ooo 1.3 information

7/28/2019 Ooo 1.3 Information

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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 120,000downloads in North American servers since April, 2006. Now in its sixth version, this plug-in is setto revolutionize the way you experience TES IV: Oblivion. Although I am the main personresponsible 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 theirname, 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 ofCyrodiil as only Oscuro's Oblivion Overhaul makes possible. However, I strongly recommend thatyou take some time to review the readme files here included so that you can better understandhow to customize your TES IV: Oblivion experience and resolve any installation questions thatyou may encounter.

Oscuro's Oblivion Overhaul is a very complex and extensive modification to TES IV: Oblivion. Itchanges thousands of variables of this excellent game and also merges into it several verypopular third party modifications. It is vital that you review the information written below, as wellas the Installation.txt and Merged/Bundled.txt files so that you can quickly begin your gamewithout 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 detailedFrequently Asked Questions page that will help you find an answer to your questions. Also, youcan 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 stronglyrecommend that you do two things:

1- You must use Wrye Bash to update your savegame by importing into it the NPC leveldata specified by OOO 1.3. Why is this? Oblivions savegames store a list of the levels ofevery actor labeled as NPC. There are more than a thousand of those actors in theoriginal Oblivion. OOO changes all of them, in many cases giving them a new levelrange. This level range is responsible for how strong and able the NPCs are, and it isdirectly linked with how difficult, easy and rewarding your game will be. I designed OOO


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to work best with the new NPC level data. Be warned that not updating your savegamewill result in severe gameplay imbalances.

If you are updating an already OOO-enhanced savegame, then this step is not asimportant. Your game will be balanced. However, for the best results, I recommendupdating 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 youmust rename the ESP placed by the installer in your \Oblivion\Data folder to the name ofthe 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 1.23ESP. In this case, you should rename Oscuros_Oblivion_Overhaul.esp (installed byOOO 1.3s installer) to FULL_Oscuros_Oblivion_Overhaul_V_1.23.esp or toLITE_Oscuros_Oblivion_Overhaul_V_1.23.esp, depending on which version of 1.23you decided to use in your game.

Important: This is a link to Wrye Bashs Download and instructions page:

http://wrye.ufrealms.net/Wrye%20Bash.html

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 savegameto consider the new Oscuros_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 savegamethat 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 willnot 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 havedownloaded.

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\Oblivionthen you would need to extract all files into C:\Program Files\BethesdaSoftworks\Oblivion\Data

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

1- Meshes


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2- Oscuros Oblivion Overhaul3- Textures4- Sounds

If, while unpacking the files, you receive a warning about overwriting existing files, click YESto continueOOO 1.3 updates several of the default third-party mod resource files that ituses.

The unpacking procedure will create these folders in your \Oblivion\Data directory. If youhave already a meshes, textures or sounds folders, then their contents will remainuntouched and OOOs 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 mayhave the same name.

Now, you are ready to select the type of OOO 1.3 version that you want to use. Below, inCustomizability 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 guide you through yourinstallation options. Refer to the section Customizability Options for OOO 1.3 in order tounderstand 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-Infiles.

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 andMerged Third-Party Plug-ins) and other changes to PC Statistics, PC Skills, CombatSystem and Magic System. The Full version is how I envision the complete OOOexperience.

The Full version mod file is located inside your \Oblivion\Data\Oscuros OblivionOverhaul\OOO-FULL folder. Locate this folder and copy the file namedOscuros_Oblivion_Overhaul.esp into you \Oblivion\Data folder.

Then, open the TES IV: Oblivion launcher, click on Data Files, scroll through your modlist until you find Oscuros_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 versionof OOO 1.3however, Living Economy should be used by those who would like to play the Full version as Iintended it

2- However, you can chose to change how OOO plays by using the Lite version and thenadding 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 foldernamed Oscuros Oblivion Overhaul created in your \Oblivion\Data folder (either by the


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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 foundinside into your \Oblivion\Data folder.

Then, return to the Oscuros Oblivion Overhaul folder. Inside you will also find a foldernamed OOO-ADD-ONS. This folder contains the optional Plug-Ins that you may use tocustomize your Lite version of OOO 1.3. Select the ones you wish to use, copy them toyour \Oblivion\Data folder.

Now, open your Oblivion Launcher, click on Data Files and scroll down through yourmods. Enable any OOO-prefixed add-ons that you would like to use. Finally, make sureto also enable the main OOO mod file, Oscuros_Oblivion_Overhaul.esp, in the Launchmenu 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 armorskill perks. With it, heavy armor will be more cumbersome at master level; lightarmors will offer 25% bonus protection at master level instead of 50. It also reducesthe wear rate of weapons and armor to 30% of the original Oblivions values. Lastly,it increases the costs of armor repairing at stores.

2- OOO-Birthsigns: This esp changes the Birthsigns to match OOOs defaultBirthsigns. 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 perksand 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, fasterarrows, and arrow physics)

4- OOO-Dangerous traps: This esp makes traps more damaging than in Oblivionsdefault settings.

5- OOO-Deadly_Combat: This esp makes weapon and creature damage higher acrossthe board. It also reduces the initial health of players when they first create theircharacters. Creatures 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 thatOOO will install in your \Data\Sounds\FX\ folder. It is a version of Drop_Lit_Torchesthat is designed for outmost immersion. The name of the object Torch has beenremoved from every torch in the game. This will, when used with the reducedswapping sound fixes, barely disturb your immersion when dropping torches on theground while adventuring.

7- OOO-Level_Slow: This esp turns the rate of skills progression to the values used inthe full version. I have tweaked all skills to progress at slower rates than in default


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Oblivion. This is necessary because of the higher incidence of combat and skillusage while playing OOO. The new values fall somewhere between x3 and x4 timesslower than in the original Oblivion, depending on skill. You may also use BofrasLevel_Rates_Modified esps to customize exactly how you want skill progression tobehave. Bofras mod can be found in your \Data\Oscuros Oblivion Overhaul\OOO-

ADD-ONS\Level_Rates_Modified. Use only one of his esps, or OOOs default esp,but not more than one at a time.

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

9- OOO-Magic_Effects+Spells: This esp changes all tweaked magic effects and addsthe pertinent changes to spells (default and OOOs new spell lines) which makemagic spells more viable and less prone to exploitation (on those bugged spelleffects, 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 toregen is much higher. Magicka pool per Intelligence point is greater. Magickastarget and area effects are less costly. Magic spell speed is much greater. Magickasrange is also greater. Finally, magic effectivity is reduced depending on the weightof armor that the user is wearing.

