 V3.5
The FAQ is now available as a Microsoft Word .doc!
This document has been compiled from information revealed
about the game through various interviews and previews, and postings on the Elder Scrolls message boards.
Its purpose is to introduce people to the features of the game, and give an overview of
what to expect, as well as be an up-to-date list of what general knowledge is known about
the game.. It is not meant to be a tutorial for any part of the game, nor is it meant to
replace the game manual. If you have further questions about the game, visit the
messageboard, and post your questions there. If Bethesda Staff doesn't respond directly to
your questions, then one of the many frequent visitors to the messageboard likely will. As
with any description about a work in progress, the information discussed within is subject
to change, and could be inaccurate or incomplete. The mention of or reference to any
company or product in this document should not be viewed as a challenge to the trademark
or copyright concerned.
About this FAQ:
This document has been compiled by webmaster Gavin
"kathode" Carter for those who frequent the messageboards and Destination: Morrowind. Any corrections or
additions can be forwarded to me, and appropriate changes will be made. kathode is
the webmaster of Destination: Morrowind. He also is a creative-writing student in his third
year of college.
You can always find the latest version of this FAQ at Destination: Morrowind.
Section 1: The Elder Scrolls
1.1 What are the Elder Scrolls games?
1.2 What are the features that are hallmarks of the Elder Scrolls
games?
1.3 Tell me about Morrowind, where the game takes place.
1.4 Why are the Dunmer so dark skinned and red-eyed? And why do they
wear those gas-mask looking things?
1.5 What are the general dispositions of the Dunmer to the other races
of Tamriel?
1.6 Isn't the volcano a danger to life on the island?
1.7 Does Morrowind have it's own king?
1.8 Will Vvardenfell (and by extension the game) feature races other
than the Dunmer?
1.9 Where can I go for more information on the history of the game
world?
1.10 Where can I go for more information about the game?
Section 2: General Game Information
2.1 When will the game be released?
2.2 Is Morrowind a 2d or 3d game?
2.3 What are the minimum system requirements?
2.4 Is Morrowind a first-person game, a third-person game, an isometric
view game, or what?
2.5 Will the game feature full speech throughout?
2.6 What format is the game's music in?
2.7 When will the beta test be?
2.8 Will there be nudity in Morrowind?
2.9 What format will the game be released on (CD, DVD, etc)?
2.10 Will there be any OS or console ports of the game?
2.11 Will Morrowind feature rendered cutscenes like Diablo 2 or
Vampire?
2.12 Will there be a tutorial-type section at the beginning of the
game to help new players?
2.13 I'm planning to upgrade for Morrowind. Would I be better off to
spend my money on a new CPU or new video card?
Section 3: Gameplay
3.1 Will the game's controls be customizeable?
3.2 Will the game be able to support other methods of control such as
gamepads or joysticks?
3.3 Will there be other modes of travel available in Morrowind besides
walking?
3.4 Will there be a journal system in the game that automatically
records pertinent information?
3.5 Will there be a quick-save/quick-load feature?
3.6 Will game music be dynamic, changing depending on the situation?
3.7 How detailed will object interactions be?
3.8 Will my character be required to eat or drink to survive?
3.9 Will creatures in the world respawn, or will there be a set number
of creatures for each location?
Section 4: Game World
4.1 Where does the Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind take place?
4.2 How big is the game world in Morrowind?
4.3 The screenshots released so far seem to be just deserts and sand
dunes. Will there be much variety in the landscaping of Vvardenfell?
4.4 What Real Worldtm cultures influenced the aesthetics of
Morrowind?
4.5 About how many towns/cities will be in the game?
4.6 About how many dungeons will be in the game?
Section 5: Skills and Experience
5.1 How will the player's character grow and develop? Will it be a
"leveling" system like most other CRPG's?
5.2 Will the skills be the same as they were in Daggerfall?
5.3 How many skills will be in the game?
5.4 How will the skills be balanced?
5.5 What are a character's base attributes?
5.6 Will character classes come with inherent skill sets?
Section 6: NPC Interactions
6.1 Non Player Characters in Daggerfall were pretty flat and boring. Is
the team working to address this in Morrowind?
6.2 Will NPC's have 24hr scheduling?
6.3 Will I be able to kill any NPC's?
6.4 Will there be any negative effects for murdering NPC's?
6.5 Will I be able to have other NPC's in my party?
6.6 Will NPC's have feelings toward your character? Will their
responses to you depend on how they feel about you?
6.7 Will this disposition system be affected by Guild/faction
interactions on a whole, or just operate on an individual basis?
6.8 How else can I affect an NPC's disposition toward me?
6.9 Will I be able to steal from NPC's? Will they have line-of-sight
vision?
6.10 How many NPC's will be in the game?
Section 7: Factions
7.1 What exactly are factions?
7.2 The faction/guild system in Daggerfall was a great idea, but had
poor implementation. Will there be a faction system in Morrowind?
7.3 How many factions are in the game?
7.4 What are the benefits of joining a faction?
Section 8: Races and Classes
8.1 What races are playable out-of-box in Morrowind?
8.2 What advantages/disadvantages will the choice of race carry with it?
8.3 How does the character selection process work?
Section 9: Graphics Engine
9.1 What engine will Bethesda be using to develop Morrowind? Will it be
a licensed product or an inhouse developed engine?
9.2 What renderers will the engine support (OpenGL, Direct3D, Glide,
etc)?
9.3 Will the engine feature Transform & Lighting (T&L)
acceleration that my GeForce card can take advantage of?
9.4 Will the engine have anything to do with the XnGine used
in Daggerfall?
9.5 What kind of animation system will the engine use?
9.6 Does the engine support effects such as "paper-dolling"
your character (i.e. changing clothing)?
9.7 Does the engine have support for real-time shadows?
9.8 Does the engine support a weather system?
9.9 What about NPC lip movement?
9.10 Will interior maps (houses/dungeons) be separately loading maps
like in Daggerfall?
9.11 How will characters' clothes be handled in the game engine? Will
it just be different textures?
Section 10: Relationship to
Previous ES Games
10.1 How will Morrowind be an improvement over Daggerfall?
10.2 Will the random dungeon generators of Daggerfall be in Morrowind?
10.3 How will the character system in Morrowind work? Will it be the
same as Daggerfall's?
10.4 Will the potion maker/spell maker/item enchantings be included?
10.5 A cool feature of Daggerfall was the "ability" to get
turned into a vampire or lycanthrope. Will this also be in Morrowind?
10.6 Will Morrowind feature full nudity like Daggerfall?
10.7 Will I be able to buy my own house like in Daggerfall?
10.8 Will there be a way to import my character from Daggerfall?
10.9 Could you tell me more about how the potion maker works?
10.10 Will there be horses or other rideable creatures to use as mounts?
Section 11: Plot
11.1 What is the starting premise of your character in Morrowind?
11.2 What if I choose to play as a dark elf? Since I start in
Vvardenfell, home to the dark elves, would people still hate me?
11.3 Will there be a classic antagonist? Like the Evil Wizardtm seeking
the destruction of the land?
11.4 I thought my character was just a courier! How am I supposed to
have any political power?
11.5 So what will the main plot specifically deal with? What will be
the overarching issue?
11.6 What themes from past Elder Scroll games will Morrowind explore?
11.7 Will the peculiarness of the Vvardenfell setting introduce any
new plot elements into the fray?
Section 12: Quests
12.1 With the tremendous emphasis on the free-form exploration
nature of the game, will there be any formalized quests to undertake?
12.2 In other CRPG's, like Baldur's Gate, side quests seemed
rather isolated, in that they didn't relate to the main plot at all, and were just
there for something to do. Will there be these types of side quests in Morrowind?
