Night time possesses a serenity and deafening quietness in Lotro. Even when I’m killing goblins or slaughtering countless snapper turtles I feel like I should do so using my “library voice”. Turbine conveys a heady atmosphere in Middle-earth. They dutifully try to recreate Middle-earth like curators recreate the Prehistoric Era for museum patrons. (Here’s where I fully expect lore purists to comment and flame me.) Except for swine and wolves. Lots of swine and wolves in Lotro. Their multitudes are so great that it’s a blessing that Middle-earth’s evolution didn’t tilt in favor of pigs or wolves. It’s for the best though, who wants a selection of hooves and whiskers at character creation?

Anyway, my point was the atmosphere is fantastic and rich like a full bodied wine. WoW felt like a surreal fast food chain. (I realize I reference WoW a lot, I played it for four years afterall.) Each meal quick and transiently satisfying. The trick is, through clever marketing they make you want that “MMO junk food”.   You start out only able to eat french fries (edit: freedom fries…does anyone still seriously say that?). After two weeks of eating fries every day you gain enough “reputation” with the franchise, and they allow you to try a burger. This cycle continues until you’re so popular with the chain that you can eat anything at the restaurant you desire. That is, of course until they release a whole “new” menu that requires you to work your way back up from the bottom. You’re never satisfied. Never full.

Lotro feels like a more complex meal. Perhaps I’ll realize the grind once I hit end game. But I’m in no rush. Every level is enjoyable. Exploration is fun. Groups have been a blast. Except that one. You guys know who you are.

Nice night for swimmin’.

History is marked by the ambitious grabbing power and glory throughout all of human civilization. History is also marked by the hungry and even more ambitious supplanting the complacent ruler who was once the conqueror.

I find this analogy to be true in nearly every aspect of life, including business. Turbine depicts itself as the hungry wolf, staring at the crest of the hill where Blizzard sits. Blizzard has become slothful and complacent due to its leviathan-like ascension as the premier MMO. Turbine, to retain its player base provides for its player base. Perhaps not every change and addition made is desired, but it is carefully considered while heeding the community. Blizzard seems to randomly buff and nerf classes to cause controversy while adding unremarkable content to buy themselves time. I have no delusion that Turbine will ever surmount Blizzard’s behemoth; I do believe that Turbine will continue grow its community as Blizzard continues to disenfranchise theirs.

With passion and desire, will success come.

Book 8 is currently being packaged and prepared for the non-test server masses.

The more I hear about the UI improvements and crafting reworks the more I eagerly await it.

There is, one thing I’d like to see added though.

Would it be possible to lessen or remove fall damage when jumping into an deep body of water?

I know it seems picky, but it’s so frustrating to become crippled after a minor cannonball into a river or fjord.

Somehow, I don’t think it matters whether or not I jump off a cliff into a body of water or onto solid rock.

Either way, I’ll limp for a while.

I think about this game more often than I actually play it.

My play time is spotty at best right now. Hopefully that’ll clear up in the near future.

Because I find thinking about a game and not actually playing it to be terribly unproductive.

Here’s to increasing productivity!

*Thock* *Thock* *Thock*

Take the wood to the Bree auction house.

*Thock* *Thock* *Thock*

Take the wood to the Bree auction house.

Sometimes the heroes of Middle Earth do some pretty unheroic and bland things.

I think I’m gonna call my pony mount, “Exorbitant Expense”.

You know, like a race horse name.

Anyway, back to the woods.

*Thock* *Thock* *Thock*

So far, I’ve made an estimated 1 gold. Which, by any account is a paltry sum. I wonder why the devs chose to make one thousand silver equal one gold? The lore doesn’t state an exchange rate I don’t believe. Either way, it was quite disheartening to learn my first 250 silver was indeed a beggarly sum not fit to fill a coffer. Also, the Lotro Auction House seems to be in a constant state of undulation and flux. Aside from the recent U.S. stock market, never had I seen commodities rise and fall with such ardency. Some days at the Auction House I feel like a mogul reaping my well invested dividends. Other days I feel like I’m pawning wood and metals to help pay rent.

Developer Advice:

Post a, “Guide to Lord of the Rings Online Finance and Macroeconomics” on the main page.

I know I’d read it.

I first tried Lotro when it launched two years ago. I liked it, but was still too deep in the WoW repitition love/hate relationship. Since quitting WoW, I’ve come to play Everquest 2. It’s a lot of fun, but it’s a bit too hardcore for me these days. I work and go to school full time so my playtime is sparse and sporadic at best.

Playing EQ2 has been rewarding, I’ve made a couple friends and remain a part of an active guild. Something is missing though. I didn’t know what until I came back to Lotro during the free play anniversary. It was exploration and the desire to know more about the game mechanics. Everquest 2 is an awesome game, but the zoning and invisible walls really puts a damper on my explorative side. I love knowing what’s over the next hill. Everquest 2 definitely has clickable items and random hidden quests, which is great but the “soul” isn’t there. By that, I mean the game feels like exactly what it is. The elements don’t mesh I suppose. EQ2 feels like many different MMO elements layered on top of one another. It really bugs me, because EQ2 offers everything I’d want as a player. Except heart.

That being said, I’ve really been enjoying Lotro. It feels like World of Warcraft for me when it launched four years ago. Now, I just need to figure out how to tell my EQ2 guildies.

That’s one hill I’m wary of cresting.