So I finished Skyrim a while back, twice for the main quest and Dawnguard, and then also the Dragonborn DLC. I backtracked and did some of Oblivion, but the storyline keeps losing my interest. Therefore, about 6 months ago I decided that I was going to sit down and finish Morrowind, lauded by many hardcore cRPG'ers as the best of the series. I installed the Morrowind Complete Overhaul which combines a bunch of the best mods into one package making the game not only more visually appealing, but fixing a lot of the vanilla's original issues.
I'll admit it took me a while to get into Morrowind. Once you cross some barrier though, a few hours in, the main quest opens up a bit and the game gets more interesting. I have to say that I'm sort of curious where it all goes.
But I'm not getting to the point of this thread. I decided tonight that enough was enough with the Cliff Racers and I went online to look for a mod to remove them. Following the bouncing ball on the mod Nexus I stumbled upon a team that is working on expanding the world of Morrowind onto the mainland, effectively doubling+ the size of the game. And it's a pretty long game as it is. And then, continuing down this mod rabbit hole, I came across another team that has done complete overhauls to both Morrowind and Oblivion! Making them essentially new games. Wow.
I'm sitting here, staring at these mods that will add hundreds of hours to already lengthy games. And then I start looking at my increasingly large backlog of cRPGs from GoG and Steam- Baldur's Gate series, Neverwinter series, Gothic series, Wizardry, Ultima, Might and Magic...
It occurs to me that I am never, ever, ever going to finish all of the games. Honestly, I remember playing Adventure on the Atari 2600, eventually getting and Intellivision to play Dungeons and Dragons, and now I look at where I am and I just don't know. There is enough RPG to last a person a lifetime.
This is just crazy. What a night. Things would be a lot better if I had knocked out these retro games when they came out!
Anyway, a quick link to some of the mods I discussed:
Arktwend for Morrowind: https://morrowind2009.wordpress.com/total-conversion-arktwend-english/
(https://morrowind2009.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/screen03.jpg?w=300&h=187)
Tamriel Rebuilt: http://tamriel-rebuilt.tumblr.com/post/92199012959/announcing-a-major-change-in-our-release-structure
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F41.media.tumblr.com%2F6f9c43089dbb6bd8590af3e29d6aafd7%2Ftumblr_n64dxlbfvj1seyqzco1_500.jpg&hash=25d8c2208c73330f758b5f84165541ff1ec80ab5)
Nehrim for Oblivion: http://www.moddb.com/mods/nehrim-at-fates-edge
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.moddb.com%2Fcache%2Fimages%2Fmods%2F1%2F11%2F10010%2Fthumb_620x2000%2FmoddbScreenshot03.jpg&hash=706a22bc437c4f13523cf95d758cfe79071f0e5f)
Awesome stuff...makes me want to go back and play Morrowind and Oblivion. Until I remember that I am now fully invested in Dragon Age: Inquisition, which is a suitable rival to the Elder Scrolls games.
And... Pillars of Eternity is coming in March. It looks very Baldur's Gate-ish. If I win the lottery, I'm going to hire someone to finish all my old games for me.
That sounds like a great job. I'll do it. Was briefly looking over Pillars of Eternity last night too.
OK Gus. Got my numbers ready. You'll know if I win. You'll be able to hear me in N.Y.
I'm listening...don't hear anything yet.
Sat. night. 11Pm EST. 5 Million. That's enough to buy 2 Matrix games. :2funny:
^^ With printed manuals! O0
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jannigogo.com%2Fdealmac%2Fnerds.jpg&hash=b06e555e08e13dd70a193bffdc0c37d27e00d9a7)
Toonces I never got into RPGs until I read D&D3.5 books a few years ago, then the floodgates opened, wow. I still played rpgs like HoMM and Bolurs gate and games like that, but I never realy understood them until I got into real world RPG mechanics. I searched and searched RPG games and books looking for the next best thrill, I loved skyrim, and I have oblivion and morrowind, but I was drawn to turn-based games because of the books I read. I stumbled upon the best RPG you will ever experience, the game is endless the charactors are infinite , the world is rich and full of unexplored areas, your wondering what it is :) its world of Warcraft, but buy a mount to explore because hikeing around dosnt show you the vast world well, and I didn't follow any quest I just expored and fought who I wanted and did whatever I felt like. I swear Toonces I looked and looked for an RPG that truly felt like a real life tabletop RPG and now I don't need to look anymore
PS: you can sign up online and do the free version, no gametime purchase ever, but If you buy a paid account you will keep have to pay for game time, but Im glad I bought gametime and a mount and levelled up to 90 and got the addon areas like Pandora etc...
