Crimson Desert: Patches and Continuous Improvement
The action, open world RPG Crimson Desert has been patched five times since it launched on March 19th and there have also been multiple hotfixes. At first glance this isn’t anything unusual. New games have bugs and issues arise once a game is released and played across a much wider variety of hardware than in QA testing. However, if you read the patch notes that accompany these sizeable downloads it quickly becomes apparent that developer’s Pearl Abyss are not just addressing bugs and software glitches. They are actively engaging with their player base and responding to suggestions and requests from that community. Although this is not a unique approach, what is surprising is the speed and quantity in which these player driven changes are happening. There seems to be an active ongoing process to refine the game and eliminate some of its “rough edges” and the players are contributing to this process with their feedback.
The action, open world RPG Crimson Desert has been patched five times since it launched on March 19th and there have also been multiple hotfixes. At first glance this isn’t anything unusual. New games have bugs and issues arise once a game is released and played across a much wider variety of hardware than in QA testing. However, if you read the patch notes that accompany these sizeable downloads it quickly becomes apparent that developer’s Pearl Abyss are not just addressing bugs and software glitches. They are actively engaging with their player base and responding to suggestions and requests from that community. Although this is not a unique approach, what is surprising is the speed and quantity in which these player driven changes are happening. There seems to be an active ongoing process to refine the game and eliminate some of its “rough edges” and the players are contributing to this process with their feedback.
As of today, 11th April, the latest patch upgraded Crimson Desert to Version 1.03.00. This included some very interesting changes and improvements to the game. The option to hide various weapons from being displayed on your characters back was a welcome addition. As were settings to customise the in-game camera’s behaviour. This has been a major issue for players when trying to manipulate objects using the Axiom Force ability. Teleportation via the Abyss Nexus has been refined, allowing the player to do so while mounted, falling, swimming or climbing. Cut scenes can now be fast forwarded through, as opposed to just skipped. There are also a wealth of minor quality of life improvements such as font size, improved lighting (especially indoors) and water surface reflection detail. A lot of additional graphical related controls have been added within the game settings. Further details for the latest and previous patches can be found at the Pearl Abyss website.
The developer’s have also published a comprehensive list of features they intend to add to Crimson Desert in the immediate future. Many of these are potentially game changing, no pun intended. The most notable is a difficulty setting for boss fights, something that has been a bone of contention since the game’s launch. Following on from this is the ability to replay boss fights which could be an invaluable practice tool. Another proposed change is the re-blockading of previously liberated regions or fortifications. This would certainly add to the notion of a “living world” and keep players engaged and building their reputation with certain factions. There are also a lengthy list of UI improvements and such as mount and pet menus, a wardrobe system and various storage facilities for consumables and collectibles. Pearl Abyss even have plans to further increase the draw distance and graphical fidelity of the game, which is amazing considering how notable the graphics are at present.
In the past I have seen many developers “talk the talk” regarding a game’s future but totally fail to deliver on the promises they’ve made. This situation with Pearl Abyss seems somewhat different. Some of the specific changes listed in the DEV Update post have already been delivered in the latest patch. This proves that the developer’s are not just acknowledging player feedback but quickly and efficiently delivering the results. At present there is a schedule to implement all the proposed changes by the end of June. This will not only improves the quality of Crimson Desert for those who have already bought the game but offers a great incentive for those who are considering doing so or have it currently on a wish list. In the current climate of underperforming triple A games and studios failing to honour their own roadmap, Pearl Abyss seem to be doing much of the heavy lifting when it comes to repairing gamer and developer relationships.
Starfield: Unexpected DLC
According to my Steam statistics, I last played Starfield on 19th December 2023. I bought the game upon its release in September of that year and played in total for 136 hours. Starfield held my interest for three and a half month and I wrote seven blog posts about various aspects of the game. Although there were some engaging aspects to Starfield, I did feel that that the game was somewhat lacking in systems and content, at that point in its lifecycle. I also think that the marketing and player expectations associated with Starfield were overblown and unrealistic. The shadow of Skyrim looms large over all new Bethesda releases and they don’t seem able to quite recapture that magic. Hence, I inevitably drifted away from Starfield and to another game and was effectively “done” with it. I have not played the game since which seems to validate the theory that game are becoming increasingly more ephemeral.
According to my Steam statistics, I last played Starfield on 19th December 2023. I bought the game upon its release in September of that year and played in total for 136 hours. Starfield held my interest for three and a half month and I wrote seven blog posts about various aspects of the game. Although there were some engaging aspects to Starfield, I did feel that that the game was somewhat lacking in systems and content, at that point in its lifecycle. I also think that the marketing and player expectations associated with Starfield were overblown and unrealistic. The shadow of Skyrim looms large over all new Bethesda releases and they don’t seem able to quite recapture that magic. Hence, I inevitably drifted away from Starfield and to another game and was effectively “done” with it. I have not played the game since which seems to validate the theory that game are becoming increasingly more ephemeral.
With this in mind, I was somewhat surprised when I launched Steam a few days ago to find that there was new DLC available for Starfield. Furthermore because I had bought the premium edition of the game at launch, I could access this new content for free and avoid the £8.99 charge. Apparently, the first DLC for the game, Shattered Space, completely passed me by. This was additional story content which added new factions, creatures and bosses. It also provided further weapons, armour and equipment, as well as crafting and research materials. The latest DLC, Terran Armada, is similarly a story expansion but also includes the Free Lanes update which adds the ability to freely fly between planets in a star system and reduce the game’s dependency on loading screens. The DLC also includes the new X-Tech system, allowing players to further customise their gear. The new content also adds lots of minor additional features and quality of life changes to Starfield.
Naturally the appearance of this DLC after all this time, piqued my curiosity and I immediately considered re-installing the game. No doubt this was exactly what Bethesda intended. However, I am currently writing a blog post about gamers tendency to move from game to game and how it is easy to lose focus on a specific title due to the sheer abundance of games available nowadays. Hence, I immediately decided not to download Starfield for a second time. Crimson Desert is my primary RPG at present and it displaced Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon; a game that I have not finished at present. That game also dropped some unexpected DLC recently, compounding my dilemma further. With regard to Starfield, when I stopped playing in 2023, I was effectively done with it. I didn’t see that it had any more to offer and I’m not sure if two additional storylines change that. My disinterest in the game was due to a lack of engaging systems and a compelling reason to stick around.
To be fair, Bethesda have made it abundantly clear that the recent new content for the game is just that and the new DLC does not change the base game into Starfield 2.0 to coin a phrase. This is not like No Man’s Sky where multiple patches effectively re-invented the game over time. Although the DLC for Starfield addresses many issues that have been a source of criticism, it is still essentially the same as it was at launch. The game offers a focused experience that some will find to their liking, especially those who like the concept of a vast and somewhat barren universe. However, those wanting Skyrim in space (which so many people did) will remain disappointed. As such there is not sufficient reason for me to start playing again. My gaming time is best used focusing on those titles that hold my interest. For me, Starfield was an interesting experiment which didn’t quite hit the mark and at present, I am more inclined to return to No Man’s Sky, if I am to start playing a space themed game once again.
The Philosophy of Crimson Desert
13 days after its release, market analysts estimate that Crimson Desert has already earned $200 million across the four main platforms (PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S). The game is certainly proving popular among gamers with the internet awash with live streams and “let’s play” videos. However, reviews are mixed both among gaming journalists and YouTube influencers. Common complaints about the game include that it is slow to start, the controls are poorly laid out on all platforms and that developer’s Pearl Abyss have done a poor job of explaining most aspects of the game to new players. Although such criticisms are true to a degree, I think these complaints highlight how many gamers are conditioned to expect new titles to follow a specific pattern with regard to pacing, narrative exposition and learning in-game systems. A pattern that Pearl Abyss has chosen to ignore, instead favouring an old school approach.
13 days after its release, market analysts estimate that Crimson Desert has already earned $200 million across the four main platforms (PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S). The game is certainly proving popular among gamers with the internet awash with live streams and “let’s play” videos. However, reviews are mixed both among gaming journalists and YouTube influencers. Common complaints about the game include that it is slow to start, the controls are poorly laid out on all platforms and that developer’s Pearl Abyss have done a poor job of explaining most aspects of the game to new players. Although such criticisms are true to a degree, I think these complaints highlight how many gamers are conditioned to expect new titles to follow a specific pattern with regard to pacing, narrative exposition and learning in-game systems. A pattern that Pearl Abyss has chosen to ignore, instead favouring an old school approach.
Today I resumed playing Crimson Desert after a week long break (I was on holiday). I decided to explore the world rather than resume any specific quests, so I just took off in a random direction from the Greymanes camp in the Howling Hills. My avatar travelled on foot as it allows you to go “off-piste” and traverse difficult terrain more efficiently than on horseback. I climbed a small plateau that was nearby for no other reason than to see if there was anything of note at the top. Due to stamina limitations, I had to climb up in stages, pausing on ledges as I went. When I reached the top, I was rewarded with a staggering view across Pywel. It was then I noticed that the regionally specific ambient music that plays intermittently had stopped. The only sounds that were audible were the environmental sound effects. There was no dialogue or prompts to do anything. Just stillness and an opportunity for me, the player, to reflect upon the game and how it makes me feel.
Contemporary RPGs eschew such moments. Instead of organic personal reveries, players are funnelled in contrived set pieces. Instead of genuine stillness, we’re presented with confected vignettes that telegraph their unsubtle emotional intent. Characters inner monologues become a verbally incontinent means to steer the player in the “right direction”. You want to think? You haven’t got time to think as there’s a game to play. Gaming is a process nowadays and no longer a medium for introspection. Video games are also becoming increasingly driven to meet the needs of those that play them for a living and not so much for pleasure. Hence the languid pace and player driven play style of Crimson Desert has bamboozled those gamers who want a quick and efficient play through before the next big title is released. As for silence in a game, it is a quality that frightens some players and is not welcome.
