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Ma_Sys.ma Ayleid Ruin

Questions and Answers

Short and descriptive. For those who have no time or need to look trough many mods at once (as I once did, read Background for further information).

What is it?

A dark Ayleid Ruin to live in.

Where is it located?

Use Ceyatatar for the X-Coordinate and Fanacasecul for the Y-Coordinate. A Map marker is included. (Roughly west of the IC, look for an Ayleid ruin)

How to obtain?

Just enter. You might want to read the book on the left wall of the first hallway.

Are there mods or extensions required to play this mod?

No. The newest official Oblivion patch should be sufficient.

How do I install a mod?

Merge the contents of the Data folder and your Oblivion Data folder and activate the mod in the menu before playing the game.

Do I need to read the whole file?

No. Skip everything that does not interest you.

What are all these n.n.n.n numbers about?

These are version-counters. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_versioning

Background

The long story that led me to building this mod the way it is.

There are several reasons why I decided to design an own house mod. I first noticed that in the game there is no house outside the cities that you can safely use. This lead me to looking for a good mod to provide a house outside the cities as I did not like the idea of being cut off my storage when followed by the guards.

I went on looking on the internet for house mods. There were really tons of mods that all contained bigger or smaller houses. I noticed three rough categories:

1. Very big houses. These often contained many guards and I did not like the idea of a big mod very much as they tend to crash quite often. Also these mods slowed down my framerate a lot and therefore most of them were useless for me.
2. Middle-sized houses. These often looked pretty much like their in-city pendants except for some problems: Most of them did not have a fast travel marker and therefore were difficult to reach.
3. Small scale houses. Most of the houses in this class looked poor and really small. I liked them a lot more than the others but unfortunately there were not many of these. I remember the My Cave mod and the Silent Stones Camp. Silent Stones Camp looked pretty cool but all these plants in there reduced my framerate below 20 fps.

All of these had in common that they were all very bright. As I mainly play in the evening this is really disturbing, although most of the houses to buy in game are also a bit too bright in my opinion. The other thing was that many of the mods dropped my framerate below anything that was playable. I therefore also did not include food lying on the table in my own mod.

Having looked trough and thought about all of the interesting house mods that I found on the internet for several hours I found several interesting options that were all OK but not perfect. If you are interested, these were Mangan House (too bright, I did not like to have teleporters), Silent Stones Camp (framerate too low), My Cave (too bright, too poor), Sunset Manor (I believe this mod crashed my game... I am not quite sure but a crashing game is absolutely a no-go when it comes to item storage), Island Spire (low framerate).

As you see, all of these were somehow not suitable. As I read many This is my first mod. sentences on the website I downloaded the houses from I thought that the level editor (actually called Construction Set) could not be too hard to learn and use. This was actually true and I finally arranged myself with the Construction Set and started to work on a test mod. As I noticed that it was quite easy to create an own house I just thought about creating an own house as all of the mods I found so far were compromises.

The decision to create an Ayleid ruin was made very quickly as I always liked these ruins from the first time I saw them in game. I liked their dark but non-poor style and the crystals that light the way. You will certainly notice this when playing the mod as every light used in the whole mod comes from a crystal.

You will also certainly find it a bit strange to have a Dremora in an Ayleid Ruin. This has it's own story: Before I created this mod I played the Dremora Companion mod that I liked very much. But unfortunately the mod made my game crash on every save when I had finished the second quest. I had a hard time to recover my savegame data and finally had to disable the mod. But I always missed that Dremora companion (as I also like Dremora). The Better Adoring Fan mod seemed to be an unsatisfying solution for a companion (I know that there are other companion mods outside there but I did not yet try them out as I feared it would crash again).

When I tested the My Cave mod I noticed that there was a merchant inclusive. I also really liked that idea and therefore combined the Dremora-Idea with the Merchant-Idea – the story for my mod was invented. Unlike the My Cave Cave Merchant my Dremora Merchant does not sell every item (it always took several seconds to load the list when I tested the My Cave mod), but items that commonly needed to be replaced – like soul gems and arrows.

