Oblivion Mod:Complete Installation Guide for Oblivion/Part 2/OBMM

The OBMM version of the second half of this guide is for users whom plan to use OBMM as the primary tool for installing mods. After finishing this guide you will have a nice, stable modified setup to begin experiencing the extended wonders of modified Oblivion.

Introduction to Oblivion Mod Manager

Ignore "beta" tags...

This simplest mod management approach is to use one tool for one task. Use the same process to address each mod. For OBMM users, this means getting every mod packed into an OMOD. Once a mod is in OMOD format, it can be activated and deactivated with a double-click.

In that mindset, mod downloads can quickly be broken into three groups: OMOD, OMOD-Ready, and neither. The first needs to be double-clicked to be loaded into OBMM. The second needs to be added via the OMOD Creation Window's 'Add archive', and then the OMOD can be completed. The last group requires a variable amout of work to ready for OMOD installation.

The examples below are not exhaustive, but they should give some idea of how to deal with various package types. Fortunately, most mods have a simple installation and package format, which means that the only thing to be done in the OMOD creation window after adding the archive is to fill out any relevant information. Check the mods' ReadMes to be sure.

Be Aware

• OBMM has to be installed in Oblivion's install folder.
• The default OMODs folder is Oblivion/obmm/mods, and it can be changed via the Settings menu.
• OBMM has a lot of useful features among its 'Batch actions', 'Import/Export' and 'Utilities' submenus.
• Launching Oblivion through OBMM automatically launches the game with OBSE, if OBSE is detected.
• Steam users need to have the obse_loader.exe placed in the Oblivion folder in order for many OMOD scripts to recognize that OBSE is installed.
• OMOD scripts are very specific to the contents of the OMOD with which they are packaged. Absolutely DO NOT add "extra" files to scripted OMODs. The scripts will probably break or the files may simply not be installed at all. Feel free to add patches and add-ons into separate OMODs (which can be installed after the "parent" OMOD). The only time to do otherwise is when you are instructed to add a specific downloaded file for an OMOD installer (probably separate from the mod download) or you modify the OMOD script appropriately for the changes.
• In the OMOD creation window, there are two views corresponding to the radio buttons at the bottom of the window. If you are checking to see that a replacer's files were added as expected, since many of them do not have plugins, you need to select 'Data files' in order to see that its contents were imported.
• When following OMOD creation instructions, choose "yes" if prompted about sub folders (unless the docs indicate that that prompt should not appear); otherwise, the OMOD will not extract all of the necessary files.

Heads Up

• OBMM's conflict detector is unreliable, and does not offer nearly enough information about the conflicts it detects (most of which are not actually problematic). If you use many mods, or even a few that are of a similar type, they will overlap with one another. That is expected. (See [[Intro to Mod|] for more information.)
• OBMM requires a lot of memory to run, and after processing many OMODs (or a few big OMODs) it may crash due to exceeding its memory limit, resulting in everything processed that session being forgotten. Therefore, after creating and installing a large volume of OMODs, restart the application, just to be safe. Using OBMM's 'export active OMOD list feature', which creates a list of which OMODs have been installed, is nice insurance.
  

  Note: If, ever, you have to reinstall OBMM, you can simply move your OMODs into the newly created Oblivion/obmm/mods folder. After reinstalling you can use 'import active OMOD list' to restore OBMM's state.

• Another setting of relative importance is the temporary folder to which OBMM extracts archives during the OMOD creation process. After the cumulative size of created OMODs fills up the temp folder, OBMM will complain about being unable to finish due to lack of space. The path to the temp folder can be found via its setting in Settings. Getting around this limitation can be achieved by moving the temporary folder to an unlimited folder (i.e., a folder in My Documents or a number of other locations) or cleaning out the temporary folder during long sessions (but make sure OBMM is not in the middle of processing anything).

Create OMODs

Download OMOD Conversion Data

Not all mods need OMOD conversion data, so this list may not be a one-to-one match to the mods downloaded.

