Anatriax's Guide to Morroblivion

[Anatriax]

For this guide it is REQUIRED that you have LEGAL copies of BOTH Oblivion GOTY and Morrowind + All DLC. If you have pirated copies of these games or alter the .exe files in anyway other than how I direct you, I will not assist you in fixing your problems.

System Requirements for running this guide:
CPU: Quad-Core Intel or AMD with minimum 3ghz clock speed.
System RAM: 8gb
Graphics: nVidia GTX 7xx series with 4gb RAM; or similar ATI card
Disk Space: Have around 40gb of free space. We're gonna install A LOT of stuff.

We are going for MAXIMUM options and overhauls with MINIMAL work. 
(Don't be fooled by this previous statement. This guide IS NOT easy to follow. Even some advanced modders may encounter an issue here or there.)

This guide will be broken down into phases, like my Skyrim guide. Each phase is crucial to making this guide look, feel, and perform as intended.

If you are unfamiliar with my guide writing process, all directions and phases are compressed into SPOILERS so that you can more easily navigate the guide while you use it. 

MAKE SURE TO CHECK ALL SPOILERS FOR IMPORTANT INFORMATION
READ EVERYTHING VERY CAREFULLY
Do not assume that since you know common modding practices, that you know how installing mods for this guide will work. GENERALLY yes, things will work. However, manythings may not work AS INTENDED if you deviate from my instructions. 
You NEVER know what useful information might be hidden in them 
 

[Anatriax]

Phase 1

A Clean Install of Oblivion

This guide is going to assume that you have Oblivion GOTY Steam release. 
If you DO NOT have the Steam version, 99% of this guide will still apply to you.

So first, we're going totally UNINSTALL Oblivion. 

Spoiler

1) in Steam, navigate to the Games Library
2) Right click on Oblivion, and select "Properties" in the drop down.
3) Navigate to the "Local Data" tab
4) Click "Delete Local Game Content"
5) After that is done, check your steamapps folder that contained Oblivion for any remnants and delete those. 
(It's best to just delete the whole folder just in case)
6) Run a program like CCleaner or CleanUp!4.5.2 to delete registry entries and temporary files.
7) Reboot your system

Now to reinstall Oblivion. To do this, just install through Steam to a location OTHER THAN "Program Files" or "Program Files (x86)"

If you're like me and have the anthology, you can install via disk following these directions:

Spoiler

1) Install normally through disk WITH STEAM CLOSED
2) Make sure to set the location to "%/steamapps/common/oblivion"
3) After the first disk runs, run the second disk. It will detect the location automatically.
4) NOW open Steam. 
5) Go to the Games Library, and install Oblivion to the same Steam library you just did. 
6) A window will pop up that says something along the lines of "Discovering local data" 
7) When it's done, you'll have to patch about 100mb, and the game will be ready to mod.

Now, since this is a guide for Morroblivion, we're going to need a TOTALLY fresh install of Morrowind, too. 
If you don't already have it, buy it from Steam here:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/22320/

Some tools to help with performance while playing:

CPU Core Parking Manager:http://coderbag.com/Programming-C/CPU-core-parking-manager
Some will debate that unparking your CPU cores may or may not be a bad thing. In my experience it has greatly improved performance. You can always go back to default with this app if it doesn't help.

SmartClose:http://smartclose.en.softonic.com/
If you use IOBit or Razer GameBooster (same software), get rid of it. It's junk. It uses up more system resources than it needs to use. Get this handy little gem, instead. It does the same thing, is MUCH more lightweight (it never stays running. You run it once before gaming and forget about it), and you can put exclusions (such as Mod Organizer and Steam) so that crucial programs don't get closed.

Timer Resolution:http://www.lucashale.com/timer-resolution/
There used to be a trick where one would open Windows Media Player to set a CPU's timer resolution to a lower value to optimize gaming performance. With this app, this trick is no longer needed, and uses MUCH lower system resources than having WMP open.

