Wishlist

'''Important: This is not a list of planned features. Rather, it is the result of continuous brainstorming among developers, users, and other interested people. Some of these ideas might be implemented. Many of them might be suited for mods, i.e. while it wouldn't be wise to put them directly into the engine or even make them the default behaviour, we may be able to provide the necessary means for others to mod these changes in if they want to. There will also be suggestions in this list which will be impossible to do, and others might not even be desired by more than a handful of people (and strongly opposed by others). The purpose of this list is to collect all these requests and ideas in one place, and perhaps link individual pages to them which discuss the details, so that we won't have to start the discussion over every time an idea is mentioned again.'''

Various ideas for improving Morrowind's mechanics
Should you wish to post some ideas relating to gameplay mechanics, feel free to append your idea to the following pages, or create your own.


 * The combat system
 * The magic system
 * Ideas/Magic/Schools
 * Alternate methods of magical attack
 * Casting styles
 * Support for Python or another advanced scripting language for better flexibility.

They are also linked in Category:Gameplay Ideas

General

 * more efficient use of system resources
 * faster loading time
 * better FPS
 * improved stability
 * support for multi-core CPUs
 * allow various input devices, including VR gloves and Gamepads (SixAxis, Logitech)
 * have changes from the old engine (if possible) be toggle-able so that if someone doesn't want the changes to combat for example, they can use the vanilla Morrowind version
 * Random world generator with heightmap, texture, world objects, dungeons, towns, different climate and terrain types, and simple quest generation system.

Multiplayer options
This could be handled by selectively saving Characters and Worlds. Saved Characters could then be imported into existing worlds, and new characters could be created inside them. Features of this could include:


 * World Data randomized; trees, plants, and animals placed automatically, based on terrain settings attached to the textures used in landscaping. Each world would be subtly different, but creating a new one would take time, while loading a saved world would be quicker.
 * Characters could visit a host's world over LAN or the internet for challenges, quests they need help for, or just getting together with their MW friends.
 * PC information, including quests, inventory, and location, would all be attached to the PC's savegame, allowing PCs to take on big quest monsters and tough NPCs with help, then keep their journals. All (met) NPC reactions to the PC would also be transferred here.
 * PCs would be required to save changes to their characters if changes have occurred (such as inventory drop). Baldur's Gate neglected this detail, so high-level characters could be imported, drop their stuff without saving, and reload.
 * World events could be scripted to progress regardless of PC interaction, so PC could become involved in any quest at any stage. This feature would require a great deal of effort, high NPC AI, and a lot more things to be done. It might also include geologic changes (such as masses of lava erupting from Red Mountain and cooling, seashore tides, and so on).
 * DJ: Possible to script / develop "game modes"?

Mod management

 * allow for more than 255 mods - DONE
 * built-in mod manager/cleaner [I don't think this is a good idea. Leave that to the external tools, concentrate on the engine. -Yac]
 * generators for lists of in-game resources
 * store snapshot of game data with all mods loaded (and no game begun yet), afterwards on program start only load this snapshot instead of rebuilding the whole world (unless mod setup has changed, which should force rebuilding)

Handling of game data

 * Ability to read ess savegames (There is ess=>omwsave conversion tool (openmw-essimporter))
 * ability to write savegames in ess format [Some of the other things in the wishlist mean we may need to extend the format to the point where they aren't compatible]
 * Automatically recognize (and then ignore) dirty GMSTs (VN says why not include all GMSTs in basic engine, then upgrade the basic engine if new ones are introduced rather than making a new one)
 * Automatically merge object data with the algorithm TESTool uses [May not be a good idea. Some mods conflict badly if you do this]
 * Allow more than one script per object
 * Allow separate bodies of water (VN asks if a "static" can be scripted to make everything below it act as water, which would make it possible to have streams above sea level)
 * Allow several exterior worldspaces
 * Possibility to use any body model for each character, and to allow each character to have it's own size settings, instead of all characters of the same race being exactly the same size

VN's note on this: it may be possible to construct bodies that change based on settings set at chargen, the way Oblivion did with faces (and I think bodies too). If not, creating interchangeable parts should be a cinch, especially if they use the same meshes with a skin tone applied at CharGen.


