LOTRO: Tales from the Barter Wallet
One of the fun things about LOTRO is the way each player evolves their own personal way of navigating around Middle-earth. Although there is an extensive “stable” network throughout the game, I often find it quicker to use the various “Return to” skills, to get where I need to go. Turns out there’s a lot more in LOTRO than I realised. One of the most beneficial is “Return to Minas Tirith” which places you in the city before the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. The main advantage is that you arrive close to the stable-master who has an extensive list of travel destinations throughout Gondor. More so than his counterpart in the Minas Tirith after the battle. The skill “Return to Minas Tirith” is obtained from the Quartermaster (Defenders of Minas Tirith) at the Great Gate of Minas Tirith for 30 Minas Tirith Silver Pieces.
One of the fun things about LOTRO is the way each player evolves their own personal way of navigating around Middle-earth. Although there is an extensive “stable” network throughout the game, I often find it quicker to use the various “Return to” skills, to get where I need to go. Turns out there’s a lot more in LOTRO than I realised. One of the most beneficial is “Return to Minas Tirith” which places you in the city before the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. The main advantage is that you arrive close to the stable-master who has an extensive list of travel destinations throughout Gondor. More so than his counterpart in the Minas Tirith after the battle. The skill “Return to Minas Tirith” is obtained from the Quartermaster (Defenders of Minas Tirith) at the Great Gate of Minas Tirith for 30 Minas Tirith Silver Pieces.
Now you may wonder why I mention something that has existed in the game since October 2017 when Update 17 - The Siege of Minas Tirith was released. Well the above stemmed from me digging around in my in-game barter wallet and wondering whether any of the older reputation reward tokens were still of any practical use. I have one primary alt that I’ve invested a fair amount of time into. I usually end up doing all quests in each zone, so tend to have maximum rep with all factions and a surfeit of barter tokens. Naturally, armour from Enedwaith or Dunland is no longer relevant at current endgame and it is the nature of MMOs to produce gear that has its day in the sun, only to be consigned to oblivion twelve months later. So, it’s par for the course that LOTRO generates a wealth of tokens that simply fills up your barter wallet only to be forgotten. However, there is “gold” to be found if you take the time to look.
Pet, mount and cosmetic collectors would be well recommended to do some research. For example, the Bingo Boffin episodic quest chain yields a wealth of cosmetic pets. Who doesn’t want an Umber Goat? Again, the Defenders of Minas Tirith can supply a Striped Pelennor Pig for 50 Minas Tirith Silver Pieces. Then there’s a Rohirric Follower if you have full rep with the Riders of Rohan. Then there are the respective “Return to” skills to such places as Galtrev, Mirkwood and Snowbourn. If you purchase the right skill from the LOTRO store you can reduce the cooldown time on all of these to 30 minutes. And although I said that a lot of the faction gear becomes statistically obsolete as you progress through the game, you can still equip items cosmetically if you like the look of them.
A lot of items in your barter wallet can also be traded in for practical commodities like Scrolls of Empowerment and Essence and Relic removal Scrolls. These are always of use and it never does any harm to stockpile them. Also, some of the items that you can obtain via your barter wallet can then be sold via the Auction House. And then there are the skirmish marks. I’ve always enjoyed this particular aspect of LOTRO and have often used skirmishes as an alternative means of levelling. They offer short and convenient challenges and it’s surprising how you can build a large fortune of marks and medallions over time. I still use my Landscape Soldier and it’s easy and convenient to buy the tokens for their use, from the skirmish vendors.
If like me, you’ve been playing LOTRO for a while, you may well have equally built up a supply of rep tokens and sundry barter currencies. It is certainly worthwhile investigating what you can actually trade them for and enhance your game. Because of the way LOTRO has grown over the years, many of its game systems are somewhat esoteric and are often overlooked by all but the most dedicated player. However, there’s no real quick or convenient way to really discover what you can or cannot get, other than by visiting the vendors of each particular rep faction and simply trawling through their inventory. Alternatively, you can search through the LOTRO Wiki and just see what’s available in game. All things considered it’s well worthwhile investigating the far reaches of your barter wallet. It may well offer you something unexpected and convenient.
6 Months, 1 Day and 16 Hours
6 months, 1 day and 16 hours. Or put another way that’s 4504 hours. In total, 270,240 minutes. That is the total amount of time to date, that I’ve invested in my primary character in LOTRO. I have had several other alts over the years, many of which are now deleted, so for the sake of accuracy you can probably add another 20 hours or so to that total. That is a sizeable investment of time over an eight-year period. But that is the nature of the MMO genre. They are essentially time sinks. However, that is not what this post is about. I’m not here to dissect whether 4504 hours has been a good use of my time or not. As far as I’m concerned, I’ve gained a commensurate amount of entertainment in return. Plus, those 2504 hours were specifically leisure time, so if I hadn’t of played LOTRO they would have been spent watching TV or on some other pastime. Therefore, I’m not going to claim that in different circumstance I could have learned to play the Sousaphone with that time. This post is about reflecting upon LOTRO and the MMO genre.
6 months, 1 day and 16 hours. Or put another way that’s 4504 hours. In total, 270,240 minutes. That is the total amount of time to date, that I’ve invested in my primary character in LOTRO. I have had several other alts over the years, many of which are now deleted, so for the sake of accuracy you can probably add another 20 hours or so to that total. That is a sizeable investment of time over an eight-year period. But that is the nature of the MMO genre. They are essentially time sinks. However, that is not what this post is about. I’m not here to dissect whether 4504 hours has been a good use of my time or not. As far as I’m concerned, I’ve gained a commensurate amount of entertainment in return. Plus, those 2504 hours were specifically leisure time, so if I hadn’t of played LOTRO they would have been spent watching TV or on some other pastime. Therefore, I’m not going to claim that in different circumstance I could have learned to play the Sousaphone with that time. This post is about reflecting upon LOTRO and the MMO genre.
Over the past eleven years LOTRO has waxed and waned and subsequently stabilised with regard to its playerbase and its place in the hall of MMO fame. Despite regular claims of its imminent demise (some even by myself), the game has doggedly soldiered on. It is my belief that the game is sustained and perpetuated by the loyal support of a group of core gamers who have decided to make LOTRO their online “home”. They may not like every aspect of the game or the way the developers, Standing Stone Games, runs things, but they’ve gotten used to the way things are. The other major factor is that there is no alternative game for the present. The recent news that Athlon Games is developing a new Middle-earth based MMO, doesn’t really have much bearing on the situation. The game doesn’t exist yet and will more than likely be a completely different beast to LOTRO. I can’t see LOTRO players jumping ship any time soon.
So for those who play LOTRO (I won’t use the term “gamers”, because many don’t identify as such or play any other title), it remains simply a fixed constant in their leisure activities. A social hub for staying in touch with friends, an immersive game with ten years’ worth of content to play and a source of inspiration for wider activities such as writing, role play or fan fiction. As for the game itself, it has a wealth quests and activities to undertake, ranging from the Epic Story to the most arbitrary of “busy work”. Therefore, there’s always something to do in LOTRO. Hence that number of 4504 hours. And that time investment is a really big factor for me. One of the reasons I keep coming back to LOTRO is the fact that I have committed a great deal of my own personal life to the game and that is not something that you casually disregard. Such an investment engenders a sense of loyalty and commitment. For some players it even fosters a sense of “ownership”. I may not necessarily agree with such a perspective, but I can see how it occurs.
Although I am not an especially emotional individual, I think it is fair to say that after ten years of playing LOTRO, I have developed some sort of sentimental attachment to the game. One that I have not found elsewhere with any other MMO. I have an abiding love of the Star Trek franchise, but STO doesn’t quite generate the same emotional response from me as LOTRO does. A lot of that is down to LOTRO’s intellectual property. Middle-earth and the writings of Professor Tolkien have a profound effect upon those that love and identify with his work. Then there’s the context of the time that I discovered and initially started playing the game. It filled a large gap in my leisure and social activities back in 2008. Another important point to consider, is that it was my first MMO and major experience of online communities. It’s a variation of the “first love” concept and how your initial experience of something greatly shapes your future outlook. So overall, I think that there’s no real surprise to be had by the revelation that I’ve spent over half a year of my time on LOTRO. Until something happens to change things, that number will continue to increase.
Your First Mistake Was Having Expectations
Two stories have broken today regarding a pair of established and much-loved pop culture franchises. The first is the news that actor Henry Cavill has been cast as Geralt of Rivia, in the forthcoming Witcher TV show currently in production by Netflix. The second is regarding how newly established games developers Athlon Games are currently working on a new F2P Middle-earth based MMO. Considering there is no further details on either of these two points beyond what has already been stated, one could be tempted to say rhetorically “nothing to see here, move along”. However, this is the age of social media, so let it suffice to say that both these announcements have caused a degree of consternation in certain quarters. Namely fans of those already established iterations of The Witcher and The Lord of the Rings.
Two stories have broken today regarding a pair of established and much-loved pop culture franchises. The first is the news that actor Henry Cavill has been cast as Geralt of Rivia, in the forthcoming Witcher TV show currently in production by Netflix. The second is regarding how newly established games developers Athlon Games are currently working on a new F2P Middle-earth based MMO. Considering there is no further details on either of these two points beyond what has already been stated, one could be tempted to say rhetorically “nothing to see here, move along”. However, this is the age of social media, so let it suffice to say that both these announcements have caused a degree of consternation in certain quarters. Namely fans of those already established iterations of The Witcher and The Lord of the Rings.
As I get older and therefore less sentimental and less invested in fandom per se, I do find the sort of complaints, criticism and sundry “brouhaha” that has accompanied both of these developments, somewhat irrelevant. All are based on a misplaced assumption that existing fans needs are the primary force driving both projects. But they are not. Yes, I agree that the look, feel and voice of Geralt of Rivia where honed to perfection in CD Projekt Red’s video games. This will naturally determine a lot of people’s conception of the character, the same way that a handful of artists such as John Howe and Alan Lee have shaped the popular opinion of what Tolkien’s characters should look like. Another example that is age dependent, is who you consider to be the best incarnation of James Bond. But artistic interpretation as a concept tends to “pooh-pooh” such dogmatic ideas as “the definitive version”.
From what I’ve gleaned from the information that’s available about Netflix’s The Witcher TV show, it is not intended to be merely a fan service to those that enjoyed the three video games. It is a broader adaptation of the original source material by by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski, intended to reach as wide an audience as possible. Fantasy as a genre is very popular and marketable at present. Thus, casting a known quantity such as Henry Cavill, who has experience of genre productions along with matinee idol good looks is hardly surprising. The objections of a minority of “core fans” is frankly just standard operational collateral damage when adapting such a franchise. Frankly, when you consider the current trend for remakes, reboots, altering race, gender and generally repurposing any franchise or brand if it is deemed profitable to do so, complaining about the casting of Henry Cavill is somewhat redundant.
