FAQ

Page outdated, see https://openmw.org/faq/ for updated FAQ

What is OpenMW?
OpenMW is an attempt to reimplement the popular role playing game Morrowind. It aims to be a fully playable, open source implementation of the game. You must own Morrowind to use OpenMW.

To give you a better idea of what this project is about, here are some of the aims for the future of OpenMW:


 * Be a full featured reimplementation of Morrowind.
 * Run natively on Windows, Linux and MacOS X. (32-bit and 64-bit)
 * Support all existing content, including Tribunal, Bloodmoon and all user created mods.
 * Allow much greater modability: change game rules, create new spell effects, etc through scripting.
 * Fix system design bugs, like the "dirty" GMST entries in mods, and the savegame "doubling" problem.
 * Improve the interface and journal system.
 * (Possibly) Improve game mechanics, physics, combat and AI.
 * (Possibly) Support multiplayer at some point.
 * (Possibly) Improve graphics to use more modern hardware.

It's a pretty ambitious list, and there's a lot left to do before these goals can become reality. You should check below for information about the current development status.

OpenMW is released under the GNU General Public License version 3, and all source code has been written completely from scratch. It also builds on various other open source tools, most notably OGRE for graphics, and Bullet for collision (and possibly physics).

Who is OpenMW?
We are a diverse group of programmers, modders, hobbyists, and gamers. See the The Team page for a list of our members. Consider becoming one yourself!

How Do I Help?
If you have suggestions, ideas, comments, or if you want to contribute code, join the forums or take look at the Developer Checklist.

Do I need Morrowind?
Yes and no.

Yes...

You must legally own and install Morrowind before you can use OpenMW as it is intended - to play Morrowind. OpenMW is a reimplementation of the technical aspects of the game only. It does not come with any "content" - namely the art, game data, and other copyrighted material that you need to play the game as designed by Bethesda Softworks. You have to provide this content yourself by installing Morrowind and then configuring OpenMW to use the existing installation.

If you don't own currently Morrowind, seriously consider buying it. It's worth every penny even if it's no longer a "new" game. It is available on Steam.

No...

The above withstanding, OpenMW is an game engine in itself. It is possible for other projects to use OpenMW as a base for a total conversion of the game. At the moment all TCs require at least some Morrowind data files, though.

Status
OpenMW is in pre-alpha stage. Some work have been done on playable elements, but you can't load saved games. Check the Roadmap for the most current bleeding edge status information.

Supported Platforms
The new code base is pure C++ and should work on most platforms supported by OGRE and our other dependencies. That includes Windows XP and newer, Linux, MacOS X, FreeBSD and more.

If you want to help test or port OpenMW on other platforms, we'd love to hear from you on our forums.

Current Features

 * loading of a single esm file
 * loading of resources from bsa files and partially from the file system
 * rendering of interior cells (NPC rendering in very early stage)
 * partial rendering of exterior cells
 * parts of the GUI (journal, dialogue, maps, launcher)
 * partial implementation of health, magicka and fatigue
 * script controlled sounds
 * some object related sounds (only lights so far)
 * interaction with objects
 * moving between cells
 * locks on doors (keys not handled yet)
 * picking up objects
 * most of the script syntax (only missing the x.y construct and targeted scripts)
 * a part of the script instructions

What Technologies Does OpenMW Use?
OpenMW is built with various open source tools and libraries:


 * Programming language: C++
 * Graphics: OGRE
 * Physics: Bullet
 * Sound: OpenAL and Audiere
 * GUI: MyGUI
 * Input: OIS
 * Scripting: Homebrew implementation of Morrowind scripts.

The ESM/ESP and BSA loading code was written from scratch, but with much help from available community-generated documentation.

Likewise, the NIF (proprietary 3D mesh) loading code was written with the help of available online information. Special thanks to the NIFLA / NifTools gang!

(For an additional list of the technologies in use, see Development Environment Setup: Third-Party Libraries and Tools.)

What is the "Old" OpenMW vs the "New" OpenMW?
Old OpenMW is written in D with minor parts in C++. The founder of the project decided to move completely to C++, and so a big rewrite began. The reason was primarily to make it as easy as possible for developers to contribute.

All information gathered in this FAQ regards to the New OpenMW.

License and legal stuff
This page and its author, and OpenMW Team are not in any way associated with or supported by Bethesda Softworks or ZeniMax Media Inc. OpenMW is a completely unofficial hobbyist project.

This page does NOT distribute any game data or other copyrighted content not owned by the author. You MUST own a legal copy of Morrowind before you can use OpenMW. We absolutely do NOT support or condone pirated versions of the game. All source code is written from scratch and is released under the GNU General Public License version 3.

All fonts shipped with OpenMW are licensed under separate terms. Details can be found in the Readme file or in the Category:Font Licenses.

Morrowind, Tribunal, Bloodmoon, The Elder Scrolls, Bethesda Softworks, ZeniMax and their respective logos are registered trademarks of ZeniMax Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners.

All texures, models, designs, sounds and music reproduced in screenshots and videos are the property of ZeniMax Media Inc. unless otherwise specified.