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The Road to Mordor: Saying goodbye to Casual Stroll to Mordor
If you're a Lord of the Rings Online player, then chances are that you've heard of Casual Stroll to Mordor. The husband-and-wife team of Merric and Goldenstar have been podcasting and blogging about LotRO for four years as they played together, and their insight and guides have become quite sought-after in the LotRO community. I was saddened to hear that CSTM is shutting down today after 200 episodes and countless blog posts. It's a lot of hard work and time running a fan site like this, and while I don't begrudge their decision to step down, they will be missed. I struck up a friendship with both of them several years back, and we've since been in the same kinship, hung out at conventions together, and podcasted together. I reached out to ask Merric and Goldenstar if they'd like to share some final words about LotRO and being a big part of the fan community. From running a fan site to thoughts on the direction the game's taking, it's all there after the jump!
A Casual Stroll to Mordor ending after 200 episodes
Among the serious and exciting news coming out of E3 this week, we're sad to hear that the long-time-favorite Lord of the Rings Online podcast and fansite A Casual Stroll to Mordor will be ending at the end of this month, just in time for the podcast's 200th episode. We once named CSTM our favorite MMO blog in 2010, and the site's quality hasn't dropped since. Fortunately, the podcast episodes will remain up at least until the end of the year and the site itself will remain hosted on the Middle-earth Network. If you've ever been entertained by Merric and Goldenstar on the show or have been helped by one of their wonderful LotRO guides, head on over to their farewell announcement post and let them know how much you've enjoyed what they do.
Is Turbine's shadowofmordor.com for LotRO?
As first reported by Kotaku, Turbine's previously registered assortment of Tolkien-related domain names has just been moved over to the Turbine servers. These names include several variations of something relating to a trademark for Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor by the Saul Zaentz Company. From here, we can do nothing but speculate, but Goldenstar over at the A Casual Stroll to Mordor blog can't help but point out some interesting possibilities for a connection to Lord of the Rings Online. For one, this is the same pattern we saw when riderofrohan.com was first trademarked. Another domain, firesofmordor.com, was originally thought to be our ticket to the dark lord's land way back in 2009, but this may actually be a revision of that. Even if this has nothing to do with LotRO and is for an entirely new game, we're happy to see Turbine growing as much as it has in the past few years. I just want to pinch its little cheeks!
Looking at the brighter Moria in Lord of the Rings Online
Does Lord of the Rings Online's Moria benefit from a brighter night-light? The folks over at A Casual Stroll to Mordor went on the test server to investigate just how different the underground zones look now that Turbine's gone back to give the area additional lighting effects. The fansite examines four different locales on both the live and test server and took screenshots to document the changes. The Great Delving, Silvertine Lodes, The Waterworks, and Durin's Way are the stops on the tour, and out of all of them, Silvertine is the most noticeably brighter. "While playing, I can say that I do feel like it's easier to see," Goldenstar writes. "I don't know if I would fall into 'it's too bright' category. It still feels like Moria to me." A revamp to half of Moria is planned with Update 7. Head on over and check out the differences for yourself!
LotRO video rock stars could win fame, glory, and Turbine Points
Do you consider yourself a rock star within your MMO? Do men and women swoon upon your approach? Does a soundtrack ring out exalting your triumphs with every step you take? Do you carry a Sharpie around at all times to autograph body parts? Then you probably have an ego problem or something. For everyone else, A Casual Stroll to Mordor is calling on creative talents to come up with fun "I am a rockstar" videos for Lord of the Rings Online -- and the site is willing to pay handsomely for the best efforts. Players are tasked with making a rock star-themed commercial, which can be any shade of serious or funny, and submitting it for a chance to win in-game store cash. Two Turbine Point cards, valued at 2500 and 1500 TP, are up for the first and second place winners. Entries for the contest are due by February 17th. There are several rules for prospective video-makers, so head on over to CSTM for the full details.
