Gog Oblivion Options

[Renee]

What Wolf says. Archive invalidation is needed for some Fallout 3 & NV mods (especially some textures), but I don't recall needing it for Oblivion.


This post has been edited by Renee: Dec 7 2023, 05:26 PM

[haute ecole rider]

All I have at this point is OBSE.

I'm not adding any mods until I can get vanilla Oblivion to work. It's a challenge on my particular rig, since I'm running it in Parallels on my Mac. Skyrim runs beautifully (and currently I have 400 mods on this play through), but Oblivion, being an older game, is more challenging. I can get past the character creation menu and start the Prison sequence, but as soon as I try to click on Renault or one of the Mythic Dawn characters to loot them I get the CTD.

Something's missing, that's for sure.

[Renee]

Cripes, this is happening while the game is vanilla???

I have no idea. Not that this should matter, but you installed outside of Program Files, correct? Let's start there. Also, you are using a controller (as do I, although my controller is Xbox-styled). What happens if you use the keyboard: space bar? Or whatever PC players use to activate something?

Edit: Whenever I've hit a walll like this in the past (and believe me, I've hit a LOT of walls) where nobody else seems to know what the prob is, I usually start Googling like mad. There might be that one obscure post on some dead website from 10 years ago in which somebody also had that same exact problem. And fixed it.

This post has been edited by Renee: Dec 7 2023, 05:53 PM

[Lena Wolf]

I would take another step back then: delete OBSE. Start completely vanilla and get your keyboard and controller to work. And be able to loot containers. When your vanilla game works, then add OBSE.

[haute ecole rider]

@Renee: I had to disable my controller because the game wasn’t recognizing my keyboard in chargen

I will try without OBSE first, then try again with OBSE if the game plays okay. May have to reinstall OBSE if the unmodded game plays fine.

Wish me luck!

[Lena Wolf]

I play with a wired Xbox 360 controller handled by Joy2Key. It works a treat, all keyboard functions still work as well because as far as Oblivion is concerned, I'm playing with a keyboard and mouse.

[Renee]

G'luck, rider!

I use X-padder. 🎮 But I also use the keyboard & mouse sometimes, mostly for menu stuff. Can't remember how I have my Oblivion.ini set up, whether bUseJoystick is 0 or 1.

Here's a trick (and sorry for off-topic). With pure keys & mouse, character speed is walk or run, there is no variable movement. Xpadder recommends we have our joystick OFF while starting the game, and we're not supposed to turn it on until the opening screen finishes loading. Well one day I forgot. My controller was ON. Once I was in the game I realized I could walk or run with variable movement!

I actually have Oblivion from GOG. Had to buy the game from GoG just to get the DLC, which did not come with the Anthology disc. There. On topic.

[haute ecole rider]

I did re-enable the controller because I really prefer playing Oblivion with the controller versus the keyboard/mouse combo. I have the PS4 DualSense controller plugged into my Mac, and with the controller re-enabled it runs fine.

I'm using Northern UI, which has a couple of additional mods to use with the controller (including changing the Xbox keys to the PS4 keys, so I know which is which), and it is really smooth.

I did download Kvatch Rebuilt and Reclaiming Sancre Tor (which I have never, ever played, though I've had it as part of my mod load out for several playthroughs). And I found a couple of texture packs including one that retextures the vanilla horses.

I'm sticking close to the vanilla feeling, and it's not as heavily modded as my Skyrim game, but it's been fun. I just lost six hours getting my Breton mage started - still at Level 1 and already has the Anvil and Skingrad mages recommendations! She also found the parts for the Orrery.

I used Arthmoor's Alternate Start mod - it's based off his Live Another Life for Skyrim, and I chose to have Tallei start in Anvil as an immigrant. Unlike Julian, she doesn't feel the need to stay in one place and help everyone - she's anxious to get to the Arcane University and start her studies there LOL. Healer class, Mage birthsign, only a dagger for a weapon. Solely magic, which is new for me.

I'm being flooded by memories playing this game - so much goodness coming back to me. It's going to tide me over until my remaining Skyrim mods get updated for the new version.

Does anyone use an eat/sleep/rest mod like the Survival mode in Skyrim? I had one but can't recall what it was, and would prefer to use a more current one for Oblivion (as it would be more likely supported). But I would like to have to carry food around, and maybe camping gear too.

