| 27 DEC 2010 at 4:23pm |
HalcyonSchattenjger
Posts : 1652
Joined: 17 NOV 2006
Status : Offline | Chris, I see those shots came from TESAlliance. id the mod makers post them or other users? Just curious.
And I do love that road tex.
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| 27 DEC 2010 at 5:10pm |
CrisGerSchattenjger
Posts : 2538
Joined: 28 APR 2007
Location: US
Status : Offline | A word of caution..this new MGE is difficult to load, in fact i have not gotten it to work yet.
The mod maker is one guy who is tweaking things to get a strong sunlight effect...i am not sure yet how he does it because as i said i have not gotten it to load yet. He is also not being very helpful in trying to get it to work...so i am not optimistic about solving it.....creativity is not always matched by tact or people skills and in this case he has been treating me like dirt...so i may give up on it soon. But i wanted to share the pics as i know there are MW lovers here and i wanted to share what may be possible in the future.
The person who took these shots is also having difficulty but he has managed to get it to run hence these pictures. So yes these pictures were taken by a player not by the mod maker...so i trust that they are actual and real views.... so it IS possible. Just not always easy.
And as i said, much of the detail in these pictures..the quality of the settings is due to mods made by Vurt...who changed the textures, changed the tree models and added dynamic qualities to the trees and leaves....so the entire thing is a combination ...you can get the new textures and the new models and much of the new effect without using the MGE...but the lighting and the strong shadows is due to the new MGE exe which is still in beta. Vurts packages are based on each region of MW and i believe he has done all the regions now. They look very nice and various aspects...like the new grass, can be customized as he has provided choices...
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| 27 DEC 2010 at 6:15pm |
HalcyonSchattenjger
Posts : 1652
Joined: 17 NOV 2006
Status : Offline | Wow, there's a whole backstory? I asked about the pics because a few of them look re-touched by hand....a routine advertising tactic to make video games look good on the box.
There's something "wrong" about the back-lighting of the houses etc. Maybe it's just me. If users had uploaded those, then I'd be dead wrong, since they'd be real screenshots. However, if a secretive modder did it to make his product look good, well, who knows, maybe I'm still wrong.
Sorry you're going through that. I got so deep in programs trying to upgrade Morrowind that it drove me batty (as you know).
Good luck and thanks for posting.
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| 27 DEC 2010 at 6:20pm |
CrisGerSchattenjger
Posts : 2538
Joined: 28 APR 2007
Location: US
Status : Offline | I was online with the guy who was posting those as he took them in real time so yes they are just the way it looks on his machine. he is one of the most respected of the group and i totally trust him. The modder who is doing the project i am not so wild about..but we will see how it goes. I wont spend a lot of time on it if it does not work soon.
that backlighting is one of the things that interests me a lot as it is a strong directional light source that the modder has managed to get to happen in MW..the lighiting in MW is one of the things that has turned me off since i first started playing it, the pale washed out light has made it not very much fun to play or look at..and this new lighting is very exciting..if it works. the guy who took these pics was having trouble staying in the game last night, MW kept dropping him out and i suspect it is the new MGE set up. We will see.
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| 27 DEC 2010 at 7:31pm |
TravellerGuild Master
Posts : 4039
Joined: 3 JUL 2010
Location: US
Status : Offline | Strange how people differ... I have always enjoyed the vanilla MW skies and weather. I still clearly remember my first thunderstorm. ynamic weather was totally unkown to me at that stage, and when this thunderbolt suddenly crashed over my louspeakers, I almost fell off my chair in fright
When I recovered, ... "How cool is that!" I thought. 8-)
Of course I hate those blight storms. One of the main things I was looking forward to after I'd finished the MQ, was that they'd go away, and I was VERY disappointed when they didn't. I'm sure there's a mod for that, though... Still, they're a part of that "bleak" aspect that makes MW so special.
What a pity that Halcyon cannot get himself to live with the graphics and perhaps just go with the NPC enhancements, since if you look at his taste in the atmosphere of games, I'm sure he would have enjoyed the atmosphere in MW. The vanilla atmosphere, that is.
Morrowind can be a very dangerous, relatively alien place. Not as bad as the Fallout games though. :
* * * Just call me Trav. * * *
“Despite my ghoulish reputation, I really have the heart of a small boy. I keep it in a jar on my desk.” - Robert Bloch
"They are not reciprocally sublated--the one does not sublate the other externally--but each sublates itself in itself and is in its own self the opposite of itself" (Hegel, from The Doctrine of Being)..."