Crimson Desert, although filled with many modern game systems and mechanics from other big titles, has also thrown in a suspiring amount of “old school” concepts. Many of which hail from the halcyon days of the MMORPG genre. The first 30 hours or so of the game are still essentially part of an overall tutorial. The player is encouraged to peruse the various in-game menus to glean the information they need to play. They are free to do this at their own pace. As to what quests one does, it again comes down to choice. The game won’t nag you if you go off exploring doing side quests rather than the main story. From time to time, you’ll realise that you’re struggling with content due to gear or a skill being missing. You then have to correct this yourself. Again the game will not pester you. In fact the prompts that are available can be disabled. You the player are in charge, or adrift at sea, depending on your perspective.
Perhaps the most noticeable thing that Crimson Desert does is that it give the player time and space to stop and just be present in the world. You are encouraged to consider a vista or visit a settlement and pet a cat or goat for the fun of it. Such things are not treated as frivolous indulgences but essential to the enjoyment of the game. Developers Pearl Abyss do not feel that the key to happy gaming is being micromanaged and kept busy. Something that I feel is a very North American mindset. Instead they provide the player with such a dynamic and immersive world, that they cannot help but take time out to come to terms with it. Hence gamers who expect a process driven, conveyor belt approach to both story and “learning the game” struggle to come to terms with the philosophy of Crimson Desert. They have either forgotten or never known the non-didactic nature of older video games. For those who do it’s a breath of fresh air.
Crimson Desert: Arm Wrestling Quick Time Event
Early on Crimson Desert, the main quest requires the player to enter a tavern and arm wrestle a particularly strong guard. The arm wrestling match consists of a quick time event. If playing on PC you have to rapidly press the “E” key which turns a power meter from white to red. Then a white dial appears above the meter with a rotating hand. When the hand passes over a segment of the dial that is marked by hatching, the player must press the “R” key. The idea being the meter filling with red is you strength building (or waning) and the “R” key prompt indicates when to try and force your opponent’s arm. You will need to to continuously press the “E” key throughout the arm wrestling match and the “R” key about 4 times to win.
Early on Crimson Desert, the main quest requires the player to enter a tavern and arm wrestle a particularly strong guard. The arm wrestling match consists of a quick time event. If playing on PC you have to rapidly press the “E” key which turns a power meter from white to red. Then a white dial appears above the meter with a rotating hand. When the hand passes over a segment of the dial that is marked by hatching, the player must press the “R” key. The idea being the meter filling with red is you strength building (or waning) and the “R” key prompt indicates when to try and force your opponent’s arm. You will need to to continuously press the “E” key throughout the arm wrestling match and the “R” key about 4 times to win.
This may all sound somewhat innocuous but it should be noted that if you do not win the arm wrestling match then you cannot advance and complete the first chapter of the game. You need to finish the first chapter to be able to acquire the abilities Axiom Force, Force Palm and Flight. Also to be able to progress to the next one. If you cannot complete the quick time event in the arm wrestling match you cannot complete the main story. At present, there is no means to bypass this quest or at least skip the arm wrestling match.
Needless to say this has annoyed a great many gamers who have struggled to complete this specific activity. Myself included. On PC, the two keys that have to be pressed and physically right next to each other on the keyboard which makes things harder. Similar complaints have been raised by those using a Xbox controller which requires “X” and “A” to be pressed. Perhaps the biggest criticism is the fact that quick time events are not especially liked by gamers as they are arbitrary, tedious and the unenjoyable. Why would you gate progress on the main quest behind such a universally reviled and notoriously divisive game mechanic as a quick time event?
Initially I was annoyed by this quest and the fact that I may have to wait until Pearl Abyss patched it due to public pressure. However, I subsequently decided to beat this QTE by other means. If I could use a script of some sorts to rapidly press the “E” key for me, I could concentrate on pressing the “R” key when prompted. So I installed AutoHotKey, got Google Gemini to write me a script which I then used and beat the QTE. As a public service, here is a guide showing the steps I took. Hopefully they will work for other PC gamers.
Install AutoHotKey.
Right hand click on your desktop and select “New AutoHotKey Script”.
A small New Script window opens.
Click the Edit button.
Notepad should open.
Copy the script below which uses Hardware-style timing. It holds down the “E” key longer so the game has time to see it.
#MaxThreadsPerHotkey 2
; 1. IMPORTANT: Right-click this script and select "Run as Administrator"
; 2. Ensure Crimson Desert is in "Borderless Windowed" mode.
F1::
Toggle := !Toggle
Loop
{
If (!Toggle)
Break
; Sends to the active window with a delay between down and up
Send, {e down}
Sleep, 30 ; Holds the key down for 30ms
Send, {e up}
Sleep, 60 ; Time between separate presses
}
Return
Save the Script to your desktop.
Double click the Script to run it. You may have to do this as an Administrator.
Press “F1” to start the Script and again to stop it.
If you have HDR enabled in the game settings then turn it off for the duration of the arm wrestling match as it makes the quick time prompt clearer. If you have multiple screens ensure that Crimson Desert is running on your primary monitor as AutoHotKey by default also uses this. Set the game to Windows Borderless before running the script.
I started the arm wrestling match and then pressed “F1” as the 3 second countdown started. The ”E” button was sufficiently pressed by the script, allowing me time to focus on the “R” key. I won the arm wrestling match after pressing the “R” key approximately 4 times.
I have been enjoying Crimson Desert so far but was discombobulated by this QTE that gates the main quest progress. Fortunately my work around did much to restore a positive view of the game but I am slightly worried that similar such QTEs may appear elsewhere in the story. If this sort of game mechanic frustrates you and you wish to register a complaint with the developers, Pearl abyss, here is a link to a FAQ regarding how to raise a support ticket. If enough players express their displeasure they may patch this issue in the future.
NVIDIA DLSS 5
Earlier this week, Nvidia posted a video featuring their latest iteration of DLSS technology (Deep learning super sampling). DLSS 5 is an AI-powered “real-time neural rendering” process and unlike previous versions that focused on improving frame rates through upscaling or frame generation, DLSS 5 uses generative AI to “infuse” frames with photorealistic lighting and material details that the game engine never actually calculated. Let us pause for a moment and consider these words. Material detail that the game engine never actually calculated. Therein lies the rub. If you watch the aforementioned video or peruse the images posted here, it is abundantly clear what the technology does.
Earlier this week, Nvidia posted a video featuring their latest iteration of DLSS technology (Deep learning super sampling). DLSS 5 is an AI-powered “real-time neural rendering” process and unlike previous versions that focused on improving frame rates through upscaling or frame generation, DLSS 5 uses generative AI to “infuse” frames with photorealistic lighting and material details that the game engine never actually calculated. Let us pause for a moment and consider these words. Material detail that the game engine never actually calculated. Therein lies the rub. If you watch the aforementioned video or peruse the images posted here, it is abundantly clear what the technology does.
The technology used in DLSS 5 is interesting. It uses a model trained to understand “scene semantics”. Assets such as human skin, hair, and fabric can be augmented to add realistic effects like subsurface scattering (how light glows through skin). It enhances surface textures in real time, making materials like weathered leather or brushed aluminium appear photorealistic. DLSS 5 come with a suite of developer for studios to flag specific areas and aspects of games for AI enhancement, while also protecting areas so they maintain their original art style. DLSS 5 is expected to launch in Autumn 2026 and will probably be linked to the upcoming release of the GeForce RTX 50 Series of graphics cards.
However, setting aside the technology used, it is hardly surprising that Nvidia’s promotional video has been poorly received (the reveal video receiving an 84% dislike ratio on YouTube). There are several major concerns that arise from this technology. Many gamers and developers worry that GPUs will essentially be adding details that don’t exist, rather than accurately representing the game and its art design. Some feel this shifts gaming away from a human-crafted experience toward an AI generated one. At present such technology requires a dual-RTX 5090 graphic card setup. No doubt the next generation of GPUs designed specifically to run DLSS 5 will be exceedingly expensive, driving up the cost of gaming. There are also concerns that Nvidia’s claims that artists will maintain “full control” will prove spurious.
However, perhaps the biggest point of contention stemming from the use of DLSS 5“ is the so-called Yassification” of games. “Yassification” is an internet slang term referring to the process of heavily editing an image, typically a face, using AI-powered beauty filters to make the subject look more glamorous, polished, or generically attractive. Critics argue the AI acts as an intrusive “beauty filter” that significantly alters character faces and designs. For example, in a DLSS 5 demo for Resident Evil Requiem, the character Grace Ashcroft appeared with botoxed lips and modified hair, leading to accusations of “AI slop” that bypasses the original artist's intent. Many gamers think that DLSS 5 technology is effectively a “yassification machine”. There are concerns that such technology could be used by some gamers to modify games in bespoke ways, such as changing race or gender to effectively “de-woke” them.
Although I do see the possibility for this technology to be used in the culture wars in a politicised manner, I think the most immediate problems will be those pertaining to copyright and the overall legality of augmenting games in this manner. There is a risk that AI tools of this nature could alter trademarked IP within a game such as a brand logo or copyrighted image without direct developer involvement. This could potentially invalidate the licensing agreement that the developer's may have with third party organisations. There have also been legal questions raised over the data scraping that Nvidia has used to train its AI for DLSS 5.
It is also worth noting the belligerent and tone deaf response by Nvidia's CEO Jensen Huang to gamer pushback, which he called “completely wrong”. His semantically driven argument was essentially focused on the tools that come with DLSS 5 being the means to ensure against any malfeasance. Clearly he is unaware of public opinion regarding the reliability and moral rectitude of corporate promises. I suspect that the arguments will continue from both sides over the months ahead. The real test will be whether the new generation of Nvidia GPUs that support DLSS 5 sell well. Many gamers are notorious hypocrites. However, with RAM and other hardware prices increasing at present, it may be a case that the cost will be the main problem that slows the uptake of DLSS 5.
Crimson Desert: Initial Thoughts
Last night, I spent the first 45 minutes after the launch of Crimson Desert, watching the 92GB pre-downloaded game files slowly decompressing and installing. I finally launched the game at about 10:50 PM GMT. I then waited a further 5 minutes while shaders were downloaded. It took me about 15 minutes or so to read through the various game settings and choose those that are optimal for my PC. I suspect even if you have a beast of a computer, you’re still going to have to spend some time tweaking settings. As for those players like myself with a gaming rig that is somewhere in the middle of the game’s specifications, be prepared to do a lot of fine tuning both within Crimson Desert itself and your Windows settings.
