Meenie on 29/11/2003 at 15:00
Hi all!
I'm looking for a PC game for Christmas for me and my hubby. I read the faq but have a couple of questions about Morrowind. It looks like a good game, do you like it? How does it compare to Baldur's Gate or Summoner or NWN?
Do you only run the one character or do you have others who join you?
Are the battles random or do you see the critters and get to choose when you attack?
How is the navigation? the movement of your character and the ease of use of items, etc?
Thanks for all your help. I've basically narrowed things down to this game and NWN.
Meenie
PS: I've been an RPG'er for years. I started on Yserbius in the ImagiNation Network (INN) then came to the internet where I played several muds and such then beta tested on Empyriana and Lords of Empiria. I played nintendo starting with the very first unit :) Played all the Zelda games (Zelda III: A Link to the Past was awesome), Chrysalis, Final Fantasy, and many others. On the PC I've recently played Baldur's gate and Summoner - both great games.
Thanks again! Meenie
Tuco on 29/11/2003 at 15:20
Hello, Mrs. Meenie...
Morrowind is an okay game, I guess, if you like running a lot.
You run one char.
The battles are semi-random, monsters spawn, but there are thousands of placed mobs.
The navigation / ease of use is fine.
Also, the robes kick butt.
madphilb on 29/11/2003 at 16:40
A glowing review from Tuco if I've ever seen one.
Morrowind is very un-like the Bioware games.
Morrowind is single-character based rather than party based. You'll create a single character for play (many people create more than one in their time... I'm on my 3rd and I've only had the game for about 3-6 months). The standard view is 1st person (though you can "run around" in third person, you'll want to use the 1st person view for most things). The game isn't so much about quick reflexes though, it's not like Halo or even Deus Ex in that way.
I've got the XBox version, so control is like any of the FPS games (one stick for forward/backward and strafing and the other for turning and looking up/down), I'm guessing that the defualt control for the PC used the AWSD and mouse combination for controls. PC uses drag-n-drop for things (drag the armor to your portriat to wear it, drag bread to your portrait to eat it, etc).
Most battles are ones you pick.... many of the things in Morrowind will attack you on sight (cliffracers, rats, etc). A few of the people will attack you on sight too, alot has to do with who you are and who they are. There are only a few instances where something will just "appear" to kill you.
Morrowind is very much an experience as a game. Many people report spending days just wandering around looking at the scenery. I've spend days wandering around picking mushrooms and plant for making potions while getting a feel for the land. You could also go on a killing spree if you wanted, clearing out the towns, etc (you'd break a bunch of quests that way though).
Morrowind give you the experience of being an adventurer dumped onto a strange island/land that you have to explore. You're pretty much terrible at most things, etc.
Sadly I've never even played the demo for NWN, so I can't compare.
Hope some of that rambling helps.
PHIL
RyushiBlade on 29/11/2003 at 21:27
We really do need someone who's played NWN.
I have the PC version and the XBox version. In total I've made 3 characters and I've been played for around a year now.
The PC Version offers a LOT more than the XBox version. The Construction Set that comes with the game is amazing. There are also tons of mods out there, one of which (Dracandro's Voice, I think?) lets you 'command' certain people to follow you around and fight for you. This gives you a bit of company, but AI in that department is pretty slack. They get stuck easily.
The battles are... a bit iffy. To sum it all up, a monster runs at you and you start clicking the mouse to swing your sword. Or, if your a mage, clicking your mouse to cast spells. Battles are real time, and if you cast invisibility you can wander around in the wild and see monsters just walking around. Morrowind doesn't offer that big of a variety on the monsters, unfortunately. But it's good enough for me.
The bottom line is, you either like Morrowind or you don't. There are very few people who think it's "just ok." If possible, I'd try and borrow the game first, or atleast try it out at a friends house. But I think you'll probably like it just as much as us at TTLG (and maybe get addicted like me >.<)
Make sure your computer can run the game as well! Morrowind is a pretty high end game. My computer runs at 1.8GHz, 512MB RAM and I have a GeForce 2 MX and I lag a lot unless I close most every task running on my pc.
Meenie on 29/11/2003 at 22:25
Thanks so much for the great answers!
Phil, you're indepth answer was perfect. Thanks for taking the time! I really appreciate it.