As for there being a new Tolkien based MMORPG that is set at some point in The Lord of the Rings timeline, I really don’t see it being a major issue for the existing ten-year-old LOTRO. It’s hardly uncommon for multiple licensed products to share a specific market place at the same time. Look at Neverwinter and DDO for example. Furthermore, it is highly likely that both games will be very different from each other and therefore not in direct competition. I recently wrote about the possibility of a LOTRO 2.0 and how those players “joined at the hip” with the existing iteration of the game are not necessarily disposed towards migrating to a new and more modern game. A new title with contemporary bells and whistles would seek a new audience who favour such mechanics. I see it very much as an “apples and orange” situation. Plus, the point has already been raised as to whether the new Middle-earth based MMO is going to be linked in someway to the TV show that is currently under development for Amazon Prime.
Both of these examples reflect once again the inherent myopia that seems to accompany contemporary fandom. They represent a failure to see both of these franchises for what they are; products. And as such they can be augmented by the rights holder in whatever way they see fit. That doesn’t mean that fans can’t have an opinion. They are of course free to like or not like something. But considering the nature of the global market that all products must compete in these days, the uniquely subjective needs of fans only makes up a small percentage of potential customers. Therefore, these bespoke “requirements” are far from paramount. If you want a more specific example, then consider how the Marvel Cinematic Universe has “adapted” the source material to make it accessible to a wider audience. Lore has been altered and known box-office names have been cast to ensure a wide reach. Yes, some fans have disliked what they’ve seen, but in business terms Disney have struck gold. In a world where hype, following trends and number crunching dictates policy, it’s hardly surprising that the Henry Cavill has been cast as Geralt of Rivia and that a new Middle-earth based MMO is going to embrace the current foibles of the F2P business model. To those bemused by all this, your first mistake was having expectations.
LOTRO: Fishing
Many MMOs have “hobbies” as part of the activities they have on offer. These are usually leisurely undertakings done for their own inherent fun, rather than providing a tangible in-game benefit. In LOTRO the only hobby that is currently available (despite the game existing for over decade) is fishing. It’s a relatively simple affair that’s been further refined (dumbed down, some may argue) over time. When I started playing LOTRO in 2008, fishing had an extra component to its underlying mechanic. There were various types of bait (consumables) that provided a bonus to your fishing skill. These included Leech Bait, Nightcrawler Bait and Red Wiggler Bait. However, this mechanic was removed possibly around the time of the “free to play” conversion. As it currently stands, fishing now just requires accepting the hobby from the Hobby Master NPC (Simon Quinlank would be proud), buying a basic fishing rod and finding a body of water. You equip the rod instead of a weapon and add the fishing skill to your quick slot bar. If you click the skill it will cause a casting animation. You then wait for the fish to bite, which is signified buy your rod bending and twitching. The player then clicks the skill again to land whatever they’ve caught.
Many MMOs have “hobbies” as part of the activities they have on offer. These are usually leisurely undertakings done for their own inherent fun, rather than providing a tangible in-game benefit. In LOTRO the only hobby that is currently available (despite the game existing for over decade) is fishing. It’s a relatively simple affair that’s been further refined (dumbed down, some may argue) over time. When I started playing LOTRO in 2008, fishing had an extra component to its underlying mechanic. There were various types of bait (consumables) that provided a bonus to your fishing skill. These included Leech Bait, Nightcrawler Bait and Red Wiggler Bait. However, this mechanic was removed possibly around the time of the “free to play” conversion. As it currently stands, fishing now just requires accepting the hobby from the Hobby Master NPC (Simon Quinlank would be proud), buying a basic fishing rod and finding a body of water. You equip the rod instead of a weapon and add the fishing skill to your quick slot bar. If you click the skill it will cause a casting animation. You then wait for the fish to bite, which is signified buy your rod bending and twitching. The player then clicks the skill again to land whatever they’ve caught.
Like any activity in a game of this nature, fishing is subject to a levelling mechanic. The maximum rating is level 200 and the player can gain 10 points per day (the "clock" resets at midnight EST). There are currently seven different types of rod available in LOTRO, ranging from the aforementioned basic rod and the latest Exquisite Elven Fishing Rod which adds +10 Fishing. However, these rods are gated behind reputation factions in level specific regions, so you can’t buy a fancy rod and expect to fast path to level cap. It should also be noted that there are multiple deeds associated with fishing (hardly a surprise as LOTRO is rife with deeds) and some of the fancier fish that you can catch can be taken to a taxidermist and turned into trophies and used as housing items. As stated earlier, fishing is mainly a recreational activity which may also appeal to the goal orientated completionist who likes to do everything for personal satisfaction.
Standing Stone Games are obviously not conversent with UK slang.
I started fishing when I first subscribed to LOTRO. At that point in time, MMOs were new to me and I found all of the games foibles endearing. I’ve never pursued fishing seriously and have mainly used it as it was intended, just as something easy to do in-game while unwinding. As you can fish pretty much from any body of water in the game, I’ve often done fishing while waiting for colleagues to log in or while I’m on Discord chatting to friends. It’s something I’ve done casually over eight years and not something I’ve ever monitored. Recently, while fishing in Long Lake, I noticed a notification telling me I was level 183. So, I investigated a little further and determined I was not far from the cap. As a result, I decided to actually complete this deed, mainly due to a “why not” mindset and the want of anything else more significant to do. So, I toured various regions of Middle-earth and spent an hour here and there, slowly working towards my goal. Needless to say, a few days ago I hit level 200 hundred after a decade of not especially trying to do so. It gave me a moments satisfaction and a reason for a blog post, so I guess I shouldn’t “pooh-pooh” this achievement. I wonder whether Standing Stone Games have any new plans to add further hobbies to the game. If they do perhaps I’ll complete them as well in another ten years’ time.
LOTRO: Progressing Through Mordor
It was in May that I last subscribed to LOTRO and attempted to progress through the Mordor expansion. I was under geared and under powered and the initial zone of Udûn was proving to be an up-hill struggle. So, I decided to level elsewhere in the game and managed to get as far as 111 (the current level cap is 115). I still couldn’t improve my gear so there was no point bypassing Mordor and going straight to the Dale-lands which were released in June in Update 22. So, I decided to spend my gaming time elsewhere and left LOTRO. However, the recent Bullroarer preview of Update 23 rekindled my interest in the MMO. Surely Mordor wasn’t the immovable obstacle that I thought? So, I subscribed once again, and returned to the game on Friday evening. Luckily, there were several kinship members online and they generously helped me until I reached the “tipping point” of the Mordor expansion. Two days later and I’ve nearly hit level cap and the game although challenging, it’s no longer the grind that it was a few months ago.
It was in May that I last subscribed to LOTRO and attempted to progress through the Mordor expansion. I was under geared and under powered and the initial zone of Udûn was proving to be an up-hill struggle. So, I decided to level elsewhere in the game and managed to get as far as 111 (the current level cap is 115). I still couldn’t improve my gear so there was no point bypassing Mordor and going straight to the Dale-lands which were released in June in Update 22. So, I decided to spend my gaming time elsewhere and left LOTRO. However, the recent Bullroarer preview of Update 23 rekindled my interest in the MMO. Surely Mordor wasn’t the immovable obstacle that I thought? So, I subscribed once again, and returned to the game on Friday evening. Luckily, there were several kinship members online and they generously helped me until I reached the “tipping point” of the Mordor expansion. Two days later and I’ve nearly hit level cap and the game although challenging, it’s no longer the grind that it was a few months ago.
In a nutshell the key to success in Mordor is gear. Specifically gear that has the “Light of Eärendil” defensive stats. This is designed to counteract a cumulative debuff known as the “Shadow of Mordor”. This is simply a new version of the Radiance stat that was found on Moria and Mirkwood raid sets back in the day. Without “Light of Eärendil” a player is severely gimped. Mordor is essentially a major gear check for LOTRO. You start getting random pieces of new armour by clearing regional quests but it’s all very piecemeal. Hence the initial few levels above 105 are a slog. However, once you get to level 112, you become eligible to buy gear sets via the High-enchanter NPC, using the “Ash of Enchantment” barter currency. Players obtain this currency by deconstructing surplus gear they’ve obtained via quest, loot drops or Gorgoroth Steel-bound Lootboxes. Any item that has the “Light of Eärendil” can be broken down into “Ash of Enchantment” by using “Flame of Ancalamír” crystal.
To cut a long story short, I was given several lootboxes and keys which provided me with enough “Ash of Enchantment” to buy a level appropriate gear set. I chose the “Light Tower Set” which favours DPS builds. Upon equipping the gear, my stats were significantly boosted, thus making questing in Mordor significantly easier. I have subsequently progressed through the Epic Story and some of the regional quests and expect to hit 115 in the next day or so. I have even gone so far as to plan ahead and determine which set I shall buy next. I estimate that to obtain all armour and jewellery for the “Light Expedition's Vanguard Incomparable Set” will cost about 4,800 “Ash of Enchantment”. The irony is however, that I shall only enjoy the benefits of this set for about a month or so, because once Update 23 is released the level cap is increased to 120 and they’ll be new gear.
Now what has become apparent to me as I’ve progressed through Mordor over the weekend is the way that lootboxes have become more significant in LOTRO and I suspect that this may only get worse in future updates. A player can grind quests to get gear to convert to ash, but lootboxes offer a “far quicker solution”. I suspect that we are now finally seeing the consequences of Standing Stone Games “business relationship” with the Daybreak Game Company. However, that is a different blog post entirely. For the meantime, I’m back in LOTRO, making progress and having fun. Now that I’m no longer fixed upon the grind of the game, I must say that the various storylines in the Mordor expansion are very good. I like the way the SSG draws upon characters we’ve seen before in the game. It was a pleasant surprise to see Alti Spider-bane again. So, to those of you who have also fallen victim to the Mordor grind, there is a solution available, although it is not necessarily one that benefits the solo player. Being in a supportive guild and having access to shared resources helps immensely. Good luck.
LOTRO: Update 23 Preview
I managed to spend an hour or so today, exploring the latest preview of Update 23 for LOTRO, that is currently being beta tested on the Bullroarer server. Sadly, due to my schedule, I did not get to spend as much time as I would like, exploring the new zones, and by the time I reached the Withered Heath, the server closed. However, I did see sufficient for me to be able to gauge progress. Overall this is an interesting zone which offers new iterations of Dwarven culture. Standing Stone Games once again have found the right balance between using established in-game assets and integrating them with newer designs. The results are two regions that are bright, roomy and distinctly Dwarven. However, it should be noted that as ever with these beta previews, the build is subject to change.
I managed to spend an hour or so today, exploring the latest preview of Update 23 for LOTRO, that is currently being beta tested on the Bullroarer server. Sadly, due to my schedule, I did not get to spend as much time as I would like, exploring the new zones, and by the time I reached the Withered Heath, the server closed. However, I did see sufficient for me to be able to gauge progress. Overall this is an interesting zone which offers new iterations of Dwarven culture. Standing Stone Games once again have found the right balance between using established in-game assets and integrating them with newer designs. The results are two regions that are bright, roomy and distinctly Dwarven. However, it should be noted that as ever with these beta previews, the build is subject to change.
