This is all I want. I don't care about level scaling, I don't care about how the combat is, I don't care about only having 4 voice actors.

Just give me an interesting world to explore

I found Oblivion's world plenty interesting, but moreso to the west, the south and the north

Speaking of Morrowind, I tried to actually get through it now, but I still got bored of it. I think I'm at level 8. How long does it take to beat the main quest? I'm really trying to like it, but it gets so monotonous!!!!!

Took me about a year.

It's hard to explain, but if you're playing through morrowind the first time I'd say it would be better to ignroe the main quest and just do some wandering. Explore some mines and temples, check out all the interesting locations and loot you can grab from them...

It's hard to explain really, I feel bad for people who played morrowind first after playing oblivion, because it seems like they can't get into the mindset.

I've owned morrowind for 7 years and still haven't beat the main quest by the way

EDIT: also what do you find monotonous? The combat? The travel?

I remember seeing a whole bunch of HD mods for Morrowind, really made me consider buying it and installing them. Unfortunately, I can't find the big collection anymore, and I don't know if I could put up with the graphics.

@ metroixer:
Yes, all of the above. But there are certain charms to it that keep me interested sometimes and the feeling of real accomplishment after spending so long on improving your skills; even though it's just a game.

I am focusing on the side quests anyway before I really focus on the main one, which I barely started. I still get owned by stupid mine burglars and zombies (or whatever they're called) sometimes, so I'm trying to get my combat skills up.

Just remember that you have magic at your disposal too. Not only for fighting, but you can mark areas and then use recall spells to teleport back quickly. It's like fast travel, but it actually makes sense in the game world!

edit: I'm reminded of my brother's file on his xbox morrowind. He broke the shit out of it, not only was his sneak beastly and he has pretty much the best armor, but he made an amulet that gave him infinite levitation (in other words, no_clip without the clipping through stuff. Just flying everywhere), as well as ring that got rid of the boots of blinding speed darkness. It's a great example of how the game can be as flexible as you want it to be.

Don't worry about new textures, they don't make best use of the low poly models, and the original art fits the style better than any fan effort.

Instead, look on Planet Elder Scrolls, and more specifically the Morrowind Mod Hall of Fame. I would recommend Darknut's Texture Packs, they are just more detailed versions of the original art, and vey high quality.

While I'm at it, there, are lots of ways to enrich your experience, helpfully filtered by the devoted community in the UESP Modding Section.

I'd better bookmark this for when I eventually buy Morrowind.

Also, I found the big mod list I mentioned earlier: http://forums.somethingawful.com/sho...readid=3248990
Just look at those goddamn screenshots.

I don't like the style of those textures. They look all overexposed like Oblivion, and all the vegetation is too bushy. Vvardenfell is supposed to be a blighted land. Barren grazeland down the sides, swamps on the south coast, rocky outcrops on the north coast, and centre dominated by volcanic ash wastes. None of those things should have bushy oak trees. The trees were all dead for a reason. Also, everything was unhealthy shades of brown, green or grey.

EDIT: I'd just like to take this oppurtunity to big up the Morrowind art team. They were limited by the 3D modelling technology of the time, and that they managed to overcome it by having an extremely talented and comitted art team and make a game that still looks good unmodded toady is nothing short of staggering.

EDIT EDIT:
I mean look at it.

http://media.moddb.com/images/downlo...owind_02-B.jpg

They started making this in 1997. I've seen games released today, using modern engines and technology, that look worse than this.

http://i683.photobucket.com/albums/v...eenshot4-2.jpg
http://i25.tinypic.com/wk4jrt.jpg

I don't know what screenshots you were looking at?

EDIT: No table breaking because I'm feeling nice.

These ones.

http://i29.tinypic.com/ofzrz8.jpg
http://i32.tinypic.com/242bp4y.jpg

I'll give you the first one, but the second is a goddamn pond.

Wasn't there any green areas in Morrowind? I find that difficult to believe.

This is as green as it got. They are on the edge of a volcano that keeps spewing out ashstorms and hellish diseases, after all.

Okay this has piqued my interest.

Hmm, fair enough, but I still think I'd prefer that mod set - I somehow doubt it's as intrusive as you think it is.

But hey, neither of us have anything to go on but some screenshots so

If you like the way they look, go ahead. It's your game, after all. But promise me you'll play it unmodded first. They worked damn hard on this game, and their work deserves to be experienced.