• Slof's Oblivion Robe Trader (BAIN-Ready) OMOD Conversion Data
• Robert's Male Body v5 Beta OMOD Files
• Seph's Hand-to-Hand Animation Replacer OMOD Conversion Data
• Initial Glow OMOD Conversion Data
• High Rez Skin Textures for HGEC - Face Textures OMOD Conversion Data
• Streamline 3.1b OMOD Conversion Data
• High Rez Skin Textures for HGEC - Lattamer OMOD Conversion Data
• Slof's Oblivion Robe Trader OMOD Conversion Data
• Visually Enchanged Customizer Fixed OMOD Conversion Data
• Robert's Female Body Replacer v1.2 OMOD Conversion Data

Examine and Convert the Downloaded Archives

First, launch OBMM.

Streamline

Download State: manual, needs extra configuration steps

1. Click 'Create'.
2. Click 'Add archive', and switch the file types filter to 'All Files'.
3. Browse and select the 3dot1 Open Beta EXE.>> note: These EXEs happen to be 7-zip archives. Normally, that is not the case. Do not try to install normal EXEs from OMODs.
4. Delete all of the files that appear in the Plugins window (which deletes the original ESP and backup ESPs.)
5. Browse and select the 3dot1 Open Beta Patch EXE.
6. Click 'Add archive' and add the Streamline OMOD Conversion Data archive
7. Switch to the Data files view (by clickin on the 'Data files' radio button.)
8. Right-click on the first file, Streamline\1-README.txt, and choose 'Open'.
9. Copy the ReadMe, and close the window.
10. Click 'Edit ReadMe' and past the Streamline ReadMe there.
11. Close the window, saving when prompted.
12. Click 'Create omod'.

Common Oblivion (COBL)

Download State: OMOD-Ready

1. Click 'Create'.
2. Click 'Add archive', and add the COBL archive.
3. Click 'Create omod'.

COBL Cosmetics

Download State: manual but simple (requires no installation script)

1. Click 'Create'.
2. Click 'Add archive', and add the COBL Cosmetics archive.
3. Fill out any information you wish.
4. Click 'Create omod'.

Enhanced Economy

Download State: OMOD-Ready

1. Click 'Create'.
2. Click 'Add archive', and add the Enhanced Economy archive.
3. Click 'Create omod'.

Harvest Flora

Download State: OMOD-Ready

1. Click 'Create'.
2. Click 'Add archive', and add the Harvest Flora archive.
3. Click 'Create omod'.

nGCD

Download State: OMOD-Ready

1. Click 'Create'.
2. Click 'Add archive', and add the nGCD archive.
3. Click 'Create omod'.

Progress

Download State: OMOD-Ready

1. Click 'Create'.
2. Click 'Add archive', and add the Progress archive.
3. Click 'Create omod'.

Tamriel Travellers (TT)

Download State: OMOD-Ready

1. Click 'Create'.
2. Click 'Add archive', and add the TT archive.
3. Click 'Create omod'.

Actors in Emotions

Download State: manual but simple (requires no installation script)

1. Click 'Create'.
2. Click 'Add archive', and add the Actors in Emotions archive.
3. Fill out any information you wish.
4. Click 'Create omod'.

Bank of Cyrodiil

Download State: manual but simple (requires no installation script)

1. Click 'Create'.
2. Click 'Add archive', and add the Bank of Cyrodiil archive.
3. Fill out any information you wish.
4. Click 'Create omod'.

Slof's Oblivion Robe Trader

Download State: manual but the OMOD Conversion Data adds the script required for installation

1. Click 'Create'.
2. Click 'Add archive', and add AlienSlof's archive.
3. Click 'Add archive', and add the OMOD Conversion Data for AlienSlof's archive.
4. Click 'Create omod'.

Qarl's Texture Pack III Redimized (QTP3R)

Download State: manual but simple (requires no installation script)

1. Click 'Create'.
2. Click 'Add archive', and add the QTP3R archive.
3. Fill out any information you wish.
4. Click 'Create omod'.

Official Plugins

Download State: manual but simple (requires no installation script)For each DLC...

1. Run the installer, which installs the plugin and corresponding BSA to the Data folder.
2. Click 'Create'.
3. Click 'Add file', and add the plugin.
4. Click 'Add file', and add the BSA.
5. Fill out any information you wish.
6. Click 'Create omod'.

Unofficial Oblivion Patch (UOP)

Download State: OMOD

1. Double-click on the OMOD or right-click and select 'Open' to register the OMOD in OBMM. (It will appear in the main OBMM window.)

