Lets Play The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

[DiverNB]

I have axes, swords, and blunt weapons at my disposal because I get bored of wielding just one weapon. Does this make a great character? No, but I'm not really trying to power game here

Magic is fun, and later on I'll explore the enchanting system, hunt for artifacts, and maybe abuse alchemy with fortify int potions just to show a bit of the magic system. That's always fun.

There is more fun with designing the spells so that they are effective, but castable by character of any race without any buffs provided it has magicka fortifying birthsign. Of course, it's more difficult but forces you to learn all the quirks of spellcasting system, so that you can create resistance piercers, instakill spells, sure-fire paralysis and silence, KO spells, dual-purpose long-jump spells and so on.

Hm, Drac, you're reminding me of a little exploitable glitch there, that I only found out about later, and have partly forgotten exactly how it works...

Which one would it be? I'm not above exploiting glitches unless they are unbalancing (so, for example, I will exploit drain intelligence glitch using sujamma, but not by making custom 1s drain intelligence spell). Hell, I don't even exploit valid mechanics like alchemy abuse.

I had a dark elf mage extrmeley decked out once (Every piece of clothing was a fortifying effect on INT or another magic stat) that I was able to make a pierce Resistance 100% and cause a decent amount of fire damage. Pretty much killed everyone.

On touch spells are very fun to mess around with as well because of their low initial cost.

I'm a bit guilty of abusing Daedra ruin mechanics...if you find a 2 rooms adjacent to each other and keep exiting / entering them, you get an infinite amount of Daedra to fight. Excellent for picking up rare alchemy ingredients, and getting a massive amount of high quality weapons.

 

[Witchblade]

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Hm, Drac, you're reminding me of a little exploitable glitch there, that I only found out about later, and have partly forgotten exactly how it works...

Which one would it be? I'm not above exploiting glitches unless they are unbalancing (so, for example, I will exploit drain intelligence glitch using sujamma, but not by making custom 1s drain intelligence spell). Hell, I don't even exploit valid mechanics like alchemy abuse.

Well, like you and DiverNB already know, I'm sure, there are a lot of exploits that actually cross the line beyond power-levelling where it actually becomes cheating.

(To me summoning Deadra for exp. and spoils, still falls under "power-leveling" or "power-gaming" , and is not exactly cheating, but just an equivalent to grinding).

It's hard to figure if the clothing one that DriverNB mentioned above can really be considered a "cheat" as it's obtained fairly validly; that one, I mean \/ \/

I had a dark elf mage extrmeley decked out once (Every piece of clothing was a fortifying effect on INT or another magic stat) that I was able to make a pierce Resistance 100% and cause a decent amount of fire damage. Pretty much killed everyone.

...but anyway, earlier I was thinking of the "perma-spell" exploit, you know, where you point the last part of casting the spell at the floor, and your 'fortify ' becomes permanent on self. I consider this cheating though, as it's obviously a glitch, and not an effect intended by the devs.

I actually feel lucky that my first playthrough was vanilla and w/out internet; -I was never tempted to use an exploit, and therefore feel that I had beaten the game fairly. Nowadays when I load up the game, to do quests that I had missed here or there, I must admit that I feel the temptation to fiddle with exploits and mods; - but why not, if you have already beaten the MQ and most of the factions, at least once, fairly.

 

[DraQ]

(To me summoning Deadra for exp. and spoils, still falls under "power-leveling" or "power-gaming" , and is not exactly cheating, but just an equivalent to grinding).

If by spoils you mean their weapons, it's a glitch abuse as corpses of summons disappear after a split second. If by spoils you mean their souls, it's a valid tactics.

It's hard to figure if the clothing one that DriverNB mentioned above can really be considered a "cheat" as it's obtained fairly validly; that one, I mean \/ \/

I had a dark elf mage extrmeley decked out once (Every piece of clothing was a fortifying effect on INT or another magic stat) that I was able to make a pierce Resistance 100% and cause a decent amount of fire damage. Pretty much killed everyone.

Not a cheat, but it's more fun to understand the system before even thinking about giving your character godly amounts of magicka.

...but anyway, earlier I was thinking of the "perma-spell" exploit, you know, where you point the last part of casting the spell at the floor, and your 'fortify ' becomes permanent on self. I consider this cheating though, as it's obviously a glitch, and not an effect intended by the devs.