 

[Anatriax]

Phase 2

Extenders and Tools

Mod Organizer:
https://sourceforge.net/projects/modorganizer/files/
We will be using 1.3.8. This guide is written and tested on this version, so all workarounds are known to work.
Install this directly into the Oblivion directory located in %/Steam/steamapps/common/Oblivion

OBSE (Oblivion Script Extender):
http://obse.silverlock.org/

Spoiler

1) Extract the 7zArcive.
2) Open the arcive and navigate to the root folder (It should be the first one, but if not it is the one that has the "Data" folder inside)
3) Right click and make "Data" either a .zip or .7z Archive. Name this Archive "OBSE" or "Oblivion Script Extender"
4) Keep this window open. Hold the windows key (located between CTRL and ALT) press "E". Navigate to your root Skyrim directory ( %\Games\steamapps\common\Oblivion).
5) Copy the contents into the root folder of Oblivion
6) Close all open windows, and open Mod Organizer.
Mod Organizer should automatically detect OBSE Loader. If not:
 

Spoiler

1) Click the gears on the top bar of Mod Organizer. 
2) In "Title" label it as "OBSE"
3) Click "..." next to binary and navigate to where we installed OBSE, and select obse_loader.exe
4) Add and Close

 

BOSS:
http://boss-developers.github.io/
Yes. I said BOSS. NOT LOOT. BOSS.
Install to the root of the drive where your Steam directory is located. This is for ease of navigation.

Spoiler

1) Click the gears on the top bar of Mod Organizer. 
2) In "Title" label it as "BOSS"
3) Click "..." next to binary and navigate to where we installed BOSS, and BOSS_GUI.exe
4) Add and Close

Wyre Bash:
http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/1840/?
Install directly into Oblivion's folder located at %/Steam/steamapps/common/Oblivion
We are going to be using this to install MANY of our mods VIA MO. (I'll explain in detail)

Oblivion Mod Manager:
http://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/2097/?
Used on a VERY limited basis. Only use for mods that have .omod format.

Spoiler

1) Download the installer version. 
2) It will install to the default Oblivion folder. Don't change this.
3) On the "Select Additonal Tasks" window, uncheck "Associate the BSA file type". Then continue.
4) Skip the launch on the final page.
5) Restart MO, for automatic recognition of OBMM install.

TES4Edit
http://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/11536/?
Same concept as TES5Edit and FNVEdit, if you're familiar with them. We'll be using this quite a bit.

Spoiler

1) Click the disk in the top left corner of MO (Install)
2) Select TES4Edit
3) Install as a normal mod, ignoring missing data when prompted.
4) Right click TES4Edit, click ignore missing data.
5) Navigate to the right pane of MO, and navigate to the data tab
6) Find "TES4Edit.exe" right click, and add executable

TES4LODGen:
http://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/15781/?
We'll be running this at the end of the guide to help generate LOD textures.

Spoiler

1) Click the disk in the top left corner of MO (Install)
2) Select TES4LODGen
3) Install as a normal mod, ignoring missing data when prompted.
4) Right click TES4LODGen, click ignore missing data.
5) Navigate to the right pane of MO, and navigate to the data tab
6) Find "TES4LODGen.exe" right click, and add executable

4gb Patch:
http://www.ntcore.com/4gb_patch.php
Run ONE time with Oblivion.exe as the target.

xEdit Merge Plugins Script
http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/37981/?
There are a few plugins which we will merge to reduce load order.

Spoiler

1) Click the disk in the top left corner of MO (Install)
2) Select Merge Plugins.
3) Install as a normal mod, ignoring missing data when prompted.
4) Right click Merge Plugins, click ignore missing data.

Setting up Mod Organizer:

Spoiler

1) On the top left hand side of MO, click the wrench (workarounds)
2) Navigate to the Nexus tab
3) Enter your user name and password, then click "automatically log in to Nexus"
4) Click the Workarounds tab
5) Change "Load Mechanism" to "Script Extender"
6) UNCHECK "Force-enable Game Files"
7) Close
8) Click the ID Card along the top (Profiles)
9) Enable "Automatic Archive Invalidation"
10) Close
11) In the right pane of MO navigate to the "Archives" tab
12) Check the box to have MO handle Archives
13) Enable ALL Archives
14) Find "Oblivion - Invalidation.bsa" and drag it to the very top of the top list.

[Anatriax]

Phase 3

Fixes and Some Required Mods

The next set of mods are OBSE plugins, and must be installed with a method OTHER than using Mod Organizer. For this purpose, we are going to be using Wrye Bash.

Spoiler

1) Open Wrye Bash by navigating to %/steamapps/common/oblivion/mopy/ and double clicking Wrye Bash.
2) Download each of the mods listed below to the folder %/steamapps/common/oblivion mods/bash installers
3) Once all mods are downloaded, click on the Installers tab in Wrye Bash.
4) Highlight ALL mods present, right click, and select "Unpack to Project"
4a) You will notice a duplicate of each mod made. One has a diamond in front of it, the other has a square. Highlight and delete all mods with the SQUARE.
5) Look below for any special directions listed under each mod (contained in spoilers). 
6) Once all individual instructions have been completed, highlight all mods with a DIAMOND, right click and select Install. 
7) Warnings will pop up, telling you that you're installing .dll files. Click yes for all of these.

