Looking for software that makes it so I don't have to put the CD in every time I want to play.

[zixi]

15 hours ago, UsernameWithA9 said:

It's definitely worth it for mod control alone, in my opinion

I'd agree with that.  if you use a sensible folder structure then it's extremely easy to keep track and to try things out safely away from your already stable set up. 

15 hours ago, UsernameWithA9 said:

and now with v0.48,

It's extremely stable. I'm using 0.49 (the nightly build) and that is extremely stable too. I'm seriously impressed with OpenMW.

15 hours ago, UsernameWithA9 said:

So, yeah, if the OP can find that CD

I used my Steam files for OpenMW. I did try installing OpenMW with my CD based version but it hit a problem and I didn't bother to find out really what the issues was - I simple reverted to the Steam solution as I'd used that before. However, I'm using Linux and it could be that the CD installation had trouble because of Linux... as I never bothered to pursue it, I can't really say. 

It's interesting that you are so enthusiastic about OpenMW - I am too! Thanks for enlarging on your original opinion - it's always interesting to see fellow gamer's opinions!

[zixi]

@UsernameWithA9

Ha! And you're Linux. That's nice too!  I notice you run Mint -  run Mint on another machine. It's a very nice distro. I'm running Ubuntu Mantic Minotaur on my main machine. I kind of got there historically. 

OpenMW used to come bundled in Synaptic - as a stable version - not the nightly build I run.

[UsernameWithA9]

5 hours ago, zixi said:

I'd agree with that.  if you use a sensible folder structure then it's extremely easy to keep track and to try things out safely away from your already stable set up. 

It's extremely stable. I'm using 0.49 (the nightly build) and that is extremely stable too. I'm seriously impressed with OpenMW.

I used my Steam files for OpenMW. I did try installing OpenMW with my CD based version but it hit a problem and I didn't bother to find out really what the issues was - I simple reverted to the Steam solution as I'd used that before. However, I'm using Linux and it could be that the CD installation had trouble because of Linux... as I never bothered to pursue it, I can't really say. 

It's interesting that you are so enthusiastic about OpenMW - I am too! Thanks for enlarging on your original opinion - it's always interesting to see fellow gamer's opinions!

Now, I use a sensible folder structure. In the beginning, my Data Files folder was a mess on v.0.46, as I didn't fully understand what the hell I was doing, overwriting Morrowind vanilla files and such. It's safe to say that the game files I use now are not the originals. Those first ones had to be scrapped. I don't use Steam but I keep a vanilla Data Files folder handy. Always have a back-up, especially if you're a newbie. I'm still learning but at least my mod folder is more organized. It now has categories, essentially taking inspiration from the manner in which Nexus showcases it's mod categories. Companion mods in one folder, Weapons and Armor in another, Quest mods, Clothing, Gameplay and so on. There is a bit of overlap. For instance, a quest mod may also offer weapons and armor or there may be a recruitable companion during the course of the quest. That's ok because it's mainly a quest mod. The standalone Companion mods, like Constance, go in my Companion folder. Mods that are difficult to categorize go in the classic Miscellaneous folder. The system isn't perfect but it seems to work with my mod collection of around 60.

OpenMW is still packaged in Synaptic but it hardly ever offers the most up-to-date version. It's better to install through OpenMW's ppa either via console or add it to Synaptic so it can find it.

I've been on some flavor of Linux since turning my back on Windows about five years ago and haven't looked back once. I initially came on using Linux Mint and since have tried out Manjaro, Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Puppy Linux and KDE Neon Plasma. There may have been a few others but the latter is highly recommended. I ran KDE for about two years before finally coming back to Linux Mint about a month ago.

And the best part about Linux, the OSs are all FREE! The perfect solution for poor people looking to transition from Windows. 

[zixi]

On 3/10/2024 at 4:10 PM, UsernameWithA9 said:

And the best part about Linux, the OSs are all FREE!

I also like the fact that I can adjust my OS to suit my needs.

Puppy is fun! What desktop are you running? I have Cinnamon on my Mint machine.

On 3/10/2024 at 4:10 PM, UsernameWithA9 said:

Now, I use a sensible folder structure

I ignored the folder structure to start with as I didn't think I'd be adding many mods and I wasn't sure I'd stay with OpenMW. So, I scrapped my first installation, reinstalled with the nightly build version (0.49) and redid the folders. The  OpenMW mod site actually suggests a very sensible structure but I chose to develop my own and so far it's worked very well. if you don't set it up sensibly to start with then it does become a nightmare but if it's sensible you can see exactly what's going on. It's very transparent. I really like the ease of adding mods to OpenMW - it's kind of a recommendation all in itself. 

I tried Linux several years ago but  my PC developed a fault under guarantee which meant returning to base and they wanted Windows back on it so I had to reinstall it. They then updated to Windows 8 (I was using 7). I used it like that for a bit but one day whatever that search mechanism Windows had was annoying me so I installed Ubuntu again.

I wonder if @Pagafyr did take a look at OpenMW... 

[UsernameWithA9]

2 minutes ago, zixi said:

I also like the fact that I can adjust my OS to suit my needs.

Puppy is fun! What desktop are you running? I have Cinnamon on my Mint machine.

