Nomadic Gamer

LotRO

Gaming

Nomadic Once Again

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I have a lifetime account to Lord of the Rings Online – and I played not too long ago, with Arkenor and a few other Combat Wombats. Problem is I’m a nomadic gamer, and I tend to move on before too long. Sometimes sooner than not. I wasn’t always a gamer who bounced from game to game, but as my allotted time has changed, and my gaming desires have changed, so have the games themselves. Taking a look at LotRO in specific it’s pretty easy to see what the problem in my case is.

My highest character ever was level 44. I was playing last year, but only reached level 20-22 or so. I had a house, but it expired (you have to keep paying upkeep on those). None of that is the problem though. The problem, is that the current cap to the game is 130. That’s a huge daunting number, especially when you’re only level 20. It felt like I could never catch up, could never make sense of the mechanics that were utilized in the game. Chat was basically an entire other language that I couldn’t make sense of, and my bags were overflowing with items that I had no idea how to use or what they were for.

Returning to a game that you haven’t played in a while is an incredibly daunting task. There are few games that I go back to where it actually sticks, and I am sad to say that no matter how many times I try to get back into LotRO – I just never quite succeed.

Time to continue wandering.

Gaming

Saving Chickens

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Dora needed some help rounding up her chickens today, so of course I did. She gave me a cloak in return that looked like it had been used to wash the floors, and was no where near as nice as the cloak I was already wearing. Why her chickens were out wandering with wolves, I have no idea, but hopefully she keeps them closer to home in the future.

Gaming

Diving into LotRO

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It has been years since I played the Lord of the Rings Online, and even though my other half and I used to play it together for some reason it is one of the very few games that we actually did not return to year after year (unlike EverQuest, or WoW, or EverQuest2). When they announced a legendary server would be opening (much like the progression servers we know at Daybreak) I perked up a little. It didn’t take much hype before I was fully on board and planning out the characters I would play.

My husband also decided to play, and though we faced a queue any time we tried to log in we both managed to make new characters – yay! He’s playing a Warden, and I opted to try out a lore-master this time around (the one with the pets). I also have a hunter for ease. Last time we played he stuck to a guardian and I bounced between my rune-keeper and my minstrel. We finished the tutorial starter and headed off to Combe to pick up some crafting vocations. This time around I decided to go Tinkerer, and he went Explorer. It should compliment one another well, and if not no big deal we’re not exactly min-maxers anyway.

It’s really nice to be playing again, even if we’re frantically trying to fit those minutes of gameplay in between everything (ie: life). Since we met in a video game (EverQuest 2, for those curious) it seems only fitting.

The server has had a lengthly queue every evening, but during the day it’s not too bad. There are all sorts of returning players checking it out, though a fair portion of my twitter friends are reluctant to start on the new legendary server and have opted to remain on the regular servers – nothing wrong with that! I hope this brings the game some money and more business is never a bad thing.

We’ll see how long I end up sticking with it. I’m hoping to be able to play a few times a week, even if I don’t get much done. I believe expansions release every 4 months, so there’s plenty of time to catch up to “end game” though I have never actually been end game in LotRO before. There is a first for everything.

As always, happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!

Gaming

Missing Out #LotRO

stargrace 5Comments

If there was one game I really wish I had of purchased a lifetime subscription to, it would be the Lord of the Rings Online. I kick myself every time I log in that I didn’t take advantage of it while I had the time, but I just couldn’t afford it. Every so often I get an itch to dive into the game, and this week was no different. I own all of the latest expansions, but my main character is only level 43 (almost 44!) and that’s not high enough to really take advantage of Mirkwood or the most recent expansion, Isengard.

Toargo and I delved into game without too many issues, and as a sort of refresher course we decided skirmishes would be the way to go. Great experience, and a safe fighting environment that wouldn’t have other players cursing our name. Most of the time, at least.

We completed a handful of them without any issue while I got reacquainted with my Minstrel. Before I knew it two hours had passed and it was time to head to bed. Funny how those moments sneak up on us.

LotRO is one of the few MMOs I’ve played for any length of time where I haven’t managed to get to the ‘cap’ in game. In fact I’ve never even been close to maxing out the level of one of my characters. I find leveling quite slow, but then again I don’t dedicate as much time to playing as I do other games either. I’m not quite sure why. The game is (and always has been) breathtakingly beautiful, and I suppose all of the fall colours if Rivendell makes me a little nostalgic since it’s my favorite time of the year. I haven’t subscribed to the game (yet) and am still playing it in the ‘free to play’ form, but I imagine that will change before too long.

As always, happy gaming no matter where you find yourself!

 

Gaming

Oh Give me a Home, Where the buf– Gnomes, Roam! #EQ #EQ2

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Enough posts of doom and gloom – anyone who has followed me for the past 6 years knows that it’s not my typical style of writing, and I really don’t enjoy it. Today I want to talk about one in-game aspects that I absolutely love and wish more games would incorporate – housing.

Out of the games I have played EQ2 and EQ have some of the best player housing. Note that I said of the games I have played because I realize there are a few other older ones that have done it quite well too. I really like the fact that players can “own” a little piece of the game and personalize it; beyond their player characters. Even if you’re not really interested in housing chances are you’ve at least attempted some decor and have a storage space set up. Or gotten a friend to decorate for you.

EQ2 and EQ even take this one step further by allowing you to display trophies that you’ve collected in your battles. Turning weapons into house items that can be mounted on the walls. Trophies of raid encounters that you can display in your guild hall. I don’t like LotRO’s housing as much as I do EQ2 and EQ simply because they don’t really let players be creative. They allow you to “hang” furniture on hooks which are set out in specific locations across the house. Sure, it’s customizable in what you actually put in each spot but don’t expect any unique home creations that way.

Yesterday I felt the housing bug creep up on me. It’s the one thing that I can’t seem to find in any other game I play to such a satisfying degree. Could I play EQ2 JUST for the housing? That seems a little silly to me. I meandered around EQ1 looking at all of the homes that have gone up since House of Thule has been live. Wow. Some amazing creations by some talented players. I saw everything from wedding chapels to garden gnomes to GIANT garden gnomes. Walled in yards, fountains, a lot of wandering house pets, I saw it all.

Couple that player generated content with the books that EQ2 added some time ago and you have yourself one very vibrant role play community. I absolutely love these player written books, I must, since I own over 300 of them written by various authors. We need more of this stuff in our games. That’s what helps separate our Single player RPG’s from the MMO’s and gives them life.

Happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!

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