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| 27 DEC 2010 at 7:33pm |
CrisGerSchattenjger
Posts : 2538
Joined: 28 APR 2007
Location: US
Status : Offline | I do enjoy some of MW's charms...and i did enjoy much of the MQ up to about the middle of it....but by then i had played some more modern games (MW was one of my very first large games) and was hungry for more beauty and detail in graphics...(far cry did it for me )....and the palesness of things in MW got to me ... but one of the fun things about sharing our gaming is how we are all differnt and how much fun it is to compare and contrast
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| 27 DEC 2010 at 9:18pm |
HalcyonSchattenjger
Posts : 1652
Joined: 17 NOV 2006
Status : Offline | It's not like I didn't try MW, Trav. It was just too too much work for too little return. As I've said, I play games for the immersion and environment. To ignore older or uncomfortable graphics is nearly impossible for me. I'd rather read a book. Although, I did try with MW, and got a couple of hours into the game--and nearly threw my computer out the window in frustration (much as Chris is feeling now Plus, the way the speech is handled is, IMO, a big stopper.
I can't summon interest in the technical side of the games or getting programs to work or not conflict, etc. Many folks find that fun and relaxing. Me, I'd rather play the game.
Sure, I did build the current computer I am now using from scratch. I got advice here, ordered the parts, and in about 2 hours, I was loading software. Why? So I could play games that look great!
Anyway, I never say never, and who knows I might try it again. If I do, I will suffer with vanilla as long as possible -- the only mods I will consider are the drag and drop variety. No other loaders or enhancers or add-on programs of any kind. If I had someone to play with or a shoulder to look over and advise, I'm sure it would be much more fun.
Until then, there are too many games to play. Back to New Vegas! Or maybe Wolfenstein!
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| 28 DEC 2010 at 10:03pm |
CrisGerSchattenjger
Posts : 2538
Joined: 28 APR 2007
Location: US
Status : Offline | Had some further communication from the new MGEgui Exe creator and it seems one has to be sure to use mge3.8.2-rev.0178, the stable current version wont work with the new shaders required to make the shadows and light work. So we are back in the testing mode. and we will see how it goes and i will be sure to report here if i can get it working.
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| 29 DEC 2010 at 1:29am |
HalcyonSchattenjger
Posts : 1652
Joined: 17 NOV 2006
Status : Offline | Okay, I'm intrigued. I'm on board if you find a *simple* remedy. Go get 'em!
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| 29 DEC 2010 at 4:12am |
CrisGerSchattenjger
Posts : 2538
Joined: 28 APR 2007
Location: US
Status : Offline | Just in case the Terminator gets me before i can solve this..these are the best notes on how to get the better Morrowind i am working with:
General Approach:
Install Morrowind/Tribunal/Bloodmoon
Install MGE SVN 178 (This is the latest beta version, do not install the current stable release or the shaders will not work) - I will quote the original MGE post on the official forums at the end if you need help getting it to work.
Make backups of the Morrowind.ini and all of the folders in the Data Files folder just in case you need to go back.
Install:
some of Connary's textures
All of Vurt's Tree Texture Overhaul --> Ascadian Isles Tree Replacer --> Leafy West Gash --> Groundcover.
SWG's Skies v3 and then Vurts Hi-res Skies and Weather (You need to download SWG's first)
Darknut's Creature Textures/Armor Textures/Clothing Textures
Better Bodies
And then use MGE to create distant land files for all of the above mods and the original game.
http://forums.bethsoft.com/index.php?/topic/1150836-morrowind-graphics-extender-mge/
Now, download these shaders to your Morrowind\Data Files\Shaders folder:
Knus Latest SSAO and DoF Shaders
trueBloom (The latest version is out of date on PES so you have to download the pkmix which contains another 3 or so shaders)
Now go to the shader editor in MGE and add the following shaders IN THIS ORDER:
Timeslips HDR2 (shows up as DX9 HLSL HDR2)
knx_SSAO_v09
knx_DoF_v12
truebloom_g6_i6
Quote Originally Posted by Rifter View Post
Got everything working.
Completely uninstalled MGE, distant land, shaders, everything.
Reinstalled and generated my distant land without doing anything shader related. Loaded up my game to ensure it was working, then saved and exited.
Unzipped my shaders from shaders 30.08.09 and Pkmix. HOWEVER - I did NOT install the InGame.fx in the distant land folder of Pkmix as I suspect this was causing the problem. This is only speculation however.