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

12- OOO-Thief_Guild_Difficult: This esp changes the difficulty of the Thieves Guildsquest that asks you to sell a certain amount of money to the local fence. The valuerequirements are much higher, and much more suitable to OOOs new wares andvalues.

Compatibility List:

Oscuros Oblivion Overhaul is a massive mod. It changes a staggering amount of thingsin the world of Cyrodiil. These changes are bound to overlap with changes performed by othermods 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 shouldthey overlap with OOOs changes. You can easily choose which change to keep by altering theload order of the mod. Altering the load order is very simple while using programs such asOblivion Mod Manager.

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


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

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

The following link directs you to a list of mods tested by Bo Straightarrow, whopainstakingly 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 isincompatible. 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 todecide what mods changes you rather keep. Alter the load order and you will readily get thechanges that you desire.

Heres Bos great list: http://members.cox.net/tgoa/conflicts4.txt

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 permissionfrom the authors of these mods to use their work to enhance the world of OscurosOblivion Overhaul. You should not use the stand-alone versions of the following listwhenever 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- DoofDillas Potions Recolored + Ceanos 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. Compiledby 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- Tamriels Glittering Geology by Gristle and XMarksTheSpot (M)


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2- OOO 1.3 features several third-party new content mods. You can use them in conjuctionwith OOO, to make the items even more available. Here is a list:

Armors + Clothing:

1- Archmage Armor by Axeface (2 sets)

2- Arctic Gear by Perditio443- Battledress 1.1 by Chiz (+ a full set of an OOO-only retexture: Dread Armor)4- Blades Ceremonial Armor by Axeface5- Capes and Cloaks 1.2 by Someone1074Textures by Belenos (special 1.3 versions:

Elhoim and Praetorio)6- Chain Bikini by Aleanne7- CM Iron Battle Shields & Orcish Nobility Shield by Mark Quinn8- Contessa Chromed/Queen Metalace by Eyren (2 sets)9- Dark Glass (Obsidian) by Praetorio10- Dark Rose by Kafeid11- Defensive Staves by Kearsage12- Draconic Armor by BadAndy13- Ethereal: Imperial Legion Armor by DagothBalls

14- Ethereal: Imperial Legion Armor Re-Texture by Elhoim15- Gray Fox Armory by Daeger16- Griffin Armor by Phitt17- Growlfs Female Armor by Growlf (4 sets)18- New Daedric retexture by Praetorio19- Ivory Armor by Sleeper2520- More Shields by Zynthar (4 shields)21- Noble Plate by Ulath22- Pegasus Armor by Gorgonzola300023- Shadowmail Armor by NorrabMaster24- Silver Dragon Armor by The Atronach25- Sins Light Armor Pack 3.0 by Sin (9 sets)26- Tegeals Extra Robes by Tegeal (15 sets)27- Tornes' Blockade Shield by Praetorio28- 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 Perditio442- Art of War Weapons 1.1 by RDjeke3- Braided Weapons by Chiz

4- Cutlasses by The AshLad5- Dark Rose weapons by Kafeid6- Elven Sabres and Bows by Adonnay7- Icxth Sword by ThrottleKitty8- Jounks Polearms by Jounk33 (Translation by Katan)9- Maulers by TemplarGFX10- Meteoric Weapons by Madcat and RDJeke11- Noble Weapons by Ulath12- Offensive Staves by Kearsage13- Pegasus Weapons by Gorgonzola3000


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14- Rapiers by Cethegus15- Real Umbra by RazhkulOriginal Model and Texture by Oriphier16- Scimitars by Winter17- Scythe Mod by Thomas "tda" Bramall18- Severian's Katanas by Severian19- Shadowmail Weapons by NorrabMaster20- Silver Dragon weapons by The Atronarch21- Soul Wail by Praetorio22- Two-handed maces by Rdjeke23- VADaito by VagabondAngel24- Vella Glass Bow by Au-vine25- White Rose weapons by Kafeid

A Word on This Informations Format:

The information in this text is presented with as little explicit revelations of the underlyingmechanics of the mods design for a reason: I do not wish to reveal the inner-workings of everysingle change here documented because that, in my mind, simply detracts from the degree ofimmersion after which I designed this work. My intention has been, all along, to help this excellentgame become as immersive, rewarding, deeper and exciting as I could. To me, focusing toomuch 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 mods changes, but often timesthis detracts from becoming immersed in the game and instead prompt you to keep an eye out forthings 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 amnot providing you with statistics for every single thing here developed. That is, I think, a ratherhasty judgment. I assure you that I have put extreme care in balancing all the elements of thiswork. Everything here changed has been carefully balanced with every other gameplay structurein mind. If things are sometimes not symmetrical, that is a purposeful design choice (despite whatsome 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 onemonth 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 youunderstand my reasons, and can tolerate my fastidiousness, in presenting the information belowwith certain reservation from me.

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

Oscuros Oblivion Overhauls Webpage Address:

http://jorgeoscuro.googlepages.com/home

Thank you very much for your interest and for choosing Oscuros Oblivion Overhaul.

Jorge Salgado Oscuro

[email protected]


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General Overview of Oscuros Oblivion Overhauls Gameplay Vision:

Oscuros Oblivion Overhaul, also commonly called OOO, changes the ways in which the coregameplay 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 theworld of Tamriel.

We could divide the structures responsible for gameplay into several areas. The lines separatingthem are somewhat arbitrary, and we could be more specific and nuanced, but first it is importantto 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 rankclasses. For example, the PC Abilities include the Statistics System, the Skill System, the CombatSystem, the Magic System and Faction System. Likewise, Environment is built by smallerresources, like sounds, music, architecture, flora, weather, etc.

OOO does not change every single variable responsible for gameplay, but it does affect many ofthe ones I listed above. I have carefully measured these changes against every other modificationto 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-worldthrough 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 thisgoal in each of the general areas of gameplay. I will also mention how each change relates toother facets of the game and why the connection is important for your best game-experience.


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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 usetheir Vital Statistics to affect the world and themselves), Combat Abilities (how Skills interrelatewith actors and items in action-oriented challenges), Factions (how the PCs interrelate with NPCsand Creatures), and, finally, Magic Abilities (how Vital Statistics, Skills, Combat Abilities andFactions 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 isnot a so called leveling mod like AFs or KCAS mods, which handle the mechanics behind your avatars level-upprogression. OOO is compatible with these kinds of mods.

