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Klinn
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Now that the old 'Getting Started' thread has disappeared, I suggest that it would be good to create a new sticky topic to handle issues not covered in the Dialogue and Scripting threads. Here's my contribution to help out first-timers:
First Tutorial: I strongly recommend beginning with Dragonsong's tutorials. They are very thorough and will start you off on the right foot, giving advice and hints on how to avoid the typical problems you'll encounter when first using the Construction Set.
Controls: The LiquidFusion site has a good list of controls you can use in the Editor. The only thing I would add to Olsor's list is that besides zooming in the Render window by rolling the mouse scroll wheel, you can also pan by pressing the wheel down and 'dragging' the landscape or cell sideways or up & down.
Landscape: When you want to try your hand at editing landscape, try Scott Fisher's tutorials.
Quests: Scott Fisher also created a tutorial on NPCs, quests, and dialogue. I didn't find this quite as easy to follow, but creating dialogue the works properly the hardest thing to do in Morrowind, for me anyway.
Dialogue: Check out this other pinned thread for advice on dialogue problems.
Scripting: The bible for scripters is GhanBuriGhan's excellent 'Morrowind Scripting for Dummies Ver.5', located here. This also includes some basic information on creating dialogue. Also check out this other pinned thread for more great scripting advice.
Mercenaries & NPCs: Est and Dave Humphrey provided some great info on Tribunal-style mercenaries, arranging NPC group battles, and more in this thread .
Morrowind Objects: Trying to find certain game objects in the endless lists of the Construction Set? Eventually the naming scheme will make sense to you, but in the meantime check out the invaluable list of objects compiled by Srikandi.
3DStudio Max: Having problems creating new meshes in 3DS Max? The 3D Studio Max Answers thread may contain the answer.
Other Tutorials: There's a pile of other useful tutorials at the Thanos_Tower site .
Search: Don't forget to try the Search function in these forums. There's a wealth of information here, going back many months. Try a few different keywords if your first search doesn't turn up what you want. Browse through lots of threads, even if they don't seem to relate to what you want right at the moment. You're bound to pick up some new interesting information.
Most of all, jump in and have fun! The Construction Set can be intimidating at first, but stick with it and you'll be whipping out mods in no time!
...Klinn
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Excellent list, Klinn: and if this thread will be pinned, perhaps we should add a few more answers to Frequently Asked Questions.
Help! When I test my mod, some things are missing, while others are doubled! You should always test your mod using a "clean save". That is a save game that doesn't contain any data from your mod. A character that has never been in a cell adjacent to the cell modified by your mod should do it. You can avoid having this problem in the first place by following the rule: never save while testing.
How do I start a new mod? When you start a new mod, you need to load Morrowind.esm (and also Bloodmoon.esm and/or Tribunal.esm, if you want to use objects from the expansions). Don't set an "active file". After you've made some changes, click the save button. Your changes will be saved to a new mod, and you will be asked for a name for the .esp file that will be generated. The next time you start work on your mod, open whichever .esms you're using and also your .esp file, and set your .esp as the active file. All further changes will be saved to your .esp.
I'm not seeing any of the Morrowind objects when I load my mod! To work on a mod, you need to load Morrowind.esm (and also Bloodmoon.esm and Tribunal.esm, if you want to use objects from the expansions). Also load your mod, and set it as the "active file". All changes you make are saved to the "active file".
The render window is gray! You need 32 bit color on your desktop to be able to see the render window. This depends on your video card. You also need to have a cell loaded to see anything in the render window. Double-click the cell you want to open from the cell list (or choose World | Interior Cell | New to make a new cell).
How can I put new objects in the game? To import new 3D objects or animations into Morrowind, you need to use the program 3D Studio Max. This is a professional-level 3D modelling program, and it isn't cheap. You may be able to get help from other forum-goers in converting models from other 3D software to MW's .nif format, though.
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Srikandi's Morrowind
TESCS Item Index
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... Also, don't forget to check out the pinned threads on the Mods Forum, and search there as well as here when you're looking for answers.
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Srikandi's Morrowind
TESCS Item Index
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pbody
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let me be the first..
ba bump! 
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kickin' it in the wayback machine...
