Hello, I'd like to get some help/suggestions/etc to successfully mod Morrowind. Basically, I've went to a couple of helpful threads and websites, and I've determined which mods I want. Now the only thing left to do is install them all properly and trying to make Morrowind stable. For other people, the sites I found most helpful or useful were: http://morrowind2009.wordpress.com/ , http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1060141-mod-recommendations-for-new-players/page__p__15392814__fromsearch__1&#entry15392814 , http://btb2.free.fr/morrowind.html , http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1110304-povuholos-morrowind-2010/page__p__16275408&#entry16275408 and the various parts of http://www.mwmythicmods.com/Gluby/Gluby_Main.htm.

Most ( if not all ) mods I will download and install come from these sites. I will also install and configure my game according to the first 5 steps of Morrowind Expanded.
Underneath this text, I will make a list with mods according to when I'll install them ( the first one first ). Generally, I'll first install in this order Patches&Fixes>Graphic/sound Improvements>Gameplay Improvements>Additional content. The line between Gameplay improvements and additional content is a bit thin though.

What I would like from you guys would be to offer suggestions about how to install and utilize these mods. I've also got some questions about some mods and mod combinations, the questions are next to the mods. I'd also like suggestions about cleaning the mods, merging leveled lists, and other nifty tools of Wyre Mash and TesTool 1.3. I'm not sure how they work or if I will even need them, so should they be recommended by you guys, I'll learn how to do it.
Lastly, I apologize for having to ask for help as I do realize there are a lot of guides out there. I just want to assure a stable and fun Morrowind game, without having to spend hours to fix it. As a small aside, I know a little about dealing with mods, from using mods with Oblivion.

Now, the mod list:
First, I will download all the patches from http://www.gamesas.com/?showtopic=794715 up to Visual fixes. First I'll start with MPP and MCP.

Then the graphic improvements in the following order:
Better Bodies
Liztail's New Beast Bodies
Better Heads
Better Clothes
Darknut's Equipment Textures
Darknut's Creature Textures
Visual Pack
Mesh Improvements
Slartibartfast's Texture Fix
Bloodmoon Landscape Overhaul
SWG's Skies
Oblivion Septims
Realistic Blood
Weathered Signposts
Journal, Books, & Scrolls
Kirel's Interior Weather
Duncan's Atmospheric Sound Effects
Misc Items Replacer

Then Gameplay improvements:

Morrowind Advanced
Meaner CharGen ( As a quick aside, the link on the Gluby page is to Bloodmoon Start, here is a download link: http://www.elricm.com/nuke/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=Downloads&file=index&req=viewdownloaddetails&lid=1671 )
Races Are More Fun RAMF v0.5
Expanded Birthsigns for Purists v1.0
Madd Leveler v1.0b
State Based Hit Points
Magick Oblivion Regeneration v1.4 ( Is this compatible with the expanded birthsigns/RAMF mods? Do they use the standard 5, 10 or 15 magicka multiplier?)
Spellcasting Mod v1.2
Herbalism for Purists v1.21
Pearls Enhanced v2.80
Dark Brotherhood Delay - Murderous Dreams v1.2
Dark Brotherhood Assassins Fix ( Is this compatible with the above mod?)
The LGNPC Project ( + Tribunal + Bloodmoon + Nerevarine)
NX9 Guards Complete
Morrowind Comes Alive
Ecology of Morrowind
Where Are All The Birds Going?
Water Life
Nymeria’s Faster Walk
Fleeing Fetchers
Protective Guards
Darknuts’s Greater Dwemer Ruins Volume 1 (!!! Is this a good idea if I never finished Morrowind before? )
Travelling Merchants
Light The Way
Keyring
The Imperial Legion Badge
Museum of Artifacts Improved Expanded
Animated Practice Dummies
Persuasion Response Expansion

And finally additional content:

Tamriel Rebuilt: Map 1: Telvannis
Tamriel Rebuilt: Map 2: Antediluvian Secrets (!!! Is this worth it? It is still in beta I've heard )
Tamriel Rebuilt: Census and Excise Travel Links at Seyda Neen.
Farrp's Weapon Compilation Mod

Creatures vX
Creature Pack v1.1
Morrowind Additions Revamped v0.9 Beta (!!!! Is it a good idea to use these 4 mods that add creatures? Both mod-wise and gameplay-wise, does it unbalance the game? Should I remove 1/some of them?)
The Undead v3.0

Real Wildlife + patch.
The Neverhalls
Healers
Welcome to the Arena!
Homes To Let
Armor Mannequin

Excepting this mod list there are a couple of questions I have about other mods.
Is MGE worth it? If I just do a basic install without wanting the fancy Shader/distant land stuff is it even worth adding it?
If I do not add it, is MSE required? I haven't seen it as required in any mod descriptions and I got the impression it isn't as needed as OBSE is in Oblivion.

