All posts by Ecthelion74
Sauron already had much knowledge in sorcery and crafts and magic arts, learned both during his tutelage by Aule (a Vala) and his time as Morgoth's lieutenant. He first approached all the elves as Annatar, the "bringer of gifts," but only the Noldor of Eregion believed him (the others, i.e. Gil-galad, Elrond, Galadriel, saw through his lies). He then taught the elves of Eregion (including Celebrimbor) much about magic and crafting and worked with them (and learned a few things of his own) for a time, which culminated in the forging of the Rings of Power. Sauron helped make the Nine and the Seven as well as other lesser rings, as it was all part of his plan to subjugate the Free Peoples. After that, Celebrimbor alone made the Three, but Sauron forged the One in Orodruin. At that moment the elves who bore the Three (Celebrimbor included) realized they had been deceived, for the One had mastery over all the others. They hid the Three, and Sauron attacked Eregion in retaliation (looking for the Three, since he couldn't use them to subjugate the elves since they weren't wearing them). He took many lesser rings and captured Celebrimbor, who was later tortured and killed in an effort to learn the location of the Three. But the Three remained hidden, although Sauron was able to use the Nine and to a lesser extent the Seven to sow strife among the Free Peoples.
Good ideas, but I don't think they should expand the orc vs. orc elements too much. Otherwise when the time came, there wouldn't be enough orcs to make war upon the Free Peoples! :P
I agree completely with everything you said. This is what I've been trying to tell everyone who's clamoring for "Shadow of Gondor: Corsairs Rising" or some other Middle-Earth game tied to SoM but lacking the key elements of SoM. Monolith should make the true SoM sequel, keeping all the core elements but omitting everything you said. They should NOT try to make another action-adventure game in some other section of the lore. Nice job of putting it together.
Meanwhile, I still want a true open-world Middle-Earth RPG. But it would in no way be affiliated with SoM.
Purely speculation, but we didn't see them die, so they aren't dead. :P I'm assuming they'll show up again in the sequel.
And please don't say that uber-modding and game-changing is improving the game. It's turning the game into something else, something not like the original.
If people like modding and want to come up with the craziest world-altering game-changing mods they can make, or if they can make a career modding, they can go ahead. I've no problem with people customizing games; what I don't like is people saying "Oh Skyrim (or another game) is the stupidest game ever unless you have these 150 mods" when those mods change the game so much that it's no longer recognizable as Skyrim. I'm not trying to stop them from doing whatever they want; I simply don't like the fact that they are doing it.
To me, it's like someone taking Tolkien's stories and lore, completely trashing and revamping and corrupting and changing everything, and then presenting it to the world and saying, "Oh Tolkien's original works are SOOO stupid and lame! My custom version of LotR is SOOO much more awesome!" Such a crime, I think everyone can agree, should never be committed.
So I think, and I must be clear that this is my opinion, it's a near travesty for people to say that uber-modded not-Skyrim is strawberry-vanilla-angel-cream-cake-supreme compared to normal Skyrim's steaming pile of shrakh. Sure, they can say that; sure, they can do that; sure, I can't stop them and I won't touch such things with a 10-foot sterilized barge pole held by someone else; but I still don't like the fact that they think their version is infinitely better than the original when their version isn't even comparable to the original.
I'm fine with people having mods that they think improve the game, but if they mod it to the point where it's no longer Skyrim, then say it's a vast improvement on Skyrim, then I get mad. They can "add replay value" (okay, the way I play there's ALWAYS replay value, but whatever), they can "improve the game" (IMO, the only way to improve Skyrim, besides fixing bugs and poor elements, is to flesh out a few things a bit more), they can do whatever their little hearts desire; but please, oh please, don't compare custom-not-Skyrim to regular Skyrim.
I, being rather knowledgeable on many things Tolkien, noticed and appreciated the themes you stated when playing the game. I saw it as an interesting tale of the corruption of what was once a worthy goal and the eventual fall into darkness that so often occurs in Tolkien's works. The story of the game communicated such themes very well, in my opinion.
It stays very true to many of Tolkien's themes, especially the idea of a fall and the dangers of using bad tools for good purposes. The game starts out with the idea of revenge, Talion's revenge against the Black Hand for killing his family and later Celebrimbor's revenge against Sauron. Right away I then knew that it was not going to end well. Over the course of the game as you progress further and spread your terror and, yes, evil power (of domination) throughout Mordor, Talion becomes more and more dark. At first, he is shocked and disturbed by his (Celebrimbor's) ability to dominate; later, he accepts it and uses it. And there is where the "using evil things for good purposes" comes in; though Talion can use the (evil) power of domination (gained from Celebrimbor, who got it from the One Ring, which is filled with the malice and evil of Sauron) for good (i.e. freeing slaves, helping Lithariel and Marwen, etc.), his path eventually leads into darkness and he becomes as much a monster as the orcs themselves. Thus the fall.
