openmw.org

I realize this project needs to reach v1.0 before any work on non-vanilla things can start in earnest, but at that point I think an quick way to upgrade the visuals is to have a less barren looking landscape.

Obviously OpenMW doesn't have something like a speedtree license, but simpler plant life, like grass and flowers, could be implemented as a procedural shader. This lush plant life is one of the things that sets Oblivion apart from Morrowind in terms of making the world seem alive imo.

Could something like this maybe be implemented, so it shows up anywhere the terrain has a certain texture or texture color? This could help avoid having to paint a separate texture for something like simple plants.

https://outerra.blogspot.se/2012/05/pro ... ering.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNea72F_aws

Likewise relatively simple particle effects could probably create insects, and things like leaves blowing in the wind, airborne plant seeds, etc.

I think that relatively simple effects and procedural stuff could enhance the visuals of this game dramatically without having to touch the meshes or textures.

Sounds neat! Submit a feature request and it can be picked up by anyone who wants to take a crack at it.

It doesn't have to be as elaborate as the stuff in your links (although it looks great), at least not at first. A system like in the later games that uses ground textures to dynamically place grass meshes would be a great thing though, and could work with meshes from existing grass mods for MGE XE. As they are now, grass objects have to be placed by hand or with the help of external tools, and the result is static and does not account for changes in the terrain or game world. It would be a great first step not to have to worry about these things any more and just be able to assign grass meshes to ground textures like in the later games.