In part one of our two-part preview, we delve into Bethesda's upcoming RPG
By - Dave "Fargo" Kosak
Politics and Religion
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There's very little that keeps the whole district from collapsing into anarchy, infighting, and civil war. The unquestioned military dominance of the Imperial Legion helps keep the great houses under control. But more important is the shrewd political maneuvering of the reigning Duke. Lord Vedam Dren, Duke of Ebonheart and Vvardenfell, presides over Vvardenfell's District Council. It's up to him to keep the various houses happy ... and in line.
His job isn't easy, since everyone has conflicting values. The island's predominant religion is known simply as The Temple, and it worships a trio of ancient God-Kings as the one true religion. House Redoran is a strong supporter of The Temple. At the other extreme, the Imperial colonists and the merchants of House Hlaalu favor increased tolerance, free trade and expansion to tap the resources Vvardenfell has to offer. Further adding to the tension are the sorcerer-lords of House Telvanni, whose motives as they switch alliances are as obscure as the arcane formulas they study. In order to get ahead in the world of Morrowind, you're going to have to ally yourself with one of these factions. And that means you'll have to take sides ... a risky proposition indeed.
Crime and Punishment
The central part of the island is a barren ashland such as this.
Any civilized area on the map will be heavily patrolled by local law enforcers, from the familiar Imperial Legionnaires to the towering golden figures of Vivec's imposing "Ordinators." If you commit a crime within sight of a civilian, you'll be reported to the authories (and, in many cases, attacked by the victim.) Fortunately, the justice system is lax for petty offenders. If you voluntarily report yourself to a nearby officer you can usually get off the hook by paying a fine. Keep plenty of cash on hand, since guards don't barter! If you don't pay the fine and get caught, you may be forced to spend some time in jail. You'll be stuck in a dank cell and you'll lose stats and skill points for every day you spend in that miserable dump. My advice? Stick to the right side of the law. Or, as the Hlaalu would recommend, don't get caught.
Of course, if your crimes are too severe, your reputation will begin to get the better of you. Known murderers will have more than fines to deal with ... there will be a price on your head, and guards may decide to kill you on sight. Tread lightly, or tread well-armed!
Fun Morrowind Facts
Morrowind is a game unlike any other to date, due to both the freedom it gives the player and to the power behind the advanced graphics engine. The designers claim that the engine is "better than any roleplaying game ever released and on par with the best first-person shooters available today." Now, you shouldn't expect the frame rate that you'd get from something like Quake, but for pure gorgeous graphics it's hard to beat Morrowind. The engine pumps out not only intricate details for the monsters and NPCs, but also a wealth of items to interact with inside of buildings or in the wilderness. The developers gave us this fun chart that gives you an idea of what to expect:
Non-player characters (NPCs) in the world: 3,244
NPCs in the world that you can't kill: 0
NPCs in the world you can't kill if you want to finish the main quest: 1
NPCs who start the game dead: 63
NPCs who start the game wearing no pants: 5
Number of empty bottles per capita in Morrowind: 1.89
Standard-size novels' worth of text in Morrowind: 6
Variations of creatures wanting to turn you into a fine paste: 217
Hand-placed objects in the world: 316,042
Dungeons in the game: More than 300
Polygon count for a fully-armored Ordinator character: 5,000
(most games feature 2,000-poly characters)
Polygon count for a skeleton: 5,000
Total number of different characters you can create and play: 480 billion
Famous TV super heroines whose voices are used: 1
(Lynda Carter is the voice of the female Nord characters in the game. Read the GameSpy Interview)
Basic spells in the game: More than 500
Additional spells that can be player-created during the game: 150 billion
Talking crabs in Morrowind: 1
Morrowind looks to be a real roleplayer's roleplaying game. Stay tuned for our hands-on experience with the engine in action -- come back tomorrow for Part II of our Morrowind weekend!