This guide is for MGSO version 3.0. If at any point an official update is made to MGSO please consider this guide obsolete. I recently decided to play through Morrowind for my first time and found that MGSO (the largest overhaul for Morrowind) had a lot of bugs, many of which have been fixed. The fixes, however, are all over the internet so I am posting this as a "loose" guide to finding them and updating your game. This is perhaps not the best way to do things but it is, for the most part, idiot resistant and more thorough than anything I have found so far. I am no expert on MGSO but I am fairly adept at play testing and troubleshooting so this guide should be taken as just that, a guide. Setting up MGSO in this way makes a good “base” for further modding but many (myself included) may find that MGSO does a sufficient enough job at overhauling Morrowind that further/extensive modding isn’t necessary. This walk through is not for Steam users, I am sorry. Neither is this for Windows 8 users (may god have mercy on your poor souls). Steam and Windows 8 users can most likely adapt what is here fairly easily. This guide may not cover the particular settings or options that you use for MGSO, again I am sure you can adapt it to your configuration if you try.
We will be addressing a number of issues, many of which are described here: http://forums.bethsoft.c http://forum s.bethsoft.com/topic/1 om/topic/1513057-relz-m 513057-relz-morrowind-overha orrowind-overhaul-sounds-graph ul-sounds-graphics-30-threadics-30-thread-6/ 6/
My intention when writing this is only to make known to the community what my meandering has called forth from the abyss. I will neither take responsibility for the many issues concerning "Morrowind Overhaul - Sound and Graphics" nor will I become a martyr trying to answer limitless posts. I am, however, interested in what other issues (pertaining to MGSO) may have patches or fixes that I have missed. If you have any information that should be added here feel free to post it in the comments section or PM me with the information.
Step 1 - Install Morrowind a. Do a fresh install of Morrowind with both DLC's and the latest patch (v1.6.1820). Do NOT install to "program files" if you can help it. Make a folder on your C drive and name it Games, make a Morrowind folder inside it and install to that directory (C:\Games\Elder Scrolls III Morrrowind). The latest patch can be found here: http://download.zenimax.com/elderscrolls/morrowind/patches/Bloodmoon_v1.6.1820.exe
Just to be safe I set my Morrowind.exe to run in comparability mode for Windows XP Service Pack 2. You do so by right clicking the Morrowind.exe and selecting "properties" at the bottom. As a matter of fact I run EVERYTHING pertaining to this game (including the MOInstaller, MGSO Options, Wrye Mash, Mlox, and any other applications related to Morrowind) in comparability mode for Windows XP Service Pack 2. This may be unnecessary but it cannot hurt. b. Use 7zip and make a backup of your freshly installed and patched game of Morrowind. This will be the first of two backups. 7zip can be found here: http://www.7-zip.org/download.html
Step 2 - User Account Controls a. Download Morrowind Overhaul - Sounds And Graphics and unzip it. Copy the files to your Morrowind directory (with your Morrowind.exe) and merge the folders. Do not run the MGSO Installer yet. b. Turn off your UAC (just for the installation of MGSO). You do so by hitting your start button and clicking on your profile name/picture at the top. It can be found under "change user account control settings". Don't worry we are not going to leave UAC off permanently, only for the installation of MGSO then we can turn it back on. You do not need to leave it off to run MGSO Options either, regardless of what the MGSO Readme says. Once you have turned off your UAC restart your PC.
Step 3 - Morrowind Code Patch 2.1 a. Download Morrowind Code Patch 2.1 and unzip it to a safe location and inspect the folder structure. Inside you will find a Data Files folder, mcpatch folder, Morrowind Code patch.exe, and two text documents. b. Open your Morrowind directory and copy your Morrowind.exe into your MCP 2.1 folder so that it's in the same directory as the Morrowind Cod e Patch.exe. c. Open your Morrowind "Data Files" folder and copy your Morrowind.bsa, Morrowind.esm, Bloodmoon.bsa, Bloodmoon.esm, Tribunal.bsa, and Tribunal.esm (6 files total) into your Morrowind Code Patch 2.1 "Data Files" folder. d. Run the Morrowind Code Patch.exe. Make sure you select the Animated Container fix if you plan on using Animated Containers. Think about your choices and do this right the FIRST time, please. I don't think it hurts to select nearly everything (except the options under "international").
