one-ring
Latest
FCC proposal would help fight one-ring call scams
The FCC may allow voice service providers to block one-ring robocall scams.
The Road to Mordor: Baggins of Bag End
It's hard to believe that it's been 10 years to the month since The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring came out in movie theaters. It's even harder to process that Peter Jackson will be bringing us back to Middle-earth with the two Hobbit films starting a year from now. The Jackson trilogy, while beloved by many (including, I assume, gamers), hasn't gotten a lot of space in this column to date. The general consensus from the community is that the films and the MMO are separate interpretations of the same source material, and never the twain shall meet -- nevermind all the other LotR games, like War in the North. While that may be true, they do meet in the hearts of those who simply love this franchise. I adore the movies, am a huge fan of the game, and like (yes, just "like") the books. But I think that it's worthwhile to go to the films for LotRO players because they do give a different perspective and perhaps clarify a few plot points that shoot over our heads in-game. If nothing else, if the movies can revitalize our excitement about exploring the lands of Lord of the Rings Online, then they've done well by us. I mention all this because this past week saw the release of the first Hobbit trailer, which I must have watched a good dozen times, and it got me pumped up once more for this game world. In today's column, I want to use this trailer to springboard a discussion of how LotRO and the films share a common bond and how the Hobbit movies use many elements that Turbine's been working on for years now. Plus, a bonus Hobbit Tribute Tour!
Know Your LotRO Lore: The Rings of Power
Welcome to Know Your LotRO Lore, a new weekly column here at Massively showcasing the lore of J.R.R. Tolkien's world as it intersects with Turbine's Lord of the Rings Online.You may realize that the essential plot for the Lord of the Rings books has something to do with a ring, or at least we'd hope you do. Perhaps you know that there is this one ring that keeps making Hobbits invisible, and a bunch of Orcs want it really, really badly. But other than that, you're lost to the origins and impact that this ring has in relation to the grand scheme of things. Why does this big fiery eye in a tower keep twitching itself around whenever someone puts that thing on their finger? Why did Sean Bean want to kill that kid from Radio Flyer? And why isn't his name pronounced Seen Been? Or even Shawn Bawn? If these are questions you ask yourself while leveling your Legendary Halberd and skipping quest dialogue, we're here to help once again with this week's installment of Know Your LotRO Lore! Creation of the Rings >> %Gallery-39552%
Addon Spotlight: OPie (UPDATED)
Ladies and gentlemen, I rarely get very excited about new addons, but OPie has revolutionized my UI in a way that absolutely fits with my clutter-free mindset. Ultimately, as I test addons, only a few end up being a permanent part of my gameplay. I can't necessarily promise OPie will stay, but it's looking like such an innovative mod that I may just come to rely on it. We've discussed both Totemus and Necrosis here at Addon Spotlight, and praised the way they wrap things into a neat little package. OPie does the same thing, but to an extent that not only are your spells hidden until you need them, but they can be easily integrated with a minimalist play-style. What OPie does is take spells, items, trade-skills and macros and creates virtual rings for them to reside in. By assigning a keybinding, one can simply press a button and have a quick menu (a ring) appear on the screen, which will cast a spell, use an item or a macro based on where the mouse is hovering in relation to the ring.
LotRO's Smeagol is sneakin' in the Lorebook
The Lord of the Rings Online's Book 11 introduced Gollum as a character with whom players could interact. His cameo appearance was a fun addition, albeit a minor one. Turbine hasn't forgotten him, though; he's the subject of the Lorebook entry most recently featured at the official LotRO website.The entry tells the "sad and perilous" tale of an innocent little fellow who was consumed by his "precious" -- the One Ring which at first seemed pretty and innocent, but which drove him to murder. We all know the ring is neither pretty nor innocent. As Gandalf said: "it wants to be found," and the one who's looking for it is none too pleasant. Gollum is one of the classic characters in English language literature. And if you're a fan of the movies as well as the books, then you'll surely agree that Gollum is the greatest CGI character in film history. Don't even get us started with that Jar Jar guy.
Two Ring to rule them all
Two Ring to rule them all, Two Ring to find them,Two Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them. Forget The 1 Ring folks, Massively lead and WoW Insider blogger Krystalle Voecks came across The 2 Ring today via a Live Journal entry. For many years World of Warcraft players all around Azeroth have been on the look out for this seemingly missing piece of loot, and in patch 2.4 they will be rewarded via the daily fishing quest.The ring features +22 to the primary five stats, making it (wait... let me make sure my math is right here...) 22 times better than The 1 Ring.I'm not sure of it's use initially. It's a well rounded stats ring, so perhaps a druid or other hybrid class might be interested in it if they find themselves changing roles often enough. However for a single role / gear set, there are a plethora of better choices easily obtainable.Of course, with that said, it makes a helluva nice ring to start off at 70 with.
Rise of the Witch-king previewed
GameSpy has posted an extensive preview of The Rise of the Witch-king, the new expansion pack for The Battle for Middle-earth II. Expected to arrive on PCs this holiday season, the RotWK campaign takes place in the years after the One Ring leaves greedy Isildur, and the Lord of the Nazgul rises to power over the kingdom of Arnor (Aragorn's peeps). In addition to the 12-mission evil campaign, the new Angmar faction introduces the spellcasting Thrall Master and Sorcerer units, the latter of which can convert fallen enemies into servants of the Witch-king.An Xbox 360 version of RotWK has not been confirmed, but hopefully EA will save some holiday cheer for Xbox Live Marketplace shoppers.
