docs/source/reference/modding/openmw-game-template.rst
#################### OpenMW Game Template ####################
OpenMW Game Template, or simply, the Template, is a set of base assets required
for OpenMW to run. These include template.omwgame along with models, textures,
fonts, and UI content. The Template can be used as a foundation for a standalone
game in OpenMW, without requiring any of the original, copyrighted Morrowind assets.
With the exception of Pelagiad.ttf font file, the Template is released as
public domain <https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/>_.
Installation
The Template is installed the same way you would install a mod, with general
instructions available at :doc:mod-install. It can be downloaded from
its repository <https://gitlab.com/OpenMW/example-suite>_ and requires
OpenMW 0.47 or later.
After getting the Template, extract its /data folder to somewhere on your disk.
.. note::
It's adviseable to not put the Template files in the same folder as your
Morrowind files. This is especially valid when you don't wish to mix the two games
and use the Template as a foundation for a standalone game.
OpenMW needs to be told where to look for the Template files. This is done in
openmw.cfg file where content= tells OpenMW which .omwgame file to use
and data= tells OpenMW what folders to look for meshes, textures, audio,
and other assets. The required lines would look like this, but with the paths
of course different on your system.
.. code-block:: openmwcfg :caption: openmw.cfg
content=template.omwgame
data="/home/someuser/example-suite/data"
data="/home/someuser/example-suite"
In case you have Morrowind installed and have run OpenMW's installation wizard,
you need to remove or comment out the following lines from openmw.cfg.
Not doing so will either produce errors or load Morrowind content, which you
probably do not want when you are making your own game.
.. code-block:: openmwcfg :caption: openmw.cfg
fallback-archive=Morrowind.bsa
fallback-archive=Tribunal.bsa
fallback-archive=Bloodmoon.bsa
content=Morrowind.esm
content=Tribunal.esm
content=Bloodmoon.esm
data="/home/someuser/.wine/dosdevices/c:/Morrowind/Data Files"
Certain models, essential to OpenMW, cannot be assigned through OpenMW-CS but
are instead assigned through settings.cfg. These models are player and NPC
animations, and meshes for the sky. In settings.cfg used by your OpenMW
install, add the following lines under the [Models] section.
.. code-block:: ini :caption: settings.cfg
[Models]
xbaseanim = meshes/BasicPlayer.dae
baseanim = meshes/BasicPlayer.dae
xbaseanim1st = meshes/BasicPlayer.dae
baseanimkna = meshes/BasicPlayer.dae
baseanimkna1st = meshes/BasicPlayer.dae
xbaseanimfemale = meshes/BasicPlayer.dae
baseanimfemale = meshes/BasicPlayer.dae
baseanimfemale1st = meshes/BasicPlayer.dae
xargonianswimkna = meshes/BasicPlayer.dae
xbaseanimkf = meshes/BasicPlayer.dae
xbaseanim1stkf = meshes/BasicPlayer.dae
xbaseanimfemalekf = meshes/BasicPlayer.dae
xargonianswimknakf = meshes/BasicPlayer.dae
skyatmosphere = meshes/sky_atmosphere.dae
skyclouds = meshes/sky_clouds_01.osgt
skynight01 = meshes/sky_night_01.osgt
As a convenience the Template repository includes a settings.cfg containing
these same lines which can be copied and pasted. However, do not use the file
to simply overwrite the settings.cfg used by your OpenMW installation.
The Template includes a resources/mygui folder. The contents of this folder
need to be copied to resources/mygui folder found in your OpenMW installation
folder. Overwrite any files aready in this folder. These files provide the
UI font, its definition, and some minor UI tweaks.
.. code-block:: none
openmw_box.skin.xml
openmw_button.skin.xml
openmw_font.xml
openmw_windows.skin.xml
Pelagiad.ttf
Run OpenMW Launcher
After completing all the steps, run OpenMW Launcher and make sure template.omwgame
is selected in Data Files tab. Then, run the game and enjoy an empty island. It is not
empty though! It is full of potential to start making your very own game on the
OpenMW engine. Good luck!