Oscuro's Oblivion Overhaul 1.3 file

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Readme File:
OSCURO'S OBLIVION OVERHAUL

VERSION 1.3

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Dear adventurer of TES IV: Oblivion, I am Oscuro, the designer of Oscuro's Oblivion Overhaul. This game-play modification to TES IV: Oblivion is the most popular to date, with over 120,000 downloads in North American servers since April, 2006. Now in its sixth version, this plug-in is set to revolutionize the way you experience TES IV: Oblivion. Although I am the main person responsible for its design and implementation, I could never have achieved this level of quality, sophistication and variety without the help and support of many excellent contributors. In their name, and with great pleasure, I welcome you to Oscuro's Oblivion Overhaul!

I am sure that you feel excited and ready to begin immediately your adventures in the province of Cyrodiil as only Oscuro's Oblivion Overhaul makes possible. However, I strongly recommend that you take some time to review the readme files here included so that you can better understand how to customize your TES IV: Oblivion experience and resolve any installation questions that you may encounter.

Oscuro's Oblivion Overhaul is a very complex and extensive modification to TES IV: Oblivion. It changes thousands of variables of this excellent game and also merges into it several very popular third party modifications. It is vital that you review the information written below so that you can quickly begin your game without any set-backs.

In the event of encountering a problem which has no answer in the information I provided here, please refer to the Oscuro's Oblivion Overhaul Homepage. There you will find a detailed Frequently Asked Questions page that will help you find an answer to your questions. Also, you can visit the TES Forums and find the latest thread dedicated to Oscuro's Oblivion Overhaul, where I can personally answer your concerns.

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*****Important Information:*****

Using OOO 1.3 with an existing savegame:

Before starting up your game with OOO 1.3, it is absolutely imperative to keep in mind that:

A- If you plan to install OOO 1.3 to play with an already existing savegame then I strongly recommend that you do two things:

1- You must use Wrye Bash to update your savegame by importing into it the NPC level data specified by OOO 1.3. Why is this? Oblivion’s savegames store a list of the levels of every actor labeled as NPC. There are more than a thousand of those actors in the original Oblivion. OOO changes all of them, in many cases giving them a new level range. This level range is responsible for how strong and able the NPCs are, and it is directly linked with how difficult, easy and rewarding your game will be. I designed OOO to work best with the new NPC level data. Be warned that not updating your savegame will result in severe gameplay imbalances.

If you are updating an already OOO-enhanced savegame, then this step is not as important. Your game will be balanced. However, for the best results, I recommend updating it in order to get the small tweaks to many NPCs done in version 1.3.

2- If you plan to update your existing savegame from an older version of OOO then you must rename the ESP placed by the installer in your \Oblivion\Data folder to the name of the OOO ESP under which you saved the game you plan to update to OOO 1.3.
For example: If you used OOO 1.23, saved a game, and you want to use it with OOO 1.3, then you must rename your new OOO 1.3 ESP file to the name of your old OOO 1.23 ESP. In this case, you should rename “Oscuro’s_Oblivion_Overhaul.esp” (installed by OOO 1.3’s installer) to “FULL_Oscuro’s_Oblivion_Overhaul_V_1.23.esp” or to “LITE_Oscuro’s_Oblivion_Overhaul_V_1.23.esp”, depending on which version of 1.23 you decided to use in your game.

Important: This is a link to Wrye Bash’s Download and instructions page:

Wrye.ufrealms.net

Wrye Bash can accomplish the fix that the above procedure intends in a different way, which is much cleaner and elegant. With Wrye Bash, you can tell your existing savegame to consider the new “Oscuro’s_Oblivion_Overhaul.esp” as its parent Plug-In (esp) file, rather than the older 1.23 Plug-In file. This will fix all the references in your savegame that search for their parent by the name of the old esp.

This step is absolutely necessary to play 1.3 with an older OOO savegame. (Now, after adopting a single naming convention in 1.3 for all future releases, this procedure will not be necessary when updating from 1.3 to newer versions)

However, if you are starting a new game with OOO 1.3 then you do not need to do steps 1 and 2 written above.

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Installation of OOO 1.3:

Installation of OOO 1.3 occurs differently depending on the type of file that you have downloaded.

A- Installation from a compressed file (.7z, .rar, .zip)

If you have downloaded the non-installer version, then you need to extract the contents found inside the compressed OOO 1.3 file into the \Data folder of your TES IV: Oblivion directory.

For example, if you have installed Oblivion in C:\Program Files\Bethesda Softworks\Oblivion then you would need to extract all files into C:\Program Files\Bethesda Softworks\Oblivion\Data

This will unpack four folders into your \Oblivion\Data directory. These folders are:

1- Meshes
2- Oscuro’s Oblivion Overhaul
3- Textures
4- Sounds

If, while unpacking the files, you receive a warning about overwriting existing files, click “YES” to continue—OOO 1.3 updates several of the default third-party mod resource files that it uses.

The unpacking procedure will create these folders in your \Oblivion\Data directory. If you have already a “meshes”, “textures” or “sounds” folders, then their contents will remain untouched and OOO’s resource files will simply get added onto your existing folders. Again, remember to click “YES” when prompted in order to overwrite any previous’ files that may have the same name.

Now, you are ready to select the type of OOO 1.3 version that you want to use. Below, in “Customizability Options for OOO 1.3” I outline the choices available to you.

B- Installation by Installer

If you have downloaded the version of OOO 1.3 that comes as a self-extracting installer, then you need to simply click on the OOO 1.3 icon and the installer will prompt you to choose a folder where to install the files. Navigate the browser and point the installer to your Oblivion\Data folder. Unpack the files and folders there. Refer to the section “Customizability Options for OOO 1.3” in order to understand what the different versions of OOO 1.3 can do for you.

Customizability Options for OOO 1.3:

OOO 1.3 has two main Plug-In files: Full and Lite. It also comes with many optional Plug-In files.

1- OOO 1.3 has several options to customize its active changes. The Full version Plug-In contains the core changes (NPC, Creature, Spawn lists, Loot lists, New Content and Merged Third-Party Plug-ins) and other changes to PC Statistics, PC Skills, Combat System and Magic System. The Full version is how I envision the complete OOO experience.

The Full version mod file is located inside your \Oblivion\Data\Oscuro’s Oblivion Overhaul\OOO-FULL folder. Locate this folder and copy the file named “Oscuro’s_Oblivion_Overhaul.esp” into you \Oblivion\Data folder.

Then, open the TES IV: Oblivion launcher, click on “Data Files”, scroll through your mod list until you find Oscuro’s_Oblivion_Overhaul.esp and check its box to enable OOO 1.3. That is it! You are ready to play.

