
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FatherJack
- Site Owner
- Posts: 9597
- Joined: May 16th, 2005, 15:31
- Location: Coventry, UK
- Contact:
Has anyone mentioned http://btmod.beider.org/ yet? It modifies the UI at bit to show more items in inventory, repair and alchemy windows, plus it shows the map and quest windows across the whole screen. You can also zoom the map (by editing a config file), which is rather ace. It also adds a fatigue bar under you weapon icon.
The ESPs included are to turn OFF the compass at various levels, you don't need them selected for the main bit of the mod, so there's nothing to change in Data Files if you don't want that.
You can get it here http://gamingtown.net/oblivion-mods/96- ... -20-a.html as well as a customisation package which modifies even more.
Edit: I thinks it's a later, or modified/alternate version of what Lee posted, which didn't do as much for me.
The ESPs included are to turn OFF the compass at various levels, you don't need them selected for the main bit of the mod, so there's nothing to change in Data Files if you don't want that.
You can get it here http://gamingtown.net/oblivion-mods/96- ... -20-a.html as well as a customisation package which modifies even more.
Edit: I thinks it's a later, or modified/alternate version of what Lee posted, which didn't do as much for me.
