OpenMW: Porting Morrowind to an open source engine

[Average Manatee]

Disappointed by the lack of an Open MechWarrior engine.

Throw me in with the crowd that doesn't see much use in working on an entirely new engine. I don't get many crashes at all and a re-balanced alchemy/skill/whatever isn't going to add overly much to gameplay,

 

[DalekFlay]

I've honestly never had crashing problems in any Bethesda game. I know that makes me some kind of pariah.

In any event I still would love to see this actually work out. I want DaggerXL first though.

 

[Bahamut]

https://openmw.org/en/

Just found out about this. Seems to be coming around rather nicely.

Hopefully when it's done (sometime after 2020 I guess) someone can mod in good combat. Wouldn't mind Gothic style climbing either.

Actually they're planning 1.0 for this, or next year,

 

[oscar]

If it gives them a chance to balance things and make late game combat more challenging than all the more power to them. It really is a unique game, a flawed gem but a gem all the same.

 

[DraQ]

no AI and I don't think combat has been implemented yet either

So it's at about the level of the original now?

a flawed gem but a gem all the same.

Sums up Morrowind nicely.

 

[IDtenT]

They're basically only using the assets of the game. So everything that is not assets is completely reimplemented and configurable. Want to change the combat system? You can. Want to change the skill system? You can. Actually want to code in improvements like basic AI and more advanced physics? You can. Of course, at the moment their only goal is an exact reversed engineered effort with bug fixes. Expect to see offshoots as soon as the project hits 1.0.

My only problem with the project is the license. Although, that still wouldn't preclude people from selling their assets. Beyond Morrowind I actually think it has potential as an open source engine for open world RPGs, only problem is that you'll have to conform to the containers used by Bethsoft.

 

[oscar]

Indeed, it could become a very promising platform for 3D open-world RPGs.

 

[Severian Silk]

But it won't.

 

[IDtenT]

But it won't.

Fucking pessimist.

I think this is an ideal way to go about creating an OS game engine; as you have clear goals in sight.

 

[Excommunicator]

The only thing that excites me about this is it's potential to be used to make similar, original games. Although the idea that Morrowind might eventually get overhauled to fix all the inherent issues it has would be quite interesting but not something anyone should wait out for.

It's too bad Morrowind is such a clunky game with poor world simulation (NPCs are non-functional and objects in the world do nothing). This means there won't be an especially good foundation for an original game to make use of

 

[IDtenT]

This is coming along really nicely.





Unfortunately I agree with Excommunicator that the Morrowind engine isn't exactly the best engine to replicate. On the other hand I think it's much easier to reverse engineer something than start from scratch - especially when art assets are provided.

 

[deuxhero]

Open Gothic would be pretty cool.

 

[SCO]

I wouldn't expect these reimplementation projects to change design too much. At most they offer better 'additional' interface options. Like exult and higher resolutions, modding editor or that dragndrop thing, or gemrb and 'don't pause on with pause on spellcasting option if not in combat'; or arx modding editor and maybe-probably going to allow you to drop stacks into the world (to cook stuff) things like that, obvious extensions that the original designers looked at the date and said 'fuck it'.

 

[DraQ]

I expect a lot of stuff improving or fixing previously unreachable mechanics - better AI and NPC capabilities, no pause in inventory, no stackable potion effects, less spellmaking restrictions, support for miss/dodge anims, stuff like that.

Most of those are small things, but sufficient to turn Morrowind into a whole new game.

 

[JarlFrank]

I'd be more interested in any Total Conversions the community would come up with, cause the engine definitely offers more capabilities than Oblivious and Skyrim and those have gotten/are getting some p. good TC mods.

 

[SCO]

I expect a lot of stuff improving or fixing previously unreachable mechanics - better AI and NPC capabilities, no pause in inventory, no stackable potion effects, less spellmaking restrictions, support for miss/dodge anims, stuff like that.

Most of those are small things, but sufficient to turn Morrowind into a whole new game.

As i said; without modder artists pushing for it don't expect them do do anything that requires new art (like animations).
As for mechanics, you got to understand the mentality of these project creators: they want to 'recreate' the game as a buildable artefact for posterity. They CAN give you the option to change or add new stuff, but first they're going to do it exactly like the original, up to reverse engineering the executable (though, yes, probably more flexible when convenient, like gemrb un-hardcoding some class rules).

 

[octavius]

I'd be more interested in any Total Conversions the community would come up with, cause the engine definitely offers more capabilities than Oblivious and Skyrim and those have gotten/are getting some p. good TC mods.

How does the Morrowind engine offer more capabilities than Oblivion and Skyrim?

 

[JarlFrank]

More different skills, more different equipment slots, better spellmaker, working teleportation and levitation spells. All those things either don't work properly in OB/SR or have to be implemented via workarounds that don't really work that well most of the time, either.

 

[tuluse]

None of those things are actually part of the engine. Unless Bethesda has removed the ability to float an object in the air from Gambryo.

 

[IDtenT]

None of those things are actually part of the engine. Unless Bethesda has removed the ability to float an object in the air from Gambryo.

It still restricts modification.

 

[cvv]

Oooh that'd be so great for them to pull it off but frankly, the chance is Francis fat.
Besides, Morrowind is a great game but if there is to be an engine port, it should be for Daggerfall, which is IMO more worthwhile.
Or Krondor. Hell somebody do a Betrayal of Krondor revamp with an actual engine and not a confusing mess.

 

[Pipeweed]

reinstalling...

 

[Azazel]

Oooh that'd be so great for them to pull it off but frankly, the chance is Francis fat.
Besides, Morrowind is a great game but if there is to be an engine port, it should be for Daggerfall, which is IMO more worthwhile.
Or Krondor. Hell somebody do a Betrayal of Krondor revamp with an actual engine and not a confusing mess.

http://xlengine.com/

 

[cvv]

Oooh that'd be so great for them to pull it off but frankly, the chance is Francis fat.
Besides, Morrowind is a great game but if there is to be an engine port, it should be for Daggerfall, which is IMO more worthwhile.
Or Krondor. Hell somebody do a Betrayal of Krondor revamp with an actual engine and not a confusing mess.

http://xlengine.com/

Wow, didn't know that. Cheers for the link.

 

[IDtenT]

Man, I can't wait for this to be playable. Apparently version 0.25 should be playable. The graphical enhancements (Shaders, AA, AF, lighting, etc) just makes it look so much better.