UOP Supplemental

Download State: manual but simple (requires no installation script)

1. Click 'Create'.
2. Click 'Add archive', and add the UOP Supplemental archive.
3. Fill out any information you wish.
4. Click 'Create omod'.

Unofficial Shivering Isles Patch (USIP)

Download State: OMOD

1. Double-click on the OMOD or right-click and select 'Open' to register the OMOD in OBMM. (It will appear in the main OBMM window.)

Unofficial Official Mods Patches (UOMP)

Download State: OMOD

1. Double-click on the OMOD or right-click and select 'Open' to register the OMOD in OBMM. (It will appear in the main OBMM window.)

Gates to Aesgaard Episode 1 (GTA1)

Download State: manual but simple (requires no installation script)

1. Run the installer, which installs the plugin and corresponding BSA to the Data folder.
2. Run the installer for the patch.
3. Click 'Create'.
4. Click 'Add file', and add the plugin.
5. Click 'Add file', and add the BSA.
6. Fill out any information you wish.
7. Click 'Create omod'.
8. Uninstall/remove the files placed by the installer.

The Lost Spires (LS)

Download State: manual but simple (requires no installation script)

1. Click 'Create'.
2. Click 'Add archive', and add the LS archive.
3. Fill out any information you wish.
4. Click 'Create omod'.

Martigen's Monster Mod (MMM)

Download State: manual but the OMOD Conversion Data adds the script required for installation

1. Click 'Create'.
2. Click 'Add archive', and add the main (public release) archive.
3. Click 'Add archive', and add the Diverse WaterLife archive.
4. Click 'Add archive', and add the BSA archive (which takes a while to add.)
5. Click 'Add archive', and add the MMM OMOD installer archive.
6. Click 'Create omod'.

All Natural (AN)

Download State: OMOD-Ready

1. Click 'Create'.
2. Click 'Add archive', and add the AN archive.
3. Click 'Create omod'.

Let There Be Darkness (LtBD)

Download State: manual but simple (requires no installation script)

1. Click 'Create'.
2. Click 'Add archive', and add the LtBD archive.
3. Fill out any information you wish.
4. Click 'Create omod'.

Elven Map Redux

Download State: manual but simple (requires no installation script)

1. Click 'Create'.
2. Click 'Add archive', and add the Elven Map Redux archive.
3. Fill out any information you wish.
4. Click 'Create omod'.

Super Hotkeys

Download State: manual but simple (requires no installation script)

1. Click 'Create'.
2. Click 'Add archive', and add the Super Hotkeys archive.
3. Fill out any information you wish.
4. Click 'Create omod'.

Real Night Sky

Download State: manual but simple (requires no installation script)

1. Click 'Create'.
2. Click 'Add archive', and add the Real Night Sky archive.
3. Fill out any information you wish.
4. Click 'Create omod'.

Initial Glow

Download State: manual but the OMOD Conversion Data adds the script required for installation

1. Click 'Create'.
2. Click 'Add archive', and add the Initial Glow archive.
3. Click 'Add archive', and add the OMOD Conversion Data for Initial Glow.
4. Click 'Create omod'.

Seph's Hand-to-Hand Animation Replacer

Download State: manual but the OMOD Conversion Data adds the script required for installation

1. Click 'Create'.
2. Click 'Add archive', and add Seph's archive.
3. Click 'Add archive', and add the OMOD Conversion Data for Seph's archive.
4. Click 'Create omod'.

Visually Enchanted Customizer Fixed

Download State: manual but the OMOD Conversion Data adds the script required for installation

1. Click 'Create'.
2. Click 'Add archive', and add the VEarchive.
3. Click 'Add archive', and add the OMOD Conversion Data for VE.
4. Click 'Create omod'.

Improved Facial Textures (IFT)

Download State: manual but simple (requires no installation script)

1. Click 'Create'.
2. Click 'Add archive', and add the IFT archive.
3. Fill out any information you wish.
4. Click 'Create omod'.

