Better Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary v3.41 by Khettienna

Official Sources:
http://tesalliance.org/forums/index.php?/files/file/642-better-dark-brotherhood-sanctuary/
http://tes.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=22135

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REQUIREMENTS
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The latest official Oblivion patch (1.2.0.416).
NPC Face Color Unlocker, Optimized Facegen Files, or a similar mod, if you want to be rid of scary kindergoth girl. (Optional)

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DESCRIPTION
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Better Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary (BDBS) is an encompassing collection of improvements to your Dark Brotherhood experience. Here's a complete list (I think):

When you first join, you will notice:

--The existing sanctuary is now all one, unified cell, without load doors. Credits to TiberiusLazarus (Dark Brotherhood One Room).
--Custom textures make the sanctuary more elegant, while maintaining the basic architecture and layout of the existing sanctuary.
--Decor and clutter improvements throughout.
--The default DB armor is now actually black for both genders (optional).
--The default DB hood is now shaped like a mage's hood, but with the leather DB texture. Credits to Sonico717 (Dark Brotherhood Hood Replacer) (optional).
--You have your own bed and safe storage chest in the dorm.
--There is a porter named Harry on duty from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
--Telaendril, the elf, will now actually patrol outside the Abandoned House's entrance as her letter to Ocheeva states.
--Vicente's chamber doors are now labeled in the same fashion as Ocheeva's.
--There is a labeled, respawning dresser in the dorm containing extra DB armors and hoods. Ideal for companions.
--Schemer got a DB-style makeover.
--All NPC's AI packages were adjusted to accommodate the new sanctuary.
--If you're a Cobl user, you'll also find The Luggage at the foot of your bed, as well as a Cobl sorter. There's also a dinner plate & water source in the dining area of the dorm.

------WARNING: possible spoilers ahead!------

The next time you enter the sanctuary after completing the quest chain and speaking to Arquen and then leaving again, you will notice:

--You have your own quarters with safe storage at the end of the officers' hall, with an escape hatch that will deposit you neatly outside city walls. The first time you use your escape hatch, or if you discover it from outside, you'll get a map marker for fast-travel.
--In a display case in your quarters, you'll find a special set of Sanguine Shrouded Gear, and two matching enchanted blades. The gear has the same stats as the original shrouded gear, but the values are the same as the Black Hand Robes.
--Also in your quarters is a Black Altar. Functions as an Altar of the Nine, but in a more unchurchly way, and with no fame requirements.
--Some seating has been made persistent and path grids have been added to your quarters, because now that it's a separate cell with a separate entrance, it should be safe for most companions.
--Mage altar functionality has been added to the Listener's Chamber; though for the sake of game balance, it will not be functional unless the player has completed the requisite Mages Guild quests.
--An alchemy lab has been added to the Listener's Chamber. The Cobl version of BDBS makes it usable via Cobl static apparati.
--A Greater Power is available to the Listener to assist with dark duties. The spell tome can be found near the Black Altar.
--Personalized NPC chests are de-personalized to make room for new recruits.
--Ocheeva's quarters are renamed for Arquen, and Vicente's quarters are simply guest chambers. Ideal for underlings looking to sneak a nap, or for visiting officials.
--Vicente's slab is replaced with an actual bed, and his desk replaced with a generic one. Also, murderers will be less likely to sleep there.
--Arquen will now actually eat and sleep in her quarters.
--In case you've lost any of your DB-related keys, there's a small respawning bag near the well exit containing one of each.
--Three additional NPCs, much like the existing ones, but they don't have companion mode.
--One of them has a small stock of magical supplies and will recharge your weapons and teach you DB spells.
--Between the two new vendors, everything unique to the original DB vendor is covered.
--All 6 murderers have basic AI packages to mimic the activity of the sanctuary pre-Purification.
--All the murderers are essential, are the player's level, have leveled weapons, and have names.
--Your safe chest will have been moved by one of your lackeys to your new quarters.
--If you have Cobl, your lackeys will also move your Alchemical Supplies and Luggage for you.
--If you have NPC Face Color Unlocker or Optimized Facegen Files (or a similar mod), you will also notice that all 3 of the original murderers are now significantly more attractive - no more scary kindergoth girl!

------End spoilers!------

What this mod doesn't do:

This mod will not dramatically change the layout or stock feel of the sanctuary. It's a thousand times better, but it will still feel familiar and work how you expect it to.

