Tamriel Rebuilt

Last updated
Tamriel Rebuilt
Tamriel Rebuilt Andaram Splash.jpg
Splash screen of version 23.10 (Andaram)
Developer(s) Tamriel Rebuilt Project
Platform(s) Windows
Release23 September 2006
Genre(s) Role-playing
Mode(s) Single-player

Tamriel Rebuilt is a third-party modification for the Bethesda Softworks 2002 role-playing video game The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind . Founded in 2001, the Tamriel Rebuilt project is a long-term, collaborative effort by volunteer modders to expand the content of Morrowind to include wider settings consistent with the setting of the Elder Scrolls' universe of Tamriel. Since foundation, the project has published eight releases for Morrowind, described as 'expansions', that allow the player to travel to and explore the mainland of the province of Morrowind, featuring new factions and quests. In 2006, Tamriel Rebuilt briefly launched a secondary project to recreate the province of Hammerfell in the succeeding Elder Scrolls game, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion , although the project was cancelled in 2009. Publications have praised Tamriel Rebuilt for the scope and detail of the project, the faithfulness of its additions to the source material of the original game, and noted their content has since eclipsed the size and features of the original game. The current release, Andaram, was published on 31 October 2023.

Contents

Gameplay

Gameplay in Tamriel Rebuilt is identical to the gameplay in Morrowind, with the content serving the same function as an expansion to the game. Content in Tamriel Rebuilt is not a total conversion or overhaul of the game, but introduces an additional landmass, the mainland of Morrowind, which the player can freely travel to directly or by ship. [1] In contrast to Morrowind, Tamriel Rebuilt does not currently feature a main quest, but provides factional quests that sit alongside the questlines in the original game, including for the Great Houses Hlaalu and Telvanni, guilds, vampire clans, and miscellaneous quests. As of the Andaram update, Tamriel Rebuilt features over 600 quests, in contrast to the 506 quests in Morrowind and its expansions. [2]

Setting

Tamriel Rebuilt expands the world of Morrowind to the mainland of the province of Morrowind in Tamriel, enveloping the original game's setting, the island of Vvardenfell. As of the Andaram release, Tamriel Rebuilt have released content that covers the northeastern to southern part of the province, controlled by a wide set of factions seen in the original game. The northeast of Morrowind's mainland spans the land owned by the Great House Telvanni, including the faction's capital, Port Telvannis. The southeast includes the holdings of the Tribunal Temple and the Great House Indoril, including the cities of Akamora and Necrom. In the south are lands controlled by the Great House Hlaalu, with cities including Andothren and Hlan Oek that border the western end of the Thirr River south to Lake Andaram. Scattered across the mainland are the forts and outposts of the Cyrodiilic Empire, who control large inner coastal cities including Firewatch and Old Ebonheart.

Development

Development for Morrowind

The Tamriel Rebuilt project was conceived in 2001 prior to the release of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind . Previous Elder Scrolls titles, including Arena and Daggerfall , were set across several large, procedurally generated open-world provinces in the continent of Tamriel. In contrast to initial assumptions that Morrowind would provide a similarly large scope, early previews of the game by developer Bethesda Softworks revealed the setting would be limited to Vvardenfell, an island within the province of Morrowind, to provide greater detail. [3] [4] Disappointment about the scope of the game prompted several fan proposals to create the remainder of Tamriel with the game's announced Construction Set. In 2001, Ender, a member of the Elder Scrolls Forums, posted an idea for users to create a modification that would expand the game to all of Tamriel, [5] with the post leading to several forum users collaborating to create a website and forum to organize the project. [6] Upon release of Morrowind, the Tamriel Rebuilt project assembled as a "consortium of largely autonomous modders" of different levels of commitment and experience, with the project co-ordinating claims to create different areas using the game's grid-based exterior cells. Later years have seen development become more comprehensively planned, to ensure a higher level of quality and consistency across the project. [7]

Development for Oblivion

From 2006 to 2009, Tamriel Rebuilt diverged to develop expanded content for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion with a project to implement the province of Hammerfell into the game. Initial concept and design work was undertaken by the project, including the publication of a forty-page concept art book. [8] On 14 February 2009, the project made its first and only formal release, Stirk, which implemented a small island in Hammerfell of the same name off of the western coast of Cyrodil. [9] In December 2009, the Tamriel Rebuilt project announced an end to its work on Hammerfell, citing a lack of manpower to create assets, which were of a higher level of quality compared to those in Morrowind. [10]

Releases

Tamriel Rebuilt has formally released eight 'expansions' for Morrowind for download, and one for Oblivion:

