» Wed Jul 06, 2011 10:13 am Questions are in Bold, Haplo's answers are right under each question in red.
- Can you please introduce yourself?
I'm Haplo (haplobartow or Haplo12345 in some circles), and I'm one of two administrators for the Tamriel Rebuilt project.
How long have you been working with on this project?
Since early winter 2002... so I've been with TR for nearly 9 full years now. The oldest remaining member.
What did you start out doing for the project?
In the beginning, I mainly wrote things... books, basically. I did a few interior cells and got started on exteriors after my first year or so.
What do you do now?
As administrator, I help organize the project's goals, make sure everyone is on the same page and working well together, as well as various administrative tasks such as forum and website maintenance. On the modding side, I still create exteriors and interiors every so often, and I do final reviews of exterior claims and I also (try to) review all the dialogue in the mod, not including books (that's a task in and of itself! Additionally, I maintain and update TR_Data, or Data Files .bsa archive that contains everything we need to use for Tamriel Rebuilt.
Have you done mods outside of Tamriel Rebuilt?
I do a little tinkering around on my own from time to time. I've never released anything to the public, though.
How many times have you played through Morrowind? When was the last time you were able to?
I think I've played through the original game twice. I do a lot of halfway playing though. The last time was probably a few months ago.
Do you have a favorite faction, race, or play style?
I usually play Dunmer or some times Nords... and usually as spellswords or warriors. Sometimes I try to play battlemages, including my most recent Gix-inspired Breton mage, but I usually end up using my longsword more often than anything else
Most enjoyable memory of the game?
Probably the first time I got full bonemold armor... I thought I was so badass...
Do you use any particular mods when you play?
I have some higher resolution texture replacers that are faithful to the original textures, but other than that, I don't use any mods.
Working on this as long as you have, do you plan to go through Tamriel Rebuilt when it's fully finished?
I do, although I don't forsee it taking another 9 years
What are you most excited to work on?
At this point, I'm mostly excited about getting Necrom finished, finally!
What’s the most rewarding aspect of working on Tamriel Rebuilt?
The most rewarding thing for me is probably the satisfaction of working so hard on a specific aspect of the project, and then finally seeing it finished, and then finding out what other people think of the job we did.
Do you or the Tamriel Rebuilt Team have any future projects?
We don't have any plans after we finish the mainland... what we're working on now is work enough; we'll worry about what's next when we get there.
Favorite Npc, and Town?
I don't have any particular favorites, although I do think our best work is yet to come. Specific things to look for are House Indoril and Dres, the cities of Kragenmoor, Baan Malur, and Narsis.
Do you have anything to say for people who are interested in modding Morrowind or joining Tamriel Rebuilt?
If you're interested in modding morrowind or working on a big project like TR, come with an open mind! There are huge differences between working on your own and working in a group. And if you do end up working by yourself, work for yourself... not for others.
Anything particular you're pushing for in TR?
Right now, everyone is mostly trying to push Sacred East out the door. Aside from that, there are a lot of busy feet on the ground in regards to the areas of the mainland that border Skyrim.
Have you placed any personal Easter eggs in TR?
Well... I don't want to spoil the surprise! You'll find plenty of Easter eggs in our work, but nothing really out of place, I don't think.
Are there any plans to create a "main storyline" for the TR map project or multiple ones for each region?
A long time ago, some time back in 2003, a "main quest" was in the works... but as time went on and we realized the amount of time there was between each release, the more we believed it would be useless to create a main quest in parts and release it bit by bit... nowadays, we are focused mostly on miscellaneous quest lines and faction quest lines. While these do cross individual map lines, they are generally region-specific.
That being said, there are no plans for or against a "main quest" at present... so we could go either way in the future. It really depends on where we are in the creative process, and how much of a story is left to tell when we get to that point.
Plans Daggerfall or Oblivion artifacts coming to the mainland? Such as the Staff of the Everscamp?
I think there are a few of those that have found their way to the mainland, but I can't speak to which ones, specifically. There are also some new artifacts and hidden treasures to be found that weren't in the previous games, or on Vvardenfell, either!
Besides the creatures release in the first two TR maps, can we expect additional creatures with upcoming map releases, along with ways to summon some of them?
Definitely. Creatures are a special case at Tamriel Rebuilt; the vast majority of them were created years before Oblivion was released, and it shows. We've recently begun redoing some of the more heinous creations, such as the trolls and the daedric bat (yes, that fiend of a bat is being removed!), and the replacements are really spectacular. I can't wait to see how they are received by the community. I imagine we will include some opportunities for players to summon certain of those creatures, as well.
I've seen a lot of development of the major city Necrom. It seems to be getting a lot of special treatment; can you tell me what you have planned?
We've poured ourselves into redoing this city the best way possible. Designing it from the ground up in terms of the culture, the architecture, the history... it has been one heck of a process. I don't want to spoil any big surprises, but rest assured that the city will not disappoint. There will be all manner of quests for this holiest of cities; everyone, from newcomers to Temple veterans, will find a challenge in the story line. The story line is actually still in development... so if anyone wants to get their hands in on the creation of one of TR's best cities may have an opportunity if they move quickly!
Is Necrom the last thing that needs to be finished before Sacred East is released?
Not quite; there's one other area that's being worked on right now. Necrom is our main focus, however.
