So i finally got Morrowind, it runs really smoothly except when going into new areas but that's with like ever tes game, any ways, so I joined the fighters guild and of course, rats... so i went to kill them, and even though my cursor was right in the middle of their stupid little bodies, my dagger was missing, i was right close to them as well, so i started spamming to get them and i would hit rarely, is there a little tip or trick to killing things in this game?

Thanks in Advance.

Have the same problem and it bugs me. It's not like Oblivion and Skyrim where you actually hit things when you hit things. I was thinking it's just how the game is.

Well, Morrowind is a little different from newer games in that there is a chance-to-hit formula that determines whether or not you actually hit. The graphics don't show the reality. This is why character creation is very important at the beginning since having a decent weapon skill is vital. Your chance-to-hit is based on your weapon skill and the relative difference between your and your opponent's agility and luck.
Bottom line is to get your weapon skill above 50 ASAP and you shouldn't have too much trouble.

Make one weapon a major skill and use one of those weapon types in combat. Keep the weapon in good repair. Keep your fatigue bar maxed out. If you are fatigued, then you won’t do anything well. During combat your fatigue bar will empty, so use restore fatigue spells or potions to stay at your best. In fact, if you fortify your fatigue above your normal max with a spell or potion, then you will do things better for the duration of the effect.

If you're using a weapon that you're not skilled with, you've got pitiful odds of hitting with it. If you've been running everywhere and your fatigue bar is way down, it's far worse. If your Agility attribute is low, it will be a little bit more difficult still. If you're spamming the button, it seems to miss more often, and you'll do the listed MINIMUM damage for the weapon even if you do connect. Buying of finding a weapon that you have as a Major skill, and then drawing it back for a full-power attack, should give you "reasonable" hit rates, and a MAXIMUM power hit when you do.

I've had a starting character use a weapon with only a 5 skill, and it was pretty close to pointless against anything but a Mudcrab, and even that wasn't easy. With a 30-40 starting weapon skill (a Major skill, plus either a racial bonus or a +5 class bonus), Agility of 40 or higher, and a full fatigue bar, I generally manage about a 20-40% hit rate. You can stack bonuses by playing a fighter class (+5 to all Melee skills) with a racial bonus to a particular weapon (several give +10 bonuses to a particular weapon type), with Agility as one of your Favored Attributes or with a racial bonus (Agility will give a bonus to attacks), and taking the Warrior sign (a large to-hit bounus), you can pull off a 45-50 starting weapon skill with about a +25% bonus on attacks, and hit more often than not, right off the boat. By the time you hit level 5-8 or so, you should be hitting often enough that it won't really be a problem anymore.

Unfortunately, the lack of "miss" and "dodge" animations makes it look really stupid when you miss. If the weapon passed to the side, glanced off the target, or the target side-stepped or parried occasional attacks, rather than seeing the weapon pass harmlessly through the target, it wouldn't seem so annoying, in my opinion.

If your Short Sword skill is slightly serviceable (i.e. above 10) i t might help if you can get the Dwemer Jinkblade. That has a Paralyze for 10 secs on it, which will buy you some time between hits. I think the Redguard guy in the Fighter's Guild sells it, if memory serves.