lotro-europe
Latest
Find a little bit of Lord of the Rings Online all across Europe
If you're a player of Lord of the Rings Online on the European servers, Codemasters has a very simple request for you -- find Middle-earth. And before you get in your head to try to be a tricksy hobbitses by just logging in, you should understand a bit more context. The European player community is being encouraged to take part in a new contest to find Tolkien's setting all around, looking for the parts of the real world that most closely resemble Middle-earth in feel and appearance. Running from April 7th to April 20th, the contest asks players to find a location that reminds them of a place within the game's setting, take a photo, and submit it to Codemasters with a description and an explanation. The best entries will win a variety of goodies, including Siege of Mirkwood hoodies and a variety of in-game prizes. Lord of the Rings Online was in no small part inspired by the landscape of Europe, so players should find plenty of opportunities to find the fantastic right in their own backyards.
Codemasters comes clean on LotRO EU's free-to-play delay
Lord of the Rings Online players are well aware that something has been rotten in the state of Denmark -- and the rest of Europe -- with the lengthy and unexplained delay in rolling out the new free-to-play update in the region. While we've speculated on the cause, Codemasters has been cagey and non-specific during the past month and a half, only promising that a solution was coming "soon." That changed today, as general manager David Solari posted a letter on the LotRO EU forums clarifying the situation. It turns out that the hold-up was due to legal rather than technical obstacles: "As many of you correctly surmised, the issues have been contractual rather than technical. As they were contractual issues, we are bound by confidentiality and you will understand that I can't give you any further detail... Unfortunately a contract was required in order to go free-to-play and this has taken much longer to conclude than expected. The good news is that the contractual issues have been resolved and we are on the home stretch." Solari promised more information later this week, claiming that the F2P launch is "imminent." Codemasters is in charge of operating Lord of the Rings Online in the region while Turbine handles the responsibility in North America. You can read the full letter over at the LotRO EU forums.
The Road to Mordor: The Codemasters conundrum
J.R.R. Tolkien once wrote, "Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger." In light of recent events, we might turn that phrase to become, "Do not meddle in the affairs of players, for they are outspoken and very, very quick to anger." I'm referring, of course, to the outright debacle that's been happening on the Lord of the Rings Online European front. While Turbine released LotRO's F2P version along with the latest patch a month ago in North America, Codemasters has yet to follow suit, citing numerous problems on its end. When we first heard of the delay, I assumed it would be shortly resolved -- perhaps no more than a week or two at the most -- which is why I've mostly kept from discussing it in this column before now. Tech problems happen, there's always legal traps waiting, code can be glitchy, and regionalization is an ever-present obstacle. But at this point it feels as though the EU "Have-Nots" community has been under siege from lack of information and a frustrating view of the "Haves" across the pond. When will it be their turn? Why didn't Codemasters see this coming? How is the EU team trying to mollify the community as the devs scramble to get this puppy to live? Let's take a journey, you and I, through the past month and into the near future. Don't mind the hobbits picketing the Shire -- I'm sure it'll all work out.
Beta journals testify about the LotRO store
While the new version of Lord of the Rings Online is still under NDA lockdown, Turbine's opened a crack in the door to allow a few beta testers to jaw about the LotRO store. On the EU site, beta testers were encouraged to submit their thoughts and experiences with the new store for non-testers to assimilate, with four stories chosen to be posted. Although these stories come with the caveat that they were hand-picked to be shared, they seemed free to share both likes and dislikes about the store. Some of the positive mentions include the speed of the store's delivery to player inventory, the sheer amount of items available, fun items like emotes and mounts, and general ease of use. They report that cosmetics are a big hit with beta testers. On the flip side, the authors were critical of the unfinished feel to the store and the fact you can't see the items you're purchasing in the dressing-room window. Generally, however, the four testers are upbeat about this new LotRO feature. You can read their full thoughts at LotRO EU's site.
Summer festival returns for European LotRO players
June 29th is just a few days away, and if you're a Lord of the Rings Online player in Europe, that means it's almost party time! The Summer Festival is returning to Middle-earth, bringing all of your old favorites such as Keg Racing and Taste of Hobbiton. You've got plenty of time to participate in the celebration, because it's going on for quite a while. Events will last until July 29th, and you'll find celebrations taking place at several locations throughout Middle-earth. Visit the Shire, Ered Luin, Bree-land and Thorin's Hall to participate. Check out the Lord of the Rings Online official announcement for all of the current information.
Codemasters reveals the LotRO Europe pre-order deals for Siege of Mirkwood
Coming hot off the heels of Turbine's Siege of Mirkwood pre-order announcement comes the European pre-order details from Codemasters. While the European players won't be able to simply upgrade their subscription plans to a multi-month plan to get the expansion for free, they do get a very nice deal on the Lord of the Rings Online adventurer's pack.European players can pick up the expansion and the adventurer's pack add-on, which offers two character slots and 20 shared inventory slots, for 20 pounds or 28 euros. If you buy the bundle, you get the Harbinger's Cloak and the extra mount (the Dusky Nimblefoot Goat) included. Otherwise, if you just buy the expansion for 15 pounds or 20 euros, you only get the Harbinger's Cloak -- a change from the cloak being offered solely in the US adventurer's pack.
