Gaming Thread

[daft alchemist]

I learn how to play d20 stuff as I go along. It's easier that way. If you learn it while applying it, it isn't as confusing. Otherwise you have no idea what's going on.

[BugHunter]

I would love to play a D&D game and I love everything that goes into it... but i'm like busy with my college projects over here... I'll have to read all this stuff later

After reading some of the stuff =P I at least now know how to read those strange "5d20+wutever" signs. yay! Makes me wanna mess around with the random character creation thingy.

[daft alchemist]

I think I'm going to pre-order LotR Online and do that lifetime thingy. Oh man. I am so in love with this game, and I've figured out a way to accurately describe just how much too. Ok, even though the game lags like it's not even funny no matter what settings you put it on, and it gets those illegal error messages that close the program down a bit often, I still sit and play it for hours and hours even though I have tons of other games that behave nicely. I cannot stop playing. For completing so many quests in the Bree area, I got two special traits that give me a small bonus to stats. I took up farming because everyone said it was enjoyable, and I do quite enjoy it. I love how skills work in this game. You don't pick a primary and secondary profession or anything like that. Professions are pre-set and include three job skills each. I was an Explorer first, and I had forester skills (collecting wood and animal skins), prospector skills (mining and smelting), and tailoring skills (which are obvious). Then I decided to become a Woodsman instead so I lost the prospector and tailor skills and got Woodworking and Farming skills instead.

What I love most about the profession system is that even though you get three skills, you may not be able to use them all together. For instance, I'm a farmer, but I can't cook the food I harvest. But maybe another person with the cooking skill doesn't have the farming skill. So they can buy the food I harvest to increase their cooking skill. It's so beautiful because it almost forces you to rely on other players in a way.

One other awesome thing is the transportation. WoW has flying transportation to get you places quickly, but this game has horses since that's realistic. But the beautiful thing is if you see something on the road while you're riding and you really want to check it out, you have a dismount button in the bottom right corner of the screen and you can stop riding whenever you want. It's too cool, it really is. This game is so much fun. I think I would love it even if I didn't know a single thing about LotR, but I'm really glad I do.

And also, the game does go along with the books. The Sackville-Bagginses live at Bag End and not Frodo. Also, gossiping Hobbits will mention things about how that weird Bilbo fella up and vanished and then his nephew Frodo just gave up Bag End and things like that. Apparently you can even see the Fellowship if you go to Rivendell. I'm going to have to check that out. Bombadil is in the Old Forest! I haven't seen him yet but I hear mention of him all the time. I'm so excited to get out there and find him! I found Sam's dad, the Gaffer. I found the party tree, and had to take a screenshot. I found Farmer Maggot and his dogs Wolf, Fang, and Grip. I also found Bill Ferny, but he's such a nasty person so I didn't bother to take a screenshot of that.

I'm also finding that I get a bit annoyed with the NPCs sometimes. The Hobbits in the Shire say things like "nothing good will come from Gandalf meddling around with things in the Shire" and saying nasty things about Merry, and I grumble inwardly like a dork.

Speaking of dorks, everyone in the chats keeps compairing the game to Guild Wars, WoW, and SWG. Or at least they keep talking about them.

Also, Will I have no idea where you found those forums with the people bickering like you told me, but everyone in the game is nice and the only thing they bicker about, actually, is whether or not LotRO is better than WoW.

[Jalathas]

Sounds pretty cool, and your descriptions remind me a lot of the old SWG, which is a very good thing.

[Tassatul]

So, in a word or two, you like it?

Also, I imagine they all compare it to Warcraft because WoW is the MMO powerhouse and has been for a few years now. Its like how everyone compares FPSs to Half-Life, or strategies to Starcraft or Command and Conquer. Its to be expected.

[Cobra5]

Sarah, the community bickering and stuff, like I said, is on forums all around the web.

But yeah like I said, you can't always judge it by that.

It sounds cool, but still not something I'd play.

[daft alchemist]

Anyone who doesn't try it is missing out on so much.

Oddly enough Tass, everyone spends the whole time comparing games in every genre. They were talking about CS:S yesterday and CoH too. And since everyone is really very nice, you can tell who is a jerk right away because they're the ones accusing other people of being jerks when their questions aren't answered right away.

[BugHunter]

like, duh

[daft alchemist]

There are instruments in the game for the minstrel class and for just playing for fun. Apparently the 1-8 keys are musical notes while you play the instrument. People are trying to figure out different songs using them. One guy over chat said that he heard someone playing the Mario song. I dunno about that, but I heard someone playing the Imperial March on a lute, and it was pretty damn awesome.

[BugHunter]

People did that in LoZ: Ocarina of Time. They figured out how to play songs with the Ocarina.

[daft alchemist]

Yeah, I went online and learned how to play part of the Hobbit theme song on the ocarina. I love being a total dork. ;D

[Jalathas]

Yay! So from what I'm reading, you can actually be a character completely dedicated to a non-combat role? I've said this before, but sounds like the old-school SWG! I am getting this now.

[daft alchemist]

Yes. Well, Minstrels are actually the healing class in the game, but I suppose that would make them non-combat anyway.

[Jalathas]

Ah. Not what I meant, but okay.

[zoner]

sounds kew.