Bethesda: Oblivion "sacrificed what made Morrowind special"

[SansSword]

Interesting little article, wish it had more meat to it though

 

This is a hot topic to me as I really enjoyed Morrowind more personally, yet acknowledge Oblivion is a 'better' game. So, if I had to rank them, it would be Morrowind first, Oblivion second

 

What I think Todd Howard means when he says Oblivion focused more on a 'capital feel' to it, he meant a more Westernized, English/medieval feel to the structures and architecture. Think of the first time you walked into Ald-ruhn or Sadrith Mora---pretty crazy right? You're thinking...What the hell is this...?

 

But think about entering Cheydinhal or Chorrol--heck sometimes I get the two mixed up. Very similar cities, even with their similar lettering (and they are supposed to be in different cultural regions of Cyrodiil to boot!). Leyawiin, Anvil, and Bravil had the most 'identity' to me; Leyawiin with the big warmer-climate aristocratic mansions, Bravil being a dirty, beggar-infested stinkhole, and Anvil being a working-class seaside port. Those cities had distinct feel and character to them (this is not to say I didn't enjoy Chorrol or Cheydinhal; Chorrol is my favorite city, I love it up in the mountains, surrounded by forests, beautiful). And this is only the cities I'm talking about (skipping countryside, dungeons, islands). Think about it. The only really 'cosmopolitan' or 'imperial' cities in Morrowind were Ebonheart, Pelegiad, and Caldera. Everything else (I think, while back now) had its own Dunmer feel and character to it. Vivec, despite being the largest city, was arguably the most Dunmer as it was the seat of Dunmer power, commerce, trade, and housed the godhead. Of course, one can explain this limited amount of Imperial influence through the shaky relationship between the two provinces, so I give that a pass.

 

So yes, I can see what he means by Morrowind having more flavor or color to its architecture and environments. But keep this in mind too--developers creating a game are trying to constantly balance real-life with pure fiction. They want some parts to be recognizable and familiar while others are supposed to be literally, out of this world. I, for one, would be perfectly happy going back to a Morrowind-style world that is sort of crazy and unpredictable----much like, as someone said, the Shivering Isles are. Shivering Isles gave me the Morrowind feel of exploration and strangeness...plus, the storyline was impressive...much better than the Oblivion main storyline.

[Daedelus114]

Some people will always take the "good old days" approach to everything new that comes out, always saying the last game was better. I loved Morrowind for its level of detail in world design; when you go into a dungeon and think you've completely searched it you come across a Daedric claymore sticking out of the top of a stalagmite. Or hopping around all the time to level up acrobatics is what let me find that ebony broadsword on top of a rafter in some poor dude's house. I loved that devious creativity they had with Morrowind, as if the development team said, "Ok, everyone working on this game in any capacity come up with something cool and unique, then hide it in the game somewhere!". But then Oblivion had the gameplay changes that everyone loved, like the ability to cast magic without having to equip your hands. And it was refreshing, don't get me wrong, to see normal houses and green grass again! Looking at the concept art and paint-style screenshots of Skyrim, it looks like its going to be a normal looking mountainous tundra, with conifers and grass where appropriate, and nordic architecture. But under the surface (sometimes literally) there will be hints of Dwemer culture, like the castles carved into the rock on mountain sides. I like that they are thinking more 3-dimensional in the level design, with doors and windows sticking out all over the sides of a ravine rather than just sticking a house on a hill. I think that the classic fantasy style architecture integrated into the environment will really help with player immersion.

 

I really hope that they make the game more involved and challenging like Morrowind was. The cut and dry quests and "magic compass" of Oblivion completely killed the difficulty of the game. Completing quests was just a matter of turn left and walk 300 yards and hit the action button a few times or swing a sword. Even the first time I played Oblivion I'd usually just skip through dialog with NPCs and follow the magic compass, occasionally checking my journal to make sure I got the gist of the quest requirements. In Morrowind you had to pay attention to the instructions that someone gave you when they told you how to find that cave that the Mage's Guild defector hid in. Instead of just getting a map marker, you got directions to it and told the person's name or what item to look around for. What they've told us so far sounds promising, with multiple ways to finish a quest depending on how you started and who you kill along the way. That being said, though, I've always felt that neither Morrowind nor Oblivion were really open ended. You get some freedom, but with quests the only option you really get is to do it or not do it. Fallout 3 felt the same way, with linear quests and the option to finish it or fail it. I like the direction Obsidian took with the New Vegas main quest in that in involves every major faction in the game, and the 3 or 4 ways you finish the main quest all change which factions you can align with. Again, reading the latest updates on Skyrim on their Facebook page and links to various articles, it sounds like the team at Bethesda is working hard to provide as many different outcomes as possible with even the smallest quests. And the more dynamic relationships you can have with different NPCs will affect how you finish quests.

[SansSword]

Wow, I absolutely adore the Oblivion compass. In fact, I've told people that THAT is the one thing Morrowind was missing. It was so frustrating to me to be given directions to somewhere in the maze-like Ashlands that didn't take me 2 hours to find! Personally, I like being able to find my target promptly and get on with business rather than hunting around in the boonies for hours hoping I stumble across my target, with or without directions.

 

What I might suggest would be an option to play with compass on...or off. That way, players can experience full 100% exploration (without any hints) and the joy of uncovering an unexpected cave in the Ashlands (as we all have done, admittedly) or play with the handy compass on and have all nearby landmarks and locales highlighted for us so we don't waste our time. I myself would employ both of these options at certain times, depending on how much time I had to play, for example.

 

While I understand the idea of full exploration, which is fun, and more realistic, I adore that compass and don't want to play without it!

[JimboUK]

I used to enjoy getting lost in Morrowind, not only did you stumble across all sorts of things but it also made the world feel larger. Also you felt a real sense of acheivement when you found what you were looking for, much like a genuine explorer would.

 

Edit: More on it...

 

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/108446-Skyrim-Will-Be-Weird-Like-Morrowind

[TheSwedishPancake]

Oblivion was lacking... I couldn't tell you why before, but this thread seems to sum it up nicely. Morrowind's world felt much better to play in. If Bethesda can get their act together and do the same thing for Skyrim, then there is very little else that could go wrong with the game.