OOO changes how vital statistics, skills and combat abilities work mainly through the tweaking ofgamesettings. These gamesettings are hard-coded variables that specify a range of possibleactions and their results. For example, the gamesetting fPCMagickaReturnBase governs how fastthe 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 becauseof the higher weight of some weapons, and helps you to keep up with the now deadlier combatgameplay. Range of weapons reach is a bit shorter than in default Oblivionclose quarterscombat 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 bowsand backwards-running to avoid damage while peppering the enemies with arrows. The power ofbows is higher, but their reload time slower. These changes help to turn Marksmanship into amore tactical and involved combat skill.

HEALTH:

PCs have a lower starting health than default. No changes are made to maximum health gainedper 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 rightaway. That is something you will have to earn, and not be given right-off the bat as it happenedpreviously.

MAGICKA:

Magickas rate of regeneration is slower than default but avatars focusing in Willpower will gainmagicka faster than before. This change encourages players to focus on magical skills andattributes if they wish to be much more effective in situations where a lot of magicka will beneeded. It also balances out those classes who did not specialize in magic and previously couldrival a mages casting power without any drawbacks characteristic of spellcasters (like having touse light armor, having usually poor health rating, or having to forsake training in practical skills


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and attributes of combat and stealth in order to gain an edge as spellcasters)

Magickas pool is also larger than before. Expect to gain more than 20 points of magicka for every10 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 theincreased lethality of melee and ranged weapon combat.

Magic spells, effects and physics are also different. Generally, offensive spells cost less, it iseasier to cast ranged versions of them, and having them explode in an Area of Effect is also lesscostly. Finally, the speed of magic attacks is significantly higher than before. These changes willlet you cast better offensive and defensive magic with a greater range of tactical options. Theymake it worthy to spend the extra energy in casting targeted, AOE, spells. This also means that itis 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 completelynegate 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 youwere a master of this skill. Now, a small penalty remains event at mastery. The same is true ofthe perk gained in expert level of Heavy Armor.

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

Weapon perks usually add a new special attack type to the players repertoire. These attacks

have, aside from increased damage, other bonuses (like disarm, knockdown or paralyze). Thechance of a successful bonus effect per hit has gone up. It is now easier to disarm, knockdown orparalyze enemies (but so it is for them to do the same to you!) This change helps to make combatmore tactical. It encourages the use of special attacks, but it ties in with the greater risk of leavingyour guard open because now, as I mentioned, weapons are slower than in default Oblivion. Therelative speed of these attacks is a bit higher to compensate for the overall slower speed ofweapons in general. These changes apply also to range attacks.

Damage has increased for the backwards special attack perk, for all weapon skills. This is animportant 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 tosuccessfully block attacks and stagger opponents during a successful block. Its rate is lowest ofall other weapons, but slightly increased from default Oblivion.

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

2-Stealth Skills:


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Sneak attacks now do slightly higher damage at Journeyman and Expert ranks, x7 and x8respectively. 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 inAlchemy. Previously, there was always a limit of four effects at once. Now, the progression isscaled upwards (3 for Novice skill in Alchemy, 3 for Apprentice skill in Alchemy, 4 for Journeymanskill 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 gameplaystructures relate to skill usage and viability. Some are, however, independent, and their function serve otherpurposes

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

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

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 Oblivionsettings. This change is needed due to the much higher and deadlier incidence ofcombat.

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 theenvironment 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 constantlyreminded that your actions are being viewed from the outside.

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

FACTIONS:

Oscuros Oblivion Overhaul introduces more than two dozen new factions. Most of these arecreature factions but there are also some additions to NPC factions. It is possible to gain the favorof some of the new NPC factions. The changes to the NPC faction system are not as global as Iwould 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 therelations among the creatures of Cyrodiil. Here I outline a small summary of what you cangenerally expect out of the new factions:


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New NPC factions interact with existing NPC and creature factions in unique ways. Goodfactions may be allied with the governing factions of Cyrodiils regions or remain neutral. Evilfactions 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 fromValenwood tend to be friendly towards many types of creatures, whereas their enemies, rangerscorrupted 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 thatwould please them, but in turn will lose faction with the opposing groups. Gaining faction withsome 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 creaturefactions. This means that the player may be accepted among animals and even befriend them, sothat 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 factions lairs. Also, should you run into battlescarried out by creature factions, you can chose which side to support and hope that the survivors

will remain friendly to you.

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

MAGIC ABILITIES:

The magic system in Oscuros Oblivion Overhaul 1.3 has changed significantly. Almost everyspell effect, default spells, enchantments and potions have been tweaked to enhance gameplayoptions and flow.

Magic Effect Changes:

Generally, you can expect spells to be easier to cast (require less magicka) but also much moreexpensive 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 defaultOblivion. Most defensive spells are also easier to cast, increasing the duration and magnitude oftheir effects per point of magicka spent. In both cases, enchanting items with them is much moreexpensive, both in terms of magnitude and money coststhat is, custom enchants will spend theSoul Gems enchanting points quickly in proportion to increased magnitude, and the monetarycost 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 toabuse. 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 acrossCyrodiil. The new line is set to instantly kill creatures below a certain threshold of health. Thespells 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 itemswith chameleon effects. Also, the enchantments have a lower magnitude cap. Spells ofChameleon are very magicka-intensive now. The same is true of Invisibility. The potency and


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duration of Invisibility is now reduced to 25% of the originals effectivity. This means that theplayer 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 necessarybecause they could previously be exploited severely (they would render consequences to theplayers actions irrelevant because they could always escape or avoid detection by the repeateduse of these spell effects.

Every other spell effect is now actually easier to cast, including defensive spells such as reflectspell, shield, resist magic, summons, etc. The changes are conservative. Do not expect to beable 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 governingeffects. This means that you could have access to stronger spells as soon as you visit your localspells store. It also means that NPCs will instantly have access to stronger spells than what theyhad in default Oblivion.