What about this? And this? And this?

It's funny how modern games get criticised for being too brown, and Morrowind gets praised for it.

It uses very inventive shades of brown. Also, most brown games are set in the real world, making them too dull. The inherent dullness of the brown pallette successfully grounds the fantasy setting, making it more believeable. Hence the praise for Morrowind and my complaints about Oblivion.

In related news, I lost myself in my imagination for a while (It happens a lot. Everyone retains something from their childhood as an adult. I kept playtime), initially thinking of a satire of Skyrim that exemplified everything good about RPGs that Bethesda was shying away from. I got carried away, and several hours later (11:00pm to 02:00am) I had enormous skill tree. From 12:30 pm to 7:00pm that became a skill bush, then a monstrous multi-tentacles skill mass. Now I have 81 Arts with Mastery Bonuses (coincidental result of my powers-of-3 layout, but could pass it off as joke at Skyrim's pitiful 18), 27 Methods, 9 Schools, 3 Paths and an insufferable aura of inexplicable smugness and satisfaction. It was inspired by Morrowind, Arcanum and D&D, and I'm convinced that every fantasy character in existence could be created through it.

As that paragraph probably implied, I'm now obsessed with a game which does not and likely never will exist. Nevertheless I may well mock up a screenshot and post it with explanations of the skills in NOA&L.

Not bad for a game that's just functionless skill tree.

Do different types of swords work very differently from eachother?

Is there differing disciplines of armed combat?

Are there things like muscle memory?

I imagined in the game that sabers would get speed bonuses to slashing motions, and broadswords would get faster damage charge (as in holding attacks to build strength). Things like claymores would have an all over damage bonus, but would need two hands and be slower than their one-handed counterparts.

Hell yeah! The Combat Path is split into Offense, Defense and Movement schools, Offense is split into Blunt, Blade and Unarmed, Blade is split into Dagger (also covers shortswords and those ninja fork things), Sword and Spear (also covers pikes and halberds). Each of those has a mastery ability (Fencing being Sword's), and that's just one example. Everything is split into 3.

There is a Reflexes Art in Magic > Body > Fortify. Combat > Defense has a few things about blocking, and Combat > Movement > Dodge has 3 skills based around that sort of automatic reaction thing.

I'd have to get the sprawling double-A4 spread down to explsin properly, and try to read my sleep-deprived handwriting. Also, would you like to join my imaginary development team?

I approve.

I grin.

Will I be expected to do, you know, actual work? Because I don't think I'm quite up to that this early in the semester.

You'd just have to ask pedantic questions. That's the best way to iron out problems in anything. Come to think of it, you're welcome to actually do that after I post the skill tree here.

If anyone says 'What are you, bipolar?', I think I'd have to say 'Probably'. These sorts of inspiring highs are getting more and more frequent*. Honestly, I always thought my future lay as an artist, painting disturbing images of aberrations and grotesques, but now I think I could actually have games developer potential. This isn't the first game I've made up, but it's the first I can adaquately sum up with a picture and a paragraph. I don't have skill, I don't have ability, but I have vision.

*Along with the lows, unfortunately. Guess which one inspired Jelly Bean Theatre!

Asking pedantic questions is something I'm very good at. I'll gladly be your chief of quality control.

The game's called Art Of War, by the way. I really want to emphasise the varied skills thing.

Back on topic, the game will also feature:

• Enemies that attack each other, as well as you.
• Snowfall that accumulates on objects.
• NPC's react to you appropriately depending on your previous relationship. No more grieving widows of people you killed politely wishing you goodbye, then.
• Fluid animations and a smoother physics system.
• Better third-person mode.
• A side-quest management system that will direct you to areas you’ve yet to explore by placing quest objectives in unvisited locations.