Directors Commentary: Why not just install MGSO completely THEN run MCP 2.1? From what I am reading MCP will not run on a modified Morrowind.exe, that is why it is the first application to modi fy your Morrowind.exe during the MGSO installation. After MGSO runs MCP it then proceeds to run several other applications that modify your Morrowind.exe, Exe Optimizer and the 4 GB Patch. Also, when you run MCP to alter or change settings (correct me if I am wrong) it does NOT change your current Morrowind.exe, but rather uses a "backup" of the original Morrowind.exe (a backup that has neither the changes from Exe Optimizer nor the 4 GB Patch included). So when you choose your settings for MCP 2.1 please make sure you choose wisely the first time. Alternatively you can attempt to re-run the Exe Optimizer and 4 GB Patch after you make changes with MCP. You will have to find those applications in your Morrowind directory where MGSO installed them or download them again (like you did for MCP 2.1 in step 3) to a safe location and make the changes there.
Step 4 - Morrowind Overhaul - Sound and Graphics a. Follow the directions in the MGSO Readme and install MGSO using the MOInstaller.exe. Please note the yellow text above. (IMPORTANT) When you reach the point where you run MCP 2.0 with the MGSO Installer, run the MCP 2.0 Installer normally but "uncheck" everything. Once you have run MCP 2.0 close out MGSO before proceeding to the next step in the MGSO Installation. It will ask you if you are su re you want to do this, select yes. b. Take the files from your MCP 2.1 folder (7 total) that you patched in step 3 and copy them back into their correct folders in your Morrowind and Morrowind Data Files directories. Overwrite everything. c. Run MGSO installer again and continue with your installation. Since you have already ran MCP it will allow you to skip past this step, It will give you the option to re-run or change MCP settings, just ignore it and select "next" on the bottom tab. When you reach the "MGSO Options" menu do NOT check Animated Containers (we will download the new version from Nexus and install it later). It is safe to use Magic Icons however, because there is a fix for it. Magic Icons is unchecked by default so check it if you would like to use it. OPTIONAL - I did not use Better Heads from MGSO Options nor Dark UI. I left the UI set to vanilla so I could use Skyrim UI and left out Better Heads so I could experiment and see which head mod I liked most. This is purely a matter of tastes but you can always install Better Heads and/or Dark UI later if you want to. Turns out I ended up going with Better Heads after all but there is a newer version out than the one used in MGSO (I believe) so it worked out anyway. Skyrim UI Overhaul is great, I highly recommend it. If you use it make sure you get the matching Splash Screens and Animated Menu Screen.
d. After MGSO has installed it is safe to turn your UAC back on. Leaving it off can compromise the security of your PC.
Step 5 - Updating Utilities a. Install Wrye Mash (standalone). You may want to change the install location so it goes inside your Morrowind directory. This just keeps things cleaner, in my opinion. You can find it here: http://download.fliggerty.com/download-58-141 b. Delete all of the files inside the Mlox folder in your Morrowind directory and replace them with the Mlox 0.60 Standalone files. c. Download the latest version of Morrowind Patc h Project (formally known as the Unofficial Morrowind Patch) which is not to be confused with MGSO v3 Temporary Patch. Got it? The version found here on Nexus (as of Feb 13, 2015 is outdated). Do not forget to delete "Morrowind Patch 1.6.5 Beta (BTB Edit).esm" from your Morrowind Data Files folder. You do not need two patch esm's. Download the latest version (1.6.6 beta) from here: http://www.theassimilationlab.com/forums/files/download/1060-previous-patches-unofficialmorrowind-patch d. Download "TES3cmd v0.37" and drop the two files into your data files folder. Yes, a version of it comes with MGSO but I am unsure if it is the latest version. So again, to be thorough and safe I downloaded the latest version. Though you may be unfamiliar with making a "multipatch" (which is similar to merged or bashed patches in o ther games) you will need to make one in order to prevent certain errors that may arise later, dependin g on your mod list. It is actually easy to make a multipatch if the TES3cmd is installed into your Data FIles folder, I will explain at the end of this guide. You can find a link to the latest version here: http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Tes3Mod:Tes3cmd OPTIONAL - I installed MWSE but MGE XE has its own version built in I believe so you might not need it. Depending on what verson of MGE MGSO installed you may not have MWSE installed. It cannot hurt to install it anyway, I suggest you install it directly into your Morrowind directory (like you did with Wrye Mash in Step 5a).
