ATTN: Elder Scrolls fans

[Amphituber]

So I recently picked up a copy of Morrowind for my original Xbox and I am loving the atmosphere and open world feel. I've never really touched the series before (though I have, of course, heard lots and lots about Skyrim) and I was wondering if there were any franchise veterans on this forum who could give me a few pointers.

Any tips for an Elder Scrolls newbie like me?

 

[Dr. Javelin]

I got Skyrim a month ago and it's eaten up 60+ hours of my time.

Haven't gotten around to playing the rest of the series yet, but I can definitely recommend Skyrim to you if you like the atmosphere and open world.

Also, Edo made a few comparisons earlier when I asked about the difference between Skyrim and Oblivion and Morrowind.

It's kind of a double-edged sword, since there's also a huge amount of things that Skyrim did right, and you're most likely going to miss those going back to previous titles.

Also, Morrowind, as much as I like the game for its atmosphere, has an absolutely, absolutely terrible battle system, and I find myself unable to get enjoyment out of combat after having played Oblivion and Skyrim. Oblivion just improved the system so much it's uncanny.

But while Oblivion did great in bringing the combat up to speed, the atmosphere and art direction in turn took a massive hit. Everything is so clean and colorful and generic. Like, show me a screenshot from any of the nine cities in Skyrim, I can probably tell which one it was taken in. But do the same for any of Oblivion's cities, I couldn't tell you for the life of me. Everything looks the same. There's that once city that claims to incorporate Dunmeri, Nord, and Imperial style architecture, but you can't recognize any of it. It's especially glaring because the Dunmer have a very iconic architecture style, and none of it is present in that city. Ugh!

...Arena's and Daggerfall's combat was passable. Morrowind's combat was abysmal. Oblivion improved it and made it more responsive and workable. Skyrim made it more freeform in that you could equip whatever you want to whatever hand you want. There's been steady improvement, the only thing that kinda sucks is magic, and that's only if you're playing a pure mage character.

 

[Amphituber]

Alright, shveet, thank you very much.

Yeah, I would totally get Skyrim (and Fallout 3 for that matter) but I would need a PS3 first. Ideally I'll be able to get a job this summer and save up for one. So if that pans out I'll definitely pick up a copy of Skyrim.

 

[Dr. Javelin]

The PC version's $20, if you have a decent computer.

 

[Lin Beifong]

Pointers for Morrowind? Hmmm...

I guess for starters it's a good thing to know that, for weapon combat, there's three different ways to attack, and each weapon type has its own individual strengths and weaknesses. What type of attack you do depends on what directional key you're pressing while attacking. The vertical ones make you stab, the horizontal ones make you... I think slash sideways. And pressing none makes you... I think chop from above. On my first run I used spears, but didn't know about the different attacks, so I kept trying to chop with the thing, which spears are absolute crap for. You can see how much damage a weapon does with each kind of attack in the menu.

Also, I'd strongly recommend acquiring a reliable way to open locks. Either by training your security skill, or getting a lock-opening spell if you're a mage. Being able to open locks is pretty much essential in Morrowind.

Getting a self-targeting levitation spell and learning to cast it reliably might also be a good idea. Morrowind has some annoying mountains that often get in the way, and being able to just float over them whenever you want is handy. It also helps if you plan to interact with Telvanni wizards, since those often live in houses with tall vertical shafts that need levitation. Without a levitation spell you'll have to rely on potions to get up there.

And should you, for whatever reason, want to kill an NPC, but don't want to get a bounty for it: The law in Morrowind says that killing is not illegal if it happens in self-defense. You can taunt people through the persuasion option. If it succeeds often enough, they will get angry and start attacking you. Every taunt also drops their disposition towards you, and you can't let it reach 0 or they will refuse to talk to you and you'll be unable to taunt further. You can raise it again by bribing them (you'll be able to get the money back from them after you kill them). So basically it's a game of alternating between taunting and bribing until the NPC attacks you.

This is the most basic stuff I can think of. For more specified info you'd have to ask questions.

 

[Amphituber]

The PC version's $20, if you have a decent computer.

I run on a Mac. I love the OS, but it locks me out of a couple really good games I'd like to play.

