Getting back into Morrowind - looking for setup advice

smass · Post by **smass** » Thu Sep 07, 2006 7:54 am

Getting back into Morrowind - looking for setup/mod advice

Hi all,

I purchased and played the PC verzion of Morrowind for a few weeks when it first came out and got bored pretty quick and dropped it. I am interested in giving it another try after reading about some of the mods. I am looking for suggestions on what mods to install in conjunction with a fresh game installation. I am definitely interested in some of the companion mods as well as other mods that help gameplay. Since I never played through the original quest I am more interested in mods that will help make the game experience better - I am not necessarily looking for new quests and such.

I gather from other threads that I would be well advised to purchase the two expansions Tribunal and Bloodmoon. Is this accurate? I would really appreciate any other advice regarding which mods to install. Thanks for the help

dragon wench · Post by **dragon wench** » Thu Sep 07, 2006 9:23 am

If you want to use the companion mods, you'll actually *need* to have at least one of the expansions. So many of the really excellent mods depend on the expansions that they are worth having regardless. Bloodmoon and Tribunal are good additions in and of themselves too (especially Bloodmoon)

Regarding companion mods, I would very highly recommend Constance and Julan. Both are very well developed characters, and they even interact a bit

As far as other mods to install, if you haven't already, you might want to start by checking the sticky on mods at the top of the page.

smass · Post by **smass** » Thu Sep 07, 2006 11:16 am

Thanks dragon wench, I will pick up a copy of the GOTY edition - I can get it on Ebay for about $20 shipped. I will definitely install the two companion mods you suggested. Running around by myself was one of the things that bothered me most about MW when I first played.

I did take a look through the mod sticky post. I like the sound of some of the NPC mods, appearance mods, and gameplay mods such as:

Animal Realism
Better Portable Containers
Pegas Horse Ranch
Jarrod's new texture mod
Roads to Heaven
Children of Morrowind
Morrowind Comes Alive

Do any of you have other "must install" mods that you could not live without?

dragon wench · Post by **dragon wench** » Thu Sep 07, 2006 11:41 am

You're welcome Smass,
I have used both Pegas Horse Ranch and Children of Morrowind. They are excellent!

You may also find the threads listed below helpful, especially the first which discusses the deficiencies of Morrowind and the best mods available to overcome those drawbacks.

http://www.gamebanshee.com/forums/elder ... light=mods

http://www.gamebanshee.com/forums/elder ... light=mods

http://www.gamebanshee.com/forums/elder ... light=mods

I use a lot of mods (between 100 and 150), so it is hard for me to list those I wouldn't live without. But, here are some anyway:
*Necessities of Morrowind (your PC has to eat, drink sleep, and also has the option of preparing food)
*Book Rotate (allows you to neatly line up books on shelves)
*Book Jackets ( a series of texture replacers for all the books in the game, gorgeous work!)
*The Less Generic NPC (LGNPC) series, breathes life into the NPCs of various towns, including the Foreign Quarter and Redoran Canton of Vivec.
*Potion Upgrade (replaces the textures of the potion bottles in the game)
*Improved No Glow (Gets rid of the plastic wrap effect on enchanted items)
*Abot's Water Life (Adds fish, whales etc. Especially good if you also adjust your .ini settings to make the water clear)
*Abot's Where Have All the Birds Gone? (puts real birds in the sky so that there's more flying up there than all of those damnable cliff racers)
*Better Bodies (replaces the bodies with more realistic physiques and removes the ugly brown diapers)
*NPC Replacer (replaces the NPC heads, as well as adding to head choices the player can make)
*Rhedd's Heads (adds a variety of faces and hair styles to the character creation stage)
*Sabregirl's Morrowind Ecology (similar to Animal Realism but a bit better IMO)

smass · Post by **smass** » Thu Sep 07, 2006 1:04 pm

Cool. I will take a look at all of them. I really wish there were some packaged mods available - like for instance a "Dragon Wench" mod - which would package all the mods you use in one install. Maybe there is such a pre-packaged mod collection available? I am a big NWN player and the Community Expansion pack for NWN comes to mind - it is basically a collection of mods in one single hak file that addresses everthing from textures to scripting.

Variety is the spice of life - but too much variety can be downright scary

fable · Post by **fable** » Thu Sep 07, 2006 1:26 pm

I've seen very few packaged collections over the years, and these were generally mini-mods all by the same person, usually tweaking gameplay. There's one exception to this: Balmora Expansion, which includes about 30 Balmora-based mods. It's done up very well, with excellent taste in the selection of mods, but it also drastically slows down Balmora. I find my FPS hits around 25 or so, and I'm running 1 GB RAM, on a 3.1 gHz CPU, with an 850X card.

Otherwise, mod players are a discriminating bunch. With 5000+ mods out there, very few people agree on even their top 10 faves. That's why you don't get mod packages.

Coot · Post by **Coot** » Fri Sep 08, 2006 1:39 am

Some additions to the wonderful mods Dragon Wench mentioned:
- Real Signposts; making all signposts look better and actually readable
- Windowglow; making windows light up after dark
- Combat Enhanced; to make swinging a weapon somewhat interesting (requires Morrowind Enhanced)
- a few of the gazillion clothing mods - if you're interested in that sort of thing
- Caits Critters Unleashed; adds domestic animals. There's also Caits Squirrels and Caits Moose on Solstheim
- Cat Companions; light on the dialogue

but neat companions nonetheless

Fable mentioned Balmora Expansion. There are also Seyda Neen Complete, Suran Extended, Mournhold Expanded and a few more 'expanded/expansion' mods.

smass · Post by **smass** » Fri Sep 08, 2006 7:10 am

Thanks to Coot, Fable, and Dragon Wench for your input. I just ordered the GOTY edition off Ebay and started to download mods last night. It seems many of them are available on FilePlanet and some of the others on the modders personal websites - so I think I will be able to find them all

I am really looking forward to playing the game again. I was going to give Oblivion a try - but my system is really not powerful enough to run Oblivion at a decent framerate and I have had a great experience with fan created mods for NWN and BGII - so I am excited to give Morrowind a second go-around three years after release...

If anyone else has input as to mods they enjoy please feel free to post