FCOM + Lovers Install Guide (Oblivion Steam Version)

[Havick1988]

Alright So after several days of Installing, breaking, Uninstalling and doing a clean install and re-installing things from the ground up to make sure I have everything done right. I believe I have finally got it (Not running into any problems Yet unless you count Bashed patch not working, Will update If I do run across them though.) I have come to realize that While FCOM does work with the Lovers mods It is not something you want to tackle head on if your unfamiliar with the terrain. However Here this is to provide you with All my research and experience from the vast numbers of mistakes I have made while trying to run these two in conjunction. So I will do a step by step break down of the Process and provide links to the most updated sources I could find for the downloads.

 

so First things First. If you don't have Oblivion Installed Go ahead and Install It. Preferably not in any program files directory. As many will tell you and I have confirmed for myself the UAC does get in the way of running the game well. and once you hit upwards 70 mods It starts noticeably affecting your game play experience.

 

If you already Have Oblivion Installed, I have some bad news for you If you want to take this Leap into FCOM. You will have to do a clean Install, There is just so much to be added that You cannot reasonably insure the integrity of your game and the mods you already have installed from not breaking. So back up your mods and re-install the game.

 

So now that we are all at the same level here Now we can start getting into the Meat and potatoes of the install. If someone has already provided information I will quote it here Just to consolidate all the information into one place so as to prevent as much forum jumping as Possible.

 

Razarkis, on 19 Aug 2012 - 10:03 AM, said:

1) Now do the following: Downloads

Oblivion Mod Manager (OBMM) (I suggest the "Full Installer version) - Install to the same folder you installed Oblivion to - ie: C:\Oblivion

 

Wyre Bash - run it, install it.

 

OBSE (Oblivion Script Extender) - Extract as-is to the same folder you installed Oblivion to - NOT the Data folder - ie: C:\Oblivion, not C:\Oblivion\Data

 

Pluggy - Extract "OBSE_Elys_Pluggy.dlx" and "OBSE_Elys_Pluggy.dll" to "Oblivion Install Directory\Data\OBSE\Plugins". If you don't have an "..\OBSE\Plugins" directory, create one. RENAME the file "OBSE_Elys_Pluggy.dll" to "OBSE_Elys_Pluggy_HUD.dll" - DO NOT FORGET THIS STEP - if you forget, things may not go nicely for you - this may include CTDs, leaking from the ears, hairy palms, and male pattern baldness. You've been warned.

 

MenuQue - extract the contents of the folder to your install directory data folder.

 

Elys Universal Silent Voice - extract the contents to "Oblivion Install Directory\Data\OBSE\Plugins"

 

The 4gb patcher - apply patch to Oblivion.exe.

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2) FCOM requires a few things done that others will not require. I will assume that everyone has Shivering Isles. and at this point you can download whatever DLC and install it that you want. I myself and using all the DLC.

you will need to go here Get the UOP the USIP and the UOMP install them in that order.

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3) Now, before you do anything else - zip up this base install. This will save you heartbreak and grief, believe me. At the very least, it will save you from having to do up to this step any more times. Whatever zip software you use, zip up everything under your C:\Oblivion folder. Just an additional tip - go to Documents\My Games\Oblivion - and zip that folder up, as soon as you have any saved games, or any other modifications made to your install. That's always the second half of your backup strategy.

 

Razarkis, on 19 Aug 2012 - 10:03 AM, said:

4) Body Replacer. There are  lots of body replacer mods. The most popular is HGEC. The second most popular is DMRA. There are others, but I'll just address these two, for females. For males, there is Robert's. which I will suggest, as it's the one I'm most familiar with.

 

a)This Is the HEGC OMOD version - it be purty.

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Install it VIA OBMM or Wrye. Personaly I use wrye just becasue I dont want to confuse myself with the install fliping back and fourth between devices. and Wrye seems to do a decent job of unpacking .omod files and installing them.

