Post by Karithina on Nov 8, 2009 20:54:40 GMT -8
A review I wrote about a year ago about Morrowind:
I love Morrowind, as I am sure anyone that knows me is aware. So writing a blog review on it is the next step in my ultimate plan to fully express my undying love of Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, the best game ever.
Don't get me wrong, I love the entire Elder Scrolls series, from Arena, Right up to Oblivion; but none caught me as much as Morrowind did. Arena and Daggerfall didn't feel like they had the same depth, although I respect them for their being the eldest children in a beautiful family, and still being as original as the latter children were. Oblivion was made with heart stealingly amazing graphics for the time, almost too good for the time to tell the truth, but didn't have the same originality of environment that Morrowind had.
Yes yes, I know Cyrodiil has a different ecosystem, yes I know it is the land of the Imperials... but GOD going from an alien landscape of queer beauty to one of repetitive fields, mountains and forests, over and over, with Imperials being 90% of the population, and no slaves... well it wasn't as entertaining.
And when a group of modders decided to make my dreams come true and start the Morroblivion project, porting Morrowind things into Oblivion... Bethesda stopped it for infringing copyright... against itself. Bethesda was my favourite game company in the world, that little issue there put it behind Blizzard... BEHIND BLIZZARD.
Morrowind has soul, or maybe it's simply my nostalgia screaming at me that this game is awesome... but no other part of my childhood has come back to force me to revisit it so many times as Morrowind has, or filled my mind and vocabulary with so much.
I've spent hours furnishing houses with various mods, arranging slaves as librarians, caterers, cleaners and then setting out food for them... I never had a doll house as a kid so it seems it comes through in my gaming.
Wandering the landscape aimlessly takes up the other 70% of my time, and Morrowind wasn't really THAT big a landscape when you compare it to Oblivion without using fast travel.
You can complain about the graphics, but with so many graphics enhancing mods, it isn't really that much of an issue. You can complain about the game having too much to do, but you can just ignore that and play the storyline, you can hate Morrowind completely and call me silly for loving it so much... but you just don't see things like I do.
Now, for people that can't find their own mods... I give:
Carly's ESSENTIAL Morrowind Experience Enhancing Mods List
Because I love mods...
Character
CharGen Revamped - A more complex character generation that enables you to pick your starting location, and various other things.
—- planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Mods.Detail&id=2777
Better Bodies - Makes your body a more realistic shape.
—- www.psychodogstudios.com/betterbodies/
Better Bodies for Beasts - For the Khajiit and Argonians wanting better
—- www.msu.edu/~kindersa/khajiit.html
Better Heads - For use with Better Bodies, enhances the character faces in the game.
—- planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Mods.Detail&id=2735
Better Clothes - Replaces all clothes already in the game with versions that fit the Better Bodies… better
—- www.psychodogstudios.com/betterclothes/
Extra Better Clothes - An extensive list of clothing you can download that fits the Better Bodies and is ususally in it’s own shop.
—- www.uesp.net/wiki/Tes3Mod:Better_Bodies
Beauty Pack - A VERY large pack of every hair and face pack that existed prior to 2003.
—- gorg.ufrealms.net/#beautypack
Gameplay
MADD Leveller - Various enhancements for the levelling system.
—- planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Mods.Detail&id=5316
Morrowind Trade Enhancements - Various enhancements to the trade system.
—- www.pirates.retreat.btinternet.co.uk/METF.htm
Complete Morrowind Full - Adds man trades to Morrowind: cooking, mining, blacksmithing, poisons, campfires….
—- planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Mods.Detail&id=2542
Dracandros’s Voice - Command various NPCS in factions
—- planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Mods.Detail&id=1378
Give your orders - Use with Dracandros’s Voice, to command peopel outside your faction too, such as slaves and companions.
—- planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Mods.Detail&id=1535
Lock Bash Enhancement - Bash locks to open doors and containers.
—- planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Mods.Detail&id=2347
Morrowind Enhanced + Combat Enhanced - Morrowind Enhanced enables other mods to do things the game usually wouldn’t allow, and Combat Enhanced enables more amazing combat.
—- www.freewebs.com/aerelorn/
World
Texture Replacements - A page comparing the various texture replacement packs for Morrowind, because I couldn’t reccomend just one.
—- ltm.ufrealms.net/textpacks/
Illuminated Windows - Lights up windows at night, now it actually looks like someone is home.
—- planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Mods.Detail&id=1131
Bloodmoon Landscape Overhaul - Replaces the textures of Bloodmoon.
—- www.elricm.com/nuke/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=Downloads&file=index&req=viewdownloaddetails&lid=3701
Light the Way - Gives night-time npcs torches so they can actually see what they are doing.
—- planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Mods.Detail&id=4121
Balmora Expansion - Extends Balmora considerably, it wasn’t big enough. A seamless merge of several Balmora mods.
—- gorg.ufrealms.net/#balmoraexp
Better Caldera - Enhances Caldera.
—- planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Mods.Detail&id=1908
Water Life - Adds some life to the bodies of water in Morrowind so that it’s less lonely while you’re out swimming.
—- planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Mods.Detail&id=258
Where are all the Bird Going? - Adds life to the air too.
—- planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Mods.Detail&id=2786
I've also recently found a fantastic blog about how to mod Morrowind GotY edition to look fantastic. Their mod list is a lot better planned out than mine if you are looking mainly for the enhancements =)
morrowind2009.wordpress.com/
I love Morrowind, as I am sure anyone that knows me is aware. So writing a blog review on it is the next step in my ultimate plan to fully express my undying love of Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, the best game ever.
Don't get me wrong, I love the entire Elder Scrolls series, from Arena, Right up to Oblivion; but none caught me as much as Morrowind did. Arena and Daggerfall didn't feel like they had the same depth, although I respect them for their being the eldest children in a beautiful family, and still being as original as the latter children were. Oblivion was made with heart stealingly amazing graphics for the time, almost too good for the time to tell the truth, but didn't have the same originality of environment that Morrowind had.
Yes yes, I know Cyrodiil has a different ecosystem, yes I know it is the land of the Imperials... but GOD going from an alien landscape of queer beauty to one of repetitive fields, mountains and forests, over and over, with Imperials being 90% of the population, and no slaves... well it wasn't as entertaining.
And when a group of modders decided to make my dreams come true and start the Morroblivion project, porting Morrowind things into Oblivion... Bethesda stopped it for infringing copyright... against itself. Bethesda was my favourite game company in the world, that little issue there put it behind Blizzard... BEHIND BLIZZARD.
Morrowind has soul, or maybe it's simply my nostalgia screaming at me that this game is awesome... but no other part of my childhood has come back to force me to revisit it so many times as Morrowind has, or filled my mind and vocabulary with so much.
I've spent hours furnishing houses with various mods, arranging slaves as librarians, caterers, cleaners and then setting out food for them... I never had a doll house as a kid so it seems it comes through in my gaming.
Wandering the landscape aimlessly takes up the other 70% of my time, and Morrowind wasn't really THAT big a landscape when you compare it to Oblivion without using fast travel.
You can complain about the graphics, but with so many graphics enhancing mods, it isn't really that much of an issue. You can complain about the game having too much to do, but you can just ignore that and play the storyline, you can hate Morrowind completely and call me silly for loving it so much... but you just don't see things like I do.
Now, for people that can't find their own mods... I give:
Carly's ESSENTIAL Morrowind Experience Enhancing Mods List
Because I love mods...
Character
CharGen Revamped - A more complex character generation that enables you to pick your starting location, and various other things.
—- planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Mods.Detail&id=2777
Better Bodies - Makes your body a more realistic shape.
—- www.psychodogstudios.com/betterbodies/
Better Bodies for Beasts - For the Khajiit and Argonians wanting better
—- www.msu.edu/~kindersa/khajiit.html
Better Heads - For use with Better Bodies, enhances the character faces in the game.
—- planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Mods.Detail&id=2735
Better Clothes - Replaces all clothes already in the game with versions that fit the Better Bodies… better
—- www.psychodogstudios.com/betterclothes/
Extra Better Clothes - An extensive list of clothing you can download that fits the Better Bodies and is ususally in it’s own shop.
—- www.uesp.net/wiki/Tes3Mod:Better_Bodies
Beauty Pack - A VERY large pack of every hair and face pack that existed prior to 2003.
—- gorg.ufrealms.net/#beautypack
Gameplay
MADD Leveller - Various enhancements for the levelling system.
—- planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Mods.Detail&id=5316
Morrowind Trade Enhancements - Various enhancements to the trade system.
—- www.pirates.retreat.btinternet.co.uk/METF.htm
Complete Morrowind Full - Adds man trades to Morrowind: cooking, mining, blacksmithing, poisons, campfires….
—- planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Mods.Detail&id=2542
Dracandros’s Voice - Command various NPCS in factions
—- planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Mods.Detail&id=1378
Give your orders - Use with Dracandros’s Voice, to command peopel outside your faction too, such as slaves and companions.
—- planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Mods.Detail&id=1535
Lock Bash Enhancement - Bash locks to open doors and containers.
—- planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Mods.Detail&id=2347
Morrowind Enhanced + Combat Enhanced - Morrowind Enhanced enables other mods to do things the game usually wouldn’t allow, and Combat Enhanced enables more amazing combat.
—- www.freewebs.com/aerelorn/
World
Texture Replacements - A page comparing the various texture replacement packs for Morrowind, because I couldn’t reccomend just one.
—- ltm.ufrealms.net/textpacks/
Illuminated Windows - Lights up windows at night, now it actually looks like someone is home.
—- planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Mods.Detail&id=1131
Bloodmoon Landscape Overhaul - Replaces the textures of Bloodmoon.
—- www.elricm.com/nuke/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=Downloads&file=index&req=viewdownloaddetails&lid=3701
Light the Way - Gives night-time npcs torches so they can actually see what they are doing.
—- planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Mods.Detail&id=4121
Balmora Expansion - Extends Balmora considerably, it wasn’t big enough. A seamless merge of several Balmora mods.
—- gorg.ufrealms.net/#balmoraexp
Better Caldera - Enhances Caldera.
—- planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Mods.Detail&id=1908
Water Life - Adds some life to the bodies of water in Morrowind so that it’s less lonely while you’re out swimming.
—- planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Mods.Detail&id=258
Where are all the Bird Going? - Adds life to the air too.
—- planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Mods.Detail&id=2786
I've also recently found a fantastic blog about how to mod Morrowind GotY edition to look fantastic. Their mod list is a lot better planned out than mine if you are looking mainly for the enhancements =)
morrowind2009.wordpress.com/