Last night, I spent the first 45 minutes after the launch of Crimson Desert, watching the 92GB pre-downloaded game files slowly decompressing and installing. I finally launched the game at about 10:50 PM GMT. I then waited a further 5 minutes while shaders were downloaded. It took me about 15 minutes or so to read through the various game settings and choose those that are optimal for my PC. I suspect even if you have a beast of a computer, you’re still going to have to spend some time tweaking settings. As for those players like myself with a gaming rig that is somewhere in the middle of the game’s specifications, be prepared to do a lot of fine tuning both within Crimson Desert itself and your Windows settings.
I can run the game at 2K with a mixture of Ultra and Cinematic graphics settings. I’m getting about 60 FPS when standing idle but the moment my character does anything substantive, the frame rate drops to about 40 FPS. However, this isn’t a deal breaker for me. Lengthy loading times are a reality due to the scale of the open world but the game plays animated sequences over them to distract from the waiting. The only technical issue I had initially was the game music intermittently cutting out while other audio, such as sound effects and dialogue, continued as normal. This was resolved by turning off “Signal Enhancements” within the “Advanced” tab of “Speaker Properties” in Windows.
Upon starting Crimson Desert, you’re dropped into the story of a rapidly unfolding conflict between two factions. There’s nothing unusual about this story telling trope but when the fighting starts you get a lot of on-screen information regarding combat that is hard to digest. Fortunately, this part of the game is effectively a tutorial so the enemies are relatively weak. Your character is injured and awakes in an unexplained realm which they traverse and thus learn the game’s various movement mechanics. They are subsequently transported back to reality, healed and acquire a mount which they use to travel to Hernand, the first major quest hub, to begin the main game. Upon arrival, a primary quest is granted but the player is free to start exploring the town and surrounding area. It is a reactively safe area so presents a perfect opportunity to start looking through the various menus such as inventory, quests, skills etc. There are a lot and this aspect of Crimson Desert along with some others make the game feel very much like a single player version of an MMO.
The combat controls for Crimson Desert on the PC are based around left and right mouse buttons, which are used for light and heavy attacks. These are appended by using the CTRL and ALT keys to guard and dodge. Other keys are similarly used for other abilities requiring your hand movement to be dextrous. There was a similar keyboard layout for Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and I struggled with that initially, although I did finally master it. Apparently, if prefer to use a controller the layout used is incongruous and the keys cannot be re-mapped. Hence a game with an abundance of systems also has a complex control layout, making the initial learning curve quite steep.
This is why I think it’s important to take your time in the first major quest hub and take the opportunity to explore the immediate world and figure out the different ways to interact with it. Also to spend time familiarising yourself with the games systems. Crafting is an important part of the game, especially making consumable that buff your health. Although a single player game, Crimson Desert does not have the complex branching dialogue options of other RPGs. NPCs provide quest prompts in a more arbitrary fashion. Sometimes you may just hear some dialogue while passing them that provides a clue. You will frequently have to use your menu to organise your inventory and switch between equipment. These menus often have multiple pages, so you have to drill down to access the data you require. The game seems to provide only the most essential information via on screen prompts and encourages you to explore both the world, GUI and menus on your own.
Some players will find this initial complexity and the measured pace of the opening hours of Crimson Desert frustrating. If you’ve played Skyrim, then jumping into Witcher III is not a culture shock, because they are broadly similar with a lot of common systems. Crimson Desert is very similar to the initial pace of a MMORPG and I suspect that there is a requirement of a substantial time investment before the story elements, familiarity with the game’s systems and players confidence align. In fact I wouldn’t be surprised to learn in the next few months that a percentage of players who usually favour single player games, abandon Crimson Desert simply because it has a much more measured pace at the start of the game. I can also see old school MMO players warming to this title because there are so many parallels.
With regard to the games aesthetic and style, Crimson Desert is a singularly handsome game with an incredibly well realised world. The draw distance is very impressive. This is something that the game keeps in reserve until one specific sequence at the beginning of the story, where you cross a bridge and suddenly see a valley stretching out to your left. It is a stunning revelation and something that is already becoming a common point of note in the various YouTube videos about the game. The game certainly seems well optimised to accommodate as much graphical performance as possible. The sound design and ambient music is also very impressive. The voice acting for the English version is broadly very good, although a few performances remind me of dubbed Hong Kong movies from the seventies. Some of the language is quite choice as well and I was surprised to hear the use of the word “cunt” within the opening 5 or 10 minutes.
So far, despite quite a lot of fine tuning the game settings, my interest is certainly being held by Crimson Desert. It seems to be a huge game with a great deal of content. Something that will take months to complete. Furthermore, to accommodate the scope of its vision, the game goes about it in its own unique way. That may enthral some players and annoy others. I usually come to RPGs and similar games, several months after launch. Hence there are a wealth of player curated resources available, telling you come to complete quests, create and optimal build and where the best gear is located. This time round I have started playing right from launch and so I am flying blind by my own standard. Oddly for me, that is proving to be fun. It is also nice to play a game that hasn’t been designed around a relatively short life cycle. I suspect there is plenty of life in Crimson Desert and that it potentially could have the longevity of Skyrim. As ever, time will tell.
Pre-ordering Crimson Desert
I have been aware of the online interest around the open world action game Crimson Desert for a while now. One of the things that has intrigued me about it is the scope of the game. The word “hype” has been bandied about by a few gaming websites. However, from what I have observed, developers Pearl Abyss have not been excessively hyperbolic themselves, with regard to the manner in which the game’s systems and mechanics have been marketed. Now that the press embargo has been lifted, the pre-release reviews seem to confirm that everything we’ve seen in promotional videos in the run up to the launch, is in fact present in the game. So far the initial critical response has been very positive and it has been hinted that the game may well be a genre milestone. Perhaps Crimson Desert is just a rare example of a game that has not had a rushed development and isn’t launching prematurely for business reasons.
I have been aware of the online interest around the open world action game Crimson Desert for a while now. One of the things that has intrigued me about it is the scope of the game. The word “hype” has been bandied about by a few gaming websites. However, from what I have observed, developers Pearl Abyss have not been excessively hyperbolic themselves, with regard to the manner in which the game’s systems and mechanics have been marketed. Now that the press embargo has been lifted, the pre-release reviews seem to confirm that everything we’ve seen in promotional videos in the run up to the launch, is in fact present in the game. So far the initial critical response has been very positive and it has been hinted that the game may well be a genre milestone. Perhaps Crimson Desert is just a rare example of a game that has not had a rushed development and isn’t launching prematurely for business reasons.
As I still had some money left from my birthday, I decided to pre-order Crimson Desert today. The standard edition of this single player game retails at £55 and the deluxe version at £65. As usual I spent sometime looking for the best deal that I could find online and eventually purchased a digital deluxe version for £54, saving £11. I could have found a cheaper key but I prefer to by from vendors that I’ve used before. This minimises the risk of being scammed or purchasing a region locked key that requires a VPN to activate, or some other complex workaround. The vendor will make the Steam key available nearer the launch date. I would expect it to be on or near the 17th March, when the game can be pre-installed 48 hours ahead of launch. According to the Pearl Abyss the game installation is 150GB in total which is a quite a size. Like many modern games it is now recommended that the game is run on an SSD.
It is becoming increasingly important to check a game’s minimum specifications before purchasing these days. In the past there was a degree of “wriggle room” with regard to whether a new title would run on your PC. However, nowadays it is a far more exact science. I can run Battlefield 6 in 2K but if I alter the game settings beyond what is stated in the game specifications, then the overall performance drops dramatically. According to the specifications for Crimson Desert, I should be able to run the game somewhere around the “recommended” settings. I am curious to see what sort of graphical quality that provides, although there is much that games can do these days when running on average hardware. Upscaling being a useful “get out of jail” card if necessary. I’ll know for sure on Monday 19th March at 15:00 PT, 22:00 GMT and March 20, 7:00 KST, when Crimson Desert launches. No doubt there will be a follow up post with my initial thoughts on the game.
Video Games Are Bad at Explaining Themselves
Video games as a genre are extremely poor at explaining themselves. When you buy a new game you’ll often find little or no information regarding the basic systems and mechanics. The industry assumes that their customers are by default familiar with the fundamentals of playing a modern video game. Hence if a game has a tutorial, it is often based around videos rather than detailed verbal instructions. You are are briefly shown a clip of a specific move being successfully undertaken but it is seldom shown in a wider context. The industry also expects the fan community to take on the role of curating and disseminating information about its games. The move away from forums and bespoke websites to Discord highlights this. Discord is a primarily a real time communication tool and not good at maintaining a historical data archive. If you want an answer to a specific gaming question, you’ll more than likely find it on YouTube in a video made by a fellow gamer.
Video games as a genre are extremely poor at explaining themselves. When you buy a new game you’ll often find little or no information regarding the basic systems and mechanics. The industry assumes that their customers are by default familiar with the fundamentals of playing a modern video game. Hence if a game has a tutorial, it is often based around videos rather than detailed verbal instructions. You are are briefly shown a clip of a specific move being successfully undertaken but it is seldom shown in a wider context. The industry also expects the fan community to take on the role of curating and disseminating information about its games. The move away from forums and bespoke websites to Discord highlights this. Discord is a primarily a real time communication tool and not good at maintaining a historical data archive. If you want an answer to a specific gaming question, you’ll more than likely find it on YouTube in a video made by a fellow gamer.
This issue has been highlighted recently as I’ve watched my grandchildren try new games on my computer. They play primarily on their phones or the Nintendo Switch 2. Hence their major frame of reference are interacting with games via a touch screen or a controller. As a result, PC gaming via a keyboard and mouse is quite abstract for them and also physically difficult for their small hands. The problem is further compounded by their often being no viable tutorial directly available in the games they play. My PC having two monitors helps in so far as you can run a video on one screen while playing a game on another but videos are often a lottery. Information is not always up to date and not everyone who creates YouTube content are skilled communicators. Furthermore, although it is useful to have access to online resources, this does explain or justify why a game such as Fall Guys does not have an integral tutorial?
