Orchida posted this on April 7th, 2011.
Categorized as Middle-Earth in Michigan, photo, photos, screenshot, screenshots, Spring Festival.
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The Spring Festival is a wonderful time to get together with one another and enjoy the warmer weather. The sun is out shining longer, and the grass is greener. There’s no reason not to sit down and have a pint (or two) with your fellow Man.
Tents & Tables
It’s not a proper Spring Festival gathering if there aren’t any colorful tents to ward off sun and rain, or sturdy tables to sit at, now is it?
Grand Rapids, MI (afternoon)
Festival Grounds, Bree-Land (morning)
Bertha Brock Park, Ionia, MI (afternoon)
Festival Grounds, Bree-Land (morning)
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Orchida posted this on February 18th, 2011.
Categorized as Middle-Earth in Michigan, photo, photos, screenshot, screenshots.
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This forest is one of the first places new players encounter when setting out in the land across Middle Earth. It’s a bright forest, full of vibrant greens and browns when the sun is shining but can quickly turn dark and dangerous one when straying off the path.
Trees
Chetwood is full of old trees, reaching high into the sky. Their large branches help block out rain on rainy days and their leaves throw delicate patterns of sunlight on sunny days.
PJ Hoffmaster State Park, Muskegon, MI (afternoon)
Chetwood North, Bree-land (noon)
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Orchida posted this on February 15th, 2011.
Categorized as General, kinect, lotro, Xbox.
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Motion gaming has been evolving over the last several years but for most of us the use of motion controls have been tied to console games. That means no playing our favorite PC MMO with the fancy motion controls – at least not easily.
When the Kinect hit the streets it was snatched up by both the online hacking community and universities (not unlike when the PS3 came onto the scene and research facilities began loading them up with Linux for various projects). For what it can, it’s a cheap device in comparison to other specialized pieces of hardware.
So what does this mean for gamers? This means awesome labs like the University of Southern California’s Institute for Creative Technologies, create software like FAAST that taps into the Kinect and harness its power for motion control on the computer.
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Orchida posted this on February 3rd, 2011.
Categorized as General, Middle-Earth in Michigan, Outside LOTRO, photo, photos, screenshot, screenshots.
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After a large snowfall an entire landscape can be changed. Plants buried, new obstacles created, and beautiful sights to behold.
Icicles
As a kid, I loved icicles. They were one of my favorite winter sights. As I grew older I began to understand what a potential hazard they can be to buildings they hang from. Still, they hold a special place in my heart, simply for their beauty. This is another reason why Forochel is so amazing. Icicles hang from ropes, eaves, bridges, and more.
Wyoming, MI (afternoon)
Sûri-Kylä, Forochel (morning)
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Orchida posted this on January 31st, 2011.
Categorized as General, Outside LOTRO, screenshot, screenshots, wallpaper.
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Lord of the Rings Online has some breathtaking views in it. That’s part of the reason I originally started creating the photo comparisons – there’s just so much amazing detail in-game.
So why not take a little bit of LOTRO out of the game? We here at CSTM wanted to share some of the more fantastic images with, conveniently formatted in varying wallpaper sizes. Simply right click the link of the resolution you’d like and choose “Save link as…”
Forochel Night Sky
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Orchida posted this on January 27th, 2011.
Categorized as Bree, General, Middle-Earth in Michigan, Outside LOTRO, photo, photos, screenshot, sreenshots.
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Bree is a bustling city, full of inhabitants going this way and that. There are a lot of sights to behold, from wattle and daub buildings to an elaborate fountain.
Architecture
There are a few different styles of architecture in Bree. Besides stone the next most prevalent is wattle and daub. It’s a cheap and quick method for crafting buildings, as well as a iconic image of the Middle Ages.
Michigan Renaissance Festival, Holly, MI (afternoon)
Bree, Bree-Land (morning)
Michigan Renaissance Festival, Holly, MI (afternoon)
Bree, Bree-Land (afternoon)
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Orchida posted this on January 20th, 2011.
Categorized as Middle-Earth in Michigan, photo, photos, screenshot, screenshots.
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No matter how many times I leave, no matter how bad the day, every time I come back to The Shire I feel like I never left; my mood lifts. Maybe it’s the music, maybe it’s the scenery, and maybe it’s just the happy hobbits bustling to and fro, going on about pies and all sorts of gossip.
There are a lot of things to see in the Shire. It’s a vibrant place. It’s hard to capture it’s essence in one simply photo comparison. So here is just a slice of the sights to behold in the land of hobbits.
Bridges
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Orchida posted this on January 13th, 2011.
Categorized as Middle-Earth in Michigan, photos, screenshots.
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A lot of Forochel can seem foreboding. Water is so cold you will freeze, towering mammoths, ferocious bears, and yurts littered across a snowy landscape that are anything but inviting. But there are a lot of amazing sights in Forochel that if timid, adventurers will never see.
Mammoths
Tall and awe inspiring, Mammoths are used by the inhabitants in Forochel primarily for transport of goods between towns.
Art Prize, Grand Rapids, MI (afternoon)
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Orchida posted this on January 6th, 2011.
Categorized as General, Middle-Earth in Michigan, Outside LOTRO, photo, photos, screenshot, screenshots.
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The lotteries have started back up in LOTRO and in observation of the New Year there have been some festive favors (or if you like, favours) adventurers can win.
Fireworks
What better way to ring in the New Year and stave off the bleak colors of winter than with colorful fireworks displays? All sorts of colors to be had, each brighter and more festive than the last.
Also, a special thanks to Ketani for alerting me to the fact that the fireworks display in LOTRO are even more awesome now!
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Orchida posted this on December 29th, 2010.
Categorized as Middle-Earth in Michigan, Outside LOTRO, photo, photos, screenshot, screenshots.
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Winter can often bring with it chilly snowflakes and frozen lakes. And while the weather can sometimes be cold and unfriendly, it certainly isn’t that way for long and there are always plenty of ways to enjoy the season.
Snowman
What better way to enjoy the snow than to create things with it?
Oak Park, MI (afternoon)
Shire Homesteads, Shire (morning)
Hiking and Skiing
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