Will the Imperial Cult & the Imperial Legion be as proactive on the mainland?
Not quite so much, and here's why: Vvardenfell was recently colonized (relatively speaking), so it's new grounds for everyone, the Empire included. The mainland has been home to Dunmer for many centuries, and so their practices and ways of life are quite entrenched. While there will be Imperial forts thanks to the Armistice, these forts won't really run things in the area the way they try to do on Vvardenfell... they're more simply "tolerated" on the mainland.
That's not to say, however, that players who join these factions won't have an opportunity to change that. More will be revealed once we get further along in the quests for those factions
Does this include the East Empire Company as well?
There should be some East Empire Company opportunities, but I'm not sure what we have planned, if anything, yet. They'll mostly be based along the southern and western sides of the mainland.
What can we expect from the Imperial guilds (Mage, Thieves, & Fighters) on the mainland?
Players have already had a taste of what these guilds will be like based upon what they've seen in Telvannis and Antediluvian Secrets, and in the future they can expect more improvements, more excitement, and more challenges. Whether you travel by stealth, magic, or might, your skill in each will be tested thoroughly with the best designs and quests our team can create.
However, I think Sacred East might be a bit light on Imperial Guild involvement, focusing more on the Dunmer and their culture.
Any guild conflicts?
As for guild conflicts... one word: yes! Politics thrive on conflict, and there will be plenty of that in Tamriel Rebuilt. Thieves will be forced to decide whether they are willing to steal from fellow guild members or risk expulsion, fighters will be tasked with protecting either the thieves or the mages, (or both, should they dare), and spellcasters will find themselves fighting to save their entire guild from forces unknown.
The Twin Lamps was almost a faction on its own, will there be opportunities both for and against this group?
I can't say just yet, but there will be much more news on that comes time for our Narsis and Dres releases.
Have we seen the last of the Dark Brotherhood?
There have been a few reports of assassins in the areas around Almalexia... but whether this is the Dark Brotherhood or not is still a mystery, since no one survives to tell the tale.
Can you give a run down on what you have in store for each Great House?
I can try, without giving too much away.
The Telvanni have been somewhat introduced with Telvannis and Antediluvian Secrets... and as their plot continues, players will find themselves dealing with even crazier experiments, plot twists, and classic Telvanni drama.
As for the Indoril, time has seen them dwindle to a fraction of their once-great might. While still quite powerful, having the ear of the Temple, the Indoril are struggling to remain relevant and a changing era, and are on the lookout for any sort of power struggle.
Redoran, Hlaalu, and Dres are still very much in the air; it's still too early to say with any kind of certainty what their stories will look like... however, I can say that they will revolve largely around trade.
So who gets to trade what, and where, will determine a lot of what happens to those Great Houses as far as power, dominance, and territory are concerned. The player will have a hand in shaping that, as well.
Will Dres and Indoril be joinable? Assuming you can still join only one house as well.
Definitely. Great House Dres and Great House Indoril will both be joinable... although Dres will be more difficult... especially if you are not a Dunmer. Nothing is impossible, though. The same exclusivity rule will apply to these two houses that applied to the three in Vvardenfell, in that they won't want to take you if you are already in another family.
Will there be new joinable factions in TR (besides house Dres, and house Indoril)? Can you give out any details?
We will be including the Imperial Archaeologist Society, which I think is referred to in Antediluvian Secrets. I'm not sure if that will be a fully-fledged faction, but there will be quests involved.
I also know we will have some literature about the Dust Adepts, but they won't be a faction, per se.
How is your team handling Pilgrimages for the temple? Is your team strictly following books?
We're actually doing most of them from the ground up.
Vampires?
The only thing I can tell you about vampires is, the Dres council will not be a bunch of vampires
We DO have some vampires that will be involved in at least one major miscellaneous quest, which will be occurring either in Sacred East or Almalexia (I can't remember which... but probably Almalexia)
Tamriel Rebuilt probably won't modify the way vampires, or the vampirism disease, work in that manner. The methods for obtaining and curing vampirism will likely remain the same.
Do the Vampires Clans of Vvardenfell continue their bloodline on the mainland?
There will be some vampires from the original three lines on the mainland, yes.
Are there more clans on the mainland?
Not that I know of.
Will we be seeing new vampire only quests?
I have no clue; none have been planned yet, but there are still plenty of opportunities for that to happen.
Out there question, but will we see an npc with Porphyric Hemophilia and Sanies Lupinus?
We have no plans for that at this time.
Werewolves on the mainland? or quests for a Werewolf Player?
I think we're going to keep werewolves to Solstheim for now. They may appear at the northwestern tip of Morrowind, but that is a long way off from where we are now.
Will there be any Romance options? Similar to being Ahnassi's "Special" friend.
Haha, I'm not sure. It might be humorous to try... given the right opportunity.
Can we expect a player owned stronghold or buying a home on the mainland?
For Great House Indoril and Great House Dres, yes. Since there are opportunities to get strongholds for Redoran, Telvanni, and Hlaalu on Vvardenfell, they won't offer you a second stronghold on the mainland.
There are, however, certain opportunities during the Great House quest lines where you may find yourself in situations where certain people may no longer have any need for their house... but I won't say any more on that.
Last Words and Closing Thoughts.
Viva Morrowind!
