Installation

## Setup and Configuration

Starwind is a total replacement mod, so it’s not recommended to run Starwind content or mods alongside the original base game of Morrowind or a modded version. This guide will go over some steps to maintain your original Morrowind configuration, and mods so as to run them independently. If you’re starting out fresh, with no Morrowind mods or configurations to backup then make a note of the Important Files/Locations, and then start Installing Starwind.

The pre-requisites, and pre-cautions in the sections below should be done first thing. Detailed installation instructions are provided to install, and enable the main Starwind mod as well other mods that rely upon Starwind afterwards. Finally, the steps to uninstall in addition to some extra trouble shooting tips and sources can be found at the very end.

## PRE-REQUISITES:

Starwind does not support the original Morrowind engine, relying on a source port OpenMW or Open Morrowind. Be sure to download and extract OpenMW 0.47+ before getting started.

https://openmw.org/downloads/

Additionally, ensure you have the full game of the year edition of Morrowind including both Tribunal and Bloodmoon. The Steam, GoG, and CD versions should work just fine.

## IMPORTANT FILES/LOCATIONS:

This section will be discussing the primary files and directories involved in OpenMWs running and operation.

There’s the main game files to keep track of, be sure to note the location of your *Morrowind install folde*r. Additionally, take note of where your *OpenMW Configuration* is stored on your platform. These two directories will be relevant for many of the remaining steps.

Steam will usually keep your Morrowind install in this location, unless you’ve specified another path or copied it elsewhere

**C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Morrowind**

The OpenMW configuration (openmw.cfg and settings.cfg) directory can be found at:

* Windows
	+ **%userprofile%\My Documents\My Games\OpenMW**
* Mac
	+ **$HOME/Library/Preferences/openmw**
* Linux
	+ **$HOME/.config/openmw**

## BACKING UP FIRST:

**WARNING: It is of utmost importance that you close Morrowind, OpenMW and any launcher before taking these steps. Closing the launcher after following these steps may overwrite your configuration files with whatever was loaded in the launcher.**

### Main Game Files

If the Morrowind folder, and Data Files folders are clean simply make a backup of your Morrowind.ini file in case you need to revert. If your copy of Morrowind is modified with any merged mods, patches, or extenders, it’s recommended to download a new copy first.

If using steam, the original install should be renamed or moved before downloading a fresh copy. After the fresh copy is downloaded and moved to a safe place (for example: C:\Games\MorrowindMods\CleanCopy\Morrowind), be sure to rename the original Morrowind folder back to its original name so as to be recognized properly by steam after. This clean copy of Morrowind will be used to run OpenMW as required by Starwind.

BEFORE DOWNLOADING FRESH COPY:

AFTER RENAME READY TO DOWNLOAD FRESH COPY:

### OpenMW Configuration Files

If you have other mods installed in OpenMW it’s recommended to backup the entire configuration directory, and rename it while playing Starwind. For example:

## INSTALLING STARWIND:

**Before starting installation, take a minute to double check that any backups/precautions/prerequisites above are complete!**

Checklist before installing:

* ***Backed up original Morrowind game folder***
* ***Backed up original OpenMW configuration folder***
* ***Taken note of Important File locations***
* ***Closed any Morrowind, or OpenMW game instances or launchers***
* ***Downloaded the latest version of Starwind from the official page***

To start, the ***openmw.cfg*** file should be fairly clean and default. If you’ve previously backed it up, open the launcher and go through the wizard, selecting a FRESH copy of Morrowind to generate the default config. Once complete, close the launcher and open the openmw.cfg file in a text editor for later editing.

The ini file for Starwind should be installed as well to modify the interface. This goes in Morrowind game folder, along side the Morrowind.exe not in the Data Files folder.

The OpenMW method of installing the mod is fairly clean, and makes it simple to replace and manage individual mods in a sort of virtual file system (VFS). Other mod managers may offer similar functionality such as MLOX but will not be covered in this guide.

### Installing the OpenMW way

To start, ensure that you’ve done the first run installation wizard to generate a default config. ***Before editing any configuration file ensure Morrowind, OpenMW, and any launcher is closed!***

It’s recommended to keep your mods in separate folders, with some structures to keep them organized/categorized. This directory is an example of where the contents of the Starwind mod zip are extracted.

