Oblivion Troubleshooting/Improvement/Load Order Guidelines

Dezi's Oblivion Load Order Guidelines

Troubleshooting and Improvement FAQ:

Those of you who play Oblivion for some time now know that it can become quite complicated to run many mods together. This short FAQ & guide should help you to fix most problems you experience:

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Q: What is the maximum amount of active mods?

A: 255 including Oblivion.esm. Note that all deactived esm in your Data Folder will still be loaded!

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Q: How do I install mods?

A: I will not explain this question in this Topic, but to help you with this problem, I created the How to install a mod? Topic, which explains how to install mods, create omods and which tools should be used.

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Q: I hear alot about random crashes, is Oblivion really that unstable?

A: Yes and no. Oblivion can be stable if you do everything right. Including the load order. But at a specific point, even the cleanest and best installed Oblivion will crash and that can happen after 10 minutes or a week of play. Best is to save often.
I recommend you to think which mod you really want to use. Sometimes it's better to pass on something for playablility's sake.

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Q: Major lag and slowdown, what can I do?

A: Oblivion is very resource demanding on 2 levels, CPU & GPU. Firstly your processor has to manage several processes, AI, physics, minor scripts, etc. Major lag is usually caused by bad processor performance. If you use any mods which add or change many scripts, you should consider switching them off. There's one performance tweaker for scripts, but it only changes vanilla(Oblivion default) scripts(see below for a complete list of all tweakers). If you happen to have a Dual Core(or Quad Core), you can do the following tweaks in the Oblivion.ini(which can be found under My Documents\My Game\Oblivion):

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bUseThreadedBlood=1
bUseThreadedMorpher=1
bUseThreadedTempEffects=1
bUseThreadedParticleSystem=1
bUseMultiThreadedTrees=1
bUseMultiThreadedFaceGen=1
iNumHavokThreads=5
iThreads=9
iOpenMPLevel=10

Seach for those keys using Ctrl+F and change the value to the numbers written above. Deactivating sound and music can also help if you have an onboard Soundchip(=Not an extra Soundcard).

Secondly, If you experience slowdowns, you can reduce your video settings. You can e.g. reduce some basic settings like actor, item and object fade and see if the game will then run more fluently. Note that setting the Resolution lower than your native one can also cause slowdowns. If you happen to use Texture mods(e.g. Qarl's Texture mod), you should uninstall them. Textures with a resolution of 4096x4096 should only be used on GPUs with at least 512 MB(I recommend more).

IMPORTANT: Whenever you change the Oblivion.ini file, make sure to back it up 1st. If you changed something which causes CTDs, you can restore the default values with your backup.

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Q: That Stuttering is going on my nerves! Is there a possiblity to reduce it?

A: Yes. The changes aren't big though. Remember: the more mods you run(especially those adding things to the Tamriel Worldspace) the more the game will stutter when changing Cell(whenever you see "Loading Area", you're entering a new group of cells). So diabling mods you don't need will already improve the performance. Stuttering is also caused by a slow or overloaded CPU and by the amount of RAM you have. Read the previous article, some points might help you.
You should know that Oblivion with mods installed is extremely sensitive to data fragmentation, only 4% can cause weird behavior, stutter and in rare cases a higher chance for CTDs. Defragmantation is good thing to do regulary whenever you install mods. The Tool Defraggler will help you alot since it can defrag specific folders(instead of the entire HDD like Window's Defragmentation)

Another way to reduce stuttering is to tweak the Oblivion.ini under My Documents\My Game\Oblivion. Here are some recommended tweaks:

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uInterior Cell Buffer=3
uExterior Cell Buffer=36

Search for those keys by using Ctrl+F. The values are the default ones. If you have 1GB RAM, change them to 6 and 72 respectively. With 2GB, 16 and 102 are proper changes.

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iPreloadSizeLimit=26214400

If you changed uInterior Cell Buffer & uExterior Cell Buffer, you should consider changing the key above, too. 52428800 is a good value for 1GB of RAM, 104857600 is perfect for 2GB. Raising those higher can cause problems, the value 262144000 should be the upper maximum

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bBackgroundLoadLipFiles=1
bLoadBackgroundFaceGen=1
bBackgroundCellLoads=1
bLoadHelmetsInBackground=1
iBackgroundLoadLoading=1
bBackgroundPathing=1

The Patch 1.1 added the keys above, find them and set the value to 1.
IMPORTANT: Whenever you change the Oblivion.ini file, make sure to back it up 1st. If you changed something which causes CTDs, you can restore the default values with your backup.

