Lord of The Rings Online : chat

Developer Chat

Zyuu — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 10:41:24 GMT

Stratics got a new developer chat with the developers of Lord of the Rings Online available. It's a great read. You can check it out below, formatted and everything!

Brannoc - Welcome to today's House of Commons chat with the developers of Lord of the Rings Online!

Brannoc - To submit a question type /msg Brannoc My question here! - questions sent to the developers will not be answered! We'll be doing a general chat today so any questions on the game are welcome. As a side note I'm afraid we'll only be accepting questions in english today.
Brannoc - We'll begin with a brief introduction and some announcements from our guests and then jump straight into the questions. The full logs will be available at http://lotro.stratics.com shortly afterward.
[CM]Liquilla - Right, before proceedings get underway, don’t forget that our Loading Screen Competition closes this Friday, the 29th February! For details on this competition including the rules visit the news article at http://www.lotro-europe.com/news.php?id=5386
[CM]Liquilla - Also don’t forget that Connect 2008 is only two weeks away! It's a great chance for you to catch up with everything LOTRO. Visit the official website at http://www.codemastersconnect.com
[CM]Liquilla - Ok, let's get on with the dev chat. With us tonight from Turbine we have the following people:
Scenario - Good evening all! My name is Matt "Scenario" Elliott - your friendly neighbourhood Lead Worldbuilder. I'm excited because today is new comic book day! Oh - and my team makes the landscape pretty and functional!
Keth_Turbine - Greetings, I am Keth. I'm a content designer on LOTRO and Ally of the Mathom Society! (That dress is sweet!)
Rhidden - Hello, I’m Paul ‘Rhidden’ Simon. I am a content designer for Lord of the Rings Online. I enjoy beryl shards, long walks through the Rift, and candle lit dinners with Arwen.
Denour_Turbine - Hello everyone. My name is Andy “Denour” Gillis, and I am one of the Game System Engineers on Lord of The Rings Online. I can answer your more technical and system related questions. In the past I have worked on Auctions, Mail, Reputation, so on so on, but more recently I have been implementing Fishing! YAY!
Keth_Turbine - accursed smart quotes!
LOTRO_Saffron - Greetings everyone! I'm Vanessa "Saffron" Price, the LOTRO Online Community Specialist for Turbine and today I can't think of anything particularly pithy today. Thank you for joining us today!

Denour_Turbine shakes fists

[CM]Liquilla - I’m Callum "Liquilla" Rowley, European Community Liaison for LOTRO.
Satine_CM - And I'm Sam "Satine" Russell, the Senior Community Manager for LOTRO Europe! I have a bad back :)

Brannoc - *AmpliFied_SouL* Hello everyone ! I'd like to ask if there will be any new 12/24 man raid coming, with book 13.
Scenario - We will not be adding any new 12- or 24-man raids for Book 13.

Brannoc - *xanderian* Will we see any new 6-Man-Instances in Book 13?
Keth_Turbine - Rhidden is trying to answer your question but his computer is locking up....
Keth_Turbine - that and he's taking lessons from Tens.
Rhidden - Book 13 will have new story instances related to the continuation of our epic story. We will also be revisiting Annúminas and making some changes to those instances.

Brannoc - *InterestedOne* Hello! Will we once be able to buy decorations for our mounts (like saddle, tack, rein)?
Keth_Turbine - We aren't planning on that sort of system right now, but it is an interesting idea.
Keth_Turbine - However, we do plan on having another horse variant showing up in Book 13.

Brannoc - *Flushie* Will we have more Emotes for our Characters in the future and will voice emotes be included? We really need some more animations too! :)
Turbine_Tens - Hey everyone! This is Ryan "Tens" Bednar here, the Systems Lead on LOTRO, and I’m here to tell you that you can expect more emotes in the Book 13 / Book 14 timeframe.
Turbine_Tens - (Among other things.)

