Valar Guild

November 16, 2014 Sunday Meeting

5pm EST (UTC/GMT - 5)
AIM: Valar Guild Meetingplace

Back to News
Transcript work by Ar-Pharazon and Varda.

Attending: (3)
    AriehnV(presiding), ArPharazonV, Indis-(V)/karakedi25

Before-meeting
Meeting begins
Membership:
Web:
    Tolkien Site/ Art: new art
Gaming:
    WoW queues
    LotRO:
       Beorning starter area
       Hotfixes
       More on Beornings in the After-meeting
    WoW:
        Queues in Argent Dawn server
        Warlords of Draenor now live. First-hand account of the opening event.
        Links for new areas and patches, Iron Garrison's blog.     
    Hearthstone
       New info. More Hearthstone in the After-meeting
Tolkien:
    Books
    Tolkien Moment and discussion: the dwarves introduction to Beorn.
After-meeting:
    Hearthstone
    LotRO Beornings after trying them in live.
    flashgames: Run 3, Rogue Soul 2
    WoW some of the new stuff
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Before-meeting
You have just entered room "valarguildmeetingplace."
ArPharazonV: Aiya!
AriehnV: Aiya there :-)
AriehnV: how are you?
ArPharazonV: Good! You?
AriehnV: not bad :-)
AriehnV: bit tired but all right
AriehnV: i think its just going to be us tonight ^^
AriehnV: Varda is still away and Indis likely wont show up since we dont have really interesting gaming news or Tokien topics for her
ArPharazonV: Really? She's said that? Hmm. Usually she brings the LotRO news.
ArPharazonV: So did you get Varda's email?
AriehnV: yes i got emails from Varda and Eonwe
ArPharazonV: Allright. Then I guess you're set :-)
AriehnV: no she didnt say that i am assuming
AriehnV: Indis didnt say anything like that but you know her ^^
AriehnV: anyway we can make this short and sweet i guess :-)
ArPharazonV: She might show up later though. Usually does.
AriehnV: are you ready or busy in Draenor if you got logged in ;-)?#
ArPharazonV: But go ahead :-)
ArPharazonV: I'm not in Draenor, logged out about 20 minutes ago.
AriehnV: oki
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AriehnV: Elen sila lumenn omentielvo! A star shines upon the hour of our meeting
AriehnV: Membership news:
AriehnV: We are here :-)
ArPharazonV: That we are!
AriehnV: Varda is still on the road traveling from her visit ... she might be here towards the end of the meeting but she doesnt expect it
AriehnV: do you have any other membership news , phari?
ArPharazonV: Hmmm, no, not me.
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AriehnV: Alright, neither me so on to Web news
AriehnV: our member Bohemian - Weasel V has new artwork in his cave and it looks nice as usual :-)
AriehnV: Cave of the Bohemian Weasel-(T): Paths of the Dead (new section with new art): "Door" ‘He shall pass the door to the Paths of the Dead.’
AriehnV: sorry its Bohmemian Weasel (T)
ArPharazonV: Bohmemian?
AriehnV: there is also a picture of Legolas spotting the shapes of men on horses
AriehnV: yes
ArPharazonV: With the m?
AriehnV: click the link that works
ArPharazonV: Sorry, just looks funny. As if you corrected yourself with the wrong spelling.
ArPharazonV: Don't mind me. Continue.
AriehnV: yeah its Bohemian Wesel (T) bah my typing
AriehnV: apart from that there is no other new artwork i fear but its nice anyway :-)
AriehnV: I think she got the expression of Legolas in the second picture quite nice .. i think its an older one but i like it
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AriehnV: Gaming news:
AriehnV: Is there any other games than WoW or Lotro you have played Phar?
ArPharazonV: Oh yes, a bunch. Besides some Hearthstone (will give personal news on that later!) I've also done a lot of flashgaming, catching up on about half a dozen games from my backlog.
ArPharazonV: What 5-hour WoW queues are good for, eh?
ArPharazonV: I'll give some links at the end, as is usual, so Indis and others won't have to slug through a bunch of random stuff to get through the main meeting ;-)
AriehnV: hehe yes i hear AD ques are VERY long ^^
ArPharazonV: So far it's varied between 4 and a half hours, and 7 and a half hours.

