Installing and playing mods
Chapter 2 - Installing/Playing Mods
Where do you get all the best mods? You can probably get them from the same place you
got this reference manual. Once you have the mod you most likely will have take steps to
unzip it, possibly place files where they belong, and then you can play it. Maybe. First,
let’s figure out what file format the mod you downloaded is in.
Note: A very simple way to find mods is to go to google and search for:
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Mods.
The file is a .rar, 7z, ace, zip. What do I do?
Ah yes, I remember the first time I downloaded a file, saw the .rar extension, and said to
myself, “What is this? How do I use it?” Well, fear not o’ ignorant one. It’s just a
different form of file compression, as is an .ace or.zip format. Open either one and if you
have a utility that can open them, you’re in business. If Windows brings up a little
window asking you to choose the program to use with this file, you need a utility or
program to unzip these mods. Almost any compression utility will open a .zip file, some
will open a .rar, and others will open an .ace. Here is a breakdown for you:
These will open a .zip file:
-WinRar
-ZipGenius
-WinZip
-PKZip
-7zip
These will open a .rar file:
-WinRar
-ZipGenius
-7zip
These will open an .ace file:
-WinRar
-WinAce
-ZipGenius
-7zip
These will open a .7z file:
-WinRar
-7zip
-ZipGenius
Note: You get what you pay for is a good rule of thumb here. I tried several different
‘free’ utilities that kept screwing files up when I tried to extract them. Maybe it was the
-
Oblivion Mod Maker’s Manual
19
program; maybe it was just my system. As you see WinRar opens many different file
types, it is certainly one of the better programs.
Where do I put all these files?
Most people include a readme.txt file with their mod (and a pox upon those that don’t!),
so read it, that’s what it’s for. They should tell you where to put the files they included. In
general, the files should always go somewhere within the Data subfolder within the
Oblivion folder (most of the time). Some modders will produce a .zip file that will self-
extract. This means all you have to do is open or D-Click it. The file will do the rest and
you’re done. Most files you will be prompted to choose where to extract the files. The
readme.txt provided is the source for this info, but most likely it will be the Data
subfolder. Most compression utilities have the ability to open a readme.txt while still
compressed. Just open the compressed file and look for the readme.txt. Double click it,
and it should open for your reading pleasure. If you are leery of unzipping straight into
your Oblivion subfolders (and I don’t blame you), just extract to a temporary folder to
examine the contents, and then you can manually move them over. I don’t recommend
this though. If you don’t know what you are doing, or are not conversant with file
placement, you could mess something up. Again, I highly recommend you do what the
readme.txt tells you to do.
Nif & kf - These are meshes/animations, and they always go within the Meshes
subfolder.
Dds - These are textures; they go within the Textures subfolder.
Mp3 & wav – These are sounds, put it in the Sound subfolder.
Esp - Put these in the Data folder.
Readme.txt - Don’t delete these! Keep them; you might need to refer to them again (and
again and again and…). I keep mine all within the Data folder. Make sure the name isn’t
just ‘readme.txt’, rename it to include the name of the plug-in so you know which one it
is for.
There is an added hitch; the modder may have put his files in a separate subfolder within
one of the above-mentioned folders, just so their files are easy to find. You can’t always
tell this by looking at the contents of a compressed file. This is why I recommend you
extract to a temporary file, at a minimum, before you install a plug-in. An easy way to
install a plug-in is to extract to a temp folder. Once extracted look and see what came out.
If you find some folders labeled Meshes, Textures, Sounds, etc, you’re in luck. Drag and
drop these folders into the Data Files folder, click ‘yes’ (it should be ok to overwrite), and
that’s it.
-
Oblivion Mod Maker’s Manual
20
But what if you extract and all you get is a slew of different file types, not even a folder
to hold them. Most often seen as a modders resource, in which case you need to figure it
out. If you can figure out where they go, go for it. If not, it probably won’t hurt anything
if you put something in the wrong place, but the plug-in probably won’t work correctly
(or maybe not at all). If you are not familiar with these file types, and are not entirely sure
what each file extracted is exactly for and where it goes, don’t mess with it. Ask
someone, such as the author of the plug-in, or post on a forum for help. I know how much
fun it is to uninstall and/or reinstall a game or backed up file, but I really don’t
recommend it.
No readme.txt included?
Delete it! If you don’t know what the different files are that Oblivion uses, and where to
put them, you don’t know enough to be messing around like this. You might accidentally
replace a needed file, or put something in the wrong place.
