OpenMW 0.51.0 improves scripting for magic mods and fixes many crashes

Morrowind, the gloomiest and mushroomiest of the Elder Scrolls games, is getting on in years—and it was never the most polished game in town, even upon its release a whopping 24 years ago. Fans use OpenMW, a fanmade open-source engine that modernizes the game for current hardware and operating systems, and it has just received a major 0.51.0 update.

The headline change adds a scripting API so modders can create custom magic effects. That makes it possible to remake additions from mods like Tamriel Rebuilt for the open-source engine without relying on the original engine's script extender. The update also enables all characters to cast enchantments.

0.51.0 addresses numerous technical issues, including many Lua-related crashes and annoyances with gamepad menu navigation. Existing saves are safe to use with the patched version, but new saves created in 0.51.0 cannot be loaded by older versions due to a file format change.

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