Note: In order to ease future upgrade compatibility, I have not merged Living Economy.esp into the Full version of OOO 1.3—however, Living Economy should be used by those who would like to play the Full version as I intended it

2- However, you can chose to change how OOO plays by using the Lite version and then adding the optional Plug-Ins that you like. The Lite version is the “core” of OOO 1.3.

If you chose to use the Lite and optional Plug-Ins, then you need to access the new folder named “Oscuro’s Oblivion Overhaul” created in your \Oblivion\Data folder (either by the installer or by the unpacking of the zipped file you downloaded)

Inside, you will find a folder named “OOO-LITE”. Open this folder and copy the file found inside into your \Oblivion\Data folder.

Then, return to the “Oscuro’s Oblivion Overhaul” folder. Inside you will also find a folder named “OOO-ADD-ONS”. This folder contains the optional Plug-Ins that you may use to customize your Lite version of OOO 1.3. Select the ones you wish to use, copy them to your \Oblivion\Data folder.

Now, open your Oblivion Launcher, click on Data Files and scroll down through your mods. Enable any OOO-prefixed add-ons that you would like to use. Finally, make sure to also enable the main OOO mod file, “Oscuro’s_Oblivion_Overhaul.esp”, in the Launch menu before you start TES IV: Oblivion.
That is it! You are ready to play.

Optional Modules for OOO 1.3 Lite

There are several optional modules that you may use to upgrade the OOO LITE version. The following is a list of them, specifying what they do:

1- OOO-Armor_Perks_WearRate_Repair.esp: This esp governs the changes to armor skill perks. With it, heavy armor will be more cumbersome at master level; light armors will offer 25% bonus protection at master level instead of 50. It also reduces the wear rate of weapons and armor to 30% of the original Oblivion’s values. Lastly, it increases the costs of armor repairing at stores.

2- OOO-Birthsigns: This esp changes the Birthsigns to match OOO’s default Birthsigns. Look below for the section on Birthsigns to read what the new values are.

3- OOO-Combat_Skills_Perks_Marksmanship: This esp upgrades combat skills perks and related gamesettings (Higher sneak attacks, more successful special attacks, less fatigue cost for special attacks, faster attacks, hand to hand skill upgrades, slightly higher jump, marksmanship greater fatigue cost and greater range, faster arrows, and arrow physics)
4- OOO-Dangerous traps: This esp makes traps more damaging than in Oblivion’s default settings.

5- OOO-Deadly_Combat: This esp makes weapon and creature damage higher across the board. It also reduces the initial health of players when they first create their characters. Creature’s health is slightly higher and their “low” level status reduced.

6- OOO-DLT_Immersion: This esp is made to work in conjunction with the files that OOO will install in your \Data\Sounds\FX\ folder. It is a version of Drop_Lit_Torches that is designed for utmost immersion. The name of the object “Torch” has been removed from every torch in the game. This will, when used with the reduced swapping sound fixes, barely disturb your immersion when dropping torches on the ground while adventuring.

7- OOO-LevelSlow: This esp turns the rate of skills’ progression to the values used in the full version. I have tweaked all skills to progress at slower rates than in default Oblivion. This is necessary because of the higher incidence of combat and skill usage while playing OOO. The new values fall somewhere between x3 and x4 times slower than in the original Oblivion, depending on skill. You may also use Bofra’s Level_Rates_Modified esps to customize exactly how you want skill progression to behave. Bofra’s mod can be found in your \Data\Oscuro’s Oblivion Overhaul\OOO-ADD-ONS\Level_Rates_Modified. Use only one of his esps, or OOO’s default esp, but not more than one at a time.

8- OOO-Magic_Effects+Enchanting: This esp changes all tweaked magic effects and enchantments (which affect clothing, armor and weapons). It also includes the changes that govern more powerful enchantments with Grand Soul gems, in order to compensate for the more magic-consuming and more expensive costs of enchantments as a whole.

9- OOO-Magic_Effects+Spells: This esp changes all tweaked magic effects and adds the pertinent changes to spells (default and OOO’s new spell lines) which make magic spells more viable and less prone to exploitation (on those “bugged” spell effects, like Drain Health)

10- OOO-Magic_GameSettings: This esp changes the gamesettings related to magic. Magicka regen base is slower than default, but the bonus earned by Wisdom to regen is much higher. Magicka pool per Intelligence point is greater. Magicka’s target and area effects are less costly. Magic spell speed is much greater. Magicka’s range is also greater. Finally, magic effectivity is reduced depending on the weight of armor that the user is wearing.

11- OOO-Potions: This esp adds into the game the new regen based potions for Fatigue, Health and Magicka. These potions will be found in the usual suspects for your potion-supplying needs.

12- OOO-Thief_Guild_Difficult: This esp changes the difficulty of the Thieves Guild’s quest that asks you to sell a certain amount of goods to the local fence. The value requirements are much higher, and much more suitable to OOO’s new wares and values.

Compatibility List:

Oscuro’s Oblivion Overhaul is a massive mod. It changes a staggering amount of things in the world of Cyrodiil. These changes are bound to overlap with changes performed by other mods that also affect the same thing found in default Oblivion (overlaps do not occur with user made new things, like NPCS, Creatures, Lists, Dungeons, Quests, etc)

This means that you will have to ascertain what changes you are willing to let go should they overlap with OOO’s changes. You can easily choose which change to keep by altering the load order of the mod. Altering the load order is very simple while using programs such as Oblivion Mod Manager.

Also, you should consider the nature of the overlap itself. Many overlaps are not bad in any way (some of the optional mods I provided overlap with each other, but they will not cause any errors or deviations if they are used in conjunction, for example)

Generally, I would avoid using any mods that change leveled lists, whether they change items, creatures or NPCs, with OOO, unless you know exactly the extent and effect of the resulting mixture.

OOO already develops to great extent what some other popular level-lists mods do. OOO has leveled list tweaks for Items, Creatures, NPCs, Spells and so forth. Also, OOO aims to create a balanced static world whereas most other mods that change default lists rely on and emphasize leveling features (Leveling in this context means that content remains locked, veiled, unavailable to the player until he or she reaches a specific level). Unless you prefer another mod’s changes, and you know exactly what you miss in the trade, I would be very cautious in using them with OOO.

The following link directs you to a list of mods tested by Bo Straightarrow, who painstakingly went through a huge list of popular mods and wrote a list of compatibility reports. Keep in mind that just because a mod appears in the “conflict” list that does not mean that it is incompatible. It means that there is an overlap, somewhere, with default Oblivion items, NPCs, creatures, spells, scripts, world-cells, etc. Understanding where the overlaps occur is crucial to decide what mod’s changes you rather keep. Alter the load order and you will readily get the changes that you desire.