OBSE -Elys- Universal Silent Voice
http://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/16622/?

Spoiler

1) Double click on the mod in Wrye Bash, opening an explorer window.
2) Right click anywhere in the white, and create a new folder. Name this folder "plugins"
3) Drag the rest of the contents into the plugins folder.
4) Make another new folder named "obse"
5) Drag the plugins folder into the obse folder
6) close explorer
7) Right click OBSE - Elys - Universal Silent Voice, click refresh

Blockhead:
http://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/43752/?
This mod is to help make sure head meshes are displayed properly, and so mods that alter head meshes display properly.

Spoiler

1) Double click the Blockhead mod, to open it in explorer
2) Open the Oblivion folder, then the Data folder
3) Right click the OBSE folder, select cut
4) Go back to the root folder of Blockhead, and delete everthing
5) Paste the OBSE folder. 
6) Close Explorer
7) Right click Blockhead, click refresh

Oblivion Stutter Remover:
http://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/23208/?
Fixes stuttering issues with Oblivion

Spoiler

1) Double click OSR mod, to open in explorer
2) Navigate to OBSE/Plugins and find "sr_Oblivion_Stutter_remover.ini" and open it
2) Find "bReplaceHeap=0" under the Master header, change the value to 1
3) Find "fMaximumFPS=0" under FPS_Management header, change the value to 60
4) Find "fMinimumFPS=15" under FPS_Management header, change the value to 20
5) Find "iHeapSize=450" under Heap header, change the value to 768
6) Click Close.

ConScribe:
http://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/26510/?
Helps with bug reports by logging commands put into the console (Both player and system input)
Repeat the steps from Blockhead

Pluggy:
http://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/23979/?
Download v125c
Repeat the steps for Elys - Universal Silent Voice

MenuQue:
http://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/32200/?
Helps make UI changes possible (and stable)
Repeat the steps from Blockhead

Oblivion - Enhanced Camera:
http://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/44337/?
Repeat the steps from Blockhead

VipCxj's Plugin Collection v3:
http://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/37075/?
Repeat the steps from Blockhead

AddActorValues:
http://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/33248/?
Many mods use actor values as a variable. This is required for those mods.
Repeat the steps for Blockhead, moving ONLY the OBSE folder. Ignore the .esp file.

That's all that needs to be added with Wrye Bash. Now, we open Mod Organizer, and proceed modding as usual
Make sure to set these mods as the "Patches" category in MO, by right clicking and replacing the category.

Unofficial Oblivion Patch:
http://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/5296/

Spoiler

1) Right click "Unofficial Oblivion Patch"
2) Select "Information"
3) Navigate to "Optional ESPs" tab
4) Highlight "UOP Vampire Aging and Face Fix.esp"
5) Click the up arrow and close. 

Unofficial Shivering Isles Patch:
http://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/10739/?
Again, name should say it all 

Unofficial Oblivion DLC Patches:
http://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/9969/?
We need to remove some bash tags:

Spoiler

1) Click on the drop down in the upper right hand corner and select "Wrye Bash"
2) Click "Run"
3) Wait for it.
4)If there are red mods, highlight them, right click, go to file, and select "redate"
5) Highlight "DLCFrostcrag - Unnoficial Patch.esp" 
6) In the bottom right corner is a "Bash Tags" window. Expand this window up.
7) Right click in the window and uncheck the boxes next to "C.Climate" and "C.Light"

Summon Dremora Lord Saved:
http://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/43702/?
Makes this particular spell available later in the game.
Similar to above, except we need to ADD a Bash Tag. 
Add: "Actors.Spells" in the same manner we removed them above.

Elz - No Floating Weapon:
http://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/45367/?
Fixes an issue where NPC weapons float after death.

Lynges Unlimited Death Reload Time:
http://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/16217/?
Because if we die? We're going to close the game and reload Oblivion. The game will crash if you try to reload a save after death. (No known fix)

These next steps are VERY IMPORTANT. DO NOT SKIP.

