While I enjoyed the rest of entries and I’m very fond of the Shivering Isles, IMO it was the originality of it, its story and art, but also the freedom it granted.
My advice would be to go back to that time and instead of massive places, just build a fun place to explore.
The hand-craftedness of morrowind. That was why is was so good. There was always something hidden. You saw the dev’s hand in every area knowing someone would explore it even though it’s off the beaten path. The vendors actually carried or stored their inventory and it could be stolen without some theft marker telling the guards across the world "this is Balti Ser’s wooden fork, remove from player!’
And the combat was laughably terrible. Still my favorite entry as well. I just felt so unhindered after getting through the first bit.
The one thing that really made it stand out to me was the caves. Some were short, most had hidden places in them that would normally be a pain to get to, and the larger ones were works of art.
I remember well going for a quest, seeing a cave and then falling through a rabbit hole into a death cult while being a laughably underpowered magician.
It felt closer to what I commonly experience with D&D than other games, mostly due to the combination of freedom and curated world.
That said, yes combat was dull, uninspired and probably the weakest part of the series.
The best they made, for me, was Morrowind.
While I enjoyed the rest of entries and I’m very fond of the Shivering Isles, IMO it was the originality of it, its story and art, but also the freedom it granted.
My advice would be to go back to that time and instead of massive places, just build a fun place to explore.
The hand-craftedness of morrowind. That was why is was so good. There was always something hidden. You saw the dev’s hand in every area knowing someone would explore it even though it’s off the beaten path. The vendors actually carried or stored their inventory and it could be stolen without some theft marker telling the guards across the world "this is Balti Ser’s wooden fork, remove from player!’
Oblivion and later: paintbrush go brrrr
And the combat was laughably terrible. Still my favorite entry as well. I just felt so unhindered after getting through the first bit.
The one thing that really made it stand out to me was the caves. Some were short, most had hidden places in them that would normally be a pain to get to, and the larger ones were works of art.
I remember well going for a quest, seeing a cave and then falling through a rabbit hole into a death cult while being a laughably underpowered magician.
It felt closer to what I commonly experience with D&D than other games, mostly due to the combination of freedom and curated world.
That said, yes combat was dull, uninspired and probably the weakest part of the series.