Here’s Bo’s great list: Members.cox.net

Merged and Bundled Plug Ins in OOO 1.3:

1- OOO 1.3 has several third-party Plug-Ins merged into its core. I have explicit permission from the authors of these mods to use their work to enhance the world of Oscuro’s Oblivion Overhaul. You should not use the stand-alone versions of the following list whenever playing with OOO 1.3:

Note: (M):Merged in Full and Lite (MF):Merged in Full (B):Bundled (P):Pending

1- Combat Behavior by Lyrondor (M)
2- Bofra's Level Rates Modified by Bofra (B)
3- Drop Lit Torches 1.6 by Frugal (MF)
4- DoofDilla’s Potions Recolored + Ceano’s Textures + Potable Pastiche (which includes Hero2014's better blood bottles for vampires + Laurinque's Better Beer Bottles +MarkQuinn's Better Wine + Stabbey's Improved Potions of Exploration. Compiled by Daeger) (M)
5- Ebony Blade Fix by Dheer (M)
6- Gem Dust by Turgothh (Modified to enhance TGG) (M)
7- Geomancy by Momaw (Modified to enhance TGG) (M)
8- Guild Item Ownership 1.2 by Tandem (M)
9- [Harvest] Containers .90 by Dejunai (P)
10- [Harvest] Flora 2.1 by Dejunai (B)
11- Independent Thievery Rebalance (Hard Setting) by AdelieDreams (MF)
12- Inebriation by Lap (M)
13- Living Economy by CreepyFellow (B)
14- LockBash 1.1 by Scruggswussy the Ferret (modified to work with Lap's SR) (M)
15- Security Rebalance by Lap (modified to work with Scruggswussy's LB) (M)
16- Tamriel’s Glittering Geology by Gristle and XMarksTheSpot (M)

2- OOO 1.3 features several new content mods by third parties and uses this content to enhance the variety and balance of OOO’s world:

Armors + Clothing:

1- Archmage Armor by Axeface (2 sets)
2- Arctic Gear by Perditio44
3- Battledress 1.1 by Chiz (+ a full set of an OOO-only retexture: Dread Armor)
4- Blades Ceremonial Armor by Axeface
5- Capes and Cloaks 1.2 by Someone1074—Textures by Belenos (special 1.3 versions: Elhoim and Praetorio)
6- Chain Bikini by Aleanne
7- CM Iron Battle Shields & Orcish Nobility Shield by Mark Quinn
8- Contessa Chromed/Queen Metalace by Eyren (2 sets)
9- Dark Glass (Obsidian) by Praetorio
10- Dark Rose by Kafeid
11- Defensive Staves by Kearsage
12- Draconic Armor by BadAndy
13- Ethereal: Imperial Legion Armor by DagothBalls
14- Ethereal: Imperial Legion Armor Re-Texture by Elhoim
15- Gray Fox Armory by Daeger
16- Griffin Armor by Phitt
17- Growlf’s Female Armor by Growlf (4 sets)
18- New Daedric retexture by Praetorio
19- Ivory Armor by Sleeper25
20- More Shields by Zynthar (4 shields)
21- Noble Plate by Ulath
22- Pegasus Armor by Gorgonzola3000
23- Shadowmail Armor by NorrabMaster
24- Silver Dragon Armor by The Atronach
25- Sin’s Light Armor Pack 3.0 by Sin (9 sets)
26- Tegeal’s Extra Robes by Tegeal (15 sets)
27- Tornes' Blockade Shield by Praetorio
28- Vermillion and Silverthorn robes by Kafeid (2 sets)
29- Vella's Armor by vine-au (2 sets)
30- White Rose by Kafeid
31- Worn Armors by Dieterweb (8 sets + 10 cuirasses)

Weapons:

1- Arctic Bow by Perditio44
2- Art of War Weapons 1.1 by RDjeke
3- Braided Weapons by Chiz
4- Cutlasses by The AshLad
5- Dark Rose weapons by Kafeid
6- Elven Sabres and Bows by Adonnay
7- Icxth Sword by ThrottleKitty
8- Jounk’s Polearms by Jounk33 (Translation by Katan)
9- Maulers by TemplarGFX
10- Meteoric Weapons by Madcat and RDJeke
11- Noble Weapons by Ulath
12- Offensive Staves by Kearsage
13- Pegasus Weapons by Gorgonzola3000
14- Rapiers by Cethegus
15- Real Umbra by Razhkul—Original Model and Texture by Oriphier
16- Scimitars by Winter
17- Scythe Mod by Thomas "tda" Bramall
18- Severian's Katanas by Severian
19- Shadowmail Weapons by NorrabMaster
20- Silver Dragon weapons by The Atronarch
21- Soul Wail by Praetorio
22- Two-handed maces by Rdjeke
23- VADaito by VagabondAngel
24- Vella Glass Bow by Au-vine
25- White Rose weapons by Kafeid

A Word on This Information’s Format:

The information in this text is presented with as little explicit revelations of the underlying mechanics of the mod’s design for a reason: I do not wish to reveal the inner-workings of every single change here documented because that, in my mind, simply detracts from the degree of immersion after which I designed this work. My intention has been, all along, to help this excellent game become as immersive, rewarding, deeper and exciting as I could. To me, focusing too much on boring and repetitive statistics is a sure recipe to detract from this goal. To be sure, these statistics may clearly represent what one can expect of the mod’s changes, but often times this detracts from becoming immersed in the game and instead prompt you to keep an eye out for things that “should-not-be-there”. My design-philosophy aims at bracketing the author of the mod, or the authors of the game itself, as far away as possible when you adventure within the world.

Some may say that I am less focused, or less rigorous, or less complex, because I am not providing you with statistics for every single thing here developed. That is, I think, a rather hasty judgment. I assure you that I have put extreme care in balancing all the elements of this work. Everything here changed has been carefully balanced with every other gameplay structure in mind. If things are sometimes not symmetrical, that is a purposeful design choice (despite what some may say, or try to create, life is everything but symmetrical and constant).

This mod has been an immense task. Four months in the making, plus the almost one month of prior work in the first versions of OOO, have given me time to change the way TES IV: Oblivion plays and enhance its gameplay, in my opinion, to great degree. I hope that you understand my reasons, and can tolerate my fastidiousness, in presenting the information below with certain reservation from me.

With that said, I plan on working in future versions of Oscuro’s Oblivion Overhaul and continue to support the existing ones. Should you need to ask questions about the mod’s features, please feel free to visit the Oscuro’s Oblivion Overhaul web-page or pass by the official Bethesda Software forums and look for OOO threads where to discuss your experiences, questions, criticisms or whatever you would like to bring to my attention.

Oscuro’s Oblivion Overhaul’s Webpage Address:

Jorgeoscuro.googlepages.com

Thank you very much for your interest and for choosing Oscuro’s Oblivion Overhaul.

Jorge Salgado “Oscuro”

Oscuro9@msn.com

General Overview of Oscuro’s Oblivion Overhaul’s Gameplay Vision:

Oscuro’s Oblivion Overhaul, also commonly called OOO, changes the ways in which the core gameplay elements of TES IV: Oblivion relate to each other. The aim of these changes is to create a more immersive, rewarding, believable and enriching experience as you adventure in the world of Tamriel.

