Vapourware Daggerfall Unity isnt Vaporware

[Russia is over. The end.]

I guess there's no way to get it looking exactly like DOS.

You can do CRT shaders through Retroarch for windows games: https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads/fallout-2-mod-play-through.146248/page-4#post-8776758

 

[GentlemanCthulhu]

I really like the idea of life sim RPGs like this. Are there any other games that qualify? Daggerfall is nice and all, but there is not enough variety, and the dungeons get tiring really quickly.

 

[Butter]

I really like the idea of life sim RPGs like this. Are there any other games that qualify? Daggerfall is nice and all, but there is not enough variety, and the dungeons get tiring really quickly.

Sandboxes like Kenshi or Mount & Blade perhaps.

 

[Cliffworms]

What are the best mods for a "Vanilla Plus" type experience, ie mods that improve the game while preserving the essential vanilla experience?

If you want to take a look at what I do, those are the type of mods I enjoy to make. Especially those that redo the interior layouts of buildings while keeping the vanilla style :
https://www.nexusmods.com/daggerfallunity/users/13821?tab=user+files

I like retro mode. Does anyone know the best settings? Point filter + 640x400 is pretty good but it still looks a little bit off to me.

I guess there's no way to get it looking exactly like DOS. Obviously I've got some mods like the grass and the skies which can make it look a bit jarring.

You can use 320x200 for the extra pixels look. But, I can't say why, it hurts my eyes more than DOS Daggerfall.

 

[otsego]

Crazy to finally see a Daggerfall project come to completion. I've been following similar projects all the way back to 2007-2008 (Dungeon Hack, which had to be named that because they got slapped down for their original Daggerfall name usage.... as well as DaggerXL which got abandoned years ago).

And of course Daggerfall Unity, which has been going on for so long that it got the 'vapourware' tag.

Glorious day!

 

[Sjukob]

I really like the idea of life sim RPGs like this. Are there any other games that qualify? Daggerfall is nice and all, but there is not enough variety, and the dungeons get tiring really quickly.

 

[ADL]

https://www.pcgamer.com/the-guy-who...al-daggerfall-style-rpg-with-a-custom-engine/

The guy who made Daggerfall Unity is working on his own original Daggerfall-style RPG with a custom engine​

"I've already started working on a new game, but it's going to be something of mine this time," Clayton said in an interview with DualShockers. "I do genuinely love that old style of game. The thing I'm building is in the same vein. You're talking big world, complex systems, mod support, that's all of the stuff I want to explore, and I want to take that experience of Daggerfall Unity and put it in the new game."
He's also moving away from Unity in favor of his own game engine, one he actually started working on before Daggerfall Unity, which he's "revived ... to be a little more modern." The world and story of the new game are rooted in a Dungeons and Dragons campaign he ran for friends back in the 1990s, although he said the story will be "optional," as he prefers games where players "can find their own stories."

All of that is still very far off, though. Clayton said on Twitter that he's "still really early in tech stage" and isn't ready to make any sort of formal announcement, and that his plan is to "start at a smaller scale and build up as I find my feet."

As for the future of Daggerfall Unity, it's finished but it's not done: Clayton said the game is transitioning to a "community-led project" with the help of contributor kaboissonneault. "Kab is one of the core contributors to DFU and highly active in its mod scene and community," Clayton tweeted. "Kab is also looking for people to help review and test PRs on git, so get in touch with him if that's something you have the experience and can help with. Kab will be leading the charge to 1.1 release of DFU. There are more bugfixes and mod features coming in the near future."

 

[gurugeorge]

https://www.pcgamer.com/the-guy-who...al-daggerfall-style-rpg-with-a-custom-engine/

The guy who made Daggerfall Unity is working on his own original Daggerfall-style RPG with a custom engine​

"I've already started working on a new game, but it's going to be something of mine this time," Clayton said in an interview with DualShockers. "I do genuinely love that old style of game. The thing I'm building is in the same vein. You're talking big world, complex systems, mod support, that's all of the stuff I want to explore, and I want to take that experience of Daggerfall Unity and put it in the new game."
He's also moving away from Unity in favor of his own game engine, one he actually started working on before Daggerfall Unity, which he's "revived ... to be a little more modern." The world and story of the new game are rooted in a Dungeons and Dragons campaign he ran for friends back in the 1990s, although he said the story will be "optional," as he prefers games where players "can find their own stories."

