Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Shoestrings!

Just a quick note for my LOTRO/Wizard101 Crossover buddies -- Shoestrings the hobbit burglar has been born on the Crickhollow server! ;-)


I'm digging the Justin Beiber look. hahaha!

. . . is it just me, or is the tutorial a lot easier than it was all those years ago? Shoestrings seemed pretty invincible out there.

Happy dueling!

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Installed, did Weatherstock, and even played a bit!

Yup, I actually downloaded and installed Lord of the Rings Online again! I'm in trouble now! Far far too many MMOs loaded on my machine for my own good. ;) I guess I have to blame Liquid LOTRO for this. I've been catching up on Steve and Christie's podcasts, and I couldn't help myself.

The first thing I did, of course, was log on my old friends on Windfola: Stingite and Bachelbu. I haven't logged on since before LOTRO went free to play, so it was an experience just to find out what it was like now and what I had "earned' through all of Bach and Sting's accomplishments. The end result was around 3,200 Turbine Points. There seemed to be a number of new badges I had earned and that the exp curve had been adjusted.

The second thing I did, of course, was send inappropriate mail to my good friends Jelalron and Burrwin. ;-) That's a tradition for me.

The third thing I did was level up a new character to sixth, made the run to Weathertop Mountain, and attended Weatherstock! yup, here I am with my new character named "Weatherstockman" at Weatherstock.


Can't tell where I am in that sea of names, no? Ok, how about now?


Still no? Ok, let me help ya.


There we go! Weatherstockman at Weatherstock 2011! After songs would play, he would say, "Weatherstockman loves you!" and then use the /smoke emote. At one point everyone used the /smoke emote trying for LOTRO's largest /smoke out. This was followed with a response of /cough from the rest of the crowd.

How was the event? Well, let's just say it was interesting . . . a little dry compared to something like a Wizard101 or a Freerealms party, but HEY, this is LOTRO after all . . . land of the relax and be calm. Right? Right. It was pretty amazing that people can sync their own music, make a virtual band, and perform in front of a large crowd . . . all online. crazy. And being a part of that crowd was pretty cool.

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After watching me at Weatherstock, my son was absolutely freaking out and wanting to play Lord of the Rings Online, so I let my middle child on the computer and let him do his magic. He worked his way through the tutorial zone and beyond with minimal assisted help from me and took a lot of screenshots because he wanted to post about it--just like dad. He dictated to me what I should type, and I put that on his blog. (He's a young, high functioning autistic kid that LOVES videogames. The kid could play me under the table any day. And incredibly cute--I'm not biased.)

It was definitely a LOTRO type of a day for us.

Happy Dueling!

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Big News! Rise of Isengard!

So, it's been a year and a half since I've posted anything on this blog. WOW! Makes sense though as I've been playing around with other things.

Lord of the Rings had an amazing announcement today, though, so I figure, what the heck! I've got the time. I'm home sick and all. Might as well blog the awesomeness that is the Turbine press release for their new expansion.

Here's a cut-n-paste of the press release for you (with a little creative line spacing to make it work in Blogspot). Check it out:

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NEEDHAM, MA – June 7, 2011 -- Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Turbine announced today The Lord of the Rings Online™: Rise of Isengard™, the next expansion to the award-winning free-to-play massively multiplayer online roleplaying game (MMORPG) will launch on September 27, 2011. Players across North America and Europe can pre-purchase Rise of Isengard to receive special benefits starting today at http://www.lotro.com/isengard.

“Our journey through Middle-earth is now taking us to one of its most iconic locations,” said Aaron Campbell, Producer of The Lord of the Rings Online, Turbine. “The new regions are going to be truly epic in scale, story, and challenge. In addition to the wealth of features and content coming in September, players who pre-purchase the expansion will be able to use their bonus items immediately as they prepare for the launch of Rise of Isengard.”

THE LORD OF THE RINGS ONLINE: RISE OF ISENGARD FEATURES:
Explore Three New Regions! -- The time has come for you to turn eastward, toward the vale of Isengard. Where ancient forests once flourished, a corrupted waste of metal and wheels suffers under the thrall of the traitorous wizard Saruman. Here, in the shadows of the tower of Orthanc, gathers an army of Orcs and Uruk-hai, toiling to make ready for war. Forge ahead into these devastated lands and uncover new quests, skills, and traits as you strive to thwart Saruman’s ambition.
Dunland – Adventure amidst the bright forests in the foothills of the southern Misty Mountains. Beware the Dunland Clans, rugged warriors tempted by the dark promise of power.

Gap of Rohan – Battle over the legendary pass between Eriador and the plane of Rohan. This key strategic point must be defended against the ambitions of Sauron.

Isengard – Explore Orthanc, one of the iconic Two Towers as it rises over the once beautiful Isengard valley. The once beautiful vale now desecrated beyond imagination by the Wizard Saruman the betrayer.
Advance to Level 75!
Face new challenges and continue to forge your own legend in Middle-earth with all-new epic quests, skills, and deeds as you fight new enemies on your journey to level 75!
Master the Legendary New 24-Player Raid!
Face the ancient evil of Draigoch, one of the most powerful creatures in Middle-earth! Prepare for the ultimate challenge where nothing less than the strength of an entire force of 24 heroes stands the chance of victory.
Starting today, players can take can take advantage of three special pre-purchase offers to celebrate the release of the third major expansion to LOTRO:
Rise of Isengard Base Edition – Includes the full Rise of Isengard expansion plus:
Steed of the Gap, a new in-game mount with matching red cosmetic cloak for every character on your account

In-game title – Guard of the Isen

25% XP boost for all characters on an account up to level 65
Rise of Isengard Heroic Edition – Includes the full Rise of Isengard expansion plus:
1,000 Turbine Points for use in the LOTRO Store

Steed of the Gap, a new in-game mount with choice of matching cosmetic cloak and armor in your choice of red, white or green for every character on your account

In-game title – Guard of the Isen

25% XP boost for all characters on an account up to level 65
Rise of Isengard Legendary Edition – Includes the full Rise of Isengard expansion plus:
1,000 Turbine Points for use in the LOTRO Store

All three Steeds of the Gap, new in-game mounts with matching cosmetic cloak and armor in all three colors for every character on your account

In-game title – Guard of the Isen

25% XP boost for all characters on an account up to level 65

Access to the Path of the Fellowship Quest Packs including Trollshaws, Eregion, Moria, Lothlorien and Mirkwood

Players will have access to all of the bonus items including the new mount, cosmetic cloak and armor, in-game title and XP boost immediately after purchase. The Rise of Isengard expansion itself will be available to play on September 27, 2011. These special offers will only be available for a limited time. For more information, please visit www.lotro.com.
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And here's a couple pictures direct from Turbine to help you visualize both hacking and slashing with your crew and galloping on your new super cool mount in your new super cool clothes (click to make those screensaver worthy)!



I've said it before, and I'll say it again, it's really hard to not take an amazing screenshot in LOTRO, but whoever took these did a great job.

I can't believe you can level up to 75 now. Egads. I think my characters are still stuck back at 52/53 maybe? That 25% exp boost would be helpful. :)

Uber wife thinks those horse crowns are enough incentive to get into the game . . . I dunno, they kind of look a little silly to me . . . especially on the mustache man in red. O.o

I wish I was down at E3 so I could preview this content! Ahhh well, I'd rather be sick at home with a headache than sick at E3 and not be able to enjoy it fully.

Happy Dueling!