Especially given Talion's lines at the end (Celebrimbor was weary of their struggle; and, knowing he could not defeat Sauron, was ready to leave Middle-Earth. Talion overrode him, wanting further revenge even to the point of forging a new Ring [evil!] to achieve it), I hope the sequel will further develop on that theme and we will get to see Talion's full descent into darkness as he works for what begins as a good purpose (to stop Sauron) but what will inevitably end with evil (with trying to overthrow Sauron and rule Mordor in his stead).
So, I find no "perversion of communicated values" in SoM; instead, I find clear communication of many of Tolkien's central themes/values.
Well, keep in mind that if there was to be another game of the same type set in another time/place, it would have to keep the parkour/climb elements and the wraith powers, two things I don't think would fit together anywhere on the whole Tolkien spectrum.
Either they make a sequel to SoM with Talion and Celebrimbor, or they go for broke and make a true open-world Middle-Earth RPG. Or both. Don't settle for some halfhearted washed-out action-adventure game in whatever random part of Middle-Earth lore you can muster. If someone else wants to make such a game, go ahead. But Monolith, you'd better not do something like that and slap a "Middle-Earth Series!" label on it.
The last thing I want to see is a "sequel" to SoM where you play as a random man/elf/dwarf/hobbit/ orc/skinchanger/whatever in some fabrication of half-based canon. Why? Because the SoM game(s) have too good a thing going to try to fob it off onto whatever random piece of lore people want. If they want to make something like that, they can; but they'd better not try to connect it to SoM in any way whatsoever. You can't take key elements from SoM and put them into any other Middle-Earth game.
So if you all want some other partial Middle-Earth game, I won't get in the way. Just don't ask for "Shadow of Gondor: Corsairs Rising." Meanwhile, I'm waiting for "TES IX: Middle-Earth."
Yeah, 17,544 is correct. I wonder how many, if any, have yet to be encountered?........
Oi dude, tone it down a bit. There's no need for such words. ^^ I respect the books an enormous deal, and I find very little "perversion of communicated values" in the game. I can explain if you wish, but I'm not sure there is anything behind that post that could understand.
Sounds like something that needs to be added in with the "Make the Warchiefs actually formidable" patch/DLC. Maybe give them an extra health bar or armor bar; have a special strength for each one (like one can't be countered, one blocks the flurry combo, one picks you up and throws you, stuff like that). Anything to make them actually difficult to defeat.
Angmar would be cool. I'd also like to see more of the Nine, maybe have Minas Morgul, in a future release.
Read: I found at one point during a Test of Power trial that multiple captains engaged me during a duel between two other captains. I intervened, killed one of the duelists, and then 4 more showed up in quick succession. I finished them all off quickly (not trying to brag; I have gotten 90% of the upgrades and abilities so that makes it mighty easy) including the surviving original duelist. I was in a stronghold at the time; perhaps that made a difference... But still never have I, in Trials or Story, been swarmed by multiple captains when outside of a stronghold.
As for the game throwing "rediculous odds" at you right out of the gate, you just have to play smart. Only 15 minutes in I got jumped by two captains (first one, then the other showed up later). I died after killing one, then came back and found another had joined the second one. It took some effort, but I eventually got them both without dying again. It wasn't anything insanely difficult. Now, if I had tried to rampage through a stronghold to kill a captain, you can bet I would have gotten trounced multiple times over. But I didn't because I knew it would have been beyond my current abilities. Here's a hint: don't bite off more than you can chew in the early game. If that means not even engaging the lowliest captain without extreme preparation and caution, so be it.
Meh, I don't really see the Scouring of the Shire as a viable spot for a game, simply because there wasn't much that happened. If we're talking about another Nemesis-system Middle-Earth game that doesn't involve Mordor, I think the best scenario would involve Rhûn or some other place with a lot of different political factions.
But I'd still rather see more SoM than a different game altogether.
Nevermind, I got them today. They suddenly showed up in my download history for some reason. Works great!
Ah, so that's why mine skipped the Graug hunting challenges. Dang.
Not about modding, but about the difficulty. Either you have insane twitch skills, or you take the most cautious approach imaginable... Question: how does one kill a warchief + bodyguards + whatever dozens of orcs inhabit the strongholds without Execution? Simply alternating spamming X, A, Y, and B until they all fall down dead?
I agree that the game can be ridiculously easy, but it can also be hard. Level 20 Captains with 1- or 2-hit kills + swarms of grunts in strongholds = your swift end....