Two Mods: Oblivion Gate Standard Version 1.2 and Oblivion Gate Anytime Version 1.2
Game: TES IV: Oblivion
Author: David Brasher
Release Date: 11/9/09

Choose the proper mod for how you play. Having two mods makes it so no one is unable to play
because of timing issues. (Earlier on, some people couldn't play because the standard mod only
works between when you rescue Martin and before the main quest is completed.)

What you should choose:

Standard Version 1.2 if you will play the main quest at least as far as rescuing Martin. Gate opens
after Martin reaches Cloud Ruler Temple, closes at end of main quest if you
haven't closed it.

Anytime Version 1.2 if you do not plan to play the main quest or have already completed it. Gate
opens at the strart of the game or at mod installation, and never closes unless
you close it.

Note: Only the Standard version is really lore-friendly and logical. For best results, use it, even if it
means starting new characters and raising them to level 15 and rescuing Martin from Kvatch.

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CONTENTS
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1. Information on the Mod
2. Installation
3. Version History
4. Conflicts, Known Issues, and Troubleshooting
5. Copy Status

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1. INFORMATION ON THE MOD
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Mehrunes Dagon tried to kill Martin at Kvatch, but failed. He is not one to give up
easily though. He has opened an Oblivion gate right behind Cloud Ruler Temple so he can try
again. A few Blades can hold Cloud Ruler Temple against an army, but what if it is a constantly
replenishing army of daedra who are reborn again and again? Casualties are mounting. Daedra
are getting inside the walls. A huge spike has poked through the roof into the great hall. Martin
is in danger. The Blades must try to defend their position, and don't have enough people to
attempt an assault to close the gate. Things are looking very bad.

This mod includes a custom Oblivion gate which is much different from the vanilla
Oblivion gates you are used to. (Just what everyone needs! Another Oblivion gate!) This mod
is very large because of the dozens of exterior cells in Oblivion which it includes, and the dozens
of interior Oblivion cells in caves and towers. Closing this Oblivion gate will not be such a
no-brainer and routine drill as it is with vanilla Oblivion gates. It is not readily apparent what
route you must follow to get to the sigil stone and close the gate. There are in fact three main
routes you could follow, which gives this mod more replayability. There are also some ways to
get sidetracked and go to unhelpful places. It may take hours to complete this mod, and your
character may even die a few times. There are both leveled and non-leveled opponents included.
Higher level characters will have an easier time than lower-level characters. You might need to
be well-stocked on supplies before you enter the Oblivion gate.

There is more variety, and a greater range of things found in this Oblivion gate than usual.
I am hoping that people do not consider it to have crossed the line and become lore-unfriendly.
It is my contention that some daedra are smart and can innovate, and can assimilate good ideas they
encounter when making sorties into Tamriel. They may also realize that heros are closing their
Oblivion gates too easily and beef up their defenses as a response.

There are also a couple of companions that you may encounter in Oblivion, and who may
temporarily join your party. If you rescue them, and they are still alive by the time you close the
Oblivion gate, they might choose to accompany you on other adventures. Go to Skingrad and
Skingrad castle after the gate is closed to visit them.

Due to one serious flaw, this mod should still be considered a beta. A highly polished and
extensively play-tested beta, but a beta none the less. Maybe it is a gamma. At the end of the
adventure. around the point where the Oblivion gate is closed, there are two crash points. Both of
them are intermittent and it cannot be determined when they will cause a crash, and when they will
not cause any problems. After many many hours over many weeks, the source of the problem has
still not been found. See section 5 of this document for more data. Autosave points have been
inserted in the code before the crash-points, so if you do experience a crash, you should not lose
much gametime. If you are having trouble with crashes, keep reloading from the recent saves and
playing three or four times until you get past them. That way you can complete the mod and walk
away with your experience and treasure. I am really sorry about this. If I ever figure it out, I will
upload a fixed version.

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3. Installation
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Extract (decompress) the .esp file to your oblivion directory, the default is:
C:\Program Files\Bethesda Softworks\Oblivion\Data\
Mark the box next to the appropriate "Oblivion Gate" plugin.

Alternately, extract someplace else. Then move the esp. to Oblivion\Data\, and the Sound
and Meshes folders there also. Often you can simply drop the "Data" file into the "Oblivion" folder. Make sure the files go
into the proper directories they were in when you downloaded the mod.

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4. Version History
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V 1.2 Dealt with a couple of issues where havoc was making things wiggle. Adjusted object placement,
grid-pathing, and landscaping.
V 1.1.5 Addressed about a dozen object placement issues. Adjusted grid-pathing. Broke off quickstart
and post main quest versions
V 1.1 Added border removal which had been omitted from first file.
V 1.0 Initial Release

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5. Conflicts, Known Issues, and Troubleshooting
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The gate will not be present if you are at too early or too late of a stage in the main quest if you are using
the Standard Version. If you are using the wrong version for what you are trying to do, daedra may attack at
the wrong times or the gate may be closed or not open yet. Consult this readme and the readme specific to
your file.

The vicinity of Cloud Ruler Temple will become quite dangerous for low-level characters. This is by
design.

Due to the difficulty of replicating the experience of an Oblivion gate, this mod ended up with a
strange structure. Some other methods can ruin all the Oblivion gates in Cyrodiil, so I avoided that approach.
You don't actually go to Oblivion. There is a faux Oblivion area behind mountains and lava off the south edge
of the Tamriel map in the Tamriel Worldspace. That is why this mod removes the borders, and why there
could be a conflict with any other mod which edits that same space off the southern edge of the map.

The main problem: there are two intermittent CTDs of indeterminate origin which can occur.
(1) In the instant the Oblivion gate closes. (2) While moving or waiting in the exterior cells at Cloud Ruler
Temple right after closing the gate. The real trouble spot seems to be when running around the corner of the
temple near the front door. There is a transition between exterior cells here. It seems to happen at that point,
when it happens, and you never know when that might be. Suggestion: don't loiter there during this phase of
the game. Autosave points have been inserted into the code so very little play-time will be lost if a CTD should
occur.

There may be a correlation between snowy weather and CTDs.

There may be a correlation between the CTDs and the number of the companions included in this mod,
that happen to be with you at the unstable point.

Playtesting results concerning the two crash points:

Chance of crash with no companions: 23% Sample Size: 13 trials
Chance of crash with companion A: 0% Sample Size: 4 trials
Chance of crash with companion B: 25% Sample Size: 4 trials
Chance of crash with 2 companions: 47% Sample Size: 15 trials
Weighted composite chance of CTD: 31% Sample Size: 36 trials
Chance of being unable to finish
playing mod due to crashes: 0% Sample Size: 36 trials

This mod needs to be play-tested on more computers. There is a chance that these documented problems are
just due to weak hardware and would not occur on better computers.

IF ANYONE DETECTS A MAJOR BUG WHICH MAKES THE MOD UNPLAYABLE, PLEASE
SEND ME A PERSONAL MESSAGE ON TES NEXUS RIGHT AWAY. I WILL HOPEFULLY BE
ABLE TO FIX IT AND RELEASE AN IMPROVED VERSION OF THIS MOD.

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6. Copy Status and Credits
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Credits: Bethesda for making the game in an open format anyone can mod.
Copy Status: Feel free to modify this, share this, or use parts of it. Just include my name in your credits.

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