LOTRO: Fine Tuning Your Graphics

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One of the things that I find fascinating about the MMORPG, The Lord of the Rings Online, are other peoples screenshots. Being a 17 year old game, the required hardware specifications are not especially high. Hence it will effectively run on a “potato”; IE an older PC. This is often reflected in the variety of screen captures you will find for the game. No two images ever look quite alike, due to the variety of PCs and laptops that people use to play the game. Hence you’ll sometimes come across screenshots with lower resolutions, or less graphical detail. I have screenshots from when I started playing LOTRO in 2008 and they look demonstrably different to those I’ve taken more recently. The game itself has changed a lot over the last 17 years and this has included graphical updates. Hence, unlike a lot of modern games, LOTRO screenshots do not have such a homogenous look.

I bought a new graphics card in July. Specifically a Powercolor AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT Fighter 8GB GDDR6. It is neither the best or worse GPU on the market but essentially the best I could get on my budget. It is certainly adequate for the two monitors I use. An ageing Dell U2412M (1920x1200) and a more recent Dell S2421H (1920x1080). Having recently resubscribed to LOTRO, I decided to fine tune the in-game graphic settings and see if I could get the game to look as good as it could on my PC. I also wondered if it were possible to use some third party software to enhance the ageing games visuals. After some research, I spent a day tinkering with both LOTRO and my PC to try and implement the results. I’ve added a link to a gallery of screen captures at the end of this post, for your edification. The images are at the full resolution that they were taken.

Unlike modern games, LOTRO has no facility to choose which monitor you wish to use if you have more than one. It defaults to your primary monitor. As far as I am aware, there is no easy way around this beyond changing which monitor is designated as primary within Windows but that is far from a convenient solution. I have always played LOTRO via my main monitor which has a resolution of 1920x1200, therefore an aspect ratio of 16:10. It is worth noting that LOTRO does support 2K and 4K screen resolutions but the UI suffers as a result, becoming very small and for many unreadable. Standing Stone Games are allegedly looking into this issue but recent community updates have indicated that this project is “still on the whiteboard”. However, this can be addressed by third party software. More on this later.

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Upon launching LOTRO, I maxed out all the settings in “Graphics” and “Advanced Graphics”. The only one I adjusted to a personal preference was “Texture Filtering” which I set to “Very Sharp”. This produces on my PC a clearer image than the “Anisotropic” option, which appears to make the visual detail softer. I set the display “Refresh Rate” to 60Hz, which is the same as the monitor’s. I also checked the box to sync these settings. Once you have maxed out the graphic settings there is nothing else you can do within LOTRO itself to improve the visuals. It is at this point that you have to look to third party software, if you want to make further changes. However, it should be noted that external software can only enhance the existing graphic settings by presenting that visual information in an alternative way. Poor textures, bad animations and elderly character models remain as they are.

The most well known third party software that can be used with LOTRO is ReShade. ReShade is a generic post-processing injector for games and video software developed by crosire. It provides an automated means to access both frame colour and depth information. Players can then add advanced depth-edge-detection-driven SMAA antialiasing, screen space ambient occlusion, depth of field effects, chromatic aberration and other advanced options. ReShade adds an extra folder to your existing LOTRO install. If you are technically proficient you can manually set up the visual changes you desire. Alternatively, ReShade has a library of saved settings made by other LOTRO players. You simply download a single file to the appropriate ReShade folder. You then launch LOTRO and press the “Home” key when at the character selection screen. There you choose the preset and apply it. You can swap between the new ReShade settings and the default LOTRO settings on the fly if you desire.

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As stated previously, ReShade and other such software can only do so much. Yet you can still make some further graphical improvements to LOTRO via your graphics card software. For many players this will be either AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition or NVIDIA GeForce Experience. Both have option for upscaling, a technique used in gaming to render games at a lower resolution and then scale them up to a higher resolution without sacrificing performance. This can also be used to resize the GUI at higher resolutions, addressing the problem referred to earlier. GPU software can also improve image sharpness and antialiasing. Having an AMD graphics card I used the respective software for “Image Sharpening”, which I set to 80%, as recommended by the software guide. There are also optional video profiles such as “Cinema Classic”, “Enhanced” and “Vivid” but I’ve chosen not to use these.

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Finally, many players have stated they have issues switching between alts in LOTRO as well as exiting the game. This usually manifests as a rather long wait, staring at a black screen. Although not a graphical alteration, I would like to reference the following “workaround” simply as a quality of life improvement. Find the following files in your LOTRO installation folder: lotroclient.exe, lotroclient_awesomium.exe, LotroLauncher.exe, lotroclient64.exe and right click on each one and select “Properties”. Select the tab marked “Compatibility” in the window that subsequently opens and check the box marked “Run this program in compatibility mode for Windows 8”. It does appear to reduce the waiting time when “alting” or exiting the game. Please note this “workaround” is for Windows 10. It would appear that LOTRO performs better when running on Windows 11.

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Beyond what I have mentioned, I am not aware of any other straightforward ways to tweak and fine tune the graphics for LOTRO. Ultimately the game is a product of the era in which it was created. Furthermore being a multiplayer game it does not lend itself by design to the “modding” culture of single player games such as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. I suspect that due to where LOTRO is in its life cycle and how its owners view its future earning potential, that there will not be any major investment in upgrading the game’s graphics in any meaningful way. It has already been stated that the money would be better spent on a new game altogether. Therefore, looking at the bigger picture, beyond the tinkering that I’ve referenced there’s not much more you can do to improve the graphics for LOTRO. You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear as the expression goes. That said, I am somewhat pleased with the results my changes have yielded.

Here is the link to a gallery of screenshots of LOTRO, taken with all the above graphical changes made. The images, via Google Photos, are available at the original screen resolution of 1920 x 1200.

Has LOTRO Lost its Way?

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After the initial shock of Update 41 and the radical revisions it made to the Lore-master class, I recently returned to The Lord of the Rings Online to experiment with new Master of Nature’s Fury (red line) and Keeper of Animals (blue line) builds. It is odd to find that skills I’ve been using for years are now gated behind specific trait lines. Furthermore, the consolidation of skills has left the entire class somewhat overpowered. Some players may argue that this is a good thing. However, for me it has rendered what was a subtle class requiring skill and intelligence to use effectively, into what is just a blunt instrument. Since playing tactically is now redundant, instances and skirmishes no longer poses any significant challenge. PVE content has been easy in LOTRO for a long time. Post update 41 it is now trivial and nothing more than a minor diversion.

For all the good aspects of LOTRO, of which there are many, developer’s Standing Stone Games have a habit of making wrong calls when it comes to adding new systems to the game. Consider mounted combat, fellowship manoeuvres, destiny points and pipe weed. Some of these are interesting ideas that were just poorly implemented. Others are things no one ever asked for. All of which took time and resources to develop. The latest addition to this list is the woefully implemented “Birding” hobby which arrived with Update 41. This bird spotting activity seems somewhat ill conceived and is certainly underwhelming. The fact you don’t actually see any birds during the process is odd, to say the least. Again I return to this notion that those making decisions at SSG seem very removed from what players want.

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LOTRO is a 17 year old game. The MMORPG genre and gaming per se have changed a lot during that time. LOTRO looks “old”. Some may argue that is part of the game’s inherent charm and in some respects I would agree. However, the ageing technology that LOTRO runs on is a reality. Although the game has an impressive scope of vision when it comes to its world design, the implementation is looking dated. The low resolution textures, the incessant pop-in and the constant recycling of assets is very noticeable. If you take time to set up a screenshot in LOTRO, especially one that involves an interesting vista, you’ll often find that the game struggles to load appropriately scaled trees, shrubs and buildings. The game engine also cannot cope with the waves and breakers along the coast of Umbar. The game’s UI is also from a different era and struggles to be readable at modern resolutions. Yet plans to address these issues appear to have been abandoned.

LOTRO players will often focus on the game’s strongest asset; the lore and the way that SSG draws upon it so effectively. This is not something I would dispute. If you are a Tolkien fan, you’ll find SSG’s vision of Middle-earth to be very authentic. If you’re a new player starting LOTRO today, you’ll find a wealth of content to get lost in. However, at level cap it is a different issue. You can either embark upon group play and tackle all the respective raids that are available. Or you can simply play new story content and slowly upgrade your gear. I have stated in the past that LOTRO has reached a point in its lifespan where “what you see is what you get”. However, I now feel that the game has begun to run out of steam. Narratively, the game has entered Umbar, which is an interesting region from a lore perspective. But aesthetically it is a visually uninspired zone and it sits uncomfortably with the rest of SSG’s vision of Middle-earth.