AriehnV: shorl Lotro note from me:
AriehnV: i ve made a Beorning called Arinotta and looks quite fun
ArPharazonV: Yay! That's almost like a druid!
AriehnV: a nice intro thaf ends you up in the human starter area
AriehnV: yup :-) it differs in the way that you need to build up rage before you can transform .. or heal
AriehnV: and you lose wrath .. they call it sorry
ArPharazonV: Wrath is still druidy ;-)
ArPharazonV: Human starter area, eh... where was that again?
AriehnV: wrath diminishes over the time in combat and if it sinks under 1 you transform automatically back to human form
AriehnV: thats Archet
AriehnV: Breeland
AriehnV: and Chetwood
ArPharazonV: Ah, over there.
AriehnV: i havent done that much there recently since .. err yes that game ^^
ArPharazonV: Strange place for a Beorning to surface :-)
AriehnV: and sent there by Radagast ^^
ArPharazonV: Aha!
AriehnV: more or less its his fault all the Beornings turn up there .. but its quite nice to revisit those lowbie lowbie quests
AriehnV: thats it from me
ArPharazonV: I can see Radagast sitting there, cackling at all the Beornings he keeps sending away over the mountains...
AriehnV: oh btw for the script Arinotta needs invite in Valar Guikd on occasion ^^ she is lurking in the friend channel already when i am on
AriehnV: aye ^^

AriehnV: now then big news is WoW of course .. the Warlords of Draenor has gone live :-)
ArPharazonV: Yes it has! And it's been a bit of a logistical disaster.
AriehnV: apart from somewhat of a rush and increase in game activity on all sides which makes it hard to grab mobs or items you need is quite fun yes indeed
AriehnV: and the launch event wasnt that interesting either ... but even so a lot of folks gathered at the Dark Portal and we had a bit fun there sblasting the iron horde before it
ArPharazonV: Well, if you want to know how that went on AD...
AriehnV: but at start of course even our quiet server crashed ...
AriehnV: i can imagine ..
ArPharazonV: Which is one of the busiest servers in Europe...
AriehnV: how long was AD off ?
ArPharazonV: Well. After a quick raid with my raidguild to get my warrior a guaranteed heirloom weapon, on the last night it was available, our little group wanted to travel to the portal. This was over an hour in advance.
ArPharazonV: We joined an absolutely massive "mammoth train" where we were all walking with mammoth mounts from Stormwind to the portal. Many, many players. At some point we ranged from Goldshire to Deadwind Pass, I believe.
ArPharazonV: And even more players were already *at* the portal, which was lagging immensely.
AriehnV: wow looked probably quite spectacular
ArPharazonV: People were all over Khadgar, from what I'm told, no enemy npcs lasted even a second, and I didn't even get through deadwind pass before the whole server crashed.
ArPharazonV: Remember, this was still about an hour in advance. Maybe 40-50 minutes.
ArPharazonV: I think more, even, not sure.
AriehnV: lol
AriehnV: sounds like AD all right
ArPharazonV: Of course, by the time it went back up... most of us were teleported back to where we'd set our hearthstones.
AriehnV: yes indeed .. then its really an advantage to be a mage ;-)
ArPharazonV: I made a quick journey back to the portal, didn't see anything. No players, no npcs except for a few orcs standing at the portal.
ArPharazonV: And crashed again. And was unable to log in again for quite a while, it constantly got stuck on loading. Even my alt in Pandaria took some time to get in.
ArPharazonV: When I did get my main back online, everyone was scattered or offline. Eastern Kingdoms was a pain to be in. Some people I knew managed to flee into an instance, like Karazhan or Sunken Temple.
AriehnV: okay .. not to completely forget the offial side i ve got a few notes from Eonwe on the games site
ArPharazonV: And my entire chat interface had reset, too. Was rather weird.
AriehnV: World of WarCraft: For Warlords of Draenor, see the patch notes, the Feature Overview, and the recent hotfixed. See the new Beasts of the Savage Lands blogs on Nagrand and the Spires of Arak, and Part 4 of the Garrisons blog.
AriehnV: yes they fixed a bit around i think
ArPharazonV: Anyway, it was a mess. I tried a bit longer, but got disconnected every time, and didn't check back until the next day. But by then the queues had started.
AriehnV: it was and i bet they know
AriehnV: they have to work on it for future releases and expansions i think .. so far i hear it was a bit of a disaster with every part
ArPharazonV: I'm told that Blizzard, in order to keep some stability going, reduced the server capacity by half for several days, only restoring them or even increasing them last night. And they made the entire continent phased, moving it to multiple servers, to take the load off.
ArPharazonV: And even now, with all that, there are still queues lasting several hours on the Argent Dawn servers, and I think the Garrison servers are still messy :-)
AriehnV: those are working on Earthen Ring :-) yeah but i hear they are still working on some issues
AriehnV: I am playing paced anyway i am not rushing enjoying the storyline quests and the garriosn
AriehnV: garrison
ArPharazonV: I'm hoping it'll have calmed down tomorrow, since the weekend-crowd will be gone again. But yes, it wasn't Blizzard's greatest hour. Reminds me of the Diablo 3 launch days.
AriehnV: there are some that are heading towards raiiding in our newformed guild with the old members and are rushing and gearing like mad , but not me :-)
ArPharazonV: Oh, I'm not rushing either. In fact I wanted to postpone it until monday to wait until the crowds are gone, but with the phasing etc I dabbled in it for about half an hour yesterday and today.
AriehnV: yeah understandable
ArPharazonV: I'm not even halfway to 91 yet. I'm not even halfway through the first questline in Tanaan ;-)
ArPharazonV: People know to expect from me that I'm not the fastest to level. We'll see how fast it really goes.
ArPharazonV: Even my raidgroup really wants to pick up raiding again ;-)
ArPharazonV: *Even if
AriehnV: 95 on the mage but still not quite through Frostfire ^^
AriehnV: but i had a look in two other zones
AriehnV: but i wont spoil :-)
AriehnV: on other notes which i forgot