12.3 Will the quests be all hack n' slash?
Section 13: Multiplayer
13.1 Will Morrowind feature a multiplayer component?
Section 14: Combat
14.1 What are the team's major design goals for combat?
14.2 Will combat be real time or turn based?
14.3 What kind of control scheme will combat use? Will it be like
Daggerfall where you swing with the mouse?
14.4 How will weapons and stats affect combat?
14.5 Will the player be able to execute "combos" or
combinations of moves for more effective combat?
14.6 Will there be a block button or ability?
14.7 Will damage be location-based? For instance, will head shots hurt
more?
14.8 How many weapons will be in the game?
14.9 What steps are being taken to ensure a level of balance with all
those weapons?
14.10 Will I be able to use two weapons simultaneously (dual-wield)?
14.11 Are missile weapons in?
Section 15: Magic
15.1 Will Morrowind feature the same schools of magic as found in
Daggerfall?
15.2 Tell me about the new magic school, Conjuration.
15.3 Will I be able to create my own spells, just like in Daggerfall?
15.4 How many magical effects will be in the game for me to combine
into something new? What exactly is meant by "effects"?
15.5 What kinds of special visual effects can we expect to see with
magic?
Section 16: The Editor
16.1 What is the Elder Scrolls 3 Construction Set?
16.2 What kinds of things will I be able to manipulate using the
construction set?
16.3 Will I be able to write my own dialog for characters, and specify
when to use it?
16.4 How will the Construction Set interface with the game if there is
no multiplayer? Will people only be able to play quests they design themselves?
16.5 So you can just load any plug-in anytime during the game?
16.6 Doesn't this present the potential for some serious balance
issues?
16.7 What if a mischeivious person uploads a plug-in advertising a
really cool feature, but it actually causes problems like deleting key NPC's? How can
the user know exactly what he or she is downloading?
16.8 Will the editor be difficult to use? What tools will be included
for the newbie user? Do I have to have modeling/art/programming knowledge?
16.9 Will the editor compile all the changes I make into one file for
easy uploading and downloading?
16.10 Does the editor have any limits on the size of the world that I
can create?
16.11 Does the editor ship with any tools allowing the creation of
original art for the game?
16.12 Will I be able to alter the music in the game?
16.13 Will the editor be shipping with the game?
16.14 Will I be able to create a whole new world from scratch?
16.15 How will the placing of monsters work?
16.16 Will I be able to create completely new items by changing the
attributes on existing items?
16.17 When I create a new item, will I be able to put in anywhere?
Like in stores or in my characters inventory?
16.18 Will I be able to create my own buildings without having to use
a program like 3d Studio Max?
16.19 Since interiors will be separately loading maps, how will I
create an interior in the editor?
16.20 How will I go about creating my own spells in the
editor?
16.21 Will I be able to assign magic effects to other things
like skills or race abilities?
Section 17: The Interface
17.1 Will Morrowind's interface be similar to Daggerfall's?
17.2 Will the look/position of the interface be customizable?
17.3 Will the the interface be "layered" or multi-windowed?
17.4 Will time stop while I'm looking at my inventory or stats?
Section 18: Music
18.1 Will game music be dynamic, changing depending on the situation?
18.2 What format will the game's music be in?
18.3 Who is composing the music for Morrowind?
Section 19: Dialog and Journal
19.1 Can you explain a bit on how in-game dialog will function?
19.2 With all the possible conversation topics, won't the topic list
get really long? How is the team handling this problem?
19.3 Will there be other options available to me during dialog?
19.4 Will I be able to create my own dialog in the editor?
19.5 Explain about the Journal System. Will it be linked to
dialog?
Section 20: The Xbox
20.1 Why is Bethesda releasing Morrowind on the Xbox?
20.2 How will the Xbox version differ from the PC version?
20.3 Will the Xbox version come with the editor or be able to use plug-ins?
20.4 Have features for the PC version been 'dumbed-down' to be more in line with the console version?
20.5 Why do some forums members consistently refer to the Xbox as the "Xeox"?
Section 1: The Elder
Scrolls
1.1 What are the Elder Scrolls games?
The Elder Scrolls are a series of CRPG's set on the fantasy continent of Tamriel. The Elder
Scrolls series basically introduced the idea of non-linearity to the gaming world. The
first game in the series was Arena, winning several RPG of the year awards for its
innovative design. Following Arena was Daggerfall, which expanded upon the base of Arena
in virtually every way. Daggerfall had one of the largest worlds of any computer game to
date. It also offered unparalleled free-form design, a non-linear quest, and tons of
customization options. Two non-RPG spin offs included Battlespire and the 3rd
person action/adventure game Redguard. Morrowind is the third game in the direct line of
Elder Scrolls titles.
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1.2 What are the
features that are hallmarks of the Elder Scrolls games?
The first and foremost is non-linearity. Allowing the players to do what they want when
they want. The goal of every Elder Scrolls game has been to create the experience of a pen
& paper RPG on the computer, where a player is only limited by his or her imagination.
The next, falling right alongside non-linearity, is detail. The worlds in the Elder
Scrolls series are some of the most detailed in the industry, complete with histories,
multiple cultures, and varied locales. This allows the player to feel as though their
character is really a dynamic part of that world. There are always major quests in Elder
Scroll games, but they are always able to be ignored. The primary goal is to simply allow
the player to explore, roleplay, and be immersed in a grand, detailed environment.
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1.3 Tell me about
Morrowind, where the game takes place.
Morrowind is the province of the Dunmer, or dark elves, in the northeast corner of the continent Tamriel. The major
part of Morrowind is a very large island called Vvardenfell, where the game takes place.
The island is huge, and has many different terrains. However, the stand-out feature of the
island is the volcano of Dagoth-Ur. In the early history of Tamriel, the water around the
island, combined with the intimidation of the volcano effectively separated the island
from the mainland, allowing the Dunmer to develop separate from the other Tamriel races.
Around 400 years prior to the time of Morrowind (the game), the Empire of the mainland
began an occupation of the island. Morrowind also suffers from its own internal power
struggles. The five great Ruling Houses are in a constant power struggle with one another.
To complicate matters is the obscure Dunmer religion known as the Tribunal. To an
outsider, the Tribunal priesthood is where the true power of Morrowind lies. Other powers
will almost certainly show their faces over the course of the game.
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1.4 Why are the
Dunmer so dark skinned and red-eyed? And why do they wear those gas-mask looking things?
The Dunmer are perfectly adapted to their harsh volcanic environment. The volcano spews
out great amounts of ash from time to time, blanketing the island. The odd headgear are
not gas-masks per se, but rather simple coverings. As stated in the Pocket Guide to the
Empire included with Redguard, "While this makes for an outlandish appearance,
the traveler will understand the utility of these garments the first time he is caught out
of doors in one of the frequent ash storms without such protection".
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1.5 What are the
general dispositions of the Dunmer to the other races of Tamriel?
The Dunmer are proud and harsh to the highest degree. So far, that they often take members
of other races, including the humans, as slaves.
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1.6 Isn't the
volcano a danger to life on the island?
The volcano has not experienced a full-scale eruption for thousands of years. However, a
previous eruption is purported to have destroyed a civilization of Dwarves (Dwemer) inhabiting the
island. The volcano has its rumblings, but the populace doesn't seem to mind all that
much.
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1.7 Does Morrowind
have it's own king?
Straight from designer Ken Rolston:
"The Empire has revived an archaic titular "king" from early Chimer
traditions of a "high chief of the clans," like the High Elven High King. This
replaces the "military governor" of the early years of the occupation. The
titular king is descended in line from Hlaalu Brevur, and he and his "court" are
generally despised by natives. King Hlaalu Athyn Llethan resides in Castle Mournhold in
the city of Narsis [on mainland Morrowind]."