^ Sadly I haven't tried WoW yet. I didn't know there was a free version. I'll have to look into that. I have tried LotRO and Neverwinter, and some other free RPG that was highly rated, but I think to really get into MMOs you need to join a like-minded guild and I'm not sure I'm ready to make that jump. I think I would like LotRO if I gave it a chance...getting it to update has been troublesome.
I'm still trying hard to finish Morrowind. I've gotten into the game and story enough that I can see me finishing it, but man alive is it old school. I was following the main quest which took me on a long trek up to the northern part of the island where I was sent to a burial chamber. Then when I got to the chamber, I realized I didn't have any torches and the damn dungeon was so dark that I couldn't see anything.
The solution to this involved a very long, involved, treacherous trek back to a main center of civilization (Balmora) to buy torches and lanterns and such. This really took longer than it should have with no fast-travel. I thought I had outfitted myself pretty well and headed back north. After a few minor detours I got back to where I left off (we're talking about 2 hours of real-time at this point). I'm in the dungeon and then I get to this part where it's filled with water. I'm burning through my torches, but I have 15 so I'm not too worried. But then I realize that in order to proceed I need levitation potions. Fuck, of course I only had one of those (which I used already to get into the main part of the dungeon). Now I'm looking at having to back track AGAIN to equip myself properly with levitation potions and spells.
I certainly enjoy the game, but damn it's frustrating to have to keep backtracking because I'm not properly equipped for dungeoneering!
<Sigh> But I'm gonna stick with it. :knuppel2:
Toonces, you have inspired me to give Morrowind another try. I never finished the game on my Xbox but now that I have the PC version and have downloaded the code patch and MSGO 3.0 I am ready to give it another chance!
I recently got Oblivion (during the holidays) - I had played it once a long time ago and can't remember if I finished it or not, which is either sad or telling (or both). Still, I'm willing to give it another try, and I might look into these mods, so thanks for that, Toonces.
I never was able to get into Morrowind - that's the one where you start as a prisoner on a boat, right? I tried MANY times but I never reached that threshold you're talking about, Toonces...if it's only a few hours in I might take a look at it too.
I have played through Skyrim at least twice, though...love that game. Tried a couple of mods with it but not a lot.
Edit: yeah, Morrowind is $20 on Steam, so screw that until it goes on sale.
I tried Oblivion too but couldn't get past the life or death fights with everything all the time or repairing my weapons frequently and such stuff. But it was a beautiful game.
Quote from: Toonces on January 20, 2015, 01:28:13 AM
^ Sadly I haven't tried WoW yet. I didn't know there was a free version. I'll have to look into that. I have tried LotRO and Neverwinter, and some other free RPG that was highly rated, but I think to really get into MMOs you need to join a like-minded guild and I'm not sure I'm ready to make that jump.
Joining a guild with people you don't mind hanging out with is essential in the long run for any MMO. Nearly all of them have group content that requires groups and the single-player content will feel like a grind after a time.
QuoteI think I would like LotRO if I gave it a chance...getting it to update has been troublesome.
If you don't want to shop around & find a like-minded group, there may be other options. For example, LotRO has it's monster side (aka "Creeps") where you can start up top-level Orcs, Wargs, etc in the big PvP zone. They still level up abilities & such, but instead of doing kill or collect quests you tag along with the other Creeps and kill "Freeps" players and NPCs for rewards. The reason I mentioned this specific one is that the Creeps often form groups of whomever is around before heading out to do the dastardly deeds so you can find groups more easily there. That's how it was years ago, anyway, and I don't think they changed anything drastically. During primetime, and I suspect even during other periods since it's free-to-play these days, there will be big PvP battles between the two groups with the leaders maneuvering around for advantage or cap points. ^-^
I have gotten to the point where I'm just not interested in the "multi" part of multi-player. I've played a bunch of MMOs and had a great time, even was a key player in a couple of powerful guilds in EQ2 and WOW. I loved it for a long time, but then I hit the wall.
The problem for me is that you really take on obligations when you're a key player in a powerful guild. People expect you to be online every night, they look for you, they're worried if you're not there, plans get spoiled if you aren't - but you SURE don't want to be in a crappy guild with crappy players.
I really like the vibe of MMO games, where you get to know a large world intimately, learn how to use the environment to increase your wealth and power, that it's an ongoing thing where you can continue to do these things pretty much indefinitely, much as if you actually lived there. I just don't like the fact that people start expecting me to do things. Especially as my game-playing style has become more and more of a dabbling-type style. I like a game where I can sit and play for 45 minutes or an hour, an hour and a half, and then I get up and wander around for a bit, do some kind of household task, check the internet, then come back and play another hour, etc. That just does . . . not . . . work in an MMO. You have to sit there, alert, with your eyes glued to the screen for hours.
One of the reasons I'm enjoying Dragon Age: Inquisition so much. The world has that MMO vibe . . . but it's single-player! Woot!