Brannoc - *Meeko* Hi! Great job on Chap 12! Can you make it possible that the show items features are static per outfit/armor display? Its a royal pain in the .... to switch from my armor image to my cosmetic image and still have to open the character window to turn off/on the cape or shoulder pads, etc..thank
Keth_Turbine - Hey Meeko, I hope I understood your question correctly.
Keth_Turbine - In Book 13, we are going to have the option to turn off helm/cloak/shoulders/feet/hands per Outfit. So one outfit could have a cloak and no shoulder pads, while another could have shoulder pads and no cloak visible.

Brannoc - *[Morthond-DE]Cordesh* Good Evening, my Name is Cordesh from the German Fansite Morthond.de. My Question is: Will we see InGame-Events on the one year anniversary in april?
LOTRO_Saffron - Plan! We have them! I would keep an eye on the websites for our future announcements!

Brannoc - *[EN-Snow]Gwalchmai* Hey kiddoes. You have made it easy to log in to standard server, thanks for that. Next step: Is it possible to go straight to the Vault, and then get the option to accessing the house escrow from there? I dont think most will ever get to use the Escrow, but uses the vault multiple times a day :)
Keth_Turbine - Actually that's a pretty good idea. I'll enter a bug and see if our Engineers can accomodate that request.
Keth_Turbine - Thanks!

Denour_Turbine scowls at Keth

Brannoc - *littlegandlf* Hello Turbine!I heard some rumors about Turbine's visit to China in early March.Is that going to be the anouncement of the "Lotro Asian Release" Or anything relates with the anouncement in "Connect2008"?
LOTRO_Saffron - We’ve already announced our plans and we’re really excited to release in China, Korea, and Russia!

Brannoc - *Godot* About Book 13, I have seen a lot of cold and snow (Misties galore) so how will the new region be different? And will there be some kind of city in it (not just a small camp or such) ?

LOTRO_Saffron hears vicious amounts of typing.

Scenario - So - those of you who have completed the Book 12 quest line will know where your Book 13 adventures will send you. For this region, we were challenged to develop a biome plan that was distinct from other similarly themed regions and I think we've done a pretty decent job of that.
Scenario - We've got a couple of Dev Diaries in the works that will cover our design process and decisions for this region.

Brannoc - *vendolis* Is there any plan on making more character slots available, either with an expansion or via micropayment?
Turbine_Tens - We do have plans to increase the maximum number of character slots available to players, although the specifics and exact timeframe of that change are both still to be determined.

Brannoc - *darren* Hi. are their any plans for new ettenmoors session classes? also, are their any plans to balance the current troll and ranger session classes?
Keth_Turbine - Well, no plans for any new sessions out in the Ettenmoors, but there are plans for another Monster Play class in Book 13.
Keth_Turbine - It'll be the Orc Defiler, and he'll serve a much needed Healer role for Monster Players.

Brannoc - *poro* here it goes, have you yet decided whether the lvl cap will go up on (upcoming) first expansion pack? Or are you going to introduce somekind of alternative level system (like one in Anarchy Online) for expansions? Or will we be wiser after Codemasters Connect?
LOTRO_Saffron - We’re excited about our future announcements at Connect08. I suggest you get your tickets now to find out in-person!

Satine_CM cheers
Rhidden - Don't pull anything Satine!
Satine_CM - Ouch!

Brannoc - *{Ez0}Honvik{GA}* is there any plans to add a guild bank with features for members to donate money, show items, add items, remove items etc?
Denour_Turbine - We are currently in the process of getting some new engine technology that will allow us to modify some of our existing systems to be more extensible. After this technology has been completed, the ability to implement guild style banks and the like will be possible, and I am sure we will be discussing the feature in the future.

Brannoc - *PuNiShErA* Hi, I'm 100% sure that will ask this question: Will the Auction Hall search problem be fixed any time soon?
[CM]Liquilla - we're currently looking to put a fix to the auction house in place between the first or second week of March. We understand the severity and the issues its causing for players
[CM]Liquilla - so we want to get this out as soon as possible
[CM]Liquilla - but we dont want to run into additional problems on the way, so we want to make sure the fix is tried and tested before we throw it out the door :)

Brannoc - *xanderian* Are there any plans for new high end item sets? or 2Handed Hammers and 1Handed Clubs? Burglars in my kinship would love to see some more maces as well ;)
Keth_Turbine - Well there's quite a few new sets in Book 13 coming your way. The art is pretty hot (no pun intended) and we've really been trying to make sure the sets serve a role we haven't filled with any sets yet.
Keth_Turbine - Beyond Book 13, we are looking to do a more extensive revisit to our existing sets to make them more compelling.

