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I agree. Also, I really liked the hazy vibe that Morrowind has from an immersion point of view. It's a volcanic island, it makes sense for there to be tons of s

I agree. Also, I really liked the hazy vibe that Morrowind has from an immersion point of view. It's a volcanic island, it makes sense for there to be tons of smoke that clouds your view! It really goes well with the bizarre out-worldly vegetation and fauna. When I played Oblivion and Skyrim, both great games, I felt I was back in a medieval setting rather than some fantasy land. (Skyrim is a bit better, Oblivion's look and feel is too Europe in the Middle Ages).

hombre_fatal 3y ago
Yeah, that's why I could never get into Skyrim even when playing it after I beat Morrowind a few years ago on OpenMW. It's cliche criticism, but it felt like a generic medieval setting. The generic dragon opener of an otherwise interesting hook also crystalizes the feeling. It just can't compete with Morrowind's giant mushrooms and random people calling me a filthy N'wah. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utG17UeUv00 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utG17UeUv00 (19 seconds)
- bamfly 3y ago
  I remember reading somewhere that there was a single writer behind most of the distinctive, weird setting of Morrowind (and I think the first two Elder Scrolls, too?) and he didn't work on IV and V. The person or people who replaced him didn't have that kind of creativity, or weren't allowed to express it, so we got Generic Fantasy instead of all the delightful weirdness we should have (some of the early lore about other parts of Tamriel is nuts, I wish we'd gotten to see more of it).
  - ovao 3y ago
    You may be thinking of Douglas Goodall, who designed and wrote the majority of Morrowind’s questlines. He left Bethesda shortly after Morrowind’s release. I don’t know if the general strangeness of Vvardenfell could necessarily be attributed to Goodall, but various central themes and dialog certainly could be.
  - kqr 3y ago
    You have probably received the response you were looking for, but Kirkbride is another of those contributors to Morrowind lore that helped make it special. Sermons of Vivec, Dragon break, etc.
  - JPws_Prntr_Fngr 3y ago
    Michael Kirkbride is mostly responsible for Morrowind's unique flavor: https://www.polygon.com/2019/3/27/18281082/elder-scrolls-morrowind-oral-history-bethesda https://www.polygon.com/2019/3/27/18281082/elder-scrolls-mor... I read somewhere that he would come up with his weirdest lore during all-nighters, delirious from sleep deprivation & some kind of intoxicant which I forget.
    - starkparker 3y ago
      This reminded me of something the Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages wrote on the "intoxicant" part: https://uesp.tumblr.com/post/179903892360/is-it-true-that-michael-kirkbride-took-mushrooms https://uesp.tumblr.com/post/179903892360/is-it-true-that-mi... > All of these rumors are false. The truth is that people on the Internet saw someone adding writing beyond a grade school level to a video game, and decided that to produce such a thing required you to be on drugs. Ignoring the dangerous message to budding creative types who may see the message that to be creative you have to be on drugs, it’s also extremely unfair to Michael Kirkbride himself. He’s a real person, with a real career. It’s not the best thing in the world to be a noted professional, and whenever someone googles your name, one of the top results relates to a fictional history with substance abuse. Kirkbride's description tones it down to just some coffee and bourbon: https://www.imperial-library.info/content/thirty-six-lessons-obscurity-and-deception https://www.imperial-library.info/content/thirty-six-lessons... > "It was one dev, naked in a room with a carton of cigarettes, a thermos full of coffee and bourbon, and all his summoned angels." And: https://www.reddit.com/r/teslore/comments/hrmdzk/comment/fydv1wv/?context=3 https://www.reddit.com/r/teslore/comments/hrmdzk/comment/fyd... > You know that comes from a Photoshopped image, right? Come on now. > Anyway, that’s all a lie. I’ve already given an account of how the 36 were written: a week of bourbon, smokes, and solitude. I’ve never dropped acid in my life.
    - beiller 3y ago
      Gettin high on skooma no doubt
- Aeolun 3y ago
  There’s plenty of weird environments in Skyrim too. Even if you do not necessarily see them during the main quest.
  - hombre_fatal 3y ago
    That's good to hear. I sheepishly never made it more than a day into Skyrim but I owe it a fair shot.