Update 23 focuses on the Longbeards, descendants of Durin the Deathless. To begin with, there is an expanded version of Erebor, which adds far more to this Dwarven capital. There are now ornamental gardens, Gemcutter’s court and even a theatre. It certainly feels more like a thriving community. SSG have also added the legendary mines where the Arkenstone of Thrain was found. For those expecting tunnels and diggings like those seen in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit movies, we’ll you’re in for a disappointment. They are depicted here in the same way as they are elsewhere in LOTRO, IE in a functional and practical fashion, with linear tunnels and mine car tracks. It may not look as opulent as other depictions, but it feels authentic.
East of Dale, SSG have created the fabled Iron Hills. This zone is spacious with a mixture of green plains and brown “hills” filled with iron ore. Hammerstead is the major Dwarven settlement of the region and there is ongoing conflict with the Easterlings, who have occupied one of the other towns in the area. It should be noted that there is a clear influence of Easterling culture on Dwarven armour and weapons in this region. This is also apparent in the Grey Mountains to the North of Erebor. Here we find another Dwarven enclave, Skarhald. This area has clearly suffered under the depravations of Dragons and the zone is littered with their ancient bones. There is a nearby mine, Glimmerdeep, that has fallen to Orcs from Mount Gundabad. This delving is very reminiscent of the Silvertine Lodes in Moria. The Witherted Heath is an interesting addition to the game, featuring bleak and fire blasted steppe region with a large glacier extending down from the mountains. It is also populated with drakes and worms.
As well as new zones and Epic Story content, there are two new Instances for up to three players, and one new Instance for up to six players, in development. There are also ongoing changes to the Hobbit avatars, to bring them in line with the updates made to the other races in recent months. It should be noted that Update 23 will bring an increase in level cap, from 115 to 120. Naturally, the chnage will bring about new gear and cosmetics items, and no doubt there will be yet more factions to gain rep with. Overall, it seems very much like business as usual for LOTRO with this forthcoming update, but as this seems to be what players enjoy, then it is by no means a problem. Certainly, these new zones are a welcome addition to the game and an uplifting alternative to Mordor that still remains a crossroad (or dare I say stumbling block) in the game for some players.
Not Playing World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft is still the biggest western MMO around and despite the ebb and flow of its player base, it remains a powerful presence within the gaming community. With the release of the pre-patch for the next expansion Battle of Azeroth yesterday, naturally there has been a wealth of blog posts as players dust off their subscriptions and return to the game. It’s a timely reminder that WoW was the MMO that made the genre more mainstream and commercially viable. For many gamers it was their stepping stone into other titles and sub-genres. The importance of World of Warcraft in gaming history and its place within pop culture is significant. The games success has bled through in to the mainstream. WoW is a known quantity outside of gaming circles and is social reference point, in the same way as Dungeons and Dragons, Batman or Star Trek.
World of Warcraft is still the biggest western MMO around and despite the ebb and flow of its player base, it remains a powerful presence within the gaming community. With the release of the pre-patch for the next expansion Battle of Azeroth yesterday, naturally there has been a wealth of blog posts as players dust off their subscriptions and return to the game. It’s a timely reminder that WoW was the MMO that made the genre more mainstream and commercially viable. For many gamers it was their stepping stone into other titles and sub-genres. The importance of World of Warcraft in gaming history and its place within pop culture is significant. The games success has bled through in to the mainstream. WoW is a known quantity outside of gaming circles and is social reference point, in the same way as Dungeons and Dragons, Batman or Star Trek.
However, as a gamer, if you do not play WoW or at least have some sort of history with it, you can find yourself in some kind of quasi MMO community minority group. It’s an "odd" phenomenon. Fellow blogger UltrViolet from EndgameViable goes so far as to say, “WoW expansions always make me feel like I just don't belong in the MMO genre”. Such is the status and ubiquity of the MMO. I wrote a while back about how “not liking sport”, especially football in the UK, can be a social impediment of sorts. In some respects, not playing WoW is the gaming equivalent of that. Often when talking to fellow gamers, especially those who enjoy the MMORPG genre, it is pretty much taken as read that you will have played the game at some point. Beyond a short trial, I’ve never really spent any major time playing WoW. It simply didn’t click with me. I didn’t and still don’t care for the aesthetics of the game, and I found the overall narrative tone to be a little too “knowing”.
My gateway MMO was LOTRO back in 2008 and right from the outset I liked the cut of its proverbial jib. I spent some time over the following years trying various other MMOs as they launched. Star Trek Online, Rift, The Secret World, Guild Wars 2 and SWOTR, to name but a few. However, for many gamers that was not the usual MMO route. Virtually every other gamer I know has a WoW background of some kind. Furthermore, the game is often further lionised due to it being associated with a particularly significant time in the gamers personal life. People have discovered the joys or gaming through WOW. Or had met the best friends of partners via it. WoW remains today, a safe and familiar haven for gamers going through tough times. Like a loyal pet or a much-loved book, WoW appears to at times transcend mere gaming to be a Mary Poppins-like presence that impacts upon gamers lives.
Overall, the current wave of excitement regarding Patch 8.0 does leave me feeling like a bemused spectator. To quote that great fictional character Ned Seagoon “Breakfast had just been served at Beauleigh Manor. I was at the window…looking in”. That is at least how WoW makes me feel sometimes. It’s like something quite “important” is going on but it always seems to be happening to somebody else. Now it is at this point that some may draw a similar parallel with EVE Online. That too is a monolithic game that casts a large shadow in the gaming community, allegedly. However, I feel that not playing WoW and not playing EVE, is an apples and oranges situation. Being outside of the current WoW hype makes me at times feel like I am missing out on something potentially fun. Observing EVE is more like rubbernecking a major road traffic accident. Either way, I am not sufficiently motivated to change my habits and start playing WoW. We exist as separate entities and never the twain shall meet. Like politicians and the truth, Love Island and human dignity or Star Wars fans and self-awareness.
Dailies
Broadly speaking, dailies are repeatable quests or activities that are designed to keep you engaged and busy within the MMO genre. They are a supplement to main story quests and often offer a long-term goal and reward or provide barter tokens for a range of gear. They can sometimes be used as an alternative means of gaining high-end gear for players who cannot or will not raid. Dailies also offer an additional means to level an alt, for players who are tired of repeating primary content that they are over familiar with. Along with log-in rewards, dailies are designed to entice players into regular play. They offer quick, repeatable content along with a clearly defined bauble or trinket, making them ideal for players who have a limited amount of game time. Hence, you’ll find variations thereof present in most MMOs.
Broadly speaking, dailies are repeatable quests or activities that are designed to keep you engaged and busy within the MMO genre. They are a supplement to main story quests and often offer a long-term goal and reward or provide barter tokens for a range of gear. They can sometimes be used as an alternative means of gaining high-end gear for players who cannot or will not raid. Dailies also offer an additional means to level an alt, for players who are tired of repeating primary content that they are over familiar with. Along with log-in rewards, dailies are designed to entice players into regular play. They offer quick, repeatable content along with a clearly defined bauble or trinket, making them ideal for players who have a limited amount of game time. Hence, you’ll find variations thereof present in most MMOs.
Dailies are more often than not, just busy work. By their nature they are additional game content and not mission critical to the player. The central narrative of an MMO usually only links to dailies tangentially, so if you elect not to do them you’re not missing out on a major plot point. Skipping a day means you simply postpone your reward date by another 24 hours, but as the dailies often feed into a long-term goal, such delays are not deal breakers. In some cases, dailies are simply a means of generating specific currencies and once you have maxed out a particular skills line you can still repeat the content and gain the designated reward. Furthermore, in some MMOs, dailies do not even require your alt to undertake any direct task. They are carried out by companions, crew or automated resources. You simply assign the correct assets to the task in hand and return at a later date to see if they successfully completed it.
Due to limited leisure time, I am currently only playing Star Trek Online and doing so by logging in across five alts and undertaking dailies. This involves either sending duty officer on time-based mission or ships on admiralty missions. Both sets of dailies draw upon card-based assets and can be set and forgotten. By choosing specific missions that offer Dilithium as a reward, I am using five alts to farm this resource and in-game currency. Dilithium can then be stockpiled and spent next time Cryptic make Phoenix Prize Pack available in the game. The Prize Packs offer a range of rewards, many of which can be bartered and traded in so that the player can get specifically what they want. For me the most valuable item obtainable is the Phoenix Tech Upgrade Kit. Upgrading gears sets is a key aspect of STO and these upgrades apply 51,200 Technology Points and have not further Dilithium costs. With the recent increase in gear cap from Mark XIV to XV, I conservatively estimate I need about 200 or so to fully upgrade my ground and space gear to Gold level.
Dailies are often viewed in most MMOs as arbitrary, dull and repetitious. It is fair to say that they don’t always have the depth of writing as other main quests but let us not fool ourselves as to their purpose. Dailies are to a degree filler. A way of stretching game content by providing a relatively simplistic task with an extended deadline. The MMO genre has proven time and time again, that the player base always consumes content quicker than it can be produced and so dailies are one of many ways of providing content that slows player progression while still providing them with something to do. Dailies, love them or loathe them, are a necessary evil. One we all too often bitch about while paradoxically still carrying out. They are the gaming equivalent of the clip show, which were a convenient way of padding the length of a season on TV, back in the sixties and seventies. They’re also a way of keeping you connected to a game, during times when your patience is running thin. I’m sure they could be replaced with something better, but until that comes around this is all we have and sometimes that’s just enough to keep you playing.
The Lord of the Rings Online 2.0
“I’d love to see LOTRO reimagined in a new engine with a certain modernization of gameplay". So said Koshelkin, in a recent comment made over at the Massively Overpowered website. It’s a common sentiment that often expressed by the LOTRO community and I must admit, I have a similar curiosity. But the more I ponder this idea, the more I find myself thinking “be careful what you wish for”. Because LOTRO as it currently exists, embodies the MMO ethos of the time that spawned it. Long-term players love it because of its foibles. As I’ve mentioned before in previous blog posts many LOTRO players are not gamers per se and therefore have no exposure to modern MMOs along with contemporary game mechanics. Thus, if Standing Stone Games were to radically redesign their virtual Middle-earth to include action combat and a truly open world, they may find themselves alienating a great many current LOTRO players, who would be all at sea in a modern iteration of the game.
“I’d love to see LOTRO reimagined in a new engine with a certain modernization of gameplay". So said Koshelkin, in a recent comment made over at the Massively Overpowered website. It’s a common sentiment that often expressed by the LOTRO community and I must admit, I have a similar curiosity. But the more I ponder this idea, the more I find myself thinking “be careful what you wish for”. Because LOTRO as it currently exists, embodies the MMO ethos of the time that spawned it. Long-term players love it because of its foibles. As I’ve mentioned before in previous blog posts many LOTRO players are not gamers per se and therefore have no exposure to modern MMOs along with contemporary game mechanics. Thus, if Standing Stone Games were to radically redesign their virtual Middle-earth to include action combat and a truly open world, they may find themselves alienating a great many current LOTRO players, who would be all at sea in a modern iteration of the game.