 * New clothing slots - maybe for visible clothing that doesn't replace a body part (VN: that's what I've said all along I wanted to do. Not only with basic clothing but with one or more layers of armor, containers such as quivers, and new clothing items like belts, scabbards, and so on. On the other hand, it might require careful tinkering or some awesome physics that prevent items from clipping into layers below them)
 * it would be interesting to have the text conversations have a synthesized voice, perhaps by using festival, you should be able to write a plugin so it sounds more correct (if implemented this should defiantly be toggle-able)
 * Allow character data to be loaded in game to accomplish interesting changes in game - IE encountering one's other characters by loading them from either user data folder or a special folder for such a function(although this would require more flexibility in the way the database and leveled items work when placing them onto a scenenode and entity.)

Scripting

 * Inclusion of MWSE features
 * Inclusion of MWE features
 * Built-in script debugger
 * String variables, and ability to get, store and use IDs (as in "var1->StartCombat var2")
 * Ability to use variables with SetLevel and many other functions that don't accept vars now (including those that would become possible with string vars)
 * Modify GMSTs through scripting
 * Manipulate meshes, animations, and textures through scripting
 * Script functions for keyboard input
 * Arrays, ArrayLists, "Short DontWipeData", stop streammusic, GetMagickaGetRatio and GetFatigueGetRatio, Player get attacked easy detection, interop functions
 * quicker resolving of dialogue responses
 * Improve the scripting of in game dialogue boxes and menus.
 * Create a way for the game to remember or reference a specific item, independent of the object's ID. There is currently no way for the game to distinguish between two copies of Fargoth or two copies of Goldbrand, for example.
 * Support for Python/Lua/whatever as alternative scripting language via something like #Python statement at beginning of script (Some work was done  )
 * More advanced events handling: instead of script checking for event every frame, allow for functions to be attached as event handlers. Also, allow more than one event handler for an event, attaching and deleting event handlers programmatically (i.e., from a script), list event handlers for an object, etc.

User interface

 * scrolling and/or scalable map
 * Support higher resolutions by optimizing use of screen space
 * Interactive Map
 * rotatable PC model in the inventory menu
 * Ability to select and move more than one inventory object at a time, without fuss
 * HUD support for companion health
 * UI support for added skills (e.g. Morrowind Crafting skills)
 * scalable text size
 * customizable / moddable UI, perhaps through XML files
 * companion paper dolls which let you equip your companions like you want to
 * VN: this would go excellently with the Companion Share function
 * group screen which recognizes all companions
 * more spells available via the shortcut keys
 * Also, any key not previously in use usable as shortcut. Also modifier keys - alt, shift etc. Also shortcut key types: cycler keys, auto-cast keys, gear set keys...
 * Time passing while in some menus
 * animated menus
 * books generating skill over game time
 * this might have to be worked in with a separate link that says you can only learn so much from a book, but it might also result in players learning MORE from doing something after reading a book about it
 * Clothing/weapon preview on character in trading screen, so you can see what an item looks like on your character before buying it.
 * Searchable inventory, searchable spells, searchable skills, etc. Ideally it would filter the results as you type.
 * Searchable containers; just type "dagoth" in the container window of your player home's treasure chest to pick out those souvenirs "gifted" to you by those Ash Vampires...
 * Add customization options to the inventory menu such as custom inventory tabs besides the game defaults of 'All', 'Weapon', 'Apparel', 'Magic', 'Misc'. This would allow the player to create custom inventory tabs on the fly. They would be created by pushing a button called "New Tab" which would prompt for the tab's name. The player would have the option to put objects with similar object IDs (or some other means of distinction) into the new tabs. Some examples would be a tab called 'Favorite' which would contain the player's favorite armor set, weapons, and miscellaneous items, or a tab called 'Quests' containing any item the player felt important to the current quests they're doing. The items in custom inventory tabs would not be exclusive to those custom tabs since they would also belong to the default tabs such as 'All' or 'Weapon' as well as any other custom tab the player put them in.
 * change the limits of the map for better support of Tamriel Rebuilt
 * maybe a 3d rotational map, like in blender
 * An option to enable the Xbox User Interface. This would allow you to use a controller and control the game just like how it is on the Xbox version; including the dialogue topic selection, inventory and other menus, no more dragging to your character, etc.

