Hawk's Morrowind Character Profile Creator: HELP
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Morrowind Character Creator Website Help and Information

This site is best viewed with the latest version of Microsoft Internet Explorer which you can download here, at a resolution of 1024x768.

What is IEKA?
Ieka (pronounced pronounced I-ee-c-a) was the codename given to Hawk's Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind Character Profile Creator programme. Since I am not sure exactly what I'm calling it, and I want to save time typing in the coding, I have come up with IEKA, else its just the Hawk's Morrowind Character Profile Creator. Don't ask me what IEKA means, because I don't know. It was just the first thing that popped into my head.

Morrowind Character Creator Help and Information

Click here for frequently asked questions (not technical support) about IEKA

In this Section

Getting Started with IEKA

First Steps
 IEKA Auto Updater
 Installation
 General Use
Hot Features

Known Issues

Ugly Background
 Strange Behaviour

Error Messages

Getting Started with IEKA
IEKA is extremely easy to use, and is relatively self explanitory. Just in case you are the type that has a thirst for knowing everything about IEKA (as a few users have requested), I have provided a small guide on the basics of using IEKA.

A general help file can be downloaded at the Network Website

Firstly, it is important that you have the latest version, this guide, and all help files, refer to features included in the latest version, (by the way, if you see the * sign, then that denotes a new feature not included in the original 1.0.0 release) these may not be avaliable if you do not have the latest version.
The current version is 1.1.2

When you download IEKA, most likely in it's Zip format* you will be greeted with a file like "setup.zip" or simply "setup". To extract the file, you will require a program, avaliable freely, called Winzip. If you have Windows 2000, Windows XP or Windows Millenium Edition (ME) you may not need Winzip, those three versions come complete with a compression and de compression utility. Simply doubleclick the zip file once a compression utility is ready.

There will be two files within your extracted zip file, "setup.exe" or "setup", and "readme.txt" or "readme". The latter are text files and contain all sorts of technical and informative information that you may find useful. This file is also displayed at the end of setup.

Installing IEKA

  • Double click "Setup.exe" or "setup", it will launch the setup program that will install the various files needed for operation.
  • A dialog box will be displayed, click Yes to install the program.
  • The next screen is yet another confirmation step and will inform you of the version name, click Next to officially begin setup.
  • You will now be asked to specify a directory for setup to install IEKA to. If the current directory is fine for you (it should be), then click Next. If a dialog box is displayed telling you that the directory already exists, click Yes to install it anyway.
  • Select your options, creating a desktop icon and/or quick launch icon and click Next.
  • The program will now confirm your selected options, if these are fine click the Install button, else if you wish to change something, click Back.
  • After a few seconds, the next step will display, containing the readme file. Click the Next button when ready.
  • The final step will give you the option to immediately start the program as soon as you click Finish, once you have decided, click Finish.
  • That's it, IEKA is now installed and ready to use.

    Using IEKA

  • You can start IEKA by doubleclicking the desktop icon, Hawk's Morrowind Character Profile Creator, the blue water icon with the two letters 'MC' on it, or by going to Start> All Programs (or Programs on non XP machines)> Morrowind Character Creator by Hawk.
  • You will now be greeted with a short screen (the 'splash' screen) displaying the full IEKA logo, the name of the program and the version.
  • In a few seconds, IEKA will fully load, the Welcome screen will be displayed giving you several things, namely an introduction paragraph, a text box for you to enter your real name, and a Next button (which you can only click once you have entered text into the text box).
  • Througout IEKA, all you need to do is select your options and click Next, to return to a previous step, just click the Back button. None of your previous changes will be lost.
  • Lastly, to exit the program just click the red rectangular Exit, button in the top left hand corner.

    Do you need additional help? If so, simply send an email to helpme@hawk.warp0.com and I'll do my best to help you.

    Hot Features

    Auto Select - makes suggestions for your skills based on your chosen character.
    Automatically activated during use.

    Auto Update Checker - small utility designed to keep your version up to date on your request.
    Activated via your start menu group under the name "Check for Updates"

    IEKA Auto Updater

    What is the IEKA Auto Updater?
    The IEKA Auto Updater is an add on module for IEKA: Morrowind Character Profile Creator that will, on your request, automatically check for an updated version of IEKA.

    Installation

    Installing the IEKA Auto Updater requires that at least version 1.1.4 of IEKA: Morrowind Character Profile Creator is installed. The auto updater is automatically installed upon installation of any version 1.1.4 or above.

    General Use

    The IEKA Auto Updater can be accessed from the start menu group where your Morrowind Character Profile Creator is able to be accessed. This is usually "Morrowind Character Creator by Hawk", the application itself can be opened by clicking the green icon, "Check for Updates".

    Once launched, you can check for updates by simply clicking the "Check for Update" button. Depending on your connection speed, the update should be verified within under 10 seconds and IEKA will inform you whether or not an update is avaliable.
    NB: If you have a firewall installed, it may ask you if you wish to allow the IEKA Update Checker to access the internet, to successfully check for an update, you must allow IEKA to access the internet.

