Tes4Mod:Cobl/Policy

This page covers some general policy for Cobl. What Cobl is, what Cobl is not, etc. 

Common Library
Cobl is (almost) exclusively a common library mod. I.e. the primary goal of Cobl is to provide a common library of defined objects, where such common definitions enable other mods to work together more easily or where such common definitions substantially reduce the work load on modders. In other words, if there's not a strong need for an item to be part of a common library, then it won't go in.

Minimal Impact
Cobl Main.esm by itself will not change Oblivion.esm definitions and will have minimal impact on gameplay. It is only through use of the (optional) glue mods and through Cobl-aware mods that Cobl will have an impact on the world. 

The minor exception to this is Cobl's Options Menu. This will appear even if the glue mods are not active and will provide a few simple commands and facilities (Quest Arrows, Cobl Clock, etc.)

Not an Overhaul
Cobl is not an overhaul. Cobl will not attempt to fix or improve any aspect of existing Oblivion.esm gameplay. When introducing new content, Cobl will follow Oblivion's assumptions to the degree that such philosophy is present. 

E.g. Oblivion alchemy assumes that the player has an endless supply of empty vials to fill with newly created alchemical potions. Hence, when adding Tarnsman's Tamrielic Ingredients, Cobl removed the need to have vials to store blood in. (If you have an endless supply of vials for alchemy, then presumably the same applies to storing gathered blood.)

Not a Patch Mod
Cobl does not attempt to fix any of the large number of bugs in Oblivion, Shivering Isles or the official mods. We'll leave that to the excellent Unofficial Patch series.

Not Visionary
Cobl does not seek to promote any "vision" of the way the game should be. Rather it tries to fit as a natural extension of vanilla Oblivion. (See also Not an Overhaul above and Prefer Neutrality below.)

Backward Compatibility
Cobl will maintain backward compatibility whenever possible. I.e. if a Cobl-aware mod is built to work with Cobl 1.12, it should continue to work with all future versions of Cobl. Semi-exceptions to this:
Rarely, newly implemented feature may be modified slightly to improve functioning. 
Rarely, editor ids may be changed. 

Glue Files Optional
Cobl comes in a base esm and several glue files which "glue" Cobl objects and features into the world created by Oblivion.esm. If a player wishes to minimize the impact of Cobl on the world, they can choose to not use/activate the glue mods. 

A player might do this if they've acquired a Cobl-aware mod (e.g. a home with an alchemical sorter) and they want to use just that mod without also getting Cobl's other additions to the world. With the glue files deactivated the player will receive only what their Cobl-aware mod adds plus a few core Cobl functions (e.g. the Options menu and its default commands).

Minimized Downloads
Cobl attempts to minimize download requirements. The Cobl core release is currently around 11 Mb. Smaller patch mods are generally provided to patch from recent to current versions. 

Resources additions (statics, furniture, etc.) have been considered for Cobl. Since resource collections tend to be very large, these will come be packaged as separate, optional downloads. Users will be able to get and use the Cobl core without getting the resource packs (if/when they become available).

OBSE Not Required
Cobl does not require OBSE. However, Cobl sometimes provides improved and/or additional functionality if OBSE is present. The alchemical sorter is a good example. Non-OBSE users have a working, useful sorter for vanilla Oblivion ingredients, but users with OBSE installed have enhanced functionality.

For projects under consideration the general rule is: 1) Try to provide the service without OBSE whenever possible. 2) If OBSE can provide an enhanced version of the function, make the available and make the mode switching automatic. 3) If the function is impossible without OBSE, then an OBSE only function is desirable, so long as Cobl Main.esm does not function in a "broken" way when OBSE is not installed.

Prefer Neutrality
When established mods provide competing implementations of a common theme (e.g. hunger/thirst/sleep, crafting), Cobl will generally maintain neutrality, but will also look for an common basis which allows multiple mods to work together easily.

E.g. for hunger handling, Cobl provides the dinner plate as an (optional) intermediary between food adding mods and hunger mods. This provides a common interface for eating, and allows the user to easily use different food mods with their choice of a hunger mod. But it does not in itself provide the final hunger handling.

Management
Cobl was originally originally set up to be managed by a group of advisors. Features would be proposed and then voted on to determine what would go in. However, in practice, not enough qualified people had the time to act as advisors and the whole process was time consuming (and no one was particularly unhappy with Wrye's decisions), so Wrye now makes all final inclusion/exclusion decisions. (That said, some parts of the mod are entirely or mostly in Haama's hands (e.g. RUE, alchemical sorters).)

Particularly thorny management issues (such as script standardization) are settled by brutal fight club style battles between Wrye and Haama. 

For folks with suggestions for Cobl, there are some practical considerations: 
First, see preceding sections of this page. These sections lay down some basic principles. Any new addition must fit within those guidelines.
While Cobl is intentionally separate from Wrye's personal preferences, there's a practical issue of how much time he (or Haama) needs to spend on to add a new feature. Hence if a given feature fits Cobl's policy, but neither Wrye nor Haama have much interest in it, then it won't be high on their priority list. Thus the proposer will likely need to do most of the implementation work themselves in order for the feature to make it into Cobl.
In practice, both Wrye and Haama are pretty amenable to new suggestions. If an idea is a good fit, they'll usually work to get it added. 
The current   on the official forums is usually the best place to make and discuss suggestions. Alternatively, suggestions can be made on the Cobl/Projects page.