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Srikandi
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More Frequently Asked Questions:
How do I take screenshots in the CS? You can use Windows's built-in screenshot capability. PrintScreen copies the whole screen to the clipboard; Alt-PrintScreen copies the current window (which is usually what you want). Once it's on the clipboard, you need to paste it into an application that can save it to a file. Any graphics program (such as Windows Paint) or MS Word will do.
How do I give an item or a spell to an NPC or creature, or put an item in a container? Open the inventory of the destination object; then drag the item or spell from its tab into the inventory.
How can I make books in the CS? Morrowind uses a subset of HTML. You should have a file called "Morrowind Books HTML.htm" in the Data Files directory of your TESCS disk. This file explains what HTML commands you can use in a Morrowind book.
What free utilities are useful for modders? TheLys has a set of links to the most useful utilities on his site, including TESAME, NifTexture, Genmod, and others.
By the way, if anybody has a link to a good skinning tutorial, I hope they'll post it here. I learned to skin before the tutorials were out, so I don't know what to recommend.
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Srikandi's Morrowind
TESCS Item Index
Edited by Srikandi (06/21/03 05:04 PM)
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Srikandi
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... I've PMd a moderator asking for this to be pinned... and will delete this useless bump as soon as that's happened! Meantime, another FAQuestion:
How do I add an existing game mesh to a new object? The meshes for objects in the TESCS can be found on your TESCS CD, in lettered folders under Data Files/Meshes. You can browse to the CD from the "Add Art File" button you'll find on an object's property sheet; or you can copy the folders onto your hard drive, and browse to them there.
In fact, since the meshes and textures used in the game are all stored in Morrowind.bsa, you can even place a dummy file with the right name in a temporary folder named with the right letter, and browse to that; you'll still see the appropriate mesh in the CS and in-game.
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Srikandi's Morrowind
TESCS Item Index
Edited by Srikandi (06/22/03 08:37 AM)
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Emma
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Lots of useful information concerning scripting function and general TES can be found here:http://66.106.110.151/Morrowind/index.html
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My mods: http://thelys.free.fr
CON3 Team member
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Srikandi
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True, though Klinn already had a link to that site.
I've just put up a new skinning tutorial here. I've been frustrated by the lack of tutorials that told how to use the reskinning utilities that are available nowadays... hex editing can be scary and frustrating for newbies, and there's no longer any need for it. Anyone who uses this new tut, please give me feedback if there are any errors or things that should be clarified.
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Srikandi's Morrowind
TESCS Item Index
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... another bump!
Perhaps if a couple of other people would join me in PM-ing a moderator, this would get pinned...
we're certainly not getting the message about testing with a clean save out effectively; this thread might help.
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Srikandi's Morrowind
TESCS Item Index
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Klinn
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Curate
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Thanks to everyone who has shared their advice & hints. Please feel free to add more pearls of wisdom that will help folks starting to dabble in Morrowind mods. Here's a couple of more things that came to mind:
Play Before Modding
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Play Morrowind quite a bit before even looking at the Construction Set. At least finish the main quest, and try advancing through a few of the many guilds/factions. There are three main reasons why I recommend this:
1. The Construction Set is addictive! Once you start modding, you may never find enough time to go back and play the game itself.
2. You'll have a better feeling for the 'Morrowind Universe'. When you release your mod, other players will initially expect it to fit into the world of Morrowind as they have experienced it. If your mod runs counter to the internal logic of the game world, it will be jarring and puzzling. That doesn't mean you shouldn't try doing new and original things, but be prepared to explain why all the Khajiits are now 32 feet tall and breath fire.  By playing Morrowind extensively, you'll have experienced the same things as other users and can predict their expectations and reactions to the mini-world you've created.
3. You won't 'break' the game for other players. If you know what's involved in many of the quests, you won't accidently do something that disrupts them. It doesn't have to be a literal 'break', i.e. killing some journal entries so the player can't advance in a quest, but other aspects of the adventure too. For example, late in the main quest the player comes across some very unique tools. It would seem strange to have a bunch of those suddenly turn up on some shopkeeper's counter, that would steal something away from the main quest.
Start Small
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Everybody wants to start modding by re-creating The Lord of the Rings in its entirety. Enthusiasm is great, but channel it into something you'll finish before the sun goes nova. There's nothing wrong with creating your own little house in Balmora, or re-skinning a claymore and adding enchantments, or scripting a teleport ring. Jump in and get an idea of what's involved in making mods before embarking on the mod to end all mods. (Disclaimer: I'm guilty of ignoring this one, big time! )
Free Intermediate to Advanced Tutorials!
