After all these years...MW hits me again...!

[Seeker]

Hail and Salutations!

After my work-induced, long months of absence from these boards, I thought, I'd return with a screenie thread.

At the end of the school year, I retired for the holidays and discovered a very interesting webpage: knotstheinane.blogspot.com/p/morrowind-modding-guide.html

It lists a very comprehensive approach how to upgrade MW, via mods and MGE and so forth, to maximize the graphics and look (e.g. the graphic replacers are chosen in a way that they form an aesthetically fitting whole...).
The first day of my holidays was spent by working down this list, approximately 5hrs of installing, copying and the like...but it has paid off, IMHO!
What now follows are a few screenshots of my new adventures in MW, I would love to hear your opinion!

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EDIT: For all people who have trouble with their connections (like blockhead), here are the pics as URLs, take a look, if you like!
i34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/Seeker33/MGEScreenshot2-1.jpg
i34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/Seeker33/MGEScreenshot1-1.jpg
i34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/Seeker33/MGEScreenshot4-1.jpg
i34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/Seeker33/MGEScreenshot2a.jpg
i34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/Seeker33/MGEScreenshot4a.jpg
i34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/Seeker33/MGEScreenshot19-1.jpg
i34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/Seeker33/MGEScreenshot1a.jpg
i34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/Seeker33/MGEScreenshot7-1.jpg
i34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/Seeker33/MGEScreenshot10-1.jpg
i34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/Seeker33/MGEScreenshot21.jpg
i34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/Seeker33/MGEScreenshot18-1.jpg
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i34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/Seeker33/MGEScreenshot20-1.jpg
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i34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/Seeker33/MGEScreenshot2-2.jpg
i34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/Seeker33/MGEScreenshot2b.jpg
i34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/Seeker33/MGEScreenshot22.jpg
i34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/Seeker33/MGEScreenshot12-1.jpg
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i34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/Seeker33/MGEScreenshot16-1.jpg
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Here goes:

Let's start by introducing Our Hero (TM): Cianlares, Altmer, who follows a Battlemage-like career (Custom class named "Fighting scholar", typical for me, I know.... :


At the Seyda Neen Siltstrider


Seyda Neen at dusk


Leaving Seyda Neen via Silt Strider


Passing Hla Oad on the waterway


Hla Oad


Making our way up the Odai River


Balmora, once again departing into the world from here...ah, the memories!


Moonmoth Legion Fort at dusk


Suran


Dagon Fel


Ald-Ruhn, grey weather as usual (much like the summer here in Germany, actually... ;D)


An Aerial view


Vivec, seen from afar


Vivec


Cianlares near Vivec


Cianlares in Vivec, Foreign Quarter




In the forest


In the meadow


The battlements of Tel Vos


Sadrith Mora in the very early morning


Sunset over Red Mountain


Fort Frostmoth


Hirstang Forest (I am almost positive, I spelled that wrong... :-/)


Skaal Village


Okay, these are my shots from the last weeks.
By now, it is pretty clear that Morrowind seems to have succeeded in ensnaring me yet again...(in that dangerous waiting phase after finishing Witcher 2 for the second time and waiting for The Old Republic....).

I hope, I didn't bore you - if you like, please comment - in any case: All the best for you!

Take care,

Seeker

[amgepo]

I like your Morrowind a lot. It's gorgeous. Maybe You shouldn't eliminate the fog completelly with MGE though. It's better to keep the mystery (you know, mantaining the illusion that the world is biger).

[blockhead]

Wow: lots of pictures. Sorry I can't view them in my connection: the browser just chokes when it hits this thread.

Of interest is the link you provided. Maybe I can use these to get Morrowind to crash less often so that I can run it like I used to. Thanks.

