An OpenMW Perspective
Posted: 08 Apr 2019, 05:56
I found OpenMW sometime around 2008. I had recently made the complete switch from Windows to Linux after years of being a Windows gamer but dabbling with Linux as a curiosity. Ditching all my beloved Windows games hurt, but not only did I not have the time to spend on them that I did when I was a kid, I had become a believer in open source.
When I stumbled across the open source reimplementation concept, I came across amazing projects such as GemRB, the now defunct (to my knowledge) OpDE, and of course, OpenMW. Morrowind had always been a favorite of mine, and so I was thrilled to see other people so invested in the game that they would put in the effort to reimplement the engine so it could be played on Linux. These were the days of the mailing list, the D language, and the original OpenMW creator Nico.
Fast forward ten years. Steam for Linux is here. I can play native Linux games until I go cross-eyed, and still have more to play. The scarcity of natively implemented games is no longer an impetus for doing the OpenMW port. And yet I am still here (in as much as my limited free time allows) championing this project and holding onto hope for the day that it is finished.
Lately, I've been confronted with asking myself why. Why am I here, still putting time into this? I could boot up Steam and go play Shadow Tactics, or Counter-Strike, or Neverwinter Nights.
But Morrowind is special. It's a game that keeps on giving, and even though it's been all but abandoned by Bethesda, I want to keep playing it. And OpenMW is special too. The promise of fixing the original engine, and adding more functionality is still there. TES3MP is testament to that. I have zero interest in playing Morrowind multiplayer, and yet even I admit multiplayer Morrowind is awesome, and I am really excited about it. I want to do my own GUI overhaul of the game. Someday I want to study how animation systems work in the hope that I can breathe life into the Morrowind characters and monsters, the kind of life you see in PS4 games today.
So let's keep at this. Even with the recent losses of certain developers, OpenMW is more active and making more progress today than I have ever seen it in the past. Let's not get bogged down by politics or whiny crybabies from other communities. Let's keep our noses to the grindstone, keep doing amazing work, and take this thing to even better places than we already are.
We've bit off a lot to chew. But we can chew it!!
When I stumbled across the open source reimplementation concept, I came across amazing projects such as GemRB, the now defunct (to my knowledge) OpDE, and of course, OpenMW. Morrowind had always been a favorite of mine, and so I was thrilled to see other people so invested in the game that they would put in the effort to reimplement the engine so it could be played on Linux. These were the days of the mailing list, the D language, and the original OpenMW creator Nico.
Fast forward ten years. Steam for Linux is here. I can play native Linux games until I go cross-eyed, and still have more to play. The scarcity of natively implemented games is no longer an impetus for doing the OpenMW port. And yet I am still here (in as much as my limited free time allows) championing this project and holding onto hope for the day that it is finished.
Lately, I've been confronted with asking myself why. Why am I here, still putting time into this? I could boot up Steam and go play Shadow Tactics, or Counter-Strike, or Neverwinter Nights.
But Morrowind is special. It's a game that keeps on giving, and even though it's been all but abandoned by Bethesda, I want to keep playing it. And OpenMW is special too. The promise of fixing the original engine, and adding more functionality is still there. TES3MP is testament to that. I have zero interest in playing Morrowind multiplayer, and yet even I admit multiplayer Morrowind is awesome, and I am really excited about it. I want to do my own GUI overhaul of the game. Someday I want to study how animation systems work in the hope that I can breathe life into the Morrowind characters and monsters, the kind of life you see in PS4 games today.
So let's keep at this. Even with the recent losses of certain developers, OpenMW is more active and making more progress today than I have ever seen it in the past. Let's not get bogged down by politics or whiny crybabies from other communities. Let's keep our noses to the grindstone, keep doing amazing work, and take this thing to even better places than we already are.
We've bit off a lot to chew. But we can chew it!!