============================
You've been through some of the beginning tutorials mentioned in posts above. Now you're bursting with cool ideas but can't quite figure out how to make them work. Well, you've got an absolutely excellent set of intermediate to advanced tutorials already installed on your system. They're called 'Morrowind'. Browse through the existing material that makes up the game. See how they arranged Bitter Coast cells so they look swampy and where they used vertex painting. Check how they made it possible for you to tag along after a galloping white guar. You want to have the player bring your NPC five jewels in exchange for something? Hmmm, remember the early quest where you gathered flower samples for Ajira in the Mages' Guild? Check out Ajira's dialogue ("flowers" topic mostly) to see how it can be done. This is also where having played the game a lot helps - you'll remember similar situations in the game that can help you with your mod.
Searching the Editor
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The Construction Set has a built-in, semi-hidden search function. Under the Edit menu is the 'Find Text...' command. In the dialog box that pops up, enter the word you want to look for and click the Find Text button. You can find objects, scripts, and dialogue this way. In fact, that's how I just found the dialogue and scripts for Ajira mentioned above. You can also click on the column headings to sort the lists, e.g. to group all the static objects together, all the books, etc.
Hmmmm, anyone seen a pin lying around for this thread?
...Klinn
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Very good advice, Klinn... and let me add another two cents in self-defense...
Debugging a script: incremental testing. You think you've figured out the scripting language, and you're ready to script your longsword that leaps out of your hand and tapdances when an enemy is in sight, but only if the player has had a bit too much skooma and the moons are full. You pull out Scripting for Dummies, read it end to end, and then produce 200 lines of timeless code. You save your mod, start the game, give the sword to your character, wait for the right time of month, chug a few bottles and... nothing happens. Whoops! Where on earth did you slip up?
Don't ask us! Best thing to do is to avoid being in this situation in the first place. At the beginning, you should test your script at every point along the way where something should have happened that could be detectable in-game. First, get the longsword to drop to the ground when an enemy appears. Then get it to hop when dropped. Then choreograph the tapdance. Then add the condition about skooma. Then check the moonphase. Make sure each phase works flawlessly before proceeding to the next.
Your testing can get even more fine-grained than this. For instance, if a variable X is supposed to get set, you can make sure that happened by starting the game, setting up the conditions for the script to run, opening the console, clicking the object the script is tied to, and typing "sv".
Or, put a message-box in your script: messageBox "X is set to %g", X. You'll see a message in-game when the script runs. This will let you know not only the value of the variable, but whether that part of the code executed.
Don't be afraid to use the console while testing, to set the conditions for your script to execute... get your clean character to the right location, set the game day or the time, give yourself the items you need, spawn some enemies to test on, and avoid dying before you found out if your script worked. This can save a huge amount of testing time. You don't get any medals for feats of valor performed while testing mods.
Many more useful hints along these lines can be found in the Scripting for Dummies "Troubleshooting" section.
Incremental testing is tedious and time-consuming, but it is much better than the frustration of staring at a screenful of code and scratching your head... and when something doesn't work, you'll know exactly what it was, and it will be much more likely that you'll quickly find a solution, or get useful help on the forum. As you gain more experience, you'll be able to write longer sections between tests, and things will start to go faster.
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Srikandi's Morrowind
TESCS Item Index
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Oh, and another quick tip: did you know there's a search and replace function for objects? That means that if you're working on (or waiting for someone else to complete) a new eerie sarcophagus or scripted tree, you can go ahead and put in placeholder objects during mod design, and then swap them for the real deal down the line. It's under Edit | Search and Replace.
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Srikandi's Morrowind
TESCS Item Index
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Emma
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Dinkum Thinkum added this one to the dialog-thread, and I thought it was so good, not only for dialog issues, so I've copied it for this thread:
How to use the "details" list to clean a mod:
Quote (Dinkum Tinkum):
"In case you've never used the 'details' to clean a mod before, here's a step-by-step:
"NOTE: As Emma said: it's a very good idea to make a backup copy of the .esp file before you try cleaning it, especially if you haven't done this before.