Debugging / Diagnostics

 * write more meaningful logs to make tracking crashes easier
 * log which objects overwrite each other when building the game world, to better track mod incompatibilities
 * supply more information for debugging in-game

General Graphics

 * OpenGL 4 or higher compatibility
 * DirectX 11 or higher compatibility. (Impossible because OSG uses only OpenGL).
 * OpenCL compatibility
 * AA/AF support
 * support for new shaders, Bloom, HDR
 * stereoscopic 3D
 * occlusion culling [This is far too slow to bother with I think. It would end up loading down the CPU -Yac][HOQ like CryEngine 2 uses may be out of reach, but you could try working with the Portal Connected Zone Scene Manager (PCZSM) for Ogre3D which can cull in software based on portals and anti-portals and mix interior and exterior environments while doing so... -Ragnax]
 * ambient occlusion
 * compatibility with older graphics cards
 * ability to travel very far from 0,0,0 without having weird graphics do to floating point inaccuracies
 * Morrowind Graphics Extender (or like effects/enhancements) support for linux

Characters

 * alternating body parts and/or ways to change size of muscle masses, fatty body parts, height, and skeletal weight

VN: please don't use a simple cube mesh to increase size. MW does that, and it affects the weapon as well. A 5-foot claymore in a Dunmer's hand becomes 7-foot in a Nord's hand.


 * skin tones applied directly during CharGen, not in animation studio. Skin tones specified by race (perhaps up to sixteen per race) but body parts use a blank mesh complete with animation
 * use a "base" animation file and allow special animations for various races
 * add to the face a "chin" as a hair/fiber producer. Allows men to change their beards or go shaved. Women's version is extra hair adjustments.
 * include numerous hair tones or textures with each hair style
 * more body parts, including clothing items not seen in the nude base nesh


 * create all bodies with a highly specialized set of lattices that allow masses (meshes) to be altered during CharGen.
 * Script game engine to build characters on a three-"dimensional" body plan based on Age, Physique, and Beauty.
 * Age is most important at young ages, allowing teens and even babies (with resultant weaknesses), and at older ages, when hair color and style are more limited and the body hunches over.
 * Physique is based on the combined attributes of Strength and Endurance. This determines size of muscles and some "bone" size adjustments (notably the shoulders) and is updated in-game, making your character actually grow more powerful-looking when you're training his/her strength
 * Beauty is based on a random subattribute by the same name and on player stats, chiefly agility. It determines whether you appear manly (low) or womanly (high), contributes (with physique) to an overweight look, and modifies the massiveness of a character. High-agility, high-strength characters would look something like Bruce Lee--low-agility, high-strength characters would look more like body builders.
 * Standard reference system for assembling mesh parts, so that the same armor/clothing meshes can automatically adapt to a variety of body mods without looking unnatural.
 * Make it easy to place numerous different types of NPC models in the game without interference; replacers can then swap out the default models for the new and improved models on a per-NPC basis.
 * If NPC faces/bodies are customizable, also allow unnatural deformations that preserve much of the original identity (decomposition/undeath, corprus disease, sixth house mutation, vampirism, lycanthrope). Less custom artwork, more creepiness.

View Distance

 * increased view distance
 * LOD culling and management
 * view an exterior cell while in an interior
 * view an interior cell while in an exterior (using code from Ogre's PCZ plugin?) [Another option is to use a rtt where the door is. -Yac]
 * view weather of distant regions (eg. Ash Storms around the Red Mountains visible from Balmora)

Textures

 * reflection maps, diffuse maps, bump maps/normal maps
 * reflection and bump maps correctly working on physiqued objects
 * Ability to apply shaders to materials and the screen
 * Possibility for ground textures to be placed in any order without the edge-blending glitching
 * seamless land with any textures

Lighting

 * realistic, seamless lighting
 * shadows for statics and items (VN: please make this realistic, including multiple shadows with multiple lights. MW's realtime shadows suck)
 * one big sun for outdoors and "like outdoors", not a bunch of scripted lights all over the place
 * lights of varying brightnesses (a candle gives less light than a campfire), not simply distances
 * attach all existing lights to a mesh or particle emitter

Animations

 * new slots for animations
 * sit down
 * sit a horse (or guar)
 * emotes or something approximating them (wave, bow, smile, etc.)
 * lie down
 * wobble bone(s) as used in Oblivion for the jiggle effect in the female's chest, etc...
 * Ability to play Animation on the PC
 * Smoothed animation transitions
 * Alternative melle/ranged attack animations, ex: X swing.