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1.8 Will
Vvardenfell (and by extension the game) feature races other than the Dunmer?
Yes. When the empire took over Morrowind (the province) 400 years prior to game time, the
island of Vvardenfell was opened to general civilization. Newer settlements feature just
as many outsider faces as Dunmer faces.
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1.9 Where can I go
for more information on the history of the game world?
I would recommend Xanathar's Library, a
site featuring basically all the background info to all of the Elder Scroll series. All of
the background info presented here was garnered from that site.
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1.10 Where can I
go for more information on the game?
For continuing coverage over the development of Morrowind, there exist a number of
reputable fansites. Destination: Morrowind,
TESGurus.net, and any of the m0use.net sites in addition to the Official Elderscrolls.com site are all good sources
of news. Bethesda generally releases screenshots to outside media sources before giving
them to fansites or posting them on their own site, so also check out generic gaming news
sites such as VoodooExtreme, Blue's News, Telefragged,
and RPGVault.
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Section 2: General Information
2.1 When will the game be released?
The PC version of Morrowind has been released. Once the Xbox version has gone through Microsoft's testing, it will be released as well. Other countries should have Morrowind shortly.
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2.2 Is Morrowind a
2d or 3d game?
Morrowind is fully 3D.
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2.3 What are the
minimum system requirements?
MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:
Windows ME/98 128 MB RAM; Windows XP/2000 256 MB RAM;
500 MHz Intel Pentium III, Celeron, or AMD Athlon processor;
8x CD/DVD-ROM Drive; 1 GB free hard disk space; Windows swapfile;
DirectX 8.1 (included); 32MB Direct3D Compatible video card and
DirectX 8.1 compatible driver; DirectX 8.1 compatible sound card;
Keyboard; Mouse
RECOMMENDED:
800 MHz or faster Intel Pentium III or AMD Athlon processor;
256 MB RAM; NVIDIA GeForce2 GTS, or ATI Radeon 7500 or faster video card.
SUPPORTED VIDEO CARD CHIPSETS:
NVIDIA GeForce4; NVIDIA GeForce3; NVIDIA GeForce2; NVIDIA GeForce 256;
NVIDIA TNT2; ATI Radeon 8500; ATI Radeon 7500; ATI Radeon 7200; ATI Radeon;
ATI Rage 128; Matrox G550; Matrox G450; Matrox G400
(Reference: Official Forums)
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2.4 Is Morrowind a
first-person game, a third-person game, an isometric view game, or what?
The answer is that Morrowind is a first-person game. A 3rd person view will be
included in the game. It is primarily for viewing your own character in his/her stunning
araignment. The dev team refers to it as the "vanity mode". Even with this
option, the majority (and I mean 99%+) of the game will take place in first person, as it
is reportedly much easier to play in.
(Reference: Official Forums)
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2.5 Will the game
feature full speech throughout?
No. With all the options available for the main character, it would be virtually
impossible to record all of the dialog over and over for each race/gender available. Also,
you'll be able to pick your own name in the game, and NPC's will use it frequently, which
would be very difficult to do with full speech. NPC's will have bits of spoken dialog (in
WAV format), saying things to indicate their mood or color their personality. The majority
of dialog will be text. Animations will also synchronize with the WAV file, adding realism
to the dialog.
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2.6 What format is
the game's music in?
The music is all mp3.
(Reference: Official Forums)
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2.7 When will the
beta test be?
There will possibly be a very small public beta, about 200 people or less, in the future. Probably
sometime in mid-to-late 2001. You can't apply for it yet, so please don't try
to. The beta test will only be open to US residents and people over 18.
(Reference: Official Forums)
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2.8 Will there be
nudity in Morrowind?
No, there will be no nudity in Morrowind. The team weighed the pros and cons of doing
nudity, and determined that the inclusion of nudity was not a feature that significantly
added to gameplay, and in some cases, the inclusion of nudity might actually hinder sales.
(Reference: Official Forums)
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2.9 What format
will the game be released on (CD, DVD, etc)?
Most likely CD. Other options have not been totally ruled out as of yet.
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2.10 Will there be
any OS or console ports of the game?
An Xbox version has been announced.
(Reference: Official Forums)
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2.11 Will
Morrowind feature rendered cutscenes like Diablo 2 or Vampire?
Probably not. The majority or perhaps all of the cut-scenes will be rendered in the game engine
(think the scripted sequences in Half-Life). Todd Howard stated "We're using in-game
cutscenes."
(Reference: RPGPlanet
Interview)
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2.12 Will
Morrowind feature a tutorial-type section at the beginning to help new players?
Yes, it will be tied in tightly with character creation, and probably behave much like the opening tutorial in Ultima IX. The process reportedly has something to do with instructions you receive upon leaving the prison ship.
(Reference: VoodooExtreme Chat)
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2.13 I'm planning
to upgrade for Morrowind. Would I be better off to spend my money on a new CPU or new
video card?
The Morrowind engine is much more video card intensive than CPU intensive. You will get
more framerate bang for the buck by going with a video card upgrade (that is, of course,
assuming you're not using a 486/66 or something =) Also, you'll want a card with T&L
capabilities, as the engine takes maximum advantage of these features.
(Reference: My Trip)
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Section 3: Gameplay
3.1 Will the game's controls be
customizeable?
Yes, the controls are 100% customizeable.
(Reference: Official Forums)
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3.2 Will the game
be able to support other methods of control such as gamepads or joysticks?
Yes, Morrowind will utilize DirectInput and will presumably work with any DirectInput
compatible device.
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3.3 Will there be
other modes of travel available in Morrowind besides walking?
Yes, quite a few. There will be a fast travel system, via silt striders (large, bug-like
creatures with very very tall legs), to take the player to and from major points in the
game. There will also be other modes of fast travel available to the player, including
caravans. Also, there is a screenshot featuring the player taking a ride in a gondola in
the city of Vivec. Hopefully, that is just one of many transportation methods available.
Fast travel will work via a "fade out/fade in" method where the screen fades out
on one location and fades in on another.
(Reference: My Trip)
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3.4 Will there be a
journal system in the game that automatically records pertinent information?
Yes, there will be a very advanced journal system. It has been described as
being "like a Windows Help file". All entries will be hyperlinked to other
entries and there will be a robust search feature included.
(Reference: The
Essential Site Interview)
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3.5 Will there be a
quick-save/quick-load feature?
Yes, there will be buttons for quick-save and quick-load.
(Reference: Official Forums)
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3.6 Will game music
be dynamic, changing depending on the situation?
Yes. There will be "exploratory" music and "battle" music. Other music
changes can be scripted in using the editor.
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3.7 How detailed
will object interactions be?
The Morrowind world is very object oriented. Nearly every object will be able to be picked
up, examined, and used in some way. Do not expect for a full physics engine to be in the
game (i.e. you throw a bucket at an enemy and it hurts him/her), however, the team is
striving to make all items as usable as possible. An example of the level of detail is
that you can pick fruit off of a tree, and in time the fruit will grow back.
(Reference: VoodooExtreme Chat)
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3.8 Will my
character be required to eat or drink to survive?
No, although food does help lower your fatigue level quickly. Starvation or dehydration
are not factors in the game, however.
(Reference: Official Forums)
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3.9 Will creatures
in the world respawn, or will there be a set number of creatures for each location?
Both. Spawn points can be set or randomized, and spawning monsters can be made to spawn
based on the player's level of experience.
(Reference: Official Forums)
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Section 4:
Gameworld
4.1 Where does the Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind take
place?
