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What's Right with Morrowind
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RPGDot Forums > Morrowind - General

Author Thread
WinnipegDragon
Village Dweller
Village Dweller




Joined: 09 May 2002
Posts: 15
What's Right with Morrowind
   

Now, this may be my first post, but I have been reading these boards, and many others, for a while now, and it's amazing to me how many people are anxious to cut this game down. I'd like to add my two cents...

Framerates:
Despite what everyone seems to think 'playable' framerates do not imply 30FPS+ My rig is a P4 1.8/512MB DDR/GF4-4400 and I have full view distance, shadows maxed, 2x FSAA, and L2 Aniso filtering enabled. In a big town, with lots of action, I pull about 13-15FPS. So what? The graphics are stunning, the detail that the developers put in is fabulous. The textures, models and architecture all combine to give an incredible sense of immersion in a fantasy world, and I'll trade 10FPS for that any day.

Storyline:
The amount of depth and history that Bethsoft put into MW is staggering. Read the books, chat with people, it's a rich tapestry that really shows how much of a labour of love this game is. I plan on finishing this game at least three or four times, just so I can go through the quests of the various guilds and houses.

Interface:
It's simple, easy to use, customizable and it doesn't interfere with the display when you are playing. Well done, I think.

Music/Sounds:
Very immersive, and well done. The score is fabulous, but I expect that from Jeremy Soule by now! The sound of your bow creaking as you draw an arrow impresses me everytime. The environmental effects in caverns, and in the water are equally impressive.

Character Development:
The ability to completely customize your character class and the numerous races makes replayability a real option. The variety of houses and guilds means you can play this game in almost any way you choose. The levelling system with mulitpliers for the most commonly used stats is great, and allows you to maximize the improvement from level to level. I expected to be weak and pitiful at the beginning, and I played it as such. I never ran into something I couldn't handle, because if I didn't know what I was up against, I was cautious. A sense of self-preservation for your character is a good thing for a game to impose upon you.

Economy:
I play a roguish character, and I'm glad I can't get 25k for that Ebony Cuirass I stole. If I could, there would be no challenge. I could train and level up to my max in the first ten hours of play. Where is the challenge in that? I'm level 9 after about 30 hours with this character, and I have never really had a problem with the limited funds available with merchants.

Role-Playing:
Since this is not another MMORPG (thank God!), role-playing is limited to scripted NPC responses. Having said that, the meticulously placed items and guild quests make it easy to get into character. This is not something any SP game is going to be great at, but MW is among the best in my mind. When my character snuck into the basement of a rival guild and found the body of someone from my chosen house, behind two very seriously locked and trapped doors, it made me really think about what my character would do. It's a rare feat for a single player game.

Stability:
Some people are having problems. Well, I'm not one of then. 30 hours or so of gameplay, and I have not had one lockup or CTD. I have been stuck on the environment three or four times, but I could always wiggel free or jump loose within half a minute.

Size/Scope:
This game is huge, especially considering the amount of detail and content. 'Nuff said.

That's my thoughts. I love this game. I can't wait to start another character and see how things are different from a warrior's perspective, or a mage's, or an assassin's. I honestly think that for those of us who still play pen-and-paper RPGs that Morrowind is the first game to bring some of that sense of awe, depth, exploration and mystery to the CRPG realm.

Kudos to the developers. I am enthralled.
Post Thu May 09, 2002 4:09 pm
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Hanover
Guest






Good post...
   

You bring up good points, I also love this game.

I have a quick question for you, how do you enable anisotrobic filtering? I thought that was an OpenGL only deal. Are you running coolbits or an NVidia tweaker?
Post Thu May 09, 2002 4:22 pm
 
Breakapart
Village Leader
Village Leader




Joined: 03 May 2002
Posts: 84
   

Great post...
Post Thu May 09, 2002 4:26 pm
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WinnipegDragon
Village Dweller
Village Dweller




Joined: 09 May 2002
Posts: 15
   

Hanover: I am running RivaTuner in order to enable Aniso. Works great...

Breakapart: Thank you!