Videos

 * make system independent from the system's default codecs
 * increase size of Bink videos

Miscellaneous Graphics

 * rain that does not pass through solid objects
 * support for transparency in particle system or billboard
 * make rings/amulets/belts visible on the player
 * have depth of field activate when you're talking to an npc
 * real Reflections on Water and on Items
 * add Facegen support

Sound

 * 3D sound or Digital Sound 5.1 capability
 * OpenAL support for EAX and other environmental audio effects
 * allow scripted sound emitters to NOT automatically turn music up to full volume and blast it in your ear
 * delay battle music until you're actually fighting something
 * local music/sound that work together (in Expanded Balmora, pubs used a play-once song including people talking; make these two separate functions and the people loop through various songs)
 * ability to define a music class (town/dungeon/wilderness/other) for locations (per cell?)

XVanceX's Notes - Implement more music slots than Oblivion which were Town, Battle, Dungeon, and Travel if I'm right. What I had in mind was: Dungeon, Battle, Town, Travel, Crypt, Bed, Sunset, Night, and maybe a special "anytime" slot for music that fits all of those categories.

One subject I forgot to mention was about the Travel music slot, that it should be considered "daytime" music because I added on the Sunset & Night slots.

The music player should also be more stable and flexible than Bethesda's where I delete a song and it still plays in game. There should be also a feature where songs only play under a certain condition and also a feature for only certain areas.

For example- If player is a vampire

If player is <2 levels than enemy

If player is in night atmosphere =music set Battle 04

Player customization- The player should be able to customize what, when, where, and why music is played mostly in game. Instead of the basic put in music into X folder and then it just plays randomly, give the players options of the chance of songs played (%), an option for a pop-up on the screen that shows the name of the song whenever a new song plays, and also options for all of the above that I have mentioned in this post.

There should also be a feature where battle music only starts when the player has come in contact with the enemy, and resume the previous song where it left off.

There should also be a smooth transition (fading in and out) between each song. Not the choppy fading that Morrowind gave us.

Player Attributes

 * more skills
 * climbing
 * more crafts (bows, arrows, leather goods, metallic weapons, etc)
 * include a Constitution attribute
 * helps determine health regeneration
 * determines natural disease and poison resistance
 * contributes to magic resistance
 * contributes to local health and hits (using VN's combat system)
 * Adding a alignment attribute: good, neutral or bad

Quests / Journal

 * Option to ONLY view entries not associated with any specific quest
 * Allow player to write own journal entries- option to see only these
 * Option to see active quests only

Combat

 * allow casting while weapon equipped
 * start combat music only after the first real attack (to preserve surprise)
 * dual wielding
 * parrying with 2-handed weapons
 * auto-targeting (select NPC as target and then make further attacks aimed at him automatically, with no need to aim manually) (VN: make this an option, not essential)
 * critical hit chance when attacking in sneak mode undetected

VN's note: critical hit chance should rise when a character is flat footed, or unprepared, strictly because they are not dodging. Critical hits should depend exclusively on striking critical areas. See my notes below...


 * active blocking
 * Make piercing have a much higher chance for critical hit, armor should class should only block it decently, and blocking should severely reduce the damage it does. Make slashing do high critical hit damage, and it should be blocked by armor and blocking normally. Make bashing have low critical hit damage and chance but be able to get through blocking and armor fairly effectively.
 * make certain enemies react differently to certain attack types (e.g. skeletons immune to piercing)

(VN): handled easily through Natural Armor, which might be separate items or just included overall armor or both (as in a flesh golem or zombie with iron plates welded on). Natural Armor couldn't be picked up; it'd be considered part of the creature. But it WOULD affect the way it reacts to various weapons.


