Revamping Classic Games: Porting Oblivion and Fallouts into OpenMW
In the world of Elder Scrolls modding, there’s a new trend that goes against the typical direction of remaking older games with newer technology. While most developers are focused on remaking The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion using Skyrim’s Creation Engine, one developer named cc9cii is taking a different approach.
cc9cii has been hard at work porting Oblivion, Fallout 3, and New Vegas into the OpenMW engine, which was originally created for The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind. The key distinction here is that OpenMW is an open-source engine, offering flexibility and numerous benefits.
OpenMW has already brought significant improvements to Morrowind, such as an exponential increase in the number of mods that can be loaded at once, improved physics, AI, UI, and overall quality of life. It has also fixed persistent bugs from the original engine and enhanced compatibility across different operating systems.
While cc9cii is primarily focused on preservation, projects like Daggerfall Unity and OpenMW have shown how third-party efforts can significantly enhance the accessibility and enjoyment of classic RPGs like Daggerfall and Morrowind.
While progress videos of Oblivion in Morrowind showcase the reimplementation of basic features from Oblivion with Morrowind-style dialogue menus and full voice overs, the ultimate winner of this project will likely be Fallout: New Vegas. Currently, players require various fixes and mods to fully enjoy the 2010 classic, making it an ideal candidate for a complete retrofit.
It’s worth noting that cc9cii is not the only developer involved in such projects. While they seem to be the most active, there are other endeavors like Xoreos, an open-source implementation of BioWare’s Aurora engine. Although Xoreos has been quiet for a few years, its goal was to port BioWare’s catalogue, including games like Knights of the Old Republic and Dragon Age: Origins, to an open-source version of its 2002 RPG, Neverwinter Nights.
In the world of classic game revamps, the OpenMW engine and similar undertakings are opening up new possibilities for fans to experience their favorite titles in exciting and innovative ways.
Key Questions:
1. What is the goal of cc9cii’s project to port Oblivion and Fallouts into the OpenMW engine?
2. What improvements does OpenMW bring to Morrowind?
3. Why is Fallout: New Vegas considered an ideal candidate for this project?
4. Are there any other developers involved in similar projects?
Key Challenges/Controversies:
1. The challenge of reimplementing features from the original games into the OpenMW engine.
2. The controversy of whether these ports might affect the sales and support for official remakes or remasters.
3. The challenge of maintaining compatibility and stability across different operating systems.
Advantages:
1. The use of an open-source engine like OpenMW offers flexibility and numerous benefits.
2. The ports allow for the enhancement of classic RPGs, increasing their accessibility and enjoyment.
3. Fixes and mods can be applied to these ports to fully enjoy the classic games without relying on various external fixes.
Disadvantages:
1. The process of porting and reimplementing can be time-consuming and complex.
2. Bugs and compatibility issues may arise during the porting process.
3. These ports might not have official support or updates from the original game developers.
Related links:
– OpenMW
– Nexus Mods – Morrowind section
The source of the article is from the blog aovotice.cz