I recently revisited LOTRO to check out the new seasonal instance The Perfect Picnic. Penny the Pony trotted off in true LOTRO NPC fashion and made no effort to avoid the various mobs that plague The Shire during a summer heatwave. However, a decade of playing LOTRO has prepared me for such situations. As a seasoned Lore-master, I sent my pet ahead to occupy the oncoming threat, while I languidly went through my skills rotation. I tend to move in parallel with whoever or whatever I have to escort and seldom shift position while in combat. LOTRO being an older MMO does not support action combat and moving will stop your skill induction. Movement is thus limited to simply removing yourself from AoE effects and such like. It’s a tried and tested method and SSG have ensured that it doesn’t limit your combat experience. Just because fighting is static, it doesn’t mean it is devoid of nuance and tactic. However, many LOTRO players are totally conditioned to deal with this style. The fluid combat of The Elder Scrolls Online may not suit everyone or fit with their abilities as a player.
LOTRO is also very linear in its story structure and quest hubs. Since the game reached the regions of Dunland and Rohan, zones tend to funnel players from A to B very efficiently. It’s convenient but it is not very flexible if you want to do things “your way”. Stray too far ahead and you’ll either find yourself in a zone to high for your level or you’ll miss the start of the “breadcrumb” trail. Because there is no auto levelling beyond the Epic Battle system, it is not always safe to explore too far and no incentive to revisit lower level regions with friends. Again, bringing the narrative and regional freedom that we find in The Elder Scrolls Online, may well completely wrong foot traditional LOTRO players. I remember reading a thread on the Guild Wars 2 forums when the game first launched in 2012, by a player who felt completely lost as to what to do and where to go within the game. The open regional quests and timed events were also a stumbling block for some, who felt they lack direct instruction.
Another aspect of LOTRO that dates it, is its lack of voice acting. Yes, there is some but far less compared to other MMOs. Text boxes filled with written exposition that requires little user interaction are somewhat dull. Although the definition of an MMO has changed and continues to do so, we should not forget that they’re also a variant of the RPG genre. Hence it would be nice to see far more detailed voice acting, branching dialogue options and a greater variety of narrative outcomes. However, providing “choice” can cut both ways. Some players do not like too many options and can find such a mechanic a cause of stress. What happens if you make the “wrong” decision? This however, has been a dilemma of the MMO genre for a long time. It can apply to how you spend your skills points and what faction you join. Plus, voice acting also raises the additional spectre of lore and canon. Middle-earth is blessed with an especially hard lexicon. Most languages have a complex structure and there is plenty of scope for additional spoken dialogue to incur the wrath of the “pronunciation police”.
I think completely rebuilding LOTRO to embrace the best elements of the modern MMO genre would be a big and risky undertaking. I think that the finished product would not necessarily appeal to all current players and many would not make the transition to LOTRO 2.0 successfully. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and its sequel Shadow of War feature beautifully realised environments which hint at the visual potential of a new version of LOTRO. I would certainly like to see a new vision of Middle-earth more akin to the structure of The Elder Scrolls Online, as that game serves the needs of the solo player and the group well. But the cost and risk in developing such a project make it highly unlikely that such a game will come to pass. I think after a decade, the most we can honestly expect rom SSG is a revamp of the game engine, similar to that seen in STO a few years ago. It would also be nice to see a 64-bit client and an elimination of the lag and stuttering that plagues the game. Beyond that I think LOTRO 2.0 in the true sense, will just remain a talking point.
Fans, Community Management and Social Media
When I first read about the furore caused by Jessica Price’s comments yesterday, I knew it wouldn’t end well. There’s a tedious inevitability to the outcome of most video game related “outrages” these days. For example, a senior member of staff from a major developer will same something crass, double down, dig a hole and then finally after being bitten on the ass by reality, will put out a mealy-mouthed half ass apology. The other scenario is that an employee affiliated to a studio says something completely left field, is presented with short window of opportunity to retract it and blame it on over the counter flu medication, before they get fired due to the ensuing PR shit storm. This particular controversy falls into the latter category. However, if you take a step back from the Jessica Price debacle you quickly notice it raises a lot of questions beyond her obvious transgression. Namely, the problem of always being “on the clock” when you work in certain professions, the need to separate your work and personal social media presence and the place “influencers have in the video games industry.
When I first read about the furore caused by Jessica Price’s comments yesterday, I knew it wouldn’t end well. There’s a tedious inevitability to the outcome of most video game related “outrages” these days. For example, a senior member of staff from a major developer will same something crass, double down, dig a hole and then finally after being bitten on the ass by reality, will put out a mealy-mouthed half ass apology. The other scenario is that an employee affiliated to a studio says something completely left field, is presented with short window of opportunity to retract it and blame it on over the counter flu medication, before they get fired due to the ensuing PR shit storm. This particular controversy falls into the latter category. However, if you take a step back from the Jessica Price debacle you quickly notice it raises a lot of questions beyond her obvious transgression. Namely, the problem of always being “on the clock” when you work in certain professions, the need to separate your work and personal social media presence and the place “influencers have in the video games industry.
First up, let’s deal with the most obvious things that standout from this “wee stooshie”. The moment you have your employers name in your twitter biography, you rightly or wrongly are now an ambassador for that company. This is a problematic foible of working in an age dominated by social media. I also think it is further exacerbated by the US work ethic which is curiously more zealous than its European counterpart. Work is more of defining factor in American culture to begin with. Irrespective of this, if you work for a major games developer and cite that in your profile then the fans will take it as read that you’re accessible 24/7 and they’ll cross examine you at every opportunity. It’s ironic but the term “emotional courtesan” that Jessica Price refutes in one of her tweets, is not a bad definition of the role that is thrust upon such employees. A company’s reputation and standing with its customers is one of its most prized assets. Questions regarding the capricious nature of fans and the fact that some totally lack any filter are ultimately irrelevant. You don’t upset the gravy train.
Next there’s the need to compartmentalise. If you work for a big player in any type of industry and feel that there are constraints placed upon your freedom of expression online as a result of that, then simply create separate social media accounts. Apply common sense to your work-related platforms and if need be follow a clear set of rules with regard to your customer interactions. As for your personal accounts, keep them separate and don’t make the mistake of getting drawn into needless arguments. Use mute or block judiciously if need be. And remember that Twitter is a public space and is therefore governed by rules of speech in such an environment. Ultimately if you want privacy in your discussion then use What’s App or something similar. Also, manners have declined in the last fifty years. Some people either lack a filter or simply refuse to use one for their own dysfunctional reasons. You have very little say or control over who decides to interject in any ongoing conversation. The sad reality is that your work related social media account forces you to do your job with one hand tied behind your back. It’s not a level playing field but if that’s place you’ve chosen to set up your stall, then that is how you have to roll with things.
Then there is the whole thorny issue of influencers. In this case, I’m not aware that You Tuber and Streamer Deroir has ever been considered a difficult or controversial individual. From what I’ve gleaned from the internet, they are a relatively benign community conduit. He’s even got an NPC named after him in the Mistlock Observatory. Therefore, it is not unreasonable for Deroir to want to interact with an ArenaNet employee such as Jessica Price. His comments were not in any way rude, so he really didn’t deserve the response he received. However, the wider gaming dependency upon influencers is a questionable practice. Not all are as measured as Deroir. It should not be forgotten that many influencers are not directly employed by the games developers and therefore not subject to the same scrutiny and security checks as regular staff. It’s a powerful position to be in and people are flawed. There have been instances of influencers going rogue in the past, although again I say this is clearly not one.
Finally, I am becoming increasingly sceptical of overt fandom of any kind. Pop culture, like politics and sports, is losing all semblance of measure and introspection and slowly becoming far more zealous. Everybody seems to have a stake or a personal claim on some part of the internet or aspect of fandom, regardless of whether it is legitimate or justified. Fandom isn’t collective ownership, although that is fast becoming a minority view. Dealing with such communities is becoming increasing hard. Who wants to navigate a daily diet of anger, accusations and bile? In the case of Jessica Price, her ill-conceived comments were wrong, and she has been sanctioned by her employers (The degree of which is subject to debate). However, what is worrying is the increasing trend that sees justifiable anger and complaint from legitimate quarters, being subsequently hi-jacked by those who simply smell blood in the water. The internet lynch mob is an extremely blunt tool and the dirty footprints of its affiliate members who often have their own agenda, ultimately just end up muddying the waters of measured and reasoned criticism. Thus, gaming culture declines further and it’s more mature and measured members find themselves moving ever further to its periphery, so as not be tarred with the same brush.
Victory is Life
Star Trek Online is a curious beast compared to other MMOs. Although the characters that you create have gear, skills and traits to advance, it is your ship that is the real focus of in game min-maxing. The game also has several strong narrative arcs that dovetail superbly into existing Trek lore. The fact that numerous actors from the original TV shows have returned to voice their characters in the game, is another feather in the hat for Cryptic, the games developers. STO recently had a major lighting and game engine overhaul to accommodate it’s launch on the console market. Yet despite many very positive factors, there are still times when STO feels a little clunky and lacking in polish. Cutscenes can be problematic and the game has some persistent bugs and glitches. However, despite some flaws the MMO has a strong and loyal fanbase who play actively and pay prodigiously. This is also a game with a large number of whales in its wider community.
Star Trek Online is a curious beast compared to other MMOs. Although the characters that you create have gear, skills and traits to advance, it is your ship that is the real focus of in game min-maxing. The game also has several strong narrative arcs that dovetail superbly into existing Trek lore. The fact that numerous actors from the original TV shows have returned to voice their characters in the game, is another feather in the hat for Cryptic, the games developers. STO recently had a major lighting and game engine overhaul to accommodate it’s launch on the console market. Yet despite many very positive factors, there are still times when STO feels a little clunky and lacking in polish. Cutscenes can be problematic and the game has some persistent bugs and glitches. However, despite some flaws the MMO has a strong and loyal fanbase who play actively and pay prodigiously. This is also a game with a large number of whales in its wider community.
This year is the 25th anniversary of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Subsequently, Cryptic decided to base their latest expansion Victory if Life around the show. Released on 5th June, the new content features the voice talents of Alexander Siddig, Andrew Robinson, Armin Shimerman, Aron Eisenberg, Jeffrey Combs, J.G. Hertzler, Nana Visitor, René Auberjonois, Chase Masterson, Max Grodénchik, Bumper Robinson and Salome Jens. I won’t list all their respective characters but for fans and aficionados, this is a big deal. Star Trek Online is an officially sanctioned product and has the full support of CBS. As a result, the game enjoys a level of continuity and lore compliancy seldom seen in other MMOs with licensed intellectual properties. Although STO has as mentioned, suffered from lapses in QA from time to time, the standard of writing has never been poor and with regard to Victory if Life, I believe that it has surpassed its own high standard.
