MGE XE
In this step, we will configure MGE XE to enable basic visual improvements as well as the Distant Land feature, plus install additional shaders for it.
Configuring MGE XE
In Mod Organizer 2, click on the executables dropdown menu to the left of the Run button, and select MGE XE.
Run MGE XE.
In-game tab
Enable Allow yes to all load errors under Morrowind engine settings.
Do note that certain mods require MGE XE to work as intended, and your game may crash with MGE disabled in-game.
You may be tempted to enable High detail actor shadows (buggy). As the name says, they are buggy and can be very taxing on your framerate. I don't recommend them.
Graphics tab
Set Resolution according to your monitor or preferred windowed resolution.
Enable Windowed Mode and Borderless window. This allows for safe ALT+TAB during gameplay, at the cost of minimal performance drops (unnoticeable depending on your setup).
Set VSync to On.
Set Antialiasing to x8.
Set Anisotropic Filtering to x16. If your graphics card doesn't support this level, it will automatically drop to the highest supported level.
Higher Menu UI scaling settings will scale up the UI. If you are playing on high resolutions (1080p and higher) I recommend starting with values at 1,20.
Lower FPS Limiter settings will increase the consistency of your framerate. I personally set it to 60.
Distant Land tab
All options minus Use Distant Land and Distant land generator wizard are disabled when you get to this tab. We need to generate distant land for these options to become available.
Click Distant land generator wizard.
On the Distant Land Setup Wizard, click Select all. The checked plugins will be used for distant land generation.
Click Continue. This will open the Distant Land Generation window.
In the Land Textures tab, click Create Land Textures.
In the Land Meshes tab, set World mesh detail to Ultra High then click Create Land Meshes.
In the Statics tab:
Set Minimum Static Size to 100.
Check Include reflective water in interiors.
Click Create Statics.
Wait then click Finish.
Now that you are back on the Distant Land tab you will see all previously unavailable options are now enabled. To get you started, I recommend you copy the settings as shown in the image below. These draw distance settings will preserve the foggy aesthetic of vanilla Morrowind, which I recommend over the absurd draw distance seen in most modern Morrowind screenshots. If you are aching for a little bit of extra draw distance, I suggest increasing the Draw Distance to 5,0, and cranking up the Above Water Fog settings to Start 3,0 and End 5,0
Note that Per-pixel lighting takes a heavy toll on your framerate. You can disable it entirely, or limit it to Interiors only.
Regenerate your distant land any time you install or uninstall mods that affect the landscape. Most importantly, the process will be much easier as you only need to click on Run above steps using saved / default settings the next time you are on the Distant Land Generation window. On your first distant land generation, MGE XE defaults to Distant Land configuration setup....
Mod Installation Instructions
When the guide says to install a mod, it will be formatted as follows: Main File - Example 1.5. This is referring to the mod's category on Nexus and file name. The guide will list a mod's specific file name, category and version if you need to do more than just download the latest main file.
Standard mod installation procedure:
Unless instructed otherwise by the guide, download a mod's latest main file using the Mod Manager Download button.
Once the download has finished, open Downloads tab in MO2 (right pane, below executable selector).
Double-click on the mod to install it.
Enable the mod on the left pane.
Sometimes, a mod will not have a Mod Manager Download, or will be hosted on a site other than Nexus. If that is the case, do the following:
Click the Manual Download button (or whatever the download button is for the respective site).
Once the download has finished, click the
button at the top of MO2.From the new window, navigate to where the file was downloaded to and double-click it.
Finish the install as you would with a Mod Manager Download mod.
When downloading multiple files from the same page, you will be prompted with a box in Mod Organizer 2 with the options Merge, Replace and Rename.
You should select the Rename option and rename the mod to its respective file name, this will make MO2 install them as separate files for easier management.
If you are updating from an old version of a mod, you should select Replace, this will automatically delete all the files from the old version of the mod and replace them with the ones from the new version.
Merge should only be used when you are sure the mod will not be updated and in situations where a hotfix is uploaded as separate file.
MGE XE Mods
Creating a Separator in MO2
Right-click the empty space in the left pane of MO2 and select Create Separator.
Name the separator MGE XE.
Download the mod and install through MO2.
If MO2 tells you no category has been found, click Disable to proceed.
Enables letterboxing for in-game cinematics.
This is the first mod in the guide that is installed with the Mod Manager Download button. After downloading the mod, head to the Downloads section of Mod Organizer 2 to install it. Once installed, make sure you check the box next to it in the left pane of MO2 to enable it.
This is the first mod we will install from the Morrowind Sharp Resources mod page. Remember to rename it to its respective filename.
⚠️ It is encouraged to skip this section unless your computer has more than 2GB VRAM, otherwise expect less than 30fps outdoors. At 8GB VRAM, I can hit a consistent 60fps even in the most performance intensive areas of the game.
Install the downloaded archive using the manual install button
in MO2.You will be prompted with a BAIN installer, here select Core and click Ok.
Run MGE XE in MO2.
In the Graphics tab, click Enable shaders.
Click Shader setup....
On the Set active shaders window, click Modding >>>. Set your Active Shaders as follows, by double clicking on the corresponding shader under Available shaders.
SSAO HQ
Underwater Interior Effects
EdgeAA
deband_fogawarev3
Underwater Effects
Sunshafts
Special Process
Eye Adaptation (HDR)Click Save after setting up your shader chain.
Main Files - Pixel Shader Style Water for MGE XE
A modernized version of the pixel shader water from vanilla Morrowind, which aims to replicate the texture, transparency, and artistic feeling of the original mercurial water, without duplicating its low resolution.
Main Files - Wonders of Water v1.0
When using MGE XE's water, different weathers will produce different wave heights. Water visibility also changes with depth, an effect that can be countered with Night Eye.
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