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Guest
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| Morrowind is nice...but disappointing |
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While there are some aspects of the game that are nice, there are some other aspects of the game that I am VERY disappointed in. Don't get me wrong...I have been waiting for Morrowind to release for a long time, so this should not be read as a bash on the game (although, undoubtedly, some people here will think so). I have been lurking this boards for a few days and finally decided to comment on some of the posts I have seen on various issues.
First and foremost, I will side with those who state that the performance of Morrowind is NOT up to par. Yes yes yes. I have read it all on this board, as I have been lurking here for quite some time. It isn't a first person shooter. The graphics are extremely detailed. A lot of things are going on in this virtual world. etc. etc. etc. I have done the unofficial "patch" and yes, at least visually the frames per second have increased...however it is still very slow. This would not be such a big deal if there were more options to lower the graphical detail, but there really isn't beside removing the water textures. That is beside the fact that the graphics really are not THAT great. I have seen plenty better running plenty faster (Quake3, Return to Castle W, Jedi Knight...hell, even Anarchy). Don't start posting that crap about the huge detail in Morrowind and that it isn't a first person shooter because it doesn't apply and both you and I know it.
The large number of people who are complaining about slow frame rates are correct and they have a right to complain about it. Looking at the box for the requirements, I see the RECOMMENDED system as being a P3 800 or faster, 256MB RAM, and a GeForce2.
Now, let's look at this logically for a sec. In terms of processing power, a P3 800 is a long ways away from a P4 1 or 2 Ghz. I can't think of any game that won't run smooth as glass on a P4 anything. The GeForce2 is over 2 years old and Morrowind is doggin on a GeForce3. In more ridiculous is that the minimum requirements for Morrowind lists a P3 500 with 128MB RAM. That is ludicrous as there is no way that Morrowind will run acceptably on that rig, if at ALL.
For those of you who supposedly are able to run this dog (yes...dog) at an acceptable frame rate, I commend and congratulate you. ::applause:: However, you are not me and the rest of the people here who are experiencing the frustration of having paid their hard earned cash for a product that isn't running up to snuff. To call the people who are expressing their dissatisfaction a bunch of groundless whiners is obscene and just plain heartless. I don't mind people defending their game against people that log on to the boards just to bash it and say that it sucks, but that is not what I am reading on the boards. I would also understand if these complaints were on just this board, but having got to a number of other sites, I am sad to report that the issue is more wide spread then you believe. I respect your right to gush over the game, now you respect my right to make negative observations, please. Hopefully, Bethesda is reading boards like this to get feedback so they can fix the problem.
Moving right along, another issue that I have with Morrowind is that the user interface is tedious and archaic. Having to mouse-over all the items in a store just to identify the item is a royal pain in the ass! Selling items from my inventory is a royal pain in the ass. Selecting items from my inventory is a royal pain in the ass. Trying to look at my character's stats and having to scroll and mouse over each....and....every...one of them just to look at their status is the MOST ROYAL of the pains in my ass. Whoever designed this interface needs to be beat with a sharp piece of scrap metal. If I were to add up all the wasted time I have spent rummaging through my inventory and skill sheet, it has to be an hour for every 6 hours of play. This should have been a no brainer.
Probably my most nit-picky of complaints is that the character skins are hideously ugly. I swear, every female Dark Elf face I tried to create turned out to be a hag. The other character models are rather unattractive as well, but hey...I will chalk this one up to the designers creative purpose. My biggest wish was that the game was multiplayer. The gaming environment seems....I dunno....lonely, I guess. I don't really get a sense that there is a society and for the most part, the environment is rather sparsely populated.
Beyond the above issues (and they are big issues), the game looks like it is going to be promising. It definitely isn't a game that you will roll through and beat in 3 weeks and thatis probabably Morrowind's best aspect. If Bethesda is able to solve the above issues, I think that the game has promise.
Happy gaming. |
Thu May 09, 2002 1:55 am |
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Guest
Guest
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You said it. the only thing I would add is the crappy combat and the total mindlesness of the NPCs. |
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Thu May 09, 2002 2:36 am |
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guest
Guest
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I'm not sure what type of comp you have setup, but if you think that AO graphics are even in the same league as Morrowind, then something is definately wrong with your (pick one: glasses, perception, computer, monitor, configuration). I do agree that the skins for the characters have a dirty and unrefined look to them, but this may be by design. More skinning choices are always nice. Make your own skins if you don't like them. As for performance, don't know what to tell you. It runs fine on my 1400 athlon, gf3 combo.
The interface could have been better. Unfortunately, Bethesda decided to make the pc version very similar to the xbox version with limited control options. I'm sure that in a perfect world, they would have done it differently. Well, it's not a perfect world in case you hadn't noticed.
The game runs, it is fairly bug free in comparison to other games of this genre. I feel that I've gotten my money's worth and look forward to the next eldar scrolls game from Bethesda. |
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Thu May 09, 2002 2:50 am |
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Dhruin
Guest
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We have 2x computers; an Athlon XP 1800+ / GF3 Ti200 and a P3 700 / GF2 GTS. The P3 needs to be run @ 640x480 for a smooth experience but it really doesn't look too bad at all.