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Looking at the bigger picture, in recent years there have been a lot of changes with regard to who owns SSG. Initially EG7 appeared to be keen in investing and invigorating the game. However, changes to the internal company hierarchy appear to have reversed this policy. I get the impression that the bean counters are at present happy for LOTRO to continue in the same vein as it always has. It generates revenue consistently and has a robust core playerbase. But I think no one wants to invest any further resources into the game, beyond those allocated. This issue, when combined with SSG’s “mother knows best” outlook, says to me that the game is just marking time. Rather than operating within modest parameters it now feels like lacklustre meandering. Has LOTRO lost its way? Can it be saved and given a new lease of life. Or is it simply entering the final stage of its life cycles.

Star Trek Online: Events and New Content

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If you are a new player, then Star Trek Online has 14 years of content to play through. It is all story driven and is frequently couched in existing lore from the various Star Trek TV shows. It also benefits from many of the original actors reprising their respective roles within the game. This provides an additional air of authenticity to the proceedings as well as being a spectacular fan service. Furthermore, much of that content is faction specific, hence there is a great deal of replay value to be had from this MMO. Apart from The Lord of the Rings Online, I cannot think of another game that manages to successfully tap into the style and idiom of its source intellectual property. Simply put, Star Trek Online looks and feels “very “Star Trek”. Which is why it has a robust and loyal player base and still proves to be a viable financial asset to its owners, DECA Games.

Where STO differs from many other MMOs is that there is no raid culture at endgame. There are some Task Force Operations (group content) that can be done on a harder setting but these do not count as traditional raids. Once a player has completed all story content and levelled their character, the focus of the game tends to be on min-maxing one’s ship and seeking to fine tune its DPS output. However, that is not to every player’s liking, which then presents an issue. Because the addition of new content has definitely slowed over the last six years. Although new missions are released episodically over the course of a year or two, Cryptic no longer releases traditional expansions as other MMOs do. Instead new content is bolstered by the regular addition of short term, themed events that often provide a reward if specific criteria are met. 

So far in 2024, STO has had a First Contact Day event, various Red Alerts and the annual Summer Festival as well as others. All of which yield a reward such as gear, a ship or upgrade materials. Many of the events contribute to a wider yearly event campaign, which if completed will allow the player to choose a premium ship from the C-Store. The obvious benefit for such an approach is that there’s always something to do in-game. It provides players with a short amount of play time to log into the game and work towards a goal. However, in the long term it becomes somewhat tedious and unengaging. Due to FOMO some players feel they are stuck on a treadmill. What this endless litany of events isn’t is complex, lore driven story content. When we do get a new story arc, it is doled out over a longer time period and frankly, due to changes in writing staff, is not as good as it used to be.

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Victory is Life, the last proper expansion for STO, was released in June 2018. It was a well written, engaging story arc which featured a reunion with many of the most beloved characters from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It provided a hefty chunk of story to work through, as well as access to the Gamma Quadrant, an increase to level cap and a new reputation faction. Since then, no further expansions have been released. New story arcs are launched episodically and lack the impact and bonus content of expansions. Perhaps the problem is that Cryptic has always chosen to make previous expansions free of charge. Was this an unsustainable business model? Did it not occur to anyone that players would be happy to pay because that’s how expansions usually work. And let us not forget the content that was taken from the game to be remastered. This remains outstanding and in all honesty seems unlikely to return.

Star Trek Online remains a good MMO which uses the intellectual property upon which it is based, well. But it most definitely has a content problem at present. There is too much focus upon creating sellable digital items rather than creating new missions. What new missions we do get are somewhat generic. The most recent arcs, The Terran Gambit and Kings and Queens have certainly been weak, compared to older content. Quark’s Lucky Seven remains a highwater mark in game content coming close to the feel on a TV episode. It remains to be seen as to whether Cryptic are going to raise their game and provide anything on a par with expansions such as The Legacy of Romulus. If they don’t then then the game is effectively slipping into a lower gear. There may well be players who are happy to tinker with their builds indefinitely but I suspect that most want the same sort of story driven content that underpins all the television shows. Its sustained absence from the game is to its detriment.

LOTRO: The Lore-master is Broken

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I started playing The Lord of the Rings Online on On Monday 22nd December 2008. I still have the receipt in the box set that I bought, which included the base game Shadows of Angmar and the newly released expansion, Mines of Moria (it had been out about a month). This was my first MMORPG and unlike many other gamers, I had not previously played World of Warcraft. Hence, this was very much a new experience for me. I spent a lot of time pondering what race and class I would play and after reading the game manual thoroughly, (remember them?) I decided upon a human Lore-master. This proved to be a wise decision because I immediately took to the class with its mixture of ranged fire attacks and combat pets. As I am not an “altoholic” this has been my primary character in LOTRO for the last 15 plus years. I have played through every update and expansion with this Lore-master. A total time investment of 7 months, 1 week, 3 days and 5 hours.

Over the years I have enjoyed both the good times and bad times with LOTRO. There have been occasions when I have indulged in marathon sessions and other times when I’ve taken several months break from the game. But because of my love of Tolkien and my connection with the character that I’ve created, I always return. Over the years our Fellowship (guild) has waxed and waned. Many friends have come and gone from the game and sadly, some have passed away. Such is the nature of communities within the MMO genre. 15 years has also seen a lot of changes in the games development. Systems have been added and game mechanics have been changed. Mounted combat and epic battles proved unsuccessful. The change from a flexible trait system to a generic skills tree proved problematic. Yet despite various bumps along the way, the road continues to go on and on for LOTRO.

On July 31st, I logged into LOTRO as Update 41: On the Wing was being released that afternoon. I had been away from the game for several months and read that there were to be some class changes included in the latest patch. I took screen captures of my current build, so I could quickly return to it after any system reset. I then logged out, with a view to returning later. It was not until a few days ago that I logged back into LOTRO and I quickly discovered that developers, Standing Stone Games, hadn’t made minor adjustments to the Lore-master class but had radically retooled it. In the past I would have known chapter and verse about this matter well in advance. Nowadays, I have a more casual relationship with the game, so I was blissfully ignorant of the changes. Needless to say, I wasn’t the only player who was confused and frustrated by this decision to alter a class in this fashion.

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I won’t belabour casual readers with an excess of detail but all classes in LOTRO have the option to spend their skill points in three distinct skill trees. All of  which offer different abilities and play styles. These are colour coded. Blue is weighted towards buffing the Lore-master pets and making them a major focus of gameplay. Red is DPS specific, buffing most fire skills and such like. Yellow line is designed to make all Lore-master buffs and de-buffs more robust and is the favoured skills tree option for those playing group content. All of these have now been nerfed by SSG with certain skills being combined or removed altogether. The most egregious changes are to the red line option. The option that I’ve always favoured. Combat pets which could previously be summoned until manually dismissed, are now relegated to short term skills. You summon them, they fight for a short period and then vanish. These skills now have long cooldowns. Considering that the Lore-master is a pet class, this decision is illogical. It also spoils having these pets as companions when out of combat.

As a mature gamer, I am not prone anymore to gaming related tantrums. They are unseemly and ultimately change nothing. But as a player of LOTRO with 15 years plus standing, who has solely played the Lore-master class for that period, I am “disappointed”. Something that wasn’t broken to begin with has been diminished and is now demonstrably inferior to how it used to be. The irony is this isn’t the first time such decisions have been made during LOTRO’s lifespan and I suspect that it will happen again. SSG developers have a habit of being tone deaf to players’ likes and dislikes and indifferent to any upset or inconvenience they cause. They have an unedifying habit of “always knowing better”, regardless of whether they do or not. As for me, I spent a little time experimenting with the new red line build and then abandoned it. I have not at present chosen an alternative option and have logged out, with no immediate plans to return anytime soon. Nothing remains the same forever but this was a crass decision by the developers and it has now degraded mine and other players’ gaming experience. Bravo SSG, bravo.

Raph Koster and Stars Reach

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Let’s talk about Raph Koster and his proposed MMORPG Stars Reach. I am aware of the man’s pedigree within the video game industry and what his legacy is perceived to be. I never played Ultima Online and never got beyond a demo of Star Wars Galaxies so my opinion of his work and gaming philosophy mainly comes from what he has written, rather than what I’ve learned through experiencing his games. And what he has made clear time and time again is that he doesn’t like the current cultural norms surrounding the MMORPG genre. He favours a philosophy of player agency and collectivism as a means to harmoniously manage virtual worlds. He has even asserted that encouraging players to take an active role in addressing the emerging communities needs in a virtual world, may encourage reciprocal action in the real world. If you want chapter and verse on his ideas and theories, do visit the Stars Reach YouTube channel and his personal website.  

