i dont think multiplayer is TES. your experience of multiplayer is so dependant on the other people playing that its a really precarious thing. i played diablo II and was severely put off by the number of jerks and arrogant geeks that just trampled on everyone else. there was also a massive, competitive aspect to the game that partly prompted alot of cheating. overall i have become disillusioned with the whole multiplayer component of gaming partly because of this. i found TES interesting because its an entire world which you personally can explore and get to grips with in any way you choose to see fit. you wont ever be a detriment to anyone else's experience. and you will never be able to inadvertantly wreck anyone else's gaming experience. there is als othe issue of ongoing multiplayer environments. the last time i played multiplayer RPGs it was life stealing and there was either significant pressure or significant inclination to spend vast amounts of time playing in game. it doesnt necessarily but it can have a really damaging effect on your social and professional life. i think ive always liked TES because it consumable and approachable in anyway you see fit. and whilst MMORPGs are designed to be freeform aswell, i find the greatest resistance to that come from the way in which everyone around you plays the game which in turn effects how you play the game. in morrowind you can play for a few minutes or a few hours. you can touch the surface or totally immerse yourself for a weekend. you can cheat and screw around and it wont affect anyone else. theres talk of co operative play but for some reason i find playing morrowind quite a solitary experience. i dont really know anyone else that would want to sit down and play co operatively with me cuz sometimes i can play for only a short while. sometimes ill wanna do a marathon. and it always felt more overwhelming and immersive when you were the lone wanderer left to your own devices. thats pretty much all i did in morrowind. wander about. didnt get bored of it either. i think my opinion though is coloured by my extraordinarily bad experience of multiplayer gaming in general. its come to the point where i just dont play multiplayer anymore. i also miss well refined single player experiences but i guess thats because i grew up playing single player games. morrowind was just like one pf the most comprehensive single player game experiences ive had since the ultimas (i loved ultima IX). you just dont get that online whith some jerk harassing you into a PvP or trying to trade you duped items or just PKing you anyway and looting your stuff with god knows what cheat. or the spitefulness, the competitiveness and hostility towards newer, inexperienced players. online rpgs make me lose faith in the human race. it just seems to bring out the worst arrogance and geekiness in far too many people. i think im more inclined to have a laff about stuff like that (cae in point: that everquest cecil cybersex thing. ive seen and heard worse aswell - just none that got that kind of coverage.)
