We Want More Beards!

posted this on February 20th, 2012.
Categorized as cosmetics, Game Ideas and Suggestions, Just for Fun, Thoughts and Musings.

Shorthand Link:
Full link: http://thekhazadguard.wordpress.com/2012/02/20/more-beards/

With Turbines announcements of armour reaching the Store, and the whole ants nest that ensued on the forums, it got me thinking of what I actually use the store for, and what I would willingly pay hard earned cash for to enhance my game play.

I have bought a few cosmetics in there, when they are on sale. I have bought shared storage and wardrobe space, and a couple of character slots. I’ve bought relic removal scrolls, skirmish mark reset scrolls and enhaced Reputation. Think I may have got a few jewellers recipes on there when I wanted to make a Sabretooth Cat, when we first made our Loremasters.

The thing which sets Lord of thhe Rings Online apart from many of the other MMOs out there is its elaborate cosmetic system. Especially now after several updates, you can wear pretty much anything that comes your way and dye it in a myriad of colours. Your characters can start to be really unique. And cosmetics sell.

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LOTRO past, present, and future: Part 3, Rohan and Beyond!

posted this on January 26th, 2012.
Categorized as Game Ideas and Suggestions, Thoughts and Musings.

Shorthand Link:
Full link: http://thekhazadguard.wordpress.com/2012/01/26/lotro-past-present-and-future-part-3/

Welcome back to the final instalment dear reader, you did well, its almost over now!

I have gone over the Store, which I believe will grow and grow, make no bones about it there will be things to come which will frustrate and annoy players. With the level cap on the rise again, watch this process as a point of development. On the flip side, 2011 brought some good things with regard to frequency and quality of content, and some major changes to mechanics, itemisation, and rewards which should facilitate clearer itemisation and instance design moving forward. The system is now a durable one which holds the basics for long term adaptation and development. Yes that is easy to loose sight of admidst the communications mess, store rage, and bugs, but on the whole the actual game content I enjoyed a lot, but the delivery and polish needs some work.

Content going into 2012

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LOTRO past, present, and future: Part 2

posted this on January 26th, 2012.
Categorized as Game Ideas and Suggestions, Thoughts and Musings.

Shorthand Link:
Full link: http://thekhazadguard.wordpress.com/2012/01/26/lotro-past-present-and-future-part-2/

Yesterday I talked about the store. Doubtless with the news yesterday of the new Riders of Rohan expansion and further updates earlier on this year,  including a new region, and Sapience’s store placation, there will be more warm fuzzy glows around. This does not, however,  mean that tied to all that there will not be further additions to the store and game which people do not like, or cause and out rage. Tempering our knee jerk reactions will be key, as these two things will come hand in hand from now onwards, the store and game will drive each other. Things will not go back to how they were, but I’ve been here 4 years now… I think they are fine, the Halcyon days of LOTRO are just that… a mythical utopia. I have friends who are new to the game and Dunland is their Moria, in a few years, they will be complaining that the Gondor expansion sold out and was buggy, whilst the next round of players is wide eyed at their first experience of LOTRO. To be fair, I even remember original 2007 and Beta players complaining voiciferously about Moria in the way I see ROI being moaned about now.

Today I want to briefly recap LOTRO in 2011, and the new systems, currencies, and functionality, and what that means with regards to the game moving forwards.

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LOTRO past, present, and future: Part 1

posted this on January 25th, 2012.
Categorized as Game Ideas and Suggestions, Thoughts and Musings.

Shorthand Link:
Full link: http://thekhazadguard.wordpress.com/2012/01/25/lotro-past-present-and-future-part-1/

Firstly I must apologise for the length of this article. It fact, it’s so long I have split it into three posts that I will release each day to ease the burden on you dear reader! I have been thinking about this, adding to it and editing over a period of a week or two, so it has ceased to become news, possibly even legible, and morphed into more of a review or summary, or perhaps just a vague collection of words and thoughts on LOTRO and its current state and issues as it stands and moving forwards into the future.

Level Cap at Last!

posted this on January 7th, 2012.
Categorized as Dwarf Adventures, Games and Guard News and Events, Just for Fun, Thoughts and Musings.

