Middle-Earth Online Preview

IGN PC has put together a preview of Middle-Earth Online, Turbine's upcoming MMORPG based in the Tolkien universe. A snippet:
The skill advancement system in Middle-Earth Online works by the skills actually being used instead of simply distributing XP points to skills once a character levels up. In other words, to propel your Archery skill you'll have to actually practice shooting a bow to get better. Training, however, can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days (yep, real time) depending on how much a character must practice in order to achieve a new skill. If you're not interested in hanging out online while you hunt rabbits to increase your Archery skill, VU has included an offline training option. Kick back in your cottage and practice your gardening skill until you're able to grow some po-ta-toes or dank Old Toby. Time spend training your skills solo will count when you log back onto the MEO server.