Lord of the Rings Online

[Asher]

No, LOTRO won't run on Win98. It needs DirectX 9 or 10 (XP or higher).

[conmcb25]

hmm doesn't look like I can play with my unauthorized copy of windows. One of these days I'll buy windows. But I was going to wait till I build a new system this fall.

It needs microsoft NET framework version 2.0 in order to run LOTRO it appears. And that requires service pack 2 which I can't get with my unauthorized copy of windows. the framework will works on Windows 98 2nd edition, but I really don't want to go back to that. I don't even know if LOTRO will run on 98, or much of my other stuff.

That sucks, sorry about that.

[Asher]

Just found and sold a Hunter's Bow of the 2nd Age for 45G (Yes, that's a crapload of money)

[Quillan]

How is the economy theses days? Back when I was playing soon after release (on Windfola if I remember correctly), items that sold for more than 3-5 gold were rare. There's always inflation in MMOs, and the most I ever had at once was about 13 gold.

[Asher]

There's inflation, couldn't tell you how much. I've seen items going for 100G on the AH, but it's very rare (exceptional 1st age legendary items).

[DrSpike]

So can you buy anything in LOTRO? In WoW most of the better items are bound, either on pickup or when they are equipped.

[Asher]

No, you can't buy anything in LOTRO.

The best things you can buy are 1st age legendary items. Legendary items are only bound once you slot them. Otherwise the system would be far too restrictive...there's millions of possible LI permutations by the nature of the system, so if every time you picked it up and you get the random legacies on it, the chance of finding one exactly you may like are pretty slim. Different styles and different builds benefit from different legacies.

So this way if you find an awesome Hunter Bow, but it specializes in Hunter threat reduction with its legacies while you're a Hunter specializing in AOE, you can trade it with someone or put it on the AH...as long as you don't slot it. You can identify it only (which only unveils the first tier of legacies...and there's new tiers unlocked every 10 levels, max level is currently 50). Once XP is started on it, it's bound.

But other things like the best armor, jewelery, etc are almost always BoA. In fact, LOTRO recently has been switching to the 'barter' system in that you get barter items that drop in instances/raids which are bind on acquire (BoA). You collect these barter items then go to various barter NPCs (which you may need sufficient standing in reputation to use) and can choose exactly what to get from them. This is a huge improvement over the old system and stuff that IIRC WoW still uses, where you need to run an instance dozens and dozens of times and hope that you're lucky and the item you want drops. There's still the odd item like that, but the most popular items can all be bartered for so you can guarantee to get exactly what you want after X-many runs.

The LI system is an oddity in LOTRO because of its complexity and vast permutations possible. It's very possible for a LI of the 3rd age (the lowest tier) to sell for 100G as well, while a LI of the 1st age (the highest tier) to sell for 4 or 5G instead. It depends on the legacies it gets, and the ranks of those legacies. Some legacies are far more desirable than another, and if the rank is high enough on it (its potency) it is very, very lucrative.

For my Hunter Bow of the 2nd age I sold for 45G...it had 3 desirable, high-demand legacies with mid-to-high ranks for each. As a result, there was a huge bidding war on it that drove up the price from its start at 15G. Plus, it looked ****ing cool.

[Asher]

Anyone into roleplaying may enjoy this thread. It's about a female hobbit who is walking (not running) across Middle Earth. Screenshots included.

Shame she didn't have the hardware to turn the graphics up, but it's still pretty:

http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.php?t=278877

[conmcb25]

Excellent read!

[conmcb25]

Nice going. I once did the same trek as you are doing, but i ran it instead. It took me 50 minutes from Thorin's Hall to Rivendell, though i stuck completely to the roads, which in some places made things longer.

A quote from the forum post not by the OP.

That was one of my disappointments with this game in Alpha-2, and Beta 1,2,3. The world didn't seem "expansive" enough to really be Middle Earth. Quite a few others had the same obervation.

Now Ill agree right up front that quality is better than quantity, but being abale to run from the Blue Mountains to Rivendell in 50 minutes just doesn't capture the expanses of Middle Earth IMHO.

I was kind of disapointed when I ran from Bree to Buckland in less than 10 minutes in Alpha/ Beta.

I am sure the scale makes sense in game terms. Its just smaller than I imagined to be. I really like to hear your honest opinion on this Asher free from any emotional baggage

[Asher]

I honestly think it's just about the right size. If you make it too expansive, it can feel deserted (which Turbine learned with Asheron's Call 2). There's still times in the early game, pre-mount, that the world does seem a bit too long (while RP-traveling can be fun, when you just want to get somewhere to do something the 50 minute runs can be a bit daunting). If you make the zones too big and expansive, they can get repetitive and bland. There's enough landmarks and unique design to the LOTRO zones that they don't have the copy & paste syndrome lots of other MMOs have. If you know the lore, you'll see lots of little references to it and make it just a bit cooler also.

So yeah, it does come to quality vs quantity. In addition to balancing player density and uniqueness vs repetition.

[Jon Miller]

Can first age weapons be used by people of any level;

WHAT IS THE best site for information?

JM

[Asher]

Can first age weapons be used by people of any level;

WHAT IS THE best site for information?

JM

HEY JON

No, the legendary items systems have level requirements. They're L50 and higher (I believe, though I've not seen any below 53 myself). The higher the level, the more base damage it can do (or for class items, the level is less important as an indicator). The only thing both types of LI share with regards to level requirement is that dictates the max level of the item.

L50-57 items max out at item L30, L58-59 max out at item L40, and L60 max out at item L50. Item levels are important not just for the points you get to allocate to upgrade legacies/dps, but also because every 10 levels it must be "reforged", at which point you are given two new legacies (of which you need to select one to add to the item), or choose which two legacies to upgrade to a higher rank. So L50 gets 2 more reforges/legacies.

You also need to complete an epic quest series (Venturing into the Mines of Moria) before you're able to identify any items. The items also only drop in Moria and Lothlorien (and all future high-level zones).

The Lorebook (which is also accessible in-game now, BTW) has screenshots and more details on the Legendary Items system: http://lorebook.lotro.com/wiki/Legendary_Items_Guide

[DrSpike]

But other things like the best armor, jewelery, etc are almost always BoA. In fact, LOTRO recently has been switching to the 'barter' system in that you get barter items that drop in instances/raids which are bind on acquire (BoA). You collect these barter items then go to various barter NPCs (which you may need sufficient standing in reputation to use) and can choose exactly what to get from them. This is a huge improvement over the old system and stuff that IIRC WoW still uses, where you need to run an instance dozens and dozens of times and hope that you're lucky and the item you want drops.

WoW's been doing that for most of the high level group content for ages - probably longer than LotRO.

[Asher]

WoW's been doing that for most of the high level group content for ages - probably longer than LotRO.

I'd doubt it. I switched from WoW to LOTRO primarily for this reason.

Mind you, I was playing WoW before all you trend-sapping kids started playing it...