DirectX 10 Screenshot Contest - (Image heavy)

[Soukyan]

See. That's what I'm talking about. Immersion in the Tolkien world is just awesome and allows players to set some goals. I mean, I know hobbits weren't much on travel, but hell, as a player, I want to see all the locales from the books. Turbine has done a great job making sure that those locales live up to the vibrant world that Tolkien created. I know graphics alone do not make the game, but honestly, Bloodworth has some good points. If calling it WoW in the LoTR universe is the worst that can be said, well then, I think this game is going to follow a similar trajectory to EQ2 in terms of population and the "how good is it/how fun is it" factor. My god that was all so incoherent. I am biased and tired. More screen shots, please.

[Bandit]

Not incoherent as you may think Soukyan, I agree.  It may be a WoW clone, but it is definitely a decent game.  I find myself completely immersed everytime I log in, I don't notice guild chat, player tells, gold spam, etc. The attention to lore detail is phenomenal.  I will try to bring out some screenshots to illustrate this.  If you read the books while playing this game, you will notice insane nuances that you wouldn't have noticed before.

One criticism I do agree on is that the combat does sometimes feel like I am fighting underwater - seems to be the worst on the guardian.

[Soukyan]

One criticism I do agree on is that the combat does sometimes feel like I am fighting underwater - seems to be the worst on the guardian.

Having played FFXI, any MMOG combat is loads faster than that. *shudder* It is a shame that the guardian feels slow as I was planning on trying one out next. I currently play a Champion, but I want to play a Dwarf Guardian. I think it would look pretty cool. Any tips?

[Bandit]

I played a hobbit Guard till about 39, until I realized my captain (critical cry build) was killing mobs twice as quick.  Guards are the next to be updated though, and they are adding more two-hander skills which should cut down the grind dramatically.

[Soukyan]

I played a hobbit Guard till about 39, until I realized my captain (critical cry build) was killing mobs twice as quick.  Guards are the next to be updated though, and they are adding more two-hander skills which should cut down the grind dramatically.

Oh, I didn't realize that. What's the scoop on Captains? I thought they were a group-centric pet class? So they solo fairly well then?

[Bandit]

Captains are the bard of LOTRO, jack-of-all-trafes and master-of-none.  I have found that they shine well in large and small groups...as well as solo pretty effectively. It's all in preference though.  I do not normally play Pet Classes, but you do have the option now to be a banner captain (more powerful buffs minus the pet).  Every class seems to solo well enough though really in LOTRO, even Minstrels got a huge DPS buff recently to make soloing a little bit easier. The next update appears to be addressing the guarding lack of speed while soloing, so if you were set on a dwarf guard then you might want to wait for the next update.

To keep this on track a bit, I'll post a few screenies I have stored....I have tonnes of these.  The blurry one is my character drunk during a pub run event during a festival.  THESE ARE NOT DIRECTX 10, just my humble little comp.