GameReleaseRelease dateKey additionsCitation
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind Telvannis23 September 2006Firewatch, Port Telvannis [11]
Antediluvian Secrets30 November 2008Helnim, Kemel-Ze [12]
Sacred East6 June 2012Akamora, Necrom [13]
Old Ebonheart31 July 2018Old Ebonheart [14]
Aanthirin19 December 2019Almas Thirr [15]
Dominions of Dust24 November 2022Andothren [16]
Embers of Empire24 November 2022Firewatch, Helnim [16]
Andaram31 October 2023Almas Thirr [17]
Grasping FortuneUpcomingNarsis
Poison SongUpcoming
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Stirk6 February 2009Isle of Stirk [9]

Reception

Publications have praised the Tamriel Rebuilt project for its ambition and large scope, with some remarking that the project provided ample reason for players to revisit Morrowind, [1] and many noting the additions met or exceeded the amount of content found in the original game in terms of the size and number of locations and quests. [18] [19] [20] Describing it as a "must-play", Will Nelson of PC Games Network praised the mod as "next-level stuff" due to the "sheer amount of content" added to the game, and highlighted the project's close adherence to the "official lore" of the Elder Scrolls universe. [21] PC Gamer awarded the Tamriel Rebuilt project as one of the best single-player mods in 2009. [22] Also writing for PC Gamer, Luke Winkie highlighted its faithfulnes to the "canon, themes and tone" of Morrowind in contrast to other recent representations of the Morrowind mainland as in Elder Scrolls Online, stating the project "intends to fill in the blanks of Morrowind as honorably and dutifully as they can", citing the inclusion of fan-created literature in in-game books. [5] Game Rant, who cited the mod as one of the best for Morrowind, [23] noted that whilst the game was an "enormously ambitious project" compatible with the "general look and feel" of Morrowind, the additions looked a "little dated" given the age of the original game. [24] Dr. Matthew S.S. Johnson of Southern Illinois University has written on how Tamriel Rebuilt is a unique example of community-based authorship of game-inspired texts, where the "serious dedication and participation" of the community blurs the line between the authors and audiences of video games. [25]

Related Research Articles

The Elder Scrolls is a series of action role-playing video games primarily developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. The series focuses on free-form gameplay in an open world. Most games in the series have been critically and commercially successful, with The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (2002), The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2006) and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011) all winning Game of the Year awards from multiple outlets. The series has sold more than 59 million copies worldwide.

<i>The Elder Scrolls III: Tribunal</i> 2002 video game

The Elder Scrolls III: Tribunal is an expansion for the role-playing video game The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind by Bethesda Softworks, released on November 6, 2002. The first of two expansions released for Morrowind, Tribunal is set in Mournhold, the capital of the province of Morrowind, and a self-contained city disconnected from the original game. The central quests task the player to resolve the tensions between the King of Morrowind, Hlaalu Helseth, and the Living God Almalexia. The expansion includes quality of life additions, including alterations to the game's quest journal and map.

<i>The Elder Scrolls III: Bloodmoon</i> 2003 video game

The Elder Scrolls III: Bloodmoon is the second expansion pack for the 2002 video game The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, developed by Bethesda Game Studios and released for Windows in 2003. The expansion was later released as part of the Morrowind: Game of the Year Edition for the Xbox in 2004. The expansion adds a landmass to the game, Solstheim, a setting modelled on Norse mythology. The primary questline of Bloodmoon involves the investigation of the Bloodmoon Prophecy that foretells the return of the demigod Hircine. A secondary features a new faction, the East Empire Company, which tasks the player to establish a mining colony. Bloodmoon also provides the player with the ability to become a werewolf, a feature closely embedded in the main storyline and quests. The expansion features more detailed environments, including weather shaders such as snowfall and blizzards.

<i>An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire</i> 1997 video game

An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire is an action role-playing video game developed and published by Bethesda Softworks, set in the world of The Elder Scrolls.

<i>The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind</i> 2002 video game

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind is a 2002 action role-playing game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. It is the third installment in The Elder Scrolls series, following 1996's The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall, and was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox. The main story takes place on Vvardenfell, an island in the Dunmer province of Morrowind, part of the continent of Tamriel. The central quests concern the demigod Dagoth Ur, housed within the volcanic Red Mountain, who seeks to gain power and break Morrowind free from Imperial reign.

