The first press copies of the Morrowind editor have been dished out a couple of days ago, and GamePen is the first to preview the Morrowind editor. This, although not too detailed, is a must read for all who want to play around with Morrowind more than just play it. Here's an excerpt:
The editor is not instantly accessible as some like Heroes of Might & Magic III's. Rather, it is comparable to Unrealed, an editor for Unreal-based games. While it is not an editor anyone can use instantly, programmers and even casual users willing to learn can pick it up. In comparison with Unrealed, Morrowind's editor is more stable and intuitive. Keep in mind, the following observations are conjecture based on the editor.
While it was only the editor - and not the actual game itself - that I perused, I still got a huge sense of what the game would be like. The first thing I zeroed in on was my curiosity to how NPC interactions would be handled. To my delight, Morrowind will be using a system very similiar to Ultima IV's - keyword triggers. Every character will have a ton of keywords that will trigger a response. This simple, but elegant, way of interaction has given way to obvious dialogue choice screens in recent years, which gave the feel of being scripted. This way, NPCs can have a wider range of knowledge, especially since it's just text. There will be, apparently, audio segments as well, as well as reaction to the character itself, with an excellent if-then-else system. For example, the game will check your health - if you're afflicted with the devastating Corprus disease, most NPCs will tell you they fear your condition and end the conversation there. There will be a ton of stock NPCs, of course, but this system will allow for a limitless amount of possibilities and flexibity. |
Morrowind Editor Hands on Preview at GamePen