There have been some complaints that Victory if Life is more of an update in scope and size, rather than a full-blown expansion, such as Delta Rising from 2014. And I think that it there a degree of truth to in some of the criticism levelled at the release. The additional five levels are trifling and make no real tangible difference to your character. The increase in gear upgrade cap from Mark XIV to Mark XV again only really have an impact on min-maxers seeking a nominal percentage gain in DPS. Then there are the three bespoke Jem’Hadar missions that are more like tutorials. Yes, they’re fun but they don’t really feel any different to the starter missions for the other races. In fact, these ones seem even light in content. And then there are the six missions that make up the Victory if Life story arc. Technically it’s seven but one was held back until 28th June, as a feature episode to keep the sense of engagement going. Yes, compared to other arcs it is a rather compact series. Yet I am prepared to overlook all these points, purely because this arc finally feels like STO has finally met it full narrative potential.
Victory is Life addresses the issue of what has happened in the Gamma Quadrant since the end of the Dominion War. Odo returns as an Ambassador for the Changelings, bearing ill news of the ravages of Hur’q. Seeking an alliance proves difficult with the Klingon’s particularly ill-disposed towards helping a recent enemy. Yet the Iconian war has granted many worlds a new sense of perspective, so it is interesting to see more diplomatic overtures from Cardassia and even Ferenginar. Naturally Odo crosses the pass of Kira Nerys and we get to see how the years and current affairs have affected their relationship. Elim Garak once again proves that there’s more to his role in the proceeding than immediately meets the eye. And as ever Quark proves that he has a heart of latinum as well as an eye to the main chance. Victory if Life succeeds in taking the characters we know and love from the TV show and giving them an equally viable story within the frame work of STO.
What becomes abundantly clear while playing Victory if Life is the presence of multiple original cast members. We have seen returning cast members interact before in STO but never on this scale. And the cast of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine remains exceptional. Listening to the precise and measured delivery of Andrew Robinson as Elim Garak, along with gruff yet emotional resonance of René Auberjonois as Odo is an absolute joy for fans. But I believe of all the six missions that feature in the expansion it is “Quark’s Lucky Seven” that is the jewel in the crown. This wonderfully conceived caper story plays out like a Ferengi version of Oceans Eleven. Quark, Rom, Nog, Leck and Brunt join forces to steal a priceless artefact, located in possibly the most dangerous place in the galaxy. Superbly written, wonderfully acted by a much beloved cast, it totally nails the essence of the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The bar has just been raised and this is the standard by which all future STO content will now be judged by. That’s a big ask but it’s only what the franchise deserves. Well done Cryptic. More please.
LOTRO: Update 22.2
When I first started playing LOTRO in late 2008, I actually read the manual that came with my box copy, before I decided which class I was going to play. I chose the Lore-master as it sounded and interesting mixture of both ranged attacks and the use of pets. Being new to the MMO genre at the time, I didn’t realise that it was actually quite a complex class to play. Although I have dabbled with alts over the years I have stuck with this single character and until 2017, kept them relatively up to date with regard to content and respective skills. Mordor greatly dampened what enthusiasm for LOTRO and as a result I have fallen behind the curve. My gear is poor as I haven’t really progressed far into the lastest expansion. Combat has become a tedious grind, leaving me with a paradoxical situation. Poor gear makes progression slower, but bypassing Mordor leaves my character gimped. Bearing this in mind, I’ve been eagerly awaiting the Lore-master class changes that have come with Update 22.2 in the hope they will improve my situation. Sadly, I don’t think that today’s changes are the solution I’m looking for.
When I first started playing LOTRO in late 2008, I actually read the manual that came with my box copy, before I decided which class I was going to play. I chose the Lore-master as it sounded and interesting mixture of both ranged attacks and the use of pets. Being new to the MMO genre at the time, I didn’t realise that it was actually quite a complex class to play. Although I have dabbled with alts over the years I have stuck with this single character and until 2017, kept them relatively up to date with regard to content and respective skills. Mordor greatly dampened what enthusiasm for LOTRO and as a result I have fallen behind the curve. My gear is poor as I haven’t really progressed far into the lastest expansion. Combat has become a tedious grind, leaving me with a paradoxical situation. Poor gear makes progression slower, but bypassing Mordor leaves my character gimped. Bearing this in mind, I’ve been eagerly awaiting the Lore-master class changes that have come with Update 22.2 in the hope they will improve my situation. Sadly, I don’t think that today’s changes are the solution I’m looking for.
I am not a min-maxer per se and have never been a serious number cruncher when it comes to LOTRO. I broadly know what my skills do and have adopted a rotation that is common to many other LOTRO players who favour the Lore-master class. For me I define my combat effectiveness by the amount of time it takes to kill a single mob, along with how many skills I have to use or how many times I have to repeat my rotation. This may not be the most scientific method, but it works for me. I then temper combat effectiveness with another very subjective factor. Is the combat satisfying or is it a chore? Too often of late in LOTRO combat is the latter. For me, and possibly many other MMO players, there is a very personal tipping point between a credible and engaging fight and a dull, ponderous slog. For me it may be so many seconds, for another player it may be double or triple that time. What I do find with older MMOs is that combat does seem to take a lot longer, compared to modern titles. The Secret World suffered terribly from this problem and it still wasn’t adequately addressed for my liking, when the game was revised into Secret World Legends.
In LOTRO I predominantly follow the red skills line, looking to do maximum DPS. Therefore, the recent upgrade to Burning Embers (applying Gust of Wind to augment it into Searing Embers) is a “interesting” addition. However, the induction animation is a real nuisance and needs to be shortened. Lightning Strike has been tweaked and its cooldown has been shortened. I noticed I was hitting higher critical hits as a result. However, the initial heal from Water-lore has been removed so only the HoT component remains. Thus, you’ll only get the first heal after four seconds. Plus, Ring of Fire is currently broken which is a bit of an inconvenience as its use regularly features in my play style. However, I am concerned that by making the Lore-master’s single target DPS stronger, that our AoE has suffered. Also, the removal of the Wizards Fire component and its replacement with something that is essentially not commensurate, does strike me as an over simplification of gameplay.
After running several skirmishes today, I did conclude that my overall DPS had improved but that was only in specific circumstances. For the casual, PVE-centric player, who plays cautiously, pulling mobs individually or using crowd control to make fights sequential, then this update is an adequate improvement to the class. But for those who do like to group and contribute to a communal fight, then it there isn’t so much on offer. Lore-masters are not so able to deal DoTS and their AoE skills have been reduced. And irrespective of all of these changes, I still find that combat is too slow for my liking. It’s difficult to articulate without the use of numbers, but when fighting I expect at least one skill to do 15 to 20% damage to my opponent’s moral. It still feels too much like an uphill. But this is the conundrum of combat in gaming, especially the MMO genre. Trying to find that right balance that pleases the majority of players, or at least allowing them to augment their effectiveness by accessing the right sort of gear. I’m beginning to feel that the more LOTRO is updated, the gap between what you can achieve and what I currently have, is growing wider and wider. I don’t know if I ever will catch up.
Open World Games
The Virtual Bolivia that Ubisoft have created for Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands is truly stunning. This massive open world is approximately 576 square kilometres (222.4 square miles) and features 21 regions and 11 distinct ecosystems. Furthermore, the world is seamless without any loading screens or phasing. You can travel from one end of the map to the other without any immersion breaking transitions. The main story missions and the regional counterparts can be tackled in any order, affording players the freedom to explore and play through content however they want. The game can be played cop-operatively via PUGS or through bespoke custom teams. Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands takes the textbook concept of the “open world” and augments it sufficiently to hang a narrative on. But beyond the overall task of dismantling a sprawling national drugs cartel, the player is given a superbly crafted sandbox and is left to determine their own agenda and play style.
The Virtual Bolivia that Ubisoft have created for Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands is truly stunning. This massive open world is approximately 576 square kilometres (222.4 square miles) and features 21 regions and 11 distinct ecosystems. Furthermore, the world is seamless without any loading screens or phasing. You can travel from one end of the map to the other without any immersion breaking transitions. The main story missions and the regional counterparts can be tackled in any order, affording players the freedom to explore and play through content however they want. The game can be played cop-operatively via PUGS or through bespoke custom teams. Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands takes the textbook concept of the “open world” and augments it sufficiently to hang a narrative on. But beyond the overall task of dismantling a sprawling national drugs cartel, the player is given a superbly crafted sandbox and is left to determine their own agenda and play style.
This is the inherent appeal of the open world game. The provision of a functional environment that provides a setting for events, rather than a means of corralling them. One only has to look at popular MMOs such as ESO and LOTRO and you will often find that their lavishly created regions, despite their aesthetic appeal, are primarily designed to funnel the player from quest hub to quest hub. In LOTRO, especially in the more recent zone such as Gondor and Mordor, large swathes of a map are frequently inaccessible due to topographical constraints or the old mechanic of invisible walls. Hence it not unusual to spot and interesting feature on the horizon or even in the near vicinity, only to find that it is inaccessible. The Argonath is a classic example of this. Conversely in an open world game such as Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands, the open world design along with the ability to travel by helicopter and land directly to remote locations ensures that nothing is out of a player’s reach. Exploring becomes an entire meta game in itself.
The first open world game that really altered my perception of gaming was The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Although I had experienced well designed environments before in the MMO genre, phasing and zone mechanics always broke immersion to a degree. Skyrim with its Scandinavian style climate and terrain was a revelation and simply traversing the region with it’s ambient music and changeable climate was and remains a delight. But it was The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt that really show cased the full potential of the open world concept, with a beautifully realised, diverse yet totally credible environment. The player can walk, ride or sail across the green and verdant, war-torn lands of the South or sail between the monster-islands of Skellige in the North. They have total freedom to discover various places of interest, hunt monster, or simply gather resources and enjoy the world. It is this latter idea of being “at large” in a huge, living and thriving ecosystem is perhaps the biggest selling point of the open world concept. But it is also its potential weakness.
Not all gamers like to be presented with a huge expanse of non-linear content and told “off you go”. Some find such a system and environment daunting and confusing. Both of which are perfectly acceptable opinions. The “theme park” approach provides a means of guiding players through content, ensuring that nothing is potentially missed and providing structure. It should be remembered that some see gaming as escapism from the complexities of modern life and therefore do not wish to see it capricious randomness mirrored in their leisure activities. On a technical note, open world games are also extremely resource hungry and to enjoy them to their fullest, you do need a robust gaming PC. It is because of this issue that we do not see the same technology used in the MMO genre. The rich world of Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands can happily support co-operative play between 4 versus 4 players but sustaining a population of 100 is a very different matter. Yet if the rapid change in gaming hardware over the last decade teaches us anything, then there will eventually come a time when MMO genre will be able to fully embrace a fuller, truer version of the open world concept than we have now.