    If you are not connected to the internet and attempt to check for updates, you will recieve the message that an update is avaliable. This was implimented in case the location of the update information cannot be found, in which case the program assumes that there is an update that corrects the location.

    Privacy

    The IEKA Update Checker is designed only to access the internet when you click the "Check for Updates" button. Once an internet connection is established, the IEKA Update Checker will download a very small (3 bytes to be exact) text file with the number of the latest version and compare it with the number of the current version. No other data is exchanged and the IEKA Update Checker does not connect to the internet at any other time or for any other reason.

    Known Issues

     My background is very dark and/or makes some or all of the text unreadable.

    This can occur on pre Windows XP computers or where the classic theme has been selected. The true background colour is similar (though slightly darker) to the colour of this pages background. The background colour for IEKA is determined by the highlight colour for your normal Windows use, ie, the colour of highlighted text.

    The true IEKA colour will usually only be shown on Windows XP systems using the XP Blue theme.
    NB: This has been fixed in version 1.1.4 onwards. Please     download now to resolve this issue.

    Strange Behaviour
    Please note that all known issues have been addressed in the latest release (v1.1.4) of IEKA, go to the downloads page for this release.

    Major issues are as follows:
    - debugger behaviour -
    BEHAVIOUR
    After selecting your options and proceeding to the review step you are unable to modify your option.

    This behaviour has been addressed in an update pack avaliable here [ update eligibility discontinued ]. It is recommended that all users install the update pack to avoid problems. The "more" button issue (explained below) is also addressed in this patch. Minor known Issues are as follows:

    - debugger behaviour -
    BEHAVIOUR
    Typing 'debugger' into the Welcome screen at startup causes all steps to appear including an Exit button in the top left hand corner of the screen.

    This behaviour is deliberate and was introduced as a method for me to quickly jump between steps. The debugger commands are case sensitive so the solution is to either change the name entered in step one, or use a capital 'D' instead of a lowercase 'd'.

    - "more" module missing -
    BEHAVIOUR (case one) When clicking the 'More' button in either the Output step or the More Help step an dialogue box is displayed saying that an error has occured and to reinstall a module.

    This is completely normal and occurs because the Calculator module is not installed. At this point in time the Calculator module is not publicly avaliable. The issue has been addressed in an update pack avaliable here [ update eligibility discontinued ].

    BEHAVIOUR (case one)
    When clicking the 'More' button in either the Output step or the More Help step an dialogue box is displayed saying that an error has occured and to reinstall a module EVEN THOUGH the module has been installed and displays. (at this point in time this is an error that will occur only in the future)

    Error Messages
    Error Message: Run Time Error '53'; File not found
    Behaviour: When using IEKA the above dialogue box may appear.
    Cause: This error message will occur if there is a corruption in the file or module root directory, most likely due to user interference or other program interference.
    Solution: This error can be corrected by reinstalling IEKA. To help prevent this in the future, do not modify any of the text files in the root directory of the program (Program Files folder), it will prevent IEKA from properly reading required modules.

    Error Message: Run Time Error '339'; Component 'COMDLG32.OCX' or one of its dependencies not correctly registered: a file is missing or invalid.
    Behaviour: When attempting to run IEKA a dialog box displaying this may appear and IEKA will exit.
    Cause: This error message will occur if you do not have the Visual Basic 6 Run Time Libraries installed or they are corrupt.
    Solution: This behaviour can be corrected by downloading and installing the latest versions of the Visual Basic 6 Run Time Libraries directly from the Microsoft Download Centre.

    If this has still not fixed the problem, do the following (please ensure however, that you have followed the above steps first):
    1. Click on the Start menu
    2. Click Run
    3. In the run dialog box, type exactly the following:

    Regsvr32 c:\windows\system32\comdlg32.ocx
    4. The .dll should now be correctly registered, try running IEKA again.

    For more information on this message visit the Microsoft Product Support Centre.

    Error Message (summary): Module missing - please reinstall
    Behaviour: When using IEKA and a user clicks the 'More' button in the final steps, the above dialogue box will appear..
    Cause: A module is missing or has not yet been installed.
    Solution: IEKA is searching for the calculator module which, in the future, will enable you to calculate your characters final statistics (skill points, attribute points ect). Beta testers of this module however have noticed that this message will occur even though the module is installed and launched. This problem has been addressed in the latest version of IEKA.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Information about Version 1.1.4
  • A new module enabling the automatic checking for new versions of IEKA [ More information on the Auto Updater ]
  • Minor interface enhancements
  • Reviewed and in places rewrote code so that the file is smaller, even with the update checker
  • Recoloured the race and birthsign images to the IEKA Blue Theme
  • The race and birthsign images now blend in more with the interface and no longer have black backgrounds
  • Added an auto select feature to every step, allowing you to let IEKA choose skills and attributes based on your class
  • Removed the coloured exit button and replaced it with a standard command button (as in v1.0.0), in doing so, we cut the file size by 3.71kb.
  • Removed the option to use the debugger mode because of stability issues

    Information about Version 1.1.2
    This complete minor revision addresses several known issues and contains a few minor tweaks:

  • Re arranging of the first two steps - it was decided that the user should choose their class first rather than their race, name and gender. Users thought it would be more logical.
  • Proper completion of module support.
  • A few tool tip text entries were incorrect, these have now been corrected.
  • Have added a few new command calls, more about that here.
  • More powerful output options, ability to save your character under any name, in any directory.
  • Added a splash screen to the startup for easy identification.
  • A few underlying code tweaks.

