TK's Mod Questions Thread, Got mod problems, or are you just lost with a tool? Options

[Thomas Kaira]

First off, some useful links and utilities:

The Bethesda Oblivion Mods forum, this is where you'll want to go for all the latest news and updates on the mountains of unofficial content we all take for granted. If I don't have the answer you're looking for, chances are one of the many people here do.

Oblivion Mod Manager, I don't think I need to explain this one.

Better Oblivion Sorting Software, this is a well maintained utility that reads the mods you have installed and suggests the best order to load them in to avoid the inevitable conflicts. This is another must-have.

Wrye Bash, the Swiss army knife of Oblivion modding, and I swear by it. It's intimidating at first, but surprisingly easy to use once you figure out how it works. Finally, Once you figure out BAIN, you will never need to worry about installation problems again.

Wrye Bash Pictorial Guide for Newbies, if you are just starting Bash, it can be very easy to get lost in how much it does. This will help you get on the right foot.

TES4Edit, a very important tool. Most of its features don't concern the end user, but its ability to clean up dirty and unneeded edits in a plugin is invaluable.

TES4Edit Cleaning Guide at the TESCS Wiki. It contains a comprehensive list of mods that need to be cleaned, mods that are already clean, and mods that should not be cleaned, as well as a comprehensive guide on how to actually do it.

So, it seems I have become "Mr. Modder" around these here parts, so I've decided to open this little thread if you have any questions for me. Questions about making modding easier for yourself, how to use a specific tool, if you've encountered a rather irksome problem and can't figure out what to do about it, or if you want to make your game perform a bit better. I will be the first to admit I'm not a professional modder, as I don't make my own mods. I do have the experience needed to maintain a heavy load order with minimal issues, as well as understanding a few advanced tricks to squeeze every last drop of performance out of the game, so I do know what I'm talking about.

If anyone has any doubts, this is my load order:



So with that, ask away.

This post has been edited by Thomas Kaira: Feb 8 2011, 06:46 AM

[haute ecole rider]

@ mALX: I already have the list of scale heights for the command console from somewhere on the UESP wiki. I'm using that and it seems to work well (on Julian that is). She's now eye to eye with Boldon!

I just wonder if it would be more stable in the long run to use the CS instead for renaming generic NPC's, etc. as I just described. I'm not planning to do anything so drastic to most of them, just minor tweaks in appearance here and there.

After the MQ ends though, I might get a little more ambitious with the folks at Cloud Ruler Temple. I've been trying to figure out what happens to them after Martin dies. There goes the entire reason for their existence - to protect the Dragonborn. Without another heir to step into Martin's shoes, what's there for the Blades to do?

That's something I might tackle in the future, but right now I'm focused on modifying pre-existing structures and NPC's in the game. Oh, and maybe add a housecat or two . . .

@TK: I had already downloaded OBMM, but haven't installed it yet. I will do that today and get to know it. I will also look for NifSkope and download that as well. I'm going to see if my Mac application can open DDS files (it's not Photoshop, but is very similar), if not, then I'm in trouble, as I'm running into difficulties installing the DDS plugin into the GIMP I've installed. It's frustrating that the GIMP app might be 64-bit, and the plugin is only 32 bit, but I can't find where to install the 32 bit GIMP. ARGH! Why do Windows programs have to be so Rube Goldbergian!