03-01-2005 17:20									#1
	I want to like Morrowind, but... Support Apolyton, pre-order Civilization IV

...I can't get into it. Or maybe I get to into it. You tell me.

I've been starting and stopping with the game for about 6 months now, and just can't seem to get very far. I know what the problem is: I want to do everything, and Morrowind isn't that kind of game. But everytime I decide, "okay, I'll just do 'X'," I start missing "Y" and "Z." Play a basher, and I want to cast spells; play a mage, and I want to steal everything in sight; play an all-around character like a Nightblade or Bard, and the game takes for-bloody-ever.

I want to like this game; heck, I do like this game. But I really, really need a cure for Chronic Restarter Syndrome. Ideas, anyone?

	03-01-2005 18:43									#2
	Inflate your Upload Space

What stops you from being a mage and also stealing things? Be whatever you want, and take as much time as you want. I spent a month off and on exploring tombs and cities, starting off as a thief and becoming head of the Mage's Guild. By the time you beat the game, you'll be fairly adept at everything, so IMO you don't need to try to be one character-type exclusively.

	03-01-2005 23:27									#3
	Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

Just accept that you will never do everything with one character. Get some RPG Zen.

I find I enjoy RPGs more if I don't play them in an obsessive compulsive fashion. It's fun to ignore stuff.

	04-01-2005 04:44									#4
	Support Apolyton, pre-order Civilization IV

quote: What stops you from being a mage and also stealing things? Be whatever you want, and take as much time as you want. I spent a month off and on exploring tombs and cities, starting off as a thief and becoming head of the Mage's Guild. By the time you beat the game, you'll be fairly adept at everything, so IMO you don't need to try to be one character-type exclusively.

I agree; in fact, Bards are my favorite types of characters for just this reason. It's just that the more multifaceted you are, the more the game seems to lose its focus (does it even have a focus), and I start to get bored. Maybe I've been spoiled by games with lots to do but a relatively streamlined tracetory, like Torment and Fallout.

quote: Just accept that you will never do everything with one character. Get some RPG Zen. I find I enjoy RPGs more if I don't play them in an obsessive compulsive fashion. It's fun to ignore stuff.

This is what I really need to do, but I am a bit obsessive-compulsive in these games; I want to go into every cave, open every crate, uncover every bit of fog-of-war, etc. Playing a Bard (see above) only exacerbates that, because they live for experience! Is there a twelve-step program I could join or something?

quote: Cheat.

Xbox. And besides, it's not nice.

	04-01-2005 10:15									#5
	Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

I was the same way with Morrowind. It was almost 2 years before I finished it.

I still find the magic system annoying. I tried playing a mage, and didn't work very well.

The sneaking system is annoying as well.

The way I finished the game was with a fighter type. yes I did have destruction as a major skill, but I found I rarely used it in combat situations.

Yeah hack and slash can get pretty boring with very little spell activity. But I found it gave me focus. Although I kind of considered myself a fighter/mage. I did do all the mage guild quests after all (along with fighter). But I pretty much focussed on my long blade during difficult battles.

I just couldn't be bothered to learn the enachantment or alchemy skills. I missed out on a powerful part of the game so I'm told. but my character still found plenty of powerful weapons. I was in no danger of being killed (though i did find one battle difficult)

If I were to focus more on mage abilities it'd probably be confuring/summoning.

The problem I still have is the combat system. It's just easier to hack things than to cast spells or run around shooting arrows.

	04-01-2005 11:31									#6
	Remove this text

I'd say alchemy is probably the easiest stat in the whole game to up. In that Wolverine Hall (I think) there is a guy in the Imperial Cult temple that sells two ingredients needed to make restore health potions. You can get a good set of equiptment from the mage guild in Caldera for free. You can just keep buying unlimited amounts of the ingredients and make as many potions as you want and even while screwing up a lot, you'll still make enough money from the potions to have some left over for battles. Enchantment, you really need to just go to a trainer if you ever want that high. There is no remotely easy way to get that up to a useful level by yourself.

	04-01-2005 12:40									#7
	Increase the size of your Attachments

quote: Originally posted by Dissident I was the same way with Morrowind. It was almost 2 years before I finished it. I still find the magic system annoying. I tried playing a mage, and didn't work very well. The sneaking system is annoying as well. The way I finished the game was with a fighter type. yes I did have destruction as a major skill, but I found I rarely used it in combat situations.

I hear you. I'm playing a bard right now, but I don't much utilize his aclchemy, enchant, or illusion skills; he's effectively just a fighter with a great personality.

In the end, I think what bugs me about Morrowind is not having a party. The great thing about a game like Baldur's Gate is that, with a balanced party, you really can do everything and still stay within the bounds of roleplay. I liked that; this is harder to warm up to.