When playing Roblox with my granddaughters, I often ask them how to do a specific task in games such as 99 Nights in the Forest. Sometimes they’ll know and other times they will not. Most of their knowledge comes from “just trying things” which can be a great way to learn but it can leave you with serious gaps in your knowledge. This matter is compounded as I play with them on the PC, which often has different or even additional controls. Online searches have sometime led to all of us finding out something that we previously didn’t know. Discovering information this way can be fun but it can also be very frustrating. I hit a brick wall today trying to figure out exactly how you used the various game passes in Chivalry 2. I eventually found a Reddit post that cogently explained the specific steps required to activate the pass and how you subsequently accessed unlocked gear. Again, isn’t providing such information incumbent on the developers?
I was going through my bric-a-brac cupboard recently and found the installation disks for several games from the middle 2000s. All had comprehensive manuals. In fact the in-depth instructions that came with the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online where so well written, I chose to play the Lore-master class purely on the strength of the written summary. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (the 2009 version) has an excellent tutorial level dovetailed into the start of the game, where you’re character has to visit the firing range to undertake basic weapons proficiency. It’s an excellent example of seamlessly integrating practical instruction into a game and making it part of the story and overall experience. If you remember such things, it is a stark contrast to how things are done these days. The videos game industry’s casual attitude towards having to explain themselves to their paying customers seems a least, ill considered and at worse, frankly disrespectful.
However, let us end on a positive note. As I was writing this post I collated a list of games that I’ve played over the last twelve months. Most of which were completely new to me at the time. After some consideration, I remembered that those games that made the best effort to school new players in their respective gameplay, were often so called AA titles. Sniper Elite: Resistance has a bespoke level at the start of the game that provides examples of the most essential mechanics and systems. Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon integrates a tutorial into the game prologue as you character escapes incarceration. The more I think about it, the biggest offenders for not making any effort to explain themselves are once again, the big triple A game developers. However, the tide of public opinion is beginning to change against this sector of the video game industry. Perhaps this in another potential lesson that can be added to an already lengthy list, that they can learn.
Fun or Skill?
I have written in the past about the video games we cannot play. The ones that require a keen understanding of a game’s mechanics, along with a strong degree of manual dexterity and situational awareness. Being 58 years old, I tend to have neither the co-ordination necessary to succeed or the patience to master such complex skill requirements. With this in mind, I recently watched a YouTube video for Chivalry 2 and thought, that looks like fun. The fact that it showed someone picking up a chicken and throwing it at an opponent is neither here nor there. However, after watching a few more videos I realised that combat in the game was complex and that, as usual, the reality of playing such a game would be different from my expectations. Hence, I came very close to not buying Chivalry 2. However, I eventually decided that I would, so I bought it for just under £10 from an online vendor.
I have written in the past about the video games we cannot play. The ones that require a keen understanding of a game’s mechanics, along with a strong degree of manual dexterity and situational awareness. Being 58 years old, I tend to have neither the co-ordination necessary to succeed or the patience to master such complex skill requirements. With this in mind, I recently watched a YouTube video for Chivalry 2 and thought, that looks like fun. The fact that it showed someone picking up a chicken and throwing it at an opponent is neither here nor there. However, after watching a few more videos I realised that combat in the game was complex and that, as usual, the reality of playing such a game would be different from my expectations. Hence, I came very close to not buying Chivalry 2. However, I eventually decided that I would, so I bought it for just under £10 from an online vendor.
So why did I change my mind? Because I fundamentally do not like the idea of there being a “skills gate”. It probably didn’t help that I watched a video by someone who had obviously spent a lot of time playing Chivalry 2 and they were rather contemptuous of newer players. They didn’t care for gamers that are happy to just potter about in the game and aren’t that fussed about mastering combat. But then again, I’ve no time for the fallacy of the “you’re playing the game wrong” mindset. Nor do I like self appointed gatekeepers. Excelling at a game is fine in itself but is it not an adjunct to playing and having fun? We don’t say to children “here is a sport or a musical instrument that you can learn but don’t bother even trying if you’re not going to strive for total excellence in it”. Society seems to be losing sight of the fact that enjoyment and fun are an integral part of many hobbies and pastimes. Everything doesn’t have to be competitive.
I regularly encourage my grandchildren to draw and paint. We sit down together and talk while doing something creative. The idea is to simply take pleasure in what you’re doing. No one judges anyone else’s work and you can always find positive comments to make. “That’s interesting, tell me about it” being a good line of enquiry. Children are happy to express themselves creatively and they only stop when someone says something critical or imposes rules on what they’re doing which leaches the fun out of the activity. Its the same with sport. As well as being enjoyable to play sports can teach other valuable social and moral lessons. However, it only takes a coach who takes things too seriously and a leisure activity becomes a chore. As a child I used to enjoy being in the school choir. We were fortunate to have a good musical director who favoured enthusiasm over perfection. Sadly, they retired and their replacement was a perfectionist who drove out at least half of the choir members.
Being skilful in a video game or trying to improve your gameplay is not a bad thing in itself. I have regularly played Battlefield 6 since its release last October and have overtime become nominally better at it. Familiarity with the maps, learning how weapons handle and using simple tactics have all contributed to improving my gameplay and the quality of my overall experience in game. However, all of this has been approached in a casual fashion. I certainly haven’t trained or formally practised and the object of each game played remains to be entertained. Today, I played my first 64 player game in Chivalry 2. I died a lot but it doesn’t matter. I was laughing out loud most of the time due to my incompetence and the absolute mayhem that was happening around me. Occasionally even I could get a kill on a veteran, due to being in the right place at the right time and my random play style. I’m sure it infuriated some players. The thought of which delighted me even more.
I will always play video games primarily for fun. Any improvement in my gameplay is simply due to increasing familiarity, rather than a concerted effort. If you’re the sort of player that wants to be the best of the best, then that is your prerogative. Just don’t make the mistake of thinking that your gaming philosophy is correct by default. It is just a subjective opinion and as such is simply one of many. There is certainly a debate to be had about how you efficiently match players with comparable skills or whether it is better to just throw everyone together. The problem with this area of discussion is that a definitive answer has still not been reached. However, playing against bots is an interesting halfway house and certainly something I favour when I don’t want the hassle of dealing with people. As for the issue of skill versus fun, they don’t have to be mutually exclusive but I believe that there relationship is asymmetrical and that fun is always the starting point and not vice versa.
Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon - Magic and Spellcasting
I decided to pursue a magic and spellcasting build in the RPG Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon after the story prologue. During the opening section of the game, the player is presented with a sufficient range of weapons to determine which type suits them best, although you can change at any time during the game. For me, casting spells feels right and is fun. Plus I have fond memories of the magic system in Two Worlds II and Skyrim. So once I started playing through the first zone, I started putting attribute and skill points into the appropriate trees to bolster my spells strengths and frequency. I also chose gear that would bolster those statistics further. The results have been surprising, as magic and spellcasting is not presented in the usual “glass cannon” style you find in some other RPGs. Here it offers robust DPS output and with the right gear and spell combination, a strong degree of survivability.
I decided to pursue a magic and spellcasting build in the RPG Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon after the story prologue. During the opening section of the game, the player is presented with a sufficient range of weapons to determine which type suits them best, although you can change at any time during the game. For me, casting spells feels right and is fun. Plus I have fond memories of the magic system in Two Worlds II and Skyrim. So once I started playing through the first zone, I started putting attribute and skill points into the appropriate trees to bolster my spells strengths and frequency. I also chose gear that would bolster those statistics further. The results have been surprising, as magic and spellcasting is not presented in the usual “glass cannon” style you find in some other RPGs. Here it offers robust DPS output and with the right gear and spell combination, a strong degree of survivability.
Magic in Tainted Grail: Fall of Avalon consists of the following. Spells that can be cast which cause damage or drain health. Cubes which are chargeable magical artefacts that enhance existing magic attacks or provide an additional one. Wands that players can use to enhance spellcasting, manage mana and provide defensive options such as parrying and blocking a melee weapon. There are 6 types of spells available in the game. Summoning, healing, projectile, ray, channeled, and area of effect. Players can equip up to 2 spells simultaneously on their loadout and can hotswap between 4 loadouts. There are 55 spells available in the game. Cubes are charge-based equipment that collect energy through actions such as attacking an enemy, spending mana, or spellcasting. Once fully charged a cube can activate its effect. If 2 spells are equipped, instead of a spell and a wand or shield, the player will have to rely on dodging incoming attacks, instead of parrying and blocking.
Most spells can be cast in two different ways. Light cast and heavy cast. Light cast is faster, uses less mana but deals less damage and has no bonus or crit related effects. Heavy cast is more powerful but costlier in terms of mana and takes longer to cast. Their respective use and benefits are situational, depending on which enemies you’re facing and what their respective weakness is. The main resource to cast spells is mana which is the blue bar on the UI, between health (red) and stamina (green). Each time players cast a spell, mana is spent and the blue bar is reduced accordingly. Channelled spells, keep spending mana while they’re being used. Mana regenerates slowly over time, both while in or out of combat. Spirituality is the main stat for spellcasting and magic. Points spent on it increase spell power, mana and its regeneration. The more spirituality players have, the more efficiently they use mana (IE the cost of spellcasting).
To use magic and spellcasting effectively in Tainted Grail: Fall of Avalon a player has to manage their use and regeneration of mana. All of which is dependent upon how they spend skill and attribute points and what gear they wear. If done correctly the right armour set, coupled with appropriate skills will regenerate mana upon enemy kills or critical hits. Thus the player should seek a build that uses mana and regenerates it, allowing the player to sustain prolonged attacks. For example the Waning Moon Set is a specialized armour set that provides continuous mana regeneration and is particularly effective when your mana is low. The set effect increases mana regeneration by 1% and boosts this by 50% when your mana is below 25%. The spell Soul Salvage is a spell that when targeted at your active summon (IE an AI companion you have summoned to help you), dismisses them and restores 75% of the mana cost used for the initial summoning, based on their current health.