I also forgot to mention the magic item graphics... Call me crazy, but I really like the way my Dwemer Jinksword looks, and I LOVE the Imperial Netch Blade. The runes and designs on the blade, and that red sheen that flashes up and down the surface of it look amazing!
Post Thu May 09, 2002 4:33 pm
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Danicek
The Old One
The Old One




Joined: 15 Dec 2001
Posts: 5922
Location: Czech Republic
   

Hello WinnipegDragon,

welcome here and nice post.
Post Thu May 09, 2002 4:45 pm
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WinnipegDragon
Village Dweller
Village Dweller




Joined: 09 May 2002
Posts: 15
   

Wow, I almost expected this to be flamebait... Such a quiet thread though!
Post Thu May 09, 2002 6:42 pm
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Somnus
Eager Tradesman
Eager Tradesman




Joined: 03 May 2002
Posts: 26
Good job
   

Aye, nice post.
Hopfully, it will stay a flame free thread. Nice to see someone who isn't moaning. Welcome to the forums.

Somnus
Post Thu May 09, 2002 7:05 pm
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Axe_Gaijin
Village Dweller
Village Dweller




Joined: 08 May 2002
Posts: 11
Location: Netherlands
   

WinnipegDragon,
You describe how I felt playing Daggerfall, and what i hope to feel again when playing Morrowind (why o why did I have to be born in Europe?)
Bravo, great post. Adventure on

Axe
Post Thu May 09, 2002 8:28 pm
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WinnipegDragon
Village Dweller
Village Dweller




Joined: 09 May 2002
Posts: 15
   

Thanks Axe!

I can pretty much guarantee you that Morrowind is everything you loved about Daggerfall polished and perfected. It really is an RPGer's RPG. Maybe not something for the masses, but something the diehards just shouldn't miss.
Post Thu May 09, 2002 8:43 pm
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Stompy
Village Dweller
Village Dweller




Joined: 06 May 2002
Posts: 18
Here here!!!
   

I agree. This game absolutely rocks!

I love exploring caves & watching the surrounding area light up as I approach with a lit torch.

I love hearing awful sounds off in the distance of the wilderness & determining whether I should head in that direction based on what creature I think it is because I've leared the sounds they make.

I love role playing. It's been a very long time since I've done it, and while it's taking a little bit of getting used to, it's a very nice change of pace from the standard run n' gun. In no other game have I ever sized up the opposition & then decided whether or not it would be wise to attack. That's the true essence of role playing--becoming your character. And no other game in recent memory has managed to pull this off, IMO.

I even love the way I have a leather glove on my left hand & that's what I see when I raise my hands to cast a spell.

I don't know why people are in such a hurry to start up a new character to see what it's like playing someone else. No offence, of course, but I consider myself stuck with what I have...in a good way. I suck at persuasion and my best weapon can only do 16 points of damage, but that's fine by me! It means I have to alter my playing style to accomodate this...it means I have to play the role I've been given. Granted, when I first started the game I ended up with a monk character & wasn't real happy with that. But I just wanted to get my settings tweaked before I really got into the game. So I did start over again, and now I have a level 2 assassin. It took me forever to be able to pickpocket and I always consider myself lucky as hell if I survive a battle, but at the same time I can make myself turn invisible, I'm a wiz at picking locks, and I can walk on water. For me, it's all about choices. My blades have always been for crap. Then I found a longsword that cast lightning on my target if I hit. But you know what? I don't use it. My short blade skill is better and I've decided to focus on that skill until I'm really good at it. Then later on I'll train on my long blade skill again. I mean why not? I've got all the time in the world. In the meantime I'm learning the different effects of ingredients I find during my travels, and I can kill a scrib with one arrow from 50 yards out.

And I've even made friends during my adventures. As other people have said, this isn't a game, it's an experience. Some people don't have the patience for it, others simply don't have the maturity. Me? I had an absolute blast reading a book I found that raised my marksman skill. Sure, getting a skill raised an entire point just by reading a book was great but you know what? I'm dying to find the second volume because I want to read what happens next in the story!

After I finished playing for the second day (real time), I was overwhelmed by all the stuff my character needed to do. I wanted to go train on this, go look for that, then talk to him, then take something to her, and so on, and so on.

And the first time I looked up into the night sky on a clear, moonlight night.....oh my God. I might never need another computer game ever again.
Post Thu May 09, 2002 9:25 pm
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