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First Run Guide

Prior Reading:  Finishing the Installation


Based on Blade of Mercy's 50 Steps Guide to FCOM...
  1. Defrag your HDD.
  2. Deactivate ALL plugins
    ==Wrye Bash only==
  3. Click on the Saves tab.
  4. Add a new profile:  right-click on the Saves tab > Edit Profiles... > Add
  5. Switch to the new profile:  right-click on Saves tab > Profile >
    ==End WB only==
  6. Click on the Mods tab again
  7. Activate (Check) the Oblivion.esm
  8. Launch Oblivion (icon along the bottom of Bash's window)
  9. Options:  change mouse sensitivity, controls
  10. Gameplay:  change difficulty
  11. Audio: change music level
    >> notes:  main menu music volume can only be changed in the Oblivion.ini
  12. Video:  change screen resolution
    >> notes:  1) increasing detail, especially water details, and distance at which things are loaded can seriously hurt FPS  2) AA may make everything look nicer to you but it kills FPS!!
  13. Click "New"
  14. When you get to the chargen screen (after sitting through the movie or skipping it with the space bar) do not waste a lot of time making your character.  The PC can be fixed later.  Get the race right and be done.
  15. Hit the "~" to open the console.
  16. Type "save <save name>"
  17. Exit the game:  Hit ESC then quit or type "exitgame" in the console.
  18. Activate the next the next plugin (ESM or ESP)
  19. Launch Oblivion
  20. Load the save
  21. Save
  22. Repeat the previous four steps for every plugin that will be active, excluding the bashed patch.
            ==Wrye Bash only==
    • NO plugins merged into the bashed patch (green)
    • NO plugins that are imported and stay deactivated (italicized and/or purple)
    • NO plugins tagged with filter  (green/purple and/or italicized)
      ==End WB only==
    • Activate groups of plugins for the same mods all at once (i.e., FCOM, TT, SM, TIE, MMM, BC etc.)
      • The ULs are all separate mods, but if installing patches for multiple ULs activate all related ULs and the patch at once
      • Recommended activation order for FCOM users
        ...ignore anything you do not use...
        1. All ESMs one by one.
        2. All Fran plugins:  two or (SI) four or five plugins
        3. KD Circlet's
        4. Slof's Oblivion Robe Trader
        5. FCOM COBL plugins:  Cobl Glue, (SI) Cobl SI, OOO-COBL
        6. Bob's Armory
        7. Loth's for NPCs
        8. WarCry         EV plugin
        9. Oscuro's_Oblivion_Overhaul.esp
        10. FCOM_Convergence.esp
        11. All MMM plugins
        12. All TT plugins
        13. One-by-one, all DLCs and quest mods that are mentioned in the FCOM Expanded Load Order
        14. All FCOM support (FCOM_XX) plugins for all previously activated mods
        15. Rebuild and activate the bashed patch with only mergeable FCOM components checked
        16. One-by-one, all other non-mergeable or importable plugins, starting from the beginning (with the UOP)
        17. Rebuild the bashed patch with all changes
        >> notes:  An alternative recommended order is posted in Blade of Mercy's 50 steps thread.  See steps #49 and #50 of his main guide for to find the source information for the aforementioned steps.
  23. (Wrye Bash) Activate the bashed patch (and run TES4LODGen if you use it.)
  24. Launch Oblivion
  25. Load the Save
  26. Save a final-ish save (i.e., type "save final" into the console)
    ==Wrye Bash only==
  27. Open Wrye Bash again
  28. Go to the "Saves" tab
  29. Right-click on your final-ish save (the last one, with all mods activated)
  30. Choose "Update NPC levels"
  31. If you already created a face for your character (in the TESCS or an old save) import it into your new save.
    ==End WB only==
  32. Re-Launch Oblivion and load the final-ish save
    ==First Time Playing Oblivion==
  33. Design your real PC
    1. Rename your PC:  console command SetActorFullName "<name (in quotes)>"
      >> notes:  Make sure that nothing is selected in the console when you do this.  If something is selected you will see the id in quotes at the top of the screen with the console open
    2. Run update scripts for cosmetic mods (i.e., RBP's "startquest bgbupdate")
    3. Open up the console
    4. Type "showracemenu"
    5. Tweak your character for hours (or minutes)
      >> notes:  1) You could make your face in the TESCS and import the face to your save.  In that case, just make sure to choose your race and gender.
    6. Re-open the console if you closed it.
    7. Hit "ESC" and choose "Save" (can't save with the console at chargen)
    8. Load the new save file
    9. (Optional) Make a new save after making your characters face
  34. Tweak Settings
    • change in-game timescale (can be done with bashed patch)
      • console: "set timescale to <number 1-60>"
      • bashed patch:  Globals > Timescale
    • change options in COBL if you use it
      • denock arrows
    • change other mod's settings
      • DLT:  set hotkey torch
      • RBP:  turn off retroactive health "startquest bgbHealthToggle"
      • LE:  change settings "startquest cflemenut"
      • LE Items:  change prices "startquest cflemenu2"
      • S&S:  "startquest stormmenu"
    • set hotkeys
    • look in inventory misc. for more option setting items that launch menus
    • Read mods READMEs for more suggestions

Next Step:  Running Oblivion

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