General:Morrowind Italia Interview with Ken Rolston

Exclusive interview with Ken Rolston
(link)
Medium/Format	Online Interview
Date	March 30, 2001
Interviewee(s)	Ken Rolston
Interviewer(s)	Morrowind Italia
Hosted By	Morrowind Italia (defunct)

While we all wait for the new elderscrolls.com to see the light, and check the frequent updates at artist Mark Jones' site Dragon's Eyrie, let's enjoy these new insights to the game. Answering our questions is Ken Rolston, Lead Game Designer of Morrowind and RPG guru. If you still don't know his name you may know his works: AD&D Lankhmar setting, Warhammer Fantasy, Paranoia (from the West End Games) are just some. But let's get to the questions...

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Morrowind will inherit the Bethesda RPG tradition, which can be described by its distinctive marks: single player, first person and freeform gameplay in a huge environment. This tradition dates back to masterpieces like Arena and Daggerfall, acclaimed by gamers and critics alike. What are the features of this unique title you are most proud of?

KEN: Ten Best Features of Morrowind...

1. Graphic splendor
2. Freeform gameplay
3. PC Powergaming and personal expression through fashion accessories
4. Epic Scope
5. EZ-User-Content-Creation with the Editor
6. Boatloads of Quests; Broad Spectrum of Complexity and Subtlety
7. Faction Gameplay -- advancement ladders; faction stories and themes
8. Action gameplay elements draw user into setting
9. Epic plot
10. Dialog and Information Management -- track information using hyperlinked topics through dialog and journal.

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One of the least talked about people in Morrowind are the Ashlanders, the dunmer that live in the deserts of ash around the Volcano. What can you tell about their nature and their relation with the harsh land they live in?

KEN: The Ashlanders have a completely different physical and social culture. Don't enter a chief's tent uninvited, or you'll be sad. We'll be talking more about the Ashlanders and their culture in the coming months.

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Regarding the Blight, we know it may taint a creature either as a disrupting disease or as a mutating curse. What kind of mutations could we meet nearing the ghostfence?

KEN: The use of the modern word "mutation" is misleading, suggesting genetics and radiation and stuff. Instead, think "deformities." Further, since many of the deformities follow a predictable pattern, perhaps the disease is struggling to create some specific ideal form of creature. In general, the phenomenon is "not well understood," and will require more study by the ambitious adventurer.

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Wandering through the lands of Morrowind, encumbrance will be a great gameplay issue. How will it affect characters from different classes?

KEN: Warriors will suffer crippling anxieties over exactly how little gear they can get away with carrying, and will end up collecting armor-and-weapon outfits like fashion-conscious mallrats. Thieves and wizards will snicker at heavily laden knights.

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Many people enjoyed temples in Daggerfall, but Morrowind is the land where the Tribunal and the three Good Daedra are worshipped. How deep has the Empire religion of the Eight Divines reached into the hearth of the dunmer land?

KEN: The Imperial Cult -- the veneration of the Emperor and the Eight Divines -- is the Imperial state religion, and worshippers and shrines can be found throughout Morrowind. Many Dunmer eager for social advancement in Imperial circles embrace the Imperial cult, though rarely with the same fervor that natives embrace the worship of the Tribunal Temple.

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Ken Rolston, Lead Game Designer, once said that "if the player behaves as a merchant prince the world reacts accordingly". Can you further explain on this?

KEN: Uh. You can do stuff like a merchant prince would. Carry coded messages among traders. Seek out new locations to mine precious materials. Spend a LOT of time in dialog persuading NPCs to do things your way. Buy low, sell high. Much of this is handled through quests, but a lot is also an artifact of the broad and socially ambitious Morrowind game systems.

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In an interview you revealed that the Great Council gathers at Castle Ebonheart, near Vivec, to take big decisions about the rule of the land. How much can the player affect the events on the island by influencing the Council with his Reputation?

KEN: An NPC needs a minimum REP to be worthy of the attention of the Great Men and Women of the Grand Council. Quests related to council resolutions are more likely of happy issue if Our Hero has a big fat REP score.

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One of the most talked about arguments is the magic system. We know that there will be a great number of magical effects divided into Spell, Ability, Disease, Blight Disease, Curse and Power types. Can you shed some light on the way it all will work, or reveal a couple of surprising effects?

KEN: We're going to keep the magic system a secret for a while longer. But won't it be fun to summon a pair of daedric boots and a daedric longsword before you go up against an ancient vampire?

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We know that to create a new spell we will need to discover the magical effect first, and that Alchemy will boast greater depth and flexibility than other games. What about creating magical items in the Item Maker? Shall we need to quest and research to imbue our items with powerful magics?

KEN: Nah. Just know your magic effect, have a lot of skill in the arts of enchantmment [or a LOT of luck], have ample funds, and conservative plans for number and magnitude of features. Easy, really. Conan will suck at it, though.

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Lycantropy has been one of the most successful features of Daggerfall. How great is the presence and influence of the were-creatures in an atypical setting as the island of Vvardenfell? Can we expect a greater depth and story to lycantropy than in the preceding TES installment?

KEN: In general, the phenomenon of lycanthropy is "not well understood," and will require more study by the ambitious adventurer.

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Can you share some info on how the different Races influence gameplay?

KEN: Different races start out with racial bonuses in various skills, and with special racial abilities. Which I will neglect to specify at present.

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To finish, a generic question. Bethesda has an excellent relationship with its fans. Developers post on the official boards, and gamers are eager to give suggestions. This happens for Morrowind as well as for other cool titles like Sea Dogs. Why in your opinion there is such a positive attitude around the software house?

KEN: I'm only familiar with our boards, not the boards of other developers, so I can't compare, contrast, or judge. Personally, I'm grateful for the thoughtful and timely contributions by our developers and PR flacks, and regret that I can't participate more often, due to my pathetic and obsessive passion for document writing and playing around with our editor.

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Thanks Ken, and keep up the good job. This should sate our thirst of information for this amazing game until we see the new version of elderscrolls.com, which should be up in the near future, featuring some real goodies like developers' diaries and weekly wallpapers.

See you on the elderscrolls forums!!