2- Enchantments:

Many default enchantments associated with the changed effects are now changed. Defensiveenchantment 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 whileadventuring 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 canafford to enchant better items on your own. The enchanting capacity of Grand Soul Gems is nowmuch higher, as it is the enchanting power of Grand Souls. This will allow you to craft the mostsome of the most powerful enchantments available, but only if you earn that right throughingenuity 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 yourmaximum limit of health, fatigue or magicka. The regenerative power of these potions encouragesmore 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 overallstrongertheir magnitude is greater although dispensed over time. There are now several newtypes of these potions. Each increases its power significantly over the previous in line, but alsobecome more expensive. Finally, there is one type of potion for each of these effects that actsimmediatelyit replenishes health, fatigue or magicka instantly. These potions are prized andvery expensive, but are also the best that can be afforded when you face the strongest ofchallenges. 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 NPCsdo not constantly get stronger alongside the players progression in skills and power. The


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features of leveling, as it is often called, are not completely taken away. These features areactually very useful in providing variety and diversity of challenges. I have used them to enhancethe believability, immersion and unpredictability of the Cyrodiils inhabitants. OOO 1.3 changesmost of the default NPCs to make them more static in terms of how strong they may become orbe 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, butmany of them have been tweaked, enhanced and, in some cases, completely turned around. Ihave also introduced a lot of new exciting features to old and new NPCs. The goalto transformCyrodiils NPCs into more alive, more believable, more challenging and unique beingshas beentaken to extremes in this new version of Oscuros 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 thanever before. With the addition of thousands of new armor and item types, the variety of looks andpossessions that NPCs boast increases immensely. Every type of NPC has now much moreunique items, abilities and spells that are proper to their profession and status. These featuresbelong to them whether you are a fledgling adventurer or an acclaimed hero. This step was thefirst in creating a much more static and realistic world.

Listing every change here would spoil the sense of discovery that you will get when encounteringall of these old NPCs in their new settings and apparels. The changes here are massive. Everytype of default NPC has their own loot lists, with items designed, named and balanced to fit theirrole 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 newchanges 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 ofthe original Oblivion, but OOO 1.3 greatly expands upon this by introducing dozens anddozens of new house-wares, clothing, jewelry, armor, weapons, books and so forth. Ihave placed, by handnot through mere loot-list tweakingthousands and thousands ofitems all over the homes, caverns, lairs, manors, castles, camps and every other type ofdwelling, of the default NPCs. A few lines cannot do justice to the amount of work andattention put in making every location seem more proper to its owners role and class.

2- NPCs levels are tweaked to offer the greatest gameplay that mixes very static andslightly leveled features. These changes apply to all NPCs, whether friend or enemy,

involved in the Main Quest, as well as every other Guilds Quests.

3- The backgrounds in Lore for the different factions and individual NPCs were taken intoaccount when designing their base abilities, spells and gear. Whenever there was nosuch prior background, OOO 1.3 tries to introduce new stories that appear in the form ofbooks, 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, givendepth by the addition of the above noted books, notes and quests. It is my intention tokeep developing the surrounding histories and events that are relevant to these NPCs


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and factions in order to make the world of Cyrodiil seem more alive and inheritor to therich storyline tradition of past TES series games.

Specific changes to default Oblivions factions:

1- Bandits, Marauders, Conjurers and Necromancers

These NPCs are capped, their loot lists adjusted and spread at variety of level ranges sothat some difference between them is apparent. Bandits can be very low level and reach earlytwenties. 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 troubleto 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 hasbred 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. Nowthere are even more factions vying for power that clash directly with these default Oblivionfactions. It is up to you to discover the nature of their intended plans and the locations fromwhence 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 usualvampire havens and dungeons. The space between the intervals allows the player to experienceboth challenge and a good ol fashioned vampire-killing spree. However, many lairs houseextremely powerful vampires that appear at any level. They are, of course, geared accordinglyand 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 dareenter their havens.

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

3- Dremoras

Dremoras are now significantly more powerful. Markynaz and Valkynaz have their levelscapped but with a range where they keep up with the player. Every leveled list that includeddremoras 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 aplayer level of 40+ almost all dremoras will be lower than the player, with the exception of somespecial cases. At lvl 50 the player should be able to mop the floor with just about every creature inCyrodiil. (Example: Kynval are lvl 12, in most cases they will not spawn unless the player is level13--the intervals of Dremora reach near lvl 40)

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


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4- Guards

All guards in the game are now level-capped. They are not lowly beginners, but you willnot get the feeling that they are so powerful that your presence in Cyrodiil is a nuisance. At highlevels you will be able to school most guards. Some towns have stronger regiments, others areweaker. Guards in the stages of the main quest are leveled appropriately, stocked with somehealing potions and ready to rumble. Still, powerful enemies will take them down more easily thanthey 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 thosefound in the comfort of cities.

Without fail, the Imperial Legion has the strongest of members. The Imperial City housesseveral types of ranks. Each guard has their own distinctive armor and attire to distinguish theirposition in the hierarchy of the Legion. Their armors are the best kept of the entire Legion, tohonor the privilege of guarding the Imperial Capital. Legions soldiers that patrol the wildernesshave suffered many years of harsh living. So, in contrast, their armor shows the ravages of timeand climate. The further away from civilization that they may patrol, and the deeper into the wildthat 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 higherwhich is a blessing tothose 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 weresorely unrepresented in the original Oblivion. I have sought to bring them back a more rightfulposition within the lore of TES. Their strengths and power have nothing to envy to those of men.

5- Citizens

Allcitizens of Cyrodiil, friendly or not, are level capped, when possible, in-synch with thedifficulty 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 involvedin quests have minimum level caps which means that you may not be able to finish the hard guildquests early on. A great feature of this change is that you will no longer get your ass handeddown to you by a hoe wielding punk of a farmer after you pilfer his house clean or take hisdaughter to the "barn."

Those citizens involved in the stages of the Main quest and Guilds quests are nowprogressively harder to beat, when possible. This change is part of the re-balance of importantquests done by OOO 1.3.

Citizens have had their personal belongings adjusted and tailored to their status andnature. Each citizens house now holds items suited to reflect their role. Moreover, every citizenshome 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 overwhat was in previous versions. The difficulty is much higher the greater the rank. The Championof the Arena has also grown in power considerably and now carries even more unique items.