The latest official version of MWSE can be found here: http://sourceforge.net/projects/mwse/files/ A more recent and further developed but unofficial version can be found here: http://forums.bethsoft.com/topic/1509809-expanding-mwse/
Step 6 - Making Your Own Custom Patch This step will be on-going and even though I have found fixes for many of the issues with MGSO I am sure there are still many more fixes yet to be discovered. I suggest making a separate folder for your own "Morrowind Custom Patch" and just keep adding fixes to it until such a time that the creators of "Morrowind Overhaul - Sound and Graphics" release a new or newly patched version. Again, many of the fixes I am about to post were found at the link at the top of this page, which were in turn (most likely) found somewhere else. [i]Please feel free to do your own research and keep us posted. When something new is added I will update the version of this page to let people know. I will give links to files you are going to want to download and add to your "custom" Morrowind Patch. Be sure to unzip each file, inspect its contents and folder structure carefully and read its readme. I suggest merging each file into one large patch that you can drop into your Morrowind directory all at once.
1. MGSO v3 Temporary Patch 5
- What it includes and/or fixes: PSsorticon.esp issue that removed a Golden Saint summoning spell, OTR_Coast_Variety.esp that fixes an issue that arose because F rench was used instead of English in some cell names, Poorly Placed Object Fix 1.2.esm that fixes multiple objects... that were poorly placed, and some other fixes (read the readme). - What to do with it: I recommend using this file as the start for your "custom patch" by extracting it to a safe location and inspecting the folder/file structure. You will find two folders inside, a "Data Files" folder and a "MGSOO" folder. You will merge both folders into your Morrowind directory. NOTE: Take special note of the MGSOO folder, because if you change the MGSO Options later by running the MGSO Options.exe and selecting "Change MGSO Settings" (see screenshots in the NOTES section below) it may overwrite some of your custom/fixed files and textures. So whenever you download new textures or fixes sift through your MGSOO folder to make sure the textures you are replacing are not in there (just use a search in the folder search box ). If the MGSOO folder contains any of the textures you are fixing or replacing then you need to copy those textures to their appropriate places in the MGSOO folder as well. That way when you run MGSO Options it will use the new textures. If you “Change MGSO Settings” after extensively modding your game the chances of you messing something up or overwriting custom textures is pretty high. I recommend making the RIGHT choices the first time in the MGSO Options. Personally if I have to change these settings I just delete the game and unzip my backup then re-run MGSO from the start (it doesn't take as long as you think). MGSO v3 Temporary Patch 5 can be found here.
2. Potion Scroll Icons and Potion Sort v1.0
- What to do with it: A version of this is included in the MGSO v3 Temporar y Patch but at the bottom of the page (listed below) you will find a second version of the PSsorticon.esp that removes the chest changes also. If you want to use the Magic Icon replacer from MGSO I suggest downloading both the "pssorticon" main file and the "pssorticon_fixed_no_chest_changes.7z" and merging the two. Place the icons folder you will find inside the main file along with the pssorticon.esp from the "pssorticon_fixed_no_chest_changes.7z" into the Data Files folder of your custom patch. Overwrite the pssorticon.esp that came with MGSO v3 Temporary Patch 5. Both files can be found here: http://mw.modhistory.com/download--12174
3. MW Containers Animated v1.2
- What it includes and/or fixes: The version of Animated Containers included in MGSO causes an issue where chests appear empty. This can cause a problem in the Bloodmoon questline. - What to do with it: If you plan on using Animated Containers you should make sure that the "Animated Container Fix" in MCP 2.1 was checked (see Step 3d) and download the new Animated Containers version 1.2 from here. Unzip the file, inspect the folder structure, then merge the contents into your "custom patch" folder.