I ignored the folder structure to start with as I didn't think I'd be adding many mods and I wasn't sure I'd stay with OpenMW. So, I scrapped my first installation, reinstalled with the nightly build version (0.49) and redid the folders. The  OpenMW mod site actually suggests a very sensible structure but I chose to develop my own and so far it's worked very well. if you don't set it up sensibly to start with then it does become a nightmare but if it's sensible you can see exactly what's going on. It's very transparent. I really like the ease of adding mods to OpenMW - it's kind of a recommendation all in itself. 

I tried Linux several years ago but  my PC developed a fault under guarantee which meant returning to base and they wanted Windows back on it so I had to reinstall it. They then updated to Windows 8 (I was using 7). I used it like that for a bit but one day whatever that search mechanism Windows had was annoying me so I installed Ubuntu again.

I wonder if @Pagafyr did take a look at OpenMW... 

Exactly, if you don't like a particular pre-packed application, as long as it's not system essential, you can uninstall it and replace with one of your choosing. For instance, I'm on Cinnamon and it comes pre-packed with Firefox. I have since replaced with another that I prefer. Try to uninstall a pre-packed piece of software on Windows and it ain't happening. I remember buying a small HP laptop at Target some years ago and being frustrated that I couldn't uninstall a couple of freemium games that came with Windows. I forget why exactly but remember it being a hassle. Ugh! I despise those 'free to play, pay to win' money traps. That's when I decided to defect to Linux. That laptop was soon wiped and loaded with a new Linux Mint Cinnamon OS. When I opened the file manager the first time and noticed how much more of that laptop's meager 32GB hard drive I now had available, I knew I had made the right choice and was hooked. I gained gigabytes worth!

I also have a PC that I bought refurbished and it came with Windows 7? 10?... one of those. That lasted as long as it took me go into the BIOS and allow booting from flash drives, stick in a flash drive loaded with a Manjaro .iso. and then restart into the installation. 

But back to OpenMW,  you said 'The OpenMW mod site actually suggests a very sensible structure but I chose to develop my own and so far it's worked very well.' That's very true and is true for at least one more OpenMW user that I know of. Well, it wasn't sensible to him but like you, he devised his own system that groups mods in an alphabetical folder set-up dependent upon or relevant to where he needs them to load in the content list... if I'm understanding it correctly, but that's the gist of it. This user has in excess of 250 mods and they are apparently easily managed through OpenMWs system.

As an aside, how do you mention someone like you did with Pagafyr above? I've been using copy/pasted respective user profile links but that's not what that is, is it?

[zixi]

Sensible is likely in they eyes of the beholder. If you follow the OpenMW mod site structure though, it tells you exactly where everything is. Some of the suggested lists are massive but most of the downloads I've looked at, are from here. They don't host anything. 

To do the username thing you just put @ and then the username but if you start typing in the username it will suggest a list and you can select thereby reducing your typing. It then send them an alert which if you're on a zillion threads is likely useful. Perhaps. 

The OpenMW nightly build is interesting. They really are working on it all the time!

[UsernameWithA9]

9 minutes ago, zixi said:

They really are working on it all the time!

'Tis true. I used to frequent their forum and the devs stay vigilant, assisting with issues and the like.

[Pagafyr]

I am looking into OpenMW now that I have been able to restore the GoTY CD I have.

I have read all your posts.  I had Linux Redhat first.  It had so much to explore I literally was trying out every app just to find out how they all worked.  I downloaded it back when modems had speeds up to 56.6 Kbps.  Redhat linux fit on a 640 MB CD.

Sleep is a game, I discovered, while trying every other way I could find on the internet to make it so I could start a download and just go to bed and forget about it until morning.  Problem with the Internet in 1998 is that there were fifty slots one for all of a group, with none assigned to a member.  The problem was if anyone signed on while 49 were in use, anyone who wasn't watching their connection like a hawk got bumped off their connection.  If they were downloading anything they had to get back On the Internet and start their download over from scratch.

I learned about Power Napping the year of Windows 98 SE.  I wanted so to have an OS I could dig in and make improvements if I found I could.  I can't tell you how much I loved the Windows Version in 1998.

I wanted linux.  After a couple of failed attempts at downloading it completely I actually trained myself to nap for just ten minutes.  Wake, tap the keyboard, and go back to sleep for ten more minutes.  It took me fourty hours to download the Redhat Linux OS one weekend.  Everyone being as excited as I was with their new Internet Service were pulling their hair out of their heads when a simple 2 MB download took them several tries to get it all.  I chose Power Napping.  No save point existed on the computer where the download could have left off.

We had to start the download at the beginning and keep vigilant keeping the ISP server alert to our presence or lose all.

I lost the 640 MBs twice when I was 99.9% done.  I still have all the hair on my head.

[UsernameWithA9]

29 minutes ago, Pagafyr said:

I can't tell you how much I loved the Windows Version in 1998.

You and at least one more person, my ex-girlfriend, thinks that Windows 98 was the last great version. Windows XP was the latest when we were together and I can't tell you how much grief I had to endure when she went on one of her rants about how 98 was soooo much better. I was satisfied with XP so I just kind of listened and nodded. But that was before my defection to Linux and now I say screw both versions.

[Pagafyr]

  When I found a PC listed in the newspaper being sold in a garage sale I found it had Windows 3.1 on it.  Open Source, no strings except the stuff the previous owner had installed.  How to write your own stuff.  Hello World!  This is my first ...