"Grinding"
According to Wikipedia, “grinding” is defined as “performing repetitive tasks for gameplay advantage. In MMORPG, for instance, it can be advantageous to repeatedly kill AI-controlled monsters, using basically the same strategy over and over again to advance one's character level and to unlock content. Grinding may be required by some games to unlock additional features such as level progression or additional items”. Although I broadly agree with this summation, I feel that “grinding” is one of those terms that can also be very subjective. Repetitious content has a specific purpose in video games, especially the MMO genre. Not all of it is tedious or egregious. Therefore, it is a question of degrees. Killing 25 mobs of a specific species may be a tolerable number. A challenge but not a task that out stays its welcome. However, double that amount a suddenly a line has been crossed. The entire undertaking now feels like it has been inflated simply to slow player progress down, which is more than likely the exact purpose of the task.
According to Wikipedia, “grinding” is defined as “performing repetitive tasks for gameplay advantage. In MMORPG, for instance, it can be advantageous to repeatedly kill AI-controlled monsters, using basically the same strategy over and over again to advance one's character level and to unlock content. Grinding may be required by some games to unlock additional features such as level progression or additional items”. Although I broadly agree with this summation, I feel that “grinding” is one of those terms that can also be very subjective. Repetitious content has a specific purpose in video games, especially the MMO genre. Not all of it is tedious or egregious. Therefore, it is a question of degrees. Killing 25 mobs of a specific species may be a tolerable number. A challenge but not a task that out stays its welcome. However, double that amount a suddenly a line has been crossed. The entire undertaking now feels like it has been inflated simply to slow player progress down, which is more than likely the exact purpose of the task.
I’m sure we can all think of specific instances of “grinding”. I’ve always found the reputation system in LOTRO to be a ponderous slog and have not bothered with it in recent updates. The Delta Quadrant remains a gruelling zone to progress through in STO. Sadly, the MMO genre gates a lot of interesting rewards using this mechanic, which places the player in a difficult position. Endure something that you do not enjoy, which for many people mitigates the point of playing. Grinding does fly in the face of fun, leisure and enjoyment. Or bypass the content and potentially gimp yourself in some capacity. It’s a bit of a Hobson’s choice. The other option is to stop playing which raises the fundamental Achilles Heel of “grinding”. Developers often cannot create content fast enough for players to consume. So “grinding” is seen as a legitimate means to slow progression or return a player to a specific zone. It also presents useful cash shop opportunities. However, if this fine line is over stepped, it often results in players looking elsewhere for their leisure activities. I have temporarily stopped subscribing to LOTRO, specifically because of the Mordor “grind”.
According to games blogger Gevlon, all playable content is “grinding” and therefore any complaint against it is essentially a complaint against the very game itself. However, this is a flawed definition born of an erroneous binary view. “Grinding” is as I’ve previously stated both a subjective term and an activity that is perceptibly different from standard questing. For example, a repetitive activity may facilitate a scaled set of rewards. 50 kills may provide a bronze reward at tier 1, 100 kills provide a silver reward at tier 2 and finally 150 kills result in a gold reward at the final 3rd tier. Because the player can discern the maths in advanced and it is shown to be an equitable progression, they will undertake this arduous task but not necessarily perceive it as “grind”. However, if the developers decide to make the criteria for tier 3 to be 500 kills, then that cannot be quantified as a logically fair progression compared to the previous two tiers. Hence, the task will be seen as a grind to many players.
Gaming has developed a broad and esoteric lexicon over the last thirty years. Many of the terms are nebulous and interpreted differently. Gaming has become an increasingly broad church and I don’t see that changing in the future. Quite the opposite is likely. There are many mature gamers whose early experiences have shaped their perception of what exactly constitutes as gaming per se. However, times change and not everyone is subsequently exposed to the same conditions. Hence “grinding” is not a fixed and immutable term. One man’s “grind” is another man’s engaging gameplay. Be that as it may, I am prepared to suggest that there is a degree of commonality in the terms meaning. I actually think that the following definition by fellow game enthusiast and blogger Bhagpuss is possibly the most likely definition at present. He sees “grind” as “any repeatable activity you don’t want to do. “Gameplay” is any repeatable activity you do want to do”. And upon mature reflection, I concur.
The “Psychology” of an MMO Player
Before we start I’d like to make it clear that I do not have any formal qualifications in psychology. If you want specific details of research into MMO player psychology, the I would urge you to look to more academic source. For the sake of this post, I shall be using the term “psychology” figuratively. As people do in everyday parlance. In this case it is meant to refer to the motivations and foibles of the MMO gamer. Okay, that's the legal disclaimer out of the way. Let us continue with a finely-honed dissection of the topic in hand, bolstered by that impeachable source of verification, namely anecdotal evidence.
Before we start I’d like to make it clear that I do not have any formal qualifications in psychology. If you want specific details of research into MMO player psychology, the I would urge you to look to more academic source. For the sake of this post, I shall be using the term “psychology” figuratively. As people do in everyday parlance. In this case it is meant to refer to the motivations and foibles of the MMO gamer. Okay, that's the legal disclaimer out of the way. Let us continue with a finely-honed dissection of the topic in hand, bolstered by that impeachable source of verification, namely anecdotal evidence.
If you ask people what motivates them to play an MMO you will receive a multitude of different answers. Here are a few that are fairly common. I'm sure you could all add more to the list.
- The social interaction and the community. Be it friends or a kinship/guild.
- Grouping, raiding and completing content communally.
- Competitive play, PVP and league tables.
- The persistent worlds and the opportunity to explore and be immersed.
- The franchise associated with the MMO in question.
- Helping others and contributing to the general community.
Players bring a lot of passion to the games they play and the MMO genre is no exception. You only have to look at the postings on most MMO related forums and subreddits to see how seriously some players take it. The amount of dedication that is poured in to fansites, blogs and podcasts is staggering at times. I know of individuals that see the games they play as vehicles for their own personal values, ethics and ideologies. They organise, nurture and try to engage with all. Yet despite these noble aspirations, the two most fundamental driving forces for most players are either to have fun or to play competitively.
Let’s start with fun. It sounds like a very simple concept. However, we all experience it in a different fashion and it is a conduit to other emotions and motivations which are also unique to the individual. For me, I see games as an amusing diversion. However, that is not to say I see them as trivial. I complete tasks for a reward or I simply compete against myself or others. I also enjoy a good narrative. These are all essential sources of fun for me. I take a very straight forward "quid pro quo" attitude towards gaming. However, for others, fun may be derived from more complex motivations.
Competition is a very strong human trait. Western culture focuses on it heavily and often enshrines it in all aspects of society. It is therefore a prevalent facet of many MMOs and attracts a substantial player base. However, the pleasure of competing is often overshadowed by the perceived benefits of succeeding and on occasions public displays of pride. For some players there is the “winning at all costs” mindsets and the idea that it says something very specific about you as an individual. Ego and vanity are very strong motivators. This is endemic in the FPS and co-op genres and also manifests itself in MMOs, especially in the PVP side of any game. Bragging rights and posing requires another important ingredient. An audience. Something that the communal nature of MMOs provides.
The community itself offers a vast array of involvement and potential sources of fun. For some gamers due to their real-world obligations, it can become a surrogate social life in itself. As I mentioned earlier, this community offers an environment in which they can have a tangible impact and act as a force for good, unlike in the real world. I do not like the term "care bear", as its purpose is ultimately pejorative. However, it cannot be denied that MMOs do attract a lot of people who thrive on the social interaction and are compelled to help and support their fellow players. It is these very factors that defines the point of playing for them.
Because the mainstream success of video games, the gaming industry is naturally chasing the most lucrative demographic group. This is the casual gamer, although exactly what the parameters of that term are, remains hotly debated. However, negative attitudes towards gamers persists as do stereotypes. For many non-gamers, they erroneously think that those that do play MMOs and the like are not engaging with their fellow man. There is also the condescending attitude that because your leisure activity does not take place in a physical environment, that it is devoid of any merit. These are naturally erroneous and flawed ideas, but they often come up, despite the reality being the complete opposite.
To try and compensate against this sort of misinformation, there have been recent studies and reports that try to overstate the benefits of social gaming. I will happily concede the point that gaming does require players to use certain real-life skills, such a team building, communication and organisation, but to hail them as problem solving über talented collectives, that can tackle the world’s problems is a stretch. It is therefore important to keep a sense of perspective on gaming and to pretty much treat it as any other sort of leisure activity. Being a hero in the realm of Tamriel does not make you one in real life. However, nor should it pigeon-hole you as a nut.
So, it in conclusion, it would seem that despite some common factors relating to engagement and enjoyment, it is very difficult to come up with a simple set of rules that define the psychology of an MMO player or indeed any type of gamer. It should also be remembered that gamers often have other interests and mainstream pastimes such as sport, music or art. Gaming is not the sole defining factor of their non-working life. It is simply their leisure activity of choice, and as such should be afforded the same sort or regard as equivalent real world activities such as sport.
LOTRO and Daybreak Game Company
Over the past eleven years The Lord of the Rings Online has faced many business-related issues that has prompted its player base to speculate over the games future. These include the MMOs transition from a subscription to a free to play service, Turbine’s acquisition by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and then there were the issues with the license expiration in 2017. However, all these problems were resolved in one way or another and the game endures. That is not to say that Turbine or Standing Stone Games (SSG) are business geniuses. Absolutely not. They’ve made plenty of mistakes over the years and continue to regularly shoot themselves in the foot with their community relations. LOTRO survives because of its core playerbase who have made this virtual Middle-earth their home and they support the game come hell or high water. A lot of this core group are fully aware of SSGs shortcomings, but they are wedded to this game and hence they sustain it. It’s a curious yet fascinating symbiotic relationship.
Over the past eleven years The Lord of the Rings Online has faced many business-related issues that has prompted its player base to speculate over the games future. These include the MMOs transition from a subscription to a free to play service, Turbine’s acquisition by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and then there were the issues with the license expiration in 2017. However, all these problems were resolved in one way or another and the game endures. That is not to say that Turbine or Standing Stone Games (SSG) are business geniuses. Absolutely not. They’ve made plenty of mistakes over the years and continue to regularly shoot themselves in the foot with their community relations. LOTRO survives because of its core playerbase who have made this virtual Middle-earth their home and they support the game come hell or high water. A lot of this core group are fully aware of SSGs shortcomings, but they are wedded to this game and hence they sustain it. It’s a curious yet fascinating symbiotic relationship.
Two days ago, Massively Overpowered reported on an interesting situation that has potential to impact upon LOTRO (and DDO) as it is to do with SSGs current “publisher” Daybreak Game Company (DGC). On April 6th, the U.S. Department of the Treasury commenced the freezing of assets of several Russian businesses because of alleged “destabilizing activities” such as interference in the 2016 U.S. election. This includes Viktor Vekselberg, who owns the Renova Group conglomerate along with its subsidiary, Columbus Nova. Columbus Nova, is the parent company of DGC. Renova has until June 5th to “wind down operations, contracts, or other agreements” according to The U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control. Approximately $1.5 and $2 billion assets from Vekselberg have been frozen because of these sanctions. It now remains to be seen whether this process extends to Columbus Nova’s assets and DGC. At present, DGC is trying to distance itself from Columbus Nova. Tweets and press releases are being deleted and Wikipedia entries are being “edited”. Yesterday, DGC’s Chief Publishing Officer and former Senior Vice President, Laura Naviaux, announced she’s left the company.