I’m often more interested in the video games industry itself, than I am in the games they produce. This is very much the case, so far, with Stars Reach. As a concept and an attempt to break the existing MMORPG mould, it is a fascinating proposal. But from what I’ve seen so far, the graphics alone are sufficient to put me off. I like eye candy. I make no bones about that. Eyesight is a cornerstone of human experience and therefore I find it rather crass when people try to discount that. We are hardwired to make decisions based on visual data, so please don’t upbraid me for my disdain of “cartoony” graphics. If you’re attempting to make a genre defining title, then I expect it to be made using the Unreal 5 or the Frostbite engine. However, setting aside my personal tastes, I am fascinated by what Raph Koster is proposing. Partly because the ideas are indeed bold but also because I get the distinct vibe of a serious artist about to make a change of direction that may not work out the way they think. Like Bowie with Tin machine.

Raph Koster eschews the theme park elements of MMOs. He favours dynamic worlds that have finite resources and realistic ecosystems. Hence players will need to be mindful of how they use resources. To stop such virtual worlds being a race to the bottom, Mr Koster wants the playerbase to work collectively and cooperatively in his game. “Players form economic dependencies on each other’s characters by advancing in diverse specializations and skills, all of which draw from the common exhaustible resource pools available in each zone, thereby creating a Tragedy of the Commons problem to navigate as a group”. All of which are valid ideas in principle. I have no doubt that if you round up a dozen or so like minded players who agree on the philosophical precepts of the game and give them alpha access, it will yield potentially positive results. But Stars Reach is intended as a commercial product and therefore needs to appeal to fairly broad demographics. From those who want to farm guinea pigs, to those who want to shoot guinea pig farmers in the face and steal their flock.

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To put it politely, I do feel that Mr Koster’s philosophical views do come across as a little naive. Players may well want greater agency in their MMO gaming but do they really want a simulator that has the potential to produce all the bureaucratic and hierarchical problems that are inherent in the real world. Democratic decisions tacitly require the notion of “the loser's consent” to be considered legitimate. That is something that is fast vanishing in the real world. Hence, I find it unlikely that such a quality will be more abundant in a video game community. The moment a committee of gamers in Stars Reach place a restriction upon a specific form of action that negatively impacts other players, there will be problems. If you please the guinea pig farmers, you’ll piss off the face shooters and vice versa. And unlike the real world, in-game hassles can be avoided by simply voting with your feet. I therefore see a possible future where everytime Stars Reach implements a major change, it is followed by a major online brouhaha and then a patch to rectify the problem.

Another point to consider is what sort of gamer will be attracted to Stars Reach. I suspect it may be of interest to people who look to MMOs as a refuge from the real world. Players that just want to spend time in a virtual environment where they insulate themselves from the iniquities of daily life and bask in the pleasure of an idealised environment. Some may be vulnerable and fragile. Which then makes Stars Reach a massive target for predatory gamers who take pleasure from causing upset to others. Suddenly the face shooters and guinea pig farmers become bullies and their victims. We’ve seen it happen before with unchecked PVP. Something else to ponder is that Mr Koster is proposing a game under pinned with a specific sociopolitical ideology. There is a culture war going on at present and if Stars Reach got any sort of traction, especially with the youth audience, it would certainly run the risk of being attacked from within by groups with opposing political opinions and goals.

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Obviously this post is purely speculative, based on what information there is about the game at present. Games change during their development, as do people. It may be a case that as and when Stars Reach does get released, its aspirations may have changed substantially as many of the ideas were tried in earlier builds and failed. It may be the game is launched true to Mr Koster’s vision but due to its nature, simply becomes a niche product that exists adjacent to mainstream games. A video game version of a kibbutz. Or it could even turn into the biggest video game controversy and shit show since gamergate. Either way there is scope for this to be a fascinating journey. Assuming that Raph Koster has read the room correctly and that sufficient people desire what he is proposing. Alternatively, even if he is wrong, failed endeavours can still yield much that is useful. At the very least the journey that is commencing will more than likely inspire many a blog post among the gaming community.

MMO Tropes: Loot

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Where is the phat loot?

“The MMO genre is rife with its own set of tropes; recurring themes and motifs that have become established and ubiquitous. All of which are ideal material for a hastily produced, lazily conceived, recurring blog post”. One of the integral game mechanics of the MMORPG genre is the acquisition of loot. As you travel your virtual world of choice, committing random murder against all forms of flora and fauna, you acquire miscellaneous items by looting the corpses of the slain or stealing from houses and NPCs. Oh it’s a glamorous genre, the MMORPG. These random items can be crafting resources such as hides or ore. They may be food items or healing potions that provide some kind of statistical buff. If you’re fortunate, they may be gear that corresponds with your class or specific build, providing a much needed upgrade. Loot may also be the in-game currency, thus boosting your respective wealth. As you can see, loot comes in all shapes and sizes but how important is it?

Loot has multiple purposes as a game mechanic. For many players of MMOs, looting is their primary means of earning in-game currency. Loot is farmed and then sold, providing “gold” that can be spent on other requirements. It is a cornerstone of MMO economies. Many of which are fair and equitable when a game is launched, only to go off the rails as players learn how to game the system. But that is another blog post. Returning to the matter of loot, its acquisition goes beyond the practical in some games, instead providing the actual raison d'etre for playing. Games such as the Diablo franchise are an exemplar of this concept and let us not forget that there is an entire genre of games that falls under the banner of “looter shooters”. There is something that appeals to many gamers on a very fundamental level, with regard to acquiring what is colloquially called “phat loot”. I can remember grinding for ages to get a 1st age weapon in The Lord of the Rings Online circa 2009. I was beside myself when I finally got one. I enjoyed it for a week until an expansion invalidated it with new and superior gear.

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The Captain wasn’t happy with the quality of the loot

However, not all loot is equal. MMOs usually have various types of loot on an ever increasing scale of rarity and importance. Quality gear and useful item upgrades tend to be scarce, often tied to high level bosses or harder missions. Low value items are commonplace and are accurately labelled “vendor trash”. Many MMOs struggle to get the balance right when it comes to the quality and frequency of loot drops. Star Trek Online is a terrible offender when it comes to this. Specific missions have very good gear rewards but random loot acquired while fighting random mobs is usually of no value at all. It is often pointless low level items and selling them yields little financial reward. Conversely, in The Lord of the Rings Online, a level cap player can make a lot of gold, just by farming zones ten or so levels below them. Especially if they are pursuing deeds, such as killing 200 of a particular species.

MMOs also have another source of loot. Namely raids. These complex, time consuming group events have always been the favoured means for game developers of this genre, to gate the best quality gear. For many years MMO players would invest hours of their time, participating in raids in the hope of getting an opportunity to roll on a unique item. Yes, you read that right. Often there was only one item of high end gear in the loot. It may not have even been relevant to your class at all. If so you got nothing. If it was something you could use, then there was usually a random number generating facility in the chat window and you rolled a virtual dice. The person with the highest number got the item. Everyone else went home with nothing. Assuming the raid leader didn’t steal it for themselves, and then quit the game and the guild. As you can imagine this was the very definition of “fun”. If any old school gamer tries to convince you that MMOs were meritocracies back in the day, tell them to remove themselves to the nearest body of water.

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Cheech and Chong themed cosmetic skins and weapon blueprint

However, things change. Video games have become more popular and game developers have gotten wise to the fact that a lot of their paying customers are buying an experience and an entertainment service. They don’t care about punishing rules and failure conditions. Hence we now live in an era where quality loot can be bought. It is a phenomenon that isn’t to everyone’s liking but again we need to step back from our own preferences and see video games as the transactional business that they are. Call of Duty sells weapon blueprints that are often superior to those available in the base game. Star Trek Online has a multitude of ships available in-game but the most desirable are those from lock boxes. As for me, whenever The Lord of the Rings Online raises the level cap, thus invalidating your current gear, I just spend my monthly subscriber stipend on loot boxes and be done with it, rather than re-gear by grinding. 

Most people like getting loot when playing MMOs. Or at least they like the concept. Not necessarily the way the mechanic is implemented. I have often thought that we get superior gear at the wrong time. You don’t need it when you hit level cap (unless you buy into the maxim that the real game only begins at level cap) but rather as you’re levelling. Personally, I like upgradeable loot and the ability to keep a much loved item, as seen in Star War: The Old Republic. However it is implemented, loot is a constant in the MMO genre and that is unlikely to change. I don’t think any specific game has a system that is 100% perfect. Perhaps that all seeing oracle and minor deity, Raph Koster, will bring forth a definitive loot related game mechanic in his up and coming game, Stars Reach. Until then we’ll just have to endure the systems that we have. Now please excuse me, I have to sell 3 hides, a kumquat and a rusty ear trumpet for 4 gold.