4. Better Weapons and Armor.esp
- What to do with it: There is no download here, the Better Weapons and Armor.esp contains several missing references that cause errors playing the game and updating your save game with Wrye Mash. You will find the .esp in your "Data Files" folder. Open Wrye Mash and select the Better Weapons and Armor.esp, right click it and c hoose "repair refs" then save it and close Wrye Mash. I suggest going into your "Data FIles" folder and copying the newly fixed .esp and placing it into the "Data Files" folder in your "custom patch".
5. Spirit's MGSO Daedric Armor Fix
- What it includes and/or fixes: There is a bug in MGSO with the Daedric Armor for females. When you equip it your game will crash or you will receive error messages. This is the fix for it. - What to do with it: Download the file, unzip it and inspect the file structure, then merge it into your "custom patch" folder. You can find it here: http://download.fliggerty.com/download--852
6. Inaccessible Doors Fix
- What to do with it: Nothing to download here. There are several places where doors will be inaccessible because of a mesh installed by MGSO. Find the mesh "bm_ex_ice_exit04.nif" in your Morrowind "Data Files\Meshes" folder and delete it. I am not sure exactly where its at, just do a search.
7. Windows Glow - Raven Rock Fix
- What it includes and/or fixes: There is strange naming found on some containers in the version of "Windows Glow" that comes with MGSO. This mod corrects the issue. - What to do with it: Download the file, unzip it and inspect the file structure, then merge it into your "custom patch" folder. You can find it here: http://abitoftaste.altervista.org/morrowind/index.php?option=downloads&Itemid=50&task=info &id=45&-Windows-Glow-Raven-Rock-English-Patch.
8. Dunmer Lanterns Replacer
- What it includes and/or fixes: The version of this mod included in MGSO has collision turn on for lanterns which can cause you to get stuck rather often and can become annoying. The new version (9.0) has fixed this. - What to do with it: Download the file, unzip it and inspect the file structure, then merge it into your "custom patch" folder. You can find it here.
9. OPTIONAL - New Version of MGE XE
- What it includes and/or fixes: The version that come s with MGSO is 0.9.9 and version 0.9.10 is out but in my opinion the changes are not dramatic enough to warrant upgrading, it does add a scalable UI which is nice since I cannot even read the menu text in 1900x1080 resolution. - What to do with it: I list this as being optional be cause frankly I am fine with the version that comes with MGSO. The game looks beautiful and if you update MGE XE you will lose the simplicity of using MGSO Options to re-run or change your settings. For advanced users (nonlazy users who feel like reading) that is not a problem so feel free to upgrade to version 0.9.10, it can be found here.
NOTE: When I installed version 0.9.10 of MGE XE my ground cover from MGSO disappeared. I asked in the MGE XE forum and thread but received no response so I reverted back to using the version of MGE XE that comes with MGSO (0.9.9). I imagine there is an easy solution to this but be prepared to troubleshoot if you decide to upgrade.
Step 7 - Finishing up a. Now that you have your "custom patch" all sorted and compiled into one "Data Files" folder, make a backup of it using 7zip then copy and paste it into your Morrowind directory. Merge all of the files overwriting everything. b. Run Wrye Mash and activate all of the .esp's you have added then close Wrye Mash. c. Run Mlox and update your load order then close Mlox. You will notice that Mlox will still say there are some errors, some of which you know you have fixed. This is fine, just keep track of the errors you have fixed since Mlox cannot always tell (such as the pssorticon.esp fix). There will be a host of new errors that the new Mlox will point out as well as give recommendations on fixing them. You may find fixes to some of those errors and you may not. Good luck and keep us informed of what you find. d. Run your MGSO Options.exe that is found in your Morrowind directory. The first pop -up will read "PC Performances" and you will select "ok" at the bottom.
The second screen will be your MGSO Settings Main Menu, select "Re-generate Distant Land" and don't move your mouse until it finishes. Re-generating distant lands in this way will NOT cause MGSO to overwrite your textures (see the n ote in step 6.1).
Exit MGSO options once this is done. Remember to re-generate your distant lands each time you finish modding a game (after you activate your esp's and sort your load order with Mlox ). NOW your Morrowind game should be far more updated than before and ready for further modding. At this point make a 7zip backup of your whole 8GB+ game and store it. That way when (and if) you mess it up modding you just delete it all and unzip your updated game. The alternative... is doing all of this again.