Brannoc - *Godot* I have heard of the possibility of "mounting" boats in the near future, true or false ?
Turbine_Tens - False. The new mounts will not be boats.
Scenario - Nor will they be eagles...
Turbine_Tens - But that’s a good guess! :)
Keth_Turbine - They will be chairs.
Denour_Turbine - GAH!!!

Brannoc - *[HdRo-DE]Anrangar* 1) are there any plans in the future from turbine to support player driven In-Game RP-Events ?
Denour_Turbine - I think the implementation of the outfit system was a step in the right direction to assist role-players. It’s so good, that Keth is wearing a dress as we speak! Remember though, Middle-Earth is a stage, and as role players, you are the actors! So have at it.
Keth_Turbine - I look awesome in my dress and pitchfork.

Brannoc - *Vetaro* Hello! I've got a question about visual things. I still have the feeling that light armour (like for loremasters) has only two styles with different colourings. They were used on the beginner-armour as well as on the rift-set for loremasters. Will there finally be any new styles for these pieces of equipment?
Keth_Turbine - Hey Vetaro, I'm not sure on what we currently have for Light Armour meshes, but I'll wager it's more than 2.
Keth_Turbine - anyway, we do have a new light armour mesh set coming in Book 13.

Brannoc - *Rhade* I have a question for Housing: If I longer time may not be online, will my items in the house that I have and what I have invested a lot of time, simply erased. Would a retention fee once bahlt be (eg 500 silver), not fair? The current solution is no incentive to buy a house.

Denour_Turbine boggles

Denour_Turbine - Alright, so let me take a moment to clarify the changes coming to housing...
Denour_Turbine - If you do not pay your maintenance, you will no longer lose your house. The house will be put into a locked state, and you will have to pay in order to access it again.
Denour_Turbine - The items that you had in storage, decorations and the like will remaing there, but you will not have access to them until you unlock the house.
Denour_Turbine - The only way items will be put into escrow at this point is if you abandon your house.

Brannoc - *foo* Are you going to add more areas just for the cause of exploration (nearly no quests but nicely designed landscape there – after all, middle earth seems to me like a rather empty place after having read the books)
Scenario - The Book 13 region, while not a void of questless tracts of land, is quite large and should make the explorers out there happy. :)

Brannoc - *Performer* I'd like to know if we can expect Additions to the Outfitsystem in Book 13 (or beyond), like more Clothing, Hats, Sandals, Things to hang on the Belt, ...
Keth_Turbine - Yep, there will be some more outfits coming your way in Book 13, although nothing quite so crazy as sandals.
Keth_Turbine - Sandals are crazy, I tell you!
Keth_Turbine - CRAZY!!!!
Denour_Turbine - Hippie
Keth_Turbine - exactly, only dirty hippies wear sandals.

Brannoc - get a job!
Brannoc - *Meeko* can it be made possible for one more rank in kinships, that of 1st officer who would be allowed to promote/demote and kick members? Kin leaders cannot be online 24/7
Turbine_Tens - That’s a great suggestion Meeko. We’ll look into it.
Turbine_Tens - We've run into similar issues with our Kinship Leaders as well :P

Brannoc - *Valde* Good evening, The system of relationship is brilliant... But children with a single parent, it's sad! Shall we see again one day the wedding system?
Turbine_Tens - Only after we’ve first introduced the "Reproductive System."
Turbine_Tens - But that might get us an "M" Rating...
Turbine_Tens - And our engine might not support it...
Denour_Turbine - Support reproductive system?
Denour_Turbine - Definately not...
Turbine_Tens - But we'll see what we can do ;)
Denour_Turbine - The animations would be blippy...
Turbine_Tens - Yeah, we'll need more Havok support. Definitely.
[CM]Liquilla - reproductive system sounds good o.O
Denour_Turbine - NO!
[CM]Liquilla - doh!