<i>The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion</i> 2006 video game

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is a 2006 action role-playing game developed by Bethesda Game Studios, and co-published by Bethesda Softworks and 2K Games. It is the fourth installment in The Elder Scrolls series, following 2002's The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, and was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 in 2006, followed by PlayStation 3 in 2007. Taking place within the fictional province of Cyrodiil, the game's main story focuses on the player character's efforts to thwart a fanatical cult known as the Mythic Dawn that plans to open portal gates to a demonic realm known as Oblivion.

<i>The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall</i> 1996 video game

The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall is an open-world, action role-playing game published by Bethesda Softworks. The second video game in the Elder Scrolls series, it was released on September 20, 1996 for MS-DOS, following the success of 1994's The Elder Scrolls: Arena. The story follows the player, sent by the Emperor, to free the ghost of King Lysandus from his earthly shackles and discover what happened to a letter sent from the Emperor to the former queen of Daggerfall.

Development of <i>The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion</i> Development of 2006 video game

The development of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion began in 2002, immediately after its predecessor, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, was published. Rumors of a sequel to Morrowind started circulating in June 2004; the sequel's title was identified on September 10, 2004, the date of its official announcement. Oblivion was developed by Bethesda Game Studios, and the initial Xbox 360 and personal computer (PC) releases were co-published by Bethesda Softworks and Take-Two Interactive's subsidiary, 2K Games. According to interviews with Bethesda staff, the publisher-developer relationship—one of the few independent relations in the industry—worked well, and Bethesda was not subject to excessive corporate guidance. Initially scheduled for a November 22, 2005, release, in tandem with the Xbox 360's launch, Oblivion was delayed to a March 21, 2006, release for Windows PCs and the Xbox 360.

<i>The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim</i> 2011 video game

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a 2011 action role-playing game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. It is the fifth main installment in The Elder Scrolls series, following The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2006), and was released worldwide for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 on November 11, 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Creation Engine</span> Video game engine

Creation Engine is a 3D video game engine created by Bethesda Game Studios based on the Gamebryo engine. The Creation Engine has been used to create role-playing video games such as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Fallout 4, and Fallout 76. A new iteration of the engine, Creation Engine 2, was used to create Starfield. The Creation Engine has been tailor-made for large-scale open-world RPGs.

<i>Nehrim: At Fates Edge</i> 2010 video game

Nehrim: At Fate's Edge is a total conversion mod of Bethesda Softworks' The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion developed by the German team SureAI over the span of four years. It was released in German on June 9, 2010, and subsequently in English on September 11, 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SureAI</span> German video game developer team

SureAI is a German team of video game developers, best known for creating 3 critically-acclaimed total conversion mods for each of the last three Bethesda Softworks' The Elder Scrolls series video games: Artkwend, Nehrim and Enderal.

<i>The Elder Scrolls Online</i> 2014 video game

The Elder Scrolls Online, abbreviated ESO, is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by ZeniMax Online Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. The game is a part of the Elder Scrolls series. It was released for Windows and macOS in April 2014, for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in June 2015, and for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in June 2021.

<i>The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Dragonborn</i> Video game add-on

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Dragonborn is the third and final add-on for the action role-playing open world video game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. It was developed by Bethesda Game Studios and released by Bethesda Softworks on the Xbox Live Marketplace on December 4, 2012. The Microsoft Windows version was released on February 5, 2013, and the PlayStation 3 version was released on February 12, 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nexus Mods</span> Website for sharing computer game modifications

Nexus Mods is a website that hosts computer game mods and other user-created content related to video game modding. It is one of the largest gaming mod sites on the web, with 30 million registered members and 1733 supported games as of June 2022, with a single forum and a wiki for site- and mod-related topics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">OpenMW</span>

OpenMW is a free and open-source game engine recreation that reimplements the one powering Bethesda Softworks' 2002 open-world role-playing game The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind.

The Elder Scrolls Renewal Project (TESRenewal) is a fan volunteer effort to recreate and remaster the video games in The Elder Scrolls series. The team is best known for its Skywind project, which seeks to recreate the 2002 The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind on the 2016 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: Special Edition game engine, known as the Creation Engine.

Skyrimmodding refers to the community-made modifications for the 2011 fantasy role-playing video game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. One of the most modded video games of all time, it has nearly 70,000 mod submissions on Nexus Mods and 28,000 in the Steam Workshop. Many of these mods were created for utility reasons, patching numerous bugs left in the game by Bethesda Softworks, while also improving the game's usability and character movement. Other mods add new quests and characters, or update the game's graphics and animations. As the vanilla game has a reputation for outdated mechanics, it is common for players to mod Skyrim even prior to their first playthrough.

