Change Morrowind Load Order Extra Quality
The order in which your mods load can be critical to them working properly and adjusting the load order can resolve many problems. Morrowind executes Master files (.esm's) and plugins (.esp's) in sequence, known as the "load order", and it is the last changes to a particular item or NPC or script that take effect. If a number of mods make changes to an object (includes NPCs and creatures) and we do nothing, only the changes made by the last mod are implemented and the others ignored. This is fundamental to an understanding of how mods operate and are managed.
Change Morrowind Load Order
Changing the load order and using the Merge Objects function provided by TESTool allows us to determine which mod's changes will have primacy, to maximize or at least optimize the different changes implemented and to reduce conflicts. By altering load order we determine which mod's changes will have primacy. By using the Merge Objects function available in TESTool we amalgamate the changes made to the same object by a number of mods.
Index Programs to change Load order How to use the programs General Rules What mods need their load order changing? How Morrowind handles plugins How do you know what plugin has altered what General Load Order Ideas on what order to load your mods Example Conflicts TESTools Merged Objects
Programs to change Load order TES Construction Set - Included with the game The TES Construction Set is one of the worst ways of changing load order. It is very slow and cumbersome, the only up side is that it comes with the game, so you don't have to install any other programs/download anything.
Mlox - Google Code Mlox is an automated tool that runs under Windows and Linux that attempts to set your load order based on a ruleset. It also proiveds warnings and information about conflicts. Very useful to use.
Wrye Mash - Wrye Musings This is in my opinion, the best tool for changing load order in the middle of a game, when you could cause doubling when using other methods. It is reasonably fast at mass reordering. It also requires Python
Reorder Mods - Yacoby's Morrowind I wrote this program, so I am biased, but I think this is the best program for reordering mods before starting a new game, unlike Wrye Mash, it is easier to use, can move several mods at once, and import and export load orders. The downside is it doesn't include any of the doubling prevention that Wrye Mash does. It also requires Microsoft .NET Framework
TES Plugin Conflict Detector - TESPCD Without a doubt, this is a must have, as it allows you to (You'll never guess) check conflicts.What is great about it in this case is that it will give the conflict and base esp, and then the overriding one (aka, lower down in the load order), so you can see how your current load order is conflicting.
Programs Conclusion ReOrder Mods or ReOrder Mods ++ are good for setting up a new set of mods, but Wrye Mash is amazing at changing load order while you have an active save game. It could be worth looking at the next section and deciding what you like best based on the screenshots. The TES Plugin Conflict Detector is another must have. TESTool is useful for Merging Objects You should also check your load order with mlox as it is basicly a repository of knowlege about various plugins.
TES Construction Set The first way is to open and save a mod, this only moves a mod to the end of the load order. This method is very slow to do, and can introduce GMSTs if done incorrectly
There is an way using the Construction Set - and that is to open it up. Then highlight each mod you want to move (click once, not twice) and put something in the 'description of mod' area - even a space will do. This will update the time and the header on the mod. Note: This won't visibly change the load order until you close and reopen the load window
The basic problem with each of these methods is that they simply move the mod to the end of the list and you still will have a lot of playing around to do. It can also cause doubling if load order is changed while using a saved game [Lady Rae, ES Forum, Minor changes made]
Most mods don't need to be arranged, they can just be left where ever they land up.Thinks like face & hair mods (Not including Vampire face and hair), race mods, small clothing/armor/weapon mods that don't make any changes to existing NPC's, and quest mods that are set away from Vvardenfell & Solstheim. Load order is important if the mod does any of the following:
The way the Morrowind plugin system works is that the last loaded mod overwrites everything that it changes in every other mod before it. What is loaded first, and last is controlled by the last modified data of the file, so if mod1 had a last modified date of 05/06/2000, and Mod2 had a last modified date of 08/12/2005 Mod1 will be loaded first, and then Mod2, so if they both change the same thing, Mod2 will overwrite Mod1
So you can see where there are conflicts. The "overriding file" is the file loaded later than the "Esp file", so the overriding file will take precedent. To change what file overwrites what, swap the order of the two mods around. It is worth noting that not all conflicts are bad, as they can be patches ect.
If we load Mod1 first, and then Mod2, when you visit the mountain, one of the cells will the mountain, and one of the cells will be the hole, and when the cells changes, there is a gap into nothingness.
Landscape and Path grid Conclusion When you start adding large mods, you are going to get conflicts like this (Landscape conflicts are more common and noticeable). Some of the older and less well made mods change landscapes when they don't need to, so if you make sure you load these mods earlier than the major landscape mods, you should be OK.
Changing Mod load order mid game Changing mods in a running game is dangours, as you could get doubling: Let's say you have 100 mods installed, now add #101. If you add it at position #50, all mods formerly #50, #51, ..., #100 will now become #51, #52, ..., #101. This causes problems. [ps33, ES Forum, No Changes]
Idea #1 One school of though is that you load the simple little mods first, like mods that make the signs readable, and mods that give all the potions recognizable icons, etc. because they don't have really anything all that important and crucial which can cause conflicts. Conversely, large quest mods and game setting mods, and mods that do things like let you ride dragons, horses, boats, etc. can contain all manner of complicated scripts which can get a bit tricky, especially when save games can get dirtied by adding and removing mods without using Wrye Mash while still trying to use the same save. [Qarl, ES Forum, Minor changes made]
Idea #2 Another idea is to put mods that change the heads/hair etc usually at the top. Let the middle take care of itself - unless you run into something mentioned in a readme, it is a very good idea to follow those.Then put 'tweaks' at the bottom - things like female versions of armor, clothes - that type of thing. And last is the file that use to change appearance of the NPCs around morrowind. [Lady Rae, ES Forum, Changes made]
This looks as though it should be conflicting. If you look at the mods (1), they both relate to vampires. Also, when we have a closer look at the conflicts (Double click), we see that the only thing that is different is the dialog, everything else (2) is the same. So it looks like it could be an intentional conflict. At this point you should read the readmes to check what order they should be loading in. (In this case we have the correct order)
Now, if you change the date of modification of the 3 mods to get this order: mod2 (eldest), mod1, mod3(keep being the most recent), and you try to merge data of the sword, you'll get: after scanning mod2: - weight = 120 - price = 250 - damage = 1-5 - 3d model = sword.nif after scanning mod1: - weight = 150 - price = 250 - damage = 1-5 - 3d model = sword.nif finally, after scanning mod3: - weight = 150 (from mod1) - price = 250 (from mod2) - damage = 2-8 (from mod3) - 3d model = sword.nif
And you see that you don't get the same merged_objects mod and that while playing in game, depending on the load order, you'll get a sword which won't be exactly the same. In this example, after changing load order, in the way I show it, the only thing that is changing is the weight of the sword, but any of the definition data of an object can be affected, depending on the mods you're using and on their load order. [Bjam, ES Forum, Minor changes made]
To ensure you have the right load order for your game, please visit the CFG Generator page. There you can select the mods you want to use and get the right data and plugin load orders for them. The details With OpenMW, load order refers to two things:
Setting the right load order for your TES III: Morrowind, TES IV: Oblivion, Nehrim: At Fate's Edge, TES V: Skyrim, TES V: Skyrim Special Edition, TES V: Skyrim VR, Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 4 and Fallout 4 VR mods is a crucial step to enjoying a stable modded game. The Load Order Optimisation Tool (LOOT) can help with that, by providing automated load order sorting that's simple to use and fully customisable.