Race Balancing Project. Install files, see esp file readme for installation directions.
SEE ESP FILE README FOR THE FULL README INFO
Race Balancing Project Version 10.52I was very disappointed with the races and birthsigns. Too many features and effects concerning races and birthsigns were equivalent from a game mechanic view, and the balancing in my humble opinion was horribly broken. This is my attempt to fix this.
Please do yourself a favour and read the installation guide. Seriously, otherwise trolls will come out of your monitor and eat your keyboard!
If you want to continue an existing character, be it from previous versions or from Vanilla, use this console command: startquest bgbupdate
Otherwise the trolls will appear. For any existing char, which wasn't stated with Version 10.0 (or above), this command has to be used. Except nonincluded custom races, that is. Also if you're playing a Xivilai or Daedra Seducer from 10.0, please use startquest bgbupdate, too.
Content:
- Installation - must read
- Compatibility - must read
- General changes
- Races
- Birthsigns
- Updating of an existing character
- Tables
- FAQ
- Including custom races
- Acknowlegdes
1. Installation:
- Two separate downloads are required. One is the main download, which can be found here for the English version, and here for the German version. These are the plugin files. I have decided to use separate downloads, so you don't need to download everything again by every update. Meshes and textures don't have a habit of being changed once a month.
- Make sure that you use the correct language. EV = English version, DV = German version. Other languages are not yet supported (see FAQ). If you install the wrong language, NPCs will become mute.
- Additionally you need to download the installation files. Get the complete package here as regular file. Unzip all folders into your Oblivion directory. If you're updating from 9.x you can also just download only the new files, get them here. Remember, you're always needing the installation files, except when using the Light version (which is a separate download)!
- All downloads come now in a "BAIN" ready format. BAIN is "bash installers", a feature of Wrye Bash. If you don't use it, then that's no problem. The new logic is this: The first folder (beginning with 00) contains the required core files, then all following folders contain optional files. Like body replacer textures when it comes to the installation files, or esp files with new features when it comes to the main files.
- This project is supposed to be modular. Therefore there are a lot of options to customize it to your liking. Make sure that you understand what each is doing, before activating them or requesting anything.
- Core files (they are the main plugin. Use only one of them):
- the default one uses Capucines Eyes and is compatible with any Eye mod (via Wrye Bash) that is using the default eye mesh (former Bash tag Eye-D). It is required for both NPCDiversity modules. And about anything else.
- the Light version does not include any new races, hairs or eyes. In a way it's "bash ready". You do not need the installation files for this. If you want to build up your own combination of cosmetic mods, this may be a good start. It's in a separate download.
- Users without Shivering Isles have to use additionally bgBalancingNoSI_Core_still_required.esp, otherwise bad things will happen. As mentioned in the name, you will still need one Core file! (Not necessary for light version.)
- What I should mention: Both normal and light versions are separate downloads. What's not part of the light version download, can't be used with the light version. Even more whenever something requires Race Balancing Project, it's always requiring the full version!
- Optional files group I (additional features):
- Less Health: A setting already part of many overhaul mods. Changed the starting health calculation from Endurance*2 to Endurance*1,5 (e.g.: A character with 40 Endurance will start with 60 instead of 80 hit points). One goal of this plugin is to make all races and birthsigns different, but equal in power. So while I made Bretons and Atronachs weaker, most other races and birthsigns are stronger than before. This shifts power from creatures to NPCs and the player. To counter that for the player, he gets less health. Which is what this Plugin does, so I recommend it.
- OptionalClasses: Nearly all default classes of Oblivion were... let's say not advised to take. This plugin makes them at least playable, although not optimal - as ever it's still better to create a custom class, but should anyone really doesn't want to do that, this is an alternative.