Except the above things, I will also download Wyre Mash, TesTool 1.3, Morrowind FPS Optimizer and Timeslip's .exe Optimizer.
Anybody got any complaints about those last 2? I'm planning to change the FOV with Morrowind FPS Optimizer to get a semi-distant land setting, but I'm asking you guys if it is a good idea.


That was all. Thanks for reading this far! Also, if anybody should have a good mod suggestion, or a better mod alternative to the above or if a mod just isn't worth it, please say so.
If you guys want the specific locations of the mods, I can also give that.

So many questions, I can at least answer those:


The vanilla ruins were nothing extraordinary, so you won't miss anything. But be warned, Darknuts ruins are a lot more challenging.


Definitely worth it. The land is complete, only the quests/npcs are missing. Basically it's a nice wilderness addition.


It will make the game harder but I think the variety it will give you is a fair trade.


If your computer is strong enough to take it, then yes. I also suggest you try using the distant land feature, you can adjust it to limit the distance if you don't want to see to far. It took me a while before I decided to use MGE, but I'm glad I did. I never used any shaders though, so I can say anything on that matter.

Hope that helped a bit.

These mods require MWSE (check their readme's for which version, but v0.9.2 should suffice):
Fleeing Fetchers
Protective Guards
Keyring

MWSE v0.9.3 is built into the current versions of MGE, so that's another good reason to use MGE even if you don't want to use the distantland feature.

FPS Optimizer v1.96 is great for regulating framerate, just don't expect to set the framerate to a really high value (usually 15-25 fps is reasonable). Some of its features like FOV, setting screen resolution and aspect ratio for widescreen displays, and keeping fps constant are also available in MGE, but FPSO's keep fps constant is superior and it has a unique crosshair toggle feature. FPSO also is the only tool currently that lets you increase the game UI up to 2x so that the text is easier to read on very large displays.

EXE Optimizer v1.8 is recommended - it might not increase framerate at all, but it definitely helps with game stability. Make sure to apply this patch after you've patched Morrowind.exe with the Morrowind Code Patch.

Main suggestion: Do not add all these mods at once.
Slow down, take your time. Make sure the game still functions after adding each mod.
If you add them all at once, and get warnings, it's harder to find the solution.



Yes, you do need them.
I clean every mod I download with TESTool, unless the ReadMe says I shouldn't. (Use the Clean ESP/ESM function, do not use JUST FIX IT)
TESTool has the handy Merged_Object function.

Wrye Mash is essential. http://wryemusings.com/Wrye%20Mash.html the documentation for it.
It can repair saves, update ESPs, maintain Load Order, create the best Merged List (called Mashed List) among many other things.
We don't need to tell you how to use it, because all the info is easily found there.

I suggest you get http://code.google.com/p/mlox/wiki/Mlox
It will sort your Load Order for you. Very handy for new (and old) players.


You only really need one of these, or there will likely be too many birds. Where are All The Birds Going does have seagulls in it.

Thanks for all the excellent suggestions so far. I've got a couple of extra questions and of course the main list is always open to extra suggestions/revisions.

So using MGE is recommended. My laptop specs are the following: Geforce 8600M GT 256MB, Intel Core 2 Duo CPU T9300 @ 2.50 GHz and 4.00 gb RAM ( but Morrowind can probably only use 2? I remember a tool for Oblivion or Fallout that allowed the game to use more RAM, is there a similar tool for Morrowind?).
Supposing my laptop is strong enough for the basic functions of MGE ( nothing fancy except maybe distant land ). I've heard distant land is difficult to get to work right, so would it be a good idea to just use the FOV function of Morrowind FPS Optimizer + standard features of MGE?


Second question is, Merged Lists and Merged_Object function. I suppose I'll have to do that after installing all my mods. There is a mod in my lists that says the following though:for RAMF [Jan. 2009. This mod should come after your Merged_Objects file in mod load order, as TESTool's objects merge results in both Alaisiagae's new powers and Bethesda's old powers being combined in some instances.], so I suppose the Merged_Object file will already be present in my mod list, then I'll have to put RAMF after Merged_objects in mod load order. After I've then created/updated my Merged_Object thing, can I place the RAMF mod back before the Merged_Objects list? ( Most likely Mlox will put it there itself ).

Sorry for the long and possibly unclear question, but the Merged_Object and Merged Lists things aren't very clear to me.

http://www.ntcore.com/4gb_patch.php

But Distant Land is one of the fancy features. A weak laptop won't be able to handle it. I still use MGE on my laptop though, just for the MWSE and the Macro editor.
Using the FPS Optimizer alongside MGE works great, especially if you can't use Distant Land because FPSO can extend the view distance by twice as far as default.