We could divide the structures responsible for gameplay into several areas. The lines separating them are somewhat arbitrary, and we could be more specific and nuanced, but first it is important to define these areas in general terms. OOO considers them in the following blocks:

A) Game-Play Meta-Rules:

1- Immersion

2- Risk

3- Reward

B) Game-Play Mechanics:

1- Player Character (PC) Abilities & Non Player Character (NPC) Abilities

2- Quests

3- Economy

C) Game-Play Resources:

1- Environment

2- Inhabitants

3- Objects

Each of these areas has sub-classes, and each subclass can appear as the sum of lower rank classes. For example, the PC Abilities include the Statistics System, the Skill System, the Combat System, the Magic System and Faction System. Likewise, Environment is built by smaller resources, like sounds, music, architecture, flora, weather, etc.

OOO does not change every single variable responsible for gameplay, but it does affect many of the ones I listed above. I have carefully measured these changes against every other modification to the gameplay structures in order to enhance the ultimate goal of gameplay: to absorb you into an exciting experience that entices you to overcome the challenges posed by the “game-world” through rewarding your skill, ingenuity and exploration.

In the following sections, I will give you a summary of how OOO 1.3 sets out to accomplish this goal in each of the general areas of gameplay. I will also mention how each change relates to other facets of the game and why the connection is important for your best game-experience.

Summary of Changes and Additions:

The following list details the main changes and additions to TES IV: Oblivion.

1. Player Character Changes

In Oscuro's Oblivion Overhaul, PC changes affect the defining characteristics of your Avatars. These are: Vital Statistics (simulation of physical or mental characteristics), Skills (how PCs use their Vital Statistics to affect the world and themselves), Combat Abilities (how Skills interrelate with actors and items in action-oriented challenges), Factions (how the PCs interrelate with NPCs and Creatures), and, finally, Magic Abilities (how Vital Statistics, Skills, Combat Abilities and Factions interrelate with the PCs’ selves, actors and items through Magic).

Note: OOO is not a mod that focuses on changing the mechanics of how PCs increase their defining characteristics. It is not a so called “leveling mod” like AF’s or KCAS mods, which handle the mechanics behind your avatar’s level-up progression. OOO is compatible with these kinds of mods.

OOO changes how vital statistics, skills and combat abilities work mainly through the tweaking of “gamesettings.” These gamesettings are hard-coded variables that specify a range of possible actions and their results. For example, the gamesetting fPCMagickaReturnBase governs how fast the PC regains used magical energy.

The following is a list of the areas changed by OOO:

FATIGUE:

Special attacks are less tiresome to use than in default Oblivion. This is a balance tweak because of the higher weight of some weapons, and helps you to keep up with the now deadlier combat gameplay. Range of weapon’s reach is a bit shorter than in default Oblivion—close quarters combat is the norm for melee players. This change encourages the use of the slower but stronger special attacks in melee.

Fatigue costs for ranged attacks are a bit higher, however. It was previously too easy to use bows and backwards-running to avoid damage while peppering the enemies with arrows. The power of bows is higher, but their reload time slower. These changes help to turn Marksmanship into a more tactical and involved combat skill.

HEALTH:

PCs have a lower starting health than default. No changes are made to maximum health gained per level. Avatars started with a large health-pool advantage over enemies in default Oblivion. This change balances the difference and makes it more risky to engage in heavy combat right away. That is something you will have to earn, and not be given right-off the bat as it happened previously.

MAGICKA:

Magicka’s rate of regeneration is slower than default but avatars focusing in Willpower will gain magicka faster than before. This change encourages players to focus on magical skills and attributes if they wish to be much more effective in situations where a lot of magicka will be needed. It also balances out those classes who did not specialize in magic and previously could rival a mages’ casting power without any drawbacks characteristic of spellcasters (like having to use light armor, having usually poor health rating, or having to forsake training in practical skills and attributes of combat and stealth in order to gain an edge as spellcasters)

Magicka’s pool is also larger than before. Expect to gain more than 20 points of magicka for every 10 of intelligence. This change will help casters use more costly spells, with more complex, lengthy or devastating effects. This change is designed to allow casters to keep up with the increased lethality of melee and ranged weapon combat.

Magic spells, effects and physics are also different. Generally, offensive spells cost less, it is easier to cast ranged versions of them, and having them explode in an Area of Effect is also less costly. Finally, the speed of magic attacks is significantly higher than before. These changes will let you cast better offensive and defensive magic with a greater range of tactical options. They make it worthy to spend the extra energy in casting targeted, AOE, spells. This also means that it is easier for the inhabitants of Cyrodiil to cast powerful spells against their foes.

Note: Changes to spells, potions and enchantments are described below, in their appropriate section.

SKILLS:

1- Combat Skills:

Armor skill perks have changed a little. No longer does mastery in Heavy Armor completely negate the movement penalties associated with wearing large and cumbersome armor pieces. This change serves to balance the otherwise obvious choice of Heavy Armor over Light Armor. Previously, you could wear a full suit of the heaviest of armors and remain unencumbered if you were a master of this skill. Now, a small penalty remains event at mastery. The same is true of the perk gained in expert level of Heavy Armor.

Light Armor does not give a 50% extra damage protection at master level. This was reduced to avoid making Light Armor a potentially more defensive skill than Heavy Armor. Otherwise, the benefits of faster speed, less weight and lesser penalty to spell-casting gained by using light armors really skewed the benefits away from heavy armors.

Weapon perks usually add a new special attack type to the player’s repertoire. These attacks have, aside from increased damage, other bonuses (like disarm, knockdown or paralyze). The chance of a successful bonus effect per hit has gone up. It is now easier to disarm, knockdown or paralyze enemies (but so it is for them to do the same to you!) This change helps to make combat more tactical. It encourages the use of special attacks, but it ties in with the greater risk of leaving your guard open because now, as I mentioned, weapons are slower than in default Oblivion. The relative speed of these attacks is a bit higher to compensate for the overall slower speed of weapons in general. These changes apply also to range attacks.

Damage has increased for the backwards special attack perk, for all weapon skills. This is an important change because in default Oblivion it was much more difficult to connect back-attacks. This change will encourage their use (off-set the risk vs. the reward of using it)

Hand to hand, already stronger in previous versions, has had its range lowered and its damage to enemies’ fatigue increased. Its damage to health remains the same, as do the chances to successfully block attacks and stagger opponents during a successful block. Its rate is lowest of all other weapons, but slightly increased from default Oblivion.

The range and speed of arrows is greater now than in previous OOO versions. Not only this change balances out with the slower rate of fire and fatigue burn of bows, but it enhances the realism of ranged combat.

