Speedgaming - completing? What?

Zyphomathic · Post by **Zyphomathic** » Mon Mar 20, 2006 9:27 am

I saw a movie of a guy completing Morrowind in 7 and a half minute, and so I ask; in your opinion, is killing the last boss "completing" the game? Skipping all those fun side quests, not exploring a second and basically just doing what you -have- to do?

I think not, and I hope most of you agree with me. I spent a hundred hours playing Morrowind with my first character, and I bet that twenty of those hours was spent walking or running through the wilderness, having no goal to complete a quest or find an npc or anything. ( I have to admit, though, that some of those hours were spent during my first days of playing as I didn't know what the silt striders were

).

Anyway, I do understand that this might mean ultimate boredom to some people, exploring and -not- doing something extremely constructive, but seriously guys, this is what they made the world of Morrowind for.

So, hehe, I'd love to hear your opinions about speedgaming, about "completing" the game (can you say you've completed the game if you've skipped a single quest?), and I'd love to hear any stories like my not-knowing-what-a-silt-strider-is one

Dang, hehe, I spent quite a lot time running from Balmora to Tel Fyr.

Coot · Post by **Coot** » Mon Mar 20, 2006 9:31 am

Well, I figure finishing this - or any other - game as fast as possible sort of defeats its purpose: having fun with it.
MW especially seems to made for longterm exploration. There's a couple of great things about the game and its sheer size and freedom are two of them.

Rookierookie · Post by **Rookierookie** » Mon Mar 20, 2006 9:33 am

7 and a half minute? Is he nuts? Even using the scroll of windform it is IMPOSSIBLE to get Wraithguard, Sunder, Keening, kill Dagoth Ur, and destroy the heart of Lohkan - and this is assuming that the initial "choose your character" stage is not counted.

Zyphomathic · Post by **Zyphomathic** » Mon Mar 20, 2006 9:51 am

[QUOTE=Rookierookie]7 and a half minute? Is he nuts? Even using the scroll of windform it is IMPOSSIBLE to get Wraithguard, Sunder, Keening, kill Dagoth Ur, and destroy the heart of Lohkan - and this is assuming that the initial "choose your character" stage is not counted.[/QUOTE]

Well, I'm not kidding. I have the video right here. He uses an orc barbarian, for the speed. And what I noticed when I looked at it last night was that he just bought craploads of scrolls for killing the last boss. He had those scrolls of icarian flight or whatever they're called, and he had quite alot of intervention scrolls too, for teleporting. Iirc he used mark and recall once too.

And everything is included. From when you start at the boat to you speak with this dark elf -looking thing after having killed some.. erm, stuff, down in the caves or fortress (whatever! ;p). I didn't really pay attention to the end, I was sleepy.

fable · Post by **fable** » Mon Mar 20, 2006 9:59 am

[QUOTE=Zyphomathic]Well, I'm not kidding. I have the video right here.[/QUOTE]

Sounds suspicious, as though he modded the character for godlike powers, whatever it may show on the screen.

But beyond that, what's the value of a journey when you don't enjoy the view?

Rookierookie · Post by **Rookierookie** » Mon Mar 20, 2006 10:04 am

[QUOTE=Zyphomathic]Well, I'm not kidding. I have the video right here. He uses an orc barbarian, for the speed. And what I noticed when I looked at it last night was that he just bought craploads of scrolls for killing the last boss. He had those scrolls of icarian flight or whatever they're called, and he had quite alot of intervention scrolls too, for teleporting. Iirc he used mark and recall once too.

And everything is included. From when you start at the boat to you speak with this dark elf -looking thing after having killed some.. erm, stuff, down in the caves or fortress (whatever! ;p). I didn't really pay attention to the end, I was sleepy.[/QUOTE]
By the time you get out of the Census Office AT LEAST two minutes would have passed, probably three. Even assuming that he had infinite money, it would have taken at least one more minute to buy all the scrolls he needed (and he would have needed to mod one of the merchants to have Scrolls of Windform), one minute to get to Vivec's palace and kill him, one minute to get wraithguard fixed (and can a level 1 character survive wearing it? I don't think so...), two minutes to get Sunder and Keening, and two minutes to get to Dagoth Ur, kill up, and finish off the Heart. This makes eight minutes, using scrolls of windform and infinite money.

Frankly, without cheating, even a 7.5 HOUR completion sounds suspicious.

dragon wench · Post by **dragon wench** » Mon Mar 20, 2006 10:19 am

Beyond the fact that this is hard to believe, I really do not understand why anyone would buy a game like Morrowind in order to race through it at breakneck speed..

