One Shots: Unexpected
Players definitely love the picturesque vistas of Lord of the Rings Online if its frequent appearance on One Shots is any indication. Apparently one of our regular contributors, Redwense, couldn't resist the allure of those storied lands either, as we find him reporting back from Middle-earth this time with a thoughtful (and somewhat funny) note about how this screenshot came to be. As the note is long, we've included the bulk of it behind the break -- and will note here that if you'd like to tell us about your travels, you can email your images and tales to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game, and a brief description. That said, on we go with Redwense's missive!
"The Lord of the Rings Online is one of the few games that has made me stop in awe of the world design, especially when I least expect it. A wary step into unexplored territory, followed by a casual movement of the camera..."
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"This screenshot of the "Trestlespan" in the North Downs may not be labeled as one of the more "beautiful" landscapes that Lord of the Rings Online has to offer, but it has shown me the same sense of scale and proportion that is inherent in Turbine's design of Middle-earth. The illusion of traveling across vast landmasses is often handled appropriately, in my opinion, and one cannot help but feel like a small being in a huge virtual world that has power not only in the lore it is based on, but in itself as well. All it takes is a look at distant landscapes -- landscapes that one may have just come from or where one will be headed to in the future, knowing of the fact that other players may be there in real-time."
"If anyone is wondering, the vignette and subdued colors are actually natural. I fell off the cliff on my first attempt to photograph the scene. The fall was 'fatal', hence, the visual 'death penalty' effect. (To be accurate in LotRO terms: 'retreat' and 'dread'. How anyone can survive a fall like that is one of the many virtual mysteries.) As I said: unexpected!"