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Q: Oblivion crashes on startup!

A: A common problem after installing mods which usually can be fixed by changing the Load Order(for Load Order, see below). Note that installing many mods at once is always a bad idea. But especially big mods like Martigen's Monster Mod require some attention! Always read the Readmes provided in mods, sometimes, they will point out requirements or an Installation Guide which might help you to fix this problem. If you however do not know which mod causes this problem, you should troubleshoot it: deactivate all mods(except race mods if you use them) to see if Oblivion runs. If yes, activate some mods and test the game again. Continue until you experience a crash. Now you know which mods are causing troubles. If however, Oblivion is not running even when you deactivated all mods, something else is wrong. If you tweaked the Oblivion.ini in My Documents\My Game\Oblivion, you should restore it with a backup. Otherwise, reinstall the game.

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Q: I cannot load my savegame! Whenever I try, the game crashes/freezes!

A: You probably installed a mod which only works when starting a new game OR you uninstalled a major mod. In some cases, you can rescue your savegame by undoing all changes, e.g. by uninstalling newly added mods and reinstalling recently uninstalled mods. But the chance that your savegame is doomed is high. Note, always read the Readme of mods you install! They provide you with valuable information and usually warn you whenever the mod will have an impact on your savegame. Backing up your savegame is also a good idea, you should however only do this with a clean save or with mods installed you always use and which do not require an update. Another reason for your problem might be a conflict with your mods. Check the load order guideline below to troubleshoot the problem. If that doesn't solve it, narrow it down; if you're lucky, your savegame refuses working because of only one conflict.

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Q: CTDs(crashes to desktop) after some minutes of gameplay, what can I do?

A: Welcome to the most persistant problem of Oblivion! Most CTDs can be eliminated by creating a good load order, therefor check below. Sometimes however, even that cannot help and you have to use more drastic methods. Oblivion loads tons of data into your RAM and pagefile but will almost never clear them which is why the game crashes after some time. There is however a tool which adds the "Purge" function and will clean old loads of data. That tool is called Streamline. Sadly, the creator of it will not continue work on it leaving Version 3.1 as open beta. I recommend using Version 3.0 or 2.1, both are full and finished Versions which work very good.
Another Reason can be file fragmentation, Oblivion is quite sensitive about this. Whenever you installed mods, you should defrag your Oblivion Folder by using Defraggler(optionally, you can use Window's Defragmenation tool ofc). A bit more complicated is the pagefile fragmentation. It can be defraged by both mentioned tools, but you cannot depend on them too much. The Tool pagedefag is a fantastic tool and easily defrags your pagefile within seconds. All you need to do is run the exe, select "Defragment at next Boot" and close it again. The next time you boot up Windows, it will run for about 3 - 5 seconds.

Q: CTD whenever I try to enter another Cell/do something specific!

A: This is usually because of 2 or more conflicting mods. Try to run the game with all mods deactivated(except for Races you're using for your Character). Load your savegame and enter the area you wanted to and create a new savegame(do not overwrite your old savegame). Exit the game, activate your mods and start again, if you can successfully load your new save, you bypassed the problem. It's abit trickier if the problem occured when doing something specific. If it was quest related, deactivate all mods which are not necessary for doing this quest. Run the game and try to get abit further in the questline and create a new savegame. Reactivate your mods and check if the game runs. If not, one(or more) mods seem to create conflicts, check your load order(below, you will find a guide). If that doesn't solve it, narrow down the cause of the problem and uninstall those mods.
Now abit more complicated, if the CTD happened when trying something trigger like, e.g. casting a spell, opening a door or killing a NPC, you should check if you can reproduce this issue. Usually, it's just a bug and won't happen a 2nd time. If it does however, you ran into a complicated conflict. I suggest to deactivate all mods which are not necessary to reproduce the CTD theoretically and try it again. Best thing you can do is to narrow it down and remove the cause(or the causes).[/size]

Dezi's Oblivion Load Order Guidelines

Load Order Guideline:
In this section, I will explain how to set up your load order.
Whenever you install mods, you also need to activate them. You can do that with the OblivionLauncher, but I do not recommend it. The reason is that it does not show you in which order the mods will be loaded AND you cannot manipulate it. So 1st, you will need the tool Oblivion Mod Manager, or short OBMM.

