My wife and I are really, really enjoying this game.  However, I have reached that point in every steamy new MMO relationship, where I start to Google information, re-read old reviews, and generally preview whats in store for us around the next level or the next 10-20 levels.
What I’ve read, scares me a little…
Achievers. Explorers. Socializers. Killers. Everyone gets something different out of the game, and yet we are all rewarded in the same ways. Why?
So we played quite a bit this weekend. I have to say I am enjoying the fundamentals of the game, questing, crafting, exploring etc..
A chicken! Dude!
Yeah, that’s about all I have to say. I will need to borrow someone’s lifetime subscription for a few minutes sometime.
: Zubon
A few days ago I wrote about the new “Session Play” being added to Lord of the Rings Online. One of the developers spent some time adding a little fluff to the game. They explained that it is but a small part of the upcoming content patch. The comments on the forums covered the entire range from praise to complaint. I can’t imagine what goes through the dev’s mind when they read this stuff. Must have thick skin I guess, because you can’t please them all.
I don’t really even know what to say about this, other than pointing out that it is not April 1st. Lord of the Rings Online is adding “session play” to the game in the next content update.
Session Play is a new system that allows you to play as a character other than your normal character. These characters do not have permanence, so you don’t keep them like you do your Free Peoples or monster play characters. You could play as a Ranger, a Troll, or… a chicken. It’s an opportunity to explore Middle-earth from a different – and sometimes unexpected – viewpoint.
A what?
I have been playing The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of Angmar for a few months now and I have to say that I am really enjoying myself. I have become a pretty casual player these days, logging in for just an hour or two per setting and not even every day. It is working out perfectly for me and this game.
I have three characters that get rotating play time as I enjoy them each for their own reasons. I have a level 12 Man Lore Master, a level 15 Hobbit Minstrel and a level 11 Dwarf Guardian. I have joined the Vindicators on Landroval (led by Scott Adams). It is a nice group of casual players with many doing light role play and I am enjoying their company.
The setting is the number one reason I am enjoying the game. I just can’t get enough of the scenery. In fact, it is so good that is pulls me right into the game. I am constantly stopping to take pictures or just sit down and watch the clouds roll by. Breath-taking really. Most of my time has been spent in the Shire and I love it. The quests are enjoyable (I read them all) and I even went after some fun titles like Shire Brewmaster.
My family took my Mom out for dinner on Mother’s Day. My Mom, my wife and our kids, my brother, my older sister and her kids and my younger sister with her son all gathered to celebrate motherhood in the best way possible – eating food and not making Mom cook or do dishes afterwards.
We met at a nice steakhouse and the meal was fantastic. The conversation was pleasant and typical. Until the nerd-fest broke loose.
I shouldn’t be surprised with a smooth MMO launch, but I still am. The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar launched yesterday and from all appearances it was quite trouble free. I have heard some tales of new account registrations being slow, but other than that it seemed to go without many problems at all. The availability of boxes on store shelves might not be as plentiful as one might hope, but I don’t know if that qualifies as a negative.
There was a queue when I logged into Landroval last night, being 14th in line. I was logged in within 3 minutes. I ran around a lot, trying to see how many people were playing. It looked pretty good to me. Plenty of people.