NOTES: 1. BSAReg
Inside your Morrowind "Data Files" folder there is an app lication called BSAReg. Whenever you use a mod that adds a .bsa file to your Data Files folder you need to run this application. It will make a change to your Morrowind.ini that authenticates the archive. I am told that sometimes it may not work and you have to manually open your Morrowind.ini and make the changes yourself (I bet you thought I'd forget to mention this).
2. TES3cmd Multipatch
Remember installing TES3cmd in Step 5d? You may want to make a TES3cmd Multipatch if the mods you have installed change level lists (and for many other reasons to prevent bugs). There is nothing wrong with making a multipatch even if you do not need it or know for sure if you need it, just to be safe. If you installed TES3cmd into your Data Files folder (as instructed above in Step 5d) just hold shift and right click your Morrowind "Data Files" folder and select "open command window here" then type (in all lower case) "tes3cmd multipatch" without the parenthesis and hit enter. Every time you change your load order re-run your multipatch.
3. Running MGSO Options
This was mentioned above but is worth mentioning again. Take special note of the MGSOO folder, because if you change the MGSO Options later by running the MGSO Options.exe and selecting "Change MGSO Settings" (see screenshots in the NOTES section below) it may overwrite some of your custom/fixed files and textures. So whenever you download new textures or fixes sift through your MGSOO folder to make sure the textures you are replacing are not in there (just use a search in the folder search box). If the MGSOO folder contains any of the textures you are fixing or replacing then you need to copy those textures to their appropriate places in the MGSOO folder as well. That way when you run MGSO Options it will use the new textures. If you “Change MGSO Settings” after extensively modding your game the chances of you messing something up or overwriting custom textures is pretty high. I recommend making the RIGHT choices the first time in the MGSO Options. Personally if I have to change these settings I just delete the game and unzip my backup then re-run MGSO from the start (it doesn't take as long as you think).
Again, if you choose to "Change MGSO Settings" in this way custom tex tures added after MGSO was installed may be overwritten (unless you replaced the textures in the MGSOO folder). Some of the changes your custom patch has made will also be overwritten so after "Changing MGSO Settings" reapply your patch from Step 6 and repeat Step 7 -Finishing Up.
4. Mod Managers and Manual Installation
I do not use nor do I promote using a mod manager of an y kind for modding Morrowind. Morrowind comes from a time when mountains walked and the earth was young and knew not us nor herself... a time before mod managers. I have had issues with both Morrowind Mod Manager and NMM (which is bad enough on Oblivion games much less Morrowind). So in other words, if you are going for the gold and want your mod files to be installed correctly I highly suggest doing it manually. Just a suggestion/example: Organize your folders and backup your game before modding. Organization is EVERYTHING (says the OCD insomniac). My method is to create several folders and separate my mods into "tiers" so my "build" can be easily modified. For example, I name my folders: 1 - Essential (currently only my UI and Fonts are in this folder as well as my utilities, Wrye Mash, MWSE, Mlox, and so on), 2 - Cosmetic (head replacers, custom races, hair mods, etc), 3 - Misc (must have mods go here, mods that are well tested and doctor approved, mods with little or no conflict such as Accurate Attack, Speed&Stamina, Trade Places, so on. Basically everything I KNOW works well and won't mess my game up), 4 - Armor (Armor and Weapons mods of course), 5 Housing (self-explanatory), 6 - Optional (mods I am not sure of or have not fully tested with my build go here), and 7 - Archive (mods I am not using but still want to hoard). Within each folder I make a "Package" folder (Package 1 - Essential, Package 2 - Cosmetic, etc). I take all of the mods in each folder and add them to the package in the right order so textures and meshes are installed the way I want them. This allows me to adjust my game build outside of Morrowind then just delete the whole game and unzip my backup (that I made at the end of Step 7) and start re-modding with the revised build over a fresh install with no errors. In the end I have a fully updated backup of Morrowind with NOTHING but MGSO and my utilities installed and 6 "Package" folders that I can drop into my Morrowind game. Imagine that, modding a complete game of Morrowind in 6 easy steps that takes less than 15 minutes.