I found Kazaar reduced the frame rate by half, so I suspect a lot of people having trouble either insist on running a resolution that's too high or have issues related to their Windows installations.
The interface is different but I quite like the drag'n'drop. Check out Arcanum for a bad inventory interface and even Dungeon Siege with it's "so simple it almost plays for you interface" only has 2x spell slots, so a mage only ever bothers with 2x spells.
It does feel a little lonely at times, but it's a welcome change from Baldurs Gate 2 (which I loved), but had every inch and every encounter heavily scripted. It's nice to wander and think the possibilities are endless. Things like enchanting and alchemy are heaps of fun.
I do agree the character models are awful.
Still, I feel the world of Morrowind is my oyster (and don't forget the plugins that will fill those lonely gaps). |
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Thu May 09, 2002 2:54 am |
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LORD_LSD
City Guard
Joined: 08 May 2002
Posts: 138
Location: Anywhere but there |
I have this much to say:
1.2 Athlon
GF MX 64MB
292 FREE RAM @ 133
40GB Deskstar 7,200 & 8,5ms
That would be the essentials.
Choppy, sloppy, and shitty. can't -for the life of me - figure out why this was released as "bugfree" ??? Bugridden slideshow would be better adressed for this .
The game itself rocks & rules & i'll be playing untill the boss comes, but what was promised & what was delivered = planets not yet known to man.
Unless Bethseda releases a patch in a day or two, i might be as fortwright as to call them a shitty company that can't really compute. I mean, they allready postponed the release of this game for a year to test some bugs...
HMMMMM. Then when you think, Daggerfall is still filled with gamestoppers & lesser bugs after 7 yrs.- so what to excpect?
_________________
- Of all the worlds there must be - why was i born on this one? -
- Idiocy. A rare encounter or a way of life? - |
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Thu May 09, 2002 3:11 am |
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Ché G.
Guest
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Good post. I guess the only thought I wann add is,
For all those wondering what impact XBOX could have on certain mega-hit tripleA games... well, ehre's a clue. |
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Thu May 09, 2002 3:11 am |
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delijoe
Guest
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I think the interface works well...character models are not ugly by any stretch...it's the animations that definitely needed work. As for performance, I think Bethesda will release patches dealing with performance problems....combat is bad if this was a FPS, it's not, it's an RPG...so it's sorta abstracted, hit or miss is based on SKILLS not how fast you click the mouse. |
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Thu May 09, 2002 3:13 am |
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CaptPlanet
Guest
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What impact has XBOX had on Morrowind? |
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Thu May 09, 2002 3:37 am |
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guest
Guest
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quote:
Originally posted by CaptPlanet
What impact has XBOX had on Morrowind?
Morrowind was developed basically to fill the needs of both a console game platfrom (limited control options) and a pc platform (extensive control options). It is my understanding that the majority of the code is the same for both platforms, which means that they have to cater to the least common denominator. The interface in Morrowind is a direct reflection of this. |
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Thu May 09, 2002 4:17 am |
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Guest
Guest
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Do you want some cheese with your whine? |
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Thu May 09, 2002 4:27 am |
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Baron
Guest
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Originally, with the patched version of the .exe, i got ~30fps outside and <10fps in towns @ 1024x768 on my geforce 4 and Athlon Xp 1.4ghz.
Obviously this was bad, so i tweaked my videocard driver settings and now im running fine at 1280x960 with 50+fps outside and around 30 in towns which is perfectly acceptable considering the pace. I also get 100+ fps in buildings.
Just play around with diff drivers, and get a good tweaking program and your performance troubles can easily be fixed. It just takes a little effort on the user's part compared to "mainstream" engines like quake 3 and such. |
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Thu May 09, 2002 4:44 am |
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eskaal
Village Dweller
Joined: 06 May 2002
Posts: 5
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which drivers did you find to be the best in terms of performance? when i started playing morrowind i was running the 23.11 (i think that's right.. whichever is actually closest to that) and then switched to the 28.32's... a very _slight_ increase in performance but nothing outstanding. i'm just curious as i'm on a mission to get this game to run at its best.
- thought it is playable for me as is. not outstanding performance but enough that i enjoy myself while playing. |
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Thu May 09, 2002 5:13 am |
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Sweetbiatch
Guest
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the first post, i agree completely..very lonely world even though there are npcs and guards..they don't do shit...combat is more than horrible...it's not fun anymore to walk over to a creature and attack it, you never know if you hit it and doesn;t make sense |
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Thu May 09, 2002 12:05 pm |
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beefcake122
Village Dweller
Joined: 07 May 2002
Posts: 10
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Yes the combat totally sucks. You just sit there and WACK-WACK over and over and wonder, when it /he /she is going to drop. |
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Thu May 09, 2002 12:59 pm |
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Guest
Guest
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I'm not sure why you guys are having so many problems running this on your boxes ... I have a P3-800, 256MB RAM with a GeForce 2 /32 MB and it runs very smoothly - using Win2K Pro, not XP (maybe thats the difference...). Perhaps you need close some background apps or take a look as to what processes are currently running before you load the game. Otherwise, sounds like a driver / swap file issue. |
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Thu May 09, 2002 1:11 pm |
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