AriehnV: Hearthstone: The Goblins vs Gnomes website is up and they're showing some new cards. See what actions they've taken against botting.

AriehnV: apparently there have been hotfixes in LotrO too
ArPharazonV: Oh?
AriehnV: https://www.lotro.com/forums/showthread.php?558699-Update-15-Hotfix-1-Release-Notes
AriehnV: yes after the update last week ^^
ArPharazonV: Ah yes, updates and their bugs...
ArPharazonV: Hotfixes to fix bugs, hotfixes to fix hotfixes...
AriehnV: just to keep the script halfways informative and complete .. sorry folks for jumping a bit all over the place
AriehnV: oh yes and patches that fix the patch that fixed the patch ^^
AriehnV: right that's it on the gaming news side i think
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AriehnV: do you have any idea for Tolkien chat or a Tolkien moment?

ArPharazonV: Well, not as such, but I can tell you that a person I know through WoW found a book in a bookshop in England...
ArPharazonV: containing Farmer Giles of Ham and the Adventures of Tom Bombadil!
ArPharazonV: So I'll be adding that to my collection soon :-)
AriehnV: great :-D
AriehnV: They are both fun reading
AriehnV: well the "adventures of Tom Bombadl" is a collections of poems
AriehnV: but Farmer Giles is a story :-)
AriehnV: Some of those poems will be familiar and some less :-)
ArPharazonV: Hmhm, I've read things about both of them. Should be nice to finally actually be able to read the very things themselves!
ArPharazonV: Got any related topics, or any others you had planned? :-)

AriehnV: well I ve got an Tolkien moment :-)
ArPharazonV: Ah, great!
AriehnV: not planned but grabbed out of my head .. maybe we get to somewhere from that :-)
AriehnV: talking about Beornings gave me the idea to have a glimpse at the man himself and his lodgings ::-)
ArPharazonV: Animal servants, I recall? Bees, ponies...

AriehnV: "You had better wait here", said the wizard to the dwarves < "and when i call or whistle begin to come after me - you will see the way i go - but only in pairs, mind, about five minutes between each pair of you. Bombur is the fattest and will do for two, he had better come alone and last. Come on, Mister Baggins! There is a gate somewhere round this way." And with that he went off aong the hedged taking the frightened hobbit with him."
AriehnV: They soon came to a wooden gate, high and broad, beyond which they could see gardens and a clutter of woode buildings, some thatched and made of unshaped logs : barns , stables, sheds , and a long low wooden house.
AriehnV: Inside on the southward side of the great hedge were rows of hives with bell - shaped topes made of scraw. The noise of the giant bees flying to and fro and crawling in and out filled the air"
AriehnV: There are your bees :-)
ArPharazonV: Yay bees!
AriehnV: "The wizard and the hobbit pushed open the heaviy craking gate and went down a wide track towards the house. Some horses, very sleek and well-groomed , trotted up across the grass and looked at them intently with very intelligfent faces, then off they gallopped to the buildings."
AriehnV: And horses :-)
ArPharazonV: Yes, but if I recall, the horses helped with setting the table etc as well.
AriehnV: "They have gone to tell him of the arrival of strangers." said Gandalf
ArPharazonV: Interesting. Can Beornings talk with animals in LotRO? :-)
AriehnV: Soon they reached a courtyard , three walls of which where formed by the wooden house and its long wings. in the middle there was lying a great oak-trunk with many toped branches beside it . Standing near was a huge man with a thick black beard and hair, and great bare arms and legs with knotted muscles. he was clothed in atunic of wool down to his knees, and was leaning on a large axe."
AriehnV: Right here s the end of the passage i had in mind :-)