Setup MGE for shaders, added them to my active chain. Presto, everything works. Hope this solves the problem for the rest of you.
EDIT: Pkmix's InGame.fx definitely seems to be the cause of the white splotches. Using the file that comes with MGE causes my rain to only show up in menu mode though.
From the Creator of MGE XE.....
First thing is that MGE XE is built on top of existing MGE at the moment. You have to get SVN 178 running properly first, so reinstall it over the current setup and generate distant land, don't worry about shaders. Bind keys to toggle distant statics in the macro editor. Launch Morrowind and confirm distant land is working, and the toggle is working.
If it all works, then install MGE XE again, and start Morrowind. It should come up with shadows on automatically. If there's any crashes, look for more details and get the full error description.
MGE XE download:
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=26348
MGE XE
A custom MGE build with shadows and a handful of performance improvements, hopefully with similar or better performance than regular MGE. Have a look at these screenshots.
It works by utilising the distant land objects to cast shadows, so it only works outside. It is real-time and Morrowind time passing is quite noticeable. There are some limitations, you'll just have to try it yourself. There are several features from MGE that have been cut too; MWSE-MGE scripting, dynamic water, water caustics, texture hooks. I require some compatibility and performance testing.
If you want to test, you will have to regenerate distant land. As statics cast shadows, you will need a low minimum static size; I recommend 150. You can use 100 if you have a higher performace setup. Shaders need updating as well, the HDR and shader chain setup has been changed slightly. I will be providing some updated versions of common shaders. You will also need to update your drivers and DirectX 9 to the June 2010 release, it fixes serious issues with the shader compiler from last year. Unmodified shaders will not be loaded to avoid crashes or incorrect operation.
Install Instructions (updated)
Download MGE XE 0.8 at Skunk Works
0. You need MGE beta 178 installed and working already, and a Shader Model 3.0 card.
1. Install files, update to DirectX 9.0c June 2010.
2. Deselect mods from your load order that interact with MGE.
3. Run the new MGEXEgui. Generate distant land with 150 minimum static size.
4. Edit your shader chain to use the new shaders. The XE shaders are separate settings from regular MGE. SSAO no longer requires fiddling with.
5. Bind "toggle distant statics" key in macro editor. This currently toggles shadows instead.
6. Set view distance in-game to maximum.
Recommended shader order: SSAO, DoF, Sunshafts, Bloom, HDR.
Also recommended: set timescale to 10 or 15 (or 1000) in the console. The movement of the sun is very visible.
You may want to set transparency supersample anti-aliasing in your graphics drivers, if you want high quality grass/tree edges.
Don't expect everything to cast a shadow, remember that it's only distant land objects.
Things to test
All errors go to mgeXE.log in the Morrowind directory. Check there first if it crashes or white screens.
When reporting errors, al
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| 29 DEC 2010 at 2:52pm |
HalcyonSchattenjger
Posts : 1652
Joined: 17 NOV 2006
Status : Offline | LOL. Good luck with all that.
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| 14 JUN 2011 at 10:08am |
TravellerGuild Master
Posts : 4039
Joined: 3 JUL 2010
Location: US
Status : Offline | Hey, lookie what I found...
* * * Just call me Trav. * * *
“Despite my ghoulish reputation, I really have the heart of a small boy. I keep it in a jar on my desk.” - Robert Bloch
"They are not reciprocally sublated--the one does not sublate the other externally--but each sublates itself in itself and is in its own self the opposite of itself" (Hegel, from The Doctrine of Being)..."
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| 14 JUN 2011 at 10:21am |
TravellerGuild Master
Posts : 4039
Joined: 3 JUL 2010
Location: US
Status : Offline | Warning! Do not use a mod called "greener Morrowind" or "Leafy Morrowind"! It completely takes away the character of the Ashlands and turns it like an uglier version of the grasslands. It puts leefy trees down, and turns the rock into a wierd green dotted texture. Completely spoils the atmosphere!
Also, it's very hard to get rid of. I'm still struggling to get rid of the darn thing...
I was very happy with it at first, because it makes Balmora and Ald-ruhn and those places look nice, but I got a shock when I went into the Ashlands and saw that they were gone!
* * * Just call me Trav. * * *
“Despite my ghoulish reputation, I really have the heart of a small boy. I keep it in a jar on my desk.” - Robert Bloch
"They are not reciprocally sublated--the one does not sublate the other externally--but each sublates itself in itself and is in its own self the opposite of itself" (Hegel, from The Doctrine of Being)..."