2- Stealth Skills:

Sneak attacks now do slightly higher damage at Journeyman and Expert ranks, x7 and x8 respectively. Marksman Sneak attacks in the same ranks are x3.5 (displays just as the normal x3) and x4 respectively. This change encourages players to specialize in Sneak and makes stealth-tactics much more desirable.

3- Miscellaneous Skill Settings:

The number of potions that you can use at once as changed. The progression follows your skill in Alchemy. Previously, there was always a limit of four effects at once. Now, the progression is scaled upwards (3 for Novice skill in Alchemy, 3 for Apprentice skill in Alchemy, 4 for Journeyman skill in Alchemy, 4 for Expert skill in Alchemy and 5 for Master skill in Alchemy)

3a- Miscellaneous Game Setting Changes:

Note: These changes, while not pertaining to specific skills, per se, have a direct impact in how gameplay structures relate to skill usage and viability. Some are, however, independent, and their function serve other purposes

The chance of finding used arrows in fallen bodies and the maximum number of arrows allowed to remain on the ground have increased.

Arrow physics have been slightly tweaked to better reflect the changes in speed and range.

The overall damage done by weapons and creatures is higher, across the board.

The rate at which weapons and armors wear down is 30% the value of default Oblivion settings. This change is needed due to the much higher and deadlier incidence of combat.

The cost of armor and weapon repairs at shops is much higher.

The cost of skill training at specialized trainers is higher.

Every pertinent message pertinent to in-game actions about the player and the environment are now changed from the default second person tense to first person tense. This change is conducive to higher immersion in the game, for you are not constantly reminded that your actions are being viewed from the “outside.”

The maximum jump height threshold is slightly higher than in default Oblivion.

FACTIONS:

Oscuro’s Oblivion Overhaul introduces more than two dozen new factions. Most of these are creature factions but there are also some additions to NPC factions. It is possible to gain the favor of some of the new NPC factions. The changes to the NPC faction system are not as global as I would like. This is something that will get tackled in future releases. The creature faction system, on the other hand, is an exciting development that will completely change how you perceive the relations among the creatures of Cyrodiil. Here I outline a small summary of what you can generally expect out of the new factions:

New NPC factions interact with existing NPC and creature factions in unique ways. “Good” factions may be allied with the governing factions of Cyrodiil’s regions or remain neutral. “Evil” factions may also be allied with other existing evil factions or tend towards neutrality. In all cases, they interact distinctively with the new creature factions. For example, the sylvan rangers from Valenwood tend to be friendly towards many types of creatures, whereas their enemies, rangers corrupted by Molag Bal, have gained faction with the new evil creature types.

The player may gain faction with some of the new NPC factions if they accomplish deeds that would please them, but in turn will lose faction with the opposing groups. Gaining faction with some of these groups will grant special boons to the player.

It is now possible, thanks to an involved new quest, to gain faction with all “neutral” creature factions. This means that the player may be accepted among animals and even befriend them, so that they will follow and assist against threats.

Finally, the diversity of faction interactions allows you to develop different tactics based on them. For example, the hatred of Ogres and Minotaurs towards each other could work in your favor, were you to lure either one into the opposing faction’s lairs. Also, should you run into battles carried out by creature or NPC factions, you can chose which side to support and hope that the survivors will remain friendly to you—some faction’s hatred is strong enough to prompt them to attack even the mightiest fortresses of their foes.

Note: Below, in the section dedicated to changes to creature AI I explain in more depth what you can expect out of their interrelations, actions and dispositions towards your avatar.

MAGIC ABILITIES:

The magic system in Oscuro’s Oblivion Overhaul 1.3 has changed significantly. Almost every spell effect, default spells, enchantments and potions have been tweaked to enhance gameplay options and flow.

Magic Effect Changes:

Generally, you can expect spells to be easier to cast (require less magicka) but also much more expensive to enchant into weapons and armor. Most offensive spell effects’ base costs are lower, and will allow you to deliver more deadly attacks at a cheaper cost of magicka than in default Oblivion. Most defensive spells are also easier to cast, increasing the duration and magnitude of their effects per point of magicka spent. In both cases, enchanting items with them is much more expensive, both in terms of magnitude and money costs—that is, custom enchants will spend the Soul Gem’s enchanting points quickly in proportion to increased magnitude, and the monetary cost is also much higher.

1- Spells:

Some spells, due to the ease with which they could be exploited, cannot any longer be made into custom spells or enchantments. The notable case here is Drain Health. It was extremely easy to abuse. Now it is not possible to create new spells or enchantments with the Drain Health effect. To compensate, new spells using this effect are available in merchants and treasures across Cyrodiil. The new line is set to instantly kill creatures below a certain threshold of health. The spells are Kill (weak), Kill (moderate), Kill (potent), Kill (superior) and Kill (master).

In a similar light, but in the defensive-spells camp, it is much more expensive to enchant items with chameleon effects. Also, the enchantments have a lower magnitude cap. Spells of Chameleon are very magicka-intensive now. The same is true of Invisibility. The potency and duration of Invisibility is now reduced to 25% of the original’s effectivity. This means that the player will have to be extremely skilled in Illusion in order to cast long-lasting invisibility spells, and that this will be done at an increased cost. The changes to these effects were necessary because they could previously be exploited severely (they would render consequences to the player’s actions irrelevant because they could always escape or avoid detection by the repeated use of these spell effects.

Every other spell effect is now actually easier to cast, including defensive spells such as reflect spell, shield, resist magic, summons, etc. The changes are conservative. Do not expect to be able to run around with 60 sec shield spells at magnitude 100 anytime soon.

Every default spell has changed to reflect the stronger potency of their associated governing effects. This means that you could have access to stronger spells as soon as you visit your local spells’ store. It also means that NPCs will instantly have access to stronger spells than what they had in default Oblivion.

2- Enchantments:

Many default enchantments associated with the changed effects are now changed. Defensive enchantment effects have been toned down, while offensive enchantments are left as they were by default. The higher costs of enchanting items make the default enchanted gear found while adventuring or thieving more attractive. This was a necessary change because, previously, enchanted items were mere vendor fodder. Now you will actually find them useful until you can afford to enchant better items on your own. The enchanting capacity of Grand Soul Gems is now much higher, as it is the enchanting power of Grand Souls. This will allow you to craft some of the most powerful enchantments available, but only if you earn that right through ingenuity and skill.

3- Potions

Potion effects remain the same except in a few special cases.

Health, Fatigue and Magicka potions are now based on regeneration rather than instant effects. This means that you will not be able to pause the game in mid fight and heal immediately to your maximum limit of health, fatigue or magicka. The regenerative power of these potions encourages more tactical approaches to combat and leaves less room to exploit their use.