Race Balancing Project (RBP)

Download State: OMOD-Ready

1. Click 'Create'.
2. Click 'Add archive', and add the RBP archive.
3. Click 'Create omod'.

Robert's Male Body v5

Download State: OMOD-Ready

1. Click 'Create'.
2. Click 'Add archive', and add the Robert v5 archive.
3. Click 'Create omod'.

Robert's Female Body

Download State: manual but the OMOD Conversion Data adds the script required for installation

1. Click 'Create'.
2. Click 'Add archive', and add the Robert Fem archive.
3. Click 'Create omod'.

Analyze Mod and Package Structure

All of the mods used explicitly in this guide are OMOD-Ready, are OMODs, have simple installs or have OMOD Conversion Data (with installation scripts) available; therefore, many details of mod structure and packaging are "invisible" to the user. Many of the specifics are largely only relevant to modders, but mod users need to have a certain basic understanding of these topics as well, especially since it is likely that many mods you will download will not be in any of the aforementioned formats.

Mod Structure

...not including OBSE plugins...

Mods may have two parts, plugins and data files. Some have only one or the other. Those that include only data files are what are referred to as "replacers", mods intended to change visual or aural features of the game (or even certain mods.) Data files are merely loaded and used according to rules defined in plugins. As such, no record of which data files are installed for Oblivion is kept for the game, and replacer's files can be switched out at anytime without affecting save files at all. The only minor exception is when dealing with BSAs, if they are registered in the Oblivion.ini, removing them without updating the game's INI, will likely result in the game being unable to fully load. Removing the original BSAs is slightly more tedious than dealing with mod-added BSAs and should generally be left alone.

Plugins are the files that really change how the game is structured (up to a certain level.) A poorly structured plugin can cause crashes and all sorts of issues, but, fortunately, their being causers of serious issues is not the norm. There are two types of plugins, ESMs and ESPs. The former are almost always only resource files, their primary purpose being to hold new records. Mods' ESPs do all of the work, from placing structures to modifying NPCs' inventories. Most mods are simple, and will only have a single plugin, but many have multiple plugins.

ReadMes, with respect to mods' structure, become very important when a mod has multiple installation configurations, not just multiple plugins; although, some complex mods may only have plugins. For example, many mods provide both Vanilla and Shivering Isles (SI) versions of their main plugin. Some mods include an SI add-on plugin, but that is not always a convenient option. Another common example is a mod that provides a full and a reduced version of the main plugin, the latter being stripped of some of the default features (i.e., Ren's Beauty Pack's hairs-only plugin versus the Ren's Beauty Pack Full plugin.) The best way to determine whether or not a mod includes a multiple configuration is to read the installation section of the ReadMe. Furthermore, when choosing add-ons, some may have extra requirements or may not be compatible with other offer add-ons (which might be because there are multiple versions of an add-on.) A complex mod may even have multiple data file configurations, as is the case with cosmetic compilations that may offer various textures for a given body type.

In the end, only one configuration of a mod should be installed. If multiple versions of a plugin are present, any number of problems may evidence themselves in the game. With the exception of INI files and BSAs, if data files (i.e., meshes, textures, voice files, etc.) are not installed to one of the default folders (i.e., Meshes, Textures, Music, Sound, Voice, Font, DLOD, Menus, Video, etc.) they are not installed. If plugins are not in the Data folder (not any subfolders) they are not installed.

Mod Packages

Mod downloads are generally of only a few formats: compressed archives (7z, RAR, ZIP, OMOD), executables (EXE) or, in rare cases, loose files (e.g., ESM, ESP, BSA, etc.) The process for dealing with the latter two groups varies greatly, but most downloads will be of one of the types in the former group. For the most part, loose files (so long as they are not pure resource files) can be packed into an OMOD with the 'Add file' function. EXEs are mainly used for quest mods, due to their size. This is good because most quest mods have a simple install structure, and the files installed by such EXEs can simply be packed into a single OMOD via 'Add file'.

Ignoring OBSE plugins (which are a whole different type of extension for the game) mods can have two parts. Compressed archive mod downloads either have a simple package format or a complex format. Simple packages' contents reflect installed mod structure. Once extracted (from the proper location) all files are installed. However, that does not mean that it would be installed correctly. A package that contains only plugins may have multiple versions of some plugins, which the user should choose between instead of installing them all. The installation can be complex, even if the package is not.