*Pointers for Morrowind*

Hey, thank you very much for the advice. I'll put it to good use. If I ever have any other questions I'll definitely come to you first, since you seem to be somewhat of an authority on the subject.

 

[User4042]

The PC version's $20, if you have a decent computer.

I run on a Mac. I love the OS, but it locks me out of a couple really good games I'd like to play.

I'm pretty sure that there's one for a Macintosh as well. i find it dumb that apple says macintoshes aren't pcs

 

[Lin Beifong]

Actually, my knowledge does not run THAT deep. I just have the advantage of having played the game before.

There's some people who can pull off crazy stuff in Morrowind. Things like abusing alchemy to boost their stats into the millions and beat the game in five minutes by flying around with absurd enchantments and whatnot. A super hardcore Morrowind player would probably look at my advice and think it's hilariously inaccurate and silly.

 

[Dr. Javelin]

The PC version's $20, if you have a decent computer.

I run on a Mac. I love the OS, but it locks me out of a couple really good games I'd like to play.

I've got a Macbook Pro and I run Windows 7 on Boot Camp.

 

[Amphituber]

I've got a Macbook Pro and I run Windows 7 on Boot Camp.

1. I'm not gonna buy a copy of Windows 7; I might as well buy a PS3.
2. My dad won't let me partition his Macbook anyway.

Actually, my knowledge does not run THAT deep. I just have the advantage of having played the game before.

There's some people who can pull off crazy stuff in Morrowind. Things like abusing alchemy to boost their stats into the millions and beat the game in five minutes by flying around with absurd enchantments and whatnot. A super hardcore Morrowind player would probably look at my advice and think it's hilariously inaccurate and silly.

Hey, it's still helpful. I appreciate it.

 

[Dr. Javelin]

I've got a Macbook Pro and I run Windows 7 on Boot Camp.

1. I'm not gonna buy a copy of Windows 7; I might as well buy a PS3.
2. My dad won't let me partition his Macbook anyway.

Oh ok, that makes sense if it's not your laptop.

 

[Amphituber]

I've got a Macbook Pro and I run Windows 7 on Boot Camp.

1. I'm not gonna buy a copy of Windows 7; I might as well buy a PS3.
2. My dad won't let me partition his Macbook anyway.

Oh ok, that makes sense if it's not your laptop.

Nope, though I'm crossing my fingers that he'll let me have it when I leave the house

 

[2257]

I'm pretty sure that there's one for a Macintosh as well. i find it dumb that apple says macintoshes aren't pcs

if "one" is "a version of skyrim", there's not. but there's also not one for linux, and i was able to run the game under ubuntu, so it still might be possible. it's also surprisingly playable on non gaming oriented systems; i was playing it on a computer with an intel core i5 and no discrete graphics at all

(yes i know this guy is banned but i still wanted to contribute the information)

also ive heard the ps3 port of skyrim is kind of shit, although that might have been fixed by patches

 

[Dr. Javelin]

it's also surprisingly playable on non gaming oriented systems; i was playing it on a computer with an intel core i5 and no discrete graphics at all

I can confirm this. It runs great on my Macbook Pro, I only experience frame rate drops every once in a while. Usually it's fine.

 

[Lin Beifong]

Try to finish Morrowind before moving up in the series though, because once you've played Oblivion or Skyrim, it'll be hard to go back to the Morrowind battle system.

 

[Amphituber]

Alright, good to know.

On a somewhat-but-not-really related note, why was Misty banned?

 

[freakworld]

Oh damn yes Morrowind. I was so bad at that game, but it's good. Really good.

 

[Dr. Javelin]

Alright, good to know.

On a somewhat-but-not-really related note, why was Misty banned?

the ban log lists the reason as something like "endlessly nitpicking"

idk what rule that breaks but it was definitely annoying when he would pretend to be smarter than us by pointing out one little detail that he'd just learned in school

it was kinda funny when he was wrong though

DEMOCRACY

psst it's a republic

oh my GOD

HOW HARD IS IT TO UNDERSTAND THAT A REPUBLIC IS A FORM OF DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT, AND IS THEREFORE BOTH

Yes, a republic is not a direct democracy. It is still a democracy.

You should stop trying to be clever with things you don't understand, because when you run into someone who actually does understand it, you just come off looking very, very silly. Like right now.