Some players favour melee combat and the experience of fights being up close and personal. I prefer stealth, ranged attacks and the ability to move quickly, find cover or dodge. Magic and spellcasting is the perfect fit for such a strategy in Tainted Grail: Fall of Avalon. I am currently in the second zone of the game and have a build that allows me to take on two to three mobs simultaneously. Ranged attacks using lightning and ice projectiles are particularly effective on standard landscape enemies. I tend to use a wand when fighting melee bosses, as I can parry and block, exhausting their stamina. Then as they pause to recuperate, I can hit them hard with a ranged or AoE attack. Or I can summon multiple AI companions if I run low on stamina during a fight and they can act as temporary “meat shields”. All of which makes combat very satisfying, as there are always options depending on the situation.
Warhammer: Dark Omen - Available from GOG
I originally bought Warhammer: Dark Omen in the summer of 1998. I played a demo copy via a magazine cover disc, which was a common means of promotion and marketing back then. Although I was at that point, unfamiliar with the Warhammer Universe, I found this game to be an excellent point of entry. The story did an excellent job of introducing players to “The Old World”, the political and power structure and major characters. I instantly liked both the aesthetic and the lore. Warhammer: Dark Omen was also the first real-time tactical wargame that I played and I spent numerous hours playing through the campaign. Overall, the game was a critical success, particularly on PC, but it struggled commercially upon its initial release and didn’t quite find the audience that it deserved. However, it has achieved status as a “cult classic” among gamers, leading to a recent re-release on GOG in late 2025.
I originally bought Warhammer: Dark Omen in the summer of 1998. I played a demo copy via a magazine cover disc, which was a common means of promotion and marketing back then. Although I was at that point, unfamiliar with the Warhammer Universe, I found this game to be an excellent point of entry. The story did an excellent job of introducing players to “The Old World”, the political and power structure and major characters. I instantly liked both the aesthetic and the lore. Warhammer: Dark Omen was also the first real-time tactical wargame that I played and I spent numerous hours playing through the campaign. Overall, the game was a critical success, particularly on PC, but it struggled commercially upon its initial release and didn’t quite find the audience that it deserved. However, it has achieved status as a “cult classic” among gamers, leading to a recent re-release on GOG in late 2025.
Technically, Warhammer: Dark Omen is a sequel to Warhammer: Shadow of the Horned Rat, although it is not at all necessary to have played the first game. Warhammer: Dark Omen provides a variety of battles that are played in real time. The Warhammer fantasy setting affords players a mixture of medieval warfare with fantasy elements. Hence players deploy units prior to a battle based upon what enemy units they can see and the anticipation of reinforcements. To win you must kill or rout all enemy units. If your forces are similarly routed or destroyed the battle is lost. while losing if all their units are killed/routed from the battlefield. Units include infantry, archers, cavalry and cannon along with more exotic forces such as Dwarf Warriors, Mercenary Ogres and various Wizards. Losses can be replaced (purchased) between battles and units can use magic items to use to help them in battle.
The game maps are 3D with units depicted via animated sprites. The player can issue various commands to units throughout battles, instructing them to move, engage specific enemies or use a magical item. It is important to move the in-game camera around the map and examine the terrain from multiple angles both prior and during the battles. Line of sight is extremely important especially for archers and cannon. The enemy attacks in waves and can sometimes set ambushes. Therefore it is important to zoom the view out from time to time and take stock of the battlefield. If a friendly unit is completely wiped out in a battle it is absent from the rest of the campaign. Therefore, battles need to be fought strategically and not rushed and it is prudent to ensure that your core units are not lost. However, throughout the main story, additional guest units may join you for a while and subsequently leave.
The main story that drives the campaign in Warhammer: Dark Omen is fairly straightforward. Due to an alignment of planets, a powerful supernatural entity, The Dread King, has returned to the world and raised an undead army. Morgan Bernhardt, commander of the “Grudgebringer” mercenaries is tasked by Emperor Karl Franz in investigating and eliminating this threat to The Empire. As the “Grudgebringer” mercenaries journey south they fight various battles in key locations, often with local allies. There are a handful of cutscenes during the course of the story with the majority of the dialogue being delivered by animated talking heads in portraits frames, set against a background reflecting the current location. It is all relatively low key, as you’d expect from a game of this age but the voice acting is solid. There is also a very atmospheric soundtrack by Mark Knight. It should also be noted that this game is hard. You cannot vary the difficulty which is taxing at times.
Last year, Warhammer: Dark Omen received over 15,000 votes on the GOG Dreamlist, leading to an official re-release with 4K and widescreen support in December 2025. It should be noted that the game may require some fine tuning to run how you like it on your PC. There is an excellent guide to this process over at Dark Omen Fansite Portal. All things considered this 28 year old game runs well thanks to GOG and I for one am very pleased to see it make a return. It is not just a case of nostalgia, although that is a factor. Warhammer: Dark Omen is a good real-time tactical wargame that is accessible and compelling. Unlike modern games it is not cluttered with an excess of systems and mechanics, instead focusing on providing straightforward battle scenarios where the player succeeds through thinking and measured action, rather than bluffing their way through. Sometimes less is indeed more.
LOTRO: New Zone Coming in Q2
According to the recent “letter to the players”, Standing Stone Games will be adding a new zone to the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online in the second quarter of this year. Possibly around May or June. Having spent the last three expansions in the South of Middle-earth exploring the tropical Umbar and the deserts of Harad, I would certainly welcome a change of location. I have gradually warmed to these zones over the last eighteen months but I do find them so incongruous. They are so radically different to the European style content that has been the mainstay of the game for so long. Tolkien’s source text has plenty of detail regarding Eriador and Rhovanion. Information regarding Harad is scarce, hence it has afforded the developers a great deal of artistic freedom. Although exceedingly well realised these tropical zones have taken a while for me to get used to.
According to the recent “letter to the players”, Standing Stone Games will be adding a new zone to the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online in the second quarter of this year. Possibly around May or June. Having spent the last three expansions in the South of Middle-earth exploring the tropical Umbar and the deserts of Harad, I would certainly welcome a change of location. I have gradually warmed to these zones over the last eighteen months but I do find them so incongruous. They are so radically different to the European style content that has been the mainstay of the game for so long. Tolkien’s source text has plenty of detail regarding Eriador and Rhovanion. Information regarding Harad is scarce, hence it has afforded the developers a great deal of artistic freedom. Although exceedingly well realised these tropical zones have taken a while for me to get used to.
With the advent of a new zone coming to the game, it is natural for players to speculate as to where in Middle-earth these areas will be located. I suppose the first question one asks is whether this is the start of a new story arc or will it just be a standalone area, such as Yondershire or Wildwood in Breeland. The next question, from my perspective, is will it be a level cap area or a zone set at a different level. Will it be an alternate region of progression, in the way that Cardolan provides an alternative to Ered Luin, The Shire and Breeland? Players have discussed for a while whether there should be an alternative to Moria? LOTRO is a game that encourages players to create new characters and make multiple play throughs of game content. Hence providing a broader range of areas that you can explore and undertake quests is desirable.
At present there are some interesting gaps in SSG’s map of Middle-earth. Hence it is logical to think that these may be “filled in”. For example, adding the South Farthing of the Shire would connect that area to Cardolan via Sarn Ford. Maybe the developers will add Western Enedwaith or Minhiriath. We have also yet to see The Grey Haven in the game. All of which would lend themselves to interesting story content. Perhaps there are already clues as to our next destination on the existing in-game map which shows Lindon, Rhûn and Khand. It is also worth remembering that SSG has previously added zones to the game that are set in the past, such as The Battle of Azanulbizar and The Battle of the Morannon. I particularly enjoyed these additions and would welcome more. Let us not forget places that can exist in different story phases, as we’ve seen with King’s Gondor, Minas Tirith and Helm’s Deep.
Although this is all just speculation, it is very gratifying to be in a situation where there is forthcoming game content to speculate about. Other MMOs are not so fortunate. I recently wrote about the slow stagnation of Star Trek Online. An IP that lends itself to a wealth of potential new material. However, due to ownership related problems, the game has seen very little new content of any note over the last two years. That is a criticism that cannot be levelled at SSG, who continue to create new content for LOTRO. Although it is unlikely that we’ll ever see any major game engine changes made to LOTRO, the developers do seem to be focused on ensuring that the game as it is, remains viable and is supported with regular updates. Hence I look forward to this year’s scheduled updates and will continue to play this MMORPG as it approaches its nineteenth anniversary.
LOTRO: Tweaking Your Game Installation
I’m not sure exactly when it started but I’ve recently noticed a graphical bug within the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online. This problem often occurs within caves or in areas where there are a lot of rocky surfaces. Hence it has become very apparent in the latest two expansions, set in Umbar and Harad. This graphical glitch causes some surface textures to appear to flash from light to dark intermittently. The resulting strobe effect is hard to ignore and very distracting. Fortunately, a quick online search showed that this is not a problem unique to my installation of LOTRO and is a known problem. Furthermore, there is a very simple workaround, which is to go into the Advanced Graphics setting and uncheck “Per Pixel Lighting”, which immediately remedies the problem. I have no idea why this has recently started to happen but at least it can be resolved.
I’m not sure exactly when it started but I’ve recently noticed a graphical bug within the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online. This problem often occurs within caves or in areas where there are a lot of rocky surfaces. Hence it has become very apparent in the latest two expansions, set in Umbar and Harad. This graphical glitch causes some surface textures to appear to flash from light to dark intermittently. The resulting strobe effect is hard to ignore and very distracting. Fortunately, a quick online search showed that this is not a problem unique to my installation of LOTRO and is a known problem. Furthermore, there is a very simple workaround, which is to go into the Advanced Graphics setting and uncheck “Per Pixel Lighting”, which immediately remedies the problem. I have no idea why this has recently started to happen but at least it can be resolved.