Personally, I can't even figure out why somebody would consider themselves to have "beat the game," when they've only completed the main quest (all of it), given that there is so much else to do.

My reaction to stories like that is basically, "So what? Is that the only way the said individual is capable of placing an additional notch in their belt?"

If that is how somebody measures their self-esteem.. they seriously need professional help..

So, in other words, Zyphomathic, I completely agree with you.

Denethorn · Post by **Denethorn** » Mon Mar 20, 2006 10:41 am

As much as these videos are only done for gloating purposes, I do find them interesting, simply because I might slave over a game for hours and hours, then see it flash by in mere minutes with the most amazing and startling methods. Can you provide a link to the video please

?

Zyphomathic · Post by **Zyphomathic** » Mon Mar 20, 2006 10:53 am

The person who completes the game does not kill vivec and he does not fix wraithguard either. I hope all of you download the video and check it out, I'd love to hear your responses after doing so. (Though I can not prove he's not modded anything, I am very sure he has not done so, as the replay has already been seen by many many players).

Here's the link http://speeddemosarchive.com/demo.pl?Morrowind_730
You'll have to download it though, I suggest using bittorent, cause that went really fast for me.

And if you're too lazy to check it out, here's all his steps.

sorry for a horribly long post;

A detailed 'script' of the run:
1) Race: Orc
2) Class: Barbarian
3) BirthSign: The Steed
Seyda Neen:
4) Steal Limeware Platter from Census and Excise Office.
5) Take ring from barrel (all)
6) Talk to Sellus Gravius, exit
7) Give Fargoth his ring.
8) Sell to Arrille Limeware Platter and 'rubbish' from barrel, buy Scroll of Almsivi Intervention (2x), Iron Battle Axe
9) Run north, take from Tarkhiel Scrolls Of Icarian Flight (3x)
10) Use Scroll of Almsivi Intervention
11) Use Scroll Of Icarian Flight, jump in direction of Caldera, mid-air: Use Scroll Of Icarian Flight
12) Cast Berserk, kill Pemenie with Iron Battle Axe, take/equip Boots Of Blinding Speed
13) Use Scroll of Almsivi Intervention

Ald-ruhn:
14) Run to Guild of Mages, enter, hide Iron Battle Axe
15) Buy from Anarenen: Standard Restore Fatigue (3x)
16) Sell to Tanar Llervi Boots Of Blinding Speed, buy Scroll Of Mark, Scroll Of Leaguestep
17) Sell to Tanar Llervi Scroll Of Mark, Scroll Of Leaguestep, buy Scroll Of Mark, Scroll Of Leaguestep
18) Kill Tanar Llervi with Iron Battle Axe, take Scroll Of Mark (2x.), Scroll Of Leaguestep (2x), Boots Of Blinding Speed, Scroll of Drathis' Winter Guest (2x), Scroll of Elemental Burst: Frost (10x), Scroll of Taldam's Scorcher (2x), Scroll of Ondusi's Unhinging, Scroll of Almsivi Intervention
19) Kill Edwinna Elbret with Scroll of Elemental Burst: Frost (3x), take Wizard's Staff
20) Use Scroll of Almsivi Intervention
21) Use Scroll Of Icarian Flight, jump north-east

Red Mountain:
22) Mid-air: Use Wizard's Staff
23) Use Scroll Of Mark, levitate to Vemynal, enter
24) When Berserk effect ends, drink Standard Restore Fatigue (3x)
25) Kill Dagoth Vemyn with Iron Battle Axe, Scroll of Drathis' Winter Guest (2x), Scroll of Taldam's Scorcher (2x), take Sunder.
26) Use Scroll Of Leaguestep, levitate to Dagoth Ur (citadel), use Scroll Of Mark, levitate to Odrosal, enter
27) Unlock door with Scroll of Ondusi's Unhinging.
28) Take Keening, use Scroll Of Leaguestep
29) Use Dwemer Crank, enter Dagoth Ur (citadel), levitate/run to Dagoth Ur (god)
30) Sleep for 24 hours, cast Berserk
31) Kill Dagoth Ur with Scroll of Elemental Burst: Frost (7x), Iron Battle Axe
32) Use Wizard's Staff, enter Facility Cavern, levitate to Heart of Lorkhan
33) Hit Heart of Lorkhan with Sunder
34) Hit Heart of Lorkhan 5 times with Keening, unequip Keening
35) Levitate to the end of the wooden bridge, use Scroll Of Leaguestep.