 * lower the chance of an enemy blocking when you attack from the flanks or back
 * apply extra damage if you attack someone from the back (VN: no extra damage, only zero chance of dodging and, thus, higher chance of hitting)
 * make attacks succeed on collision of sword with opponent instead of failed attacks where the sword runs right through the enemy (VN: make sure blocks automatically stop the collision data or they don't do anything)
 * make player susceptible for Calm/Frenzy/Demoralize/Rally spells
 * allow players to develop individual fighting stances (VN: maybe. Eventually. For now, let weapons be used with various styles (I say three at most, for now at least) which determine the stance they use. If building a stance turns out easier than I expect, I might change my mind ;) )
 * A vector-based attack aiming system. This means that whatever is actually in the path of a melee weapon when it is swung or thrust will be hit and any arrows fired/targeted spells cast will fly towards whatever the bow is actually aimed at/where the caster's hand or fingers are pointed. Such an addition would make combat more realistic and as a result far more immersive. Ideally, this would have implications for skills as well, with a character with a skill level of 70 in long blade having a far more controlled and accurate swing of his weapon than a character with 10 in the same skill, who would swing widly and with little control or precision. Crosshairs could be done away with using this system and replaced by more natural methods of attack aiming, such the sights of a bow or the fingers of a spell-casting hand. This idea could tie in well with most of what is suggested in VN's notes below, e.g. the balance value of a weapon affects the user's ability to control its path when stabbing or swinging it.
 * kicking like in Dark Messiah?
 * make arrows stays on floor (or in wall) after a missed attack (with bow or crossbow)

VN's notes:


 * two types of damage for all weapons: slash and thrust
 * pole arms add second side (for odd uses, like spear as staff)
 * both types of damage specific bladed or blunt and affect damage accordingly
 * active blocking supplemented with wild swinging (as per battleaxes, flails, and so on that can't block or can't block well) animated as a blocking style
 * weapons fitted with up to three styles based on their use
 * stat bonuses to weapons based on speed as well as strength, relative to the weapon's weight and balance. Weight, balance, and user stats directly determine weapon speed, as well as modifying damage
 * blocks remove all damage, not reduce it, unless the damage overflows when blocking shield or blade shatters
 * weapons include a Condition attribute which affects ONLY their strength. Strength is tested with every clash, and when the force of a blow exceeds the weapon's strength, it shatters immediately.
 * bladed weapons come with a randomly-assigned Edge property which modifies their damage. Edge can be reduced by use and restored or enhanced by sharpening. Smiths and other merchants may be outfitted with an aura that increases edge of weapons generated in their shops and inventories.
 * damage based on a complex system of Local Health, Local Hits, and Total Life.
 * Local damage is dealt to the body part.
 * Health takes the place of fatigue in Hand-to-Hand and is affected by blunt weapons. A portion of health is regenerated at once (a sort of shock recovery) and the rest comes back with time. No health represents a temporarily unusable body part (legs can't be used to walk or kick, arms are removed from striking/blocking).
 * Hits is a local injury counter that involves bleeding wounds. Blood loss is determined by body part and Hit Point Ratio. Hits can only be regenerated by healing, first aid, and rest. Zero hits represents a broken or removed body part, which requires extensive healing to regain (Body parts may be disabled or may simply glow red).
 * Life is an overall measure of the actor's condition. Life is lost through blood loss, hits to the chest or head while Local Hits are zero, spell effects, or critical hits. Zero life means death.
 * Damage carries over from one type to the next. A hammer may affect health, but it deals a lot of damage, and when it goes over health, it continues on to the local hit points.
 * Critical hits based on placed target zones on the body mesh. These zones are specific to the area and have different effects from one another. The throat, for instance, takes damage normally, but if its hits drop to zero, the player dies, and if its health drops to zero, the player is knocked out

Stealth

 * make encumbrance influence sneak success
 * light-based sneaking
 * Stop the infectious "stolen" flag (if a stack contains any stolen item, then all these items will be treated as stolen)
 * make the reputation and crime reporting system more granular
 * base sneaking entirely on sound and allow sound and sight detection. Hiding (staying in the shadows, behind bushes, behind backs) as role-play
 * type of armor should affect sneaking for both good and bad
 * force NPCs reporting crimes to actually speak with a guard to report it, then require a certain passage of time before the crime is known everywhere. Also, allow crime rep to die down after a while as people forget
 * DJ: Possible stealth enchantments for multiplayer? For example, More "Chameleon visual effect" the bigger your sneaking skill is, Also Depending of the light sources.

