E3 2001 Preshow ReportThe Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
Take a look at the E3 build of this visually impressive role-playing game.
The third installment in Bethesda's Elder Scrolls role-playing game series will feature an advanced 3D graphics technology designed to rival the latest first-person shooter engines. Like the previous games in the series, Morrowind will feature a nonlinear storyline made up of a wide variety of major and minor quests. Players will begin the game as a lowly messenger, and they will have complete freedom in choosing which quests to undertake and what alliances they make. The world featured in the game will include a large number of areas to explore and several cities, and each race featured in the game will have a distinctive culture and style of architecture. The game will feature a number of playable races--the redguard, breton, nord, high elf, dark elf, wood elf, imperial, argonian, and khajiit--and more than 50 types of monsters.
Combat in the game will be based on three main attacks: slash, chop, and jab. Each weapon in the game will be most effective with a specific attack--spears, for instance, are more effective when used with a jab, while axes are better used with the chop attack. The game will also feature a complex skill-based role-playing system, as well as a wide variety of spells, potions, and other items.
Bethesda decided to forgo multiplayer support in favor of creating the ultimate single-player role-playing experience, and to extend the longevity of the game, the developer is including one of the most comprehensive game editors ever to ship with a role-playing game. In addition to building complete scenarios and scripting quests, the game editor will let players adjust the statistics of weapons, spells, potions, and other items, as well as monsters and non-player characters.
Bethesda will be showing an early build of the game at E3 that will include several cities and other game areas, as well as looks at a number of the monsters and playable races. Morrowind is scheduled for release near the end of the year.
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