To compensate for the loss of instant healing while on paused-games, potion effects are overall stronger—their magnitude is greater although dispensed over time. There are now several new types of these potions. Each increases its power significantly over the previous in line, but also become more expensive. Finally, there is one type of potion for each of these effects that acts immediately—it replenishes health, fatigue or magicka instantly. These potions are prized and very expensive, but are also the best that can be afforded when you face the strongest of challenges. The savvy and experienced adventurer always keeps some of these potions in stock, for those situations that require that last push to victory.

2. Non Player Character Changes:

As it has become earmark of OOO, the changes in 1.3 aim for a more static world, where NPCs do not constantly get stronger alongside the player’s progression in skills and power. The features of “leveling”, as it is often called, are not completely taken away. These features are actually very useful in providing variety and diversity of challenges. I have used them to enhance the believability, immersion and unpredictability of the Cyrodiil’s inhabitants. OOO 1.3 changes most of the default NPCs to make them more static in terms of how strong they may become or be right at the start of your game. This applies not only to their abilities but also to their equipment (no lowly bandits with glass armors and mighty enemies with worn iron swords)

The changes in 1.3 are sweeping. I have kept the changes of previous versions, generally, but many of them have been tweaked, enhanced and, in some cases, completely turned around. I have also introduced a lot of new exciting features to old and new NPCs. The goal—to transform Cyrodiil’s NPCs into more alive, more believable, more challenging and unique beings—has been taken to extremes in this new version of Oscuro’s Oblivion Overhaul.

Here follows a summary of the most notable changes:

1- Default NPCs:

Default types of NPCs, including citizens, characters of the main quest, guards, bandits, marauders, necromancers, conjurers, vampires and dremoras are now much more unique than ever before. With the addition of thousands of new armor and item types, the variety of looks and possessions that NPCs boast increases immensely. Every type of NPC has now much more unique items, abilities and spells that are proper to their profession and status. These features belong to them whether you are a fledgling adventurer or an acclaimed hero. This step was the first in creating a much more static and realistic world.

Listing every change here would spoil the sense of discovery that you will get when encountering all of these old NPCs in their new settings and apparels. The changes here are massive. Every type of default NPC has their own loot lists, with items designed, named and balanced to fit their role and relative power. These changes apply to all almost all NPCs without exception.

All of the additions and changes were made with other concerns in mind. Specially, with the new changes to their homes, their backgrounds, default quests and interrelation with the new NPCs, locales, stories and quests introduced by OOO 1.3.

The following list is a quick summary of these factors:

1- NPCs’ status reflects the items that may be found in their homes. This was a feature of the original Oblivion, but OOO 1.3 greatly expands upon this by introducing dozens and dozens of new house-wares, clothing, jewelry, armor, weapons, books and so forth. I have placed, by hand—not through mere loot-list tweaking—thousands and thousands of items all over the homes, caverns, lairs, manors, castles, camps and every other type of dwelling, of the default NPCs. A few lines cannot do justice to the amount of work and attention put in making every location seem more proper to its owner’s role and class.

2- NPC’s levels are tweaked to offer the greatest gameplay that mixes very static and slightly leveled features. These changes apply to all NPCs, whether friend or enemy, involved in the Main Quest, as well as every other Guild’s Quests.

3- The backgrounds in Lore for the different factions and individual NPCs were taken into account when designing their base abilities, spells and gear. Whenever there was no such prior background, OOO 1.3 tries to introduce new stories that appear in the form of books, notes, quest messages and the associated special items that go with them.

4- The interrelation of the old NPC factions and individuals was, whenever possible, given depth by the addition of the above noted books, notes and quests. It is my intention to keep developing the surrounding histories and events that are relevant to these NPCs and factions in order to make the world of Cyrodiil seem more alive and inheritor to the rich storyline tradition of past TES series’ games.

Specific changes to default Oblivion’s factions:

1- Bandits, Marauders, Conjurers and Necromancers

These NPCs are capped, their loot lists adjusted and spread at variety of level ranges so that some difference between them is apparent. Bandits can be very low level and reach early twenties. Some exceptions are the bandit bosses and the infamous Black Bow Bandit crew. Marauders tend to be slightly more powerful. Necromancers and Conjurers will give some trouble to the inexperienced adventurer, but later on they will easily become cannon-fodder. However, the boss versions are rather powerful. The expulsion of necromancers from the Mages Guild has bred resentment. Necromancers of Tamriel, under the guide of the experienced Fayth Noor, gather in Cyrodiil to plot against the Archmage.

However, new players in this game of betrayal and revenge have appeared in the scene. Now there are even more factions vying for power that clash directly with these default Oblivion factions. It is up to you to discover the nature of their intended plans and the locations from whence their power flows.

2- Vampires

NPC vampires are very different now. There are four different types of vampires: regular, fearsome, deadly and ancient. They all have an interval where they will appear in the usual vampire havens and dungeons. The space between the intervals allows the player to experience both challenge and a good ol’ fashioned vampire-killing spree. However, many lairs house extremely powerful vampires that appear at any level. They are, of course, geared accordingly and guard treasures of great value.

Vampires have special abilities and equipment depending on their type and class. Deadly and Ancient vampires have, naturally, very powerful skills that will unleash upon all who dare enter their havens.

Rumor has it that a very powerful vampire lord has brought to Cyrodiil a feared relic in order to cleanse it of its power with the aid of other elder buddies of his kin. Now, he is aided by even more special vampires, who have their own unique items and treasures after centuries of un-life.

3- Dremoras

Dremoras are now significantly more powerful. Markynaz and Valkynaz have their levels capped but with a range where they keep up with the player. Every leveled list that included dremoras is now updated, even quest ones. This means that some quests, especially the main quest, will be more difficult and the player will not be able to complete them at low levels. Roughly, a level 20-25 will stand a chance, anything below that and it will be a world of hurt. At a player level of 40+ almost all dremoras will be lower than the player, with the exception of some special cases. At lvl 50 the player should be able to mop the floor with just about every creature in Cyrodiil. (Example: Kynval are lvl 12, in most cases they will not spawn unless the player is level 13--the intervals of Dremora reach near lvl 40)

Also, new dremoras now guard special items and stages of the Main Quest. These terrible new foes have very unique Daedric items of amazing power. Be ready, saving Cyrodiil from the threat of the Daedra will be a very challenging task.

4- Guards

All guards in the game are now level-capped. They are not lowly beginners, but you will not get the feeling that they are so powerful that your presence in Cyrodiil is a nuisance. At high levels you will be able to school most guards. Some towns have stronger regiments, others are weaker. Guards in the stages of the main quest are leveled appropriately, stocked with some healing potions and ready to rumble. Still, powerful enemies will take them down more easily than they can do the same to you. This also applies to the blades and the imperial guards.

Guards in the wilderness are battle-hardened and will usually be stronger than those found in the comfort of cities.