    Information about Update Pack One
    This patch addresses several issues and adds support for a future module.

  • The more button has now been disabled until the module is ready, the module will enable the button upon installation.

  • Support has been added for a future module that will enable you to re load previous character settings to review or change information.

  • A major issue involving the inability to modify settings after entering the review or output stage has been addressed.

    Special Commands
    IEKA comes built in with a feature to manually call up certain procedures. If you are running IEKA with update pack one or version 1.1.4 installed you can use the following command calls by entering the bold words into the first step as your name (commands are CAse sensITIVE)

  • debugger - Displays all steps at once (not avaliable in version 1.1.4)
  • app version - Displays a pop up box telling you your application version
  • set my strings - Completes all the strings (places where your choices are stored)
  • frmOutput - Displays the output step
  • frmMoreHelp - Displays the final, more help, step
  • frmMajorSkills - Displays the major skill selection step
  • frmMinorSkills - Displays the minor skill selection step
  • frmReview - Displays the review step
  • frmFavouriteAttributes - Displays the favourite attribute selection step
  • frmClassCreation - Displays the class creation step
  • frmRaceAndName - Displays the selection of race, gender and name step
  • frmBirthsign - Displays the birthsign selection step
  • load previous save - For use with a future recall module (won't work properly just yet)

    Why are you bothering to do this?
    Mainly, for my own benefit. I was interested in learning HTML and BASIC code, which I knew nothing about until now, by myself. I felt that a hands on project was just the way to do it, so I therefore decided to create a programme that would utilise many areas of Visual Basic, and create a simple website. And what a better topic to do it on than my favourite game (right now at least), Morrowind. So with a little help from several internet sites, I did (and am doing) it.

    Is it just you who works on IEKA?
    Originally it was, now I have a 'team' of people. I still put alot of effort into the main coding though.

    What are these 'modules' and where can I download them?
    IEKA uses unique modules in order to simplify operation, customisation and upgrading. Downloadable modules will be avaliable shortly as will upgrades to existing modules (if needed).

    Where can I send my suggestions for IEKA?
    Email me at suggestions@hawk.warp0.com. I will do my best to reply but this can not be guaranteed because of the high volume of mail I recieve already.

    I found a bug or typo (mis-spelling) in IEKA, who can I tell?
    Email me at bugs@hawk.warp0.com. It may seem trivial but I really appreciate it. Often it's those little niggly things that annoy you about a programme.

    How do I modify the descriptions or images for the races, birthsigns ect?
    This can be quite simply achieved because of the modular nature of IEKA. Navigate to the root directory of IEKA (usually "C:\Program Files\IEKA Character Creator for Morrowind\" and doubleclick the folder of the module you wish to change (Race, Attribute ect.). Inside will be many text files or images which you may edit with ease (NB. image files are automatically resized when you run the programme).
    IMPORTANT: Do not modify any of the names of files, or move any files into different folders. Doing so will cause 'error 53's' when using the program.
    NB: When reinstalling or updating to a new version of IEKA, changes to the files may be lost. Ensure you back up any files you may want to use later.

    How much does Hawk's Character Profile Creator cost?
    The Character Profile Creator is absolutely free.

    What is the Morrowind Character Profile Creator?
    The aim of this programme is to enable you to create your character strategically based on your playing style and your wants in the game. The Morrowind Character Profile Creator is aimed at people who are new to Morrowind and the characer creation process. However, by using the included advanced mode, a seasoned player can plan their next character effortlessly with little guidence from the programme. [see also:     "Included in the Programme"]

    What does the Character Profile Creator include?
    IEKA includes:

    For Beginners

  • A step by step wizard in a logical order that will walk one through the process of creating a character.
  • Detailed and descriptive information on each aspect of the creation process, future impacts, and character traits.
  • Beginners tips on the creation process and aspects.

    For the Experienced

    The programme describes the various aspects of the process using unobtrusive popup tips and displaying information with headings in a small window below the main controls so that extra help may be ignored if wished.

    Once you select your options, the Profile Creator allows you to send the finished product to your printer, the clipboard or even save it for viewing later. In the future, you will be able to open up your saved file, modify it or even refresh your characters weaknesses and strengths.

    What is planned for the future?
    In the future, IEKA will include a stats calculator which will calculate your health, fatigue and magicka levels, perhaps even skill points, for when you first start out in the game. Early stages of this can already be found in the current version. The calculator will be an addon module so that you will not have to re download the entire programme again.

    Future versions of the programme may also include a suggestions system where your characters class specialization will be better integrated with the different options avaliable. The programme should also suggest the different factions and guilds that should suit you best.

    Version two of IEKA will feature a bigger interface and will be easier to upgrade. Version two will be almost fully based on modules so that almost every aspect of the programme can be changed and modified without redownloading the entire setup file.