Is Morrowind really that hard to get into?

[[SNP]Rancor]

I read that a LOT recently, and I just can't help but to wonder, why so many people are repating this over and over.
Is it REALLY that hard? I can't tell, because I was still a kid when I started my adventure with th is world, spent countless hours in the game, and even now I am playing it from time to time.

But the thing is, if the game is so super hard to get into, how come that I at age of 8, with English skills greatly insufficent to understand anything characters told me in the game (actually Morrowind would be the main reason why I learned basic English in the first place :P), I still managed to love the game.
Exploring this completely unfamiliar world, and it's rules by myself, was very challenging and rewarding like none other games. I never found it hard to get into, it was just sucking in like a vacuum.

[kmk988]

Originally posted by SNPRancor:

I read that a LOT recently, and I just can't help but to wonder, why so many people are repating this over and over.
Is it REALLY that hard? I can't tell, because I was still a kid when I started my adventure with th is world, spent countless hours in the game, and even now I am playing it from time to time.

But the thing is, if the game is so super hard to get into, how come that I at age of 8, with English skills greatly insufficent to understand anything characters told me in the game (actually Morrowind would be the main reason why I learned basic English in the first place :P), I still managed to love the game.
Exploring this completely unfamiliar world, and it's rules, by myself was very challenging and rewarding like none other games, I never found it hard to get into, it was just sucking in like a vacuum.

its a combination of handholding from newer games and not thinking a character through enough during creation

[dragongodofgames]

just a comment. you sir speek/ wright english verey wall. iam amarican and i can barly speek/ wright it my self (can't spell if you havn't knowist. see can't spell :) but anyway i have not got the chance to play that one but i haved played oblivion and Syrim. what i heir about Morrowind that it go if not better then oblivion so um ya lol. thats cool that it got you to learn something new. ok i go now before i embardes myself anymore :)

[Pew Pew! McGoo]

I think it has to do with people starting out with Skyrim. In Morrowind, you need to build your skills up so that your attacks and successfully hit an enemy. You literally start as a no one. In Skyrim, you can slay anything at level one.

It was also harder to get things done in Morrowind, simply due to the "sketchy" directions (as in, go west when you find the big tree that's Northeast). In Skyrim, you get an arrow pointing you exactly where you need to go.

Like you, I started with Morrowind as well! Played it ALL THE TIME. But the fact is, for most people, Skyrim is way easier to get into simply because you can defeat anything from the get-go, and you're told where to go, as opposed to having to find it yourself.

[Logorouge]

Originally posted by SNPRancor:

Is it REALLY that hard?

I don't think it is. "Unfortunately", the game has a slight learning curve, which is a lot harder to overcome than no learning curve. Also, for some reason, earning great rewards later in a game seems less popular nowadays than being given meaningless rewards right now.

[MissGrimReaper]

I actualy never hear someone complainig that is hard to get into Morrowind. I just heard people complaining about how much battle system is crappy, and i heard some of them complaining how Morrowind is a stupid and boring game just because you need to read APSOLOUTLY everything. That is not problem for me.
I found Morrowind more fun than Skyrim and Oblivion, and i really like how Argonians look in Morrowind. I love Bloodmoon DLC it's the most fun DLC i ever played. Beated the Mages Guild, Beated Imperial Guild, now doing the Bloodmoon and 1000 other sidequests. NEVER gets boring to play. And i still remember that Wood Elf on begining...

And PRO TIP: I know nobody likes to play as Argonian because you can't wear Shoes and full helments. But i notised that there are many quests that require breathing under water for long time. And Argonians have special swiming animation. And if you really don't care what race you are take Nord. Because it's very usefull to have 50% frost resistance on Solsthiem.