Changes with Version 1.0.0.7

This mod always had a place that was not quite finished: The basement. The basement was one big room with a throne on stairs that were built of some bricks that could be found in the construction set but not seemed quite well as they had spaces and the stairs they built could not be walked on but needed to be jumped in order to reach the throne. I could not find out how to solve this for a very long time (the problem survived eight small bugfix releases after all). Then I reviewed the basement and decided to give it another try. I almost rebuilt it from scratch and only copied some small parts like the crystal-lamps or the three smaller tables that are placed to build a big table.

After figuring out the solution to the stairs-problem I thought about adding another room for the Staff of the Everscamp that can be easily used for training. I called the room that was newly attached to the basement with 1.0.0.7 Training Room. Be aware of the bugs related to the Staff of the Everscamp, see http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Staff_of_the_Everscamp#Bugs for details.

By adding a blocked way in the basement (you will immediately notice it if you enter) a place to put extensions planned for version 1.0.1.0 was made. But do not expect 1.0.1.0 to come soon – there are currently many other projects in the queue. This is just to tell you why this annoying T-Connector has been added.

I am aware that the changes with 1.0.0.7 take this mod more into the first section of big houses that I mentioned in Background but as this mod neither introduces annoying guards nor makes it required to pass that big room I thought it was OK to add such a big hall.

There is one change with 1.0.0.7 that is not related to the basement: The bedroom is now lit by Great Welkynd instead of Varla stones that in my opinion looked much better. This was not done before as I always had trouble with a Great Welkynd Stone being a quest object. Duplicating the object solved it.

With 1.0.0.7 the screenshots were completely changed: They are still form third person perspective but do not show my character anymore and the number of screenshots included with the mod-archive file was reduced to two in order to decrease filesize. The screenshots are now available in PNG format and no longer stored as TGA in order to (1) reduce filesize and (2) make them fully Windows-compatible.

INCOMPATIBILITY: 1.0.0.7 is not fully backwards compatible to previous versions.

1. If you have dropped (an) item/s in the pre-1.0.0.7 basement, you will need to recover it before you update as the cell coordinates were changed and your items would be lost. Having recovered your items, store they somewhere in a chest or in another room.
2. If you saved in the pre-1.0.0.7 basement cell, your savegame will be invalidated when you update the mod. Therefore you need to get out of the old basement while still having the old version and then update the mod.

Apart from the two cases listed above, everything should still be backwards- compatible to every previous version released.

Changes with Version 1.0.0.9

You might have noticed – as already announced in the Changes with Version 1.0.0.7 – that with 1.0.0.7 the basement was still not complete. There was that strange T-way which led you into a dead end if you went straight on. I actually made that dead end for a very specific extension I had in mid since 1.0.0.0: I wanted to add a trap or some sort of prison to get rid of NPCs or creatures that followed me into the ruin. As I had no idea how to do it, I delayed that idea until 1.0.0.7 where I already wanted to include it, but as 1.0.0.7 took me very long I did not have the motivation to figure out how to do that second part and therefore blocked the way by a dead end and left the idea to be built later, which I now have done.

While building the trap/prison I found my framerate sinking and therefore detached the basement's main room from the entrance and the trap. This is also the source of a possible savegame-invalidation. Read the INCOMPATIBILITY: paragraph for further info on this issue.

While I originally planned to make this 1.0.1.0 I found out – after four hours of adding traps to the new room – that my framerate was low. I was just doing the same mistake many of the mods I tested before creating 0.9.0.0 did. As I noticed that framerate issue I tested which traps still could be used while not dropping the framerate too much. My original plan/version included two "cells" for the prison, which you can still see: One is completely covered with spikes and therefore rather a deadly trap than a "cell" and one is completely empty. That empty cell was completely covered with dart-throwers linked to a button which could be used to activate them. But unfortunately these dart-throwers were – even while they were inactive – great framedroppers and I therefore needed to remove them.