OMOD Creation

Unless you find that you have to repackage a mod's archive, the most convenient way for an OMOD user to analyze a package's structure is via the OMOD creation window. The window itself has to views, Plugins and Data files. The plugin view is the default, and when you add an archive, those are the files you will see listed in the files frame in the bottom half of the window. If you click on the radio button for 'Data files', data files will be displayed (if the archive contains any.) As mentioned earlier, OMOD-Ready downloads and OMODs may have any number of structures, but in order for other types of downloads to be install-ready, the analysis of the archive should evidence an installed mod's structure. Plugins should appear in the frame as "<some plugin>" or "Data/<some plugin>", not "<random folder>/<some plugin>".

When a mod download is neither OMOD-ready nor simple, if it is simple enough (i.e., only a few plugins to choose between) you can use 'edit script' to add a simple OMOD script to take care of the config choices, or, install the OMOD and delete the unneeded plugins afterward. Otherwise, if the mod is some sort of cosmetic mod or texture replacer with lots of custom folders, you may want to install the mod manually (and/or request for someone to create OMOD conversion data for the mod.) For downloads without OMOD conversion data, always check the archive structure before packing it into an OMOD.

Note: See OMOD Scripts and Script Templates for a few simple examples and links to some helpful scripting resources.

A very popular mod that has extremely odd packaging is Ren's Beauty Pack (v1.1). Many users install it improperly because they figure out that the hair data files for the full one are in the hairs-only archive, but then they also install the plugin that is in that archive, when they should have only installed the data files. The way to repackagee Ren's mod is to unzip the outer archive, and then add both of the contained archives to an OMOD. After filling out the necessary info, a script could be added (via 'Edit script') to ensure that only one plugin is installed (i.e., the script for Ren's mod the OMOD Scripts and Script Templates page). Most mods do not have compressed archives within compressed archives, but the contained folder structure may not be anywhere near install-ready.

Design An Install Order

Now that all of the OMODs are ready, the last step before installation is to plan for the installation. Right now, all of the OMODs have green squares, indicating that the OMODs are deactivated and do not conflict with any of the installed files (because no files have been installed yet.) The goal here is to plan the installation order of the OMODs such that every time OBMM prompts about overriding files, you can simply hold down CTRL and click "yes", for the "yes to all" effect, or simply click "no" when OBMM asks whether or not to warn about conflicts. If the install order is correct, there should be no need to worry about what is being overriden, as you know that the version of the files that you want to see in-game will be installed last. They will be the versions you find in the Data folder.

Different types of mods tend to contain different types of records, but within those "type" groupings the variation is predictable. For example, texture replacers have data files, usually, only textures, but some have meshes as well. On the other hand, script-centric mods (i.e., gameplay tweaks) may only have plugins, and if they do have data files, those tend to be new (to the Vanilla game) and do not overlap with other mods at all. A General Order for Installing Mods breaks mods into a few general categories and offers an ordering that should help you create your own. The more specialized orderings within the groups it defines will depend upon the mods you choose. For overhauls, UI mods, replacers and cosmetic mods it is especially important to pay attention to the inner group orderings because, for example, when one texture replacer overwrites another the difference should be quite obvious. Since OBMM does not provide a way to correct the installation of an OMOD once activated, especially when dealing with large OMODs, it is nice to get the install order right on the first pass. When a mod is uninstalled that contained files that overlapped with those of another mod, the only way to have OBMM replace the files with the versions that should have been left, is to reactivate the OMOD that contains the files you want to have installed.

One Possible Install Order

...based on A General Order for Installing Mods.

