Lore-master 101 Guide comment

The following statement appears in the Lore-master 101 Guide. While not technically incorrect, it is somewhat ambiguous and could be misleading to the very people for whom the guide is intended:

"While higher levels unlock alternative pets (who possess their own capabilities and skills), you'll only have access to your raven until you pass level 14."

When I first read it, I was astonished that the raven was now no longer available after level 14 ... until I realized what it really meant.

I would suggest rewording it something like "... you'll have access to only your raven until you pass level 14."

I know this is picking nits, but since this is a guide for players new to Lore-masters, I thought I would point out the possibility for misinterpretation.

In closing, all my best wishes to Patience. We'll miss you. :cool:

I noticed that as well, but I think this rewording would be more explanatory for newbies ",but until you reach level 14 the raven is your only available pet"

Anyway it's not like it really matters :)

Goodbye Patience, God Bless :)

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Originally Posted by Steale

The following statement appears in the Lore-master 101 Guide. While not technically incorrect, it is somewhat ambiguous and could be misleading to the very people for whom the guide is intended:

"While higher levels unlock alternative pets (who possess their own capabilities and skills), you'll only have access to your raven until you pass level 14."

When I first read it, I was astonished that the raven was now no longer available after level 14 ... until I realized what it really meant.

I would suggest rewording it something like "... you'll have access to only your raven until you pass level 14."

I know this is picking nits, but since this is a guide for players new to Lore-masters, I thought I would point out the possibility for misinterpretation.

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And the moral for us all, including lore-writers, is: write it, read it, read it again, THEN post it. "Only" can wander all through a sentence, modifying the bit of the sentence that comes next after it. What if the text had said "Only you will have access to your raven until ..." (and then others can use it too?) Indeed, the way you've modified it (though it's probably the best phrasing we can get without rewriting the whole sentence from scratch) could be interpreted as "After 14 you'll have access to other people's ravens...."

The late Robert A. Heinlein told once how when he was a cadet at Annapolis he took a course in Order Writing. Each cadet was given a situation on paper and given five minutes to think, and then wrote an order to his imaginary crew telling them what to do about the situation. Then all the rest of the class did their best to pick the order apart. If there was ANY way the order could be misinterpreted, the cadet got a zero for the day; if there wasn't, he got an A.

What he learned in that class was: Don't write it so it can be understood: write it so that it CANNOT be misunderstood.

Eldrandir, you are correct. It doesn't really matter, but I thought it might make a difference to someone trying to decide whether to play a Lore-master or not.

Your wording is clearer, and it also corrects an error I had overlooked, that the bear pet becomes available when you REACH level 14, rather than when you PASS level 14. I was just trying to make as little change as possible to the original phrasing.

Thanks for the correction.

Other than some of the wording, was I the only one who was more than a little surprised that the Flank! mechanic wasn't mentioned in the guide?

Between the additional dps of staff-strike and, more importantly (to a low level loremaster), the additional survivability granted by Signs of Battle, I really feel that this is a mechanic that should have made the cut in any basic Lore-master guide. If I recall correctly, my baby LM REALLY struggled at times early game (nearly to the point where I permanently shelved him). However, after receiving a tip-off regarding Flank!, my survivability increased substantially and I was much more satisfied with my character selection. I believe explaining this mechanic would add value to the guide (and player experience) without being overwhelming to a new loremaster.

I recommend this be included in the guide (if and/or when such a revision is possible).

Might be a bit extreme for a game but whenever I wrote an important paper in college, that could be worth up to 50% of the semester grade :( I often would read it backwards, its amazing the errors you can find doing this.

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Originally Posted by Steale

The following statement appears in the Lore-master 101 Guide. While not technically incorrect, it is somewhat ambiguous and could be misleading to the very people for whom the guide is intended:

...

I would suggest rewording it something like "... you'll have access to only your raven until you pass level 14."

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Thanks everyone for the suggestions! I completely agree with them, and have updated Lore-master 101.

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Originally Posted by FordyTwo

Thanks everyone for the suggestions! I completely agree with them, and have updated Lore-master 101.

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still nothing on flanking, which IMHO should be added to even a most basic "loremaster tips" article. I've had to explain this feature to every new LM in my kin (at least one has told me they doubled survivability just by knowing it existed)

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Originally Posted by BrianDavion

still nothing on flanking, which IMHO should be added to even a most basic "loremaster tips" article. I've had to explain this feature to every new LM in my kin (at least one has told me they doubled survivability just by knowing it existed)

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Well, it mentions "flanking" in the classic use of the term. . . but not the game mechanic. :p

I too used to spend a lot of time explaining the "flank" mechanic to up-and-coming LMs (and even some higher-level ones that still didn't know about it).

To make it easier, how's about we come up with the language we think should be included. I would contribute myself, but time is limited today. Maybe later.

First off, thank you for responding to feedback, Fordytwo. Always much appreciated being heard!

However, I think that there is a misunderstanding in what we mean by 'Flank' versus what you meant.

"Tip! Feel free to practicing flanking, becase some Lore-master skills involve flanking the enemy. This essentially means getting a mob positioned between your attacks and your pet. Think of it like making a "Mob Sandwich" if you like!"

That was not what I was referring to in my previous post. LM 101 should have an explanation of the Flank game MECHANIC, not trying to surround the mob between you and your pet. More info about what I was referring to here:

http://lorebook.lotro.com/wiki/Mechanics:Flanking

The self-heal that occurs when you use a Sign of Battle on a mob with the "Flank" debuff/icon on it can be an absolute lifesaver to the new LM. Considering how often the Raven procs the "Flank" event and that you get a Sign of Battle at lvl 2 (if I remember correctly), I believe new players could benefit tremendously from knowing how to take full advantage of Flanks for their entire leveling experience. Thanks!