LotRO Europe celebrates Bilbo's birthday week with free account keys
Last year on Bilbo Baggins' birthday (the 22nd of September), a special quest involving Bilbo and Frodo was made available to Lord of the Rings Online players. This year the birthday celebration has started early, almost a week before the actual date. LotRO Europe is giving away a very specific number of full game account keys: 111, or eleventy-one as Bilbo himself might say. They will be given away on the game's community forums, the LOTRO_Europe and Codies Twitter feeds, as well as the Codemasters blog May Contain Gamers. The way they are given out at these locations may differ, but we do know that in the case of Twitter, it's first come first served -- if you can plug the key into a Codemasters account quicker than the next punter, it's yours. An additional 111 keys will be given away by some German and French community sites. Past the account key giveaway, there will also be in-game festivities starting on the 21st of September and continuing until the 25th. We'll keep our eyes peeled for more news regarding the birthday fun.
Welcome back week for Lord of the Rings Online Europe starts next Monday
Hey just a friendly reminder for our European readers, Codemasters Online is running a welcome back week for Lord of the Rings Online starting on Monday. All former subscribers are welcome to come back for a great week of bonus experience and free gameplay. Who can turn down leveling faster and leveling for free?Don't worry about fiddling with your account or clicking any "re-activate" links either. Codemasters will turn all of the accounts online on their own, so all you have to do is re-install the game or simply patch up to the latest version, Book 8: The Scourge of Khazad-Dûm. We have lots of information on Book 8, plus we even got a tour of it from Turbine! If you're not up-to-date, now's the perfect time to check out all of our coverage!
Pimp your ride, Lord of the Rings Online style
Ok, ok, so the contest isn't called "Pimp Your Horse," but Codemasters does want you to submit your own designs for a new horse in Lord of the Rings Online. Here's the chance for aspiring artists to really customize a game that they love by submitting original designs for horse coloring, saddle color, and blanket design. Or you could do what we did and find the worst possible design to put on your horse, followed by a flame decal. Oh yeah, totally rockin'.The winner (which will totally be our lightning fast purple speed mount we named "Schuster's Shooter") will receive a Codemasters goodie bag, a unique forum title and avatar, and their design appearing in the live game as a player mount. Two runners up will also get the the goodie bag and forum prizes as well.So what are you waiting for? Get in the saddle and start designing!Update: Turbine just got in contact with us, and apparently the contest is for United States and North American audiences too! Go, design, let one horse rule them all!
Rumor: Codemasters chief operating officer has left unexpectedly
Edge Online has picked up a rumor that Tony Williams, the chief operating officer of Codemasters, has unexpectedly left the company while Codemasters has yet to make an official announcement.Williams was the managing director at Bam! Entertainment, which was responsible for Carmen Sandiego: Secret of the Stolen Drums, Wallace & Gromit in Project Zoo, and various Cartoon Network video game adaptations, until coming on board with Codemasters in 2005. Edge Online has been unable to confirm his absence, as their calls to Codemasters were left unanswered.Codemasters is responsible for publishing Jumpgate Evolution and Lord of the Rings Online Europe, as well as ArchLord in the United States.
The hero's guide to the Lone-Lands of Lord of the Rings
Codemasters has released another entry in their "hero's guide" series of articles for The Lord of the Rings Online, this one centering on the Lone-Lands, home of Weathertop and many other dangerous locales.The Lone-Lands are marked by the ruins of ancient kingdoms, each once part of the human kingdom of Arnor before shattering apart and going their own ways. Those ways ended up leading to war, with the kingdom of Rhudaur siding with the minions of the witch king in order to conquer the other two kingdoms. It was in these battles that the watch post of Weathertop fell, as it sat right on the borders between each of the three kingdoms.For all the tasty goodies and lore-related treats about the Lone-Lands, check out the full guide located over at LotRO Europe.
LotRO-Europe website gets a facelift
Not that there was ever anything wrong with Lord of the Rings Online Europe's website to begin with, but they've recently decided to completely revamp their site to better accommodate the new expansion and future content. Codemaster Online's new website now features a separate branch for Shadows of Angmar and one for Mines of Moria, as well as the obligatory CGI trailer, free trial info, competitions and a link to their e-shop. Separating the two volumes like this allows the company to present news, features and contests that are specific to a certain expansion, which will become more valuable as the list of expansions grows in the coming years. They also promise that the community section will benefit from the creativity of their designers soon, and will be brought in line with this new layout.