1. Utilities:
   • Streamline - plugin and INI file, all new files
   • This group rarely has non-new files; therefore, it could actually be installed at any point and the intra-group ordering does not matter.
   • FormID Finder contains one file, the missing mesh marker, that makes it an exception, but the only other common mod it conflicts with is the UOP, which also replaces that marker. Install this before or after the UOP, depending upon which marker looks better, if you would like.
2. Game Tweaks: nGCD, Progress
   • nGCD - plugin and INI file, all new
   • Progress - plugin(s) and INI file(s), all new
   • note: A number of these mods may contain replacement files (i.e., leveling mods that overwrite the levelup menu.) Some are also partially-classified amongs other types of mods, and it may be better to install them with that other group if they contain replacement files.
3. Companions & NPCs:
   • TT - plugins and a few data files, all new
   • Many companion mods contain Ren's hairs and bits and pieces of other cosmetic mods. If you use one of the cosmetic mods with overlapping files, unless you are sure the versions packaged with the companion mod are fixed somehow, giving the cosmetic mod priority is often better for consistencies sake. Others of these mods may contain animation files and other random file replacements that you should be aware of if you notice a red square next to their OMODs (indicating data file conflicts.)
4. Anims:
   • Actors in Emotions - plugin
5. New Building and Locations:
   • Bank of Cyrodiil - plugin and a few datafiles, all new
6. New Items:
   • Slof's Oblivion Robe Trader - a plugin and some data files, all new
   • These mods generally only contain new files, but sometimes they replace a few things as well.
7. Big Mesh Replacers:
   • QTP3 - overwrites many Vanilla meshes and textures
8. DLCs:
   • DLCs 1-9 - plugin and BSA each, all new
9. Official Content Fixes:
   • UOMP - plugins and replacement data files, which do not conflict with most mods as they only replace files packed in the DLCs' BSAs
   • USIP - plugin and replacement data files, which will probably not overlap with earlier groups' mods
   • UOP - plugins and replacement data files, which may overwrite files in earlier-installed mods and will overlap with many mods
   • UOP Supplemental - plugins and replacement data files, which may overwrite files in earlier-installed mods and need to overwrite files in UOP
   • note: It is very important that certain mods among the later-loading groups override the files of these mods.
10. Quests:
    • GTA 1 - plugin and BSA, all new
    • LS - plugin and BSA, all new
    • Most quests contain all new records, but some may throw in various cosmetic mods' files, animation replacer files, etc....
11. Overhauls & Creature-Adding:
    • MMM - many plugins and a BSA, no (visible) overlap (because of the BSA) but needs to be installed after the earlier-listed groups
    • COBL - many plugins and many data files, not all new, cosmetic pack resorces should be installed later with cosmetic mod, if that option is chosen
    • See the ReadMes, thread, etc. for the installation order of multiple of these mods.
    • In this group, only FCOM needs to overwrite COBL; otherwise, COBL should overwrite almost anything else.
12. City & World Aesthetics:
    • All Natural - plugins and data files, not all new
    • Let There Be Darkness - plugin
    • This group often (but not with the listed mods) requires attentive installation ordering (which means see these mods' ReadMes.)
13. UI:
    • Elven Map Redux - replaces map (menu) files and related texture files
    • Super Hotkeys - plugin and INI, all new
    • Pay particular attention to the order in which these mods are installed. Misconfigured menu files can cause both indefinite hangs as Oblivion loads as well as in-game crashes and disruptive inconsistencies.
14. Extended Game Tweaks:
    • Enhanced Economy - plugin, INI and data files, menu files must overwrite all other versions
    • This group is for mods that may contain specially-configured menu files that need to write UI replacers. They contain very few data files, but those files are required for the mod to work properly.
15. Texture Replacers:
    • Real Night Sky - texture replacer files
      • These mods contain few or no meshes or plugins (unlike QTP3). This makes their installation relative to one another very flexible, and the only way they can really cause harm to the game is by requiring to much of a video card. Since this group does not include character textures, it is compatible with pretty much any modified config.
16. Misc. Replacers:
    • Harvest Flora - plugins and data files, all new
    • Seph's H-to-H Replacer - overwrites Vanilla meshes
    • VE Customizer Fixed - plugins
    • This is a random assortment of mods that need to overwrite other mods.
    • It is unlikely that multiple mods in this group, that you would use at one time, would conflict because mods in this group that make the same modifications would be completely incompatible with one another.
17. Cosmetic Mods and Body Replacers:
    • RBP - Plugins and data files, not all new
    • The only mods that should ovewrite these mods are other cosmetic mods and character texture replacers. They have many conflicts amongst themselves (the worst being the incompatible eye meshes) so take care as you install them. Read the ReadMes to see what they really contain before installing them.
18. Character Textures:
    • IFT - overwrites vanilla face and age textures
    • The mods in this group, as with the other texture replacers group, can be installed in whatever order you prefer. These mods are very specialized. As such, there is no reason that any other mods, external to this group, should overwrite them.
19. Personal Patches:
    • Cleaned plugins, patches, etc. - plugins and data files that were created to replacer other mod's files and add various files (i.e., cleaned plugins).

