General:Hugh Riley Interview

This interview, conducted by Chen De-Leon (aka Darius) of the Shores of Stros M'Kai and posted on August 28, 1999, asked Hugh Riley, at one point Lead Animator for Morrowind, about the game while it was in development. Originally posted on Shores of Stros M'Kai (see 'Interviews').

Hello Hugh, thanks for taking the time to answer these questions.

Let's start off with a bit about yourself.

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Tell us, how long have you been at Bethesda? And what's your position in the Morrowind team?
I've been at Bethesda for about 2 1/2 years and am currently the Lead Animator for Morrowind.

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Redguard's graphics had a bright and sunny feel while Battlespire had a dark and foreboding atmosphere. What sort of atmosphere can we expect for Morrowind?

Weird and dusty in some places, fiery and sulphorous in others.

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How diverse is the environment in Morrowind? Will we be able to expect such environments as those present in Daggerfall; dungeons, graveyards, bustling towns/cities, forests, temples, inns? Or will we be treated with totally new environments, characteristics of strange land such as Morrowind?

All of the above plus lava - except maybe forests. We have a different type of vegetation in Morrowind. more dessicated in some places - more slimy in others. You'll feel at home in the foreign quarter of Vivec.

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From the concept sketches made available, the character design looks to be more gritty and serious, a far departure from the colourful and cartoonish sprites in Daggerfall. Will this mean that Morrowind will be a much more serious and 'hardcore' game as opposed to breezy games like Might and Magic 6?

Dark elves are unlike humans and this is their land. You can expect to be twisted and manipulated. You may find some dark humour. Above all it will be believable.

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"Mind Perverter"

Could you tell us a bit about the monsters that a player would meet in the game?

They are horrible. They will pervert your mind.

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The concept sketches also show various beasts of burden used for transport etc... if possible, could you tell us a bit more about this? And how will it be used in the game?

There are many unusual creatures native to morrowind. Some are domestic and can be used for carrying your baggage or yourself. Several bite.

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How well does this new engine compare to other game engines like the UnrealEngine in terms of graphics?

Unreal is a 20th century game. our technology is for the NEW MILLENIUM.

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What are some of the capabilities of this new engine (graphics-wise)?

I am told it connects directly to the frontal lobes using thin needles and stimulates a sense of truly being there.

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What aspect(s) of Morrowind are you particularly proud off that you know beats every other game in the market at the moment?

The world of Tamriel exists. The harder you look at it the more real it becomes. I believe this to be unique.

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I'm sure many readers would want to know whether there are any plans for a Morrowind expansion pack, like Tales of the Sword Coast was to Baldur's Gate?

All our efforts are concentrated on Morrowind at the moment. Maybe later we will consider this.

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Finally, where did your biggest inspirations come from while designing graphics and art for this game?

Somewhere between the crotchety finicketyness of Ken Rolston and the lunatic vision of Michael Kirkbride. And the tree outside my window of course.

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Thanks for your time, Hugh, and good luck on Morrowind.

You're most welcome and please bear in mind that these are my personal interpretations and that Morrowind is still evolving..