Yes, that's an obvious glitch. The only way I could imagine myself using it would be making permanent corporeal undead servants, but this wouldn't be very overpowered as summonable corporeal undead aren't very powerful in MW and like all summons, they can be killed.

 

[oscar]

One thing I like about the game is a lack of good and evil. The Imperial Legion isn't portrayed as "evil Imperialist oppressers of the Dark Elves!" nor is it "shining knights of order and peace". Same with the Dark Elves who want independance and those who enjoy the status quo. All of the factions have vaild points.

Also a fuck of a lot more intresting setting then Oblivion.

 

[DiverNB]

Ah, yes, the permanent stat booster glitch. I messed around with that once. Had a guys speed set to 6000 and he went so fast out of Balmora thr game couldn't keep up and crashed.

Another little abuse glitch is to create a spell / enchantment on cast that drains your skills down to 0 for 2 seconds and then go to the trainer. Costs very little to bost it, + you don't have to go to a master trainer. After the effect wears off your stats come back + the ones you trained for cheap.

 

[DraQ]

One thing I like about the game is a lack of good and evil. The Imperial Legion isn't portrayed as "evil Imperialist oppressers of the Dark Elves!" nor is it "shining knights of order and peace". Same with the Dark Elves who want independance and those who enjoy the status quo. All of the factions have vaild points.

Yes. The only thing it lacked were difficult moral decisions, it'd also be parfect to dispense some emotional slaps for doing things that seemed right at the time, further emphasizing lack of black and white.

Also a fuck of a lot more intresting setting then Oblivion.

Which is quite ironic, as Cyrodiil had the potential to be the most interesting province of them all (even including alien Black Marsh, bizarre Elsweyr and home of that small, cannibalistic faggots - Valenwood).

 

[DiverNB]

One thing I like about the game is a lack of good and evil. The Imperial Legion isn't portrayed as "evil Imperialist oppressers of the Dark Elves!" nor is it "shining knights of order and peace". Same with the Dark Elves who want independance and those who enjoy the status quo. All of the factions have vaild points.

Yes. The only thing it lacked were difficult moral decisions, it'd also be parfect to dispense some emotional slaps for doing things that seemed right at the time, further emphasizing lack of black and white.

Also a fuck of a lot more intresting setting then Oblivion.

Which is quite ironic, as Cyrodiil had the potential to be the most interesting province of them all (even including alien Black Marsh, bizarre Elsweyr and home of that small, cannibalistic faggots - Valenwood).

The Moral choices are there, just not in dialogue. You don't have to find out what happened to that lady's husband, you can just loot the deed from her corpse. This is present in several missions.

And while the game doesn't come right out and say the imperial legion is oppressive, it is in many cases implied, but only by some. This is what makes it a great grey area, you never have the devs coming out and saying "THe imperial's are oppressive" Instead, it is represented through the imperial quest line and through many of the imperial officer's attitudes. Darius always said he just "NEEDS" the deed. Doesn't care how, he just wants it. There's a lot of moral ambiguity in the game from the side of the imperials. If only they had matched it with being able to join forces with some native dunmer tribes and fight the imperials.

I also like the landscape a lot better. The architecture and wilderness are totally alien, and it gives Morrowind it's own unique feel. Unlike the souless oblivion forests and generic castles.

Music is also better imo.

 

[DraQ]

The Moral choices are there, just not in dialogue. You don't have to find out what happened to that lady's husband, you can just loot the deed from her corpse. This is present in several missions.

Yes, but I don't recall any moral choice you'd have to think through before deciding what to do (lesser evil or conflicting parties of which none holds moral higher ground). Kind of weak considering the awesomely ambiguous gameworld.

I also like the landscape a lot better. The architecture and wilderness are totally alien, and it gives Morrowind it's own unique feel. Unlike the souless oblivion forests and generic castles.

Music is also better imo.

I agree about landscapes. As for music, I've never been Soule's fan. It's ok, but could have been much better, especially given how it gets on your nerves after a while.

 

[Thrasher]

2 words: absorb health

 

[DraQ]

2 words: absorb health

Powerful spell and good heavy-duty enchant, but not so on weak, low level weapons.

 

[Thrasher]

It level scales. Just keep creating more powerful versions/enchants.

 

[DiverNB]

The game is easy enough without enchants. By the time you get a weapon skill to the 90's, and strength to 100, you should be able to pretty much 1 shot anything.