Configure and Install Mods

Up until now, the Data folder is still in what we usually refer to as the Vanilla state, excepting OBSE and some plugins for it, perhaps. It contains the original BSAs and folders, the Oblivion.esm, DLCShiveringIsles.esp and the four BSA it loads (if using SI), as well as a couple new folders owned by a few utilities. There should be no official or unofficial plug-ins (and their associated data files) installed, outside of some OBSE Plugins.

The best advice any experienced user will offer is to not install a bunch of mods at a time. Planning is one thing, but installing fifty or even twenty mods at once can cause all sorts of problems and is a nightmare to troubleshoot. Install a few mods and test; then, install a few more mods and test and repeat. This is even more important when you are unfamiliar with your mod list. Keep the same mentality about updates. Do not do a mass update of all of your currently installed mods. That method frequently ends in failure, and, again, it is very difficult to troubleshoot the new problems efficiently. Wrye Bash's 'Diff Masters' method (accessible via a save files context menu in the Saves tab) is often quite helpful, but, just as often, after doing many installs or upgrades, it is not enough.

With OBMM, you configure as you go. That is the purpose that OMOD scripts serve. However, the information offered during the scripted installation (if the mod even has or requires one) is usually not very detailed. To make up for this, unless you know the mod very well, before activating its OMOD, right-click on it and choose 'View readme'. Check it for things such as add-ons' descriptions and compatibility information, in case you need to change your install order plan.

An Installation Summary

...and notes.

Read through the install order first. Feel free to choose other options. Following this order, you can alway choose "yes" when prompted to overwrite. To overwrite all, hold CTRL while you press "yes".

1. Streamline - opted not to use the debug version, using the regular version
2. nGCD -
3. Progress - the installation is much the same as with nGCD
4. TT - SI Travellers (but not the SI option), 4MMM, ItemsNPC, ItemsCOBL
5. Actors in Emotions - no script
6. Bank of Cyrodiil - no script
7. Slof's Oblivion Robe Trader - no script
8. QTP3 - no script
9. DLCs - no script
10. UOMP - script with automatic detection
11. USIP - script does not matter since a body replacer is installed later
12. UOP - script does not matter since a body replacer is installed later
13. UOP Supplemental - no script
14. GTA 1 - no script
15. LS - no script
16. MMM - free to choose any options, but made sure MMM.bsa was renamed Mart's Monster Mod.bsa (by checking for it in the Data folder)
    

    Note: See BSAs and Archive Invalidation for more information about loading BSAs.

17. COBL - not installing the cosmetic portion, already going to use RBP (from which COBL Races add-on was derived)
18. Elven Map Redux - no script
19. Super Hotkeys
20. Enhanced Economy - chose the prices option (since Pluggy has been installed)
21. All Natural - free to choose any options
22. Let There Be Darkness - SI+Tamriel
23. Real Night Sky - no script
24. Harvest Flora - keeping mushroom stalks
25. Seph's H-to-H Replacer - not installing the resource files for two-handed weapons
26. VE Customizer Fixed - Fire (recolored) 3, Frost (recolored) 2, Shock (recolored) 1
27. RBP - using SI, so did not choose the no SI version, no optional files
28. IFT - no script

Do Post-Installation Configurations

Most of these mods work fine without making any further changes; however, everyone needs to configure Streamline.

• Configure Streamline
• Configure nGCD's INI according to your preferences. Instructions are in the INI file.
  • A simple change of interest to many users might be the uncapping option, well documented in the INI. It otherwise works fine immediately after installation.
• Configure Progress' INI according to your preferences. Instructions are in the INI file.
  • Along with the default INI, Progress installs a few other preset INI files along with it that can simply be renamed to put in use.
  • The simplest change to make to the Progress.ini is to change the global skill rate at the top.
• You can change Super Hotkeys' hotkey modifiers via its INI file. (See Mod Settings Configuration for an example.)
• Configure All Natural's INI according to your preferences. Instructions can be found in the mod's ReadMe file.
  • Darker Nights for Tamriel and Shivering Isles can be enabled at the top of the INI file.

---

→ Complete Installation Guide for Oblivion - Part 3

See Also

• Oblivion Mod Manager
• OMOD Installation
• Wrye Bash

External Links

• Acronyms - TESCSWiki
• Glossary - TESCSWiki <-- a nice list of terms with brief explanations and links
• Tes4Mod:Acronyms - UESPWiki <-- a helpful list for newer users