I could not make this 1.0.1.0 anymore as I already had differences to my original thought that were now even much bigger: My original plan was to have one cell with dart throwers and another with red welkynd stones, which unfortunately are only able to shoot at the player and therefore do not qualify for a NPC trap. What I have now is better than before but far away from what I wanted to archive. I will probably think about it again and change that prison part in the future to find a way towards a good solution that could probably include a smaller cell being covered with darts and a bigger one (but still smaller than now) being covered with spikes or something similar to that. This would allow a better framerate than my previous attempt while still keeping the functionality.

1.0.0.9 also introduces small bugfixes: The north markers in the basement were incorrect. I noticed this when I split the basement's main room into two cells. And I edited the book to fit the basement changes.

With 1.0.0.9 I (again) got the idea of probably choosing another terrain cell for placing the mod. This was not yet implemented, the terrain cell remains the same for 1.0.0.9, but I request your feedback. Would you probably think of another outside cell being better suited for this mod. If yes – which? Leave your answer either on PlanetElderscrolls or write a short e-mail.

INCOMPATIBILITY: 1.0.0.9 is not fully backwards compatible to previous versions.

1. The basement's main room was split. If you dropped an item/s there and/or saved your game there you need to recover the items and save your game in another cell before updating. This should only affect the basement's main room. There have been no incompatible changes with the training and bath room. (Basically the same as with 1.0.0.7's incompatibility #1).
2. As 1.0.0.8 was not released to the public I recommend you to also check it's Changelog entry as there was a very small incompatible change that came with 1.0.0.8 and also applies for updating to 1.0.0.9 when you skip 1.0.0.8.
3. Foreshadowing incompatibility: I am not yet satisfied with the new changes and will probably redesign them. See above for further explanation.

Changes with Version 1.0.1.0

1.0.1.0 is not a major change, but 1.0.1.0 was chosen because it finally has all the features I wanted 1.0.1.0 to have.

The cell with spikes was removed in favour of a layer of ice that makes the ruin even colder. Actually that ice-layers were not planned but I noticed that the construction set did not easily allow me to make the design I actually wanted and therefore made the best of the limitation. In the end it turned out to slow the framerate but I found it still acceptable.

The second gate in the basement's NPC/creature prison no longer leads to the spikes (as they were removed) but now ends in a small room that is covered by dart-throwers and no longer reduces my framerate at all. This is the main source of incompatibility: By removing a part of the basement, everything you dropped (or imprisoned) there will certainly be lost or cause bugs. I therefore recommend to clear the changed parts before upgrading.

Apart from that, a friend of mine recommended me to include some plants in the mod in order to make it look more friendly because he thought it was too cold and unfriendly for somebody to live in. In order to keep the cold atmosphere (which this mod is intended to produce) I just added a few plants, that is to say four. These are one of the sources of incompatibility: If you dropped an item at a place that is now occupied by a plant, you might no longer be able to fetch it.

INCOMPATIBILITY: 1.0.1.0 is not fully backwards compatible to previous versions.

1. The basement's prison was changed: Some parts were removed, others added. If you dropped anything there or had NPCs or creatures there, remove them and your items before upgrading. (See above for the exact changes if it affects you.)
2. Four plants were added. This means that items which you dropped at places the plants now occupy could get inaccessible. This should only affect you if the items are very small (smaller than a dagger) because you will be able to easily recover them otherwise as they are still possible to grab even if plants are now above them. Two relevant plants have been added in the living room (both on the free altar where suggestions were asked for in the 1.0.0.1 changelog) and one has been added on the desk in the bedroom.

Changes with Version 1.0.1.3

As he found the ruin too uncomfortable to live in, a friend of mine suggested to add books and plants. The plants were already added with 1.0.1.0 although the symmetry was destroyed (1.0.1.3 corrects this by adding another plant) but I had not yet found out how to correctly add the books as I thought that the Ayleid-shelf would not work with the Ma_Sys.ma Ayleid Ruin as not everything Ayleid is compatible with every other Ayleid thing in the Construction Set. But then I recently saw it working ingame in an Oblivion Ayleid Ruin I thought it must be possible which turned out to be correct.