LOTRO: What You See Is What You Get

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As many of us suspected, the proposed “remaster” of the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online has been formally cancelled. Daybreak boss Ji Ham touched upon this project in EG7’s latest investors pitch video and stated that the proposal was a poor return on investment. The estimated cost of $30 million could well be spent more effectively elsewhere, possibly the development of new games. As a console release of LOTRO would be dependent upon a remaster, I think it is safe to say that idea is similarly no longer an ongoing concern. Sadly, it would appear that all the ideas regarding LOTRO that were floated during Robin Flodin’s tenure as EG7 CEO, have now all been quashed. It will be interesting to see if developers Standing Stone Games push ahead with support for 4K gaming and revisions to the game’s GUI or whether that also will be abandoned.

 16 years on from its launch LOTRO remains a money-making concern due to its relatively stable playerbase. The licensing arrangement is as secure as it can be and so the game continues. There is an ebb and flow to player engagement with LOTRO, usually centred around the release of new content. The release of Amazon Prime’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power certainly produced a spike in activity around the MMO. This will no doubt happen again when the next update is released. However, LOTRO appears to have a finite capacity to yield revenue and as a result of this fiscal limitation, it would appear that Daybreak has no interest investing any further in the game. Hence the scope of future development for LOTRO is fixed. The MMO will continue to get new updates, expansions and monetised content. But there will not be anything outside of existing parameters.

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 Having played LOTRO since 2008, the game has changed significantly over the years. It has tried to embrace some of the attributes of modern MMOs and that has not been to everyone's liking. However, the loyal, steadfast, playerbase yields sufficient revenue to keep the lights on. It reminds me of a popular TV show that maintains an audience and so gets continued funding but never enough to break out of its creative lane. The steady release of new story content, new classes and races is sufficient to keep loyalists engaged. But the “more of the same” business model is also the reason why a percentage of players leave. New players arrive to find a dated game that offers a huge amount of old school, progressive, narrative content that they need to catch up on. However, it is clear now that this is the way LOTRO is going to be until the servers are closed. These are the terms that you play the game.

Star Trek Online: Frequency Remodulation

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Ever since the Borg have been part of the MMORPG Star Trek Online, players have had to equip a Frequency Remodulator. The Borg adapt to damage from beam weapons after a few minutes and so players have to recalibrate their rifles or pistols, accordingly, using a Frequency Remodulator. This takes 5 seconds to perform and so has to be timed carefully to ensure that the player is not vulnerable to attack during this period. An upgraded version called a Fractal Remodulator, has been available from Federation and Klingon vendors in the Base Camp of the Defera Invasion Zone. It can be crafted for 50 Nanopower Capacitors, 50 Fibro-Neural Interface Cabling and 50 Cybernetic Armatures. It is quicker than the standard model, taking 3 seconds to apply new frequencies. Kinetic weapons do not require remodulation and the Borg cannot adapt to them.

 However, STO developers Cryptic recently introduced some practical changes regarding the frequency remodulation system in the game. First off, the standard Frequency Remodulator that has to be equipped as a ground device, has been removed altogether. Beam weapons now have this functionality built in. A new remodulation button appears over the power tray (hotbar) that works in an identical fashion to the old remodulator. Furthermore, the button can be toggled on and off, if you do not want it showing on your UI permanently. Secondly, the faster Fractal Remodulator is still available but is now crafted via the R&D panel for the same cost in materials. The Omega Force, 3-piece ground gear reputation set still has an Integral Frequency Remodulator. This instantly overcomes Borg adaptation and prepares the next remodulation as a background process that requires 15 seconds to recharge. It is not affected by the changes made by Cryptic.

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These changes were introduced to STO on Tuesday 12th September with the launch of the latest content update Incursion. After travelling to the Defera Invasion Zone I noticed that the Borg were slower to adapt to beam weapons than previously, especially with those weapons with a rapid-fire secondary attack. Now the pace of combat and adaptation by the Borg feels a lot closer to how it is portrayed in the various TV shows and films. Having the ability to frequency remodulate built into your weapons frees up a ground device slot, which is beneficial and saves you the inconvenience of confronting the Borg without a remodulator and getting caught out. Just remember to look to the right-hand side of your power tray for the switch to toggle the remodulation button. As always, Cryptic posted a press release but provided no in-game instructions.

"Hiding" Other Players in MMORPGs

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Massively Overpowered posed an interesting question today regarding the MMORPG genre. “A while back, an MOP commenter opined that MMOs should always offer players the option to fully block – that is to say, mute their speech and hide their avatars and entire presence – from the game – owing to the supposition that “the worst part of every MMO is the players.” In other words, you’d be able to blink all other players en masse right out of existence, from your point of view, unless you chose otherwise (for example, toggling other people back on for dungeoneering)”. First off, I have a worrying suspicion that the commenter may have been me, as this is the sort of irascible thing that I say. However, I’m sure I’m not the only person to have thought this out loud. However, now that it’s being fully debated, upon mature reflection I don’t think that this is a good option. No, not in the least.

 From a purely gaming perspective, not having other players about would significantly improve the performance of some games. It would also address differing opinions about immersion. Lore purists would no longer clash with the casual player with the “jovial” name. If this toggling on and off of other players had some degree of control, then role play guilds could segregate themselves from potential trolls and general indifference of non-role players. As could any player or group of players from a minority background, who regularly encounter harassment and prejudice. However, I think in the long term and when considered as part of a wider perspective, this could be a very troubling option. Segregation, be it voluntary or involuntary, has consequences. Blocking other players is more than just visually removing them from a game. It is making a statement. One that can righteous or steeped in bigotry.

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 At present, real-world politics (although I use the term loosely) and the so-called culture wars are present in video games and its associated culture. Like it or not, there are a substantial percentage of players that don’t like equality and representation, be it in the in-game character creation or within gaming guilds. Hence the ability to block and remove from sight specific groups of people would be deemed advantageous to such people. But doing such a thing, for such reasons would be more than just removing people visually. It would be an act of denying peoples existence and their right to exist. A denial of equality. In essence the first step along the road of “othering” and dehumanisation. It starts with not wanting to see specific people and groups and denying them. But often this will not be sufficient for those who espouse such prejudices.

 I would assume that implementing such technology in an existing MMO would come with quite a significant cost. However, market research may indicate that there is sufficient support for such things. I don’t think it unreasonable to speculate that someone may suggest that a cheaper option would be to simply set up separate servers based around demographics, other than language and region. I don’t like such a scenario. The ideology associated with it stinks. MMOs are communities and like wider society, they work because everyone has to exist within a set of rules designed to make that society functional and broadly tolerable. It’s far from perfect but it tends to work. We encounter (well some of us do) people from all walks of life and this for the majority, breeds tolerance at the very least. Tinkering with this by confining, segregating, or removing people from a shared space is a proverbial slippery slope.

Star Trek Online: Upgrade Your Ship Even Further?

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Regarding the title of this post, Cryptic used the same statement on their recent news release. Except they ended it with an exclamation mark whereas I’ve chosen a question mark instead. Because I really do question the wisdom of expanding the Experimental Ship Upgrade path and the benefits of applying additional tokens to your ships, unlocking further device, console and trait slots. This is a classic example of doing something because you can, as opposed because you should. Do players at level cap who have already upgraded their ship(s) from Tier 6 to Tier 6-X really need to augment it further? Beyond the immediate stats boost, does it offer any significant benefit to the player or the game in the long run? Or does this situation simply boil down to the fact that it’s another cynically contrived excuse for Star Trek Online developers, Cryptic, to sell you something. For the record, Experimental Ship Upgrade tokens are available for sale in the Zen Store (for money) or can be purchased via Phoenix Prize Pack (for dilithium).

 Levelling to cap in STO is not such an arduous struggle as it is in other MMORPGs. Furthermore, the average player can gain acceptable gear for their starship via PVE content, the reputation system or joining a fleet. There are guides available online that show that you can throw together the most basic gear and traits and still have a perfectly serviceable vessel that can adequately play through endgame content. However, for a percentage of players the endgame in STO is all about increasing their DPS statistics via bespoke builds. At present, such a player can assemble the right selection of gear resulting in substantial DPS output. The introduction of Tier 6-X Experimental Ship Upgrade tokens in late 2020, provided an interesting steppingstone for all players. Those playing casually with average gear, benefitted from the additional device, console and ship trait slots. High end players could tweak their builds further and perfect them. Players could also choose not to use them.

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 Therefore, it can be argued that the introduction of the Tier 6-X upgrade system was justified and equitable. The same arguments don’t seem so applicable with regard to Tier 6-X2. The benefits no longer seem to be couched in terms of levelling the playing field and seem to be simply about purchasing an optional and possibly superfluous statistical upgrade. Cynics will also note that to receive the benefits of a Tier 6-X2 upgrade, the player has to use a further two Experimental Ship Upgrade tokens. Yet despite paying twice the cost, you still only get the same unlocks as with the first upgrade. All of which makes me wonder whether this is worth it. I suspect not and I certainly don’t think I will be hobbling myself if I choose not to. Furthermore, this situation highlights the problem all MMOs have with power creep and the fact that it would be more appropriate for Cryptic to find a comprehensive solution to that problem, rather than offering this money making stop gap..