How do I play this mod?
When Oblivion starts up and you’re staring at the autorun screen there is a button that
says Data Files, click it. Just place a check mark next to any mods you want to play.
Make sure to also check KOTN and/or SI if they’re necessary to play one of the mods
you load. Once done click ‘Ok’ and click on ‘Play’. Enjoy!
Plug-in conflicts:
If two plug-ins are loaded that conflict you will have problems (and you might not know
it until somewhere along the story line). There are utilities to check for conflicts, while
not perfect, they are very, very, good. Something that usually doesn’t provide conflicts
but can still cause problems is Leveled Lists. Many plug-ins make use of leveled lists, but
only those leveled lists in the last plug-in loaded are used by the game! Leveled lists from
other plug-ins are ignored or overwritten! While this might not render a loaded mod
unplayable, it generally will lower or limit the game play value. To fix this you can use a
utility that merges these leveled lists and allows you to load this singular master leveled
list as a plug-in; this is very useful.
Where’s the Console?
To open the console all you have to do is hit the “~”, or ‘tilde’ key as its known. On most
keyboards it is the only key to the left of your ‘1’ key. If not there, just look for it. On
non-English keyboards you should be able to use the key to the left of the ‘1’ key,
regardless of what it is. A couple things to know though when using the console; you can
open the console regardless of whether you have opened up your menus or not (i.e. right-
clicked). Right clicking with the console open, but the menus closed will resume game
play, and the console will remain open until you hit the ‘tilde’ key again. Mess with it a
little bit to see how it works. This can be useful; if the console is open and you resume
play you will notice that when you ‘look’ or center the screen upon any object, that
Oblivion Mod Maker’s Manual
21
object’s ID is displayed in the game (not in the console, but in the game). This can be
invaluable. Here some console functions and there effects:
Function Name
Short Name
Description
Parameters
CenterOnCell
COC
Move player to specified
interior cell
CellName
CenterOnExterior
COE
Move player to specified
exterior cell coordinates
x, y
CenterOnWorld
COW
Move player to specified
cell in specified
Worldspace [COW
worldname -10 5]
WorldspaceName,
CellCoordX, CellCoordY
CompleteAllQuestStages
CAQS
Sets all quest stages to
finish
LoadGame
LOAD
LoadGame <filename>
SaveName
MoveToQuestTarget
MOVETOQT
Move player to current
quest target (optional
param: target number, 1
to N).
QuestTargetNumber
(optional)
PickRefByID
PRID
Select a reference by id
for the console.
ObjectRefID
PlayerSpellBook
PSB
Add all spells to player.
PrintAiList
PAI
Printed Ai Lists.
PrintHDRParam
PHP
Prints current HDR
settings.
PrintNPCDialog
PDIALOG
Prints NPC dialog
PurgeCellBuffers
PCB
Forcibly unloads all
unattached cells in cell
buffers.
QuitGame
QQQ
Exit game without going
through menus.
RefreshINI
REFINI
Refresh INI settings from
file.
RefreshShaders
Reload HLSL shaders
from disk
ReloadCurrentClimate
RCC
Reloads values from the
current climate
ReloadCurrentWeather
RCW
Reloads values from the
current weather
Oblivion Mod Maker’s Manual
22
SaveGame
SAVE
SaveGame <filename>
SaveName
SaveIniFiles
SAVEINI
Writes all the .ini files.
SaveWorld
Save hkWorld
<filename>
Filename
SetCameraFOV
FOV
Change the camera's field
of view (in deg): default
75
iDegrees
SetClipDist
Float, new clip distance fClipDistance
SetDebugText
SDT
Sets what debug text is
shown.
iDebugPage
SetFog
2 floats, start and end
depths
fStartDepth, fEndDepth
SetGameSetting
SETGS
sGSName, sGSValue
SetHDRParam
SHP
Sets various values for the
HDR shader
fEyeAdaptSpeed,
fEmissiveHDRMult,
fTreeDimmer,
fGrassDimmer, fValue5,
fValue6
SetINISetting
SetINI
sININame, sINIValue
SexChange
Selected npc male
become female or female
becomes male.
Show
TST
Show values of script
variables: show
gamedayspassed
VarName
Show1stPerson
S1ST
Show the 1st person
Model from the 3rd
person camera. If in 3rd
person mode it will show
both.
ShowAnim
SA
Show Animation and
Actor status.
ShowFullQuestLog
SFQL
Show all log entries for a
single quest
QuestID
ShowQuestLog
SQL
Show Quest Log.