Morrowind's setting is Vvardenfell, the dreary volcanic island home to the Dunmer, or
the dark elves. Vvardenfell is an island in the province of Morrowind in the Elder Scrolls
world of Tamriel. The game, Morrowind, only takes place on the island of Vvardenfell, not
the entirety of Morrowind (although the island is approximately 80% of Morrowind). For the
rest of this FAQ, when I use the phrase "in Morrowind", what I mean is "in
the game called Morrowind". When I refer to the actual game world area of Morrowind,
I will restrict myself to saying "in Vvardenfell".
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4.2 How big is the
game world in Morrowind?
That's a more difficult question that it seems on the surface. How does one truly
measure a 3d gaming world? You can't really do it in miles or any standard
measurements. It has been stated that Vvardenfell will be approximately 50 times the size
of the world of Redguard. However, it has also been said that the world will be slightly
smaller than Daggerfall. Suffice it to say that there will be enough world included with
the game to keep you experiencing new things for many, many weeks, and in the event that
you finally do see it all, you can always add on to it with the TES3 Construction Set.
(Reference: Official Forums)
(Reference: Gamespot
Interview)
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4.3 Will there be much variety in the
landscaping of Vvardenfell?
Yes, we have been assured that there will be a tremendous amount of variety in the game
world. It was one of the major complaints people had with Daggerfall, and is on the top of
the list of things to address in Morrowind. Among the varieties of landscaping you will
are grassy, sandy, desert, badlands, mountains, etc. The editor itself will ship with
eight different terrain types, and these can be blended together to create smooth
transitions between two types of terrain.
(Reference: Gamespot
Feature)
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4.4 What Real Worldtm
cultures influenced the aesthetics of Morrowind?
The team was influenced by several different cultures. The buildings of the Empire will
have a very Nordic feel to them, while other areas are influced by Egyptian,
Middle-Eastern, and Japanese themes. There will also undoubtedly be many settings that fit
the completely alien aspect of Morrowind itself.
(Reference: The
Essential Site Interview)
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4.5 About how many
towns/cities will be in the game?
No official number has been released. It is widely rumored that the number is around 30,
which doesn't include dungeons and the like.
(Reference: Gamespot
Feature)
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4.6 About how many
dungeons will be in the game?
There has been no concrete number released, but around 350 is the current estimate. This includes many different types of dungeons from tombs to caves and beyond.
(Reference: Official Forums)
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Section 5: Skills
and Experience
5.1 How will the player's character grow and
develop? Will it be a "leveling" system like most other CRPG's?
Yes, but not exactly like other games. A player in Morrowind will specialize in a certain
number of skills, chosen at character creation. The player will advance in those skills
based on how much they are used. So a mage will become better by casting spells, and a
theif will advance by picking locks and stealing. A player goes up in level based on how
much those skills have increased. So a thief won't advance very fast at all just
going out and killing things. You can automatically increase your character's skills
through repetition, while you can increase your attributes over the course of the game
with the points that you gain when you advance in character level. There are other ways
that you can increase skills beyond their designated action; for instance, reading books
on any particular subject can improve a character's skill.
(Reference: RPGVault Interview)
(Reference: Gamespot
Feature)
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5.2 Will the skills
be the same as they were in Daggerfall?
Todd Howard stated that they have tweaked the skills by eliminating the ones that someone
would not choose as a major skill. Todd stated that if there was a skill that the team
decided wouldn't be useful as a major skill "we got rid of it or combined it
with something else so that every skill could possibly be a major skill for
somebody".
(Reference: The
Essential Site Interview)
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5.3 How many skills
will be in the game?
Straight from Project Lead Todd Howard: There are 27 skills in the game (in addition to
the eight attributes). There are nine skills that roughly correlate to each of the following categories: combat skills, magic skills, and stealth
skills.
(Reference: Gamespy Interview)
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5.4 How will the
skills be balanced?
Once again, I can't put it better than Project Lead Todd Howard: We're still polishing
them, but the idea is that each skill has real "punch" to it, so that any skill
is important enough to be a major skill. It's hard because everyone uses certain skills
more, but we further balance them by setting how hard they are to raise.
(Reference: Gamespy Interview)
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5.5 What are a
character's base attributes?
Characters are defined by eight basic attributes: strength, intelligence, willpower,
agility, speed, endurance, personality, and luck, as well as five major and five minor
skills.
(Reference: Gamespy Interview)
(Reference: Gamespot
Feature)
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5.6 Will character
classes come with inherent skill sets?
Character classes have five major and five minor skills from a combination of these
groups. You can create custom character classes as well choosing skills from the three
groups.
(Reference: Gamespot
Feature)
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Section 6: NPC
Interactions
6.1 Non Player Characters in Daggerfall were
pretty flat and boring. Is the team working to address this in Morrowind?
Yes, it is a top priority. Morrowind NPC's are every bit as complete as the player
character himself, in terms of stats, inventory options, etc.
(Reference: RPGVault Interview)
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6.2 Will NPC's
have 24hr scheduling?
It is unknown whether NPC's will have 24hr scheduling. It is almost 100% certain that the
majority of them will not. Gameplay specific behavior is at the top of the team's AI list
(you expect this character to be here at night, and he is, for example). 24hr schedules
will follow that. The editor does allow you to setup schedules for NPC's. For the standard
game, however, the team is taking a "wait-and-see" approach. Keep in mind there are reported to be around 2,000 NPCs, and creating individual schedules for each one would be a mammoth task.
(Reference: VoodooExtreme Chat)
(Reference: Official Forums)
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6.3 Will I be able to
kill any NPC's?
Yes, all NPC's will be able to be killed by the player, with the possible exception of a scant few (one or two maximum). It is unknown exactly who might escape your wrath.
(Reference: Official Forums)
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6.4 Will there be
any negative effects for murdering NPC's?
There's the obvious consequences of the potential to lose a plot-essential NPC. There
will be a message warning you if you attempt this, however. Killing random NPC's will
also affect other NPC's judgement of you. As for an experience/ability/stat penalty
for being evil, there is none. The game is free-form enough to allow you to be as evil as
you wish. Also, designer Ken Rolston had this to say about killing NPC's:
Murdering NPCs is against the law. In addition to negative NPC reactions to outlaw PCs,
outlaws are pursued and attacked by guards, and fines and sentences handed out to captured
or surrendered PC offenders.
(Reference: Official Forums)
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6.5 Will I be able
to have other NPC's in my party?
The short answer is no. Morrowind does not feature a full party system. The
long answer is that from time to time, you will be able to hire additional help, such as
an NPC to carry stuff for you, or perhaps even a mercenary to help you in battle. These
joinings will be very temporary however, and the NPC's will never be under your
direct control.
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6.6 Will NPC's
have feelings toward your character? Will their responses to you depend on how they feel
about you?
Yes, there is a very developed disposition system in place in the game. Each and every
character in the game has a certain disposition towards your character. Their disposition
will be indicated by the color of the dialog bar used to talk with them. You can influence
an NPC's disposition toward you in several ways. First, during dialog, there will be
a "persuasion" button, which you can try and use to improve the NPC's
disposition toward you. Persuasion is a skill, however, and if you're not very good
at it, it might backfire. You might also try performing a quest for the character, or
joining that character's faction or Guild. Conversely, if you attack the character or
one of his/her minions, you will obviously harm that character's attitude toward you.
(Reference: Official Forums)
(Reference: The
Essential Site Interview)
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6.7 Will this
disposition system be affected by Guild/faction interactions on a whole, or just operate
on an individual basis?
