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The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind

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Demetrios Lucky Seven from Des Plaines, Illinois (unfortunately) Since: Oct, 2009 Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
RedHunter543 Crimson Paladin Since: Jul, 2016 Relationship Status: Barbecuing
Crimson Paladin
#202: Oct 20th 2024 at 11:05:19 PM

Yeah, Dunmer are cool.

Not as cool as Imperials tho. cool

Edited by RedHunter543 on Oct 21st 2024 at 2:06:05 AM

"The Black Rage makes us strong, because we must resist its temptations every day of our lives or be forever damned!"
RainehDaze Nero Fangirl (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Nero Fangirl
#203: Oct 21st 2024 at 1:16:14 AM

[up]This is an old game, but Raineh is just starting it. Don't spoil stuff like that.

Kind of hard to spoil things I've known for 20+ years. Now, if it was spoiling some of the new mod things I added... [lol]

(Hell, I probably could have dug up the three separate discs from when I was young that had Morrowind and its expansions, but I just got the GOTY edition because then I'd get the extra DLC some things need and not need to deal with patching it)

Anyhow, my somewhat haphazard assortment of screenshots! From when I was testing that everything was installed right and seeing how bad Balmora's performance was. As I said, it's amazing what people have done despite the limitations of having an engine from 2002 as its baseline. Much better than dealing with how washed out the original textures are, and a whole lot less "what am I looking at". It's kind of funny, because some of the Open MW stuff means this is more technologically advanced than Oblivion in some ways—not necessarily the shaders because holy bloom (though that's also an Oblivion thing), but e.g. real time shadows and water reflections. Also beats Skyrim in one thing, this engine remake: the plugin limit is… big. Also, script mods are integrated into it, so that means it can actually spot them and note they're there, unlike the DLL hacking the **SE stuff does.

Pretty big modlist I'm using. Will possibly have more thoughts on it as time goes on, but for now I'm mostly happy with it (particularly the levelling system one so I don't need to deal with the vanilla minmaxing and/or running out of levels way before I run out of stuff). Though the quest notifications one is a bit funny because of how Morrowind's quest system works; it shows you just how many quests are finished when they're started just to get a note into your journal.

Edited by RainehDaze on Oct 21st 2024 at 9:18:50 AM

RedHunter543 Crimson Paladin Since: Jul, 2016 Relationship Status: Barbecuing
Crimson Paladin
#204: Oct 21st 2024 at 1:24:28 AM

"Kind of hard to spoil things I've known for 20+ years. Now, if it was spoiling some of the new mod things I added... [lol]"

Good to know that you are all up to speed. [tup]

"The Black Rage makes us strong, because we must resist its temptations every day of our lives or be forever damned!"
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#205: Oct 21st 2024 at 1:25:36 AM

[up][up]Morrowind was also the first game in which I played around with mods, or even realized mods were a thing. I would later go on to use mods in Oblivion and Skyrim. Skyrim's mods in particular really helped with QOL improvements.

Morrowind was a lot of "firsts" for me when it came to videogames. Probably why I still look back on it fondly.

Edited by M84 on Oct 21st 2024 at 4:26:56 PM

Disgusted, but not surprised
LoneCourier0 The Wandering Geek from A Diverse Land (Unitroper) Relationship Status: How YOU doin'?
The Wandering Geek
#206: Oct 21st 2024 at 1:28:00 AM

[up][up]@Red. I'm not much of an Elder Scrolls person but Morrowind does sound like a fun strange game.

"Cynicism is not realistic and tough. It's unrealistic and kind of cowardly because it means you don't have to try."
RedHunter543 Crimson Paladin Since: Jul, 2016 Relationship Status: Barbecuing
Crimson Paladin
#207: Oct 21st 2024 at 1:29:32 AM

Oh boy, as you can see from Raineh, you're going to have to use a LOT of mods if you want it in any kind of acceptable condition by your modern standards.

Still, I'd recommend it. Bloodmoon was a fun time. I'm more fond of Oblivion. That's a game that's more my vibe.

Edited by RedHunter543 on Oct 21st 2024 at 4:30:12 PM

"The Black Rage makes us strong, because we must resist its temptations every day of our lives or be forever damned!"
RainehDaze Nero Fangirl (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Nero Fangirl
#208: Oct 21st 2024 at 1:30:30 AM

[up][up][up] I distinctly remember trying to make sense of the construction kit when I somehow had that installed but not Morrowind (and before I even knew Morrowind was a thing). That was definitely an odd moment. I also remember, shortly after, making a race that used the ebony armour pieces for its appearance, but had the beast race flag set, so it couldn't put on boots or most helmets. Strange choice, young me.

