New with a question : III

» Sun May 16, 2010 3:55 am

So back when Morrowind first came out for the 360 I read about it and bought it instantly. Then when the game of the year edition was released the same thing happened. Now though I'm more into PC gaming, don't have my original Xbox anymore and wish to play Morrowind once more. If I am to get the game it'll be over STEAM. Quick download and installation and I'll be able to get up and go play.

Now even when playing the xbox version I knew of the mods the PC gamers had and how many options they could pick from. I just liked my simple plain vanilla game. Now though I have a great urge to play this game once more and with mods this time around. Just a few problems though. I don't know how to manage them or install them or anything really. I am a complete noob when it comes to mods.

Basically what I'm looking for is a list of mods that'll push this game to it's limits. I want the best graphics, the clearest audio, and the bugs fixed. Nothing game changing really. Simply just want to give it a makeover so to speak. I've heard of the "Morrowind Graphics Extender" thingy that supposedly makes the game look Oblivion quality and in some parts some people say better than it. If someone could be so kind as to help me in doing all this I would really appreciate it. I know I don't have anything to barter or give in return but I just really want to see this game in full glory. Thanks in advance guys.

tl;dr version

List mods that:

Push the graphics to the max
Overall increase the look and feel of the game
Doesn't change the game majorly (Slight changes for the better are welcome)

NOTE: Also do remember I have the Steam version and am working on Windows Vista if that matters at all. Also explanation on how to go about making these things work is appreciated.

» Sun May 16, 2010 11:53 am

New to mods? Don't worry, it's quite easy once you get the hang of it. First, http://www.mwmythicmods.com/starting.htm.

But just to get you started, I can tell you this:

-Install Wrye Mash. It will manage and order your mods, making things easier for you.
-To install mods, read the Readme files. There's always instructions on where to install the mod and his components.
-Don't go overboard. Installing 30 mods at once without testing is a bad idea. Install a few, start a new game to see if any problem occur, then go back and install some more.

For the basic mod suggestions, check http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1060141-mod-recommendations-for-new-players/.

And don't hesitate to ask if you need more help.

» Sun May 16, 2010 7:57 pm

Well upon looking through this in the past I have come across http://btb2.free.fr/morrowind.html and thought they were good for what I was looking for. Then I saw the Morrowind Graphics Extender. I don't know if they'll conflict with one another or anything but I want this game looking the best quality graphics possible.

» Sun May 16, 2010 4:40 am

Also I've heard that there's issues with the Morrowind Graphics Extender and the Steam version of the game.

» Sun May 16, 2010 5:38 pm

Also I've heard that there's issues with the Morrowind Graphics Extender and the Steam version of the game.

I heard the same thing. But I also heard there's a workaround to make it work like it's supposed. The best would be to ask directly in the Morrowind Graphics Extender thread. They will know how to help you with that. Thread #74 should be floating around in the Mods forums.

About compatibility between MGE and graphic mods: Graphic mods usually work on textures and meshes. MGE, on the other hand, work with shaders, resolution and the distant view generator. They normally don't affect the same stuff so there's no conflict problem. That's as far as I know though.

» Sun May 16, 2010 6:43 pm

[quote name='Sean' date='08 June 2010 - 08:39 PM' timestamp='1276022345' post='16020461']
Also I've heard that there's issues with the Morrowind Graphics Extender and the Steam version of the game.
[/quote]Per F.A.Q of the MGE topic:

[quote post='15988172']
Q: I have the Steam version of Morrowind, how do I get MGE to work with it?
A: Disable Steam community in-game: go to your Steam settings window and choose the "In-game" tab, then uncheck the "Steam Community In-Game" box. You should also redate morrowind.bsa, tribunal.bsa, and bloodmoon.bsa to year 2002. In the location where you installed Steam, look for "...Steam\SteamApps\common\morrowind" folder - Morrowind's bsa's will be located under the "Data Files" folder. You'll need a 3rd party utility to redate the files ([src="http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/File-Management/Attribute-Changer.shtml"]Attribute Changer v6.20[/url] works well for this).

[u]Explanation for redating:[/u]
The stock meshes and textures are contained in the bsa archives, and they inherit the datestamp from the bsas which the Steam version sets to the date and time you downloaded and installed. That results in those assets overriding any other 3rd-party versions unless the bsas are redated to year 2002. Individual versions of meshes and textures with a more recent datestamp placed in the "...\Data Files\Meshes" and "...\Data Files\Textures" folders (respectively) will get priority over the stock archive versions (due to the default setting for "TryArchiveFirst=0" in Morrowind.ini; 0 tells the game engine to use newer assets based on datestamp), but for whatever reason the distantland files do not follow that rule unless the archives have been redated to an earlier date.
[/quote]

» Sun May 16, 2010 9:27 am

Will I be able to turn on the Steam community thing again once I get it running? Or must that option remain off?

» Sun May 16, 2010 4:26 pm

Also how do I edit the files? I downloaded the attribute changer but every time I try and use it, it says, "Unable to execute Attribute Changer (ACDATA_Event/ACWM_Event)"

Under that it says to "Please contact the developer for any assistance.
All allocated resources will be released..

» Sun May 16, 2010 7:53 am

Bump