Both. You can improve a whole guild's disposition toward you by joining that guild or doing quests for them,
and you can improve any one individual's disposition toward you through individual
interactions and dialog. Conversely, being a member of a Guild that is an enemy of another
individual's Guild will impose penalties on that person's disposition toward you.
(Reference: Official Forums)
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6.8 How else can I
affect an NPC's disposition toward me?
During conversation there will be several different attitudes that you can take on, such
as aggressive, admiring, etc. You can affect an NPC's disposition toward you by
successfully pulling off one of these attitudes. Conversation is a skill, and if you fail
the skill check you could create the opposite result of what you want to happen. You can
also affect disposition by the clothes you are wearing.
(Reference: Official Forums)
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6.9 Will I be able
to steal from NPC's? Will they have line-of-sight vision?
Yes, you will be able to steal from NPC's and they will have line-of-sight vision. This
adds an element of stealth to the game.
6.10 How many
NPC's will be in the game?
According to Lead Level Designer GT Noonan, his "guess" is that the number will
be somewhere in the 1,000's. Ken Rolston has stated that the number will be around 2,000.
(Reference: RPGDot
Interview now lost to the void, it would seem)
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Section 7: Factions
7.1 What exactly are factions?
Factions function like guilds did in Daggerfall. Basically, factions are organizations to
which your character can belong, and thereby benefit from relationships and items or
quests gained through other faction members.
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7.2 The
faction/guild system in Daggerfall was a great idea, but had poor implementation. Will
there be a faction system in Morrowind?
Yes, factions will be a major part of the game in Morrowind. They will be much improved
over Daggerfall.
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7.3 How many
factions are in the game?
There are approximately 10-15 major factions in the game that you can join. Of those, the
three major ones are the Great House factions, or the ruling factions of Morrowind. It is
not possible to be a member of more than one of those factions, nor is it possible to
change from one to another. There are also the Fighter, Mage, Thief, and Dark Brotherhood
factions, of which you can be a member of more than one. There is also the Morag Tong, or
the Assassin's Guild. Further details on factions are being held back, as some entail
key plot elements.
(Reference: RPGVault Interview)
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7.4 What are the
benefits of joining a faction?
Straight from designer Ken Rolston:
"At lowest ranks, factions provide shelter, training, and wares at discount prices,
or free, and unique quest opportunities. At higher ranks, members may gain special
abilities, or gifts of unique magic items, or borrow other even more exceptional magic
treasures." Also, you can improve certain character's disposition toward you by
joining their factions (see NPC Interactions section).
(Reference: RPGVault Interview)
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Section 8: Races
and Classes
8.1 What races are playable out-of-box in
Morrowind?
The races playable out-of-box (i.e. with no use of the game editor) are High Elf, Dark
Elf, Wood Elf, Nord, Breton, Cyrodiil, Redguard, Khajiit, Argonian, and Orc.
(Reference: Xanthanar's
Library)
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8.2 What
advantages/disadvantages will the choice of race carry with it?
It is confirmed that specific race abilities will be in the game, that will be
unattainable by anyone other than members of that race. Presumably, race selection will
affect stats, and perhaps starting equipment/position. There will be race advantages and disadvantages that are packaged together as a "birthsign", choosable during character customization.
(Reference:
Gamespy Interview)
(Reference:
Morrowind Summit Interview)
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8.3 How does the
character selection process work?
It has been stated that the character selection process will involve in-game choices, such
as in System Shock II. It will reportedly involve choices in action and dialog that occur on/around a prison ship at the game's outset.
(Reference: Official Forums)
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Section
9: Graphics Engine
9.1 What engine will Bethesda be using to develop
Morrowind? Will it be a licensed product or an inhouse developed engine?
The engine that Morrowind uses is NDL's NetImmerse engine.
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9.2 What renderers will
the engine support (OpenGL, Direct3D, Glide, etc)?
The engine is Direct3D only.
(Reference: The Essential Site Interview)
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9.3 Will the engine
feature Transform & Lighting (T&L) acceleration that my GeForce card can take
advantage of?
Yes.
(Reference: The Essential Site Interview)
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9.4 Will the engine have
anything to do with the XnGine used in Daggerfall?
No, the engine is something completely different and separate from the XnGine.
The XnGine has been "granted rest" according to GT Noonan, level
designer for Morrowind.
(Reference: Official Forums)
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9.5 What kind of animation
system will the engine use?
The animation system is a full skeletal system. We also know that the system supports
double jointed tails on the beast races :)
(Reference: RPGVault
Interview)
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9.6 Does the engine
support effects such as "paper-dolling" your character (i.e. changing clothing)?
Yes, there will be paper-dolling supported in the engine. Armor and weapons will be
visible on your character.
(Reference: VoodooExtreme Chat)
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9.7 Does the engine
have support for real-time shadows?
Yes, real-time shadows are in.
(Reference: RPGVault
Interview)
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9.8 Does the engine
support a weather system?
Morrowind will feature a detailed, region-based weather system that includes weather from rain to ash-storms. Todd Howard stated in an interview
that the weather system is made up of three disctinctly cool elements. The first is the
awesomely realistic sun/moon system. The second is that weather will realistically scale
up or down, so you don't enter an area and suddenly be engulfed by a huge storm. The third
is that some weather effects will affect you in physical ways, such as movement rate.
(Reference: GA-RPG Article)
(Reference: Official Site)
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9.9 What about NPC lip
movement?
Yes, the engine features realistic lip and eyelid movements for all NPC's.
(Reference: July 2000 PCGamer)
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9.10 Will interior maps
(houses/dungeons) be separately loading maps like in Daggerfall?
Yes, as in Daggerfall, interiors will load separately from exteriors. The team
experimented with dynamically loading everything, but there was a major performance hit
along with major technical problems. The team collectively decided that the performance
hit and extra development time outweighed the benefits of loading interiors, and decided
to load interiors separately.
(Reference: My Trip to Bethesda)
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9.11 How will characters'
clothes be handled in the game engine? Will it just be different textures?
The clothing system in Morrowind is near-revolutionary. The clothes/armor aren't just
textures applied to a model of a character, they are actually models themselves that are
"pasted" onto character models. All armor moves realistically with the
character. Robes deform as you would expect and armor realistically slides over the
character's body. Also, the level of customization with clothing is incredible. You can
get individual pieces to go on every part of your body, including asymmetrical designs,
such as differing shoulder pieces. Clothing will also scale with body size, so that it
should look good on both stocky and skinny characters.
(Reference: My Trip to Bethesda)
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Section 10: Relationship to Previous ES
Games
10.1 How will Morrowind be an improvement over
Daggerfall?
The team has three major design goals in place for improvement. First of all, the team is
committed to releasing a less buggy product. Todd Howard has made a commitment to have
absolutely no bugs in this product. Second, many gamers complained that the gameplay in
Daggerfall was overly repetitive. The Morrowind team is trying their best to make areas in
Morrowind look as unique as possible. Third, NPC's will no longer be simple and
repetitive as in Daggerfall. In Morrowind, they will basically be characters every bit as
full as the player is him/herself.
(Reference: RPGVault
Interview)
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10.2 Will the random
dungeon generators of Daggerfall be in Morrowind?
No. Daggerfall's randomness allowed for an exceptionally large world, albeit with
cookie cutter locations and overly generic, labyrinthine dungeons. Morrowind will
sacrifice a bit of the size allowed by randomness by attempting to make all locations as
unique as possible. This way, there is a sense of reward and discovery at the end of a
journey, instead of boredom and monotomy.
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10.3 How will the
character system in Morrowind work? Will it be the same as Daggerfall's?
It has been stated that the character selection process will involve in-game choices, such
as in System Shock II. It will reportedly involve choices in action and dialog that occur on/around a prison ship at the game's outset.
