tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8302539560965557171.comments2015-05-26T09:29:00.620-04:00The Order of the SerpentLRNshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00429346021124791105noreply@blogger.comBlogger138125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8302539560965557171.post-43212068510941420442009-12-26T07:17:53.017-05:002009-12-26T07:17:53.017-05:00Lies. It were Avacar what tracked down the cat.Lies. It were Avacar what tracked down the cat.Mardigilianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03482929496020672483noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8302539560965557171.post-88031976374366324252009-11-03T10:30:45.772-05:002009-11-03T10:30:45.772-05:00Perhaps this is not an either/or situation, but ra...Perhaps this is not an either/or situation, but rather a progression. FMs require a lot of coordination across a number of different variables. Seven second window. Correct target. Right color. Situational awareness. Getting a named maneuver over a jumble of colors.<br /><br />That's an immense amount of information to process for folks who, as Jeff rightly says, are accustomed to WoW where it's focus, focus, focus. FMs are brand new to us and we're doing well on them, but there is also room for improvement.<br /><br />It may be unfair to expect us at this stage of personal player experience to be able to discern the right maneuver all the time. Greg's and my e-mail chain about establishing a leader for FMs can be looked at as a stepping stone along the way. One day, yes, we'll have all this down, but what do we do to get from here to there? What are the means by which we practice this new discipline?<br /><br />Let's face it. We didn't march into MC or BWL or Sunwell or any other raid in WoW without having played our characters for literally days of "/played." And even then, on our first visits, what happened? Wipe after wipe. Experience comes slowly, but it comes through practice, practice, practice.<br /><br />Perhaps that should be our new mantraAvouzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09819593963802415158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8302539560965557171.post-1092174841970923252009-11-01T07:24:31.047-05:002009-11-01T07:24:31.047-05:00Fellowship maneuvers are about team work. Everybo...Fellowship maneuvers are about team work. Everybody has to do their part. I see two ways to go about doing that. One is to have one and only one person call the maneuver when it comes up. We have vent so it could be done by voice, but that will delay us starting to select colors. A better bet is the leader calling the maneuver by selecting the color for the first half. Leader picks blue, blue-green full house. Leader picks green, green blue. Everybody knows there position in the order. This is what we were doing when we first started doing maneuvers, why did we stop? <br /><br />The second way is for everybody to be aware of our situation. Is this trash that we want to burn down and move on from? RRRYYY Are we in good shape but seconds away from a tough pull or more adds? RRRRRB Are we early in a fight against a really tough boss? RRRYYY Same situation against a boss that hits really hard? GGGBB Are people running dry on power? BBBGG This method should give us the most time. Everybody knows there spot in the order, and should be lining it up as soon as they see the proc. Most of the situational awareness required is not much more than we already do, but there are two hitches. Everybody needs to make scanning the left side of the screen part of your routine. If you don't see lots of blue and green there, be ready to make some. The other hitch is trickier. We're all getting different data. We've all customized our UIs. Some of us are facing different directions. Some of us are getting information later than others (Curse you Maxwell). Even when we are seeing the same things (like health and power bars) we would have to interpret them in the same way.<br /><br />As for what maneuvers we should be doing, allow me to engage in a bit of thread necromancy. http://herenlokion.guildlaunch.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3478834&gid=108434<br />There are some good maneuvers out there that we haven't been attempting. They are a little more complex, but we shouldn't have any trouble executing them as planned maneuvers. For random procs I don't think we need any more than 5 maneuvers in our pocket. One for each color, with the option to go for DoT or OB on red.Mardigilianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03482929496020672483noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8302539560965557171.post-52864330752528580722009-10-29T14:33:16.862-04:002009-10-29T14:33:16.862-04:00There are some amazing maneuvers (that are not rea...There are some amazing maneuvers (that are not really complex) that we've yet to try. Some of them provide the "best of both worlds." <br /><br />The Lorebook's chart is really our next