I have chosen the teaching books, because these not only decorate the ruin but also add a nice feature, which is also interesting if someone decides to disable the mod: The skills gained from the books will persist then. You might consider having that many teaching-books in one building as cheating, if that is the case just do not read them (or not all of them – as you wish). If you are seriously annoyed you might also consider to comment on PlanetElderscrolls or write an e-mail although I will probably not change this because it was quite exhausting to place all these books correctly.

Apart from the books I have, as already mentioned above, added another mana blossom in the living room for the plants to be placed symmetrically. Therefore you now gain access to another rare plant to provide resources for your alchemy.

A change that you will ideally not notice but that I also consider as important to be mentioned is the correction of several small errors that could have caused bugs in connection with other mods. I removed every change I did not want with TES4Edit – a nice program to correct accidental mod mistakes you otherwise would not notice. Therefore 1.0.1.3 has the smallest mod file since 1.0.0.8 even though many items (i.e. the books, plants, etc.) were added.

You might wonder why some of the containers in the bedroom are gone. Do not worry, they were just also placed on a shelf in the bedroom near their old location. I originally planned to to this with many of the other containers as well, but it turned out that there were simply too many to do this while still having a nice design, which is why I dropped that idea.

INCOMPATIBILITY: 1.0.1.3 is not fully backwards compatible to previous versions.

If you dropped items near the walls of the living- or bedroom you should recover them before updating especially if they are very small because the space might be occupied by the bookshelves now.

Features

You will get (sorted by importance)

1. An Ayleid Ruin to live in for free (neither real, nor in-game money needed).
2. Several storage chests that are tested as safe.
3. An own merchant that certainly has enough money and makes very good prices.
4. A not too small amount of gold from the chests to make you have something of this mod even if you decide not to use it in the end.
5. An always friendly place to hide in (this is of course only true if you like such dark and especially cold places).

And – added with new versions (sorted by version)

1. 1.0.0.7, although this was partially true before A big empty room to use for everything you like. See Changes with Version 1.0.0.7 for details.
2. 1.0.0.8, see changelog A Spellmaking and Enchantment facility as it can be found in the mages guild.
3. 1.0.0.9, see Changes with Version 1.0.0.9 A basic NPC/creature prison.
4. 1.0.1.0, see Changes with Version 1.0.1.0 A NPC/creature trap.
5. 1.0.1.3, see Changes with Version 1.0.1.3 A nice collection of useful books.

You will notice that this mod does not use a single script, nor a quest. This has been done on purpose as I think that scripts and quests are the main reasons for game crashes and I really do not want this mod to crash.

With 1.0.0.9 and newer versions this is not completely true anymore: In order to handle the two gates in the basement, the mod now uses some switch-scripts. But these are default-scripts – they are shipped with the game and used in the original Oblivion Ayleid ruins. I therefore do not expect them to cause any trouble.

Characters

I believe that this mod can be used with many different types of characters but it certainly is especially well-suited for darker characters as it has a good position to easily flee to and not being found. I tried to make the story gender-independent meaning that you will commonly read he/she or his/her (see the Features section for further information). It especially also works well with Ayleid Armor and other mods and might provide a good scene to take screenshots of your character as the crystal outside shines very brightly.

Since 1.0.1.3 the mod might be seen as better-suited for mages as it now features a lot of books fitting the stereotypical mage. But you might as well find this a prejudice – why should a warrior not also want to read?

Bugs and Updating

If you face problems with an update from 1.0.0.6 or lower, read the Changes with Version 1.0.0.7 section before. If you are updating from a newer version to the current version, read all of the Changes with version … sections or at least the changelog before you update to make sure, nothing is lost.