hombre_fatal 3y ago

Yeah, that's why I could never get into Skyrim even when playing it after I beat Morrowind a few years ago on OpenMW. It's cliche criticism, but it felt like a generic medieval setting. The generic dragon opener of an otherwise interesting hook also crystalizes the feeling. It just can't compete with Morrowind's giant mushrooms and random people calling me a filthy N'wah. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utG17UeUv00 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utG17UeUv00 (19 seconds)

bamfly 3y ago
I remember reading somewhere that there was a single writer behind most of the distinctive, weird setting of Morrowind (and I think the first two Elder Scrolls, too?) and he didn't work on IV and V. The person or people who replaced him didn't have that kind of creativity, or weren't allowed to express it, so we got Generic Fantasy instead of all the delightful weirdness we should have (some of the early lore about other parts of Tamriel is nuts, I wish we'd gotten to see more of it).
- ovao 3y ago
  You may be thinking of Douglas Goodall, who designed and wrote the majority of Morrowind’s questlines. He left Bethesda shortly after Morrowind’s release. I don’t know if the general strangeness of Vvardenfell could necessarily be attributed to Goodall, but various central themes and dialog certainly could be.
- kqr 3y ago
  You have probably received the response you were looking for, but Kirkbride is another of those contributors to Morrowind lore that helped make it special. Sermons of Vivec, Dragon break, etc.
- JPws_Prntr_Fngr 3y ago
  Michael Kirkbride is mostly responsible for Morrowind's unique flavor: https://www.polygon.com/2019/3/27/18281082/elder-scrolls-morrowind-oral-history-bethesda https://www.polygon.com/2019/3/27/18281082/elder-scrolls-mor... I read somewhere that he would come up with his weirdest lore during all-nighters, delirious from sleep deprivation & some kind of intoxicant which I forget.
  - starkparker 3y ago
    This reminded me of something the Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages wrote on the "intoxicant" part: https://uesp.tumblr.com/post/179903892360/is-it-true-that-michael-kirkbride-took-mushrooms https://uesp.tumblr.com/post/179903892360/is-it-true-that-mi... > All of these rumors are false. The truth is that people on the Internet saw someone adding writing beyond a grade school level to a video game, and decided that to produce such a thing required you to be on drugs. Ignoring the dangerous message to budding creative types who may see the message that to be creative you have to be on drugs, it’s also extremely unfair to Michael Kirkbride himself. He’s a real person, with a real career. It’s not the best thing in the world to be a noted professional, and whenever someone googles your name, one of the top results relates to a fictional history with substance abuse. Kirkbride's description tones it down to just some coffee and bourbon: https://www.imperial-library.info/content/thirty-six-lessons-obscurity-and-deception https://www.imperial-library.info/content/thirty-six-lessons... > "It was one dev, naked in a room with a carton of cigarettes, a thermos full of coffee and bourbon, and all his summoned angels." And: https://www.reddit.com/r/teslore/comments/hrmdzk/comment/fydv1wv/?context=3 https://www.reddit.com/r/teslore/comments/hrmdzk/comment/fyd... > You know that comes from a Photoshopped image, right? Come on now. > Anyway, that’s all a lie. I’ve already given an account of how the 36 were written: a week of bourbon, smokes, and solitude. I’ve never dropped acid in my life.
  - beiller 3y ago
    Gettin high on skooma no doubt
Aeolun 3y ago
There’s plenty of weird environments in Skyrim too. Even if you do not necessarily see them during the main quest.
- hombre_fatal 3y ago
  That's good to hear. I sheepishly never made it more than a day into Skyrim but I owe it a fair shot.