Star Trek Online: Trait Bug

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All MMORPGs have bugs. It is a certainty in life, just like death and taxes. However, some have more than others. I’m sure we could argue for hours as to which particular game has the most but I’ll leave that discussion to others. Star Trek Online has its share, many of which have persisted for years. But there is one that stands out, due to its longevity and sheer annoyance. To be specific, the “trait bug”. Like many MMO’s STO has a trait system that offers a range of passive or active buffs, skill boosts and statistical tweaks. STO is very much a number game, especially if you are chasing a high DPS output, which lots of players do. The trait bug is the random “unslotting” of some of your characters traits. It can affect any of the seven categories of traits but tends to most often happen to Personal Space Traits and Starship Traits. Unless you regularly check, most players will not immediately know this has happened.

The trait bug tends to happen when changing instances within STO. IE When transitioning from sector space to system space or when travelling to a planet surface or visiting a space station. It can also happen after the release of any content update. As STO rotates through a schedule of yearly events, the bug manifests itself quite regularly. However, despite it persisting in the game years, it is hard to pin down a specific set of factors that cause it. It is capricious by nature, which makes it more frustrating. The “unslotting” of traits will impact upon space and ground combat and it is often the feeling that your current build feels “gimped” that leads players to discover that a selection of random traits have vanished from their existing setup. A further source of annoyance is the fact that there isn’t a permanent fix or a workaround that is 100% effective.

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At present, the nearest I have got to a solution is as follows. Clear all existing traits and save to a new loadout. Overwrite existing loadouts to remove them. Log out of the game and close the client. Then log back in. Go to system space above the homeworld of your faction. Set all your traits as you desire and save the loadout. I would also advise taking a screenshot or making a written note of your trait selection. This broadly works but can fail after a content update. This bug is an especially poor reflection upon Cryptic because it has been around so long. I would happily forgo a content update, if the developers spent time and resources on a comprehensive bug fix. Sadly, I suspect that is not going to happen. In the meantime, if anyone has any other workarounds, I’d be interested to know them.

LOTRO: River-hobbits Preview

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There have been four test previews of Update 37 for the MMORPG, The Lord of the Rings Online, recently on the Bullroarer test server. I only managed to briefly log in on the 1st of August, specifically to check out the new River-hobbit race. During my brief time on Bullroarer I investigated their respective character creation options and after quickly throwing together a new alt, logged into the game itself. Because I have been absent from both LOTRO and the official forums of late, I was not aware of any of the details surrounding River-hobbits. I was somewhat surprised that they hailed from Lyndelby in the Wells of Langflood. As I was short on time, I didn’t play through the new bespoke starter story associated with the new race. I logged out with the intention of returning during the next beta test but sadly I missed it. Hence I have spent the last few days reading several blogs and the official game forums to find out more about River-hobbits and how well they’ve been received so far.

Let it suffice to say, River-hobbits as they exist after 4 rounds of testing, have not met with universal acclaim. Broadly speaking I would say opinion on the official forums is equally divided on the matter. However, I tend to be ambivalent of this particular platform as it is not sufficiently representative of the wider LOTRO community. There are a lot of personalities who regularly contribute and participate in the various discussions there who struggle with objective criticism and acceptance of contrary opinions. That notwithstanding, based upon what I’ve seen and more importantly read so far, the objections raised are as follows. 

• The current River-hobbit character models are not sufficiently “hobbit” like. They look more akin to scaled down human assets.

• The representation of River-hobbits seems to be canonically problematic and the associated in-game lore seems deliberately ambiguous.

• The overall level and quality of development of this new race seems to be “minimal”. IE Too many reused and repurposed in-game assets. Indifferent writing and insufficient effort being put into the undertaking.

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All of which tallies with what I’ve seen so far of River-hobbits. I was surprised to see how “un-hobbit like” the character models were when I logged into the test server at the beginning of the month. I was somewhat disappointed that Lyndelby had been chosen as the starter location for the new race. This remote and deliberately hidden village is already established via a prior update and is clearly an agrarian settlement. There is a river for irrigation purposes but the environment does not immediately seem an ideal fit for this new race. For me, River-hobbits conjures up images of a community specifically linked with waterways. IE One that uses boats, fishes and has homes on the river bank or on a boardwalk. Perhaps even a few adventurous denizens have houseboats.

One of the reasons that I have drifted away from LOTRO is that it never seems to be able to step beyond the technical and creative confines it has made for itself. I applaud wholeheartedly the fact that new content is continuously added to the game. But it is always “more of the same”. No more, no less. I appreciate that trying to do something radical with a game running on code from before 2007 is not easy. Yet, the developers seem to have a mindset of not even trying to think outside the box. Using the blanket excuse of “old code and technical difficulties” to absolve themselves from trying anything new is far from edifying. But it can be argued that Standing Stone Games have always been their own worst enemy. In the meantime let us wait and see if any further meaningful changes are made to River-hobbits. I suspect that after 4 beta tests, apart from some aesthetic tweaks, what you currently see will be what you get in the final release. How it is received by regular players will be interesting.

MMO Tropes: Death

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I use to be alive until I took an arrow to the cerebral cortex

“The MMO genre is rife with its own set of tropes; recurring themes and motifs that have become established and ubiquitous. All of which are ideal material for a hastily produced, lazily conceived, recurring blog post”. Dying in an Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game is a clear and unambiguous fail state. A means by which to teach the player that they’re doing something wrong and that they need to rethink their strategy. IE Don’t mess with the foul Marmydons unless you have back up and are wielding the Sword of Kagnazax. Dying is a reminder to not get overconfident and maintain situational awareness. It teaches us to ensure you have the right gear and consumables, to be au fait with the mechanics of any fight you’re about to get into and that winning is not a given. Any enterprise that offers a tangible reward will come with potential risks and consequences. If you’re playing in a group then death provides a timely reminder not to rely on Colin.

Over the course of its evolution, the MMORPG genre has handled death in many different ways. There’s the scorched earth policy of permadeath, in which your in-game character dies for good. You lose everything you’ve accrued and have to create a new character and start from scratch. Then there was the infamous “corpse run”, in which your character’s spirit spawns at a designated point on the in-game map and has to return to their own dead body to re-animate it. In the meantime, any passing player can pilfer your loot from your unattended cadaver. However, such draconian rules have fallen out of favour with modern MMOs, although you will still find them in many classic games that still linger online. Death is now treated as a minor penalty that temporarily inconveniences you. It may incur damage to your gear but it is no longer the setback that it used to be.

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I’ve spent many a happy hour plummeting to my death in LOTRO

In the Lord of the Rings Online, death is politely called “defeat” and occurs when your morale reaches zero. While defeated your character remains immobile, unable to use any skills. You may then use a self-revive which has a two hour cooldown by default, assuming that the immediate area is safe. If however you cannot or do not wish to self-revive, you may “retreat” which will teleport you to the nearest rally point, which is a circle of stones in a safe area. This disadvantage of “retreating” is that it may take you a substantial distance from your previous location. This is particularly problematic if you are in an instance. However, if you are playing in a group you may be revived by a fellow player, if they are of a class that can revive others. It is not the best or worst example of death mechanics in an MMO but it can be managed. You can purchase an account unlock that reduces the two hour cooldown on “revive” to one or purchase additional consumable “revives” by using in-game currency.

Death is managed in a far more equitable fashion in Star Trek Online. During ground combat, if you are inconvenienced by dying you can simply respawn at the last unlocked respawn point. However, more often than not, your character is accompanied by your “away team”. This is a group of four NPC companions or “bridge officers”. While dead you may request “help”, in which case one will come and revive you. Depending upon the intensity of the ongoing combat, your companions may well all heroically die trying to save you. However, if you ensure that you have a holographic or android NPC on your away team, these have the ability to self-reboot. Hence if your entire group is wiped out, one will self-revive and then revive everyone else. Conversely, space combat in STO handles dying far more simply. There is a short 10 second cooldown and then you can opt to respawn in the combat zone.

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“He’s dead, Jim. Oh shit, it is Jim”

I have always liked the way that Guild Wars 2 has made reviving others a key social aspect of the game. Each player can use a self-revive when “downed”, the stage between zero health and “defeat”. Alternatively, while “downed” if you manage to kill an enemy you will “rally” back to a state of health. However, once dead, they can either retreat to the nearest waypoint or look to an ally or the kindness of passing strangers to revive you. In dynamic events, where there are lots of players, it is commonplace to help players who are “downed” or “defeated” as it is practical to have as many functional players attacking a target as possible. There are traits in the game that improve reviving speed and potency. Gear can be augmented with runes, some of which can improve revival mechanics.

