This is another leveling controlling mod. It streamlines and auto-handles (for the most part) your level-up aspects of the game. You no longer need to micro-manage character advancement with this mod.
Description
This mod changes how the at level-up Attribute Modifiers are determined. This mod also gives new use to Specialization and Favored Attributes.
********************
S.P.A.M.
Simbacca's Player Advancement Method
a mod for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
created by Simbacca
version 2.0
(Note: this mod requires OBSE v0009a or newer)
********************
Table of Contents
********************
1. - What Does This Do?
2. - How Do I Use This?
3. - Installation
4. - Known Issues, Bugs, & Conflicts
5. - Version History
6. - Credits & Usage
7. - Contact Me
8. - S.P.A.M.'s Default Modifier Calculation
********************
1. - What Does This Do?
********************
This mod changes what determines the player's attribute modifiers at level-up. No longer will your at-level-up attribute modifiers be determined by what skills you have your character use and how much you use them. S.P.A.M. completely removes the connection between skill-use and attribute-modifiers, eliminating the need for your Warrior to have to crawl around just to be knocked down less (higher Agility), or for your Mage to have to use a shield just to get a higher base health (higher Endurance).
By default, S.P.A.M. will determine what your character's at level-up attribute modifiers are based on your character's Favored Attributes, Specialization, and new field (which S.P.A.M. will ask you) called Secondary Specialization. How these fields lead S.P.A.M. to determine your character's default attribute modifiers is explained in greater detail in section {8}.
If you are happy with with how S.P.A.M. sets up your modifiers than great! If, however, you do not like what some or all of your modifiers are set to by default with S.P.A.M., you can use the S.P.A.M. Configuration Item to set them to whatever you wish. In this way, S.P.A.M. can either be used for its default unique method of determining at level-up attribute modifiers or S.P.A.M. can be used simply as a mod that allows you to make up your own modifier rules and choices.
Because the default S.P.A.M. modifier calculation gives new purpose to class Specialization and Favored Attributes, there has been one more change to each of them as well. First, for both new and existing characters, class Specialization will no longer cause the skills that fall under it to raise faster than those that do not. What this means is skills that are both Major (or Minor) and Specialized will now go up at the same rate as they would have if they were only Major (or Minor) and not Specialized. Second, and this is only for new characters, selecting an attribute as one of your Favored Attributes during character creation will no longer permanently add +5 to that attribute. Eventhough I have my reasons for making these changes in regards to playing a character that keeps the default S.P.A.M. modifier calculation, I have provided optional files that can change these setting back to vanilla (un-moded) Oblivion defaults. More information on this in section {3}.
********************
2. - How Do I Use This?
********************
This mod will work with both existing saves and new games. When using an existing save, a message box will pop-up about 10-15 seconds after your character enters an exterior cell (outside). When starting a new game, the message box will pop-up 10-15 seconds after leaving the sewers for the first time, which coincidently is the first time your character enters an exterior cell.
When that first message box pops-up, S.P.A.M. will automaticly detect your class's Specialization and Favored Attributes. The message box asks you to choose a Secondary Specialization for your character. After choosing, the last message box pops-up confirming your secondary selection and asking whether or not you would like a S.P.A.M. configuration item added to your inventory (I will explain how to use this item at the end of this section).
Now play as normal and level-up as normal. When you see the level-up screen you will notice a message across the top of the screen, listing you S.P.A.M. at level-up modifiers for each Attribute. Pick three Attributes to increase just as you always have. As you select them on the level-up screen, they will appear to increase by only 1. However, once you close the level-up screen and are back in control of your character, bring up the Attribute menu. You will see that in reality your Attributes went up the amount they should have based on the S.P.A.M. at level-up Attribute modifiers that displayed across the top of the level-up screen.
If you chose to have the S.P.A.M. configuration item added to your inventory and wish to you use it, here is what you do. Bring up your inventory menu, go to the miscellaneous section (same one that has Torches and Lockpicks), and click on the S.P.A.M. icon. This will immediately bring up the S.P.A.M. configuration menu. The menu is self-explanatory from there. There is one button on the main menu that I would like to touch on here and that is the "Reset S.P.A.M." button. Once you click on it, you will be asked to confirm that you are sure you want to do this. If you click Yes, your S.P.A.M. configuration item will be removed from your inventory and S.P.A.M. will start over fresh as if it was just installed for the first time, once you close all menus and your character is in an exterior cell.
********************
3. - Installation
********************
For those upgrading from S.P.A.M. v1.3 to 2.0:
---------------------------------------------
Simply replace your existing 'S.P.A.M.esp' and/or 'S.P.A.M. 100+.esp' with the new ones from this version. That is all you have to do, S.P.A.M. will continue to work for you just as it always has. However if you wish to have the new S.P.A.M. configuration item added to your inventory, you will have to do the following:
- Move your character to an exterior cell, then hit the ~ key to bring up the console, and then type "startquest SPAM". Then hit the ~ key again to close the console. This will relaunch S.P.A.M. as if it were installed for the very first time (don't worry, it will not affect your character at all). Simply chose your Secondary Specialization again, and then answer Yes to the new second question.
