Nomadic Gamer

November 2010

Gaming

A Second Account? Sure Why Not! #LotRO

stargrace 3Comments

One sure way of telling whether or not I’m REALLY enjoying a game is that eventually I (more than likely) end up starting a second account. In WoW I have two accounts (granted only one is currently active, but that’s besides the point). I have two in EQ2, I’ve got two Wizard101 accounts, and two EQ1 accounts. As of last night, I have two LotRO accounts. Turbine really didn’t leave me much choice though when it comes right down to it (let me explain).

See, a little while ago direct2drive had a sale on the VIP starter pack. It included a 30 day VIP subscription and 1,000 turbine points, for $10. The VIP subscription had to be used towards a new account, but they sent the code for the turbine points and account separately. So I applied the points to my main account and then completely forgot about the VIP subscription. Until last night. One of the ‘clinchers’ for me in starting a new account is whether or not I can realistically play two accounts at once. There are two ways for me to do this 1. be able to box both accounts on my pc (which is quite nice and able to handle most games, but graphic-wise LotRO is not “most games”) or 2. be able to play an account on my laptop (which is not top of the line but it is a duel core with 4 gigs of ram). If I can do one of those (or perhaps both) my decision on whether or not to start a second account becomes a lot easier.

Turbine helped me along as Syp pointed out – they have a low-rez client of the game available for those players who may be gaming on an older machine (or a laptop). I spent last night downloading the client and installing, and while it’s not the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen it does run amazingly well on my laptop.

Then there’s the fact that LotRO is a freemium game. Even when the 30 days of VIP runs out on that second account, chances are I’ll have saved up turbine points (as well as the 500 you gain from being a VIP for the month) to pick up a few quest packs and other odds and ends that I may want. Even if I simply use the account for storage like Arkenor suggested it makes having a second account worth it (at least to me).

Do I really NEED a second account? No, I don’t. I’m quite content with the four characters I have at the moment and as of last night my main (Minstrel) managed to inch her way to level 39. I do enjoy boxing though (it’s a matter of constantly multi tasking, which is something I enjoy) and since I technically already owned the VIP subscription, I may as well make use of it.

Happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!

Gaming

Putting Down the Sword

stargrace 13Comments

As I play through Fable 3 I can’t help but wish MMO’s included more quests that question your morals and cause you to make some decisions that affect the next step of the game (It should be mentioned that the screen shot above is from LotRO, and has nothing to do with any of this, but was just a really pretty screen shot I snapped last night). What if you decided NOT to kill those 10 rats and bring them back – what if upon entering Valdoon’s lair you decided that he should be allowed to live and spared his life? Perhaps you went to Leviathan’s home only to discover that the creature was simply misunderstood.

On a deeper level it bothers me that for most games the only method you can progress as an adventurer includes slaughtering and killing. The only game that I can say this doesn’t have to be the case is EVE, where there are no “levels” and training doesn’t require you to mass kill. Where you can make a fantastic “living” in game through mining, invention, manufacturing, PI and you never have to fit a gun. You are just as valued as someone flying a destroyer and with the different types of mission givers you can still quest and not have to “pew pew”.  I gave this some thought and I think it’s one of the major reasons that this game appeals to me even though the genre itself is one I typically avoid.

Unless I want to be a crafter in a game, I’m reduced to constantly butchering the world around me which goes against the idea of “who I am” as a person. I don’t LIKE to kill things in video games. If more games could implement exploration type quests or delivery that still rewarded you as an adventurer, I’d be a lot happier. Of course I know there are a lot of downsides to these methods of leveling. There would be players who abuse the system, etc. If it were that easy to implement I’m sure more companies would at least try.

I suppose my major issue comes from the fact that unless I AM slaughtering creatures, in MOST games I’m under valued. In EQ2 the “top” (I use that term loosely) players are raiders (ie: killing). In WoW the same. In pretty much every single game I can think of (aside from EVE) the “top dogs” of the game are all those who kill. In order to get the “best” gear you must smite those foes in your way.Rar.

Call me a care bear if you want but I think there’s a lot more to me (and my characters) then the weapons they wield and the creatures they have felled. It’s just a shame that the majority of the games I play don’t seem to recognize that.

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