“The daedra prince Clavicus Vile wished a weapon made,” she said. “It was to be an instrument of mischief in Nirn, a source of amusement for him, a weapon that would send him souls. At first, however, he couldn’t find a smith who could do the work. He spent months—some sources say years—in frustration, until the witch Naenra Waerr came forth. She made the weapon, but it was unstable, and she told the prince that he would have to imbue it with some of his own power to make it whole and communicate with it on the mortal plane. Vile gave her the power she asked for. But it appears she tricked him, and some even speculate the witch was actually none other than Sheogorath, the Madgod, in disguise.”
“Tricked him how?”
“I said appears,” Nirai said. “It’s unclear whether what happened was part of a plan or merely the result of tampering with daedric forces. The sword is a soul stealer, and over time it comes to possess its owner. But whether by design, or by contact with human souls, or simply because it is in the nature of daedric energies, in time the part of Vile that was in the sword became a thing of its own, a sentient being.”
“Our goal is to continue to be the Elder Scrolls. Right? Weirdness is part and parcel of the chemistry of the setting,” Bill Slavicsek tells me. “We love to add our own, we throw our own ingredients into the mix of this deliciously weird stew that’s been cooking for ten years.”
Ithalia does not threaten reality out of maliciousness (Molag Bal) or as part of what they believe is theirs by right (Mehrunes Dagon), or even intentionally, but as a mere side effect of her sphere which she's not even aware of."I'm almost sorry that we probably won't be able to bring her back in the future because of the fact that she doesn't exist in Oblivion or Skyrim or whatever," narrative director Bill Slavicsek tells me. "But it all makes sense and I'm happy with the way it came out.
"Without going into spoilers, obviously she's not around in the future. So, we do find a way to solve that by the end of the story that I think is satisfying and makes sense. But I'll leave that to the players to see when they get there."
"We did a big matrix of all the Daedric Princes to see where the holes in the portfolios were," Slavicsek says. "We wanted a Prince that wasn't quite as over-the-top evil as Molag Bal or Mehrune's Dagon, and a good foil from Hermaeus Mora at the same time. So we tried to think, 'What would it look like with followers of hers in the Mythic Age or the early age? What would they seek from a Daedric Prince like this?'
"That's where we got the idea of the Many Paths and travel and journeys. We assumed that her early Ayleid followers would have prayed to her or offered a sacrifice before they went on a long travel or trip. It's not so much that she wants to destroy everything, it's just a byproduct she was not even aware of."
I asked creative director Rich Lambert whether the new jungle in Gold Coast was a purposeful answer to the controversy - "Absolutely."
"There's lots of things that go into building a chapter or building a zone and we wanted to really make this special. So as we were going through and deciding biomes, we knew how to make a forest look cool. So we hit on that autumn stuff really soon.
"But then when we started going through, it's like, 'What would happen if we did this? That's always been a thing the lore hounds have commented on. 'What if we just did this? Would anybody pick up on it?' And obviously, you did right away."
For instance, a throwaway line in a book from an older game is often a good jumping off point for them to expand on the lore.We start by doing our own research,” Slavicsek explains. “We look at the various websites that collect material, we play the original game, we play our own game because there’s ten years of history to catch up on. We’ll create a style guide for a zone and Michael will create a document about lore saying, don’t violate this and here’s the lore he’s suggesting and if we can find a place for it – let’s use it. Then we begin to create our own stuff, making it fit with what we want to do.”
“I view the reams of stuff out there as an opportunity, not a barrier to surmount,” Lenke says. “If someone’s written a throwaway sentence in a book somewhere in Morrowind, that’s a fun hook for us to use as a jumping off point, rather than a set of shackles that we have to wear.”
In the upcoming Gold Road expansion, there are weird 'timey-wimey' things happening in the side story called The In-Between.Necrom was this kind of weird alien kind of vibe. It was cosmic horror. We started talking about, you know, how do you make that feel different? We wanted to focus a little bit more on something grounded in the world. Then we started talking about, well, what does that mean? How does that work? What does it look like?
There's lots of cool stories. One of my favorite objectives, or side stories if you will, in Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road is called the In-Between. It is a location in the zone where just weird stuff is happening. Almost, kind of like, weird, timey-wimey things are happening. And there's a reason why, it's just a really clever story, a really interesting kind of objective, and you get to learn many cool things.
There’s no meandering cloud or contained ball involved here; casting Shock Bolt will let loose a white-hot lightning bolt, which rips through the air towards the target and then chains out to anyone unlucky enough to be standing within the area of impact.
“The Lucent Citadel is an ancient Daedric vault located in the wastelands of Fargrave, and until recently the monstrous residents of the citadel have been dormant,” says Senior Content Designer Shane Slama. “Ithelia’s return has triggered their awakening and attracted a number of interested parties in search of something called the Arcane Knot.”