For those upgrading from S.P.A.M. v1.0 to v2.0:
----------------------------------------------
Delete 'S.P.A.M. v1.0.esp' and 'S.P.A.M. 100+ v1.0.esp' from your \Oblivion\Data folder. Add 'S.P.A.M.esp' and 'S.P.A.M. 100+.esp' from this version 2.0 release to your \Oblivion\Data folder and then activate the one you want to use. Because of the esp file name change, you will be asked to select your Secondary Specialization once again. I am sorry for this inconvenience but making this change now will prevent me from ever having to change the esp names again in the future.
For those installing S.P.A.M. for the first time:
------------------------------------------------
First things first, if you have never installed a mod before, you should read this excellent Mod FAQ: Link
S.P.A.M. requires OBSE v0009a or newer. If you do not already have OBSE installed on your computer, then you can download it here: Link
Now to install S.P.A.M. First extract the contents of the rar archive into your Oblivion/Data folder. This should add a folder called "S.P.A.M. optionals", a file called "S.P.A.M.esp", another file called "S.P.A.M. 100+.esp", and two text files to your Oblivion Data folder. Now all you have to do is enable one and only one of the two .esp files, "S.P.A.M.esp" or "S.P.A.M. 100+.esp". Most people should use "S.P.A.M.esp".
When to use "S.P.A.M. 100+.esp" instead:
------------------------------------------------
What makes "S.P.A.M. 100+.esp" differnt from default "S.P.A.M.esp" is that it changes the default Oblivion maximum attribute cap from 100 to 200. This was made for people that use the Legendary Mastery mod (since without it, most attributes are ineffective when raised beyond 100). If you want to use both mods as well, then you will have to choose one of the following four install set-ups:
- If you want your attributes and skills to raise past 100, you will need to activate the following:
S.P.A.M.100+.esp, LegendarySkills.esp, and LegendaryMastery.esp
- If you want your attributes to raise past 100, but still want skills to be capped at 100, you will need to activate the following:
S.P.A.M.100+.esp and LegendaryMastery.esp
- If you want to use S.P.A.M., want your attributes to capped at 100, but want skills to raise past 100, you will need to activate the following:
S.P.A.M.esp, LegendarySkills.esp, and LegendaryMastery.esp
- And finally, if you want your attributes and skills to still be capped at 100, but want the skills and attributes to have an effect when fortified beyond 100 (through spells or enchanted gear), you will need to activate the following:
S.P.A.M.esp and LegendaryMastery.esp
Switching from "S.P.A.M.esp" to "S.P.A.M. 100+.esp"
-----------------------------------------------
If you have installed S.P.A.M.esp but are considering potentially switching to S.P.A.M. 100+.esp, a word of warning. If you do decide to switch to S.P.A.M. 100+.esp, you must do so before any of your character's base Attribute values reach 95. This is to ensure proper functioning of the script in the S.P.A.M. 100+.esp when processing your attribute increases beyond 95.
Optional Plug-Ins:
------------------------------------------------
S.P.A.M. has six optional plug-ins which you can choose to enable if you like. Before enabling any of them, you have to move the ones you want to use out of your "S.P.A.M. Optionals" folder and into your Oblivion/Data folder.
The first four are meant to make up for the removal of class Specializations' speed-boost to the growth-rate of Skills. Of the following four, you can to use zero, one, or two, but no more than two.
"S.P.A.M. Option - Faster Major.esp" - activating this esp will increase the growth-rate speed of Major Skills (changed from the Oblivion default 0.75 to 0.65). Choose either this one, 'S.P.A.M. Option - Fastest Major.esp', or neither, BUT DO NOT choose both.
"S.P.A.M. Option - Fastest Major.esp" - activating this esp will increase the growth-rate speed of Major Skills (changed from the Oblivion default 0.75 to 0.55). Choose either this one, 'S.P.A.M. Option - Faster Major.esp', or neither, BUT DO NOT choose both.
"S.P.A.M. Option - Faster Minor.esp" - activating this esp will increase the growth-rate speed of Minor Skills (changed from the Oblivion default 1.25 to 1.08). Choose either this one, 'S.P.A.M. Option - Fastest Minor.esp', or neither, BUT DO NOT choose both.
"S.P.A.M. Option - Fastest Minor.esp" - activating this esp will increase the growth-rate speed of Minor Skills (changed from the Oblivion default 1.25 to 0.91). Choose either this one, 'S.P.A.M. Option - Faster Minor.esp', or neither, BUT DO NOT choose both.
The next two optional plug-ins restore a setting, that S.P.A.M. changed, back to default.
"S.P.A.M. Option - Restore Spec.esp" - activating this esp will re-enable the growth-rate speed-boost class Specializations normally give to Skills they govern (to the Oblivion default of 0.75). It is not recommended to use this esp with any of the above 4 optional esps, as they were meant to make up for S.P.A.M. change to Class Specialization. Doing so will cause Specializied skills to raise much faster than they should.