Considering the game’s age, LOTRO is not as buggy as some other comparable MMOs. It does require some fine tuning once you’ve installed the game but nothing I would deem unreasonable. I wrote a post on this subject back in September 2024 and the contents are still relevant. If you wish to read it, here is a link. I would also add the following tips which can improve the performance of the game. Again, they’re nothing major, just practical tweaks to help this 19 year old MMO run a little better.
First, install the game on a SSD if you have one. It really does improve loading times and improve the games responsiveness.
Secondly, in the game launcher's options, make sure the 64-bit client is selected within the general tab. This improves stability and performance.
Thirdly, install the game using the standalone client and not via Steam. Third parties can make matters more complex.
Once you have a viable and up to date installation of LOTRO, any further tweaking and fine tuning of the game’s UI comes down to your personal preference. Some players like to enhance the game by using plugins (mods). I use a handful myself and I do find that they do provide “quality of life benefits”. However, if you’re not interested in such things, simply re-arranging your screen real estate can be extremely satisfying. I have a standard layout that I’ve saved and apply to all my alts. I immediately notice its absence if I ever create a new character. Fortunately it is easy to reload. I am also looking forward to the scalable UI functionality which will be coming to the live game in the next patch. Having recently upgraded to 2K monitors, I have found the third party solutions for this issue to be adequate but not ideal.
Perhaps it is a matter of my age, but a minor issue that continuously bothers me in LOTRO is that I often lose track of where my mouse arrow is on the screen. I thought that if I increased its size via Windows settings, it would similarly increase in size in-game. Sadly this is not the case. Losing track of where your mouse is located is not a major problem but it seems to mainly happen during combat which is a nuisance. As a temporary solution, while waiting for the UI scaling support, I installed a plugin called Mouse Finder. This places a resizeable circle around your mouse arrow making it easier to find. The circle size and colour can be customised and you can also choose in what circumstances it appears. Again this comes down to a matter of personal choice. There are other plugins that provide a similar solution but I find this one to be the least invasive.
Judging by the videos I see of LOTRO on YouTube, lots of players like to tweak and customise the game to their own liking. I’ve mentioned it before but everyone’s installation of the game seems to look slightly different and I’ve never seen two that are identical. However, I consider this flexibility and capacity to support customisation to be a positive thing. Some modern titles would benefit greatly from taking note of what Standing Stone Games have achieved. Simple functionality like the ability to remap keybinds or to easily duplicate settings between characters or even accounts, is incredibly useful. So if you haven’t done so already, look into tweaking your LOTRO installation, possibly adding plugins or at the very least altering the layout of your user interface. You may well improve your overall gaming experience.
Star Trek Online in 2026
This year is the 60th anniversary of Star Trek. The original TV show was first broadcast in the US on September 8th 1966. If you search online you’ll find details of lots of related events. There are documentaries, conventions, new TV shows and even some video games in development. However, what you won’t find are any details regarding what will be happening with the MMORPG Star Trek Online. So far no road map for 2026 has been posted online by the developers but it is still quite early in the New Year. That being the case, I am not especially optimistic about there being any major plans waiting to be revealed. It is not as if DECA Games have demonstrated or stated any major ambitions for STO beyond keeping the endless events treadmill going and regularly adding content to the in-game store, during their development tenure. The ongoing story arc drags on inexorably and is as dull as ditchwater.
This year is the 60th anniversary of Star Trek. The original TV show was first broadcast in the US on September 8th 1966. If you search online you’ll find details of lots of related events. There are documentaries, conventions, new TV shows and even some video games in development. However, what you won’t find are any details regarding what will be happening with the MMORPG Star Trek Online. So far no road map for 2026 has been posted online by the developers but it is still quite early in the New Year. That being the case, I am not especially optimistic about there being any major plans waiting to be revealed. It is not as if DECA Games have demonstrated or stated any major ambitions for STO beyond keeping the endless events treadmill going and regularly adding content to the in-game store, during their development tenure. The ongoing story arc drags on inexorably and is as dull as ditchwater.
In recent years Star Trek as a franchise has seen a resurgence in public interest, due to some good TV shows. Sadly, absolutely nothing has been done by DECA Games to capitalise upon this, apart from adding themed, purchasable items from the new shows, into the in-game store. It all seems a somewhat wasted opportunity and a little sad, as this MMORPG has always had a great deal of potential. The change of developers from Cryptic to DECA Games in 2024 was a good opportunity to start improving the quality of story content and to address the huge amount of bugs and “jank” that have been inherent in STO since its launch in 2010. Sadly, the recent transition away from DECA Games back to the residual Cryptic Studios and wider ownership and publishing issues in late 2025 have stalled any major changes. The game has ticked over with a minimal amount of new content, which tends to be just more of the same. I wouldn’t say that STO is in maintenance mode but it’s not far from it.
I did some searching online to see what things had been discussed over the course of 2025 as potential projects, or areas of improvement. I only found two. The first being a feasibility study to see if the game engine could be upgraded or replaced. At present the game runs on the proprietary Cryptic engine, made by the original developers. This dates back to 2000 and although it has been updated over the years, it is still essentially running on two decade old code. Naturally, I would love to see STO running on something more robust and contemporary, such as Unreal Engine but I suspect the cost of porting the game to this would be unfeasible. Especially in light of the fact that the current publishers, Project Golden Arc, were formed after a management buyout from the Embracer Group. It will take a while for these business changes to take effect and no doubt finances may be scarce.
Another proposal that has been discussed in forums is a continued focus on character customisation, specifically race and gender changes, along with improvements to core gameplay systems. All of which sounds broadly positive but is also vague with respect to detail. Hence this doesn’t really sound like anything more than bug fixing. Which when added to the vague and let us be realistic, unlikely change of game engine, means that there isn’t much that we know about what is coming to STO this year. At this point in such a post, I’d usually say something conciliatory. Especially in light of the game effectively returning into the hands of some of the original developers. But frankly I am beyond that. There are other enjoyable franchise based MMORPGs that already have regular content updates and a coherent road map for the immediate future. I’ll be focusing on those games for the foreseeable future. Which is something I shouldn’t be saying in the year Star Trek celebrates its 60th anniversary.
Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon - Initial Thoughts
I first played The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim in June 2013. This was over 18 months after the game’s initial release and the base game and DLC were bundled together in a “Legendary” edition. Although a seasoned gamer at the time, familiar with the RPG genre with such titles as Mass Effect and Grand Theft Auto IV, I had not played a game from this franchise before. It only took a few hours of gameplay to realise that this was a special title. The scope of the story, the art design and the size of the world were immediately notable. Tamriel was immersive in a way I had not experienced with other titles. Often simply traversing the terrain and watching the dawn break while the game soundtrack swelled, was sufficient to hold my attention. I instantly picked up on the voice acting of Christopher Plummer and Max Von Sydow. All of which indicated that this was a gaming landmark.
I first played The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim in June 2013. This was over 18 months after the game’s initial release and the base game and DLC were bundled together in a “Legendary” edition. Although a seasoned gamer at the time, familiar with the RPG genre with such titles as Mass Effect and Grand Theft Auto IV, I had not played a game from this franchise before. It only took a few hours of gameplay to realise that this was a special title. The scope of the story, the art design and the size of the world were immediately notable. Tamriel was immersive in a way I had not experienced with other titles. Often simply traversing the terrain and watching the dawn break while the game soundtrack swelled, was sufficient to hold my attention. I instantly picked up on the voice acting of Christopher Plummer and Max Von Sydow. All of which indicated that this was a gaming landmark.
I spent 286 hours over the next 18 months playing through the game and its DLC. When I ran out of new content to play in the game, I spent hours experimenting with mods. During that time, I became familiar with the subtleties of the various in-game systems within Skyrim. It was a wrench to leave but eventually new titles lured me away. However, the game left a very strong impression upon me and continues to do so today. For me, it is what I immediately think of when someone mentions a fantasy based action RPG. As such, Skyrim is a hard act to follow. I’ve played other RPG’s since then, many of which have been good. But few have the same emotional impact, with the possible exception of Witcher III: Wild Hunt and Red Dead Redemption 2. However, I recently stumbled upon Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon and the associated buzz around it. Is this game the spiritual successor to Skyrim?
Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon is an Indie fantasy based action RPG made by Questline and published by Awaken Realms. Played primarily in first person, although there is third person support, this game draws heavily from Bethesda games, especially Skyrim. Set on the island of Avalon, you undertake various quests in a decaying realm that is slowly being assimilated by the “Wyrdness”. You are aided by the spirit of Arthur Pendragon in your journey across three distinct zones. There are abilities and skills to level along with points to spend in skillstrees. Crafting comes in the form of cooking, smithing and alchemy. The game is also awash with loot. All in all, Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon at first glance does strike as a shameless clone of Skyrim, yet there are subtle distinctions that give it an identity of its own. The more you play the more these become apparent.
Perhaps the most noticeable is the art design. The game has a striking aesthetic, drawing from both H. R. Giger and the Cthulhu Mythos. The ambient music and sound design are also very good, instantly creating an enigmatic atmosphere. At night when the threat level from the “Wyrdness” increases, the soundscape becomes especially disconcerting. NPCs are also quite engaging, often flying in the face of your expectations. Traditionally, vendors in RPGs are functional or expositional in nature. Here, they can be quite quirky and off beat. While exploring a minor crypt, I discovered an oddly friendly supernatural entity who was quite chatty. I was expecting a fight and instead I got an amusing quest that resulted in a permanent skill increase. So despite appearing generic, Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon has subtle differences. This extends not only to the world and NPCs but to in-game systems as well.
An essential aspect of the RPG genre is character progression. In this game, while your overall level increases at quite a sedate pace, default skills grow upon use. Hence when out in the world, whenever you run, jump, sneak, craft, or fight with specific weapons or spells, these skills are levelling. Furthermore, there are no level restrictions imposed by your stats or due to the points you’ve spent in the various skills trees. You get better at crafting by making things and are not excluded due to a recipe level. Initially, when your crafting abilities are low, you may well fail to produce a top tier item but persistence remedies this. As for skills points themselves, they’re quite plentiful and so you can afford to be generous in how you spend them. Assigning one in a new tree can often lead to a useful set of improvements. For example, spending points in Practicality enhances crafting as well as increasing damage to enemy weak spots. It also reduces both stamina and mana costs.