Brannoc - *jetman666* hi there. currently with the light/med armour there is a large gap between 35 and 42 have you any plans to fill this in a little? fighting lvl41 mobs with 35 armour is a little taxing?
Turbine_Tens - That’s not a gap in itemization that we’re currently aware of, but we can certainly investigate it.
Turbine_Tens - Thanks for bringing it to our attention.

Brannoc - *[HdRo-DE]Anrangar* will the new mount a carriage ?
Turbine_Tens - Cabbage? What, that’s crazy!?
Turbine_Tens - So no.
Turbine_Tens - :)

Brannoc - *Jalada* sorry if this has been asked before, I've come in half way and don't follow the dev chats. But will there be a possibility to officially share a house with someone (i.e. so they have the return to house skill and it listed on their character info) rather than just giving them full permissions? Thanks.
Denour_Turbine - Right now you can use the housing options to give other characters full access to your house. We are however going to continue to reserve the ability to recall to a house to the owner. We consider that a privilage that one obtains for actually purchasing a piece of realistate.

Brannoc - *Anon6735* I have a question regarding Sets for Minstrals, At the moment all sets are light armour, yet, Minstrals have the trait to wear medium armour. It doesn't make sense that all throught the game Minstral can wear medium armour and once they reach fifty, they go back to light armour which has a Lower defence stat? are there any plans to bring in a minstral "Medium armour set"?
Turbine_Tens - It’s something that we’ve certainly discussed, but we have no plans to revisit any of the existing Minstrel Sets at this time.
Turbine_Tens - But it's definitely a possibility for "The Future"

Brannoc - *nocomment17* hi! do you think you could allow people to send more items in the post?
Denour_Turbine - Remember that new piece of technology I was talking about earlier? That will make sending more than one item in the mail possible. We’ll discuss allowing multiple attachments internally after the technology as been completed.

Brannoc - *Guest15* Hi Everyone. Is the new area in Book 13 going to be larger or smaller than Evendim?
Scenario - Larger! Both in playable space and visuals. Stay tuned for our upcoming Dev Diaries.
Keth_Turbine - It's awesome!

Brannoc - *Performer* Are there Plans to add Headgear that doesn't replace Hair, like Circlets, Crowns or Bandannas ?
Turbine_Tens - Yes! Circlets that don’t replace hair are coming with Book 13.
Turbine_Tens - You can thank Floon for those. :)

Brannoc - *littlegandlf* May we get Lambas in the game:)
Scenario - Isn't that a boss in Urugarth?
Keth_Turbine - I believe they took Lambas off the market, due to all the transfat in it.
Rhidden - The keeping and giving of Lembas is a privilege of Elven queens!

Brannoc - That's it for today folks! Be sure to join us next time here on Stratics IRC for another awesome Lord of the Rings Online chat! The logs will be up shortly at http://lotro.stratics.com
[CM]Liquilla - Thanks for all the great questions and if we were unable to answer yours tonight, then be sure to bring them along to the next one.
[CM]Liquilla - A big thanks to Stratics for hosting their first LOTRO European Dev Chat!
Scenario - Thanks for joining us tonight everyone! Have a great evening!
Rhidden - Thanks for coming! Anyone’s question that I answered owes me a beryl shard.
LOTRO_Saffron - Thanks for coming everyone! It's been a pleasure!
Denour_Turbine - Have a great night everyone!
Turbine_Tens - Thanks for coming everyone!
Keth_Turbine - Bye everyone, cya in Sûri-kylä!

Brannoc - Be sure to stop by next month on the last Wedsnesday, we'll be here again!

Developer Info: Monster Play

Nimloth — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 15:49:43 GMT

Welcome to the first of many Developer Diary installments discussing monster play. We’ve kept the wraps on this aspect of the production for long enough, so here’s your first look behind the curtain at the geography of your monster playground!

Where is the Ettenmoors?

North of Rivendell are the troll-fens where Aragorn’s grandfather, Arador, met his end at the hands of the Hill-trolls dwelling in the Coldfells. Long lost to corruption, the Ettenmoors once served as a home to the kingdom of Rhudaur.