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2- New OOO NPCs:

There are several new types of NPCs in Oscuros Oblivion Overhaul V. 1.3. These NPCs notonly bring diversity and life to the province of Tamriel, but they are crucial for the new gameplaystructures. The very static nature of rewards and challenges in OOO creates a need for morevariety 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 othermeans whenever they do not have a trusted edge at hand. They are more powerful thanMarauders and will crush the inexperienced player. However, they are also better equipped thanmost lowly Bandits and Marauders, so if you can take them down then you can expect somedecent rewards for your efforts! Raiders count among them not just those experienced in meleecombat, 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. Theirleader is a mighty Nord known as The Arctic Bear. However, he is getting ready to pass on theleadership of this mighty force down to a suitable replacement before the coming tide of strifeabout to ravage the lands of Cyrodiil, brought about by the discovery of ancient artifacts ofundead 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 weaponsbut 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 notlike to fight encumbered, and rarely if ever wear heavy armor. Some posses very fine lightarmors, 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 ofadorning their bodies with jewelry, which makes of them an attractive target to those inclined tothievery. Amazons do not share space with men,,, unless they are dead! They will not give thosefemales outside of their clan any quarter either. The priestess of the Amazon clan of Cyrodiil issecretive 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 Summoningmagic, though they have learned a few tricks beyond what the usual Summoners of Cyrodiil canmuster. These enemies are dangerous magic users, even if unarmored and weak to physicalattacks, they can conjure very powerful Daedra to aid them in battle, using them as shields whilethey hurl magic from safe distance. These Conjurers are much more powerful than their lesserbrethren. 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 fearsomeDaedra-worshippers.

The Putrid Hand:

Necromancers of the Putrid Hand are very skilled in the dark arts of magic. Resenting theirimposed exile from the Mage's Guild, they have formed their own enclave where to expand theirknowledge and power. Since they are officially considered enemies of the ruling Mage class inthe Imperial City, they do not take kindly to those that intrude on their new-found lairs. Renowned


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for his skill in commanding the occult forces of life and death, Master Lien Valeth quickly becamethe leader of this rising sect of fearsome necromancers. Their now secretive existence has forcedthem to become acquainted with those schools of magic that would aid them in remaining unseenand unheard. Recently, Master Valeth discovered the trace of ancient relics of undead powerthat, 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 theforests of Valenwood, who have set camps in the wilderness and occupied ruins and caves. It isnot clear what the purpose of the rangers occupation of the Gold Coast means, but localauthorities have issued warnings to citizens and travelers alike. Rangers, often loosely associatedto Druidic Grove Circles, rarely seem as organized as some of the invading Bosmer appear. Thissuggests 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 nearthese 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 dealtwith the threat of marauding bands of pillagers and bandits. As of late, more organized thanusually, clans of Skyrim bandits have set encampments in the whereabouts of Bruma and allalong the steep walls of the Jerall Mountains. These bandits have proven to be a greater sourceof danger than any previous band of thieves Captain Burd has had to face during his years at thehead of the Bruma Guard. Perhaps eradicating the source of union among these otherwisehostile clans would help to prevent further damage to the citizens of Bruma and to the travelers ofthe northern mountains.

Dunmer Slave Traders

After the events that took place in the Isle of Vvanderfell thanks to the intervention theNerevarine, 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 theirtrade illegally, in a veil of secrecy. This black-market of slaves has spilled its activities onto theeastern regions of Cyrodiil. Slave traders have set up encampments, headquarters and supplyroutes that reach into the marshes of the Blackwood. There they hunt for Argonians, whotraditionally used this region as a sanctuary, due to its remote location and humid climate. Slavetraders are in no friendly terms with the local authorities, but they will not be aggressive outright tomost citizens of the provinceprovided that they do not belong to one of the races which theyseek to enslave! Should one gain favor with the traders, they may be willing to offer their servicesand goods to even the most unlikely folk.

Black Marsh Argonian Smugglers

Argonians from the black marsh have created smuggling lines for contraband trade into theImperial 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 choosingunderwater caverns to gain extra security and cover. These smugglers have little reason to beoutright aggressive against citizens of Cyrodiil and travelers, since they depend on them fortrading. 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 Argoniansmugglers against those who threaten them then it is possible that they may decide to engage in


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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 uniqueand particular. I can confidently say that there is nothing, to date, that resembles what OOO 1.3has done with creatures. Now only are there now many more sizes, items, special behaviors andcharacteristics to all old creatures, but OOO 1.3 adds many new ones into the world, each withtheir own specific behaviors, items, lairs and spawnlists.

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

Animals:

JaguarsPolar BearsShadow Wolves

Snow LeopardsSnow Mountain LionsTundra Wolves

Mythic Creature & Daedra:

Bog OgresDaedra SeducerHell HoundsFrost MinotaurGiant Flame AtronarchGolem of BloodGolem of EbonyGolem of IronGolem of GlassGolem of GoldGolem of MagmaGolem of MithrilGolem of MudGolem of Water

As usual, the additions are not limited to new models, like the ones above, only, but also includemany other types of creatures that are slight variations of existing types (for example, prowlerwolves, which are highly aggressive and tend to travel on packs, or Ravenous ogres, who aresolitary, 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 newcreatures:

1- CREATURE FACTIONS

There are now more than 24 creature factions. There is one for each of the creature types andseveral new ones for OOO-added creatures. Each faction interacts differently with every other


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faction. Some are friendly to each other, some are neutral and some are aggressive. Even withineach faction, some of its members, which may be a bit more aggressive than the rest, will reactaggressively against members of an otherwise friendly faction. For example, some Crazed Impsare violent enough to dislike shadow wolves, and they will attack them on sight even if mostcrazed imps will not. This applies to all faction relations.

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

Shadow wolves, ogres, goblins and trolls, for example, will tolerate each other in most cases, andwill 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 orinexperienced, may be aggressive enough to attack boars, whereas they would be much moresuspicious of wolves. Lions will be aggressive against horses or boars a lot more readily thanthey would ever be aggressive against bears.

Of course, this change meant that the creature spawns could not remain as they were set indefault Oblivion. Previously, all creatures would be on the same faction, and all of them couldappear together, clumped, inside a creature lair. This is no longer the case. This leads to thesecond 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 candefeat these dark places.

Other dungeons are now home to specific faction types. In default Oblivion, all animals wouldappear 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 wolfdens, tundra wolf dens, bear dens, boar dens and feline (lions, snow lions, jaguars, snowleopard) dens. Some of these dens may have very old and powerful animal bosses whocommand the rest of their pack and herd.

3- CREATURE AI

Oscuros Oblivion Overhaul no longer uses Tags excellent Natural Wildlife mod to change thebehavior of creatures towards the player. Instead, I have heavily modified the original script, tothe 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 wildlifescripts, but it is perfected to work in tandem with several of the new features introduced in OOO1.3, such as the greatly expanded creature faction diversity and the possibility of gaining creaturefaction 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 takeinto account the creatures aggression rating (remember, creatures of the same type may be moreor less aggressive, confident, strong, fast, etc, than others of their kin), the creatures confidence,


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the players personality, the players willpower, the demeanor of the player (weapon sheathed orunsheathed), the actions of the player (pestering the animal by getting too close, attacking it froma distance, etc) and they calculate their reactions dynamically, as the situations change aroundthem.

