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How Morrowind and KOTOR defined modern RPGs

Rowan Kaiser — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 20:30:00 EST

This is a weekly column from freelancer Rowan Kaiser, which focuses on "Western" role-playing games: their stories, their histories, their mechanics, their insanity, and their inanity.

In the early 2000s, two Western role-playing games grabbed the genre and shoved it into new and surprisingly popular directions. Bethesda's The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (2002) and BioWare's Knights Of The Old Republic (2003) modernized RPGs' technology, expanded the audience, and created the two most popular models for the genre moving forward.

Before these two games were released, the term Computer Role-Playing Game (CRPG) was commonly used to describe the games in this column. Ultima, Wizardry, Fallout, Baldur's Gate, these all came out on computers (at least initially), with DOS/Windows becoming the computer platform of choice as the decade progressed. But Morrowind and KOTOR were designed and released for the Xbox - and they succeeded there. The realm of console RPGs was opened to very different styles of game from the Final Fantasies which had dominated. This successful move opened entirely new modes of money-making, allowing BioWare and Bethesda to become some of the biggest developers in gaming overall.

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How Morrowind and KOTOR defined modern RPGs originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 07 Dec 2012 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Morrowind and Oblivion GOTY editions half off all week on Steam

Jessica Conditt — Tue, 01 May 2012 03:30:00 EST

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind is celebrating its 10th birthday by giving everyone else a present, the little gentleman. This week, Morrowind and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion game of the year editions are half off, or even two-for-one if that helps justify your purchase. The sale runs through Monday, May 7 at 10 a.m. PT.

Now the real question: What does one get an elderly 10 year old whose only wish is to make everyone else's day a little brighter and wallet slightly lighter? Answer: A Nerf gun. Everyone loves a Nerf gun.

Morrowind and Oblivion GOTY editions half off all week on Steam originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 01 May 2012 03:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LGJ: Morrowind Mod Mayhem

Mark Methenitis — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 02:00:00 EST

Mark Methenitis contributes Law of the Game on Joystiq ("LGJ"), a column on legal issues as they relate to video games:

There's been quite the uproar over the past few weeks over Morrowind 2011, the now defunct project which collected and harmonized some 4GB of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind mods to make the game "appealing" to a current audience. To some this sounded like a way to pass the time until Skyrim released, to others this was "illegal." Let's see if we can piece together some of the story here to explore just where the rights of modders lay, both with respect to the original developer and with respect to one another.

The most complete account I've been able to find is here, which boils down to the person who compiled and released Morrowind 2011 didn't have permission from any of the people who created the original mods in the package. I suggest everyone read both the article and the comments, as they summarize most of the points made by both sides of this debate. He did go to great lengths to put the package together and, more importantly, all of the documentation on how to make the mods work together, as apparently Morrowind mods can be a bit unruly. When credits were added to the package, the mod makers were still unhappy, and many words like "illegal" were thrown out on the table.

The mod pack has been pulled, but there's been quite a bit of legal analysis thrown out by both the Morrowind 2011 side and the mod makers side. Since mod rights can be a complex issue, this seemed like a good time to discuss the mod issue.

Continue reading LGJ: Morrowind Mod Mayhem

LGJ: Morrowind Mod Mayhem originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 22 Jan 2011 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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'Morrowind 2011' mod done, gorgeous, now available [update]

Justin McElroy — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 14:01:00 EST

It's funny, no matter how hard you try, there always seems to be a "new year" adjustment period. Just today, we were buying groceries and we put "The Year Before The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Came Out" as the date! Can you imagine? The clerk looked at us like we were crazy, and who can blame her?

Though it is, in fact, the year that Skyrim is set to arrive, we've still got a touch over 10 months of waiting ahead of us. In the interim, we're going to be biding our time with modder Warwon's "Morrowind 2011" mod compendium (which you can see in action just after the break). That is, we would be, if Warwon weren't still in the process of looking for a host for the 4GB pack, which overhauls the environments in The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind with beautifully modern graphics.

Great, so now we're waiting for both of them. Double waiting. Could The Year that The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Comes Out Barring Any Delays possibly be off to a worse start?

Update: You can follow along with the project at the official site here. And it's live there right now!

Continue reading 'Morrowind 2011' mod done, gorgeous, now available [update]

'Morrowind 2011' mod done, gorgeous, now available [update] originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bethesda brings Oblivion, Morrowind, Call of Cthulhu to Steam

David Hinkle — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 21:10:00 EST

Steam users, know that Bethesda has just unloaded three of its top titles onto the service. Starting today, users can download The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth, and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Game of the Year edition). Adding further incentive is a 20% discount on these titles, valid this week only.

Odds are you played both Elder Scrolls games already, but if you've yet to try the under-appreciated Call of Cthulhu, then we suggest you pounce on this. The hotel chase scene is an experience we'll never forget.

[Via Shacknews]

Bethesda brings Oblivion, Morrowind, Call of Cthulhu to Steam originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 16 Jun 2009 21:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How modders saved Oblivion [update 1]

Ross Miller — Sat, 07 Oct 2006 17:23:00 EST

Filed under: Hacks, PC, Microsoft Xbox 360, RPGs

[Update: We covered this exact article yesterday. Consider this a different angle and color me foolish.]

Pixel Rage has compiled a list of user-made modifications for Oblivion that should never have been necessary (i.e. features that should have been in the game out of the box). Oblivion, for all its praise, is strewn with bugs and other maladies that degrade the overall experience. You might find that harsh and overcritical, but we think its warranted to hold a title that spent over three years in development (on an engine the developer had been using for almost eight years) to higher standards.

The modifications listed include:

More realistic weather patterns, vegetation, and habitat, including the addition of birds and insects.
Murkier, more transparent / realistic water effects.
Light that shines through windows at night.
Adding side effects to drinking too much wine (it's about time we get double vision for dipping to much into Skingrad's finest ... ).
Inventory list customization.
Interjections of silence within the constant soundtrack (a clever way to add to the atmosphere).
Unique icons for spells.
Various quest-specific fixes.

It's wonderful to see the community perfect the game, but what are Xbox 360 owners to do? When the "vampire cure" quest was found to be broken, PC users could fix the problem themselves, while console gamers were forced to reload an earlier save (or, in worst situations, restart the game). Bethesda is currently working on Fallout 3 using a variation of the same engine used in Morrowind / Oblivion; let's hope they get the kinks out this time.

[via Penny Arcade]

How modders saved Oblivion [update 1] originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 07 Oct 2006 17:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RPG legend Ken Rolston retires

Alan Rose — Thu, 25 May 2006 12:20:00 EST

Filed under: PC, Retro, Microsoft Xbox 360, Adventure, RPGs, Business

If you're an RPG gamer, there's a good chance Ken Rolston has had an impact on the many nights you and your buddies have spent engrossed in tabletop and online adventures. From pen and paper classics such as Dungeons & Dragons, Stormbringer, and Warhammer to that copy of Oblivion you're enjoying today, Rolston's contributions to the role-playing genre have been monumental.

Rolston's most recent work has been at Bethesda Softworks, where he acted as lead designer on Morrowind, and played a significant part in the development of Oblivion. The latter will end up making an appropriate swan song, as he's decided to call it quits after decades of leveling up through the industry. Read [H] Consumer's interview with Ken to find out what his fondest achievement is, as well as his thoughts on the evolution of RPGs. You'll be missed, Ken!

[via TeamXbox]

RPG legend Ken Rolston retires originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 25 May 2006 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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