In the north, flowing out of the Misty Mountains, is the Hoarwell River. The great river flows toward the south, becoming impassable until the Last Bridge at the border of the Lone-lands and the Trollshaws. It is rumored that Fallohide Hobbits may once have migrated along the shores of the Hoarwell River, perhaps even making themselves a home along its banks as they journeyed west across the Misty Mountains.

In the Northwest, a terrible peak rises to cast its great shadow far to the east. This mountain, once home to the goblin Golfimbul, is known as Mount Gram and at its foot, the fearsome forces of Angmar have laid claim to the land.

Hope is not yet lost in the Gramsfoot. An Elf, Lainedhel, discontent with Elrond’s choice to trust the power of the Elven-ring Vilya to defend Rivendell from the host pressing through the North Downs into the Ettenmoors, has rallied the Free Peoples of Eriador to the Ettenmoors. Their fortress in the southeast stands as a bastion of Light against the ever-growing darkness.

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Areas of the Ettenmoors

Coldfells

The western portion of the Ettenmoors, stretching from Hithlad and the Grimwood Forest in the south to the base of the Misty Mountains in the north and the Hoarwell River in the west, is called the Coldfells. Indigenous life teems throughout the area, bolstered by the presence of the Free Peoples and their allies.

Features: Glân Vraig, Tirith Rhaw, Ost Ringdyr

Arador’s End

Though Aragorn’s grandfather was taken by Hill-trolls in the Coldfells, the beasts dragged him back to their camp nestled in the bosom of the Misty Mountains. The lands to the north, stretching along the shelf of the Misty Mountains, have been called Arador’s End ever since. Features: Grothum, Isendeep Mine

Hoardale

A valley through which the great Hoarwell River flows, Hoardale is the seat of Tol Ascarnen, a long-ruined keep once held by the kingdom of Rhudaur. The Hoarwell River here cascades from the edge of the Misty Mountains in a massive waterfall, providing the war-torn land with a beautiful backdrop. Features: Tol Ascarnen

Hithlad

In the south, with the Coldfells at its eastern border and the Steps of Gram to its northwest, you will find Hithlad, and the Grimwood Forest. Features: Grimwood Lumber Camp, Hoarhallow

Steps of Gram

Moors rise in ever-increasing swells in the shadow of Mount Gram. The land here is harsh, rocky, and sparsely covered with trees.

Features: Dâr-gazag, Gramsfoot, Lugazag

Places in the Ettenmoors

Glân Vraig

At the southeast edge of the Ettenmoors, the Free Peoples established a fortress. The unwavering stand taken at the forest’s edge gives Angmar’s army little chance to force the Free Peoples from the holding. It is here that the staging ground for the war against the North begins. The fortress is of Elven make and stands out as a beautiful reminder of the lands that lay south of the forsaken and twisted area of the Ettenmoors.

Ost Ringdyr

Nestled far to the east, surrounded by a deep trench with only a few paths into its heart, Ost Ringdyr stands as the main keep of the Free Peoples. It is from here that the leaders of the Free Peoples army have reached out to the Eagles and Bears in the north to stand against the tide of Darkness swelling from Angmar.

Tirith Rhaw

Atop a rise to the west of Ost Ringdyr, but not yet to the eastern bank of the Hoarwell, you will find Tirith Rhaw’s silhouette rising above the treeline. This tower affords the Free Peoples a long view of the forest, and allows them to see down to the waterway.

Tol Ascarnen

Central to the Ettenmoors and positioned on an island in the middle of the Hoarwell River, Tol Ascarnen is a defensible stronghold. Bridges lead to the island from the east and from the west, and forces may be able to find purchase through the river. To the north, a magnificent waterfall towers high above the fortress at the foothills of the Misty Mountains and Arador’s End.

Hoarhallow

Long ago, Fallohide Hobbits made their way over the Misty Mountains and through the wilds north of the Trollshaws, following the Hoarwell River as they traveled. Many pressed on into the lands further west, finding themselves at last in the gentle bosom of what would become The Shire. Some, more adventurous and accustomed to the Big Folk of Rhudaur who had not yet turned to villainy, chose a secluded area beneath the heavy cover of the Grimwood in Hithlad. There, these intrepid Hobbits have lived in seclusion and general safety for centuries.