Naturally, those who play EverQuest II and PlanetSide 2 are “concerned” as to whether this situation will impact upon these games as they are owned by DGC. Which then brings us back to the LOTRO community. It has naturally got wind of the situation and players are asking SSG for clarification on the games official forums. Naturally, SSG are being tight lipped about the matter using marketing speak to brush concerns aside. Putting the potential gravity of the situation aside for the moment, most businesses are smart enough to keep details of their internal machinations behind close door, so it’s highly unlikely the current community manager Jerry “Cordovan” Snook, is going to go public and spill the beans as to what’s going on. Some players are adamant that DGC is simply SSGs publisher and even if there is a problem, it’s just a case of finding a new one. Certainly, on paper DGC is SSGs publisher and further details about the business relationship between the two is not clear. However, history doesn’t always favour the “wait and see” approach and there is nothing wrong with some intelligent and measured speculative analysis of the situation.
The potential for this matter to affect LOTRO depends on two key factors. First off, is DGC directly linked to Columbus Nova and therefore at risk of having its business assets frozen? This is ultimately one for the lawyers to decide but it is curious that DGC’s Chief Publishing Officer has chosen now as a time to make a career move. It could be coincidence. If further senior staff resign, then perhaps that may be a clearer indication that the company is at risk. There is also plenty of company information in the public domain these days that allows even the layman to remain informed. If we see any movement of corporate assets to outside of the US, then again it may be a clear indication that DGC is subject to The U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control.
The second point to consider is the exact nature of SSGs relationship with DGC. Many games journalists and gaming community commentators have suspected right from the outset, that DGC was more than just a publisher for SSG and that they bankrolled their entire extraction from Turbine/Warner Bros. in late 2016. In a recent interview with with Jean "Druidsfire" Prior for MMO central, LOTRO Executive Producer Rob Ciccolini AKA Severlin stated that Jake Emert is his direct boss. Emert is CEO Daybreak Game Company Austin Texas Studio. Such a statement certainly puts DGCs status with SSG in a different light. When you consider the whole matter of how staff from Turbine set up their own company, then bought the rights for DDO and LOTRO, as well as the infrastructure and then settled all associated legalities, it must have taken a substantial amount of capital. I am not aware of SSG having raised that money themselves, which therefore means there must have been a major investor involved. It is not unreasonable to suggest that DGC was and remains that investor.
If both of these points are correct and that DGC underwrites SSG and is in imminent danger of having its assets frozen, then there is scope for problems in the weeks to come. And it is at this point that there is less data available to speculate upon. What exactly would be the consequences of removing DGC from SSGs business plan. How easy would it be to find a replacement investor? Would there be a one who was interested and readily available? Would there be a disruption of service to both LOTRO or DDO or would it be worse than that? Or are there caveats in the fedral asset freezing regulations to prevent collateral damage such as this hypothetical scenario? At present there is insufficient information for any of us to know definitively what is going on. However, if we reflect upon information that has emerged from former Codemasters employees about the business practices surrounding LOTRO, we can be assured that both the grass roots staff and the playerbase are always the last to know what is really going on. I’m sure in the meantime, LOTRO players will continue with their activities as usual and quite right to. It is however a worrying situation and it would be foolish to ignore the matter out of hand.
Competition or Entertainment?
It becomes apparent when reading the various musings of the gaming cognoscenti, that there are vastly differing views on most key areas of gaming. Take a subject such as “difficulty” which is currently a subject of debate over at Massively Overpowered. A quick perusal of the comments shows a broad range of views with many being at odds with each other. But if we step back from these individual differences of opinion, it becomes clear that the basis of all of these stems from a fundamental disagreement as to what actually constitutes a game and exactly what are its defining attributes. There are those who feel that competition is the foundation of gaming and that this can only be fully realised in a player versus player environment. Success is the measure of achievement and the basis of their personal gratification. However, others beg to differ and feel that collaborative play, social interaction and achieving personal goals are as equally important. I believe this divide clearly shows that the definition of gaming has evolved and may be its time we revised our preconceptions.
It becomes apparent when reading the various musings of the gaming cognoscenti, that there are vastly differing views on most key areas of gaming. Take a subject such as “difficulty” which is currently a subject of debate over at Massively Overpowered. A quick perusal of the comments shows a broad range of views with many being at odds with each other. But if we step back from these individual differences of opinion, it becomes clear that the basis of all of these stems from a fundamental disagreement as to what actually constitutes a game and exactly what are its defining attributes. There are those who feel that competition is the foundation of gaming and that this can only be fully realised in a player versus player environment. Success is the measure of achievement and the basis of their personal gratification. However, others beg to differ and feel that collaborative play, social interaction and achieving personal goals are as equally important. I believe this divide clearly shows that the definition of gaming has evolved and may be its time we revised our preconceptions.
Many of the MMOS that are currently popular are broad churches offering a variety of activities to the player. Furthermore, emergent gameplay offers a wealth of other possibilities beyond traditional competition. Games can be team orientated undertakings or personal adventures based on exploring and interaction. Some games are more interactive novels or mediums to relay a wider concept or idea. All of which strays away from notions of a competition, fail states and league tables. A lot of what currently falls under the umbrella term of “gaming” is actually more of a broader leisure service. Now traditionalists may balk at this and argue about semantics, which is a fair point. However, much of the language we employ changes in meaning over time. Consider such words as “pimp”, “awesome” or “liberal” and their respective evolution. Hence gaming can no longer be rigidly defined in terms of player versus player competition, rules complexity and fail states to determine a winner.
I often find when reading various game commentary, an undercurrent of hostility towards broader gaming criteria such a social interaction and a casual mindset, from those who self-identify as core gamers. The winning and losing mindset usually goes hand-in-hand with other negative attitudes towards “fun” and any sort of less rigorous approach towards gaming. Although those that hold such opinions are entitled to do so, they are not the arbiters of gaming. No one group of gamers really gets to set the agenda. Ultimately, market forces determine what trends get followed and how games evolve to reach the biggest audience. Some may see this as catering to the lowest common denominator where others consider it a form of democratisation. Irrespective of your view, most forms of entertainment are subject to the process. So, it’s inevitable that gaming, especially MMOs have changed from their initial incarnation.
Although MMOs have become somewhat generic in recent years and admittedly lost some of their unique charm, it’s not as if competitive gamers are not being well served by other genres. MOBAs, co-op shooters and Battle Royale games have rapidly grown in popularity and certainly satisfy those with a player versus player itch. Therefore, I would argue that the expansion of gaming in the last two decades so that it has now become a more common place pastime, has not directly denied this old school group anything, although it may have well challenged their personal philosophy. And the foundation of that philosophy is a definition of gaming that is couched in a mindset born of the previous century. The factors that shaped gaming then are different to those that exist today. It’s time to update the definition and reconcile ourselves to the fact it will change again further in the future. Unfortunately, there will always be those that resist change and prefer to mythologise the past.
LOTRO: More Community Nostalgia
A few days ago, I wrote about some aspects of the wider LOTRO community that were no longer with us. These included the podcast A Casual Stroll to Mordor, the rivalry between the official and unofficial LOTRO forums and that curious experiment, the player council. I was quite surprised by the response to this post, which was very positive, and was also interested by some of the comments that followed on social media. Hence, I decided to follow it up with some further examples, based upon reader feedback and further reflection upon the matter. LOTRO has been around for eleven years which is a considerable period of time. To put this into some sort of perspective, it has been part of my leisure time for one fifth of my life. During that time a lot of things have come and gone.
A few days ago, I wrote about some aspects of the wider LOTRO community that were no longer with us. These included the podcast A Casual Stroll to Mordor, the rivalry between the official and unofficial LOTRO forums and that curious experiment, the player council. I was quite surprised by the response to this post, which was very positive, and was also interested by some of the comments that followed on social media. Hence, I decided to follow it up with some further examples, based upon reader feedback and further reflection upon the matter. LOTRO has been around for eleven years which is a considerable period of time. To put this into some sort of perspective, it has been part of my leisure time for one fifth of my life. During that time a lot of things have come and gone.
Let us begin with My LOTRO, which Turbine launched in late 2008. Designed as a social hub the site (which was a subset of the official LOTRO website), tracked characters, kinship and tribe information. It also displayed item information, stats, deed accomplishment and levelling dates. It also included an extensive Lorebook. There was calendar for kinship events, a journal option for keeping notes on your character's progress and even an RSS feed for each journal. It was the latter that made My LOTRO so invaluable as it became the centre of many player blogs, fan fiction and poetry It was quite a unique platform and somewhat ahead of its times. Furthermore, the public data.lotro.com API could be used to power external sites with LOTRO related information. Players tracked server status and could share character data. If fully developed it could have extended much of LOTROs social activities outside of the game and forums.
Sadly, like anything of this nature, there was scope for abuse. As I mentioned in the previous post the onset of the LOTRO culture wars lead to a lot of acrimony on both forums. My LOTRO provided a means for the unscrupulous to identify a player’s alts which lead to trolling. However, despite side issues such as this, My LOTRO remained an important facet of the player community. But like other aspects of the game, it was not developed further. Overtime, Turbine like any other business, saw staff come and go and My LOTRO suffered as a result of lost expertise. 2010 saw the game convert to a hybrid F2P model and then the following year Turbine took back control of the EU service. The forums where subsequently overhauled a year or so later and My LOTRO was deemed unrepairable. It was subsequently closed in 2013, and all the information therein was lost, although players were given time to attempt to back up their data.
Another service provided by My LOTRO, were the lotteries, in which players could sign up to win in-game loot. This varied from minor trinkets and baubles such as silver, gold or skirmish marks to special mounts, rare armaments, relics, unique class quest items. It was all level appropriate and surprisingly, quite a lot of prizes were unbound. Towards the end of the lottery systems lifespan it became far more LOTRO store-centric, but it was overall a generous and popular service. It required little effort on the players behalf and if you were lucky enough to win, then the item arrived via in-game mail. Sadly, this is something else that has bitten the dust and at present there is no equivalent service. Prizes of the same nature are now given out via live stream on Twitch but it’s a lot less equitable.
I would also like to quickly reference several LOTRO podcasts that have “sailed into the west”. My apologies for any that I’ve missed out, but I can remember a time when all of the following would be required listening. LOTRO Reporter, Beneath your Feet, Through the Palantir, Lotrocast, and Secrets of Middle Earth. And of course, it would be most remiss of me not to mention Mordor or Bust which was my personal stepping stone into the world of podcasting. As a blogger, I would also like to touch upon the various LOTRO fan sites from the last decade. Some still endure to this day which is gratifying to see, but many more have either stopped posting or have vanished from the internet once their domain has expired. Here are a few of those that have gone and are sorely missed. All were of a high quality and reflected the passion that still remains a key aspect of the LOTRO community.
