Oblivion

About this mod

The Abandoned Mountain Shack is a different kind of house mod. It\'s an exterior home. That is the \"interior\" is actually part of the exterior world, so you can see out the windows, hear the wind blowing outside, and so forth. Since it\'s been abandoned for many years, it\'s in very poor shape. However, everything can be fixed up--by you.

Requirements
Permissions and credits
............ MASTER ADVENTURERS ............
The following users through wit and determination
found the second Easter egg--not an easy task!

............ mechatech
............ Cazadoruy
............ stevohall
............ blueraga

The Abandoned Mountain Shack is a different kind of house mod in several ways. It's an exterior home. That is the "interior" is actually part of the exterior world, so you can see out the windows, hear the wind blowing through the trees, and so forth. Also, since it's been abandoned for many years, it's in very poor shape. However, everything can be fixed--by you. Fixing it up is actually a mini-adventure game within Oblivion. Once it's fixed up, the shack has several unique features that can be very helpful to your character. You'll have to discover these for yourself.

The shack is on the side of a cliff in the Jerall Mountains SE of Bruma. The previous owner set out on a quest, was killed, so never returned. The house is yours if you want it. You will find the outside littered with old bones, fallen logs and other debris. Part of the corral fence has collapsed and things are becoming overgrown with vines and are in a general state of disarray. Inside, the lights and stoves burned out long ago, spider webs are everywhere, and there's a big hole in the floor. There's more--but you get the idea. Fixing it up is a matter of finding the right components or tools. For example, to fix the hanging lamp over the dining table you'll need to find some lamp fuel to put in the lamp. Some things require more than one item. If you put in at least one correct item and more are needed, you will see a message telling you what and how many. For example, there's a burned out candle bowl in the basement. If you put one candle in it, you will see the message "You need 3 candles". NEVER PUT MORE THAN ONE OF ANYTHING INTO AN OBJECT TO FIX IT UNLESS YOU KNOW EXACTLY HOW MANY ARE NEEDED. IF YOU PUT ONE CORRECT ITEM IN YOU WILL GET A MESSAGE TELLING YOU HOW MANY ARE NEEDED. (Hint: 7 candles can be used to fix lights in the basement). The components and tools needed for fix-up are all in plain sight or in containers that are in plain sight. Everything you need is in the house or its immediate vicinity. Some things can be "fixed" without tools or other components. For example, vines and spider webs can be torn down, overturned items can be set upright, and boulders and other debris can be thrown over the side of the mountain. Debris in the basement can be disposed of in the trash barrel. Setting things like wine bottles and pitchers upright takes some care and patience. Many of these items have been modified to lower their center of gravity, making setting them upright a bit easier. You can also plant flowers in the wooden wheel garden, as long as you plant them before the 90% refresh (discussed below). So, you should find and plant the flower seeds before you get too far along with fixing up the place.

As you fix things, set overturned items upright, throw debris over the cliff, tear down vines, clean things, and so forth, the shack keeps score. When you reach 90% of the maximum you will achieve the refresh: you will hear a unique sound, perishable items will be refreshed, and a few things will be added that were not there before. You may find some of these things very handy! You will then also be able to brew hot coffee--a powerful and long lasting potion. You will find instructions for making coffee in a note in the desk.Important note: SINCE SOME OF THE ITEMS ARE QUITE POWERFUL, YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GET THE REFRESH UNTIL YOUR CHARACTER IS AT LEAST LEVEL 8.


== INSTALLING ==

Extract all from MountainShackR13.zip into your Oblivion\Data folder. This will place three files in that folder: MountainShackR13.bsa, MountainShackR13.esp, and MountainShackR13ReadMe.txt. When you start Oblivion, go to the Data Files list and check MountainShackR13.esp and you're good to go. You will see a marker for the Mountain Shack on your Oblivion map SE of Bruma.

To uninstall, simply remove these three files from your Oblivion\Data folder.


== UPDATING FROM AN EARLIER VERSION ==

Since the shack as you find it is very different from the shack once you fix it up, updating means removing your stored items from the shack, making a new save game far from the shack, installing the new version, and starting again. If you have heavy items that you can't keep in your inventory, you can safely set them on the ground for a short time (far from the shack). Extract all from MountainShackR13.zip into your Oblivion\Data folder. Note that the names of the new files are different from the earlier ones, so in the Data Files list, you need to uncheck your earlier version of MountainShack.esp and check MountainShackR13.esp. Once you're happy with the new version, you should delete the old files associated with the earlier version.


== NOTES ==

COMPATIBILITY:

-Patches-
The shack mod was developed running Oblivion with the 1.1 patch, so it does not require the 1.2 patch or SI, but runs fine with them. Note: a few people have found that installing the 1.2 patch decreases the chance of CTD's with the shack.

-Harvest Flora-
There was a conflict between some versions of Harvest Flora and the wagon wheel garden introduced in the shack version R1.20. The garden has been reworked starting with version R1.21 to resolve the conflict.

