Streamline v2.

0
The Elder Scrolls IV - Oblivion
April 25th, 2007

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Mod Description
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Streamline enhances the performance of Oblivion by reducing
stuttering and lag, smoothing out gameplay. It does this by
maintaining much cleaner cell buffer and video ram cache while
the game is running and the player is moving from place to place.
As a result, average FPS over a gaming session should be higher,
stutter from loading new areas in should be dramatically lower,
and the lag generally experienced as gameplay progresses should
be significantly reduced (or eliminated entirely). Further, due
to the manner and frequency in which memory is cleared, people
that were unable to use higher resolution texture packs in the
past may be capable of doing so now.
The extremely intelligent algorithms that run ensure that memory
is cleared on a regular basis only when it is safe to do so, and
so that nearby conversations by NPCs pose little risk of being
interrupted unlike in the past.
Streamline will enable itself with the default mode (Normal)
which should be adequate for most people, but can be configured
to run in five additional modes - both faster and slower - to
suit different needs. The faster the script runs, the more often
cell buffers will be cleared. People with less available memory
or who fill up their memory quickly are advised to try a faster
mode before a slower one.
Companion mods that have the player's companion in the faction
"playerfaction" will be compatible with Streamline. Check with
the creator of any companion mod you use to see if that is the
case. If not, Streamline will still function completely with
your companion, but at a reduced rate of cache clearing.
Streamline should have *zero* negative impact on your game's
performance, despite whichever mode is selected. It is possible
in very rare circumstances for slight pauses to be noticed. This
is due to memory being cleaned by Streamline. The larger the
amount of memory that is cleaned, the larger the pause. Even on
slower machines with a lot of memory to clear, this should never
pause long enough so it detracts from the playability of the game.
If this slight pausing is noticed, it means Streamline is doing
it's job, and your loading times will be less wherever you are.
Typically this pausing will only occur in the heaviest of areas,
where your computer loads up tons of resources into memory.

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Gameplay Details
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 Upon entering the game, a Streamline Signet ring will be added to
the player's inventory, and Streamline will activate itself in the
"performance" operating mode. No further input from the player is
needed unless you want to change how Streamline runs.
When worn, the ring enables the player to adjust Streamline's
operating mode, or to disable it. It can be stored or disposed of,
and is not required for Streamline to work. If you believe
Streamline has stopped working, simply wear the ring and choose a
new operating mode. All of Streamline's variables will be reset
and the script started fresh.
The six speeds streamline runs in are:
- Maximum
For machines desiring the highest frequency and aggressiveness
of purging. If you have massive texture packs or are running
a very old machine, this will keep memory as clean as possible.
Note: may interrupt sound events near the player occasionally
- High
Less aggressive than the Maximum mode. Still attempts to clean
the cache very often. For use with demanding texture packs or
older computers.
- Performance
For a nice balance of stability and cache clearing. For use
under almost any circumstances. Average level of aggressivness
when clearing cache.
- Normal (default)
For faster computers or those with less stress (higher FPS).
Will attempt to clear cell data, but at a slower rate than
performance mode so that content stays in the buffers longer.
- Lite
For people wanting the benefit of cached cell data, and the
occasional clearing of that data. Best for a high-end PC
without texture packs installed due to a higher level of game
resources being used.
- Ultra Lite
The most relaxed version with the least aggressiveness in cell
cache clearing. For use with high-end PCs who desire very
infrequent purges, or for PCs with potential problems when a
faster mode is causing issues.
If one mode is causing too many problems for your computer (voice
cutoffs, etc), choose the next lower mode until you are happy
with the results. If you aren't getting the performance increase
(less stutter) that you think you should, try a different mode
in either direction (up or down). Every computer and install of
Oblivion is different, so experiment and find out what works best
for *you*!
If you have lost the ring and are unable to get it back, simply
save your game, exit, turn off Streamline in the Data Files area.
Load the game with Streamline off, and save the game again. Exit
and turn Streamline back on in the Data Files area, then reload
your game. You will be given a shiny new Signet ring, and
Streamline will re-initialize itself with the default values,
which you can then adjust to your needs.
There may be times when the player has changed cells and Streamline
would like to clear the cache, and cannot. Generally this happens
when the player is near other NPCs, such as in a town, or when around
other NPCs/monsters that are in combat. Fortunately Streamline is
patient and will keep trying until the player has left the vicinity
of other NPCs and monsters. If it senses an abnormally long time
has passed and it still cannot do this, it will wait for the player
to change cells once more, and immediately force a flush of the
cache. This is a safety mechanism to ensure the cache will be
flushed even in high-traffic areas over prolonged periods of time.
Streamline will also watch for the player to wait, sleep or fast
travel. When it notices this it will attempt to clean the buffers,
but will not do so more than once every 30 seconds. This protects
against crashes that multiple purges from waiting, sleeping and
traveling can cause.
Streamline has an "anti-cache cache" built in. It knows when the
last purge happened, and depending on the mode selected it won't
immediately ask for a new purge when the player crosses their
first cell boundary in-game. Slower modes have more tolerance
for the number of cached cells and will wait longer to request
a purge. This protects against purging from "cell hopping", like
repeatedly entering/exiting a shop or building
Due to the way Streamline works, it will not actively purge the
cell buffers when the player or other actors near them are in
combat. This protects against breaking many different types of
voice events, among other things (like crashes).
Streamline will attempt to empty cell caches, and may very rarely
interrupt NPC voices. This occurs less with slower modes, so don't
use faster modes if you don't actually need to. The frequency at
which caches are cleared determines how many system resources
Oblivion takes up: faster cache cleaning means more resources are
freed, but that those resources need to be reloaded when needed
again.
The mod was developed with the "set it and forget it" mindset.
Pick how you want it to run when you install it (or use the default
mode), and you'll never have to touch it again!