BOSS Masterlist changes:

Spoiler

1) Click on the drop down in the upper right hand corner and select "BOSS"
2) Click RUN
3) In BOSS click on the "Edit User Rules" button.
4) Find "Summon Dremora Lord Saved.esp" in the right panel
5) Click on it, then drag and drop it to the "For" line on middle of the left hand side.
6) Check "Sort Item" box
7) Check the radio "Insert at the", set this to BOTTOM
8) Click Masterlist tab in the top right hand corner
9) Find "DLC 4" 
10) Click it, and drag and drop it to the "Insert at the bottom of" line.
11) Click "Create New Rule" in the bottom left corner
12) Repeat steps 4-11 with "Elz - No Floating Weapon.esp"
13) Click "Save and Exit"
14) Click "Run BOSS"
15) Close BOSS after it's done.

INI Tweaks:

Spoiler

1) Navigate to your Mod Organizer folder (%/Steam/Steamapps/Common/Oblivion/Mod Organizer)
2) Open the profiles folder, then the "Default" folder (Or whatever profile you intend on using for this guide)
3) Right click "Oblivion.ini" and make sure it is NOT set to "Read Only" 
4) Open "Oblivion.ini"
5) Under the [General] Header find "sMainMenuMovieIntro=" and set it to BLANK (Yes, no value.)
6) Do the same for "sIntroSequence=" (Again, BLANK. No value.)
7) Under the [Display] Header find "iShadowMapResolution" and set the value to 1024
8) Under the [Controls] Header find "bUse Joystick" and set the value to 0
9) Under the [Water] Header find the following: bUseWaterReflectionsMisc, bUseWaterReflectionsStatics, bUseWaterReflectionsTrees, and bUseWaterReflectionsActors. Set these values to 1
10) Under the [Gameplay] Header find the following: bSaveOnTravel, bSaveOnWait, bSaveOnRest, bSaveonInteriorExteriorSwitch. Set these values to 0
11) Under the [Grass] Header find "iMaxGrassTypesPerTexure" and change the value to 7 (Yes, it's "texure" not "texture")
12) Under the [Achive] Header find "sInvalidationFile=" and set it to BLANK
13) Under the [BackgroundLoad] Header find the following: bBackgroundLoadLipFiles, bLoadBackgroundFaceGen, bBackgroundCellLoads, bLoadHelmetsInBackground. Set the values to 1
14) Save and close
15) Right click Oblivion.ini, go to properties, and set as READ ONLY. Yes. It WILL cause problems if this is not read only.
16) COPY this file (Right click, Copy)
17) Navigate to %/documents/My Games/Oblivion and PASTE this file, replacing the one that is here. 

If any of the above values are not present, ADD THEM.

Now, run BOSS, just for safety sake. Once that's done, run Oblivion THROUGH STEAM. (Yes. You read that right. Through Steam, no MO. We now have MO "hooked" to run with OBSE loader, which loads when you launch via Steam.)
You will get the main title menue that pops up. This is OK. I haven't found a way to prevent this, yet. 
Click Play, and make sure you get to the loading screen fine. 

[Anatriax]

Phase 4

Installing Morroblivion

Download Morroblivion here:
http://tesrenewal.com/forums/morroblivion/mods/753

1) Download the Master File Installer, and Resources at the bottom of the post, from Google Drive. 
1a) Make sure to download them to the same folder you are downloading other Oblivion mods.

2) The Master File Installer is contained within a 7z archive. Install this through MO like any standard mod.
2a) Ignore missing data, when asked.
2b) After installing, right click on the greyed out mod in the left pane, and select Ignore Missing Data
2c) In the right tab of MO, click the Data tab, and find MorroblivionInstaller_v0064.exe.
2d) Right click this .exe, and add it as an executable.

3) In the upper right corner of MO, click the drop down and select MorroblivionInstaller
3a) In the first pop up, select "Next"
3b) In the next window, navigate to your Morrowind and Oblivion directories, then click next.
3c) Once you get the OK that it's been installed properly, continue clicking next until it's done.
3d) Once completed, right click the Overwrite mod in MO and create a mod named "Morroblivion.esm" then activate it.

4) Install this through MO as any standard mod.
4a) A window will pop up with check box options (BAIN installer). Select all options, then click OK.

5) In Mod Organizer, look in the bottom left for the "Filters" button. Click this button
5a) In the WHITE AREA of the categories box, right click and select "Edit Categories"
5b) Select a category, right click on it, and select Add
5c) In the "new" gategory, double click this and replace the text with "Morroblivion", then click OK
5d) Highlight all 3 Morroblivion mods, right click, and add the "Morroblivion" category.

6) Run BOSS through MO and load up the game, testing to make sure you get the Morrowind character creation and beginning.

[Anatriax]

I just realized this guide is incomplete. -.-

I'll fix that once I'm back online full time.