The Elder Scrolls Online dispenses with the intermediate stage of being “downed” and once your health is exhausted, you are officially dead. At this point, you can retreat to the nearest wayshrine or self-revive using a soul gem. Soul gems are consumable items that are initially empty. However, if the player slots the right skills, they are filled with the souls of enemies they defeat. Hence soul gems come with a cost. The player has to either make them themselves or buy them pre-made from the in-game store. Reviving yourself with a soul gem will grant you a spectral form for a short time that is unable to attack or be attacked, before returning to full health. This allows the player to strategically reposition themselves. Soul gems can also be used to revive other players. However, unlike Guild Wars 2, as you are using a resource with a value, players may not always be disposed to help you.

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A poultry-geist

Most people are not overly enamoured by death mechanics. However, during solo PVE gameplay, it is broadly tolerated. However, in my experience, this changes significantly during group content. I jokingly mentioned earlier about death in instances or raids. It is a fact that players do not warm to dying in an MMO when it is due to the incompetence of another player. Group content in MMOs requires a substantial investment of time and resources. Death may lead to a wipe and failure to obtain the loot you desire. Which means when Colin fucks up and you all die, tempers will flare. It can ruin a game. Colin notwithstanding, death is a legacy penalty left over from the original hardcore days of MMOs. Its relevance seems to have diminished with age and continues to do so in this era of “live services”. It may eventually vanish from the genre as it ultimately stands in the way of player gratification. Unhappy players tend not to play or pay. Business doesn’t like that.

MMO Tropes: Running All the Way

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“The MMO genre is rife with its own set of tropes; recurring themes and motifs that have become established and ubiquitous. All of which are ideal material for a hastily produced, lazily conceived, recurring blog post”. I was in London recently, idly walking to the Natural History Museum in South Kensington, when a group of tourists started running for no discernable reason. Someone I was with asked “ I wonder why they’re running” and I replied “perhaps they think they’re in an MMO”. The quips fell on deaf ears but that is a cross I often have to bear. This anecdote highlights one of the points of this post. Namely, why do our avatars in the MMORPG genre run by default? I would also like to discuss the manner in which MMOs address the issue of travel around an ever expanding virtual world. Is fast travel lazy? Our mounts a boon or a bane? 

Although MMOs are often proud of the size and scale of the virtual world’s they’ve created, getting around is time consuming and at times a chore. Hence, running in an MMO is usually the most expedient way of travelling. It’s not mandatory though, which is why you will sometimes see role players walking everywhere for realism. The trade off is that it takes longer and you look like a fool doing it. Each to their own. When you’re new to a game, discovering and exploring a major quest hub, such as Minas Tirith in The Lord of the Rings Online, is a source of enjoyment. However, roll on a few weeks and it soon becomes a nuisance that has to be managed and endured. Mercifully, most MMOs have various means of fast travel, via waypoints, shrines, or stables. This is done for convenience, although some will argue it comes at the expense of immersion.

As many MMOs are fantasy based, animal or beast themed mounts can provide a suitable, lore friendly means to travel around. Although fast travel from point to point is convenient, riding around and exploring the immediate environment can be a major point of appeal for an MMO. LOTRO does this very well as Standing Stone Games’ virtual Middle-earth is one of the biggest gaming maps available. The world is diverse and richly designed and there are many iconic places to discover. The Elder Scrolls Online similarly offers a varied and immersive open world to explore. Cryptic’s Star Trek Online handles the vastness of the galaxy well. Sector Space is big and takes a degree of time to traverse. This situation does improve once you hit the level cap and can access Quantum Slipstream drive which allows for much faster short bursts of speed. Star Wars: The Old Republic has a far more practical point to point, hyperspace travel system but I never liked the way it cost you money for fuel.

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Another thing to consider about running in MMOs is that it does have some tactical applications beyond its functional use. For example, depending upon “aggro mechanics” it is possible in some games to run past or even through a group of mobs without alerting them. Even if you do trigger enemies, in many MMOs you can outrun them although such things do come with an element of risk. For example, in LOTRO it is entirely possible to run through Moria (with an alt at the same level of the content) from the West to East gates and survive, as long as you know the most expedient route. Then there are the practical benefits of a strategic withdrawal. Remember, “he who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day”. Temporary running buffs can also be useful when “retreating to victory”.

Single player games seem to handle travel differently and certainly have some advantages. I envy the fact that a game like Grand Theft Auto V or Red Dead Redemption 2 provide the players with access to public transport. I especially like riding the train between towns in RDR2 as it is very restful and highlights for a few minutes the detail of the open world. Similarly, using the L Train in GTA V adds to the illusion of a living city. It would be nice to see something like that in the MMOs genre. I also liked the way in LA Noire, if you don’t want to drive the car yourself from case to case, you simply use the passenger door and your NPC companion would be the designated driver. All goes to show that you can approach the matter of getting from A to B with a degree of creativity, rather than just running all the way.

LOTRO: Cardolan and Swanfleet Preview

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The Bullroarer test server for the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online, recently had a three day preview for Update 34: Before the Shadow. Beta #1 provided an opportunity to explore the new regions of Cardolan and Swanfleet, as well as the new tutorial which starts in the village of Mossward. I shall write a separate article about the latter as it merits more than just a cursory paragraph. This post however, is specifically about the new zones themselves. The test held between Wednesday 19th and Friday 21st October, presented a fairly complete version of Cardolan and Swanfleet, which provide level 1- 32 content. The “mob” density was somewhat low in open areas. However, as this was a beta test there is scope that this will change in the final live release on Wednesday 9th November.

Perhaps the most significant aspect of the addition of Cardolan and Swanfleet is the way these new zones fit so well into the existing LOTRO world map. The new zones fill in a major geographical gap in Middle-earth and link The Shire, Bree, The Lone-lands, The Angle of Mitheithel, Eregion and Enedwaith seamlessly. As a result, the Lonelands, Eregion and Enedwaith maps have now been updated and reflect the new visual style that has been established in recent years. Overall, there is little left of Eridor now that isn’t included in the MMO. The two regions of Lindon and the Grey Havens being the most prominent locations that remain outstanding. It will be interesting to see if these areas feature in any future updates.

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Players can enter Cardolan, the first of the two new zones, via the South Farthing in The Shire. This leads to Sarn Ford. Alternatively, access can be gained via the Andrath Gate in Southern Bree. This will take the player to Southern Andrath. There is also a road South from Lone-lands which passes Minas Eriol. There is also access from The Angle of Mitheithel and the Southern Trollshaws. Cardolan has five areas. The first is Ruddymore which extends from Sarn Ford on the borders of The Shire, Eastward to the town of Herne. This area is filled with Ruffians and the environment is similar to that of The Iron Hill, with a lock of dark brown rock formation. To the North of Ruddymore lies the area of Tyrn Gorthad. This is filled with Cardolan ruins, the most substantive of which is Dol Ernil on the borders of the Old Forest. The area is home to Wights and Gaunt men and is in a similar idiom to the North Downs.

The next area is Andrath. The Northern hills in this location afford views of Bree-land Homesteads, Midgewater Marshes and Weathertop (depending on your draw distance setting). Moving to the East, Cardolan is separated from the Lone-land by the South Downs. There are two remote farming communities, Scurloc and Hove, which are similar to those we see around Bree. The Barrow of Gond Orchal and the Cardolan ruins of Haudh Nirui are home to Wights and Orcs respectively. Travelling further East to the borders of The Angle of Mitheithel, there is Amon Firn. This area is filled with both Wights and Spirits and overlooks the river Hoarwell. At the heart of the Cardolan map is the decaying fortress of Caranost. Orc infest the Western side. Rangers and Elves have an enclave on the East side. I suspect that due to the size of Caranost it may be the epicentre of several major quests or instances. The area of Sedgemead lies to the South East of Cardolan, along the banks of the river Greyflood. It is wild and overgrown with flowering plants and bushes (Like Ithilien).The ruins of Nimbarth and the Nagenstones are found here. The latter being a former Elven settlement

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Herne is a major settlement of Men and main quest hub that lies on The Greenway road that runs diagonally through Cardolan. It seems to be the equivalent of Combe. The Crossway House Inn is a prominent feature and the architecture in Herne is once again similar to Bree.  The road South out of the town leads to an area marked on the map as Minhiriath but you cannot access it due to an invisible barrier in ruins. To the East of Minhiriath there is the Cardolan ruins of Gaervarad and a stronghold of ruffians. The Greenway runs down to the Greyflood and the expansive ruins of Tharbad. There is an encampment here of Rangers and Elves but Tharbad itself is a major enemy stronghold. The bridges across the river are broken but there is a ford across the Greyflood into the neighbouring zone of Swanfleet.