Optional flag: 0=current
quests, 1=completed
quests
bShowCompleted
ShowQuests
SQ
List quests.
ShowQuestTargets
SQT
Show current quest
targets
Oblivion Mod Maker’s Manual
23
ShowQuestVars
SQV
Show quest variables.
[Sqv QuestID]
QuestID
ShowRenderPasses
SRP
Display render passes for
the next frame
ShowSubtitle
Show all dialog subtitles
(1 shows always,0 hides
always)
bFlag
ShowVars
SV
Show variables on object.
[player->sv]
ShowWhoDetectsPlayer
SWDP
Show who detects the
player
StartAllQuests
SAQ
Starts all quests
TestAllCells
TAC
Test All Cells (0 - stop, 1
- start, 2 - interiors, 3 -
current world)
iValue
ToggleAI
TAI
ToggleAiSchedules
TAIS
ToggleBorders
TB
Show borderlines for each
cell.
ToggleCastShadows
TSH
iShadowType
ToggleCharControllerShapeTCCS
Toggle char controller
shape type.
ToggleCollision
TCL
ToggleCollisionGeometry TCG
Show collision geometry.
ToggleCombatAI
TCAI
Toggles ALL Combat AI
ToggleCombatStats
TCS
ToggleConversations
TCONV
Toggle conversation stats
ToggleDebugText
TDT
Shows framerate (FPS)
and debug numbers on the
screen.
ToggleDetection
TDETECT
ToggleFlyCam
TFC
Toggles the Free Fly
camera (UFO cam).
ToggleFogOfWar
TFOW
Turns fog of war on or
off.
ToggleGodMode
TGM
Toggle God mode
ToggleGrass
TG
Toggle grass display.
ToggleGrassUpdate
TGU
ToggleLeaves
TLV
Oblivion Mod Maker’s Manual
24
ToggleLiteBrite
TLB
Toggles lite brite render
mode.
ToggleLODLand
TLL
ToggleMagicStats
TMS
ToggleMapMarkers
TMM
Toggle map markers (1
shows all, 0 hides all).
iValue
ToggleMaterialGeometry TMG
Show material geometry.
ToggleMenus
TM
Hide all the menus. Used
for taking screen shots.
TogglePathGrid
TPG
Toggle blocked display.
TogglePathLine
TPL
Toggle path display.
ToggleRefractionDebug
TRD
Toggles refraction debug
render texture
ToggleSafeZone
TSZ
Display the television
85% safe zone
ToggleScripts
TSCR
Turn Script processing
on/off
ToggleShadowVolumes
TSV
ToggleSky
TS
ToggleTrees
TT
Turn trees on/off
ToggleWaterRadius
TWR
ToggleWaterSystem
TWS
Toggles the water system
ToggleWireframe
TWF
Show the world as
wireframe.
Use these commands at your discretion. Many are useful for when trying to debug
something you’ve done in your mod, but doesn’t work, or at least not the way you want it
to. Some I’m not sure what they are supposed to do, or what it is they are doing. Some of
the Toggle commands are useful for testing how the game responds to changes you’ve
made with a mod, others most likely were useful for the developers, but provide little
more than confusion or amusement now, and probably should have been, but were not,
removed when the game was released.
Lastly, remember that many commands are not listed here that can be used in the console
window. You can add/delete objects and spells, modify skills and attributes, resurrect
NPCs if killed but shouldn’t have been, and in general make many modifications to the
game. For those who like to cheat, the console is easy and available. There is also nothing
wrong with cheating, to each his own. But if you like to mod, you will find the console
invaluable in game.
Oblivion Mod Maker’s Manual
25
I have found a bug in my mod!
Bugs. We all hate them. It’s inevitable that they will show up, and the more complex and
bigger your mod, the more likely you will have them (and more of them!). How do you
get rid of them? The simple answer is you have to figure out what is not working right,
go back into your plug-in in the CS, figure out what you did wrong, and fix it. There is no
simple way to do it either; you just have to do it. But there are a number of things you can
do to simplify this process:
Write it down!
First and foremost; write down every single addition, change, or deletion you make to
your mod. Sounds like a lot of trouble right? It is, and it will draw the modding process
out timewise, believe me. So what, do it anyway. I have caught bugs before I even hit the
save button by looking over my notes as I work. Get yourself a notebook, or one with
sections. Each page or section can pertain to changes you have made to the world
pertaining to an area, or to an aspect of the game (like spells, skills, races, etc). Be
meticulous, note everything you do. If you write down you modified an object, write
down its’ name AND it’s ID, exactly as it’s spelled. Put down where it is in the world;
the cell, outside or inside what building/dungeon, on what floor, on top of what, etc.