	04-01-2005 12:43									#8
	Browse Apolyton AD-FREE

quote: Originally posted by Apocalypse I'd say alchemy is probably the easiest stat in the whole game to up. In that Wolverine Hall (I think) there is a guy in the Imperial Cult temple that sells two ingredients needed to make restore health potions. You can get a good set of equiptment from the mage guild in Caldera for free. You can just keep buying unlimited amounts of the ingredients and make as many potions as you want and even while screwing up a lot, you'll still make enough money from the potions to have some left over for battles. Enchantment, you really need to just go to a trainer if you ever want that high. There is no remotely easy way to get that up to a useful level by yourself.

I agree enchant is a pain to up, but I think the easiest has to be athletics; I run everywhere anyway (hard not to with an Xbox), so I'm always upping that one. Acrobatics is pretty easy to up, too.

	04-01-2005 12:51									#9
	Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations: Deluxe Edition

Nah, athletics takes forever to raise after a while. You can run everywhere and it'll still take forever. Swimming raises it a little faster, but still it takes a while.

Acrobatics is easy yes...you can jump everywhere. It greats kinda annoying and not too roleplaying like. That being said, I have jumped everywhere to raise it 10 for a 5x many times. The best place for this is right behind Cassius' place. just jump up in and then jump far down....jumping far down (and taking a little damage) actually raises it quite a bit.


About not having a party...it's probably one of the main reasons why you don't necessarily feel that a part of the world.

	04-01-2005 12:59									#10
	Get a bigger avatar today!

Morrowind works best when you're either smoking opium or eating pot brownies.

So if you're not enjoying it, my question is this: have you considered adopting a drug habit?

	04-01-2005 13:35									#11
	Full PM-box? Change here!

Enchant??
I always found that easy to increase - just keep using enchanted items ... Or am I missing something here?

	04-01-2005 13:57									#12
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

quote: Originally posted by ravagon Enchant?? I always found that easy to increase - just keep using enchanted items ... Or am I missing something here?

That does it, but really, really slowly (or so it seems).

For example, I heal myself pretty much exclusively with enchanted items. I'm not that big a basher, so I heal myself alot. Nevertheless, I think I've raised enchant maybe once without paying a trainer.

	04-01-2005 14:03									#13
	Support Apolyton or Terrorists Win

You can also get them by recharging items or creating items. That takes a lot of time. So basically the only way to even consider raising it is through a trainer. Apparently the large gap in terms of raiseability will be fixed in Oblivion. At least that's what they say. I kinda have my doubts.

	04-01-2005 14:42									#14
	Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations: Deluxe Edition

I usually take it as a major skill so it rises more quickly but not that much more ... it does increase per 'use' so if, for example, you have a healing ring enchanted with restore 1-10 hp or a magic ring with restore 1-10 magicka then you'll use it far more frequently than, say another ring with restore 10-100 of the same.
It isn't quite as effective in combat of course, but then that's what potions are for right?

I generally toss such items when I'm at a moderate level and go see Quor ... something but my skill is generally well into the 50-60's by then and it's more a question of convenience than necessity.
Even if you don't actually have an immediate need for a particular effect you can always just pull out the old 'open door ring' in the middle of nowhere and use it until it's charge is gone - a little gamey perhaps but if you look at it from the perspective of practicing (which it is really) using the item ...

	04-01-2005 15:01									#15
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

Looking back at when I played Morrowind a lot and did those repetitive tasks...it would have been far better to do real life repetitive tasks like more pt. Morrowind is just kinda like The Sims in terms of life improvement.

	04-01-2005 15:20									#16
	Browse Apolyton AD-FREE

A damning indictment.

	04-01-2005 17:01									#17
	Inflate your Upload Space

......but still probably one of the xbox's finest hours.....


I tend to restart alot too - i think i just like being in a world where my character is rubbish and the odds are against me.
Once i get powerfull(which imo happens too quickly in Morowind, around lvl 7 i guess?) then it becomes less fun.

Morrowind GOTY edition helped this a bit by allowing me to up the difficulty level when i felt like it. And if the freedom is getting to you, then just try to stick to the main quest(the Nevarine thing). My gf really got into and completed it, which i never have as i just like the freedom option most.

If not then maybe its just not for you? you could have a look at Daggerfall, which was the (very very buggy) game before Morrowind - i kinda like it more as its even huger and more freeform. Or maybe the new upcoming game Oblivion will be more your thing?