`C:\Games\MorrowindMods\Starwind\StarwindMain`

There should be an *openmw.cfg* file in your OpenMW config directory. Look for the *data=* field that contains your morrowind path, any new *data* directories will be added below this entry, like in the example below. Generally, any additional mods should be added below this new entry as well, since most Starwind mods will have some kind of dependency on the main mod Starwind. Note, that any *data=*  folder should have the same structure as the Data Files folder in the Morrowind folder.

***OPENMW.CFG***

`…`

`fallback=Moons_Script_Color,255,20,20`

`fallback=General_Werewolf_FOV,100`

`encoding=win1252`

`data="C:\Games\MorrowindMods\CleanCopy\Morrowind\Data Files"`

`***data="C:\Games\MorrowindMods\Starwind\StarwindMain"***`

`content=Morrowind.esm`

`content=Tribunal.esm`

`content=Bloodmoon.esm`

Now comes the part where mods are enabled, and organized. First, it’s recommended to create a Starwind profile, and a Testing profile as a minimum to help keep things clean and clear going forward. Afterwards, you can select a profile and start enabling/checking off mods, and clicking and dragging to rearrange mods. Ensure the latest version of Starwind comes after any prior version in the load order (further down).

Making a new mod list:

### Required OpenMW Configuration Changes

While in the OpenMW Launcher, ensure the following settings are corrected:

* Build nav mesh for world geometry should be enable to fix some pathing. (>Advanced>Game Mechanics, four options below toggle sneak)
* Use Magic Item Animation should NOT be checked. If it is it will cause issues with the mount and space travel features. (>Advanced>Visuals under the animations section
* Use additional animation sources SHOULD be checked, this will enable new blaster animations made for Starwind.
* Distand Land is *recommended* if your hardware can handle it, it has been tested for optimization and works well will with 7.00 Viewing Distance. (>Advanced>Visuals>Scroll down the list to Terrain)
	+ Higher, or lower values can be selected for preference and performance

Finally, test out the main game, and see how it goes. If all is well, consider installing additional mods and enjoy!

## Merging with Morrowind Data Files:

It’s also worth mentioning merging Starwind with Morrowind’s Data Files directory. This is necessary if you wish to develop a mod that depends on Starwind, or its resources in the regular Morrowind construction set. The OpenMW construction set will be able to read all of Starwind’s resources from the data sections added to the configuration file, so this is only necessary for the regular Morrowind Construction Set that shipped with the game.

This shouldn’t present any issues with continuing to play in OpenMW, as merging the main mod will ensure that it remains high in the load order.

## REVERTING/UNINSTALLING:

Assuming the previous steps were followed for backing up, then this should be a breeze.

**WARNING: It is of utmost importance that you close OpenMW and any launcher before taking these steps. Closing the launcher after following these steps may overwrite your configuration files with whatever was loaded in the launcher.**

Simply rename/backup your current OpenMW configuration, and/or Morrowind game folder and restore the original’s from backup. If the steps above for backup are followed there should be no need to restore the Morrowind game folder as OpenMW would be running from a backed up clean copy.

For example, this is what would be expected after installing Starwind.

Renaming the Starwind configuration folder, and restoring the original name of the previous configuration folder will bring you back to your old configuration and setup.

## TROUBLESHOOTING MOD TIPS/TRICKS:

### *Check Data Folder Structure*

Ensure that the *data* folder included in the openmw.cfg is structured like the *Data Files* folder for the main game.

For example, if an included *data* folder looks like this:

Then the contents of the Data Files folder need to be brought up to the ExampleMod folder, in this case. The following is an example of proper folder structure, with plugin files (.esp, .omwaddon) in the root, along side relevant resources folders (Meshes, Sound, Textures, etc).

### Narrow Down Which Mod Is Causing x Issue:

Duplicating your current mod load order, and then disabling mods one by one will allow narrowing down a bug to a specific mod. Moving them around in load order could get you closer to resolving a bug as well.

You can also make use of test scripts in the Advanced section to set up your player for testing, in a specific location as soon as the game starts skipping the menu. Be sure to un-check 3. when you’re done testing, allowing normal play once again.

## See Also

* Troubleshooting
* Official Mods
* Community Mods
* https://modding-openmw.com/getting-started/managing-mods/
* https://openmw.readthedocs.io/en/stable/reference/modding/mod-install.html
* https://openmw.readthedocs.io/en/stable/reference/modding/paths.html
* https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Morrowind:Console
* Starwind Nexus Mod Page
* [1] How to Install Starwind - Video guide on Installing Starwind by Ignatious