Will we be able to brew intelligence-increasing potions that make us intelligent enough to brew even better intelligence-increasing potions that make us intelligent enough to brew even better intelligence-increasing potions that make us intelligent enough to brew even better intelligence-increasing potions that make us intelligent enough to brew even better intelligence-increasing potions that make us intelligent enough to brew even better intelligence-increasing potions that make us intelligent enough to brew even better intelligence-increasing potions that make us intelligent enough to brew even better intelligence-increasing potions that make us intelligent enough to brew even better intelligence-increasing potions that make us intelligent enough to brew even better intelligence-increasing potions that make us intelligent enough to brew even better intelligence-increasing potions that make us intelligent enough to brew even better intelligence-increasing potions that make us intelligent enough to brew even better intelligence-increasing potions that make us intelligent enough to brew even better intelligence-increasing potions that make us intelligent enough to brew even better intelligence-increasing potions that make us intelligent enough to brew even better intelligence-increasing potions that make us intelligent enough to brew even better intelligence-increasing potions that make us intelligent enough to brew even better intelligence-increasing potions that make us intelligent enough to brew even better intelligence-increasing potions that make us intelligent enough to brew even better intelligence-increasing potions that make us intelligent enough to brew even better intelligence-increasing potions that make us intelligent enough to brew even better intelligence-increasing potions that make us intelligent enough to brew even better intelligence-increasing potions that make us intelligent enough to brew even better intelligence-increasing potions that make us intelligent enough to brew even better intelligence-increasing potions that make us intelligent enough to brew even better intelligence-increasing potions that make us intelligent enough to brew even better intelligence-increasing potions that make us intelligent enough to brew even better intelligence-increasing potions that make us intelligent enough to brew even better intelligence-increasing potions that make us intelligent enough to brew even better intelligence-increasing potions that make us intelligent enough to brew even better intelligence-increasing potions that make us intelligent enough to brew even better intelligence-increasing potions that make us intelligent enough to brew even better intelligence-increasing potions that make us intelligent enough to brew even better intelligence-increasing potions that make us intelligent enough to brew even better intelligence-increasing potions that make us intelligent enough to brew even better intelligence-increasing potions that make us intelligent enough to brew even better intelligence-increasing potions
until we are smart enough to stroll into the local blacksmith, forge a sword the likes of which these lands have never seen and use it to slay the final boss at level 6, thus becoming The Singularity like in Morrowind?

They've tackled that issue, and no. Not sure how they're going to stop it, but they're going to. I expect as the base attrribute gets higher, buffs have less and less effect.

According to Oblivion's lore, Skyrim is meant to be snowy everywhere. Some snow is good, but...not everywhere.

On the subject of combat, ESV has changed slightly over its predecessors:

• Attacks are now tied to the physics system. You can knock weapons out of hands, and people off cliffs.
• It has finishing moves, not just power moves.
• There are individual weapon skill perks; Maces will crush armour, Axes will cause bleeding, Swords will have critical hits.
• Shield skill perks can protect against types of elemental damage.
• Backwards movement speed is slower than in Oblivion.
• There are 85 spell effects, presumably to be mixed and matched at will.
• Shed a tear - Mysticism is going.
• Spells, weapons and shields take up appropriate hand slots, but can be dual-wielded at will. So you can have a spell in each hand, or two weapons, or two shields (Why you would do that, I've no idea), or any combination of the above.
• Spells can be used to different effect depending on the target. Pointing for a long time will charge it into a torrent - Fireball will become a flamethrower; Pointing it into the ground will spread it appropriately - Frostball will become a slippery patch of ice. Dual-wielding the same spell will increase the effect.
• Spells might be able to effect each other - Ice extinguishes fire, wind blows projectiles off course, that sort of thing.
• Fire burns.
• Ice slows.
• Lightning drains energy.
• Archery will be slower but do more damage.
• Arrows will be more scarce.
• You can now hit people with your bow.
• If you are stealthed but give the game away, enemies will look for you.
• You can now backstab.

Some of that stuff sounds really cool.

I may have to play this one.

Just when I thought I couldn't get any more excited for this freaking game.

I don't see a 'running diagonally has new animation' part.

Christ, you think they'd have fixed that in Fallout: Vegas.

More features:

• Map approximately the same size as Oblivion's.
• Five cities.
• 130 dungeons.
• Slaying dragons makes you stronger as their soul merges with yours.
• The Dark Brotherhood will reprise their role as Tamriel's hitmen.

If anything, the improvements to combat sound really cool but it's best to see some gameplay videos before getting excited.

Personally I'm looking forward to comboing my enemies with a chain of spells to the point where they just can't react. Then, axe to the head like a true nordic warrior!

EDIT: Art direction update, dude clearly acknowledges the tolkien-esque theme of Oblivion and says that Skyrim will be much different stylistically.

Game informer article/video

http://i.imgur.com/Ifs20.png

Is he giving the finger?