[Seeker]

Thanks a lot for your replies - I am glad to write again on these boards, even if it only is for the holidays...

amgepo - thanks for the advice...I'll give it a try...maybe put the fog up just a notch, now - I love taking screenshots, so I more or less deliberately turned it down beforehand (Epic Panorama Effect, hm? ;D).

blockhead - it's interesting that you should mention crashes. My old MW installation was crashing all the time and provided me with lots of problems, so when I found the site, I took the time for that complete wipe and reinstall - now, it runs much more smoothly and (I nearly not dare to write it) very seldom crashes. I hope the site may be useful to you, too, that's why I provided the link!
I have also added the pics as links in my above post - hope that helps!


Take care,

Seeker

[knots]

Looks good, Seeker, but you should definitely check out MGE XE:
knotstheinane.blogspot.com/2011/01/special-notes-on-mge-xe.html

I'm glad my guide helped you out!

[rayvio]

Morrowind is truly one of the greatest games of all time, and it's great to see modders still working hard to keep the graphics shiny and to pour out new and fun content. releasing construction kits is definitely one of Bethesda's best ideas (and they've had a fair number of those), can make a poor game great and keep a great game fresh

[Seeker]

knots - I will definitely follow that one, sounds very interesting, thanks!
rayvio - I couldn't agree more! It is my belief that MW is one of the best all-time-RPGs for me, still - AND has one of the best and most dedicated modding communities there is. It's simply amazing how these creative people can coax me into playing a now approx. 9 years old game again....

Hail to the modders!


Seeker

[Seeker]

Getting a bit nostalgic...,

...what I really like in (Open-World-)RPGs - and which MW first did for me - is the feeling when you climb over a not very spectacular hill or mountain and then look down and - totally unprepared - see something like this:



Here, as link:
i34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/Seeker33/MGEScreenshot32.jpg

Yes, I know that it is heavily modded now, but I had that feeling 2002, when MW was still new and the vanilla graphics just felt spectacular - so, thanks to a great game and a no less great modding community, I can enjoy these moments, playing the exact same game from 9 years ago...

Seeker

P.S. Yes, I *do* play other RPGs and have played many great ones before and after MW, but it nevertheless felt like an important landmark...and still does.

[candesco]

Not bad, not bad at all.
I don't use MGE myself at the moment. One of the reasons is my old rig and next i find the vanilla graphics still great. I do use some replacers, like a skull replacer, a potion replacer, flask replacer, silverware replacer, and so on.
I have the same as you. I also do play other RPG's, even totally other games like GTA:SA, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. SoC, Dreamfall, but i always return to Morrowind after a while. Currently i just start again and also have discovered some new mods. Well, new to me then. Only downside is that if your collection of mods starts to grow it takes more and more time to configure Morrowind. It now takes me almost a day.

[Seeker]

Yes, candesco, I certainly sympathize!

But also I return to MW always...I've recently played the IMHO fabulously told and scripted Witcher 2 - I had a blast and revelled in the graphics and dialougues...but after finishing it, I *still* went back to MW.
And many are the times which I've sat before my game in sheer frustration when MW again managed to throw a unfathomable bug or crash at me...but somehow, when I'm in-game again, many (if not all) seems to be forgotten...

It occurs to me that now, after all these years, MW has become a state of mind, a cozy place to return to, to feel at home...while nonetheless providing new thrills thanks to the modding community...I have never experienced such with a game and, like you, I have played quite a few greats in my time...

Just musing,

Seeker

P.S. I can also understand that you shy away from using MGE - I also had many reservations, because of the complexity of configuration, but thanks to knots great advice site (which I referred to above), I tried and am now very happy with it...although I would never dare to make more changes myself, without instruction...*shudder* ;D
Btw, the vanilla graphics are great in design and style - and since I've used replacers without MGE for years before, I can also say, they do much to sweeten the visual experience!

[Helvorix]

I love how Morrowind just gets more and more beautiful as time goes by.

[nakiarogue]

Morrowind is one of my favorite games. I played the game quite a bit with very few mods, mostly The Apartment and the one which expands the Twin Lamps quest line. I added Morrowind Alive. Made a house mod of my own.

The new graphics are spectacular. I agree that a little fog would add to the scene. Modders have done a great job at keeping this great game fresh.