Shorthand Link:
Full link: http://thekhazadguard.wordpress.com/2012/01/07/level-cap-at-last/

It feels like a long time since I have written a post, so I thought that I would keep you updated on what the Khazad Guard have been doing. Our main Dwarf trio, Izbaruk, Haki and Forest finally got to 75. It only took 3 years, but it was a journey that we thoroughly enjoyed. We dinged just as we got to Forthbrond in the quest chain, so there’s still plenty to explore as a trio, and the Reputation with the Riders of Theodred still to get.

Level Cap at Last!

posted this on January 7th, 2012.
Categorized as Dwarf Adventures, Games and Guard News and Events, Just for Fun, Thoughts and Musings.

Shorthand Link:
Full link: http://thekhazadguard.wordpress.com/2012/01/07/level-cap-at-last/

It feels like a long time since I have written a post, so I thought that I would keep you updated on what the Khazad Guard have been doing. Our main Dwarf trio, Izbaruk, Haki and Forest finally got to 75. It only took 3 years, but it was a journey that we thoroughly enjoyed. We dinged just as we got to Forthbrond in the quest chain, so there’s still plenty to explore as a trio, and the Reputation with the Riders of Theodred still to get.

A Whole Lotto Horses

posted this on November 22nd, 2011.
Categorized as cosmetics, Just for Fun, Non Dwarf Characters, Thoughts and Musings.

Shorthand Link:
Full link: http://thekhazadguard.wordpress.com/2011/11/22/a-whole-lotto-horses/

Got to say that I love the lotteries! As an EU player they still have the novelty value, and both  myself and Adam check them regularly on all our accounts. So far we have been pretty lucky, but this last weekend Adam came away with a Worn Symbol, and I got a shiny new horse on two of my alts. The lucky ladies were Emsibelle, my little Hobbit Tank, who won the Steed of the Guardian in a Guardian only lottery, and Fearien, my Elf Loremaster, who won the Cremello Steed. I was pretty excited, and had to rush off and design new outfits to match.

When I first saw the Cremello Steed on A Casual Stroll to Mordor back in March, I wasn’t sure that I liked it. But when I saw it come up in the lottery, I entered it anyway. It is actually quite a difficult horse to outfit with I thought, as it has quite a busy pattern on it and the reds and blues on it can be difficult to replicate on some items. Cosmetic LoTRO have recently done their excellent version of a matching outfit for this horse, so I decided to do my own something simple and elegant suitable for a noble Elf lady.

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Changes to joining a Crafting Guild

posted this on October 12th, 2011.
Categorized as crafting, Game Ideas and Suggestions, Games Guides and Advice, Thoughts and Musings.

Shorthand Link:
Full link: http://thekhazadguard.wordpress.com/2011/10/12/changes-to-joining-a-crafting-guild/

Tedwise demonstrating the art of Home Brew

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Bye-Bye Axe

posted this on October 6th, 2011.
Categorized as Dwarf Adventures, Games and Guard News and Events, Thoughts and Musings.

Shorthand Link:
Full link: http://thekhazadguard.wordpress.com/2011/10/06/bye-bye-axe/

I got extremely lucky with a legendary weapon on my Dwarf Champion Ganin. It was a 65 Third Age, so not the greatest now, and was identified and used back in the days when you couldn’t save legacies, and add them on, even before F2P and the LoTRO Store, where you can remove your relics prior to deconstructing, and before crafted First Age weapons,  and possibly even crafted 65 Second Age weapons. It was that long ago.

Now Ganin and I became very proud of that axe, while Adam, a seasoned Champion, looked on with envy at every reforge. And this is why:

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Westfold Tier 7 for Farmers

posted this on September 27th, 2011.
Categorized as crafting, Games Guides and Advice, Thoughts and Musings.

Shorthand Link:
Full link: http://thekhazadguard.wordpress.com/2011/09/27/westfold-tier-7-for-farmers/

With RoI now live, I was keen to have a look at the changes to the farming profession, something I didn’t sneak a peek at in Beta. Tiers 1 to 6 seem to be unchanged, but Tier 7, the Westfold Tier has a number of changes, which personally I think are pretty good.

Fairwen trying out the Leek Field Recipe

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