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The Road to Mordor: Forum diving
[Special note: Obviously, the news that LotRO is going free-to-play hit after this article was already written, so stay tuned as we dissect what it means for existing and potential new customers next week!] Lately, it feels like we're in a holding pattern for Lord of the Rings Online. The last major content patch, Volume III: Book 1, is fading into distant memory, and we're pushing into summer without definite news of the next update -- or better yet, the next expansion. Players are also nervous about any changes or new directions the game may take after the recent acquisition of Turbine by Warner Bros., and the silence certainly doesn't help any. However, there's always hope in the darkest places of Middle-earth, and the same can be said for the game itself. The Summer Festival should be around the corner, and as for new news, Sapience handed out a bit of vague encouragement on the forums: "You guys know we're preparing an announcement. I can't give you a specific date as to when we'll make it, but I can say I just ran into Adam Mersky coming out of an E3 planning meeting and he was pretty stoked!" While we continue the wait for the next step forward for LotRO, I thought it'd be a good idea to head over to the official forums and do a little diving for some of the more interesting topics and discussions bouncing around the LotRO community today.
Teh Dailey Grind: OMG learn to spell!
We can't speak for you, but one of the things that will pretty well guaranteed cause us to twitch is repeated glaring spelling errors. (We're writers. Who'd have figured that!) However, judging from the people we've met in many different communities, this isn't just something writers are prone to. We've heard language like "zomg i pwnzorz u" or "gimme ur muneyz" being decried across many different game communities. So the question today we ask you is this: Do you avoid grouping or playing with people because they can't spell or because they use 1337 5p33k? (Note: We're specifically making the distinction between someone who makes the odd typo because they need more coffee, and someone who commonly uses "ur" or "-zorz" on the end of everything.) Do you think that keeping with proper spelling is more of an antiquated thing, considering the need to communicate quickly and effectively? (Thus "LFM" "PST" etc.) Or is it all for nothing, as VOIP will take over any need for typing soon?