This mod also does not alter the Abandoned House. There are lots of mods out there that do this already, and I prefer modularity. If you are looking for one, check out my Better Abandoned House here:
http://tesalliance.org/forums/index.php?/files/file/521-a-better-abandoned-house/, or here:
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=25319

This mod does not include any new sanctuaries. If you are looking for new sanctuaries to use in tandem with BDBS, check out Arthmoor's A Brotherhood Renewed (which is 100% compatible with this mod), found here:
http://tesalliance.org/forums/index.php?/files/file/422-a-brotherhood-renewed/, or here:
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=31773

Support for many other mods is included in the main download, including:
--A Cobl version of Better Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary
--A patch plugin for WillieSea's Assassin Tripwires
--A patch plugin for See You Sleep, for the new custom beds
--A replacement plugin for aralina81's Dark Brotherhood Chapel Memorial
--A patch plugin for Whispered Warning (or any similar mod - the patch provides extra accomodations for the higher number of NPCs once the quest chain is complete)
--Replacement armor meshes for Robert's Male, Exnem's EC Body, HGEC E-Cup and C-Cup, HGEC EBE, TGND, and FF
--Replacement hood meshes for use with madmole's Shadowy Hoods

All meshes have been pyffi'd for best performance, all resources have unique file paths, and all plugins have been cleaned with TES4Edit for best compatibility.

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INSTALLATION
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This package contains alternate/optional files, and is structured as a BAIN-friendly archive to be installed manually or with Wrye Bash. Other mod managers such as NMM cannot install this package correctly; however, you may re-structure the package yourself for use with your manager if you do not wish to install the mod manually. The "Download With Manager" button at Nexus has been disabled to prevent installation errors.

Manual Installation:
1) Use 7zip to extract the archive you downloaded to a temporary location.
2) Copy the contents of the "Core Files (Required)" folder to your ..Oblivion\Data folder. Click "Yes" to overwrite, if prompted.
3) If you have Cobl, copy the contents of the "Cobl Version" folder to your ..Oblivion\Data folder. You will be using this plugin instead of the one in the "Core Files (Required)" folder. Click "Yes" to overwrite.
4) All other files are optional. See the additional documentation in the "Docs" folder for specifics on how to use these.

Notes for Updaters:
If you are updating from any previous version earlier than 3.2, you MUST make a CLEAN SAVE. That means move your character and your stuff out of the sanctuary, save your game, fully uninstall the old version and any patches for it first, then launch the game again and make a new save. Then install this version.

"Better Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary.esp" needs to load after:
--Whispered Warning & similar mods
--Assassin Tripwires.esp
--p1DSeeYouSleep.esp
--Any mod that adds to or changes the sanctuary

"Better Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary.esp" needs to load before:
--Better Abandoned House.esp
--All other plugins included with this mod
--Any other BDBS patches you download from elsewhere

Exceptions:
--Both Slinky Kunoichi.esp and BDBS - Slinky Kunoichi Patch.esp should load before Better Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary.esp.

Uninstallation:
1) If you have already completed the DB quest chain, then go to the sanctuary and use all of the "Decommission" switches near the well exit. If you see more than one, save the "Decommission Sanctuary" switch for last.
2) Remove your character from the Sanctuary. The Abandoned House is fine. Save & exit.
3) Remove the files you installed. All done!

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COMPATIBILITY, BUGS & TROUBLESHOOTING
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Here are some guides to help you if you encounter any trouble with this mod:
http://sites.google.com/site/khettienna/mod-user-guides/how-to-install-mods
http://sites.google.com/site/khettienna/mod-user-guides/mod-use-troubleshooting

Please, unless you are sure you have encountered a new problem, and you have exhausted all other probable means of solving it, do not ask me for help installing this mod. Everything I can say has already been said in the provided documentation, which is (as you have surely noticed) quite extensive. I even wrote a mod installation guide and a mod troubleshooting guide, which are linked just above. If you don't value my time enough to use the documentation I've already provided and take basic troubleshooting steps on your own, then I cannot help you troubleshoot this mod.

If you encounter any bugs or compatibility issues not already covered in this document or the guides, however, I would very much like to hear about them so I can fix them. The fastest way to get help is to leave a comment on this mod's download page at TESNexus (linked at the top), or message me (Khettienna) privately at TESAlliance, Nexus, or the official Bethsoft Forums.

Before posting a bug report, please be sure you:
--Have tried a clean save,
--Can reproduce the bug with no other mods loaded,
--Have read this document in its entirety, and also followed the instructions in the guides linked above.

And please be sure to note in your report:
--If you had completed the DB quest chain or not when you installed the mod,
--If you had completed the DB quest chain or not when you encountered the bug,
--What you've done to try to solve the problem on your own,
--And what of that worked, or didn't,
--Any other relevant details.

There are no known bugs at this time.

Schemer & Fred do not like companions, despite my attempts to remedy this. Sometimes while testing, I would come back to the sanctuary to find them engaged in combat with any number of companions; however, they didn't seem to pick fights while I was still present. This is true without BDBS installed, and is not the fault of this mod.

REGARDING PERFORMANCE:

Because this mod unites several cells into one, you will experience a performance loss. I have done what I can do limit this. If your FPS is intolerable, it could be that this mod is not for you unless you upgrade your hardware, turn off some other mods, or turn down your video settings.