The Road to Mordor: Convenience, not advantage
Prior to Lord of the Rings Online's free-to-play implementation, players were raising concerns of potential abuse of the F2P model and the LotRO store in particular. The CM at the time, Patience, posted a now-infamous response stated that Turbine was about selling "convenience, not advantage" in the store. I thought it was a terrific stance to take (and still is, for any F2P MMO dabbling in microtransactions). It wasn't long, however, before the thread was purged from the forums entirely, although the playerbase has held on to those three words to this day. That phrase has echoed in my head over the past week, ever since we heard that statted armor was coming to the in-game store. I've been among those who have championed Turbine's F2P model as the way to do things right -- to offer fluff, a la carte content and convenience without straying into so-called "pay to win" territory that has plagued cheaper games. But now I wonder if the new motto is "convenience and advantage," especially in light of several other questionable store selections that have been pushed through despite player resistance. But let's concentrate on one topic today, that being the stat armor that's now available in the store. Is this strictly a "convenience" item that is meant to aid struggling lowbies, or does it represent the sale of a clear advantage for those who are OK with letting their money game for them? Are we making a mountain out of a molehill by discussing this, or is it far past time that something like this needs to be brought into the public discourse?
Lord of the Rings Online's Update 5 invading Dunland next week
Turbine's asking you out on a very special date next week -- December 12th, in fact. That's when the studio will show up to your door dressed in a sharp-looking tux, bearing flowers, and eager for you to head out on a magical tour around Middle-earth on a carriage ride. It's on December 12th that Lord of the Rings Online will be releasing its first major post-Rise of Isengard patch, Update 5. The update comes loaded with endgame activities, including a huge instance cluster, an instance finder, and a new book in the epic storyline: Volume III, Book 5. You can read more about Update 5 with our Turbine interview, head over to A Casual Stroll to Mordor to listen to what questions fans have about the patch, or check out the gallery below for five new screenshots of one of the instances, The Foundry. [Source: Turbine press release] %Gallery-9579%
Lord of the Rings Online adding mount emotes
Emotes: They're not just for Elves, Hobbits, Dwarves, and Men any longer. Naaay, Turbine is preparing to give emote love in Lord of the Rings Online to player mounts as well. Players' horses and goats will soon be able to rear up, kick, and bow with the best of them. While the emotes are not yet available in the game, CM Sapience announced on the forums that players have a chance to win one for free through the LotRO lottos: All weekend long we'll be running lotteries for the brand new, unreleased, Mounted Rear Up emote. That's right, Mount Emotes are coming to the LotRO Store! Enter the lotteries this weekend and you could win it for free, before your friends can buy it. You'll have a few weeks to show it off and brag before it hits the LotRO Store. Check back often as new lotteries will be starting randomly throughout the weekend and on Halloween! The LotRO lottery system is available on the my.lotro website.
Turbine forums down, security breach rumors rampant
A Casual Stroll to Mordor reports that Turbine has brought down the Lord of the Rings Online official forums due to a "potential issue in the forum system." But of course, in the MMO world, you can't just bring forums down without starting a few conspiracy theories. Rumors abound that the forum outage may be linked to some sort of security breach. Of course, we repeat, and please do listen when we say, this is only a rumor and in no way has it been verified. If and when it is verified or dismissed, we promise to let you know. Until then, please remain calm and carry on. That is all.
The Road to Mordor: 'Twas the night before Isengard...
I feel it. It's those excited butterflies that appear somewhere in my navel region when I realize that I'm on the verge of something new, fun, and possibly involving an alien xenomorph bursting out of my insides. It's the thrill of anticipation almost realized. For this time next week, we'll be well on our way to Isengard. I've never been around for a Lord of the Rings Online expansion release, which makes this a first for me. Sure, I have my concerns about Rise of Isengard, but on the whole I'm ready to jump into an untamed region and explore the living deeds out of it. I'm not in a rush to get through it all and start raiding or anything, so my Lore-master will be taking his sweet time milking each quest for the calcium-rich story within. Oddly enough, I'm most excited about the prospect of cool new cosmetics because I have a sick obsession with them that's going to require a full-scale intervention. I'm not quite sure how LotRO's third expansion will be taken by the larger community, and I probably won't know until the launch fever dies down and we evaluate how useful, entertaining, and engaging it is over the long term. I'm just glad we're moving forward. In this week's Road to Mordor, I want to look back at the build-up to Isengard's release, what we know so far, and what changes are in store for our characters. Might as well tidy up the place since it's going to get hecka messy soon enough.
Take a ride through LotRO's Gap of Rohan with a new walkthrough video
Lord of the Rings Online is gearing up for the release of its next expansion, Rise of Isengard, and the fine folks at A Casual Stroll to Mordor have your needs covered. After the recent Dunland walkthrough video, the Gap of Rohan is up for display. Of course, fans of the series will recognize Rohan as the home of the horse-loving Rohirrim. But even players encountering the lands of the Horse Lords for the first time will find plenty to love (and plenty to kill). The video shows off some gorgeous scenic landscapes, a variety of cities and settlements, and of course plenty of baddies just waiting to be whacked. Just saddle up and ride on past the cut for the full video.
