Tips: Installing Mods in OpenMW
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Ahh yes, we've been expecting you. You'll need to install some mods before you're officially released. There are a few ways we can do this, and the choice is yours. This page will teach you how to install a mod in OpenMW in a variety of ways.
Table of contents
Mod Basics -- What is a mod?
In vanilla Morrowind the traditional method for installing mods is to extract all of your mods into your base Data Files folder. OpenMW allows you to have any number of folders for your mods, so the best practice is to create a folder to contain each of your mods separately so that way you can remove mods with ease later if you want to. This website uses mod category folders as well for further organization (ie: ../Mods/CitiesTowns/BeautifulCitiesofMorrowind). There's no wrong way to organize your mods, so feel free to get creative with your folder structure to your liking.
When you download a mod it will be in some kind of archived form, usually either .zip, .7z, or .rar. You will need to use a program to extract this archive. The program 7-zip is able to extract all of the archive formats you will encounter, and is available for all operating systems.
Morrowind mods are packaged in a variety of ways, but ultimately you'll just need to locate the data paths you want to install, as well as any plugins that you want to enable.
Data paths are folders modeled after the vanilla Morrowind Data Files folder. These folders contain other folders such as BookArt, Fonts, Icons, Meshes, Music, Sound, Splash, Textures, Video, and Scripts. To install mods you must tell OpenMW where each data path you want to load is located. If any of these folders contain files with the same names OpenMW will resolve these conflicts by using the file in the data path loaded later in the load order.
Plugins are found in the aforementioned data paths, and can be identified by their file extensions: .esm, .esp, .bsa, .omwscripts, or .omwaddon. For compatibility reasons, some mods will come with replacement plugins for other mods you have installed, and similar to data paths OpenMW will resolve any identical file name conflicts by using the plugins loaded later in the load order.
Additionally, many mods come with multiple optional data paths and plugins. It's important to refer to the mod's documentation for an explanation on what each data path and plugin does. It is very likely that you will not have every data path and plugin you have extracted installed, unless you manually trim it down. It's also important to refer to the mod's documentation for any load order requirements a mod might have. Remember, the general rule of thumb is things loaded later override things loaded before, wherever applicable.
Once you understand what data paths and plugins are you're ready to learn how to install a mod.
Install a mod manually
OpenMW reads the user's openmw.cfg file to determine which data paths and plugins get loaded, and in what order. Installing mods is as simple as opening up this file in a text editor and inserting lines for these. This file is located in a folder that's determined by your operating system:
- Windows:
Documents\My Games\OpenMW - Linux:
$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/openmwor$HOME/.config/openmw - MacOS:
$HOME/Library/Preferences/openmw
Once you open the openmw.cfg file, you'll see a lot of lines in here already. To install a mod we just need to add some lines to tell OpenMW where the mod's files are located -- that is where you have extracted the mod's files -- as well as any plugins we want enabled.
data= lines include the full folder path for each data path you want to load. Refer to the previous section for a description of what a valid data path looks like.
content= lines include the names of the plugins you want to load. These are the files ending with .esp, .esm, .omwaddon, or .omwscripts.
groundcover= lines include the names of the groundcover plugins you want to load. These will either be .esp, .esm, or .omwaddon files.
fallback-archive= lines include the names of the .bsa archives you want to load.
As stated in the previous section, things loaded later will override things loaded before in the load order, wherever applicable.
Once you've added the lines you need to add for the mod you want to install, save the file and launch OpenMW. If your mod isn't loaded it's most likely because you added the incorrect data path or plugin. Retrace your steps and make sure you haven't made any typos in the folder path or plugin names.
Install a mod using the OpenMW launcher
The OpenMW launcher is capable of installing mods, and basically functions as a front-end for editing your openmw.cfg file. Johnnyhostile has made a video demonstrating how to install a mod through the launcher:
First, you'll need to extract your mod's files. It's wise to create an overarching folder to include all of your mods in individually. This website uses mod category folders as well for further organization (ie: ../Mods/CitiesTowns/BeautifulCitiesofMorrowind), but feel free to be creative and organize your mods to your own liking.
Once you've extracted the mod's files and know the data paths you need to add, in the OpenMW Launcher navigate to the Data Directories tab of the Data Files section. For each data path you'd like you add, click Append and navigate to the data path. Move the folders up or down depending on where you'd like them to be in the load order.
Next, if your mod has any plugins you need to enable, navigate to the Content Files tab and click the checkbox next to any plugins you need to enable. Again, move the plugins up or down in the load order to your needs. If you know your mod has plugins, but you don't see any listed here, most likely the data path you provided was incorrect.
If your mod includes any .bsa archives, ensure they are also enabled in the Archive Files tab.
If your mod includes any groundcover plugins, you will need to enable those manually by editing the user openmw.cfg file. Refer to the previous section Install a Mod Manually for instructions.