[blackanvil110]

Originally posted by MissGrimReaper:

I actualy never hear someone complainig that is hard to get into Morrowind. I just heard people complaining about how much battle system is crappy, and i heard some of them complaining how Morrowind is a stupid and boring game just because you need to read APSOLOUTLY everything. That is not problem for me.
I found Morrowind more fun than Skyrim and Oblivion, and i really like how Argonians look in Morrowind. I love Bloodmoon DLC it's the most fun DLC i ever played. Beated the Mages Guild, Beated Imperial Guild, now doing the Bloodmoon and 1000 other sidequests. NEVER gets boring to play. And i still remember that Wood Elf on begining...

And PRO TIP: I know nobody likes to play as Argonian because you can't wear Shoes and full helments. But i notised that there are many quests that require breathing under water for long time. And Argonians have special swiming animation. And if you really don't care what race you are take Nord. Because it's very usefull to have 50% frost resistance on Solsthiem.

Hah, funny you should mention the Argonian thing. I'm actually starting a Let's Play as an Argonian myself- specifically for that huge Athletics boost.


But yeah, I think the big issue for most people is the slower pace of the whole thing. In Skyrim you're thrown right into the action in a Dragon attack. In Oblivion you start with the Emperor Himself helping you escape jail. In Morrowind you get off a boat. IV and V also put you through an exciting, action-y 'starter dungeon' before unleashing you on the world, whereas the Morrowind 'Starter Dungeon' is a smugglers den that half the players don't even know about before they hop on the silt-strider to Balmora. Same with the instructions and main quests- you know exactly what's going on right at the start of Oblivion and Skyrim- "Find the Emperor's Bastard Son" and "Kill Dragons", right there from the start. In Morrowind you're told "Go talk to this guy. He'll tell you to do stuff" and Caius is this weird drunkard skooma-head that gives you these random quests that have seemingly nothing to do with each other.

Morrowind also _requires_ that you do a lot more side-questing- and a lot of the stories and fun of the game happens during these side quests.


I mean, the combat's bad, and all, but it _is_ a 13 year old game. It was rubbing elbows with Duke Nukem Advance, Kingdom Hearts, Jet Set Radio Future and IWD2. For the time, the fact that you had 3 different attack animations for each weapon was pretty impressive.

[feliscon]

Originally posted by blackanvil110:

I mean, the combat's bad, and all, but it _is_ a 13 year old game. It was rubbing elbows with Duke Nukem Advance, Kingdom Hearts, Jet Set Radio Future and IWD2. For the time, the fact that you had 3 different attack animations for each weapon was pretty impressive.

Pretty sure KH was a few years after Morrowind :p

Also, the combat isn't bad. For people who like their character abilities in RPGs to actually be based on the character and not the player it has advantages over Oblivion and Skyrim.

[MissGrimReaper]

Originally posted by blackanvil110:

Originally posted by MissGrimReaper:

I actualy never hear someone complainig that is hard to get into Morrowind. I just heard people complaining about how much battle system is crappy, and i heard some of them complaining how Morrowind is a stupid and boring game just because you need to read APSOLOUTLY everything. That is not problem for me.
I found Morrowind more fun than Skyrim and Oblivion, and i really like how Argonians look in Morrowind. I love Bloodmoon DLC it's the most fun DLC i ever played. Beated the Mages Guild, Beated Imperial Guild, now doing the Bloodmoon and 1000 other sidequests. NEVER gets boring to play. And i still remember that Wood Elf on begining...

And PRO TIP: I know nobody likes to play as Argonian because you can't wear Shoes and full helments. But i notised that there are many quests that require breathing under water for long time. And Argonians have special swiming animation. And if you really don't care what race you are take Nord. Because it's very usefull to have 50% frost resistance on Solsthiem.

Hah, funny you should mention the Argonian thing. I'm actually starting a Let's Play as an Argonian myself- specifically for that huge Athletics boost.