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Upon crossing the Greyflood you find The Old South Road, which spans the zone from the West to the East of Swanfleet. Mossward is the first settlement you encounter and it is a small town like Archet. This is the new starter area featured in the new tutorial included in Update 34: Before the Shadow. To the North of the town are the fens and wetlands of Wadewater. So named as the water levels are navigable by foot or on horse. This is filled with water fowl, insects and Bog Lurkers. The area is reminiscent of Enedwaith and features the village of Lhan Garan which is similar to Galtrev. Nearby are the Elven ruins of Caras Gelebren. The road East leads to Echad Mirobel in Eregion. Western Eregion lies North of Caras Gelebren and is adjacent to The Angle of Mitheithel, so shares a similar environment. Tham Lasgol and Thamn Celechir are additional Elven ruins populated by Wood Trolls and Huorns. 

Perhaps the most entertaining area in Swanfleet is the Stoor-vales. This area includes three settlements quite close to each other. Glen Helyg, Clegur and Lintrev are Stoor villages set among the hills away from The Old South Road and hidden from prying eyes. Aesthetically, they are similar to Maur Talhau in Enedwaith, which they link to. Hobbit settlements have a tendency to be whimsical areas and these are no different. They also provide the practical benefits of being a major crafting hub. With regard to The Old South Road, this leads to Gloomglens and Windfells in Enedwaith. It should be noted that despite its substantive in-game map appearance, Swanfleet is another region where a lot of the terrain is inaccessible and the player is funnelled to specific areas. In reality it is not a big and open zone as Cardolan. However, it does have an immersive environment.

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To conclude, Cardolan and Swanfleet provide a great sense of in-game continuity. There are lots of repeated assets from other locations, but that makes perfect sense when you consider that the new zones have borders with six other existing regions. I would like to draw special attention to the ambient music for Cardolan and Swanfleet, composed by Bill Champagne. It is very appropriate and memorable. Whatever criticisms you may raise against LOTRO, its musical score is not one of them. It remains the one to beat within the MMO genre. Overall, Cardolan and Swanfleet offer an interesting addition to LOTRO, filling in a long time gap in SSG’s virtual Middle-earth. Having a new tutorial set in these zones makes creating new alts a far more appealing prospect. 

In addition to the pictures in this post, here is a link to a gallery of screenshots via Google Photos. All are available at the original screen resolution of 1920 x 1200.

Star Trek Online: Ascension

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This afternoon Cryptic launched the latest season update, Ascension, for the MMORPG Star Trek Online. Furthermore, I’m sure it will not come as a shock to long term players that it was broken and an emergency patch had to be applied. Oh how we all laughed. Even after being “fixed” players are still experiencing bugs with the new content, especially the ground mission part of the update, but this sadly is just par for the course. Personally speaking, it is not the bugs that I have a problem with as they are just part of the overall gaming experience when playing STO. What I am saddened about is the actual gameplay found in Ascension. The space combat section of the game is simply “more of the same”. Destroy some specific vessels and once the goal has been met, watch the cutscene. But the ground combat is especially uninspired and repetitive, despite its interesting setting.

Warning: Plot Spoilers (although Cryptic have given away all these details themselves, already). The Terran Emperor of the Mirror Universe, Wesley Crusher and yes you did read that correctly, is planning to join with the Mirror version of V’Ger, known as The Other. Obviously such a “melding” will not lead to such benevolent results as it did in Star Trek: The Motion Picture. During the course of Ascension, is a ground mission set within the core of The Other, where you play a Mirror version of your own alt. This character called The Inquisitor assists the Emperor’s away team. However, as this is some form of session play, you only have access to a bespoke and somewhat basic set of skills on your quickbar. So say goodbye to your own personal build and kit skills. And if that wasn’t a sufficient pain in the ass, you can’t even toggle your weapon to autofire.

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Thus, while in this “gimped” state you then have to contend with a set of lacklustre tasks, such as turning off six power nodes before worker drones can bring them back online. It is a race that can be successfully done if you can figure out the shortest and most efficient route. If you don’t, then multiple drones will spawn and interrupt you, while you desperately try to catch up. The key to success is not to stand next to the power nodes but to get as close to them until the power off button appears on your screen. Hence there is a shorter optimal route that will allow you to complete the task before too many drones spawn. However, all of this still has to be undertaken with STO’s janky aim controls, while getting caught up in the environment for no discernible reason (a common bug in the game). It is far from fun and if you don’t know the workaround, very, very repetitive.

There’s nothing wrong with the story and as always, the voice acting by original cast members (in this case Wil Wheaton) is top notch. It’s just that the nuts and bolts of the game is incredibly uninventive. The V’ger, sorry The Other, environments are very well realised but just shooting wave after wave of generic drones is as dull as ditch water. It is a fact of life about the MMO genre that there is a limited amount of interactions you can make within gameplay. The key is in the creative way you “dress up” these interactions, so although they may be simple, they don’t come across that way within the context of the wider story. It is this specific element that is missing in Ascension. I do hope that Cryptic tries better than this next time. There is so much content in STO, such as the entire Agents of Yesterday expansion, that is exemplary. This is the standard that should be aimed for.

LOTRO: Coming Changes to Race and Class Choice

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Standing Stone Games are currently testing the second beta build of Update 33.2 on their The Bullroarer Test Server. The latest patch notes indicate that there are some major changes coming to the MMORPG, The Lord of the Rings Online. The proposed Minstrel class changes are proving controversial and I suspect that there will be a strong degree of pushback from players. As I have not played this particular class, I am not in a position to express an informed opinion but reading comments both on the official forums and on Reddit, I think players have legitimate concerns. Changing and rebalancing class skills and in any way altering the status quo, never goes down well as you can never please everyone. It will be interesting to see if SSG take on board player comments or push ahead with their proposed changes regardless.

However, there are some positive changes included in Update 33.2 such as the removal of racial restrictions to the class system. To date the various classes in LOTRO have been subject to a specific set of race restrictions (please see the image below), which have been justified over the years on lore grounds by SSG. This has always been debated by some of the player community, who feel if the game can be “flexible” with the lore in some areas, why not in others? It would appear that SSG have listened and the update now allows for the following race and class permutations. Dwarf/Stout-axe Captain and Warden. Elf/High Elf Burglar. Hobbit Lore-master and Champion. Human Rune-keeper. The Beorning race remains unique These changes bring the remaining classes inline with the Brawler which is available to all permutations of Elf, Dwarf, Hobbit and Man.

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Naturally, there are some players who object to these changes, considering them non-canonical, but I feel that LOTRO departed from lore purity a long time ago. I am just happy that players are getting more choice. Hence, in the spirit of such change, I created a Hobbit Lore-master on Bullroarer last night and played through the first few levels of the game. It was interesting to see all the bespoke Lore-master skills induction animations as a Hobbit and I really didn’t think it an odd addition to the game. The first Lore-master pet is the bear and it is rather comical the way it towers over its Hobbit companion. So far I haven’t encountered any issues, although other players have found some minor anomalies when playing the new Dwarf/Stout-axe class variants. But that is the entire point of beta testing.

A Month in Gaming

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I last wrote a post in this series in June. Back then I wanted a break from MMOs as I had invested heavily in Star wars: the Old Republic and The Lord of the Rings Online. Because I was still enjoying the Star Wars vibe, I decided to try Jedi: Fallen Order. Sadly, despite the story showing a lot of promise, the PC version of the game handles poorly and the controls are sluggish. Often it felt like my character was wading through mud and there was a tangible amount of skills lag. So I uninstalled it and moved on to something else. One of the odd things about gaming is that despite amassing a library of free and discounted titles, we often end up buying something new, instead of playing that which we already own. And that is exactly what I did. I purchased Stray amid all the excitement surrounding the game, but to date I still haven’t played it. Make of that what you will.

So what exactly have I been playing? Sniper Elite 5 for starters. I feel this is by far the best iteration of the franchise and as such it kept me busy in June and July. I like the weapon customisation, especially the addition of non-lethal ammunition. I finally feel that weapons choice makes a tangible difference to your play style. I also like the pace of this game or more specifically, the fact that you determine it. You can spend ages lining up a shot or you can go in all guns blazing. And the maps are by far the best that developer’s Rebellion has come up with so far. They lend themselves to continuous replay due to the variety of potential routes you can explore. Invasion mode, which I wrote about at length in a proper blog post, offers a new and interesting spin on PvP, with another player entering your campaign game and trying to hunt you down. Sniper Elite 5 has provided me with some of the best gaming I’ve had this year. 

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It was nice to see Fall Guys go free-to-play, in so far that it makes the game more accessible to players across multiple platforms. This is a fun game; something you can jump into and quickly start enjoying, with little or no impediment. However, the business model is based upon the selling of cosmetic skins and the pricing structure is far from generous. Running about with a default character will be a problem for some players, so they will naturally want to customise their look. Earning the in-game currency is a long grind (when is it not?), so the only alternative is the game store. FOMO is not an ethically ideal foundation for your game’s business model, but it doesn’t seem to bother publishers that much. If you are content to just play with the default skins, then Fall Guys is certainly still an enjoyable game. But sooner or later, you will want a chicken outfit or something and will have to reach for your wallet.

