Just in case you’ve been banging your head against the Lord of the Rings Online launcher in the past 24 hours and wondering if it’s just you — it’s not. Apparently there were some issues keeping players from logging into the game, but it’s better now.
Meanwhile, game writer Jeff “MadeOfLions” Libby emerged to answer a criticism about why player characters occasionally are asked to do menial tasks even after accomplishing grand feats. His answer is very revealing about LOTRO’s overall questing philosophy.
“It’s a way to maintain a connection with the non-heroic characters and peoples of Middle-earth, to keep the heroes grounded, and to remind them about the lives of the ‘ordinary folk’ for whom they’re fighting,” Libby wrote. “I understand the ‘But I’ve defeated dragons! Why am I doing the dishes? Don’t they know I’m a HERO?’ complaint, but I’d argue that the duality there is actually a very Middle-earthy sort of concept.”
He went on to illustrate this: “To Barliman Butterbur, the stranger in the corner of the Pony is just Strider, one o’ them Rangers, a weird sort. But Strider’s story is quite a bit different, and quite a bit more heroic, than Barliman might guess. Freeze his blood cold, it might, if he knew.”