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Requirements
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- Oblivion patch v1.1.511 (First Official patch) or higher.
- OBSE v09b or higher (http://obse.silverlock.org)
- Only use ONE version of Streamline at a time, and either the
ESP or the OMOD file, *not both*.

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Installation - ESP Version
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 - Extract the included esp file to your \Oblivion\Data folder
- Copy the meshes folder into your \Data folder and answer "yes"
to any overwrite requests.
- Launch the game, select Data Files and enable Streamline.esp

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Installation - OMOD Version
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- OBMM Required for this version to work:
http://timeslip.chorrol.com/obmm_download.html or
http://www.tessource.net/files/file.php?id=2097
- Double click Streamline's OMOD file to load it into OBMM
- Activate Streamline 2.0 in the OMOD listing pane

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Compatability
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- Streamline 2.0 has no known conflicts with other mods.
- You should not attempt to run this at the same time as
another "cache clearing" mod, like HTF's PCB mod. Doing so
may cause stutter and/or crashing.

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Recommendations
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Testing with Oblivion 1.2 has shown that a default number for
"iPreloadSizeLimit" in your Oblivion.ini works best with this
mod (unless you run large texture packs). If you have changed
it by hand, reverting it back to it's default number is
recommended for the smoothest gameplay possible in a "vanilla"
Oblivion install. For those with texture packs installed, you
will need to raise your iPreloadSizeLimit number incrementally
above the default number, until you find a size that gives you
decent performance.

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More Detail - Debug mode ESP
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Feedback messages on what Streamline is up to in-game can be
enabled by use of the ESP in the "Debug ESP" folder. Simply copy
that ESP over the one in the Data folder and play as you normally
would. You can see feedback messages from Streamline by opening
the console (using the ` key above the TAB key), typing in
"sdt 12" (no quotes), hitting enter, typing in "tdt" (no quotes),
hitting enter, and then closing the console with another ` key.
You can turn off these messages by either replacing the debug
ESP with the regular one while outside the program, or by
entering another "tdt" into the console while debug messages
are being shown.

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 Credits
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- Mod Programming & Design: Jaga Telesin
- Coding assistance and feedback: Martigen
- Scripting Tips: Scruggywuggsy the ferret
- Original concept and inspiration: HTF
Streamline 2.0 Testing Team:
- Luchaire, Galahaut, Slochy, TheFlyingBuddha, Jakebow,
Delte, smbh_1, Simplefoo, SpartanVI, mike-, ArgonianSoldier
A big thanks goes out to the OBSE people for making
these mods possible!

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Version History
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- v2.0 (4/25/2007) Second release
- v1.0 (4/14/2007) First release

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License
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This package may be freely redistributed unless otherwise stated
by the original author (Jaga Telesin). Its works and coding
(and those of any other package in the series by another version
number) may not be altered or repackaged unless express permission
has been granted by said author. It may be bundled with other
packages for Oblivion only if said author is contacted notifying
them of the bundling and what other packages are included.
If at any time a request is made to remove this package or any
part of it from a website or package bundle, we ask that you
respect that request and do so.

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Disclaimer
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Neither the makers of this mod, nor Bethesda Softworks are
responsible for any damage or other liability, either directly or
indirectly from the use of this package in whatever form.

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Contact Info
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- For questions, comments, etc contact:
jagatelesin@gmail.com