Despite my overall fatigue with LOTRO, I have been intrigued by the Echoes of Angmar private server and the debacle that has accompanied it. Despite a politely worded and somewhat wishy-washy cease and desist notice from Middle-earth Enterprises, the developers of this project have pushed ahead with several stress tests and delivered (so far) exactly what they intended. A version of LOTRO as it was back in November 2007, shortly after its launch. I found the few hours that I played to be entertaining, although that mainly came from the sense of nostalgia. I’m not so sure if I’d enjoy the game in this form quite so much, as I did back in the day. However, I am curious to see how this project evades the “legal issues” arising from its situation and what sort of long term audience it can sustain. 

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The other gaming development of note that I’ve enjoyed over recent weeks, has been my return to Guild Wars 2 after a seven year absence. There are still several elements of the game that infuriate me, but after a further two expansions there is sufficient content for me to do and enjoy. I have set about collecting mounts and earning mastery for their various skills. I continue to enjoy the various events that regularly occur and the fact that you can always find something to do if you’re pushed for time. Playing through the main story is another matter altogether. I await to see if my interest in the game lasts. As autumn approaches, the immersive nature of MMOs and their requirement for time investment becomes both appealing and sustainable. If Guild Wars 2 cannot fill that gap, there’s always The Elder Scrolls Online. The next post in this series will indicate which game prevails.

Navigating in MMORPGs

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The Lord of the Rings Online was my first major MMORPG. I started playing in late 2008 and quickly discovered that there was a necessity to become familiar with the game world. Although the game provides quick travel options they were not ubiquitous at that point and often a player would simply travel on foot to travel costs down and to take the most direct route. Back in 2008 you could not own a mount until level 30. Hence I began “learning the maps” in the game and to this day still remember how to travel from one side of Moria, to another. The maps in the base game remain clear in my mind as they were so well trodden. Not so those in the regions. There are far more stables with fast mounts present in the game now and so convenience trumps any requirement to become so familiar with newly added zones. Nowadays Standing Stone Games designs new zones that tend to funnel players through them from quest hub to quest hub.

After considering the wider matter of maps in general in the MMO genre, it seems that most of them seem to be lacking in some fashion. The biggest problem is that traditional in-game maps are two dimensional views of three dimensional environments. LOTRO, Star Wars: The Old Republic and Guild Wars 2 are prime examples of this. Furthermore maps in this genre tend to be initially devoid of specific detail. This is to encourage exploration which then populates a map with NPC, fast travel points, crafting stations etc after they’re discovered. Another issue, especially in fantasy games, is that the maps themselves are designed in a stylised manner and are frequently not accurate in the sense that an Ordnance Survey map is in real life. The Elder Scrolls Online at least addresses the issue of multi-layers maps, allowing players to switch between levels. But it is far from perfect. The MMO does allow you to set a waypoint which can be a godsend. 

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As maps can prove so “unhelpful”, I find the most practical thing a game can do to help me with navigation is to provide a highly visible landmark which can be used to orientate players. Weathertop is a prime example of this in the Loneland region of LOTRO. The crumbling fortress on the highest hill in the region dominates the map. Having line of sight helps you make quick decisions when travelling and find the direction you need. Guild Wars 2 has gone all in on the concept of verticality and three dimensional environments. Does it make for interesting and complex world design? Yes. But the main problem is you cannot easily set a destination and travel there. As you seldom have any line of sight, often the only way to a location is through trial and error. Usually through “bandit territory”. It is intensely frustrating especially as there is much XP gain to be had via discovery. It makes me miss Neverwinter and its sparkly trails that can optionally lead you to your destination.

Navigating in Star Trek Online is the polar opposite of most other fantasy based MMOs and a very straightforward process. Especially after 2015 when developers Cryptic revised the galaxy map dividing it into four clearly defined quadrants, rather than sectors which were separate instances. The point and click navigation between planetary systems in sector space is simple and easy. If you wish to navigate by hand you can manually fly around at your own leisure. However, until you earn the transwarp travel skill it can take some time to get from one side of the map to another as a low level player. There is no cost associated with travel in STO. Unlike SWTOR which charges the player for the fuel used to travel across space. Both approaches are compliant with their respective lore of each franchise.

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I find travelling and exploration a major source of enjoyment in MMOs. If I’m confronted with a blank map, then the first thing I want to do is open it up and see its details. I’ll often go exploring first off, rather than playing through mission or quest content. This isn’t always a shrewd decision as I can find myself in zones I am ill equipped to travel. Bu for me, looking around the game world is part of a game attraction, especially if it has a rich and diverse environment. Sometimes I will log into LOTRO and ride around Middle-earth just for the pleasure of it. Sadly, that is not the case for all MMOs. Take SWTOR, which has some industrial themed, city based maps that are a never ending maze of corridors and walkways. Overall I would like to see more games in the MMO genre having some sort of Grand Tour option or game mechanic. A means for peaceful exploration as an alternative to the usual narrative driven progression.

Star Trek Online: Five Tips

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I’ve been playing Star Trek Online on and off for about 8 years. During that time I read a lot of Wikis and watched a lot of videos on YouTube that explore the game’s various systems and mechanics. I find a lot of the recommendations made by “expert” players to be impractical. The commonest being builds that include traits and consoles that you can only obtain from buying specific ships. Or using resources in quantities that take months of grinding to build up. This is hardly what I’d call handy advice for a new player. So I thought I’d give five tips of my own in no particular order, that I feel are useful. Some are glaringly obvious. Others not so. But hopefully they will prove useful to both new and returning players. 

1.) Like many other MMORPGs, STO allows players to customise their character. However, if you pick a specific race such as Vulcan or Klingon, there are limits to what you can do. Fortunately, there is another option that offers players a lot more creative choice. If you create an “alien” species you have access to a lot more customisation options. Hence an alien can be made to look like a Vulcan, Andorian etc. Furthermore, with some creativity you can also make a character that looks like a Cardassian, which is a cheaper option than paying to unlock the official playable version of the Cardassian race. STO also supports the ability to save custom character builds as a .jpg file. These can be exported and shared for others to use. You can find examples here.

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2.) A perennial problem in MMOs is running out of storage space and STO is no different. If you find this an issue then make use of the in-game mail system simply by mailing unbound items to yourself. You can leave unread mail indefinitely and also access it from other alts, making this a very useful secondary storage system. Mail terminals can be found in most social areas such as Starfleet Academy, Earth Spacedock and DS9 (and similar areas for other factions).

3.) Bridge Officer or Boffs as many players refer to them can be a thorny issue. Some are only available via fleet resources, some from lockboxes and others are quest rewards. You can also buy a lot of generic Boff from vendors. You’ll often find a lot of discussion around which ones are “the best”. Ultimately, it is not the respective colour quality (white/green/blue/purple) that counts the most but their unique racial traits. Cardassian Boffs provide an accuracy, defence and +2% damage boosts. Very useful if pursuing a DPS build. Romulan Tactical Boffs have the Superior Operative Trait and are available via the Fleet Embassy, providing critical chance and severity boost. The Hierarchy Science Boff has the Pirate trait providing a further damage and stealth boost. It can be obtained from the mission “Alliances”. These are not expensive options.

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4.) In ground combat, players can adopt a mobile approach or alternatively crouch and aim. The advantage of the latter is that crouching presents a smaller target and aiming down the sights awards a damage buff. Some players do not like the hassle of having to press several additional keys while in combat to crouch and aim. However, when in combat on a ground map, you can use a macro by copying the following into the chat bar: /Bind x ” crouch 1 $$ aim 2 “ If you then press x you will simultaneously crouch and enter aim/sniper mode. Note this tactic is not a “get out of jail card” that makes you invincible. You still need to maintain situational awareness. But if used appropriately, then crouching and aiming makes mob clearance a lot quicker.

5.) The final tips I have for new STO players is to play the game at your own pace and in a way that suits you. There is no traditional endgame as such and therefore, fine tuning your build becomes the main pursuit for long term players. If you’ve played any of the Task Force Operations in STO at some point you’ll have auto-grouped with a high DPS player who effectively destroys everything before you’ve even blinked. This can inspire you (or play on your FOMO) to pursue a fancy build yourself. The only trouble with this is players who have high end builds usually have invested a lot of time and money into the game. It is not a casual or cheap undertaking. There are plenty of budget builds that work and the main story content is manageable with average gear. Worrying about stats can leach all the fun out of STO. So only get on the DPS treadmill if that is what motivates you as a player.