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10.4 Will the potion
maker/spell maker/item enchantings be included?
Yes, all of those made the cut. It is generally the same as in Daggerfall where you mix
together different ingredients to create different effects. The more random stuff you mix,
the higher chance you have of creating poison, though. Alchemy is a skill this time around, so a higher skill will bring higher success in making potions.
(Reference: The Essential Site Interview)
(Reference: Gamespy Interview)
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10.5 A cool feature of
Daggerfall was the "ability" to get turned into a vampire or werewolf. Will this
also be in Morrowind?
Vampires are in, although with some modifications, the exact nature of which are unknown at this time. Werewolves are out this time around.
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10.6 Will Morrowind
feature full nudity like Daggerfall?
No, there will be no nudity in Morrowind. The team weighed the pros and cons of doing
nudity, and determined that the inclusion of nudity was not a feature that significantly
added to gameplay, and in some cases, the inclusion of nudity might actually hinder sales.
(Reference: Official Forums)
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10.7 Will I be able to
buy my own house like in Daggerfall?
Probably not exactly like in Daggerfall, although you will be able to occupy any empty house, or set up your very own using the editor. There will also be player strongholds that you can obtain by somehow building them in the game.
(Reference: Official Forums)
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10.8 Will there be a way
to import my character from Daggerfall?
No, this feature will not be available in Morrowind for game balance reasons. You can lovingly recreate your
Daggerfall character in the editor, however.
(Reference: VoodooExtreme Chat)
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10.9 Could you tell me
more about how the potion maker works?
Potion creating is based on the alchemy skill, with a high skill reducing the chances of
producing a toxic potion, as well as provides more accurate knowledge of potion
ingredients. Potions require ingredients, which can be obtained from the wild and from
shops. Each ingredient has several different effects. The ingredients require an
apparatus, such as a mortar and pestle or alembic, to reduce them to a mixable form.
Apparatuses (apparati?) come in varying qualities, and will in turn produce varying qualities of
potions. A potion must contain at least two ingredients with the same effect in order to
generate any potency. Since many ingredients have harmful effects as well, balancing the
recipe to double the beneficial effects and not the harmful effects can be tricky.
(Reference: Gamespot
Feature)
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10.10 Will there be horses or other rideable mounts?
No mounts this time around. The technological hurdle of doing mounts and mounted combat was simply too high for this game.
(Reference: XGR Interview)
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Section 11: Plot
11.1 What is the starting premise of your
character in Morrowind?
Very little is known. What is known is that you begin the game as a foreigner in
Vvardenfell, a land notorious for its xenophobia. In the game opening, you are dropped off
by a prison ship on the island of Morrowind. In exchange for your freedom, they give you
specific tasks to accomplish, the nature of which are unrevealed at this time. You can
choose to follow the orders or disobey. In the words of game designer Ken Rolston, you are
a "blind pawn to the Emperor's will". You are also cursed by some prophecy, the
exact nature of which is unknown at this time, and (perhaps because of the prophecy) you
also have some secret enemies who you do not know at the start of the game, but who know
you.
(Reference: RPGVault
Interview)
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11.2 What if I choose to
play as a dark elf? Since I start in Vvardenfell, home to the dark elves, would people
still hate me?
Yes, even if you play as a dark elf, you were born outside the province, and people still
mistrust you. To the Dunmer, you are either in with Morrowind or you are an outsider.
(Reference: Official Forums)
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11.3 Will there be a
classic antagonist? Like the Evil Wizardtm seeking the destruction of the land?
Certainly there will be masterminds behind the plot lines. However, the
primary conflicts in Morrowind are political and social in nature. For example, one of the
major conflicts is between the major ruling Houses of the Dunmer, each strong in its own
right, however none being strong enough to overthrow all the others.
(Reference: RPGVault
Interview)
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11.4 I thought my
character was just a courier! How am I supposed to have any political power?
As your character grows, so will his importance in the politics of the Dunmer. For
example, there is the Grand Council of Vvardenfell Province, the ruling body that is
authorized to wield the power of the Empire in Vvardenfell. The Council is made up of
representatives of three of the Great Houses of Morrowind, the head of the Tribunal
religious organization, and the Duke of the Land. Each of these five people votes on
issues with profound social and political consequence in Vvardenfell. Through the
Reputation stat, the player will be able to directly influence the outcome of votes in the
Council. There will be many quests in relation to the Grand Council.
(Reference: RPGVault
Interview)
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11.5 So what will the
main plot specifically deal with? What will be the overarching issue?
Not revealed in full yet. Todd Howard has stated that it will deal with an ancient
House/Guild resurfacing. There is also a mysterious disease called the blight which is
sweeping across the land.
(Reference: GA-RPG Article)
(Reference: Gamespot
Feature)
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11.6 What themes from
past Elder Scroll games will Morrowind explore?
These are straight from game designer Ken Rolston:
" . . . the rise and fall of Imperial power, the mysterious disappearance of the
Dwarves, the subtle and sinister powers of the Daedra Lords and their powerful artifacts,
the hidden society of ancient vampires." Also explored will be the mysteries of the
disappeared Dwarven people and their peculiar arcane technology, a theme developed in
Redguard.
(Reference: RPGVault
Interview)
(Reference: Destination:
Morrowind Interview)
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11.7 Will the
peculiarness of the Vvardenfell setting introduce any new plot elements into the fray?
Of course. Again, these are straight from Ken Rolston:
" . . . the bitter rivalries of the Dunmer Great Houses, the clash between civilized
Great House Dunmer culture and barbarian nomadic Ashlander Dunmer culture, the obscure
riddles of the Nerevarine prophecies, the looming threat of the Blight, and the shadowy
menace of the Sixth House cult."
(Reference: RPGVault
Interview)
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Section 12: Quests
12.1 With the tremendous emphasis on the
free-form exploration nature of the game, will there be any formalized quests to
undertake?
Yes! Hundreds, probably! Quests make up the core of the roleplaying game experience.
Walking around and seeing stuff can only hold someone's interest for so long.
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12.2. In other
CRPG's, like Baldur's Gate, side quests seemed rather isolated, in that they
didn't relate to the main plot at all, and were just there for something to do. Will
there be these types of side quests in Morrowind?
Side quests like that are inherently unavoidable in CRPG's. Surely there will be the
type of side quests in Morrowind that are there just for fun and just for something to do.
However, for the vast majority of quests, even the smallest of side quests, Bethesda is
seeking to incorporate them into the main storyline.
(Reference: Official Forums)
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12.3 Will the quests be
all hack n' slash?
There will be plenty of hacking and slashing in the game, that's for sure. However,
there will also be many many other types of quests to undertake. There will be quests that
revolve around political issues, there will be Thief like quests where stealth and
planning are paramount, and there will be hack n' slash quests where you can't
kill anyone. You will be able to fight someone until they fall unconcious from fatigue,
thus eliminating the foe without killing him/her.
(Reference: Official Forums)
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Section 13: Multiplayer
13.1 Will Morrowind feature a multiplayer
component?
No, Morrowind will be a single player only game. The team felt that to do a multiplayer
game right, they would have to either concentrate all their resources on multiplayer and
make a multiplayer only game, or make a simple multiplayer game, lose valuable development
time and have the multiplayer feel like it was just "tacked on". The team
decided they would rather do "the best single player game money can buy."
(Reference: RPGVault
Interview)
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Section 14: Combat
14.1 What are the team's major design goals
for combat?
The team wanted combat to be something that was fun, as well as not overly complicated.
They also wanted combat to have a more "kinetic" feel to it, rather than the
detached feeling featured in most other RPG's, where you point to an enemy and wait
for the battle to be over. Animations, visuals, and sound effects will make sure you feel
like you're part of the action. Also, the team wanted all weapons to be useful in
some way, even tiny daggers.