I've put a lot of time into Lotro last year without needing any mp interaction at all. Of course, I'm still in the Shire and other lands west of Rivendale, too. The main reason I dropped off a bit was because I wanted to save some non-combat missions in the Shire for my niece(s) who would love being able to drive 'me' around the property doing things. It may not be quite the best looking MMO on the market, but seeing all the little nooks and crannies mentioned in books and appendices and such filled in contiguously in a kind-of-to-scale fashion, is geeky bliss.
Edited to add: I'm still playing free, too, although back during a flash Thanksgiving sale I picked up all the 'paid' expansions since at the time they were only $15 or $20 total if I recall.
In the early to mid eighties when I was a teen I owned D&D starter\basic set, Traveller, Middle Earth RPG and bought White Dwarf each month before it turned into a Games Workshop sales mag. I also owned Car Wars and it's two expansions, Battlecars, StarFleet Battles and apart from Cars Wars none of them got played as I knew no one interested in RPG'S and boardgames and thats why the computer was a god send ( I reckon the StarFleet game hasn't even had the counters punched)!! The PC was then and is now my chance to play RPG's and wargames without the need of like minded people. It's probably the reason I avoid MMO's and apart from Red Orchestra 2 play all my games solo.
Tis true; since I lost my brother (to a wife and kids) I just don't have anyone to play with (nieces still aren't quite old enough yet, and I would have to be reaaaallly careful what I proposed.)
I remember a guy in high school that lived in my neighborhood, so we always rode the bus together. He ALWAYS had copies of the Traveller game under his arm with his schoolbooks.
Quote from: glen55 on January 20, 2015, 01:19:51 PM
I have gotten to the point where I'm just not interested in the "multi" part of multi-player. I've played a bunch of MMOs and had a great time, even was a key player in a couple of powerful guilds in EQ2 and WOW. I loved it for a long time, but then I hit the wall.
The problem for me is that you really take on obligations when you're a key player in a powerful guild.
I took much the same trajectory. My MMORPG play has gone to zero after about 15 years of it. Other than PBEM, the last multi-stuff I did was Rome II and then some Heros and Generals. Rome II worked okay; I just logged on and crushed people with the Massagaetae Armored archers and cataphracts. Heros and Generals was heading for the point where I was getting way too involved. So I'm still trying to avoid any multiplayer stuff.
These days I'm happy to play very in a very idle fashion: fly a plane, drive a train, fire some missiles, blow up an "outpost" or two in Far cry 3.
Nothing that demands I be there in a certain way at a certain time.
That's why the multi-player 'battle arena' games are probably so popular.
You can log in and be automatically siphoned into a multi-player match quickly, at the touch of a button, with little extra fuss or pre-planning. That's definitely why I play WT.
Quote from: Nefaro on January 23, 2015, 12:40:45 PM
That's why the multi-player 'battle arena' games are probably so popular.
You can log in and be automatically siphoned into a multi-player match quickly, at the touch of a button, with little extra fuss or pre-planning. That's definitely why I play WT.
Well, Rome II was pretty fun as a battle arena, once I started setting up huge battles on the steppes with lots of money. I'd deploy the Massageatae (I had the DLC and I never saw anyone else with that DLC) and the Selucides or somebody would laboriously set out their complex forces with lots of artillery and elephants and what not. The battle would start and sometimes the opposing player would leave after his horse archers and what not lost 700 men in 2 minutes of archery from the Massagetae. Then of course the AI was often much harder to defeat than the human players.
I wonder why I stopped? Possibly it was because it took quite a while and many ups and downs to get a game to the battle stage. And those were often pretty fast.
Not that I need any additional RPGs, but I saw two very interesting ones today:
Malevolence looks really interesting. Turn based, grid based, nice graphics, and "infinite" whatever that means. Demo available (I have d/l'd but not tried yet).
And I also came across this game on Steam called
Sanctuary RPG: Black Edition (on sale for $6). All old school ASCII graphics. I'd blow it off, but it sounds so damn compelling! Also available on GoG (on sale for ($6)
Edit: Sanctuary has a demo available on Steam as well. Just downloaded...
I've been playing the Sanctuary demo on Steam and I'm pretty sure many of you guys would like it. Definitely worth a try! O0
Quote from: Toonces on February 14, 2015, 02:08:07 AM
I've been playing the Sanctuary demo on Steam and I'm pretty sure many of you guys would like it. Definitely worth a try! O0
The Malevolence trailer is disappointing in that it doesn't show much, if any, game play. It looked cinematic, it was hard to tell? Not saying it isn't a good game, it may well be.
I checked some Youtube videos and also there is a demo available for Malevolence. No reason at all to not give it a try if you're interested.