step. <br />http://lorebook.lotro.com/wiki/Mechanics:Fellowship_Maneuvers<br /><br />I encourage everyone to read through this chart and come up w/ maneuvers to try.LRNshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00429346021124791105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8302539560965557171.post-81240828914190304632009-10-29T14:00:40.680-04:002009-10-29T14:00:40.680-04:00Also, the point of the original post was to encour...Also, the point of the original post was to encourage everyone taking in the big picture. Yes, it's easier to always go GGGBB, and you can't really hurt yourself by choosing that maneuver, but then you also don't have to take responsibility for situational awareness and make an informed decision about something that is as fluid as combat can be. Will always selecting a healing maneuver wipe your party? Probably not, but that doesn't mean it's always the best choice to make.Insidiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09675106957594579566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8302539560965557171.post-65872035895115641302009-10-29T13:54:33.386-04:002009-10-29T13:54:33.386-04:00The reason for damage FMs is because a completed l...The reason for damage FMs is because a completed length 6 one, like hew the stone or the 3R,3Y one is that they do AE. On trash, or early in a fight with boss that had adds, that can be very valuable.<br /><br />The other thing to keep in mind is that we have only been doing very simple, 2 color maneuvers. The straights do a bit of everything and then have a special effect thrown in. We really, really need to start practicing the length 6 uniques and develop the ability to do at least a few of them on demand. Some of these remove wounds or diseases or fear, or reduce the enemy's armor.Insidiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09675106957594579566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8302539560965557171.post-39307976779571043552009-10-29T13:33:18.706-04:002009-10-29T13:33:18.706-04:00I see your point. However, on "trash" I...I see your point. However, on "trash" I don't always agree. Sometimes moral & power are simply non-issues. The red w/ blue kicker, 6-player maneuver can be VERY effective at mopping up a pull and allowing us to prepare for the next one. It does broad AoE damage & brings that spirit out to add to our dps in the next fight. <br /><br />That said, YES, green/blue maneuvers have saved us from the brink of defeat several times (sometimes on one fight.)LRNshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00429346021124791105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8302539560965557171.post-38206238466004501002009-10-29T13:21:45.975-04:002009-10-29T13:21:45.975-04:00Here's my thought on Fellowship Manuvers....
...Here's my thought on Fellowship Manuvers....<br /><br />While useful, I have yet to see the tide of a fight turned by a properly executed damage based FM. I have however seen numerous fights turned by a well executed Blue / Green manuver.<br /><br />We as players have the ability to convert health and power into damage. In my opinion virtually every FM should be a blue green mix. If we're full up, well the Morale gain is a DoT so assuming that we are still taking damage it will help us.<br /><br />If we're not hurting for morale and power, could a Blue FM be a waste... sure. But in that situation do we really NEED the damage manuver? If we're that high on morale and power couldn't we just burn down the mobs anyway even if the FM hadn't procced.<br /><br />Blue/Green manuvers are not as sexy as Red/Yellow ones, but they have much more potential to save the group. I think he DPS lost by not performing Red/Yellow manuvers is not something we'll miss. But by focusing on Bluee/Green I think we maximize the chance that we execute the FMs correctly when we need them and help us prevent wipes.Cainamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09720684357500649592noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8302539560965557171.post-38703548922682457172009-09-24T20:15:25.272-04:002009-09-24T20:15:25.272-04:00I've noticed the same, every class has a role ...I've noticed the same, every class has a role it excels in, another one or two at which its good (particularly if well played). Very few classes are completely useless at anything. Burglars (even hobbits) are pretty much SOL when it comes to ranged combat, but some of their CC abilities can give them a chance to close or catch a runner.<br /><br />Another thing I've noticed and I hope it holds as we get into higher levels. Pulling aggro off the tank isn't instantly fatal--which I certainly appreciate when I get an endless combo going.Mardigilianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03482929496020672483noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8302539560965557171.post-5128342631993636042009-09-13T13:21:06.218-04:002009-09-13T13:21:06.218-04:00Many I'm sure will recognize names and events ...Many I'm sure will recognize names and events from our MERP campaigns at Virginia Tech. Ellote figured into four games there, three run by Jeff and one by me, and allusion to all of them is within this story.