Thanks to everyone for helping me figure out the issues getting this game started. Now that I'm six hours in, I'm super happy with the way it's running on my M1 Mac.

[Lena Wolf]

Did you get to the bottom of what was causing CTDs when trying to loot a container? Or did that problem simply go away once you backtracked?

Also, nice to hear that it is all ironed out now! And on a Mac, too!

Regarding survival mods, I use Bare Necessities in combination with Battle Fatigue and Injuries. The second one is about combat primarily, but it also influences your overall condition. I find they make for a very nice combination without getting in the way of playing.

[haute ecole rider]

I think the CTDs went away once I back tracked AND rebooted Windows. It even lets me play with the controller without any issues. But I'll keep this experience in mind in case I run into the keyboard issue again when starting a new character.

I did some browsing through my old Oblivion mod list from 2012 (probably the last time I played Oblivion) and wow, a lot of memories there! I had forgotten about COBL and TIE, not sure if I want to use them again this play through.

And it's wonderful getting the DLC's back. I had them when I first started playing Oblivion on XBox, but when I moved to PC I lost them. So Tallei will definitely check out the wizard's tower east of Bruma. We will definitely check out Battlehorn Castle while we are in Chorrol, but I doubt Tallei will keep it as a residence. I recall being less than impressed by the place, though I'm reading that it's been improved a bit. Who knows? But it would be nice to have a heavy metal follower to take care of the hard hits while Tallei stays back and spams healing spells. It's something to consider once she gets her Resto level up for the convalescence spells.

I found a new mod that looks really interesting: Horse Gameplay Overhaul. Those of you who remember my obsession with horses in these games from my fan fiction would chuckle - I know I laughed when I read the description and said to myself - Julian really needed this mod back then! I really love this part: "Interaction
Same key used for Whistle can be used for horse interaction.
Pressing this key while mounted will have your character pat the horse."

Also I found this mod: Horse Management which really appeals to me since I always felt guilty leaving my horses at the stables without paying for their board and keep. So here ya go.

And just as important, I found Subrosa's ForestFriend Amulet mod. I loved it back then, and used a similar mod in all of my Skyrim playthroughs. I have to make sure Tallei finds that amulet, she'll like it very much!

I have no houses added - I want to explore Tamriel first with the mods I currently have. I've already found a few locations added by the RST mod, so I have to start that quest to see what happens with those.

I'm off to add those two mods, and the camping one I found, to my load out. I'm also checking into anything that improves that Fingers of the Mountain spell, just to make it worthwhile doing that annoying recommendation.

[Lena Wolf]

Oh yes, controllers can confuse Windows, I noticed that too. Glad it is all smoothed out!

Why is your character still level 1? Are you trying to see whether the whole game can be played that way? Someone tried it - yes, you can play the whole game on level 1, except for a few Daedric quests where you're required to be of a higher level.

[haute ecole rider]

I’m not doing much exploring/adventuring, which is what makes you level up faster.

Tallei just got into the AU and once she gets her new Staff back from Delmar she may start exploring (and leveling up!). Right now she just hit level 3.

No weapons, no armor, just bound dagger and spells. It’s a bit tougher, but I’m enjoying it so far. I don’t know if I can continue playing without wreaps and armor, we’ll see!

[macole]

Sorry to be late on this. I've been very tired as of late and not keeping up on things. I know you've already started and I surely wouldn’t expect you to restart for seemingly trivial enhancements, but I wanted to give you my thoughts.

Have either of you used Oblivion Character Overhaul 2 (OCO2)? I gave the original one a whirl over ten years ago but didn’t care for how it gave every Imperial male a boxer’s nose. This time around I’m a little put off by how Elven faces are managed - I don’t like that line over the brows - it is managed much better in both Skyrim and ESO.

I use OCOv2.3 in my current adventure. Over all I find it gives acceptable faces, but with the number of quest mods I use it takes 9 patches to do so Still not all issues have been resolved. The custom races in the companion mods I use have grey face bug, most noticeable in certain lighting condition. But worst of all is brown pointy nosed Orcs. I want Pig faces! Those two things annoy me maybe not you. Would I use OCOv2 again or go back to TNR, I haven’t decided.

I also saw the earlier discussion of OR, which makes me want to try it again. But I think I’ll try OB without any visual enhancements and see what I like and don’t like.