Magic

 * scripted spells
 * additional spell effects (including spells without visible effects and without "icon"
 * allow player to add negative effects to spells and enchantments in order to lower their cost
 * allow to create hordes of demons with conjuration
 * allow [/wiki/index.php?title=Alternate_methods_of_magical_attack alternate methods of magical attack] that could circumvent reflect/spell absorbtion/magicka resist
 * introduce [/wiki/index.php?title=Casting_styles casting styles] which work like combat stances

VN's note: just make pressing the C button (or whatever button it ends up being) START the cast, while letting go ends it. Then give the computer a power formula making longer-generated spells stronger. Fast spells are cast by a flick, stare, or touch (maybe that's where style comes in), stronger spells by a thrust of the arm, and the strongest spells by a big effect heavily involving the entire body.


 * require summonings to tax PC resources (based on skill, relative level, and relative will/intellect) to control
 * allow permanent summonings with Banish spells to get rid of them AND temporary summonings that cost less and take less focus (shorter cast time)
 * allow long-term spells that are activated on an action (like jump) and then cost a little over half as much per use as an instant spell of the same power. This is balanced by taking about two-thirds of the cost and spreading it out over the duration, which could be counted in minutes. E.g., a fireball that hits anyone who hits you first.
 * allow "targeted" spells that home on your selected target and "missile" spells that fly straight. Targeted spells cost more but never miss.
 * create new effects that replicate essential uses of magic over every school and then force magical skills to be more involving--very few mages won't want to specialize!
 * base spell experience off of both successful cast and effect strength. For destruction, this means you get more XP for a 150-damage fireball than from a 15-damage fireball.
 * use a more relative system for spell strength. Rather than specifics, the spell has a certain strength, which is modified by a combination of all the stats associated with it, your familiarity with that precise spell, and the time spent in casting it. Thus, a 5-strength fireball might do 65 points of damage.
 * allow for custom spell icons
 * more organization of spells, perhaps by type or purpose (maybe this should be under gui)
 * allow for you to remove spells, it becomes very tedious in the end game to find a spell when you have accumulated so much

Alchemy

 * offensive alchemy (poisons)
 * make potions toxic so that you can't drink so many of them at once without undesirable side effects
 * make ingredients affect the potency, longevity, and toxicity of any potion you brew
 * a simple Strength characteristic on each effect should do the trick nicely, says VN
 * sort all effects by power so PC sees strong effects before weak effects
 * base the proficiency required to see an effect on its power (high power easier to see)
 * allow the player to choose between different effects of an ingredient by the method of treatment (grinding, heating etc.)
 * permit some means of altering duration and power, relative to each other
 * as a spectrum, perhaps? Long duration == low power?
 * or by specific ingredients produced by processing other ingredients?
 * allow existing potions to be copied
 * require a given skill and equipment combo to produce them
 * failure to copy results in a unique potion
 * stacking effects from number of items with given effects
 * first effects strong, lesser effects learned later
 * segregate ingredient weight from potion weight (possibly partly by treatment)
 * allow potions to be used not only by the player but as weapons (mostly thrown) and on items (producing a temporary enchantment). This way you could produce poison for a set of arrows or a fire potion to throw at your enemies ;-)
 * create recipes to produce specific standard potions
 * recipes must be purchased as scrolls and must be present to be used
 * Actor skill affects chances of following the potion precisely (cooking time, exact measures, etc.)
 * allow failed potions to be brewed as potions with odd effects
 * DO NOT permit PC to see effects of potions without extensive alchemical testing using a small amount of the potion or by using it on himself or something else
 * allow multiple-dose potions
 * use bottles for potions
 * bottles determine the mesh of a potion
 * bottles are recyclable or sellable
 * if bottles reused for more than one potion, residue left in bottle from previous potion- could interfere with new effects or just add onto them
 * bottle used determines maximum number of doses for a potion
 * bottles can be broken
 * create "batches" of brew and then bottle or use it (adds a use for cauldrons, pots, and ladles)
 * require potion making to take time, possibly skipping it naturally while PC mashes, steams, stews, or mixes ingredients
 * in vanilla MW, a thousand potions can be made in a single second. Not good for balance issues.
 * Make plant harvesting work as in newer TES games

