There was a recent thread here about OpenMW by one of our fans that wasn't quite on-topic, so I've been asked by a moderator to create a new one that is.

OpenMW is a nearly finished free and open source recreation of Morrowind's engine. However, there is an experimental branch of it that can load up data files from all of Bethesda's Gamebryo and Creation Engine games, including – of course – Skyrim.

I invite you to watch the following videos of places from Skyrim being explored in OpenMW:

• Whiterun
• Solitude
• Breezehome
• Bthardamz
• Bleak Falls Barrow

If you look at the other videos from that channel, you'll also see places and assets from Oblivion and Fallout 3 being loaded up similarly.

That is the work of cc9cii, a single, very busy programmer in his 30s experimenting with OpenMW in his limited spare time. I want you to imagine how far his work could go if he had some real help and support from people interested in having a free and open source engine that can gradually recreate the gameplay mechanics and visuals of all of Bethesda's open world games.

It wouldn't be the first time something like this has happened. ZDoom was originally a recreation of Doom's engine that ended up letting you play Heretic, Hexen and Strife as well. OpenRA started out as a recreation of only Command & Conquer: Red Alert's engine before deciding to expand to cover all the other 2D strategy games by Westwood Studios. ScummVM originally supported only Monkey Island 2 before expanding to over 150 different adventure games.

Certainly, doing something similar for Bethesda's open world games is a far more daunting task... but it has already been done very successfully for one of them. Perhaps it is now up to you, the Skyrim modding community, to join in and take the attempt further.

OpenMW itself is fine with gradually including such work in its master branch, having already included cc9cii's code for loading up .bsa files from Skyrim, Oblivion, Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas.

It's also worth noting that OpenMW has a multiplayer branch called TES3MP that lets you play through all of Morrowind's content and the vast majority of its mods in multiplayer. Full disclosure: I'm actually one of its two developers. It's not perfect yet, but I'm told it's already some of the most playable fanmade multiplayer out there, and our next release will solve another big chunk of its remaining flaws.

Any code added to OpenMW will always be included in TES3MP as well. If you were to properly recreate Skyrim's mechanics in OpenMW, well... you'd very quickly have a TES5MP as well.

It's also worth keeping in mind the implications of OpenMW and TES3MP using the GPLv3 license. Any time someone makes a change to their code and provides binaries including that change, that person is required by law to share the source code used. That means no development effort can ever get wasted or held hostage by anyone.

Consider this a call to action in regards to helping and supporting OpenMW, even if it just means spreading the word about its potential or donating a few dollars a month to someone working on it.

Right now, I am especially troubled by OpenMW's talented graphics developer AnyOldName3 receiving very few donations despite his amazing work in coming up with true distant terrain shadows, which Skyrim itself doesn't have, but which would be included by default in OpenMW's take on Skyrim. Please help him out and ask a friend to help him out too, because – otherwise – he might just not stick around forever.