All of that is still very far off, though. Clayton said on Twitter that he's "still really early in tech stage" and isn't ready to make any sort of formal announcement, and that his plan is to "start at a smaller scale and build up as I find my feet."

As for the future of Daggerfall Unity, it's finished but it's not done: Clayton said the game is transitioning to a "community-led project" with the help of contributor kaboissonneault. "Kab is one of the core contributors to DFU and highly active in its mod scene and community," Clayton tweeted. "Kab is also looking for people to help review and test PRs on git, so get in touch with him if that's something you have the experience and can help with. Kab will be leading the charge to 1.1 release of DFU. There are more bugfixes and mod features coming in the near future."

That sounds promising. As a mere end-user, I've always been impressed with how well-presented and well-made Daggerfall Unity is.

 

[TheDeveloperDude]

Daggerfall Unity – GOG Cut
Do you need to download and play this version?

 

[Cologno]

From what I've heard, GoG's version is messed up somehow. Version on Steam okay. Generally it recommended to use this for DFU:

https://forums.dfworkshop.net/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=2360&p=27538#p27538

 

[Sacibengala]

Daggerfall Unity – GOG Cut
Do you need to download and play this version?

According to the author:

https://x.com/gav_clayton/status/1735083349943959719?s=20

 

[Cologno]

If you want mods, here's something to get you going: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/0/d/1vRc6npolU5iRSfzu8JToVGliR7oesLEaSlWrT23JS3I/htmlview

It's a couple of years old, but meh, I haven't had any issues with it. DFU is pretty piss easy to mod and forgiving.

 

[unseeingeye]

I've gotten back into Daggerfall Unity with the recent release; had to start over from scratch to mod it properly on my Steam Deck. My preferred way to play is in retro mode with the resolution at 320x200, palletization sans sky (if I enable the pixelated version of Dynamic Skies) or posterization san sky if retaining the original skies which ultimately I prefer, though it is a hard choice to make. The recent mod called Retro-Frame makes playing in 4:3 an absolute joy; though the Steam Deck is 16:10 and the retro mode has an option for this resolution, the Retro-Frame causes just a slight amount of the FOV to be cut off but it is so minor as to be entirely negligible. I've got upwards of 90 mods going and Daggerfall just keeps getting more and more amazing to return to! I saw that Cliff updated Finding My Religion yesterday, one of my favorite mods by far, though I still have some issues with the Kynareth temples having weird walls that trap you behind them.

I have to say though that despite this, being a member of the Kynareth temple and getting sent out to one of them in Daggerfall province that isn't part of a city but a location unto itself while using World of Daggerfall installed, made what was for me by far the most remarkable experience in this game I've ever had. The way World of Daggerfall makes some of these isolated locations so unique looking is just amazing to me. I wish I had screenshot that I took handy, if I think of it later I'll edit my post to share it. The temple was down in a valley surrounded by dense forests (probably Wilderness Overhaul) and set atop a tall hill, so that to enter the temple you had to cross a bridge over a small river and go up a curving flight of steps built into the sloping hill, and there was another series of steps built as if embedded into the ground leading out from the back entrance. There was a well and some large boulders scattered around while the whole place was enclosed by a fence that wasn't just a square but actually went around with the shape of the terrain, and a little garden near the well. Then when you went inside... my God, Cliff designed those indoors gardens spectacularly, and the temples now all have underground levels where the residents sleep or offer their services in a small library, and down yet another flight of stairs into the lowest level is a sort of grotto or mausoleum, with big stone carved figures and lit torches leading off into rooms filled with coffins and another filled with those ancient style stone coffins with symbols and decorations everywhere.

