So the guy who put out the video countering the "Elder Scrolls: Dumbing Down" video just put out a new one, this time focusing on Morrowind (and to a smaller extent SkyWind): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf0jiOpD-AQ

There's a lot we could discuss here, so I'm more than happy to let people jump on and discuss any point they want to as it's quite loaded with potential topics, but I took away two interesting points I'd love to get some of your thoughts on:

-The idea of a "remake" in video games in general, and in Elder Scrolls specifically. The video's author SorcererDave lays out how remaking a video game is very different from remaking a film, essentially because of the interactive nature of games vs the more passive consumption of films. He points out that this interactivity (gameplay essentially) is the biggest factor in how "good" or enjoyable a game is. In the same vein, gameplay is tied to a game's engine, which means that the engine is the biggest deciding factor. A remake, whether its fanmade like MorrOblivion and SkyWind or a hypothetical official remake by Bethesda, would inevitably use a different engine. Thus the remake would "play" differently, no matter how closely it tried to emulate the original, and would inevitably result in the "loss" of something that made the original what it was that could not be made up through any "improvements" it makes.

-The concept of Morrowind as a "playground" vs Oblivion and Skyrim as "theme parks" due to Morrowind providing more freedom and player agency than either game, and how this fits into the open world design of TES and what makes it special/unique.

edit: sorry about the thread name. Couldn't think of a good one so I decided to come back to it and then totally forgot before hitting "submit".

I will look into since I do like his let's plays

Great video, and I think calling Oblivion and Skyrim theme parks is pretty spot on, though it applies more to Skyrim.

One thing that I find odd is when he says that Morrowind doesn't hold your hand, and doesn't insult the player's intelligence.

I'd say he does a very good job of pointing at the intangible quality that sets Morrowind apart from the rest of the series.

Interesting topic. I will watch the video when I get a chance. But I wanted to jump on quickly to say I think you are spot on with your comments about the engine. I personally have no interest whatsoever in either of those two fan made remakes for precisely that reason. Squeezing a game into another engine that may be more advanced technically but is also more restrictive in terms of what can be done in game (number of skills, chance to fail, ability to persuade NPCs, lock picking, etc.) just does not interest me at all. Although there is another fan made remake of Morrowind that I am very interested (Open MW) because it will be the original engine but optimized for modern hardware and operating systems and will allow much more flexibility for modding.

The inclusion of a "chance for failure" was a fundamental aspect of Morrowind, Daggerfall, and most other "character-stat" based RPGs. The revised engine used in OB and SR doesn't really handle things the same way, although there were ways to work around it (as evidenced by the "Auto" option in Lockpicking, or several mods that add random chances for Speechcraft, etc.). I believe that the newer engine could have been "forced" into providing close to the same style of gameplay, but that might have led to other issues.

That was a very enjoyable video. I'm glad to see that he's capable of pointing out flaws at the same time as praising its successes. I have to say I wholly agree with him, probably because I've come to the same conclusion myself. Morrowind is greater than the sum of its parts, and no remake will ever capture that feeling. I love Oblivion and Skyrim dearly, but they are more restrictive in what the player can do. They don't provide that "toybox" with which to tinker and play.

However, I do believe Skyrim has potential, and while I don't really want to play Skywind, I am very interested, and am trying to take an active role in Beyond Skyrim. Why? Because Skyrim is a fantastic game, like Morrowind it has its flaws. Some things from Morrowind, or even Arena and Daggerfall, will never translate properly into Skyrim. Some things will, and I believe that with a lot of work, and time, and dedication that Skyrim will one day stand on a pinnacle of its own. It won't be Morrowind, it's not trying to be, its simply doing the best it can.

Between Beyond Skyrim adding the rest of the continent, and the modding community creating new techniques and tools, alongside my own efforts to learn to mod and create a plethora of plugins to improve Skyrim itself, and eventually cover Beyond Skyrim too, Skyrim will be the glorious game that any fan of Morrowind would enjoy playing, regardless of whether they liked Vanilla Skyrim or not.