A visual tour through LotRO's Dunland
Excited for Lord of the Rings Online: Rise of Isengard's release, which is just a little over a week away? Us too, and you know how it is when you're jazzed about the future -- you want to devour every piece of info about it you can find. That's why the good folks at A Casual Stroll to Mordor (now with 45% more Lembas bread) have decided to treat us to a stunning seven-and-a-half minute visual tour through the expansion's Dunland region. Set to classical music, the tour gives you a good idea of some of the varied and detailed locales we'll be encountering when Isengard goes live on September 27th. So kick up your feet and hit the jump for a relaxing preview of the next evolution of the LotRO journey!
The Road to Mordor: NDA drop
With last week's NDA drop, the last vestiges of secrecy surrounding this expansion were wiped away and the beta testers (including yours truly) were free to spill the Dwarven beans about Lord of the Rings Online's third expansion. I know I was pretty critical of Rise of Isengard's scope in last week's Road to Mordor, but I want to make it clear that I'm pretty happy with the amount of pure PvE questing content that's on display here. LotRO's quests and epic storylines have always been the meat of this MMO, and even if Rise of Isengard is being served up with few garnishes, it's still looking to be a filling meal. Today I want to check out what the community has to share about this expansion following the NDA drop, although apparently it's important to note that beta testers aren't allowed to share patch notes, videos, and excessive content. On Twitter, Sapience made it clear: "We have always held that an NDA drop is not 'open season.' It's fair game to share your experiences, opinions, and thoughts. Not endless screens, videos, copy and pasted posts/notes." So let's focus on those "experiences, opinions, and thoughts" -- what do beta testers have to say about our upcoming journey into Dunland and beyond? Hit the jump and let's find out!
Lore-masters tune up their hogs to cruise the mean streets of Isengard
Lord of the Rings Online: Rise of Isengard is bringing plenty of class changes, tweaks, and updates to the table, and the hybrid Lore-master class is waiting for the dev love with arms wide open. While Turbine's talked about the class' increased ability to be a reliable off-healer, word is coming out of the beta that there are many more changes than just the ability to slap a bandage on a wounded ally. A Casual Stroll to Mordor reports on how the improved skills function in play. These include the ability to stack up to three Burning Embers DoTs on a target, the combination of two Signs of Battle powers into one Wizard's Fire, a nice 10% buff to pet damage through Sign of the wild: Rage, and a much more versatile Improved Staff Sweep. There's also word on the new Lore-master pet: a Limrafn. While Lore-masters were originally slated to receive an Auroch pet, apparently the common complaint about the pet's size ended up swaying Turbine's mind. The Limrafn is a floating ball of light that doesn't attack, but instead assists the Lore-master in the off-healing department. Lore-masters will also see one of their lesser-utilized trait lines -- Keeper of Animals -- given much love in the form of tempting abilities and buffs.
The Road to Mordor: A talk with the crew of The Fellows Hip: Rise of the Gamers
Buzz has been increasing about an intriguing independent film that looks to blend Tolkien love, geek pride, and Lord of the Rings Online fandom into one epic adventure. Called The Fellows Hip: Rise of the Gamers, this movie is about a group of friends who undertake a journey to a convention in order to participate in a LotRO gaming competition (and stick it to some bullies while they're at it). Many blogs, such as LOTRO Reporter and A Casual Stroll to Mordor, have promoted this up-and-coming film, and after seeing the trailer, we too became fascinated with what could be a fun movie that puts MMO gaming front and center. One may not simply walk into Mordor, but with the right connections, one could phone the folks up there. We got on the line with three crew members for The Fellows Hip -- Ron Newcomb (producer, director and writer), Scott Mathais (producer and writer), and Shane McClung (producer) -- to see just what type of lovable insanity would cause a group of people to throw together such a movie.
