And Now For a Prettier Word

If there's one game that can tempt me into upgrading to Windows Vista for DirectX 10, it's Lord of the Rings Online.

But even DirectX 9 renders aren't so shabby these days with an up-to-date graphics card and some extra chunks of RAM.

Before


After


The later developed areas also seem to look better, art asset-wise. Like going from Atlas Park to Striga and CoV, I suppose.

If only I had been clever enough to find the turn-off-UI key sooner...


(What's that on his footsies? Part of the 'All Grey 2 Me' escapade.)



(Eregion is great. Wide open plains that make me itch for the Rohan expansion. So much more fun to gallop around and quest in, versus Angmar's depressing red salt lakes and dismal mountains, and Misty Mountains' white foggy snow.)

As you can tell, as contrasted with the landscapes, LOTRO's UI sucks badly. The pretty parts are actually a downloaded skin I found. Doesn't do anything for the actual buttons though. Five rows of ugly squares are blocking my view, but I can't bring myself to change the layout because everything seems so necessary, and I'd have to get used to a new arrangement.