Article link: Item editing and basic navigation in the CS

Go get the Construction Set at http://static.bethsoft.com/Oblivion-Const-Set.exe

Install it.

Now open up the CS (short for The Elder Scrolls Construction Set)
and double-click the little white square in front of Oblivion.esm.

Choose "load" and wait a little. It'll take from 20 seconds to 4 minutes, depending on your computer.

You should see a tree-view at the left side of the screen.
Go to

| Items |
-- | Weapons |

by double-clicking on the names, and find a weapon you would like to change. When you've found it, either double-click it or right-click and choose "edit."

Change the damage to something noticeable (176, for example)

Click OK. If you did something you didn't want to do, click Cancel. (Instead of OK)

Save the plugin by clicking on the disc in the left corner.

Quit the CS and launch Oblivion with your new mod.
Go find the weapon you changed. Notice the stats? That's the simple way to make mods.



---- Authors notes on "How to become a Modder" ----

Play around with stuff like this, changing item value and such. When you've got a good grip on navigating the CS items, try changing some of the spells.

After a little, you will begin asking "what is scripting?"
Go here, http://cs.elderscrolls.com/constwiki/index.php/Scripting_Tutorial:_Basic_Scripting_Knowledge ://http://cs.elderscrolls.com/constwik...ting_Knowledge and you'll learn a little. There's a lot of other interesting tutorials in the wiki at that site.

Try messing a little with the render view and cells. When you can do all this, you've got most of it. Then it's about being creative. What do people need, what do YOU think would be fun to create?
I started with this one: http://tessource.net/files/file.php?id=5151

Try loading it in the CS. It's the same as opening the Oblivion.esm, but you'll have to click my mod instead. The Oblivion.esm will automaticly be loaded. All the items that have a star/asterisk * in their IDs(/the count-tab), have been changed. Either by you, or me.

That's about it. There are many good tutorials out there.
Here is the TESSOURCE thread, were this was posted just before uploading it here.
I made some minor modifications and corrections to this one before uploading.
http://forum.gamingsource.net/index.php?showtopic=22496
This was supposed to end the endless stream of "how do I make mods?" threads.

-GBHis

How do you change the image?

Yahoo! A reply!

You need to unpack the .dds file. DDS is an abbreviation for "Microsoft DirectDraw Surface Texture".
Read the BSA unpacking tutorial, and place your icon in Data\Menus or Data\Texture\Somethinggoeshere

Hey, could use some help here. Just making a little mod, two thief type rings. I created them, everything (I think) is taken care of, and I save the .esp and load it. Get into Oblivion, use the console, and I can't get the rings, either one. I'm almost certain I have the right FORMID. Any ideas?

I believe that those ID's change when you have other mods active. Why not place them in some place you know? Like the imperial city market district. Just so you can test the rings.

Good idea. One problem, though. I am a total noob when it comes to the CS, just d/l it last night. I'll try and see if i can't intuit it myself. Regardless, if ya'll could give me some pointers or a good link it would be much appreciated. Thanks for the help!

Nevermind, plopped the rings down in the Market District and found them. All is well. Thanks for the help.

Try incrementing the 1. / 2. decimal (or, well, hex-digit) in the ID.
These vary, and changes due to the loading order.
00 is (I think) stock with Oblivion.
01 is (together with 00) used by Oblivion.ESM. Sometimes custom ESPs will use 01 as well
02 and everything above (until FF) is custom-made mods.

is there a way to make a duplication of your character in the construction set, so you can like, fight against it, or just talk to it.

No. Until someone finds a way to open savegames in the CS (possible in MW, but not OB), this cannot be done.

However, there is a script function that will, when used in-game, duplicate the referenced actor.

Hey Im a brand new modder and whenever i try and place an item in an area, even just a plate, when i enter that area there is no floor and my charachter falls and falls and falls and the restarts at the top.

Please help me out

More information is needed.

Did you use an area that already exists, and already has a door?
Or did you create a new area and not include any architecture?
Or did you make a new area, with architecture, but neglect to make sure the door marker is far enough into the area? I've had this happen. You need it to be entirely over a floor segment. Look at existing doormarkers to see an example.
Or are you using a teleport command?

In the top menus, find "Havok Sim" and enable it when placing your item. That usually works for me...

It's possible to, if you copy ALL the information about the character and making custom item entries for any custom armor, weapons, rings/amulets (and nonobtainable optional) as well as spells.

Fghting my Wih-Ju character would prove interesting

About my problem,

I placed a plate and akaviri dai-katana in the wawnet inn
Nothing was changed, just 2 items were dropped on the bar
and when i loaded my game it was an endless black pit with scattered
objects

Did you place them above the pieces, besides them, or inside the interior?

Sometimes strange things happens if you place havok-enabled items outside the non-havok pieces. (So they just ... fall)

I placed both items on top of the bar inside of the wawnet inn

sorry for the double post but whats Havok???

EDIT: Merged your posts. Please use the edit button beneath your post to add new info, rather than double posting. Thanks.

- Switch

There is an edit button which you could have used...

Anyway, turning on havok sort of means turning on gravity. When you place an object in the air, click on it and turn the havok sim on, it will fall to the ground. This way you can see whether the objects you placed in a cell don't fall of the table you placed them. If they do, you will have to move them. Only the objects you select while Havok sim is on will fall though. The rest will stay where it is.

The above is also the method that should have been used by the devs to avoid all the floating food you find...

Does Havok use real gravity, or just downward acceleration?

Well if you throw it on the side of a hill it will fall down and keep on rolling. Havok wouldn't help fixing all the floating food, when you grounded an apple on a table with F for instance, selecting the apple and enabling havok will make it float a bit. But I believe food and things won't move unless interacted with, so when you ground it with F it should stay down in game too unless someone touches it.

Real gravity. Simulated gravity
The F key grounds items. "Havok" work like -well- in-game havok.

where is the 'litte White Square" i front of the esm?

Right next to it

Seriously (SP?) though, just before the .esm files' name.
It's a little check box.

Got it?

Good, see that wasn't hard was it?

How do I place items I've made in the CS in the game?

You go to the cell you want to place your item in, and simply drag the item from the object window into the render window.

yo im new to cs, yeh a guy like me eh.. i did ur guide thing and changed stats and changed baurus to a drmora and stuff but how do u render things i dono were the thing is to do it? help plz?

Then...

POSSIBLE SPOILER

How did you fight yourself in Shivering Isles?

How do u make a chest have stolen goods ?

Sorry had a brain fart i think i killed that sentance?

Note do i have to make the ownership like example "Anvil Guards"?

EDIT: Nevermind.

Thanks for taking the time to write this article GBHis.
I am just now starting into the world of modding & appreciate it very much.

Thank you so much! This really helps me a lot!

I am slowly getting the hang of it (the CS) now... Um, this isn't Thread Necromancy, is it? Because this is an Article... if it is, I'm sorry.

Cheers,
gman021