This means that you could approach an animal, and it may decide to run away from you. Thenyou could try to chase it, and if you get too close to it (depending on their aggression andconfidence they will consider you as too close for comfort differently) it will try to defend itselfand attack you. Now, you could decide to run away. If you make enough distance in between youand 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 thebeast, 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 pertainingcreatures. 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, adifferent animal appears nearby, this new animal may be aggressive to the creature chasing youmore than to you, so it would try to attack it and save your hide in the process. Literally, thepossible gameplay scenarios are multiplied several fold thanks to OOOs changes to creatures.

Last, but not least, every creature has now different behavior types that suit their nature. Forexample, wolves will routinely hunt for preys, like boars, deer and so forth. Bears and othervegetarian animals will graze and search for ingredients with which to feed themselves. Allanimals will seek water to drink, especially at dawn and dusk.

4- CREATURE FACTION QUEST

It is now possible, thanks to an involved new quest, to eventually gain faction with animals. Thiswill allow the player to befriend most animals, except maybe the most aggressive of their kind,and of course depending on the players Personality, Willpower and aggressive demeanor (likeapproaching creatures with a weapon unsheathed) Should the player gain faction with the naturalworld, many new possibilities will open up for the player, who would be able to summon animalsto aid in battle, and also pick up a few along the way, were they to be found near places of need.

4-Changes to Frequency and Difficulty of NPCs and Creatures:

1 DUNGEON PROGRESSIVE DIFFICULTY

This is a massive change. I have edited almost every single pertinent dungeon in theCyrodiil to adjust the type of encounters one finds. The difficulty grows proportionally to the depth

to which one may adventurethe same is true of the quality of treasures that may lie deep intothe darkest corners of the land.

Not only are enemies more difficult and rewarding as you progress down the levels of adungeon, but the form in which you encounter them is also very different. Previously, mostdungeons had enemy spawn points placed at regular intervalsyou would end up fighting mostof the time you entered a dungeon also at regular intervals (every-other room or hallway). I havechanged the location and orientation of most of the spawns for every dungeon tweaked. Now,encounters are more unpredictable. They lend themselves to better experience of exploration and


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suspense. It is never clear whether enemies may lie in the next corridor or only at the end of thedungeon. This change will force you to stay alert and engaged with your surroundings whileadventuring in-doors, rather than disinterested because of the obvious patterns with whichencounters were previously found.

There are some dungeons that remain unaffected by this change. Usually these may bequest-related locations. I have purposely left some of the Main Quest locales untouched, or onlytweaked slightly to provide rewards after special occasions. In this version of OOO, planes arelargely untouched. In the future, they will also go through an in-depth transformation.

2-SPAWN RATE

I have done some significant changes in this area of the Overhaul. Now, whenadventuring both in the wilderness and indoors, you are bound to find more creatures/NPCs thanbefore. Instead of only finding a single Actor per SpawnPoint in the world, now you may seeseveral. The maximum number of creatures differs among types. Weaker creatures will appear inhigher numbers than strong ones. Rarely will you see more than four creatures in a single spot, ifever. Usually between one and three is much more likely. I did not want more Actors than that fortwo reasons:

1-Oscuro's Oblivion Overhaul already increases the difficulty of many NPCs, offers a much widerrange of enemies. The last thing that the fledgling adventurer needs is a mob of angry enemies inhot pursuit every time that they enter a dungeon or explore the wilderness.

2- Oblivion is a demanding game in terms of computer-processing power. I did not want tohamper the enjoyment of the game for those that do not have the latest and most shiny hardware.I have tried to keep the maximum number of Actors on-screen within what could be found in theoriginal version of the game. With that said, if you decide to enter a dungeon and run from oneend to the other, then it is likely that you will have a throng of pissed off baddies chasing theirnext meal and, odds are, they will get it.

3-STATIC DIFFICULTY

Many dungeons and enemies have a fairly static degree of difficulty. As with everythingelse in OOO, this is somewhat fluid, for all types of enemies and locations, so that a sense ofunpredictability, variety and realism are enhanced. Even within the same types of enemies, it ispossible to find both powerful and weak instances of them. For example, a group of bandits mayhave members that could be even 10 or even 16 levels above the weakest members, dependingon the level of the player. The way this works is by using off-set flags in the level data of NPCs.What it means is that some NPCs may be a number of levels above you (governed by the offset)up to a max cap that they will never pass (a bandit will never be over level 22, for example) orthey may be a number of levels below you (again governed by offset) down to a minimum capunder which they can never go (for example, an Amazon Raging Priestess will never be lower

than level 14 or 16, even if her offset is set to go 8 levels below the player)

Guild queststhose that define the main thread of each guilds storyare now scaled inprogressive difficulty. Early guild quests remain largely untouched, except for hand placedrewards in the locations where they take place and except for the capping of their difficulty at asuitable level. Once you complete those beginning quests, and as soon as the main quest ofeach guild begins, you can expect the difficulty to increase progressivelyculminating indangerous and epic battles that will offer great rewards.


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4- REGIONAL WILDERNESS DIFFICULTY AND CHANGES

There is much more variety now between regions inhabitants than before. As I listedabove, there are now several new types of creatures that are specific to each region. Thenorthern lands of Cyrodiil are home to the arctic variety of creatures, such as polar bears, tundrawolves, snow mountain lions, snow leopards and frost titans. The marshes near Blackwood andother areas along the eastern border of Cyrodiil are inhabited by bog ogres and jaguars.

Also, each region has more or less percentages of each animal type. Boars, for example,are much more common in humid, forested areas than in plains. The same is true of willowispsand trolls. These are just a couple of examples, every creature type, and every class within eachtype has much more specific homes. These changes really help to make the regions more distinctand special.

The difficulty of wilderness areas is proportional to their climates harshness and theirdistance to urban centers. This is also no mere trick of leveled lists editing. I have added manyspecial spawnspoints to the world, by hand, in several areas that before lacked specificity. Forexample, I have placed snow-creature spawnpoints in the northern mountains, from one end tothe other. This is also the case in the eastern borders, near the marshes and rainforests, whereproper spawnpoints were lacking severely.

Roads are now much safer to travel. Spawnpoints around roads have been removed,displaced or changed, so that they might offer safer passage. Also, patrols in the roads havedoubledthis should help those who run into trouble while traveling on road.