So, erm, seriously. Watch the video ;_;

Zyphomathic · Post by **Zyphomathic** » Mon Mar 20, 2006 11:13 am

And look, I bet even these guys who try to speed through the game have completed the full game several times. It's not like they buy it to complete it in 8 minutes and then uninstall, hehe.

And I agree with Denethorn, I'm also quite amazed by some of these speedgaming vidoes. If you check this video of Morrowind out, look how well he hits Pemenie (the girl with the boots of blinding speed) when he jumps from Balmora or wherever it is ;p Seriously impressive, though I'd never consider doing it like that myself.

@fable: If you watch the video it is obvious that he does not have godlike stats

@Rookierookie: Please check the video out, yarr.

fable · Post by **fable** » Mon Mar 20, 2006 8:06 pm

Found a mention of this vidcap on another site, where it was discussed as one of a group that were intended to be satirical in nature.

Phreddie · Post by **Phreddie** » Mon Mar 20, 2006 8:31 pm

It is sort of impossible that his charachter was unaltered, anyone else tried to use a scroll of Icarian FLight to get somewhere a little faster? It makes a excon pancake on the ground somewhere in Morrowind, honestly all you believers in that video, go try and jump from seyda neen to, anywhere really, you will die, as long as land on land, say right next to the lady with the shiny boots.

ch85us2001 · Post by **ch85us2001** » Mon Mar 20, 2006 8:43 pm

[QUOTE=Phreddie]It is sort of impossible that his charachter was unaltered, anyone else tried to use a scroll of Icarian FLight to get somewhere a little faster? It makes a excon pancake on the ground somewhere in Morrowind, honestly all you believers in that video, go try and jump from seyda neen to, anywhere really, you will die, as long as land on land, say right next to the lady with the shiny boots.[/QUOTE]
Try casting a scroll of Icarian flight or Slowfall right before you hit the ground.

Zyphomathic · Post by **Zyphomathic** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 12:56 am

[QUOTE=ch85us2001]Try casting a scroll of Icarian flight or Slowfall right before you hit the ground.

[/QUOTE]

Hehe, yeah, that's what he does. I thought it was pretty obvious.. ;p Anyway, I really don't think he's cheating or anything, he's just unimaginably quick. Look:

11) Use Scroll Of Icarian Flight, jump in direction of Caldera, mid-air: Use Scroll Of Icarian Flight

fable · Post by **fable** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 6:04 am

[QUOTE=Zyphomathic]Hehe, yeah, that's what he does. I thought it was pretty obvious.. ;p Anyway, I really don't think he's cheating or anything, he's just unimaginably quick.[/QUOTE]

No, he *is* cheating. That vidcap is excerpted from a satirical series, meant to be taken as a joke. The complete list by that guy was up on the ES forums. I think you may want to check the rest of 'em out. I should have copied the link, myself; now I'm trying to find it, again.

Rookierookie · Post by **Rookierookie** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 6:21 am

How does he avoid the blinding effect of the boots?

Greg. · Post by **Greg.** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 6:35 am

Admittedly, the bits where he goes to the heart chamber look a bit suspicious... I'm sure there were more caves than that...

Obviously, to get to the BoBs that quick takes real in game knowledge...

@Phreddie, he uses the wizards staff at one point to levitate... I can do that with my char... I use 100pts jump coulped with about 30pts slowfall... Can jump from Balmora to Caldera like that...

Luis Antonio · Post by **Luis Antonio** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 6:35 am

[QUOTE=fable]No, he *is* cheating. That vidcap is excerpted from a satirical series, meant to be taken as a joke. The complete list by that guy was up on the ES forums. I think you may want to check the rest of 'em out. I should have copied the link, myself; now I'm trying to find it, again.

[/QUOTE]

Yes, he is, no way he'd do that. Its like that 12 minutes to close Super Mario 3, the guy edited and edited and edited the video tons of times before being actually able to finish it that way.

fable · Post by **fable** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 7:11 am

Here's the link to the thread that in turn links to all those satirical videos. As you'll note, all the videos are at one site. All are meant as a joke, including the "speedgaming" one.

So, Zyphomathic, don't worry about losing heart over your game.

Somebody was just having some fun. Besides, what does it matter how quickly a game can be defeated by some super-ego'd nerd, when the important thing is truly how well you enjoy the playing of it?

Siberys · Post by **Siberys** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 8:11 am

Just by the look of it, it's fake. Even with steed, you can't go that fast, I'm sorry, it really doesn't work like that.