How does the TES Construction Set work?
- 1 of 19: It's a very big, complicated program that I have no room to explain in much detail in this hint file. (It's available for the PC version only, and you may also need to install it from the CD -- it isn't necessarily installed at the same time as the main game.) There are many tutorials and such on the Internet that will give details on how to use the program to modify the game and make your own new modules.
- 2 of 19: I will tell you how to load up Morrowind's main game file and do some simple edits to its contents, though, so go ahead and run the TES Construction Set program.
- 3 of 19: Once it's up, click on the little folder icon that's at the left end of the row of icons near the top of the screen (or go to the File menu and click on "Data Files...").
- 4 of 19: On the Data Files window, double-click on the box to the left of the ESM file that you want to load. Morrowind.esm is the main game file, and it'll be the only one you have unless you've installed Tribunal or Bloodmoon (or some other add-on).
- 5 of 19: After double-clicking in the ESM file's box to get an X put there, click on the OK button near the bottom right corner of the window. Wait while the file loads (it could take a few minutes).
- 6 of 19: Once it's done, check out all the folder tabs in the Object Window. You can view all the weapons in the game, all the armor, all the NPCs, all the creatures, etc.
- 7 of 19: Read on to learn how to make a few simple but powerful edits.
- 8 of 19: Let's start out with the infamous Robe of St. Roris, shall we? Click on the "Enchanting" tab in the Object Window, then scroll down the alphabetized list until you find the enchantment ID "stroris_en". Double-click on that to bring up an Enchanting window containing the robe enchantment's specific data. (You may have noticed another enchantment ID just above it called "stroris" -- it's the old enchantment type that isn't used anymore, so editing it is pointless.)
- 9 of 19: NOTE: When you're on the ID list for enchantments, you can right-click on an enchantment ID and then choose the "Info" option to learn what all items have that enchantment on them. This feature works similarly for other types of objects.
- 10 of 19: Near the top right of the Enchanting data window is the field you most want to edit: Cast Type. Click on the down arrow to the right of the box and then click on "Constant Effect." That sets the robe back to being a constant effect item.
- 11 of 19: You can also edit the effects list and magnitudes using the data below that. For instance, why not leave the original two effects alone and add a Restore Magicka effect? To do that, click on the down arrow next to the empty third box in the "Effects" column and scroll down the list until you find Restore Magicka. Click on it to get it put in as a third constant effect.
- 12 of 19: You also have to edit the two magnitude boxes over on the right end of the third row so that your edited robe will actually restore some magicka. (Note that you can increase or decrease the values on all three effects from the original 15.)
- 13 of 19: When you're through editing the Robe of St. Roris' enchantments, click on the "Save" button at the bottom of the Enchanting data window.
- 14 of 19: If that's all you want to do, skip ahead to the next hint. Otherwise, read the subhints below to learn how to modify the Creeper merchant and the enchant potential of the exquisite rings, and to create new super items.
- 15 of 19: To save all your changes to the hard drive, click on the disk icon that's next to the folder icon you used earlier to open the ESM file (or go to the File menu and click on "Save"). This'll bring up the Select Target Plugin window.
- 16 of 19: You can't save your changes directly back to the original ESM file, so you'll have to choose a name for a new ESP plugin file. You can pick any name you want, such as "Morrow-edited" or "Moronwind" or whatever.
- 17 of 19: To run the game using your new plugin, don't choose "Play" from the game's startup screen. Instead, choose "Data Files." Locate your new plugin file and double-click on the box to the left of it to select it.
- 18 of 19: Click on the "Okay" button to close that window, then select "Play" to run the game. Your plugin will be loaded along with all the ESM files installed on your system. Be sure to go check out the results of your changes right away!
- 19 of 19: NOTE: You don't have to go to the "Data Files" menu every time you run the game from now on if you want to continue using your plugin. If you ever want to stop using it, you'll have to go to the "Data Files" list and double-click its box to uncheck it. (If you then restore a save made when the plugin was active, you'll get a warning message or two, but things should end up okay.)
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