5-BOSSES

Bosses, traditionally NPCs of great power, are a staple of OOO. The current versionexpands on this feature more than ever before. Now, not only NPCs, but even Creatures havegreatly increased their numbers of bosses. These special characters have unique names andhomes. They are also keepers of very special items of power.

Oscuros Oblivion Overhaul 1.3 revamps every boss found in default Oblivion and inprevious versions of the mod. Now they are deadlier, hardier, diverse and unique, with dozens ofvery high-level rewards.

5. Item Changes:

1- NPC GEAR/ITEMS-LISTS CHANGES

A major change in V. 1.3 is that now not only NPCs and creatures carry items appropriateto their level range, but that containers around the world also have items appropriate to the status

or difficulty of their locations. Now you can get rewarded as you deserve for defeating a powerfulenemy and looting their chests, or by stealing the wealthy coffers of a local noble. Previously, inthe original version of Oblivion as well as in some instances of the first releases of OOO, youwould not get this kind of satisfaction often, because even if they managed to defeat a powerfulfoe, its loot tables, and its guarded treasures loot tables, were adjusted according to the level ofthe player, thus rewarding less than what the challenge was worth. Now many NPCs carry itemssuitable to the challenge which they pose. I have not made every single enemy, or container,always carry items proper to their level or status, however, because that is also ratherpredictable. The goal was to keep the sense of expectation and uncertainty pretty high, so that


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surprises can keep you entertained and intrigued. Also, keep your eyes peeled for stashes of longforgotten very powerful goodies while you explore wilderness, dungeons, caverns and any otherremote location.

Vendors, as in previous versions of OOO, may have mid-end items in their stores stockat any given point. They will have many more items of basic and low quality, but often they willhave acquired much nicer items that adventurers may purchase whenever they can afford them.

All Dwarven items are renamed now to the more Lore-appropriate Dwemer

2-NEW PLAYERS ARMORS AND WEAPONS

Oscuro's Oblivion Overhaul includes fantastic new types of armor that can be found bothin NPCs and in merchant's stores. The current additions are listed at the top of this readme.There are, literally, thousands of new weapons, armors, ingredients, pelts, house-wares, scrollsand books.

These items are not only placed in loot lists for NPCs and containers, but are also placedas part of the world. I have edited hundreds of world cells individually and placed items in them(several thousand items by hand total)--this was done for several reasons. The most important of

them is that it helps to create a more static and believable world. Another important reason is thatit would make thievery and adventuring a lot more interesting because it is always guaranteedthat you will find appropriate rewards to the difficulty of the challenge and magnitude of deed. Thelast very special reason for this change is that it renders locales more uniquelyit makes themless generic. This is ideal for building back-stories that rely on contexta context that isimpossible to convey by the default appearance of the world cells I modified.

Items statistics, names, owners, spell-effects and value have changed drastically fromwhere they might have been found in the original stand alone mods. You will not find them lyingaround in a chest in the middle of a plaza, or for sale at your local store. As I mention above, allitems have new special owners, stories, resting places and meaning within the global design ofOOO 1.3.

Item statistics are all re-designed to take into account every other included item. This wasdone to achieve balance across every single new item addition. It also serves one of the maingoals of the mod: to make the world more static, varied, balanced and unique all at once.

If you are using already any of the here included item mods, I strongly suggest that youdiscontinue their use unless you are willing to live with the incongruence of having items that lookthe same but are found in radically different places, with radically different stats and significancein the overall scheme of things.

Note: I specially recommend you to de-install DagothBalls Ethereal: Imperial Legion Armor mod. Otherwise,this will have a tremendous impact in the presentation of the new hierarchy of the Legions ranks. Dagoths mod, with itsexcellent work, replaces every guards armor. OOO still uses the default model of guards armor, but introduces severalnew ones to distinguish the higher ranked members of the legion. If you currently use Dagoths armors mod, you shouldfind the folders that Dagoths mod installs (found in meshes\armor\legion\ , in meshes\armor\legionhorseback\ and intextures\armor\legion\, and textures\armor\legionhorseback\ and delete them if you want to experience the full range ofdiversity of looks for OOOs Legion Soldiers)

3-CONTAINER ADDITIONS TO THE WORLD

I have added more than 2,200 hand-placed containers to the world. These are found indungeons and dwellings, both of enemies and friends. These containers have items that aredesigned for the difficulty and status of the locations where they are found. Their contents are notutterly static. They are chancednot leveled. That means that you could be a very fledgling thief,


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sneak into a lords manor, and steal very valuable items, should you make it out without alertingthe guard. It also means that you could be a very powerful warrior who happens to find acontainer in the depths of an easy dungeon and its contents will not suddenly become uber, justbecause you are lvl 40, for example.

These containers have a special characteristic. They never respawn their contents onceyou have opened them and stolen whatever was inside them. This feature should be self-explanatory. Some of the containers I added have chances of granting very powerful itemsifthey respawned their contents then they would become an endless well of wealth and exploits.You have one chance with them, and then it is time to move on.

There are now many special jewelry boxes hidden in homes. Over 60 of these can onlybe opened by unique keys that are found somewhere in the homes or in possession of thecontainers owners. These boxes are, of course, highly sought after by skilled thieves. (Thesekeys are compatible with the excellent KeyChain mod by mmmpld)

4-WEAPON REBALANCE

OOO 1.3 has its own weapon rebalance. The values and general feel of the rebalance

are very close to what is specified by MOBS. MOBS is a system developed by Jaga Teleslin andFrancesco, to which I had the privilege of providing input, and that expands the conceptsintroduced by Kalamars and Neilius weapon rebalance mods. (shorter ranges, slower speeds,more weapon-material differentiation, higher damage for 2-H weapons, etc)

OOO uses similar values to MOBS in many instances, but it also departs from it inseveral other ways. Generally, the shorter range and slower speed of weapons is conserved as itwas in MOBS (although claymores are made faster, but less damaging, whereas BattleAxes aremade slower and more damagingthere are other important differences, specially in regards thenew items) A few other differences are found in the speed of weapons that border 1.0 in MOBS, Imade some of those reach 1.0 in order for the faster swing sound to be used by the engine.

Notably, dwemer weapons are now as damaging as elven weapons, but much heavier

and cumbersome to use. Finally, the relative brittleness of glass weapons was increased evenmorethey wear faster down, because they represented a rather large upgrade from elven anddwemer weapons in MOBS.

All in all, you can expect the weapons to handle very similarly to MOBS excellentlydeveloped values. Jaga and Francesco really did an amazing job in expanding upon the alreadyexcellent mods by Kalamar and Neilius.