The more World of Daggerfall and such are updated, the more the desire to avoid fast travel entirely and even forgo questing or dungeon delving is replaced by the desire to simply see the world, something a few years ago I could never have dreamed I would say about Daggerfall. Fixed Dungeon Exteriors is another one that makes a vast improvement on exploration. I actually use most of Cliff's mods because his vision of how Daggerfall ought to be improved almost exactly matches my own, and I am so grateful for his work. Anyway just wanted to share my renewed enthusiasm for this game, which I return to at least once each year on average, and every time I do I am excited all over again because of the developments or new mods released while I'd been away.

 

[Lemming42]

There are some really amazing mods coming out lately. I've been amazed by dotWayton's mods, Orsinium in particular is just phenomenal to explore.

Regional NPCs is fantastic too, really brings the world to life.

World of Daggerfall is already superb but if it keeps getting better then fast travel in DF will be a thing of the past. Already I keep thinking twice before fast travelling because I don't wanna miss one of those bandit camps or weird little shrines you find out in the wilderness.

 

[catfood]

Thanks for bringing the Retro-Frame mod to my attention. The game looks gorgeous with it.




















I used the 640x480 resolution though because I think 320x240 looks much too grainy. The quickbar and clock mods that I have installed stick out a little bit but they're way too useful to not have.

 

[Cliffworms]

though I still have some issues with the Kynareth temples having weird walls that trap you behind them.

Thanks for the kind words, unseeingeye.
Regarding the Kynareth temple, where do you see those weird walls? Also, do you use Transparent Windows? If so, it can cause such an issue, unfortunately. For the moment, Transparent Windows doesn't work too well with new interior mods like Finding My Religion. Its author is slowly coming back from hiatus to check it out and update it.

Daggerfall's world has a lot of potential to overhaul without going too over the top in decorations and object placement. I think that's an advantage of decorating with 2D sprites. You can't fill up a desk with lots of clutter if a book, a quill and a cup of wine take much of the space due to them turning around to face the player.

 

[Luzur]

Looks like i must do a total reinstall of Daggerunity with some mods.

 

[Sweeper]

Alright, well, guess I'm playing Daggerfall Unity next. More games should allow me the possibility to oil drill.

 

[Butter]

There's no AIDS-resistant special advantage. Have fun with that.

 

[Sweeper]

I will continue to suffer alone with my jungle fever on the Codex, but I shall not suffer in silence!

 

[unseeingeye]

Thanks for the kind words, unseeingeye.
Regarding the Kynareth temple, where do you see those weird walls? Also, do you use Transparent Windows? If so, it can cause such an issue, unfortunately. For the moment, Transparent Windows doesn't work too well with new interior mods like Finding My Religion. Its author is slowly coming back from hiatus to check it out and update it.

Daggerfall's world has a lot of potential to overhaul without going too over the top in decorations and object placement. I think that's an advantage of decorating with 2D sprites. You can't fill up a desk with lots of clutter if a book, a quill and a cup of wine take much of the space due to them turning around to face the player.

Ah, I apologize for my delay in responding! I haven't been frequenting the forums as often as I used to, but yes I am using Transparent Windows! I assumed this was the problem after reviewing the comments on your Finding My Religion mod, but I just can't let go of that mod, haha. To hear that the author has reappeared and may update it to work with your mod is such awesome news, I certainly hope it happens! And yes I'm such a fan of your mods, people like you have turned an excellent but deeply flawed game into a masterpiece that continues to be elaborated on, thanks of course to the guy who made everything possible with Unity. I only wish I were more skilled to be able to contribute or help out with these projects that I'm so fond of. I know how to mod for Morrowind, but wouldn't even know where to begin with Daggerfall.

 

[unseeingeye]

Thanks for bringing the Retro-Frame mod to my attention. The game looks gorgeous with it.

I used the 640x480 resolution though because I think 320x240 looks much too grainy. The quickbar and clock mods that I have installed stick out a little bit but they're way too useful to not have.

Oh I'm so glad you like it as much as I do! I agree absolutely, it is such a wonderful alternative to the full screen mode and the UI that used to cover the bottom of the screen.