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b ) Robert's Male Body Replacer - OMOD. Install. Follow the bouncing menus... Install body meshes

 

c) Back to the females. You now have a choice - DMRA, a slightly updated, better HGEC, or some other body mod? The choice is up to you. I, on the other hand, will show you DMRA - because I LIKE it. A large variety of the choices are found here: BBB for BBB - and trust me - you want BBB - because that stands for "Better Bouncing Breasts for Big Boobed Bodies." You can get BBB for small sizes, too, btw - but you need BBB, regardless. YOU JUST DO. I digress again 

 

d) Growl's Universal Skeleton - get it, install it, the end. You need it for a bunch of stuff, especially BBB, so just get it, install it. Also, later, if people start moving wonky or what have you after some mod you installed, reinstall this. It may be that the mod you installed overwrote this skeleton file. But anyway.

 

5) Pick your Texture Replacer(s) - there are a bunch of these, as well - these are the two I use: Ozmo's - the 4096, of course. I won't give you a tutorial on how to use apply them, but there's the link.

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When I first clicked the Link I was confused as to which ones to download. So I downloaded all of them and extracted all of them into the same file (combining same sub-file directories of course) There is an Install tool to make your life easier to add these meshes to your game.

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8) MBP - are we there yet? If you're done downloading the MBP AIO OMOD, it's time to get this puppy rollin. Same deal as with previous omods - load, activate. Now, I'll almost guarantee you that this one will hang when you clock "load" - and "activate" - so just sit tight and let it work. KEEP YOUR SHIRT ON. Unless you're female, and in that case, by all means, leave it off. But I digress 

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Again I personaly am going to use wrye bash to install this mod. Oh and here's the link to the Torrent file if you need it. MBP AIO OMOD I love torrents for downloading large files XD makes it so much faster.

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Okay, once it loads... activate! Then... wait some more. Conflict warnings are okay - and to be honest, I let MBP overwrite anything that's been dropped in thus far, so let it run. If you're worried, let it inform you of any conflicts - then you get to agonize over whether to let it overwrite or not. If you're reading this, though, you probably don't know whether it's a good or not, so... who cares?   It's huge. So keep waiting. KEEP WAITING.

 

Once Installed, pick EITHER Lop-Ears Elf or Lop-Ears Mini. Right click, file, delete the one you don't want. Second, if you want the mod selected in the pic to function, you have to install the Sirens and Tritons Mod. It won't actually *hurt* anything if you leave it - you will just have invisible selections in the character creation menu, because you don't actually have the race it modifies. If I were you, though, I'd delete it.

Tip: Don't leave esps in the Data folder that you aren't using

 

9) Now, we have the game set up as far as the *base* beautification options. Now, we have to decide what our world is going to look like/contain. MBP and all of the stuff you just installed is just a PASSIVE package. It needs things activated, in order to use it. However, at this point, you need to to STOP - and do another backup of this folder. Don't do anything else - just STOP, and backup RIGHT NOW. DO NOT delete the other backup yet - we have to make sure everything installed right here, don't we? But in the meantime, you need to back up. Do that, and we'll get into some other mods, things to download.

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Thanks to Razarkis for the above. It was great help to me when I first started installing the Lovers mods on my machine. Now comes for the tricky Parts. And It is posible you might have to revert back from your backups sometimes (is why there there. Save you a huge headache.

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INSTALLING FCOM

 

This Is imperative to follow these steps correctly if done wrong it WILL brake your game I've done that many times withing the last 72 hours trying to get this working right. and It gets quite annoying when you have to keep reverting back. as its the most updated FCOM I could find it is using OOO 135 which is completely incompatible with previous OOO versions.

 

1) Frans v5 its the Bain installer one get it Install it.

once installed the only  plugins you want in your Data folder are (With "Francesco's Creatures and Items Resources - Items" BSA):

Francesco's leveled Creatures-items Mod.esm

Francesco's Optional New Items Add-on.esm

Francesco's Optional Chance of Stonger Bosses.esp

Francesco's Optional Chance of Stronger Enemies.esp

Francesco's Optional Chance of More Enemies.esp

Francesco's Optional Leveled Guards.esp

 

2) OOO 135 Install this once everything is downloaded.