Without fail, the Imperial Legion has the strongest of members. The Imperial City houses several types of ranks. Each guard has their own distinctive armor and attire to distinguish their position in the hierarchy of the Legion. Their armors are the best kept of the entire Legion, to honor the privilege of guarding the Imperial Capital. Legion’s soldiers that patrol the wilderness have suffered many years of harsh living. So, in contrast, their armor shows the ravages of time and climate. The further away from civilization that they may patrol, and the deeper into the wild that they may venture to root out evil, the more worn and ragged will their attires look.

The number of patrols in the wilderness is now doubled. Some guards will patrol in pairs, and others will do so alone, but their numbers are certainly much higher—which is a blessing to those who need to travel the often-times dangerous wilderness of Cyrodiil.

And, lastly, and most importantly, now there are many guards who are female. They were sorely unrepresented in the original Oblivion. I have sought to bring them back a more rightful position within the lore of TES. Their strengths and power have nothing to envy to those of men.

5- Citizens

All citizens of Cyrodiil, friendly or not, are level capped, when possible, in-synch with the difficulty of the quests with which they are associated. I have tried to give them a generous level range so as not to stifle or demean the quest progression. With that said, a lot of NPCs involved in quests have minimum level caps which means that you may not be able to finish the hard guild quests early on. A great feature of this change is that you will no longer get your ass handed down to you by a hoe wielding punk of a farmer after you pilfer his house clean or take his daughter to the "barn."

Those citizens involved in the stages of the Main quest and Guild’s quests are now progressively harder to beat, when possible. This change is part of the re-balance of important quests done by OOO 1.3.

Citizens have had their personal belongings adjusted and tailored to their status and nature. Each citizen’s house now holds items suited to reflect their role. Moreover, every citizen’s home of middle, upper, noble classes has special containers that safe-keep items appropriate to their status.

6- Arena Combatants

The progression of strength and skill in the Arena ranks is revamped in OOO 1.3 over what was in previous versions. The difficulty is much higher the greater the rank. The Champion of the Arena has also grown in power considerably and now carries even more unique items.

2- New OOO NPCs:

There are several new types of NPCs in Oscuro’s Oblivion Overhaul V. 1.3. These NPCs not only bring diversity and life to the province of Tamriel, but they are crucial for the new gameplay structures. The very static nature of rewards and challenges in OOO creates a need for more variety of NPC encounters and NPC factions. The additions are tailored to mesh seamlessly with the world of Nirn and with the lore of the TES Series. They also have their own unique dungeons, items, lore and association to existing stories and quests.

1.23 Additions:

Raiders:

Raiders are heavily armored and prefer to fight with blades, although they will resort to other means whenever they do not have a trusted edge at hand. They are more powerful than Marauders and will crush the inexperienced player. However, they are also better equipped than most lowly Bandits and Marauders, so if you can take them down then you can expect some decent rewards for your efforts! Raiders count among them not just those experienced in melee combat, but also ranged fighters and magic users. Their elite ranks will make short work of you without hesitation--better be prepared for a fight if you venture within a raider stronghold. Their leader is a mighty Nord known as The Arctic Bear. However, he is getting ready to pass on the leadership of this mighty force down to a suitable replacement before the coming tide of strife about to ravage the lands of Cyrodiil, brought about by the discovery of ancient artifacts of undead power, creates a void in the existing power structures of the Imperial Province.

Amazons:

Amazons are female warriors specialized in nimble and agile combat. They prefer blunt weapons but they are also skilled in archery and swordsmanship. A few among them are fierce priestess, with the power to heal their clan members and bring destruction upon their foes. Amazons do not like to fight encumbered, and rarely if ever wear heavy armor. Some posses very fine light armors, which are crafted by their wearers with skills learned only by members of their rank in the Amazon hierarchy. Some prefer to fight almost naked. However, they have a long tradition of adorning their bodies with jewelry, which makes of them an attractive target to those inclined to thievery. Amazons do not share space with men,,, unless they are dead! They will not give those females outside of their clan any quarter either. The priestess of the Amazon clan of Cyrodiil is secretive and not many know what she looks like, or even what her name is.

Guardians of Oblivion:

Guardians of Oblivion are Conjurers of great skill and power. They specialize in Summoning magic, though they have learned a few tricks beyond what the usual Summoners of Cyrodiil can muster. These enemies are dangerous magic users, even if unarmored and weak to physical attacks, they can conjure very powerful Daedra to aid them in battle, using them as shields while they hurl magic from safe distance. These Conjurers are much more powerful than their lesser brethren. It is rumored that a woman of great skill and presence commands these outcasts from the community of the Mage's Guild. However, she may not be the only leader of these fearsome Daedra-worshippers.

The Putrid Hand:

Necromancers of the Putrid Hand are very skilled in the dark arts of magic. Resenting their imposed exile from the Mage's Guild, they have formed their own enclave where to expand their knowledge and power. Since they are officially considered enemies of the ruling Mage class in the Imperial City, they do not take kindly to those that intrude on their new-found lairs. Renowned for his skill in commanding the occult forces of life and death, Master Lien Valeth quickly became the leader of this rising sect of fearsome necromancers. Their now secretive existence has forced them to become acquainted with those schools of magic that would aid them in remaining unseen and unheard. Recently, Master Valeth discovered the trace of ancient relics of undead power that, if found and harnessed, may change the future of Cyrodiil itself.

1.3 Additions:

Sylvan Rangers and Corrupted Followers of Jephre

The region of the Gold Coast has recently been subject to unusual numbers of rangers from the forests of Valenwood, who have set camps in the wilderness and occupied ruins and caves. It is not clear what the purpose of the ranger’s occupation of the Gold Coast means, but local authorities have issued warnings to citizens and travelers alike. Rangers, often loosely associated to Druidic Grove Circles, rarely seem as organized as some of the invading Bosmer appear. This suggests that there is a common cause, or a common leadership, behind their activities. Interested adventurers would do well to seek information and clues in Anvil before venturing near these skilled and powerful inhabitants of the wild.

Skyrim Bandits

The northern lands of the Imperial Province, covered in snow and ice, have for many years dealt with the threat of marauding bands of pillagers and bandits. As of late, more organized than usually, clans of Skyrim bandits have set encampments in the whereabouts of Bruma and all along the steep walls of the Jerall Mountains. These bandits have proven to be a greater source of danger than any previous band of thieves Captain Burd has had to face during his years at the head of the Bruma Guard. Perhaps eradicating the source of union among these otherwise hostile clans would help to prevent further damage to the citizens of Bruma and to the travelers of the northern mountains.