1. Go to the Data Files screen in the Construction Set. Select the required master files and the .esp file you want to clean. Make the .esp file active. Just like you're going to load the .esp for editing, but don't hit the 'OK' button yet.
2. Highlight the .esp file and click the 'Details' button.
3. Select (highlight) the entries you want to remove, and hit the 'Delete' key for each one. Answer yes to the prompt each time. You'll now see an 'I' in the 'Ignored' field for each entry.
4. Once you've marked each entry you want to delete, hit the 'OK' button to load the .esp file.
Edit: close the 'Details' window before you hit the 'OK" button. (I know it's obvious, but I hate leaving out steps. )
5. _Immediately_ save the .esp file. This will rewrite the file, minus all the entries you marked for deletion.
6. To double-check: go back to the Data Files screen again and check the details listing for the .esp file. The entries you marked in step 3 should be gone.
7. You're .esp file should now be clean, and ready for you to redo/repair the dialogue.
The above cleaning process works for most types of entries in .esp files. It removes the changed data stored in the .esp file, so the game will go back to using the original data from the .esm files.
I've been using the above to clean up mistakes in my mods for quite a while, but I'm still pretty new at dialogue; so I can't help much with the details of that yet. "
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My mods: http://thelys.free.fr
CON3 Team member
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| Reged: 10/08/02 |
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This thread
really should be PINNED!!
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Emma's Morrowind Site
My mods - TheLys
Gamer's Roam
WIP Head packs
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Here's
something I only recently learned: if you have modified a texture
and want the results to show up in the CS, just switch to the
preview window, wait a few seconds, then switch back. This forces
textures to reload. Possibly everybody else knew this, but I
didn't!
And: let's keep working on getting this thread
pinned. I'm getting tired of posting the link. All together now: PM
Pete!
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GMST settings
that 'sneak' into your plug-in file can break certain functions like
the summon fabricant spell. These errors only occur with versions of
the Construction Set that have been updated with Tribunal and/or
Bloodmoon. These Game Setting (GMST) entries are dumped into any
plug-in that has been saved in the CS with only the Morrowind.esm
file loaded (Tribunal and/or Bloodmoon NOT loaded).
If you
are unsure if your game is affected by this problem, load the game
and go barter with a merchant. Merchants have a button that allows
you to set the gold offered to the maximum amount that merchant has.
The name of this button is Seller Max . If the button says Max
Sale then at least one of your loaded plug-in
is corrupted with these rogue GMST entries.
There are several
cures (and preventions) to this problem.
If your game is
already affected by this problem you can:
- Load each plug-in file into the editor (or TESAME) and view
the contents of the file under details(File | Data Files |
Details). The GMST settings should be the first items listed. Mark
them as ignored (or delete with TESAME).
- If you have a lot of plug-ins, Manuser has a QuickFix available on his web-site. This changes
the GMST settings to their correct value, and he has set the file
date some time into the distant future, so that it will always be
the last file to load.
To prevent this problem,
which often occurs when making Morrowind only mods, there are a few
approaches you can take.
- Put up with the entries until your mod is ready for release,
then delete all the GMST entries in your file.
- Save a blank esp that has had the GMST settings deleted from
it, then when you are ready to release your mod, copy the contents
across using TESAME.
- Create your plug-in with all the official master files loaded,
and then use TES Dependency Tool Kit (TESDTK) to remove any
unwanted Parent Masters from your plug-in (this is my personal
favourite
 ).
If you are going to release a mod to the
community, MAKE SURE YOUR MOD DOES NOT HAVE THESE GMST ENTRIES!
Begin
_Shameles_self_promotion
short hasBragged
if ( hasBragged != 1
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...TESDTK is downloadable from my sig.
...Version 2 will be released soon
...set
hasBragged to 1
endIf
End _Shameles_self_promotion
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Immersive
Architect: Make Morrowind your world builder.
Morrowind Tech
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| Reged: 06/24/03 |
| Posts: 414 |
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I wondered why
that happened!
Outstanding info everyone.
Bump as required.
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Stonewood Hall Version 1.2 (INN Friendly)
Stonewood Hall Version 1.1
Stonewood Hall screens
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Pinning this
thread by request.
I'm also closing it, so it doesn't get
overrun with replies. If you'd like to thank the original poster, do
so by PM.
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Chappy
Bethesda
Softworks
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Re: First Time User? Tutorials, Hints, and More!
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