<br /><br />There is also oblique reference to the D&D-in-Middle-Earth game I ran at Philadelphia, although I left this vague.<br /><br />Tried to write this in a Tolkien style. Hope I was successful in using some of his more archaic language and grammar.Avouzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09819593963802415158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8302539560965557171.post-997403452059886332009-09-10T22:05:06.683-04:002009-09-10T22:05:06.683-04:00I just posted on Flyv's site a little while ag...I just posted on Flyv's site a little while ago, but it applies here too: WoW seems to be experiencing a "changing of the guard" when it comes to the bloggers who write about it. Yes - a lot of blogs live on, but so many have stopped being WoW-centric, or have just faded away. I'm not sure what that means...<br /><br />Anyways - if you're looking for some other gaming Podcasts to fill the WoW void I'd highly recommend "Shut Up, We're Talking" (MMO centric - http://www.virginworlds.com/podcast.php?show=5) and "Gamers With Jobs" (general gaming - http://www.gamerswithjobs.com/podcast). I think you'd enjoy both.Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10693094640731170153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8302539560965557171.post-41338013039766304502009-09-10T17:26:58.308-04:002009-09-10T17:26:58.308-04:00I blame Greg and his Relan post.I blame Greg and his Relan post.Cainamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09720684357500649592noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8302539560965557171.post-50342567769768353722009-09-10T17:05:38.265-04:002009-09-10T17:05:38.265-04:00Hmm, now I'm tempted to post my narrative abou...Hmm, now I'm tempted to post my narrative about Ellote that I wrote.Avouzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09819593963802415158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8302539560965557171.post-9983749468310658212009-09-10T15:13:16.478-04:002009-09-10T15:13:16.478-04:00Yeah I've done a lot of the same things. I no...Yeah I've done a lot of the same things. I no longer read greedy Goblin or WoWeconomics.<br /><br />THe hardest part to let go fo for me, is "The Instance." It's truly entertaining and has accompanied me on many longer car trips. <br /><br />To be honest, I may keep listening to it until I find some manner of alternative to it.Cainamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09720684357500649592noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8302539560965557171.post-59681505339218010572009-09-10T09:50:15.436-04:002009-09-10T09:50:15.436-04:00One of our crew, and I don't remember who exac...One of our crew, and I don't remember who exactly, once commented that it's good to go to the Shire once and a while to remember why we're battling the Enemy.<br /><br />In some ways, the LOTRO Shire isn't tranquil enough, with bandits, spiders, wolves, and goblins threatening. But as your experience points out, these threats are still largely confined to the fringes of the Shire and foretell of worse things to come if we heroes fail.Avouzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09819593963802415158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8302539560965557171.post-82677387937259298382009-09-10T09:33:16.703-04:002009-09-10T09:33:16.703-04:00Kevin, your experience echoes mine so much it soun...Kevin, your experience echoes mine so much it sounds like a repeat performance.<br /><br />Back in the day, when I created Ellote for MERP, I rolled her as a bard. Thus, when I came to LOTRO for the free trial, I decided that minstrel was the class for her. Thus I began to play through the starting zone with a min.<br /><br />I hated it. Not because I thought the class was uninteresting; I felt min had some very unique mechanics compared to anything I'd played in WoW. But it was boring. I wasn't enjoying myself and it soured me on the entire LOTRO game.<br /><br />Fast forward to our switch two months ago. I came into this with some reluctance also, but that quickly faded as I began to play other class/race combinations. But I clung to Ellote as min for about two weeks because <b>that was what she was supposed to be.</b> Roleplaying was tying me into a class I disliked.<br /><br />I eventually deleted her and rerolled her as a hunter, since MERP Ellote's other "tag" was an archer. I have not regretted the change in the least. She is a blast to play.<br /><br />I think your overall point is a good one. There are limits on how much roleplaying you can really do in an MMO. Trying to play a toon whose original roleplaying "tag" was not combat, as Shelwin's wasn't, doesn't work.