OOO 1.3 does not include parts of MOBS, however, having to do with modifiedbackwards speeds when using weapons. This mod can be acquired as a stand alone and it isperfectly compatible with OOO. I do recommend its use, but its effects may be very drasticconsidering the much higher challenge that OOO presents compared to default Oblivion and mostother gameplay mods.

5-PRICES

As it is custom of OOO, prices are now very different than in default Oblivion. Generally,their values are higher, especially for certain item types (like fine clothes, fine house-wares,

jewels, armors, and so forththese items are not cheap to make with a medieval materialproductions system, you know?)

The increase in prices will be balanced with the money sinks introduced by enchanting


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costs, repair costs and training costs. Also, the excellent mod by CreepyFellow, Living Economy,is bundled with OOO 1.3I strongly suggest using it in tandem with OOO. In fact, my intentionwas to merge it with the Full version, but in order to allow easier updating of CreepyFellows mod,I decided to bundle it instead. Should you use it, (which, you should), you would like to know thatany of its changes to economys prices and general features can be easily turned on and offthrough an in-game menu called up by a simple console command.

Please take some time to review the bundled Living Economy folder, found inside your\Data\Oscuros Oblivion Overhaul\ADD-ONS\ folder. You will see several files that will help youunderstand the power of Living Economys flexible scripts. This mod is an outstanding addition toany game.

6-BOOKS

Oscuros Oblivion Overhaul adds over 60 new texts to the game. Some of these are assmall as a few lines or a couple of paragraphs, others are many pages long. All of them are tiedto previous TES lore or are made with that lore in mind, plus whatever additions to the lorecontributors, or I, have added by their inclusion in OOOs world. Several authors have contributedto the new texts. Some of them are already named above since their mods included text. For

example, Momaws Geomancy mod included texts, so did Gristles TGG and Madcat/RDJekesmeteoric weapons.

In addition, there are contributions by Eikona, Xuial and Praetorio. If you are interested inknowing who wrote what, feel free to contact me so that I may ask them if they would like theirnames to be made public.

6. Merged Mods:

7-GEMS AND GEOMANCY

I have merged TGG and Geomancy/Gem Dust mods into a unique blend that greatlyexpands the use of gems. These excellent mods, previously incompatible, are now enhanced intoa single package that also partakes of other changes specific to OOO, such as the updated price-ranges. TGG adds several new kinds of precious stones and metals, as well as transforming theiricons and models into what real gems of valued beauty and rarity deserve. Geomancy/Gem Dustscripts every default Oblivion gem to give them arcane forces that the player may unlock. I haveexpanded on their concept, after rebalancing its effects in view of the mods gameplay as awhole, to include all the additions made by TGG.

In order to gain geomantic powers, you must find and acquire a copy of a study on AyleidGeomancy. It is advised that you search in the whereabouts of magic users homes orassociations in order to find one its copies.

8-CONTAINERS BASHING AND TRAPPING

Containers now can be bashed if locked. Of course, this applies only to certaincontainers. Bags, for example, cannot be bashed open, if there is such thing as a locked bag (Ihave not found any,,, B) )

Containers may also be trapped. Whether they are trapped or not is not random. I have


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specified which ones are trapped and which ones are not. Very few respawnable containers willbe trapped, so, you can usually be sure that once a trap is disarmed, or fired, then it will not beactive again.

Heres how this new functionality works (which is based off Scruggswussy the Ferretsgreat LockBash 1.1 mod and Laps excellent Security Rebalance mod)

You can bash any lock, provided that you meet certain criteria. You must first activate thecontainer, as you normally would to open or lockpick them, with a weapon drawn. This weaponmay be any kind of weapon, except bows. You can bash with your fists too, although it will not beas effective as bashing with a 2-hand hammer, for example. When you activate a lockedcontainer with a weapon drawn, then the container will begin to glow. This tells you that it istargeted for bashing.

Then, you need to use special attacks on the container until the lock breaks. The formularesponsible for the damage calculations takes your strength, skill, weapon type and lock difficultyinto account. Every time you hit the container, a loud noise will be made, which could potentiallyalert guards or enemies of your nearby presence and mischief. Also, every time you hit acontainer your weapons will suffer slight wear.

Once you hit the lock enough times, it will break and the container will open for you. (Youcan change the difficulty of the lock by using a number from 1 to 100 with the following format inconsole Set LapBashLockDifficulty to Xwhere X is a number between 1 and 100. Highernumber means the locks will be harder to break. Default setting is 30)

Now, if you get attacked while bashing a lock, the targeted container will reset to normaland you will not be able to continue until the threat is gone. The same is true of lock-picking; youwill not be able to lock-pick a container if you are engaged in combat at the same time. Note thatyou can change this feature by typing in console Set LapNoCombatLock to 0

The container will also get un-targeted should you lose it from sight or move too far awayfrom it while it is targeted for bashing.

If you want to lockpick a container with a weapon drawn, get on sneak mode and that willlet you switch straight into lockpick mode, rather than bashing mode.

Traps: These are pretty self-explanatory. Containers can have traps. These traps can bedetected by the use of Detect traps spells, which you may find in the form of scrolls or as spellsthat you may learn. When using any of the spells of the Detect Traps line, trapped containers willglow red, letting you know that they hold a trap.

You may also detect traps immediately, upon activating a container. This may happen ifyour skill in security is high enough, although of course there is an element of randomness. Thereis also a second check performed, should you fail the first, in which luck also enters the equation.

If you detect a trap, you will be given the option to open the container (risking setting off

the trap) or leaving it alone. If chose to disarm the trap, you would go through a new check. Thischeck again calculates an equation with your security skill number and luck attributes in mind inorder to determine whether the trap is successfully disarmed. In addition, you may even be ableto extract a poison from the trap itself and add it to your inventory. Finally, if the trap is set off, youmay get blasted by it, or you may dodge its spell! (that is, only if a check against your luck andagility is successful)

That, in a nutshell, is how traps and bashing work for locked containers in OOO.


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9-GUILD ITEM OWNERSHIP

Tandems very popular mod changes the objects inside guilds to belong to different ranksin the faction. This means that only once you earn a sufficiently high rank will you then be able totake possession of your guilds items without being considered a thief. I have kept Tandemsfeatures intact, but I have expanded the work to include all the new items that I included in theexisting guilds.

10-INEBRIATION

Laps mod turns alcoholic beverages into drinks that wil

ooo 1.3 information

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