Portal:Contents

Portal View

An alternative way of finding information in the Wiki is to start at a Portal and continue from there. Come here for a list of all of our Portals.

Getting Started

All of the basic information you need to get started modding.

1. Oblivion Mods FAQ

   Everything you need to know about installing and using mods, and plenty of tips for using various utilities for modding as well.

2. Modding Etiquette

   Important guidelines for making your mod work smoothly and cleanly, and how to avoid unnecessary conflicts.

3. A Beginner's Guide

   The perfect guide for anyone who has never tried modding before - the comprehensive guide will explain all basic aspects of using the CS.

4. Troubleshooting

   Great advice for solving your inevitable bugs.

Data Files

Everything you need to know about the files used by Oblivion.

Main Menu

Descriptions of all of your options available from the menu bar.

1. File

   Learn about opening, saving, and closing files, plus importing, exporting, and merging data.

2. Edit

   Copy, Paste, Find, and Search&Replace are extremely powerful tools; learn about them here.

3. View

   Take advantage of all the different ways of viewing the data contained in the CS.

4. World

   Cells, worlds, weather and landscape; learn about them here.

5. Character

   Learn about Races and Factions, Classes and Quests, AI and Birthsigns, here.

6. Gameplay

   Magic Effects, Game Settings, Scripts and Global Variables, and Animations are found in this menu.

Building and Editing

How to create the world your mod exists in.

1. Main Editing Windows

   About the windows that you will use.

2. Basic NPC Creation Tutorial

   How to create a character

3. My First Dungeon

   How to create a dungeon

4. My First Shop

   How to create a shop

5. Basic Landscaping Tutorial

   How to create a landscape

6. Quest Design

   How to create a quest

7. Mod Wishlist

   List of mod ideas

Objects

Nearly everything in the game can be found in the Object window. Most modding uses the Object Window more than any other, so it is important to learn about.

1. Actors

   Actors include NPCs and Creatures - learn about them here.

2. Items

   Items are anything that can be picked up and put in an inventory. Learn all about them here.

3. Leveled Lists

   Leveled lists are what allow Oblivion to always provide a reasonable challenge for the player, no matter what order he does things in.

4. Magic

   Information on spells, potions, and enchantments can all be found here.

5. Miscellaneous

   Random assorted objects are found in the Miscellaneous section of the Object tree. Learn about them here.

6. World Objects

   World Objects create cells. Learn how to create and edit them here.

Actor Behavior

Learn everything there is to learn about how to get actors to behave the way you want them to.

1. AI Settings

   Teaches about the AI button of the Actor menu.

2. Packages

   Learn all about AI packages.

3. Combat Style

   Give your actor's specific fighting styles - ranged, melee, magic, or anything in between.

4. Dialogue

   Oblivion has a very intricate dialogue system - learn its ins and outs here.

5. Detection

   The detection of sneaking actors, particularly the player, is a complicated process involving many variables - learn all about them here.

6. Pathing and Playtesting

   Pathgrids are finicky and complicated - look this way for tips on reducing the headache.

Quests

Quests are the heart and soul of the game. The Quest interface is powerful and organized - learn how to maximize its efficiency.

1. Quest Design

   Some things to think about while planning your quest - plot and gameplay are paramount.

2. Dialogue

   Quests involve characters and directions - usually spoken by NPCs. Learn about dialogue here.

3. Journals & Stages

   Quests are controlled in Stages, which cause events to happen, and recorded in the player's Journal. Learn how to make this work.

4. Quest Targets

   Quest targets control where the player sees the little arrow on his map and compass. While not applicable to every quest, they are often appropriate.

5. Results

   Quests make things happen, and usually that means scripting these things to happen. Result scripts are the best way to do this - they're quick, simple, and flow nicely along with quests.

Scripting

Scripting allows modders unparalleled freedom - scripts control the intricate and the finely tuned aspects of gameplay. Generally speaking, scripts are what enable new and different things to happen in Oblivion mods.

1. Complete List of Functions · Categorized

   Functions are the life-blood of scripts. This is a handy list of every function in the game - get your Ctrl+F ready!

2. Commands

   Commands are not functions, per se, but rather the structure of the internal workings of script. Learn about them here.

3. Variables

   Variables are your script's memory. They are crucial for storing and manipulating information, so learn how they work and which to use here.

4. Using "If" Conditions

5. Code Optimization

   Oblivion is remarkably efficient with script code, but that does not mean that poorly written code is immune from performance issues. Wise and courteous scripters make an effort to have code run as well as possible, so learn how here.

6. Useful Code

   If you're just looking for some code to copy and paste, this is the place for you. No sense re-inventing the wheel.

Categories

A list of every category in the Wiki.

Tutorials

Look here for the specific Tutorials here on the Wiki.

Troubleshooting

Bugs are reality in mod design. Learn how to squash them here.

Glossary

Don't know what a term means? Check out our glossary for some quick definitions.

Links

Links to other useful bits of information about Oblivion modding out there on the web.