Combat is challenging, once you move on from the story prologue. This is not a game where you stand your ground and key mash. Movement, parrying and blocking are essential for melee combat. If you prefer to use magic then it all comes down to mana management and finding the right combination of spells. You can equip two spells or weapons per weapon slots, of which you have four. You then hot swap between these according to your combat requirements. You can summon multiple AI companions if you like and attempt to rush enemies. For those who favour traditional weapons, swords have weight and as such take a time to swing. Combat is therefore about timing and the more satisfying as a result. Enemies can also vary greatly in power and often you have no idea how strong they are until you attack them. Therefore it pays to be cautious when exploring and is wise not to jump into a fight unnecessarily.
Over the course of future blog posts, I shall be exploring various aspects of Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon in more detail. Mainly because this game has taken my fancy. It is doing something familiar but doing it in its own way and not always in a manner you would expect. To use an analogy, if Skyrim is Star Wars then Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon is Battle Beyond the Stars. This game is inherently janky, although with each patch the jank is slowly being addressed. It is also very old school because the games it is emulating are themselves old school. But it has a charm and character of its own and I admire the ambition of the developers who are trying to do, with a small team, the same thing that a multimillion dollar mainstream studio has already done. And they’re putting their own stamp on the results. That is a rare quality these days. That and a game that is actually “fun”.
LOTRO: Reaching the New Level Cap
The latest expansion for the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online, Kingdoms of Harad, launched on December 3rd. With this release the level cap was raised from 150 to 160. It should also be noted that the cap for virtue traits was also raised from 96 to 100. Naturally these changes meant that there is a requirement to replace all armour and jewellery once the new cap is reached. Similarly Legendary Items have to be reforged and any traceries upgraded or replaced. If you follow the Epic Story it will lead you from quest hub to quest hub. The main quest rewards, along with those from side quests will provide adequate gear as you slowly progress towards the new level cap. The new raids, instances and missions/delvings then provide a means to acquire higher quality level 160 gear. LOTRO and indeed, many other MMOs are consistent in this methodology.
The latest expansion for the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online, Kingdoms of Harad, launched on December 3rd. With this release the level cap was raised from 150 to 160. It should also be noted that the cap for virtue traits was also raised from 96 to 100. Naturally these changes meant that there is a requirement to replace all armour and jewellery once the new cap is reached. Similarly Legendary Items have to be reforged and any traceries upgraded or replaced. If you follow the Epic Story it will lead you from quest hub to quest hub. The main quest rewards, along with those from side quests will provide adequate gear as you slowly progress towards the new level cap. The new raids, instances and missions/delvings then provide a means to acquire higher quality level 160 gear. LOTRO and indeed, many other MMOs are consistent in this methodology.
The only problem with this approach is that it is at odds with my own personal gaming philosophy. I don’t like the concept of getting the best items at the end of your progression, when from my perspective, I don’t really benefit from them as I usually cease playing at this point. I do not participate in raids or any of the endgame group content, so rewarding me at this point seems redundant. I would like to acquire better quality gear as I progress towards the new level cap so that I am robustly equipped to deal with the PVE content. By default I like my characters to be “overpowered” when playing through new regions. Other players may prefer a more challenging approach and want to be evenly matched against landscape mobs, but I favour being prepared, as powerful as possible and playing on my own terms.
Rather than just playing through the various PVE quests featured in the last two expansions (as I have yet to complete them) to reach the new level cap, I decided upon a different approach. As soon as the Yuletide Festival started on December 11th, I began running all events on a daily basis to gain easy XP. I used various consumable items that provide XP boosts as well as spending destiny points for similar benefits. I also began a rotation of the following offensive skirmishes which can be completed quickly. Trouble in Tuckborough. Thievery and Mischief, The Icy Crevasse, Strike Against Dannenglor and Battle in the Tower. Hence, after a week of fairly casual gameplay, I reached the new level cap of 160. An added benefit of this focused approach was that I also made significant progress in the Legendary Item Reward Track.
Upon reaching level 160, I had to replace all my existing gear. To do this I followed the same method that I used when the cap was raised to 150 back in November 2003 when the Corsairs of Umbar expansion was released. I bought 40 Black Steel Lockbox Keys with the LOTRO points I earned through subscribing all year. The resulting Embers of Enchantment I gained from opening lockboxes were sufficient to replace all my armour and half of my jewellery from the barter vendor. Furthermore it is mainly Teal quality gear. I also replaced all the traceries on my Legendary Items with my supply of Ancient Scripts that I had earned from the Reward Track. I filled the remaining outstanding items with older gear from reputation traders. This new gear may not be the best available in LOTRO, as that is gated behind raids and delvings but it is superior to crafted items and standard quest rewards.
I can now begin playing through the latest two expansions knowing that my primary character in LOTRO, a Lore-master that I’ve played since December 2008, is as robust and well equipped as they can be. By negating future concerns about gear, I can focus on the story and playing the content. I don’t feel the need to rush to level cap because I have already reached it. Furthermore, apart from levelling the traceries on my LIs over the next year or so, I do not have to worry about replacing my armour or jewellery for a long time. If circumstances provide me with a superior item, I will happily replace the existing one as it can be disenchanted in Ember of Enchantment. This recyclable quality is very beneficial. I recognise that how I play LOTRO may not suit others but the fact that the game is flexible enough to accommodate such differing approaches is one of its greatest strengths.
A Year in Gaming
It is customary in a post such as this to list the various games that I’ve played over the last twelve months and share my thoughts on them. Wider analysis of the video game industry is also de rigeur. Unfortunately, I don’t really feel disposed to do either of those two things. My thoughts on the games I’ve played have already been published and can easily be accessed via the links at the bottom of this post. As for the video game industry, it suffers the same flaws as music, TV and cinema. There is creativity and innovation out there but it is often drowned out by mainstream products which are demonstrably inferior due to their inherent mediocrity. As for the business side of things, we once again clearly see the failings of the corporate management class. Sadly, they do not face the consequences of the mistakes that they make.
It is customary in a post such as this to list the various games that I’ve played over the last twelve months and share my thoughts on them. Wider analysis of the video game industry is also de rigeur. Unfortunately, I don’t really feel disposed to do either of those two things. My thoughts on the games I’ve played have already been published and can easily be accessed via the links at the bottom of this post. As for the video game industry, it suffers the same flaws as music, TV and cinema. There is creativity and innovation out there but it is often drowned out by mainstream products which are demonstrably inferior due to their inherent mediocrity. As for the business side of things, we once again clearly see the failings of the corporate management class. Sadly, they do not face the consequences of the mistakes that they make.
I once thought that being a relatively new creative industry, there was something “special” about the video game industry. I had a naive notion that the commercial imperatives were somehow kept in check by the artistic vision of those working on the creative side of things. Nope, that conceit quickly fell apart like a cheap suit upon exposure to the facts. There are game developers that strive to balance their business needs along with their creative ideas, while trying to look after their staff as well as they can but it is not the norm in any way. The video game industry is just as greedy, exploitative and unethical as any other and those who work in it suffer the same iniquities as employees from any other industry or sector. Low pay, shitty terms and conditions and sociopathic bosses are a universal constant it would seem.
Sadly, another aspect of video game culture that is a regular source of eye rolling are “militant fans”. What can I say about this demographic that hasn’t been said already? Not much. The usual suspects are exceedingly wearing with their lack of objectivity and self-awareness, gatekeeping and reactionary demeanour. Sadly, for those who view pop culture from the sidelines, these individuals are often misconstrued as being the default “gamers”. I was watching some YouTube videos by Josh Strife Hayes recently and he has started prefixing his content with multiple caveats in a vain attempt to calm the furiously hard-of-thinking who confuse subjective criticism and analysis with a personal attack. It seldom works though, so I favour simply telling them to fuck off. It is a waste of time to even engage with these fools.
Reflecting on 2025, playing video games still brings me pleasure. Especially when I find those that have good writing and contain challenging ideas. Hence I got a great deal of mileage out of Atomfall and finally completing Disco Elysium. MMOs such as The Lord of the Rings Online have also kept me busy and in a good way. But a lot of games that I play are just “filler”. The same way that some books or films are just okay and serve their purpose of occupying me in an acceptable fashion. Once you’re done, you move on. The fact that I own somewhere in the region of nearly 1,000 video games but have possibly only bought 10% of those says a lot about the ephemeral nature of the video game industry. It also raises the question of sustainability. The myth of infinite growth has already greatly harmed triple A gaming. Will the industry contract further in 2026? Feel free to make your predictions in the comments.
LOTRO: Standing Stone Games Test UI Scaling
Today Standing Stone Games began beta testing Update 46.1 for the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online. The current preview on the Bullroarer test server is mainly for the new instance cluster that comes with the Kingdoms of Harad expansion which launched a few weeks ago. However, it would appear that this latest preview has another feature or note. One that should please LOTRO players. Contrary to what a lot of people thought, myself included, SSG have been working on a scaling UI for 2K and 4K monitors and the results are now available for testing from today Monday 15th through to Friday 19th December. Until now the main workaround to the lack of UI scaling has been to use either Nvidia or AMD graphics software to upscale the game from 1920 x 1080, or a third party app such as LosslessScaling. Having an official solution is a far better option.
Today Standing Stone Games began beta testing Update 46.1 for the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online. The current preview on the Bullroarer test server is mainly for the new instance cluster that comes with the Kingdoms of Harad expansion which launched a few weeks ago. However, it would appear that this latest preview has another feature or note. One that should please LOTRO players. Contrary to what a lot of people thought, myself included, SSG have been working on a scaling UI for 2K and 4K monitors and the results are now available for testing from today Monday 15th through to Friday 19th December. Until now the main workaround to the lack of UI scaling has been to use either Nvidia or AMD graphics software to upscale the game from 1920 x 1080, or a third party app such as LosslessScaling. Having an official solution is a far better option.
