Jordan’s Mod Guide: Oblivion

July 3, 2011

Before Skyrim takes over as the new non-linear RPG hotness, let's get into that classic Elder Scrolls game, Oblivion. This is much harder than Descent and FreeSpace modding. This tutorial walks through a bunch of mods to make the game look better on the PC.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Start by purchasing Oblivion from Steam. I'm working with the Game of the Year Edition Deluxe, that includes all the downloadable content. This is important, because the Shivering Isles expansion pack apparently changes some things. Everything I've written below should work with any version of the game, but some other mods require a special version to work around the Shivering Isles content.

Oblivion is installed in: [your Steam folder]\steamapps\common\oblivion. Take note of the \Data subfolder. Most of the action will be going on there.

  1. Once the game is finished downloading, start by making a backup of Oblivion. It's way too easy to mess something up. Go to the Steam menu and select Backup and Restore Games... and put your Oblivion backup somewhere safe.

  2. First, register for an account at The Elder Scrolls Nexus. We'll be downloading most of our mods from them. You'll have to go through the usual e-mail address verification nonsense, but it's worth it.
  3. Start by downloading the Oblivion Script Extender (OBSE). Many mods apparently rely on its functionality.
    1. Extract the ZIP file to its own folder.
    2. Copy the following files into your Oblivion directory:
      • obse_1_2_416.dll
      • obse_editor_1_2.dll
      • obse_steam_loader.dll
  4. Download the Oblivion Mod Manager (OBMM). This is another central tool for Oblivion modding. It creates OMOD files, which are basically glorified ZIP files that modify Oblivion. The interface is horrific, but it's better than doing things manually.
  5. The Oblivion Mod Manager is a real program you install. Install OBMM now. It puts itself in your Oblivion directory and should appear in your start menu. Here's how it works:
    • OBMM displays your active mods on the left and your potential mods on the right.
    • The load order of your active mods is important, and can be the cause of many problems. Your active mods (on the left) are loaded from top to bottom, where the lower mods will overwrite the upper mods. Textures can be overwritten and mods that make big changes to the game world can break other, simpler mods.
    • The good news is that you can activate and deactivate troublesome mods within OBMM without having to muck with your Oblivion\Data folder.
  6. We'll start with something easy: Alternative Start by Ship, a mod that skips the Emperor's Dungeon sequence in the beginning of the game.
    1. Once you've downloaded and extracted the mod, find the file Alternative Start by Robert Evrae.esp
    2. Copy this file into your Oblivion\Data folder.
    3. Start OBMM and check the box next to Alternative Start by Robert Evrae.esp on the left
    4. Close OBMM. You don't have to use the Launch Oblivion button to run the game (in fact it gets a little pissy at you if you click it).
    5. Start a new game in Oblivion. You'll begin in a boat, just like in Morrowind, and you can choose where to go and get a little more in-depth about what your character is like.
  7. Now for something a little scarier, but more dramatic: Qarl's Texture Pack III. This significantly improves the textures of Oblivion, but it does require a beefy graphics card to run (I have a nVidia GeForce GTX 275 and it runs fine at 1920x1200).
    1. Download the mod from FilePlanet. It's a big one, about 1.7 gigabytes, but worth every bit.
    2. Extract the ZIP file to its own folder. You should have one HTML file, a JPG, and an EXE with the 7-Zip logo.
    3. Run the EXE file and point it to your Oblivion\Data folder. It will dump a bunch of files in two folders: meshes and textures.
    4. Once it's done, start up OBMM
    5. Click the Utilities button on the right and select Archive invalidation
    6. Check boxes until your window looks like the one below, then click Update now
    7. You should get a little window saying that about 1400 files have been updated.
    8. Close this window, then quit OBMM and start Oblivion. Look around at your amazing new world! Also your amazingly long loading times.
  8. As Oblivion takes place in just one meadow, it's important to get that meadow looking its best. Now for a nature mod that includes rainbows, butterflies, and better trees.
    1. Download the Natural Environments mod and extract it to its own folder.
    2. Copy the entire contents of that folder (five ESP files and some folders) into your Oblivion\Data folder. Allow Windows to merge and overwrite any files it comes across.
    3. Start OBMM and check the boxes next to the Natural_ mods. However! You can only run one of the Natural_Weather mods at a time. If your graphics card uses HDR and you've enabled HDR in Oblivion's graphics menu, choose Natural_Weather_HDR. Otherwise, just use the normal Natural_Weather.
    4. Close OBMM and start Oblivion. Look, trees!
  9. The user interface of Oblivion is optimized for an Xbox 360 console. Let's fix that.
    1. Download the DarNified UI mod and extract it to its own folder.
    2. There should only be one file in there: DarNified UI 1.3.2.omod. Double click on it so OBMM will start.
    3. Click DarNified UI 1.3.2 on the right side and then click the Activate button at the bottom
    4. It will ask you for your name. I'm not sure why, but it doesn't hurt to be truthful.
    5. The DarNified UI has its own setup routine in a little wooden box. Start by clicking Install Everything.
    6. You'll see five options along the left. If you want to include one, click its name. To include multiple options, hold the Control key and click different options. Personally, I only use the Custom Font 1 option. Click OK when you're done selecting.
    7. To each his own, but I like the Immortal_28 font.
    8. If you picked a custom font, you'll be asked what size you want. I'm using a 24 inch LCD monitor running at 1920x1200 resolution, and I find the Large size preferable.
    9. The DarNified mod then warns you about a bunch of confirmation boxes. Click OK to this message, then hold the Control key and click Yes on the next one.
    10. You'll know the DarNified UI mod installed properly when it has a blue icon next to its name.
    11. Close OBMM, launch Oblivion, and bask in the awesomeness of a proper PC interface.
  10. Finally, we'll spruce up Oblivion's dowdy environments with some unique landscapes. This mod changes many outdoor locations, making them more diverse and interesting. Warning: your results may vary, but having this mod installed causes a Windows error every time I quit Oblivion. You might be able to work around it, but in the end I found it too annoying and deactivated this mod.
    1. Download the Unique Landscapes Compilation OMOD. This 7Z file doesn't have to be extracted to its own folder.
    2. Start OBMM
    3. Click the Create button at the bottom
    4. Click the Add Archive button and select the ULComp166-19370-1.7z file you downloaded.
    5. Be patient. The omod creator window will appear to lock up for a while. It's thinking.
    6. You'll get a warning about ESP files in sub directories. Click Yes.
    7. When asked if you would like to import OMOD creation data, click Yes.
    8. Happily, a bunch of fields in the window will magically fill themselves out. Click Create omod at the bottom right.
    9. More patience is required now. A window titled Compressing will appear. Just wait until the top bar reaches 100%. This window might appear a few times. Your job is to wait until the window below appears. Until then, go have a Snickers.
    10. Phew, almost done! Click the Unique Landscapes Compilation mod at the right, then click the Activate button at the bottom.
    11. A few Decompressing windows should appear. Yes, I know you just spent an hour Compressing it.
    12. You'll be asked if you want to install all areas? I'd recommend answering Yes.
    13. These next two I'm not sure about. Apparently the aggressive wheat in the Rolling Hills and grass in the Dark Forest can impact your framerate. Choose Yes (to disable) if you have a modest machine, or No (to enable) if you have the black monolith from 2001 powering your computer.

    14. The Oblivion Mod Manager will appear to lock up again. Just wait, it'll come back to life. When it does, the box next to Unique Landscapes Compilation should be blue. Hooray!

Running Oblivion

Nothing fancy here. Start it via Steam or your Start Menu.