Understanding the way the Load Order works:
As you know, Oblivion is able to load 255 mods which is the maximum amount. That's basically a byte or 8 Bit and in the case of Oblivion interpreted as a hexadecimal number form 00(which would be Oblivion) to FF(which would be the very last mod in the load order).
Basically, Oblivion with the position 00 will load 1st, whatever changes a mod brings that is loaded afterwards will overwrite the original data in Oblivion(e.g. a mod that changes stats, if loaded after Oblivion, the changes will be applied). So all mods which you want to take precedence should be loaded below any other mods that change let's say the same thing's stats.
A small example:

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vanilla dagger mod.esp
vanilla weapon overhaul.esp

vanilla dagger mod.esp loads before vanilla weapon overhaul.esp, any changes that the 1st mod will bring will be overwritten by the 2nd one, since both affect the same source(1st one only one vanilla weapon, the dagger, and the later one affects all vanilla weapons including the dagger).

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vanilla weapon overhaul.esp
vanilla dagger mod.esp

This time we exchanged the load order of our example mods. Any changes brought by the vanilla dagger mod.esp will be applied after the changes of vanilla weapon overhaul.esp. This way you can enjoy the changed vanilla weapons plus the extra changes for the vanilla dagger^^

Different types of mods:
Major Mods: Usually Overhauls, those change and add many things like monsters and scripts. Some of the most famous ones are OOO(Oscuro's Oblivion Overhaul), MMM(Martigen's Monster Mod) or War Cry.
-> They have a great impact on the game(play) and are very load order sensitive. Those mods, if not installed properly will cause crashes, but even if you installed them right, the game might be less stable.
Performance Enhancer: Mods which will increase the performance. You can find a list in the next post below.
-> Some of these won't even do anything if not loaded at the proper position.
Cosmetic Mods: All mods which change the appearance of NPCs and the player's character, for example with Texture packs, are cosmetic mods. Some of them are also known as Eyecandy mods.
->They usually won't cause crashes BUT, if installed wrong(wrong load order included) can cause weird glitches and bugs. Most commen bugs are twisted or missing eyes and hairs.
Quest Mods: Quite obvious, those add quest(s) to the game.
-> Smaller quest mods usually don't care about the load order. Bigger once however can cause glitches, bugs or crashes if not in proper load order. In some rare cases, quests added by mods might not be finishable when the load order is wrong.
Companion Mods: Special Mods which add the ability to recruit Companions or only companions themselves
-> Just like the Quest Mods, some of them can cause problems if not properly loaded.
(Visual) Improvements: Most of those are targeted at users with high-end computers. They greatly enhance the visual quality with high resolution textures and special effects. Some famous are Qarl's Texture Mod or Bananasplit better cities.
-> Some of these mods are quite load order sensitive and in some cases even need compatibility patches to not cause crashes or glitches.
Minor Mods: Mods which add Equipment, Items, NPCs, Stores, Houses, etc.
-> Most of them can be loaded in any order and won't have any negative effects.

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Here are some more specific Load Order Guidelines posted originally by BlackWidow:
Here are the guidelines that I adhere to, personally:
~ Unofficial Oblivon Patch should always be first on the list. The fixes are great, but most aren't essential, so if a mod overwrites them its not a big deal, and the fixes have the potential for screwing up other mods if loaded later.
~ Offical Content (DLC's) should be loaded last, until you complete all quests associated with them (that includes buying all furniture for the houses and whatnot). Once they're complete, they can be safely moved up in the list. This is especially important for Knights of the Nine, which will have some fairly major problems unless loaded last (unless you get the UOP for KotN)
~ Major overhaul mods (OOO, Frans, MMM) should be loaded near the end. That gives you the most complete experience with any of those particular mods. It also lets you carefully choose which other mods to load afterwards... only move mods that you know will conflict and that you want the changes from. For example, I have Improved Soul Gems below OOO because I know that OOO changes the icons of some of the SG's, and ISG needs to be below to show through.

Some people will recommend putting larger mods first, but personally I disagree. There are a number of mods out there that make minor tweaks, and loading after a large mod will end up completely overwriting a chunk from one of the bigger mods because of the way conflicts work in Oblivion (even one minor change will take precedence over the entire record... for example, simply tweaking the speed of a weapon can cause every stat of that weapon to be retained to vanilla levels if loaded later).

So basically, it stacks up like this...