Ryushiblade, your's too was very indepth and helpful. You might like to know that NWN runs in the same map as the Baldur's Gate series. (BG is an awesome game)
Tuco, I'll be sure to watch for those robes :)
I'm very much considering this game. The only negative I see right now is that it doesn't allow parties. I like having all those characters traveling with me :)
Anyway, thanks so much for the info. You've all been really helpful!
Meenie :)
RyushiBlade on 29/11/2003 at 23:51
I've been thinking about another mod where instead of having NPC's follow you, you have items that you carry around. You just use them to make your 'party' appear. There's a mod that does something like this already, but it uses monsters, not people. That could help ^.^
(And please, call me Ryushi :D )
Kafein on 30/11/2003 at 12:32
i've played NWN, and i know the other games u r talking about, and i'll just say one thing:
it is impossible to compare it with baldurs gate or neverwinter. if u like crpgs and tabletops, u'll get more and more shocked every minute after entering morrowind. and this situation will continue for a while! because u'll see what the other crpgs lacked... morrowind is not a game, it is more like a simulation of a life in a parallel universe of fantasy, a world beyond imagination. u just start living in a different world, and u can get a job, a career, real friends, a home of your own, or even a stronghold and rule your people, u can join guilds and climb up, u can chase treasures, help people or kill and loot them, just walk around, or fly around, brew potions, become a junkie... and all from a first person perspective!!! (no, please dont again tell me i'm an agent and trying to advertise the game:mad: i'm trying to explain exactly what i felt when i first started playing morrowind) i had a very strange feeling when i first stepped into seyda neen, and when i first travelled to balmora i couldnt believe it, and no need to say i just thought it was the only big city and i wasnt aware of vivec, ald'rhun, sadrith mora... so each of them were a big surprise for me... of course after experiencing the game for a year without any expansions, it starts to get a bit monotonous, and becoming extremely powerful sucks a bit... but the expansions fixes that problem...
by the way i didnt like the tribunal expansion too much because the atmosphere was not too different than the morrowind. but bloodmoon is completely different... i like it:cheeky:
yes i know this doesnt appear to be "just one thing" i mentioned, but anyway...
and can u please compare baldurs gate 2 and morrowind (after trying it) and report it to me? because BG2 cds r waiting on my monitor for weeks but i dont bother to install it... i don't think i will get any satisfaction from it after playing gothic2, morrowind and arx fatalis. if it's really as good as people say, maybe i can enjoy it... i already tried revenant yesterday but...:eww: borgh!!!:eww:
does anybody know if there is gonna be a TES4 soon, and when call of cthulhu is gonna be released for azura's sake???
Kafein on 30/11/2003 at 12:45
and for the group-play thing... i started playing morrowind just after finishing nwn. and of course i felt very strange running around on my own... it was a big problem for me too... (also considering u start the game as defenceless as a snail without a shell on. and this is much more serious if u've spent your points for mage qualities instead of a warrior's) and u will feel alone for a while in the game... but it is over now... forget about the black kitty that follows u in neverwinter woods...:cheeky: it is completely a different experience to play from the first person perspective (which means u have to control just yourself, not a group of robotic characters) and u'll like it...
Meenie on 30/11/2003 at 13:18
Again, Thanks Ryushi :)
You've been very helpful. I think I'd like some of the creative freedom this game seems to give. Do you have to have played the games before this to be fully in sync of what's going on?
Meenie
Meenie on 30/11/2003 at 13:28
Hi Kafein,
Great description! :) If I may sound so dull-witted, what is a "c"rpg? Also a mo....something, now I can't remember, ugh, LOL.
I like the exploration idea. I like the freedom to walk around where I want instead of being more or less "controlled" as many games do, or used to do. :)
Your description of Morrowind certainly makes it sound intriguing :) I'm thinking I'd like it, just wish I knew if I'd like it or NWN better, lol.
As to BG - I've played BG and the Sword Coast, My husband has played that and BGII Throne of Baal. He liked II better... Don't you think they usually learn a lot from the first and the second of most games is better :) But I thought BGI was pretty doggone good although I'd never have figured out some of the puzzles without some online help!!
Also, I'm not into cheating, but I did use one cheat code consistantly for BGI... for the boots of speed. You move much much too slowly without them.
I don't like to cheat because when I win, I want to have "really" won <G> but then I'll go back and use the cheats for fun, just to see what I can do with it all.
Thanks for all your help, I really appreciate it!
Meenie :)