(Reference: RPGVault
Interview)
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14.2 Will combat be real
time or turn based?
Combat will be completely real-time.
(Reference: RPGVault
Interview)
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14.3 What kind of control
scheme will combat use? Will it be like Daggerfall where you swing with the mouse?
Combat will feature many different vectors of control for the player. The direction the
player is moving when he or she presses the attack button will determine what kind of
attack is executed. A forward movement will be a thrust, sideways will be a slash, and
diagonally will be a chop. The default (standing still) attack is the chop. Also, the
player can control the strength behind an attack. When the player presses the attack
button, the controlled character will start to pull the weapon back. The longer you hold
the attack button, the farther back the weapon is pulled, and the stronger your attack.
The control scheme is said to be primarily influenced by Jedi Knight, with elements
resembling Thief and System Shock 2 as well.
(Reference: RPGVault
Interview)
(Reference: Official Forums)
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14.4 How will weapons and
stats affect combat?
Certain weapons will be useful in different ways. For example, an axe is a great weapon to
chop with, but you won't do much damage with an axe thrust. On the other hand, a
dagger is great for quick thrusting. Weapons will have damage ratings for each attack
style, as well as speed ratings, which govern how quickly you can attack. Weapons will
also differ in how long it takes to pull them back for stronger attacks. Your
character's stats determine if you hit, how hard you hit, as well as how tired you
get.
(Reference: RPGVault
Interview)
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14.5 Will the player be
able to execute "combos" or combinations of moves for more effective combat?
No, in an effort to keep things simple, there will be no combo moves.
(Reference: Official Forums)
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14.6 Will there be a
block button or ability?
Yes, blocking will be completely automatic, based on your combat skill. There will be
accompanying animations to make the block seem more realistic.
(Reference: Official Forums)
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14.7 Will damage be
location-based? For instance, will head shots hurt more?
No, there will not be location based damage.
(Reference: Official Forums)
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14.8 How many weapons
will be in the game?
There will be over 200 weapons in the game, more than likely running the gamut from
standard fantasy swords and axes to more exotic Vvardenfell fare.
(Reference: Official Forums)
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14.9 What steps are being
taken to ensure a level of balance with all those weapons?
Each weapon will be useful in a specific way. For example, a dagger will be useful for
quick thrusting, while a hammer is useful for powerful chopping. Also, the bigger and
heavier your weapon is, the quicker you will tire. Fatigue plays a large part in the
strategy of combat.
(Reference: RPGVault
Interview)
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14.10 Will I be able to
use two weapons simultaneously (dual-wield)?
Probably not. The control scheme would be far too complex for that.
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14.11 Are missile
weapons in?
Yes, missile weapons are in.
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Section 15: Magic
15.1 Will Morrowind feature the same
schools of magic as found in Daggerfall?
For the most part. Two schools of magic have been combined, and there is an added school, Conjuration.
(Reference: RPGVault
Interview)
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15.2 Tell me about the new school of magic, Conjuration.
Conjuration is an entirely new school of magic, not featured in previous Elder Scrolls games. It's made up of four major classes of effects. The first is Turn Undead, similar to its use in other games, where it causes undead opponents to flee in panic. The second is Summon Undead and Summon Daedra, which summons up said creatures to aid you in battle. The third is Charm Creatures/Charm Humanoids, which allows you to make other creatures like you and attack your enemies. The final class of effects is Bound Weapons and Bound Armor, which summons magical daedric weapons and armor of zero encumbrance. Perfect for stealthy character types, as well as things such as swimming or flying.
(Reference: RPGPlanet Chat)
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15.3 Will I be able to
create my own spells, just like in Daggerfall?
You will be able to create your own spells. However, the exact mechanics have been
somewhat changed. In Daggerfall, you were able to create any kind of spell once you were
able to make spells. In Morrowind, you will need to learn individual elements and effects
before you can create a particular spell. The more effects a spell has, or the more
powerful the effects, the higher the cost, both in physical exertion and magic point cost.
Check out this topic for how spell creation is handled in the editor.
(Reference: RPGVault
Interview)
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15.4 How many magical
effects are in the game for me to combine to create something new? What exactly is meant
by "effects"?
There are over 200 effects that you can combine to create new spells. You must learn the
effects in the game before you can use them. Spell "effects" are basically just
anything that a spell can do, like shooting a fireball, silencing another spell caster,
healing someone, etc.
(Reference: RPGVault
Interview)
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15.5 What kinds of
special visual effects can we expect to see with magic?
The team is working hard on spectacular particle effects for spells. Visual effects will
scale so that a 50-point fireball is ten times larger than a five point fireball. The team
is also working on methods by which to blend different particle effects for spells that
incorporate more than one magical "effect".
(Reference: Gamespot
Feature)
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Section 16: The Editor
16.1 What is the Elder Scrolls 3 Construction
Set?
The ES3 Construction Set is the very same tool that the game designers at
Bethesda are using to build the world of Morrowind. It is a game editor designed to allow
the user almost complete control over the game world.
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16.2 What kinds of things
will I be able to manipulate using the construction set?
A more appropriate question would probably be "What can I not manipulate with
the Construction Set?" The user has control over virtually every facet of the game
world except for the underlying engine. You can create new settings, towns, landscapes,
weapons, lights, dialogue, quests, races, classes, non-player characters, skills,
animation, menus, sound, and more. You will be able to play with formulas that are used to
determine weapon accuracy, experience gains, random encounters, movement, magic, etc. You
will be able to write your own books, put pictures in them, and place them in the game
world. You can create your own spells. The editor will also include its own scripting
language, for experienced programmers to add features to the game that the developers
never even thought of. The possibilities are endless.
(Reference: Gamespot
Interview)
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16.3 Will I be able to
write my own dialog for characters, and specify when to use it?
Yes and yes. You will be able to ensure that certain pieces of dialog only appear
after certain events take place. Also, dialog is not directly linked to a specific NPC. It
is housed in a separate database that can contain references to many many different things
such as place, faction, class, and race. This way, you can set a certain piece of
information so that an entire town knows it, or an entire race, etc. You can also assign
faction requirements to information (only receive that information if the person likes you
enough). You can even assign dialog to inanimate objects if you wish. Also, you can rank
dialog topics in the order you want them to appear. You may also create dialog menus, where the user has a choice of response.
(Reference: My Trip to Bethesda)
(Reference: Gamespot
Interview)
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16.4 How will the
Construction Set interface with the game if there is no multiplayer? Will people only be
able to play quests they design themselves?
No, not at all. The Construction Set uses a plug-in based architecture. Whatever you
design in the editor is saved to a file. That file can be used by anyone who has
Morrowind. So you can upload them to the web and share with other people. When you
start the game, a menu appears asking you what plug-ins you want to load. All you do is
choose and start the game with all the new features of the plug-in in place.
(Reference: Gamespot
Interview)
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16.5 So you can just load
any plug-in anytime during the game?
Yes. For example, if you're having trouble defeating a certain key enemy, you could
create your own super-weapon, load it into the game, and use it to take out the enemy. You
can alter the game experience at any point you choose from beginning to end.
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16.6 Doesn't this
present the potential for some serious balance issues?
Of course. If you wanted to make your character incredibly powerful, it's easy to do.
If you wanted to delete key game characters vital to quests, that's easy to do also.
But that's also the beauty of the editor. It leaves the game experience completely up
to the user. The game can be as challenging or as easy as you want it. Also, because of
the editor's plug-in architecture, the user can choose at any time which plug-ins he
or she wants to use. If one is causing problems you can simply unload it. In the end,
it's up to the player. If you want to spend $50 on a game, then create a god weapon
and beat it in two days with no challenge, that's your perogative.