LotRO musicians prepare for Weatherstock 2011
With summer almost upon us, the fair free folk of Middle-earth are gearing up for the largest player-organized in-game event of the year: Weatherstock 2011! Lord of the Rings Online adventurers from around the world will flock to the summit of Weathertop in the Lone-lands on the Landroval server to hear nine excellent outfits perform in an epic Battle of the Bands. A Casual Stroll to Mordor has all of the essential details for this event, which runs from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. EDT on Saturday, June 18th. Among those contributing to the concert are The Green Hill Music Society, The Breakfast Club, and The Blackheart Pirates. Each band will perform a trio of songs (plus a possible encore) in an effort to take home one of three awards. Weatherstock is made possible by LotRO's unique music system, which allows players to compose and perform songs with a variety of instruments. This is always a fun event, and the LotRO Lorebook has additional information for those attending (hint: turn off names!). Mark this on your calendar so that you don't miss the excellent tunes!
In the beginning: Tester reminisces about LotRO's beta
It's always fun to sit back and recount the days of yore in video game land, especially when the MMOs of yore are yorely different than how those games are today. Haakon Stormbrow over at A Casual Stroll to Mordor has an interesting retrospective piece up about his time in Lord of the Rings Online's beta. He takes us back to September 2006, when the game world was still being shaped by Turbine and many of the features and locales that we've come to know and love had yet to be implemented. Apart from old animations and cloak designs, the biggest difference in LotRO from today's version was how rough and unfinished the landscape looked. Stormbrow recounts his exploration through Bree, Lone-lands, North Downs and even Angmar, noting how empty it was without mobs and how the devs had artificial walls to keep the testers from exploring where they shouldn't. By exploiting a few bugs, he and his friend were able to view the zones from heights that players today are simply unable to see: Exploring a little further north, we found an area [that] had all sorts of buildings and statues and ruins and a waterplane about 100 feet in the air. When you walked under the water plane, you flew very quickly up to the plane and began swimming. Then when you swam off the edge, you floated back down to the ground. If you're fascinated by the shaping of currently established MMO worlds, then do yourself a favor and give this article a read!
LotRO players take on project to catalogue the in-game store
Ever since Lord of the Rings Online introduced its free-to-play model last fall, players have grappled with the new store interface and its many, many offerings. One of the biggest requests fans have had was for Turbine to post a list of the LotRO Store merchandise outside of the game, a request that has so far been ignored. However, a group of enterprising players on Lotro-Wiki decided to pick up the ball and run with it. According to A Casual Stroll to Mordor, this community-driven project is well underway on the wiki with a list of hundreds of items already. Of course, the store's prices aren't always fixed in stone -- especially with deals and sales being posted all the time -- so the list should be read with that fact in mind. Even though the LotRO Store catalogue is already lengthy, the creators of the project say that they have a ways to go and could use your help. If you have any interest in assisting, head on over to Lotro-Wiki and sign up!
The Daily Grind: What in-game food do you wish you could eat?
I'll admit it, I'm oddly fascinated with food in MMOs. It's not just because boars are -- for whatever reason -- carrying fully cooked casseroles around. It's not even because our characters don't seem to eat for sustenance but rather gorge themselves for temporary stats. And it surely goes beyond the fact that we can eat whatever we want and never, ever get fat. No, I'm fascinated with MMO food because it always seems so dang tasty. Those cute little icons with their rump roasts and their bacon 'n' eggs... those tantalizing descriptions of how the stew emits an aroma of heady pleasure... the animations that your character goes through as he chows down on hearty fare. I've always wondered what these foods taste like, which is perhaps why I'm captivated by the cooking posts over at A Casual Stroll to Mordor. So if you are odd like I am and have occasionally wished that you could reach into your game and pull out a food, what would it be and why? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
LotRO blog discusses using Kinect to control a PC MMO
Be honest with yourselves -- the first thing you thought when you saw Kinect was along the lines of "OMG imagine an MMO on that!" Sadly, no MMOs have yet been released for Kinect. For the moment, it seems that we'll have to draw our bows, swing our swords and run head-first into danger through the good old-fashioned mouse and keyboard -- or will we? Some time ago, an open-source project started up with the goal of bringing Kinect to the PC. Drivers were created to pipe the inputs from Kinect's infra red field sensors to a PC program, which could then produce a silhouette of the player and even a basic skeleton. Using this software, players can convert body movements into a series of keystrokes. Orchida over at A Casual Stroll to Mordor has seen the potential in this early PC adaptation to control MMOs and has given it a test-drive in Lord of the Rings Online. For those with Kinect who want to give it a try in their favourite MMOs, Orchida gives a rundown of the software you'll need and how to configure it to convert body movements into keystrokes for movement and attacks. The article lists some valid pros and cons to using Kinect as a control method for LotRO and has a video of the entire process in action.