Yes, create your Merged Lists after installing all mods. Recreate them anytime you install/uninstall mods. (be sure to update/repair your Save afterwords)

If a ReadMe says this: "This mod should come after your Merged_Objects file in mod load order"
Then that's what you should do!!
Placing RAMF before the Merged Objects will likely cause odd behavior.

I suggest you read through http://www.mwmythicmods.com/starting.htm#basic to get a grasp of what Merged Lists/Objects do and why Load Order is important.
Any mod that loads after Merged Lists/Objects will overrule them. There are few mods that need to do this, but the ReadMe will usually have the instructions.

Thanks for the info. So, just to make sure, I'll just download all these mods ( starting with MGE now ) and basically set up my game how I want it. After that, I'll clean every mod using TESTools1.3. Then I'll use Mlox and after that I'll generate a Merged_objects.esp with TESTools and put every mod that needs to be after it, after it. After that I'll generate Mashed Lists with Wyre Mash and do the same as before. And after that I'll be able to (hopefully bugfree) play the game. Is this more or less correct?

Sounds right

Just one thing- all the npcs are there, including all services and enemies, it's only quests that aren't done yet. Note also that you don't need to download map 1- map 2 comes with a more up-to-date version of map 1.

I just read through the Morrowind Expanded guided. I think some of the claims there are very questionable, and lots of the mods he mentions have very good alternatives. For example, he makes the texture packs like Morrowind Visual Pack seem like a must, and suggests them before Better Bodies. The texture packs can have a huge hit on performance, for not a massive improvement. The only texture packs I would use are Darknut's ones as they are far more true to the original ones. If your computer is strugling with MGE and the texture packs, take the large texture packs out first IMO. He also reccomends Morrowind Grass Mod, which I would only use if you can't use MGE's distant land, because Vurt's Groundcover comes with far more different types of grass and is run through MGE to reduce performance hit. He appears to have never left the Ascadian Isles, as only reccomends AI tree replacers, but to go with them you will probably want replacres for other areas like Vurt's various tree replacers.

About the strength of my laptop I'm not sure, since I haven't actually played a modded Morrowind yet.
My specs are: Geforce 8600M GT 256MB, Intel Core 2 Duo CPU T9300 @ 2.50 GHz and 4.00 gb RAM .
I'd appreciate it if anybody could post a similar set up and how your experience is with MGE/Texture mods.
Thanks for all the feedback too.

Using texture mods has a very, very small effect on gameplay. Any loss of FPS they might cause is going to be negligible.
Unless you have a really old, pathetic video card.
Computers now-a-days can handle Morrowind with large textures quite fine.

I agree, MGE is going to have a larger impact on FPS than texture replacers.

not even one of my mods oo:

...

I'd use http://webpages.charter.net/manauser/morrowind/#gherb, because with this mod, only the useful part of the plant disappears, and not all the plant.

I have to admit that I actually included 2 mods from your helpful site that weren't listed anywhere else ( Armor Mannequin and Homes to Let, I think ) but I didn't want to make the intro too link heavy and decided that your site is also included in Mod Recommendations for New Players. Sorry .

I did think about Graphic Herbalism. I pondered for a long time which herbalism mod I should take ( this site has all the info anybody need: http://www.mwmythicmods.com/Gluby/Gluby_Herbalism_Mods.htm ), but I eventually decided against Graphic Herbalism because it might conflict with some texture replaces. If that isn't the case, or if it is unlikely/not a big deal, I will gladly choose Graphic Herbalism instead!

Sorry for the double post. I'm starting to mod Morrowind and have encountered a big problem: Planet Elder Scrolls doesn't work ( for me ). With simply everything I'm trying to download, when I click the download link, it says:

Server Error in '/' Application.

The resource cannot be found.

Description: HTTP 404. The resource you are looking for (or one of its dependencies) could have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable. Please review the following URL and make sure that it is spelled correctly.

Requested URL: /hosteddl.aspx


Is this a problem for everyone or just for me? I tried to download it in 3 different browsers, all give more or less the same message. Heck, I even tried it with my firewall off...


EDIT: It works again? Odd, must've been a temporary problem. I've installed MGE, and I must say it is a lot easier to use than I expected. Still going to use FPS Optimizer for the view distance though.

Double-Edit: And the issue is back again... Strange...

Yeah texture replacers are the only issue with this mod. If harvesting a plant removes only part of the plant and not the whole thing, it'll use the vanilla textures and not the retexture.

Well, I've finally downloaded, cleaned and installed everything. It took a looong time!

Thanks for all the help, hopefully I didn't mess anything up. I did create a Merged_objects.esp with Creatures.esp included, but I deleted that one, and created a new Merged_object.esp without Creatures ( and Ramf and another mod ), so I should be fine right?