(Reference: Gamespot
Interview)
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16.7 What if a
mischeivious person uploads a plug-in advertising a really cool feature, but it actually
causes problems like deleting key NPC's? How can the user know exactly what he or she
is downloading?
There will be a place for plug-in authors to write summaries of their plug-ins. Hopefully,
responsible authors will include info on what was changed and where. To combat people who
don't include everything in your summary, there is a button labeled "Details"
that allows you to see everything that was changed and where. Also, again, if something is
causing problems it's a simple matter to unload it.
(Reference: Gamespot
Interview)
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16.8 Will the editor be
difficult to use? What tools will be included for the newbie user? Do I have to have
modeling/art/programming knowledge?
The basic features of the editor are purportedly very easy for beginning users. It
supports a very basic drag n' drop, cut n' paste interface with the game world.
You can simply select an item from a database and put it in the world with all its
properties intact. Using menus, you can alter features easily (i.e. Make fires burn
brighter, weapons do more damage, etc.). The game will ship with a huge amount of useable
content (ready made models, art, scripts, quests, etc.) that someone can simply place in
the game world, no experience required. On the other hand, with the scripting system, one
can make things as complex as one is comfortable with.
(Reference: Gamespot
Interview)
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16.9 Will the editor
compile all the changes I make into one file for easy uploading and downloading?
Yes, all the changes you make should be compiled into a single .esm file. You might have
to include extra files with the .esp file if you included any art not already included
with the game. The exact mechanics of this are unclear at this time.
(Reference: Gamespot
Interview)
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16.10 Does the editor
have any limits on the size of the world that I can create?
No. You can even add on to the existing game world if you like. The world size limit is
infinite.
(Reference: Gamespot
Interview)
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16.11 Does the editor
ship with any tools allowing the creation of original art for the game?
No, you will need to have your own art editing tools. If you wish to do new models, you
will need a copy of 3D Studio Max, as well as the plug-in which Bethesda uses to import
model info into the game. Textures are a bit easier, however, as they are just TGAs and
BMPs (standard art formats) and any art program that can handle those formats, can be used to edit them. You will, however, be able to disassemble most structures, and
using these "building blocks", build new things as you see fit.
(Reference: Gamespot
Interview)
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16.12 Will I be able to
alter the music in the game?
Yes, you can either simply overwrite the files included in the game, or you can write a
script to specify when a certain piece of music should play.
(Reference: Official Forums)
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16.13 Will the editor be
shipping with the game?
Yes.
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16.14 Will I be able to
create a whole new world from scratch?
Yes, but you'll always have to start with the base continent. In other words, you'll never
actually be faced with a blank world to create. Plug-in authoring always begins with a
"master file". The default master file contains the out-of-box continent of
Morrowind. The reason for this is that the master file includes all kinds of required game
information, such as races, skills, etc. If you wanted to create an entire world, you
should be able to delete the entire continent of Morrowind if you wanted, although the
best thing to do would probably be to create a new continent far off the coast of
Vvardenfall. That way you won't delete the base continent for people who still want to
explore it. Another option is that you can create a brand new master file. Basically you
go about this by taking a plug-in that you've created with some location data in it, and saving it as a master plug-in. This will save it with all the necessary world data to allow it to be your "base" world.
(Reference: Official Forums)
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16.15 How will the
placement of monsters/NPC's work?
Monster placement can be accomplished in a couple of ways. You can simply drag the monster
or NPC from a list into the game world. This will place a single instance of the creature
in the game. You can also drag a "levelled" list into the world. This will cause
monsters to appear based on the player's level. For example, you could drag a list where
one item was a level 5 skaama, and another item could be a level 12 Daedra. So if the
player's level is 5, a skaama would appear. If it's 12, a Daedra would appear. You can
also create custom lists so that you can get any monster to appear for any player level.
For example, you can set it to spawn a Daedra lord for a level 3 player. You can also set
any creature to respawn or not.
(Reference: Official Forums)
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16.16 Will I be able to
create completely new items by changing the attributes on existing items?
Yes, when you change the attributes of an existing item, let's say a dagger, you have the
option of having the change affect every instance of the item in the world (up the damage
on every dagger in the world) or creating a brand new item (Dagger of Asswhooping, unique
item).
(Reference: My Trip to Bethesda)
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16.17 When I create a
new item, will I be able to put in anywhere? Like in stores or in my characters inventory?
Yes, you can place the item anywhere in the game including NPC's, stores, and on the
ground.
(Reference: My Trip to Bethesda)
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16.18 Will I be able to
create my own buildings without having to use a program like 3d Studio Max?
Yes, with restrictions. There will be a very large number of "building block"
segments included with the game. You can create new buildings by combining building blocks
together in different ways. The building blocks are fully rendered sections of buildings.
Hallways, stairs, walls, for example. You just drag and drop them into the world to add
on to structures.
(Reference: My Trip to Bethesda)
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16.19 Since interiors
will be separately loading maps, how will I create an interior in the editor?
You basically just create the interior the same way you would create and other map. Just
set up walls, drag and drop stuff in, etc. Then, you place a "teleporting" door
on the outside of your structure, by simply placing a door and checking the
"Teleporting" option. You specify a map for the door to teleport the player to,
and a starting position and orientation on the map (where the player will be teleported
in). Doors that aren't flagged as teleporting simply swing open and shut.
(Reference: My Trip to Bethesda)
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16.20 How will I go
about creating my own spells in the editor?
All you have to do is pick from a list of effects (which included some very cool stuff),
which effects you want to combine. From the interface that I was shown it looked like you
could combine a maximum of 6-8 (my memory is foggy) effects for a single spell. Then you
select the target, duration, range, and magnitude of each effect. The choice of target
included “Caster”, which allows for some really good balancing effects. For
example, you could create a really powerful fireball spell that also silences the caster
for 30 seconds. The program automatically calculates the spell point cost of the spell
based on how powerful it is. Or, alternatively, you can check a box to turn that function
off and edit the point cost yourself. When you're done editing the effects, you get
to choose what type of spell it is.
(Reference: My Trip to Bethesda)
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Will I be able to assign
magic effects to other things like skills or race abilities?
Yes, you can edit several different things with the magic editor. The categories are:
spell, ability, disease, blight disease, curse, and power. Spell is obviously a standard
magical spell that you can grant a character, or you can insert into a shop. An ability is
an inherent trait of the character. For example if you did a silence effect as an ability,
your character would walk around silencing everyone who came near you. A disease is just a
standard disease like a rat could give you. A blight disease is like a much more powerful
disease. A curse is something even stronger that Todd said would “require
scripting” to remove. A power is an ability particular to one race, like the
Imperial's “Voice of the Emperor” ability (basically a “charm”
spell).
(Reference: My Trip to Bethesda)
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Section 17: The Interface
17.1 Will Morrowind's interface be similar to
Daggerfall's?
Probably not similar other than the similarities inherent in the control of a first person
game. Todd Howard has stated that the interface should generally feel familiar to anyone
who has played a first person shooter.
(Reference: GA-RPG Article)
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17.2
Will the look/position of the interface be customizable?
Yes, the interface will be completely customizeable. Windows can be resized, moved, turned
off, or made semi-transparent according to your preference. At no point in the game is it
necessary to leave the game screen, as you can access inventory, view character
statistics, and manage spells through the onscreen windows.
(Reference: Gamespot
Feature)
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17.3
Will the the interface be "layered" or multi-windowed?
Yes, the information will be layered.
(Reference: GA-RPG Article)
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