Oblivion.esm
Unofficial Oblivion Patch
<Minor Mods / DLC's (Post-Completion)>
<Major Overhaul Mod/Mods>
<Mods that specifically conflict with overhauls and need to take precedence>
<DLC's (Pre-Completion)>


Expanded Load-Order Guidelines
by dev_akm

I would extend this to include:

Oblivion.esm
Unofficial Oblivion Patch
<Weather/Environment/Sound Mods>
<Minor Mods/New Items/Houses/DLC's (Post-Completion)>
<Major Overhaul Mods>
<Mods that specifically conflict with overhauls and need to take precedence>
<DLC's (Pre-Completion)>
<Quests>
<Compatibility Patches/UOMP/Merged Leveled Lists>

And a special-case warning for Knights.esp (Knights of the Nine) -- you may not be able to move it earlier than some other mods (some people have had problems after moving it before OOO, for example).

That's basically the structure I use and I have 140+ mods working well together.

Another way of describing this (posted by DMan77):
....
Oblivion
unoffical patch
Deeper realism mods that add sights and sounds
added content like weapons/items
gameplay changes, like 'must eat and sleep'
The OOO type
the 'new begining' type mod..

Dezi's Oblivion Load Order Guidelines

Oblivion Tweakers:
This section will list all Performance Tweakers available for Oblivion. Note that you only should use them if they are necessary. If your game runs with same performance afterwards, it's better to uninstall them. Otherwise, they can cause bugs and glitches. The violet name also contains the Link, just click on it^^.

LowPoly Grass
This addition will reduce the polys for grass-tiles in Oblivion. You should use this if you experience slowdowns in Tamriel Worldspace, but don't want to reduce your Video seetings too much.

Oblivion PolyGone Overhaul
This Tweaker can lower Loading times as well as stuttering by reducing polys mainly for rocks.

OblivionScriptOptimization
This Plugin changes many scripts to be shorter and can reduce lag and slowdown when encountering many NPCs, BUT can also cause problems. Make sure that if you use it, it's loaded absolutely 1st in the load Order. Yes, even before UOP(Unofficial Oblivion Patch)

Operation Optimization
This will increase Oblivions overall Performance by optimizing large Meshes.
Use it if you have minor slowdowns whenever you enter an area which has huge objects or buildings. Note that the Performance boost is small, don't expect to get more than a 5 fps increase!

Optimised Distand Land MAX
This one can greatly improve performance in Tamriel Worldspace by reducing poly complexity of Distant Terrain LOD. 2 Options are available:
-50% optimized Distant Land with little to no visual quality drops and fair Performance increase
-75% optimized Distant Land with further decreased polygon complexity but bigger Performance Boost
Use this tool if you experience slowdowns in Tamriel Worldspace.

Quiet Feet MAX
Quiet Feet will disable footstep sounds by all 4-legged creatures and optionally reduce footstep sounds for biped beings. This can greatly improve performance in Tamriel Worldspace. I recommend this to everyone having an onboard soundcard.

Streamline
Probably the 2nd most famous Tweaker for performance next to LowPoly Grass. Streamline has 3 special functions:
-Autosave is a feature which saves your game every 15 minutes(can be adjusted), great for those who have CTDs(Crashes to Desktop) quite frequently.
-Purge is extremely useful when playing for longer amounts of time. This will unload all loaded cells, great for those who experience slowdowns after a specific amount of time
-Automatic Optimization changes your Video setting while you're playing. It's the core feature of Streamline can adjust your video settings in the background. That way, you will have the desired performance with best possible visual quality(a personal configuration is possible, just read the Tome provided in the downloaded Streamline folder).
Use Streamline if you have frame drops in specific situations and experience crashes and slowdowns when playing for longer amounts of time. I recommend the use of version 3.0 which is more stable than version 3.1 Beta. The Owner of Streamline will not continue to work on it, so don't expect any updates.

Windom Earle's Oblivion Crash Prevention System
Similar to Elys' CrashShield, this OBSE Plugin will prevent Crashes and notify you with playing a Sound. It's still worked on so it can prevent more errors. I recommend this to everyone experiencing random CTDs(crashes to Desktop), but note that the plugin itself can also cause rare crashes! When Installing it, make sure you have OBSE installed(see above post for details)! Create a new folder in your Oblivion/Data folder and name it OBSE. Open it and create anoter new folder called Plugins. Copy the weOCPS.dll file into the newly created Plugins folder and make sure that the exact path is "Oblivion\Data\OBSE\Plugins\weOCPS.dll"! Also, if you used Elys_CrashShield.dll untill now, remove it! otherwise, you may experience unpredictable errors.