By the way with the tooltips mod, I noticed that hovering over the compass with the cursor shows you the date, time, and location! I haven't used the clock mod in a long time because it conflicts with the UI setups I tend to prefer, but with this alternative I haven't missed it at all.

About the resolution though, I only use the lower resolution because I am playing on Steam Deck, so the grainy appearance isn't so jarring. If I play on my laptop that I use connected to a massive wide screen monitor, I use the 640x480 option instead. But for the Steam Deck smaller screen the lower resolution looks awesome to me. I had to do some correcting to get the appearance closer to the vanilla game with the color boost option though, because with palletization I noticed it would sort of make certain colors become dull, for instance water would appear very dark and buildings that were supposed to be red brick would turn brown. But I finally got everything right where it looks appropriate after fine tuning all the options available.

 

[Cologno]

Thanks for bringing the Retro-Frame mod to my attention. The game looks gorgeous with it.




















I used the 640x480 resolution though because I think 320x240 looks much too grainy. The quickbar and clock mods that I have installed stick out a little bit but they're way too useful to not have.

Man, that looks cool. That reteo frame mod I mean. That mansion in the next to last screen looks nice. Where was that at? The rest of that city or whatever must've been quite the sight.

 

[catfood]

Thanks for bringing the Retro-Frame mod to my attention. The game looks gorgeous with it.




















I used the 640x480 resolution though because I think 320x240 looks much too grainy. The quickbar and clock mods that I have installed stick out a little bit but they're way too useful to not have.

Man, that looks cool. That reteo frame mod I mean. That mansion in the next to last screen looks nice. Where was that at? The rest of that city or whatever must've been quite the sight.

That's castle Wayrest. Yeah, I agree it looks awesome. Definitely the best looking town in the game. There are a few moments where the game's graphics truly shine, especially during dawn and especially at dusk.





Before I was using the Enhanced Skies mod but I think the old sky just looks better. The only issues I have with it is that it always depicts a hilly landscape even when the surrounding area doesn't reflect that part. Also I think that the blue hills in Hamerfall look very out of place.



It gets really jarring when your view is directed over to the sea.

 

[Cliffworms]

Thanks for the kind words, unseeingeye.
Regarding the Kynareth temple, where do you see those weird walls? Also, do you use Transparent Windows? If so, it can cause such an issue, unfortunately. For the moment, Transparent Windows doesn't work too well with new interior mods like Finding My Religion. Its author is slowly coming back from hiatus to check it out and update it.

Daggerfall's world has a lot of potential to overhaul without going too over the top in decorations and object placement. I think that's an advantage of decorating with 2D sprites. You can't fill up a desk with lots of clutter if a book, a quill and a cup of wine take much of the space due to them turning around to face the player.

Ah, I apologize for my delay in responding! I haven't been frequenting the forums as often as I used to, but yes I am using Transparent Windows! I assumed this was the problem after reviewing the comments on your Finding My Religion mod, but I just can't let go of that mod, haha. To hear that the author has reappeared and may update it to work with your mod is such awesome news, I certainly hope it happens! And yes I'm such a fan of your mods, people like you have turned an excellent but deeply flawed game into a masterpiece that continues to be elaborated on, thanks of course to the guy who made everything possible with Unity. I only wish I were more skilled to be able to contribute or help out with these projects that I'm so fond of. I know how to mod for Morrowind, but wouldn't even know where to begin with Daggerfall.

If you have a knack for writing quests, it's something pretty simple to do. Writing up the texts often takes more time than writing up the quest actions and conditions.
Interior/exterior editing is not too hard too once you understand how Daggerfall's world is made up.

catfood



Before I was using the Enhanced Skies mod but I think the old sky just looks better. The only issues I have with it is that it always depicts a hilly landscape even when the surrounding area doesn't reflect that part. Also I think that the blue hills in Hamerfall look very out of place.

I recommend the Dynamic Skies mod. It plays nicely with the retro graphics and has a lot of sky variety. More so than Enhanced Skies. The clouds also move, which is nice.
The skies remind me a lot of Might and Magic VI's skies.