Anyway, I think the only questline I remember progressing far myself way back then was the Telvanni stuff. The solution for delivering Mistress Therana her skirt has been engrained in my head ever since then.

[up] I mean, I also have a metric ton of 'give me new stuff' mods, there's simpler modpacks for just fixing vanilla up or graphics. And a specific script/tool that will automatically download and set up all of it for you. Behold! Well, aside from setting up OpenMW itself. And you should definitely use that over the original MW engine/executables at this point.

Edited by RainehDaze on Oct 21st 2024 at 9:32:59 AM

RainehDaze Nero Fangirl (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Nero Fangirl
#209: Oct 21st 2024 at 11:13:27 PM

It's still funny how easily you can set up getting a bunch of stuff even without explicitly going out to break the game in half. I went and did all the early mages' guild quests to get those intervention amulets, plus visited Calder on behalf of a statue to speak to a sculptor. Grabbed some new armour while I was visiting (why I chose medium for this game, I don't know)

... Not that Goldbrand is the best thing since fire damage in Morrowind, but hey ho, it's still nice base damage, and I'm probably not bothering with Eltonbrand. Bit silly, that, and I don't want to become a vampire. But heyho, the base damage is great.

Not sure what's next... probably joining the Temple? Not going to sit and wait for construction to be finished, not when I know there's a mod ticking down the days until blightstorms hit all of Vvardenfell. Those will be nasty, too, lots of monster spawns when it happens.

Edited by RainehDaze on Oct 21st 2024 at 7:15:29 PM

ROTHY Dakini! (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Robosexual
Dakini!
#210: Oct 22nd 2024 at 7:03:21 AM

If you're using OpenMW, you don't need to be a vampire to get Eltonbrand. You just need Shashev's key and to drop enough gold to get the right amount while you're in Sirilonwe's room and you'll get the message. I don't know what kind of spaghetti code causes this, and I also don't know if this is a specific bug for me, but try it and report back to me.

Edited by ROTHY on Oct 22nd 2024 at 7:03:39 AM

"It's just like... a series of overlapping curses..." - Flower Knight Dakini
Ghilz Perpetually Confused from Yeeted at Relativistic Velocities Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Barbecuing
Perpetually Confused
#211: Oct 22nd 2024 at 7:08:30 AM

(why I chose medium for this game, I don't know)

Coz Bonemeal armor looks rad as hell.

RainehDaze Nero Fangirl (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Nero Fangirl
#212: Oct 22nd 2024 at 7:19:39 AM

That would rely on wearing Bonemold and not slapping a fancy robe over most of my armour. tongue

[up][up] I think that's to do with a version of the unofficial patch, don't have that one in this list.

Edited by RainehDaze on Oct 22nd 2024 at 3:29:02 PM

Kayeka (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#213: Oct 22nd 2024 at 7:37:12 AM

Huh. This thread pops up just as I was starting a playthrough of my own. Now that is some coincidence, unless Rainehdaze and I happen to be following the same Youtuber that inspired my picking up of the game.

So far, I've mostly been hanging around in Balmora, doing quests, training and levelling. Not that I like Balmora so much, but because it's the place where I know where all the trainers and shops are. I'd move to Vivec for the greater quantity and quality of services, if it weren't for the fact that Vivec is absolutely arse to navigate, and Ordinators constantly blocking off tight passages is not helping.

I went with a sorta-kinda nightblade kind of character. Wood Elf, Lady sign, a Major in Long Blade and Sneak, Minor in Marksman and Short Blade, and a bunch of magic schools to round it out.

Also a major in Light armour, of course. After all, I got Tribunal installed, so I was expecting a visit from the Light Armour Fairy, who delivers full suits of quality light armour to all the good boys and girls of Vvardenfell while they sleep. Someday I might do a playthrough that uses heavy or, god forbid, medium armour, but today is not that day.

I'm enjoying my time with the game. I'm absolutely loving the flexible magic and enchantment systems. So much you can do with those. Feels much better than what Skyrim offered, which was much worse when it comes to enchantments, and sod-all when it comes to spells. Not sure if I'm a fan of the way enchantment straight up replaces spellcasting, but at least the big effects are gated behind a big moneysink.