I logged into the LOTRO test server earlier this evening and had a look at this new scaling UI functionality and feel overall that it is a massive improvement. There is a main UI slider that increases all onscreen elements proportionally. There is also the option of changing the size of specific elements, such as in-game bags, item tooltips or onscreen alerts. At present this is a work in progress so there are some minor issues with icons looking a little low definition or tearing. Also the mouse arrow is not scalable at present, which is a nuisance. However, this ongoing project by SSG has other benefits. Loading screen graphics are no longer stretched, nor are the older in-game maps. Perhaps in the long run, these will all be replaced with higher resolution versions but in the meantime, having these images in the right aspect ratio is a step in the right direction.
Already there is a lively discussion on the official LOTRO forums about these changes on the test server. Furthermore, SSG is endeavouring to take on board the respective feedback. I suspect that not every suggestion will be implemented or can be but I certainly think that the end results, once they go live, will be infinitely better than what we have at present. LOTRO is an ageing game, so dissecting and tinkering with such ancient code is problematic. Hence it is laudable that SSG has started to tackle this issue. The fact that this work has been carried out quietly in the background when many LOTRO players felt that this project has stalled, is most promising. Perhaps other “quality of life” changes are also being addressed behind the scenes and will be rolled out in a similarly unexpected fashion over 2026. All of which has the potential to bring players back to the game and extend LOTRO’s lifecycle.
LOTRO: The State of the Game in Late 2025
Kingdoms of Harad, the 13th expansion for the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online, was released today. Highlighting developer’s Standing Stone Games continuing commitment to this eighteen year old game. As 2025 draws to a close, I thought it would be prudent to reflect upon the current state of LOTRO and to consider what may come next year. Two words that I associated with this MMO are stable and consistent. The playerbase is loyal and dependable. Player numbers never greatly decline nor do they notably expand. LOTRO fills a very specific gaming niche and one of the reasons it retains its players is that there is no suitable alternative game. Although there is not a great deal of data in the public domain, it is generally accepted that LOTRO has an older player demographic and that many are consummate Tolkien fans.
Kingdoms of Harad, the 13th expansion for the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online, was released today. Highlighting developer’s Standing Stone Games continuing commitment to this eighteen year old game. As 2025 draws to a close, I thought it would be prudent to reflect upon the current state of LOTRO and to consider what may come next year. Two words that I associated with this MMO are stable and consistent. The playerbase is loyal and dependable. Player numbers never greatly decline nor do they notably expand. LOTRO fills a very specific gaming niche and one of the reasons it retains its players is that there is no suitable alternative game. Although there is not a great deal of data in the public domain, it is generally accepted that LOTRO has an older player demographic and that many are consummate Tolkien fans.
This is the third expansion for the game that is set in the South of Middle-earth. Although many aspects of the MMO remain consistently good, such as the story telling and character development, I personally haven’t warmed to this area. Umbar, Harad and Khand are not especially detailed regions within Tolkien’s writing. I feel that the game developers have drawn too much from a stereotypical depiction of Middle-eastern culture. The sort you see in Western pop culture depictions of Sinbad and Ali Baba. For me it is an incongruous contrast to the established regions of Middle-earth. I’d rather these areas had just remained alluded to within the game, the same way they are in the Legendarium. However, what I am describing is a matter of taste. I’m sure there are LOTRO players who feel the opposite.
The latest expansion sees an increase in the level cap from 150 to 160. Thus there will be a need to replace all your existing jewellery, weapons and armour equipped on your alts. It may feel somewhat arbitrary but levelling remains an important element to many players, as does the gear treadmill. No doubt there will be an increase in the virtue traits level cap, so there is plenty to work towards over the month ahead. The expansion will at some point include new raids and instances but these really are a niche requirement and only a nominal amount of players playthrough such content. There are no new classes or races and Kingdoms of Harad does not include any new systems or mechanics. However, this should come as no surprise as SSG tends to work within established confines.
The most significant event for LOTRO this year was the migration to 64-bit servers and the regional consolidation. The lag issue that has plagued this MMO for years has definitely improved but has not been totally eliminated. The main issue that SSG faces is a knowledge gap, as the majority of staff that built the game have gone. It’s not a case of SSG not wanting to fix issues but the fact that they can’t. Hence the game still cannot adequately support 2K and 4K gaming. It is the main reason why LOTRO always gets “more of the same”. Quests, instances and missions are known quantities. More ambitious projects such as overhauling the deed log have proven far harder. There is also a long list of issues that SSG have said that they will “look into” that remain outstanding. Standardising event or faction based barter currency is one example. Removing outdated systems from the HUD being another.
If you pay attention to the press releases from the business side of the Daybreak Game Company, it is clear that LOTRO is financially sustainable within its existing parameters. It has a stable playerbase and yields a sufficient ROI to keep moving forward. However, it was made clear by CEO Ji Ham that the much touted graphics upgrade and console version of the game would not go ahead because of the cost. He stated that they could get a new game for the price. LOTRO players have conjectured whether the cancellation of Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings based MMO, will have an impact upon LOTRO. Could it mean further investment? I think not. The video game industry is contracting at present and is extremely risk averse. LOTRO continues because it generates sufficient revenue within its operational parameters. It is not seen, in business terms, as anything more than the sum of its parts.
LOTRO players have a strong emotional attachment to the game. I also believe that the developers SSG do the best with the budgets and resources they have to work with. However, I think that it is unrealistic to expect anything more from this vintage MMO other than what it currently offers. I believe I said exactly the same thing 3 or 4 years ago in a similar post. Hence, for me the most sensible thing to do going into 2026 is be content that LOTRO still endures. At some point in the New Year a roadmap for the next twelve months will be published, although I don’t expect any surprises. A year-long content schedule will be sufficient to keep me happy. Anything else is a bonus. Due to the tumultuous nature of the video game industry at present, perhaps it isn’t wise to look any further ahead. The road may not go “ever on and on” forever.
Still Wakes The Deep
In the wake of Disco Elysium, I’ve been playing through several other games that have a focus on narrative and plot. I began with Call of Cthulhu which I shall write about in a separate post. Let it suffice to say that although I enjoyed the game, I wasn’t quite satisfied. This is not necessarily the game’s fault, as it makes a good attempt at depicting Lovecraftian Cosmic Horror. It’s just that any game following hard on the heels of one of the best RPG’s I’ve ever played, is likely to come up short in comparison. So I looked through my game library and found that I had Still Wakes The Deep, which enjoys a good reputation for having a strong story. I subsequently played through the game over two late night sessions and was left suitably impressed. So much so that I’ve bought the additional DLC, Siren’s Rest, in the hope that it maintains the quality of its predecessor.
In the wake of Disco Elysium, I’ve been playing through several other games that have a focus on narrative and plot. I began with Call of Cthulhu which I shall write about in a separate post. Let it suffice to say that although I enjoyed the game, I wasn’t quite satisfied. This is not necessarily the game’s fault, as it makes a good attempt at depicting Lovecraftian Cosmic Horror. It’s just that any game following hard on the heels of one of the best RPG’s I’ve ever played, is likely to come up short in comparison. So I looked through my game library and found that I had Still Wakes The Deep, which enjoys a good reputation for having a strong story. I subsequently played through the game over two late night sessions and was left suitably impressed. So much so that I’ve bought the additional DLC, Siren’s Rest, in the hope that it maintains the quality of its predecessor.
Still Wakes The Deep is a 2024 psychological horror video game developed by The Chinese Room and published by Secret Mode. Set in 1975, the story centres around an electrician named Cameron “Caz” McLeary (voiced by Alec Newman), who finds himself trapped on a damaged oil drilling platform in the North Sea after a mysterious drilling incident. Caz has to rescue and aid work colleagues while being hunted by various arcane monsters. He is further hampered by severe weather conditions. Played in first-person, Still Wakes The Deep has no combat as such; instead, players must use stealth and solve straightforward puzzles to ensure their survival. As you progress through the storyline, the oil rig physically changes, although the overall gameplay remains predominantly linear.
Right from the start Still Wakes The Deep reeks of authenticity. The game environment, the oil rig BeiraD, is incredibly well realised to the extent it becomes a character itself. Not only is it technically accurate but it is embellished with authentic period details. Transistor radios, CRT televisions, even the empty beer cans are of the time. The game uses authentic Scottish regional accents making the dialogue very credible. The game subtitles are not actually verbatim, effectively providing a translation for those unfamiliar with the slang and dialect. The writing is strong, tapping into themes from the time such as trade union unrest and a cavalier attitude towards health and safety. The horror elements of the plot are not explained beyond the crew observations and there is no heavy handed expository conclusion at the game denouement.
The gameplay is mainly navigating a hazardous environment to find other crew members. This often requires solving puzzles to fix devices, open doors or otherwise access a safe route. There is a stealth mechanic and running at key moments in the game. The monsters are made up of the crew members that you met at the beginning of the game. This adds a layer of poignancy as they often retain facets of their personalities. Within the story, close proximity to the monsters causes hallucinations. In gameplay, if a monster is nearby there is a visual cue, whereby “floaters” appear in the corner of your first person perspective, which subsequently grow. This and the lack of any HUD adds greatly to the ambience. It should be noted that when being pursued there is an option to look back. This may afford you a better view of the monster pursuing but you may also run into an obstacle. Use accordingly.
I completed Still Wakes The Deep in six hours. I frequently bungled quick time events triggered by the structural integrity of the oil rig failing. I also took my time exploring. Although there is a superb atmosphere, the gameplay is mainly functional. If the game was any longer, it could potentially outstay its welcome without a wider variety of things to do. Yet despite the somewhat A to B approach and a story that uses familiar tropes, Still Wakes The Deep punches above its weight due to the tremendous visuals, sound design, outstanding writing and authentic voice acting. It has a strong sense of eldritch, cosmic horror and its grown up tone as well as its attention to period detail aids its credibility. Be warned, the language is justifiably ripe as you’d expect from people in this line of work and from this era. I’m looking forward to the DLC and hope it continues in exactly the same idiom.