Morrowind:Ini Settings

The morrowind.ini file is a configuration file file, which houses some of the instructions and settings the game engine uses to build the game world; this includes lighting, water, & weather parameters, and links for asset archives or accessory game files (mods) to load. Modifying it allows you to customize your game's behavior at a fundamental level. In the PC version of Morrowind, it is in the root directory of the game.

In-game settings from the Options menu (Preferences, Audio, Controls, Video) are stored elsewhere in the computer's Windows registry and will be lost when reinstalling the operating system unless the settings are backed up!

Cautionary Measures

Warning! Make a backup copy of your morrowind.ini (e.g., copy and rename the new file as morrowind.bak) before you make any changes. You should not delete this file, as the game will not run without it, so backing up the file is very important. Incorrect modifications to the file may cause the game to not run properly or at all. Losing an operating version of this file may require complete reinstallation of the game if you are not able to find a replacement from another source. (See External Links below.)

If you wish to create a comment line inside the file, just place a semicolon (;) at the beginning of the line and the game will not read it as instruction code.

Settings

Setting	Value/Info
Show FPS	Shows the frames per second in the lower right side of the screen. Values: 0 = No, 1 = Yes
Max FPS	Sets the maximum frames per second. Should only be lowered for an increase in stability, or if you'd like to see a more readable frame rate when Show FPS is enabled. Setting this to the refresh rate of your monitor may reduce screen jerkiness while playing the game. Values: 0 - 240
DontThreadLoad	This setting enables or disables loading cells in a thread. If DontThreadLoad is disabled, cells will be loaded in the background without a loading bar, but it can cause some jerkiness. Values: 0 = No, 1 = Yes
ThreadPriority	This setting is the priority of the loading thread if DontThreadLoad is set to 0. Setting this to 0 will cause the thread to run at normal priority, a negative value will cause the thread run at a lower than normal priority and a positive number will cause the thread to run at a higher priority than normal. A lower priority (negative value) will give the main thread more CPU resources, but will increase loading time, a positive number will give the cell loading thread more CPU resources but will cause the main thread to run slower, and 0 will give them equal CPU resources. It is suggested to set this to a negative value. Values: -X - X
ThreadSleepTime	This is the amount of time (in milliseconds) that the cell loading thread will 'sleep' between iterations. The loading thread constantly loops to see if a cell needs to be loaded and sleeps between iterations to reduce the CPU resources used. A lower value will increase the amount of iterations per second at the main thread's expense. The default value is advised, but if you are experiencing performance issues, you can try slowly increasing this value. Values: Positive integer
Disable Audio	This setting completely disables audio if set to 1. Values: 0 = No, 1 = Yes
Background Keyboard	Setting this value to 1 will cause Morrowind to not lock the keyboard to the Morrowind process so you can use windows functions such as alt-tab. Values: 0 = No, 1 = Yes
Use Joystick	Setting this value to 1 will enable the use of a joystick. It is advised to have this disabled if you are not using a joystick. Values: 0 = No, 1 = Yes
AllowYesToAll	Allows the "Yes To All" option when error messages, ending with "Continue Running Executable?", appear repeatedly. This setting is also used for the construction set and for the same purpose. Values: 0 = No, 1 = Yes
PC Footstep Volume	Raises or lowers the volume of your footsteps. (In tenths) Values: 0.0 - 1.0
Create Maps Enable	Allows you to create maps. Setting this to 1 will have no effect unless you also create a subdirectory called 'Maps' within your 'Morrowind' directory. If this directory exists, you can then open the console and type CreateMaps "Morrowind.esm" to generate maps of all of the exterior locations. This will include the Solstheim landmass added by Bloodmoon and any other landmass additions or alterations made by third-party mods. Values: 0 = No, 1 = Yes - in format for the Xbox, 2=Yes - in 256 x 256 bmp files
Screen Shot Enable	When in the game, simply hit the print screen key to take screen shots. You will find them in your Morrowind root directory. Values: 0 = No, 1 = Yes
Screen Shot Base Name	This is the name of the screenshot file, renaming this renames the default name of a screen shot when taken. Values: Any text. Default: ScreenShot
Screen Shot Index	This is the number that is placed after the text of the screenshot name. It increments as you take screen shots. Values: Any positive integer.
Number of Shadows	This setting governs the maximum number of shadows which can be rendered at a time. Values: Any positive integer.
Maximum Shadows Per Object	This setting governs the number of shadows which can be rendered per object. Values: Any positive integer.
Subtitles	Enables or disables in game subtitles. Values: 0 = No, 1 = Yes
ShowHitFader	This setting enables or disables the red pixels which appears when you get hit in combat. Values: 0 = No, 1 = Yes
Show Travel Lines	This makes a travel line appear when you travel via boat, guild transport, or silt strider. However, there is no way to make these lines disappear, so if you want your map unblemished do not enable this. Values: 0 = No, 1 = Yes
High Detail Shadows	Add this setting and set it to 1 in the [General] section to render shadows with much more details.

External Links

• Yacoby's Morrowind INI Tutorial, its backup, and a backup of the backup that is permanent.