Recently a friend of mine found out that on Windows 7 updating the file in C:\Program Files (x86)\Bethesda Softworks\Oblivion\Data does not necessarily mean that the mod is updated correctly. You might notice this when new features simply do not appear in game or something that was stated to have been changed or removed remains the same as before. In such cases, please update the file located in the following directory (where USERNAME is your Windows login)

C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files (x86)\
                                        Bethesda Softworks\Oblivion\Data

This mod should never invalidate your savegame (read the Background section for more information on this) when used properly. I have tested it very well and you therefore should not experience problems. If it does invalidate your savegame (one can never know for sure if even if everything was tested) – immediately send me an e-mail for me to warn everyone not to use this anymore until it is fixed. Despite that, be careful when updating to a version that is known to have incompatible changes (or updating to a version that is more than one step above your version and there have been incompatible changes in one of the versions you are going to skip). For making it easy to find out about incompatible changes there is a section called Changelog. Look at all WARNING: tags that appear after your version and check the Changes with … sections if necessary. They always contain a list of incompatible changes in the end.

There can be trouble if another mod modifies the same cell. Therefore this mod only modifies the cell at (-6|12).

This mod was tested on a Debian/GNU Linux Squeeze 6.0 system with the newest version of wine installed and worked smoothly without problems. As this is for a game it should also work on every OS that runs Oblivion. It was verified that this mod also works well with Microsoft Windows 7 and Debian/GNU Linux Wheezy 7.0.

It was never tested if this mod actually requires Shivering Isles. If you use it without the expansion and do not encounter problems, I would be happy if you wrote a comment on PlanetElderscrolls (see the Changelog section below) or wrote an e-mail to clarify this for me.

If you happen to find a bug, please report it on either PlanetElderScrolls or via e-mail to Ma_Sys.ma@web.de.

Changelog

0.9.0.0 Thu May 3 16:29:25 CEST 2012

First Release at PlanetElderscrolls (now offline: http://planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/ View.php?view=OblivionMods.Detail&id=6806)

1.0.0.0 Tue May 8 12:56:03 CEST 2012

Bugfix Release, fixed small graphical problems, improved merchant

1.0.0.1 Sun May 27 00:58:02 CEST 2012

Although I did not knew it, the mod required Shivering Isles as two objects from Shivering Isles were used. I just removed them, in order to quickly restore compatibility. I will probably add other objects at the location of the removed ones in the future. PS: If you have a good idea for a small object that would fit well there, just leave a comment on the PlanetElderscrolls page or send an e-mail. PPS: This is obsoleted with 1.0.1.0 (two plants were added).

1.0.0.2 Fri Jun 1 21:45:58 CEST 2012

Bugfix Release, added north markers for every room and merchant should now respawn properly, fixed some really small issues with the readme file. Furthermore I have finally added AI-Nodes for every room.

1.0.0.3 Mon Jun 11 20:00:42 CEST 2012

Minor Bugfix (not released): Readme now encoded Windows-compatible \r\n instead of Linux \n. As Oblivion is a Windows-Game this was desirable.

1.0.0.4 Tue Jun 12 22:43:05 CEST 2012

Major Bugfix Release: Fixed a really annoying bug that silently needed you to already have completed some quest and otherwise gave a useless error message. This is now fixed (thanks to a friend of mine for pointing out the problem).

1.0.0.5 Thu Jun 28 23:57:22 CEST 2012

Very small bugfix (not released): Replaced Cellar with Basement. Could not fix some bug that sometimes blocks the entrance door (if this has not yet happened to you it will not, do not panic!).

1.0.0.6 Sat Jun 30 02:29:34 CEST 2012

Preparation (not released): Prepared the mod for adding some further rooms in the basement.

1.0.0.7 Mon Jul 9 01:44:12 CEST 2012

Completely redesigned the basement and updated the screenshots that were already obsolete as 1.0.0.1 was released. The bug mentioned in the 1.0.0.5 changelog could not even be located and I will therefore re-check if it actually exists. WARNING: This is an incompatible change. Read Changes with Version 1.0.0.7 to check whether this affects you or not.

1.0.0.8 Mon Jul 9 23:26:10 CEST 2012

Added enchantment table (not released), again obsoleted screenshots. Found out that the mod does not cause that 1.0.0.5 bug. WARNING: This is a very small incompatible change. If you laid down an item where the enchantment table is now located it might be lost. Be sure to pick up items that lay there before updating. The chest has only be moved – this means that all contents are safe.