Cosmetic Lotro – http://cosmeticlotro.wordpress.com
Fluff and Stuff – http://fluffandstufflotro.wordpress.com
Lotro Fashion – http://lotrofashion.blogspot.de
Darzil’s Crafting Guide – http://www.northshield.co.uk/LOTRO/
Tales of Arda – http://toarda.com
The Elven Tailor – http://theelventailor.blogspot.nl
The Lotro Stylist – https://lotrostylist.wordpress.com
The Starry Mantle – http://starrymantle.wordpress.com
LOTRO: Community Nostalgia
Next Thursday LOTRO officially starts its 11th anniversary celebrations. It’s an opportunity for “fun and larks” with a wealth of special in-game events to play or grind through, depending on your perspective. Standing Stones Games will no doubt espouse the MMOs achievements and if we’re lucky they may even elaborate further upon the games long term road map. However, anniversaries are also a time for reflection and I would like to take some time to explore several wider aspects of LOTRO and its community that are no longer with us. A lot has happened in eleven years and things are naturally not the same. Change is inevitable and not always bad, but some of the things that have gone from the LOTRO-verse are sorely missed. Others may be not so, but I would still argue that their presence at the time were born of an engaged and motivate playerbase.
Next Thursday LOTRO officially starts its 11th anniversary celebrations. It’s an opportunity for “fun and larks” with a wealth of special in-game events to play or grind through, depending on your perspective. Standing Stones Games will no doubt espouse the MMOs achievements and if we’re lucky they may even elaborate further upon the games long term road map. However, anniversaries are also a time for reflection and I would like to take some time to explore several wider aspects of LOTRO and its community that are no longer with us. A lot has happened in eleven years and things are naturally not the same. Change is inevitable and not always bad, but some of the things that have gone from the LOTRO-verse are sorely missed. Others may be not so, but I would still argue that their presence at the time were born of an engaged and motivate playerbase.
First off, let us start with what was “the definitive” LOTRO podcast and fansite. A Casual Stroll to Mordor was in many was a microcosm of the LOTRO community. It was consistently well written, informative and above all welcoming. It transcended its initial remit to inform and entertain and became a focal point in the games community and an invaluable resource. The husband and wife hosts, Goldenstar and Merric were the antithesis of elite MMO gamers and their down to earth style and enthusiasm made their content extremely accessible. They were also great ambassadors for the game yet even at the height of their success and popularity, there was never a whiff of ego or smugness about them. Furthermore, they used their popularity to help others who wanted to blog or podcast about LOTRO. A Casual Stroll to Mordor was always happy to cross promote and get people involved.
Yet time and tide wait for no man and after four industrious years, Merric and Goldenstar decided to wind things down. Producing content and maintaining standards is hard work and takes its toll, so it was inevitable that both the website and podcast would come to an end sooner or later. Perhaps the biggest losers at the time were then developers Turbine, who relied heavily on both the podcast and blog to disseminate news and promote the game. It was often commented upon within the LOTRO community at the time that A Casual Stroll to Mordor did a better job than Turbines own marketing and promotion teams. I personally consider A Casual Stroll to Mordor to be a text book example of how to do fan generated content right. There are still good sites and contributor out there that are doing a commendable job in supporting LOTRO, but Merric and Goldenstar were part of a perfect storm of factors that mean that they got it 100% right.
The next facet of the LOTRO community that has waned and that I wish to reference, is far less benign one. At the time is was a somewhat problematic “thing” and caused a great deal of consternation within the LOTRO community and for Turbine. Namely, the rivalry and culture war between the Official LOTRO Forums and the LOTROCommunity AKA The Unofficial LOTRO Forums. Initially the unofficial forums were a means to replace the Codemaster forums, after the merging of the US and EU LOTRO servers. Yet the free to play transition, along with the service consolidation were proceeded by difficult times for LOTRO. The game began to move further in to territory that not all players liked, and it is fair to say that Turbine struggled to manage it community relations at the time. Moderation on the official forums was heavy handed and the unofficial forums quickly provided and alternative platform for discussing and critiquing the state of the game.
Eventually this divide descended into a longstanding flame war between both camps and there developed a very polarised “them and us” mentality in certain quarters of the LOTRO community. There were also a small minority of people who used this situation to indulge their desire to troll and hence there was a lot of mud slinging which to this day, some folk still harbour a grudge over. However, despite the bad aspects of this situation, the alternative forums did provide some well researched and articulated commentary at a time when the game needed it. There was a passion there born of a love of a game that to some had lost its direction. Furthermore, some of the unofficial forum members went on to serve on the player council because irrespective of their views. But again, the ebb and flow of time and one’s passions has seen the unofficial forums fall into decline. Some still post there but its intermittent and no longer especially relevant.
Finally, as its been referenced, let us take some time to reflect upon the LOTRO player council. I make no bones about the fact that I thought it was a bad idea at them time and therefore wasn’t surprised by how it subsequently proved to be a bumpy ride both for those who participated and for Turbine yet again. The problem stemmed from false expectations regarding what the player council was able to do. The problem was then compounded by Turbine being vague and then later inconsistent about what they were after. Ultimately, they wanted free market research, where the community and some of those on the council thought they were providing representation and lobbying. And all of this happened during a time when the LOTRO culture wars were still raging. Overall although some members felt that they had contributed towards the MMOs development, I’m not aware of any significant influence or change that the council facilitated.
After eleven years LOTRO is still ticking over and retains a stoic and loyal fan base. There are still blogs and podcasts about the MMO and it maintains a hardcore group of Twitch streamers. The community is still welcoming and engaged but it runs in a noticeably lower gear. Although there are still disputes on the main forums there is nowhere near the level of zealotry within its community divides. LOTRO is far more sedate and civil these days. But in a curious way I miss all of the above that is now absent from the LOTRO-verse. Even the council which was a misplaced experiment belied an active and strongly motivated community. If LOTRO manages to sustain itself for another five years, I wonder what people will look back and reflect upon from this period in the games lifecycle?
The Deliberately Capricious Nature of the Random Number Generator
Although I enjoy Hand of Fate 2, due to the nature of the game’s underlying narrative, you frequently have to pick a card, roll a dice or select yet another card from a spinning wheel, to determine an outcome to an event or an encounter. Hence the game relies heavily on the use of a random number generator mechanic. Sometimes, depending of the speed of the card-based activities you can visually track the one you need to pick. However there reaches a point when you can’t do this. There are either too many cards to keep an eye on or the spinning wheel is simply going to fast. Then it becomes a matter of random chance. And if the odds are unfavourable a matter of repetition. And then frustration. And then a potential abandonment of the game.
Although I enjoy Hand of Fate 2, due to the nature of the game’s underlying narrative, you frequently have to pick a card, roll a dice or select yet another card from a spinning wheel, to determine an outcome to an event or an encounter. Hence the game relies heavily on the use of a random number generator mechanic. Sometimes, depending of the speed of the card-based activities you can visually track the one you need to pick. However there reaches a point when you can’t do this. There are either too many cards to keep an eye on or the spinning wheel is simply going to fast. Then it becomes a matter of random chance. And if the odds are unfavourable a matter of repetition. And then frustration. And then a potential abandonment of the game.
Random number generators are utilised in many genres of games. From MMOs to MOBAs, Action RPGs and FPS. When they favour the player they’re a delight. When you find yourself on the wrong side of the curve, they’re intolerably unfair and can ruin your gaming experience. Furthermore, they’re frequently not true random number generators because computers are notoriously bad at producing truly random outcomes as this quote from Steve Ward, a Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at MIT, explains. “One thing that traditional computer systems aren’t good at is coin flipping. They’re deterministic, which means that if you ask the same question you’ll get the same answer every time. On a completely deterministic machine you can’t generate anything you could really call a random sequence of numbers because the machine is following the same algorithm to generate them. Typically, that means it starts with a common ‘seed’ number and then follows a pattern. They are what we call pseudo-random numbers".
This presents two problems. The first is simply a PR and marketing problem. A pseudo-random number generator is unfair because it is not what it claims to be. Getting screwed over by a true random number generator is far from a fun experience but it is nobody’s fault. Getting stuffed by a crappy outcome via a pseudo-random number generator is not a blameless and unattributable event. It’s ultimately is down to the developer and they will subsequently get the flak from disgruntled gamers as a result. The second issue is that pseudo-random number generators will follow a pattern. It may well be complex, but a pattern can be determined. Hence there is the risk of manipulation and abuse. Certainly, with regard to single player games, a simple google search will produce links to “trainers” and other cheat file that will circumnavigate the random number generator of your game of choice.
The random number generator as a game mechanic is very convenient from the developer’s perspective. They create the illusion of chance which we see in some real-world decisions, which then adds to the game’s immersion. They also bring a degree of longevity to the proceedings by introducing a fail state. Now for those who consider “competition” to be the foundation of gaming, fail states are not necessarily a bad thing. However, failing due to lack of skill or knowledge can both be addressed. Failure due to random chance is something that has to be endured and is a far more egregious barrier to success. However, the random number generator can make other contributions to a game, other than determining outcomes that give rewards. Unit stats, map generation, mob generation can be handled in such a fashion and frequently are without any major controversy.
If you wish to be pedantic, you can cogently argue about the random nature of much of the real world. However, on a more superficial level (which is also the level that most of daily life is conducted), we like to conduct our daily business here in western civilisation within the confines of a relatively organised and contained society. When I go to the supermarket, I assume that as it’s in the business of selling groceries, that it’s shelves will be adequately stocked. As humans we try our best to manage the daily variable of our lives using knowledge and experience. For example, if I needed to build a foot bridge over a small stream, I would research the best way to do this using mathematics and science, and then undertake the task using appropriate materials. I may fail but if I’ve followed a tried and tested process, the chance of that happening is quite low. In gaming we have no data on the variables and thus cannot manage them. Random chance in this instance is therefore far more of a factor, less realistic and inherently unfair.
Regardless of whether you seen gaming as a competitive undertaking, a broader leisure activity, or as a quid pro quo paid service, the ham-fisted use of a random number generator can be a thorn in the gamers flesh. Is there an alternative? I’m sure there is although I am not sufficiently versed in game theory or development to definitively tell you what it is. But I can say with confidence what I don’t like and being hamstrung by random chance at crucial points in a game’s progression is a prime example of this. It’s not a question of “bad luck”, as luck in this context is being bastardised by the application of anthropomorphism. What gamers need to understand is that the random number generator by default predominantly produces negative outcomes because that is its job. It does this not with malice of forethought but purely by design. Furthermore, it’s ubiquity is due to its expediency and cost. What developers need to do is realise that as a mechanic it really doesn’t have any long-term benefits. Try harder, please.