So been playing Oblivion a little. It’s easy to see that the game is the same (more or less) on the pc and the 360. Which is good and bad. The bad is pc users are stuck with this very console like interface. The inventory being the biggest thing to suffer from console design. Only letting you see 6 items at one time. Very annoying.

The good of course is being able to make and use plugins. So to break in my Oblivion Plugins section let’s go right for the good stuff, the UI Mods v1.2. You can get it from that link and register first to do so. Or grab it from me here. Either way you will need WinRar to unzip it. Below you can see what it does in the following two screenshots, before and after:

Just extract the rar to:

C:\Program Files\Bethesda Softworks\Oblivion\Data

And load the game. It’s more of a hack than an actual addon. You won’t need to activate it in the data file menu of the game launcher.

The first official Oblivion plugin is out. Horse Armor which for pc users is only $1.99. The official description says:

Tamriel is a dangerous place. Protect your horse from danger with this beautiful handcrafted armor.

There are two sets of armor you can buy for 500 gold per horse. Only one set of armor can be used on any given horse. You can not change the horses armor after you pick it. Here are the screen shots showing both armor types Steel and Elven:

For those wondering you get a “Oblivion Product Activation Key” that you have to enter in to get the plugin to install. Two other plugins are advertised on the official plugin site with a release date of coming soon.

Orrery
Harness the power of the stars. Rebuild the defiled Orrery and unlock the secrets of this Mages Guild Inner Sanctum.

Wizard’s Tower
In the frozen mountains of Cyrodiil stands Frostcrag Spire, a tower of wonders for your magic-oriented character to call home.

Orrery should be mentioned because it is in the game now. Except it’s a closed door thats locked and goes no where. So it’s sorta like your paying to finish off the game as it was released. Some may scream foul play on this. Personally I don’t care. What’s a dollar ninety nine?

The second official plugin for Oblivion is out now for PC users. It’s called The Orrery and its description is:

Harness the power of the stars. Rebuild the defiled Orrery and unlock the secrets of this Mages Guild Inner Sanctum.

It weighs in at 18 mb and costs $1.89. It’s about a 15 minute quest (spoiler type screen shot) that gets you access to the Orrery in the Mages Guild. This can be used by melee guys not yet a full member of the Mages Guild.

Content wise it’s more than the Horse Armor plugin. The question is that is this enough to justify the 1.89 price tag? It depends on your point of view. A less scrupulous sort of person would goto illegal means to acquire this plugin.

The third official Oblivion plugin called the Wizard’s Tower has been released for PC users. This one is 17.6 MB and costs 1.89 just like the last one. Here is the info:

Located high in the Jeral Mountains of Cyrodiil away from prying eyes, this add-on makes the Wizard’s Tower, Frostcrag Spire, become available. Packed with numerous useful enhancements, this structure will prove invaluable to magic-oriented characters.

Features:

• A fully detailed tower for you to explore
• A breathtaking view of Cyrodiil from the highest point
  in the land
• Simple furnishings including a bed for leveling up
• An indoor botanical garden with over 130 specimens…
  including Oblivion-native herbs!
• Summon Atronach Familiars that obey your commands
• Instant teleports to every Mages Guild in Cyrodiil
• New Spell and Recharge vendor in the Imperial City
• Fully upgrade the furnishings in your lair to suit your needs
• Upgrade to a fully functional Enchanting and Spellmaking station with no need to join Mages Guild
• Upgrade to a laboratory that buffs your Alchemy skill

I’m still waiting for some shit that adds more stuff for melee characters.

So I’ve totally lost interest in Oblivion. Here is another $1.89 plugin to get called the Thieves Den (4.5 MB).

The Thieves Den provides you with everything you need to outfit your stealth-based character for missions. Rediscover the legendary Dunbarrow Cove and the ancient pirate ship The Red Sabre. Dunbarrow Cove not only provides a home base to operate out of, you can purchase new vendors, trainers, and even an upgrade to your sleeping quarters with the loot from your heists.

• A fully detailed environment for your character to own and explore
• Free sleeping space: never pay for an inn again!
• Five upgrades for your lair
• Hire vendors designed especially for thieves, rogues, and assassins
• As you upgrade your lair new pirates will join your crew and provide you with income
• Over 45 new items
• 15 new spells

I’m disappointed in Bethesda. How many months has it been since Oblivion came out? All they can do is issue one beta patch? Yet they have no problem charging for content that many argue should be in the game already.