Mod: Brasher's Oblivion Overhaul 1_6
Game: TES IV: Oblivion
Requires: Shivering Isles
Author: David Brasher
Date: 6/11/17
************************************************************************
CONTENTS
************************************************************************
1. Information on the Mod
2. Installation
3. Version History
4. Conflicts, Known Issues, and Troubleshooting
5. Copy Status and Credits
************************************************************************
1. INFORMATION ON THE MOD
************************************************************************
So I go to install one of the most popular Oblivion overhaul mods and it has this 59
page instruction document. I choke. I say, "You want me to read, comprehend, remember, agree with,
and be happy about 59 pages of stuff? You have got to be kidding!" That mod had about 29 .esp
files. It didn't even sound fun trying to figure out which ones to install and which ones to leave
out. That mod looked like it was going to edit a little bit of everything. I just wanted a mod to
edit a few things.

So I said, "Heck with it! I will just build my own overhaul mod!" So here is a mod
for non-conformists. I don't know if anyone else will like it. People who don't like it can go read
those 59 pages and have a swell time. (And if they get to the end of them, maybe they could actually
play Oblivion. Fancy that!)

So instead of 59 pages, this mod has about five pages of documentation. There are six
.esp files to chose from, not 29.

This mod edits the following and nothing else:

ARMOR:
(1) Light armor tougher than chainmail is rare. No hordes of bandits in glass armor.
(2) Heavy armor tougher than steel is rare. No hordes of marauders in daedric armor.
(3) Because it would be boring to have all the NPCs wearing the same armor, new variations of armor that
is of the strength of fur, leather, chainmail, iron, and steel have been added to the leveled lists.

WEAPONS:
(4) Weapons more powerful than steel and silver are rare. No hordes of bandits with daedric weapons.

HOSTILE NPCS:
(5) Generic enemy NPCs tend to be between level 15 and 20. They are frightful when you are level 1, and
easy to kill when you are level 30. They do not track your progress and do not always remain precisely
as tough as you, except for the bosses which are still leveled. Beware of them.
(6) Bandits, Necromancers, and Conjurers have more diverse faces.

CREATURES:
(7) Creature leveled lists have been subverted. They now randomly spawn tough creatures and wimpy
creatures at any time. When you are level 1, you will see both wolves and brown bears. When you are
level 45, you will still see wolves and brown bears instead of nothing but brown bears.
(8) A small fraction of the creatures are now non-hostile and will not attack you unprovoked. Another
small fraction of the creatures are cowardly and run away when they see you coming.


This mod focuses on eliminating the leveling of generic spawns. It does not mess much with the
quests, which still have their leveled spawns or unique preset individuals of a certain strength. I did
not want to imbalance and break quests.

This mod does not mess with vendor merchandise except for weapons and armor. So that part of
the game is still leveled in places. For example, you will have to be high level before anyone will sell
you an Expert Mortar & Pestle.

This mod does not edit the Shivering Isles as heavily as it edits Cyrodiil. I have only beat
Shivering Isles three times and do not understand its game dynamics well enough to have a clear idea on
how they could be made better. Parts of them are more elaborately wrought than equivalents in Cyrodiil,
so it may be that there is less need for an overhaul there.

Many people already play and enjoy various popular overhaul mods. Those people do not need
this mod. But if you are looking into getting your first overhaul mod or are dissatisfied with your
current one, then this mod is available as another option for you.
************************************************************************
2. Installation
************************************************************************
INSTALLATION:

You will need both the resources and the .esp or .esps. If you download a file labeled "full" it
will contain both the resources and the .esp. If you download a file labeled "resources," it will only have
the resources and you will need to download a separate file with .esp files. If you download a file labeled
".esp files only," it will just contain .esp files and you will also need to download a file labeled
"resources."

When changing from one overhaul version to another, you could experience equipment problems with
NPCs that have already spawned and are already part of your savegame. For example, if a bandit had a special
cuirass added by an overhaul, and you remove that overhaul .esp and install a different one, then the bandit
might have no cuirass at all. New bandits that spawn after you install the new .esp will have all the gear
they should.

There are six .esp files to choose from. You need chose the proper ones for what you want your
game to be like. For simplicity and to get all the features of this mod, just install the standard .esp
which is named "BOO Standard Overhaul."

How to chose your .esp file or files: There are three choices:
--------------------------------------------------------
(1) This is the recommended way to use this mod:
Install this file:

BOO Standard Overhaul.esp

This will give you all the features listed in the "Information on the Mod" section.

This installation is for people who don't use any other overhaul mods. The definition of the term
"overhaul mods" includes creature mods, armor mods, and weapon mods that change vanilla Oblivion leveled lists.
--------------------------------------------------------
(2) Install this file:

BOO Less New Armor.esp

This will give you most of the features listed in the "Information on the Mod" section. The variety
of armor is smaller. High level vanilla Oblivion armors are never repurposed with low level stats and values.
For example, the Orcish armor is not repurposed as steel armor with stats and price like steel. (In the
standard version the Orcish armor models are usually used as steel armor, but the rare, valuable, and tough
Orcish armor uses that model too.)

This installation is for people who don't use any other overhaul mods. The definition of the term
"overhaul mods" includes creature mods, armor mods, and weapon mods that change vanilla Oblivion leveled lists.
This installation is for people who want to see less variety in armor usage, more precisely, less armor
repurposing.
--------------------------------------------------------
(3) A la Carte. The mod broken into four pieces with all the content of "BOO Standard Overhaul." What you do
is just pick the pieces you want. In general, you will install all of them except the one of the four that
conflicts with another mod you use, or the one that makes edits you don't like.