Enchanting

 * make more types of soulgems possible
 * allow to capture NPC souls
 * allow multiple type enchantments on items (e.g. a powerful one-use enchantment and a less powerful constant "background" enchantment)
 * make every soul gem able to incur have a constant effect, have soul value act as an effect multiplier
 * allow to increase the enchantment capacity of an object at the cost of a powerful soul

VN's notes


 * allow enchantment to use multiple souls
 * force enchantment to modify item value
 * base modification on spell strength (absolute cast cost) and power available (soul used)
 * make player/NPC skill modify enchantment capacity, maybe even heavily
 * allow unique "sockets" on items to contain gems with enchantments separate from the item itself and/or contribute to overall enchantment capacity. Sockets would have to be done one mesh at a time in the CS and would be included in every instance of a weapon containing them. Placing gems in sockets might open up a unique menu allowing you to view your character, holding that weapon, with the sockets marked, and you have to place it specifically. That'd be good for visuals.
 * Also allow the insertion of normal precious stones without enchantments into the sockets, increasing the monetary value of the item.
 * force constant effect enchantments to expend magicka as other enchantments but constantly
 * allow for special effects or properties, taking more space on the item or soul, that make it regenerate quicker (true constant effect, as in MW, means it draws more than it uses)
 * break constant effect into Cast when Held and Cast when Worn. Cast when Held requires only being in an inventory to take effect; Cast when Worn requires being equipped.
 * change Cast on Strike to Cast on Action. Cast on Action is considered permanently "effective" but expends magicka only when the specified action is performed. This would include striking, being hit, jumping, running, etc.
 * Create an enchanter's lab equipment. Sensibly, these might include:
 * A funnel
 * A channel
 * Focus point
 * Cage creator
 * "spell" cast on funnel, which leads to channel, which carries to the focus point, which delivers the magic to the object. The "cage creator" prevents the magic-carrying soul from leaving the weapon while the magic doors are open.
 * spells specific to enchanting that would remove enchantments/charge from enemy items, restore your/allies charges, ectra

Other Crafts
All the below MUST be balanced well in order to be fun, yet somewhat realistic (making fifty identical swords gets kind of boring in real life).


 * Smithing
 * stats based on:
 * Material Quality
 * Smelting Equipment
 * Player Skill
 * Give all materials random qualities:
 * Iron tends to score low
 * Ebony (especially the ebony you can buy) tends to score high
 * Steel tends to somewhere in between
 * Glassware or Ceramics
 * Gem cutting and Jewelry
 * Leather Working
 * Sewing/Weaving
 * woodworking

AI

 * Better Pathfinding, prevent NPCs from getting lost, or stuck in the scenery
 * Let NPCs make way if another NPC (or the player) tries to get past them
 * Process AI of NPCs in cells where the player isn't present
 * fights between NPCs / realistic creature behavior (predators chase prey)
 * guards protecting the player (VN says add a behavior to do that, not rely on one class (this could also be implemented for the PC's companion(s)))
 * random npcs running away from fights
 * enemies chasing you into and out of cells
 * day/night schedules, chores, close shops at night, open in the morning etc.
 * When shops are closing, make NPCs head to their resting area (house/room/inn) and actually sleep in the bed; not just remain in the shop with the lights all turned off.
 * have random adventurers walking around in suitable places
 * make NPCs stay a bit more alert after they caught the player sneaking
 * make NPCs more aware of their property and watch if the PC tries to steal anything.
 * emergent NPC behavior (conversations)
 * goal-oriented NPC behavior
 * personality traits for NPCs
 * Intelligent aiming of projectiles, i.e. not just leading current vector (pathfinding information to see if opponents can't continue current vector?). Use "splash damage" with area effect spells by aiming for the feet if there's LOS.
 * store data for NPC-NPC interactions by relating in every NPC every other NPC's reaction to him
 * break up Disposition rate and add Familiarity and Relationship (type), then show player only the results of this three-way combo through (animated?) faces on a corner of the dialog screen
 * allow jokes, bribes (selecting currency and amount), admiration, taunting, intimidation, and flirting as types of persuasion. Add more:

Physics

 * Physics (for objects)
 * Ragdoll Physics
 * better water physics (ripples, waves)
 * better support for physiqued meshes
 * Prevent rain/snow/sleet/hail etc... from falling through canopies. Trees should only allow partial water to fall through, depending on how thick they are. Characters and objects should appear wet once it has started raining (same concept for snow) and have water dripping from them. Water/snow should also not go straight through characters. Instead, it should accumulate upon their head/shoulders and any other protruding object, such as a backpack.