<br /><br />That said, there are still plenty of roleplaying opportunities in game. I know I find myself constantly thinking of my MMO character and my old MERP character as one and the same, in terms of motivations, desires, hopes, etc. RP is far more important to me here than it ever was in WoW. It's all in how decide to manifest it.Avouzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09819593963802415158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8302539560965557171.post-5040661638169933142009-09-06T20:24:22.843-04:002009-09-06T20:24:22.843-04:00I tried to put some thought into my characters'...I tried to put some thought into my characters' names. Calendriel dates back to our original Middle Earth RPG, and her name means something like "green-garlanded maiden" (since she was originally a druid.) Meriliavas is a bit more awkward in pronunciation, but means "autumn rose." Caalen is my own creation, borrowed from WoW and a Realms D&D adventure...I tried to make it more Rohrimm-like, but most easy transformations were already taken.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11718170481690267405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8302539560965557171.post-49364928541815097392009-08-29T15:36:09.815-04:002009-08-29T15:36:09.815-04:00Narsil was Elendil's sword, who was king over ...Narsil was Elendil's sword, who was king over both the North and South kingdoms, so I wouldn't call it an heirloom only of Arnor. But you do have an interesting point, and it was actually discussed in an essay by Michael Martinez (can be found at merp.com, don't recall which essay it is). One of Arnor's kings actually attempted to claim the kingship of Gondor once by right of descent from Isildur and Gondor rejected the claim and gave the kingship to someone of less royal blood but descended from Anarion. So basically Gondor has already established that it does not consider descent from Isildur alone to merit the kingship of Gondor. This is why Aragorn can't just show up and claim the kingship, he has to earn it through leadership in the War of the Ring. Faramir was not obligated to surrender the Stewardship and declare Aragorn king. Aragorn rightfully earned that and didn't rely on some shiny tokens and his bloodline.Insidiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09675106957594579566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8302539560965557171.post-68035365988599802782009-08-29T14:11:42.745-04:002009-08-29T14:11:42.745-04:00I see where you are coming from with this, Amaeva....I see where you are coming from with this, Amaeva. I have been setting goals for myself in game, but I think my issue is that they are a little too broad.<br /><br />"Level weaponsmithing to expert"<br />"Play all the quests from the Forsaken Inn"<br />etc.<br /><br />The other issue is that many of even these broad goals have been accomplished. So I'm a little lost as to what to do next. However, working on deeds and titles is a good idea and something I had not considered before.<br /><br />I also need to trim down the number of toons I'm focusing on for the time being.<br /><br />(FYI, I used to do dailies in WoW. Grinding is not usually a problem for me.)Avouzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09819593963802415158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8302539560965557171.post-79181033326887042112009-08-29T10:16:08.269-04:002009-08-29T10:16:08.269-04:00Also, go listen to The One True Cast podcast. He ...Also, go listen to The One True Cast podcast. He hasn't had a new one in while, but go through his old episodes. If that guy can't get you excited about playing this game, no one can.Insidiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09675106957594579566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8302539560965557171.post-78495305109395396232009-08-29T10:03:07.402-04:002009-08-29T10:03:07.402-04:00Knowing Nord the way I do I think I can say the pr...Knowing Nord the way I do I think I can say the problem here is not MMO vs single-player gaming, or gaming vs not gaming. The issue is focus. I know focusing is something you're not good at, so you need to develop some habits to help you with it. The best thing you can do to help you focus is to set some goals. Start with small goals first, don't craft some grand plan that will take forever to accomplish. The great thing about LotRO is that it has a lot of ways to help you do this, particularly with the deed and crafting system the way they are.<br /><br />Pick a character you like and look through his deed list. Or look at the deed lists and title lists at lotrowiki. Find something that appeals to you. Say it's a class trait that you want. Log on, go find some mobs to wail on, and use that class trait until you can't get any more credit for the day. Then log off. Small goals like this a) help you focus and b) give you a sense of accomplishment. <br /><br />You have this reflex-like habit of saying 'ding' in /k every time you level. Going from level 12 to 13 is not an accomplishment. The only levels you are going to gain that really feel like you've done something are 35 for the mount and 60 because it is the cap. Find more interesting things to work towards. Everyone is going to level, not everyone is going to get the Pork-chopper title, or get 10 ranks in Justice, or hit Supreme Master in a crafting skill.