Edited by Kayeka on Oct 22nd 2024 at 7:38:10 AM

RainehDaze Nero Fangirl (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Nero Fangirl
#214: Oct 22nd 2024 at 7:52:41 AM

Hmm? Which youtuber? It might be.

As for build on my end... Dunmer, Long Blade, Medium Armor, Destruction, Alteration, Restoration. Minors are Athletics, Speechcraft, Mysticism, uh... maybe Spear? I need to check. Plus Atronach.

Edit: Yeah, spear. And illusion.

Edited by RainehDaze on Oct 22nd 2024 at 5:09:08 PM

Kayeka (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#215: Oct 22nd 2024 at 9:45:25 AM

Hmm? Which youtuber? It might be.

"Many a True Nerd".

But yeah, I'm not sure if I'm actually liking the levelling system. It's satisfying if you know what you're doing, sure, but annoyingly counter-intuitive with the way it interacts with your chosen "class". I find myself avoiding training the skills my character was supposed to be proficient in and focus more on the misc skills instead just to get those sweet x5 increases to my attributes.

Doesn't quite feel right that the most effective way of levelling up is by not using the skills your character is supposed to be good at and relying on. I think I actually prefer Skyrim's approach to levelling, where all skill levels contribute to your character level and primary attributes are not a thing, so you can specialise or spread yourself out as much as you want.

RedHunter543 Crimson Paladin Since: Jul, 2016 Relationship Status: Barbecuing
Crimson Paladin
#216: Oct 22nd 2024 at 9:55:02 AM

Hey, that's something Oblivion has an issue with as well.

"The Black Rage makes us strong, because we must resist its temptations every day of our lives or be forever damned!"
Resileafs I actually wanted to be Resileaf Since: Jan, 2019
I actually wanted to be Resileaf
#217: Oct 22nd 2024 at 10:17:27 AM

Oblivion's system was worse because the world leveled with you, making it possible to actually level yourself into a world that is far, far stronger than you are. In Morrowind, there is a limited world leveling going on so you might find some areas where enemies become a little stronger but for the most part, the world is pretty static and areas remain at the level they start as.

Edited by Resileafs on Oct 22nd 2024 at 1:18:01 PM

RainehDaze Nero Fangirl (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Nero Fangirl
#218: Oct 22nd 2024 at 10:39:30 AM

There is a reason I made sure that the modlist I was grabbing had a mod to fix the damn levelling system. I don't want to deal with minmaxxing levels, I just want to get my stats as I go up. I haven't played Oblivion without one since well before Skyrim came out, and like hell I was going through Morrowind for a full playthrough vanilla too. [lol]

[up][up][up] Ah, nah, not the same youtube. I got recommended JustBackgroundNoise on Tuesday (thx Youtube), watched almost all the Morrowind videos by Friday, and decided I might as well play it again.

[up] Mmm, Oblivion had it worse, but Morrowind's not exactly scot-free either if you level things 'wrong' and start picking up no real stat progression—might as well do a low level run if you're entirely reliant on gear. At least it doesn't have scaled quest rewards (looking at you, Escutcheon of Chorrol, for the most absurd offender).

Edited by RainehDaze on Oct 22nd 2024 at 6:40:53 PM

RedHunter543 Crimson Paladin Since: Jul, 2016 Relationship Status: Barbecuing
Crimson Paladin
#219: Oct 22nd 2024 at 10:41:09 AM

Man, all this Oblivion talks makes me want to replay it with my fully evolved adult brain.

"The Black Rage makes us strong, because we must resist its temptations every day of our lives or be forever damned!"
king15 Have Faun Since: Mar, 2024
Have Faun
#220: Oct 22nd 2024 at 10:43:29 AM

[up][up][up][up][up]Hey, fellow Many A True Nerd enjoyer!

[up][up][up]As someone who's hopeless at old school RPGs and didn't know fully how to level correctly (I think I did look up some tips, but not a full on guide), I managed to create a fairly decent character in Morrowind who could hold his own and finish the main quest. I don't think he was great, but he got the job done.