"S.P.A.M. Option - Restore Fav.esp" - activating this esp will re-enable the permanent +5 bonus an attribute receives when selecting it as one of your Favored Attributes during character creation. This will only work if enabled before the creation of a new character, just like the remove of the bonus in S.P.A.M. only affected new characters.
********************
4. - Known Issues, Bugs, & Conflicts
********************
There are no known bugs when used with vanilla Oblivion.
This mod is perfectly safe to use with OOO, Frans, and the like.
This mod is perfectly safe to use with any more that changes the rate at which skills raise. Just set any such mod to load after S.P.A.M.
This will conflict with any other mod that changes the at Level-up Attribute Modifiers and therefore will be completely incompatible.
This will have a slight conflict with any mod that changes the boost to the rate at which skills gain experience for being Specialized, and/or the boost of Favored Attributes. To solve this, simply set whichever mod that has the setting the way you want it to load after the other.
********************
5. - Version History
********************
(Planet Elder Scrolls has its own section for this below)
********************
6. - Credits & Usage
********************
I would like to give a huge thank you to Kobakko, motub, and ElecManEXE for their input while beta testing this mod. I look forward to your continued feedback.
I would like to thank pwijnands, Phitt, and TheTalkieToaster, all three of whom answered my numerous questions on the General TES Construction Set -- Oblivion forum. You three were a huge help in getting me started.
I would like to thank Strategy Master for not only sending me the suggestions on ways to improve my code, but also sending me an actual code example with it.
I would like to thank Ian Patterson (ianpatt) and Stephen Abel (behippo) for creating the OBSE. What a great tool it is!
I would like to thank TimeSlip for his contributions to OBSE, and for creating the OBMM.
Do not re-upload S.P.A.M. or any variation you create anywhere. If you would like to incorporate any part of my S.P.A.M. mod into a mod you are working on, including any of the scripts, you will need my permission first.
********************
7. - Contact Me
********************
You can post your questions or comments in the S.P.A.M. thread on the Official Elder Scrolls Oblivion Mod forum, found here:
Link
Or you can send me a private message directly on the Official Elder Scrolls Forums. Here is my profile:
Link
I go on the forums pretty much daily, so I will see your message and/or post.
********************
8. - S.P.A.M.'s Default Modifier Calculation
********************
If you choose not to use S.P.A.M.'s configuration item, then the following will explain how your at-level-up attribute modifiers are determined.
The at level-up modifiers for Strength, Endurance, Intelligence, Willpower, Agility, and Speed are determined by three factors; Specialization (from now on referred to as Primary Specialization), Favored Attributes, and a new field called Secondary Specialization. Combat specialization governs Strength and Endurance, Magic specilization governs Intelligence and Willpower, and Stealth specialization governs Agility and Speed.
An attribute that falls under Primary Specialization will go up +4 if selected at level-up, or +5 if it was also selected as Favored Attribute during Character Creation.
An attribute that falls under Secondary Specialization will go up +3 if selected at level-up, or +4 if it was also selected as Favored Attribute during Character Creation.
An attribute that falls under neither specialization will go up +2 if selected at level-up, or +3 if it was also selected as Favored Attribute during Character Creation.
The only exceptions to these rules are Personality and Luck. Neither of these attributes are tied to any specialization, and therefore follow their own rules.
Personality will always go up +4 if selected at level-up no matter the specializations, or it will instead go up +5 if it was selected as Favored Attribute during Character Creation.
Luck will always go up +1 if selected at level-up no matter the specializations, though it will instead go up +2 if it was selected as a Favored Attribute during Character Creation.
If you need further clarification on what was explained above, see the included chart below. Due note that this chart only takes into account your character's Primary and Secondary Specialization, and does not take into account your character's Favored Attributes. You can increase any two of the modifiers by one through your character's Favored Attribute selections.
(the chart is included in the download file's included ReadMe. it can also be seen in S.P.A.M.'s forum thread)
Example Character 1 is Specializied in Combat with Secondary Specialization in Magic, and has Willpower and Endurance as his two Favored Attributes. Example Character 1's default S.P.A.M. modifiers would be Str +4, Int +3, Wlp +4, Agl +2, Spd +2, End +5, Per +4, Lck +1.
Example Character 2 is Specializied in Stealth with Secondary Specialization in Combat, and has Intelligence and Luck as his two Favored Attributes. Example Character 2's default S.P.A.M. modifiers would be Str +3, Int +3, Wlp +2, Agl +4, Spd +4, End +3, Per +4, Lck +2.
Change log
2.0 - Third Released Version
- adds a S.P.A.M. configuration item and menu
- fixes the sometimes premature starting of the mod, namely during the tutorial dungeon, caused by unknown mod conflicts by starting only when the player character enters an exterior cell
1.3 - Second Released Version
- adds a message to the level-up screen stating what the S.P.A.M. caused attribute modifiers are
- renamed the two main S.P.A.M. esp files to remove the version number so it does not have to keep changing for future releases
1.0 - First Released Version
Only registered members can share their thoughts. So come on! Join the community today (totally free - or sign in with your social account on the right) and join in the conversation.