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| 14 JUN 2011 at 10:40am |
markornikovJourneyman
.jpg)
Posts : 1301
Joined: 28 OCT 2011
Location: BE, Antwerp
Status : Offline | Originally Posted By CrisGer (24 DEC 2009 8:20am)
wow... hold onto your hat...there have been some new developments since i studied the Morrowind situation and mods...some hidden wizards have applied some of the latest shader technology using an amzing tool called MGE, Morrowind Graphics Extender...and ...there is now infinite view distance.... animated grass...and amazing water and lighting effects....
here are some pics...
[img]http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/7381/anewmorrowind1.jpg[/img]
[img]http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/6008/asunset.jpg[/img]
[img]http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/2024/mournhold.jpg[/img]
[img]http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/1172/balmora1.jpg[/img]
[img]http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/8945/nearbalmora1.jpg[/img]
i am still working on my install... have to texture up now.
omg, those water effects look even prettier then the ones in vanilla Oblivion
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| 14 JUN 2011 at 8:00pm |
TravellerGuild Master
Posts : 4039
Joined: 3 JUL 2010
Location: US
Status : Offline | Chris, I'm finding that older versions of the MGE is working for me, yet newer ones are crashing. I'm running Win 7 home Premium 64-bit, and a new reasonanly higher-end rig. The GUI crashes immediately when I try to open it to make settings in it.
Any ideas?
* * * Just call me Trav. * * *
“Despite my ghoulish reputation, I really have the heart of a small boy. I keep it in a jar on my desk.” - Robert Bloch
"They are not reciprocally sublated--the one does not sublate the other externally--but each sublates itself in itself and is in its own self the opposite of itself" (Hegel, from The Doctrine of Being)..."
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| 15 JUN 2011 at 10:21am |
TravellerGuild Master
Posts : 4039
Joined: 3 JUL 2010
Location: US
Status : Offline | Nevermind, Chris. I got it to work - you have to run both Morrowind and the MGE in compatibility mode and as admin - typical Win 7 nonsense. I installed Vvardenfell landscapes and over that, Vurt's amazing tree and shrubbery mods; and I am amazed..
With a bit of tweaking on the MGE, Morrowind is looking so beautiful that I want to cry...
Now that I have the graphics engine down to pat, I'm looking for pretty things to fill up this new world of mine, which is oh, SOOO pretty!!!
Here is an idea of what can be done...
http://planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/fms/Image.php?id=97524
http://planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/fms/Image.php?id=97529
* * * Just call me Trav. * * *
“Despite my ghoulish reputation, I really have the heart of a small boy. I keep it in a jar on my desk.” - Robert Bloch
"They are not reciprocally sublated--the one does not sublate the other externally--but each sublates itself in itself and is in its own self the opposite of itself" (Hegel, from The Doctrine of Being)..."
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| 15 JUN 2011 at 6:18pm |
TravellerGuild Master
Posts : 4039
Joined: 3 JUL 2010
Location: US
Status : Offline | Here's an idea of what I currently have:
[img]http://img847.imageshack.us/img847/901/myascisle4smaller.jpg[/img]
[img]http://img715.imageshack.us/img715/5617/seydaneensmmler.jpg[/img]
* * * Just call me Trav. * * *
“Despite my ghoulish reputation, I really have the heart of a small boy. I keep it in a jar on my desk.” - Robert Bloch
"They are not reciprocally sublated--the one does not sublate the other externally--but each sublates itself in itself and is in its own self the opposite of itself" (Hegel, from The Doctrine of Being)..."
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| 15 JUN 2011 at 11:58pm |
AndromusGuild Master
Posts : 5536
Joined: 6 NOV 2002
Status : Offline | Shiny! Wow, those shots almost make me want to replay Morrowind just for the graphical improvements alone. I don't think I'd be able to face the plain vanilla graphics again after seeing shots like that.
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| 16 JUN 2011 at 7:59am |
TravellerGuild Master
Posts : 4039
Joined: 3 JUL 2010
Location: US
Status : Offline | Believe me, it's almost like playing an entirely new game, because it puts the feeling of discovery back into the game.
Playing with the mods and the latest MGE utility is like playing a game in itself!
I also have a mod that makes the ashlands even more creepy, and indulged myself in a wildlife mod that spawns butterflies, birds bats, and all kinds of animals, even cows and pigs. Sadly it also has wolves and ants (yes ants) that attack you, as well...