 

[Thrasher]

I'm talking about spells, for a caster type, too.

BTW, there are a couple of tough bosses / special types that can take your health off quicker than you can without the aid of magic.

Never played a pure fighter though. Too boring.

 

[Witchblade]

The Moral choices are there, just not in dialogue. You don't have to find out what happened to that lady's husband, you can just loot the deed from her corpse. This is present in several missions.

Yes, but I don't recall any moral choice you'd have to think through before deciding what to do (lesser evil or conflicting parties of which none holds moral higher ground). Kind of weak considering the awesomely ambiguous gameworld.

Sure, the moral choices aren't as ambiguous and "grey" as in The Witcher, for instance, but they definitely are there; and the game does comment. NPC praise or deride you for obvious "good" or "bad" deeds. I also think the decision to either aid or persecute slaves is a nice moral choice touch. I also like that the game isn't too "in-your-face" with moral decisions .
As for consequences, often, killing someone for the Assasins or some other faction, will block you in other quests, as you discover you actually needed the NPC you killed, or that other members of his faction are now hostile towards you. Sometimes NPC's that you helped, also help you later.

 

[Thrasher]

You'd think helping the slvaes would have some significant consequences (both negative and positive). All you get is some minor quests with almost no rewards.

Sadly shallow.

 

[DiverNB]

You'd think helping the slvaes would have some significant consequences (both negative and positive). All you get is some minor quests with almost no rewards.

Sadly shallow.

Sadly this is true I wish they had gone more in depth into things. It is really sad to know what Oblivion could have been. AKA Morrowind 2.0, just with more C&C with the extensive dialogue

If only Morrowind had been paired up with the amazing C&C of say, Arcanum. It would easily be my favorite RPG of all time. It's locations and lore are outstanding.

 

[Thrasher]

Agreed!

 

[DraQ]

If only Morrowind had been paired up with the amazing C&C of say, Arcanum. It would easily be my favorite RPG of all time. It's locations and lore are outstanding.

With C&C and good characters. Now it's merely one of my favourite games, but not really my favourite RPG.

 

[Monocause]

Did you guys know that in MW you can put things on top of NPCs heads? Everytime i play it i put a lot of stuff from murdered Clagius Clanler's shop - glasses, baskets, candles and such - on top of Caius' head. Fun.

Anyway, how's the LP going? When's the next update?

 

[DiverNB]

It's going good, I plan to do large updates every Saturday. SO far I have 20+ screens, but it encompasses a lot. So it will be less screens, more narration from me.

 

[Hazelnut]

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind was released in March of 2002 and has garnered universal appraise amongst the more mainstream community, while getting universal hatred here at the Codex.

No it didn't. Some maybe, but certainly not universal - all the old threads are still here you know.

My mistake, it seems every time it's brought up people slam it.

I'd attribute that to the fact that time spent posting (& bitching) on the Codex is inversely proportional to the balance of the personality doing the posting.

 

[DraQ]

time spent posting (& bitching) on the Codex is inversely proportional to the balance of the personality doing the posting.

Oh. Fuck. Bloody fuck.

 

[Admiral Rimjob POOBUM]

You'd think helping the slvaes would have some significant consequences (both negative and positive). All you get is some minor quests with almost no rewards.

Sadly shallow.

There's a pretty cool mod that allows you to join the Twin Lamps as a full faction. Two mods, actually... one of them was pretty solid, the other seemed to be a random quest generator of some kind.

 

[Thrasher]

As usual the mods make things better (if not bugged too badly).

I am tempted to fire it up with Morrowind Graphics Extender and all the nice graphics updates from Vality.

I'd like to play through the other 2 (non-telvanni) great house factions. Probably Hlaalu as a Bosmer illusionist sneaky archer type.

 

[DiverNB]

As usual the mods make things better (if not bugged too badly).

I am tempted to fire it up with Morrowind Graphics Extender and all the nice graphics updates from Vality.

I'd like to play through the other 2 (non-telvanni) great house factions. Probably Hlaalu as a Bosmer illusionist sneaky archer type.

Hlaalu was pretty decent from what I can remember (It has been some years). It's funny how easy you can become the head of the house though.

As for House Redoran, I have no idea. Perhaps the Codex will want me to do the house quests after we finish off the Imperial Legion?