- OptionalNPCDiversity: Only use this as part of Wrye Bashs bashed patch feature! It gives NPCs the new eye colours included in this mod, and a selected few of them new hair styles, for more diversity in game. The assignment: Mage classes: Slightly glowing eyes (colour depending on race). Imperial: Default eye colours. Nord: Bright colour variants (brightgreen, brightblue, bluegreen, grey). Redguard: Dark colour variants (darkbrown, hazel, gold, lilac). Breton - all eye colours of Imperials, Nords, High Elves and Wood Elves (they have many different ancestors). Dark Elves - default, solid red, red and the lilac "Drow" styles. High Elves - normal variants of the new eyes (brightblue, brightgreen, bluegreen, grey, gold). Wood Elves - strange variants of the new eyes (magenta, lilac, yellow) and the dark eyes of morrowind fame (black, darkbrown). Argonian - default and new style, all Argonian colours. Orcs - default colour and all additional Orc colours. Khajiit: Default colour and all additional new Khajiit colours.
There are several styles of NPCDiversity avialable. Use only one.
- Optional files group II (use to adjust this plugin to your preferences):
- VanillaGMSTArmorPenalty: Resets my changes concerning the armour penalty to the default values.
- VanillaGMSTMagickaperInt: With this you'll get two Magicka points for one Intelligence point.
- VanillaGMSTMagickaRegeneration: Resets Magicka Regeneration to it's default, with a big base and really small Willpower bonuses.
- VanillaGMSTSpellcostprogression: Restores the normal spell cost progression, which falls very slowly and crashes down in the last few levels.
- OptionalHalvedMagicka: I used steps of hundred (100) between Magicka bonuses instead of Vanilla Oblivion's 50. This halves racial and birthsign bonuses back to steps of fifty (50).
- OptionalNoRaceDisp: Deactivates race's disposition modifiers. Only use if another PlugIn of yours puts overly aggressive NPCs into the game, which normally should not attack the player or other NPCs. I don't know why they've been given the high aggression then, but in conjunction with the race dispositions it can lead to fatal results. Normally 99.9% of you won't need this file, because in Oblivion and most PlugIns there are no hyper aggressive NPCs which should regardless of their given aggression rating not attack.
- WeakerOrcs and Weaker: One only halves Orc's regenaration, the other makes all race abilities about 33% weaker. No documentation, no support.
- Extra files (mod integrations, unsupported extras)
- extra files integrate RBP's new races as enemies into various other mods. Each requires the additional mod it's made for. You can't use the LAME addition without using LAME. They have to be loaded after their main files, after RBP's core file, and after FCOM_Convergence.esp. Yes, that can get quite tricky. Extra files exist for OOO &MMM (the FCOM file will also work without FCOM, as long as these two mods are installed). Also these are all unsupported - please keep that in mind. Example given LAME's addition may spawn new enemies too often, when you don't use any overhaul mod. I don't know, I haven't tested this, and I can't really test it at all.
Additions are no "compatibility patches"! Only the Better Redguard one is a compatibility patch!
- Usually I don't recommend using files from the optional group 2, unless you don't like a specific change.
- The files are already in the correct load order. If you need to change load order for whatever reason, keep it intact. The core file comes first, the rest after it. This is also true for files used inside Wrye Bash.
- Read the compatibility part of this readme!
- There are a couple of folders prepacked for differend body replacer. If you're using these, the folders may interest you. Unfortunately I didn't succeed in getting all permissions, so you may need to search tesnexus for some missing textures, depending on the body mod you are using. Furthermore I decided to remove the textures for Dark Seducers and Golden Saints, so as to not overwrite whatever you're already using.
- Also Capucine's old eyes are included as an extra folder, for those that like them more than the new ones.
- Here comes a problematic aspect, the Daedra Seducer: They are supposed to have wings, and there are two packages coming with the installation files. Here are the three options you have:
- either install none of them, then you don't have wings.
- install only the wings without animations, then they won't flap while jumping etc. This will overwrite your skeletonbeast.nif. As far as I know "realistic physics and force" is the only other mod changing the skeletonbeast.
- install wings with animations. This will conflict with some animation mods. Usually you don't need all of them (e.g. I'm running also a powerattack replacer + idle stance replacer without problem), but therefore installing them by hand is recommended.