Added a script to it? Write it down. Shifted this thingy around to make room for said
object? Write it down. Make a mistake and dirtied something up? Write it down! You
will have to clean that out. Being able to look over your notes and catching problems
before you save a mod is a real stress reducer. A lot easier than spending untold amounts
of time in-game playing your mod before you come across the bug, and then pulling your
hair out trying to figure out what you did wrong. Your notes also give you the basic draft
for writing your readme.txt to include with your mod.
Make new objects!
Don’t make changes to objects you find in the game, make a new object! When you make
a change to an object in the CS, regardless of whether it is an object reference in the
Render Window, or you click on a parent object in the Objects Window, any change you
make to that object affects every single instance of that object everywhere in the game!
This can’t be stressed enough! If you do this you might just be screwing the game up
somehow so it can’t be played or completed. Or possibly rendering your mod completely
incompatible with almost every single other mod created that’s out there.
Don’t make a dirty mod!
If you click on an object in the game to modify it in some way, then change it back to it’s
prior state of existence, the CS notes that you changed that object in some way and stores
that information in your mod! The CS can not distinguish between an actual change you
make to something, or the fact that you changed something back to the way it was, only
that an object has been in some way altered! This probably won’t screw up your mod
Oblivion Mod Maker’s Manual
26
(notice I said probably), but what it does do is add size to your mod, making it bigger. A
few of these won’t add noticeably to a plug-in’s size, but if you are one of those who
doesn’t care about this, you probably have many such dirty changes. Which means
there’s a greater chance your mod is both buggy, and much bigger in size than necessary,
which means a lot longer time for download (What? You think everyone is running a
DSL line to his or her computer?).
Resist the urge to create uber mods!
When you first open the CS it’s tempting to create an uber-item so you can waltz through
the game, and a lot of people do at some point. I did it (after my first dance through the
game), and it was fun; for a while. Then the enjoyment wore off. But some people seem
to think their uber-item is so powerful and cool everyone should have it too, and they
upload it for the masses, joining the ranks of uber-items for download. Most websites
now have enough of these they don’t need more. There are also plenty of tweak mods out
there. What are these? Mods that change the entire aspect of the game in almost every
way to make it harder, or easier. These are really great and take a great deal of work, and
lots of knowledge and effort. These are a real challenge to create. But there are plenty,
why create what someone else already has? If you can make one in a new and unique
way, or different from others, I say go for it! Originality is something the mod
community loves to see. But do you want put effort into something, only to upload it and
find out someone else did the same thing some time ago? I’m not trying to dissuade
anyone from attempting anything. Do what you want and like. It’s up to you. But I like to
plumb the depths of unexplored territory, or at least do something in a way no one has.
But that’s just me.
Use forums on websites to get help!
Can’t figure out how to do something? Can’t figure out why something isn’t working the
way you want? Want some advise or a mod tested by someone else for insight? Join the
forum on a website you like, and post questions, troubles, or trawl for some advise there.
You might find out some things you didn’t know, or possibly someone already asked
your question, and got an answer (which you need). People on forums are usually,
reasonably, friendly. Almost always helpful, and you might be helping someone else out
too. This is a personal choice, and up to you. I myself gleaned enormous amounts of
useful information that was invaluable from forums at several websites, and usually got
exactly the help I needed when I posted a question asking for it. You just about can’t go
wrong.
Can I play all 5-gigazillion mods I installed?
The short answer, yes. The long answer, most likely yes. The game’s actual limit is 255
files loaded at one time. That’s both .esp and .esm files. I’ve seen people state they have
loaded and are running over 200 plug-ins; it is possible. However, the ability of your
system to handle the plug-ins you load, regardless of how many, is the real limitation.
Some people create mods that really test your machine’s ability to churn out that FPS. A
Oblivion Mod Maker’s Manual
27
slower machine might have trouble with some mods that add lots of scripts to be
executed globally, constantly (everyone seems to like using global scripts and variables
to work around the game’s limitations. Nothing cuts the FPS like globals). Or have too
many objects animated and interacting all at the same time on screen. Having a ton of
plug-ins loaded and playing at the same time could produce these conditions. The real
answer is not how many can you have loaded on your machine, but which ones can you
load that your machine can handle together