	05-01-2005 01:37									#18
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization 2

With the PC version you can download enough mods to make it harder. Giants does that fairly well. Still not *that* hard, but it's a challenge. The only really hard time I ever had (where I had to reload a save more than once) was in an escort mission in that snow island. Morrowind is the only game where I consistently play with the difficulty level all the way up.

	05-01-2005 04:54									#19
	Help yourself to an AD-FREE life

quote: Originally posted by Apocalypse With the PC version you can download enough mods to make it harder. Giants does that fairly well. Still not *that* hard, but it's a challenge. The only really hard time I ever had (where I had to reload a save more than once) was in an escort mission in that snow island. Morrowind is the only game where I consistently play with the difficulty level all the way up.

Hmmm...maybe I'll try that.

	05-01-2005 09:51									#20
	Got spare money?

the quests aren't bad. Though sometimes the escort missions get annoying.

But I found the quests interesting enough to do. And I enjoyed doing all the fighters and mages guild quests.

quests is a big part of a role playing game for me. I don't play just to "build up" a character. I enjoy questing. This is perhaps the reason why I don't enjoy Everquest 2 that much. The quests there aren't that great to me.

I heard in the expansions you can get a henchman. Is this true? How are the henchman? Any personality to them?

another complaint I have is the NPC's lack personality. oh well.

	05-01-2005 10:00									#21
	Full PM-box? Change here!

quote: Originally posted by Dissident the quests aren't bad. Though sometimes the escort missions get annoying. But I found the quests interesting enough to do. And I enjoyed doing all the fighters and mages guild quests. quests is a big part of a role playing game for me. I don't play just to "build up" a character. I enjoy questing. This is perhaps the reason why I don't enjoy Everquest 2 that much. The quests there aren't that great to me. I heard in the expansions you can get a henchman. Is this true? How are the henchman? Any personality to them? another complaint I have is the NPC's lack personality. oh well.

Bearing in mind that I haven't gotten more than halfway through the game...

It seems to me that the quests are okay, but pretty repetative. It's all either, "Go here, kill this guy" or "Go here, talk this guy into X" or "Go here, get this" or "Go here, deliver this." Very few of them are at all tricky or require any thought; its all just being somebody's gofer. You get to see the world and sometimes get good loot, but it does walk teh line between game and chore.

	05-01-2005 10:15									#22
	Full PM-box? Change here!

quote: Originally posted by Dissident I heard in the expansions you can get a henchman. Is this true? How are the henchman? Any personality to them?

No personality. And the AI works the same as when you are escorting someone..if you get attacked, the person you escort helps out. Same with the henchmen. They don't really help out that much...more like get in the way it seems.

	05-01-2005 10:20									#23
	Avatar Enlargement: We've got the solution

that sucks.

this game is decent, I enjoyed playing it. But there are so many things they could have done better.

but I did enjoy exploring. My favourite aspect of the game. So many outdoor areas . Most games do not have enough outdoor areas.

	05-01-2005 10:40									#24
	Help yourself to an AD-FREE life

Yeah. I agree about exploring. I missed that in BG2 since there was so much in the original that could be explored.

	06-01-2005 05:30									#25
	Support Apolyton, buy Alpha Centauri

yeah, one thing I didn't care for BG2. Though the city was kind of cool. Although the Bridge district didn't interest me very much. Neither did the temple district or city gates. I liked the docks area though. The slums and graveyard were decent. I also didn't like that goverment area- whatever that was called.

But it had a good story, good quests. Still one of my favourite games.

	06-01-2005 05:49									#26
	Enter the AD-FREE zone

BG2 had the best quests. Crazy little ones spawning all over the place. In chapter 2/3 you always seem to have 3 or 4 quests going on at once.

-Jam

	06-01-2005 18:19									#27
	Got spare money?

quote: yeah, one thing I didn't care for BG2. Though the city was kind of cool. Although the Bridge district didn't interest me very much.

Did you find Neb? If you didnīt then go back and kill him! Think of the children!*

*literally.

	06-01-2005 22:35									#28
	Support Apolyton, buy Alpha Centauri

I just liked the guild quests the most. Especially rising to the top of the mages guild. There's an added bonus at the end of that one. . You can get some cool items.

	06-01-2005 22:47									#29
	Support Apolyton, buy Alpha Centauri

quote: Originally posted by Dissident but I did enjoy exploring. My favourite aspect of the game. So many outdoor areas . Most games do not have enough outdoor areas.

Exploring . It makes it seem like its own world rather than just a game world. I thought it was cool that you could just go and wander the countryside for hours and hours if you wanted.

	06-01-2005 22:48									#30
	Put an end to popups!

I rose to the top of all the guilds with the same character one time. BG quests just seem less like a list and more personal. A lot better in my opinion.