Dunmer Slave Traders

After the events that took place in the Isle of Vvanderfell thanks to the intervention the Nerevarine, the authorities of the province of Morrowind banned the custom of slave-trade. Without other recourse than to change their ways of life drastically, many slavers continued their trade illegally, in a veil of secrecy. This black-market of slaves has spilled its activities onto the eastern regions of Cyrodiil. Slave traders have set up encampments, headquarters and supply routes that reach into the marshes of the Blackwood. There they hunt for Argonians, who traditionally used this region as a sanctuary, due to its remote location and humid climate. Slave traders are in no friendly terms with the local authorities, but they will not be aggressive outright to most citizens of the province—provided that they do not belong to one of the races which they seek to enslave! Should one gain favor with the traders, they may be willing to offer their services and goods to even the most unlikely folk.

Black Marsh Argonian Smugglers

Argonians from the black marsh have created smuggling lines for contraband trade into the Imperial Province, supplying its citizens with hard to find, and often forbidden, goods. These Argonians inhabit some of the most remote and hidden caves in the marshes, often choosing underwater caverns to gain extra security and cover. These smugglers have little reason to be outright aggressive against citizens of Cyrodiil and travelers, since they depend on them for trading. However, they will not take kindly upon those that aid the newly-arrived Slave Traders, nor to those that harm the leaders of their smuggling groups. Should one aid these Argonian smugglers against those who threaten them then it is possible that they may decide to engage in trade directly, bypassing their usual suppliers and contacts.

3. Creature Changes:

This is one of the most exciting developments in OOO 1.3. Creatures are now extremely unique and particular. I can confidently say that there is nothing, to date, that resembles what OOO 1.3 has done with creatures. Now only are there now many more sizes, items, special behaviors and characteristics to all old creatures, but OOO 1.3 adds many new ones into the world, each with their own specific behaviors, items, lairs and spawnlists.

These are some of the new creatures introduced in OOO 1.3:

Animals:

Jaguars (Gosu’s textures)
Polar Bears (Tegeal’s textures)
Shadow Wolves (Gosu’s textures)
Snow Leopards (Gosu’s textures)
Snow Mountain Lions (Gosu’s textures
Tundra Wolves (Elhoim’s textures)

Mythic Creature & Daedra:

Bog Ogres (Mark Quinn’s textures)
Daedra Seducer (Zardalu’s textures)
Hell Hounds (Elhoim’s textures)
Frost Minotaur (Maelmoran’s textures)
Giant Flame Atronarch (All Golems by Demonizzer)
Golem of Blood
Golem of Ebony
Golem of Iron
Golem of Glass
Golem of Gold
Golem of Magma
Golem of Mithril
Golem of Mud
Golem of Water

As usual, the additions are not limited to new models, like the ones above, only, but also include many other types of creatures that are slight variations of existing types (for example, prowler wolves, which are highly aggressive and tend to travel on packs, or Ravenous ogres, who are solitary, although at times gregarious, ogres of great power and might; and many, many more!)

The following is a list of the most important changes given with the addition of these new creatures:

1- CREATURE FACTIONS

There are now more than 24 creature factions. There is one for each of the creature types and several new ones for OOO-added creatures. Each faction interacts differently with every other faction. Some are friendly to each other, some are neutral and some are aggressive. Even within each faction, some of its members, which may be a bit more aggressive than the rest, will react aggressively against members of an otherwise friendly faction. For example, some Crazed Imps are violent enough to dislike shadow wolves, and they will attack them on sight even if most crazed imps will not. This applies to all faction relations.

Generally, however, there are two main groups of factions: “Neutral” and “Evil”. Each group is generally on friendly terms with creatures from the same group and in unfriendly terms with creatures from the opposing group.

Shadow wolves, ogres, goblins and trolls, for example, will tolerate each other in most cases, and will dislike animals, minotaurs, land dreughs and even spriggans.

Animals are usually neutral to each other, although some have a preference, and will tolerate, members of a different faction within the general animal group more than others. For example, bears generally tolerate boars, and vice versa. Only a few bears, from time to time, if hungry or inexperienced, may be aggressive enough to attack boars, whereas they would be much more suspicious of wolves. Lions will be aggressive against horses or boars a lot more readily than they would ever be aggressive against bears.

Of course, this change meant that the creature spawns could not remain as they were set in default Oblivion. Previously, all creatures would be on the same faction, and all of them could appear together, clumped, inside a creature lair. This is no longer the case. This leads to the second big change.

2- CREATURE LAIRS

Some dungeons have “Evil” group factions. These dungeons are highly dangerous and difficult, with the corpses of brave adventurers littering the floors. Great treasures await those that can defeat these dark places.

Other dungeons are now home to specific faction types. In default Oblivion, all animals would appear together in dungeons like a happy family. Wolves, bears, lions and boars would share living space. This is not the case any more.

I have changed every animal dungeon to belong to one type of animal faction. Now there are wolf dens, tundra wolf dens, bear dens, boar dens and feline (lions, snow lions, jaguars, snow leopard) dens. Some of these dens may have very old and powerful animal “bosses” who command the rest of their pack and herd.

3- CREATURE AI

Oscuro’s Oblivion Overhaul no longer uses Tag’s excellent Natural Wildlife mod to change the behavior of creatures towards the player. Instead, I have heavily modified the original script, to the point that it has become a completely new script with many distinctive and unique functions.

This script is probably the most sophisticated animal behavior enhancement for Oblivion to-date. Not only it is prepared to handle many more response types, dynamically, than older wildlife scripts, but it is perfected to work in tandem with several of the new features introduced in OOO 1.3, such as the greatly expanded creature faction diversity and the possibility of gaining creature faction through a quest (see below)

Now, animals may respond to the player in several ways. They may be outright aggressive, cautious, shy or even friendly. Each of these responses depends on many factors. These take into account the creatures aggression rating (remember, creatures of the same type may be more or less aggressive, confident, strong, fast, etc, than others of their kin), the creature’s confidence, the player’s personality, the players willpower, the demeanor of the player (weapon sheathed or unsheathed), the actions of the player (pestering the animal by getting too close, attacking it from a distance, etc) and they calculate their reactions dynamically, as the situations change around them.

This means that you could approach an animal, and it may decide to run away from you. Then you could try to chase it, and if you get too close to it (depending on their aggression and confidence they will consider you as “too close for comfort” differently) it will try to defend itself and attack you. Now, you could decide to run away. If you make enough distance in between you and the beast, it will stop chasing you and will try to get on with its own business. But, of course, you may decide to go chasing after it again, at which point you may fire an arrow and provoke the beast, which decides to run instead of fight (or may decide to fight instead).

Now, imagine the possibilities this opens when seen in light of the other changes pertaining creatures. The beast, the second time you go looking for it, may decide to run after you instead, right on sight, and without giving you time to draw the bow. Then, as you try to run again, a different animal appears nearby, this new animal may be aggressive to the creature chasing you more than to you, so it would try to attack it and save your hide in the process. Literally, the possible gameplay scenarios are multiplied several fold thanks to OOO’s changes to creatures.

Last, but not least, every creature has now different behavior types that suit their nature. For example, wolves will routinely h