1.0.0.9 Wed Aug 8 00:57:21 CEST 2012

Again redesigned basement and split it's main cell into two: The part known from 1.0.0.7 and a new part that is meant to be a NPC prison. WARNING: This is an incompatible change. Read Changes with Version 1.0.0.9 to check whether this affects you or not. Unlike with 1.0.0.7 it will very likely not affect you.

1.0.1.0 Wed Nov 7 21:20:51 CET 2012

Redesigned NPC/creature prison/trap and added some plants. WARNING: This is an incompatible change if you dropped items (or imprisoned NPCs) in the basement's prison cell or if you dropped very small items on an Ayleid-altar in the living room or on the desk in the bedroom. Read Changes with Version 1.0.1.0 for further information.

1.0.1.1 Sat Nov 10 01:22:52 CET 2012

(not released) Changed some of the merchant's items.

1.0.1.2 Sun Nov 11 22:31:32 CET 2012

(not released) Fixed a merchant-bug that was introduced with version 1.0.1.1. Found a problem when updating with Windows 7 (see Bugs and Updating) for the solution.

1.0.1.3 Sun Nov 18 17:09:25 CET 2012

Cleaned the mod file and thereby reduced bug potential. Added a lot of books and shelves in order to make the ruin seem more lively. WARNING: Incompatible change for those who dropped items near the walls as the shelves probably block access to them now. Also check Changes with Version 1.0.1.3 for further details.

1.0.1.4 Tue May 28 20:21:21 CEST 2013

(not released) Added some spikes after I had finally found out the correct Editor ID which was Kvatchpike. Sorry for the framerate decrease.

1.0.1.5 Thu May 30 01:20:28 CEST 2013

(not released) Removed superfluous cheat-feature.

1.0.1.6 Tue Jul 30 02:29:18 CEST 2013

Corrected the grid in the NPC prison. NPCs should no longer prefer to go to the ice instead of following the player.

1.0.1.7 Mon Aug 11 00:06:49 CEST 2014

The .esp file was not changed but the whole readme was reviewed in order to be compatible with the new Ma_Sys.ma Website. ANNOUNCEMENT: PlanetElderscrolls is down which means that this mod will not be available via PlanetEdlerscrolls anymore.

1.0.1.8 Tue Dec 29 16:45:39 CET 2015

Dremora should now move visibly.

1.0.1.9 Sun Nov 20 23:36:32 CET 2016

Finally releasing this to NexusMods with updated screenshots and readme.

Screenshots

The ruin main room / bedroom.

Readme-File and Distribution

I have decided to release this mod under GPL. Although it is designed to be used for programs, it may also be used for other work – quoting from the GPL: "The Program" refers to any copyrightable work licensed under this License.

This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
(at your option) any later version.

This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
GNU General Public License for more details.

You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.

This file was written to have a line break at least every 80 characters in order to be readable on 80x24 terminals (still a common size for terminal windows).

If you decide to distribute this mod I would really like you to include this file as well if it is possible (e.g. when creating an own mods archive with your favorite mods).

Development

Development times for different versions

Version	Aestimated Time/hours
0.9.0.0	23
1.0.0.7	4.5
1.0.0.9	6
1.0.1.0	4
1.0.1.3	3.5
1.0.1.4	1
1.0.1.7	2

I was unable to place metadata into the mod file as this always made the Construction Set crash and leave me with a zero-byte mod file meaning all of my recent progress was gone. I was lucky to have the autosave function enabled that allowed me to recover. Be warned to backup before using the Construction Set!

This mod does not use any ambient light in order to create the most realistic scene that is possible. But you therefore might experience some smaller parts of the ruin being completely dark.

Language

This mod is completely designed in English although the author is actually not a native-English speaker/writer. Therefore there might be several (I hope smaller) issues with language. If you want to correct these, just send me a short correction via e-mail or list my mistakes.

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Ma_Sys.ma Website 4, Copyright (c) 2014, 2015 Ma_Sys.ma. For further info send an e-mail to Ma_Sys.ma@web.de.