Merge pull request #8 from VagabondAzulien/oblivion

Oblivion Adventure Part 2!

_posts/2021-12-09-oblivion-linux-2.md

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+---
+     tabtitle: "Oblivion on Linux Part 2, Mods"
+     title: "Oblivion on Linux, with Mods! Part 2 - Mods"
+     topics: [gaming]
+     pub: "2021-12-09"
+     short_desc: "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion still has one of the more
+     active modding communities. In this, part 2 of my journey to get Oblivion
+     modded and running on Linux, I'll cover some of my favorite mods."
+---
+
+Every player's mod list is different. Some will focus on visuals, making the
+game as graphically impressive and pretty as possible. Others care primarily
+about additional content. I tend towards the later, with a preference for
+additional survival or realism mods. I recommend starting with the "Core Mods"
+section in the [Oblivion Comprehensive Modding Guide by
+Dispensation](https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/49898) which will cover
+some essential performance and enhancement mods.
+
+Below are some specific mods I would like to highlight, and which I enjoy.
+
+
+## Survival Related
+
+### Basic Primary Needs & Personal Hygiene
+
+- [Nexus Link - Basic Primary Needs](https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/37088)
+- [Nexus Link - Basic Personal Hygiene](https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/42038_)
+
+These two mods cover most of the survival aspects of my mod pack. "Basic Primary
+Needs" adds hunger, thirst, and fatigue, while "Basic Personal Hygiene" adds
+cleanliness. Managing these will feel tedious to some, but I really like having
+to eat and drink, and visiting a bath house after a long time adventuring.
+
+Each mod can make use of [additional HUD Status
+Bars](https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/34905), which makes tracking the
+new needs much easier.
+
+### Traveler's Tent
+
+- [Nexus Link](https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/49654)
+
+This mod adds a portable player home, and is supremely comfy. Because I avoid
+fast-travel, I wanted some sort of camping mod. I originally used [Maskar's
+Camping Mod](https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/37197) before learning of
+this mod. By comparison, the tent in Traveler's Tent feels almost like cheating,
+but sometimes it's important to treat yourself.
+
+
+## World Enhancement
+
+These I would consider my graphical improvements. I'm generally not too
+concerned with making the game look good, but I love making the game feel more
+realistic. These mods make Cyrodiil feel more alive.
+
+### Better Cities
+
+- [Nexus Link](https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/16513/)
+
+This is a massive collection of city overhaul and enhancement mods. I was
+awe-struck when I walked around the Imperial City for the first time with this
+mod enabled. Bravil felt like a dangerous, crowded harbor town. Leyawin looks
+like an actual place people live. Though the improvements do come with FPS hits.
+Doubly-so if enabling the Open Cities option, which moves cities into the
+overworld space, instead of their own individual instances. It's a balancing
+act: the immersion of walking directly into a city sometimes isn't worth
+crashing to desktop when adventuring around cities.
+
+### COBL
+
+- [Nexus Link](https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/21104)
+
+"Common Oblivion" enriches the world of Oblivion by adding lots of little
+things, and helping different mods "talk" to each other. I like to think of it
+as filling in a lot of the details that feel missing from vanilla Oblivion.
+
+### Enhanced Economy
+
+- [Nexus Link](https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/25078)
+- [Lubrons Patch](https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/47184)
+
+This mod and the corresponding patch make the economy of the world more dynamic.
+What I really like are the merchant quests that are added. Several merchants in
+each town will ask you to find an item in one of the nearby dungeons. It adds
+flavor to the game in just the right way.
+
+Lubron's Patch for Enhanced Economy fixes some bugs and cleans up the code a
+bit.
+
+### Lights of Oblivion - Road Lanterns
+
+- [Nexus Link](https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/46131)
+
+A very simple mod that I feel really enhances my travel around Cyrodiil. I avoid
+fast-traveling whenever possible, and walking lit roads at night feels comfy.
+I'm partial to the Imperial model.
+
+### Natural Environments
+
+- [Nexus Link](https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/2536)
+
+Arguably the only graphical enhancement mod, Natural Environments provides
+options for modifying the weather, water, and vegetation around Cyrodiil. The
+weather and vegetation enhancements especially stand out. Overall the mods
+don't cause me much performance impact, if any. 
+
+### Cyrodiil Travel Services
+
+- [AFK Mods Link](https://www.afkmods.com/index.php?/files/file/263-cyrodiil-travel-services/)
+
+I really enjoyed that in Skyrim there was a dude with a wagon you could pay to
+travel to the various cities. This mod adds similar functionality, and then
+some. Useful when playing the game without fast-travel enabled.
+
+
+## Overhauls
+
+Arguably, these are the heavy hitters. These mods will alter the mechanics of
+the game, often making things more challenging but also more rewarding.
+
+### Maskar's Oblivion Overhaul
+
+- [Nexus Link](https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/42780)
+
+Maskar's Overhaul is a massive endeavor. It "[improves] many aspects of the
+game, while maintaining the overall feel of the game and ensuring compatibility
+with most other mods." I think it does so with great success! However, be
+forewarned, that this overhaul makes the game more challenging.
+
+There is too much to cover about Maskar's in this post, but I highly recommend
+it. It comes with a PDF instruction manual, which is 61 pages long.
+
+### Vanilla Combat Enhanced
+
+- [Nexus Link](https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/45314)
+
+As the name implies, this overhaul adjusts but does not change the vanilla
+combat experience. Whereas other mods add new moves or fatigue systems, this mod
+updates the vanilla combat experience to be more challenging and fair. It works
+with Maskar's after a small modification, which will be covered in the next
+part. This is one of the mods that I haven't played with for too long, and
+there are definitely some additional or alternative combat mods I'm considering.
+Namely, [Dynamic Oblivion Combat](https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/49873)
+and [Combat Additions](https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/49939).
+
+### Supreme Magicka
+
+- [Nexus Link](https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/12466)
+
+Rounding out the trio is a magic overhaul. Supreme Magicka approaches magic in
+Oblivion in a similar way to Vanilla Combat Enhanced with combat: it seeks to
+improve and expand, without replacing. To continue similarities, this mod is one
+I haven't sank my teeth into as much. The characters I've been playing most
+recently haven't achieved very powerful magical capabilities yet. An alternative
+to this mod is [Av Latta
+Magicka](https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/49096).
+
+## Next Steps
+
+In the last part of this series, I want to walk through a complete install of
+Oblivion from scratch.