The demo is the full game, but you can't save your character so every time you re-start the game you start from scratch. Should be enough for you to tell if you'll like it or not, though.
Not a lot of let's plays, but I suppose this works well enough:
toonces....actually, it had quite a bit of gameplay, even a combat near the end. Looks a lot like Might and Magic X, grid/turn based, but different in that it is a single player only, no building a party. The dungeon at the end reminded me of Legend of Grimrock. Nice find.
I've owned Malevolence for about two years. Haven't played it in a long time. It was functional, when I did, but still yet to receive a lot of content. So I've been waiting. I dig the tile & turn based style RPG so I bought into the early access.
I also picked up Sanctuary a month or two ago. Waffled for a bit but the turn-based roguelike association and inexpensive price tag pushed me off. I've only played about thirty minutes so I didn't delve too far. Also had hit a bit of a gaming funk and I tend to look for oddball stuff when that happens. Something out of the ordinary.
Well, I jumped back into Morrowind to pick up the main quest where I left off. For those of you keeping track, I was in a dungeon to retrieve something- I don't even remember what anymore- and found that to progress farther I needed to be able to levitate. This is after my first trip where I didn't have enough torches and had to backtrack...
So I backtracked all the way to Balmora to buy some levitate potions, only to find only one available in the whole damn town. Eventually I was able to craft an inexpensive levitate spell at the Mage's Guild, but the percentage chance of success, even after leveling my alteration magic to level 11, is so low that it hasn't worked yet. I traveled back to the dungeon, failed at casting my new levitate spell four times in a row, and now I'm stuck in the water, unable to figure out how to get back onto dry land and therefore unable to rest and recover my mana to try some more spells.
Ugh.
So I'm gonna hang up Morrowind for a bit. I bought about 10 fantasy cRPG's on GoG during the summer sale and Xmas sale. Tonight I'm installing Neverwinter Nights 2 and I'm gonna give that a go this weekend for a while. I have an urge to play some party-based dungeoneering vice first-person.
Crap, I just re-read my first post in this thread to see what the thread was all about in the first place and just saw those mods for Morrowind and Oblivion again. Shit, I might have to install those tomorrow and try those this weekend, too.
And I was so close to getting into Steel Beasts finally. ::)
Quote from: Toonces on January 20, 2015, 01:33:44 AM
I'm still trying hard to finish Morrowind. I've gotten into the game and story enough that I can see me finishing it, but man alive is it old school. I was following the main quest which took me on a long trek up to the northern part of the island where I was sent to a burial chamber. Then when I got to the chamber, I realized I didn't have any torches and the damn dungeon was so dark that I couldn't see anything.
The solution to this involved a very long, involved, treacherous trek back to a main center of civilization (Balmora) to buy torches and lanterns and such. This really took longer than it should have with no fast-travel. I thought I had outfitted myself pretty well and headed back north. After a few minor detours I got back to where I left off (we're talking about 2 hours of real-time at this point). I'm in the dungeon and then I get to this part where it's filled with water. I'm burning through my torches, but I have 15 so I'm not too worried. But then I realize that in order to proceed I need levitation potions. Fuck, of course I only had one of those (which I used already to get into the main part of the dungeon). Now I'm looking at having to back track AGAIN to equip myself properly with levitation potions and spells.
I certainly enjoy the game, but damn it's frustrating to have to keep backtracking because I'm not properly equipped for dungeoneering!
<Sigh> But I'm gonna stick with it. :knuppel2:
I'm about 4 hours of work further in Morrowind, but essentially at the same damn point! >:(
I'll be damned if I could find more than one levitation potion in all of Balmora, including the Mage's Guild. So in desperation I created my own levitation spell ("Cheap Levitation") for a handful of gold that would only work for 10 seconds, but should have been sufficient to get me where I need to go. Through a combination of Mage's Guild fast transport/Stilt Rider/hoofing-it I made it back to the dungeon only to realize that an 18% chance of success doesn't mean 18% in Morrowind, but more like 0% because I spend about 8 rest cycles trying this spell over and over and still haven't gotten it to work properly.
I finally backed out of the dungeon, used an intervention scroll to get back to Gnisis, and then joined the Imperial Legion since I don't have anything better to do ATM. First quest is to find some woman but man alive I can't find her anywhere. So it's Google time. And, I'm sort of over Morrowind for the moment which is too bad because I'm really in the mood to do some dungeon crawling.
<Sigh> :-\
Downloading the Nehrim mod for Oblivion right now, and will likely download/install the Morrowind-mod as well. I'm kind of pissed off at the way Morrowind is going. I really need some guidance on what I should be doing. I'm Level 7, but clearly I'm reaching too far in my questing right now. And I have no idea what to do in the meantime.
Sorry to hear that Toonces. It always sucks when you get stuck like that.