Install most of these four files:

BOO 1 of 4 Armor Edits Only.esp
BOO 2 of 4 Weapon Edits Only.esp
BOO 3 of 4 Hostile NPC Edits Only.esp
BOO 4 of 4 Creature Edits Only.esp

This installation is for if you are trying to get this mod to work with other overhaul mods (not
recommended.) But I am sure that some people will want to try it. This installation is also for if you dislike
a certain set of things this mod edits and want that part of your game to be like vanilla Oblivion.

The four files correspond to the four sets of edits listed in the "Information on the Mod" section.
Refer back to it to see what exactly it is which that piece of the mod edits. The short descriptions viewable
in Wrye Bash or OBMM also explain what the piece of the mod edits.

If you are trying to use an armor mod that edits leveled lists (things like Armamentarium) remove
"BOO 1 of 4 Armor Edits Only.esp."

If you are trying to use a weapon mod that edits leveled lists, remove "BOO 2 of 4 Weapon Edits
Only.esp."

If you are trying to use a mod that edits hostile NPCs, remove "BOO 3 of 4 Hostile NPC Edits Only.esp."

If you are trying to use a creature mod like MMM that edits creature leveled lists, remove "BOO 4 of 4
Creature Edits Only.esp"

Understand that if you remove a portion of this mod, you won't get the beneficial edits it makes.
Like if you remove the armor part, and your other overhaul mod is really lame and doesn't fix things like it
should, then all the bandits will be running around wearing glass armor and all the marauders will be running
around wearing daedric armor.
--------------------------------------------------------

Don't install and activate all 6 .esp files! Read the instructions above.

With option (1) you use 1 .esp file.
With option (2) you use 1 .esp file.
With option (3) you use 4 .esp files and deactivate or remove the ones you don't need or want.

After you have made your choice, install the .esp or .esps you select, the meshes folder, and the
textures folder to your Oblivion directory, the default is: C:\Program Files\Bethesda Softworks\Oblivion\Data\
If the program asks you if you want to merge folders, say yes.

To activate the plug-ins you have installed, mark the box or boxes next to the .esp or multiple
.esp files in your mod manager.
************************************************************************
3. Version History
************************************************************************
V 1.6 6/11/17 Fixed three leveled lists in "BOO 3 of 4 Hostile NPC Edits Only" corrupted by mod cleaning.
V 1.5 1/25/12 Made it so a fraction of the animals are non-aggressive. Reconfigured the mod to have six
.esp files for compatibility with other mods and for added choice of what features to use.
V 1.4 8/13/11 More different faces for Necromancers and Conjurers.
V 1.3 5/29/11 More different faces for Bandits. More retextured fur, leather, and steel armors.
Retextured arrows.
V 1.2 4/2/11 Fixed bug with bandit leveling.
V 1.1 2/21/11 Fixed bugs in a leveled list. Added additional armor icons.
V 1.0 2/19/11 Initial Release.
************************************************************************
4. Conflicts, Known Issues, and Troubleshooting
************************************************************************
Requires Shivering Isles. Oblivion may not run with this mod if you do not have Shivering
Isles installed.

This mod Conflicts with the big, popular overhaul mods. For simplicity, either use this, or use
those. This mod is not really designed to be used together with them. But if you really want to try to
make this mod be compatible with another leveled list overhaul mod, creature mod, armor mod, or weapon mod,
try installing this mod in the format where it is broken into the four pieces. So if you wanted to be
compatible with something like MMM which adds creatures, try installing the other three pieces of this mod
besides the "Creature Edits Only" portion. That will make this mod leave the creatures alone so that your
creature mod can do whatever it likes with creatures.

Your character might die because the enemies are tough. This is by design. This mod is
supposed to make things challenging.

NPCs spawned by spawn points may not come out the correct level unless you start a new
character while this mod is activated. So for the most complete experience, you will need to start
a new character. The other changes appear almost immediately though. If you install this mod on a
game you already have in progress, you will stop seeing things like glass and daedric gear almost
immediately, and you will start seeing a random mix of tough and weak spawns almost immediately.

If you have a companion using a leveled list armor item, you may see him or her wearing
different armor every time you turn around because the leveled lists are no longer leveled and are
random.

Work in progress. I am thinking of adding more armor, and will likely find tweaks that need
to be made to leveled lists for the purpose of balance and aesthetics.

Amount of time spent play-testing has thus far not been adequate. Especially with the .esp
files other than the standard one.

IF ANYONE DETECTS A MAJOR BUG WHICH MAKES THE MOD UNPLAYABLE, PLEASE SEND
DAVID BRASHER A PERSONAL MESSAGE ON TES NEXUS RIGHT AWAY. HOPEFULLY HE WILL BE ABLE
TO FIX IT AND RELEASE AN IMPROVED VERSION OF THIS MOD.
************************************************************************
5. Copy Status and Credits
************************************************************************
Credits: ryunsun for Female Armor Pack nonomod
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=3986

Bethesda for making the game in an open format anyone can mod.

Copy Status:
The portion of the mod made by David Brasher is public domain and may be modified,
distributed, and used in whole or in part if his name is included in your credits and he is notified
via TES Nexus as a courtesy. The armor made by ryunsun comes from a modders resources and may
be used if you credit and notify the author.
************************************************************************
************************************************************************
************************************************************************
************************************************************************