LOTRO: Bullroarer Update 29 Wildwood Preview #1
When I heard that Update 29 for The Lord of the Rings Online would be an area between Evendim and The North Downs, I assumed there would be a new zone somewhere above Fornost. Well it pays to remember never assume anything. I logged on to the Bullroarer test server tonight and found that Wildwood (as the new area is called) is actually located in North West Bree-Land. Standing Stone Games have developed what was previously an inaccessible part of the Bree-Land and created an interesting new region. It maintains the existing idiom of the overall zone with regard to aesthetics and mobs but from what I have seen the PVE content available is pitched at level 45 or thereabouts. It would appear that there is an NPC based at the Trestlebridge Gate who offers level cap Missions that take place in the new area.
Star Trek: Beyond the Barrier (1989)
Fan Edits are a curious film sub genre. Some simply reinstate deleted scenes to maximise the running time of a movie. Others will remove footage and seek to reorder events in the name of coherency. But a few are far more ambitious. Rather than just reshape what is there, they will shoot new footage to replace material deemed substandard and seek to totally reimagine a movie. On even rarer occasions a few manage to actually improve upon the original, rather than just offering an augmented version. Which leads me onto Star Trek: beyond the Barrier, an interesting and very enjoyable fan edit of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier by Anti-Matter from deLimited Productions. It attempts to repair many of the problems found in the theatrical release of the movie. Some would argue that such a task is a Kobayashi Maru test in itself. However, the results are surprisingly good and some tongue in cheek humour shows that the creator understands the nature of their task.
The Junk Cupboard
Whether you are tidy by default or not, there is always a cupboard, a draw, a room, a basement or an attic in your home that can conveniently store items until you can properly determine what to do with them. Over time, the contents of this temporary storage space will grow as it is continuously topped up. Eventually circumstances dictate that you must go through this ad hoc collection, because you need to find something specific or because there is simply no space left. Either way, this is often a Herculean task and one we feel well ill disposed towards undertaking. But needs must when the Devil drives, as the saying goes. Hence, the other day I had to go through the cupboard in the space room (which I like to think of as my office but this is disputed). Like most chores that are continuously deferred, it didn’t take as long as I anticipated.
MMO Tropes: The Hero
If I may quote myself “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”. This time round, I would like to discuss the following. The Hero, the Chosen One, the Übermensch. As that is the role that we so often are assigned in this genre. Developers broadly assume that most players want a power fantasy and precious little else is on offer. Hence we find ourselves in a story in which we are destined to do great deeds in a virtual world, whether we wish to or not. I can see the superficial appeal of such a conceit. Most of us are not such overachievers in real life. So a game in which we get to do stuff to the world, instead of the world doing stuff to us has an inherent allure. But like most MMO tropes, unless it is implemented with some panache and creativity, it quickly becomes a tiresome cliche.
A Month in Gaming
I last wrote A Month in Gaming post in December. Quite a lot has changed over the last two months. I have abandoned Cyberpunk 2077 as it has totally failed to hold my interest. I just couldn’t get on with the first person perspective. I also stopped playing Neverwinter, despite the game having many appealing elements. Sometimes, when you start an MMORPG that has been running for years, you feel so “behind the curve” that the prospect of catching up with everyone at the endgame is too daunting. And because the Call of Duty franchise has a yearly lifecycle, a new iteration of the game was released in November. Black Ops Cold War subsequently replaced the reboot of Modern Warfare and a lot of the new games content subsequently bled through in the free Battle Royale version. I’d been playing Warzone since last April and it was beginning to get a little stale. So I didn’t buy the latest Battle Pass and decided to move on. And then there’s The Lord of the Rings Online. Let it suffice to say I have completed as much of the latest “mini expansion” as I require and the game is now “on hold”.
Star Trek Online: Budget D7
The current Klingon Recruitment Event in Star Trek Online is a great opportunity for new and returning players. The revamped Klingon storyline really hits the mark, offering an adventure that is packed to the gunwales with lore appropriate themes and homages. Basically you get to shout Qapla' a lot and while dispatching your enemies with the business end of your bat'leth. You even get to fight alongside Kahless the Unforgettable himself. Cryptic certainly know how to use their license effectively, offering not only a fanservice but a genuinely well conceived narrative. So let it suffice to say, I created a new Klingon alt (choosing a Discovery era Klingon this time round) and have powered through the four story arcs. K’Olin has now reached level 52 and the rank of Lieutenant General. I have benefited greatly by reclaiming gear and equipment that has been account unlocked by other alts.
COVID-19 Pandemic 2021 Part 8
It is now ten months since The World Health organization declared a global pandemic. The UK is now enduring its third lockdown. The only difference this time is that we are now facing several new strains of COVID-19 and the public is divided over the restrictions. The Government has consistently failed over the last year to take any meaningful action and the country effectively finds itself back at square one. To date, the UK has no functional test and trace system in place, nor are the country’s borders fully controlled in an effective manner. Flights from certain countries are banned but connecting flights can circumnavigate this problem. Only now are passengers tested for COVID-19 on arrival. PPE and glass vials are in short supply. Post Brexit “administrative issues” now threaten to delay stocks of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine. The National Health Service is struggling to cope. All these issues are further exacerbated by a partisan press and a population that appears to be at war with itself.