There are summons, spells & enchantments that can increase the casters speed. Todd Howard says that the Boots of Blinding Speed make you run like the Flash, but also make you blind.Jonric: In addition to the new Conjuration school, what other changes should players expect to see? Which schools will carry over from the six in Daggerfall? How much variety will there be in spells and effects?
Victor Breuggemann: The six schools of magic in Morrowind are Alteration, Destruction, Mysticism, Illusion, Restoration, and Conjuration. Alteration effects include protective shields, encumbrance changes, and flight. Destruction is the heavy hitter school of blowing stuff up through a variety of elemental effects, as well as debuffing resistances. Mysticism covers detections, teleportation, absorptions and spell reflection. The illusion school covers most of the effects that affect the minds and motivations of others in subtle ways, as well as sight and sound… and of course, invisibility. Restoration covers not only healing and curing spells, but also buffs and enhancements of a wide variety of attributes. Conjuration is summoning and control.
Jonric: As a player rather than a developer, what are a couple of elements, spells or other aspects of Morrowind's magic system that you find especially fun or interesting, and why?
Steve Meister: I've really enjoyed creating spells that I use to torture-test the magic system. I have a spell called, well, let's say it's the same thing that's on Samuel Jackson's wallet in Pulp Fiction. This spell summons three creatures to do my bidding, adds some bound armor and a bound longsword, and increases my speed ability. I can make short work of a group of guards with spells like this, and it's fun to sit back and watch my minions wail away on the bad guys for me! I also enjoy shooting fireballs down dark corridors or valleys, to light up and reveal the unseen….
Victor Breuggemann: I like the way this system lends itself to a wide variety of play styles… I like playing the sniper, reducing a monster's movement abilities, or flying out of its reach, and blasting it from relative safety. But it's just as viable to buff yourself up and take them head-on, or to bypass them entirely using stealth and invisibility. It's really up to the player how they want to play the game.
Todd Howard: I created the "Boots of Blinding Speed." Which make you run like The Flash… but also make you blind. I thought it was hilarious. They're in the game now as a quest reward. So if you get in a bad fight, point yourself toward the hills, put on the boots, and wooooosh… you're off. But you can't see a thing while you're wearing them.
Jonric: The Breton, Imperial, Redguard and Nord races all appear to be human. What similarities exist within this group, and more importantly, what are the important differences that will allow each one to offer a distinctive playing experience?
Todd Howard: They are all human, but gameplay-wise, they are very different. Each has unique bonuses and special powers. The Bretons are magical in nature and have special powers like “Dragon Skin.” Redguards are quick warriors and get the “Adrenaline Rush” power. Nords are endurance-based heavy warriors, with powers like the “Thunder Fist.” Finally, Imperials are the statesmen and persuaders who have the “Voice of the Emperor.” Each of these options offers really different things you can do in the game.
Ken Rolsten once again says that Redoran architecture is inspired by the giant insects of Morrowind.Jonric: In what particular part of Tamriel does Morrowind takes place? What are the main distinguishing features of this area? What are some of the major landmarks or notable locations?
Ken Rolston: The action of MORROWIND takes place on the volcanic island of Vvardenfell in the home province of the Dunmer, the Dark Elven race of Tamriel. Only a small portion of the island is settled, notably the district seats of the three Great Houses and the cosmopolitan city of Vivec. Balmora, seat of House Hlaalu, is small, crowded, and prosperous. Ald'ruhn, city of the noble Redoran, features their distinctive architectural style inspired by the forms of the giant bug-like megafauna. The Telvanni House seat, Sadrith Mora, is noted for its wizard's towers grown from giant mushrooms. And Vivec is known for its broad canals and towering cantons, the palace of the God-King, Vivec, and the Ministry of Truth, a moon permanently suspended above the city by Vivec's divine will. The rest of the island is covered with hostile wilderness - barren ash wastes, rugged highlands, wind-swept plains - all dominated by the towering central volcano, Dagoth Ur.
Jonric: How many different communities will there be, and how will they differ in terms of size and cultural/thematic influences and variety?
Ken Rolston: The native Dunmer of the three Great Houses are the dominant culture. House Hlaalu architecture looks something like the civilized and prosperous Near East of Roman Imperial times. House Redoran architecture borrows its forms from the organic curves of native giant insects, and the Redoran themselves are conservative and aristocratic. House Telvanni is dominated by its ruling class of thousand-year-old wizards, and is eccentric and intimidating in customs and appearance.
