The brand new mod for The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind called The Joy of Painting was just released by modder Merlord, adding a unique and exciting feature to this nearly twenty year old roleplaying game, painting. The mod in question allows players to carry around a field easel on their back which they can make use of as a portable art station, allowing for the production of both oil and watercolor paintings in addition to ink and charcoal drawings. The paintings created this way are not only saved in the game world, but can be exported as high resolution images and shared on social media or even printed.
“The Joy of Painting is a Morrowind Script Extender mod which adds a feature packed painting mechanic,” Merlord explains in a lengthy post on Reddit. The current features consist of a “dynamic painting mechanic with realtime animated brushstrokes” in addition to a “painting skill which determines the value of your creations as well as their visual quality” along with “over a dozen bushcrafting recipes including paper molds to make your own paper and recipes for canvases, parchment, brushes, easels, and canvases.” The mod even has a craftable sketchbook to store and view sketches. Merlord apparently plans to add purchasable versions of art supplies and a commission system for interactions with non-player characters.
The painting mechanic in the mod is both simple and complex, allowing players to choose their materials and place items from their inventory, decide on the orientation of their canvas and make use of a reticle to frame their subject, adjusting the thickness of lines and color saturation. The mod even adds a painting skill to the game. As the experience level of a character increases, the paintings which they produce become visibly more detailed.
The Joy of Painting also makes use of the popular mod known as Ashfall which includes a rather extensive set of survival and crafting mechanics. Players are able to create their own paper, canvases, parchment, brushes, and easels. The mod even allows for the creation of a personal sketchbook in which players can bind up all of their ink and charcoal sketches. Merlord has revealed a series of upcoming features, but the most impressive addition to the mod is no doubt going to be the aforementioned commission system. This will consist of a “radiant quest system where non-player characters will ask you to bring them ‘a sketch of a Guar’ or ‘an oil painting of a Bitter Coast sunset.’”
When push comes to shove, the mod is a delightful addition to Morrowind offering a unique and immersive experience. The Joy of Painting brings a brand new dimension to Morrowind, allowing players to create artwork which they not only can use within the game world but export for practically any purpose. This particular mod is surely a must have for any dedicated player.