Skyblivion is an upcoming open world action role-playing video game. It is a fan remake of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2006) developed in Bethesda Game Studios' Creation Engine as a total conversion mod for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011). It is scheduled to be released in 2025.

References

  1. 1 2 Hall, Charlie (1 August 2018). "Fan-made Morrowind mod 17 years in the making is a great excuse to reinstall the original". Polygon. Archived from the original on 31 March 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  2. ↑ "FAQ: Quests". Tamriel Rebuilt. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  3. ↑ "First Looks: The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind". RPGPlanet. GameSpot. 20 October 2000. Archived from the original on 10 November 2000. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  4. ↑ Winkie, Luke (3 May 2017). "The 15 year quest to mod the mainland into The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 23 July 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  5. 1 2 Wolens, Joshua (28 September 2023). "'Coups, schisms, near-death experiences': The scarcely believable 22-year development of a Morrowind mod older than the game itself". PC Gamer. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  6. ↑ "Interview with Ender". Tamriel Rebuilt. 4 June 2004. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  7. ↑ "Project History". Tamriel Rebuilt. Archived from the original on 21 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  8. ↑ Myzel (December 2009). The Art of Hammerfell (PDF). Tamriel Rebuilt. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  9. 1 2 "Stirk 1.0 Released!". Tamriel Rebuilt. 6 February 2009. Archived from the original on 18 June 2009. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  10. ↑ "On Hammerfell". Tamriel Rebuilt. 5 December 2009. Archived from the original on 6 January 2010. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  11. ↑ "Release - TR - Mainland Morrowind - Map 1 "Telvannis"". Tamriel Rebuilt. 23 September 2006. Archived from the original on 4 October 2006. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  12. ↑ "Antediluvian Secrets". Tamriel Rebuilt. 30 November 2008. Archived from the original on 18 December 2008. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  13. ↑ "Sacred East". Tamriel Rebuilt. 6 June 2012. Archived from the original on 9 August 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  14. ↑ "Tamriel Rebuilt - 18.07 release". Tamriel Rebuilt. 31 July 2018. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  15. ↑ "Tamriel Rebuilt - 19.12 Release". Tamriel Rebuilt. 19 December 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  16. 1 2 "Tamriel Rebuilt - 22.11 Release". Tamriel Rebuilt. 24 November 2022. Archived from the original on 21 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  17. ↑ "Tamriel Rebuilt - 23.10 Release". Tamriel Rebuilt. 31 October 2023. Archived from the original on 21 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  18. ↑ Broadwell, Josh (25 November 2022). "Morrowind mod Tamriel Rebuilt adds two more massive expansions". USA Today. Retrieved 21 December 2023. Tamriel Rebuilt was already an impressive undertaking, adding new regions, quests, and more to the classic Bethesda game, but its latest update is practically a new game in itself.
  19. ↑ Warren, Mark (1 November 2023). "Massive Morrowind mod Tamriel Rebuilt just got a fresh expansion featuring over 100 quests". VG247. Archived from the original on 21 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023. In an incredibly impressive twist, this means...the entirety of Tamriel Rebuilt now includes over 600 quests, surpassing the amount included in the original game and its expansions.
  20. ↑ Wheeler, CJ (24 November 2022). "Morrowind's Tamriel Rebuilt mod now has as many quests as the base game and expansions". Rock Paper Shotgun. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  21. ↑ Nelson, Will (22 July 2023). "The Elder Scrolls Morrowind's biggest mod is about to get even bigger". PC Games Network. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  22. ↑ "Top 50 Single-Player Mods". PC Gamer UK. November 2009. Early Elder Scrolls games could include the entire continent of Tamriel because so much of the world was randomly generated. As later games included more handcrafted content, their scope narrowed. The Tamriel Rebuilt team are recreating those missing areas, beginning with huge areas of mainland Morrowind missing from Elder Scrols III: Morrowind. They've completed two areas so far, with new quests and new characters, all lovingly detailed. A small island for Oblivion is also complete.
  23. ↑ Kluz, Arron (29 July 2021). "Best 8 Best Mods for The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind". Game Rant. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  24. ↑ Heaton, Andrew (4 December 2021). "Huge Morrowind Mod 'Tamriel Rebuilt' Now Halfway Complete After Nearly Two Decades". Game Rant. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  25. ↑ Johnson, Matthew S.S. (2007). "The Texts of Tamriel: Online Gaming Projects, from Playing to Writing". In Mary Valentis; Tara P Monastero; Paula Yablonsky (eds.). TechKnowledgies: New Imaginaries in the Humanities, Arts and TechnoSciences. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. pp. 317–19. ISBN   1-84718-136-8.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.