Shamus Plays: LOTRO, Part 6
- Thread starter Shamus Young
- Start date
The bandit conversation was priceless. Especially since the BANDIT character is more competent than all of Archet put together, it seems.
Like others have said, it's about an hour or so to get through the tutorial, depending on how much you read and if you go after the side quests.samsonguy920 said:
As a fan of the books, the compromises are kind of crazy, but I find it's worth it just to be able to tour Middle Earth. You can see the Gaffer working his vegetables. Visit Bag End. The Green Dragon. Meet Butterbur. Weathertop. Michael Delving. Old Forest. Bombadil. Etc.
I also wondered, why did I agree to this? It seems to be a common sentiment among MMORPGs. They inevitably contain a few ridiculous quests, so unlikely and illogical that you imagine the developers /must/ have meant it as a satire.
Actually, I take that back, *most* of the quests are ridiculous. That somebody needs you to kill 20 pigs, or fetch 15 spider galls (which apparently only 1 in 10 spiders have), or bring back 10 tusks for their hood ornament, really kills the whole "I'm being a hero instead of a wage slave" feeling of video games. Are we really pretending to be working a monotonous, laborious job for minimum wage? That was bad enough for the other 8 hours a day that I did it, and at least in real life, it means I can eat!
That's the biggest reason I stopped playing MMORPGs: they took all the fun out of fantasy. It was as though the game wasn't there to be fun or entertaining, but merely to keep you busy so that the developers could siphon $20/month out of you for the rest of eternity. And you were doing their chores. Their *virtual* chores.
But this whole series makes great fun out of that idea and I'm loving it to bits. Keep up the great work!
Actually, I take that back, *most* of the quests are ridiculous. That somebody needs you to kill 20 pigs, or fetch 15 spider galls (which apparently only 1 in 10 spiders have), or bring back 10 tusks for their hood ornament, really kills the whole "I'm being a hero instead of a wage slave" feeling of video games. Are we really pretending to be working a monotonous, laborious job for minimum wage? That was bad enough for the other 8 hours a day that I did it, and at least in real life, it means I can eat!
That's the biggest reason I stopped playing MMORPGs: they took all the fun out of fantasy. It was as though the game wasn't there to be fun or entertaining, but merely to keep you busy so that the developers could siphon $20/month out of you for the rest of eternity. And you were doing their chores. Their *virtual* chores.
But this whole series makes great fun out of that idea and I'm loving it to bits. Keep up the great work!
Welcome to Escapist, stay as long as you want, but stay out of the basement, also read the posting guidelines [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.116826-These-forums-and-you-Forum-Posting-Guidelines].Boraxe said:
Also Shamus, very funny, As good, if not better, then the Left 4 dumb series; The poems at the end are a good laugh.
I'm playing the free trial of LOTRO right now and I just can't get over how mundane the Shire quests are.ReverseEngineered said:
"I mean seriously? I have to escort a stupid pig back to it farm? Now I have to deliver mail?
Sweet, I finally get to do some dungeon crawling! What the hell? I just got killed in the first chamber! Oh, I see I have to get other people to help me."
Thats how they get you with MMOs, they promise you great adventures, but all of the quests that are worth doing, you have to be in a group or at a super high level (which I am not). The only quests you can do by yourself are the extremely boring ones (i.e. protecting the farmers pig, protecting the beekeeper's bees, delivering mail, kill 10 wolves/spiders/toads/slugs/shrews/bears/goblinsAAAAAAUUUHHHGGGG WHEN DO I GET TO DO SOMETHING MEANINGFUL!!!!!).
Interrogating with pastries and now stealing snotty pieces of cloth from old people!? What sick, cruel minds could come up with this stuff?