Another native Dunmer cultural style is that of the Tribunal Temple, an austere and grand monumental architecture, the predominant style of the city of Vivec. Distinct from the Great House cultures, the Ashlanders are Dunmer of an antique nomadic barbarian culture very unlike the settled Dark Elves of town and city. Many colonists of all races have come to Vvardenfell, and the Imperial style of towns like Pelagiad and Caldera recalls the towns of Daggerfall, medieval and Western European in flavor. In addition, there are several other architectural styles representing ancient and lost cultures. Many different communities, with sharply contrasting appearances, lifestyles, and values
Desslock: Does Battlespire take place entirely within the "test proving grounds"? How varied are the locations within the Battlespire?
Ken: Battlespire does not take place exclusively within Battlespire. The games action takes place initially in Battlespire, but proceeds through a sequence of pocket dimensions as the hero backtracks the invading daedric troops to the citadel and private retreat of Mehrunes Dagon.
Q: Anyone who's seen the screenshots can attest to the outlandish look of a lot of the game. Where are some places that you're drawing inspiration from to come up with your designs? What do you do to ensure an original look for each style?
Matt C: I've been inspired by a variety of sources and it is difficult to say exactly how the look of the game developed. Michael Kirkbride created a lot of the concept designs and I use those as a starting point. When I come to an area that hasn't been illustrated I try to blend together elements from reality with the existing look of the game. I based some of the Hlaalu architecture on Mediterranean houses and combined that with some existing elements in the game to create a unique style. There are several cultures represented in the game with the primary focus being the Dark Elves. All of these groups have a unique look and they are so varied that it is easy to keep them separate. The difficult part is coming up with the look of a certain style.
IGN: Dragons seem like they're going to be integral to progression in Skyrim. Would you be able to say roughly how many dragons are in the game? Are the encounters determined by the story, or can you choose to lock into combat with a dragon whenever you want? What do you gain by fighting and defeating a dragon?
Todd Howard: I honestly don't know the exact number yet. Some are scripted to appear at certain times, and some are completely random. We're currently messing with that number, and it also depends on how you play the game. I got randomly hunted by three of them at once in the game last week, and I assure you that's too many at once. I can guess a low number of maybe a dozen, and a high number many multiples beyond that. Theoretically it's infinite I guess, since we put them in the world like any other creature. We went into the project being very conservative about how we'd use them, but they've turned out great, so we want them to get good screen time. When you defeat a dragon, you absorb its soul, and that's all I should say about that for now.
Todd Howard: You'll find out early in the game that Mournhold is built upon the ruins of ancient Mournhold, which is now overrun by goblins, so beneath the city is a huge dungeon area. The Fabricants, again not wanting to spoil anything, are awesome creatures. At one point, a small army of them attack Mournhold, and finding out who they are and why they've come is a major part of the story.
GameSpy: Tell us about the "clock work city of Sothil-Sil" that sounds really interesting!
Todd Howard: Each of the three Tribunal members has their own city, and Sotha Sil is the one that is hidden away from the world. No one has ever been to it. It's mysterious and missing. People talk about it in whispers and such. So finding it is part of the Tribunal story.
Jonric: Please elaborate on the three Great House factions. How do they differ from one another, and also from the other factions? Why is membership mutually exclusive? Is it advantageous in any way to join one or more other factions but not a Great House?
Ken Rolston: House Redoran is the best choice for straightforward, two-fisted, honorable heroes. House Hlaalu is a more morally ambiguous faction, suited for thieves, agents, and tricksters. House Telvanni is the most morally and thematically complex Great House, as befits a faction dominated by eccentric, pragmatic 2000-year-old wizards. The Great House factions, their themes, and quests, are another level of scale in terms of detail, implementation, narrative, and gameplay from the other factions.
HomeLAN - Bloodmoon has a horror theme it. What can you tell us about the new creatures that will be a part of the expansion pack?
Ashley Cheng - The Draugr -- undead, flesh-eating zombies who used to be Nords -- are among my favorite. We also have wolves and bears roaming the wilderness. We have a frozen lake full of Horkers, who can both swim and move on land. We have lots of Rieklings who are these small ice warriors with deadly weapons and who also ride Frost Boars for more mobility and strength.
Battlespire
I did the voices of the scamps. "Keys? Keys in dark, NASTY place. Near my tail. Want look? See?" I loved them to pieces.
I truly loved level 5, the Chimera of Desolation, an island floating in the oceans of Oblivion. At the time, that was the first time I'd seen a exterior location worth exploring in a computer game. It set the standard for what I wanted to see in future CRPGs.
And, by the way, I'm the guy who stuck the scamp there that follows you around everywhere, admiring your thighs.
Q: Half-Life 2 raised the physics bar very high in terms of item manipulation and realistic behavioral physics. Will Oblivion feature the same kind of physics depth? How will physics affect gameplay?
A:Imagine some of the spells that were in Morrowind like telekinesis and paralysis, huge area effect fireball explosions – imagine what we could do with realistic physics. Well, after we ship Oblivion, you won’t have to imagine anymore.
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