<br /><br />Now most of the goals you're going to come up with are going to involve a grind of some sort. This is true of real life just as much as games, so there's no sense QQing about how grindy such and such deed is. The trick is to do whatever you can to make it feel less grindy. One thing I do is to turn off in game music and listen to a podcast, or put on some theme music. I don't mean the soundtracks from the movies either. If you're going out to kill 120 orcs for a deed, then pop in some music that will help. I find fast tempo music is really good for this. Make sure you're comfortable in your chair. Have a full beverage handy. Maybe some crackers or something. Then just do it. Don't get sidetracked. Don't say, eh, I'll do this later and play an alt now. Just do it. When you're done you will feel very satisfied and that satisfaction will go a long way towards making your next grinding session more enjoyable.<br /><br />Also (should have put this at the beginning, no one is going to read this far in my wall of text), don't delude yourself into thinking that you are only going to be playing in groups for the rest of this game. There is a ton of solo content in the game. And the good group content has level gaps separating it. You're going to have to do some leveling solo. Try some pugs too - the community here is much better in general than it was in WoW. You've been playing for a month, and Blizzard throws some shiny Cataclysm footage at you, and now you're already planning to go back. You'll never enjoy the game if it is nothing more than a way to pass the time between WoW expansions. The people that made this game love the Lord of the Rings, and it shows in what they produced. You say you're a Tolkien fan, so take some time to enjoy it. Stop what you're doing and look around you occasionally. Take some screenshot. Look for Bilbo's trolls, they're out there.Insidiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09675106957594579566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8302539560965557171.post-53898865454171102802009-08-28T13:29:08.975-04:002009-08-28T13:29:08.975-04:00Might I suggest some single-player games? MMOs ar...Might I suggest some single-player games? MMOs aren't the be-all and end-all of gaming. =)Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10693094640731170153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8302539560965557171.post-14022504170159593962009-08-23T12:33:26.960-04:002009-08-23T12:33:26.960-04:00I love to face-roll my keyboard in the morning. I...I love to face-roll my keyboard in the morning. It smells like victory.Mardigilianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03482929496020672483noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8302539560965557171.post-84912184837085338162009-08-23T12:31:36.917-04:002009-08-23T12:31:36.917-04:00Just saw a blurb about the expansion. Revamping e...Just saw a blurb about the expansion. Revamping existing zones, adding new content, and five whole levels.<br /><br />Five.<br /><br />Because nobody actually wants to work their way through a rich and detailed world. They just want enough of an increase to force them into a monotonous rep grind with a few new factions to get gear that will allow them to survive long enough to learn what ever gimmick is need to beat the new bosses/earn enough arena points.Mardigilianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03482929496020672483noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8302539560965557171.post-76585520557986736222009-08-19T22:55:34.981-04:002009-08-19T22:55:34.981-04:00Your comment, Amaeva, and a few things I've be...Your comment, Amaeva, and a few things I've been talking with Matt about make me think something I hadn't before concerning WoW.<br /><br />There was a time, long ago, when World of Warcraft was the ultimate PvE MMO. The PvP title was held by other games and WoW's PvP play was regarded as secondary concern. But then something changed. Class changes in patches became all about PvP balance. Arenas, battlegrounds, and PvP became the focus, and PvE became "faceroll-to-victory."<br /><br />I wonder if WoW is no longer "raid or die" as it was in the days of MC and BWL, but now rather "Arena or die." The reality of the frostwrym mount makes me wonder.<br /><br />This is also one of the great appeals of LOTRO. It's PvP component is handled very differently than any other game out there, so issues of balance are not much of a concern. I don't have to worry about my toons getting hit with the nerf bat constantly because some arena punk is whining on the forums day in and day out. Hallelujah.Avouzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09819593963802415158noreply@blogger.com