MGE Workaround!

To Bethesda/Valve: You are my 2 favorite game developers, and I already owned Morrowind and Oblivion. I re-bought them on Steam for convenience, and to support both of you. Please fix the Steam version of Morrowind so Morrowind Graphics Extender can work if it's launched from Steam.

To everyone else looking for the workaround: I know this removes the convenience of launching from Steam, but this is just a temporary workaround until the author of MGE updates it to support the Steam version, or until Valve/Bethesda update Morrowind to work with MGE.

Here you go:
------------------

Download this - it's a fixed Morrowind.exe and setup script I wrote. Extract it directly to your steamapps/common/morrowind/ folder.

Install MGE, go through the distant land creation wizard and whatever else you want, and close it.

Run my script, "fix for steam.bat" - this just uses the included touch.exe to make sure the distant land and textures made by MGE get loaded after everything else. It also backs up your Steam version of Morrowind.exe and replaces it with the fixed one.

Run Morrowind directly from Morrowind.exe - you should see the MGE version in the upper-left if it worked!

------------------

This is the same filesize and version as the latest Morrowind.exe (1.6.1820) that MGE is coded to recognize.

It seems Valve built the Steam protection into Morrowind.exe, not into the launcher (running the Steam version of Morrowind.exe starts the launcher) - this is why MGE doesn't work with it, as the actual game exe is different.

I suppose they learned from their mistake with Fallout 3 (they built the protection into the Launcher exe, and effectively gave away a professionally cracked version of the game, if you ran it directly from the actual game exe).

[Grimspoon]

Since this bypasses Steam's security check, chances are valve won't look too kindly on your efforts.

/me continues to wait for an official solution.

[Surgo]

Originally Posted by anoriega

I suppose they learned from their mistake with Fallout 3 (they built the protection into the Launcher exe, and effectively gave away a professionally cracked version of the game, if you ran it directly from the actual game exe).

Don't quote me on this, but I'm pretty sure Bethesda themselves did the same thing, only with SecuROM. If what I just said is true, I and many others thank them endlessly for it because if they did it the other way around, the Fallout 3 Script Extender wouldn't have been possible (or at least would have been significantly more difficult). I don't know the discussions of what to do at Bethesda but I imagine they must have at least seen how big a deal the Oblivion Script Extender was and factored that into their decision.

Originally Posted by Grimspoon

Since this bypasses Steam's security check, chances are valve won't look too kindly on your efforts.

/me continues to wait for an official solution.

This does require purchasing the game on Steam to even do, so I don't know why anyone should care - both Valve and Bethesda have gotten your money at that point.

I've bought every Valve game ever released, and I've bought Morrowind and Oblivion three times each (Xbox, PC, and Steam versions).

I will continue to play Morrowind with incredible view distances and correct widescreen aspect ratios, guilt-free!

I do wish they'd do an official solution so I can launch it from Steam.

[Kader]

This file is neither allocated to a Premium Account, or a Collector's Account, and can therefore only be downloaded 10 times.

And that's why you don't use rapidshare for file hosting boys and girls.

[Sprite141]

Yha, I can't download this. Find a better hosting system so others can get your fix. Please?

Sorry about that guys! I usually just host stuff on my website, but that costs money if I go over my bandwidth so I thought I'd try Rapidshare..

Try this (also updated in original post).

Also, everyone downloading MGE: Use regular 3.8.0, not the latest "beta" SVN release.

The beta ones don't have a very essential thing that the main 3.8 has: a fade-in effect between the Morrowind view distance and the MGE distant land.

If you don't have that fade-in effect, everything pops in very suddenly and noticeably.

[Sprite141]

Yes!! This finally gives me a reason to play morrowind again.
I was spending my time getting Oblivion ready to play (LoD, better graphic packs, ooo ect.) but now I have to do so with Morrowind as well I guess XD.

Also, the console re-mapper works!
Of course for some reason when I try to press the "new" button it only opens and instantly closes the console instead of leaving it open. Its a bit of a pain.
If someone has used the macro editor function of MGE and knows how to fix this problem, please tell me.

The download isn't working Could you upload it somewhere else?

[Void(null)]

www.mediafire.com is a great place to upload

[Xenofreak]

The download worked for me, but the program had no effect. Still no widescreen at all.

So mods don't actually work then.

[Revenile]

Actually this does work, I can vouch for it. It works wonders on my machine. You just need to install MGE first, copy the fixed exe and the other two components in the base install. Run the MGE and install the distant land data, then run the steam fix exe, then you HAVE to run the game from the Morrowind EXE in the folder to play it, for some reason, shortcuts don't work, and neither does adding it to steam. The only working shortcut is to launch it from the MMM (Morrowind Mod Manager) but it does work, and it is mod-able.

[Keksus]

Does this also work to get the MWSE working?