Keeping Up
I was a teenager during the eighties and the music that I listened to at the time was a major part of my overall experience. My musical taste influenced how I dressed and sometimes even determined friendships. Going to a gig and seeing music performed live was a major rite of passage. Furthermore, due to there only being a handful of TV channels in the UK at the time, meant that certain key programs were responsible for the dissemination of a broad spectrum of musical genres. Hence, while you waited for a band that you liked to come on, you’d sit and be exposed to a wealth of different artists. Something that tends not to happen nowadays as there is far more choice available. My passion for music persisted throughout the nineties and then began to wane round about the turn of the century. Work and the practicalities of daily life made it increasingly difficult to “keep up”. I used to read the music press and know about contemporary artists. I no longer do this. I often don’t even know what the current Number 1 record is.
LOTRO and Community Management
Hanlon’s Razor asserts “never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity”. Therefore it is a useful tool when applied to politics, business management and public discourse. All of which are rife with contention and rancour. However, this is often due to human incompetence rather than premeditated malevolence. So with this maxim in mind, let us consider the conundrum that is the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online, its developer Standing Stone Games and their ongoing propensity for bad community relations and poor business decisions. Last year, there were major server outages which kept the game offline for a substantial amount of time. Despite SSG enjoying a community that is broadly sympathetic to their cause, they handled the problem appallingly. The community manager at times gives the impression that doing his job is positively distasteful to him. However, the recent acquisition of SSG by Enad Global 7, gave the community hope that 2021 would be a better year. Sadly, nearly a month into the New Year and SSG have managed to upset their customers yet again.
Another 5 of My Favourite Quality-of-Life Mechanics in MMOs
Last year I wrote a post about several “quality-of-life mechanics” found in MMOs. Systems and functionality that just make a game more manageable or convenient. Despite having many features in common, MMOs are far from identical in their interface and controls. If you’re a genre aficionado, then you can usually bluff your way through a new game and decipher how to play it. But for new players, often just trying to figure out how to do a simple thing, like find your skill points, can be an uphill struggle. However, every now and then, you’ll come across some simple functionality in a game that is useful and makes a task much easier. So I have collated another five “quality-of-life mechanics” that I feel are significant and beneficial to the player. Some are very minor but that does not diminish their value. Sometimes, less can indeed be more.
LOTRO: Proposed Changes to Scrolls of Empowerment in Update 28.3
2020 was a tumultuous year for Standing Stone Games and their MMORPG, The Lord of the Rings Online. The initial success they enjoyed at Easter through offering so much free content was tempered by the server outages over June and July. Their systemic communication failure throughout this period did not help matters. However, the news regarding Enad Global 7 and their acquisition of Daybreak Game Company in December was well received by fans. A graphical overhaul and a console port were both mentioned in an investor presentation. The New Year started well with the news that the first six expansions for LOTRO have been bundled together for the bargain price of £47 (including VAT). However, matters have taken a turn for the worst after a post on the official game forums caught players attention.
Looking After Your Mental Wellbeing
Very few people had a “good” 2020. I won’t bore you with a list of my personal woes as I’m sure you have plenty of your own. Plus everything is relative. We shouldn’t compare apples with oranges. Like many people, I now find myself fatigued by the ongoing global events and the conspicuous absence of normality. I like to consider myself quite a robust person. I have endured difficult times in the past and have come through them by remaining calm and focused. However, the nebulous and seemingly never ending nature of the global pandemic is extremely wearing. Let it suffice to say that I feel singularly unmotivated at present. Writing, which is usually a great pleasure, is currently a chore. I am also troubled by something that I personally find most unusual. A sense of sadness. And it doesn’t seem to want to go away.
The Thing (2011)
I wrote an article back in 2009 as to why I felt a remake of The Thing was a bad idea. At that time, the project was in development hell and didn’t look like getting off the ground. Subsequently, the production evolved into a prequel and managed to find financial support, culminating in a theatrical release in late 2011. Like many interested parties, I watched the initial teaser trailer with a mixture of curiosity and trepidation. Then when the red band trailer arrived I felt that the shark was well and truly jumped. Too much was shown (a common problem with modern trailers) and there the internet was awash with discontented mutterings from John Carpenter purists. Hence I refrained from watching this movie for several years. When I finally got round to doing so, I was not well disposed towards it. However, over the Christmas holidays, I decide to give this prequel a second viewing and see if I could approach it with a less partisan mindset.