While searching the north for signs of the enemy, at the behest of Elrond, Lainedhel discovered both the Hobbit village and a force from Angmar pressing through the Ettenmoors. Upon returning to Rivendell, Lainedhal made his report on the forces he discovered far to the north. Elrond saw the forces as no threat to Rivendell and wished no one to interfere with their plans, but the innocence of the Hobbits spoke to the Elf’s heart, so he organized a force to enter the Ettenmoors and protect the Little Folk from the ravening hordes of Angmar.

Grimwood Lumber Camp

The Hobbits of Hoarhallow are primarily gardeners and hunters. A goodly number were also builders, and until the arrival of Angmar’s army they had a thriving lumber camp in the Grimwood. Now the camp is constantly under siege as the Free Peoples and Angmar fight for control of the location and the rich wood that it supplies.

Lugazag

A grim shadow is cast by this ruined tower at the foot of the Steps of Gram. From within the walls of this tower, Angmar’s forces send raiding forces into the Ettenmoors in search of food and sport. Lugazag is located very near the Hobbits’ village at Hoarhallow, and serves as the main threat to the furry-footed folk.

Isendeep Mine

Long ago, it may have been a troll-hollow; now, the Isendeep is a contested area, where the Free Peoples fight Angmar’s army for precious metal resources. Its location near the goblin village of Grothum makes holding the location difficult for the Free Peoples. Besides the threat from goblins and other lurking beasts of the mountains, one must be on the watch for trolls at all times.

Grothum

Mount Gram, once the dwelling-place of Golfimbul and now of the Snowreap goblins, serves as the true home for the goblins of Grothum. Moving from the relative safety of the great mountain to the border of the Isendeep was by the order of the mighty warriors of Angmar, and like the good servants they are, the goblins obeyed it. The village stands far to the northeast of the Hobbit village, above the mountain source of the mighty Hoarwell.

Dâr-gazag

In the far west, the rise and fall of the moors creates natural channels through the landscape. At the crest of a mighty hill, Angmar’s army discovered the shell of a fortress that once belonged to Rhudaur. Digging into the ruins, they fortified their position within and now hold this as their stronghold, standing in opposition to the Free Peoples at Ost Ringdyr.

Gramsfoot

Wooden walls, Warg-guardians, and a war-host from Angmar rest at the foot of Mount Gram. From here, the great Uruk War-tyrant Akúlhun commands the forces of Angmar. The fortress is well-guarded and nearly impenetrable. From this base of power, War-leaders launch their assaults against the Free Peoples and seek to drive them from the land to make ready their war-machines for an invasion of lower Eriador.

Allan "Orion" Maki hails from parts unknown. He spent his youth cradled in the company of the Knights of Ni and has no problem saying "Ni" to old women or Floon Beetle. Schooled by life, he rescued Princess Peach, discovered Samus Aran's identity and saved Zelda – all before the age of sixteen. By twenty, he had crumbled the Roman Empire, sailed along the Spanish Main and shot the Red Baron out of the sky.

After many failed attempts at becoming the uncontested ruler of the universe, he accepted the position of OCR on a little game named Asheron's Call. Soon after, he moved into a role as designer finishing his tenure on the project as the Lead Designer, before moving to DDO and finally to LOTRO, where he now serves as a Content Designer. His favorite color is purple – royal purple not lilac, though lilacs smell nice in spring – his favorite movie of all time is Citizen Kane and he wears a size 10 ½ shoe.

Dev Chat Tuesday 30th

Nimloth — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 23:53:33 GMT

Warcry network are hosting a dev chat with the LotRO tonight:

>We're hosting a dev chat with the LotRO next Tuesday: > >Come join us for a dev chat this Tuesday, January 30, 2007 at 8pm EST. > >When: 01/30/2007 8pm EST >Where: irc.chatspike.net 6667 in #lotro >General chat will be available in #warcry > >Need a way in? No problem just use our Java Client > >We look forward to seeing you there.