 

3) Oblivion War Cry 1.09 You need to download Oblivion WarCry Ev Opti.7z and WarCryEv 7.z

 

 4) Bob's Armory Download Bob's Armory oblivion.7z and FCOMBob's Armory Oblivion Opti.7z

 

 5) FCOM Convergence 1.0 Download FCOM Convergence 1.00.7z, FCOM RealSwords Resources.7z and FCOM_Convergence.7z

 

 6) Marts Monster Mod Download MMM38.rar and MMM38BSA.7z Rename the BSA to FCOM_Convergence_MartsMonsterMod.bsa

 

Always use the FCOM optional plug-in if a similar one is offered by Mart's (eg less_rats) as the MMM file affects only MMM creatures

 

I would say at this point make another backup of your oblivion folder. but do not delete the previous backup prior to installing FCOM, in the case that you might want to revert back to a pre-FCOM state. 

 

Now you can run the game to check that everything is running smoothly. You can Run BOSS now for the best load setup (recomended) I personaly didnot run a bashed Patch as I'm not at the cap limit and for whatever reason whenever I have tried to run with the Bashed Patch I always get a CTD when starting up a new game.

 

If there are no issues then now is the time to install your Lovers Mods. So far I've had best success using the Lovers With PK AP

 

 

[gregathit]

First off you need to move steam out of the program files directory.  Having it there can cause you and others all sorts of fits with UAC and permissions issues as they try to install and use mods.  Here is how to move steam without having to reinstall your games\mods: https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=7418-YUBN-8129

UAC and permissions issues really come into play on replacer mods more than anything.  Some folks have more problems than others but most experience so form of hassle even if it is minor (generally with nude bodies and their textures).  This is why most tools and most guides firmly recommend NOT installing the game into the program files directory.

 

 

Next, install the beta version of OBSE isn't the greatest idea.  There is a reason it is still a beta.  I recommend installing and using v20 that is available here: http://obse.silverlock.org/

If you are using a mod or a utility that requires the beta then and only then should you install it. 

 

Additionally if you read the OBSE readme.txt you will discover that the src folder is for modders only and isn't needed.  You can install it or delete it.  If you are running the steam version then you don't need the obse_loader.exe either as that is not compatible.

 

 

I don't recommend ANY of the latest versions of Wrye.  They have a new team that took over its development and for whatever reason they have broken more than they have fixed.  Instead, I recommend using version 295: http://sourceforge.net/projects/oblivionworks/files/Wrye%20Bash/Wrye%20Bash%20295/

Version 295, I have found is the latest working version that actually works.

 

Cheers.

[Havick1988]

Thanks for the advice. though I must disagree in one regard for the OBSE as I was receiving errors stating that Oblivion was not registering OBSE as being installed prior to my moving the src file and its contents into the install directory

[gregathit]

Thanks for the advice. though I must disagree in one regard for the OBSE as I was receiving errors stating that Oblivion was not registering OBSE as being installed prior to my moving the src file and its contents into the install directory

 

Then you are doing something else wrong.  It could be that you didn't do step 2:

 

 

IF YOU ARE USING THE STEAM VERSION OF OBLIVION:

 

1. Copy obse_1_2_416.dll, obse_editor_1_2.dll, and obse_steam_loader.dll to your Oblivion directory. This is usually "C:\Program Files\Valve\Steam\SteamApps\common\oblivion".

2. Ensure you have enabled the Steam community in-game, or OBSE will fail to load. Go to Steam > Settings > In-Game and check the box marked "Enable Steam Community In-Game".

3. Launch Oblivion via Steam or by running Oblivion.exe. OBSE will automatically be run along with Oblivion when launched. To disable this, rename or move obse_steam_loader.dll. You do not need to use obse_loader.exe unless you are running the editor.

 

 

 

Taken from the readme.txt:

What is the 'src' folder for?