ArPharazonV: great bear arms...
AriehnV: So to answer your question .. I dont know yet .. i havent seen them talk in the intro with animals ... that they have a bond with nature .. that much is obvious
AriehnV: hehe Phara :-)
ArPharazonV: Well, I wonder about Beorn's communication with his horses, then, if they can warn him about strangers.
AriehnV: yes the horses stand with him with their heads on his shoulders by the way as the two arrive
AriehnV: But yeah it would make sense wouldnt it?
ArPharazonV: It would. But you'd think something of that lingers in the Beornings, wouldn't you?
AriehnV: should do in theory .. And its certainly no chance that it is Radagast who contacts Grimbeorn (who is the descendant of Beorn and father to Arinotta)
ArPharazonV: Is this in-game, or RP? Are all Beorning players the children of the same Grimbeorn? :-)
AriehnV: not sure .. probably in game
AriehnV: just for fun i should make a second Beorning on another server and see
ArPharazonV: Hah.
AriehnV: it depends all on the question "Who was Beorn" .. , "how much power did he have?" and "how much of those powers did he pass on to his descendants?"
ArPharazonV: Where did he come from would be the first question.
AriehnV: yup
AriehnV: should be an interesting topic for next week :-)
ArPharazonV: hehe
AriehnV: i think we can call it here officially ad linger around as usual for chatties and aftermeeting :-)
AriehnV: "dazzles bright and shines on Beorns greataxe as end signal"
AriehnV: .. "horse runs away in fear and kicks against a big gont" .. "dong*
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AriehnV: Aftermeeting :-)
ArPharazonV: Allright :-)

ArPharazonV: I'll start then by saying... all my Hearthstone classes at level 30!
AriehnV: oh nice :-D congratulations
ArPharazonV: More golden cards for each hero, and in a certain way you could say I'm halfway, since 60's the maximum.. but of course since it goes much slower at higher levels, I've probably barely scratched the surface ;-)
karakedi25 has entered the room.
ArPharazonV: Aiya Indis!
karakedi25: aiya, just popping in to say hi

karakedi25: nothing much to say about lotro
ArPharazonV: Ah.
ArPharazonV: We were talking about Beornings. Anything to add there?
karakedi25: The class is fun. It's popular and getting a good r.eception despite some still unpolished aspects
AriehnV: aiya Indis :-)
karakedi25: aiya
AriehnV: we spoke also a bit about Beorn . but we dont have much information on him and thought we would saive the topic until next week when whe have more participants
karakedi25: ok with me
karakedi25: sorry, I need to log out--bio, dinner, but good to see you both
AriehnV: i had a Tolkien moment form the "Queer Lodgings chapter " in the Hobbit describing Beorns house and himself
ArPharazonV: Allright, enjoy, and namarie!
karakedi25: namarie
AriehnV: Namarie :-)
karakedi25 has left the room.

ArPharazonV: Hmm, I'll throw in a few flashgames too.
ArPharazonV: http://www.kongregate.com/games/player_03/run-3 Run 3 should keep you busy for a while. Lots of levels, some user-generated levels, can be a bit frustrating, but feels good when you do beat a level ;-) Just run along a circular tunnel of sorts, switching your gravity angle by jumping on side platforms, and jump over gaps... good timing and experimenting is needed :-)
AriehnV: yeah like in the epic quest .. i finally got Two Princes done ^^
AriehnV: took me forever to get that stuipid forge ;-)
ArPharazonV: Hah!
AriehnV: i couldnt beat Wrathlon so no cloak in the end but still feels good :-)
AriehnV: and was interesting to see the Celestials comments and the way they dealt with him
ArPharazonV: Aw! What spec were you doing? I did the tank challenge on both of my level 90 characters and that was easy enough with some tries.
ArPharazonV: http://www.kongregate.com/games/SoulGame/rogue-soul-2 oh, and here's the other flashgame, an action platformer, well-made, quite fun :-)
ArPharazonV: And that'll be my gaming news for today! Haven't done much in Draenor, as I said. By next meeting, though, I want to have my garrison at least!
AriehnV: Was doing it with my mage
AriehnV: so ranged dps challenge
AriehnV: a lot of aoe . but wasnt fast enough but i got him to 50 % or a bit below
ArPharazonV: Aw.
AriehnV: he has to fight blindfolded which he didnt like much ^^
ArPharazonV: hah
ArPharazonV: Those who can't aim, aoe.
AriehnV: Namarie for now :-)
ArPharazonV: Namarie!
AriehnV has left the room.
ArPharazonV: saving and sending transcript
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