I've installed MGE and I'm even using Distant land. It is extremely pretty, but slightly too heavy for my laptop ( at least the default options ).

What options would you guys recommend? ( the options under the Distant Land tab ). Also, is it normal that I can't change any settings under fog or that I can't change some settings under Min Size and End Dist. They are greyed out just like the screenshot in the DL Settings wiki, but there they talk about changing it without telling how to enable the option to change them.

Edit: Oh, one more thing. Can anybody recommend a mod that adds some more spells? I'm looking for something similar to Mighty Magicka or Midas Magic Spells. I've browsed a couple of mod lists and the only mod that I've found is http://planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Mods.Detail&id=1981 but it doesn't add a lot of new spells.

Double-Edit: Also another problem. In some areas where non-vanilla npc's are, there are 2 or even 3 versions of them? I also get this warning.txt when I start the game up: One of the files that "Armor Mannequin.esp" is dependent on has changed since the last save.
This may result in errors. Saving again will clear this message
but not necessarily fix any errors.
One of the files that "farrp_WeaponCompilationMod_V2.esp" is dependent on has changed since the last save.
This may result in errors. Saving again will clear this message
but not necessarily fix any errors.
One of the files that "abotWaterLifeTRaddon.esp" is dependent on has changed since the last save.
This may result in errors. Saving again will clear this message
but not necessarily fix any errors.
One of the files that "LGNPC_SecretMasters_MCA5.esp" is dependent on has changed since the last save.
This may result in errors. Saving again will clear this message
but not necessarily fix any errors.
One or more plugins could not find the correct versions of the master files they depend on. Errors may occur during load or game play. Check the "Warnings.txt" file for more information.
Texture "Textures\_land_default.tga" count 3.
Texture "Textures\menu_thick_border_bottom_right_corner.dds" count 2.

Using MGE's distantland will override FPSO's extended view distance for the Morrowind draw range - it will be capped at 7218 in exteriors and 8192 in interiors while distantland is enabled.

You can unlock the grayed-out input fields by unchecking the MGEgui >> 'Distant Land' tab >> 'Auto set other distances' checkbox.

NPC doubling can occur in a save game after encountering an NPC that a plugin adds or changes, then altering that plugin without properly cleaning the save game. If the doubling occurs with a new game, then two or more plugins are trying to place a new reference for that NPC - merging objects won't take care of that, a patch will be needed or you can resolve the conflict yourself with a tool like TESPCD.

The warning message "One of the files that is dependent on has changed since the last save" is often due to a master's file revision number changing since the plugin with the dependency to it was created - this is common when running older plugins designed before the Tribunal and Bloodmoon expansions where available; installing each of those expansions patches Morrowind.esm to a newer file revision (Bloodmoon installations also patch Tribunal.esm). File revision changes will be indicated in Wrye Mash >> 'Mods' tab >> by a yellow selection box for the master plugin - you can update the master by selecting the plugin and clicking in the lower-right frame under the list of dependent files, confirm the update action, then click the 'Save' button at the bottom of that frame.

Thanks for the input! Strangely enough, I've had doubling occur on 2 completely unrelated places. ( The starting boat, when I returned there and in Balmorra in a Bank mod that I downloaded ). I've done some extensive reading in the Wyre Mash wiki and couldn't really solve the bank problem. I've since then removed the bank mod and haven't had a single problem since.

Oops, we might of cross-posted while I was editing my last post. I had the wrong info initially in the doubling part - just so you're aware!

Thanks for the info, I'll be sure to remember that tool in case a new problem appears.

bump
hullo out there

I read through this thread and it was a great help (although it seems a chore to install mods in the first place, haha)..
But on the first page someone said that Races are more Fun v0.5 needs to load after merge objects.
That was totally new to me but I'm a beginner after all, so that doesn't have to mean anything.
As I read through the readme again where that fact is said to be stated .. I couldn't find it.

So what's the meaning of this? Am i supposed to load it after Merged Objects / Mashed List or not? ... to be or not to be?

It has been noted by a few people that loading it before Merged Objects can cause some problems.
There would be no harm having it load after Merged Objects anyways. (and Mashed Lists has nothing to do with this issue)

Okay, thanks.

Sorry for the double post but:



I got this message in Mlox.
The problem is obvious and I deleted Merged_Objects.esp and made a new one without Creatures and Darknuts Greater Dwemer Ruins and I also reinstalled MGE 3.8.0b.
After that I positioned Creatures, DN-GDRv1 and Races/Birthsigns are more Fun after Merged_Objects.esp but still.. the message repeats.
The Morrowind Script Extender is enabled (I've looked that up).

I very appreciate your help