My current game (you may have seen some of the screenshots) is setup with OR. OR does render gorgeous scenes. Its visual enhancements are its best feature, but nearly everything else I‘ve turned off. If I was to reinstall OB I probably would not use OR again, there are other ways to get the look.

Is Robert’s Body still the go to body replacer for those who want more realistic bodies (i.e. no boob jobs, thanks)?

Yes, Roberts Male V5.2 Blues body with the #5 underwear is my go to male body replacer. For the females, I’ve been using some version of HGEC for a long time. Currently it's EVE, which is fantasy enough for me. I did once have a female body mod with as many body options as Roberts Male V5.2. From boyish to busty, it allowed you to assign a different body type for each race. I misplaced that one somewhere, what a shame.

Kvatch Rebuilt is interesting. Had some issues with Unique Landscapes in places. If you like rebuilding Kvatch you should give Sutch Village a look. Renee recommended it to me and I will recommend it to you.

[Renee]

Sorry to hear, macole. Hope you're okay.

I just lost six hours getting my Breton mage started

Sweet! That's when it's really good, right? You play and you get caught up in your character's story and pretty soon it's daylight (or nighttime) and you realize hours have gone by.

Does anyone use an eat/sleep/rest mod like the Survival mode in Skyrim?

I use Basic Primary Needs and back it up with Basic Personal Hygiene (keep your 'toon clean, or face a myriad of disadvantages like reduced Disposition due to some NPCS due to BO. Wish they made something like this for Skyrim). Both of these are configurable with .ini files, of course. BPN is not 'current' as far as I know, but I been using it for years with no issues. Pretty sure both are made by Maskar, a name we can trust.

I have a Camping mod too, but I forget its name. Dozens of those, I'd imagine.

Being a haute ecole rider, you'd want all those horse mods. Don't forget Simple Saddlebags, assuming the other mods you've got don't add visible pouches. Acadian also knew of a mod which added reigns, although I never got it to work right.

This post has been edited by Renee: Dec 10 2023, 07:10 PM

[haute ecole rider]

It's been so long, I've completely forgotten how to use it.

But does one still need to use Wrye Bash and make Bashed Patches for GOG Oblivion?

[Lena Wolf]

GOG Oblivion is no different from the other variants in this respect. I use Wrye Bash to set the load order. People also use it to install mods and/or make bashed patches. I think the usage is pretty much the same as it has always been, but I would suggest you install one of the more modern versions, just to be on the safe side. However, I have no evidence that an old version would be detrimental either!

[macole]

Wrye Bash is still a good tool. Newer versions of WB will do FOMODs. There are a few mods that don't like it. I've never had success with the mashed potatoes though, they tend to come gummy.

[Renee]

But does one still need to use Wrye Bash and make Bashed Patches for GOG Oblivion?

One does not really "need" WB in my opinion unless there is an actual need for it. The Bashed Patch does resolve conflicts. Let's say two mods make changes to Leveled Lists, for instance. You put MMM and some other mod together, and now your game is CTDing more often. The patch should tell you if it's the lists which are the problem, and yeah, this includes the GoG install.

On the other hand, the Bashed Patch can also CAUSE problems to occur. I've seen results of this, firsthand. An example: I've got MMM's No Undead Rise in my game, which makes sure zombies and some other undead won't constantly keep coming back to un-life while we're in their midst. 🧟 Wrye recommended bashing this into the patch, so like a good gamer, I did. LO, this caused (wouldn't ya know it) zombies and other undead to keep coming back to unlife!

So I took that out of the patch. Problem solved.

This post has been edited by Renee: Dec 18 2023, 05:02 PM

[Lena Wolf]

On the other hand, the Bashed Patch can also CAUSE problems to occur. I've seen results of this, firsthand. An example: I've got MMM's No Undead Rise in my game, which makes sure zombies and some other undead won't constantly keep coming back to un-life while we're in their midst. 🧟 Wrye recommended bashing this into the patch, so like a good gamer, I did. LO, this caused (wouldn't ya know it) zombies and other undead to keep coming back to unlife!

So I took that out of the patch. Problem solved.

"I prefer to fight bandits rather than undead. At least when I kill a bandit, he doesn't get up again!"

--Stenvar

[SubRosa]

You had an actual zombie apocalypse in your game!