Man, it’s been over a decade since the last time I covered OpenMW. Since then, its modding team has been working hard on it. And, yesterday, a new version came out. So, let’s see what the team has added to it.
For those who may not know, OpenMW is a free and open-source game engine that can run the classic RPG Morrowind.
It works natively on Windows, Linux, and macOS. OpenMW is considered a modern replacement for the original game engine and offers a stable experience with many quality-of-life improvements.
The engine is fully playable and supports most Morrowind mods. The main exception is mods that require the Morrowind Script Extender (MWSE), which are not compatible with OpenMW.
OpenMW uses the OpenMW-Lua framework to greatly expand its modding capabilities. This system allows mod creators to build features that were not possible with the original Morrowind engine.
While OpenMW-Lua serves a similar purpose to MWSE, the two systems are built differently and are not compatible with each other.
OpenMW also includes its own editor, called OpenMW-CS. This tool allows developers to create and edit mods more easily.
In the future, OpenMW-CS is expected to support the creation of full standalone games, giving developers the ability to build entirely new projects using the OpenMW engine.
OpenMW Version 0.51.0 adds several new features and fixes.
For instance, modders can now create custom magic effects using the scripting API. The update also introduces terrain vertex painting in the content editor, giving creators more control over how landscapes look.
In addition, the team has fixed many crashes related to Lua scripting.
The update also resolves a few minor issues with gamepad menu navigation that were introduced in the previous release.
The team has removed the old fixed-function rendering pipeline and the legacy lighting system. This helps modernize the engine and simplify future development.
OpenMW Version 0.51.0 also adds support for BC6H and BC7 compressed DDS textures when using the OpenSceneGraph fork.
In addition, sunlight direction can now be used in post-processing effects, giving developers more control over visual enhancements.
Another new feature allows camera projection offset to be configured through Lua. This makes it possible to implement advanced techniques such as temporal anti-aliasing.
Those interested can download OpenMW V0.51.0 from this link.
Speaking of Morrowind, you might like these other mods for it. TES3MP 0.8.1 is a mod that adds support for multiplayer and VR. Then we have Tamriel Rebuilt, which adds two new expansions and 200 quests. In November 2023, we also shared the first version of a World of Warcraft Mod. Oh, and there is also a 32GB 4K Texture Pack for it. There is also this mod that adds voices to all NPCs on the mainland. Finally, Morrowind Rebirth is another mod that has been in development for a while.
Stay tuned for more!
John is the founder and Editor in Chief at DSOGaming. He is a PC gaming fan and highly supports the modding and indie communities. Before creating DSOGaming, John worked on numerous gaming websites. While he is a die-hard PC gamer, his gaming roots can be found on consoles. John loved – and still does – the 16-bit consoles, and considers SNES to be one of the best consoles. Still, the PC platform won him over consoles. That was mainly due to 3DFX and its iconic dedicated 3D accelerator graphics card, Voodoo 2. John has also written a higher degree thesis on the “The Evolution of PC graphics cards.”
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