-Streamline-
There have been two reports so far of issues with the animations of the door bar and coffee perking while running Steamline.

-Unique Landscapes-
The new Snowdale expansion of UL, as originally planned, included three cells occupied by the shack. Fortunately an agreement has been reached and Snowdale does not modify any of the cells used by the shack.

-Natural Vegetation-
Although Natural Vegetation and the Abandoned Mountain Shack do not conflict, they do not work well together. One of the best features of the shack is the beautiful view of Cyrodiil which is, unfortunately, blocked by the taller and more foliose trees scaled by Natural Vegetation. There is also some intrusion of leaves through the walls of the shack and privy.

-See You Sleep-
See You Sleep version 1.5 and later specifically includes compatibility with the beds in the Abandoned Mountain Shack. If you are using version 1.5 or later and still having issues, get the patch created by HavenofDarkness at: http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=36212.


OTHER THINGS:

-Graphical Issues-
An exterior home places an extra burden on the graphics processor. It must not only process the terrain, trees, and exterior of the house, it must also process the interior and all the clutter and lights in it. If you have a modest graphics card you may notice a decrease in frame rate. If you do have an issue, it would be a good idea to tear down all the vines first. Once you've fixed up the house, you can maximize the frame rate by turning on only the lights you need. Leave the fireplace and stove off, except when you need them. If you have an older graphics card that is not on the officially approved list, this mod may not be for you. Older video cards may not work well, or at all. Systems using the nVidia 7600 gs may crash when you approach the shack. Some Radeon x1300/1550 series cards may show graphic glitches around the windows.

-Weather-
It should never rain, snow, or fog inside the shack. If the weather is bad, it will change slowly to good as you approach the house on foot or horseback. It will change instantly to good when you fast travel there. Because the mod needs to control the weather to prevent raining inside, additional weather types added by other mods may not be present in the vicinity of the shack.

-Containers-
All containers with an asterisk after the name (like Tool Box*) are safe for long term storage. Those without are definitely not. Note: starting with R1.20, the barrel on the porch respawns. This means you can get more candles if you leave the shack for more than the respawn time (default is 3 days). It also means you should not store any valuables in the barrel.

-Wooden Wheel Garden-
R1.20 introduces a small garden based on a half-buried wooden wheel. When you remove the overgrowing vines, the morning glories will look rather pale, having been hidden from the sun by the bad vines. They will be restored to their full glory (ahem) by the refresh. Also, if you want to grow flowers, you must plant them before the refresh. So, make finding and planting the flower seeds one of your first priorities. R1.21 revises the scripts that control the garden to avoid possible conflicts with Harvest Flora.

-Peace Rock-
R1.20 makes Peace Rock, just east of the shack, accessible via a ladder. There is an old crate that serves as a stool and a flat topped rock that serves as a table. Be careful of anything you place on the table as it's a very long way down! Some may find Peace Rock a nice place to relax in solitude. The view is certainly one of the best in all of Cyrodiil.

-Glass lantern bowl-
Smooth, curved, glass surfaces, like the hanging lamp bowl and the candle light bottle, will look much better if you turn the video option Window Reflections off.

-Sleeping with the enemy-
Sometimes you may try to sleep in the bed and get a message that you can't sleep with enemies present. If that happens, you can either go out and try to find and kill it, or go sleep in the basement and kill it in the morning. :)

-The Shrine of Alignment-
The origin of the shrine and what it does are described in the book "The Origin of the Shrine of Alignment" on the mantle. The Shrine will operate when you have assembled it and reached the 90% refresh bonus. If you do not have any of the objects described in the book in your inventory, nothing will happen.

-The Anvil on the Stump-
R1.30 adds a stump behind the shack with an anvil nearby. Once you find the appropriate tools and supplies, you can remount the anvil on the stump. Then, whenever you are near the anvil (~2 meters or about 8 feet), you will get a boost to your armorer skill. Your skill level with temporarily advance to the next level. So, if you are an Apprentice armorer, you will become a Journeyman armor while near the anvil and be able to repair magic items. Fast travel is temporarily disabled when near the anvil. There is a note in the basement about remounting it.

-Companions-
Pathing has been carefully designed to allow companions to move in and around the shack without issue. How well they use the furniture, if at all, is dependent on the AI for the particular companion. The shack presents two situations that some companions may not handle well. All the functional furniture is custom made, so there are no vanilla Oblivion chairs or beds. Second, the main portion of the home is in an exterior cell. Some companions may use furniture in the basement fine, but not some, or all, of the furniture upstairs. In initial tests, Emma's Companion Ailja's favorite chair upstairs is the privy throne! Kettienna's companion Elm's favorite chair is the crate stool on Peace Rock. Your mileage may vary. :)


USING OBJECTS IN OTHER MODS:

Most objects in the Abandoned Mountain Shack may be used as resources in your own mods. The only exceptions are the objects unique to the shack, which are the Mountain Shack itself and those objects that only become available after the refresh. Note that the fireplace is a separate .nif file and is available as a resource. In other words, other than the shack itself, any object that is available before the refresh may be used as a resource. It is only necessary to list the objects used and credit me and the Abandoned Mountain Shack, something like "Salt and pepper shakers and potbelly stove from Vince Bly's Abandoned Mountain Shack". A link would be nice, but is not required.