Will post a screenie of creepy ashlands sometime.
* * * Just call me Trav. * * *
“Despite my ghoulish reputation, I really have the heart of a small boy. I keep it in a jar on my desk.” - Robert Bloch
"They are not reciprocally sublated--the one does not sublate the other externally--but each sublates itself in itself and is in its own self the opposite of itself" (Hegel, from The Doctrine of Being)..."
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| 18 JUN 2011 at 3:51pm |
CrisGerSchattenjger
Posts : 2538
Joined: 28 APR 2007
Location: US
Status : Offline | Ah good you got Vurts mods to work, glad it worked out for you Trav, yes it is an amazing transformation. So much to see again! goody
have fun, i have to finish some paintings for now..so i am out of the game path for a bit..but maybe later this summer i can get back to MW. have great adventures!
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| 26 SEP 2012 at 2:42am |
TravellerGuild Master
Posts : 4039
Joined: 3 JUL 2010
Location: US
Status : Offline | Hi, CB, this would be that Morrowind screenshot thread, and i had some awsome shots in here, but sadly, the images have not transferred to the new forum, and since i posted the shots under my now deleted previous account, i can't edit those posts anymore to make the images show up.
I'll see if i can find them again and repost them.
EDIT, oh wait, some of the later posts were done with my cureent account, so i'll see if i can fix those at least...
* * * Just call me Trav. * * *
“Despite my ghoulish reputation, I really have the heart of a small boy. I keep it in a jar on my desk.” - Robert Bloch
"They are not reciprocally sublated--the one does not sublate the other externally--but each sublates itself in itself and is in its own self the opposite of itself" (Hegel, from The Doctrine of Being)..."
Last edited by Traveller : 26 SEP 2012 2:43am
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| 28 SEP 2012 at 6:16pm |
CBPrivate Detective
Posts : 564
Joined: 5 NOV 2011
Location: US, CT
Status : Offline | OK, is this not one truly hip Dark Elf? 
Give a man a fish: He will eat for a day.
Give a man a rod: He will sit on a boat and drink beer all day. - USA Network
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| 29 SEP 2012 at 1:33am |
TravellerGuild Master
Posts : 4039
Joined: 3 JUL 2010
Location: US
Status : Offline | Wonderful, CB! I can see that you are at the very least using a foliage mod there- and you might be using a face mod too, but that face is quite close to the original, which is good!
The 2 nice aspects of playing a dark elf, is that you have a high fire resistance, and you can invoke the ancestor ghost once a day as a power. Don't forget about that power, it can come in quite useful at the start of the game while you are still weak.
..and, if you want to be able to invoke it again soon, just sleep 24 hours and it should be active again. Sleeping also recharges your health and magica, which don't recharge on their own- i know, this is a harder game than it successors...
IIRC, it also recharges your magic items. But in Morrowind, your weapons and armor get used up so carrying a smithing tool along with you and fixing them up every now and then yourself (even if you fail at first) is a good idea- it helps you level, and you become self-sufficient and don't have to pay others to repair your goodies for you.
If you join the fighter's guild, you can get these tools for free once every few days in their special chest that you can use. (Just don't take things from the wrong chest or they'll kill you) The mages guild also have these useful chests that yopu can loot and resell if you wish. Note again that's it's a sepcific chest 9usually close top the door) , or you'll be in trouble.
* * * Just call me Trav. * * *
“Despite my ghoulish reputation, I really have the heart of a small boy. I keep it in a jar on my desk.” - Robert Bloch
"They are not reciprocally sublated--the one does not sublate the other externally--but each sublates itself in itself and is in its own self the opposite of itself" (Hegel, from The Doctrine of Being)..."
Last edited by Traveller : 29 SEP 2012 1:35am
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| 29 SEP 2012 at 9:49am |
SharonBSorcerer Apprentice
Posts : 310
Joined: 24 JUL 2007
Location: US, Delaware
Status : Offline | Nice, CB! I don't know how many mods you're using. My characters were never that smooth looking.  I'm so glad you're playing. When I start playing Morrowind again I'll have to start all over and re-download all my mods again. And hope I can install them without as much trouble as I had the first time. (imagine an icon of a smileyface beating on a little computer here.)
The one benefit of having a poor memory like mine is that you can replay games and read books almost like their new again!
Love those Fighter and Mage Guild Members Chests. Always carried some hammers around for repairs and some potions to replenish mana in a hurry.
Last edited by SharonB : 29 SEP 2012 9:55am
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