Since getting to Moria, I've not left. I think I got in around level 54 and now I'm 56. One big worry is about leveling too quickly and making all my remaining out of Moria quests go grey.
I walk questing in the Water Works and looking around. Man, it's huge. I wondered - can Moria really be an expansion of its own? Well, I suppose yes. Not as large as SoA, but getting from one location to another is pretty much equivalent to many cross territory SoA travels.
On top of that... man, thinking about it... it's in a MOUNTAIN! Most of that has to be carved or dug or dragged in from other carving and digging. No duh dwarves are grumpy!!
I don't recall the books really talking about how truly large this place is, but Turbine's designers sure did an amazing job building it... bravo. I take lots of screen shots, but on another computer and I'm too - I don't know - to remember to put them on the file server for later uploading somewhere... and frankly, the image inclusion process for this blogging tool stinks. Anyway... maybe next time.
Showing posts with label tourism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tourism. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Foggy Forochel isn't Fully Fun
Two nights ago I get back on for the first time in two weeks (well, 30 minutes doesn't count for much - so I played my alt then). I'm really trying to comlete volume 1 and now I'm doing epic quests all over the place without stopping to pick up new local quests. I'm assuming I'll get back soon enough... or I'll just go back. It's a strange balance. Quests I'd like to do, but if I get back too late, they are gray... so anyway, historically I get to the zone and say hi to some NPC who bestows a quest upon me, which turns into an arc. 10 quests later I'm back on the epic. I believe some changes were made that also make vol 1 epics MORE soloable... a couple still most definitely are not for a burglar.
OK, so last night I hit Forochel. Yep back to the cold-ass north. The actual quests and battles are not too bad... but traveling there is worse than Everswim. I was back
~~ spoiler alert ~~
because frankly, the last half of chapter 14 appears to be created by Amtrak or AAA, because it's all about going from relative extreme location to relative extreme location. Forochel to Rivendell to Micheal Delving to Thorin's Hall to Celodim - often one extreme to another. So, when it's late at night and the player is tired... navigating around bad guys to get to destinations is risky, so it's taking the Middle-Earth taxi service time - good thing I have a remotely decent treasure reserve.
For all of last night it was foggy in Forochel. Snow mounds and risky waters make for interesting navigation when you can't see too much further than your nose. Worse yet, we were playing on the laptop which is set at LOW for graphic settings, meaning low detail, low distance draws and creature creep - where you sometimes are traveling faster than the draws and suddenly you're being attacked. No real complaints... but that much fog took away from the very nice environmental views. Heck, even when it rains (sometimes especially) it just looks amazing.
I'd post a picture, but how about you just go to your shower, turn it on super hot, close the doors and turn the fan off... wait about 20 minutes. :)
OK, so last night I hit Forochel. Yep back to the cold-ass north. The actual quests and battles are not too bad... but traveling there is worse than Everswim. I was back
~~ spoiler alert ~~
because frankly, the last half of chapter 14 appears to be created by Amtrak or AAA, because it's all about going from relative extreme location to relative extreme location. Forochel to Rivendell to Micheal Delving to Thorin's Hall to Celodim - often one extreme to another. So, when it's late at night and the player is tired... navigating around bad guys to get to destinations is risky, so it's taking the Middle-Earth taxi service time - good thing I have a remotely decent treasure reserve.
For all of last night it was foggy in Forochel. Snow mounds and risky waters make for interesting navigation when you can't see too much further than your nose. Worse yet, we were playing on the laptop which is set at LOW for graphic settings, meaning low detail, low distance draws and creature creep - where you sometimes are traveling faster than the draws and suddenly you're being attacked. No real complaints... but that much fog took away from the very nice environmental views. Heck, even when it rains (sometimes especially) it just looks amazing.
I'd post a picture, but how about you just go to your shower, turn it on super hot, close the doors and turn the fan off... wait about 20 minutes. :)
Friday, July 23, 2010
know fear, no fear
Just taking a break from game (love access to the lorebook/blog within the game, since I game full screen mostly) to comment on something I've thought about often. I've back in Angmar for the last BUNCH of play sessions, but I'm back in the Trollshaws after handing in a few epic quests - yay me.
Heading back toward the Bruinen Gap, pop in to complete a basic giant quest... and I see all the drakes I used to have to sneak around, else I'd aggro them each time. Now? Nothing. Instead, I can walk up to them and just look. I can walk around the land and look around. One reason I play this game is because the world of Middle Earth just plain intrigues me. The idea that I can walk around it in 1st person is exciting. So, each time I level up to where I grey the baddies into ignoring me, I get to enjoy a part of the game that's harder to do when everyone around you wants a piece - even if you're a morsel of a hobbit.
Now to do some more quests, that are supposed to be fellowship, sneaktastic solo style, cuz there's so few people on, and even fewer willing to fellow with most of my LFF requests.
Heading back toward the Bruinen Gap, pop in to complete a basic giant quest... and I see all the drakes I used to have to sneak around, else I'd aggro them each time. Now? Nothing. Instead, I can walk up to them and just look. I can walk around the land and look around. One reason I play this game is because the world of Middle Earth just plain intrigues me. The idea that I can walk around it in 1st person is exciting. So, each time I level up to where I grey the baddies into ignoring me, I get to enjoy a part of the game that's harder to do when everyone around you wants a piece - even if you're a morsel of a hobbit.
Now to do some more quests, that are supposed to be fellowship, sneaktastic solo style, cuz there's so few people on, and even fewer willing to fellow with most of my LFF requests.
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