- The 'src' folder contains the source code for OBSE. Feel free to delete or ignore it if you are not a programmer interested in contributing to the project.

 

Now if this is in regards to the beta and them doing something really odd with it, then the above might be outdated.  However I seriously doubt that.

 

Best of luck with your tutorial! 

Cheers,

Greg

[Havick1988]

It might be something related to beta, I don't know. My limited knowledge of programming does nothing to help me here. However I do know that I followed the steps outlined and was awarded with a "This mod requires OBSE installed" message. I went back and checked out everything else in the folder and transferred it over and the message no longer appeared. A long standing belief of mine is If its not broke don't try to fix it, and if it Works don't question why, you might hurt yourself. I do know that following the install guide on two accounts one prior to me screwing up my Oblivion install (well after the fact of installing OBSE) and this one that just following the Steam Install instructions are not enough with both the beta and previous 0020 versions as I decided to try the beta with the new install.

 

While what you may say could be true with the UAC interfearance. I have backed up everything I have done up till now just in case. however I think I will continue with this route of install as for most people it will be the default and simplest thing. If It does indeed not work, I will make a note of it when I find out that it doesnt and then this entire thing can be left to die , might be a good idea for someone to be the guinea pig for this and find out when/where/If the UAC causes problems.

[Havick1988]

OK mods, Feel free to close this post, delete it or whatever. After getting everything running there is no need for me to continue this as everything has already been said and done before. The only differences that I can see at the present time are that OBSE is a bit different to install then how its stated in the read-me provided. Other than that I cant see any reason for me to continue on this topic. 

 

Well other than for installing FCOM to work with everything you need OBMM to install the omods in the order of: War Cry being a freaking pain has to be done manually as its to large to convert into an omod but thats the last in the list order to be installed of the big ones (word to the wise after downloading it CHECK ALL THE FILES, there are zipped files within ziped files and duplicate files IE >Data\Data Frans, OOO then MMM, . after that you can install the FCOM essentials Omod then uFCOM, once that's done everything else installs just like how every other tutorial says to. So I don't see much need for me to continue,

 

I had thought there might be a bit of a difference for it being the directory that i'm installing it to and that its the Steam version. but so far as I can see there is no difference.

[gregathit]

Glad you are working!

[Havick1988]

OK so after playing the game after getting everything installed. Inevitably I broke something and I have a good idea where it happened. the only real pain to that all is that I didn't have a backup of Oblivion made at a relevant point to all of it. And I did learn something valuable to pass on. 

 

One, I will be continuing this install Tutorial for anyone who wishes to Use FCOM with Lovers. Though when I get to specific parts that have already outlined I will quote them and provide links to the topics just to consolidate it so there's not alot of switching back and fourth.

 

Two UAC protocols for Windows do not affect oblivion noticeably until you hit somewhere in the range of 60-70 ish mods and then its not that big of an issue, in fact from what I saw you'll miss them most of the time if your not looking for them. You don't start to have major Graphical hiccups that while don't affect game play will cause you to want to pull out your hair because the eyes don't render right or an NPC isn't rendered completely.

 

Lastly FCOM while I know it to be capable of running along side the Lovers mods there are some aspects of FCOM that do not want to play nicely and will give a headache if not done right. So once I do figure out the proper configuration of the FCOM mods to work in conjunction with Lovers I will be posting the steps up here.

 

Edit:

 

So far I have posted how I have found to be the best install method for FCOM to be functional With Lovers. It is the setup that I have had the best success with on the Install.

 

if anyone has any views a better method by all means put it down.

[JSmith20142]

I've been running the OBSE beta for several months, as the latest version of the CS Extender (which is very nice) requires it.

 

Unless you fancy yourself as an OBSE developer, you definitely do not need the src folder in any shape or form, not even to run the aforesaid most recent version of the CS extender. I do not have the src folder on my system, and OBSE is very happy.

 

As an aside, the very latest CS extender is the one you really want to tinker with mods, the previous one from about 3 months ago had issues.