HINTS:

A separate file is available that provides hints on fixing up the Mountain Shack. The hints note what needs to be done, but not how. There are three hint pages; one each for the outside, upstairs, and basement. They have been made separate files to encourage you to only look at what you really need. Also, remember that you only have to reach 90% to get the refresh bonus, so you can miss a bit and still get it.


FOREIGN LANGUAGE VERSIONS:

A German translation of Rev. 1.10 is now available, thanks to Laulajatar. You can find it at: http://www.ei-der-zeit.com/portal/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1079

A French translation of Rev. 1.10 is now available, thanks to Ankou. You can find it at:http://www.confrerie-des-traducteurs.fr/site/mods/cyrodiil/habitations/abandoned_mountain_shack.php

A Japaneese translation of Rev. 1.21b is now available, thanks to BlueBamboo. You can download it from: http://www.4shared.com/file/JMzqsNST/Abandoned_mountain_shack_121b_.html.


REVISION HISTORY:

Rev. 1.04 First public release


Rev. 1.05 Two bugs were squashed:
1) The mod accidently rescaled a bone typically found littering the floor of dungeons without renaming it so it affected all of these bones in Oblivion. This, and four other references that had no effect away from the shack, have been corrected.
2) On rare occasions, after uprighting the small table and leaving for a few days or weeks, you would return to find the table partly sunk into the floor. The table's collision has been revised to fix this.


Rev. 1.10One bug was squashed:
The book "Song of the Alchemists" was above or behind the desk from the beginning. It should not appear until the desk has been opened and the 90% refresh has been achieved. That's been fixed.

The stone stairs up to the trap door in the basement has been replaced with a taller wooden stairs.

A button can now be found on the end of the bookcase. Once you have set the small round table upright and placed it where you want it, pressing the button allows you to convert it into a normal, immovable table.

A new item has been added, the Shrine of Alignment. The Shrine can convert powerful items to ones more aligned with your character. For example, if you found the Amulet of Axes, that's great if you specialize in blunt weapons. It's much less useful if you specialize in bladed weapons. The Shrine will allow you to convert it to the Necklace of Swords. The details of how the Shrine came to be and what it can do are described in a book on the mantle.

A variety of small tweaks were made here and there.


Rev. 1.20Two minor bugs were squashed:
1) There was a small area near the pot belly stove where you could sink into the floor a couple of inches. This was fixed by updating the collision to MOPPS.
2) There were also issues with the furniture markers and placement of the chairs near the dining table and the small table in the basement. These have been fixed so you can no longer get stuck in the dining table and the chance of knocking things around when you sit down or get up has been reduced.

A small garden based on a half-buried wooden wheel has been added. There are morning glories winding around the spokes of the wheel and there is a small plot of soil where you can plant flower seeds.

Peace Rock, just east of the shack, is now accessible via a ladder. There is an old crate that serves as a stool and a flat topped rock that serves as a table . It's got a great view and is a good place to get away from it all (see the screen shot).

Many new items have been added including a big iron pot and ladle, a broom, a brown jug, a lucky horse shoe, and a small candle stick near the upstairs bed.

A second easter egg has been added!

Many tweaks have been made inside and out.


Rev. 1.21The method of enabling the interactive wooden wheel garden was changed to avoid a possible conflict with Harvest Flora.

The messages from the doors, like ''The door is barred shut.'', are now only displayed if activated by the player.

A clean window that was a few inches out of place has been fixed.


Rev. 1.21b A serious bug that disabled some dungeon press blocks was squashed.

Minor changes were made to furniture and pathing to improve the shack's compatibility with companions.


Rev. 1.30 A key operated slide has been added that allows the player to bar or unbar the front door from the outside. No more coming home to find a stranger sleeping in your bed. The key is in the desk.

A stump and old anvil have been added behind the shack. Once you remount the anvil, you will get a boost to your armorer skill when you are near it. (See -The Anvil on the Stump- above for details).

A couple more vines have been added and there is a section of the corral fence where the rails have fallen down.

Many small details have been tweaked

Unless there is an unexpected issue, this will be the final version of the Abandoned Mountain Shack.


CREDITS:

Garak for his Booksets resource, see: http://www.planetoblivion.de/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=953&Itemid=73

Texian for his Static Water Meshes resource, see: http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=8712

Trollf for his Canvas Galore resource, see: http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=9479

Emma for essential advice on compatibility with companions

And most importantly, I wish to thank the beta testers: Shezrie and Phaedra of Oblivion's Real Estate, WindmillTilter, Deepfreeze, and Khettienna of the TES Alliance, and Chi. This mod would be much poorer without their valuable help and suggestions.