Sorefoot Enterprizes 1.0 (Created by Miles_Acreus) - Reviewed by Zenogias - 3/4/04

This review was originally posted to the Elder Scrolls forums on 12/20/03, and has been updated and expanded.

 

Synopsis
Sorefoot Enteprises adds new travel options in the form of new Silt Striders to various locations, and some boat travel including passage to the Skaal Village. The new Silt Striders are in the middle of areas which were previously lengthy to walk to (Grazelands, Azura's Coast), and make getting about a little easier. It also adds some new buildings, a new town, and quests. It requires Tribunal and Bloodmoon.

Design
The new travel options aren't just thrown there with no explanation. There is story and purpose behind why they are there. Also, each leads to an 'outpost' within each of those regions. These outposts each contain a new building or two, new NPCs, and new quests.

Also, a new semi-town is added over the Sea of Ghosts, the Sorefoot Base Camp. The buildings in this area are all over the water, and no actual ‘landmass’ is added. The buildings, ships etc are creatively and well designed, and a few houses are available to the player.

Quests
I won't give away much here, but I will say that some of the NPCs and quests have an almost whimsical nature that makes them incredibly fun to play. Also, they are not your run-of-the-mill quests. These are the imaginative, different kind of quests akin to those found in mods such as the Hunter Mod, The Illuminated Order and Miles' other mod Beyond YsGramor. Most of them can be completed in more than one way, to suit your (or your character's) tastes.

Other interesting features (which I won’t consider spoilers as they are mentioned in the readme file)
You character can gain a Dwemer Centurion companion. It is based on Grumpy's ever-versatile companion scripts, and thus works to the same extent as all mods which make use of them (such as the companions in Emma’s Prophecy of the Lost Heir).

Dialogue
The dialogue in Sorefoot Enterprises is well and carefully written, and fits very well with Morrowind. Few mods have achieved dialogue which is as pleasurable to read as in this and Beyond YsGramor. I wasn’t able to find any spelling/grammar or other dialogue errors.

Bugs/Errors/Oversights
1) A couple of the silt striders’ legs are not touching the ground. However this is also true of some of the silt striders in the original game, which appears to have something to do with the heights of the travel platforms. Thus I don’t know whether the Sorefoot striders are meant to be like that or not, but luckily it is barely noticeable.

Conflicts
I tested Sorefoot Enterprises with many quest and landscape altering mods, and was unable to find any conflicts. The mod had apparently been well-tested before release, and it had been ensured the new areas did not conflict with anything else.

You might like this mod if you like:
Vivec Expansion 2.0 by Hoghead. The atmosphere and overall air of Sorefoot Enterprises reminds me of the way Vivec Expansion improves on Vivec. Not setting out to change the world, but just to enrich it, with architecture, dialogue, NPCs and overall colour.

Overall
The Good:
- Convenient travel
- Excellent building design
- Excellent quest design
- Balanced: No unbalanced items, merchants etc
- Clean
- Highly compatible

The Bad:
- Possible oversight with some of the striders’ legs floating

What I think:
Nothing unbalancing, and the characters, dialogue and architecture fits right into the world of Morrowind. It also manages to be incredibly imaginative, so be prepared for something new and different and fun. Few mods manage to address all purist issues yet still come out imaginative and fun to play.

I especially recommend it to purists and cleanliness freaks (like me) who might not normally download mods like this, in fear they will be unbalancing, be out of place with the atmosphere of Morrowind, conflict with other mods, or break their game entirely. This mod to me is one of those rare gems that somehow does none of those things.

Download link:
Morrowind Summit (search 'Sorefoot')

Have fun!

 

 

 

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