Cyberpunk 2077 and Third-Person Perspective
There’s no point in dancing around the issue, Cyberpunk 2077 has failed to maintain a hold on me and I have not touched the game for over a week. I have niggles about the combat system and navigating the wonderfully realised world of Night City. The biggest selling points for the game are the central story and the wealth of well conceived side quests. Sadly all of these positive attributes are hamstrung by one fact that ultimately spoils my enjoyment. I don’t care for the first person perspective that developers CD Projekt RED have chosen for the game. I understand that they feel that combat is better served by this mechanic and that the entire FPS genre provides credence to their argument. However, I find that this decision comes at the expense of your character. This is a Role Playing Game with a complex character customisation system. It strikes me as incongruous that after lovingly creating your own concept of V, the main protagonist, that you spend your entire game unable to see them.
Blog Comments
Leaving comments on a post is a perennial talking point among bloggers. A good comment is often encouraging, provides valuable feedback and is also personally rewarding. However, allowing them on your site is also an invitation for assholes to talk bollocks. Setting aside the overall debate, comments per se just seem to be in decline these days. I find that people will respond to a post on Twitter, where they saw the initial link to begin with. Although this is pleasant it doesn’t leave anything permanent associated with the post. But such is the nature of social media. And of course another major stumbling block to leaving comments are the foibles of the various websites and platforms themselves. All too often a site will just ignore or reject your comment. This itself then acts as a future disincentive.
This Year's Plan
This is a public service announcement. Don’t waste your time with traditional, grandiose, pie in the sky New Year resolutions. The key to success is to set yourself realistic and achievable goals. Further incentivise them by including some sort of reward upon their completion. If involving a third party makes it more likely that you’ll achieve these endeavours then do so. Don’t waste your own time and sell yourself short by chasing things you know are patently unrealistic. Pursue things that are beneficial or even pragmatic. Also, ignore others who publicly set prestigious goals. You know the “type”. Those tedious over achievers who feel the need to compete on absolutely every level. Do not concern yourself when they hit their targets. It’s not about them. It’s about you. Life is relative. Focus on what you can do and then go about doing it. I’ve said this all before in previous New Year blog posts but sensible advice merits repeating.
Goodbye 2020
A very wise Vulcan once said “change is the essential process of all existence”. 2020 has demonstrated that unequivocally. How our privileged, pampered lives have altered over the last twelve months. We’ve had to stay at home, curtail our social interactions and reflect upon the meaning of existence. I appreciate that things are relative, so it’s not helpful to compare the concerns that discombobulate people today with the realities that folk had to endure during World War II for example. I won’t trivialise the sense of isolation and desperation some folk have felt over the lockdown. From my own perspective, my life as a carer is regimented and focused, so 2020 hasn’t really “cramped my style” to use an old fashioned phrase. However, several things happened over the course of the year that have had an impact upon myself and my family.
A Year in TV
Let it suffice to say that due to current “circumstances”, Mrs P and I have watched a lot more TV this year. However, rather than just reiterate what we’ve viewed, which is already covered in my recurring blog post The Idiot Box, I thought I’d take the time to reflect upon some wider issues. TV has become a major source not only of entertainment but psychological support during this year’s social restrictions. The closure of cinemas for the majority of the past twelve months has meant that TV has had little or no competition. Furthermore, many of the films that may well have drawn audiences away, have come to the smaller screens a lot quicker. Never has so much TV been voraciously consumed. There’s also been a degree of nostalgia as viewers have watched popular shows at broadly similar times, reviving that sense of a shared experience that was so common in the seventies and eighties. However, the pandemic has also caused a slow down in TV production. Will the shortage of new content that many have predicted finally manifest itself next year?
A Year in Movies
In 2019, I went to the cinema just once to see Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. I didn’t write a summary of the films I’d seen throughout that year, as I felt that mainstream releases had become far too formulaic and dull. 2020 has done little to change my perspective. The global pandemic has meant that Cinemas have spent most of the time closed and therefore many of this year’s major film releases have ended up on video on demand services. A few titles remain indefinitely postponed, such as the latest Bond movie No Time to Die, while Sony Pictures wait to see if “normality” resumes. But a film that is sitting on the shelf is not a film making money. Hence, Warner Bros. have announced that all their major releases for 2021 will be across multiple platforms simultaneously, thus ensuring a broader flow of revenue. This has not pleased director’s such as Christopher Nolan who argue passionately regarding the merits of cinema. But I doubt Mr. Nolan has ever had to endure an out of focus screening in the wrong aspect ratio at Cineworld, Rochester, where audiences talk and mess with their phones continuously.
A Year in Gaming
Retrospective posts such as this can be a sprawling mess. There is also potential to cover the same old ground that I’ve covered in my monthly summaries “A Month in Gaming”. So I’ll try to be as succinct as I can. Firstly I won’t dwell too much on the iniquities of the video game industry as I’ve covered that elsewhere. Let it suffice to say that the notion of the “rock star developer” and the ethical publisher have proven false. Buying a triple A mainstream game is as morally compromised as buying a pair of jeans made by child labour. But let’s not get caught up in ethics. That’s another post. The pandemic meant that I, like many others, had far more leisure time this year and hence I spent that time gaming. It’s been a good year for video games publishers and the revenue has rolled in. Have I had fun while playing more games? Yes. The games have proven engaging and they also provide a lot to write about, so it’s a win, win scenario from my perspective.