Money

 * Use a specific item property -- I call it Gold or Act As Gold -- to allow an object to be used as currency
 * Don't tie this to any given type of object, just require that it can be picked up and carried
 * Stop normal trading of currency items
 * New "money exchange" screen
 * Game Engine programmed to select more valuable currencies first
 * Use gems as high-value currency
 * Three basic categories of gems: Cheap, Semiprecious, and Precious
 * Multiple qualities of gems (add ideas to toy with): Rough, Poor, Common, Good, Fine, Artful, Flawless, Perfect, Cracked, Crude(ly cut), ...
 * Specific models for all gems in all cuts and qualities
 * Gem value determined by random weight (by scripting, perhaps?): Pearl A, at .2 pounds, is valued at 100 BV (base value), but Pearl B, at .5 pounds, is valued at 250 BV or more (to reflect rise-per-ounce prices in reality)
 * Gems still usable for other purposes
 * Allow player to pick and choose which items to give away or retain and which objects to request, but the engine makes up differences in value by using other coinages
 * Create gold, silver, and copper currencies, all with weight, possibly in varying coinages
 * Allow transfer of papers stating a given value but almost devoid of weight
 * Make banks or exchanges that distribute such papers

Miscellaneous Gameplay Suggestions

 * extendable chargen questions
 * allow for morphing into different types of werecreatures. In the book "On Lycanthropy" from the TES2: Daggerfall http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Daggerfall:On_Lycanthropy there are five different types apart from werewolves. Werecrocodiles from Black Marsh & southern Morrowind; werebears from Skyrim; werelions from the Imperial Province & Elsweyr; werevultures from Valenwood; and wereboars from High Rock & Hammerfell.


 * allow quadruped races
 * Support for backpacks, satchels, portable containers, etc.
 * more complex currency handling (silver and copper coins, several currencies etc.)
 * change the stacking of bonuses so that it becomes much harder to reach 100% or very high bonuses; e.g. make bonuses multiplicative instead of additive

VN's note: this could be handled easily by skills that deteriorate over time, the higher the faster, which could make leveling at 30 easy and leveling at 80 or better almost impossible. In addition, this would mean thieves with magical training would require upkeep in ALL their skills.

More VN notes:


 * produce scripts requiring food to be eaten. Built specifically for included foods, this would add benefits from eating various things and include negative effects from not eating anything.
 * script drinking. Water gives a boost to second-by-second magicka regeneration, liquor and potions (based on weight) do the same. Water can be refined through alchemy, making it more effective. Thirst lowers attributes and stunts magicka regeneration and, in about three to four days, kills you.
 * script sleeping. Regular sleep boosts your attributes (a little) and your health and fatigue regeneration. Exhaustion results in lower health and fatigue regeneration, reduced attributes, and gradually-increasing blindness (or blurriness, if the engine can simulate that).

Note that these are all intended to be built around the player's putting a minimal effort into eating, sleeping, and drinking, and sending message boxes reminding them to do so. Unlike NoM, which did a decent job at all three of these, not one is connected to a specific time, only to "last" time. I've already produced a fair script at reading PCSleep and hours passed doing so, though I haven't finished its effects.


 * separate scripts for Vampires, with only two needs: Blood (hunger) and Meditation (rest).
 * Possibility to "store" blood in a bottle
 * include coffins for vampires with slightly-portable versions for on the move

Other lists
We should of course include most if not all of the Morrowind Code Patch fixes. See: Bugs in Morrowind

Also check out this thread about things we DON'T like about the Morrowind engine.

Things that are ALREADY done

 * 64 bit support: Source code is available, everyone is able to compile OpenMW for his own architecture.
 * Maintain compatibility to base game and mods

Things that will NOT be done

 * make OpenMW read Oblivion's or Skyrim's art files. Bethesda has clearly stated that they do not wish any of their assets to be transferred from one of their games to another, and we respect that.