The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind Hands-On

It has long been the desire of many tabletop RPG gamers to have a computer-based game that has the level of freedom possessed by that type of game. Specifically, one where the player can simply do whatever he wants, whenever he wants, plotline be damned. Games like Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale were very much along these lines, but the drawn environments lacked the feel of a real 3D world. Everquest and Asheron's Call provided the 3D world, but where's the plot? Oh, tell me that there is some way I can have a true open-ended RPG adventure in 3D?

Oh yes, my son. Welcome to Morrowind.

Hullo, anybody home?

Well, that's one way to get a head.

I recently got to visit the offices of ZeniMax Entertainment, in lovely downtown Rockville, Maryland. I begged and pleaded, and it was bestowed upon me - The Beta Preview of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind.

The best way to describe this game is comprehensive. There are very few details that are left to chance. It was designed with the ability to craft your character in any way you see fit. The accompanying documentation states that there are 480 billion different characters that can be created. Maybe that number is a little high, but not much. Everything is craftable. There are a multitude of selectable races, each with their own inherent bonuses. Then you can choose your class by a variety of methods, as well as choose your sign of the zodiac, which ALSO grants certain bonuses. The possibilities are staggering.

The basic plot is that the character (you) are on a prison boat, headed for Vvardenfell, an island of Morrowind. You're asked to do certain errands for those that hold you there, but you are by no means a prisoner. You can go where you will, and do what you like. It's completely up to you. From there, your adventures are your own. Want to be a heroic, powerful knight of the realm? Work your way up the ladder, and that fate will befall you. Want to be a murderous, skulking assassin? It's all possible. Prefer the arcane mysteries of magicka? Perhaps one of several Mage sub-classes is your cup of tea. The game is built so that whatever your fancy strikes is what you can do.

Graphically, Morrowind is a superior effort. The island of Vvardenfel is huge, and by huge, I mean enormous. It just goes on and on and on. The sun rises and sets over a breathtaking landscape, setting the stage for a world that keeps unfolding with each new step. The models are extremely high-polygon, and very detailed. Most impressive. But there are a few glitches with the models, specifically some clipping errors. One in particular struck me as quite funny - I was walking across a bridge over a small creek. A guard happened to be standing underneath, and the model was clipped so his head was sticking through the bridge. I stopped to look at him, and took a screenshot. Then the guard looks back and says "Move along....nothing to see here." I damn near fell over laughing. There is a brief loading period when you move between interior and exterior zones, and when you reach the border of one area to the next. It's not too terribly inconveniencing, especially considering the size of the zones.

The audio is also well-done. The sounds are all befitting an RPG epic, with ominous dripping noises, or the occasional groan if you find yourself in a dungeon. The exteriors are laced with the sounds of wind wafting through the foliage or critters doing their own special thing in the nearby bushes. It's a great success. It draws the player deeper into the experience, and makes you want to see what's around the bend, even if whatever it is has no hesitation of grinding your bones to make its bread.

Now that's a big bug!

Hey, nice outfit.

It's a bit foggy.

Movement is handled FPS-style, with the standard WASD setup. Spells and weapons are logically placed for easy access in a pinch. The menus (accessed by right-clicking) give you access to everything you may need - to arm a weapon or ready a spell. It also tells you how much further you have to go to increase your skill levels. Swing a sword long enough, you become more proficient in its use. Of course, a trainer can help you for a price, if venturing out into the wilderness is not exactly your cup of tea.

With most RPG's, the game is the quest. When the quest is done, the game is done. Not necessarily so, in this case. You can choose to take on the quest, and if you do so, you can pursue it at your leisure. There are also a great number of side quests that pop up along the way that can be pursued. And, of course, for every action there is a reaction. Since there are a large number of races represented in the world, the things you do may garner favor with some races, but annoy members of another. Of course, BEING one of those races automatically gets you points in certain situations. Keeping track of everything that has been assigned to you can be quite difficult, so the game employs an auto-journaling system that is quickly accessible. Everything you learn by speaking to the game's NPC's is entered and catalogued for when it's needed. The standard procedure is to list the major events by date, but it can be quickly cross-referenced by the first letter of the word if you lose your place.

The second major piece to this game is the Construction Set. This is a comprehensive tool for modifying the Morrowind world. Anything can be done with this tool - creating new areas complete with NPC's that you give your own specific dialogue to, creating items, buildings, dungeons, weapons, even races. (Yes, races.) The system works off of a plug-in system. Everything in the world is pluggable, including what you create. You can modify the existing game, as little as adding your own special weapon that only you possess, to creating new enemies to fight, and as far as your imagination can take you. For the random encounters in the construction engine, the game uses the Ninja Monkey method. The Ninja Monkeys are for those times where you need an enemy, but not one that will stomp you into nothingness with a single blow if you're merely a level 1 pissant. The Ninja Monkey is the game's symbol for a leveled hostile creature, everything from a teeny little spider to the second coming of Asmodeus, given your character's strength.

The only real missing piece to this would be a multiplayer facet, but honestly, for this game, multiplayer would be far too difficult to implement. Since this is a hand-crafted world, not dynamically created like its predecessor, Daggerfall, having a large group of players would detract from the experience. But the construction tools practically beg for the mod community to create expansive new areas for independent adventures that can be traded or individually released. For those who are awaiting Neverwinter Nights, this will be an excellent opportunity to dust off your Dungeon Master's hats and see what new and innovative adventures you can create.

Honestly, RPG games have never really been my cup of tea. I get bored quickly with them, since the format is ultimately the same - Fight from point A to point B, hang around and level, buy stuff, go to point C, rinse and repeat until Bad Guy is killed, The End. Ultimately, there's no meat there to really sink one's teeth into to make it truly an immersive experience. Morrowind is one of those revolutionary games that has re-lit the RPG spark back into my cheeks. And considering this is only the beta, I cannot WAIT for the final product. If you're even remotely an RPG fan, you owe it to yourself to get this one as soon as it hits the shelves.