But yeah, I think the big issue for most people is the slower pace of the whole thing. In Skyrim you're thrown right into the action in a Dragon attack. In Oblivion you start with the Emperor Himself helping you escape jail. In Morrowind you get off a boat. IV and V also put you through an exciting, action-y 'starter dungeon' before unleashing you on the world, whereas the Morrowind 'Starter Dungeon' is a smugglers den that half the players don't even know about before they hop on the silt-strider to Balmora. Same with the instructions and main quests- you know exactly what's going on right at the start of Oblivion and Skyrim- "Find the Emperor's Bastard Son" and "Kill Dragons", right there from the start. In Morrowind you're told "Go talk to this guy. He'll tell you to do stuff" and Caius is this weird drunkard skooma-head that gives you these random quests that have seemingly nothing to do with each other.

Morrowind also _requires_ that you do a lot more side-questing- and a lot of the stories and fun of the game happens during these side quests.


I mean, the combat's bad, and all, but it _is_ a 13 year old game. It was rubbing elbows with Duke Nukem Advance, Kingdom Hearts, Jet Set Radio Future and IWD2. For the time, the fact that you had 3 different attack animations for each weapon was pretty impressive.

What? Argonians have athletics boost? Lol i didn't know. Maybe because i use mod called RAMF Races are more fun, with this mod Argonian breathing under water is a constant effect. BUT THAT IS ACTUAL POINT! YOU are supossed to be one to decide what will you do, where are you going, whitch guild are you picking ect. I like how Oblivions intro was, Skyrim was cool, but Morrowinds was the best. They just drop you off to wander into Morrowind, no need for intros. And right, it is VERY old game, so combat mecanis are awesome to me i like them. Do you remember Daggerfall intro? The movie made cutscene? Now that was awesome back in that times.

[Clover]

It's hard to get into if you've never played older games before. The games coming out today condition us to be extremely impatient. Going back to games that do not hold your hand is obviously harder than playing Skyrim and coasting through the main quest without much thinking required.

[annoying spawncamper]

Me before playing dark souls 2: This game is hard.
Me after playing dark souls 2: This game is easy
In all seriousness,old games are very,very different.
Morrowind is one of the game who expects you to read/listen to the npcs and lacks a compass.

[[SNP]Rancor]

Originally posted by Val:

Me before playing dark souls 2: This game is hard.
Me after playing dark souls 2: This game is easy
In all seriousness,old games are very,very different.
Morrowind is one of the game who expects you to read/listen to the npcs and lacks a compass.

Truth be told, Dark Souls 2 difficulty is HIGHLY overrated. Pretty much ANY older action RPG (I didn't play manyof these) is at least on the same difficulty level.
Damn, even such an popular game as Gothic, or it's sequel, if you try to kill every monster on the map with each chapter you are in for some HARDCORE difficulty fights ;)

[Coconut Cream]

Newer games are more casual usually.

[MissGrimReaper]

I think older games are cool as much as are the new ones. I even today play Tomb Raider I .

[Munuxi]

Most of the complaints I've read seem to have to do with the awkward combat, Stamina affecting everything you do, text-based dialog, lack of directions and slow pace.

One thing I've always done, and still do, is read the manual before playing any new game for the first time. Do most gamers still read the game manuals?

If the manual for Morrowind were required reading before playing the game there would be no more threads titled "How can I heal?" "How can I restore magicka?" "How can I level up?" "Why am I not hitting anyone?" I believe.

[Hjelpmooglene]

Originally posted by Munuxi:

Most of the complaints I've read seem to have to do with the awkward combat, Stamina affecting everything you do, text-based dialog, lack of directions and slow pace.

One thing I've always done, and still do, is read the manual before playing any new game for the first time. Do most gamers still read the game manuals?

If the manual for Morrowind were required reading before playing the game there would be no more threads titled "How can I heal?" "How can I restore magicka?" "How can I level up?" "Why am I not hitting anyone?" I believe.

Probably not, also most people wouldn't know if there was a manual in the steam games. Although most games give you a nice tutorial.