A Morrowind: Bloodmoon interview, conducted with designer Emil Pagliarulo (he worked on Thief 1, 2 and 3 as well), has been posted at Gamegossip. Here's a bit from that:
Just how large is the new island of Bloodmoon? Some have voiced they are scared of size limitations... can you calm these fears by expanding on what one can find in this new land?
Well, you're always going to have limitations. It's what you do within those limitations that make or break your game. Morrowind is a huge game. Daggerfall, by comparison, was several times bigger. But which one is ultimately a better game? Most people would probably say Morrowind. The design is more focused, the dungeons are more specific, and the world -- while large enough to explore -- is manageable. So no, Solstheim is not as big as Vvardenfell. How could it be? But let me tell you, it's still pretty damn big. You're not confined to an urban center as you were in Mournhold. The island is wide open, and can be explored at will. I think the player will find the process of exploring is a lot of fun, too, if for no other reason than the landscape looks so beautiful, and there are so many new terrain types to encounter. Ice caves, Nord burial caves, forests, snowy mountains, and ancient standing stones. But we've also taken pains to ensure the landscape isn't just landscape, so the player generally gets rewarded for exploring, either by finding cool items or new quests or what have you. |