Lighting in and near the Listener's Chamber might be particularly rough on lower end systems, so I provided some light switches that allow you to turn portions of the lighting on or off as it suits you. Likewise, you can speak to Arquen and ask her to put her torch away. This will provide many users with a substantial FPS gain in the sanctuary.

For those using Whispered Warning (or a similar mod), you will have double the normal amount of NPCs in the sanctuary at the end of the quest chain. This can result in a heavy performance loss. I have medium-high rig, and I get enough of an FPS drop to prefer to go without the original NPCs. The Whispered Warning patch included adds new accommodations for these people, but that will also contribute to greater resource load. If you don't have the hardware to handle this, consider skipping Whispered Warning & similar mods, or cut down on mesh and texture replacers, or don't use BDBS. I've minimized system resource use as best I can already.

This mod is completely incompatible with other sanctuary overhauls. This mod may be compatible with other mods that make only small changes, such as placing a container or a few items, you will just have to try and see. Please report any outstanding incompatibilities (other than other sanctuary overhauls, obviously), and I will do my best to resolve them.

IF YOU EXPERIENCE MISSING FLOOR PIECES:

You can use the console to fix them. Nobody should have this problem if they are just starting out with version 3.2, but if you had them from a previous version, you might still have them, even with a clean save, and despite all my best efforts and still not being able to actually reproduce the bug on my end.

First, figure out which code you need, out of these four:

If the missing floor piece is in the corner of the dorm area, and you've not yet completed the DB quest chain or you are not currently using the Whispered Warning patch, the code you need is XX000D7E. Replace the XX with the "Load Order" number of Better Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary.esp as printed by Wrye Bash.

If the missing floor piece is in the corner of the dorm area, and you've completed the DB quest chain, the code you need is XX0015EC. Replace the XX with the "Load Order" number of BDBS - Whispered Warning Patch.esp as printed by Wrye Bash.

If the missing floor piece is in the hall outside Ocheeva's room, and you've not completed the DB quest chain or you're not using the Chapel Memorial patch, the code you need is 000183B3.

If the missing floor piece is in the hall outside Ocheeva's room, and you've completed the DB quest chain, the code you need is XX004F15. Replace XX with the "Load Order" number of BDBS - Chapel Memorial.esp as printed by Wrye Bash.

Once you've figured out which code you need, open the console by pressing the tilde (~) key, and type "prid code", without quotes and with your actual code replacing the word code, and then press Enter. Next, type "enable", again without quotes, and press Enter again. Exit the console by pressing the tilde (~) key again. Your floor piece should be back.

If you are unable to access the console normally, please download the Ring of Console mod and put it to use, or try uninstalling your Infrared device drivers and using Group Policy Editor to prevent their automatic installation (a known "feature" of Windows 7).

IF YOU EXPERIENCE OBJECT OWNERSHIP ISSUES right after finishing the quest chain:

As mentioned above already, once you complete the quest, you must speak to Arquen once and then leave the sanctuary for all the changes to take place. When you see a message announcing that the sanctuary has been prepared for you, you may freely return to the sanctuary and explore to your heart's content.

If for any reason this never resolves naturally for you, leave the sanctuary, and use the console command "SetCellOwnership KhBDBSListenersChamber", without quotes.

IF YOU EXPERIENCE ISSUES WITH CONTAINERS right after finishing the quest chain:

Read the previous paragraph.
Also please keep in mind that loading any single container with a bajillion items can cause odd things to happen, such as inventory lag or "missing" items, whether that container is part of a mod or not.

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CREDITS
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Thanks to/for, in no particular order:

--Qarl for the normal maps for the new floor texture and the color map base for the round rug
--Sonico717 for the idea for the new hood shape
--TiberiusLazarus for the base of the unified Sanctuary
--WillieSea for allowing me to have his way with his very excellent Tripwires mod
--aralina81 for Dark Brotherhood Chapel Memorial
--mmmpld for See You Sleep & bed mesh
--madmole for Shadowy Hoods
--Pheonix Amon for the original Ingredient Storage Shelves
--Exnem, Gryhs, RAIAR, the HGEC Eve Team, Luchaire, Kalia, Robert, and TeamFF for the replacement armor meshes (these credits are further detailed in the separate Readme included with those meshes)
--Athray & YX33A for playtesting
--InsanitySorrow for the better than awesome architecture retexture

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PERMISSIONS
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You may re-use any of this mod's scripts or resources in your own Oblivion mods, as long as you don't charge money for it, you credit me for my work, and you credit anyone I credited for their work.

If you would like to alter this mod and share your changes, please do so in the form of a patch that depends on this mod rather than replaces the user's copy of my version. This way users can have both your changes and any future updates I make, and I can be solely responsible for my own bugs.

Do not re-host or re-post this mod without asking me first via private message at TESAlliance, Nexus, or the official Bethsoft Forums. If I do not respond within two weeks to your permissions request, contact DarkRider at TESAlliance.

Please enjoy. =)