Now, I've also finished Oblivion, but that's mainly because I just run past the enemies. That's the issue I had on initial playthroughs, I'd spend the first few hours of the game exploring the map, talking to people, doing quests which require less combat. Which, you know, makes sense: do the easy quests first so you can get to a higher level and better gear for when you do harder quests. Of course, what this actually meant was that I'd level up Atheletics, Acrobatics and Speech (some of which I put as my main skills because I liked the idea of a gymnastic, charismatic character) very quickly, and therefore hit the next level, and therefore my weapons were basically useless against damage sponge enemies. The worst part was, because my Acrobatics was so good, I could basically win any outside encounter because I could just jump around and hit them with my bow, but it would take ages due to the lack of damage I was doing and all of their health. So I did finish Oblivion, but not ideally.

Morrowind, comparatively, is much better balanced, though I wouldn't say the balancing was really decent until Skyrim. Enemy levelling is a very good idea, but by god, be careful with it.

Edited by king15 on Oct 22nd 2024 at 5:43:40 PM

RainehDaze Nero Fangirl (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Nero Fangirl
#221: Oct 22nd 2024 at 10:47:14 AM

I like the relatively static nature of Morrowind, I just get frustrated easily by knowing I'm messing up by not grinding.

Hell, I had mods for Skyrim to fudge with how the area levels worked (they'd reset and not stay the same as when you first showed up, but there were a lot more that had high floors or low ceilings to their scaling)

Edited by RainehDaze on Oct 22nd 2024 at 6:48:13 PM

Resileafs I actually wanted to be Resileaf Since: Jan, 2019
I actually wanted to be Resileaf
#222: Oct 22nd 2024 at 11:54:39 AM

My favorite part with Morrowind's unleveled world is that loot is also unleveled and even quest items for faction quests can be found without progressing through the questlines. Which means that if you know where the good items are, you can find pretty epic items for not as much effort as you might think you need.

For example, there's a Daedric ruin near an imperial fort on the road between Balmora and Ald'ruhn that has a staff of levitation in it. I imagine it's an item you get for the Mages guild or the Telvanni House but there's nothing (except a couple of cultists) stopping you from taking it at any time.

And obviously, a staff of levitation is an awesome item to have for any character archetype.

RainehDaze Nero Fangirl (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Nero Fangirl
#223: Oct 22nd 2024 at 12:31:41 PM

Yeah, that's one of the options to advance a particular mages guild quest.

Edit: And so, via the absurd powers of spamming admire and making way too many potions, I gained a bunch of levels. And the ability to make really good potions, though for reasons of having some sanity left in the game, I'm going to exclusively make random utility stuff I find the ingredients for, or combo fatigue/magicka potions. Given my terrible mercantile even when I can raise people's disposition (the modset makes that a bit more challenging), this should still present a challenge unless I cheese making hundreds of stupidly good potions in front of that one guy in Gnisis again.

Anyway, with my setup complete, and a good deal more HP, I decided to take a trip to the far north. Why? Well, there's a little ring I wanted, see, and something about a cupanyhow, as you can see, I now have decent luck. Ironically, this is actually terrible with this levelling mod, because dunmer get a racial luck penalty. So I was just equalising it.

I hope the luck doesn't get too absurdly high, although attribute growth has been set to low and skills have been changed to be exponentially harder to level as they rise (although, conversely, there's no skill cap). I guess I'll find out; I can always play around some more with settings if it does, since I have a lot to do.

Edited by RainehDaze on Oct 22nd 2024 at 12:09:19 PM

Kayeka (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#224: Oct 23rd 2024 at 4:21:23 AM

Heh. Clearly I'm being a lot more diligent about managing levels than you are. I'd feel bad about gaming the system, but it's not as if I got anything better to spend my money on other than training and the occasional enchanted item. So I just go out and have some adventures, comes home stinking rich, and spend that money on training so I can level up twice with 3 x5 attribute gains.

RainehDaze Nero Fangirl (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Nero Fangirl
#225: Oct 23rd 2024 at 4:36:47 AM

Tbf, as I said: mod. I have no wasted levels to worry about, the stats will sort themselves out over time. I just wanted to get "can talk to people" out of the way (and yet, it still isn't enough for some NP Cs, I really will need to make some fortify personality potions, or buy bug musk) for those times it'll be useful. And well... Fatigue is super important. Magicka won't regenerate for an Atronach. Do alchemy, and just hold off being silly (even if some of the mods I have both eliminate the singularity issues and penalise chugging repeatedly with escalating HP damage) and now I'm happy to adventure.

And luck helps everything a bit. Worth more to me than speed; movement speed is much easier to boost (again, no Fortify Luck portions for me).


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